Regardless of how everyone was urging him to stay, Nie Tian still firmly chose to leave the group.

The reason that he gave was that - the barren land was even more suitable for his cultivation. 

Jiang Lingzhu, Pan Tao, and the others actually didn’t agree with his reasoning. 

After all, only Lianqi Warriors, who had fire attributes, were able to raise their Lianqi realm quicker in the barren land’s environment. 

Nie Tian on the other hand, didn’t display any innate Lianqi skill involving fire attributes during the trial. They also didn’t believe that Nie Tian was that kind of Lianqi Warrior that possessed the innate, fire attributed Lianqi skill. 

Even if Nie Tian’s cultivation involved fire attributes, the volcanic region, that Zheng Bin and the others from the Black Mist Palace were at, would have been an even more suitable place for him to cultivate in. 

Thus, everyone understood in their hearts that Nie Tian was only finding an excuse to leave. 

They were really unable to understand why Nie Tian deliberately wanted to leave the group when they were facing the threats from both the Blood Sect and the Ghost Sect.

Nie Tian didn’t give any reasonable explanation and left alone, carrying the hundreds of Jins worth of the dried Earth Lizard’s meat on his back. 

After he had separated from the large troop, Nie Tian walked alone for the greater part of the day and chose a secluded place near some sand dunes. He then started to continuously devour the Earth Lizard’s meat, as he proceeded with his cultivation. 

He didn’t wish to waste anymore time. He also didn’t want to wait for the energy, that was contained in the dried meat, to completely drain away, so he continued to devour it diligently. 

Nie Tian was risking his life. The reason why he had left the group, was so that he could break through to the eighth Lianqi level as quickly as possibly with the help of the Earth Lizard’s meat. 

He didn’t dare to delay for another second. 

In the following two days, all he did was madly consume food and madly cultivate! 

In only two days, his spirit realm had expanded again to approximately three times its originial size!

He wasn’t rushing nor was he doing anything else. He used all of his time to cultivate, which caused his cultivation speed to be even faster than he had originally antic.i.p.ated. 

Not only did his Lianqi level substantially increase, but following the tempering of his flesh, the range that Nie Tian’s mental strength could envelop also reached ninety metres!

He was really living it up. With those kind of improvements occurring every day, he could distinctly perceive the feeling that his body was becoming stronger little by little. He completely immersed himself in cultivation with his body and soul. 

……

The barren land. 

The Blood Sect’s Yu Tong, was holding the dark-red compa.s.s in her hands. She bit the fleshy part of her finger and made one drop of dark-red blood drip on the compa.s.s. 

Once that drop of fresh blood dropped onto the compa.s.s, it immediately turned into a small wisp of blood. It seemed as though it contained a consciousness as it moved about in various positions on the compa.s.s.

Drizzles of b.l.o.o.d.y light were discharged from the compa.s.s, causing it to appear somewhat mysterious. 

Not long after, those tiny gossamers gradually permeated the compa.s.s, disappearing one after the other. 

“Appear!” Yu Tong lightly called out. 

Little shards of b.l.o.o.d.y light suddenly flashed and appeared on the compa.s.s. The small shards of b.l.o.o.d.y light flickered, seeming as though they were still slowly moving about. 

Mo Xi and the others of the Blood Sect, who were standing by her side, subconsciously gathered around the compa.s.s after those blobs of blood-coloured light had appeared.

“This is undoubtedly the Blood Sect’s Blood Searching Compa.s.s. It really is incomparably magical.” Mo Xi praised with sincerity. 

He knew that all of those blobs of blood-coloured light that appeared on the compa.s.s were fluctuations of blood and represented each and every living being that had flesh and blood. 

Many blobs of blood-coloured light were gathered together and were continuously on the move. This implied that there were many people moving about. 

“Nineteen blobs of blood-coloured light represents nineteen people. If I’m not wrong, those fellows should be the trial takers of the Ling Bao Court and the Lingyun Sect.” Du Kun stared at the compa.s.s without taking his eyes of it as he spoke. 

“Eh!?”

He suddenly held out his hand and pointed towards another tiny blob of blood-coloured light on the surface of the compa.s.s, then curiously said, “Why is there still a person here?”

Mo Xi looked over with rapt attention and realised that that blob of light was extremely far away from the other nineteen blobs of light. It was clearly that they weren’t in the same location. 

The other blobs of light were gathered together and were moving about from the start.

Only that blob of light didn’t move at all and remained at its original spot. 

“I think that this person… should have been kicked out of the large group.” The Ghost Sect’s Du Kun chuckled sinisterly, “I fear that he is very hateful. Those fellows clearly know that we are undoubtedly going to pursue and attack them. They actually still kicked him out of the troop, which clearly shows that they are letting him perish on his own. Only a fellow who offended everyone else would be removed from the group because he was intolerable. This is really a pitiable creature.” 

It was also in this moment that the Blood Sect’s Yu Tong suddenly put the Blood Searching Compa.s.s away. 

She pointed in a direction, “There is a person thirty Li away in that direction.”

“Our main objective is still the large troop consisting of the Lingyun Sect and the Ling Bao Court. An insignificant person like him isn’t worth for all of us to change direction.” Mo Xi furrowed his eyebrows

Du Kun said in an understanding tone, “I’ll get rid of him.”

“Yes, once you dispose of him, quickly regroup with us. Do not waste too much time.” Mo Xi said. 

“Understood.”

The Ghost Sect’s Du Kun separated from the large group, under Yu Tong’s guidance, alone. 

“Everyone, speed up a little. We must intercept them before they enter the volcanic region and make them all die in the barren land.” Mo Xi shouted out. 

“Let’s go!”

……

Nie Tian was sitting cross-legged in silence, in the middle of the sand dunes, with the five fingers of his right hand spread out. 

- Chichi! -

Wisps of spiritual light flew out from his fingertips. 

Those spiritual light followed the fluctuations of his mind and coiled around his finger like slender, electrical snakes, weaving back and forth. 

“The seventh level allows spiritual energy to leave the body.” Nie Tian softly said to himself. 

He had just swallowed a huge amount of dried meat. That spirit beast meat was currently being digested in his abdomen and still didn’t have the energy to disperse outwards. 

Before he had begun to operate his Lianqi Art, he had tried to fully utilise the seventh Lianqi level’s ability of spiritual energy leaving the body. 

Against his expectations, Nie Tian had quickly succeeded. When his spiritual energy coursed along his meridians and rushed out of his fingertips, those wisps of spiritual energy didn’t encounter any obstructions whatsoever and escaped from within his fingertips. 

When the spiritual light, which was condensed spiritual energy, blossomed from his fingertips and completely left his body, he had another shocking discovery. 

Even though the lights made of spiritual energy had left his body, Nie Tian could still perceive them and he could even control them with his mental consciousness! 

Looking at those wisps of spiritual light moving at his heart’s command, Nie Tian’s face was filled with joy.

He faintly had a feeling that the stronger his mental strength got, the greater his perception towards spiritual energy would be. Controlling the spiritual light was even more detailed. 

Nie Tian, on the other hand, was naturally strong with respect to his mental strength. Throughout the course of that period of time where he was strengthening his physical body, his mental strength had also been increasing daily. 

Now, the range that his mental consciousness could spread out and envelop was already a hundred metres!

This implied that his mental strength was rapidly increasing from the start, far surpa.s.sing the Lianqi Warriors, who were at the same rank as he was. 

His mental strength was plentifully strong, contributing to his control over his spiritual energy. When those wisps of spiritual energy left his body, that strong mental strength of his enabled him to be direct the spiritual energy that left his body with extreme intricacy, letting him use it as he wished. 

“Wonderful!” He laughed and said in excitement.

At the same time, after being digested by his stomach and intestines, the spirit beast meat that he had previously devoured had already gradually started to release its energy. 

Soon after, Nie Tian calmed himself down and didn’t waste any more time. He immediately prepared to use the Lianqi Arts to cultivate.

If hundreds of Jins of the Earth Lizard’s meat could be completely engulfed by him and used for cultivation, before going through immense wear and tear, he believed that he could break through to the eighth Lianqi level in a short period of time through the use of that spirit beast meat. 

- Shasha! -

The clear sound of footsteps suddenly rang out. The sound was getting louder and louder. 

Nie Tian, who only desired to cultivate, suddenly changed his complexion. He didn’t have enough time to think things over and immediately released his mental consciousness once more to perceive the abnormalities in his surroundings. 

He knew that the people of the Lingyun Sect and Ling Bao Court were now going all-out, as they rushed to the volcano region. It was impossible for them to head over to where he was. 

The one who was approaching was certainly a disciple of the Ghost Sect or the Blood Sect. If not, it would be a spirit beast from the barren land. 

He released his mental energy, wanting to be certain of the number of people on the other party’s end and from there, decide whether he wanted to escape at the first possible moment. 

“There is only one!”

In a flash, he retracted his mental strength and stood up in an unhurried manner. 

- Shasha! -

The sounds of footsteps became deliberately heavier. The person that was arriving didn’t seem to be worried that Nie Tian could escape and deliberately scared him through his imposing manner. 

Nie Tian had a calm expression on his face. After he was sure that there was only one person in his surroundings, not only was he not nervous anymore, but there was faint excitement in his heart. 

“It’s you?”

Very quickly, the Ghost Sect’s Du Kun appeared atop a sand dune.

“You actually didn’t escape?” He said with slight disappointment. 

“So, it’s you.” Once he had appeared, Nie Tian had also recognised him in an instant. He grinned and with a laugh, said, “Why do I need to escape when there is only you alone? How about the others? Are they also nearby?”

“The others? Hehe, who do you think you are? A side character like you, who has been kicked out of his group, is worthy for all of us to change our direction for?” Du Kun said in a ridiculing manner. 

“Very good. Since you have arrived, then you should stay!” Nie Tian was the first to make his move. 

……

Translator: Nataaaa
Editors: Zachhh and Sietse
From XianXiaWorld