Liaozhai: Immortality Begins with Becoming Yan Chixia's Apprentice

Chapter 73 Guardian Blood Sword

Frost Dragon.

Living in extremely cold places, feeding on ice, and able to exhale freezing air, their strength is comparable to that of a Golden Core cultivator.

The dragon opened its mouth and spewed out a cloud of white, freezing air.

Wherever the freezing air passes, the air freezes into ice.

Zhou Ning quickly dodged, but the freezing air was too fast and still grazed his left arm.

My left arm was instantly frozen and lost all feeling.

Zhou Ning gritted his teeth and channeled his true energy into his left arm to dispel the chill.

At the same time, he pulled out an "evil-repelling talisman" from his waist and threw it at the dragon.

"disease!"

The talisman transformed into a golden ray of light and struck the dragon's head.

"roar!"

The dragon roared, and a charred wound appeared on the ice armor on its head, from which wisps of white smoke rose.

But instead of being injured, it was enraged.

It opened its mouth and spewed out another cloud of freezing air.

Zhou Ning used his lightness technique to dodge and weave through the ice cave.

But the range of the freezing air was too wide, and he simply couldn't avoid it completely.

"No, we'll freeze to death if this continues."

Zhou Ning took out the Buddha relic from his bosom and infused it with his true essence.

The Buddha relic emitted a dazzling golden light, a light that was warm and peaceful, keeping the cold air at bay.

When the dragon saw the Buddha's relics, a hint of fear flashed in its eyes.

It took a few steps back, seemingly intimidated by the power of the Buddha's relics.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhou Ning raised the Buddha relic high, and the golden light grew stronger and stronger, illuminating the entire ice cave as if it were daytime.

The dragon writhed in agony amidst the light, letting out a desperate roar before turning and disappearing into a massive cavern in the ceiling.

Zhou Ning, panting heavily, put away the Buddha relic.

"That was close."

He dared not linger and quickly left the ice cave.

By the time we emerged from the iceberg, it was already dark.

Zhou Ning found a sheltered spot, lit a campfire, and warmed his frozen body.

"The materials for the Foundation Establishment Pill are finally complete."

He took out the dragon's saliva grass, the thousand-year-old lingzhi mushroom, the fire lotus from the earth's core, and the water from the cold pool from his bag and examined them one by one.

The four medicinal herbs each exuded their unique aura, complementing each other.

"It's time to go back."

With the water from the cold pool in hand, the four main ingredients for the Foundation Building Pill were finally gathered.

Zhou Ning carefully put the jade bottle into his bag, placing it together with the dragon's saliva grass, the thousand-year-old lingzhi mushroom, and the earth core fire lotus.

The four medicinal herbs in the bag each exuded their unique aroma, complementing each other.

He took a deep breath, a sense of indescribable satisfaction welling up inside him.

"It's time to go back."

He turned and walked south.

The icy wasteland remained a vast expanse of white, with howling winds and stinging snowflakes hitting the face.

Zhou Ning wrapped his fur coat tighter and circulated his true energy throughout his body to resist the severe cold.

His footprints from when he came were buried by the wind and snow, and he could only rely on his memory and sense of direction to walk back with difficulty.

After walking for a whole day, it gradually got dark.

Zhou Ning found a sheltered icy hill, lit a campfire, and prepared to spend the night there.

The firelight stood out starkly against the white wasteland, dispelling some of the chill.

He sat cross-legged by the fire, closing his eyes and regulating his breathing.

The true energy within the body circulated slowly, bringing a warm and comforting sensation.

The recent days of travel and battles have improved his cultivation level, bringing him one step closer to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

"Once I refine the Foundation Establishment Pill and take it, I should be able to break through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage," Zhou Ning thought to himself.

Just then, a faint sound of footsteps came from afar.

Zhou Ning suddenly opened his eyes and gripped the Qingfeng sword tightly.

On the snow, several dark figures were rapidly approaching.

They moved extremely fast, leaving almost no footprints in the snow, clearly indicating they were practitioners of cultivation.

"Are they from Montenegro again?"

Zhou Ning stood up and looked warily at the dark figures.

The shadowy figure drew closer and closer, soon reaching the range of the campfire's light.

There were four men in black robes, the leader of whom was a thin, middle-aged man with a sinister face.

He held a black longsword in his hand, its blade engraved with strange runes and emanating a faint black aura.

"Zhou Ning, do you think you can escape?" the middle-aged man sneered.

Zhou Ning gripped his Qingfeng sword tightly: "Are you from Black Mountain?"

The middle-aged man nodded: "Blood Sword, one of the four guardians under the Black Mountain Demon."

Zhou Ning felt a chill run down his spine.

The Four Guardians?

Previously, we encountered the Left Protector Mo Yan and the Right Protector You Ming, and now another Blood Sword has appeared.

The Black Mountain Demon's subordinates are indeed spread throughout the world.

How did you know I was here?

Blood Sword said, "Master had long anticipated that you would come to the icy wasteland to search for the water of the cold pool. We have been waiting here for a long time."

He raised his black longsword, and the runes on the blade glowed with an eerie light.

"Hand over the elixir, and I may spare your life."

Zhou Ning sneered: "Dream on."

Blood Sword's face darkened: "You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences. Make your move."

The four men in black robes attacked simultaneously.

Blood Sword brandished his longsword, and a black sword aura shot out, heading straight for Zhou Ning.

The other three men in black robes flanked Zhou Ning from the left and right, their black mist transforming into sharp blades as they slashed towards his vital points.

Zhou Ning was prepared and dodged the sword energy with a swift movement.

At the same time, he slashed out with his sword, and the cyan sword energy knocked a black-robed man on the left to the ground.

"what!"

The man in black robes screamed as a deep wound was slashed open in his chest by the sword energy, and black blood gushed out.

Blood Sword's expression changed: "Kid, you've got some skill."

He formed a mudra with his hands and chanted incantations.

The ground began to tremble, and countless black vines surged out from under the snow, wrapping around Zhou Ning.

It's that same trick again.

This wasn't the first time Zhou Ning had faced this kind of magic.

He used his lightness skill to weave and dodge among the vines, while simultaneously drawing a "talisman to ward off evil" from his waist and throwing it at the blood sword.

"disease!"

The talisman transformed into a golden ray of light, heading straight for the Blood Sword.

Blood Sword snorted coldly and swung his sword, unleashing a black sword aura that shattered the golden light.

"Your talisman is useless against me."

He brandished his longsword and charged toward Zhou Ning like a ghost.

Zhou Ning raised his sword to meet him.

The two swords clashed in mid-air, sending sparks flying.

"Ding! Ding! Ding!"

Swords flashed as the two engaged in a fierce battle on the snow.

Blood Sword's swordsmanship is fierce and unpredictable; each strike carries a dense black aura that can corrode the skin upon contact.

Zhou Ning's swordsmanship is steady and solid, with each strike carrying pure true energy, which counters evil.

The two fought for dozens of rounds without a clear winner.

Seeing this, the other three men in black robes also joined the battle.

Zhou Ning, fighting four opponents alone, gradually fell into a disadvantageous position.

"No, we can't hold out much longer like this."

He suddenly took out the Buddha relic from his bosom and poured his true essence into it.

The Buddha relic emitted a dazzling golden light, a light that was warm and peaceful, carrying a power to purify everything.

Wherever the light touched, the black vines withered, and the black aura on the black-robed man began to dissipate.

Blood Sword's expression changed drastically: "Buddha's relic? Where did you get it?"

Zhou Ning did not answer, but raised the Buddha relic high.

The golden light grew stronger and stronger, illuminating the entire snowfield as if it were daytime.

The people in black robes struggled painfully in the light, and the black aura on their bodies dissipated.

"The information from the Netherworld is inaccurate. Retreat immediately."

Blood Sword gritted his teeth, crushed a black token, and it turned into a wisp of black mist, disappearing into the air.

The other three men in black robes also fled.

Zhou Ning didn't chase after him, but collapsed onto the snow, panting heavily.

"That was close."

He carefully put away the Buddha's relics, stood up, and continued on his way.

In the following days, Zhou Ning did not encounter any more people from Heishan.

He retraced his steps, crossing the icy wasteland, and returned to Northwind City.

Manager Sun was both surprised and delighted to see him return safely.

"Sir, you're finally back! I thought you were..."

Zhou Ning smiled and said, "Don't worry, shopkeeper, I'm tough."

He rested for a day in Northwind City, replenishing his rations and water, before continuing south.