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The news of Madam Mo, the wife of the Yinluo Sect Master, perishing on the Tiannan battlefield spread like wildfire back to the Great Jin cultivation world, causing a great uproar.

The Yinluo Sect, already disgraced by the severe injury of its sect leader Fang Kun to Su Ning and the successive losses of its experts, has now become a laughing stock in the entire Great Jin cultivation world.

"Have you heard? That shrew from the Yinluo Sect was actually killed by a mere Nascent Soul cultivator from Tiannan!"

"Tsk tsk, it's true what they say, when someone's down, everyone kicks them while they're down! First they offended Su Ning, the nemesis of the Taiyi Sect, and now even his junior brother can easily manipulate the Yinluo Sect."

"The Yinluo Sect has completely failed this time. It may not even be able to maintain its status as a first-class sect!"

Such discussions circulated in various teahouses and markets. The disciples of the Yinluo Sect could not hold their heads high when they went out, and the sect was shrouded in gloom and fear.

Its strength has plummeted, making it difficult to maintain its vast territory and interests, and its former enemies have begun to stir.

All of this stemmed from the fact that they initially provoked the person they shouldn't have—…

Su Ning, and his equally formidable junior brother Han Li.

After this battle, Han Li firmly established himself in Tiannan and became renowned.

However, upon returning to the Luoyun Sect, he immediately began a long period of seclusion.

The primary task of this seclusion is to thoroughly refine the many newly acquired treasures, especially the Ghost Banner, which is incredibly powerful yet exudes a sinister aura.

Using his pure magical power and the exorcising divine thunder, he carefully erased Madam Mo's mark and the most ferocious backlash from the banner. Although he could not unleash its full power for the time being, it had become a powerful trump card.

More importantly, he began to refine and cultivate his own natal magic weapon, the Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword, in large quantities.

Thanks to the rich knowledge of the Taiyi Sect's Scripture Pavilion and the rare materials continuously sent by the Su family of the Great Jin Dynasty through the teleportation array (many of which were specially collected at Su Ning's behest), especially with the arrival of another batch of mature Golden Thunder Bamboo, Han Li's weapon-refining skills and vision were far beyond what they had been before.

He was no longer satisfied with simply increasing the number of flying swords, but began to try more sophisticated methods of refining them.

He repeatedly tempered each flying sword with Nascent Soul True Fire, infusing the sword with even purer Evil-Repelling Divine Thunder power, and inscribing subtle amplification runes inside the sword.

He even began to try the basic technique of "sword nurturing," placing a set of main flying swords in his dantian and nurturing them day and night with his own essence and magic power, so that their spirituality and power would increase day by day.

All of this was laying a solid foundation for the Great Geng Sword Formation, which he envisioned as incredibly powerful and required a massive number of flying swords and immense divine power to drive.

He had a premonition that once this sword formation was initially mastered, it would become his trump card for surpassing opponents of the same level, and even those of higher levels.

While improvements in cultivation and magical artifacts are certainly welcome, every step after the Nascent Soul stage becomes incredibly difficult, and elixirs that enhance magical power become extremely rare.

Resources were limited in the southern region, and Han Li soon felt the existence of a bottleneck.

Immediately afterwards, Han Li went to the far west and, after many twists and turns, finally met the extraordinary person whose only remaining soul was the Great Evolution God.

He not only obtained the crucial subsequent three layers of the Great Evolution Technique (the fifth, sixth, and seventh layers) from the Great Evolution Divine Lord, but also received the complete inheritance of the culmination of his life's work—the art of creating humanoid puppets.

In return, Han Li did not keep anything to himself. He copied the last three levels of the "Great Evolution Technique" and some of the puppet-refining insights of the Great Evolution Divine Lord, and sent them to Su Ning via a teleportation array to the Great Jin Dynasty.

He remembered clearly that Su Ning had also practiced the "Great Evolution Technique," so this gift would probably be useful to him as well.

Just then, news broke about the most forbidden area in the south...

Rumors about the Fallen Demon Valley have resurfaced.

It is said that the valley not only contains ancient cultivation techniques and treasures left behind by ancient cultivators, but also spiritual medicine that can help Nascent Soul cultivators break through bottlenecks—the Spirit Candle Fruit!

An opportunity quietly presented itself.

The Marquis of Nanlong (mid-Nascent Soul stage) of the Righteous Alliance somehow obtained a partial map and clues to the treasures of Fallen Demon Valley, which appeared to be left by the ancient cultivator Cangkun Shangren. He invited his friends to form a team to explore the treasure.

The invitation was also sent to Han Li, who had risen to fame during the border war.

At the same time, the Ghost Spirit Sect also seemed to have gotten wind of the matter and were determined to obtain the Cangkun Relic Treasure.

Fallen Demon Valley is infamous, known as the most dangerous place in southern China, where those who enter the valley have a slim chance of survival.

Although Han Li was confident that his strength had greatly increased, he dared not be complacent in the slightest.

After much deliberation, he made a decision that greatly surprised Marquis Nanlong and the others...

An invitation was sent to Suning, who was far away in the Taiyi Sect of the Great Jin Dynasty, through secret channels.

In his mind, this Senior Brother Su was mysterious and unpredictable, with unfathomable strength, and had taken good care of him.

With him by our side, the safety of this trip to the Fallen Demon Valley will be greatly increased.

……

The search for the Cangkun Relics has been fraught with conspiracy from the very beginning.

Led by the Marquis of Nanlong, the group followed the map and ventured deep into a treacherous mountain range.

However, the Ghost Spirit Sect members had been lying in ambush for a long time, and the leader was none other than Wang Chan, the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect, who had an old grudge against Han Li, and his guardian elders.

At this moment, Wang Chan was stunned and speechless. "You...you are Su Ning and Han Li?"

"Young Master Wang, I didn't expect that after so many years, you would still recognize us?" Su Ning and Han Li exchanged a meaningful glance before Su Ning said.

"..." At this moment, Wang Chan could only feel endless fear.

"Uh? Fellow Daoist Su, Fellow Daoist Han, are you two acquainted with my nephew?"

"Of course! Sect Master Wang, back then, my fellow disciples and I were chased and killed by Young Master Wang."

"This……"

"Alright! Fellow Daoists, now the most important thing is to search for treasure." Marquis Nanlong immediately spoke up to change the subject.

"Fellow Daoist Nanlong is right," Sect Master Wang immediately said with an awkward smile.

The group then continued their search for Cangkun's relics, which were said to be the place where the Taoist Cangkun passed away.

Just as Marquis Nanlong broke through a restriction based on the map and relaxed his guard, a sudden change occurred!

Suddenly, a seemingly loyal companion beside him launched a vicious attack, joining forces with the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators to carry out a deadly sneak attack!

"Fellow Daoist Nanlong, be careful!" Han Li, who had been secretly on guard, sensed something was wrong immediately. At the same time, he warned him sharply, and the invisible needle had already shot out silently, aiming straight for the traitor's dantian and nascent soul!

At the same time, he swayed and stood in front of Nanlonghou. The Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword transformed into a golden sword curtain, blocking the combined attack of the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators. Lightning flashed and ghostly howls resounded.

Marquis Nanlong was filled with shock and anger. He managed to withstand some of the damage thanks to his profound cultivation, but he was already injured.

He glanced gratefully at Han Li, then roared as he fought the traitor and the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators.

However, Su Ning had no intention of making a move, because it would be easy for him to kill everyone present.

In the midst of the chaos, Han Li's gaze locked onto Wang Chan, who had been gritting his teeth at him the whole time.

"Wang Chan, the humiliation of being hunted down in the past should be repaid today!" Han Li's voice was icy.

Wang Chan grinned maliciously and unleashed the Ghost Spirit Sect's secret treasure: "Han Li! Today is your death day!"

However, today is different.

Han Li didn't even use his flying sword; he simply raised his hand and slashed through the air!
A hazy, twisted blade of light, exuding extreme sharpness and an aura of death—the Yin Demon Slash!

This is a new supernatural power he has developed by combining demonic secret techniques with his own cultivation methods. It is specifically designed to break through protective spiritual light!

The blade flashed and disappeared!
"Ah—!" Wang Chan let out an extremely shrill scream. His legs were cleanly severed from the thighs, and black mist swirled around the wounds, preventing any possibility of healing!
The Dharma protectors beside him didn't even have time to react!

"Young Master!" The Ghost Spirit Sect elder was horrified. He quickly snatched back Wang Chan, dared not linger in the fight, and fled in panic.

Han Li did not pursue, considering the pain of his broken leg as a way of getting some interest back first.

He turned around and assisted Marquis Nanlong in killing the traitor and repelling the remaining Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators.

After this battle, Marquis Nanlong was extremely grateful to Han Li, and the two became much closer, laying a foundation of trust for their eventual entry into the Fallen Demon Valley.

The news that "Han Li seriously injured the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect" once again spread his fearsome reputation throughout Tiannan.

……

The subsequent journey to the Demon Valley was fraught with even greater danger.

The valley is unstable, filled with ancient restrictions, and teeming with bizarre monsters.

Even with map guidance, the team encountered danger several times and lost members.

In an ancient medicinal garden in the valley, protected by restrictions, Han Li, with his superb understanding of the restrictions and a bit of luck, finally found one of the most important targets of this trip—the Spirit Candle Fruit!

He carefully picked the fruit and transplanted the rhizomes.

Using the pill formulas he obtained from the Taiyi Sect and his own superb alchemy skills, he successfully refined several Creation Pills.

After taking this elixir, one can enter a profound state of "enlightenment," greatly enhancing one's comprehension.

Thanks to this miraculous effect, Han Li not only quickly mastered some ancient secret techniques he obtained in the Fallen Demon Valley, but also made rapid progress in his understanding of core techniques such as the "Brahma Saint True Demon Art" and the "Great Evolution Technique," resolving many cultivation difficulties and saving him countless years of arduous cultivation and comprehension.

However, the greatest crisis does not come from the environment, but from the sealing.

In the deepest part of the valley, Nanlonghou unexpectedly triggered an ancient seal, releasing the remnant soul of an ancient demon that had been suppressed for countless millennia!

Although this ancient demon was not in its complete form, its strength was terrifying, far surpassing that of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator and even approaching that of a Deity Transformation cultivator! Several Nascent Soul cultivators who accompanied it were devoured or demonized in the blink of an eye, and the scene instantly descended into chaos!

Marquis Nanlong was seriously injured, and cultivators from other forces such as the Ghost Spirit Sect suffered even greater casualties.

At the crucial moment, Suning, who had been watching from the sidelines, finally stepped in!

Instead of using the Void Heaven Palace, he unleashed several extremely profound and powerful thunder magic techniques, temporarily diverting the ancient demon's main attention. The strength he displayed horrified all the survivors.

To everyone's surprise, this aloof cultivator who had been observing from the sidelines was actually the big boss, and the strength he displayed made it easy for him to wipe them all out.

Han Li also used all his trump cards without hesitation: the newly refined Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword Formation to trap the enemy, the Evil-Repelling Divine Thunder to bombard, and even at the cost of his own life, he activated the Ghost Banner that he had just begun to refine, releasing thousands of fierce ghosts to temporarily hinder the ancient demon (although the effect was minimal).

The two cooperated seamlessly, fighting and retreating simultaneously.

Suning seems to have some understanding of the characteristics of the Ancient Demon, and can always find its weaknesses to attack.

Han Li, with the enhanced comprehension from the Creation Pill, constantly adjusted his strategies during battle and was occasionally able to cause some trouble for the Ancient Demon.

In the end, after a chaotic battle, the two managed to escape the ancient demons' pursuit by using a remnant teleportation restriction in the valley. Most of the other Nascent Soul cultivators who entered the valley with them were left there forever.

Although the process was extremely dangerous, Han Li gained a great deal.

The Spirit Candle Fruit, the Creation Pill, several powerful ancient treasures, a large amount of rare materials, and the valuable experience gained from fighting ancient demons all contributed to a surge in his strength and resources.

After this battle, Han Li became famous throughout Tiannan. His fearsome reputation as "Old Demon Han" and his unfathomable image were deeply ingrained in people's minds.

His close, brotherly, and tacit relationship with Suning has aroused much speculation and apprehension.

Everyone realized that in the cultivation world of Tiannan, and even in the more distant Great Jin, a new evil star was rising at an astonishing speed, and no one dared to underestimate this Nascent Soul cultivator with four spiritual roots from the Luoyun Sect.

……

The epic adventure in the Fallen Demon Valley has finally come to an end. With their extraordinary strength and a bit of luck, Su Ning and Han Li escaped from the awakened ancient demons. Although they both suffered losses, they gained a great deal.

The two did not linger; they transformed into two streaks of light and quickly left that place of trouble, heading back towards Yunmeng Mountain.

As they passed over the Mulan Grassland, a violent surge of spiritual energy and the sounds of fighting below caught their attention.

A sweep of divine sense revealed that several Mulan mages were besieging a human cultivator.

The human cultivator was only at the late stage of Core Formation. He was vaguely familiar with the cultivation method, but he was already struggling to keep up. His protective magic treasure was dimming, and he obviously couldn't hold on for long.

"Huh? Senior brother, this person..." Han Li exclaimed softly, feeling that the aura of the besieged cultivator was somewhat familiar.

Su Ning's gaze narrowed slightly, and he said calmly, "It's actually my master, Lei Wanhe."

"Senior brother, let's go down and take a look."

"it is good."

The two pressed down on their escape light, and the immense spiritual pressure of the late-stage and mid-stage Nascent Soul realms descended without any concealment, like a tangible mountain. Instantly, the blood and qi of the previously arrogant Mulan mages surged, their magical power stagnates, and their faces showed horror.

"Who are you, senior? This is a personal grudge between my Mulan tribe and Tiannan. Please..." The leading late-stage Core Formation mage forced himself to speak, trying to invoke the name of the Mulan tribe.

However, before he could finish speaking, the pale gold-robed cultivator (Su Ning) casually flicked his sleeve.

An invisible force crashed down, and the several Mulan mages were trampled as if by a rampaging beast. Before they could even scream, they exploded into a cloud of blood mist, their bodies and souls destroyed!

With a casual gesture, he instantly killed several Core Formation cultivators!

The human Nascent Soul cultivator, who had been besieged and was on the verge of despair, had narrowly escaped death. Still shaken, he quickly straightened his tattered robes and stepped forward to bow respectfully: "Thank you both for saving me! I am Lei Wanhe from Huangfeng Valley, and I am deeply grateful! May I ask your honorable names, seniors? Perhaps another day..."

His words stopped abruptly.

When he looked up and saw the faces of the two people in front of him, he was struck as if by lightning, instantly frozen in place, his eyes wide open like copper bells, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg, his face filled with extreme shock, bewilderment and disbelief!

"You...you...Su...Su Ning?! Han Li?!"

Lei Wanhe's voice was so sharp it almost changed tone, and his finger trembled as he pointed at the two of them, as if he had witnessed the most unbelievable sight in the world!
These two "seniors" before me, whose auras were as deep and unfathomable as the ocean, who could kill Core Formation cultivators like ants with a wave of their hands, were actually...

They were actually the disciple and nephew he had taken in from Huangfeng Valley a hundred years ago?!
One is Su Ning, a disciple with five spiritual roots who was abandoned by Huangfeng Valley not long after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage and has been missing ever since!
One is Han Li, a disciple of Huangfeng Valley with four spiritual roots and equally poor aptitude, who was forced to leave the sect along with others!

them……

Shouldn't they have already turned to dust, or at most be struggling in the Foundation Establishment stage?

how come……

How would it appear here?

And what was with that terrifying spiritual pressure that even made him, a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, feel suffocated?!
Nascent Soul! It's definitely the Nascent Soul stage!
And that cheap apprentice Su Ning...

The intensity of that spiritual pressure was countless times more terrifying than that of Patriarch Linghu!
Could it be...

A late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator?!

Lei Wanhe felt that his worldview had been completely overturned at this moment, his mind was buzzing and blank.

Seeing his master's dumbfounded and almost out-of-control appearance, Su Ning couldn't help but find it a little funny. He cupped his hands in a salute and said in a calm tone, "Disciple Su Ning greets Master Lei. It has been many years since we last met. I hope you have been well."

Han Li also concealed his aura, stepped forward, and respectfully bowed: "Han Li greets Senior Uncle Lei."

Upon hearing the two confirm, Lei Wanhe seemed to wake from a dream, but the shock on his face did not diminish at all; on the contrary, it intensified.

He looked the two of them up and down, especially Su Ning. Feeling the unfathomable spiritual pressure, his voice still trembled: "Un...unharmed...you...your...your cultivation...what's going on? Su Ning, you...you're already at the late Nascent Soul stage?"

"I was fortunate enough to have some good fortune, and I am now indeed at the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, at the great perfection." Su Ning nodded calmly.

Late-stage Nascent Soul Realm Perfection! Half-step into Deity Transformation!

Lei Wanhe gasped, feeling dizzy.

Since the founding of Huangfeng Valley, even the strongest patriarch, Linghu, was only at the mid-Nascent Soul stage!
His own apprentice...

It's gotten to this point?!

This is simply...

He looked at Han Li again, feeling the solid spiritual pressure of the early Nascent Soul stage, and was speechless once more.

Suddenly, they realized just how much of a chance their Yellow Maple Valley had missed...

After a long while, Lei Wanhe finally managed to process this shocking fact. The shock on his face gradually turned into an extremely complex emotion, including ecstasy, relief, envy, and a hint of indescribable embarrassment.

The master himself had been far surpassed in cultivation by his disciple, and now he was even saved by his disciple...

He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down, and forced a smile: "Good! Good! Good! I never thought that in my lifetime I, Lei Wanhe, would be able to teach two Nascent Soul disciples! This is a great blessing for Huangfeng Valley! Come, come, come! Follow me back to Huangfeng Valley! If Ancestor Linghu knew about this, he would be overjoyed! He would definitely hold a grand celebration for the two of you to comfort our ancestor!"

He was so excited that he wanted to pull the two of them back to the sect. If Huangfeng Valley could suddenly have two more Nascent Soul cultivators, one of whom was at the Nascent Soul Perfection stage, it would surely become the strongest sect in Tiannan!
What an honor!

However, Su Ning gently shook his head: "I appreciate Master's kindness. However, I have now joined the Taiyi Sect of the Great Jin Dynasty and hold the position of Law Enforcement Elder, so it is inconvenient for me to join another sect. Junior Brother Han is also a guest elder of our Taiyi Sect and is ordered to guard Yunmeng Mountain. It may be inappropriate for him to return to Huangfeng Valley this time."

Han Li nodded in agreement: "Senior Uncle Lei, I will always remember the kindness of our sect. However, I do have duties to perform now and cannot stay any longer."

Upon hearing this, Lei Wanhe felt as if he had been doused with cold water; his enthusiasm instantly cooled, and a deep disappointment appeared on his face.

But he also understood that with Su Ning and Han Li's current cultivation and status, Huangfeng Valley, this small temple, was indeed no longer able to accommodate these two great figures.

It is already rare to be able to maintain a bond of kinship.

He sighed and said bitterly, "Yes... I was just being presumptuous. You are now true dragons soaring through the heavens, and Yellow Maple Valley... is indeed too small."

Seeing the somewhat somber atmosphere, Lei Wanhe suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way! Speaking of sects, there's something you might be interested in. Do you still remember that disciple who entered the Dao through martial arts—Li Feiyu?"

"Li Feiyu?" Han Li's eyes flashed, and Su Ning also showed a hint of interest.

“Yes, that’s him,” Lei Wanhe said. “This young man is resilient and has extraordinary perseverance. In addition, he has always been outstanding in talent. With the sect’s resources and his own hard work, he actually succeeded in forming his core! Now he has reached the mid-stage of the core formation and serves as an elder in the sect, where he is very capable. He often talks about the two of you.”

Hearing that their old friend was well and had found his own path, Su Ning and Han Li exchanged a glance, a faint sense of relief flashing in their eyes.

"Senior Brother Li has also formed his core, that's excellent," Han Li said softly.

After exchanging a few more words and learning about the situation of some of the old friends in Huangfeng Valley, Su Ning took his leave: "Master, this place is not suitable for a long stay. The Mage Mulan may come again at any time. You should also leave as soon as possible. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can come to Luoyun Sect in Yunmeng Mountain to find Junior Brother Han."

After speaking, Su Ning and Han Li bowed to Lei Wanhe once more, then transformed into two long rainbows and disappeared into the sky in an instant.

Lei Wanhe stood there, gazing in the direction where the two had disappeared, speechless for a long time.

Today's events feel like a dream.

Who could have imagined that those two unremarkable disciples from back then would now have reached a level that he has to look up to?

He let out a long sigh, his heart filled with mixed emotions, which finally turned into a complicated chuckle before he turned and fled towards the direction of Yellow Maple Valley.

He needs to process today's events carefully and consider how to utilize this "kindness" to secure a glimmer of hope for Huangfeng Valley amidst future chaos.

In fact, when Linghu Laozu made the decision to use Su Ning and Han Li as expendable pawns, Lei Wanhe still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

However, the decision of the Nascent Soul stage patriarch was not something a mid-stage Core Formation disciple could defy. Perhaps deep down, he also believed that the sacrifice of some disciples was necessary.

...(End of chapter)