Chapter 403: Zhu Xuanji: What is this ominous feeling?

Ning Jiufan took a deep breath and walked toward the Spirit-Hidden Willow. He circled the tree a few times, his spiritual sense spreading out to permeate the tree's body and the soil.

"The mud is fertile and the water nourishes it, but the Spirit-Hidden Willow is like an old man nearing the end of his days; it can no longer absorb nutrients."

Ning Jiufan had identified the root of the problem.

Ning Zhuo nodded and sighed: "Exactly. It is too weak. Ancestor, do you have any good solutions?"

Ning Jiufan spread his hands: "This is a Jin Dan-level spirit plant. Your ancestor here has only dabbled in spirit plants; I dare not act rashly."

Ning Zhuo frowned immediately.

Ning Jiufan added: "However, this is not a problem. We have the most suitable candidate right beside us!"

"I recall that Sect Master Lin Bufan is highly skilled in cultivation and healing, though his alchemy is a bit lacking."

"Moreover, his cultivation base is at the Nascent Soul level. Healing a Jin Dan-level spirit plant should be quite reliable."

Ning Zhuo sighed: "But if we do that, the alliance contract between our clan and the Myriad Medicine Sect will become even more stringent."

Ning Jiufan shook his head: "If we can heal the Spirit-Hidden Willow, any price is worth it."

Ning Zhuo also shook his head and sighed again: "It is not just the Spirit-Hidden Willow."

"I have another item here, a wine called 'Melancholy Nether Brew,' and I need to purchase the recipe."

Ning Jiufan asked: "Why is that?"

"Last time, didn't I request Sect Master Lin Bufan to allow me to visit Linghu Jiu? While there..."

Ning Zhuo did not hide anything and briefly recounted the drinking contest he had with Linghu Jiu in the Myriad Demon Cave.

Ning Jiufan could not help but have his eyes light up again: "Five Elements God Lord? 'Five Viscera Temple Spirit Divine Art'?!"

"You brat drank once and obtained a cultivation art as high as the Void Refinement level?"

"You must know that our family's Ice Heart Technique is only at the Nascent Soul level."

Ning Jiufan was extremely excited at this moment, even more so than when he had just learned about the Spirit-Hidden Willow.

Ning Zhuo quickly reached out his palm and pressed down: "Calm down, calm down, Ancestor."

"It is not as if I have never obtained a Void Refinement-level cultivation art before."

Ning Jiufan:...

After thinking about it, he remained very excited: "But your Three Sects Supreme Art only reached the Foundation Establishment level. The 'Five Viscera Temple Spirit Divine Art' is the complete text!"

"How about it? Have you thought about changing your cultivation art?"

Ning Jiufan asked the same question Linghu Jiu had.

Ning Zhuo shook his head and gave his previous answer. On one hand, the Three Sects Supreme Art was more suitable for him. On the other hand, he believed the Three Sects Supreme Art was a 'New Path,' superior to 'Old Paths' like the 'Five Viscera Temple Spirit Divine Art.'

One point of this superiority was the dantian.

The Three Sects Supreme Art cultivated all three dantians simultaneously, the top tier in the world. The 'Five Viscera Temple Spirit Divine Art' focused on the qi meridians, affecting only the upper and lower dantians.

Ning Jiufan frowned and said in a somewhat worried tone: "Then have you considered that the Three Sects Supreme Art created by the Three Sects Supreme Person might not reach the Void Refinement level?"

"Also, the Foundation Establishment chapter you obtained came from the Lava Immortal Palace's Dharma-Transmitting Bell. If you want to obtain the follow-up in the future, I fear you cannot bypass Meng Kui. After all, he is the Palace Master of the Lava Immortal Palace."

Ning Zhuo nodded: "That is why I decided to take a gamble."

"That is why I am cooperating with the royal family and forming a close alliance—it is for the sake of future plans."

Ning Zhuo certainly would not say that he actually had more authority over the Lava Immortal Palace than Meng Kui. The Dragon-Turtle Fire Spirit in the dragon-head cabin was the key to him reclaiming the Lava Immortal Palace in the future.

According to his plan, handing the Lava Immortal Palace to Meng Kui now was merely using the Meng family's strength to maintain it for him.

If he had truly inherited the palace at that time, he would inevitably be trapped in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, not only unable to move a step but also suffering the crazy retaliation of the Meng family and even the Nandou royal family.

Another trouble was that Ning Zhuo was not a lone wolf; he had a family and subordinates. They were all in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, and it would be too easy for Meng Kui, as the City Lord, to find trouble for Ning Zhuo through them.

Sometimes, taking a step back truly opens up a vast sky!

Ning Zhuo could now focus on the key points and travel around. Currently, although he had only stayed in Mount Wuyin and Myriad Medicine Valley, the gains were immense.

"If I had clung to the Lava Immortal Palace back then, I would probably be begging for funds to maintain the immortal palace right now, promising a bunch of conditions unfavorable to myself, wouldn't I?"

Seeing that Ning Zhuo had made up his mind, Ning Jiufan could only say: "You are gambling with your own Dao path. Once you lose the gamble, you will be beyond redemption."

"Old paths are not necessarily incapable of being improved into new paths. Didn't your Five Elements realm soar?"

"If you really want to gamble, I advise you to slow down before advancing to Jin Dan and go back to the Lava Immortal Palace to check the Dharma-Transmitting Bell. If you can find out what the limit of the Three Sects Supreme Art is, that would be best."

Ning Zhuo shook his head: "Ever since the Dharma-Transmitting Bell rang last time and only taught me the Foundation Establishment chapter, that place has been designated as a restricted area by Meng Kui."

"It is not easy to get in touch with the Dharma-Transmitting Bell."

"Essentially, it still depends on me, on the strength of our Ning family!"

Ning Jiufan nodded repeatedly, greatly agreeing: "That makes sense. Since you know the gravity of the situation, I will not try to persuade you anymore."

"However, is the Melancholy Nether Brew really that good?"

Ning Jiufan raised his own doubts: "Actually, there are quite a few treasures with similar functions for communicating with the underworld. For example, Last Words Stones, Nether Sound Drums, Ghost Painting Tubes, Ghost Face Slips, Crossing-Underworld Paper Effigies, etc."

"If we talk about it, spells are even more convenient. For example, the most classic Ghost Possession Technique, as well as Nether Soul Curse Guidance, Dead Soul Questioning, Yellow Springs Crossing-Spirit Technique, etc."

"In my estimation, that Melancholy Nether Brew was sought by Lin Bufan specifically for his eldest disciple. After all, Linghu Jiu possesses the natural talent 'Drunken Moon Seeking Immortality'."

"You were able to obtain such heaven-defying feedback simply because your luck was too good, hitting the jackpot on the first try!"

"If you try again, you might not have such good fortune." "Didn't Linghu Jiu send you half a jar of Melancholy Nether Brew? Drink some more and see the effect."

"If the effect doesn't work, then there is no need for us to add this item."

"If you really want to obtain such a legacy, the All-Books Tower can actually do it. As long as you can pay enough, the All-Books Tower can even arrange for the original author of the book to teach you the cultivation art personally, instilling the true meaning into you, and even bypassing the threshold of personal comprehension."

Speaking of this, Ning Jiufan paused: "Oh, right."

"Sometimes, when offering sacrifices to ancestors, you may also receive teachings from them."

"During the Ghost Festival this time, the family's grand sacrifice, you had better rush back. I will personally preside over it, mainly to report your affairs to the clansmen in the underworld."

"At that time, there will surely be benefits for you!"

Ning Jiufan was indeed mature and prudent, and the advice he gave was very sound.

Ning Zhuo indicated that he had remembered it and would try drinking the Melancholy Nether Brew again.

But he felt it was inappropriate: "The Spirit-Hidden Willow is a precious heritage treasure. Is it a bit inappropriate to reveal it to Lin Bufan?"

"If Yuan Lao were healthy and we had Nascent Soul-level combat power, perhaps it would be safer."

"But now, Yuan Lao also needs Lin Bufan's treatment, and the previous negotiations have let him know our true strength..."

Ning Jiufan smiled and shook his head: "There is no need to have this worry."

"The Myriad Medicine Sect's foundation is much larger than our Ning family's. If he attacks us, how could he still mix in the righteous path?"

"A Jin Dan-level Spirit-Hidden Willow is very important to our clan. To the Myriad Medicine Sect, well, of course, they want it too. However, if he really did that, wouldn't he be disregarding his entire foundation?"

"Unless he could deceive the world, have a strong background, and cover up this matter."

"But as far as I know, Lin Bufan is not yet enough to enter the eyes of the upper echelons of the Nandou Kingdom. Our Ning family only obtained the royal family's funding by chance because of the Lava Immortal Palace."

"The Myriad Medicine Sect's foundation is very large, but compared to the entire Nandou Kingdom, compared to behemoths like the Meng family and the Su family, it is still far behind."

"If it really doesn't work, I will reveal my official position. Ning Zhuo, you had better also write a letter to Zhu Xuanji, trick him into writing a reply, and let Lin Bufan see it."

"Once this is done, I feel it will be very safe!"

This suggestion from Ning Jiufan immediately made Ning Zhuo give a thumbs up, flattering: "High, Ancestor, you are truly high!"

Ning Jiufan stroked his beard, smiled complacently, and recalled: "I do not believe that Sect Master Lin Bufan is a villain who abandons righteousness for profit."

"Back in the day, our entire Ning family migration team trekked through the underground river and walked out of the Myriad Demon Cave."

"Lin Bufan came to the scene in person, and after hearing about our clan's experience, he properly settled us on the spot."

"We originally did not want to continue to disturb him, but Lin Bufan, seeing that our clan was migrating and in a difficult situation, insisted on keeping us for more than a month to let us recuperate."

"To do this is not easy."

"On one hand, these things are quite costly. On the other hand, our Ning family migrated as a whole clan, and our strength cannot be underestimated. The Myriad Medicine Sect taking us in, this large group of people, had to take many risks."

"Since Sect Master Lin Bufan has such capacity and vision, he should not be difficult to us when he sees the Spirit-Hidden Willow."

Unlike Ning Zhuo, Ning Jiufan had had many contacts with Lin Bufan back then. Therefore, Ning Jiufan's impression of Lin Bufan had always been very good.

Ning Zhuo nodded and asked Ning Jiufan if he knew about the Five Elements God Lord.

Ning Jiufan said bluntly: He had not heard of it.

He then speculated: This title is very grand and quite domineering. Since it is Void Refinement level, it should not be an unknown person. If one investigates carefully, one should be able to find out.

Ning Jiufan then suggested: "Wait, don't we need a reply from Zhu Xuanji?"

"You can just write to him and ask about the Five Elements God Lord."

"The most basic function of the Nandou Kingdom's Divine Catcher Division is to catch wind and grasp shadows. Their files and dossiers are much more numerous than our clan's, and even the Myriad Medicine Sect's."

Ginger is still old and spicy.

Ning Jiufan's suggestions were all very good, and Ning Zhuo nodded immediately, adopting them all!

Divine Catcher Division, Headquarters.

As Zhu Xuanji walked along the way, people kept greeting him.

"Are there any big cases today?" Zhu Xuanji asked.

"No," someone replied.

"Is that so?" Zhu Xuanji expressed doubt, "Whenever a big case happens, my heart jumps, and I feel a bit uneasy. No big case today?"

The Divine Catcher Division member who answered him immediately checked today's intelligence again and confirmed there was none.

"That's strange." Zhu Xuanji touched his forehead, muttering in his heart, "A feeling of ominousness is lingering in my heart, what is going on?"

"Oh, right, Lord Zhu, here is an urgent letter for you." Seeing Zhu Xuanji about to leave, the Divine Catcher Division member immediately called out to him.

For some reason, Zhu Xuanji's heart skipped a beat.

The ominous feeling became even stronger at this moment.

"What letter? Who sent it to me?" Zhu Xuanji took the letter and saw the signature on it—

Ning Zhuo!

It's this Son of Calamity again!!

He immediately gasped in his heart.