Mortal's Purple Sky Cave Heaven

Chapter 486 Gathering
This man was of extraordinary appearance and young age, only about twenty years old, but he had a calm and composed demeanor. He was none other than Nie Zhaonan, who had come to keep the appointment.

He glanced around casually, and as the crimson and blue light flashed, his gaze suddenly sharpened, fixing on a seemingly ordinary mountain wall nearby, his eyes fixed on it.

"Fellow Daoist, you have excellent eyesight." An aged voice came from the mountain wall, and then the stone wall blurred, revealing an old woman with gray hair.

"So it's Fellow Daoist Gu. I wonder how long you've been here. I'm honored to meet you." Nie Zhaonan's eyes dimmed slightly as he smiled and clasped his hands in greeting.

This old woman was none other than Gu Ling, the sole ancestor of the Zhenling Valley family.

"I only arrived a few hours early. I was just joking with Fellow Daoist Nie, but I didn't expect you to see through it at a glance. Your spiritual eye technique is truly amazing. Even Fellow Daoist Hui couldn't detect my concealment technique, yet you saw through it. You are truly astonishing!" Gu Ling glanced at Nie Zhaonan, her tone slightly surprised.

"Fellow Daoist Gu is joking. My spiritual eye only has some auxiliary uses and cannot be considered an amazing supernatural power." Nie Zhaonan smiled calmly.

Gu Ling smiled, looking completely unconvinced, but then clicked her tongue in amazement at Nie Zhaonan:

“When I first met you, you had only just broken through to the mid-stage of the Void Refinement realm. Now, a mere three hundred years later, you have advanced to the early stage of the Body Integration realm, just like me. Such a speed of advancement is simply too monstrous. What surprises me even more is that I cannot see through your strength at all. I am afraid that among the three of us on this trip, you are the strongest.”

"Hehe, these are just some minor tricks. Fellow Daoist Gu and Fellow Daoist Hui are both from True Spirit families. If they were to fight to the death, it would be hard to say who would win in the end." Nie Zhaonan replied calmly, not knowing what she meant.

"With just the True Dragon Dharma Form, you are far beyond our reach. Fellow Daoist Nie, why be so modest? I have no other intentions. It's just that I have a premonition of danger on this trip. If anything unexpected happens, I hope Fellow Daoist Nie can take care of the vast Gu family." Gu Ling said frankly.

"Danger? Perhaps you made a mistake due to momentary confusion. Besides, are you really at ease entrusting the Gu family to me?" Nie Zhaonan was taken aback.

"What is there to worry about? Fellow Daoist is the best choice. Fellow Daoist has just advanced to the Integration stage and is currently lacking a force to serve you. If I am no longer here, the Gu family is undoubtedly the best choice. Of course, I hope that Fellow Daoist will take a few promising juniors from the Gu family as disciples, so that the Gu family and Fellow Daoist can be considered to share weal and woe." Gu Ling's expression suddenly became solemn.

Currently, among both the human and demon races, there is hope of advancing to the Mahayana stage. On the demon race's side, no outstanding Fusion-level demon kings have been reported. However, on the human side, the Heavenly Origin Saint Emperor and the Black Tortoise Overlord Emperor do have a slight chance.

But compared to the heaven-defying talent displayed by this fellow Daoist Nie, it is simply incomparable!
Moreover, she also had the opportunity to deepen her relationship with Nie Zhaonan, helping each other during the trip and enhancing her ability to cope with crises.

It's fair to say that her decision was a sure win.

"Accept me as a disciple? Fellow Daoist Gu, are you joking?" Nie Zhaonan frowned and subconsciously shook his head repeatedly.

"Of course I'm not joking. I can guarantee that these Gu family disciples are all one in a million in terms of talent, and advancing to the Void Refinement stage won't be difficult for them. After they become your disciples, you'll only need to give them a little guidance, and it won't take up much of your energy," Gu Ling said seriously.

“But I, Nie, have never intended to take on a disciple. Fellow Daoist merely wishes to leave a way out for the Gu family; why go to such trouble? As far as I know, Fellow Daoist and the Ye family have always had a good relationship; why not simply ask the Ye family to look after them? Besides, it's not necessary for a True Spirit family to have a Nascent Soul cultivator in charge; there are many True Spirit families that are supported only by Void Refinement cultivators. The rise and fall of a power is inevitable; why should Fellow Daoist care so much?” Nie Zhaonan chuckled, then spoke meaningfully.

“Since you’ve said so, I won’t insist any further. However, I still hope to join forces with you to protect ourselves on this trip. After all, Fellow Daoist Hui is always unpredictable, and no one knows what he might be plotting in secret. Although I’ve lived long enough, I don’t want to die without knowing why,” Gu Ling replied without hesitation.

"Join forces? That's fine. But if it comes to a life-or-death situation, I, Nie, cannot intervene." Nie Zhaonan did not immediately agree.

"Of course." Gu Ling nodded. She knew that their relationship was far from being one where they would risk their lives for each other.

Half a day after the two finished their conversation, a streak of light shot out from the other side of the valley.

Within the shimmering light was the elder of the Long family, the man in black robes.

He soon fell into the valley.

The moment his feet touched the ground, a slightly aged woman's voice suddenly rang out:

"Fellow Daoist Hui, you've finally arrived. Fellow Daoist Nie and I have been waiting for you for a long time."

As soon as he finished speaking, a flash of light appeared deep in the valley, and two beams of light emerged in an instant, arriving before the man in black robes with a whooshing sound.

With a flash of light, Nie Zhaonan and Gu Ling's figures silently appeared.

"Fellow Daoist Nie, you have indeed advanced to the Integration stage! I thought those were just rumors, but I never expected that Fellow Daoist Nie would actually be so extraordinary." In contrast to Nie Zhaonan's composure, the black-robed man's expression changed drastically after sweeping his divine sense over Nie Zhaonan, and he exclaimed in disbelief.

Back when Nie Zhaonan was only at the mid-stage of the Void Refinement realm, he could ignore the gap between major realms and fight him head-on. Now that he has advanced to the Body Integration realm, his strength has naturally increased several times over. How could this not shock him?

"I was indeed fortunate enough to advance to the Integration Realm, which is quite an honor for Fellow Daoist Hui," Nie Zhaonan said with a faint smile.

"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Nie is a cultivation genius that only appears once every million years in our human race, so it's not a big deal that he cultivates faster. However, with Fellow Daoist Nie's cultivation greatly improved, our journey will naturally be safer." Gu Ling said to the man in black robes with a half-smile.

The man in black robes was incredibly shrewd and calculating; naturally, he showed no sign of surprise. After discussing some details of the trip with Nie Zhaonan and the other man, they set off.

The three of them took to the air and entered the Azure Spirit Shuttle.

After a humming sound, the Azure Shuttle's surface flashed with emerald light, transforming into a barely visible faint blue light that sped towards the horizon.

A moment later, the blue light vanished without a trace at the edge of the sky, disappearing hundreds of miles away.

Inside the hall, while controlling the Azure Spirit Shuttle, Nie Zhaonan also diverted some of his attention to explore a secret room in the Purple Cloud Cave. Through layers of restrictions, he saw Xin Ruyin inside.

However, she was still engrossed in studying a book on formations, showing no signs of being in seclusion for cultivation.

Upon seeing this, Nie Zhaonan had a thought, and Xin Ruyin felt a scene change, her vision blurred, and when she saw the face of the person in front of her clearly, her face fell.

"You think setting up more layers of arrays and restrictions will stop my divine sense? You've been at the Nascent Soul stage for so many years, yet you're still obsessed with arrays, your cultivation hasn't improved at all, still only at the early Nascent Soul stage. You've disappointed me greatly." Nie Zhaonan glanced at her indifferently, somewhat annoyed. Xin Ruyin put away the array manual in her hand, lightly jumped into his arms, and whispered sweetly:
"After studying many rare books obtained from Tianyuan City, my mastery of formations has become extremely high. At least the restrictions I set up in the secret room are something that ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators cannot ignore. Only my husband has such earth-shattering supernatural power that I didn't even notice it."

"The level of cultivation is not that important to me. Although I am only a Nascent Soul cultivator, if I were to set up an array, even Sister Bingfeng would not be my match."

Nie Zhaonan flicked her smooth forehead without hesitation, leaving a red mark, and said bluntly:

"Who do you think would give you that much time to set up a grand formation?"

"The Dao of Formations has great limitations; one must still rely on oneself. I brought you with me to supervise you, not to let you play tricks under my nose." He was somewhat helpless. Xin Ruyin was a prodigy in formations, which was both a good thing and a bad thing, as it made her have little interest in cultivation.

"Husband~" Xin Ruyin cried out in pain, clutching her forehead, her eyes brimming with tears.

Nie Zhaonan couldn't resist her delicate and fragile appearance; his heart fluttered, but he immediately turned his head away, forcing himself to speak:

"Among your sisters, you have the lowest cultivation level right now, and not just a little bit, but two or three minor realms lower. Ying'er and Qiaoqian are also refining puppets and secret talismans respectively. I have no objection to you studying the way of formations, but your cultivation level should at least be on par with theirs. Don't fall too far behind."

"But those two are already at the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, how could I possibly catch up with them?" Xin Ruyin's beautiful eyes were pitiful, and her waist swayed gently.

She showed no shyness at all when acting coquettishly in front of her husband.

"That's not something I should be thinking about. But before that, if you continue to ignore what I say, I won't hesitate to discipline you with family rules." Nie Zhaonan's gaze moved down and lingered on her lower abdomen.

Xin Ruyin trembled slightly, somewhat frightened, as even when all her sisters joined forces, they were no match for him.

If she were alone, she might really 'die'.

"How could I, your husband, bear to let you die, Ruyin? Don't worry, I have plenty of healing pills." Nie Zhaonan leaned close to her ear and gently inhaled her fragrance.

"Alas, since my husband has said so, I have no choice but to obey. I know that you are only trying to scare me because you want what's best for me," Xin Ruyin replied softly, a glimmer of hope still lingering in her voice.

"Trying to scare you? Ruyin, you can try it." Nie Zhaonan smiled faintly, his eyes holding an ambiguous meaning.

Looking at the smile on her husband's face, Xin Ruyin's heart was ice-cold; she knew her husband wasn't joking.

"Yes, my husband, please send me back now. That way, I can meet your requirements sooner." Xin Ruyin calmed down, stood up, and glanced intentionally or unintentionally between his legs.

Without the slightest hesitation, Nie Zhaonan used his mind to communicate with the Purple Cloud Cave Heaven and sent Xin Ruyin back.

After finishing this task, Nie Zhaonan sat down, glanced between his legs, and showed a helpless expression:

"Ruyin is quite something now, lighting the fire in just a few seconds and then just leaving it alone. Just wait and see how I deal with you later."

Although he was feeling somewhat uncomfortable at this moment, he did not regret his choice. How could Nie Zhaonan be led by the nose by desire?

With this in mind, like the other two, Nie Zhaonan silently sat down to meditate and regulate his breathing, conserving his energy for the upcoming action.

Two months later, in a remote and desolate place in the wilderness, the Azure Spirit Shuttle paused and suddenly stopped in the void.

The Azure Shuttle disappeared in a flash of light, and Nie Zhaonan and his two companions reappeared.

Below is a lush, green hill.

This mountain is only a few hundred feet high, and some ordinary ancient trees grow on it, with nothing special about it.

Nie Zhaonan subconsciously scanned the area with his divine sense, but his expression showed surprise. Even with his powerful divine sense, which was now at the eighth level of the Lieyuan Technique, he could not sense any special spiritual energy fluctuations below.

This place seems to be just an ordinary small hill.

Still not giving up, Nie Zhaonan subconsciously glanced at the small hill in front of him, a flash of crimson and blue light appearing in his eyes.

Finally, with the help of the Spiritual Eyes' divine power, their gaze pierced through the hill and they finally saw the barrier shimmering with a faint spiritual light.

"Alright, this is it. Although I couldn't detect anything with my divine sense, the Heavenly Net Token is pointing to this very place. As a cultivator at the late stage of the Integration Realm, it wouldn't be difficult for Master Tianluo to set up some restrictions to conceal the cave, deceiving us. Not to mention, this place was very likely originally an ancient secret place, so we are even less likely to be able to see through it." The black-robed man held the Heavenly Net Token, looking at the small mountain in front of him with a somewhat solemn expression.

"The information conveyed by the Heavenly Net Token in my hand also indicates that this is the place." Gu Ling nodded. "This trip is all thanks to Fellow Daoist Nie's Azure Spirit Shuttle. As expected of a flying-type Heavenly Treasure, it sent us to this desolate depths so quickly. Otherwise, with our speed, it would have taken several times longer to reach this place, and the troubles we encountered would have increased exponentially."

Along the way, they naturally encountered some ancient beasts and natural dangers, but with the three Nascent Soul cultivators working together, they easily overcame them.

“This is nothing special. The Azure Spirit Shuttle is only somewhat miraculous in terms of speed. After all, we are still in the wilderness. Now that we are here, let’s open the cave and go inside immediately to avoid causing any trouble,” Nie Zhaonan said to the two of them with a hint of advice.

Gu Ling and the other person had no objection; they shared the same idea.

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(End of this chapter)