Chapter 256: Challenging the Three Demon Sect Elders

Chapter 256: Challenging the Three Demon Sect Elders

Though the Martial Artists in the tavern were all fierce and ruthless individuals, in the eyes of the Demon Sect experts, they were nothing more than insignificant bugs.

The appearance of the three elders of the Lifeless Dao sent shockwaves through the hearts of everyone present.

Even Qian Sanyuan, the usually unflappable tavern owner, couldn’t help but glance at the three Demon Sect elders, his eyes revealing a trace of astonishment.

Why had the Demon Sect elders come here?

Three ferocious Mystic Beasts stood beside them, their bodies exuding thick Poison Mist that filled the air, corroding the wooden structures and causing them to emit faint crackling sounds.

As the poisonous wind blew past, the wood decayed at an accelerated rate.

Ning Xiaochuan sat calmly on a wooden chair, not even bothering to circulate the Martial Arts Profound Qi within his body. Instead, he directly manipulated the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi, forming a swirling barrier that kept the Poison Mist at bay, three meters away from his body.

Manipulating Heaven and Earth Profound Qi was a Daoist technique.

After cultivating to the Seventh Level of Heaven and Earth Profound Qi, Ning Xiaochuan had gained the ability to control it to a certain extent. He could subtly sense where the Profound Qi in the air was dense or sparse, where it gathered into "Spiritual Nodes," and where it formed "Divine Bridges."

Once one could keenly observe the Spiritual Nodes in nature, they could harness the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi to perform Dao Techniques.

Spiritual Nodes were like springs suspended in the air, continuously gushing forth Profound Qi. However, ordinary people couldn’t perceive their existence at all.

Only by continuously attuning oneself to the heavens and earth could a cultivator locate the source of these Spiritual Nodes and borrow their power to unleash formidable Dao Techniques.

Ning Xiaochuan wasn’t a true Daoist cultivator—he had merely practiced Heaven and Earth Profound Qi—but this allowed him to keenly sense the fluctuations of Profound Qi in nature and detect the locations of Spiritual Nodes.

Of course, he had never trained in Dao Techniques. Even if he could perceive Spiritual Nodes, he could only manipulate the Profound Qi in a basic manner, unable to refine it into actual spells.

At times, Ning Xiaochuan even wondered if the cultivation method of Heaven and Earth Profound Qi might have deep connections to Daoism. If he advanced further in its practice, perhaps it could align with Daoist cultivation techniques.

In truth, Ning Xiaochuan possessed the Demonic Sword within him, and his blood was infused with Annihilation Qi. He had no reason to fear the Poison Qi emanating from the three elders of the Lifeless Dao.

The reason he manipulated Heaven and Earth Profound Qi to block the Poison Qi was merely to create a false impression for the three elders.

Being "immune to all poisons" was one of his trump cards—something he couldn’t afford to reveal lightly. Once others knew, they would take precautions against him and adjust their methods of dealing with him in the future.

Outside the tavern, the central elder of the Lifeless Dao, his head shrouded in a hood with only withered lips visible, spoke in a hoarse voice, "Who summoned us here?"

"I’ve been waiting for you for quite some time."

Ning Xiaochuan picked up a chopstick from the bamboo basket and lightly tapped it against the table, creating a rhythmic pattern.

With each tap, an invisible soundwave rippled from the point of contact, spreading through the air.

Thud.

Thud.

The sound of chopsticks tapping began to influence the heartbeats of everyone present, subtly synchronizing their pulses with the rhythm of the taps. This was an imperceptible influence, one even Martial Artists would struggle to detect.

As Ning Xiaochuan's tapping grew faster, the heartbeats of those in the tavern accelerated as well, pounding like drums, threatening to burst from their chests.

The first to react was the Poison Snake Elder, the strongest among the three Lifeless Dao elders. He awoke with a start, his heart feeling as if it would explode, drenching him in cold sweat.

"Roar!"

The Poison Snake Elder let out a long howl, the sheer force of his voice sending stone slabs flying from the street. A surge of green Profound Qi erupted from his palm, coating dozens of stone slabs in a metallic sheen, transforming them into something as hard as Diamond God Stone before hurtling them toward the tavern.

Ning Xiaochuan remained unperturbed, still seated in his chair. With a flick of his wrist, the chopsticks in his hand shot out.

Whoosh!

The chopsticks turned into a streak of crimson light, piercing through all the stone slabs and reducing them to rubble.

"Thud!"

The chopsticks embedded themselves into a stone wall 100 meters away.

The three Lifeless Dao elders snapped out of their daze, all stepping back simultaneously. That had been far too close—had they reacted even a fraction slower, they might have died to a single chopstick. What a humiliating end that would have been.

"Who the hell are you?" The Poison Snake Elder's eyes gleamed with a venomous, eerie green light, darker than any serpent’s.

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "Ghost Manor. Young Master Chuan."

Those seven simple words not only caused the three Lifeless Dao elders to pale but also made the other thugs in the tavern gape in shock, their jaws nearly hitting the floor.

Him? He was actually the legendary Manor Lord of Ghost Manor, Young Master Chuan?

"No wonder he dared to bring such a beautiful woman here while waiting for someone. Turns out he’s a major demonic figure—of course he wouldn’t care about small fry like us."

"I actually considered making a move on that beauty earlier. Thank the heavens I hesitated—otherwise, I’d be nothing but bone dust by now."

"Young Master Chuan is ranked seventeenth on the 'Evil and Demon Ranking List.' Good heavens, a villain of that caliber is sitting just three tables away from me!"

Even the tavern owner, Qian Sanyuan, was taken aback, his gaze lingering on Ning Xiaochuan with deep contemplation.

The Poison Snake Elder’s expression turned grave. "Young Master Chuan, the Lifeless Dao and Ghost Manor have no history of conflict. Why have you summoned us here?"

Ning Xiaochuan said, "With so many of your Lifeless Dao experts gathered in the Imperial City, isn’t it obvious you’re eyeing its interests?"

"You misunderstand," the Poison Snake Elder replied. "We came to the Imperial City to apprehend a murderer, not to stake a claim here."

He had heard of Young Master Chuan’s infamy—a notorious figure in the Imperial City.

To the Lifeless Dao, a sect with a thousand-year legacy, the newly risen Ghost Manor was nothing to fear. But even a mighty dragon wouldn’t provoke a local serpent. The Poison Snake Elder had no desire to provoke Ghost Manor, which was why he remained courteous to Young Master Chuan.

Ning Xiaochuan had come specifically to deal with the three elders of the Lifeless Dao, so he naturally showed them no courtesy. With a cold laugh, he said, "To capture a mere murderer, you actually dispatched three elders of the Demon Sect? Whose face is so big that it warrants such a move?"

Though the Poison Snake Elder had no desire to provoke Young Master Chuan, it didn’t mean he feared him. Suppressing his anger, he replied, "This murderer killed the young master of our Lifeless Dao and is also the Minor Marquis of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House. Isn’t it only fitting that the Lifeless Dao sends three elders to apprehend him?"

Ning Xiaochuan responded rudely, "Get lost and crawl back to where you came from. The Imperial City has its own rules for distributing interests. If your Demon Sect tries to interfere, you’ll only meet a dead end. Just getting past Ghost Manor alone is impossible for you."

"Big brother, why waste words on this brat? Don’t think Ghost Manor is anything special. They’re just making waves in the Imperial City—in front of our Lifeless Dao, they’re nothing but a bunch of worthless trash," the Scorpion Elder growled.

"Worthless trash? Scorpion Elder, you’ve got quite the mouth," Ning Xiaochuan’s voice turned icy, carrying a chilling aura as he fully displayed the imposing demeanor of an overlord of the unorthodox path.

Even Situ Fengwu, standing behind Ning Xiaochuan, was startled. If she hadn’t known the true identity of this Manor Lord of Ghost Manor, she might have been overwhelmed by his overwhelming presence.

Though Ning Xiaochuan was arrogant, his martial prowess was indeed terrifying—enough to rival the older generation of martial experts.

Situ Fengwu knew Ning Xiaochuan’s cultivation was impressive, but compared to the three elders of the Lifeless Dao, he was still far inferior.

"If people were to find out that the Manor Lord of Ghost Manor couldn’t even defeat the three elders of the Lifeless Dao, their opinion of Ghost Manor would plummet. They wouldn’t fear Young Master Chuan anymore."

Amused, Situ Fengwu couldn’t help but want to see Ning Xiaochuan defeated by the three elders—it would be a devastating blow to Ghost Manor.

Among the three elders of the Lifeless Dao, the Scorpion Elder struck first, spewing a stream of golden poison mist that condensed into a bridge of toxic fog, slashing toward Ning Xiaochuan.

"Boom!"

Ning Xiaochuan remained seated firmly in his chair as his essence, energy, and spirit erupted at the Martial Venerable level.

The phantom of the Annihilation Path Founder materialized behind him, towering 27 meters tall, shattering the tavern’s roof and radiating boundless Annihilation Qi.

The sheer force of this overwhelming pressure instantly shattered the poison mist bridge launched by the Scorpion Elder.

"Martial Soul Avatar!"

The Scorpion Elder paled in shock, staring at the colossal figure behind Ning Xiaochuan as he staggered back, feeling an irresistible urge to kneel in submission.

The invincible might of the Annihilation Path Founder struck fear even into the hearts of the Demon Sect elders.

The eruption of Ning Xiaochuan’s essence, energy, and spirit, combined with the phantom of the Annihilation Path Founder, led the Scorpion Elder to mistakenly believe that the phantom was Ning Xiaochuan’s Martial Soul Avatar.

Not just the Scorpion Elder—everyone present thought the same, convinced that Young Master Chuan had summoned his Martial Soul Avatar to force the Scorpion Elder into retreat.

Martial Soul Avatars are inherently diverse, with each Martial Artist's Martial Soul Avatar being unique. Even if Ning Xiaochuan's Martial Soul Avatar appears as a female phantom, no one would doubt its authenticity.

It would be truly bizarre if the Manor Lord of Ghost Manor, a figure of such stature, lacked the cultivation of a Martial Venerable and couldn’t manifest a Martial Soul Avatar.

The most shocked person present was undoubtedly Situ Fengwu, her heart pounding fiercely. Could it be... could it be that Ning Xiaochuan, at just eighteen years old, had already reached the Martial Venerable realm?

This was precisely the outcome Ning Xiaochuan desired—not only to kill the three elders of the Lifeless Dao but to do so in the most intimidating manner, fully showcasing the dominance and power of Young Master Chuan, the Manor Lord of Ghost Manor.