Ancestor Nanming
Xuanxuan Island is also located in the East China Sea, though extremely far away. Situated in the vast sea, it is isolated, but to some, it is a name that resonates like thunder, for the island's owner is the Ancestor Nanming, one of the Four Great Oddities in the Cultivation World.
His craftsmanship in refining weapons was extraordinary, making him a unique master craftsman in the Cultivation World. Countless experts in the Cultivation World would bow down and beg for a treasure he had crafted, including Bi Changchun, the Number One Expert Under Heaven.
Between the azure sea and sky, facing Xuanxuan Island across the water, lies a vast continent, shrouded in a misty white fog year-round, which even the strongest winds cannot dispel. This continent is more famous in the Cultivation World than Xuanxuan Island; it is known as Cultivation World 'Eastern Pole Sacred Land'.
Because of its proximity to the Eastern Pole Sacred Land, Xuanxuan Island is almost always shrouded in a misty white fog, making it difficult to see the island's appearance clearly. However, unlike the Eastern Pole Sacred Land, Xuanxuan Island, shrouded in white fog, is perpetually illuminated by a red glow, turning the white fog red, and the sound of metal clanging never ceases.
High in the sky, the wind blew and the clouds drifted. Holding his arms, Nong Zhu gazed at the boundless, mist-shrouded Eastern Pole Sacred Land. A rare solemnity appeared on his sharply defined face. Thinking of Bi Changchun's impending entry into this place, likely never to return, he couldn't help but sigh softly.
Although he understood, he still couldn't understand why Bi Changchun insisted on doing this. Was he really tired of living? Wouldn't a carefree life be better? Why did he have to have so many pursuits?
Glancing at Xuanxuan Island shrouded in a reddish haze below, Nong Zhu took out a purplish-black bamboo flute, gently placing the flute holes to his lips, his ten fingers vibrating. In an instant, melodious flute music drifted from the blue sky across the vast sea...
Not long after, a deafening dragon's roar suddenly echoed from the red mist below, and a beam of red light pierced through the mist, shooting towards Nong Zhu at incredible speed. Nong Zhu, beaming, put away his flute. As the red light drew closer, it revealed itself to be a gigantic red Flying Dragon, nearly twenty meters long with a wingspan of almost twenty meters. The two, human and dragon, stood facing each other in mid-air, their proportions utterly distorted.
The Flying Dragon had a ferocious appearance, a massive body, and two powerful legs with sharp claws poised beneath. Its long tail flicked gently, and its fleshy wings flapped in the wind. Its entire body was covered in bumpy, bright red skin. Its gleaming, menacing eyes stared at Nong Zhu, and it flew slightly higher than Nong Zhu, its breath occasionally emitting provocative flames. Judging from the way the human and the dragon acted, it seemed they had met before, and their relationship didn't appear to be very good.
This was none other than the Fire Dragon Beast, the mount of the Ancestor Nanming. If Yue Qianchou were to see it, he would surely be astonished, for it was just like the dragons of Western legends from his previous life.
"Roar..." Flying Dragon suddenly roared at Nong Zhu, then spat out a ball of fierce fire that swept towards Nong Zhu.
"You little beast, so vengeful! You deserve a beating!" Nong Zhu shouted softly, and a transparent protective Gang Qi surged forth, completely unharmed by the fierce flames. The flute in her hand conjured a huge shadow of energy, which she swung down at the ferocious dragon's head.
After a loud "bang," came a painful howl. The Flying Dragon could no longer spew fire from its mouth, but its entire body lunged at Nong Zhu, its fierce claws reaching straight for him.
"You little beast." Nong Zhu chuckled, teleported away, and stood on its massive head. He grabbed one of its horns with one hand and began to pound its head with his flute. A series of howls immediately filled the air as the Flying Dragon spun and swooped down, its head thrashing wildly, trying to shake Nong Zhu off.
With Nong Zhu's cultivation level, how could she possibly escape him like this? No matter how the angle changed, Nong Zhu stood firmly on top, her stick striking again and again. Suddenly, a whooshing sound arose from both sides, and the black, shiny spikes at the ends of two huge fleshy wings stabbed fiercely at each other.
"You little beast, you've actually learned to play dirty tricks, launching a sneak attack!" Nong Zhu swiftly dodged and shot back into the sky. Don't let its enormous size fool you; this Flying Dragon is incredibly fast and possesses formidable strength. Even late Tribulation Transcendence stage wouldn't stand a chance against it. Plus, its thick hide Nong Zhu it extremely resilient. The force of Nongzhu's blows just now could have crushed a small mountain, yet this creature showed no signs of pain, demonstrating its incredible durability.
However, it's not that Nong Zhu can't handle it, and killing it wouldn't be difficult. The key is that if he killed the Ancestor Nanming's mount, the old man would definitely fight him to the death. Therefore, he can only teach it a lesson, not kill it.
"Who dares to bully my mount?" A thunderous shout echoed from Xuanxuan Island, shaking the heavens. The Flying Dragon, hearing this, immediately perked up and swiftly gave chase, seemingly determined to fight to the death. From the air, Nong Zhu coldly retorted, "Old man Nanming, don't give me that crap. Don't tell me you don't know who I am. If you don't tell your little beast to stop, I guarantee Xuanxuan Island will have more meat than it can eat for a month!"
A frustrated shout immediately came from below, "Honghong, come back!" Hearing this, Flying Dragon roared a few times at Nong Zhu in resentment, then turned and quickly flew back into the red mist. Nong Zhu waved in greeting. The voice below shouted again, "Nong Zhu, what are you doing here?"
"Of course I'm looking for you." Nong Zhu laughed and flew down.
The man below seemed to recall something unpleasant and immediately shouted angrily, "Get out! You're not welcome here."
"Hey! Do you think I wanted to come to this godforsaken place? I was forced to come here by Bi Changchun."
"Did Bi Changchun send you to find me?" someone asked, then fell silent. Nong Zhu descended onto the island through the misty red fog.
The entire Xuanxuan Island, covering a considerable area, sits in a cone shape. Although called an island, it's practically indistinguishable from a mountain. The upper half is completely bare, with hardly any weeds to be seen, and many holes have been dug out by humans. In contrast, the lower half is densely forested and lush.
Nong Zhu looked around and suddenly burst into laughter, "Old man from Nanming, it's been a long time!" He then walked over to an old man who was wearing only a pair of red underpants not far away.
The old man was barefoot, his face aged, yet he possessed a muscular physique and a bronze complexion. His full beard stood upright like a hedgehog. Most strikingly, his hair, beard, and eyebrows were all crimson, and even his underpants were red—truly a remarkable sight. The red Flying Dragon was obediently crouching behind him.
"It doesn't matter if we never see each other again," the Ancestor Nanming snorted.
"Hey! You old man, you're so stingy. It's just a little something I ate. But speaking of which, those 'Fire Rock Vajra' seeds of yours really did taste quite good, truly a delicacy, leaving a lingering aftertaste. Besides, it's not like I was the only one who ate them." Nong Zhu said, licking his lips and looking around, seemingly searching for that Fire Rock Vajra.
Upon hearing this, the Ancestor Nanming's eyes widened, and he abruptly turned around to glare at the Flying Dragon behind him. Although the Flying Dragon was enormous, it looked like a child who had made a mistake, its head hanging low with infinite sorrow.
"Spit it out, I don't have the patience for your idle chatter," roared the Ancestor Nanming. At this moment, a young man and woman emerged from the cave on the island. The woman carried a robe, while the man carried a pair of hemp shoes, helping the Ancestor Nanming put them on.
"Tsk tsk! Old man Nanming, I heard you've taken in two more disciples. Are these the two?" Nong Zhu sized up the man and woman, finding them quite handsome, much better looking Ancestor Nanming. He couldn't help but smile and say, "I am Nong Zhu from the South Sea Purple Bamboo Forest. You two juniors might as well visit me sometime. My place is much prettier than your Xuanxuan Island."
When the woman saw that Nong Zhu, such a handsome and dashing man, was staring at her, a blush crept onto her cheeks. Her gaze darted away shyly, and she was suddenly startled when she heard him introduce himself as "Nong Zhu." She exchanged a glance with the man, then immediately stood behind the Ancestor Nanming without looking to the side, ignoring Nong Zhu.
The two had heard from their senior brothers and sisters that this person was one of the master's most disliked individuals. It was said that when the 'Fire Rock Vajra' on the island was laying eggs, Nong Zhu happened to arrive. Taking advantage of the master's inattention, this person conspired with the Fire Dragon Beast to steal and eat the 'Fire Rock Vajra' eggs, nearly causing the island's 'Fire Rock Vajra' to become extinct. Afterwards, he escaped, while the Fire Dragon Beast was severely punished by the master.
"Hey old man Nanming, how come your apprentice is just as impolite as you? He doesn't even greet his seniors," Nong Zhu said unhappily.
"Enough nonsense. The Deficient Flame Mysterious Fruit on Shuntian Island is ripe, Bi Changchun sent you to find me," the Ancestor Nanming asked, straightening his clothes. It seemed he was prepared to travel to Shuntian Island at any moment.
Upon hearing this, Nong Zhu chuckled and said, "Don't even mention the Deficient Flame Mysterious Fruit. Old Bi got too excited and let out a long roar, which made a mess of the entire Shuntian Island and destroyed the Deficient Flame Mysterious Fruit."
"Bi Changchun would get overly excited?" The Ancestor Nanming was taken aback, somewhat puzzled. Someone with Bi Changchun's level of cultivation should have State of Mind as calm as still water; it would be difficult for anything to agitate him.
"Hehe! It was all because of his precious apprentice. The two madmen, one old and one young, are a perfect match." Nong Zhu said with a wink, his expression as if telling the Ancestor Nanming, "Go and see for yourself."
"Is it that He Li?" The Ancestor Nanming was still full of anger, but now that Nong Zhu had aroused his curiosity, he couldn't help but ask again after saying he wouldn't waste words with him.
"He Li? You still remember him?" Nong Zhu paused, then shook her head and said, "That guy was too cautious and timid. He wasn't qualified to be Lao Bi's precious disciple. He was killed by Lao Bi's current disciples. Lao Bi's current disciples are something else! They're complete troublemakers, but Lao Bi still treats them like treasures."
"Bi Changchun has taken on a disciple?" The Ancestor Nanming also somewhat surprised, then realized the conversation had veered off-topic. He frowned and said, "Since the Deficient Flame Mysterious Fruit is destroyed, why did he send you to me? My rules cannot be broken, otherwise the consequences will be endless. You should go back and ask him to replant the Deficient Flame Mysterious Fruit! I won't see you out!" He directly dismissed him...
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