Chapter 44

When Bai Luoluo saw Ning Yue, he was sitting cross-legged not far from her, with his five fingers pointing towards the sky. Behind him, a faint image of a fierce celestial dragon, whose entire body was ethereal and exuded a sense of emptiness, could be seen. Two beams of white light were freely spouting from its nostrils, expanding and contracting, clearly indicating that he was in the midst of intense cultivation.

Bai Luoluo reached out to gently flick her hair, gazing at Ning Yue for a while. Suddenly, she revealed a smile and whispered, "Big brother! You are really a good person, but it’s a pity..." Her voice gradually faded, mumbling to herself, and even she couldn’t hear clearly what she was saying.

Ning Yue let out a clear shout, suddenly opening his eyes. His gaze was filled with a hidden electric glow, and an illusion of a celestial palace appeared around him, with a void dragon swimming within, like a guardian celestial dragon.

After this night of cultivation, although his injuries were not fully healed, he had recovered at least three to four tenths of his strength, enough to restore half of his combat power and at least have the strength to escape.

Ning Yue pondered for a moment, thinking to himself, "If I could have five days, I could fully recover my combat power, and might even advance to the fifth stage of the Void Dragon Phantasm. If I could break through to the fifth stage of the Void Dragon Phantasm, even if the Army Temple’s pursuers have a seventh-stage Phantasm-level Yuwen Yi leading them, it would be difficult for them to track me down."

Yuwen Yi was the chief steward of the Army Temple. Ning Yue had never met this person, but he had learned from others that Yuwen Yi was leading the pursuit of him and his sister. Ning Yue knew he would eventually have to face Yuwen Yi.

Ning Yue sighed slightly, feeling that it was unlikely. Yuwen Yi would certainly not give him such an opportunity.

Ning Yue glanced at the sky, seeing that it was already deep into the night. He had been cultivating for at least four to five hours, the most stable period since being pursued by the Army Temple.

Ning Yue looked at Bai Luoluo and couldn’t help but be slightly surprised. This little girl was radiating a treasure-like glow, with a faint image of a giant elephant appearing around her, a sign that the Treasure Elephant Pagoda had been successfully cultivated.

The Great Pagoda Technique was originally a protective skill of the Tibetan Esoteric School. Later, Ning Yue reinterpreted it, combining it with the soul techniques of the dark world to form a super-class martial skill with thirteen stages. Each stage could cultivate a supporting Phantasm.

Some Life Soul Maps also had similar abilities, such as the Red Drought Life Soul Map, one of the four great ghost kings, which could successively cultivate seven supporting Life Souls.

After Ning Yue reinterpreted the Great Pagoda Technique, it still maintained its original style, focusing on the training of muscles and bones, taking an external-to-internal approach. It first tempered the skin, muscles, and bones, then the internal organs, and finally opened the three channels and seven wheels. Therefore, it required more than ten times the true qi of other martial arts to cultivate one stage.

This martial art was very easy to learn. Even those with low intelligence could cultivate the first level of the technique with one to two years of hard work. However, the second level often required four to five years of effort. The higher the level, the more time was needed to accumulate true qi. After the fifth level, each level often required ten to twenty years of hard work. Without exceptional talent, it was impossible to make further progress, and advancing to the next level was as difficult as crossing a chasm.

Even so, it was impossible to achieve success in just a day or two. Even Ning Yue, who cultivated this slow and steady technique, would take three to five months to cultivate the first level, although he was faster than ordinary people.

Ning Yue was slightly surprised, but soon saw Bai Luoluo frown, showing signs of pain. After a brief observation, he knew it was not good. Bai Luoluo had been too aggressive in her cultivation, and although she was just one step away from completing the Treasure Elephant Pagoda, she showed signs of a cultivation mishap.

Without hesitation, Ning Yue reached out and sent a stream of true qi into Bai Luoluo, using the Ten Directions Illusion Technique to help stabilize her mind. He also opened the crystal screen and selected six Life Souls to send into Bai Luoluo’s body.

With Ning Yue’s help, Bai Luoluo felt a slight relief. A giant elephant appeared around her, and she broke through with a burst of energy, successfully cultivating the first level of the Great Pagoda Technique.

At this level, the Great Pagoda Technique made her skin as tough as an old elephant’s, several times stronger, making ordinary weapons ineffective. This was known as the Treasure Elephant Pagoda.

Bai Luoluo leaped up, seeing Ning Yue’s slightly concerned face, and felt a bit flustered. Although she still called him "Brother!" she couldn’t think of anything else to say.

Ning Yue didn’t say much, just reminding her, "The Great Pagoda Technique has some similarities with the Ten Thousand Treasures Spirit Mirror. Cultivate well, and if you encounter any bottlenecks, feel free to ask me. I will answer all your questions."

Bai Luoluo nodded, feeling a warm current in her heart. She wanted to say something but held back for a long time, only lightly agreeing, appearing very obedient.

Ning Yue and Bai Luoluo settled down in Huo Family Village. During the day, he learned the local script and history from Old Huo, as well as various miscellaneous studies. When he had free time, he would find a secluded place to cultivate his martial arts. After about ten days, the Army Temple’s pursuers still hadn’t come, which made Ning Yue very curious.

Without the Army Temple’s pursuers, Ning Yue cultivated in peace. In five to six days, his injuries were fully healed. By the eighth day, he had condensed the fifth stage of the Void Dragon Phantasm, and the Great Clarity Heart Method had also made further progress, advancing to the sixteenth level. At this point, Ning Yue was no longer afraid of the Army Temple’s pursuers and was even somewhat looking forward to their appearance. However, no matter how long he waited, the Army Temple’s people did not show up.

After Bai Luoluo cultivated the Treasure Elephant Pagoda, she trained even harder. Ning Yue went hunting every day to prepare a large amount of meat for her, so she wouldn’t suffer from excessive physical strain due to her martial arts training.

Ning Yue was a very grateful person. Although he didn’t know why, the Army Temple’s forces had not appeared since he hid in Huo Family Village, and he was very grateful to the people of Huo Family Village for taking him in. Old Huo treated him like a grandson, and Ning Yue became increasingly affectionate towards him, gradually changing his address to "Grandpa."

Although he had only been in Huo Family Village for a short time, he felt like a member of the village, befriending many children and becoming familiar with most of the villagers. He also inquired about all the affairs of Huo Family Village, and in his spare time, he often went out with the village women and elders to pick wild fruits and work in the fields, feeling as if he had settled down.

Bai Luoluo didn’t know what Ning Yue was thinking and secretly urged him a few times. Ning Yue didn’t explain, just smiled and changed the subject, leaving Bai Luoluo very puzzled. She couldn’t understand why her "brother" suddenly wasn’t in a hurry to escape.

Bai Luoluo didn’t know that in these ten days, Ning Yue’s martial arts had shown signs of a breakthrough, so he wanted to stay in Huo Family Village for a few more days to push his cultivation to the next level. Besides, Ning Yue was a brave person. Now that the Void Dragon had broken through to the fifth stage, he could leave at any time and wasn’t in a hurry to leave this peaceful village.