Xu Ning looked up at the sky. "A peaceful death is indeed not easy!"
Speaking of which, Qian Yang was the first cultivator Xu Ning had seen pass away peacefully in the cultivation world. All the others had died unexpectedly.
Qian Yang said, "It's all thanks to the Holy Son's willingness to take me in!"
Xu Ning said, "Back then, we were short-handed. There was no other way!"
Qian Yang sighed. "No regrets!"
After saying this, Qian Yang's mouth remained open, but he was already lifeless, his spiritual energy completely dissipated.
After a cultivator reaches one hundred years old, they rely on their spiritual energy to sustain their bodily functions. When their time comes, their spiritual energy begins to dissipate.
Once it dissipates completely, it means death, so they know when they will die.
On Qian Yang's corpse, the spiritual root transformed into colorful light and entered Xu Ning's body.
"Elder Qian Yang died peacefully. Everyone bow!" Xu Ning stood up and spoke calmly.
Upon hearing this, a group of old men in front of him immediately bowed to Qian Yang's corpse.
Xu Ning said, "Bury him with the highest honors of the Tiancheng Sect!"
Afterwards, Xu Ning led a group of elders in mourning Qian Yang before the burial.
For the next period, Xu Ning and the sect elders often chatted, mostly about their youthful stories.
Half a month later, Xu Ning saw Peng Yang off.
This guy had entered the Tiancheng Sect with Qian Yang, but he was the most loyal. Initially, Qian Yang considered escaping, but he didn't.
"Holy Son, actually, from the beginning, I sensed your difference. You possess a very special aura, completely unlike what your cultivation level could have at that time!"
After saying this, Peng Yang completely lost his life.
Xu Ning sighed. Perhaps this was why Peng Yang was so loyal from the beginning.
Over the next year, Xu Ning saw off seven or eight more sect elders.
In the end, only one sect elder had a little over a year left to live.
"Grand Elder, you may go! I will protect the sect until the very end!" The kind-faced old man looked at Xu Ning and smiled as he spoke.
Xu Ning said, "Why don't you come with me?"
This wasn't the first time Xu Ning had tried to persuade the old man.
The old man shook his head. "No, Elder. I don't want to die out there. Dying here is fine!"
Receiving the same answer again, Xu Ning couldn't help but sigh. "Why bother?"
The old man said, "Elder, a place you're attached to won't be left behind!"
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Xu Ning said, "This is your last wish. I can't take it away. Take care!"
With that, Xu Ning suddenly raised his hand, and instantly, various array flags flew from all directions, landing in his hand.
Each flag bore orange patterns.
Putting the flags into his storage bag, Xu Ning glanced at the old man standing at the entrance of the sect's main hall, sighed, and turned to leave.
With a great battle imminent, Xu Ning couldn't possibly choose to stay and die for the old man's meager spiritual root.
Rumble—
Xu Ning hadn't flown far when a terrifying spell suddenly descended, engulfing the entire Tiancheng Sect's mountain gate.
Xu Ning turned back in horror, as if in the flames, he saw the old man standing before the sect's main hall, a smile on his face.
At this moment, Xu Ning's heart was deeply moved.
Rumble—
Not far away, another spell descended, creating a tremendous sound.
Xu Ning had no time for sentimentality and immediately turned to run.
According to the indication on the pillar of fortune of the Tiancheng Sect, the sect was still several months away from destruction.
It wasn't that the demon race's attack had been brought forward. Rather, the original Tiancheng Sect had held out for several more months during the attack.
At this moment, Golden Core demons flew across the sky, continuously bombarding the area below.
Xu Ning dodged constantly while maintaining a low altitude and flying rapidly towards the edge of the Red Sea Mountains.
He patted his storage bag, and his armor was now fully covering his body.
Just then, a Foundation Establishment demon cultivator saw Xu Ning, his eyes filled with curiosity, and chased after him.
Xu Ning glanced back and frowned. He dared not slow down and continued to flee quickly.
The demon seemed even more interested in Xu Ning and quickly caught up.
The spells from the sky continued to bombard him, slowing Xu Ning's speed, and soon the Foundation Establishment demon cultivator had caught up.
Without hesitation, Xu Ning patted his storage bag, and a long axe appeared in his hand. He whirled around, a canopy appearing above his head, and unleashed his full cultivation power without reservation.
He raised the axe and cleaved it down at the Foundation Establishment demon cultivator.
An extremely terrifying surge of spiritual energy erupted from the axe, gushing forth in a long arc towards his opponent.
Such power stunned the Foundation Establishment demon cultivator, who dared not hesitate and hastily unleashed his cultivation to defend, frantically releasing his inherited techniques.
Pfft—
Blood streaked across the sky, and the Foundation Establishment demon cultivator was instantly cleaved in two.
Not daring to stop and use his Soul Refining Technique, Xu Ning turned and continued his escape.
Later, Xu Ning passed many sects, all struggling to maintain their formations.
Xu Ning couldn't help but think that if the Heavenly Inheritance Sect had stayed, it would probably be in no better shape than these sects now.
Along the way, Xu Ning also encountered many fleeing cultivators, but everyone was exhausted and wary of each other, so there was little interaction.
Several days later, Xu Ning finally arrived at the border of the Crimson Sea Mountains.
But at that moment, a whooshing sound suddenly came from the sky.
Xu Ning subconsciously looked up and immediately saw a Golden Core demon charging towards him.
Xu Ning was speechless. He was almost out of the way, and now this demon was coming at him.
Well, that was a good opportunity to test the Golden Core demon's strength.
He patted his storage bag, and a long axe appeared in his hand, black armor beginning to cover his entire body.
Suddenly, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and a light rain began to fall.
Xu Ning, axe in hand, rose into the air, standing in the rain.
The demon's speed was incredibly fast, instantly disappearing into the rain.
"A human Foundation Establishment cultivator, and you're not even running away?" Seeing Xu Ning stop and face it, the Golden Core demon couldn't help but mock.
Xu Ning's lips curled into a smile. "How will you know if you don't try!"
"Then you can die!" the Golden Core demon roared angrily, then suddenly accelerated, charging towards Xu Ning.
At this moment, an orange canopy suddenly appeared above Xu Ning's head, blocking the falling rain, and raindrops slid off the bronze bell hanging from the canopy.
At the same time, the drizzle suddenly accelerated, striking the canopy and the Golden Core demon simultaneously.
"Something's wrong? What's this?" The Golden Core demon was startled upon seeing the canopy above Xu Ning's head.
Xu Ning, however, didn't answer, raising his long axe to meet the attack.
Simultaneously, the drizzle accelerated again, transforming into countless tiny rain swords that rained down relentlessly.
Thud thud thud—
The rain swords struck the Golden Core demon, piercing its feathers and leaving bloody holes.
At the same time, Xu Ning and his axe were suddenly crackling with lightning, instantly transforming into a bolt of lightning and charging towards the Golden Core demon.
At this moment, the Golden Core demon finally realized something was wrong, its feathers instantly bristling.