ragginovel Chapter 132 Out of the Valley
Chapter 132 Out of the Valley
"Impossible! Senior Jiuyang's cultivation is unfathomable, how could he have perished so easily!" Chen Ruhua's face paled, her expression showing anxiety. She took a step forward and said in a panic.
"Silly girl, even the most powerful cultivators eventually run out of lifespan..."
However, those who cultivate immortality contend with Heaven, struggle against Earth, and fight against other people; how many of them can truly die a peaceful death? I, an old man, am now passing away peacefully in my old age; you should be happy for me.”
Daoist Jiuyang smiled slightly, his words gentle, and looked at Chen Ru, seemingly comforting her, but also pleased.
"Then Ru'er won't leave. I want to stay here and accompany you on your final journey!" Tears welled in Chen Ru's eyes as she spoke stubbornly, her voice trembling, but her tone was exceptionally firm.
The Nine Yang Daoist's expression grew increasingly benevolent. He gazed at Chen Ru for a long while, finally shaking his head bitterly. He then turned to Du Fan, his face darkening, and spoke coldly:
"You brat, I'm entrusting Ru'er to you from now on. You must believe in the saying 'Heaven is watching.' If anything happens to her in the future, I will not let you off the hook. Here, this jade slip contains the complete map of Hundred Flowers Valley. I have already marked the exit."
After Jiuyang Daoist finished speaking, he opened his mouth again and spat out a gray jade slip, which went straight to Du Fan.
Du Fan caught it, his expression solemn, and respectfully clasped his hands, saying, "Thank you, Senior Jiu Yang. Please rest assured, I will do my best to handle that matter!"
Daoist Jiuyang nodded, then suddenly waved his arm, and a soft ray of light swept out, instantly enveloping Chen Ru. Chen Ru then closed her eyes and fainted.
Before Du Fan could say anything, Daoist Jiuyang immediately straightened his expression and said in a deep voice:
"You brat, listen to me carefully. The only hidden danger of the Soul Devouring Technique is that if the person being devoured is unwilling, even if he dies, there will still be resistance in his consciousness. Therefore, the day you devour consciousness is the day you sow the seeds of disaster."
This part of the divine consciousness will develop self-awareness over time and is called a different kind of divine consciousness.
These alien consciousnesses will constantly take the opportunity to abduct your original consciousness and make it a part of them. When the alien consciousnesses accumulate to a certain extent, they will launch a backlash against you.
And you... at best you'll lose yourself and become another version of yourself, at worst you'll die on the spot!
As for whether to choose this technique, that's up to you. We are destined to meet, and when you leave, I will give you a great gift!
I am willing to let you devour my divine consciousness, so you don't need to worry about any backlash. However, you cannot devour those whose divine consciousness is stronger than yours. Therefore, I will divide my divine consciousness into hundreds of thousands of parts, and you should try to use the Soul Devouring Technique to devour them.
However, due to differences in cultivation level and personal conditions, the maximum capacity of one's current divine sense will also vary. How much one can absorb depends on one's fate.
In any case, you must take Ru'er away from here within seven days. During this period, the restrictions on Hundred Flowers Valley will be at their weakest. Once this period is over, even the restricted node will be unable to leave.
Let me remind you, the ancient restrictions above and below Hundred Flowers Valley are completely different. If you cannot get out this time, you will never be able to get out for the rest of your life. So you'd better get rid of those ridiculous and childish ideas in your mind as soon as possible!
Young man, I have high hopes for you. Don't let me down!
Daoist Jiuyang gave the two of them a deep look, nodded to Du Fan, and for the first time showed him a gentle smile. Immediately afterward, the old man's eyes dimmed and his head suddenly sank.
Du Fan stared blankly at the old man. After a long while, his expression became more respectful than ever before. He knelt down and kowtowed three times to the old man.
He then took a deep breath, sat cross-legged in front of the old man, and began to use the Soul Devouring Technique.
……
Seven days later, Du Fan carried Chen Ru to a boulder. He gently placed Chen Ru aside, then took out the talisman wood and infused it with a little magic power. The ordinary talisman wood suddenly began to shimmer with light, and at the same time, a spiritual pressure that Du Fan could not understand was released.
Du Fan's eyes flashed, and he instantly raised the talisman wood. Immediately, a golden halo rolled out from the talisman wood, and after expanding and contracting in mid-air, it transformed into a ten-zhang-long dragon.
After the golden dragon appeared, it immediately let out a thunderous roar, and then, guided by Du Fan's divine sense, it roared towards the boulder in front of it.
Moments later, a tremendous earthquake shook the earth, sending earth and rocks flying everywhere.
At the same time, a thin crack appeared on the talisman wood in Du Fan's hand.
……
Two days later, in a forest, Du Fan carried Chen Ru on his back and hurried in one direction. The two of them had now left the Valley of a Hundred Flowers and appeared outside the ancient restriction.
After a short while, Du Fan leaned Chen Ru against a tree, took out the jade slip containing the map of Hundred Flowers Valley, and began to examine it with a wisp of his divine sense.
"That forbidden node is indeed mysterious. I don't know where it teleported us to, but one thing is certain: this is definitely not the vicinity of Hundred Flowers Valley..."
Moreover, judging from the direction, this place should be south of Hundred Flowers Valley. I clearly remember that both Qixia Sect and Xuanyuan Mountain Range should be north of Hundred Flowers Valley. It seems unlikely that I can return the way I came.
Du Fan withdrew his divine sense and muttered to himself.
"The best course of action now is to find a large city, preferably one with a branch of the Seven Star Merchant Alliance. That way, we can use the teleportation array to return to Jinling City."
But this place is a desolate wilderness, surrounded by dense forests that stretch as far as the eye can see. Which direction should I go...? I can't possibly try them all." Du Fan frowned, glanced at Chen Ru who was still unconscious, and sighed.
Just as Du Fan was hesitating, his expression suddenly changed, and he looked in one direction.
"Huh? I didn't expect anyone to come to this place. That makes things easier."
Du Fan scanned the area with his divine sense and discovered three male figures several hundred feet away. He was startled but overjoyed. He picked up Chen Ru and strode towards them.
Since the day he devoured over a hundred portions of the Nine Yang Daoist's divine consciousness, the strength of his divine consciousness has surpassed the comprehension of cultivators in the Qi Refining stage.
Now, his spiritual power is probably no weaker than that of an ordinary early Foundation Establishment stage expert, and the range of his spiritual sense can reach 500 zhang.
When Du Fan was less than a few dozen feet away from the three people, they seemed to sense something and stopped, all looking over.
These three people were clearly cultivators dressed in blue Taoist robes. One of them was an old man with a white beard, and the other two were middle-aged men.
With a sweep of his divine sense, Du Fan was able to determine the cultivation levels of the three people. The old man and one of the middle-aged men had the cultivation level of the fourth level of the Qi Refining stage, while the remaining middle-aged man only had the cultivation level of the third level of the Qi Refining stage.
"Fellow Daoist, you've come straight for us. Is there something you need?" The old man narrowed his eyes and spoke expressionlessly as Du Fan approached.
Two middle-aged men stood silently to the side, their expressions wary as they stared at the strangely dressed stranger in front of them.
"Please don't misunderstand, fellow Daoists. I've only come to ask for directions." Du Fan carefully put Chen Ru down, then cupped his hands to the three of them and said politely.
"Asking for directions? Fellow Daoist, are you joking?" The white-bearded old man frowned upon hearing this, and released his divine sense. When he sensed Du Fan's cultivation level, his gaze sharpened, and he became wary. As for the unconscious Chen Ru, the three of them simply ignored her.
"I have come here by chance, and I cannot tell you the reason. Please forgive me. I just want to ask you, fellow Daoist, where is this place, and are there any large cities nearby?" Du Fan cupped his hands again and asked.
"An accident? Never mind, this matter has nothing to do with us. Fellow Daoist, just keep heading south from here for a few hundred miles, and you will be able to leave this dense forest."
Once you arrive there, you'll see the outline of a city—Pengcheng. It's only a medium-sized city, but it's the closest one to you.” The old man's expression softened slightly as he spoke calmly.
"Alright, thank you, fellow Daoist. I have to hurry on my journey, so I'll take my leave now." Du Fan smiled slightly, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and was about to turn around and leave with Chen Ru on his back.
But the moment Du Fan turned around, the pupils of the three old men all contracted slightly, because their gazes simultaneously fell on the Qiankun Ring on Du Fan's left hand.
Previously, the three of them had focused their attention on Du Fan's face and his cultivation level, so they did not notice the Qiankun Ring, which was out of reach for them.
The three of them subconsciously exchanged glances, and in each other's eyes they saw an intense, burning greed.
The middle-aged man at the fourth level of Qi Refining suddenly stepped forward and said, "Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment. I am Gou Bai, a disciple of the Qinglin Sect. May I ask your name?"
"Huh?" Du Fan was surprised upon hearing this. He paused, turned around, glanced at the man, and said calmly:
"My name is Du Fan."
"So it's Brother Du. I find you to be a man of distinguished bearing and extraordinary temperament. I would like to invite you back to our sect as a guest, to extend my hospitality, and perhaps we could have a chat about the path of cultivation?"
The middle-aged man, who was at the fourth level of Qi Refining, had a glint in his eyes and spoke with a forced smile.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Fellow Daoist Gou, but there's no need for me to visit your sect. I have other important matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first." Du Fan frowned, sensing something amiss.
"Fellow Daoist Du, it won't be so easy for you to leave now," the old man said coldly, his eyes flashing with malice.
"What do you mean by this?" Du Fan's mind raced for a moment, and he guessed the reason behind it. His expression darkened.
At the same time, he instantly understood a principle: wealth should not be flaunted, especially in this cruel world of cultivation, one should be more careful.
"What do you mean, Fellow Daoist Du? If you leave behind your Qiankun Ring, the three of us will naturally turn around and leave. Otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite!"
The speaker was a middle-aged man at the third level of Qi Refining, whose greedy gaze was undisguised.