Cultivation Starting from Full Talent
Chapter 699 - 697: Chaos Rift

Chapter 699: Chapter 697: Chaos Rift

"Swish, swish, swish~~~"

In the instant Ning Daoran charged forward, threads of the Golden Silk Sword seeped out from his skin, transforming into streams of radiant light swirling around him. At the same time, defensive treasures such as the Fire Dragon Treasure Cauldron, Earth Gold Cauldron, Fire Cloud Shield, Cold Dragon Stone Plate, and Lingxiao Mist Dream Bracelet soared into the air one after another, making him appear like a warrior fully clad in armor and shields, charging valiantly at a powerful enemy.

The offense was merely a facade; the true intent was to draw the opponent’s attention.

"You still dare to seek death?!"

Ghostly Star Monarch’s eyes blazed with murderous intent.

As he raised his hand, the Ten Thousand Ghost Spirit Towers opened wide, the base of the tower transforming into a black hole-like vortex. Countless vengeful spirits surged forth in torrents, relentlessly crashing against Ning Daoran’s figure, attempting to forcibly drag him into the tower!

"Young Friend Ning!"

Lin Tiannan abruptly turned his head, his face full of shock, unable to decipher why Ning Daoran was doing this.

"Fellow Daoist Ning, what are you..."

Sea Covering Monarch was also utterly baffled.

At that moment, a figure silently appeared atop a nearby mound of dirt—it was a Spiritual Deer radiating divine brilliance. Its snow-white fur gleamed, and its crystal-clear double horns shimmered with an ethereal luminescence.

"Yoo yoo~~~"

Big Stupid Deer raised its front hooves, its entire body glowing with divine light. Between its two antlers, golden Divine Thunder crackled incessantly. In an instant, three bolts of Reincarnation Life and Death Divine Light struck Ghostly Star Monarch!

"Hmm?"

Ghostly Star Monarch spun around sharply, his sinister eyes fixating on the Big Stupid Deer. "You wretched beast! Why use sorcery to tickle this old man?"

But in the very next moment, his body trembled violently as he realized that, after being struck three times by the divine light, his lifespan was rapidly diminishing. The intense perception of old age and impending death surged from the depths of his soul, making him feel as though he was on the verge of collapsing into decrepitude. His mana drained away uncontrollably.

"You..."

Ghostly Star Monarch glanced at the Big Stupid Deer, then at Ning Daoran, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Having roamed the cultivation world for over a thousand years, he had never encountered a divine ability capable of directly depleting an opponent’s lifespan. Yet he was only a step away from ascending to the Earth Immortal Realm—rumor had it that upon successfully ascending, he could gain substantial lifespan from the spiritual energy rules of the Earth Immortal Realm. If he were to perish here, it would be a tragedy he could not resign himself to!

"You vile creature!!!"

Ghostly Star Monarch roared in anger and quickly summoned the Ten Thousand Ghost Spirit Towers to smash them down toward Ning Daoran.

However, at that very moment, Big Stupid Deer shook its head again, golden thread-like Divine Thunder leaping between its antlers. "Swish, swish, swish!" Five consecutive bolts of Reincarnation Life and Death Divine Light struck Ghostly Star Monarch once more!

With his lifespan exhausted, he died instantaneously!

In just a blink of an eye, Ghostly Star Monarch’s aura dissipated, his life extinguished completely. He fell lifelessly from the sky, turning into a corpse.

Simultaneously, his flourishing Nascent Soul suddenly lost all vitality. Its blood qi was depleted, its primordial spirit annihilated—it didn’t even qualify to become Little Qing’s breakfast and disintegrated directly into ash!

...

"This..."

Lin Tiannan stood there, utterly dumbfounded.

"Fellow Daoist Ning..."

Sea Covering Monarch looked shocked and transmitted his voice over, saying, "How... how could this person be killed instantly?"

"Fellow Taoist Fu Hai may not be aware, but Old Lu, upon advancing to Nascent Soul, acquired an innate divine ability—a technique that directly attacks the opponent’s lifespan. It is called the Reincarnation Life and Death Divine Light. This matter has always been a secret of mine, so I hope Fellow Daoist will help me keep this confidential!"

"Of course!"

Sea Covering Monarch was deeply shaken. To think such a divine ability existed in the world—it was practically heaven-defying!

If this were true, no cultivator in the mortal realm would dare to oppose Ning Daoran. After all, the ability to directly deplete lifespan was too terrifying—any cultivator would be deeply apprehensive! Correct content is on

Ning Daoran promptly collected Ghostly Star Monarch’s storage ring and storage bag, then retrieved the fallen Ten Thousand Ghost Spirit Towers before catching up to the two of them and retreating into the woods.

"City Lord Lin."

He exerted a burst of mana, enveloping the Ten Thousand Ghost Spirit Towers and pushing it toward Lin Tiannan.

"City Lord Lin sacrificed your life-bound item, Spirit Dragon Sleeve Sword, to protect the retreat of everyone. Let this Ten Thousand Ghost Spirit Towers serve as compensation. Please, do accept it!"

"This..."

Lin Tiannan hesitated for a moment. Though the Ten Thousand Ghost Spirit Towers belonged to the Demon Path, it was indeed a formidable treasure. Even if he didn’t intend to use it himself, he could exchange it for other treasures he needed. Finally, he gratefully accepted it, saying, "Thank you, Young Friend Ning!"

"It’s what I should do."

Ning Daoran held a storage ring in his hands and said, "The storage ring of Ghostly Star Monarch—I shall keep it. To be honest with the two of you, Old Lu’s attack on Ghostly Star Monarch’s lifespan to slay him required an enormous cost. Therefore, the treasures inside this storage ring... consider them as nutrition fees for Old Lu. I trust neither of you have any objection?"

"Naturally so."

The two Great Cultivators nodded in agreement.

Ning Daoran said, "City Lord Ning hasn’t gone far yet. Should the three of us escort him for a bit? After all, City Lord Ning is our Eastern Wasteland Cultivation World’s Divinity Transformation. He must not be harmed!"

"Agreed."

Lin Tiannan said, "Allow me to say this—Young Friend Ning has already consecutively slain Eight Desolates Star Monarch and Ghostly Star Monarch, two Divinity Transformations of the North Sea. That counts as an unparalleled achievement for the Eastern Wasteland. At this point, even if we retreat, no one would have grounds to criticize."

"City Lord Lin praises too highly."

Ning Daoran furrowed his brows and said, "In truth, how could it be considered my achievement alone? Without the three of us fighting with all our might, I fear I wouldn’t have even been able to pass the hurdle of Eight Desolates Star Monarch."

The three exchanged a smile.

Indeed, the combat strength of the Divinity Transformation Stage far exceeded that of the Nascent Soul Stage. No matter how talented a Nascent Soul might be, defeating a Divinity Transformation Stage cultivator was exceedingly difficult.

Thus, the three transformed into streaks of tunneling light and followed Ning Tianyi and the others.

"Young Friend Ning."

Ning Tianyi was covered in blood and his aura was weak, but he still managed to muster a light of tunneling flight to continue. He said, "I sensed the disappearance of the auras of Eight Desolates Star Monarch and Ghostly Star Monarch, both Divinity Transformations. What has happened? Could it be that these two have returned to the North Sea through the chaos rift?"

"Reporting to City Lord Ning, these two Divinity Transformations have already perished," Ning Daoran truthfully reported.

"What?!"

Ning Tianyi turned pale with shock. The people he couldn’t kill—did these three Nascent Souls really manage to kill them?

Sea Covering Monarch smiled and said, "City Lord Ning, this is a long story. Let us not discuss it now. Please return to the Immortal Boat quickly to focus on healing your wounds. The battlefield is unpredictable and extremely dangerous. This place is not safe."

"Understood!"

Ning Tianyi continued onward.

Beside him, Ning Mingyu cast Ning Daoran a gentle smile, then looked at Ning Tianyi, deeply worried for her father’s injuries.

Longque Wanderer kept one hand behind his back, guarding the group as he gazed at Ning Daoran with a smile. He transmitted his voice, "I didn’t expect, after departing Guiru City, Brother Ning would grow to such a level—to not only engage in bloody battle against Divinity Transformations but even slay them..."

"It’s nothing like that,"

Ning Daoran replied, "The deaths of those two Divinity Transformations were purely a matter of taking advantage of opportunities, while City Lord Lin and Fellow Taoist Fu Hai played crucial roles. Without them, it would have been impossible. Brother Long Que, where is the Sea Dragon Immortal Boat?"

"Another twenty miles to go."

Longque Wanderer sighed, "This battle has inflicted heavy losses on Guiru City. Alas, none of us anticipated the North Sea Cultivation World would be this formidable."

"Indeed."

Ning Daoran nodded.

The cultivators from Guiru City were all in a somber mood. Ning Tianyi had been gravely injured by a sneak attack, and the odds of him ascending during this descent were slim. Awaiting the next opportunity to ascend the Ascension Platform was uncertain at best.

For Guiru City, the turn of events was a calamity of unprecedented scale!

...

Before long, a Sea Dragon Immortal Boat appeared amidst the clouds.

This area was the Eastern Wasteland Cultivation World’s primary stronghold. Surrounding regions were teeming with immortal boats, guarded by numerous cultivators, making it relatively safe.

Ning Tianyi led the group aboard the Immortal Boat. Without saying much, he clasped his hands apologetically, then entered the cabin to begin closed-door recovery.

Ning Daoran seated himself cross-legged on the deck.

Though this battle had left him gravely wounded, Lin Tiannan and Sea Covering Monarch relished the precious opportunity to converse.

Thus, the three Nascent Souls seized the time to recover their mana and heal their bodies. Meanwhile, Ning Mingyu and Longque Wanderer stood watch nearby, silent, with heavy hearts.

Two days later.

A figure stormed into view, a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator with injuries so severe that his chest was stained in blood. Suspended from his waist was a Slaying Immortal Tower token.

"Fellow Daoist Chen?"

Sea Covering Monarch furrowed his brows and asked, "Are you wounded?"

"A minor injury—nothing to worry about."

The Nascent Soul cultivator, surnamed Chen, shook his head with a laugh. "It’s good that you’re all here. Tower Master Shen sent me back to heal, and to inform you three that after you killed the Eight Desolates and Ghostly Star Monarchs in succession, our Eastern Wasteland Cultivation World now holds the upper hand. We’ve pushed the front line all the way to the edge of Tanghua Forest. Tower Master Shen plans to lead an offensive through the Chaos Rift into the North Sea itself and asks for your immediate assistance."

"So be it."

Sea Covering Monarch stood up, saying, "Fellow Daoist Ning, City Lord Lin, have the two of you recovered?"

Ning Daoran rose gracefully, "I am fully restored."

Lin Tiannan dusted off his battle garments and smiled, "I, too, am back at seventy percent strength."

"Very well, then. Let us proceed and rendezvous with Tower Master Shen!"

"Agreed!"

The Immortal Boat trembled slightly as the three Nascent Souls departed together.

"Brother..."

Ning Mingyu ran out of the cabin, but only caught a glimpse of Ning Daoran’s back as he left, unable to even utter a farewell.

...

Along the way, the battlefield lay in ruins.

The ground was littered with the broken remains of human clan and spiritual beast corpses, while the air brimmed with various chaotic residual souls. Ning Daoran frowned, barely able to fathom the intensity of the battle. If he were to use Soul Search here, the results would be a jumbled mess.

Up ahead, wounded Eastern Wilderness cultivators retreated in droves—evidence of the devastating combat raging at the front lines.

The three Nascent Souls wasted no time, their tunneling lights streaking directly toward the front line.

Soon, they reached the edge of Tanghua Forest, where the sea of ravaged begonia flowers gave way to the horizon. Floating high in the air, an ethereal ribbon-like fissure shimmered—the chaos rift leading directly into the North Sea!

Ning Daoran narrowed his eyes.

The chaotic aura emanating from within the rift was astonishingly familiar to him as someone cultivating Chaos Spiritual Power.

"Retreat—all forces withdraw to the North Sea!"

A commanding voice reverberated across the battlefield. The speaker was none other than North Sea’s Divinity Transformation Cultivator, Snake Spirit Star Monarch!