Cultivation Starting from Full Talent-Chapter 690 - 688: Late-stage Nascent Soul Insect Master

Ning Daoran released his Divine Sense for inner observation. This time, his injuries were extremely severe. He had forcefully taken a sword strike from Chaotic Heaven Star Monarch, nearly shattering his body. Fortunately, the Dragon Demon Heart Scripture had protected him, forcibly sealing his almost-fragmented flesh. Despite this, his meridians were still seventy to eighty percent broken. Even though he consumed the Heavenly Yuan Fruit, he still required significant time to nourish and heal with the Eternal Green Technique.

However, there was an even more critical matter that needed urgent resolution at the moment.

"Snap!"

He lightly tapped his Storage Bag, and the Soul Refining Tower immediately floated out from within. Inside the Soul Refining Tower, a weak Nascent Soul sat curled up with its arms around its knees—it was none other than True Monarch Wanhua.

"Fellow Daoist Wanhua?"

Ning Daoran spoke softly, "You can come out now."

"Fellow Daoist Ning?"

The Nascent Soul floated out lightly, eyes filled with surprise. "Have we...have we successfully escaped the tiger’s den?"

"Mm."

Ning Daoran replied, "This place is a sea region between Xia Country and Li Country; for now, it’s safe."

He looked at True Monarch Wanhua’s Nascent Soul and said, "Fellow Daoist, your Nascent Soul is already extremely weak. Within three months, you must successfully seize a body, or else the Nascent Soul will completely dissipate. I am currently injured myself and utterly incapable of helping you find a suitable body, so you must go on your own. Be careful along the way."

"Fellow Daoist Ning, your injuries..."

True Monarch Wanhua looked at Ning Daoran’s battered and torn flesh and said sorrowfully, "You have truly suffered for my Divine Leaf Sect..."

"I volunteered; it’s nothing."

Ning Daoran swept his sleeve and said, "Go; may we have the chance to meet again!"

"Alright, thank you so much!"

The Nascent Soul courteously bowed before transforming into a beam of light, disappearing beyond the horizon of the sea.

"Brother Ran, what’s our next step?" Little Blackie asked. "When shall we go find Brother Lu and Sister Xiao Bai?"

"No rush."

Ning Daoran replied, "We’ll first stay here in closed-door training. Once my injuries are fully healed and my combat strength restored, we’ll talk about other matters. The Four States of Li Country are fraught with danger right now, and in this condition, I shouldn’t venture outside."

"Certainly!"

Ning Xiaogui said, "Brother Ran, focus on healing during your retreat. Black Brother and I will protect you!"

Ning Daoran nodded, then tapped his Storage Bag. On the deserted island, he arranged several Concealing Arrays, and shortly after, the island disappeared into the vast ocean, merging seamlessly with the seawater.

...

Five years later.

Ning Daoran emerged from his retreat. Clad in green robes, he floated out of Spirit Garden Cave Heaven. Not only had he fully regained his strength, but the foundation he honed during the battle had made him stronger than before. At this moment, his combat capabilities had slightly improved compared to prior.

After Little Blackie and Ning Xiaogui returned to Spirit Garden Cave Heaven, Ning Daoran transformed into a beam of tunneling light, heading toward his next destination—Li Yue Continent.

The reason for journeying to Li Yue Continent was that Li Country is an island nation with four large connected land masses. Among them, the one closest to Jade Bottle Continent is Li Yue Continent!

Big Stupid Deer and Little Bai had escorted disciples from the Chaotic Sect, Star Moon Pavilion, and other sects while breaking out of encirclement—most likely heading toward Li Yue Continent. Unless Big Stupid Deer didn’t know the way, Liu Xingyu would surely know.

Several days later, in an unnamed sea region.

At first, a layer of mist floated above the seawater, but shortly thereafter, a black storm arose—within this storm, hints of hostility and killing intent could be sensed!

"I wonder which divine being the Fellow Daoist is?"

Hovering mid-air, Ning Daoran rested one hand behind him and spoke with a smile, full of immortal charm, "Why not show yourself for a meeting?"

"Hmph, you’re a doomed man—what’s the point of saying more?"

Within the wind, a figure slowly descended—a black-robed elder radiating Nascent Soul Middle Stage energy. Judging from the characteristic aura, he was a cultivator from the North Sea Cultivation World.

This region had already entered the territory of Li Yue Continent, but unexpectedly, a Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator from the North Sea was intercepting here—proof that Li Yue Continent was also unsettled. The invading fires from the North Sea Cultivation World had already reached this area.

"Is Fellow Daoist aiming to kill me?" Ning Daoran asked.

"Indeed."

The other sneered. "The battle for Li Yue Continent has lasted a full five years. My North Sea Cultivation World is about to swallow the entire Li Yue Continent. At this moment, any cultivator coming from outside for reinforcement has only one fate—death! I won’t lie to you; I’ve already crushed a Jade Scroll summons, and soon, there will be reinforcements from North Sea accompanying me. Even if you flee now, it’s already too late."

"Be it so."

Ning Daoran turned his palm, and Big Green Dragon appeared. "I shall help send Fellow Daoist on your way."

"Courting death!"

With a roar, the black-robed elder stirred fierce winds, and instantly, dozens of storms surged forward. He was evidently a cultivator with a Wind Spirit Root, cultivating Wind Attribute techniques.

Ning Daoran tapped his Storage Bag, deploying the Ten Directions Forbidden Array across the surroundings before leaping into the air. Twenty-four Golden Silk Swords surged forth, driven by Dual Yin Sword Intent, launching a fierce assault. While the black-robed elder dealt with these swords, Ning Daoran took advantage—raising Big Green Dragon high, he descended with a White Tiger Soul Descent strike!

"What?!"

The black-robed elder was stunned. He summoned a Top-grade Treasure-level Wooden Shield to block Big Green Dragon, but with a "crack," the shield shattered into fragments, with Treasure Essence Qi spilling everywhere—it simply couldn’t withstand the overwhelming force held within Big Green Dragon!

"Such power!"

Shocked, the elder hastily summoned strands of Spirit Wind to protect his body. Yet as countless Spear Radiances fell, the Wind Attribute Magical Power quickly dissipated. Finally, the spear tip sliced cleanly from the elder’s chest to his abdomen, leaving a horrific wound—a near disembowelment.

"Just who are you?!"

The elder was aghast.

"Why ask further?"

Ning Daoran activated the Nine Heavens Escape Thunder Technique, his body glowing with electricity. In the next instant, Big Spear descended, brutally striking the elder’s back. Bone-crushing sounds echoed throughout.

The black-robed elder’s body was flung out violently, attempting Nascent Soul Escape. However, it was too late—Golden Silk Swords descended one after another, piercing his flesh, and even his Nascent Soul that had evacuated the body was skewered by a Golden Silk Sword and pinned in mid-air.

"Fellow Daoist, your journey ends here."

Ning Daoran swung a fierce punch, unraveling the Nascent Soul into a cloud of Blood Qi, which Little Qing swallowed in a single bite.

Afterward, Ning Daoran performed the Soul Searching Technique, interrogating the black-robed elder’s spirit.

The opponent was a Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator and an elder from a First-class Sect in the North Sea Cultivation World, possessing deep knowledge about the North Sea Cultivation World’s descent conflict. Through the interrogation, Ning Daoran learned about the whereabouts of Big Stupid Deer, Little Bai, and the members of the Chaotic Sect.

Currently, the sole descent battlefield in Li Yue Continent was at Thousand Island Lake, where the members of the Chaotic Sect were likely located. By heading to Thousand Island Lake, he could find them.

"To Thousand Island Lake."

He struck the elder’s residual soul with a punch, transforming into tunneling light shooting toward Thousand Island Lake!

...

Two days later.

A vast lake came into view, its surface dotted with countless islands like the stars. Among them, the larger islands rivaled the size of Liuhua Island, while the smaller ones were barely more than sharp tips poking out from the water, indistinguishable from reefs.

"Swish~~~"

Ning Daoran, enveloped in a stream of radiance, flew into Thousand Island Lake’s region. Before long, a dense mist appeared ahead, brimming with mana fluctuations—it clearly was no ordinary fog, but one condensed by cultivators.

"Fellow Daoist, where are you headed?"

In the mist, a faint silhouette emerged—a gray-robed elder with numerous Spirit Beast Bags strapped at his waist and holding a lantern-hung staff radiating Nascent Soul Late Stage energy.

"Fellow Daoist, if you intend to disturb the battlefield within Thousand Island Lake, I’ll have no choice but to send you on your way."

The elder squinted his eyes, gazing at Ning Daoran with a smile. "A Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator practicing the Evergreen Technique is indeed rare. Fellow Daoist, turn back now; this is no place for someone like you, and I’d rather avoid having to kill you."

Ning Daoran politely cupped his fists. "My descendants may currently be within Thousand Island Lake, so I must enter the battlefield to rescue them. I ask for Fellow Daoist’s understanding."

"Wise words cannot salvage a doomed soul. Very well, allow me to send you on your way."

The elder tapped his Spirit Beast Bag and squinted, chuckling, "If you refuse my warnings and insist on intruding, I cannot be blamed. Besides, with your strong physique feeding my insects...it won’t go to waste."

"Insects?"

Ning Daoran chuckled faintly.

In the next moment, a buzzing sound erupted from the elder’s Spirit Beast Bag. Countless winged worms resembling earthworms but covered in fine scales, each equipped with tail-mounted claw stingers glimmering coldly in the night, swarmed out—extremely sinister!

Unexpectedly, this was a Nascent Soul Late Stage Insect Master!

Ning Daoran furrowed his brows. The elder’s released Spiritual Insects were evidently uncommon; by their appearance, they seemed to be Iron Hook Worms ranked No. 93 on the Ten Thousand Insects List—a type of corpse-eating worm notorious for feeding on the bones of human cultivators.

"Fellow Daoist, since you lack self-awareness, become food for my insects!"

With a sharp cry, the elder unleashed a beam of mana onto Ning Daoran, seemingly marking him. The lantern’s light radiated from the staff’s tip, creating a gleam that drew the Iron Hook Worms to attack.

The world of cultivation was incredibly vast, and insect masters of all kinds were no rarity; hence Ning Daoran wasn’t particularly surprised by the scene before him.

"Buzz buzz buzz~~~"

In the air, swarms of tens of thousands of Iron Hook Worms charged forth, resembling a large insect army.

Ning Daoran furrowed his brows. Though he could summon wide-area True Yang Immortal Fire or Fire Vines to eradicate these Iron Hook Worms, such measures seemed unnecessary. These Iron Hook Worms, nurtured by the Nascent Soul Late Stage elder over many years, had already developed significant spirituality; burning them seemed wasteful. Moreover, Ning Daoran’s own Fire Devouring Ants hadn’t had such a feast in a long time.

"Fine!"

He smiled faintly and tapped the Storage Bag at his waist. "Come out, it’s feeding time!"

"Buzz buzz buzz~~~"

An identical sound rang out as countless Fire Devouring Ants soared into the air, forming a fiery cloud. In an instant, the fiery cloud clashed with the dark cloud formed by Iron Hook Worms.

Crackling sounds of combat burst forth as the elder’s expression started to shift drastically!

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