Slaying Manla

Yang Ning picked some leaves from the tree and wove them into a huge umbrella. As he rode Afanti leisurely towards the village, the Outer Disciples' camp was greeted by a young girl in a red dress, lightly made up, who looked clear and bright.

"Sister Yun Lang, I've come to see you!"

"Yuanxi?" Yun Lang smiled when he saw the person. There were many female cultivators in Taiheng, but most of them were maids. People like Lin Yuanxi were a minority. Naturally, the few female cultivators became good friends.

"Aren't you someone who rarely leaves the house? How come you have time to come see me?" Yun Lang asked with a smile.

"Oh dear, I sometimes come out to enjoy the scenery too!" Yuanxi laughed awkwardly, then looked around at the surroundings. They were in a spacious hall, which was the registration hall of the outer gate.

"The scenery here in the outer sect can't compare to that in the inner sect!" Yun Lang pouted, then asked, "By the way, you can sing?"

"Look at what you're saying, who can't sing?" Yuanxi laughed.

"Everyone can sing it, but not many can sing it as well, and your songs are all original." Yun Lang asked softly, "Who is Yang Jian, the lyricist and composer of your songs? I've never heard of him."

"Uh, just a friend!" Yuanxi said evasively.

This was ancient times, an era of strict separation between men and women. Even though Yuanxi became a cultivator and had some autonomy in marriage, it was still not much.

She dared not reveal her relationship; at the very least, Yang Ning should come to her door to propose marriage first.

"Oh, my friend!" Yun Lang nodded. "If he doesn't want to talk about it, that's fine. I was thinking of asking him to write a few songs for me too. I feel like I have a talent for singing!"

Yuanxi smiled, but inwardly scoffed, "How could that be!"

Yang Jian belongs only to me!

"By the way, I heard you just brought back Outer Disciple from the Ascension Academy?" Yuanxi asked casually.

"Yeah, I told the Dean to bring him back in six months with the graduates, but Dean wouldn't agree, saying it would waste the geniuses' time!" Yun Lang shrugged. "There was nothing I could do but bring him back!"

"Is that so!" Yuanxi nodded, then asked, "Where is the person? Were they settled in so quickly?"

"No!" Yun Lang's face lit up immediately. "That child said he wanted to take the entrance test, so I sent him away!"

"What?" Yuanxi was stunned, her face immediately darkening. "You mean that because so many people died and their Dao hearts were shattered, no one participated, so the trial was changed into an introductory trial?"

"Yes!" Yun Lang nodded.

"How could you do this? He doesn't know anything! He hasn't even learned any outer sect Cultivation Method!!" Yuanxi immediately became anxious. "You're ruining him!"

"Look at what you're saying! If he knew, how could he possibly be willing to participate? If he had already arranged our outer sect's Cultivation Method, he wouldn't be able to participate in the trial!" Yun Lang shrugged. "Besides, this isn't really harming him. If his Dao heart is firm and his strength is great, he might be able to pass the trial. As for what kind of treatment he'll receive in the sect after passing the trial, you know that too!"

"He didn't even know anything about the trial, which shows he comes from a small, insignificant Lineage. It's just luck that he got this chance to try his luck!"

At this point, Yun Lang suddenly felt something was amiss. "Wait, it's one thing for you to suddenly come looking for me, but to argue with me over an Outer Disciple... you wouldn't happen to know that Outer Disciple, would you?"

At this point, Yuanxi no longer cared about hiding anything. "He's not from a noble Lineage at all; he's from a commoner background. How could he possibly know these things? It's my fault, all my fault! Why didn't I tell him!"

"You actually know him? And judging from the looks of it, you like him?" Yun Lang was shocked. Lin Yuanxi, who came to the Taiheng Sect to escape an arranged marriage and whose life consisted of nothing but cultivation, was actually in love?

"Mmm!" Yuanxi nodded emphatically, then whispered, "But you absolutely mustn't tell anyone about this. By the way, is there any way to get him out?"

"I'm just a lowly outer sect elder, how dare I interfere with the entry trial rules set forth in the <Taiyi Agreement>?" Yun Lang rolled his eyes. "I want to live a few more years!"

"What should we do?" Yuanxi looked worried. After all, some disciples who had participated in the trials in the past had become inner disciples, so she knew a little about the content of the trials.

This trial is a comprehensive test of one's will, spirit, mentality, and combat strength. Since its inception, no one has been able to pass it perfectly. Brother Ning, can you do it?

"What codename did he choose? How's his performance so far?" Yuanxi asked.

"His name is Bai Qi. He just went in, so his battle record should be... huh?" Yuanxi pulled over a jade screen, and after some manipulation, exclaimed in surprise, "He's already collected three stones!"

This is amazing! I encountered an enemy right after landing, and I even managed to kill them!

"Three pieces? Does that mean we can come back after seven more?" Yuanxi breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, as expected of Brother Ning!

After speaking, she clasped her hands together and began to pray. "May Brother Ning have all his wishes fulfilled and may his trials go smoothly."

Yun Lang reminded him from the side, "It's no use. That area has been sealed off by a powerful being. Heavenly Spirit-Word Spell's blessing won't get through!"

"This"

~~~~~~~~~~~

Yang Ning lay on the camel, seemingly relaxing, but he was multitasking, conducting scientific research, studying Cultivation Method, and controlling ants to outwit and Zhang Qizi.

After a while, the man and the camel finally arrived at a small village.

The signboard for "Yuntang Town" was so weathered by wind and sand that the characters were almost illegible. Only after careful examination could one recognize that it was not a village, but rather a town.

However, this town is too small, with only Hundred Commander households. The houses are low and all built of yellow mud and sand.

The villagers coming and going wore thick cloth shirts and scarves on their heads. The men had dull faces and dark skin, while the women had equally dull eyes and flushed faces.

Yang Ning felt as if he had arrived in an extremely impoverished rural area, lacking water, electricity, and education.

How many years had it been since he'd seen such a scene? Even in the countryside of the Yue Kingdom, it hadn't been this tragic!

Upon seeing outsiders arrive, a young man squatting at the village entrance brightened up and shouted, "Camel, my camel!"

As he spoke, he rushed towards Yang Ning, but he wasn't fast and was limping.

Yang Ning glanced at the injury on his leg, then swung his sword down from his superior position.

So the sequence of events is clear: Cun Huo robbed his camel and also stabbed him with a sword.

"Afeng!" A roar rang out behind the young man, and another burly man ran out from behind the wall, caught up with the young man in a few strides, hugged him tightly, and then bowed and scraped to Yang Ning, saying, "It's alright, sir, he's a simpleton. He thinks everyone's camel is his own. I'll take him away right now!"

"Camel, my camel!" Afeng persisted and tried to chase after the camel. The camel recognized Afeng and walked towards him.

"Ah Feng!" The burly man slapped Ah Feng across the face in a fit of rage, leaving the crazed Ah Feng momentarily stunned.

"Stop howling, your camel is dead!"

"I"

Yang Ning was speechless. He had stolen the camel from a robber, and now it was as if he was the robber.

That's Cun Huo. How much is a camel worth? You have hundreds of thousands of taels in your Storage Bag. Why not just give him some money?

"Fellow villager!" Yang Ning took out a piece of silver, about 20 taels, from his Storage Bag and threw it over. "This camel should indeed belong to Afeng. Consider this money as payment for the camel. Do you think it's enough?"

"Enough, enough!" The burly man felt the weight of the silver coins and immediately shouted.

With the money, Afeng immediately stopped shouting. After all, camels were tools of production, not family members. With the money, he could buy another one.

"By the way, I have another question for you. What's the nearest city around here?" Yang Ning asked.

Given the nature of cultivators, they would never eat dirt in the desert; they would definitely seek out big cities. Yang Ning, in order to collect the Purple Heart Stones, must also go to places where cultivators gather.

"Um, head that way, there's a Mufang City about two hundred miles away," the burly man pointed.

Yang Ning was speechless; this was the direction he had come from.

He didn't even look in that direction when he was experimenting with Spiritual Manifestation; he completely missed it!

"Alright!" Yang Ning mounted the camel and was about to move forward when he suddenly remembered something and said, "Never mind, I'd better go into the village and have some water first, is that alright?"

"Of course!" the burly man said with a smile.

They knew how strong the person who stole Afeng's camel was.

The camel is now beneath this person, while the other person has vanished; clearly, this person is more powerful than the other.

How dare they stop them?

"My Afu, and his name is Afeng." On the way, the strong man introduced the town to Yang Ning: "It is said that the village was not like this before. Our place used to be lush with water and grass, and there was a pond that looked like a cloud. But that was hundreds of years ago."

"All the capable people in the village have left; now only a few dozen households remain, barely clinging to life."

"Why don't you go out?" Yang Ning asked. "I see that you and Afeng are both quite strong; making a living shouldn't be too difficult for you!"

"We can't all leave, otherwise there won't be anyone to do the heavy work, and a sandstorm will wipe out the whole village!" Afu led Yang Ning into a house.

Having grown accustomed to the vast spaces created by the Meso-Sumeru Technique Sumeru, this small 30-square-meter room feels utterly unfamiliar.

However, Yang Ning still sat down.

Before long, another girl, wearing a red cotton-padded jacket, with messy hair but a fairly pretty face, came in carrying a bowl of water.

"This is my little sister Aru!" Afu looked at Yang Ning, who was about to put water in her mouth, and said eagerly, "If you're staying here tonight, sir, let Aru keep you company!"

"Pfft!" Yang Ning spat out the mouthful of water he had just taken a sip of. He quickly wiped his mouth and said, "No need for that."

"Don't feel embarrassed. It's our custom to serve our most honored guests with our own sister!" Afu laughed. "By the way, would you like some water? Don't let the fact that this place is all desert fool you; the water is all from deep wells, and it's very sweet!"

"Oh, oh!" Yang Ning picked up the bowl and brought it to his lips, Afu's face immediately became eager.

But after thinking about it, he put it down again, and Afu's expression instantly turned even more unpleasant.

Pick up, put down; pick up, put down.

Eager, ugly, eager, ugly!

After this happened several times, Afu finally realized something was wrong. "You bastard, are you playing me?"

"How did I tease you?" Yang Ning laughed. "Is it wrong for me to work out my biceps before drinking water?"

Afu didn't know what a biceps brachii was; he simply pulled a dagger from his waist and slammed it heavily onto the table in front of Yang Ning: "Let me tell you, you're going to drink this water today, whether you like it or not!"

"You were so afraid of me just now, how come you weren't afraid anymore after I went inside?" Yang Ning asked. "Was it that thing that gave you confidence?"

Afu turned his head and looked around. In their room, where the furniture was dilapidated and even the bowls had a chipped corner, there was a square, exquisitely designed wooden box placed at the doorway. It looked very out of place no matter how you looked at it.

"That's right!" Afu nodded. "This thing is called Cultivation Detection Box. It can detect the cultivation level of outsiders. You don't even have any Qi and Blood. You're just an ordinary person. I was actually scared by you just now!"

"I have no cultivation?" Yang Ning chuckled, then asked, "Then what about this camel? The person who stole the camel must have been a cultivator!"

"Who knows what you'll do? Maybe you'll resort to some tricks, but let me tell you, all tricks are useless against absolute power!" Afu coldly tapped the table. "Drink some water!"

"Found it!" Yang Ning said softly.

"What?" Afu was stunned for a moment, then felt a flash of white light, and then his head was split in two.

Looking inside the split head, the white brain matter was covered with flat, six-legged worms the size of rice grains, completely white except for a touch of red at the tip of their tails.

"Ah!" Aru screamed from the side, only to follow in Afu's footsteps.

Her brain was also covered in these worms!

Yang Ning's trypophobia was triggered by the sight, and she instantly got goosebumps all over her body.

He pointed, and electricity was generated, killing all the insects.

Yang Ning darted out of the room and encountered A Feng, who was untying the rope that had been attached to a camel on the pillar. He killed A Feng with a single sword strike.

After landing, he felt like the wind was blowing under his feet, and in a few steps he ran out of the village, then sprinted off in one direction!

"Oh no, we've been spotted!" 140 kilometers away in the sand dunes, a chubby boy suddenly stood up, turned around, and ran.

But soon he felt a series of loud bangs, like cannonballs exploding, behind him. The chubby boy mustered his courage and looked back, only to be terrified. "Walking on air? Who the hell is this young master who came in?"

Yang Ning was already able to walk on air when he reached the Fifth Level of Body Refinement Hundred Transformations Realm of Physical Body, but that doesn't mean the technique is simple.

Because walking on air requires extremely precise control of Qi and Blood, it demands exceptional calculation ability—pure mathematical talent!

Let alone ordinary Body Refinement Realm cultivators, even some cultivators who have manifested their spirits and opened their divine seas still cannot do it!

Not being able to walk on air doesn't necessarily make someone weak, but being able to walk on air definitely makes someone strong!

Nothing on the ground can compare to something that flies in the sky, especially when it's fat.

After running for several dozen meters, he finally realized he couldn't run any further, so he simply found an open space to stand, and then took out various jars and pots and started scattering them on the ground.

By the time Yang Ning arrived in front of him, the panic on his face had vanished without a trace, replaced by an air of confidence and certainty!

"Brother, you're a strong one. Our fight is like two tigers fighting, there's absolutely no need for that!" The chubby boy looked at the newcomer and reached out to take out a piece of azure-colored stone. "This is a piece of Jade Crystal, worth ten Spirit Stones. Spare me, and this Spirit Stone is yours!"

"Ha, even if I kill you, the Jade Crystal will still be mine!" Yang Ning said coldly.

"What you're saying is true. I'm certainly no match for you in a direct fight, but you've let me stay here for half an hour. I've already laid a trap around myself. Even if you kill me, you'll be severely injured yourself. How will you face your future enemies then?" the chubby boy said. "But if you let me go, you'll not only get the Jade Crystal, but you'll also gain my friendship. My name is Manla!"

"Manla, the South Sea Man Family?" Yang Ning asked.

"That's right!" Manla nodded proudly. The South Sea Man Family, and indeed a super power, occupies a territory larger than the South Sea where the Hundred Nations Battlefield is located!

It is also the head of the Four Great Families outside of the sect.

The other three families are the North Sea Yuan Family, the North Sea Mu Family, and the South Sea Tan Family.

Aside from a handful of powerful figures, who wouldn't bow down to the Man Family?

"We disciples of the Taiheng Sect are not allowed to reveal our family backgrounds, so why don't you small sects and Lineage hide anything?" Yang Ning didn't know why, and could only attribute it to the saying that it's easier to mess with the King of Hell than with his underlings.

"What did you put in the people of that town? What are those six-legged worms?" Yang Ning dared not recall it; the thought made him feel nauseous.

"That's not a bug, that's called Red-tailed Heart-controlling Gu, it's a Gu!" the chubby boy said proudly.

"What's the difference between Gu and insects?" Yang Ning asked again.

"Insects are naturally born and raised, but Gu are carefully cultivated by our Man Family through tempering Qi and Blood, refining Spiritual Qi, and nurturing them generation after generation. They possess all sorts of magical abilities!" The chubby boy said arrogantly, completely unaware that what he was saying had touched upon the Man Family's secrets!

"What's so special about that water?" Yang Ning thought about how both the Cun Huo and the villagers really wanted him to drink it.

"I added Shakko to the water, an addictive drug!" Manla said.

Yang Ning was shocked. This world even has something like this?

Looking at the chubby boy in front of him again, Yang Ning's eyes became even calmer and deeper.

"What have you set up here?" Yang Ning asked again.

"Hmph, you're ignorant!" The chubby boy said, arms crossed, "That thing in front of me, which I can neither see nor touch, is our Man Family's secret: the Brocade Scale Worm. This insect eats everything, and can even bite a hole in steel!"

"Beneath the sand are White Wave Worms I've planted. These worms not only gnaw on the sand but also release poisonous gas. If you dare enter this area, you'll be knocked unconscious; even the Ninth Level of Body Refinement won't be able to withstand it!"

"And another thing..." The chubby boy was getting into his story when he suddenly sensed something was wrong.

His eyes darted around, and he suddenly cleared up. Recalling what he had just done, his mind went completely blank. "You, what did you just do?"

"I didn't do anything. Wasn't it just that you got the urge to show off and offered to explain things to me?" Yang Ning said, shrugging.

"How could that be? These are all closely guarded secrets of the Man Family!" Manla exclaimed, her face turning pale with anger.

Gu worms are powerful and effective, but they also have obvious weaknesses. They are afraid of fire, lightning, and some are even afraid of water.

Therefore, it is always used in a covert, surprise attack, and even the effects of the Gu worms must be kept secret, otherwise, if it is leaked, the enemy will have a way to deal with it.

Let alone those at the Ninth Level of Body Refinement, even those one or two levels lower wouldn't be easily fooled if they were on guard.

After the little fat boy's actions, it can be said that he completely wasted the Man Family's decades of research success!

Yet he couldn't find any problem; he didn't detect any trace of illusion, as if it were truly something he genuinely wanted to do!

"You!" The chubby boy pointed angrily at Yang Ning. How could he possibly admit that this was his problem?

It must have been Yang Ning who did this!

"One last question, is there a cure for the Red-tailed Heart-controlling Gu?" Yang Ning asked.

"There's no solution!" the chubby boy said angrily. "They've already taken root in people's brains. Even if you remove the surface worms, the seeds they planted will continue to multiply. It's simply impossible..."

"That's alright!" Yang Ning raised his hand and waved it. A flash of lightning disappeared in an instant. Manla's mind went blank for a moment, but she was still alive!

"You have a bug between your eyebrows too?" Yang Ning then noticed that there was a flat, hard-shelled bug hidden under the skin between the little fat boy's eyebrows!

It was this insect that blocked his Lightning Needles!

"Hmph, every vital point on my body is Heart-protecting Gu, try and kill me!" The chubby boy grinned, "And do you think I only have these kinds of Gu worms for setting traps!"

"Flesh-bodied worm, Entrusting Worm!!"

Yang Ning didn't hear what he shouted, but after he shouted, his skin instantly turned black.

Upon closer inspection, it wasn't that the skin had darkened; instead, countless tiny insects were crawling out of the pores!

Moreover, the chubby boy's obese body visibly slimmed down as the insects crawled out.

In just fifteen seconds, he transformed from a chubby little boy into a handsome and slender young man!

"I doubt many girls would want to learn this trick!"

Seeing the dense swarm of insects, like black oil, rushing towards him, Yang Ning exclaimed in admiration.

This move is actually very powerful, especially for those in the Body Refinement Realm. Even disciples of the Taiheng Sect and Tianyi Sect cannot learn this Peerless Divine Abilities.

In other words, even if the disciples of major sects like Taiheng and Tianyi are strong in the Body Refinement Realm, they won't be much stronger.

While the Body Refinement Realm Cultivation Method include Cultivation Method controlling water, fire, and lightning, their range is very limited, making it quite difficult to deal with such a massive swarm of insects.

If it were an ordinary disciple of Taiheng or Tianyi Sect, they might actually be defeated by this move!

But Manla was facing Yang Ning!

With a wave of his hand, surging lightning descended like a gentle moonlight.

His lightning was exceptionally powerful, capable of even breaking through the Purple Gold Coiling Dragon Body. Naturally, it was invincible against insects only a few micrometers in size, instantly wiping out the entire area!

"This!" Manla's eyes widened. "How is this possible?"

Such Thunder Method... you must be at the Qi Refining Stage!

How could a Qi Refining Stage cultivator possibly participate in the trial?

Or is this a local?

The chubby boy stared wide-eyed, and with a thought, a Gu worm quietly crawled out from the sole of his foot and burrowed into the sand.

I'm destined to die, but you won't live either!

"Boom!" An even more powerful thunderbolt engulfed the boy's handsome figure.

The spreading lightning even seeped into the ground through the cracks in the sand and gravel, taking away the Gu worms that Manla had released to transmit information in one fell swoop!

"Tch, you think my Spiritual Manifestation is just for show!" Yang Ning chuckled.

Not to mention his extremely keen mental perception, he hadn't read thousands of novels and hundreds of episodes of Conan in his previous life for nothing. How could he not be wary of the message left behind by this person before his death?

After killing Little Fatty, Yang Ning reached out and grabbed him, raising an eyebrow.

Five Purple Heart Stones!

In addition to the two that Cun Huo had, and the one that belonged to him.

That makes 8?

Ten pieces doesn't seem too difficult!