Following the continuous stream of news about Ning Fa, Shi Shaoyang, much like Bai Dan and Tianyang, was plunged into immense terror.
What he had done was even more severe than Bai Dan and Tianyang.
His methods were even more drastic; he had even once enlisted a rogue Nascent Soul cultivator to infiltrate the Huayu Sect and attempt to abduct Meng Ruoqi, though he had failed.
Later, because the Spiritual Pivot Pavilion intervened and True Lord Yu Chan also issued a warning that he shouldn't go too far, he stopped pursuing that course of action.
However, he still did everything he could to retaliate against the Huayu Sect and the Ning Family, and he reveled in the pleasure of slowly tormenting them.
So now that Ning Fa had returned, he was likely the first person to be targeted.
The thought of Ning Fa's current terrifying strength, which was being exaggerated to near mythical levels, sent a wave of panic through him.
Even with his father-in-law being the Great Cultivator True Lord Yu Chan, it was difficult for him to feel at ease.
During this period, there were quite a few people like Bai Dan, Tianyang, and Shi Shaoyang who were worried and couldn't eat or sleep properly. These were basically all the factions that had troubled the Huayu Sect and the Ning Family over the years.
When Ning Fa had first returned, he had personally killed the Wu Family's Old Ancestor in front of other Nascent Soul cultivators.
He had also publicly instructed the Ning Family's First Elder and Ouyang Zhenhua of the Huayu Sect to record all the factions that had troubled the two families over the years.
After this news spread, it had already instilled fear in these individuals, but they hadn't fallen into complete despair.
After all, in their eyes, even if Ning Fa had returned after achieving Nascent Soul Formation, how much stronger could he possibly be?
Let alone the two Great Cultivators, Pei Nanshu and True Lord Yu Chan, they believed Ning Fa couldn't do anything to the Tianyang Sect either.
In fact, Tianyang and Bai Dan had thought the same way initially, so they hadn't taken it too seriously and had readily agreed to shelter those who came seeking protection.
However, after the news of Ning Fa's battle at Huangdang Mountain spread, these people, just like Tianyang and Bai Dan, felt as if the sky had fallen.
Especially as the front-line battles entered a stalemate and most of the troops had retreated to the vicinity of Tianyu City, news about Ning Fa spread further and further, and these people grew increasingly panicked.
The factions that were previously on good terms with them quickly distanced themselves. Even women from these families who had married into other households were divorced and sent back, and disciples of families who had joined other sects were also expelled from their sects.
And not long after, with the occurrence of another event, their panic reached its peak.
Tens of thousands of miles northeast of the Wu Kingdom lay a mountain that perpetually burned with fierce flames, known as Changyan Mountain. This mountain was also one of the famous perilous regions of Cangyuan, where even Golden Core Cultivators dared not enter lightly.
On this day, two astonishing streaks of light shot out from the mountainside of the flaming Changyan Mountain. They stopped several miles away, revealing two figures.
The person on the left wore a deep blue robe with water patterns, appearing to be around forty years old. He had a thin face and a pair of narrow, deep sea-blue phoenix eyes, within which dark currents seemed to surge.
The other person wore a white robe, his long hair tied up, with a refined and ethereal appearance, as if he were about to ride the wind and depart.
These two were none other than the two newly ascended Great Cultivators of Cangyuan in recent years, Pei Nanshu and True Lord Yu Chan.
For a moment, the two remained silent, neither speaking first.
Finally, the refined and ethereal True Lord Yu Chan spoke calmly, "We have finally finished refining that Blood Li Banner. With this, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief."
However, Pei Nanshu remained frowning in thought, not replying for a moment.
Yu Chan glanced at him and said indifferently, "Daoist Friend Pei, why do you ask what you already know?"
Pei Nanshu's expression was unreadable. "We can basically confirm now that even if that brat's strength is not yet equal to ours, it should not be far off. And with his potential, it's only a matter of time before he surpasses us.
Do you, Daoist Friend Yu Chan, have no thoughts on this?
After all, because of your good son-in-law, Ning Fa has likely already marked you."
Yu Chan paused slightly, then calmly said, "Although I did some things against the Huayu Sect and the Ning Family because of Shaoyang, I have always adhered to the principle of leaving a way out. Even when I troubled them, I didn't go too far. Therefore, my grievances with Ning Fa are not irreconcilable.
Since this person has already reached such strength, what's wrong with me bowing my head and apologizing to him? I don't believe he'll hold a grudge.
But you, Daoist Friend Pei, are different. What you did for your precious grandson was far more extreme than mine."
Upon hearing this, Pei Nanshu let out a cold laugh. "No need for Daoist Friend Yu Chan to worry. Do you think this old man fears that brat?
Let alone that he hasn't truly become a Great Cultivator yet, even if he truly reaches the late Nascent Soul stage, in Cangyuan's current situation, would he dare to come and trouble me?"
Yu Chan seemed to recall something and slowly said, "That's right, I almost forgot about your relationship with that person, Daoist Friend Pei."
As he spoke, a hint of envy appeared on his face.
Pei Nanshu smiled faintly and immediately said, "But we can't let this brat get too arrogant. Although he can't do anything to the two of us, I'm afraid his revenge on others is inevitable.
If we stand by and do nothing, we'll likely gain a reputation for being weak and easily bullied. So..."
Before he could finish, Pei Nanshu looked at Yu Chan, his intentions clearly understood.
Yu Chan showed a thoughtful expression, then slowly shook his head. "No, I have already offended Ning Fa quite a bit because of my son-in-law.
If I were to further obstruct his venting of anger, I fear this enmity would become even more irreconcilable.
Therefore, I plan to offer a large amount of resources as compensation and make peace with him.
Moreover, I advise you, Daoist Friend Pei, to also let go a little. Sacrificing others to quell Ning Fa's anger might not be a bad thing.
Even if your relationship with that person is close, he is not a cultivator of our human race. Are you going to wait until Ning Fa's strength surpasses yours before you take your people and flee to his side?"
Hearing this, Pei Nanshu's expression remained unchanged. Instead, his lips moved, and he transmitted a few words.
After listening, Yu Chan's face immediately lit up with surprise, and he said, "Daoist Friend Pei, is what you say true?"
Pei Nanshu smiled faintly. "When has this old man ever gone back on his word?"
True Lord Yu Chan immediately clapped his hands and laughed. "Good, since that's the case, then this humble Daoist..."
Before he could finish speaking, True Lord Yu Chan's expression suddenly changed. With a flip of his right hand, he produced a special piece of jade silk. Spiritual light emanated from it, and words began to appear.
Upon seeing the jade slip, True Lord Yu Chan's expression turned solemn. He said in a deep voice, "The latest Profound Ranking has been released."
Pei Nanshu's expression immediately shifted, a hint of nervousness appearing in his eyes.
This was because the latest Profound Ranking might very well feature Ning Fa's name, and it would also give them a general idea of Ning Fa's true strength. This was undeniably very important to both of them.
At this moment, he also immediately took out a white bead, about the size of a thumb, with spiritual light flickering on its surface. Clearly, his clansmen had also transmitted the latest Profound Ranking to him.
Soon, both of them had expressions that seemed to freeze, as if turned to stone.
After a long while, with a loud bang, the white bead in Pei Nanshu's hand was crushed.
His body swayed a few times, and his face contorted into a ferocious expression, his eyes filled with disbelief.
True Lord Yu Chan also gazed at the information on the Profound Ranking on the jade silk for a long time before letting out a long sigh. "Let's forget about joining forces. Please forgive this humble Daoist for taking his leave first..."
At this time, in the Yunxi Marketplace, located in the central region of the Yunxi Mountain Range.
Thanks to the numerous factions gathered in the Yunxi Mountain Range, the Yunxi Marketplace was extremely prosperous and bustling.
On this day, in a plaza at the southeastern corner of the marketplace, a dense crowd had gathered. They were all craning their necks, staring intently at a jade ranking tablet in the plaza, as the annual Profound Ranking was about to be announced.
Logically speaking, the rankings on the Profound Ranking were generally very stable, unlike the Star Ranking, which changed frequently. After all, the gap between Nascent Soul cultivators was not easily closed.
However, the attention this time around far exceeded previous Profound Rankings because everyone wanted to see what the ranking of Ning Fa, whose strength was currently being spoken of in almost god-like terms, would be.
Would he truly have reached the level of a Great Cultivator as rumored, or were the rumors greatly exaggerated, and he would only secure a mediocre position on the Profound Ranking?
In recent years, the authority of both the Star Ranking and the Profound Ranking had long been deeply ingrained in people's minds.
Not only the low-level cultivators, but even many Nascent Soul Old Monsters were closely monitoring this Profound Ranking.
Although they were too proud to personally visit the marketplaces where the rankings were announced, their disciples were already present at the scene, ready to transmit the information immediately.
In a corner of the crowd, two beautiful women could be seen.
One of them was wearing a goose-yellow dress, her skin fair and delicate, with a charming and slightly mischievous smile. This woman was none other than Ning Fa's cousin, Zhao Yuer.
She had already reached the peak of the Early Core Formation realm, not far from the Mid Core Formation stage.
Beside her stood another woman, clad in fiery red light armor, with a voluptuous figure and a beautiful, heroic face.
This woman was also an old acquaintance of Ning Fa, and their relationship was even more unusual. She was Ning Xiuying, formerly Ning Shaohong's maid. She had now also reached the Mid Foundation Establishment realm.
At this moment, both women were looking at the ranking tablet in the plaza with nervous expressions. They had no doubt that Ning Fa would be on the list, but they were somewhat worried about what would happen if his ranking wasn't as high as they hoped.
Just then, an excited voice rang out: "The ranking has appeared!"
Instantly, the spiritual senses of hundreds, even thousands, of cultivators in the plaza swept over.
The jade ranking tablet began to glow with spiritual light, and then characters started to appear on it. The vast plaza fell silent, and everyone stared with wide eyes.
1st place, Mo Qianqiu of Wushi Demonic Palace. 2nd place, Xuan Weizi of Taiqing Sect. 3rd place, Ning Fa of Huayu Sect. 4th place, Lin Qingyi of Ice Spirit Palace. 5th place, Huangfu Hong of Yuan Cha Gate. 6th place, Shen Xinlan of Wushi Demonic Palace. 7th place, Kong Li of Divine Heart Sect. 8th place, Xu Yi of Heaven Sword Sect. 9th place, Pei Nanshu of Pei Family. 10th place, Yu Chan of Yuxu Gate. 11th place, Chu Yanzhou of Jingming Sect. ...
The vast plaza was first silent, then erupted into deafening cheers.
"Am I seeing this correctly? Senior Ning Fa is actually ranked third! This is too incredible!"
"My heavens, we were just discussing whether Senior Ning had truly reached the level of a Great Cultivator, and now it turns out that not only has Senior Ning reached the level of a Great Cultivator, but he's even much stronger than an ordinary Great Cultivator! I can hardly believe I'm not dreaming!"