Nine Nether Dragon Emperor-Chapter 395: Junior Brother, Are You Speaking Human Language?!
In the massive cave, Wu Pianpian and the other three women were busy collecting energy while Ning Xuan and the man in the black robe engaged in a silent battle of wills.
"Kid, I admit defeat. Let the master backing you come out," the black-robed man sighed, softening his stance.
But Ning Xuan knew this was a feint; the man was preparing to strike.
"Master?" he feigned surprise. "What are you talking about? There's no one backing me."
This response completely baffled the man in the black robe. If Ning Xuan had admitted it, he would have been certain of his guess and dared to attack. But with this denial, he hesitated once more.
Because it could very well be the truth!
Seeing this, Ning Xuan celebrated inwardly.
A battle of nerves, a game of push and pull. I can't say I'm the best at it, but I'm definitely a step ahead right now.
Across from him, the black-robed man was growing anxious. In just this short time, his many years of painstaking work were being squandered away. Most critically, once all the lights in the cave went out, his greatest secret would be exposed.
I have to make a move!
His resolve hardening, the black-robed man vanished on the spot. Without any warning, he launched a frontal assault, his target none other than Ning Xuan. If there really was a powerful expert behind the boy, capturing him would force the master's hand.
Ning Xuan's eyebrows shot up, but instead of retreating, he advanced. The four women were scattered, and if he fell back, the man could target them, putting him at a disadvantage.
His reaction was so unexpected that the black-robed man himself was startled, causing a momentary lapse in the flow of his aura.
Ning Xuan instantly seized the opening.
PFFT!
An Element Force Sword pierced through a weak point in the man's defense, running straight through his body.
Ning Xuan immediately raised the Heavenly Sacrifice Cauldron and retreated. As the black-robed man's palm slammed into the cauldron, it suddenly swelled to a massive size. Propelled by the impact, Ning Xuan, who was right behind it, shot into the air and landed a foot on top of it.
Man and cauldron were blasted backward, plowing a huge ravine into the ground that stretched for hundreds of feet.
"Ahhh, you're dead!" the black-robed man roared, looking at his wound with unprecedented fury. In a single exchange, he had been wounded by a young brat whose Cultivation was far inferior to his own.
This was an immense humiliation!
Across the chasm, Ning Xuan also let out a sigh. "Such a pity it wasn't a fatal blow."
My opponent is a Holy Realm powerhouse. Landing a non-fatal blow would do nothing but enrage him. I wanted to kill him in one strike, of course, but the man's aura is too immense. The energy protecting his vital spots would be incredibly dense, making a successful strike highly unlikely.
Ning Xuan's murmur did not escape his adversary's ears.
Hearing those words, the black-robed man nearly exploded with anger.
That little beast is definitely doing this on purpose!
At that moment, he threw all caution to the wind. A radiant golden light erupted from his body.
Behind Ning Xuan, San Wu let out a muffled grunt. A sweet taste filled her throat, and although she forcefully suppressed the rising blood, a trickle still escaped the corner of her mouth. Qian Yourong and Little White were also in distress.
"Junior Brother, he's going all out! Finish him, quickly!" Wu Pianpian immediately shouted.
"Master, what should I do?" Ning Xuan suddenly called out, his eyebrows raised.
The black-robed man's aura faltered once again.
Ning Xuan moved.
The Element Force Sword materialized, this time imbued with the true meaning of his sword art, pushed to its absolute limit. His target was the man's glabella.
PFFT!
The sound of flesh being pierced rang out. Ning Xuan's sword had found its mark.
The black-robed man's eyes bulged in disbelief.
I'm a Holy Realm powerhouse! I was using my strongest defense, yet he still broke through?!
But Ning Xuan, despite his success, his face paled. His all-out attack had landed, yes, but it had barely pierced a centimeter into the man's body. For a Holy Realm expert, such an injury was nowhere near fatal.
The golden light in the man's eyes blazed as he thrust a palm toward Ning Xuan.
However, Ning Xuan simply smiled.
The next moment, PFFT! The Element Force Sword in Ning Xuan's hand plunged deep, piercing straight through the man's forehead.
The man's supposedly fatal palm strike slammed solidly against a Shield that had appeared out of nowhere. It was formed from the same peculiar substance as before.
BOOM!
Just as Ning Xuan was sent flying backward, a large hand, also formed from the substance, caught him gently.
Across from him, the black-robed man staggered back, his eyes wide. In that instant, he understood everything. There was no master. All of the attacks, all of the techniques, had come from the boy himself. That cauldron in his hand was an unparalleled treasure.
Even though his sword had pierced the man's forehead and skewered his Divine Soul, Ning Xuan dared not let his guard down. With a low shout, he attacked again.
BANG!
He brought his weapon down, and the black-robed man's head exploded like a watermelon.
The crisis was averted.
Ning Xuan slumped to the ground, gasping for breath. It might have looked effortless, but facing a Holy Realm powerhouse had required him to focus every ounce of his mind, energy, and spirit. His body and mind had been stretched taut, and now, in this moment of relaxation, he was utterly exhausted.
A moment later, however, he stirred again. The cauldron was acting strangely; he could sense an inexplicable energy circulating within it. Turning his head, he saw that the same side that had previously refined his blood was glowing once more.
A thought struck him, and he directed the Heavenly Sacrifice Cauldron toward the headless corpse. He watched as that side of the cauldron began to vibrate. The headless body, along with the blood that had splattered and dispersed into the air, began to converge and flow into the cauldron.
Before long, the corpse was reduced to a desiccated mummy.
A single drop of liquid, humming with an indescribable aura, flew toward Ning Xuan. Without a second thought, he swallowed it.
Pure energy flooded his body. In that instant, Ning Xuan advanced by a single layer.
This filled him with elation, but it was immediately followed by a sigh.
"Junior Brother, what's wrong?"
Wu Pianpian and the others had been completely stunned by Ning Xuan's victory. He had actually managed to kill a Holy Realm powerhouse! They had quickly returned to the task Ning Xuan had given them, however, so they hadn't seen the Heavenly Sacrifice Cauldron refine the corpse. Hearing his sigh, Wu Pianpian finally came over to ask.
Before he could answer, her eyes darted around. "Where's that guy's body?"
"Over there," Ning Xuan said, pointing at the mummy with a dissatisfied expression. "I refined him, and I only advanced by a single layer."
THUMP!
The girls all choked and stumbled to the ground.
"Junior Brother, do you hear yourself?! He was a Holy Realm Cultivator! A Holy Realm Cultivator! You refined his entire being, and you're complaining?!" Wu Pianpian ground her teeth, fighting the urge to give Ning Xuan a good thrashing.
"Sister Pianpian, Master-Brother is so strong! He refined a Holy Realm Cultivator and only advanced by a single layer," Sanwu's voice chimed in as she stared at Ning Xuan, her eyes filled with tiny, sparkling stars.
Wu Pianpian froze.
That's right. How could I not have thought of that? The entire Essence Blood of a Holy Realm Cultivator only allowed my wretched Junior Brother to advance by a single layer... That's it! The bastard is showing off!
She glanced at the dazed Qian Yourong and the equally worshipful Little White, and a wave of irritation washed over her.
Ning Xuan is too far away to bully... I might as well take it out on his convenient little disciple first!
With that thought, she rapped Sanwu sharply on the head. "What's this 'Master-Brother' nonsense? Are you going to keep working on your sword or not? What about your revenge?"
