Thunder Prison Sky Lock

The morning mist dispersed, but the scent of blood at the bottom of the cliff had yet to fade.

Chu Ning slowly walked back to the cave, Wang Zheng's corpse remaining behind him. The pool of blood reflected the morning light, giving off a dark red sheen. He glanced at the Rusty Saber in his hand, its blade still bearing streaks of dried blood.

A clean, swift cut to the throat.

In this chase, all the people sent by the Wang Family had been wiped out.

He let out a long sigh and stepped into the cave.

Chu Ning's boots crunched over scorched marks on the ground, the star-shaped cracks left by the Little White Fox's uncontrolled Demonic Power.

Ice crystals condensed on the rock walls, intertwined with Thunder Fire, forming bizarre patterns. The residual power of the Mysterious Sun Fruit reshaping the demonic core had turned this small cave into an ice and fire purgatory.

He flicked his finger towards a patch of ice. With a "ding," the fragments of the bronze nail sealed within the ice crystals rained down.

"Even the stones remember that fight..." He rubbed the blood groove on the Rusty Saber. Wang Zheng's fingernails, which had flown off as he died, were still stuck in the crevice.

Chu Ning leaned against the stone wall, closing his eyes in thought.

He was now an elder of the Thunderclap Martial Hall. He had intended to sever all ties between the Wang Family and the martial hall from the start.

Now that Elder Sister was secretly residing in the Thunderclap Martial Hall, it would be difficult for the Wang Family to find her for a while.

Even if the Wang Family eventually discovered Elder Sister's whereabouts, the protection of Hall Master Lei Wanjun would be enough to stabilize the situation for the time being.

If Lei Wanjun couldn't protect her, Li Jing'an would definitely not stand idly by.

After all, the Wang Family had already revealed their connection to the Blood Refining Hall, which involved the secret of the Longevity Pill. Li Jing'an couldn't help but pay attention.

With this thought, his heart settled a little.

But even so, he couldn't let his guard down.

"Shen Yan..." Chu Ning murmured softly.

Although Shen Yan was a shrewd businessman, he might not be able to keep secrets in the face of true gain.

If Shen Yan exposed his identity and whereabouts, he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't be targeted by the Wang Family.

But fortunately, he wouldn't be in a desperate situation immediately.

However, he couldn't rely on luck.

He had to improve his cultivation and strengthen his combat power as soon as possible.

Otherwise, one day, he would have to face the Wang Family directly, and that truly terrifying old ancestor of the Wang Family.

Chu Ning took a deep breath, his mind made up.

He sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to organize his martial arts system.

Ever since he obtained the Chaos Divine Order, he had grown through life and death. Every time he encountered danger, he had to use the Divine Order to pre-emptively gain martial arts.

But now, he had mastered quite a few powerful martial arts, and it was time to sort them out thoroughly.

He sank into the sea of consciousness, and scenes of battle flashed through his mind. The process of using the Chaos Divine Order to pre-emptively gain martial arts each time was clearly replayed.

Hardening Cultivation Technique:

Rough Stone Hardening Technique (Grand Perfection) — Pre-emptive Cost: None; Repayment Cost: Squatting one thousand times with a hundred-jin stone; Repayment completed.

Hundred Steps Penetrating Willow (Great Accomplishment) — Pre-emptive Cost: None; Repayment Cost: Killing thirty people with a bow and arrow; Repayment completed.

Ranked Martial Arts:

Yellow Tier Low-Grade Cultivation Technique, Thunderclap Saber Art (Second Level) — Pre-emptive Cost: Tempering the body with heavenly lightning one hundred times on a stormy night; Repayment Cost: Splitting stones without breaking them; Repayment completed.

Profound Tier Intermediate-Grade Cultivation Technique, Sky-Rending Shadow Flight Technique (Initial Stage) — Pre-emptive Cost: One year of lifespan; Repayment Cost: Killing a Ninth Rank Martial Artist; Not repaid.

Basic Beast Taming Technique, Golden Cudgel Spell — Pre-emptive Cost: None; Repayment Cost: One year of lifespan, one hundred taels of gold; Repayment completed.

Qi Refining Foundation, Chaos Origin Qi Refining Method (Grand Perfection) — Pre-emptive Cost: None; Repayment Cost: None.

He hadn't carefully studied the operating principles of the Chaos Divine Order before, but as he pre-emptively gained more martial arts, he vaguely sensed some clues.

Each pre-emption required a price. The pre-emptive cost for low-grade martial arts was relatively simple.

The more advanced the martial art, the harsher the cost.

These gradually made Chu Ning realize that the Divine Order wouldn't give power for free; its essence was more like an equivalent exchange.

When he pre-emptively gained the Sky-Rending Shadow Flight Technique, his bones became lighter, and his perception of internal airflow increased, meaning the Divine Order's power was not just providing "memory" but also performing a certain level of reinforcement.

But at the same time, the consumption of pre-emption was also increasing, with the depletion of physical strength and lifespan being exceptionally obvious.

In the short term, he had achieved a growth rate beyond that of ordinary people through the Chaos Divine Order, and his strength had greatly increased.

In the long term, the consumption of lifespan made Chu Ning uneasy.

If he continued to improve himself by pre-emptively gaining martial arts, then even if he became a peerless master in the future, he would only be a powerhouse whose lifespan was about to run out.

His fingertips brushed over the new white hair at his temples, and Chu Ning suddenly erupted, swinging his saber!

The Rusty Saber scraped against the cave wall, creating dazzling sparks. Thunderous Force, imbued with anger, smashed the ice crystals sealing the bronze nail.

"Eighteen years of lifespan..." He stared at the falling ice shards, a suppressed chuckle rumbling in his throat. "Enough to smash a few Wang Lins?"

The Little White Fox, carrying a blood-stained strip of cloth in her mouth, rubbed against his palm. It was a Wang Family secret pattern torn from Wang Zheng's corpse.

The scorched edges of the cloth strips bore finger marks identical to the scar Sister got from a branding iron years ago.

"The Chaos Divine Order must be used with caution!"

Chu Ning took a deep breath, his fists clenching slightly.

"I can't keep relying on the Chaos Divine Order without restraint anymore."

He finally realized that if he continued to overdraft his lifespan without limits, even if he reached his peak in a short time, he would quickly decline.

He had to rely on his own cultivation and comprehension, not pin all his hopes on the divine order.

From now on, he would only use it to borrow martial arts in life-or-death situations, avoiding unnecessary consumption of his lifespan.

The most important thing now was to delve deeper into the martial arts he already possessed, improving his combat power through continuous practical combat and understanding.

For future martial arts choices, he would prioritize those that could be cultivated and grown independently, reducing the side effects of borrowing.

With this thought, he sat cross-legged again, beginning to adjust his combat strategy.

Close-quarters offense: Thunderous Force amplified by the Thunderclap Saber Art and Rough Stone Hardening Technique, pursuing explosive power.

Ranged surprise attack: Hundred Steps Penetrating Willow, for remote sniping at opportune moments.

Soul protection: Chaos Origin Qi Refining Method combined with the Void Spirit Bell to conceal his aura and protect his divine soul.

Mobility and evasion: Sky-Rending Shadow Flight Technique; although not yet repaid, it could temporarily assist in evading enemies.

Crowd control and beast taming: Golden Cudgel Spell for assistance, and the Snow Fox could aid in combat at critical moments.

With his thoughts clear, he let out a long sigh.

His combat power had improved significantly compared to before.

In a one-on-one fight, a Ninth Rank martial artist was no longer a threat.

However, when facing true powerhouses, like an Eighth Rank martial artist, he still lacked the confidence of victory.

The gap remained immense when facing a Sixth Grade expert like the Wang Family's ancestor.

The sound of dry branches breaking suddenly came from outside the cave.

Chu Ning's saber edge was already at the cave entrance, but he found the Void Spirit Bell was warning him. Three Blood Ravens were pecking at the eyeballs of Wang Zheng's corpse.

"Crack!"

A miniature bronze nail rolled out from an eyeball crushed by a raven's beak.

After the series of intense battles, he had profoundly realized that while borrowing martial arts through the Chaos Divine Order could bring great improvement, it was ultimately not a long-term solution.

To truly embark on the path of a strong practitioner, he had to rely on his own understanding and tempering, allowing martial arts to be completely integrated into himself, forming his own unique fighting style.

"To completely control one's martial arts is not just about practicing them individually, but more importantly, about how to combine them to unleash power far exceeding that of a single technique."

Chu Ning slowly closed his eyes, recalling his previous fight with Wang Zheng in his mind.

In that moment of life and death, he had unintentionally combined Hundred Steps Penetrating Willow with the Thunderclap Saber Art, causing the arrow to carry the force of thunder. It formed a cage of lightning in the night sky, leaving Wang Zheng with no way to escape.

"If I can control this lightning cage technique, wouldn't that mean I could use arrows to create a binding force, trapping enemies in a lightning prison?"

Chu Ning's eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing within them.

He plunged the Rusty Saber into a crack in the rock and drew his bow, aiming at the Blood Ravens outside.

Thunderous Force climbed along the bowstring and attached to the arrow, but it exploded outwards as soon as it left the string.

Three arrows burst into a net of lightning at the cave entrance, scattering burning blue flames from the startled Blood Ravens' feathers.

"That's not right..." He wiped his cheek, which had been burned by the thunder fire, and suddenly pressed the arrow tip against his saber.

"Zing—!"

The moment the saber hummed and the arrow hissed in resonance, nine lightning patterns formed a cage in the air, freezing the falling raven feathers into a starry map.

Chu Ning's pupils reflected this magnificent killing formation: "This is... the Thunder Prison Sky Lock!"