Even if a Celestial Bridge Cultivator wanted to stop him, Ning Cheng decided to ignore it altogether and let Chasing Bull continue moving in the direction of the Origin Aura.
Although the aura of this Celestial Bridge Cultivator felt strong, it also contained hints of fatigue. Apparently, this fellow had just advanced to the Celestial Bridge Realm and had not yet stabilised his cultivation. Ning Cheng had killed Celestial Bridge Powerhouses when he was still in the Celestial Shatterer Realm; now that he was a true-blue full-circle Celestial Gatherer Cultivator, and his Spirit Techniques had also grown increasingly perfect, how could he feel afraid of just a newly advanced Celestial Bridge Cultivator?
Seeing that Ning Cheng, a Celestial Gatherer Cultivator, had ignored him, the Celestial Bridge Cultivator felt furious. His aura immediately started to spread out intending to suppress Ning Cheng; at the same time, his speed also suddenly accelerated.
The surrounding cultivators also felt the pressure and immediately moved to create a distance between them, to avoid inverting right from wrong. In just a short time, there was no other cultivator in the vicinity.
Ning Cheng stopped and took out a middle-grade Spear Dao Artefact from his storage ring that he had crafted by himself.
“You sure have guts. Did you not hear me, or did you go deaf already? Leave your mount and your storage ring here and get lost.” After Ning Cheng stopped, the Celestial Bridge Cultivator quickly arrived in front of Ning Cheng.
Murderous intent started to ooze out from this fellow with each word spoken. The dead leaves around Ning Cheng slowly began to flutter under this Celestial Bridge Cultivator’s imposing aura, forming a vortex that completely enveloped Ning Cheng.
Ning Cheng did not even speak half a word of nonsense, as the spear in his hands shot out. A faint Spear Trace pierced through the area between the two, tearing through the killing intent vortex of this Celestial Bridge Cultivator. The next moment, a powerful Spear Intent rolled up and wrapped around this Celestial Bridge Cultivator.
The reason why Ning Cheng chose not to bother exchanging a single word with this Celestial Bridge Cultivator before acting was all because he understood that even if he handed over the things this Celestial Bridge Cultivator wanted, the other party would still move to kill him.
“Looking for death…..” Seeing that Ning Cheng dared to take the initiative to attack, the Celestial Bridge Cultivator felt furious. He felt as if an ant had dared to challenge him. In his opinion, hearing his words, this Celestial Gatherer Ant should have taken the initiative to prostrate and follow his words.
Violent Celestial Essence started to rush out and rattled his robes; at the same time, this Celestial Bridge Cultivator’s Domain also stretched out. This fellow wanted to suppress Ning Cheng completely. Then just like picking a chicken out of a coup, he tried to pick Ning Cheng and ask where this insect obtained such courage?
Unfortunately, although this fellow had a brilliant idea of suppressing his opponent, the difference between his strength and his thoughts were more than a ‘hundred and eight thousand li’[1].
When the Celestial Bridge Cultivator’s Domain collided with Ning Cheng’s Domain, not only did it not manage to gain any sort of advantage, it was actually being torn apart layer by layer.
The next moment, a terrifying heat erupted as Ning Cheng’s spear pierced through s.p.a.ce and arrived in front of the eyes of this Celestial Bridge Cultivator.
“Boom…..” The Celestial Bridge Cultivator no longer dared to reach out to grab Ning Cheng but instead punched straight at Ning Cheng’s incoming spear tip.
Flesh and blood immediately erupted as Ning Cheng’s spear crushed the fist of this Celestial Bridge Cultivator. The moment the Celestial Bridge Cultivator’s fist exploded, Celestial Essence and Imposing Aura immediate exploded out from his body. Ning Cheng’s Domain, which had just gained an advantage, immediately cracked and the Celestial Bridge Cultivator quickly shot out of the crack. Stopping a few tens of feet away, he could not help but stare at Ning Cheng in horror.
“Good, good…..” The Celestial Bridge Cultivator, rebuffed by a Celestial Gatherer Cultivator and even suffering some severe injuries, it made him feel indignant apart from fear. His expressions immediately turned ugly as he quickly flew away to escape while yelling ‘good’ twice.
“Want to leave?” Ning Cheng gave a snort. With a wave from the Twin Wings of the Heavenly Clouds, he shot out; at the same time, the spear in his hand also blasted out more flame-pattered spear shadows.
Nothingness Flame-pattered Spear, a spear technique Ning Cheng had derived from the Axe Line. After this spear technique came out, it would end up creating a path within the void with the flame-patterned spear at the helm. In the wake of this one spear’s imposing aura, the flame-patterns brought up by this one spear would continue to grow more and more.
“Twin Wings of the Heavenly Clouds……” The Celestial Bridge Cultivator only managed to fly a few hundred meters when he saw Ning Cheng standing right in front of him. Not only that, but the flame-patterned spear also continued to tear through his Domain as if it was a rag.
“Stop….” The Celestial Bridge Cultivator finally tasted terror. In a crazed fit, he brought out an iron-chained staff, while almost crying within his heart. Who exactly was this Celestial Gatherer Cultivator? Where did this perverted Celestial Gatherer Cultivator come from? At this moment, he only felt regret. A cultivator who dared to stand on the back of a mountain-like bull who could move like the wind, how could such a fellow be simple? He had only taken a fancy to the cow and had never thought it would lead to such an outcome.
Ning Cheng would not stop. Not only did he not stop, but even his Celestial Essence also started to well up.
“KaKaKaKa…..” The Nothingness Flame-patterned Spear’s spear trace completely tore apart the Domain of this Celestial Bridge Cultivator, before slamming onto the iron-chained staff, giving out a buzzing-like sound.
“Pff….” The Celestial Bridge Cultivator sprayed out a mouthful of blood and immediately flew back. However, his iron-chained staff managed to block this killing move from Ning Cheng.
Ning Cheng understood that if not for this cultivator in the Celestial Bridge Realm wanting to escape, his attack could have only forced this fellow back by a few steps. It definitely would not have such an effect. This showed that a cultivator in the Celestial Bridge Realm had a significantly higher level of strength compared to Celestial Gatherer Cultivators.
“Boom….” The Celestial Bridge Cultivator got hit for the second time by Ning Cheng before he once again went back flying. But this time, this fellow ended up crashing into a boulder. Covered in blood and shivering all over, he finally spoke up, “Friend, please show mercy. I am Chong Zizhen of Culmination Starland’s Spiritual Heaven Sect…..”
“I don’t want to spare you…..”
Hearing this phrase from Ning Cheng, Chong Zizhen immediately felt shocked. If Ning Cheng still wanted to kill him, he would have no choice but to use his forbidden technique. Even if he could not kill the opposite party, he would make sure that this fellow ended up with severe if not fatal injuries.
“However, I want to try my Nerve Blade……”
When Ning Cheng mentioned the Spiritual Consciousness Blade as a Nerve Blade, Chong Zizhen still did not show any reaction. He only felt an intense pain originating in his Sea of Consciousness, followed by a Spear Shadow suddenly appearing in front of him.
“If you can evade this, I’ll spare you……”
As Ning Cheng spoke, Chong Zizhen’s Sea of Consciousness burst into darkness, the horrifying pain prevented him from controlling his iron-chained staff. The next moment, he heard the sound of the spear piercing through his Dantian. Not to mention evading this skill, he could not put up even a shred of resistance.
What a powerful Nerve Blade, that was his last thought. A blade could actually penetrate into his Sea of Consciousness, how could it not be powerful?
Ning Cheng caught the storage of the Celestial Bridge Cultivator and cast a fireball before stepping on Chasing Bull before rushing away once again.
Thinking about the previous battle with Yue Clan’s as a Celestial Bridge Cultivator, Ning Cheng felt that he truly made some significant progress. At the same time, he also understood that the difference between a Celestial Gatherer and a Celestial Bridge Cultivator was not small at all, yet he still managed to kill a Celestial Bridge Cultivator with ease while in the Celestial Gatherer Realm.
Of course, Ning Cheng also understood that this cultivator had only recently advanced to the Celestial Bridge Realm, which meant that the fellow’s strength had still not stabilised. Moreover, that fellow also had looked down over him, which allowed that fellow to think that he could overpower him easily. However, even if a true-blue Celestial Bridge Cultivator came up to battle against him, Ning Cheng had full confidence that he could still kill them quickly.
When Ning Cheng rushed forwards again while standing over Chasing Bull, some of the cultivators who had seen him previously immediately moved away and made way for Ning Cheng. They knew that a Celestial Bridge Powerhouse had blocked this cultivator; however, the Celestial Bridge Powerhouse was nowhere to be seen while this cultivator behaved as if nothing happened. Facing such a person, no one wanted to provoke him willingly.
As more and more people started gathering, the Origin Aura also grew stronger. In another incense stick worth of time, Ning Cheng and the other cultivators finally reached a patch of light yellow earth.
Rather than saying that it was a patch of yellow earth, it was much more appropriate to say that it was a lake filled with yellow sand, as it indeed looked like a lake. However, this lake did not have the usual lake-like depression but seemed slightly raised. Moreover, one could not sweep through this Yellow Sand Lake with their Spiritual Consciousness and could only observe it with their eyes.
This lake was full of yellow-coloured sand, with various cracks covering the surface looking like a spider web. The entire Yellow Sand Lake occupied a radius of a few hundred square feet. And in the centre of this Yellow Sand Lake was a bead suspended in air emitting a yellowish tinge.
“Earth Origin Bead…..” Ning Cheng felt shocked. He had obtained the Water Origin Bead and the Fire Origin Bead, but this was the first time that he saw the Earth Origin Bead.
Seeing the Earth Origin Bead, Ning Cheng almost rushed into the lake. However, thinking that so many people here had not gone in before him, Ning Cheng felt that it would not be easy to obtain this bead.
Just when Ning Cheng thought about this matter, another group of cultivators arrived. These cultivators had just arrived when they immediately rushed into the Yellow Sand Lake without thinking.
The people surrounding the lake could clearly see this group of cultivators rushing into the yellow sand lank; however, after running a few steps in, they slowly became stiff before they fell down paralysed. In just a few breaths, the cultivators who entered the lake transformed into particles of yellow sand before merging into the yellow sand lake and disappearing without a trace.
Ning Cheng sucked in a breath of cold air. This place definitely contained some formidable laws. Moreover, it most likely was an earth-attributed a.s.similation law, which turned everything to sand the moment anything entered it. Fortunately, Ning Cheng had not rushed in.
Ning Cheng and other cultivators could only look at the Earth Origin Bead with their eyes, and could not think of any way to obtain it. At the same time, more and more new cultivators started to pour in, while more cultivators tried rushing into the Yellow Sand Lake without thinking before ultimately turning into dust. However, the Earth Origin Bead remained suspended in the same spot, without any movement.
Earth Origin Bead was extremely important for any cultivator, even if a cultivator did not have an earth-attributed main spiritual root, this Earth Origin Bead would still be very useful to them. However, for Ning Cheng, this Earth Origin Bead was not only extremely important, but it was also something that he could not afford to lose.
Standing near the Yellow Sand Lake, Ning Cheng tried to think of any possible method that could help him. However, even after thinking for a long while, Ning Cheng still could not come up with a way to obtain the Earth Origin Bead.
Previously, Ning Cheng also experienced an earth-attributed law on one of the floors in the Nine-by-Nine Celestial Scryer Tower. However, the laws governing that floor felt like Sunshine Avenue[2] compared to the Yellow Sand Lake’s laws.
If a fortune felt tempting enough, the Earth Origin Bead could easily attract any cultivator to grab it. Once one managed to obtain this Origin Bead, and as long as others did not find out about it, one could definitely become an overlord in the future. Some of the cultivators could not help but give in to their temptations. People tried time and time again by bringing out various defensive weapons to try and slowly approach the Earth Origin Bead.
These cultivators had thought that they had thought it through; that is, at the slightest sign of danger, they would immediately retreat. Unfortunately, after these cultivators went inside, not even one managed to return. Even with the help of a robust defensive weapon, everyone turned into yellow sand before disappearing without exception. Seeing this, Ning Cheng shook his head. Since Spiritual Consciousness had no use here, then using weapons would prove even less useful.
As time pa.s.sed, some cultivators finally gave a sigh and turned away from the Yellow Sand Lake. Although cultivators still came pouring in, more and more cultivators started to leave.
Ning Cheng did not go inside, nor did he leave this place. The Earth Origin Bead was right in front of him. If he withdrew like this, it would truly not be out of his free will.
[1] The raws 十万八千里 can be translated as a hundred and eight thousand miles or a hundred and eight thousand li. Both are actually different units of measurements but are mentioned interchangeably (500 miles roughly equals 1,000 li), but for the same of consistency of the idiom, I decided to go with ‘li’.
[2] Sunshine Avenue refers to an open area permeated with sunshine in which nothing can hide from the eyes. For the context, it means the laws in Nine-by-Nine Celestial Scryer Tower’s floor was on a much lower level and much easier to understand compared to the laws of the Yellow Sand Lake.