Cultivation Starting from Full Talent

Chapter 99: Chapter 97 Attacking Five Saints Mountain

The Water Cloud Golden Bamboo Sword Formation contained a vast and profound knowledge of array paths, which was far from something that could be mastered overnight.

Ning Daoran had been in closed-door cultivation for a year. Aside from planting the Purple Jade Spirit Rice in the Spirit Garden Cave Heaven, he devoted all his energy to the Water Cloud Golden Bamboo Sword Formation.

A year later.

“Emerging from seclusion, great success!”

A figure clad in deep blue emerged from the underground chamber. At this moment, Ning Daoran, with disheveled hair, resembled a wild man, his vacant eyes gradually beginning to gleam with sharpness.

Big Stupid Deer’s ears perked up, watching from afar, “Damn! Such a terrifying aura of a powerful being!”

...

“Old Lu!”

Ning Daoran smiled and said, “Add a few more dishes for lunch, let’s celebrate my emergence from seclusion!”

“Ow~~~”

Big Stupid Deer skillfully went to catch Spirit Chickens and Spiritual Sheep.

Ning Daoran, on the other hand, reached out a hand and “swoosh, swoosh, swoosh” a series of Array Flags shot out of the Storage Bag like a chain of arrows.

In total, there were twelve Array Flags crafted from Water Cloud Stone, plus twelve Array Plates engraved with intricate Array Patterns. Just forging a complete set of Array Flags and Plates had taken him a full half year.@@novelbin@@

Yet within a year, he had actually figured out the Water Cloud Golden Bamboo Sword Formation, which was a Second Order High Grade Array…

Source: , updated on 𝑛𝘰𝘷𝕘𝗼.co

At this moment, Ning Daoran felt an immense surge of pride within him, believing he was born a genius Array Master. Even without the Grass and Wood Holy Spirit System, he felt he would have made a name for himself in the Cultivation World with his mastery of array paths alone.

Of course, if there was no support from his cultivation, merely achieving distinction in array paths…

Such people were easily killed, or could easily be corralled and raised like livestock by major forces, which would then mean losing the true meaning of cultivation.

Noon.

The three great figures of Qiongbi Peak gathered.

Ning Daoran sat in the main seat with Big Stupid Deer and Chen Weimo accompanying him on both sides.

“I have a major announcement to make.”

Ning Daoran’s eyebrows raised lightly as he spoke, “Starting from today, my status will change to that of a Second Order High Grade Array Master!”

“Ow ow ow~~~”

Big Stupid Deer’s mouth gaped open, looking at his senior with awe.

“Wow~~~”

Chen Weimo exaggeratedly opened her cherry lips, “Uncle is so impressive!”

Behind her, she was thinking of some flattering words but couldn’t come up with any, and her little cheek turned bright red.

Ning Daoran didn’t trouble her, “Chen Weimo, have you reached the Mid-stage Qi Refining?”

“Not yet…”

The little girl instantly wilted like a frost-stricken eggplant.

“Never mind, today is a day of celebration. It’s not too late to diligently practice your cultivation tomorrow.”

“Got it, uncle!”

…

Late at night.

A Sound Transmission Talisman flew into the Small Cloud Mist Array, emanating a faint golden glow; it was actually infused with Golden Core energy.

“Eh?”

Ning Daoran raised his hand and drew the Sound Transmission Talisman underground. Inside was a message from the senior sister, Jiang Yu, “Junior Brother Ning, there is a covert operation of the Sect tonight. Come to the Elder’s Hall immediately.”

‘A covert operation?’

Ning Daoran was baffled, without any sign or warning, an abrupt summons. If it weren’t for the Golden Core energy housed within from the senior sister, he would have definitely suspected it to be a trap set to hunt him down.

“Old Lu, the Sect seems to have something up. Let’s go, it’s time for an experience outside!”

Right away, Big Stupid Deer got up, with sleep instantly gone.

A man and his Deer rode on green bamboo leaves towards the Inner Sect, where the Elder’s Hall was brightly lit at night.

Apart from Ning Daoran, almost every Elder of the Chaotic Sect who was of note and not on a mission was there.

Sect Master Jiang Yu and the three Elders of the Inner Sect, everyone was remarkably present.

“Everyone is here, let’s activate the prohibition,” Jiang Yu said.

The Second and Third Elder cast spells together. Suddenly, a stream of luminous light, like a curtain of water, rose from all sides, enveloping the entire Elder’s Hall within it.

“Sect Master…”

An Outer Elder frowned, “What time is it that we’ve gathered so many Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the middle of the night?”

Jiang Yu looked at everyone with a smile, “It’s just a Sect mission. Please bring your Treasures and Spiritual Beasts and follow me immediately. When we reach our destination, the truth will naturally be revealed.”

“Yes…”

Everyone had little to say.

Jiang Yu summoned Lei Peng, and then placed a Concealing Breath Prohibition on it. A group of Foundation Establishment Elders flew up onto the back of Lei Peng.

“Let’s go!”

Jiang Yu uttered softly, and with a flap of its wings, Lei Peng spun up and charged directly into the heavens.

In the deep night, everyone was silent.

Ning Daoran didn’t say anything either; he simply sat down on the spot, meditating to restore his Mana; he saw from afar how Junior Sister Han Bing followed behind her master.

“Junior Brother Ning…”

Jiang Yu had sat down next to him at some point, “During the mission, Junior Brother Ning, there is no need to compete for the lead. Just have Junior Brother Lu support from behind. Remember, your safety is more important than anything else.”

‘If that’s the case, why did you even call me?’

A thought clouded Ning Daoran’s heart, but he dared not voice it.

“I understand, please rest assured, senior sister!”

“Um!”

After about two days and nights, Lei Peng’s body pierced through the clouds and mists, appearing above a hazy night forest.

For some reason, the demon Qi in the air suddenly became richer.

“Sect Master.”

The Great Elder Gongyang Yan said indifferently, “It’s time to tell everyone the truth.”

“Um.”

Jiang Yu stood up, looked towards everyone, and said calmly, “This time we left the Chaotic Sect to participate in a joint extermination operation conducted by the major Immortal Sects of Qingzhou. Our target is the Five Saints Mountain!”

“What?”

Many Foundation Establishment Elders were shocked, their eyes wide with disbelief.

The name of the Five Saints Mountain was like a taboo to those in the Qingzhou Cultivation World.

The five Demon Kings of the Five Saints Mountain roamed Qingzhou without any restraint, and neither the Immortal Sects nor the Court could do anything about them. Moreover, these five Demon Kings had even established a Five Saints Sect, making it clear that they wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Human Clan on their own turf.

Ning Daoran also felt a chill.

This joke seemed a bit too serious. What was the strength of those five Demon Kings of the Five Saints Sect?

Even the weakest was a Third-tier Middle-stage Demon King, equivalent to a mid-stage Human Clan Golden Core, but with the deep lineage of the Demon Clan, they were stronger than Human Clan cultivators of the same rank.

So, a mid-stage Golden Core Demon King could actually battle with a Human Clan late-stage Golden Core Cultivator!

The strongest Demon King of the Five Saints Sect was undoubtedly the White Sheep of Feng Valley, stationed in the central area. It was said that this Demon King had reached the late stage of Golden Core years ago and its true combat power was frightening… likely enough to battle an early-stage Human Clan Nascent Soul Cultivator!

“There’s no need for the Elders to worry.”

Jiang Yu said, “Our opponent from the Chaotic Sect is the Vajra Giant Ape in Nanlu Valley, a Third-tier Middle-stage demon beast with combat power comparable to a mid-stage Human Clan Golden Core.

The Sect Master and I will restrain this Demon King, and with the Chaotic Sect’s superiority in numbers, if we set up an Array, it may be possible to slay the Vajra Giant Ape.”

“We won’t directly attack Nanlu Valley,” Gongyang Yan said. “On the contrary, we will set up an All Heavens Hidden Thunder Array outside of Nanlu Valley. This Array is a Killing Array, which will lure the Ape Demon into it, and naturally, we can kill it!”

The many Foundation Establishment cultivators breathed a sigh of relief.

If they really had to go head-to-head with a mid-stage Golden Core Ape Demon, there was no doubt that they would be easily squashed, unable to put up any fight.

Jiang Yu said, “Please keep your auras as low as possible, Elders. We will set up the All Heavens Hidden Thunder Array without alerting the Vajra Giant Ape, minimizing the losses in this battle.”

“That’s right.”

The slightly frail-looking Second Elder, Lin Xingyuan spoke, “This battle is not only for the Chaotic Sect. The Star Moon Pavilion, the Steel Gate Sect, and other Immortal Sects are also simultaneously attacking other Demon Kings. Moreover, the Sea Burning Sect, the Soul Devouring Sect, and the Court’s Zhenxian Tower stationed in Qingzhou will dispatch a large number of experts to attack the White Sheep of Feng Valley!”

With a slight lift of his eyebrows, he said, “If we can make a great achievement in this battle, and completely eradicate the Five Saints Sect, there is no doubt that this will avenge the years of grudge we have harbored in the Qingzhou Cultivation World!”

“That’s right, the Five Saints Sect has been entrenched in Qingzhou for a long time, and it’s about time to uproot these demons!”

A group of Foundation Establishment Elders showed their indignation, hearing that so many Sects and powers were joining forces, everyone’s confidence grew substantially.

In this light, the joint operation to exterminate the Five Saints Sect seemed very likely to succeed.

…

Outside Nanlu Valley.

The demon Qi in the valley surged to the sky, and from afar, there was an extremely unsettling feeling.

Lei Peng transformed into a falcon and perched on Jiang Yu’s shoulder, staring straight ahead with shivering eyes.

As a Third-tier Early-stage Spiritual Beast, it was normal to feel fear and trepidation when sensing a Third-tier Middle-stage Demon King.

Jiang Yu raised her hand and gently stroked the bird’s feathers to soothe it.

Elsewhere, the Second Elder, Lin Xingyuan, personally led several Foundation Establishment Elders skilled in Arrays, each holding an Array Flag, setting up a Second-Order High-Grade All Heavens Hidden Thunder Array.

Ning Daoran watched this from a distance.

The Array was exquisitely refined, a match for his own Water Cloud Golden Bamboo Sword Formation, except that the All Heavens Hidden Thunder Array was a mid-tier Array, so more cultivators were involved in setting it up.

“Brother…”

Han Bing pursed her lips and, observing everyone’s busy activities, said, “If it comes to blows later, will we really engage in battle with a mid-stage Golden Core demon beast?”

“Not necessarily, but be prepared for that possibility. Don’t engage them head-on; a Foundation Establishment facing a Golden Core head-on is suicide, especially when it’s a mid-stage Golden Core demon beast. Remember that!”

“Um.”

At that moment, Jiang Yu began to announce the battle assignments.

Ning Daoran was grouped with Han Bing, Zhou Cheng, and Wang Yiheng — both Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Among them, Zhou Cheng and Wang Yiheng were both old Foundation Establishment cultivators over a hundred years old, with Zhou Cheng being a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The moment the grouping was completed, Ning Daoran caught on immediately.

The Big Sister was clearly pairing the new recruits with the two old Foundation Establishment cultivators, especially Zhou Cheng, who was likely to focus most of his efforts on protecting himself and Han Bing.

Moreover, the positioning of their defense was towards the rear, obviously a protective measure by the Sect.

Han Bing was Third Elder Ning Qing’s prized disciple, and Ning Daoran was the youngest Third-tier Foundation Establishment Spirit Farmer in the Chaotic Sect — both were quite significant to the Sect.

Not long after.

“Reporting to the Sect Master, the Array is set up,” a Foundation Establishment Elder respectfully announced.

“Um.”

Jiang Yu turned towards Nanlu Valley; it was time to send out Lei Peng to lure the Golden Core Ape Demon.

But at that moment, several birds that Ning Daoran had tamed on impulse suddenly sent a Divine Sense message from afar — a number of demon beasts with Foundation Establishment auras were launching a surprise attack from the side!

Soon after, the ground began to tremble slowly.

“Not good…”

Jiang Yu looked to the left, frowning, “A beast tide? That’s not right… We have already concealed our breath; why would it still trigger a beast tide?”

…

‘Indeed, this is not good…’

Ning Daoran furrowed his brow. It was clear—somebody had leaked the information about the joint attack of the major Sects of Qingzhou on the Five Saints Sect, and the Five Saints Sect had already prepared in advance!