Just as Su Wanwan was recalling these sad memories, a flash of lightning suddenly appeared before her, and a heroic figure materialized out of thin air.
Both the woman and the dog stared at the exceptionally handsome young man with dumbfounded expressions.
"Ning... Fa?"
Su Wanwan suspected her eyes were playing tricks on her. She had just mentioned Ning Fa's name, and here he was, appearing as if conjured from thin air.
Furthermore, upon sensing Ning Fa's powerful, unreserved aura, her eyes widened even further, and she blurted out, "What? You've already advanced to Spirit Transformation??"
A storm raged within Su Wanwan.
In just a hundred years, Ning Fa had become a Spirit Transformation Cultivator.
She recalled that Ning Fa had been in a state of utter exhaustion back then. Under normal circumstances, it would be incredibly difficult to even recover from his injuries in a hundred years, let alone advance to Spirit Transformation.
Su Wanwan immediately thought of the pottery teapot that had disappeared with Ning Fa in the valley.
Without a doubt, Ning Fa must have used the Five Phases True Origin within the teapot, or some other special ability of that treasure, to recover so quickly and advance to Spirit Transformation.
At this thought, Su Wanwan felt a pang of heartache. She wailed inwardly, That opportunity was originally mine!
Ning Fa smiled and nodded, "This is all thanks to Daoist Su. You not only saved my life but also helped me obtain that opportunity, allowing me to advance to Spirit Transformation so quickly. I will never forget such great kindness."
Ning Fa's words of gratitude felt like salt being rubbed into Su Wanwan's wounds.
Su Wanwan clutched her chest, appearing unable to breathe. After a long moment, she recovered and glared fiercely at Ning Fa.
But upon encountering Ning Fa's current, incredibly powerful spiritual pressure, she forcibly swallowed the harsh words she was about to utter. After taking a deep breath, she managed a strained smile, "Daoist Ning, please don't forget the agreement between us."
Her voice was filled with pleading.
Ning Fa nodded solemnly, "Daoist Su, rest assured. I will do my utmost to help stabilize your Nascent Soul and assist you in advancing to Spirit Transformation."
Hearing Ning Fa's solemn promise, Su Wanwan felt much better.
Meanwhile, Jin Hao, having recovered from his shock at seeing Ning Fa, wagged his tail excitedly like a spinning top. He opened his mouth wide, his face beaming with joy:
"Daoist Ning, Jin Hao has finally seen you again! Over these past few centuries, Jin Hao has often thought of you in his leisure time, always wondering when we would meet again. I never expected it to take until today.
And you have now advanced to the Spirit Transformation Realm. Truly, congratulations!"
Ning Fa looked at Jin Hao with a peculiar expression. Although the dog's cultivation had improved significantly, his way of speaking was still identical to that of a human cultivator, despite being a Spirit Beast.
He looked at the pair, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes. From Su Wanwan's words, it seemed they had been cooperating for some time, having stolen from the treasure hoard of Yan E, a Giant Spirit Race Spirit Transformation Cultivator. This was why the latter was chasing them so furiously.
What concerned Ning Fa even more, however, was the Sea Race treasure hoard that the pair had targeted.
But now was not the time for pleasantries, as the enemy had arrived.
In the distance, a streak of fire was rapidly approaching them from the horizon.
Su Wanwan's face instantly turned pale with nervousness. "Brother Ning, this Giant Spirit Race Spirit Transformation Cultivator is very powerful, not comparable to ordinary Spirit Transformation cultivators.
Although your strength is also great, you have only just entered Spirit Transformation. Perhaps we should lie low for a while?"
Jin Hao immediately chimed in, "Yes, yes, let's go! This big guy is extremely fierce!"
Ning Fa smiled faintly, "It's fine. You two just watch."
The woman and the dog looked at him with doubt, but before long, the surging fiery light stopped about a hundred feet away, revealing the towering figure of Yan E.
His usually ferocious face was now filled with surprise and uncertainty as he sized up Ning Fa.
"You are... Ning Fa? You've advanced to Spirit Transformation?"
Although more than a hundred years had passed, he had a deep impression of this human Nascent Soul cultivator who could previously contend with Spirit Transformation cultivators.
Now that this person had advanced to Spirit Transformation, even the arrogant Yan E couldn't help but show shock and hesitation in his eyes.
He was arrogant, but not foolish. Ning Fa, when still at the Nascent Soul stage, could contend with Spirit Transformation cultivators. Now that he had advanced to the Spirit Transformation Realm, just how powerful must he be?
Seeing that Ning Fa didn't reply and instead looked at him with the gaze of a hunter eyeing its prey, Yan E became enraged. However, he suppressed his anger, and the surging flames around him subsided. He rumbled, "I'll give you some face today. Hand over this dog, and I won't pursue the matter of the woman trespassing into my cave and stealing treasures."
Upon hearing this, Jin Hao's eyes widened in alarm, and he looked at Ning Fa with his tail wagging frantically.
Ning Fa, however, chuckled and said calmly, "You're unlucky to have run into me. Today is your death anniversary!"
"Arrogant! You don't know the immensity of heaven and earth!" Yan E roared. His left eye suddenly widened, shooting out a beam of red light.
In an instant, it transformed into a sea of fire tens of acres wide. The flames raged, emitting extreme heat and engulfing Ning Fa.
With a startled cry, Su Wanwan and Jin Hao were propelled tens of miles backward under the protection of a lightning shield.
Ning Fa, however, stood with his hands behind his back in the surging sea of fire, watching Yan E's spell with amusement.
Although he hadn't directly fought Yan E before, he knew him quite well. Most of Yan E's divine abilities were concentrated in his five eyes.
His left eye, the Prairie Fire Pupil, could ignite a hundred-mile radius of fire with a single glance, even igniting spiritual energy itself to form a spiritual fire storm. This was exactly what he was using now – the sea of fire.
His right eye, the Blazing Heart Pupil, could double the power of his fire-attribute divine abilities.
The left pupil on his forehead, the Soul Burning Pupil, was a divine soul attack ability that could release Soul Burning Fire, capable of scorching the enemy's divine soul. Those affected would feel as if trapped in a fiery purgatory, leading to disorientation at best, and the destruction of their Nascent Soul at worst.
The right pupil on his forehead, the Ash Bone Pupil, shot out Annihilation Ash Light, which could dissolve the enemy's skin and bones, specifically countering body-refining cultivators.
Finally, there was his most powerful central pupil, the Sun Flame True Eye, which could release Sun Flame True Fire to activate the Sun Flame Dharma Aspect.
When Yan E's five eyes opened fully, he was capable of directly fighting a Mid Spirit Transformation Cultivator. This also showed the inherent advantages of the Giant Spirit Race; each additional eye granted them a powerful Innate Divine Ability.
Seeing Ning Fa remain unmoved in the sea of fire, Yan E felt a sense of awe. The unease in his heart grew stronger.
Without a word, he opened his right eye again, and a beam of crimson light shot out, causing the sea of fire to surge violently and its power to increase by more than half.
Then, the left and right pupils on his forehead also opened, adding white and gray flames to the sea of fire.
Despite the fierce assault from several layers of flames, they couldn't even breach the thin lightning shield in front of Ning Fa.
The white flames that attacked Ning Fa's Sea of Consciousness were like a clay ox entering the sea, causing not even a ripple.
Yan E's ferocious face was filled with shock. He had already opened four eyes, yet he couldn't even force Ning Fa to take him seriously.
He let out a wild roar, and with a sudden slash of his left hand, he created a bloody gash. Dozens of drops of Essence Blood flew out and merged into his central main pupil—the Blazing Sun True Eye.
Under the blood-red light, the single vertical eye slowly opened. A ferocious and evil, powerful aura surged, and a beam of blood-gold flame was emitted, enveloping Yan E's entire body.
His form rapidly grew to a hundred feet tall, and the giant axe in his hand also enlarged, its surface now covered with numerous blood-gold runes.
At this moment, the aura Yan E exuded had reached the level of a Mid Spirit Transformation Cultivator.
The surging sea of fire around him suddenly retracted, completely merging into the giant axe, which was now tens of feet long. Layers of fiery intent were added to its surface, causing its power to surge again.
Witnessing this, Su Wanwan and Jin Hao, who were hiding in the distance, turned pale. Su Wanwan even subconsciously clutched a life-saving Spiritual Material, ready to flee at any moment.
"Die for me!" Yan E, having unleashed the Blazing Sun Dharma Aspect, swung his giant axe with full force.
In the surging sea of fire, the giant axe rapidly grew, instantly becoming a thousand feet tall. It descended upon Ning Fa like a colossal fiery peak, crushing down.
"Good!" Ning Fa's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He flicked his right hand, and with a clear sword cry, the Geng Metal Sword leaped out.
Immediately, the Geng Metal Sword's surface flashed with spiritual light, revealing the mysterious Grotto-Heaven rune. It quickly lit up, and the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy surged towards the sword uncontrollably, rapidly expanding it to tens of feet in size.
Although it was still minuscule compared to the mountain-like giant axe, the terrifying pressure it exuded, like Tribulation Thunder, made Yan E's face contort in fear.
This was because the Geng Metal Sword was now borrowing a sliver of the power of Heaven and Earth laws. Even if it was just the most basic borrowing, its power was already unimaginable.
"Boom!" The giant axe collided with the lightning sword.
Fire attribute should have countered metal attribute, but the stalemate lasted less than half a breath before tearing sounds of "chichichichi" could be heard.
Countless lightning sword qi surged from the Geng Metal Sword. Wherever it passed, the fiery mountain seemed to be pierced with countless holes like thin paper. Within these holes, numerous tiny lightning powers erupted, causing them to expand rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, more than half of the fiery mountain had dissolved.
"No!" Yan E roared unwillingly. He frantically activated his five eyes at all costs, channeling beams of pupil light of various colors to reinforce the collapsing giant axe, but it was like trying to quench a burning cart with a cup of water.
After another two breaths, a sword light that illuminated the sky flashed, and the fiery light filling the sky instantly dissolved, revealing the original body of the giant axe.
A fine crack appeared on its surface from top to bottom, and then it split in two.
The two halves of the giant axe's surface erupted with surging white lightning, like a tidal wave. In the blink of an eye, these two halves transformed into countless fragments, completely destroyed.
"Damn it! How can he be so strong!?"
Yan E, with his five bleeding eyes, roared inwardly. He finally realized the vast difference between himself and Ning Fa at this moment. In fact, Ning Fa was far stronger than the powerful expert of his own race.
Just then, another sharp sword light flashed. The hundred-foot-tall Blazing Sun Dharma Aspect, like a giant, was instantly torn into pieces by the dazzling sword light.
But immediately, five beams of fire shot out from its five eyes, fleeing in different directions at incredible speed. In an instant, they appeared dozens of miles away.
However, Ning Fa's gaze was profound. In his Sea of Consciousness, the nascent Taiyin Jade Infant, which resembled his Nascent Soul, formed a hand seal. With a few flicks, five moon-white spiritual lights shot out.
At the same time, in front of the five eyes that had already fled a hundred miles away, a white light suddenly flashed, and a lake appeared out of thin air in front of each of them.
Caught off guard, the five eyes plunged into the lakes. Ripples spread, and the lake water surged, clinging to the Yan E's fragmented souls attached to the five eyes. They struggled violently, trying to break free from the lakes, but only felt the water growing colder and colder, freezing their very souls.
Soon, the divine souls of Yan E on the five eyes lost consciousness.
Not long after, these five eyes, carried by the continuous water light, drifted before Ning Fa like flotsam.
The water light swirled, and five slightly illusory crimson figures were directly pulled out of the five eyes, then merged into one.
It was Yan E's essence soul. At this moment, his five eyes were tightly shut, completely defenseless.
Then, the water light transformed into a moon-white rune and directly entered his forehead.
In this way, Ning Fa had planted a restraint on Yan E, holding his life and death in his hands.
And this powerful Giant Spirit Race Spirit Transformation cultivator, who had once caused great fear among many Human Race Spirit Transformation cultivators, was thus captured alive by Ning Fa.
However, Ning Fa's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of helplessness in his expression.
Just now, in order to test the true power of the Grotto-Heaven Divine Thunder, he had used this divine ability directly in combat. The force of his attack was completely different from his previous probing.
The result was that its power did not disappoint him at all. Yan E, who was at the Mid Spirit Transformation level when Ning Fa went all out, was utterly defenseless against the Grotto-Heaven Divine Thunder.
But what Ning Fa found helpless was that he sensed his Supreme Metal Divine Thunder Origin had been consumed.
This was precisely because the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy in the Human Realm was sealed. When one used Innate Divine Abilities beyond a certain limit, their own innate origin would be consumed.
For other Spirit Transformation cultivators, it was their lifespan that was consumed. For him, it was his Divine Thunder Origin.
Even after advancing to Grotto-Heaven Divine Thunder, it could not be avoided.
Fortunately, the consumption was not large. Compared to his current abundant Divine Thunder Origin, it was nothing. He could recover by absorbing high-grade metal-attribute Spiritual Materials or by using True Form Imprints.
Of course, he had to replenish Origin Points first, and pay a large sum of Origin Points to unlock the Heavenly Book.
But there was no rush. The Sea Race, Demon Race, and many high-level cultivators were all his "pasture."
At this moment, Ning Fa flipped his right hand, and an ancient, simple golden lamp appeared in his hand. It was precisely the Heavenly Flame Candle.
As its flame flickered, a graceful silhouette flew out from within. It was Liuying.
She first glanced at the soul of Yan E beside her, who was unconscious but still emanating powerful Spirit Transformation fluctuations. Her eyes showed excitement, and then she respectfully said to Ning Fa, "Congratulations, Master, on achieving Spirit Transformation."
Her address had naturally changed from the previous "Brother Ning."
"It seems you truly acknowledge me now," Ning Fa said with a relaxed smile.
"With Master's current strength, he is already invincible in this realm. His future achievements will far surpass my previous master's. Liuying is naturally willing to acknowledge Master as her own. If Master does not mind, you can plant a soul restraint on me at any time, allowing me to peacefully serve as the artifact spirit of the Heavenly Flame Candle."
Liuying said respectfully. She was actually a little apprehensive. She had always been proud. Even though she had met Ning Fa very early on, they had always interacted as equals, and she had no intention of pledging allegiance. Now, this kind of opportunistic allegiance was vastly different from one offered in a time of need.
Ning Fa smiled. Although Liuying pursued freedom, she was an artifact spirit. Ultimately, she needed to find a powerful treasure that matched her attributes to serve as her artifact body. Otherwise, she would be like water without a source, bound to vanish sooner or later, let alone achieve freedom. The Heavenly Flame Candle was precisely the treasure that best matched her attributes. Now that Ning Fa had achieved Spirit Transformation and obtained the soul of this Spirit Transformation stage fire-attribute being, the Heavenly Flame Candle was on the verge of becoming a Heaven-Piercing Spirit Treasure. Her proactive decision to pledge allegiance now was not surprising.
"Good. First, merge this Spirit Transformation soul into the Heavenly Flame Candle to allow it to truly advance. After that, I will place a spirit control restraint on you."
Ning Fa said calmly. Although Liuying was a bit of a "no gain, no pain" type, she had helped him quite a bit before. Furthermore, such a sentient artifact spirit was rare in the world, and he couldn't easily let her go.
"Thank you, Master!" Liuying, seeing Ning Fa nod, immediately felt relieved and said with great joy.
Following that, Ning Fa pointed a finger, and Yan E's soul transformed into a ball of fire and entered the Heavenly Flame Candle. Liuying also cupped her hands in a bow to Ning Fa and flew into it.
After Ning Fa put away the Heavenly Flame Candle, he summoned it with one hand. With a flash of spiritual light, an ancient ring burning with flames appeared before him. It was Yan E's storage ring. He easily broke through the ring's restraint and, after a brief scan, a smile bloomed on his face. Yan E's wealth was indeed extremely substantial. There were over twenty top-grade spirit stones alone, and more than ten thousand high-grade spirit stones. Other various magic treasures, pills, spiritual grasses, spirit flowers, and various materials were even more numerous. Moreover, anything he collected was at least a fourth-grade item.
"You actually killed this Giant Spirit Race Spirit Transformation cultivator?"
At this moment, two streaks of light flew over. It was Su Wanwan and Jin Hao. One person and one dog stared at Ning Fa, dumbfounded. Even though they had witnessed it with their own eyes, they still found it hard to believe. The powerful Giant Spirit Race Spirit Transformation cultivator who had chased them relentlessly had been subdued by Ning Fa in mere dozens of breaths.
After her shock, Su Wanwan's pretty face was instantly filled with joy. She even felt that what Little Mirror had said wasn't wrong. She had saved the life of such a powerful cultivator, so didn't that mean she had a powerful backer? Wouldn't she be able to walk sideways in the Human Realm?
Jin Hao's dog eyes widened to their limit, truly unable to believe that Ning Fa, who was merely a Qi Condensation cultivator just over three hundred years ago, had become this powerful. Immediately, his dog face was also filled with joy. He considered his friendship with Ning Fa to be extraordinary, so didn't that mean he also had a great backer?
"Tell me, what has been happening in the Human Realm for the past hundred years?" Ning Fa asked sternly at at this moment.