noffsinger Chapter 169 Strange Changes in Jinling
Chapter 169 Strange Changes in Jinling
The purple-gold light contained within the power of the primordial spirit intertwined with the blue light of the runes, slowly merging together.
The runes began to flash, and the restrictions on the water arrows gradually loosened.
"He cracked it!" someone exclaimed.
Zhou Ning ignored him and continued to pour in his primordial spirit power.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his primordial spirit power was being rapidly depleted, but the blue light of the runes was growing brighter and brighter, and the restriction of the water arrows was weakening.
Finally, at a certain moment, the runes completely went out.
The restriction has been broken.
Zhou Ning withdrew his hands and exhaled a long breath.
He stood up, walked to the platform, and picked up the trident.
The halberd felt cold to the touch and heavy, as if it weighed a thousand pounds.
He could sense that the halberd contained extremely powerful water-attribute spiritual energy, which resonated slightly with his primordial spirit power.
"A fine weapon," Zhou Ning praised.
He handed the trident to Xuanzhenzi.
"Master Xuanzhenzi, you cultivate fire-attribute techniques, so you don't need this. Give it to the fellow Daoists of Qingcheng Mountain; they cultivate water-attribute techniques."
Xuanzhenzi nodded and handed the trident to Yuzhenzi.
Yu Zhenzi took the trident, admiring it greatly and thanking him repeatedly.
Zhou Ning picked up the jade box again, opened it, and took a look.
Inside was a jade slip containing the cultivation techniques of the Water God.
[Water nerve].
This is a water-attribute cultivation technique of extremely high quality. When cultivated to its peak, one can transform into water and become immortal.
"nice one."
Zhou Ning carefully put the jade slip away.
"This cultivation technique can be given to Xin Shisi Niang. She is a fox spirit and cultivates water-attribute techniques, which is perfect for her."
The group continued their search within the palace.
Zhou Ning arrived at the side hall and found a pill furnace inside, with several pills inside.
He opened the alchemy furnace, took out a pill, and examined it carefully.
The elixir is blue, emits a faint fragrance, and has a fine layer of water ripples on its surface.
"This is the 'Water Spirit Pill,' which can enhance the cultivation of water-attribute cultivators," Xuanzhenzi said.
"nice one."
Zhou Ning distributed the pills to everyone, one for each person.
Everyone was extremely grateful and had even greater respect for Zhou Ning.
After searching for about two hours, all the treasures in the palace were looted.
The group returned home laden with their spoils and prepared to leave.
Just then, the palace floor suddenly began to shake violently.
The runes on the walls began to flicker, and the luminous pearl on the dome began to dim.
"Oh no, the palace is about to collapse!" someone exclaimed.
Zhou Ning's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said, "Let's go!"
Everyone rushed towards the exit.
Zhou Ning was the last to leave. As soon as he stepped out of the gate, the palace behind him collapsed with a roar, turning into ruins.
"That was close." Zhou Ning breathed a sigh of relief.
The group returned to shore and took stock of their harvest.
The righteous cultivators reaped a great harvest, and each of them obtained many treasures.
The evil cultivators were extremely envious, but due to the strength of the righteous alliance, they dared not act rashly.
"Young Master Zhou, we owe you a great debt this time."
Xuanzhenzi said, "Without you, we wouldn't even be able to get through the door."
Zhou Ning shook his head: "Daoist Xuanzhenzi, you're too kind. Success depends on everyone working together."
He bid farewell to everyone, left Yunmengze, and returned to Lanruo Temple.
When they returned to the temple, it was three days later.
Zhou Ning made a copy of the jade slip containing the "Water God's Scripture" and entrusted someone to deliver it to Xin Shisi Niang.
He then distributed the Water Spirit Pills to Han Wei and Xuan Zhenzi, instructing them to take them back to those in need.
"The path of cultivation, though lonely, is not solitary," Zhou Ning murmured.
He sat cross-legged on a huge rock on the back mountain, closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, and continued his cultivation.
After his trip to the Yunmengze Water Palace, Zhou Ning secluded himself at Lanruo Temple for a full month.
He completely solidified his early Nascent Soul stage, and his primordial spirit phantom became several times more solid than before, with its purple-gold light shining even brighter.
Driven by his divine sense, the six flying swords could form a complex sword formation in the air, combining offense and defense.
He even tried to combine the "Demon Slaying Technique" with the Sword Control Technique to create a new sword move that was several times more powerful than before.
On this day, he was practicing his sword on the back mountain when he suddenly felt the communication jade talisman in his bosom getting slightly warm.
He took out the jade talisman and infused it with a wisp of true essence.
Han Wei's voice echoed in his mind.
"Young Master Zhou, strange things have happened in Jinling City. In the past few months, people have been disappearing one after another in the city, neither alive nor dead."
"The authorities have investigated for a long time but have no clue. Some say it's the work of evil spirits. The imperial court hopes you can go and take a look."
Zhou Ning frowned. This title of Protector of the Nation was truly interesting.
Jinling City is a major city in the south, extremely prosperous, so how could people keep going missing?
It's likely that some malicious person is sabotaging things in the shadows.
"Lord Han, what are the characteristics of the disappearances in Jinling City?"
Han Wei said, "All the missing persons are young women, and all of them disappeared at night."
"Some say they saw a white shadow drift through the city before he disappeared. But no one can say for sure what it was."
Zhou Ning thought for a moment and said, "Okay. I'll go take a look."
He put away the jade talisman and stood up.
It's been a month since I last went down the mountain; it's time to get out and about.
He returned to his lodgings and packed his bags.
The three flying swords, talismans, pills, and jade slips were all packed away one by one.
With everything prepared, he left Lanruo Temple and headed towards Jinling.
Jinling City is a thousand miles away from Qingyun Mountain.
This time, Zhou Ning did not leap into the air to transform into a rainbow, but instead flew low on his sword, his gaze sweeping around the surrounding area.
As he flew low on his sword, the wind whistled in his ears, and the buildings and trees on both sides seemed to be rushing past him. He had only one thought in his mind.
Get to Jinling as soon as possible and find out the truth.
He arrived in Jinling City in less than two days.
Nanjing, the ancient capital of six dynasties, remains as prosperous as ever.
The streets were bustling with people and vehicles, and the shops were thriving.
But unlike the last time I came, the atmosphere in the city was somewhat oppressive.
The pedestrians on the street hurried along, their faces showing worry.
At the city gate, several notices were posted, listing the names and characteristics of the missing persons and offering a reward for clues.
Zhou Ning found an inn in the city to stay in, intending to inquire about the situation first.
The innkeeper was a middle-aged man in his forties named Chen. He had an honest face, but his eyes showed a hint of weariness.
Zhou Ning ordered a room and a pot of tea, and sat down in a corner.
"Shopkeeper, are there any big missing persons cases in the city lately?" Zhou Ning asked.
Manager Chen sighed and lowered his voice:
"That's right. More than a dozen young women have gone missing in the past three months."
"The authorities investigated for a long time but found nothing. Some people say it's the work of a demon."
"Some people say that it was someone from the Prince's mansion who was behind this."
Zhou Ning's heart skipped a beat: "The Prince's Mansion?"
Manager Chen looked around and lowered his voice:
"The Prince Rui's Mansion in the north of the city. I've heard that Prince Rui is currently practicing an evil art that requires the blood of young women. The missing women were all captured by his men."
Zhou Ning frowned.
Prince Rui?