Huangfu Ziyue glanced at Huangfu Jin with a hint of surprise.
Before this, Huangfu Jin had been somewhat resistant to her and Zhuo Qing's proposal.
This was because he had always found it difficult to accept the possibility of an outsider eventually leading the Zi Yin clan.
But now, after personally witnessing Ning Fa's potential and Lord Divine Wood's incredible favor towards him, he had clearly changed his stance and spoken these words proactively.
Huangfu Ziyue looked at Ning Fa and said solemnly, "Brother Ning, we also communicated with Lord Divine Wood when he was summoned earlier.
He sympathizes with our clan's current predicament and has agreed not to take such an extremely long time to accept our sacrificial summons as before.
Instead, we can see him once every twenty years from now on.
Furthermore, the sacrificial offerings required to exchange for the Spiritual Materials he bestows will also be greatly discounted.
With Lord Divine Wood's assistance, Brother Ning, you will easily be able to obtain rare Spiritual Materials that have become extinct in our world, which will undoubtedly be of great help to you."
Ning Fa's expression shifted slightly upon hearing this.
What Huangfu Ziyue mentioned was indeed very tempting to him.
However, he was still holding a grudge for being deceived by Huangfu Ziyue and the others this time, making it difficult for him to trust anything they said.
Moreover, to think that they wanted to bind him to their clan's cause and force his compromise with just this one point was far too simplistic, especially since he was still unsure how his Innate Supreme Wood Divine Thunder had changed.
"I'll say it again, I am not a member of your Zi Yin clan. Let me leave now."
Ning Fa said coldly.
Seeing Ning Fa's continued stubbornness, Huangfu Ziyue and the others exchanged glances.
Zhuo Qing stepped forward again, attempting to persuade him, "Brother Ning, actually..."
Before she could finish, Ning Fa interrupted her with a raised hand.
"If you still refuse to let me go, I will have no choice but to assume you harbor ill intentions towards me, and then you cannot blame me for resorting to force."
Even though Huangfu Jin had advanced to Spirit Transformation, Ning Fa, whose Innate Supreme Wood Divine Thunder had now advanced to Fourth-grade Upper Rank, felt greatly emboldened. He was much more at ease facing a Spirit Transformation Cultivator.
Furthermore, he had the Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant as a bodyguard. If a fight were to break out, even though the other side had more people, it was uncertain who would win.
"You!" Huangfu Jin was furious.
Given his arrogant nature, his previous words were already a significant concession, yet Ning Fa remained completely unyielding.
But at this moment, Huangfu Ziyue shook her head at him and sighed, "Uncle Ancestor, please let Brother Ning leave first. After all, we were in the wrong regarding him."
Huangfu Jin's expression flickered between anger and resignation. He finally let out a cold snort and flew away with a flick of his sleeve.
"Brother Ning, then you can come with me."
Huangfu Ziyue looked at Ning Fa with a wry smile.
Ning Fa was somewhat surprised by Huangfu Ziyue's easy compromise, but it saved him the trouble, so he went along with her.
Not long after, on the same desolate island, above the small lake in the center, a flash of spiritual light suddenly appeared, and several figures materialized. It was Ning Fa, the Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant, Luo Feixuan, and Huangfu Ziyue.
"Brother Ning, I apologize for this matter, but you can reconsider it. We will always welcome you back."
Huangfu Ziyue said to Ning Fa with a sincere expression.
Ning Fa looked at her expressionlessly, then shot straight up into the sky without a word. The Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant and Luo Feixuan followed closely behind.
Soon, with another two flashes of spiritual light, Huangfu Jin and Zhuo Qing also appeared.
They watched in the direction Ning Fa had disappeared. Zhuo Qing wore a look of regret, while Huangfu Jin frowned deeply.
"Are we just going to let young Ning go like this?
We had to pay double the sacrificial offerings for him before.
And it's clear that Lord Divine Wood favors him greatly. With him around, the sacrificial summons to Lord Divine Wood might become easier, and we might even obtain some more precious treasures."
Huangfu Ziyue, however, shook her head and smiled, "As Uncle Ancestor said earlier, what's done is done. Brother Ning is already an unquestionable member of our Zi Yin clan; this fact cannot be erased just because he denies it.
Don't worry, I will naturally find a way to make him willingly return to our Zi Yin clan in the future."
Dark Star Island, a Fourth-grade island in the Black Star Archipelago. It was originally owned by the largest power in the Black Star Archipelago, the Reverse Fire Sect, but now it served as the mountain gate of the Fu Ling Hall.
In fact, of the hundreds of Spirit Islands, large and small, in the entire Black Star Archipelago, except for a small portion allocated to the Moon Gazing Sect, all other islands had fallen under the rule of the Fu Ling Hall.
Atop a spiritual peak in the center of Dark Star Island stood several majestic palaces. In the hall of one of the main palaces, Ning Fa met again with the three elders of the Fu Ling Hall: Murong Zhaoxue, Liang Jun, and Tie Hengye.
This was also his first time visiting the Black Star Archipelago in twenty years, so he naturally wanted to understand the development of the Fu Ling Hall during this period.
Murong Zhaoxue and the other two reported to him separately.
Overall, the Fu Ling Hall's development had been quite good over the years.
Although the surrounding environment of the Black Star Archipelago was somewhat harsh, it was not small in area, almost half the size of the former Yunhuang Alliance.
If the sea area were included, it would even greatly exceed it, and the cultivation resources were not lacking.
Coupled with the generous resources Ning Fa had left behind, the Fu Ling Hall had significantly recovered its vitality over the past twenty years. The number of mid-to-high-level cultivators had increased considerably, and there were even three more Nascent Soul Cultivators.
One of them was a Late Core Formation elder of the Fu Ling Hall who had broken through a bottleneck, and the other two were Nascent Soul Cultivators who had joined from local powers within the Black Star Archipelago.
One at the Mid Nascent Soul stage, and another at the Peak Early Nascent Soul stage. Neither of them were weak among cultivators of the same level.
The reason Murong Zhaoxue and the others invited them to join was precisely because these two were renowned rogue cultivators from the Nine Dragons Sea in the past.
Furthermore, they both had significant grudges with Nascent Soul Elders from the Tianshu Alliance and the Demon Sea Alliance, respectively, which was why they had fled to the Black Star Archipelago. This was the most crucial reason for inviting them to join.
With their inclusion, the strength of Fu Ling Hall immediately recovered considerably.
In addition, the Moon Gazing Sect had already relocated in its entirety, and their affiliated Vast Horizon Merchant Guild had done the same.
Fu Ling Hall had also invested in this merchant guild. It had now spread throughout the entire Black Star Archipelago and was expanding into the surrounding Haoqiong Sea and Wuye Sea. Over the years, they had earned considerable resources and Spirit Stones.
Ning Fa listened, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Besides reporting on the development of Fu Ling Hall over the years, the three had another important focus: crucial intelligence from the Nine Dragons Sea over the past twenty years, with the situation between the human race and the Sea Race and Demon Race being the most important.
Although there had been constant minor skirmishes between the two sides over the past twenty years, no major war had broken out.
What caught Ning Fa's attention was that for some unknown reason in recent years, the Sea Race had abandoned its usual aggressive stance and had suddenly retreated across the board, adopting a defensive posture. The Demon Race had followed suit.
While this seemed like a good thing, Ning Fa, after his previous conversations with the Demon Lord and Fairy Yuanxing, felt that this abnormal situation might be a precursor to an impending storm.
At this moment, Murong Zhaoxue said, "Hall Master, if you're not in a hurry, you should take some time to meet the newly promoted Elders in the Hall. They've been eagerly anticipating your arrival."
"Alright!"
Ning Fa smiled, put away his thoughts, and left with the three of them.
He first met with those three Nascent Soul Elders and conversed with each of them. Their attitudes were all very respectful, and there was nothing to fault.
Next, Ning Fa met with those dozen or so Core Formation cultivators. These individuals stood in two rows, their attitudes even more deferential.
Ning Fa observed these Core Formation Elders with a faint smile. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, and it settled on a woman in a white dress with a beautiful face, who was at the Mid Core Formation stage.
Just as Murong Zhaoxue was about to introduce her, Ning Fa let out a cold snort, "What kind of monster dares to infiltrate my Fu Ling Hall!"
As he spoke, Ning Fa thrust his right hand forward, and dazzling lightning instantly flashed in the hall.
The white-dressed woman, who had appeared meek, was startled by this. A sharp glint flashed in her eyes.
Instantly, a powerful Spiritual Pressure erupted from her, revealing a spiritual power fluctuation that reached the Nascent Soul level.
Murong Zhaoxue and the other Nascent Soul cultivators were greatly shocked. Before this, they hadn't detected at all that this Core Formation female cultivator named Xia Fenlan was actually a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Her act of concealing this fact and joining Fu Ling Hall clearly indicated malicious intent.
At this moment, the white-dressed woman transformed into dozens of ice needles amidst the intense white light, scattering in all directions as she attempted to flee.
Ning Fa's expression remained unchanged. He clenched his outstretched right hand, and a tremendous force enveloped the entire hall.
Those dozens of ice needles retreated at a speed faster than they had fled. They gathered into a mass and reformed into the figure of the white-dressed woman.
She looked terrified. She had just taken out a Ruyi-shaped Magic Treasure with her right hand, but at that moment, a bolt of lightning struck her body. Instantly, a Barrier was placed upon her, and she slumped to the ground softly.
In just two breaths' time, this Nascent Soul cultivator was captured.
Murong Zhaoxue and the other three original Fu Ling Hall Elders were fine, but the other three Nascent Soul Elders looked at the calm Ning Fa with astonishment. The Core Formation Elders in the hall looked at him with even greater admiration.
Ning Fa walked to the white-dressed woman's side without changing his expression, about to perform the Soul Searching Technique on her. He wanted to see which faction had sent this person.
Just then, a small white bead, about the size of a thumb, flew out from the woman's embrace. With a flash of white light, a clear, cold voice emerged.
"Fellow Daoist Ning, there's no need to be so angry. I just wanted to meet you. I'll be waiting for you at the northwestern edge of Dark Star Island."
"It's actually her looking for me."
Ning Fa frowned slightly. He knew who the visitor was from that voice.
He turned to Murong Zhaoxue and the others, who looked worried, and smiled, "No matter, I'll be back soon."
With that, he left the hall and, together with the Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant waiting outside the hall, flew towards the northwest of Dark Star Island.
Soon, Ning Fa and the other arrived at the summit of a small mountain by the sea on the island.
A silver-white palace-clad woman with a graceful figure and a face like a painting was already waiting there.
She had extremely rare, satin-like silver hair, which further accentuated her snow-white skin, yet her expression was cold and proud.
Ning Fa was not unfamiliar with this woman. She was the Young Master of the Ice Phoenix Clan—Bing Ning.
When Ning Fa had teleported back to Cangyuan from the Teleportation Array in the Ice Sea, he had briefly clashed with her and another high-level Shapeshifted Demonic Beast.
As a late-stage Shapeshifted Demonic Beast, especially with her true form being a Heaven and Earth Spirit Beast—the Ice Phoenix—her strength was by no means comparable to ordinary Great Cultivators. Ning Fa back then was not her match.
However, looking at it now, although her mana was more profound than before, Ning Fa was confident that he could defeat her decisively.
"Fellow Daoist Bing Ning, you've come to our Fu Ling Hall's territory, and even secretly infiltrated our Fu Ling Hall with a Nascent Soul cultivator. What is your intention?" Ning Fa asked expressionlessly.
Bing Ning sized him up from head to toe. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed deeply, and her pretty face showed disbelief.
It had only been a short few decades since their last meeting.
For Heaven and Earth Spirit Beasts like them, with their long lifespans, this time was merely the blink of an eye.
In this period, Ning Fa had not only advanced to the Mid Nascent Soul realm but also possessed a powerful aura that made her feel unfathomable, putting her under immense pressure.
This was naturally difficult for her to accept, as she had always been arrogant and rarely placed cultivators of the same generation, especially human cultivators, in her eyes.
She glanced at the Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant standing calmly beside Ning Fa, her eyes filled with even greater apprehension.
It could be said that if it weren't for the existence of the Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant, it wouldn't be her coming here now, but rather a Spirit Transformation Ancestor from their clan.
"Hmph, our Ice Phoenix clan naturally has something to discuss with you. If you hadn't been a coward all these years, why would I have resorted to this method!"
Bing Ning said with her arms crossed, chin held high, her expression arrogant and her attitude extremely impolite.
Ning Fa couldn't help but chuckle. This woman seemed to still not understand the situation, thinking it was like before.
"Let me see if your current strength is enough to speak to me like this."
Ning Fa said with a faint smile, then suddenly slapped forward with his right hand.
Instantly, a thunderous roar echoed, and the wind and clouds changed color.
Amidst the flickering lightning, a massive purple lightning hand, over ten zhang in size, appeared in the air and slapped towards Bing Ning.
Seeing Ning Fa attack so suddenly, Bing Ning was furious at first. However, she also felt the terrifying power contained within the lightning hand, and her expression changed instantly. She didn't dare to be careless at all.
She flicked her slender hand, and an ice sword appeared. All her mana surged into it. The ice sword shot forward, and a stream of sword qi shot out, instantly transforming into a phantom of an Ice Phoenix, exuding extreme cold power.
The sound of cracking ice echoed as the mountaintop was instantly frozen over.
With a deafening roar, the Ice Phoenix phantom lasted for less than a breath before being directly shattered by the lightning hand. Then, with the force of a mountain pressing down, it slammed towards Bing Ning.
Immediately, a burst of purple lightning radiance erupted, followed by a beam of white light shooting out from within. It stopped dozens of zhang away, revealing Bing Ning's figure once more.
At this moment, her silver long hair and the palace dress she wore were slightly disheveled, clearly showing signs of her being in a bit of a mess.
She took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and stared intently at Ning Fa, her heart churning like a stormy sea.
After this brief exchange, she understood that her current self was no match for Ning Fa, and he was merely at the Mid Nascent Soul realm.
This shocked her and made it difficult for her to accept.
Ning Fa didn't press his attack. His initial strike was partly to teach Bing Ning a lesson, and partly to test his current strength. The result was quite satisfactory.
Although Bing Ning hadn't used her most powerful Ice Phoenix true form, he himself hadn't activated his Divine Firmament Manifestation either.
"What did Fellow Daoist just say? I didn't quite catch that. Perhaps you could repeat it."
Ning Fa said with a faint smile, his hands behind his back.
Bing Ning gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, her heart filled with extreme anger.
In thousands of years, when had she ever suffered such humiliation?
But with inferior skills and a request to make, she could only grit her teeth and endure it.
"I've come to see you because I have something to discuss, regarding your spiritual pet."
Bing Ning said, suppressing her anger.
Ning Fa inwardly thought, As expected. However, his expression remained unchanged as he said, "I don't think we have anything to discuss on this matter. You're not perhaps fantasizing about taking my spiritual pet, are you?"