196: After the darkest hour comes the dawn.

After much thought, Su Ling couldn't help but pick up the illusionary color token and send a message to the secluded Immortal Venerable Clear Ripple.

A quarter of an hour later, during Su Ling's anxious wait.

The illusionary color token trembled slightly.

Su Ling impatiently extended his Divine Sense into it, and a message quickly appeared in his mind.

"Junior Brother Su Ling, I have already inquired with the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. That item was purchased by a Loose Cultivator... This person has settled their account and left without a trace. However, they mentioned previously that it was the only one."

The one who replied to the message was not Immortal Venerable Clear Ripple, but True Lord Lu Feng.

After checking the message, Su Ling's heart sank to the bottom.

Without a trace... the only one... even with the Myriad Treasures Pavilion's methods, they said there was no trace.

That meant this person's concealment methods were definitely extraordinary.

Setting aside the credibility of it being 'the only one,' regardless of the truth, it meant the possibility of finding the complete Nine Nether Secret Record in the short term was almost zero.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Ye."

Su Ling, feeling helpless, could only reply to True Lord Lu Feng to express his gratitude.

The disappointment in his heart could no longer be suppressed, and he fell dejectedly onto the bed... Early the next morning, at the entrance of the temporary Immortal Cave.

"Junior Brother Su, we plan to visit the Beast Arena. Maybe we can find a suitable beast pet just like Junior Brother Qi!"

Song Moting waved at Su Ling and said with a light smile.

Qi Yunling possessed two beast pets with Nascent Soul level combat power and had been unstoppable in the National War, making the others green with envy long ago.

They didn't necessarily want to find a beast pet to assist in combat like Qi Yunling.

But if they could nurture an avian Yao Beast to use for travel, it would be a very good choice.

After all, avian Yao Beasts didn't require manual control, whereas a Flying Boat required the infusion of mana or the addition of Spirit Stones.

"You guys go ahead, I want to return to the Sect."

Su Ling shook his head, feeling somewhat dispirited.

"Let's go together. Anyway, there's nothing much to do lately."

Lu Tao put his arm around Su Ling's shoulder and persuaded him with a chuckle.

It was rare to be out for fun, and he didn't want to return to the mountain gate so early.

If he was caught by his Revered Master, True Lord Lu Feng, what awaited him might be another ten-year stint at the Hundred Refinements Spring.

"No, I've bought so many things, I plan to undergo Nascent Soul Condensation as soon as possible."

Su Ling shook his head again and said seriously.

"Nascent Soul Condensation..."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone couldn't help but be stunned.

Truth be told, they had long regarded Su Ling as a combatant of the same Rank.

They had actually overlooked the fact that he was still a Core Formation Cultivator.

Song Moting pondered for a moment, then nodded. "That's fine. We'll keep an eye out for you. If there's a suitable beast pet, we'll get one for you too."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Song."

Su Ling cupped his hands. Just as he was about to summon his Flying Boat to leave, Qi Yunling suddenly called out to him.

"By the way, Junior Brother Su, that person you asked me to keep an eye on before..."

Qi Yunling frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "Last night, he seemed to enter a certain General's residence, and right now, he is heading out of the city."

Su Ling's eyebrows shot up. In his disappointment last night upon discovering the Cultivation Technique was still incomplete, he had actually forgotten about this matter.

"Senior Brother Qi, I wonder if I could borrow your Golden-Pupiled Falcon for a period of time?"

After a few seconds of pondering, Su Ling asked seriously.

"That's no problem, feel free to use it as you wish."

Qi Yunling smiled in surprise and immediately handed the token to control the Golden-Pupiled Falcon and the instructions for its use to Su Ling.

"Thank you."

Su Ling extended his Divine Sense into it, established a connection with the Golden-Pupiled Falcon according to the method Qi Yunling described, and then put away the token. "Senior Brothers, I shall take my leave first."

Song Moting and the others cupped their hands in unison. Only then did Su Ling pilot the soaring wing boat and fly toward the outskirts of the city... Along the way, Su Ling constantly thought about the stirrings he felt during the two times he encountered that Black-Robed Cultivator.

The more he thought about it, the more something felt off!

The nine-patterned purple gold core was a supreme grade Golden Core formed based on the Nine Nether Secret Record.

The only thing that could trigger it would probably be... "Nine Nether Mana... no, it should be a Nine Nether Secret Arts!"

Su Ling's eyes flashed, and he couldn't help but blurt out.

The Black-Robed Cultivator's aura triggered the nine-patterned purple gold core.

And the gray cloth recording the Nine Nether Secret Record also appeared at the Myriad Treasures auction!

This was too much of a coincidence!

Su Ling couldn't help but think to himself, "Could it be that this gray cloth was actually put out by that Black-Robed Cultivator?"

At this thought, Su Ling quickly followed the method Qi Yunling had described to attach a wisp of his Divine Soul to the Golden-Pupiled Falcon.

High up in the sky several miles away, the eyes of the soaring Golden-Pupiled Falcon moved slightly.

An image immediately appeared in Su Ling's mind.

On a mountain peak no more than ten miles from Cangming City, the figure of the Black-Robed Cultivator was clearly visible.

Currently shrouded in his black robe, a mirror floated in front of him.

Due to the angle, no matter how strong the Golden-Pupiled Falcon's eyesight was, it couldn't see what was in the mirror.

But a realization dawned in Su Ling's heart.

This person was watching him!

"So that's how it is!"

The corners of Su Ling's mouth curled up slightly as he infused a burst of mana into the soaring wing boat beneath his feet.

In just a few moments, he flew away from the imperial city and straight into the distant mountain range.

Strangely, the Black-Robed Cultivator also moved accordingly, piloting a Flying Boat away from the mountain peak.

Looking at his path, he would intersect with Su Ling after flying two thousand miles at most.

This further confirmed the suspicion in Su Ling's heart.

His fingers tightened slightly, and the mana in his body began to surge somewhat uncontrollably.

Su Ling silently placed the golden steel demon-clearing bell and the phoenix dance nine-fierce ruler in his sleeves. The soaring wing boat beneath his feet maintained a steady speed as it flew unhurriedly toward the location of his Sect... Half an hour later, the soaring wing boat passed a mountain peak that pierced the clouds and entered the airspace above a canyon.

Su Ling sat cross-legged on the deck, seemingly performing his daily cultivation routine.

At a certain moment, a murderous aura suddenly surged between heaven and earth.

A black shadow, carrying a vast amount of mana, crashed down from the sky like a black meteor.

"Boom!"

Caught off guard, the soaring wing boat's built-in defensive formation was directly shattered.

Seeing the fist shadow about to land on his head, the image of a bell with nine circling dragons suddenly rose, just barely blocking the fist shadow.

However, the powerful force of the punch directly sent Su Ling, along with the soaring wing boat, crashing down from the clouds into the canyon.

"Which coward is it?!"

Su Ling stood up in a disheveled state, shouting in shock and anger.

He was greeted by another immensely powerful fist shadow.

His figure flickered as Su Ling used the 'Thunder Flash' of the thunder-rushing cloud-treading boots to dodge a hundred feet away, narrowly escaping the attack.

Only then did he clearly see the appearance of the newcomer.

It was actually a tall Cultivator completely covered in black armor!

But the extremely thick Death Qi around him made Su Ling pause in surprise.

A human puppet!

This was definitely a Nascent Soul Early Stage Body Refining Puppet!

"Hand over the Nine Nether Cultivation Technique, and I can allow your soul to enter Reincarnation."

Just as Su Ling became alert, a low voice reached his ears.

A figure slowly appeared beside that Nascent Soul human puppet.

It was none other than the Black-Robed Cultivator!

"What Nine Nether Cultivation Technique? I've never heard of it."

Su Ling's face was calm as the thunder fang shadow splitting sword appeared beside him, and the coiling dragon bell shadow once again enveloped his body.

"If you didn't know, why would you pay such a high price to bid for that gray cloth?"

The Black-Robed Cultivator said indifferently, "Furthermore, you are just a Core Formation Stage Cultivator... Six million and one hundred thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, if converted into cultivation resources, would be enough for you to Cultivate to the Soul Transformation Stage."

"I have plenty of Spirit Stones, I'm just willful!"

Su Ling smiled slightly, and the thunder shadow sword beside him turned into three streaks of light and shot straight toward the opponent.

He was almost certain that this person must have other remnants of the Nine Nether Secret Record!

It truly was a silver lining!