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

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

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

Ning Jiu-fan saw where the problem lay.

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

Ning Jiu-fan spread his hands: "This is a Jin Dan-level spirit plant. Your ancestor here has too shallow an understanding of spirit plants; I dare not meddle with it recklessly."

Ning Zhuo immediately frowned.

Ning Jiu-fan added: "However, this is no obstacle. We have the most suitable candidate right by our side!"

"I remember Sect Master Lin Bufan is extremely skilled in cultivation and healing; it's just that his alchemy is a bit lacking."

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

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

Ning Jiu-fan 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's not just the Spirit-Hidden Willow."

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

Ning Jiu-fan asked: "Why is that?"

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

Ning Zhuo did not hide anything and briefly recounted the story of him and Brother Linghu Jiu drinking together in the Myriad Demon Cave.

Ning Jiu-fan could not help but have his eyes light up again: "Five Elements God Lord? 'Five Viscera Temple Spirit 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 Jiu-fan was extremely excited at this moment, even more so than when he had just learned about the Spirit-Hidden Willow.

Ning Zhuo hurriedly extended his palm and pressed down in the air: "Calm down, calm down, Ancestor."

"It's not like I haven't obtained Void Refinement-level cultivation arts before."

Ning Jiu-fan:...

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

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

Ning Jiu-fan asked the same question as Brother Linghu Jiu.

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 method, more superior than old methods like the "Five Viscera Temple Spirit Art."

One point where this superiority was reflected was the lower dantian.

The Three Sects Supreme Art involved cultivating three dantians simultaneously, the top-tier of the world. The "Five Viscera Temple Spirit Art" focused on cultivating the qi meridians, affecting the upper and lower dantians.

Ning Jiu-fan frowned and said in a somewhat worried tone: "Then have you ever thought that the Three Sects Supreme Art created by the Three Sects Masters might not reach the Void Refinement level?"

"Also, the Foundation Establishment chapter you obtained came from the Lava Xian Gong's Dharma-Transmission Bell. If you want to obtain the subsequent chapters in the future, I'm afraid you won't be able to bypass Meng Kui. After all, he is the Palace Master of the Lava Xian Gong."

Ning Zhuo nodded: "So, I decided to take a gamble."

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

Of course, Ning Zhuo would not reveal that he actually had more authority over the Lava Xian Gong than Meng Kui. The Dragon-Turtle Fire Spirit in the dragon-head cabin was the key to him reclaiming the Lava Xian Gong in the future.

According to his plan, handing the Lava Xian Gong to Meng Kui now was merely utilizing the Meng family's strength to maintain it for him.

If he had inherited the palace right then, he would inevitably have been trapped in Fire Persimmon Xiancheng, 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 loner; he had a family and subordinates. These were all in Fire Persimmon Xiancheng, and it was too easy for Meng Kui, as the City Lord, to find trouble for Ning Zhuo through them.

Sometimes, taking a step back really does open up a vast sky!

Ning Zhuo could now grasp 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 Xian Gong back then, I'm afraid I would now be begging for funds to repair the immortal palace, promising a bunch of conditions unfavorable to myself, right?"

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

"Old methods aren't necessarily impossible to improve into new methods. Didn't your Five Elements realm skyrocket?"

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

Ning Zhuo shook his head: "Ever since the Dharma-Transmission Bell rang last time but 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-Transmission Bell."

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

Ning Jiu-fan nodded repeatedly, greatly agreeing: "That makes sense. Since you know the gravity of the situation, I will no longer try to persuade you."

"However, is the Nether-Thought Dark Brew really that good?"

Ning Jiu-fan raised his own doubts: "Actually, there are quite a few treasures with similar functions for communicating with the underworld. For example, the Last Words Stone, Nether-Sound Drum, Ghost Painting Tube, Ghost-Face Letter, Crossing-Nether Paper Effigies, etc."

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

"According to my conjecture, that Nether-Thought Dark Brew was specifically sought by Lin Bufan for his eldest disciple. After all, Brother Linghu Jiu possesses the natural talent of 'Drunken Moon Seeking Immortality'."

"You were able to obtain such shocking feedback just because your luck was too good, hitting the jackpot once!"

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

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

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

Speaking of this, Ning Jiu-fan paused: "Oh, right."

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

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

"By then, there will definitely be benefits for you!"

Ning Jiu-fan was indeed mature and prudent, and the suggestions he gave were all very pertinent.

Ning Zhuo indicated that he had remembered and would try drinking the Nether-Thought Dark Brew again.

But he felt it was inappropriate: "The Spirit-Hidden Willow is a precious treasure of inheritance. 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 more stable."

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

Ning Jiu-fan 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 takes action against us, how could he still mix in the righteous path?"

"The 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 wants to do this, wouldn't he be disregarding his entire foundation?"

"Unless he can deceive everyone, has a strong background, and can cover up this matter."

"But as far as I know, Lin Bufan is not yet enough to catch the eyes of the upper echelons of the Nandou Kingdom. Our Ning family only luckily obtained royal funding because of the Lava Xian Gong."

"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 stable!"

This suggestion from Ning Jiu-fan immediately made Ning Zhuo give a thumbs up, complimenting: "High, Ancestor, you are truly high!"

Ning Jiu-fan stroked his beard, smiled complacently, and recalled: "I don't think Sect Master Lin Bufan is a villain who abandons righteousness for profit."

"Back in the day, our Ning family's entire migration team trekked through the underground dark 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 didn't want to continue bothering him, but Lin Bufan, seeing that our clan was migrating and in a difficult situation, insisted on letting us stay for more than a month to let us recuperate."

"To do this is not easy."

"On one hand, these all cost a lot of money. 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 so petty as to make things difficult for us when he sees the Spirit-Hidden Willow."

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

Ning Zhuo nodded and asked Ning Jiu-fan if he knew about the Five Elements God Lord.

Ning Jiu-fan said bluntly: He had not heard of him.

He then speculated: This title is very big and quite domineering. Since he is at the Void Refinement level, he shouldn't be an unknown person. If you investigate carefully, you should be able to find out clearly.

Ning Jiu-fan then suggested: "Wait, don't we need Zhu Xuanji's reply?"

"You happen to write a letter to him, asking about the Five Elements God Lord."

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

Ginger is still old and spicy.

Ning Jiu-fan's suggestions were all very good, and Ning Zhuo immediately nodded and adopted them all!

Divine Catcher Division, headquarters.

Zhu Xuanji walked all the way, and 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 will jump slightly, and I will feel a little 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 and muttered in his heart, "A feeling of ominousness is lingering in my heart; what is going on?"

"Oh, right, Lord Zhu, there is an urgent letter for you here." Seeing Zhu Xuanji was 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 Child of Tribulation again!!

He immediately gasped in his heart. ===== CHAPTER 404 =====