Chapter 523: Snow

Listening to Deng Tianlin recount the shifting situation around Anling City, a shadow cast itself over the hearts of all the cultivators present! It seemed that during the outbreak of the Demon Beast Tide, there was no place in the Immortal Domain that was safe; even Anling City, which had not yet encountered large groups of demon cultivators, was now about to face a major test!

"Starting from today, Anling City enters a Level 1 alert state! All cultivators are to remain on standby at all times!"

"Yes!"

Finally, Deng Tianlin issued his orders to the group of Seventh Team cultivators! It was from this day on that the city became heavily guarded. Even the previously bustling shops had now closed their doors!

After everyone had left, Deng Tianlin called Zhang Nuo to stay behind.

"How has your body recovered over these past two months?"

He looked at Zhang Nuo with concern as he spoke.

"There are no major issues left! Many thanks for your concern, Ancestor!"

A warm current suddenly rose in Zhang Nuo's heart. Ever since he entered the Immortal World, no one had ever cared about him; now that he had met Deng Tianlin, he could at least be considered an elder!

"Looking at your cultivation, there hasn't been any progress since you ascended. What is the reason? Could it be because of your cultivation method?"

"There is a bit of that. The cultivation methods I practice are restricted in certain aspects, and I haven't found a suitable method for the Spirit Transformation Initial Stage yet, so my cultivation hasn't made any progress."

Mentioning cultivation methods, Zhang Nuo couldn't help but smile bitterly. What he had just told Deng Tianlin was entirely true. The Shangqing Sword Art had thirteen layers in total, but because the last three layers were missing, Zhang Nuo had to stop after practicing the tenth layer. The Immovable Underworld King was even more frustrating!

The Hell Butterfly had never deciphered the content of the sixth layer, so it had also stopped at the fifth layer. What was even more troublesome was that the Immovable Underworld King was an Underworld cultivation method itself, which did not quite align with the bodies of human cultivators. Therefore, the methods Zhang Nuo had practiced previously were all slightly modified under the guidance of Chunyangzi! Invisibly, this had created some discrepancies with the original Immovable Underworld King method.

It could be said that a miss is as good as a mile; even if the Hell Butterfly translated the sixth layer, if the discrepancy was too great, Zhang Nuo would still have no way to continue his practice!

As for the Eight Extremes Demon Veins, Zhang Nuo's third major cultivation method, it had also ceased practice because his physical body's strength was insufficient. As for the remaining auxiliary methods, even if they were fully mastered, they would not have much effect on improving his cultivation.

Based on all these reasons, Zhang Nuo's cultivation could be said to have been stagnant! There was nothing to hide about these matters, so he told Deng Tianlin everything.

After Deng Tianlin finished listening, he couldn't help but gasp! Any one of the three cultivation methods Zhang Nuo practiced could be called a top-tier method! If one wanted to master them, it would be impossible without investing a massive amount of time and energy!

"I cannot help you at all with these methods of yours! However, if you are willing, I can find you another cultivation method suitable for a Spirit Transformation Stage cultivator!"

Seeing Zhang Nuo's worried expression, Deng Tianlin sighed. Ever since he ascended to the Immortal World, he had been practicing a single sword art and had never dabbled in other methods! Thus, he could not even begin to offer guidance on Zhang Nuo's profound methods!

"Many thanks for your kindness, Ancestor! The methods I currently possess are already quite jumbled; if I were to force myself to practice others, it would do more harm than good!"

Declining Deng Tianlin's good intentions, Zhang Nuo knew the reason within his own body! Few people attempted the path of Dharma-Body Dual Cultivation, yet he had chosen this route back in the Foundation Establishment Stage. Before the Spirit Transformation Stage, because all his methods were in their early stages, the difficulty was not yet apparent, but it was different in the later stages.

Every cultivation method became harder to practice the further one progressed, and Zhang Nuo's path of Dharma-Body Dual Cultivation revealed even greater drawbacks in the later stages. First, if the cultivation of the methods could not be improved, his overall cultivation would remain stagnant, and over time, it would become a burden.

But once the day of achieving success in Dharma-Body Dual Cultivation arrived, the power would be terrifying to the extreme! One person could almost simultaneously deal with two existences of the same rank!

Because the risks of Dharma-Body Dual Cultivation were too great, ordinary cultivators would not choose it. Zhang Nuo had seen the benefits of Dharma-Body Dual Cultivation while in the Human Realm, which was why he had persisted until today. But the problems he faced now were immense; if he could not find an effective solution, he might be trapped in the Spirit Transformation Stage for a very long time!

What was even more terrifying was that in another hundred years, perhaps the One-Nine Minor Heavenly Tribulation would descend; when that time came, it would be the most headache-inducing matter for Zhang Nuo!

Things like Heavenly Tribulations were extremely bizarre and had to be resisted by the cultivator's own cultivation. If others intervened, the power of the tribulation would increase accordingly, and at that point, it would actually harm the person undergoing the tribulation!

"Your situation is quite special! I don't have a good solution for the moment. How about this: once the situation with the Demon Beast Tide eases, I will introduce you to the current Human Emperor. Let him analyze it for you; perhaps there will be a way out!"

Deng Tianlin spoke these words out of genuine sincerity. Zhang Nuo thanked him superficially, but deep down, he was extremely unwilling to beg others for help! After chatting about some other things, he left the room where Deng Tianlin was staying!

That conversation only made Zhang Nuo feel even more depressed! Since he had nothing to do anyway, Zhang Nuo walked out of the residence. With a great battle imminent, he went to the shops in the city to buy some Magic Treasures and materials; perhaps they would be useful later!

Walking aimlessly on the street, he watched the hurried cultivators. They all knew that the Demon Beast Tide was about to plague Anling City, and some cultivators with connections had begun to flee toward the interior of the Immortal Domain!

The sky suddenly turned dark. Zhang Nuo looked up and saw a snowflake land on his face; after a cool sensation, the snowflake turned into water! He wiped his face gently; this was the first time he had seen snow since coming to the Immortal World!

Streaks of brilliant light flashed across the high sky; this was a celestial phenomenon unique to the Immortal World, and Zhang Nuo was no longer surprised by it! The snow gradually grew heavier, and snowflakes the size of palms turned the entire Anling City white in an instant!

Just at this moment, a cultivator slowly passed by Zhang Nuo. This person was dressed in magnificent robes, but his face was devoid of any expression, and his cultivation was around the Spirit Transformation Initial Stage!

At first, Zhang Nuo did not pay much attention, assuming he was just an ordinary cultivator, when suddenly Xuan Jin's mental connection flashed into his mind!

"Master! This is a demon cultivator!"

Hearing this, Zhang Nuo turned around abruptly and swept his Divine Sense over the cultivator, but he did not detect the aura of a demon cultivator!

"Xuan Jin, could you be mistaken?"

Frowning slightly, Zhang Nuo asked.

"Impossible! Master, have you forgotten the Demon Refining Pool of Huan Shou Gong? The demon cultivators who come out of there have an aura almost identical to human cultivators, making them very difficult to distinguish! If I weren't a Spirit Beast by nature, I probably wouldn't have been able to detect it either!"

Xuan Jin explained quickly. Before his voice had even faded, Zhang Nuo's body was already in motion. Countless snowflakes danced wildly around him, and in an instant, Zhang Nuo rushed behind the magnificently dressed cultivator, reaching out one hand to grab the other's shoulder!

The magnificently dressed cultivator had been walking slowly, but suddenly sensing the malicious wind from behind, his body surged forward dozens of feet in an instant, and he stopped with his feet planted firmly on the ground! The speed was so fast that even Zhang Nuo gasped!

From the surface, this cultivator did not look like a Body Refining Cultivator at all, yet his movements were so agile; there seemed to be something fishy here!

"Fellow Daoist! I have something I would like to ask you!"

Standing in the midst of the falling snow, Zhang Nuo stood with his hands behind his back, a faint smile on his face! The magnificently dressed cultivator opposite him remained expressionless, his pair of cold, icy eyes fixed on Zhang Nuo! He did not say a word for a long time!

At this moment, the pedestrians on the road, seeing the stance of the two, retreated. Among them were several who recognized Zhang Nuo! They all knew the relationship between Deng Tianlin and Zhang Nuo, so they did not come over to interfere!

Seeing that the cultivator did not speak, Zhang Nuo raised an eyebrow and continued:

"When did you enter Anling City? As long as you give me a reasonable explanation, I can let you go!"

The magnificently dressed cultivator glanced at the crowd around him and then looked back at Zhang Nuo, but he still remained silent, maintaining his cold and icy demeanor! A layer of faint purple light began to shimmer on the surface of his body!

Upon seeing those purple rays, Zhang Nuo was almost certain that the cultivator before him was a demon cultivator, and one who had come from the Demon Refining Pool! Because those purple rays were exactly what resulted from long-term tempering of the physical body by Purple Lightning Wild Thunder!

He was slightly shocked in his heart. Just a moment ago, when Deng Tianlin found them, he had said that the demon cultivators would not arrive at Anling City for another half a month; he had not expected that demon cultivators had already infiltrated by now!

The people around did not know what was happening. Seeing that no matter what questions Zhang Nuo asked, the magnificently dressed cultivator had no reaction at all, they also felt that something was wrong!

The crowd retreated in all directions, fearing that some sudden change would affect their own safety! At the same time, many cultivators from the Protective Domain Seventh Team also arrived here. When they discovered that Zhang Nuo was confronting a magnificently dressed cultivator, they were also filled with confusion!

But the moment their thoughts had not yet settled, Zhang Nuo had already struck! Since he had determined that it was a demon cultivator, he would not let the other party go!

Flicking his ten fingers in succession, several streaks of Sword Qi shot out. At the same time, Zhang Nuo leaped high into the air, and with a slight opening of his mouth, dozens of Flying Swords flashed out. Their pristine white blades, set against the backdrop of the snowflakes, appeared exceptionally cold and sharp! They all slashed toward the magnificently dressed cultivator!