Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

Zang Peng’s extreme arrogance was a good thing for them—especially for Ning Xuan. However, Wang Ao’s smile instantly froze.

The woman, however, paid Zang Peng no mind and, without a moment’s hesitation, flicked a slender, jade-like finger. A terrifying scene unfolded.

CLANG!

Amid the crisp sound, Luo Ji reappeared. His once impenetrable Sword Array had been reduced to nothing but a hilt!

Luo Ji was stunned. Clearly, he had not expected his Sword Array to be broken so easily.

A smile touched the woman’s lips as she reached for the scroll in Luo Ji’s other hand. Then, her hand closed on empty air, and the woman’s smile stiffened.

"It’s just a scroll. What’s all the fuss about?" As the newcomer spoke, he casually claimed the scroll for himself.

But Wang Ao laughed, letting out a long sigh of relief. It was Ning Xuan who had secured it!

But immediately, Wang Ao pointed at Zang Peng, his voice filled with rage. "Brother Ning Xuan, the people you just rescued were all killed by that birdman while trying to protect the scroll!"

"He doesn’t even deserve to be called a birdman! I’ll make it so his name, Zang Peng, is remembered for burying his friends!"

Ning Xuan’s words left Wang Ao dumbfounded. He didn’t understand the meaning behind them.

Zang Peng didn’t get it either. "Have you lost your mind? You can’t even speak properly anymore," he said, his cold gaze locking onto Ning Xuan. "Who are you?"

Ning Xuan ignored him, his attention almost entirely focused on the woman with a face identical to Cheng Dabao’s.

"You actually managed to get out, and you even succeeded. Interesting," the woman remarked before vanishing without a trace. Her departure was incredibly strange.

Ning Xuan let out a deep breath. Honestly, I felt completely out of my depth facing that woman. Now that she’s gone, this will be much easier to handle. Immediately, his gaze turned toward Zang Peng.

BOOM!

The latter’s figure flickered and instantly disappeared from the spot, though a voice echoed from the distance.

"Ning Xuan, I’ll see you at the Star Domain Conference!"

"You’re just letting him go like that?" Wang Ao approached, looking at Ning Xuan with puzzlement.

"The Star Domain Conference is a better place for a name change." Ning Xuan patted Wang Ao’s shoulder, gave Luo Ji a nod of thanks, and left.

Luo Ji was even more direct. With a slight nod, he vanished.

"Wait, I still don’t get it," Wang Ao muttered. "What’s this about changing names... Hey, where did they go?"

When Wang Ao came to his senses, he looked around and found himself completely alone. Scratching his head, he also turned to leave.

But he quickly reappeared.

"I think I forgot something... Oh, come on! Ning Xuan, you bastard! You can’t just do that!" Realizing what had happened, Wang Ao hastily gave chase in the direction Ning Xuan had gone.

***

In a secluded courtyard, Ning Xuan sighed heavily. I hadn’t even had a chance to study the scroll before Wang Ao showed up. In the end, even using Cheng Dabao as a honey trap didn’t work. What else could I do? I had no choice but to return it.

"Didn’t you see the look I gave you?" Noticing Cheng Dabao was still acting carefree, Ning Xuan decided it was time for another lesson.

"I saw it, but I didn’t know what it meant," Cheng Dabao stated matter-of-factly.

"It wasn’t obvious? Are you stupid?"

Cheng Dabao shot back, "Me, stupid? I think you’re the stupid one! You have a mouth, but instead of using it, you resort to winks and nods. How is anyone supposed to understand that?"

"Fine, you win."

Rebuffed even by this girl, Ning Xuan decided he would be better off cultivating. As long as his cultivation was high enough, she would surely have to back down. After all, she still needed his help.

Leaving the house, Ning Xuan went directly into the depths of a dense forest. After ensuring his safety, he furtively swallowed a petal whole.

BOOM!

The moment the petal hit his throat, it erupted like a volcano. Scorching magma instantly flooded his entire body.

Ning Xuan’s brow furrowed as a rare look of pain crossed his face. The molten energy felt like it had the terrifying power to melt his very bones and marrow.

He quickly activated the Chaos Ancestral Dragon Scripture, using the power to temper his physical body once more. Massive, surging energy roared within him, turning his body into a cosmic furnace. The terrifying energy tried to burst out, but the cosmic furnace sealed it tightly within and began to forcefully refine it.

In just a moment, Ning Xuan’s aura surged violently, but he immediately inhaled sharply, swallowing it back down.

He had advanced to the Eleventh Layer Heavens of the Venerable Realm!

However, this place was teeming with experts. He absolutely could not allow his aura to leak out into the surroundings.

What Ning Xuan didn’t know was that his advancement had not escaped the notice of certain observant individuals. They just didn’t care. To them, someone who had yet to even cross the true threshold of a cultivator posed no threat. Although the aura from this fellow’s breakthrough far surpassed others, it was still useless.

Some even sneered in secret.

"The Star Domain Conference is tomorrow, and he’s still cramming at the last minute. What a fool!"

"There are less than four hours until the conference begins. Does this guy really think he can rush into the Holy Realm in that time?"

"Four hours? He won’t even be able to step into the Twelfth Layer Heavens! Alas, what a pity!"

"..."

No one was optimistic about Ning Xuan’s advancement. Once he reached the Eleventh Layer Heavens of the Venerable Realm, all the secret observers lost interest. They had been paying attention only because they didn’t know his true cultivation realm. Now that it was confirmed, they were left with nothing but disappointment.

With less than four hours remaining, not even the most astonishing genius in Chi Ming could possibly reach the Twelfth Layer Heavens, the pinnacle of the realm. Transcending to the Holy Realm was completely out of the question. As such, this guy wasn’t even qualified to be their opponent. There was no need to waste any more energy on him.

What they didn’t know was that Ning Xuan, sitting cross-legged in the depths of the forest, had a faint smile on his lips. This was exactly the effect he wanted.

Once he confirmed no one was watching, the cosmic furnace in his body began to operate at a rate more than ten times faster than before. The energy contained within the Fire Lotus petals was being violently absorbed by Ning Xuan. The process even further stimulated the divine power of the World Tree fruit.

The smile on Ning Xuan’s face grew brighter. At this rate, reaching the Twelfth Layer Heavens was only a matter of time.

Time flowed by. As a streak of dawn’s red light crested the horizon...

BANG!

The furnace inside Ning Xuan’s body exploded. He broke through to the Twelfth Layer Heavens, firmly establishing his footing at the absolute pinnacle of the Venerable Realm.

In less than three hours, Ning Xuan had advanced another entire level. This wasn’t some initial stage of Martial Arts, but its very pinnacle! If anyone had known, they would have been utterly shocked.

However, no one was paying attention to him anymore. Even if someone detected the faint tremor in the ambient aura, they would immediately dismiss it, as Ning Xuan had already concealed his own.

He spent another half-hour consolidating his new realm. By the time Ning Xuan stood up, Luo Ji and Cheng Dabao had both arrived.