The courtyard fell silent for a moment before the sharp sound of whipping resumed.
Although Ning Huarong had taken the Recovery Elixir, which restored some of her condition, the spiritual rope binding her and the whip striking her from the burly woman were far more powerful than before, making her pain even more intense.
Yet, Ning Huarong did not show the slightest sign of surrender, her curses echoing incessantly.
The burly woman seemed enraged by her insults. She dropped the whip, grabbed Ning Huarong's long hair with her large, palm-sized right hand, and was about to slap her across the face.
With the woman's Nascent Soul Body Cultivator strength, even holding back her power, it was not something an ordinary person could withstand.
However, the enraged, burly woman found her entire body suddenly weighing as much as ten thousand jun, making it extremely difficult to even move a finger.
It was then she realized that a young man in a black robe had appeared before her at some unknown time. He was emitting a faint purple light and looking at her expressionlessly.
The burly woman's expression was one of extreme horror. The fat on her body rippled like waves, her plump face flushed crimson as the Bloodline Power she exuded surged, clearly preparing to use some Secret Technique.
But the young man simply pressed down with his right hand in a casual manner, and a colossal force like a mountain's roar and the sea's surge descended.
The burly woman immediately felt a terrifying force ten times stronger than before applied to her body.
Her eyes bulged, her body trembled, as if an invisible hand were crushing it.
Her body began to contort uncontrollably, accompanied by the chilling sound of bone twisting.
The burly woman's expression was one of terror as she let out a non-human scream.
The black-robed man didn't even glance at her, flicking his finger.
With a crisp bang, the spiritual rope binding Ning Huarong shattered, and a pill emitting a rich medicinal fragrance flew into her mouth.
Ning Huarong swallowed the pill with a jolt, knelt on one knee, and gasped, "Ning Fa, be careful! The person opposite you is a black-skinned fellow, a master, very powerful. I'm no match for him."
The person who arrived was naturally Ning Fa. He seemed not to have heard, his gaze fixed on the Woman in Green Dress before him.
Though his expression remained calm, his eyes were like ice, and a bone-chilling killing intent began to spread, causing the temperature of the entire courtyard to plummet.
However, the Woman in Green Dress merely furrowed her delicate brows before returning to normal. Instead, she smiled faintly and said, "You are Ning Fa? You do possess some strength. Since you've come in person, and for your sake, let's just forget about this lowly woman offending me."
Ning Fa raised an eyebrow. Seeing this, the beautiful woman knew who he was, yet dared to act so arrogantly. It seemed her background was indeed extraordinary.
But today, no matter who she was, she had to give him an explanation.
Seeing Ning Huarong's miserable state, his heart felt like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
Soon, the Woman in Green Dress frowned again.
This was because Ning Fa showed no intention of stopping, and the burly woman's body continued to contort, the sound of breaking bones exceptionally jarring.
The process was even deliberately slowed down, clearly intended as torture.
The burly woman's formidable physique began to tear, blood flowing freely, the scene utterly gruesome.
The Woman in Green Dress let out a soft hum and flicked her slender, jade-like fingers. Instantly, a black light flashed beside her, and seven figures appeared abruptly.
These individuals wore identical silver and black trimmed robes, and their auras were all extremely powerful, at least at the Nascent Soul realm.
The burly man leading them was as imposing as an iron tower, his muscles bulging as if forged from black iron. Not only was his Mana profound, but he also possessed Bloodline Power far exceeding that of the burly woman.
This was undoubtedly a Great Cultivator, and one who dual cultivated both Body and Law.
"It's him!"
Ning Huarong, having recovered some of her strength, whispered, her eyes filled with vigilance.
She did not fully understand Ning Fa's true power, and thus couldn't help but worry for him.
"Daoist Ning, that's enough."
The robust man said in a deep voice, his words like the beating of war drums, striking each person's heart.
Merely his speech carried such power, clearly indicating that his strength was top-tier even among Great Cultivators.
But he, who was usually unyielding, now had a look of solemnity in his eyes.
This was because he couldn't sense Ning Fa's depth at all, yet a terrifying pressure, like that of a primeval beast, emanated from Ning Fa, making him feel a sense of awe.
Only then did he realize that his reputation was well-deserved; the person before him was definitely a formidable opponent.
Ning Fa looked at him expressionlessly. Meanwhile, the screams of the burly woman beside him intensified, and the process of contortion accelerated significantly.
In the blink of an eye, she had shrunk into a ball of flesh only a few feet in size, completely unrecognizable. Her aura had also completely vanished.
The dark-skinned man's thick eyebrows furrowed. The next moment, a mass of black auspicious light erupted from him, his form becoming layered and indistinct, like countless afterimages refracted by crystal.
For a time, the entire courtyard seemed to contain his presence, like a tide of figures surging towards Ning Fa.
This was clearly an extremely potent movement technique, and a terrifying killing intent rapidly escalated within this tide of figures.
Ning Fa showed disdain and snorted, "A mere trick, and you dare to be presumptuous!"
From the moment he uttered the first word, the Void began to tremble.
By the time the last word fell, the surrounding Void rippled like waves on the sea.
An impact wave that seemed to have substance pushed outwards, scattering all the figures in the tide.
At this moment, a fierce roar echoed. From the side, the dark-skinned man's Blood Essence surged violently, clad in a set of glistening black battle armor. His aura had increased by more than half compared to before.
He clasped his fists together, spinning them at extreme speed, like a falling meteor, transforming into a black streak that pierced through the shockwave and slammed towards Ning Fa.
Ning Fa's eyes flashed with killing intent, his right fist radiating a blinding lightning radiance as he threw a punch in return.
"BOOM!"
As the black and purple spiritual lights exploded, the dark-skinned man retreated at a speed even faster than his arrival. His feet plowed through the ground, leaving deep trenches several yards long before he barely managed to stabilize himself.
At this moment, his arms hung unnaturally, and the black battle armor, which possessed astonishing defensive power, had completely shattered. Countless tiny blood vessels on his arms had burst, and blood flowed like paste.
The dark-skinned man suddenly raised his head. His originally dark face was noticeably pale and filled with terror.
With his body cultivation realm, he had been so utterly crushed by Ning Fa.
Sensing Ning Fa's escalating killing intent, he gritted his teeth, his heart hardening. In an instant, he burned over a hundred drops of essence blood.
Surrounded by a dense aura of blood qi, his arms became agile once more.
But just then, a thunderous crackle sounded, and Ning Fa had vanished.
The dark-skinned man's expression grew extremely grave. He pushed his movement technique to its limit, also transforming into a black shadow and disappearing at high speed.
At this point, onlookers could no longer track the movements of either person.
However, after a mere three breaths, with a deafening roar, the dark-skinned man crashed to the ground.
His subordinates gasped in unison.
At this moment, the dark-skinned man's hands, feet, and even his head were twisted at unnatural angles. His eyes were tightly shut, and his life or death was unknown.
A scan with spiritual sense would reveal that all the bones in his body were fractured, his muscles were like torn cotton wadding, and countless tiny arcs of electricity rampaged within him, a truly gruesome sight.
At this moment, purple light flashed beside him, and Ning Fa appeared.
He still had his hands behind his back, looking as if nothing had happened, his expression calm as he walked step by step towards the woman in the green dress.
The woman in the green dress frowned deeply, her eyes filled with undisguised shock, having lost her composure from before.
Although she knew Ning Fa was powerful, she hadn't expected him to be this powerful. Her subordinate, who was renowned even in the Great Qin Cultivation World, had been so easily crushed in such a short time.
As Ning Fa approached step by step, an immense pressure descended like a tsunami about to crash down.
The six Nascent Soul cultivators, clad in black and silver robes, exchanged glances. They gritted their teeth and stepped forward, drawing out their magic treasures, preparing for a desperate fight.
Ning Fa merely glanced at them indifferently. White radiance flickered in his eyes, and an overwhelming divine soul pressure swept over them.
The next moment, the six Nascent Soul cultivators felt as if their minds were being pierced by red-hot iron rods. They immediately clutched their heads and cried out in agony, unable to attack further.
Under a tremendous force, they all involuntarily knelt to the ground, their impact creating deep pits.
At this moment, the beautiful maidservant at the Core Formation stage suddenly rushed in front of the woman in the green dress. Above her head floated a verdant jade ruyi, emitting a hazy glow that enveloped her, barely resisting the pressure emanating from Ning Fa.
She shouted loudly, "Senior Ning, you must have vented enough. Please stop quickly! Do you know that Miss is the young master of the Qianyuan Merchant Alliance..."
Before she could finish speaking, the woman in the green dress behind her pushed her aside.
The woman in the green dress looked at Ning Fa fearlessly, proudly stating, "That's right, I am the Dao Companion of Gu Ying, the young master of the Qianyuan Merchant Alliance. If you dare to harm even a single hair on my head, you'll have to face my husband's retaliation!"
"Young master of the Qianyuan Merchant Alliance?"
Ning Fa paused, his sword-like brows furrowing.
He hadn't heard the name Gu Ying before, but the surname was quite distinctive.
Based on the detailed intelligence provided by Wen Yuchen, he knew that both the Qianyuan Merchant Alliance and the Nine Immortals Association had an astonishing five Spirit Transformation cultivators each.
Among them, the Spirit Transformation cultivator with the greatest divine ability and ranked first was surnamed Gu and was known as Gu Zun.
He and the president of the Nine Immortals Association, Yuanzun, were known as the two strongest experts in the Human Realm, hence their titles containing the word "Zun."
Even Lord Xuanyi, who possessed the greatest divine ability in the Nine Dragons Sea, was a notch weaker than them.
Of course, this was mainly because Lord Xuanyi had advanced to Spirit Transformation several hundred years later than them, and there was still potential for him to surpass them in the future.
However, as of now, these two Spirit Transformation cultivators were the recognized strongest two human cultivators.
If this Gu Ying was the young master of the Qianyuan Merchant Alliance, he was likely a direct descendant of this Gu Zun.
The beautiful woman before him being his Dao Companion meant her status was indeed extraordinary, which explained her arrogance.
The woman in the green dress, believing Ning Fa was intimidated, sneered, "It's good that you know fear.
For today's incident, if you apologize to me and compensate me with one million spirit stones, I'll pretend this never happened.
Otherwise, my husband will definitely not let you off. Don't think..."
Before the woman could finish her sentence, she stopped, because Ning Fa's cold, dark eyes were fixed on her, the chill in his gaze almost tangible.
The woman felt a suffocating pressure, causing her breathing to quicken.
Her originally rosy cheeks turned deathly pale. She tightly clutched her clothes, her face filled with terror.
"Ning Fa, let it go."
At this moment, Ning Huarong staggered to Ning Fa's back. Even she, who was usually fearless, was filled with worry.
After all, the woman's background was too astonishing. She didn't want Ning Fa to make such a formidable enemy because of her.
Ning Fa did not reply, but the immense pressure did not dissipate.
The woman in the green dress began to show bruises on her face.
Just then, an anxious female voice called out, "Brother Ning, please show mercy!"
A beam of escape light rapidly descended into the courtyard, revealing an incredibly beautiful woman in a white dress, her face as lovely as a peach blossom.
It was the long-unseen Lu Caifu of the Qianyuan Merchant Alliance.
Her figure flickered, and she arrived before Ning Fa. Her jade-like face could not hide her anxiety, and she spoke earnestly:
"Brother Ning, I apologize. I only just received the news and rushed here, unable to prevent this from happening.
However, Tan Yingzhen's identity is no small matter. I hope you, Daoist Ning, will spare her life.
As for the harm she caused to Daoist Hua Rong, I, on behalf of the Qianyuan Merchant Alliance, offer our deepest apologies and will provide generous compensation. Please, Brother Ning, calm your anger."
As she spoke, she also sent a sound transmission.
Upon hearing this, Ning Fa's sword-like eyebrows furrowed, and the immense pressure he exuded slowly dissipated.
The woman in the green dress, like someone surfacing from drowning, knelt down without regard for her appearance, bracing herself with her hands on the ground as she gasped for air, her entire body soaked in cold sweat.
But she raised her head and shouted madly, "Ning Fa, you're dead! My husband won't let you off!"
Ning Fa's eyes turned cold, and he waved his right hand lightly.
With a crisp "slap," a large, bright red five-fingered handprint appeared on the woman's face.
She spat out a mouthful of blood, along with her teeth, and fell to the ground, unconscious.
Seeing this, Lu Caifu gave a wry smile and said nothing more.
After all, judging by Ning Fa's past actions, him sparing Tan Yingzhen's life was already an act of great restraint.
"Daoist Ning, let's find another place to talk. I actually came to the Nine Dragons Sea specifically to find you this time, but then this happened," Lu Caifu said with a wry smile and a shake of her head.
Ning Fa glanced at the unconscious woman in the green dress on the ground and said nothing.
With a swirl of escape light, he took Ning Hua Rong and left.
Lu Caifu turned around, and the maidservant was already kneeling and kowtowing, crying, "Please, Senior Lu, save my young lady."
"Alas, why must you do this?" Lu Caifu sighed softly and gently stroked her right hand. Instantly, a verdant spiritual light, like a misty rain, enveloped the woman in the green dress.
Then, Lu Caifu also transformed into a beam of escape light and followed Ning Fa.
Not long after, the woman in the green dress slowly woke up.
However, she was completely devoid of her previous arrogance and ferocity; her expression was even very calm.
She touched her still-swollen cheek and chuckled, "Ning Fa's strength seems to be even greater than rumored. No, much greater. Liang Xiong wasn't even a match for him in one move.
It seems that even in our Great Qin, there are very few cultivators of the same level who can compare to him."
The maidservant also wiped away her tears and cried, "Miss, why do you put yourself through this?
Even if you do this, it won't change Young Master Gu's resolve. Instead, it will only widen the rift between you."
Upon hearing this, the woman, who had been relatively calm, instantly became furious.
"Gu Ying, that heartless man!
He sweet-talked me, saying I would be his only true wife.
I foolishly believed him and, disregarding my master's warnings, gave myself to him prematurely.
He absorbed the Spiritual Phoenix Essence from my body, allowing him to advance to the Late Nascent Soul stage so much earlier.
As for me, I lost the Spiritual Phoenix Essence, my cultivation greatly reduced, and I haven't recovered to this day.
Now, he believes a one-sided story from the Yuan Cha Gate. He hasn't even met Ning Fa's daughter, yet he wants to discard me and propose marriage to Ning Fa, wanting to become his son-in-law.
Hmph, how shameless! He's almost a hundred years older than Ning Fa!
Now that I've caused such a scene, Ning Fa must be utterly disgusted with him. I want to see how he can still get Ning Fa to agree!"
By the end of her speech, the woman was laughing maniacally.