Cultivation Starting from Full Talent

Chapter 57: Chapter 56: Spare You from Death

“`

Night fell in the blink of an eye.

The moonlight poured into the secret realm, casting the withered trees and scattered rocks in a blanket of snow-white light, creating an ominously bleak feeling.

Inside a hollow tree,

Ning Daoran chased away a brown bear and claimed the spot for himself, quickly employing the Concealing Breath Technique and resting briefly.

On his journey so far, the continuous use of Earth Tunneling and Wood Escape had drained too much of his mana, necessitating meditation every so often to recover, or else it would have been impossible to continue.

He was silent and still, blending seamlessly with the world around him.

His eleventh layer Longevity Technique coursed vigorously through his body, spreading Wood Attribute Magic Power derived from it into all of his limbs, quickly replenishing his depleted mana.

He meditated like this throughout the night.

The next morning, sunlight pierced through the clouds, raining down upon the woods.

“Rustle, rustle…”

Ning Daoran made just a faint sound before once more melting away with the Wood Escape Technique, in search of new opportunities.

Before long, he arrived at a cliff.

The air was tinged with a faint scent of blood, coupled with the subtle fragrance of spiritual medicine.

Ning Daoran frowned and followed the scent using Wood Escape.

Shortly after, he appeared before two corpses.

One was an Outer Disciple of the Chaotic Sect, a Qi Refining Ninth Level Cultivator who had lost his chance to enter the Inner Sect due to his age, never expecting to die here.

The other was an Outer Disciple from the Sea Burning Sect, also at the Qi Refining Ninth Level.

Based on the wounds, the Chaotic Sect Disciple had been fatally stabbed in the back, someone had thrust a blade through his heart from behind, taking his life. Such a close stab in the back clearly came from a comrade’s strike.

The murderer was naturally the Sea Burning Sect disciple, whose neck bore a clear grip mark and whose abdomen was burned through by a fierce flame.

Ning Daoran’s brows were tightly knotted as he sighed in his heart.

The situation was clear; the two had initially planned on seeking opportunities together, yet the temptation proved too great. The Sea Burning Sect disciple harbored sinister intentions first, stabbing his companion from behind.

However, the Chaotic Sect Outer Disciple, fiery-natured as he was, endured the fatal wound, grabbed his assailant’s neck, and then used a Flame Sun Skill Sword point to burn through the attacker’s abdomen, resulting in both perishing together.

It was rather regrettable.

Ning Daoran collected their storage bags and then found a Heart-focusing Grass that was over two hundred years old on the cliffside ahead.

Another primary ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pill – this was what turned the two against each other.

Storing the Heart-focusing Grass in his storage bag, Ning Daoran hastily buried the two and swiftly departed using Earth Tunneling; this place was not safe for a long stay due to the scent of blood.

…

Passing by the mountain’s base, he saw from afar a six-hundred-year-old True Essence Grass swaying in the wind.

Beside the spirit grass, lay an old turtle trembling with fear – the creature was a First-tier Late Stage Demon Beast, not too strong, but the spirit grass was encircled tightly by a group of people on both the inside and outside.

“This True Essence Grass was first seen by my junior brother – both morally and logically, it should belong to us Purple Cloud Sect.”

A Qi Refining Perfect Cultivator from Purple Cloud Sect, with eyes flashing fiercely, said, “Don’t think you can bully us with your Sea Burning Sect’s status as a first-class sect here in the Cangnan Secret Realm; such tactics won’t work on us!”

“Exactly!”

Other Purple Cloud Sect disciples said indignantly, “Senior brother is right; it’s our chance, why would we simply hand it over?”

“Tsk, tsk!”

A Sea Burning Sect disciple with a full appearance and potent aura sneered, “Who gave you such courage? Ridiculous, what is your Purple Cloud Sect compared to us? Brothers, let’s take them down together and extinguish them!”

“Kill!”

The Sea Burning Sect disciples each unveiled their magic artifacts, and in an instant, the two sides erupted in a deadly fight.

Magic artifacts darted about wildly, and heads rolled in a frightening scene.

Ning Daoran knew he couldn’t afford to get involved and immediately Earth Tunneled away from the fray, and as for that True Essence Grass…

Forget it; it seemed a tad too perilous.

…

On his way past a grove, he encountered a pair of fellow disciples who had just defeated a Late-stage Qi Refining Guardian Beast together.

With righteous indignation, the senior brother pocketed the spiritual medicine, “Junior brother, we only have one share of this medicine, and it can’t be divided. Here’s an Essence Yuan Pill to advance late-stage Qi Refinement for you to keep.”

“Okay, I’ll follow senior brother…”

“That’s right, I will certainly help you fight for the next spirit grass.”

Before his sentence was finished, a sword point burst through the senior brother’s chest.

Startled, the senior brother exclaimed, “Junior brother, you…”

Fury blazed in the junior brother’s eyes, “Is everything meant to be yours? Am I supposed to be your loyal lackey forever?”

Another Qi Refining Perfect Cultivator fell prey to a demon beast illusion, holding a worthless grass, his eyes bloodshot, “Purple Blood Ginseng, a thousand-year-old Purple Blood Ginseng – I can finally establish my foundation…”

Shortly after, a giant python slowly coiled around him, beginning to devour him headfirst, and from beginning to end, the man never escaped the illusion.

A massive demon beast’s corpse lay on the ground, the scene not yet plundered when a group of cultivators began slaughtering each other.

Flying swords clashed and magic artifacts were wielded ruthlessly, with bloodshed everywhere.

All these scenes played out constantly across the entire Cangnan Secret Realm.

Ning Daoran felt somewhat moved.

No wonder it’s said that the survival rate in the Cangnan Secret Realm is exceedingly low; half of these people die from demon beasts, while the other half are likely killed by fellow Human Clan Cultivators.

Moreover, he also faintly perceived more profound mysteries within.

“`

Throughout the journey, Demon Sects like the Soul Devouring Sect carried out their slaughters against Righteous Sect disciples in an orderly fashion. Once Demon Disciples gathered, they would directly kill any Righteous Sect Disciple weaker than themselves if encountered, otherwise, they would resort to all sorts of polite deceptions to trick their opponents.

This was quite understandable.

Qingzhou was predominantly the territory of the Righteous path, and though the Soul Devouring Sect was a first-class Sect, its overall strength couldn’t compare to the other Righteous Sects.

Even so, both sides had sent plenty of True Inheritors and Direct Disciples…

Even the strongest disciples in the Qi Refinement Realm from the Sects had been dispatched, which implied that this was more than just a simple search for opportunities.

A chill welled up in Ning Daoran’s heart as it became clear that both sides intended to take this opportunity within the Cangnan Secret Realm to wipe out the new generations of Immortal Seeds of their opponents, especially with the Sea Burning Sect and the Soul Devouring Sect’s intentions being the most apparent.

As for second-class Sects like the Chaotic Sect and Star Moon Pavilion, they would likely have to struggle for survival within the gaps during this Secret Realm trial, and emerging alive would be considered a very good outcome.

…

Evening.

As the sun set in the west, the second night within the Secret Realm was about to arrive.

Within a narrow path atop a fiery red mountain range, Ning Daoran, dressed in the attire of an Outer Sect Disciple of the Chaotic Sect, held the Qiushui Sword in hand, slowly walking along the mountain path. The area was filled with rocks, prohibiting the use of Earth Tunneling, and the Wood Escape Technique couldn’t be used either, so he simply appeared as his true self.

With his powerful Divine Sense sweeping out, signs of rising Spiritual Energy were detected ahead, indicating likely a Spirit Medicine if there were no surprises.

After crossing the mountain’s peak, on a relatively spacious area on the mountainside, a Snow Clearing Grass at least a thousand years old quietly grew within the crevices of the cliff.

Snow Clearing Grass was one of the main ingredients for the Snow Melt Pill, a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Breakthrough Elixir Pill.

A thousand-year-old Snow Clearing Grass could enhance the likelihood of refining top-quality Snow Melt Pills.

However, not far from the Snow Clearing Grass, there lay an aura akin to that of an Early-stage Foundation Establishment Demon Beast.

A Purple Flame Mantis, about half the height of a human, with large “scythes” and fiery red eyes, was quick and dexterous, and known to be a particularly troublesome Demon Beast.

Ning Daoran had already seen this kind of beast in the “Comprehensive Demon Beast Atlas” within the Book Collection Pavilion.

Facing a Foundation Establishment Demon Beast, a stealth attack was still the best strategy!

Ning Daoran took a deep breath and cast his spell, vanishing through Wood Escape, with techniques like Concealing Breath Technique pushing to their peaks. In an instant, he seemed to become silent and invisible.

“Hiss~~~”

The Purple Flame Mantis’s pupils shrank slightly, sensing something amiss even though it had not felt any fluctuation of Mana. There was only a subtle noise just then.

Perhaps it was merely an old mouse in the woods.

Its guard lowered once again as it crouched next to the Snow Clearing Grass, its scythes slightly swaying in the mountain breeze.

“Swoosh!”

A two-thousand-jin heavy Big Green Dragon suddenly descended from the sky, heading straight for the Purple Flame Mantis’s head!

“Hiss—”

The Purple Flame Mantis screeched, but the attack was too swift to evade, and the next moment its head shell was already cracked open!

Still, the physical body of a Second-stage Early-stage Demon Beast was remarkably strong. Even with its braincase splitting open, the Purple Flame Mantis fiercely charged forward, its scythes aiming directly at Ning Daoran’s throat!

As the whooshing sound of the wind intensified, Ning Daoran twisted his figure in the air, dodging the mantis with a speed it could never have anticipated. Immediately after, another second attack, a Secret skill, appeared behind the Purple Flame Mantis, striking the same injury!

The Wind Riding Leisurely Technique at the Returning to the True Level made the movement exceptionally quick, so quick in fact that even the Second-stage Early-stage Demon Beast couldn’t respond at all!@@novelbin@@

“Boom!”

After two strikes, the Purple Flame Mantis’s head burst open, dying on the spot.

Overjoyed, Ning Daoran was about to collect all the spoils into his Storage Bag.

Just at that moment, a figure stumbled from a Flying Artifact, a female cultivator from Star Moon Pavilion.

“Senior Brother from the Chaotic Sect, save me!”

Her clothes were disheveled, her shoulder stained with blood, clearly wounded, and her slender, fair legs drew the eye.

She seemed somewhat familiar—wasn’t she the Star Moon Pavilion Senior Sister with long legs who, along with Big Stupid Deer, had caught their eye before entering the Secret Realm?

At this moment, in such disarray and with pursuers surely on her trail.

A sweep of Divine Sense quickly revealed the pursuer – a Perfect Qi Refining Cultivator with an extraordinarily robust aura.

The man in a blood-red robe, full of arrogant Evil Qi, was none other than a True Disciple of the Soul Devouring Sect—Lin Chi!

‘Bloody hell!’

Ning Daoran tensed, why did he have to stumble upon such a situation?

What does playing the hero to save the beauty have to do with me, Ning Daoran?

Especially since the person pursuing her happened to be the strongest disciple the Soul Devouring Sect had sent into the Secret Realm!

Lin Chi was a formidable opponent. Before entering the Secret Realm, Senior Brother Lin Sheng had already advised that encountering and successfully facing off against him would be impossible, and it was best to avoid him early!

But now, there was no avoiding it.

The long-legged Senior Sister from Star Moon Pavilion seemed frail, nearly stumbling into Ning Daoran’s arms and said in a pitiful voice,

“This man is ruthless, he has already killed many Righteous Sect Disciples. Junior Brother, let us join forces and slay this fiend!”

…

“Ts, ts!”

Lin Chi landed gracefully, his lips curving in to a slight sneer.

His gaze shifted between the dead Purple Flame Mantis and the Snow Clearing Grass, and upon sensing that the mantis was a Second-stage Early-stage Demon Beast, his expression changed abruptly, “Who are you, to have the ability to slay a Foundation Establishment Demon Beast?”

He clenched his fist lightly, not waiting for Ning Daoran to speak, he said with a smile, “This is good, kill two birds with one stone. You have a choice, give up the Demon Beast and the Treasure medicine, and you can avoid death.”

“Who are you to show up and offer me a death exemption?”

Ning Daoran frowned, lifting the Big Green Dragon from his Storage Bag, “No, there’s no exemption, nobody is getting off that easily today!”