Chapter 475: The Demonic Beast of Transformation Stage

"It was truly a helpless move for me to borrow your name, fellow Daoist! But now that I have seen the true face of fellow Daoist Zhang, I trust you will not blame me, will you?"

The woman in white gave a subtle smile, her enchanting demeanor enough to stir pity in one's heart! Zhang Nuo remained silent, continuously sizing up the young girl; he always felt there was something unconventional about her, but he could not put his finger on what was wrong for the moment!

At this time, Xue Meng and the others ran over! This time, they stood behind Zhang Nuo!

"Boss! So you aren't Zhang Nuo! You deceived us so bitterly!"

Intending to lash out, but recalling the white-clad girl's supernatural powers from before, Xue Meng stubbornly dared not utter any disrespectful words!

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, may I invite you to my Cave Abode for a chat?"

Without even looking at Xue Meng and the others, the woman in white said sincerely.

"Very well!"

Zhang Nuo wanted to get to the bottom of the young girl's origins, so he did not refuse. The two went one after the other into the Cave Abode the girl used for cultivation, while Xue Meng and the others were left shut outside!

After sitting down, Zhang Nuo scanned the surroundings and saw that this Cave Abode was extremely crude, as if it had been opened up temporarily!

"May I ask for the Fairy's name?"

"I am... Huo Lifeng!"

Hearing this name, Zhang Nuo felt a bit strange.

"So it is Fairy Huo! My apologies for the discourtesy! But you still haven't answered my question! Why did you borrow my name to act as a pirate on the sea?"

A divine light flashed in Zhang Nuo's eyes! He had not forgotten to pursue this matter because of other things!

"It is shameful to say! I am not a human! I am a demonic beast that has undergone Transformation Stage!"

Once Huo Lifeng said these words, Zhang Nuo suddenly realized! No wonder he felt a strange sensation when he saw her earlier; it turned out she was not a human cultivator!

Ignoring Zhang Nuo's surprise, the young girl continued:

"I had already reached the level of a Ninth-Rank Demonic Beast! I did not expect an accident to occur while ascending to the Demon Realm, causing my cultivation to fall to the Eighth Rank! Due to my severe injuries, I had to hide on this deserted island to recuperate! I happened to encounter those human cultivators! Because of the accident during my ascension, almost all the Magic Treasure on my person were destroyed! I had no choice but to borrow your name, fellow Daoist!"

Zhang Nuo listened carefully, his face expressionless, but his heart was shocked to the extreme! A Ninth-Rank Demonic Beast! That was equivalent to a human cultivator at the Huashen Stage! What surprised him even more was that one could encounter accidents while ascending? Chunyangzi had never told him about such things!

"So Fairy Huo is actually a senior! Please forgive my lack of insight!"

Regardless, the demonic beast before him was once a great expert; if he slighted her now, there might be big trouble in the future!

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, please don't be so formal! I borrowed your name for such a long time and plundered quite a few resources from the merchant ships in this sea area! I have always felt uneasy about it!"

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead! Zhang Nuo dared not imagine how many bad deeds Xue Meng and those people had committed using his name!

"Fairy Huo, I have one more thing I don't understand; could you enlighten me?"

"Please speak, fellow Daoist!"

Now that Huo Lifeng's cultivation was far from what it used to be due to her injuries, since Zhang Nuo was not pursuing the previous matters, she felt relieved! As for him asking a few questions, that was only reasonable!

"Do demonic cultivators encounter danger when ascending?"

"Hehe! Speaking of this, it might make you laugh, fellow Daoist Zhang! My ascension truly encountered some accidents! Normally, the ascension of a demonic cultivator is the same as that of a human cultivator; both require a guide from the Upper Realm! However, I had been cultivating diligently, and even though I entered the Ninth-Rank realm, I continued to suppress my cultivation. Because of this, by the time I truly ascended, my cultivation had actually far exceeded the Ninth Rank. When I exerted my full strength to draw upon the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi, the accident occurred!"

Looking at the young girl's jade-white face, Zhang Nuo stared at her in astonishment, wondering what the true form of the demonic cultivator before him was! To be able to exceed the Ninth Rank in the Human Realm! He had not even dared to think of such a thing!

"Could it be the Heavenly Tribulation!"

According to the laws of Heaven and Earth, once one's cultivation in the Human Realm exceeds the Ninth Rank, it will inevitably attract the Heavenly Tribulation. This is why many cultivators choose to ascend once their cultivation enters the Spirit Severing Stage!

Either one remains stuck in place, staying in the Human Realm, or one ascends to the Upper Realm to seek greater development! The lifespan of the Spirit Severing Stage is not without limits; it is only three thousand years.

In the Human Realm, besides the Heavenly Tribulation, the Spiritual Qi in the environment is simply insufficient for a cultivator's advancement, so no cultivator would choose to stay in the Human Realm!

Huo Lifeng was actually able to suppress her own cultivation and use a method to deceive the heavens to raise her cultivation above the Ninth Rank; such a bizarre means is truly rare!

"You guessed it, fellow Daoist! I had heard a little about the Demon Realm before; perhaps one would face some discrimination if they ascended to the Demon Realm immediately upon entering the Spirit Severing Stage, so... sigh! Truly, man proposes, God disposes. When I released my true cultivation and exerted my full strength to draw upon the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi, the 'Spirit Gathering Platform' appeared, but along with it came the Heavenly Tribulation!"

Shaking her head with a bitter smile, Huo Lifeng truly felt as if she had brought this upon herself!

A cultivator's path is inherently one of defying the heavens! The power of the Heavenly Tribulation is extraordinarily immense; to survive it is already considered quite good! For someone like Huo Lifeng to still retain most of her cultivation is even more difficult!

"Could it be that your Magic Treasure from before were all destroyed while undergoing the Heavenly Tribulation?"

Zhang Nuo asked cautiously.

"Exactly!"

After receiving a definitive answer, two rays of fearful light bloomed in Zhang Nuo's pupils! A Ninth-Rank Demonic Beast certainly would not lack Magic Treasure, yet they were almost all destroyed in a single Heavenly Tribulation! One can imagine how immense the power of the Heavenly Tribulation must be!

"I hate those guiding cultivators from the Demon Realm; as soon as they saw me trigger the Heavenly Tribulation, they fled back to the Demon Realm without looking back! They almost cost me my life!"

A look of indignation suddenly appeared on the young girl's face! If the demonic cultivators who came down had been willing to brave the Heavenly Tribulation to welcome her onto the 'Spirit Gathering Platform', this situation today would not have happened!

"Hehe! Fairy Huo, do not blame them! As far as I know, this 'Spirit Gathering Platform' also descends by tearing through space; if they had forcibly taken you, they likely would have drawn the Heavenly Tribulation onto themselves as well!"

"That may be so, but we are in the Human Realm; it is not easy to cultivate to the Ninth-Rank realm! Now that I have been knocked back to the Eighth-Rank level, I do not know how many years it will take to return to the Ninth Rank!"

A look of melancholy appeared on her face! Huo Lifeng said faintly!

"If you do not mind, fellow Daoist, I possess a Xian Mountain on the Xianhuan Continent, where the Spiritual Qi is much denser than here! You could return to the Xian Mountain with me!"

Slightly stunned, Huo Lifeng did not expect Zhang Nuo to invite her back to the Xian Mountain!

"Hehe, do not misunderstand, fellow Daoist; I have no other intentions! Regardless, you are a Ninth-Rank powerhouse! If I have any questions regarding cultivation in the future, I can also seek your advice!"

With a faint smile, Zhang Nuo said with full sincerity. Huo Lifeng knew that Zhang Nuo inviting her to the Xian Mountain certainly wasn't just for this reason, but thinking of the dense Spiritual Qi on the Xian Mountain, she was tempted!

In fact, with Huo Lifeng's cultivation, she would be a sought-after figure no matter which faction she joined! However, she had been cultivating in seclusion for these years and did not understand the infighting outside, fearing that others would use her as a pawn! It would be fine if she met good cultivators, but if she encountered small-minded people, she might even lose her life! Moreover, all her Magic Treasure were destroyed! Although her cultivation remained, her supernatural powers were far from what they used to be!

"Since that is the case! Then I will impose upon you, fellow Daoist Zhang!"

After pondering for a long time, Huo Lifeng finally agreed. Although she had not been in contact with Zhang Nuo for long, it was not hard for her to see that Zhang Nuo was a person who kept his word!

Seeing Huo Lifeng agree, Zhang Nuo felt a surge of joy! The Yulong Immortal Mountain was currently at the center of the storm; although its reputation was very high, the number of high-level cultivators in the Giant Spirit Pavilion was clearly lacking! If Huo Lifeng were willing to join, it would certainly strengthen his power! Especially since he had destroyed the foundation of the Great Underworld Mansion on the Xianhuan Continent! This would sooner or later be a major source of trouble! Having a powerful character by his side was never a bad thing!

As for whether this woman would harm the Giant Spirit Pavilion, Zhang Nuo was confident he could subdue her! With his current cultivation, as long as he discovered something was wrong, killing or driving away Huo Lifeng would be effortless!

The two got what they needed and hit it off immediately! As for Xue Meng and the others, Zhang Nuo had no choice but to take them into the Giant Spirit Pavilion as well! However, since these people had committed many crimes using his name, they would have to resolve it themselves when the victims came knocking in the future!

Xue Meng! Although his cultivation was not too low, his thick-headedness was a fatal flaw! However, it would be no problem to let him stay on the Xian Mountain as a small underling!

When Huo Lifeng called Xue Meng and the others in and explained Zhang Nuo's intentions, these dozen or so people had almost no objections! In their hearts, Zhang Nuo had already become a legendary figure! Working under such a cultivator was much better than being a pirate!

There was nothing worth taking on this small island, so the group left the Cave Abode. Zhang Nuo looked at the dozen or so people including Xue Meng, and his brows could not help but furrow! The highest cultivation among these people was only Golden Core, and there were even some at the Foundation Establishment Stage; if they were to fly like this, he did not know how many years it would take to return to Xianhuan!

Huo Lifeng saw through Zhang Nuo's thoughts! A light smile appeared on her jade-like face:

"Fellow Daoist Zhang need not worry! Leave this to me!"

As she spoke, the young girl's body gave a swish and rolled on the ground! The next moment, something that left everyone dumbfounded occurred!