"I don't believe you're truly not afraid of death," Ning Fa said, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Ji Lianxing paused for a moment before replying, "Of course I'm afraid of death. So, if you spare my life, I'll tell you anything you want to know.
In reality, I was forced into this. It wasn't my intention to harm you."
Ning Fa said coldly, "You have no right to bargain with me. If you anger me, I can even prevent you from reincarnating.
However, if you tell me honestly, I can allow you to self-destruct and give you a chance at another life, perhaps even to walk the Immortal Path again."
Ji Lianxing said bitterly, "What's the point of another life? It won't be me anyway.
Besides, the information I have is definitely very important to you. Don't you want to know who is targeting you and what their plan is?"
Ning Fa couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
Seeing Ning Fa's interest, Ji Lianxing gritted her teeth and said, "As long as you promise to protect me, I'll not only tell you everything, but I'll also follow you and do whatever you wish."
After a slight hesitation, Ji Lianxing continued, "Do you know that I possess the Heavenly Charm Body? Any man who obtains my virgin Yin will gain immense benefits.
It can greatly increase their chances of breaking through bottlenecks, even those in the Nascent Soul stage."
Hearing this, Ning Fa's expression changed.
He was aware of the rare Heavenly Charm Body constitution and its potent effects. It was no wonder Ji Lianxing possessed such a captivating aura.
"You said protect you?" Ning Fa caught onto the key phrase.
Hatred flickered in Ji Lianxing's beautiful eyes.
"That's right. Old Ghost Mo has also long coveted my Heavenly Charm Body.
If I can advance to the mid-to-late Nascent Soul stage, my virgin Yin energy can even aid him in his attempt to reach Spirit Transformation.
If that old geezer only wanted my virgin Yin, I wouldn't mind. The problem is, to maximize his use of me, he plans to use a more extreme method.
Under that method, my fate would be no better than being unable to reincarnate.
I stumbled upon this information by chance.
In fact, my master, Shen Xinlan, knows about it. This is even a deal between her and Old Ghost Mo.
You must have sensed that special treasure within my Divine Soul earlier, right? Shen Xinlan claims it's for my protection, but it's actually a restriction she placed on me."
Ning Fa couldn't help but show a hint of surprise after hearing what she said.
He felt that what this woman said was likely true. He had indeed felt that black copper coin Magic Treasure was very strange, unlike a typical Divine Soul defense treasure.
He hadn't expected the seemingly glamorous Ji Lianxing to be in such a tragic situation.
As expected of the top sect in the Demonic Path, their methods were truly demonic.
At this moment, Ji Lianxing looked at Ning Fa again, hope appearing in her eyes. "Fellow Daoist Ning, your strength is immense, and your potential even greater. In Cangyuan today, perhaps only you can protect me.
As long as you make a Heart Demon Oath or sign a high-level Spirit Contract to guarantee this, I will tell you everything and fully cooperate with you in the future, even offering you my virgin Yin."
Ning Fa pondered for a moment, then said calmly, "Don't even think about making a Heart Demon Oath or signing a high-level Spirit Contract. I won't agree to that.
However, I can give you a promise. As long as what you say is true and you cooperate, I don't mind protecting you."
Ji Lianxing's delicate eyebrows furrowed, and she wanted to argue further. But upon seeing Ning Fa's indifferent gaze, she could only force a bitter smile. "Alright, I've heard that Fellow Daoist Ning is a man of his word. I'll trust you then."
With that, she paused for a moment and began to speak softly.
Ning Fa stared intently at her. Since she had the Moon Phase Soul Sealing Technique placed on her, he could naturally discern whether she was telling the truth.
After a long while, Ji Lianxing finished speaking and looked at Ning Fa nervously. "That's how it is. Everything I did was out of desperation. I hope Fellow Daoist Ning can understand."
Although Ning Fa's expression remained calm, his eyes were filled with killing intent.
What Ji Lianxing had done was indeed at the behest of her master, Shen Xinlan.
This newly emerged Great Cultivator of the Demonic Path had instructed Ji Lianxing to stay close to Ning Fa to ascertain his location.
The reason for this was that Shen Xinlan and others were planning to ambush and kill Ning Fa.
And it wasn't just Shen Xinlan; besides her, there was also the sect master of Yuan Cha Gate, Huangfu Hong, and the Pei Family Ancestor, Pei Nanshu.
Furthermore, it wasn't just them; the Tianli people were also involved.
These individuals had already colluded with the Holy Temple of Tianli and reached an agreement to kill Ning Fa.
However, Ning Fa had not appeared for over a year, so they hadn't found an opportunity.
Later, when Shen Xinlan learned that Ning Fa was leading a team on this sabotage mission behind Tianli's lines, she immediately activated her plan.
Shen Xinlan's intention was to ambush Ning Fa on his return journey after he had destroyed a certain barrier, thus requiring knowledge of his precise movements.
The reason they hadn't acted immediately was that although Shen Xinlan and the others were cooperating with Tianli, it was solely for the purpose of killing Ning Fa.
If Tianli were to suffer heavy losses, they would be happy to see it.
"Why? I've never even met you, my master Shen Xinlan, and I don't have any major grievances with your Wushi Demonic Palace," Ning Fa asked, puzzled.
Ji Lianxing gave a wry smile. "Actually, the matter of dealing with Fellow Daoist Ning was initiated by Huangfu Hong."
Huangfu Hong also knew that your grievances with him were not small, especially since fellow Daoist Ning had shown a vengeful attitude after his return.
However, fellow Daoist Ning might not know that the Yuan Cha Gate has always had a close relationship with our Wushi Demonic Palace.
And it seems they paid a considerable price, which is why they managed to persuade Shen Xinlan.
Moreover, there was another important reason why Shen Xinlan agreed to her request.
Fellow Daoist Ning, when you previously went to Gray Luo Island with the Divine Maiden Zhu Lingyun, you must have encountered considerable danger, right?"
Hearing this, Ning Fa's eyes immediately sharpened, and Ji Lianxing continued, "The Divine Maiden Zhu Lingyun possesses a very special divine ability, similar to a premonition, but even stronger. Malice directed at her is generally difficult to conceal from her.
Back then, the Yuan Cha Gate wanted to deal with Zhu Lingyun without her realizing it.
So, they paid a price and asked Shen Xinlan for help, because Shen Xinlan's special magic treasure, the River Diagram and Luo Book, could precisely block Zhu Lingyun's divine ability.
Therefore, Shen Xinlan could be considered an accomplice, and at that time, fellow Daoist Ning was also an innocent bystander.
Shen Xinlan was not sure if fellow Daoist Ning knew about this, but given your current strength and potential, she was still worried that you might seek revenge on her in the future.
Because of this, she and Huangfu Hong hit it off, wanting to strike first.
As for why Pei Nanshu joined, it was likely also arranged by Huangfu Hong."
Ning Fa's expression shifted; he hadn't expected such a reason behind it all.
It was no wonder these people would unite, even cooperating with the Tianli people without hesitation.
"Was Mo Qianqiu involved in this matter?" Ning Fa asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Ji Lianxing hesitated slightly. "I'm not entirely sure about this, but based on my guess, Old Ghost Mo should have been aware of it.
However, he probably didn't actively participate but rather adopted a tacit attitude."
Upon hearing this, Ning Fa remained silent for a moment, but the chilling killing intent in his eyes made Ji Lianxing tremble.
After a long while, Ning Fa asked again, "Did you tell Shen Xinlan the location of the teleportation array in the Qige Mountain Range?"
Ji Lianxing hesitated slightly before nodding with a wry smile.
Ning Fa's brows furrowed. It seemed the return teleportation array was no longer safe.
It was even possible that Shen Xinlan and the others, along with the Tianli people, planned to ambush him there.
After all, at his level of strength, killing him was extremely difficult. It wasn't something that could be achieved simply by having more people; they needed a specific terrain that would prevent his escape, such as setting up some special barriers.
This was precisely why Shen Xinlan insisted that Ji Lianxing stay close to Ning Fa, accurately tracking his movements, to ensure absolute certainty.
Ning Fa lowered his gaze in thought. After a long pause, he said, "Follow my instructions and continue to communicate with Shen Xinlan as usual for now.
You've already experienced some of my divine abilities. The barrier in your sea of consciousness also allows me to know your every move, so as long as you cooperate honestly, my promise will hold."
Ji Lianxing nodded with a bitter smile.
Then, Ning Fa's figure flashed and disappeared from his original spot.
Ji Lianxing, however, let out a long sigh, a complex expression appearing in her eyes. "I hope I'm not just escaping one tiger's den only to fall into a wolf's maw..."
Three days later, Ning Fa and the others exited the south gate of Aisa City. After taking a large detour, they gathered and sped towards the northwest.
Along the way, Ji Lianxing behaved normally, showing no signs of anything unusual.
After flying for over ten thousand miles, a continuous expanse of mountains appeared at the edge of their vision.
The mountain range was gray and black, with dense black mist rising from it. Even from a distance, it gave off an uncomfortable feeling.
On its periphery, a layer of five-colored light clouds drifted gently, containing all the black mist within. Clearly, these colorful light clouds were the outer barrier of the grand formation.
They didn't dare to get too close and continued to speed north along the edge.
Before long, a lake shaped like a maple leaf appeared in front of them.
Ning Fa's expression shifted, and he led them towards it. Soon, they landed at the northwest corner of the lake.
Ning Fa scanned the surroundings and said lightly towards the edge of the nearby dense forest, "Come out."
Immediately, with a flash of black light, three figures slowly emerged.
Besides Ning Daozhen, who was in the lead, the other two included a young man with a sinister expression.
This person was very unusual. Although he looked no different from an ordinary person, it was easily discernible to the surrounding high-level cultivators.
His entire neck and a small portion of his face were covered by a puppet-like shell, and even his right hand was the same. He was a half-puppet, half-human existence.
Ning Fa was also very familiar with this person; it was Zhang Zhilong, or more accurately, Xiao Han of the Blood Heaven Sect.
He was a rare Puppet Master. Hei Yu's original form was refined by him and was accidentally obtained by Ning Fa in the Primordial Spirit Secret Realm.
This person's aura was also very strange. Although his cultivation realm was only Late Core Formation, the spiritual pressure he exuded was even stronger than that of ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators, clearly related to his current half-puppet state.
At this moment, Xiao Han was frowning at Ning Fa, his eyes filled with disbelief and apprehension.
Besides Xiao Han, there was another white-haired old man with a benevolent expression, his beard and hair completely white.
Like Ning Daozhen, he was at the early Nascent Soul stage. He looked at Ning Fa with a smile, his eyes filled with surprise, and he spoke proactively:
"This old man is Dan Hongzi of the Pill Emperor Sect. I greet you, fellow Daoist. I have long heard of your great name, fellow Daoist Ning."