Six years later.
A startling commotion once again erupted from the crimson grand hall atop the mountain, the entire structure enveloped in a cluster of purple lightning clouds, within which raged exceptionally rare purple lightning.
Simultaneously, an immensely terrifying spiritual pressure surged from the hall, rapidly spreading across the entire spirit island, causing Luo Feixuan, Zhu Lingyun, Cheng Susu, Ning Shaohong, and the others on the island to turn pale with shock.
Worried, they hurried to the mountaintop. At this point, a transmitted message came from the grand hall, and only then did they relax.
This anomalous phenomenon persisted for a full day before slowly dissipating, yet the hall doors remained shut.
Another year passed.
Three streaks of escaping light flew out from the island.
Shortly after, in the outer sea region of Qianmo Sea.
An ice-blue divine and majestic spirit bird sped towards the southeast at an unimaginable speed. Standing on its back were three figures: Ning Fa, Luo Feixuan, and Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant.
Luo Feixuan sized up Ning Fa, her jade-like face filled with a peculiar expression.
Even Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant, who usually maintained a calm and unruffled demeanor, couldn't help but glance at Ning Fa a few more times.
At this moment, Ning Fa was clad in a black robe with purple trim, his posture valiant and his appearance handsome and refined. He seemed no different from usual.
However, to Luo Feixuan and Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant, Ning Fa had undergone a stunning transformation.
Ning Fa chuckled softly, "Have you two not recognized me after I went into seclusion for a while?"
Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant stated calmly, "Your strength has improved considerably. You are now the strongest Mid Nascent Soul cultivator I have ever seen."
Ning Fa was slightly surprised. It was rare to hear an evaluation from Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant, and this evaluation was exceptionally high.
After all, Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant was not a normal human and had existed for countless years.
What made Ning Fa curious was whether his "seen" referred only to the human realm or also included his experiences in the spirit realm.
Ning Fa smiled faintly. The two of them had very keen senses; his current strength had indeed undergone a remarkable change.
A year prior, he had very smoothly cultivated his Divine Firmament Manifestation from the first stage, Manifestation Transformation Realm, to the true second stage—Spiritual Manifestation Realm, also known as the First Transformation realm.
The resulting increase in his strength was far beyond what Ning Fa himself had anticipated.
In comparison, the Divine Firmament Manifestation he had previously managed to stimulate with the Divine Firmament Thunder Armor Set could only be considered a weakened version.
Now that it was truly mastered, its power had increased tremendously compared to before.
The power of the formidable divine abilities and secret techniques he could unleash in this stage also surpassed the descriptions in the Ancient Source Thunder Scripture cultivation method, even exceeding them by a significant margin.
Ning Fa quickly understood that this was likely because his Divine Firmament Manifestation had received a substantial boost from the Five Elements Thunder Body during its advancement.
Therefore, its power was much greater than when he forcibly stimulated it using the Divine Firmament Thunder Armor Set.
Furthermore, when he wore the complete Divine Firmament Thunder Armor Set, his power increased by another small half.
In this state, Ning Fa estimated that his strength had truly reached the peak among Nascent Soul cultivators, and he should not be at a disadvantage compared to the former peak Demon Lord.
This also made him even more eager for the Innate Thunder Seed in Huangfu Ziyue's possession. As long as he could absorb and refine it, opening up a third Sea of Lightning Divine Treasury, then advancing to the Late Nascent Soul stage should be without any obstacles.
Then, after advancing to the Late stage, what kind of changes would his strength undergo?
Would he be able to withstand a Spirit Transformation cultivator with his Nascent Soul body?
Upon thinking of this, Ning Fa couldn't help but reveal a smile.
At this moment, Luo Feixuan handed a jade slip to Ning Fa and then looked at him with a smile, saying nothing.
Ning Fa was slightly surprised. After scanning the jade slip with his spiritual sense, his expression immediately showed emotion. "Fellow Daoist Luo, you are...?"
Luo Feixuan smiled faintly, "These are some of my insights and experiences from cultivating the Tai Yin Nurturing Nascent Soul stage. For you now, they might be useful.
Of course, this is only for your reference. After all, the cultivation of the Moon God Heart is very special, and everyone's path is different; it cannot be copied."
Although Luo Feixuan said this, Ning Fa knew the preciousness of the contents of this jade slip, which would allow him to avoid many detours. He thanked her solemnly.
Luo Feixuan shook her head and smiled, "We are allies now. I also hope your Moon God Heart cultivation progresses even faster to deal with Shen Cizhou's threat."
Ning Fa nodded and decided to seize this opportunity to study the jade slip, asking Luo Feixuan for guidance on any points of confusion.
Thus, more than twenty days passed.
In the central and largest sea region of Nine Dragons Sea—the southern part of the Chiyang Sea Region—on a deserted island, a flash of light appeared, revealing the figures of Ning Fa and the other two.
Ning Fa scanned his surroundings and found that on this deserted island, which spanned a hundred miles, there were few wild beasts besides scattered rocks.
"Are Huangfu Jin and the others planning to heal here?"
Ning Fa couldn't help but feel a bit strange. Moreover, this was the Chiyang Sea, the territory of Taichu Gate and Pure Sword Sect.
As the other party had not yet arrived, Ning Fa and the other two waited patiently on the island.
On the third day, all three sensed something and suddenly looked towards a certain direction in the sky.
There, the void suddenly rippled, followed by the appearance of a white arc of light. In the blink of an eye, it grew to over ten feet in size and expanded outwards.
Immediately after, a spirit boat flew out from this arc of light. The spirit boat was about ten feet long, entirely pale purple, with purple light shimmering on its surface, emitting strong spatial fluctuations. This was undoubtedly a spirit boat capable of spatial traversal.
Ning Fa showed a hint of surprise. Such spirit boats were extremely rare, truly worthy of being descendants of the Zi Yin Immortal Dynasty. Although the immortal dynasty was destroyed, its foundation was still very substantial.
At this moment, the purple light shield on the surface of the spirit boat dissipated, revealing more than ten figures. Each of them exuded a powerful aura, and they were clearly all Nascent Soul cultivators.
At the very center were Huangfu Jin, Huangfu Ziyue, and Zhuo Qing.
Upon seeing Ning Fa waiting there, they all showed expressions of relief.
Huangfu Ziyue, beautiful as an immortal in a light purple palace dress, waved to Ning Fa with a radiant smile. "Brother Ning, please come over."
Ning Fa glanced at Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant and Luo Feixuan, and the three of them flew onto the spirit boat.
"Brother Ning is indeed punctual, arriving here even earlier than us," Huangfu Ziyue said with a smile as bright as a flower. Zhuo Qing also looked at Ning Fa, a smile gracing her usually cold and proud face.
Then, they turned their gaze to Luo Feixuan and Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant, who were beside Ning Fa.
Although Luo Feixuan was stunningly beautiful, comparable to Huangfu Ziyue, Huangfu Ziyue and the others merely glanced at her before immediately shifting their attention to the calmly composed Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant.
"It seems the rumors are true. You actually hired Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant," Huangfu Jin, clad in black armor and exuding a heavy killing aura, said with unconcealed shock.
Huangfu Ziyue, Zhuo Qing, and the other Zi Yin clan members weren't faring much better, all looking somewhat incredulous.
After all, Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant had already been active in the Nine Dragons Sea during the time when the Zi Yin Immortal Dynasty ruled.
Their dynasty's ancient texts had detailed descriptions of Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant's mysterious power. They never expected it to be hired by a mere Nascent Soul cultivator.
Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant merely gave Huangfu Jin and the others a casual glance, showing no intention of greeting them.
Ning Fa naturally didn't offer any explanations. He carefully observed Huangfu Jin and suddenly frowned, "Senior, have your injuries recovered?"
After his Moon God Heart advanced, his spiritual soul's strength had almost reached the same level as Huangfu Jin's. Thus, he keenly perceived the other's condition, which made him wary.
After all, according to their previous agreement, he was supposed to help Huangfu Jin heal. Now that the other's injuries had recovered, why was he still being summoned?
Even stranger was that although Huangfu Jin's injuries had recovered, his cultivation realm remained at the peak of Nascent Soul, not having returned to Spirit Transformation.
Upon hearing this, Huangfu Jin's expression couldn't help but change slightly. "You can actually sense it?"
After speaking, he seemed to have discovered something, and a purple-black luster suddenly appeared in his eyes as he stared intently at Ning Fa.
Soon, the anomaly in his eyes subsided, and he looked at Ning Fa with surprise. "How is this possible! In less than twenty years, your strength has increased so much, and you haven't even advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage!"
Hearing this, the expressions of Huangfu Ziyue and Zhuo Qing also changed slightly.
They had felt something different about Ning Fa when they met him this time, and now, hearing their Uncle Ancestor's words, they dared to confirm it.
Ning Fa's expression turned cold. "Senior, you still haven't answered my question. Since your injuries have fully recovered, do you still need me to help you heal?"
Huangfu Jin frowned, seemingly displeased with Ning Fa's tone.
At this moment, Huangfu Ziyue spoke, "Uncle Ancestor, since that's the case, why don't we tell Brother Ning the truth?"
She then gave Ning Fa a wry smile. "Brother Ning, please don't be offended. Actually, the reason we asked for your help this time is not to help Uncle Ancestor heal, but to help him return to the Spirit Transformation realm.
Uncle Ancestor's situation is very special. His previous regression in cultivation is not something that can be rectified by simply recovering from injuries and cultivating his magic power.
He must, like us, break through the Spirit Transformation bottleneck again and undergo a Heavenly Tribulation, and the difficulty will be even greater than before.
This requires the assistance of the sacred artifacts from the six major branches of our Zi Yin lineage to trigger a special ritual.
Each branch has one such sacred artifact, and only someone from their respective branch can activate it.
The sacred artifact of the Zi Xiao lineage is that Purple Firmament Sword, and there are no descendants left in the Zi Xiao lineage who can wield the Purple Firmament Sword. That's why we waited for Brother Ning.
The reason we concealed this matter before was not because we had ill intentions towards Brother Ning, but because Uncle Ancestor's return to Spirit Transformation is crucial for our Zi Yin clan.
If it were leaked and known to the Tianshu Alliance, the consequences would be unimaginable. They might even tear up the agreement, so we hope Brother Ning can forgive us."
Ning Fa's expression softened slightly upon hearing this.
Then, Huangfu Ziyue continued with a sincere expression, "To show our sincerity, before asking Brother Ning to assist us, we will give you that Innate Thunder Seed so you can refine it first and cultivate the Innate Supreme Wood Divine Thunder.
Furthermore, the place we are preparing to go to will also greatly assist Brother Ning's cultivation.
Of course, this is also to enable Brother Ning to better activate that Purple Firmament Sword when the time comes."
Ning Fa's gaze shifted, and he nodded. "Alright, then where is the place you are preparing?"
Seeing that Ning Fa was no longer pursuing the matter, Huangfu Ziyue breathed a sigh of relief and smiled enchantingly. "That place is very mysterious. You'll know soon enough."
Ning Fa raised his eyebrows and didn't ask any further questions.
Then, Huangfu Ziyue held a large purple seal and lightly waved it forward.
Instantly, the spirit boat was enveloped in a layer of red light. A gentle spatial fluctuation emanated from this light shield, causing the surrounding void to vibrate in resonance.
The spirit boat, as if gliding into water, nimbly twisted and disappeared into the void.
Ning Fa stood on the deck, gazing at the seemingly endless gray light surrounding them, a look of surprise on his face.
Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant merely glanced at it indifferently, as if uninterested, and simply closed his eyes to meditate.
Here, Ning Fa almost lost his sense of time. He estimated that several days had passed when the spirit boat finally emerged from the void.
The surroundings were now a vast expanse of blue sea, and a sizable island was visible not far ahead.
Upon arriving, Huangfu Ziyue and the others clearly showed excitement. Ning Fa and the other two followed them, flying towards the depths of the island.
Ning Fa found it somewhat strange. Although the island appeared to be of considerable size, it lacked any spiritual energy, and only ordinary beasts inhabited it. Could this be a secret relic of the Zi Yin clan?
It wasn't long before everyone arrived at the very center of the island.
In the middle of a dense forest, a lake several miles wide was situated. The lake was crystal clear, like a green emerald, and its scenery was beautiful.
But other than that, there was nothing particularly special about it. Especially with Ning Fa's current powerful spiritual sense, he couldn't detect any hidden restrictions nearby. It was just an ordinary small lake.
Huangfu Ziyue, Zhuo Qing, and the other cultivators from the Zi Yin clan couldn't help but show excitement on their faces.
"Brother Ning, please wait patiently for a while. You'll know when night comes," Zhuo Qing said, walking over and giving Ning Fa a mysterious smile.
Ning Fa's gaze shifted slightly, and he nodded.
Soon, it was deep into the night. A full moon hung in the sky, and moonlight, like water, poured down. Moon shadows rippled across the lake's surface, making it exceptionally serene.
At this moment, Huangfu Ziyue took a deep breath. A flash of excitement flickered in her eyes as she said to Huangfu Jin, "Uncle Ancestor, the time has come."
Huangfu Jin nodded. He flipped his right hand, took out a scroll, and gently tossed it into the air.
The scroll automatically unfurled. Within it were depicted grand palaces and towers, like an immortal palace, giving off an extraordinary aura.
"Activate the formation!" Huangfu Ziyue shouted, slitting the palm of her left hand. A few drops of fresh blood flew out and merged into the scroll.
The other dozen or so Zi Yin clan members did the same. In an instant, the scroll, after absorbing the numerous drops of fresh blood, became a vibrant red.
Mysterious incantations also emanated from the mouths of these Zi Yin clan members.
Ning Fa watched intently. At this moment, Luo Feixuan's telepathic message reached his ears:
"Fellow Daoist Ning, the Zi Yin clan's origins are said to be mysterious. They are not entirely from our world's human race, and they are even connected to a significant clan from the True Demon Realm.
Because of this, the pure-blooded members of the Zi Yin clan possess some very powerful innate divine abilities."
Ning Fa nodded.
At this time, changes were already occurring in the sky. The moonlight seemed to be drawn towards the scroll, which was enveloped in a bloody glow.
As if refracted, the lake below slowly began to reveal the illusory figures of those palaces and towers.
Ning Fa's expression suddenly changed, because the illusory palace in the lake was emitting very distinct spatial fluctuations. It was clearly more than just an illusion.
"Alright, let's go!" Huangfu Jin shouted, transforming into a purple light and leaping into the lake. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the illusory palace figures. The other Zi Yin clan members followed without hesitation.
Huangfu Ziyue smiled at Ning Fa and the other two, "Brother Ning, please. This is the birthplace of our Zi Yin clan, and you are the first outsider to visit."