As soon as the demonic beast phantom appeared, a terrifyingly wild aura emanated from it, roaring and charging towards the divine sense Ning Fa had sent out.
Ning Fa's expression couldn't help but change. He immediately unleashed a Spiritual Heart Divine Thunder, and the divine sense he had sent out quickly withdrew.
A look of lingering fear appeared on his face. He had no doubt that if he had been hit by that strange demonic beast, his divine soul would have suffered a bizarre injury.
Just then, the Nascent Soul of the big man's face flashed with black light and actually exploded. However, the emitted black light was intercepted by the Golden Lightning Net before slowly dissipating.
Ning Fa couldn't help but frown. He didn't believe this was the big man's divine soul defense Secret Technique, but rather more like a divine soul defense Barrier.
His eyes flickered. Combining his previous conversation with Fairy Biwu, he suspected this might be a divine soul defense Barrier planted by Tianli's mysterious Holy Temple on Tianli's Nascent Soul Cultivators.
This also made Ning Fa personally feel the strangeness of the Holy Temple.
Ning Fa no longer dwelled on it. With a wave of his hand, he collected the burly man's Storage Ring. He then severed the head of the black giant python, dug out its inner core, and flew towards Cang Lei's direction.
On the other side, Cang Lei had already returned to his normal size. At this moment, he had a look of misfortune on his face. The old woman was nowhere to be seen, clearly having escaped.
Ning Fa flew over, and the two looked at each other.
Although True Lord Cang Lei's appearance hadn't changed much, still possessing that handsome yet unrestrained look, he was clearly much more weathered.
Even from Ning Fa's perception, Cang Lei's cultivation hadn't grown significantly since he last saw him.
Furthermore, his Spiritual Pressure was unstable, and the divine light in his eyes was dim, indicating several unhealed internal injuries.
Combined with what Ouyang Zhenhua and others had said before, it was clear that over the years, True Lord Cang Lei had carried too heavy a burden.
"Senior Brother Cang Lei, I'm back." Although Ning Fa had many words to say, he finally uttered this simple sentence.
True Lord Cang Lei looked at Ning Fa, surprise in his eyes, then he smiled, laughing heartily.
After a long while, his laughter subsided. He looked Ning Fa up and down again and couldn't help but chuckle, "Good lad, not only have you returned, but you've also successfully formed your Nascent Soul, and your strength is this formidable.
Gelu and his beast, the Black Profound Python, combined had the strength to contend with a Mid Nascent Soul Cultivator, yet you killed them with a few moves.
It seems I'm far from your match. I really don't know how you monstrous freaks cultivate?"
At this moment, Lan Dian, who was beside him, frowned slightly and said indignantly, "Hey, hey, you better show some respect to my master, or I won't be polite!"
Cang Lei shrugged and chuckled, "To have such a powerful Shapeshifting Spiritual Beast, it truly makes this old man envious."
Ning Fa couldn't help but smile as well.
Just then, True Lord Cang Lei suddenly began to cough violently, even spitting up blood.
This startled Ning Fa. It seemed Cang Lei's injuries were more severe than he had anticipated.
He quickly asked, "Senior Brother Cang Lei, are you alright?"
True Lord Cang Lei waved his hand. He took a deep breath, and his unstable Spiritual Pressure returned to normal.
Then, with a look of intense irritation, he said, "Kid, it's great that you're back and possess such Divine Abilities.
Remember, you must never let those scoundrels from the Tianyang Sect off the hook, especially Bai Dan and Tianyang.
The internal injuries I have that are so difficult to heal were inflicted by that dog, Tianyang.
Hmph, he relied on a Fourth-grade Magic Treasure back then, and I was injured at the time. Otherwise, in a fair fight, I wouldn't have lost to him!
Oh, and those two old scoundrels, Pei Nanshu and Yu Chan, are even worse!
As Great Cultivators, they target our sect like this, especially at a time when we're resisting foreign enemies. They're truly despicable!
I've endured enough humiliation over these years. If it weren't for the sect, I wouldn't care about any foreign invasion and would have just left!"
True Lord Cang Lei began to curse vehemently, as if wanting to vent all the grievances he had suffered over the past few decades.
Normally, with his personality, he wouldn't tolerate such treatment, but for the sake of the sect and his family, he could only endure it, which had caused him immense frustration over the years.
Now, seeing Ning Fa, who had successfully formed his Nascent Soul, he finally had someone to confide in.
Ning Fa listened quietly. When True Lord Cang Lei finally finished, he calmly stated with unquestionable determination, "Don't worry, Senior Brother Cang Lei, I won't let any of them off."
Hearing Ning Fa's domineering words, True Lord Cang Lei looked at him again, his face filled with astonishment.
"Kid, tell me honestly, what is your current strength?
I've also met Wang Xuance, who was ranked alongside you at the top of the Star Ranking. His strength is indeed formidable.
If he had made a move, he should have been able to quickly kill Gelu, but it would have been difficult for him to do so as effortlessly as you. You didn't even use your Divine Firmament Manifestation."
Ning Fa smiled and said, "Although I don't know the strength of other Great Cultivators yet, I believe my full strength would not be weaker than theirs. Therefore, you can also consider me a Great Cultivator."
Upon hearing this, True Lord Cang Lei's eyes widened, and he looked at Ning Fa with disbelief.
Although he had already suspected it, hearing Ning Fa confirm it personally still shocked him immensely.
After all, Ning Fa had only recently formed his Nascent Soul, and his strength already rivaled that of a Great Cultivator. Cang Lei had never heard of such a thing, and it clearly showed Ning Fa's astonishing potential.
True Lord Cang Lei burst into laughter again, his laughter extremely unrestrained, then he looked at Ning Fa with bright eyes.
"Good lad, good lad! From now on, you will be the First Elder of the Huayu Sect. I'll call you Senior Brother, and you can call me Junior Brother."
Ning Fa couldn't help but smile. After a moment of thought, he said, "I can serve as the First Elder, but between us, I'll still call you Senior Brother. Otherwise, it would feel rather awkward."
After all, with Ning Fa's strength, if he didn't take on the position of First Elder, it might lead other sects to speculate about discord within the Huayu Sect.
Cang Lei was not a pedantic person, and after thinking about it, he agreed.
Then, Ning Fa flipped his right hand and took out a pale green pill.
The pill radiated dense spiritual energy, its surface even bearing a natural-looking imprint, emanating extremely pure spiritual power.
True Lord Cang Lei gazed at the pill, his initial hesitation turning to shock as he exclaimed, "This is... the Azure Profound Pill! And it's a one-Dao Mark Azure Profound Pill!"
Ning Fa chuckled, "Indeed, it's a one-Dao Mark Azure Profound Pill. I believe this pill should be able to completely heal the hidden ailments you have, leaving no future complications."
Cang Lei couldn't help but hesitate. If it were an ordinary pill, he might not have been so polite with Ning Fa.
But this pill was too precious; it was an invaluable healing sacred medicine even for Nascent Soul cultivators, and a one-Dao Mark version at that, its value immeasurable by spirit stones.
"Senior Brother, don't be so formal with me. Besides, there will be tough battles ahead, and your early recovery will help me share the pressure," Ning Fa said with a smile.
He had indeed killed quite a few Nascent Soul powerhouses before, possessing many precious treasures. This one-Dao Mark Azure Profound Pill was one of them, obtained from the Blood Desire Old Demon of the Myriad Desire Sect.
Although this pill was valuable, Cang Lei had shielded the sect and the Ning Family from hardships over the years; this pill was what he deserved.
Of course, he had many other high-grade healing pills like this on him.
Cang Lei hesitated for a moment before accepting the pill, solemnly stating, "Junior Brother, I owe you a debt of gratitude."
Ning Fa just smiled and shook his head.
At this moment, the sound of wind breaking echoed continuously as figures flew towards them. It was the disciples of the Huayu Sect.
Everyone looked at Ning Fa with immense excitement, many even moved to tears.
"Husband!" A graceful figure rushed over and threw herself into Ning Fa's arms.
Ning Fa looked at the beautiful and gentle face in his embrace, gently caressing her cheek as he softly said, "Qinghe, I'm sorry, I'm late."
This woman was Ouyang Qinghe.
Ouyang Qinghe tightly hugged his waist and sobbed uncontrollably. Although Ouyang Qinghe had become Ning Fa's Dao Companion later than others, her feelings for Ning Fa were no less sincere than anyone else's.
Now that she saw Ning Fa had returned safely, she naturally couldn't contain her emotions.
Among the crowd, a young girl in a white dress, with a delicate and pretty appearance yet a heroic spirit, had tears streaming down her face, but a smile bloomed on her small face. She was Ning Fa's eldest disciple, Liu Ruohong.
And another woman in the crowd, dressed in a cloud-white long dress, with a beauty as pure and ethereal as a fairy, also looked at Ning Fa with tears in her eyes. This woman was Duanmu Ling.
Ning Fa had first met Duanmu Ling when he was still in the Ning Family at Thousand Wave Lake.
After Ning Fa joined the Huayu Sect, he also became Duanmu Ling's follower, accompanying her in exploring the Cloud Wasteland Great Marsh.
Duanmu Ling greatly appreciated him, having given him a chance when he needed it most.
Later, due to Duanmu Pojun, Duanmu Hong chose Chen Jing, someone close to Duanmu Pojun, as his personal disciple. Ning Fa was out of the running and later apprenticed under Cheng Ziyi, transferring to the Cheng Family.
However, Ning Fa's relationship with Duanmu Ling did not cool down. Later, because Duanmu Ling needed to recover from her injuries, she asked Ning Fa to help her through spiritual union.
Their relationship underwent a qualitative change, surpassing that of ordinary friends.
But due to her pride, Duanmu Ling was unwilling to share Ning Fa with other women, and thus did not become his Dao Companion.
However, Ning Fa had always considered her his confidante.
And precisely because there was no formal title, even though Duanmu Ling was immensely moved upon seeing Ning Fa again, she still restrained herself and did not rush forward to embrace him as Ouyang Qinghe did.
Seeing Ning Fa look at her, Duanmu Ling couldn't help but slightly part her lips and choked out, "You're back. It's so good."
True Lord Cang Lei's eyes held a strange glint as he chuckled and cursed softly, "Good lad, not only are you strong enough, but you're also quite the charmer."
In the crowd, Liu Qinghui bit her lip tightly, her right hand clenching the corner of her clothes. She unconsciously took a step forward, as if wanting to rush over, but held herself back.
Liu Ruohong flew closer, her voice trembling with excitement, "Master."
Ning Fa carefully observed his eldest disciple.
Liu Ruohong had now reached the Mid Foundation Establishment realm, not far from Late Foundation Establishment. Her true essence aura was extremely pure, clearly showing she had not slacked off over the years.