Chapter 522: Deng Tianlin

Looking at the old man before him, Zhang Nuo felt a sense of familiarity. Although the two had never met before, the aura on the old man was somewhat similar to his own!

Especially when the old man made his move, Zhang Nuo was astonished to discover that the foundational cultivation technique the old man practiced was shockingly similar to his own! Although the old man's current cultivation had reached the Integration Late Stage, that sense of the techniques originating from the same source could not be wrong!

"What is this young friend's name? Where do you come from? I am deeply grateful that you were able to help my Anling City resolve a crisis!"

The white-robed old man was quite polite; even though his cultivation realm was much higher than Zhang Nuo's, he still spoke with extreme courtesy! If Zhang Nuo had not used Purple Lightning Wild Thunder, and relied solely on the cultivators in the city to fight 'Mofen' to the death, at least several Spirit Severing Stage cultivators would have fallen! This was also the reason why the old man had been hesitant to act.

"I am Zhang Nuo, a cultivator of the Protective Domain Third Team! Because I was pursued by demon beasts while patrolling outside, I had no choice but to flee to this place."

Although he felt a sense of familiarity with the old man, Zhang Nuo did not reveal the truth.

"You are a cultivator of the Third Team!"

The white-robed old man was very shocked. He looked Zhang Nuo up and down, his eyes full of disbelief!

"Senior, is there something wrong?"

Being stared at by the old man until he felt a bit dazed, Zhang Nuo scanned his own body and, finding nothing unusual, asked this.

"As early as a year ago, Gongyue City was captured by a large number of demon cultivators. After that battle, the cultivators of the Protective Domain Third Team were almost completely wiped out! I did not expect that there would still be someone from the Third Team alive!"

Hearing the old man's words, Zhang Nuo gasped! He had been fleeing outside during this period and had no idea that such a major event had occurred in Gongyue City! Listening to the old man, it seemed the Protective Domain Third Team had been completely wiped out!

It seemed he had escaped a disaster because he was trapped in Huan Shou Gong!

"Since we are both cultivators of the Protective Domain, follow me back to Anling City first. As far as I know, the Third Team's leader, fellow Daoist Kong Mu, does not seem to have fallen. Once I find out his whereabouts, I will find a way for you to make contact with him!"

Seeing the look of shock on Zhang Nuo's face, the white-robed old man offered a few words of comfort, then turned his body and prepared to return to the city!

"Senior, please wait! I have something I would like to show you!"

Zhang Nuo stopped the old man and flipped his hand. A small white sword condensed from spirit light slowly rotated in his palm. The small sword was not large, only about an inch in size, but waves of non-trivial Spirit Power fluctuations enveloped the surrounding space!

Upon seeing this small sword, the white-robed old man could not help but exclaim!

"You... you know the 'Sword Control Art'! Could it be that you are a cultivator who ascended from the Human Realm?"

This time, the old man looked as if he had seen a treasure, his eyes fixed firmly on the small sword in Zhang Nuo's hand! This type of technique was created by the old man himself; unless it was his own disciples, no one else would know it! Moreover, this was only a primary introductory technique, and high-level cultivators had no need to learn it!

"So my guess was indeed correct! Divine Sword Sect disciple Zhang Nuo pays respects to the Grandmaster!"

Zhang Nuo performed a deep bow to the white-robed old man while in mid-air! The person before him was none other than Deng Tianlin, who had founded the Divine Sword Sect in the Human Realm back then! Besides him, no one else would recognize such a low-level 'Sword Control Art' technique!

"Haha! Thousands of years have passed, and I have finally seen someone from the Divine Sword Sect! Rise quickly, this is not a place for conversation!"

Deng Tianlin helped Zhang Nuo up, seemingly forgetting about the demon beasts he had just slain, and the two turned into streaks of light and rushed into Anling City! Zhang Nuo had never expected to meet the founding ancestor of the Divine Sword Sect in the Immortal World! It was just that the current Deng Tianlin did not yet know that the Divine Sword Sect in the Human Realm had long since been destroyed!

Returning to the main hall of a mansion, Deng Tianlin was smiling from ear to ear! He had not expected that after him, another cultivator from the Divine Sword Sect would ascend to the Immortal World!

When asked about the Divine Sword Sect, Zhang Nuo revealed a sorrowful expression and recounted everything he had encountered in the Human Realm, though he hid some important issues and did not speak of them directly!

When Deng Tianlin finished listening, his eyebrows were almost standing on end, his old face flushed bright red, and he panted heavily for a long time before saying a single sentence!

"The Divine Sword Sect is gone!"

With his current cultivation, he would not have cared about a small sect in the Human Realm, but the Divine Sword Sect was, after all, founded by his own hands; seeing it fall to such an end was truly not what he wanted to see!

"Grandmaster, do not be too sad! Every sect will have its rise and fall! You founded the sect, and the matters that followed are up to us, the younger generation! It is because of our incompetence that the sect suffered such a great disaster! We are the ones who should blame ourselves!"

Zhang Nuo's words made Deng Tianlin feel a bit better! He looked at the young man before him, his eyes full of appreciation! To have advanced to the Spirit Severing Stage in just over three hundred years in the Human Realm—even he had to admit he was inferior in terms of talent!

"Since only the two of us from the Divine Sword Sect have ascended to the Immortal World, if there is an opportunity, I will submit an application to the Sixteen Chambers to have you join my team!"

Zhang Nuo raised his eyebrows slightly. The conversation with Deng Tianlin had been entirely about the Divine Sword Sect, and he had forgotten to ask about his current status!

"Grandmaster, what is your current..."

"Haha! I was so busy talking that I forgot about this. I am currently affiliated with the Protective Domain Seventh Team, and I am now the leader of the Seventh Team! This Anling City is also under my jurisdiction!"

Zhang Nuo was suddenly enlightened. So Deng Tianlin was a leader of the Seventh Team; to be able to struggle from an ascended cultivator to where he was today was not easy!

Zhang Nuo especially noted that since Deng Tianlin ascended, nearly three thousand years had passed, yet his cultivation had only just reached the Integration Late Stage. Such a slow cultivation speed made Zhang Nuo understand that the further a cultivator's realm progressed, the more difficult it became; every advancement relied on the right time, the right place, and the right people!

The news that Zhang Nuo had killed thousands of Mofen in one move spread instantly throughout Anling City! When everyone learned that this young cultivator was only at the Spirit Severing Stage, they were even more astonished! But what surprised them even more was that this person was actually a junior of the sect founded by the Seventh Team leader in the Human Realm!

In an instant, Zhang Nuo's name was spread far and wide! Zhang Nuo did not care about these things. He had been staying in Deng Tianlin's mansion; having been exhausted from running about, it was rare to have time to rest, and he used this period to recuperate and build up his energy.

Two months later, his body had recovered to its peak state, but many things had happened in these two months. First, the momentum of the Demon Beast Tide's attack had only increased. It was said that several great experts had descended from the Demon Realm, leading countless demon cultivators to launch a fierce attack on the Immortal Domain!

This time, the Immortal Domain was facing unprecedented pressure! This Demon Beast Tide had come without any warning, dealing a heavy blow to the Immortal Domain, which had been at peace for over ten thousand years. Losing several cities in succession was not even the worst of it; the fall of several high-level cultivators was the most fatal blow!

Once talent withered, the Immortal Domain would completely collapse! Forced by necessity, the leaders of the Three Great Powers all took action! The Sect Master of the Tianliang Dao Sect was the first who could not sit still; he led the cultivators of his sect to be the first to block a fierce attack by the demon cultivators! It finally managed to save some face for the Immortal Domain!

The abbot of 'Jile Temple' also followed up by dealing a head-on blow to the demon cultivators. As for the current Human Emperor of the Human Emperor Realm, he traveled between many cities within the territory of the Human Emperor Realm, finally stabilizing the crumbling situation!

The Anling City where Zhang Nuo and Deng Tianlin were located also belonged to the sphere of influence of the Human Emperor Realm. Because there had been no attacks by overly powerful demon cultivators, it was still relatively stable!

Zhang Nuo did not know much about the leaders of the Three Great Powers. Those people were existences at the very top of the Immortal Domain, and even Deng Tianlin did not have much contact with them! However, the only thing he knew was that the cultivation of these three had all entered the Late Void Refinement Stage, and their supernatural powers could be said to reach the heavens and cover the earth!

One day, Zhang Nuo was sitting in his room meditating and adjusting his breath when a small cultivator suddenly found him, saying that the leader requested his presence! The leader the small cultivator spoke of was naturally Deng Tianlin!

Without much delay, Zhang Nuo got up and followed behind the small cultivator. When he arrived at the main hall, he saw that it was full of cultivators. Scanning with his Divine Sense, these people were basically all at the Spirit Severing Stage!

As soon as Zhang Nuo appeared, the gazes of these people immediately turned toward him. Ignoring them, Zhang Nuo walked straight to Deng Tianlin's side!

"Pays respects to the Grandmaster!"

"There is no need to be so polite in the future! The Divine Sword Sect is a matter of the Human Realm; this is the Immortal Domain! Since you have come, I will begin to announce matters!"

Deng Tianlin always had an extra layer of affection for Zhang Nuo. The cultivators present were all from the Seventh Team and knew the relationship between the two, so no one dared to say anything!

After the hall quieted down, Deng Tianlin gently raised his palm, and a ray of rosy light flew out from his palm. At the same time, as the light circled above the hall, it transformed into a map!

Everyone looked up and discovered that this map seemed to be the surrounding environment of Anling City! Looking at the situation around the map, Zhang Nuo's heart sank, guessing that something major was about to happen!

Sure enough, as he expected, Deng Tianlin's next sentence made everyone gasp!

"Just a few days ago, the cultivators of the Seventh Team who went out to scout for information returned and said that a small group of demon cultivators is approaching our Anling City, and they are expected to arrive in half a month!"

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became oppressive! Now, one could say that everyone turned pale at the mention of demons! Anling City had always been in a position ignored by the demon cultivators. Unexpectedly, while the leaders of the Three Great Powers had taken action to block the offensive of the Demon Beast Tide, it had diverted some of the pressure toward Anling City!