At this moment, a giant lightning palm suddenly pointed forward, and surging dark black lightning surged from its fingertips.
A chilling, extremely yin and cold aura emanated, and black arcs of electricity began to flash wildly across the sea's surface.
In an instant, this hundred-zhang giant wave solidified, transforming into a black ice mountain, appearing exceptionally solemn and majestic.
Then, the black ice mountain suddenly lit up with white light from within.
Cracks began to appear on the surface of the ice mountain, and then an seemingly endless stream of white lightning burst forth from it.
Amidst the deafening thunder, the colossal ice mountain vanished into nothingness, and the entire sea surface slowly returned to calm, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.
The disciples of Fu Ling Hall watching from the distant mountaintop were all dumbfounded, frozen like statues. Even the Core Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators were no exception.
At this moment, a silver light flew back to the highest point of the platform. After the light subsided, Ning Fa's figure was revealed.
He held the Thunder King Scepter, his expression calm as he slowly scanned the crowd. His deep voice echoed across the mountaintop:
"From this day forward, I am the Hall Master of Fu Ling Hall!"
The cultivators of Fu Ling Hall finally snapped back to reality, all looking at him in unison.
A white-haired elder in the late Core Formation stage, tears streaming down his face, exclaimed, "E Zixian, disciple of Punishment Hall, greets the Hall Master!"
The elder's shout also awakened the others. At this moment, their gazes towards Ning Fa were no longer filled with hesitation and unease, but rather with irrepressible excitement, even fervor.
It could be said that Ning Fa's display of power had established unparalleled prestige in the hearts of these disciples.
Instantly, the disciples cupped their fists and shouted with all their might, "Greetings, Hall Master!"
Even the Core Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators did the same.
The burly man with the dark face, after his shock, wore a look of sincere admiration.
Ning Fa stood at the highest point, facing the overwhelming roar of voices. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve slightly.
No wonder many high-level cultivators, when their cultivation could no longer advance, chose to establish their own sects. This feeling of being the head of a sect was indeed quite wonderful.
However, Ning Fa's mind remained clear. This petty power was merely fleeting in his eyes, nothing compared to the Great Dao of eternal life.
Beside him, Hermit Wuxin couldn't help but show a hint of shock as he looked at Ning Fa.
He hadn't witnessed Ning Fa's power before, and his understanding of Ning Fa's strength came only from Venerable Kong Qing, Madam Min, and Gu Huai.
Before, he thought they might have been exaggerating, but now, seeing it with his own eyes, he realized Ning Fa's strength was likely even greater than they described.
The shock in his eyes slowly receded, replaced by a smile. He stepped aside, allowing Ning Fa to bask in this moment of glory alone.
Not long after, the ceremony for Ning Fa's appointment as Hall Master of Fu Ling Hall concluded. Many Foundation Establishment disciples left the mountaintop, as they still needed to participate in the construction of the new mountain sect.
At this time, they were all filled with excitement and eagerness, gathering in twos and threes, discussing in low voices the power of their new Hall Master.
Meanwhile, the other high-level cultivators had already entered the grand hall.
After all, Core Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators were the pillars of the sect, and Ning Fa, the new Hall Master, would surely need to meet them one by one.
At this moment, Ning Fa was in an inner hall of the grand hall, meeting with Hermit Wuxin in private.
Hermit Wuxin sized Ning Fa up from head to toe, then smiled and said, "Junior Brother Changning, your strength exceeds even my expectations. I believe Fu Ling Hall will surely be able to regain its glory under your leadership."
"Senior Brother flatters me," Ning Fa replied with a smile.
Although Hermit Wuxin was an elder of the Heavenly Evolution Sect, he was also an elder of the Heart Hall of Fu Ling Hall at this moment, hence their address of each other as fellow disciples.
At this, Hermit Wuxin lightly patted the air in front of him, and two items appeared within a ball of light.
One was a white long box, its surface adorned with special patterns that formed intricate designs, appearing quite extraordinary.
The other was a black ancient mirror, its frame inscribed with ancient and mysterious runes. As light flickered faintly, a terrifying spiritual pressure that suppressed the heart emanated from the mirror.
Ning Fa's eyes lit up as he looked at these two items.
Hermit Wuxin smiled and said, "Junior Brother Changning, this is the handwritten letter left by Ancestor Juelei, and this item is the spiritual treasure [Zhou Tian Lei Yan Mirror], which requires the Divine Thunder of the Five Elements to activate. Now that you have been appointed Hall Master, these two items are naturally entrusted to you."
"Thank you, Senior Brother," Ning Fa said, suppressing his curiosity. He drew his right hand through the air, and the two items were placed into his Storage Ring.
Ning Fa then asked, "Senior Brother, I plan to travel to Yuheng Sea soon. I wonder if there is a teleportation array in the Five Spirits Sea that directly leads there?"
Hermit Wuxin did not ask for details upon hearing this, but nodded and said, "Yes, there is a teleportation array in Tianhua City that directly leads to the Huan Yu Islands in Yuheng Sea. If you need it, Junior Brother Changning, take this token. You can use it anytime."
As he spoke, Hermit Wuxin flipped his right hand, handing Ning Fa a palm-sized white rhombic token.
Ning Fa couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. To think there was actually a teleportation array directly to Yuheng Sea, this would save him a lot of time.
The Huan Yu Islands were the core area of Yuheng Sea, and it was also where the mountain gate of the Illusion Butterfly Palace, which controlled Yuheng Sea, was located. When Chu Nianyao parted ways with him, she had mentioned heading to the Huan Yu Islands.
At this, Hermit Wuxin said seriously, "However, Junior Brother Changning, before you depart, it would be best to make proper arrangements for the matters within the hall, especially the selection of Hall Masters for Punishment Hall and You Hall."
Ning Fa nodded.
He would make a decision on this matter after meeting the six elders of the hall, but no matter what, he would definitely appoint Murong Zhaoxue as the Hall Master of one of the halls.
Hermit Wuxin smiled, about to say something more, when his expression suddenly changed.
With a casual grab of his right hand in the air, a flash of spiritual light appeared, and something resembling a fiery red maple leaf materialized in his hand. It then slowly dissipated, and Hermit Wuxin's eyes widened in shock.
Seeing this, Ning Fa was also slightly moved.
For Hermit Wuxin to have such a strong reaction, the news he had just received must be extraordinary.
He asked, "Senior Brother Wuxin, has something major happened?"
Hermit Wuxin let out a soft breath, even managing a wry smile. "Indeed, it's quite significant.
I've just received word that our sect has suddenly lost contact with the Moluo Space, and even the entrance we control has been sealed.
What we can confirm is that remnants of the Zi Yin Immortal Dynasty must have entered, and they are likely responsible for this.
This is truly unbelievable. The Moluo Space should only have that one entrance. How did they get in?"
"Moluo Space?" Ning Fa couldn't help but feel bewildered. He had never heard of this place, which sounded like some sort of secret realm.
At this, Hermit Wuxin, having recovered from his shock, saw Ning Fa's expression and immediately explained, "I forgot, Junior Brother Changning, you are an outsider cultivator and may not have heard of the Moluo Space.
In reality, this is a high-level secret realm that has been passed down since ancient times. Its entrance opens every hundred years.
And over ten thousand years ago, a demon army suddenly appeared in the Nine Dragon Sea and engaged in a fierce battle with the Zi Yin Immortal Dynasty of that era. It cost the Zi Yin Immortal Dynasty a great price to annihilate this demon army.
However, it was later discovered that this demon army had actually built an Ancient Demon Altar in the deepest part of the Moluo Space.
Using this altar, they could communicate with the Ancient Demon Realm, drawing pure demonic energy to allow demon cultivators to recover.
Once the Ancient Demon Altar was successfully built, it was extremely difficult to destroy. Therefore, the Zi Yin Immortal Dynasty could only seal the Moluo Space to prevent the demonic energy from flowing out.
After the Zi Yin Immortal Dynasty was destroyed, our Heavenly Evolution Sect took over this responsibility, even controlling the only entrance and prohibiting other cultivators from entering.
But at that time, the seal on the Ancient Demon Altar showed signs of instability. The sect's First Elder at the time devised a plan.
He exiled all the remaining members of the Zi Yan Branch, one of the six major branches of the Zi Yin Immortal Dynasty, into the Moluo Space.
Because the Zi Yan clan members also possessed some demonic bloodline, that First Elder used this to set up a special restriction, imposing a second layer of seal on the Ancient Demon Altar. Since then, it has remained stable.
Now, these Zi Yin Immortal Dynasty remnants, using some unknown method, have entered the Moluo Space. Their objective, I surmise, is to rescue the remaining Zi Yin clan members.
If this happens, the escape of the Zi Yan clan members is a minor issue. The key point is that it could cause the seal on the Ancient Demon Altar to become unstable again. That's why I said this matter is troublesome."
Ning Fa was greatly shaken by this, never expecting such a secret. He was even more surprised that one of the branches of the Zi Yin clan possessed demonic blood.
He wanted to ask more questions, but at this moment, Hermit Wuxin's expression became slightly anxious. "Junior Brother Changning, I must return immediately to handle this matter. I bid you farewell for now."
With that, he hurried away.
After all, with the Heavenly Evolution Sect's First Elder in seclusion, Hermit Wuxin was the highest authority in the sect. With such a major incident, he naturally had to return to take charge.
Ning Fa, on the other hand, fell into thought, recalling when he had met Yun Jin in Sky Tower City previously.
Yun Jin had invited him to enter the depths of the Sky Furnace Fire Marsh together to obtain a special item, promising him the Ten Thousand Year Phoenix Flame Nirvana Fruit as a reward.
Ning Fa's eyes flickered. Now it seemed that Yun Jin's trip to the Sky Furnace Fire Marsh might not have had such a simple purpose.
Perhaps the item in the depths of the Sky Furnace Fire Marsh that Yun Jin mentioned could help them enter the Moluo Space.
Thinking of this, Ning Fa's eyes lit up.
This wasn't just a wild guess. After all, the Sky Furnace Fire Marsh was taken over by the Zi Yin Immortal Dynasty after they destroyed the Profound Fire Sect, and they had set up a fifth-tier grand formation there.
Logically, there was no need to expend such a great price to set up such a high-level restriction there. Therefore, it wasn't impossible for the Sky Furnace Fire Marsh to be connected to the Moluo Space.
With this thought, Ning Fa felt his guess was likely true.
But he immediately shook his head. Regardless of the truth, it didn't concern him much for now.
He had decided that after he settled the matters of Fu Ling Hall, he would head to the Yuheng Sea, first to find Chu Nianyao, and then to the Jinchuan Archipelago.
If he calculated correctly, the next Double Moon Hanging Sky was approaching.
At that time, he hoped to meet Fairy Yuanxing smoothly and see what method she mentioned that would allow him to return to Cangyuan.