Two thousand li southeast of Huangdang Mountain, on a plain, rows of tents had been set up.
Teams of Tianli Cultivators were departing from the tents in different directions, the atmosphere somber and chilling.
At this time, in a large, elevated central tent that stood out like a crane among chickens.
Inside, over ten cultivators were seated, each exuding either an extremely powerful aura or one that was extremely obscure and dangerous.
They were all Nascent Soul Cultivators, with most of them at least in the mid-stage.
Among them, two individuals were particularly formidable.
One was an elder seated in the main seat, clad in coarse linen, gaunt, and with dark skin, resembling an old farmer working in the fields.
His Spiritual Pressure was faint and almost imperceptible, making him seem unremarkable compared to other Nascent Soul Cultivators.
However, when his eyes opened and closed, sharp light would burst forth, and every movement carried immense power, revealing him to be a late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator.
The other was a middle-aged man in black robes, with a pale complexion, as if he had just crawled out of a coffin.
Wisps of black mist emanated from him, and while his expression was calm, an undeniable arrogance could be seen. Black light occasionally flashed in his eyes, making him appear extremely eerie.
His powerful Spiritual Pressure was unconcealed, and he was also a late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator.
The other cultivators in the tent seemed to be extremely wary of the black-robed cultivator, keeping their distance from him, and occasionally casting looks of disgust in his direction.
Besides these two, there was also a handsome young cultivator in a blood-red robe, sitting there with a detached expression.
If Ning Fa were present, he would be astonished to recognize this person.
For this was his clansman, Ning Daozhen, the reincarnation of a Blood Heaven Sect expert, and he had now reached the early Nascent Soul stage.
The atmosphere in the tent was somewhat oppressive. The gaunt elder coughed, and then his gaze, sharp as a falcon's, fixed on a burly cultivator about ten feet tall, his entire body glowing with a faint golden light.
His voice, though calm, was filled with pressure as he said, "Tagge, you're saying that even with the intelligence on Huangdang Mountain's defenses provided by fellow Daoist Yougu, you not only returned in defeat, but Huri Cha and Gelu also perished on the spot?"
Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but look at the cultivator named Tagge with varied expressions.
Tagge calmly replied, "Lord Tumen, we did have the advantage initially. However, at a critical moment, the enemy received reinforcements from a large number of high-level cultivators. There were as many as ten Nascent Soul Cultivators, and one of them was incredibly powerful. Fellow Daoists Huri Cha and Gelu both died at his hands."
Everyone was shocked. Even the black-robed cultivator, who had appeared so arrogant, showed surprise in his eyes.
The gaunt elder frowned, his expression grave. "Could it be that a Great Cultivator from Cangyuan has arrived? This doesn't match our intelligence..."
Tagge shook his head. "That person wasn't a Great Cultivator. He was quite unfamiliar; he shouldn't have appeared before. And his cultivation level was only early Nascent Soul."
After speaking, he flicked his finger, and a point of golden light flashed in the air, transforming into a phantom image of a person – a young man with a heroic bearing and a handsome, refined appearance.
Tagge continued with a solemn expression, "Based on my judgment, even if this person's strength hasn't reached that of a Great Cultivator, it must be very close. Fellow Daoist Huri Cha was even killed by a single sword strike from him, and his Nascent Soul couldn't escape."
Everyone was greatly astonished. However, given Tagge's usual prestige, even though his words seemed exaggerated, no one questioned them much.
The gaunt elder also knitted his brows and slowly said, "How could such a powerful cultivator appear out of nowhere? Could it be that he only succeeded in forming his Nascent Soul in the past ten years?
But if he possessed such strength, then that's even more unlikely..."
After speaking, the elder seemed to sense something and turned his head to look in another direction.
There, Ning Daozhen, who had been looking indifferent, now had a drastically changed expression. He stared intently at the phantom image in the air, his expression filled with shock.
The gaunt elder's gaze flickered, and he immediately asked, "Fellow Daoist Ning, this unfamiliar powerful expert, it seems you know him?"
Everyone turned to look at him. Ning Daozhen took a deep breath, the shock on his face slowly receding, but his eyes still flickered.
He slowly said, "Yes, I do know this person.
His name is Ning Fa. More than fifty years ago, before you invaded Cangyuan, he was already quite famous in Cangyuan, ranking alongside Wang Xuance at the top of the Star Ranking.
Later, he perished on Ancient Immortal Island and was never heard from again. I never expected him to return now, having formed his Nascent Soul."
Everyone's expressions shifted, and some even had a look of remembrance in their eyes.
This was because, when they had killed Cangyuan cultivators in the past, they had sometimes used Soul Searching techniques, and thus were not unfamiliar with the frequently appearing name of Ning Fa.
The gaunt elder pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked Ning Daozhen again, "Fellow Daoist Ning, you and that Ning Fa share the same surname, Ning. And judging by your expression just now, could it be that you two..."
Ning Daozhen calmly replied, "That's right. We were indeed in the same family before. I even had to call him cousin.
However, after my memories fully awakened, I cut all ties with the Ning family, and naturally, with Ning Fa as well."
Upon hearing this, the gaunt elder glanced at Ning Daozhen again, then nodded. After a moment of thought, he said again:
"Since Huangdang Mountain has received such strong reinforcements, it's not advisable to attack it forcefully anymore. Let's shift the main attack direction to Luohun Mountain and Mount Qiyun. Huangdang Mountain only needs a feint to tie them down.
It's just a pity for fellow Daoist Yougu's Sha Soul Clone. We were originally counting on it to play a significant role. From now on..."
However, before the elder could finish, the black-robed cultivator suddenly interrupted him, black light flashing in his eyes. "Fellow Daoist Tumen, wait a moment. There's important intelligence regarding Huangdang Mountain. Biwu leading so many Nascent Soul Cultivators to support them has another purpose."
Everyone looked at him in surprise. But before long, the black-robed cultivator's expression changed drastically. He began forming hand seals incessantly, the black light on his body swirling wildly, emitting an extremely demonic aura.
The others frowned deeply, and some who were closer unconsciously moved further away.
Shortly after, with a "bang," the black energy surrounding the black-robed cultivator exploded outwards, even sweeping outwards.
But at this moment, the gaunt elder's eyes flashed with sharp light, and his withered, black, eagle-claw-like right hand suddenly grabbed.
Gray light erupted from his hand, and the rampant black energy was instantly restrained, freezing in place. After a long while, it retracted back into the black-robed cultivator's body.
The black-robed cultivator's face was even paler now, his eyes dimming, clearly having expended a significant amount of energy.
He furrowed his brow, his eyes filled with anger and a hint of apprehension.
He then took a deep breath, his expression returning to normal, and shook his head. "My Sha Soul Clone was destroyed. The one who discovered and attacked it was this brat."
Upon hearing this, even the gaunt old man couldn't help but show a flicker of shock.
After all, this black-robed cultivator was no ordinary Tianli cultivator.
He hailed from another mysterious Rakshasa Immortal Realm, his demonic arts reaching perfection and being incredibly potent.
This time, a powerful faction from the Rakshasa Immortal Realm had partnered with the Tianli to assist them in invading Cangyuan, hence the arrival of a contingent of high-level Rakshasa cultivators.
In particular, their specialty, the Sha Soul Clone divine ability, allowed them to perfectly possess other cultivators, making it incredibly eerie and powerful. This was a major pillar of support for the Tianli's invasion of Cangyuan this time.
Someone like Yougu was one of the leaders of these Rakshasa cultivators who had come.
He had once boasted that even Great Cultivators would find it difficult to detect a Cangyuan cultivator possessed by his Sha Soul Clone.
However, he hadn't expected that with the war just beginning, his Sha Soul Clone would not only be seen through but also easily annihilated.
The others, in their shock, couldn't help but look at the black-robed cultivator with a hint of confusion.
Seeing them, he scanned the group and sneered, "What? Do you think my Sha Soul divine ability is that easy to resist? Shall I give you a taste to try?"
The others immediately fell silent. The black-robed cultivator then snorted, "Hmph, that brat's divine soul is so powerful, it's not even weaker than mine. His divine abilities are also very strange, which is why he could destroy my Sha Soul Clone and even prevent it from escaping. So, you don't need to doubt it anymore. This brat's strength must have already reached the level of a Great Cultivator."
The gaunt old man's brow immediately creased, a look of worry flashing in his eyes. He then said, "Fellow Daoist Yougu, what was the important intelligence you discovered?"
The black-robed cultivator chuckled, "This intelligence is very important to you..."
After the black-robed cultivator finished speaking, even the gaunt old man's expression changed drastically.
"What? A special treasure specifically targeting us Tianli cultivators?"
The others in the tent also showed looks of surprise, and discussions immediately broke out.
At this moment, the gaunt old man's eyes flashed with a cold glint. "Although I don't know what this treasure is, just seeing that they sent someone as formidable as Ning Fa here indicates it's no trivial matter.
Therefore, our action plan needs to be changed. Huangdang Mountain will be adjusted to the main attack direction. I will also inform the other Holy Temple elders about this matter and see if we can redeploy more forces to support us."
Just then, the black-robed cultivator suddenly said, "Since that brat destroyed my Sha Soul Clone, I can make an exception this time and personally help you, going to Huangdang Mountain together to capture and kill him.
However, the items on him must belong to me. Fellow Daoist Tumen, you shouldn't have any objections to this, right?"
The gaunt old man glanced at him and then slowly said, "If it were anything else, it would be fine. But if it's a cultivation method or something similar, I hope we can share it."
Upon hearing this, the black-robed cultivator's brow furrowed, and he cursed the old man as a sly fox under his breath.
Although he hadn't explicitly stated it earlier, the old man had clearly guessed it.
Ning Fa must have cultivated a very profound divine soul cultivation method, which was why he was able to detect and destroy his Sha Soul Clone. That was why he had said what he did.
However, after some thought, he reluctantly agreed, "Fine then."
The gaunt old man then smiled and looked at Ning Daozhen, who was still frowning as if contemplating something, "Fellow Daoist Ning, please accompany us this time. Your Blood Path Divine Abilities might have a miraculous effect on this person."