Ning Fa's eyes showed a look of relief. In truth, he had been a rather incompetent master. Not long after taking Liu Ruohong as a disciple, he had disappeared without a trace.
He couldn't help but recall what Cheng Susu had said earlier: even Xu Yi, who possessed the power of a great cultivator, had wanted to take Liu Ruohong as a disciple, but she had desperately refused, which spoke volumes about her character.
Now that he had returned, he would definitely cultivate her well in the future, and even help her perfect her Sword Spiritual Root.
"Ruohong, you haven't disappointed your master," Ning Fa said with a smile.
Hearing this, Liu Ruohong's eyes reddened again.
Just then, a disciple with a round, festive face, who was at the Mid Foundation Establishment stage, looked at Ning Fa excitedly and asked, "Uncle-Master, have you already advanced to Nascent Soul?"
Ning Fa smiled. He recognized this person as Gao Tong, who had helped him get familiar with the sect when he first joined.
Seeing him again now gave Ning Fa a sense of familiarity.
He nodded with a smile, "That's right, I am now a Nascent Soul cultivator."
Upon hearing Ning Fa's confirmation, the disciples of the Huayu Sect erupted in thunderous cheers, even the Core Formation Cultivators were no exception.
True Lord Cang Lei also watched with a smile, even muttering, "This kid will have to carry the sect's burden from now on."
At this moment, his expression shifted, and he produced a special round token with a flip of his right hand.
Soon, True Lord Cang Lei's expression became serious, "Let's return to the Huangdang Mountain camp first. We don't need to worry about the mining area for now."
Ning Fa nodded, and then everyone flew towards Huangdang Mountain.
On the way, the newly promoted Core Formation Cultivators of the Huayu Sect also came to pay their respects to Ning Fa. They were Young Commander, Qian Ziang, Zhan Yi, and Liu Qinghui.
Young Commander, dressed in light armor and exuding a heroic aura, looked at Ning Fa with a sigh in his eyes.
When Ning Fa first joined the sect, Young Commander had been a prominent figure.
Later, he was taken in as a personal disciple by the First Elder of the Duanmu Family, Duanmu Qi, and became a subordinate of the Duanmu Family, thus having a certain connection with Ning Fa.
"Uncle-Master Ning, it's great that you're back," Young Commander said sincerely.
Ning Fa smiled and nodded, patting him on the shoulder.
It seemed that Young Commander had also had many opportunities over the years. Now, like Liu Qinghui, he had advanced to the Mid Core Formation stage.
After encouraging Qian Ziang and Zhan Yi, Liu Qinghui gently flew to Ning Fa's side.
The charming and delicate Liu Qinghui bit her lip, her eyes, like a spring lake, fixed on Ning Fa with a hint of resentment.
Ning Fa couldn't help but shake his head and smile.
He and Liu Qinghui had a complicated history.
A long time ago, due to the original body's influence, he had intensely disliked Liu Qinghui.
So, even though Liu Qinghui had later taken the initiative to offer herself and was more daring than his other Dao Companions, often bringing him unique experiences, it was difficult for Ning Fa to shake off his initial impression.
However, after returning this time, those feelings had dissipated.
At this moment, Liu Qinghui's lips moved, and a soft sound transmission entered Ning Fa's ears: "Senior Brother Ning, after we return to the sect, please come to Qinghui's residence. Qinghui has some questions she wishes to ask you in person."
After speaking, she glanced subtly at Ning Fa's lower abdomen before flying away as if nothing had happened.
Ning Fa was stunned at first, then couldn't help but chuckle. Liu Qinghui's personality hadn't changed at all; she was still so full of contrasts.
Before long, everyone had flown to Huangdang Mountain.
Although the enemy had retreated, smoke still billowed everywhere, and severed limbs and broken bodies were visible, testifying to the ferocity of the battle.
Everyone landed on a platform halfway up the mountain.
Immediately, a group of cultivators flew over. The leader, a handsome and dashing young cultivator in a green robe, cupped his hands in a bow and said, "Seniors, please proceed to the council hall at the peak. Senior Liyue is currently convening the Nascent Soul seniors to discuss the battle."
As he spoke, he subtly glanced at Ning Fa.
Ning Fa looked at him and smiled, "Fellow Daoist Feng, I didn't expect us to meet again."
It turned out that this man was Feng Chi, the leading figure among the younger generation of Golden Scale Valley.
Then, Ning Fa looked at another beautiful woman beside Feng Chi, dressed in a colorful skirt, with golden rings on her hands, feet, and neck.
This woman was also staring at Ning Fa, biting her lip, her eyes filled with unwillingness.
Ning Fa looked at her with a half-smile, "Fairy Yun, you don't seem very happy to see me?"
It turned out this woman was Yun Miaomiao, the foremost among the younger generation of the Mystic Moon Sect.
Seeing them, Ning Fa couldn't help but recall how he, Feng Chi, and Xie Heng of the Giant Sword Gate had joined forces to confront Yun Miaomiao in the Primordial Spirit Secret Realm, competing for the Yuan Qi Lotus.
Nearly a hundred years had passed in the blink of an eye, filling him with emotion.
Hearing Ning Fa's words, Feng Chi quickly signaled Yun Miaomiao. Yun Miaomiao finally came to her senses and quickly lowered her head, saying, "This junior dares not."
Ning Fa smiled and paid her no further mind.
Although he had some minor grievances with this woman, at his current level, he naturally wouldn't bully someone of a lower cultivation.
He then asked Feng Chi, "Where is Brother Xie?"
Upon hearing this, Feng Chi's eyes dimmed, and he sighed, "Brother Xie perished on the battlefield before he could even reach Core Formation."
Ning Fa paused upon hearing this, sighed softly, and then followed Cang Lei to fly towards the peak.
On the road, Cang Lei smiled and transmitted his voice to Ning Fa, "Junior Brother Ning, aren't you curious about the current situation of the major sects in the Jiang Kingdom, such as the Mystic Moon Sect, Giant Sword Gate, and Golden Scale Valley?"
Ning Fa's expression shifted. When his spiritual sense had swept across the battlefield earlier, he had indeed spotted many familiar faces from these three sects. Besides Feng Chi and Yun Miaomiao, there were also several Nascent Soul cultivators from these three sects.
Ning Fa felt that Cang Lei's words seemed to have a hidden meaning, so he immediately said, "Senior Brother, please speak freely."
Cang Lei chuckled, "These three sects are actually just one sect now.
When Tianli invaded, the Jiang Kingdom bore the brunt of the attack, and the entire Jiang Kingdom fell in a short period.
Therefore, the Mystic Moon Sect and the other two sects that remained in the Jiang Kingdom suffered the most severe losses and their strength was greatly depleted.
Later, these three sects banded together for warmth, and now they can almost be considered as one sect.
They also wished to obtain enough battle merits to acquire a Spirit Vein Dojo, which is why they accepted this mission to guard the outpost on the front line."
Ning Fa suddenly understood. So that was the reason.
He thought of Fairy Liyue, the foremost cultivator of the Jiang Kingdom, and a cold smile appeared on his face.
If it weren't for the Mystic Moon Sect backing and supporting the Myriad Laws Sect, the Myriad Laws Sect wouldn't have dared to wage such a large-scale war against the Huayu Sect.
Later, after Tianyou arrived, the Mystic Moon Sect directly intervened, preventing the Huayu Sect's counterattack.
If Fairy Liyue didn't give him a satisfactory explanation, he wouldn't let this matter go easily.
At this moment, Cang Lei seemed to have read Ning Fa's mind. He shook his head and chuckled, "Junior Brother Ning, the reason I'm telling you this is for another purpose.
It's not to remind you to seek revenge on the Mystic Moon Sect, but because Liyue is an ally worth winning over.
This is because her relationship with that Pei Family Ancestor, Pei Nanshu, is very bad.
As far as I know, it seems that Pei Nanshu wanted Liyue to cooperate in cultivating a Dual Cultivation Method, in exchange for a prime Spirit Vein Dojo.
However, it seems that this kind of Dual Cultivation Method has a significant impact on the female partner, which angered Liyue.
It is said that she even fought with Pei Nanshu before, and only after True Lord Kongli warned him did Pei Nanshu give up his intentions.
Now, you should also be aware that Pei Nanshu and True Lord Yu Chan both have considerable hostility towards our sect.
Especially Pei Nanshu; this old scoundrel is always causing trouble.
And I still don't understand why he harbors such great animosity towards our sect and your family.
Therefore, Pei Nanshu is also our main enemy.
Although you possess considerable divine abilities now, Pei Nanshu is after all a true great cultivator. In times like these, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. You might as well resolve your conflict with Liyue and make peace, so you can have more allies in the future.
Liyue's strength should not be underestimated. Although she is not on the Profound Ranking, from my perception, she should be on the verge of it.
I also know about the past grievances between the sect and the Mystic Moon Sect, but those are not irreconcilable hatreds. If Liyue is willing to show some sincerity, you might as well let it go."
Ning Fa was somewhat surprised by this. He hadn't expected such a situation, but he then said noncommittally, "Let's talk about this later."
Although he knew Cang Lei's words were well-intentioned, he had personally experienced those difficult years, so it was hard for him to change his impression of the Mystic Moon Sect.
Seeing this, Cang Lei couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile and said no more.
Soon, the two flew to the peak, and a majestic black hall appeared before them.
When the two flew into the hall, gazes immediately swept over them. They first glanced at Cang Lei, then immediately fixed on Ning Fa.
More than ten Nascent Soul cultivators were already seated in the hall. They were all staring intently at Ning Fa, their expressions varied, with shock and apprehension in their eyes.
Earlier, Ning Fa had directly and instantly killed a Tianli Nascent Soul cultivator on the battlefield to establish his authority, which had truly shocked the cultivators present and brought forth a bold guess that they dared not believe.
Especially Liyue, Yunhe, and Jiujian, the Nascent Soul cultivators who were originally the sect leaders of the three major sects of Jiang Kingdom, were even more shocked at this moment.
After all, they were all in the Jiang Kingdom before and had briefly joined forces when resisting the Demonic Sect.
Therefore, they had an impression of Ning Fa, who had already shown his talent back then. They never expected that the junior from that time would have grown to such a level that even they had to look up to him.
Fairy Liyue was dressed in a silver-white palace gown, with her cloud-like beautiful hair elegantly pinned up. Although she had already achieved Nascent Soul and was not young, she looked at most in her early thirties at this moment.
Her appearance was beautiful and exquisite, and her jade-like face held a hint of ferocity, which gave her a unique charm.
She stared at Ning Fa, and after the initial shock, her phoenix eyes flickered slightly, a hint of joy flashing past.
At this moment, Fairy Biwu, who was seated in the main seat, chuckled, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Ning, for displaying your might earlier and killing an enemy Nascent Soul cultivator.
Heh heh, it's been several years since a Tianli Nascent Soul cultivator died by our hands. I didn't expect Junior Brother Ning to achieve such a great feat upon his arrival."
At this moment, Cang Lei chuckled and said, "Fellow Daoist Biwu, you're mistaken. It's not just one enemy Nascent Soul cultivator who died by Junior Brother Ning's hand.
Not long ago, Gelu from the Beast Barbarian Tribe, along with his beast, the Black Profound Python, also met their demise at Junior Brother Ning's hands."