"It seems you already know about our business."
Ning Daozhen sighed, his face filled with helplessness.
Although he possessed the Immortal Extermination Bead, seeing Ning Fa's fearless demeanor made it clear that Ning Fa could still employ those strange methods from before to evade the bead's damage.
If he were to use it now, there would be no room for negotiation.
Ning Fa flicked his fingers and said casually, "I did accidentally overhear your conversation, so now you can think of any last words. If you have none, then you can set your minds at ease and depart."
Xiao Han's face contorted, and he roared, "Do you think we'll grovel and beg for our lives? Never!
Furthermore, the Nine Immortals Association already knows you possess the Heavenly Puppet, so you'd better prepare for their endless pursuit from now on!"
Xiao Han's words were cut short.
At that moment, Ning Fa pointed his right index finger, and a spiraling pillar of lightning shot out, directly blasting through the man's head.
Ning Fa then looked at Ning Daozhen and Dan Hongzi and said calmly, "Gentlemen, it's time for you to join him."
Dan Hongzi wore a wry smile and looked at Ning Daozhen.
Ning Daozhen's expression, however, didn't change much. He suddenly said, "Why don't you hear me out before deciding whether to kill us?"
Ning Fa's eyes narrowed. "Let's hear it."
This was also because Ning Daozhen had left him a sliver of room earlier, which was why Ning Fa patiently listened to what the man had to say. He was also very curious as to why Ning Daozhen was doing this.
Ning Daozhen's expression turned solemn as he slowly said, "Do you know my true identity?
In reality, I am a direct descendant of the Blood Heaven Ancestor, the founding patriarch of the Blood Heaven Sect. And the Blood Heaven Ancestor is actually a reincarnation of a disciple from Blood Hong Mountain in the Spirit Realm.
A long time ago, a major upheaval occurred in our Human Realm. Many powerful cultivators from the Spirit Realm descended, and the Blood Heaven Ancestor was one of them.
This major upheaval is also why the spiritual energy in our Human Realm changed drastically, preventing cultivators from ascending to the Upper Realm.
It was because a mysterious race from the Spirit Realm fled to our Human Realm carrying an unimaginably precious treasure.
That treasure was far beyond even a Heaven-Piercing Spirit Treasure; it was the legendary realm-opening treasure—the Profound Heaven Spirit Treasure."
As Ning Daozhen spoke, Ning Fa's expression trembled.
He already knew most of what Ning Daozhen was saying. It basically matched the information left by Ancestor Juelei and what Baili Ming had told him, and in some aspects, it was even more detailed.
"Finally, these descending cultivators and the remnants of that mysterious race engaged in a great battle in a place called Mi Tian Valley in the Human Realm.
I don't know the final outcome, but a wisp of the Blood Heaven Ancestor's residual soul escaped. He eventually established the Blood Heaven Sect on Tianwu Continent.
He never forgot about Mi Tian Valley because the Profound Heaven Spirit Treasure of that mysterious race is very likely still in the valley. This secret is only accessible to the core successors of my lineage."
After Ning Daozhen finished speaking, he looked at Ning Fa, who was merely lost in thought.
He couldn't help but frown. "Do you already know about these things?"
Ning Fa rubbed his chin. "I do know a little."
Ning Daozhen and Dan Hongzi were both shocked.
After all, what Ning Daozhen had said was the highest-level secret of this world, something that even ordinary Spirit Transformation Cultivators might not know.
The fact that Ning Fa knew about it made them even more astonished.
Ning Daozhen suddenly seemed to realize something and asked in disbelief, "Could you also be a descendant of someone from the Upper Realm?"
Ning Fa didn't answer, but he was beginning to understand why Ning Daozhen was saying all this. He couldn't help but sneer:
"Are you trying to use this secret to save your life? But as far as I know, Mi Tian Valley is extremely dangerous.
Even though the Nine Immortals Association has known about its existence for a long time, they still haven't been able to enter it. So, what good does telling me this news do?"
"You know quite a lot, even knowing that the Nine Immortals Association is plotting for this place." Ning Daozhen looked Ning Fa up and down in shock. Ning Fa's presence in his mind became even more unfathomable.
"But do you know that the Blood Heaven Ancestor was not the only one who escaped from the Upper Realm back then.
There were also several other strongest individuals, and they were the ones who founded the Nine Immortals Association. This is why the Nine Immortals Association has been the strongest force in our Human Realm for so many years."
Upon hearing this, Ning Fa's pupils contracted. He genuinely didn't know this, but it seemed highly plausible.
"Mi Tian Valley is indeed extremely dangerous, but after escaping from Mi Tian Valley, the Blood Heaven Ancestor had been trying to find a way back there.
Moreover, he had an advantage that the Nine Immortals Association and others lacked: the assistance of the Blood Heaven River. It was precisely because of the Blood Heaven River that the Ancestor was able to escape from there.
The reason he founded the Blood Heaven Sect was to use the sect's power to forge a special treasure, hoping to re-enter Mi Tian Valley.
However, he couldn't complete it before his death. This half-finished treasure was hidden by him in the Blood Heaven River before his death, and currently, only I know how to retrieve it.
As long as you spare the two of us, I will retrieve that treasure from the Blood Heaven River. After I refine it completely, I can help you go to Mi Tian Valley to obtain that Profound Heaven Spirit Treasure."
After hearing Ning Daozhen's words, Ning Fa's heart stirred.
If he hadn't seen Ancestor Juelei's information and had the conversation with Baili Ming, he would have likely thought Ning Daozhen was talking nonsense.
What Ning Daozhen said did indeed make him ponder. After all, the potential Profound Heaven Spirit Treasure in Mi Tian Valley held an unimaginable allure.
Ning Fa rubbed his chin and said slowly, "I need to perform a Soul Searching on you to verify the truth of your words."
"You may," Ning Daozhen replied calmly.
Next, Ning Fa unceremoniously struck Ning Daozhen's right hand several times, setting up a barrier before commencing the Soul Searching.
After about an hour, Ning Fa slowly withdrew his hand from Ning Daozhen's head. The latter let out a muffled groan, his face growing even paler.
Ning Fa's expression was shaken.
He discovered that the state of this person's divine soul was extremely peculiar, like shattered willow catkins, very incomplete. Fortunately, the memories of his reincarnation were still very clear.
What Ning Daozhen had just said was indeed not a lie.
He also understood Ning Daozhen's other purpose in painstakingly trying to obtain the Soul Nurturing Divine Spring: to repair the trauma to his divine soul.
This was because Ning Daozhen had only managed to reincarnate through an extremely costly method, but his divine soul had also suffered considerable damage, and he couldn't recall some crucial memories.
For instance, how to retrieve that treasure from the Blood Heaven River and its complete refinement method.
Therefore, his desire for the Soul Nurturing Divine Spring was not only for cultivating his soul and spirit but also to mend his divine soul's injuries and recover those key memories.
At the same time, Ning Fa also learned the origin of how the few of them had contacted the Nine Immortals Association, which was mainly due to Xiao Han.
It turned out that the Blood Heaven Sect had another secret: after the Blood Heaven Ancestor escaped previously, he had attempted to re-enter the valley.
Although he failed, he did bring out a dying Puppet Spirit Clansman.
This Puppet Spirit Clansman left behind an inheritance in the Blood Heaven Sect, including the Heavenly Puppet Treasure Scripture.
And Xiao Han was the most outstanding disciple in puppet-making talent in the Blood Heaven Sect for all these years, so he received the complete inheritance of the Heavenly Puppet Treasure Scripture.
For these years, he had been staying in a secret ruin of the Blood Heaven Sect, trying to refine another powerful Heavenly Puppet.
This ruin could connect to another Blood Heaven Sect ruin on the Tianwu side, which had long been controlled by the Nine Immortals Association, and the two could communicate through certain special methods.
Ning Daozhen and the others had known this for a long time, but out of fear of the Nine Immortals Association, Ning Daozhen had never dared to alert them.
Later, the situation changed. The matter of the Abyssal Heavenly Pool escalated, and with the intervention of Spirit Transformation Cultivators, Ning Daozhen and the others felt a sense of crisis.
At that time, Ning Daozhen had planned to find that Spirit Transformation Cultivator from the Rakshasa Immortal Realm, Old Ghost Star Remains, and make a deal with him to gain entry permission.
However, Xiao Han had already taken it upon himself to contact the Nine Immortals Association, with Ying Zhen as the contact person.
Xiao Han not only informed them about the Abyssal Heavenly Pool but also, upon learning of their keen interest in Heavenly Puppets, went so far as to tell Ying Zhen about Ning Fa possessing a spiritual Heavenly Puppet.
Fortunately, Ning Daozhen discovered this through a barrier in time and managed to interrupt their transmission, leading to a huge argument with Xiao Han over it.
But after Ying Zhen and the others arrived here, they were very insistent on this matter and kept pressing for answers.
Finally, Ning Daozhen proposed a compromise: he would tell Ying Zhen about it when they reached the Abyssal Heavenly Pool.
His original intention was to give Ning Fa a chance to survive, but this inadvertently gave him a lifeline.
The main reason for Xiao Han's great hostility towards Ning Fa was not that Ning Fa had stolen Hei Yu before, but because of Zhuo Qing.
Back in the Blood Heaven Sect, Xiao Han had always been extremely infatuated with Zhuo Qing.
But later, he felt that Zhuo Qing treated Ning Fa differently, and in Moon Reflection Valley, she even helped Ning Fa without paying attention to him.
Therefore, Xiao Han had always harbored great hostility towards Ning Fa and used this opportunity to directly retaliate, which also led to a big argument between Ning Daozhen and him.
Thinking of this, Ning Fa couldn't help but ask Ning Daozhen strangely, "You really don't want to deal with me just because we're cousins?"
Soul Searching was not omnipotent; after all, it could only retrieve memories that cultivators had experienced, and it couldn't detect their deeper thoughts.
Ning Daozhen managed to stand up with some difficulty and said calmly, "It's very simple. This was a revelation I received from the Blood Heaven River before, which told me that if I dealt with you, there could be very serious consequences, so I have always avoided making you an enemy."
Ning Fa was stunned; he hadn't expected that to be the reason.
In Ning Daozhen's memory, the Blood Heaven River was a mysterious object from the Spirit Realm, even of extremely high caliber, not something ordinary cultivators could touch.
The Blood Heaven River in the Human Realm was merely a projection of it, and it even existed in many realms. He hadn't expected it to have such mysterious premonitions.
Ning Fa then looked at Dan Hongzi and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Dan Hongzi, do you have anything you want to say to me?"
Dan Hongzi gave a wry smile, "Since you have already soul-searched Ning Daozhen, you should know that he and I have always been on the same side.
Furthermore, if you spare my life, there is a benefit, as I can serve as a warning for that Ancient Immortal.
After all, my mastery of the Soul Splitting Divine Art is much higher than yours, so in a sense, I am closer to that Ancient Immortal than you are.
Therefore, I can also know his movements one step earlier, and it is highly likely that I will be the first one to be influenced by that Ancient Immortal.
So, in a way, I am also a barrier for you. What do you think of this reason, Daoist Ning?"
Upon hearing this, Ning Fa's eyes narrowed slightly. This reason was quite convincing, and he had already decided to spare the lives of these two.
"I can spare your lives, but you must allow me to plant a soul restraint on you."
Ning Fa said, looking at the two.