For instance, if the situation turned unfavorable, they planned to abandon the territories of the Yunhuang Alliance and the Demonic Path Alliance and retreat to Zhenyou City, which was protected by natural barriers and a fifth-tier grand array.
From Li Tieniu's words, it was clear that this situation had already come to pass, and much faster than Ning Fa had anticipated.
The crisis of the war was evidently far worse than he had imagined.
For the past six to seven years, he had been in complete solitary confinement to focus on breaking through his cultivation.
He had previously instructed his disciples not to disturb him unless it was a matter of crisis, so he was unaware of how the situation had developed.
Li Tieniu nodded and began to explain the situation in detail.
He was now completely different from the introverted and shy young man Ning Fa had first met, exuding a calm and composed demeanor, much like a great general.
In about fifteen minutes, Li Tieniu finished briefing Ning Fa on the changes in the war over the past six to seven years.
Ning Fa's expression shifted multiple times as he listened.
The severity of the war was even greater than he had predicted.
Besides Tianli, the Sea Race and the Rakshasa Immortal Realm had also heavily reinforced their troops. With attacks from all three sides, Cangyuan was now in grave danger.
It was no wonder that so few disciples remained at the sect, and most of them were injured; they had all gone to the front lines.
Cangyuan had suffered heavy casualties over the years.
The Huayu Sect and the Ning Family had also lost many disciples.
Qian Ziang and Zhan Yi, two newly ascended Core Formation Cultivators, had perished.
In addition, over two hundred Foundation Establishment disciples had been killed or injured, and the number of Qi Condensation disciples lost was immeasurable.
After finishing, Li Tieniu said excitedly, "This is great! With Junior Uncle Ning's advancement to Mid Nascent Soul, he should be able to silence those people."
"Oh? Silence whom?" Ning Fa asked, his eyes flashing.
Li Tieniu seemed to realize he had spoken out of turn and stammered, unable to speak.
However, under Ning Fa's gaze, he let out a bitter laugh and confessed.
After he finished speaking, Ning Fa fell silent for a moment.
At this point, Cheng Susu, nestled in his arms, raised her pretty face and said solemnly, "Husband, let me accompany you to the front lines this time. I don't want to stay behind and watch the other sisters fight desperately. Moreover, I have now advanced to Mid Core Formation, and my strength is not weak."
It had to be said that Ning Fa was somewhat biased towards Cheng Susu.
Before he went into seclusion, he had specifically instructed Zheng Xuanyan not to let Cheng Susu go to the front lines.
Ning Fa's expression had now returned to calm.
In fact, he had anticipated such dissenting voices and could understand them.
If he were in their shoes, he would also feel resentful.
After all, under such urgent wartime circumstances, he not only did not participate in the front-line battles but had also absorbed a significant portion of the high-level resources from the Spiritual Pivot Pavilion.
Based on his previous contributions alone, it was indeed difficult to win over the public, especially since three Great Cultivators from their side had died at his hands.
However, Ning Fa's lips then curved into a smile.
He would let everyone know that their sacrifices and wait were absolutely worthwhile.
With his current strength, if he unleashed his full power, he already possessed the ability to change the tide of the battle.
Thinking of this, Ning Fa looked at Cheng Susu in his arms and said with a smile, "I'll handle the front lines. You stay here and wait for me."
Then, he turned to Li Tieniu and said, "Let's go, Tieniu. We'll head to the front lines together."
Ning Fa didn't have time to linger with Cheng Susu and immediately flew with Li Tieniu towards the mountain's Teleportation Array.
On the way, Ning Fa took out a special communication magic tool shaped like a triangular token.
Before long, the token's spiritual light flashed, and a message came through.
Ning Fa smiled after reading it.
He had just been inquiring about Blue Lightning regarding the repair progress of the Teleportation Array in that Profound Fire Sect grand hall.
Before he went into seclusion, he had secretly sent Meng Ruoqi there and gathered all the materials needed to repair the Teleportation Array.
The two of them had been there all these years.
Blue Lightning's message just now stated that the ultra-long-distance Teleportation Array had been about seventy to eighty percent repaired by Meng Ruoqi, and it might take less than a year to fully restore it.
This was naturally excellent news for Ning Fa.
Then, Ning Fa remembered the Divine Maiden Zhu Lingyun. He took out another similar-looking communication magic tool to contact Kong Li, but there was no reply.
He couldn't help but feel a little worried. Years had passed, and he didn't know how Zhu Lingyun was doing or if she had successfully cultivated the Nirvana Soul Essence Technique.
However, he might only find out by going to the front lines and asking Kong Li directly.
From Li Tieniu, Ning Fa also learned that among Cangyuan's high-level cultivators, besides Hermit Xuyuan, Kong Li was one of the few who openly supported him.
This surprised Ning Fa, yet it also didn't.
He and Kong Li hadn't interacted much, but he vaguely understood that Kong Li's personality was one of clear grievances and favors.
Although everything he did for Zhu Lingyun was because he had already decided Zhu Lingyun was his Dao Companion, it didn't prevent Kong Li from being grateful to him.
From Li Tieniu's mouth, Ning Fa also learned another unexpected piece of news.
That was that the Sword Lord Xu Yi of the Heaven Sword Sect had actually advanced to the Late Core Formation realm within these past few years.
In the previous Profound Ranking, Xu Yi was already ranked third, only behind Mo Qianqiu and Ning Fa, and could even contend with the Holy Witch level experts of Tianli.
This was extremely crucial for Cangyuan at the moment.
As for the criticisms leveled against Ning Fa, Xu Yi, like the Palace Master of Ice Spirit Palace, Lin Qingyi, remained silent.
After more than half an hour, Ning Fa and Li Tieniu finally arrived at Zhenyou City after several teleportations.
As soon as Ning Fa appeared on the teleportation array, he immediately smelled a strong scent of blood that lingered in the air.
The surrounding spiritual energy fluctuations were also extremely chaotic, like a sea surface battered by a fierce wind, churning restlessly.
He swept his spiritual sense over the area and discovered dense barriers appearing one after another, and above them, a powerful array formation that made his heart palpitate.
Ning Fa knew this must be Cangyuan's guardian deity, the fifth-tier grand array—the Grand Extermination Immortal Array.
It was precisely because of the protection of this ancient and wondrous array that Cangyuan could barely hold on.
"Who goes there? Ah, it's Senior Ning!"
Several cultivators quickly walked over. The leading robust Core Formation cultivator was startled and bowed respectfully.
Ning Fa nodded at them and quickly walked forward.
As he neared the city gate, he stopped and looked at the crowd in front of him with surprise.
They were a group of charming young women, with the three leaders being particularly outstanding in appearance, and all were acquaintances of Ning Fa.
They were True Lord Yun Jing's granddaughter Gu Mengqiu, and two of the three beauties of the Wonderful Sound Sect, Su Xian and Jing Chen.
Clearly, they had just emerged from the teleportation array as well, and were currently looking at Ning Fa with surprise.
"What a coincidence, I didn't expect to see you fairies here."
Ning Fa was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.
He had known the three women, especially Gu Mengqiu, since they were peers, so his attitude was amiable.
The three women, however, looked at him with varied expressions.
Gu Mengqiu bit her red lip, her eyes filled with complexity, and still said respectfully, "Greetings, Senior Ning."
Su Xian and Jing Chen, along with the Foundation Establishment disciples behind them, also hurriedly bowed.
Su Xian even secretly observed Ning Fa repeatedly, and even the usually cold and proud Jing Chen did the same.
Initially, they had not thought highly of Ning Fa, believing him to be merely a lecher.
However, later, when Ning Fa displayed his divine might and saved their sect on their way to Zhenhai City, they realized they had misunderstood him and developed a good impression of him.
But Ning Fa had never visited their sect again after that, and now, upon meeting again, it had been several decades.
"I have urgent matters to attend to, so I must take my leave. I will chat with you fairies later."
Ning Fa said with a faint smile, nodded at the women, and strode forward.
Gu Mengqiu opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she sighed and remained silent.
Now, their statuses were too different, which made even the usually bold her lose her courage.
Not long after, Li Tieniu led Ning Fa to the city center.
A solemn and majestic great hall was suspended in the air, surrounded by colorful barrier radiance, serving as the central hub of several array formations.
Ning Fa nodded at Li Tieniu and flew upwards.
Li Tieniu watched him from below, a complex and yearning look in his eyes.
At this moment, an old and majestic voice sounded in his sea of consciousness.
"Your Uncle-Master Ning is truly extraordinary. When he was at the same Qi Condensation realm as you, he reached this point in just a little over a hundred years.
Tsk tsk, even in the Spirit Realm, he's comparable to the core successors of major sects. He must have some significant secrets."
Li Tieniu said calmly, "Uncle-Master Ning is clearly someone with great fortune and destiny. It's normal for him to have some secrets."
The voice sounded again, "You boy don't need to be so modest. Being able to encounter this treasure is a testament to your profound fortune, far beyond that of ordinary cultivators.
In fact, if this treasure can recover even a little, you might even surpass this Uncle-Master Ning in the future."
Having said that, the voice shifted its tone and continued, "But it's very strange. This treasure has always felt like something on your Uncle-Master Ning is attracting me, as if it's related to this treasure's injuries.
Boy, why don't you try to probe him?
Heh heh, if you can restore even two or three tenths of this treasure's power, with this treasure's assistance, ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators won't be your match."
Li Tieniu's gaze immediately sharpened, but he refused without hesitation, "What kind of person is Uncle-Master Ning? I fear that a slight probing would alert him.
Hmph, I suspect you think Uncle-Master Ning is a better candidate than me.
Just give up on that idea. I will never expose your existence to anyone."
The voice paused for a moment before saying with appreciation, "You've got it all wrong, kid.
This treasure has always believed in fate. After all, my previous owner possessed heaven-shattering abilities in divination.
In fact, I've always felt that you meeting me was also something my owner had calculated.
So, you don't need to be so wary. Even if you want me to leave, I won't leave easily.
But you must also focus on my repair, as it is extremely important for both of us."
Li Tieniu said solemnly, "Don't worry. With my advancement to Late Core Formation and a great increase in strength, I should be able to earn more military merits on the battlefield. Before long, I'll be able to exchange for those spiritual materials that will greatly benefit your recovery."
As he spoke, a determined look flashed in Li Tieniu's eyes, and he turned to walk back.