Ning Fa frowned slightly.
Previously, inside the hall, he had a faint feeling that something was amiss because he felt the Evil-Repelling Divine Thunder within his body was unusually active and subtly pointing towards True Lord Yunhe.
This was why Ning Fa had fully activated his Spiritual Sense to observe carefully.
When Yunhe inquired about the location of that treasure component, the other party's Divine Soul showed a slight fluctuation, allowing Ning Fa to vaguely sense that the surface of his Divine Soul seemed to have a layer of disguise.
Although Ning Fa couldn't directly conclude that True Lord Yunhe was a spy, it was also possible that it was a special Divine Ability he cultivated.
However, in Ning Fa's opinion, as long as there was a fifty percent chance, it was worth making a move. After all, that treasure component was no small matter.
As it turned out, True Lord Yunhe had long been occupied by this strange soul-like entity.
To prevent its escape, Ning Fa used the Cage of the Moon Divine Ability, pulling all of its dozens of clones into it.
Ning Fa had originally intended to capture it directly and perform Soul Searching to ascertain its origin.
But that thing was extremely bizarre, and in the end, it brazenly self-destructed, nearly damaging his Divine Soul.
Ning Fa had never seen such a strange entity before. From his perception, it seemed to be artificially refined.
He couldn't help but ask Fairy Biwu, whose face was still etched with shock, "Fairy Biwu, what is this thing? It looks like it came from Tianli. Has it appeared before?"
Unexpectedly, Fairy Biwu replied with a wry smile, "This is my first time seeing such a thing. If such a bizarre entity, capable of possessing a Mid Nascent Soul Cultivator, had been discovered before, our Elder Council would have taken it very seriously. I fear..."
At this point, Fairy Biwu suddenly stopped, but her eyes were full of worry.
Everyone's hearts immediately grew heavy.
They all understood what Fairy Biwu had left unsaid.
If Tianli had used such bizarre things before, then it was highly possible that some of their high-level cultivators within Cangyuan were now occupied like Yunhe, thus becoming Tianli's spies.
If that were the case, it would naturally be very dangerous.
At this moment, Fairy Biwu's brow unfurrowed as if she had thought of something, "Everyone doesn't need to worry too much. Don't forget that during these past ten years, most of our Nascent Soul fellow Daoists in Cangyuan have met Fellow Daoist Xuyuan and sought his guidance on cultivation doubts.
If there were truly any problems, Fellow Daoist Xuyuan would surely have noticed.
I recall Fellow Daoist Yunhe met Fellow Daoist Xuyuan three years ago, before he came to Huangdang Mountain.
So, he should have been fine at that time. It's very likely that he was occupied by that bizarre entity during the three years he guarded Huangdang Mountain.
Therefore, it's also possible that this bizarre entity was only refined by Tianli in the last decade or so."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded secretly, feeling relieved.
A divine light flashed in Ning Fa's eyes. The Xuyuan mentioned by Fairy Biwu was the mysterious Pavilion Master of the Spiritual Pivot Pavilion, known as Hermit Xuyuan.
When coming to Huangdang Mountain, Fairy Biwu had already introduced him.
According to her, Hermit Xuyuan was the undisputed strongest expert in Cangyuan, and also the stabilizing force of Cangyuan.
It was precisely because Hermit Xuyuan could contend with the strongest experts from Tianli that Cangyuan could avoid collapsing in some crucial battles.
Furthermore, to enhance Cangyuan's overall strength, this Hermit Xuyuan often stationed himself in Tianyu City, answering cultivation questions for other Nascent Soul cultivators.
Although they were all Nascent Soul cultivators, with his strength and his position as the Pavilion Master of the Spiritual Pivot Pavilion, his insight was naturally far superior to ordinary Nascent Souls.
Thus, often a single piece of advice could bring enlightenment to other Nascent Soul cultivators, even helping them break through cultivation bottlenecks.
This was why Fairy Biwu was so confident and why everyone else felt reassured. It was truly due to the incomparable status of Hermit Xuyuan in their hearts.
Just then, Fairy Biwu's lips moved slightly.
Immediately, her Sound Transmission reached Ning Fa's ears: "Fellow Daoist Ning, please carefully discern if Fellow Daoists Li Yue, Nine Swords, and Canglei are also showing any abnormalities."
Clearly, she feared that these three Nascent Soul cultivators, also stationed at Huangdang Mountain, had been occupied by that bizarre entity.
Ning Fa shook his head at her.
He had already fully unleashed his Spiritual Sense. If those three were truly occupied by that bizarre entity, he would have definitely noticed.
Seeing this, Fairy Biwu finally breathed a sigh of relief and then said to Ning Fa with a grateful expression, "Fellow Daoist Ning, you have made another great contribution, even surpassing the killing of those two high-level Tianli cultivators.
This matter is of great importance, and I must immediately report it to the Elder Council. It's possible that other frontline strongholds also have fellow Daoists occupied by this bizarre entity, and we must find a way to deal with it."
After speaking, she immediately took out an ancient jade plate, her fingers flashing with spiritual light as she moved them across it.
The others couldn't help but look at Ning Fa again, their expressions varied.
True Lord Yun Jing smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Ning, thanks to you seeing through that thing, otherwise if that thing had managed to find out the location of that treasure component, and with it acting as an inside informant, our Huangdang Mountain stronghold would have been in real danger."
Upon hearing this, the others also nodded and expressed their thanks.
Li Yue and Nine Swords were particularly grateful, as they were the closest to Yunhe and naturally the most endangered.
Ning Fa smiled and waved his hand.
At this time, Fairy Biwu had finished reporting the matter to the Elder Council. She looked at Ning Fa and said, "Fellow Daoist Ning, the Elder Council asked me to express their gratitude to you again.
I had initially wanted to suggest that Fellow Daoist Ning undertake the arduous task of inspecting other frontline strongholds to see if any other fellow Daoists have been occupied by this bizarre entity.
However, the Elder Council believes that protecting the treasure is more important, especially since Tianli may have already received news.
Therefore, it is not advisable for Fellow Daoist Ning to leave here for now, as your combat strength is very important to us.
The Elder Council has already made arrangements. They will borrow a special item from Fellow Daoist Xuyuan and send people to other strongholds. This should be sufficient to expose that bizarre entity."
Ning Fa nodded upon hearing this, naturally having no objections. After all, many disciples of the Huayu Sect were here, and staying would allow him to protect them.
At this moment, Fairy Biwu also let out a sigh of relief and said to everyone, "Alright, we've talked enough. It will be hard work for everyone during this period.
Also, everyone needs to be careful. If the enemy attacks again later, try not to fight alone to avoid falling into their traps again."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded with slightly heavy expressions. The strange thing they had just encountered sent a chill down their spines just thinking about it.
At this moment, Fairy Biwu looked at Ning Fa again and said, "Fellow Daoist Ning, please come with me for a moment."
Ning Fa's eyebrows slightly raised. It seemed Fairy Biwu had something to tell him privately. He readily followed her out of the main hall.
Outside the hall, Fairy Biwu said in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist Ning, I will take you to see something."
Ning Fa's eyes flickered. He wondered if it was a component of that treasure.
Ning Fa wasn't surprised. Although she had just said that only members of the Elder Council had the right to know, given the strength he had displayed, it would be strange if she didn't tell him.
At this moment, Fairy Biwu flipped her right hand, producing a white ribbon that resembled clouds, which floated gently above their heads.
Instantly, both their figures and the auras they emitted became almost imperceptible.
Ning Fa's face immediately showed interest. This was a very high-level concealment magic treasure. Clearly, Fairy Biwu didn't want anyone else to know where she was taking Ning Fa.
Soon, Fairy Biwu led Ning Fa in a certain direction, and then they flew to the back mountain of Huangdang Mountain.
Here, a dense yellow mist swirled, carrying a special rotten odor, which was the origin of Huangdang Mountain's name.
Fairy Biwu continued into the yellow mist without stopping. Soon, a deep ravine, about ten miles long, appeared before them.
It was bottomless, with yellow strange winds howling, giving an uncomfortable feeling just by looking at it.
Fairy Biwu glanced at Ning Fa and said, "Let's go, Fellow Daoist Ning. That thing is down there."
After speaking, the two flew down again.
They flew down for more than a thousand feet. Just then, a gray spiritual light shield suddenly appeared below, blocking their path.
This shield had wisps of gray electrical light flashing on its surface, emitting a very dangerous aura, clearly possessing immense power.
At this moment, Fairy Biwu took out a gray circular token and gently waved it. A beam of light shot towards the gray light shield.
The shield rippled, and then an opening about ten feet wide appeared.
Fairy Biwu beckoned, and the two continued to fly down.
Soon, they finally reached the bottom. Below was a strange lake, about a mile long and wide, filled with thick yellow liquid like lava. A very peculiar, pungent odor emanated from it.
Ning Fa stared intently at the center of the yellow lake.
There, a strange, blood-red banner stood in the center of the lake, being constantly washed by the surrounding lake water.
The blood-red banner emitted a faint blood-red light. Although it was not activated, an extremely powerful aura was vaguely emanating from it, making Ning Fa feel a sense of alarm.
At this moment, Fairy Biwu said solemnly, "Fellow Daoist Ning, this blood-red banner is one of the components of that treasure, and it is also the special treasure that our Cangyuan has been preparing for a long time.
If its crafting is successful, its power will reach at least the level of a Mid-grade Spirit Treasure, and it is specifically made to counter Tianli cultivators.
Over the years, many Tianli cultivators have died at our hands, and the vital blood from many of them was collected to forge this special blood-path treasure.
As a result, it can cause special damage to Tianli cultivators and absorb their vital blood.
The more Tianli cultivators are killed, the stronger this treasure's power will become.
Therefore, this treasure is also named the Blood Li Banner, and it is refined according to the blueprints of an ancient spirit treasure treasured in the Spiritual Pivot Pavilion.
To forge this treasure, our Cangyuan has already consumed a considerable portion of high-level resources, so there can be no mistakes.
This Blood Li Banner has a total of seven main banners. The reason this Blood Li Banner is placed here is because this lake contains some very rare [Spirit-Corroding Yuan-Breaking True Liquid]. Magic treasures tempered by this true liquid can gain extremely powerful corrosive abilities, thus greatly enhancing the power of the Blood Li Banner.
Therefore, even though this place is very close to the area occupied by Tianli, after much discussion by our Elder Council, we decided to place one of the main banners here for tempering. However, we did not expect that as the tempering was nearing completion, Tianli would begin their attack.
Upon hearing this, Ning Fa couldn't help but show a look of surprise. Just by listening, he knew that this blood-path treasure was extraordinary, no wonder the Elder Council valued it so highly.
At this moment, Fairy Biwu turned around and handed the gray token that controlled the barrier here to Ning Fa.
She said with a solemn expression, "Fellow Daoist Ning, your divine abilities are far greater than mine, so please keep this token for controlling the barrier here. If the situation becomes critical later, I ask that you take this treasure with you."
Ning Fa looked at her with slight surprise.
So this was the reason Fairy Biwu had called him down to see this treasure.
However, he couldn't help but frown, "Since Huangdang Mountain has news of this important treasure, it's highly likely that Tianli already knows about it.
They will surely take it seriously and might even dispatch more troops. Does the Elder Council not plan to send reinforcements?"
Fairy Biwu said with a wry smile, "The sudden attack by Tianli has disrupted our plans. Currently, the refining of the other six main banners of the Blood Li Banner is also at a critical juncture, and the Great Cultivators are finding it difficult to disengage. It will be at least half a month before any Great Cultivator can spare the time to provide support.
To be honest, if it weren't for your presence, Fellow Daoist Ning, I would have already planned to take this Blood Li Banner away right now.
But that would be too much of a pity, as this is a crucial moment.
The longer this banner is tempered here, the more powerful it will be in the future.
If it is taken away too early, it might even lead to the final Blood Li Banner failing to reach the level of a Mid-grade Spirit Treasure."
"But Fellow Daoist Ning, you don't need to worry too much. Although Great Cultivators can't come over for now, the Elder Council will send more Nascent Soul Cultivators to support us."
After speaking, Fairy Biwu couldn't help but look at Ning Fa somewhat nervously.
After all, in the current situation, Huangdang Mountain would likely be very dangerous afterward.
With their Great Cultivators potentially unable to arrive in time for rescue, Ning Fa became very important. It might truly come down to Ning Fa taking this Blood Li Banner away.
Ning Fa heard this, his sword-like eyebrows furrowed slightly, and then his expression turned calm. "I can bear this heavy responsibility, and I'm even confident in protecting this Blood Li Banner.
However, I have a condition, and I hope Fellow Daoist Biwu can agree to it."
Fairy Biwu's expression immediately brightened, and she said without hesitation, "Fellow Daoist Ning, please speak freely."
Ning Fa said with a faint expression, "It's very simple. I hope our sect's disciples can leave Huangdang Mountain right now. Of course, Senior Brother Canglei can stay."
It was obvious that the battle in Huangdang Mountain afterward would likely be very fierce. No matter how strong Ning Fa was, he couldn't protect everyone.
If those close to him were to perish because of it, it would undoubtedly be a lifelong regret for him.
Since he was taking on this heavy burden, what was wrong with letting those close to him enjoy some privileges?
Moreover, over the years, the Huayu Sect had been targeted everywhere because of Pei Nanshu and Yu Chan. This was merely some compensation.
Upon hearing this, Fairy Biwu only hesitated for a moment before immediately nodding. "Alright, there's no problem with this. I agree, but the movement must be small. We cannot make a big fuss, lest it cause the morale to scatter."
Ning Fa had no objections; as long as the sect disciples left, that was all that mattered.
After seeing Fairy Biwu agree, Ning Fa also reached out and took the barrier token.
Then, the two glanced at the Blood Li Banner again before flying away from the location.