Chapter 212: A Greeting Gift

The exhilarating feeling of riding a streak of light in flight made Zhang Nuo somewhat lose himself; he continuously urged the Divine Sea within his body, streaking across the firmament like a meteor!

A few days later, a young cultivator in a green robe appeared before a small fortress of the Five Great Demon Mountains. Inside this fortress, there were approximately a dozen cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

The green-robed cultivator stood expressionless in mid-air, thinking for a long time, before suddenly transforming into a streak of light and charging straight into the fortress below!

In another fortress over a hundred miles away from this one, Chu Budong was sitting quietly on a chair, toying with a Golden Great Hammer in his hands, his expression appearing somewhat dejected.

"Sigh! Junior Brother Zhang! In that battle, you saved our lives, but you went missing because of it. They all say you fled; I don't believe it! I know you aren't that kind of person!"

After more than six years, Chu Budong's cultivation had not made the slightest progress, remaining at the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage, but his many encounters with cultivators of the Five Great Demon Mountains had increased his combat experience significantly; a breakthrough was a matter of these last few years.

Back then, he and Zhang Nuo had gone to launch a sneak attack on a fortress of the Five Great Demon Mountains, but unexpectedly, Zhang Nuo was pursued by Wu Gang and Xue Qianyang, and there had been no news of him since.

Some said Zhang Nuo had already fallen, others said he had deserted in the face of battle; in short, opinions varied. Chu Budong was dull by nature, and he did not know which version was correct, but the one thing he firmly believed was that Zhang Nuo would not do something like deserting in the face of battle.

Just at this moment, a disciple of the Nanxuan Sect ran in, arriving before Chu Budong with a panicked expression, and said:

"Senior Brother Chu! The fortress in front of us, for some reason, it seems like a fierce battle has broken out inside?"

Hearing this, Chu Budong immediately sat up straight, looking at the disciple who had come to report in surprise, and said:

"No way? I haven't heard of any operations recently!"

"But the fierce battle didn't last very long; it was very brief!"

The reporting disciple quickly added. Chu Budong was also puzzled; if the Nanxuan Sect had any moves planned, they would definitely have notified him, and even if other sects had operations, they wouldn't have ended in such a short time.

"I'll go take a look!"

Rising to his feet, Chu Budong walked out of the room and arrived at the fortress ramparts. Looking far into the distance, everything was still quiet, with no signs of any fighting.

"Strange? Could it be that these demonic cultivators are up to something?"

Before figuring out what was going on, Chu Budong dared not act on his own initiative; if he were to lose this fortress, he would inevitably be severely scolded by Zhuge An upon returning.

After another period of time, a Sound Transmission Talisman flew rapidly from the fortress ahead, stopping above the fortress where Chu Budong was located, refusing to leave for a long time.

The twenty-some people in the fortress all looked up at the firelight of the Sound Transmission Talisman in the sky, none daring to retrieve it. In the end, it was Chu Budong who had more courage; he flew up to take the firelight from mid-air and gently pinched it with five fingers. The firelight burst open, and a familiar voice reached his ears.

"I'm back! The fortress ahead shall serve as a greeting gift!"

Chu Budong stood in place, stunned for a long time; this voice was too familiar, yet for a moment, he could not recall who it was. Suddenly, he exclaimed in surprise, nearly jumping from where he stood.

"It's Zhang Nuo! It's Zhang Nuo who has returned!"

The cultivators on the ramparts, upon hearing him call out Zhang Nuo's name, could not help but feel some doubt. This cultivator, once considered the most promising in the Nanxuan Sect, had been missing for many years; how could he suddenly return now? And he had even taken the fortress ahead—this seemed unlikely!

Their understanding of Zhang Nuo was still stuck at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage; just imagine, how could a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage take down a small fortress?

"Senior Brother Chu, could it be an enemy trap?"

The words of a disciple nearby immediately calmed Chu Budong down. The joy of hearing Zhang Nuo's voice just now had nearly clouded his judgment! Zhang Nuo had been missing for years; how could he suddenly appear in this manner?

"Go notify the Young Sect Master and the others to come! This matter cannot just be left like this!"

Having finally learned some news about Zhang Nuo, Chu Budong did not want to give up just like that, so he immediately ordered a disciple to go and notify Zhuge Qing and the others.

Half a day later, several streaks of light flashed across the sky, and they soon arrived at the fortress where Chu Budong was located. The people who arrived were none other than Zhuge Qing, Han Liang, and several other disciples of the sect.

"Is what you said true?"

After hearing Chu Budong's account, Zhuge Qing could not sit still either; her beautiful figure stood up, trembling slightly, with tears still brimming in her beautiful eyes.

It had been over six years, and this was the first time she had heard news related to Zhang Nuo; naturally, she was incredibly excited! However, with her intelligence, she quickly calmed down.

After careful analysis, she felt this was a trap set by the Five Great Demon Mountains and that they should not pay it any mind. However, Chu Budong insisted on going to see the fortress ahead; he did not want to give up any information regarding Zhang Nuo.

"That was clearly Junior Brother Zhang's voice; there can be no mistake!"

Firmly believing in his own opinion, Chu Budong argued his case. Seeing that he could not be dissuaded, Zhuge Qing had no choice but to agree to let him and Han Liang go together, repeatedly warning them that if they discovered anything amiss, they must not get entangled in battle and should return to the fortress immediately.

After the two agreed, they rode their Flying Magic Tools and flew rapidly toward the fortress ahead. In truth, Han Liang also missed Zhang Nuo, but Zhang Nuo's appearance this time was too sudden; no one would easily believe it.

With his white hair fluttering in the wind, Han Liang flew in the lead, holding his Square Heaven Painted Halberd in his hand the entire time, fearing an ambush along the way. Yet, throughout their journey, the two of them were very smooth, not even seeing the shadow of a single demonic cultivator.

Arriving below the fortress, they saw that it was empty, like a ghost town, and all the various Restrictions previously set up around the fortress had completely disappeared.

Standing in mid-air, Han Liang used his Divine Sense to probe for a long time, but he never obtained any information; however, he dared not rashly enter inside.

Just at this moment, a figure slowly appeared on the ramparts of the fortress. This person was dressed in a green robe, looked to be about twenty years old, and had a decent appearance, giving one a feeling of honesty and reliability. Who else could it be but Zhang Nuo?

"Junior Brother Zhang!"

Upon seeing this, Chu Budong could no longer suppress the impulse in his heart and immediately wanted to rush over, but he was stopped by Han Liang. Han Liang's eyes turned slightly, looking over Zhang Nuo several times, and finding nothing amiss, he too felt suspicious in his heart.

"Are you truly Fellow Daoist Zhang?"

"Fellow Daoist Han! Could it be that after so many years, you have forgotten me?"

Watching the two of them being so cautious, Zhang Nuo gave a bitter laugh and teased them intentionally.

"Since you are Zhang Nuo, take out the Nine Dragon Sword Case!"

Hearing the familiar voice, Han Liang could not tell truth from falsehood. As his thoughts turned, he thought of Zhang Nuo's unique Magic Treasure, the 'Nine Dragon Sword Case'!

"What is difficult about that!"

Zhang Nuo suddenly flipped one hand, and the Nine Dragon Sword Case appeared on his palm, slowly rotating and emitting a faint Spiritual Qi.

"It's the Nine Dragon Sword Case; I won't mistake this!"

Before Han Liang could speak, Chu Budong shouted excitedly. However, Han Liang still did not quite believe it.

"What about the Heaven-Turning Seal?"

Zhang Nuo complied, and with a flip of his other hand, after a flash of Golden Light, the great seal also appeared on his palm.

"Fellow Daoist Han! No need to test me; I am Zhang Nuo! Have you forgotten when we dealt with Du Yuntang together, who told you to sneak attack him?"

With this sentence, Zhang Nuo had completely struck the heart of the matter for Han Liang. At the time when the three of them joined forces, there was almost no one else present, and the matter of sneaking up on Du Yuntang was something Zhang Nuo had transmitted to him via voice; no one else knew about it.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang!"

Han Liang's face lit up with joy, and he rode his Flying Magic Tool to the ramparts of the fortress. He saw Zhang Nuo standing motionless, and behind him, over a dozen corpses of demonic cultivators lay on the ground, the bloodstains nearly dried.

Seeing this scene, Han Liang was even more convinced that the person before him was undoubtedly Zhang Nuo.

"Where have you been all these years?"

At this moment, Chu Budong also rushed over and grabbed Zhang Nuo in a tight embrace; the dignified seven-foot-tall man even had tears streaming down his face.

"Haha! Brother Chu, I missed you too! So, upon returning this time, I've brought you all a welcome gift! This fortress is ours now!"

He waved his hand to point behind him, and one could see that all the demonic cultivators inside the entire fortress had been slaughtered by Zhang Nuo.

"You did this alone?"

Han Liang frowned slightly; although he knew Zhang Nuo's divine abilities were not weak, taking down a fortress single-handedly seemed unlikely!

"Naturally!"

As he spoke, Zhang Nuo moved his body, releasing the Spirit Power fluctuations restrained within the Nine Dragon Sword Case; instantly, both Chu Budong and Han Liang were stunned, for they felt the Spirit Power fluctuations that only a Golden Core Stage cultivator would possess. This feeling could not be wrong; a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator could not fake it.

"You... you have advanced to the Golden Core Stage?"

Chu Budong simply could not believe his own senses; in just over six short years, Zhang Nuo had leaped from a Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator to a Golden Core Stage cultivator—no one would believe such a thing.

Han Liang was even more shocked; the time Zhang Nuo had taken to charge from the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage to the Late Stage back then had already been very short, but he had not expected this surprise to be even greater.

Seeing that both of them were somewhat incredulous, Zhang Nuo opened his mouth and spat out the Measuring Heaven Ruler, then said with a faint smile:

"Now you must believe it! If I hadn't advanced to the Golden Core Stage, how could I have refined a Magic Treasure into my body?"

Watching Zhang Nuo's actions, the jaws of Han Liang and Chu Budong nearly hit the floor; was the Zhang Nuo before them even human? Such a fast cultivation speed was unheard of across the entire Tianjiang Plain.

Withdrawing all his Magic Treasures, Zhang Nuo walked between the two and gently patted their shoulders, saying:

"Keep working hard! I have already left you both far behind!"

Zhang Nuo's words were not wrong; back at the Four Great Sects Trial Ground, the few of them were still at the same starting line, but in the blink of an eye, several years had passed, and Zhang Nuo was now far ahead of them.