Daily Divination From Market Rogue Cultivator To Immortal Venerable - Chapter 331

Chapter 331 The Vermilion Bird Sect’s Difficulties, The Evergreen Mountain Secret Realm (Seeking Subscriptions)

Among the special physiques Li Chang’an had encountered,

Ye Mengxian was particularly peculiar.

Her symbol was located in her spine, completely different from the others.

Furthermore, she often dreamed of a white-clad female immortal, while Mu Xiaoqing and Song Yu’er did not have such strange dreams.

“Could it be that a female immortal is truly hidden within her symbol?”

The realm of immortals was too far removed from Li Chang’an.

He couldn’t understand it for the time being, so he suppressed this doubt in his heart and focused his attention on Gu Yunqi’s symbol.

This symbol was hidden deep within his sea of consciousness, its form blurry.

Li Chang’an cautiously controlled strands of divine sense, quietly approaching, forming a cage of divine sense around the symbol.

The cage slowly contracted.

In no time, it touched the symbol.

“Buzz—”

The symbol trembled violently.

Instantly, it erupted with terrifying power, tearing apart Li Chang’an’s cage of divine sense and escaping to another part of his sea of consciousness.

Li Chang’an’s face paled, his divine sense slightly damaged, but fortunately, it would recover quickly.

The instant they made contact,

a flood of chaotic insights into earth elemental power surged through his mind.

As a cultivator with a wood-elemental root, the benefits he gained from these insights were extremely limited.

When Li Chang’an tried to approach again,

the symbol seemed to have anticipated this, instantly exploding into a series of yellowish-brown specks of light that drifted to another part of his sea of consciousness, giving him no chance whatsoever.

“It’s a pity I can’t take this symbol with me, nor can I copy it.”

Li Chang’an was naturally tempted by the Undying Sand Body.

After all, it was a life-saving ability.

Alas,

he still hadn’t found a way to copy or transfer a spiritual body.

“Song Yu’er’s symbol, although it no longer harbors much hostility towards me, is still impossible to transfer, and even touching it is somewhat difficult.”

Li Chang’an felt a pang of regret.

Back when he first met Mu Xiaoqing, he had wanted to possess a spiritual body.

So many years had passed, and he still possessed an ordinary physique, only able to cultivate through his spiritual root.

“Never mind, perhaps my cultivation level is insufficient.”

Li Chang’an stopped trying.

He withdrew his hundreds of strands of divine sense and then opened Gu Yunqi’s storage bag to take a look.

This person truly lived up to his reputation as the eldest disciple of True Monarch Huangsha; the quantity and quality of the treasures in his storage bag far surpassed those in Wei Xu’s.

However, most of the high-level treasures bore True Monarch Huangsha’s mark.

Li Chang’an didn’t touch them.

He only took the rest that weren’t marked.

Several of the inherited skills were somewhat useful to him, such as the third-tier high-grade puppet inheritance.

Soon,

he found the last key in a corner of the storage bag.

This key resembled the other three, with the character “青”

(qing, meaning green) engraved on its surface. “Evergreen Ancient Tree, finally complete!”

Li Chang’an’s lips curled into a smile, his mood greatly improved.

For these four keys,

he had begun planning on the day he formed his core, enduring countless hardships and dangers, facing the geniuses of various sects, and even clashing with True Monarch puppets.

Without the help of divination, the entire process would have been a near-death experience.

Fortunately, it was all worthwhile!

“Let me see exactly where that ancient wooden cave is.”

With a thought, Li Chang’an’s immortal golden core shone brightly, dazzlingly radiant, as he frantically poured its power into the four keys.

In an instant,

he sensed something and looked towards the Yuan Kingdom.

As he channeled his power, the sensation grew stronger, and the location became clearer.

“That’s… the Southern Region of the Yuan Kingdom, where the Vermilion Bird Sect is located!”

Years ago, when Li Chang’an obtained the first three volumes of the cultivation technique, he had also sensed something.

The approximate location he sensed then was also in the Southern Region of the Yuan Kingdom.

Of course,

this time it was more precise.

Its exact location was near the Vermilion Bird Sect’s mountain gate.

“Fortunately, I have Mu Hongyu, the Holy Maiden of the Vermilion Bird Sect, as a connection. Approaching that area shouldn’t be difficult.”

Li Chang’an secretly rejoiced, thankful that he held Mu Hongyu’s life-saving grace in his hands.

He memorized the location, planning to find time to check it out.

It would be best if he could directly enter that area.

If not, he would

then seek out Mu Hongyu.

Li Chang’an stopped channeling his magic power, and the sensation in his mind vanished instantly.

He activated the Wood Seed Technique, restoring Gu Yunqi’s ability to speak, and began interrogating him.

“Fellow Daoist Gu, where did you obtain this key? Are there any other treasures or inheritances near the key?”

“A key?”

Seeing the four keys in Li Chang’an’s hand, Gu Yunqi suddenly understood.

“Li Chang’an, the reason you attacked me wasn’t because of our enmity, but because of this key?”

“Fellow Daoist Gu is mistaken again. This key is the main reason; I did indeed want to kill you.”

Li Chang’an stated bluntly.

Gu Yunqi was exceptionally talented and would definitely reach Nascent Soul stage earlier than him, with a very high chance of success.

“Fellow Daoist Gu, if you successfully reach Nascent Soul stage, I’ll have one more Nascent Soul enemy.”

“I see.”

Having obtained the answer he wanted, Gu Yunqi answered Li Chang’an’s question.

This key…

he obtained it in a secret realm.

At that time, the key was located in an ancient tomb.

The owner of that tomb was wearing the robes of a disciple of the Ancient Wood Sect from ancient times.

Gu Yunqi guessed that this key was related to some core inheritance of the Ancient Wood Sect, but he had never found a way to use it.

Today, upon seeing the other three keys,

he finally understood.

“So there are four keys in total, corresponding to the four characters ‘Evergreen Ancient Tree’.”

Connecting this to Li Chang’an’s perfect cultivation technique, Gu Yunqi understood everything.

Li Chang’an had received the inheritance of an ancient Nascent Soul sect, making him a core disciple.

Gu Yunqi, on the other hand, was merely a core disciple of a Nascent Soul sect.

His defeat to Li Chang’an was perfectly normal.

Li Chang’an asked him, “Fellow Daoist Gu, how much do you know about your own spiritual body?”

“The Yellow Sand Spiritual Body… In the ten thousand years of my Yellow Sand Sect, several have appeared…”

Gu Yunqi readily agreed, recounting what he knew.

The reason he was able to awaken the Yellow Sand Undying Body was precisely because the Yellow Sand Sect possessed insights left by Yellow Sand Spiritual Body predecessors.

He had carefully read each predecessor’s insights countless times.

“Fellow Daoist Gu, did those predecessors’ insights mention the origin of the spiritual body?”

“The origin of the spiritual body?”

Gu Yunqi was puzzled.

“Spiritual bodies are naturally innate, how could they be created later?”

“Do you know that within your sea of consciousness, there is an earthen-yellow symbol?”

“A symbol?”

Gu Yunqi seemed even more puzzled.

He begged Li Chang’an to release the restrictions of the Wood Seed Technique so that he could search his sea of consciousness.

Li Chang’an immediately agreed.

This was Changqing Mountain, his home turf.

Even if Gu Yunqi was completely released, he couldn’t escape.

“Fellow Daoist Gu, the restrictions have been released. Search for yourself.”

“Alright!”

Gu Yunqi closed his eyes slightly and used his divine sense to scan his entire sea of consciousness.

He knew he couldn’t escape, so he didn’t make any unusual moves, but simply searched diligently for the symbol that Li Chang’an had mentioned.

After a moment,

he opened his eyes, his face still full of confusion.

“Fellow Daoist Li, there is no special symbol in my sea of consciousness, and the Yellow Sand Spiritual Body predecessors of past generations have not mentioned anything about symbols.”

“Try again. This time I will guide you with my divine sense.”

Li Chang’an separated strands of his divine sense and entered Gu Yunqi’s sea of consciousness.

He guided Gu Yunqi

towards the symbol hidden deep within his sea of consciousness.

Soon, Gu Yunqi’s divine sense swept over the symbol, but neither he nor the symbol reacted in the slightest, as if the symbol didn’t exist.

“Fellow Daoist Gu, your divine sense has swept over the symbol, did you truly not notice it?”

“No.”

“That’s strange. It seems it really is a problem with me.”

Li Chang’an had already guessed this result and wasn’t too surprised.

He had consulted numerous ancient texts and browsed countless records about spiritual bodies, but none of them mentioned symbols.

“Throughout history, the reason why those who possessed spiritual bodies couldn’t discover symbols—could it be because their own strength wasn’t sufficient to match the symbol’s rank?”

“And the reason I can see it might be because I possess some high-ranking treasure…”

Li Chang’an pondered, then thought of divination.

If he wasn’t mistaken ,

the rank of divination was higher than that of spiritual body symbols!

“Unfortunately, divination always appears passively and cannot be actively used by me.”

Li Chang’an felt a pang of regret.

If he could use it actively, he might be able to transfer or copy the spirit symbol.

“Next, I can only focus on Song Yu’er. My relationship with that symbol of her can continue to grow.”

Over the years, Li Chang’an had taken excellent care of Song Yu’er.

Although Song Yu’er wasn’t his descendant, she was more like one.

Li Chang’an stopped mentioning the spirit body and instead inquired about True Lord Huangsha.

“Fellow Daoist Gu, does your master, True Lord Huangsha, have any weaknesses?”

“Yes.”

“What weaknesses? Tell me.”

“My master’s weakness was his Daoist partner, Liu Feiyan, but Liu Feiyan is already dead.”

As he spoke, Gu Yunqi glanced at Li Chang’an.

“Fellow Daoist Li, if I’m not mistaken, Liu Feiyan was killed by you.”

“That’s right.”

Now that things had come to this, Li Chang’an had no need to hide anything.

He learned from Gu Yunqi that besides Liu Feiyan, True Lord Huangsha had no other weaknesses.

Gu Yunqi clearly stated that all their disciples combined did not hold the same weight in True Lord Huangsha’s heart as Liu Feiyan.

In other words,

Li Chang’an personally eliminated Huangsha Zhenjun’s weakness!

From now on, to deal with Huangsha Zhenjun, one must start with him personally.

“Fellow Daoist Gu, if I use you or your other junior brothers as bait to ask Huangsha Zhenjun for help, can we lure him out?”

“Yes, but Master might not save us,”

Gu Yunqi replied.

If Huangsha Zhenjun sensed a trap, he would leave immediately.

The lives of his many disciples were not worth as much as his own.

Only Liu Feiyan could make him disregard all dangers and force his way into perilous places to save people.

“Fellow Daoist Li, if you want to deal with my master, you should first cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage. Although you have many methods, you are ultimately not a Nascent Soul cultivator and cannot understand this realm.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

The gap between Golden Core and Nascent Soul is too great; there is almost no possibility of fighting across levels.

No matter how many methods one has, it’s useless.

After that,

Li Chang’an inquired about the Huangsha Sect’s resources.

Gu Yunqi informed him that the Huangsha Sect openly possessed two Nascent Soul True Monarchs, and secretly held another Nascent Soul power.

“What kind of power is it?”

“A fourth-order corpse refinement!”

Reaching the fourth order in corpse refinement required more resources than cultivating a Nascent Soul True Monarch, and even then, success was not guaranteed.

The Huangsha Sect had an old sect leader who, before his death, used countless treasures accumulated by the sect to refine himself into a fourth-order corpse refinement using demonic methods.

Before his death, he stated that

if the Huangsha Sect faced a talent shortage and a break in the line of Nascent Soul cultivators, he should be dug up from the ground to intimidate the outside world.

This matter was little known, even among the Huangsha Sect’s higher-ups.

However, Gu Yunqi was almost universally recognized as the next Nascent Soul cultivator of the Huangsha Sect, having learned many secrets from his master and another Nascent Soul True Monarch.

“It seems the Huangsha Sect has three Nascent Soul cultivators, and the Zixia Sect likely has more than just these two True Monarchs. The two sides can continue their stalemate as long as a full-blown Nascent Soul war doesn’t break out.”

After talking with Gu Yunqi,

Li Chang’an gained a better understanding of the Zhao Kingdom’s basic situation.

Next,

he asked Gu Yunqi to write down all the Huangsha Sect’s cultivation methods, spells, and ancient texts he had memorized.

In exchange, Li Chang’an promised

to share the secrets of the spirit body with him if he ever understood them.

Of course,

Gu Yunqi wouldn’t be alive then; he would only exist as a soul within the Soul Banner.

Gu Yunqi had no choice but to agree.

In the following days…

Li Chang’an had practically squeezed every last drop of value from Gu Yunqi.

He didn’t let Gu Yunqi return to the Huangsha Sect, nor did he let him meet Huangsha Zhenjun, fearing that his unusual behavior would be noticed.

“Back then, Mo Qingkuang stumbled at the Nascent Soul stage, severely injured and forced to flee by numerous Nascent Soul Zhenjuns… We cannot underestimate any Nascent Soul Zhenjun.”

In today’s cultivation world, those who can become Nascent Soul cultivators are all geniuses among geniuses.

Almost every one of them has countless opportunities.

Therefore,

Li Chang’an did not intend to let the wooden puppet directly face a Nascent Soul cultivator.

“It’s time to plan Gu Yunqi’s death.”

A few days later,

he manipulated Gu Yunqi back into the Thousand Lakes Secret Realm.

At the same time, he caused one of his puppets to leak a slight aura within the Thousand Lakes Secret Realm.

“The bait has been laid; we’re just waiting for the Demon Sect’s Holy Son to take the bait.”

Li Chang’an remained patient and waited quietly.

…

A month later.

Two figures appeared within the Thousand Lakes Secret Realm.

Their auras were extremely powerful, far exceeding those of ordinary Golden Core cultivators; they were none other than the brother and sister, Wu Ze and Wu Lan.

“Master Tang, through his fourth-tier divination skills, spared no expense, even sacrificing fifteen years of his lifespan, and finally calculated where Li Fan was hiding.”

“I had already guessed he was hiding in some secret realm, using the aura of its ruins to conceal his own presence.”   Neither of them were surprised

by Li Chang’an’s hiding place.   Some strange and unusual locations within secret realms could indeed evade the detection of divination methods.   Wu Ze’s eyes were dark as he gazed into the depths of the Thousand Lakes Secret Realm.   ”After you see Li Fan, you don’t need to take action; I alone will suffice!”   ”No, Master said we should try to win him over first.”   ”Hmph! He’s been an enemy of my Netherworld Sect for years; why would he accept being won over?”   The two argued again, continuing their debate as they ventured deeper into the Thousand Lakes Secret Realm.   Not long after,   as they passed a ruin,   Gu Yunqi’s cold, sharp voice rang out from within.   ”Who dares to make such a racket? Disturbing my peaceful cultivation!”   Li Chang’an controlled him, instantly appearing before the two, confronting them from afar.   He sensed the powerful aura emanating from Gu Yunqi.   The two stopped abruptly.   Although they had never met Gu Yunqi before, they had long seen the portraits of the holy sons and daughters of the major righteous sects and recognized him almost instantly.   ”The Holy Son of the Yellow Sand Sect, Gu Yunqi?”   Wu Ze and Wu Lan were both somewhat surprised, not expecting to encounter Gu Yunqi in the secret realm of Zhao Kingdom.   Gu Yunqi’s expression was cold as he glanced at the two.   ”So you’re two demon brats!”   A flash of spiritual light appeared in his hand as he summoned a magic weapon, his aura surging.   Wu Ze and Wu Lan did the same.   Righteousness and demonism are irreconcilable!   There was nothing more to say; they should fight upon meeting!   ”Let’s ignore Li Fan for now, you and I will join forces to kill this Gu Yunqi and seize his opportunity!”   ”Alright!”   This time, the brother and sister did not argue and reached an agreement instantly.   And so,   a great battle broke out.   The three fought for nearly half an hour, unleashing a barrage of spells and magic weapons, traversing various parts of the Thousand Lakes Secret Realm, and were seen by countless cultivators searching for treasures within the secret realm.   ”That’s Gu Yunqi, the Holy Son of the Huangsha Sect! Why is he in the secret realm of my Southern Region?”   ”And who are those two? They seem to be subtly suppressing Gu Yunqi.”   ”They’re demonic cultivators! They’re using demonic treasures!”   ”…”   The news spread rapidly.   Neither the two demonic cultivators nor Gu Yunqi should have appeared in the secret realm of the Southern Region.   The cultivators of the Southern Region who learned of this news were all astonished.   Soon,   the news was sent to the Nascent Soul Sects.   The Zixia Sect, Huangsha Sect, Zhuque Sect, and other sects all learned of it.   Seeing that time was dragging on, Wu Ze and Wu Lan were getting anxious.   They never expected that the two of them, working together, could not overwhelm Gu Yunqi and could only barely gain a slight advantage.   If it dragged on any longer, they were afraid of attracting the Nascent Soul True Monarch.   ”Use your trump cards!”   The two looked at each other and simultaneously used fourth-order talismans.   Several fourth-order talismans burned, and golden flames illuminated most of the world; they were all killing talismans.   Gu Yunqi snorted coldly and also activated a fourth-tier talisman.   The clash of their talismanic powers was almost comparable to a head-on collision between two early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.   A loud “boom” resounded, and the entire secret realm seemed to tremble as a violent force swept in all directions.   Then…

Gu Yunqi crushed a jade pendant.

An even more astonishing fourth-tier aura erupted from the pendant, transforming into a jade sword that slashed through the sky and instantly arrived before the brother and sister.

“Suppress!”

Wu Ze’s expression remained unchanged as he unleashed a shimmering, eerie bead.

That bead also emitted a fourth-tier aura, steadily blocking Gu Yunqi’s jade sword.

For the next ten breaths,

both sides unleashed a barrage of fourth-tier techniques, as if two Nascent Soul True Monarchs were locked in combat.

“No, Gu Yunqi has too many treasures on him. We must use the treasure our master bestowed upon us!”

“That treasure is meant for killing Li Fan, but the current situation is unfavorable. Let’s use it.”

The two exchanged a few words and quickly reached an agreement.

Wu Ze patted his storage pouch at his waist, and a beam of eerie light flew out, landing in his hand and transforming into a chilling skull.

This skull was dark red, burning with cold, eerie flames, within which countless wailing souls could be vaguely seen.

“Ten Thousand Soul Fire, unleash!”

Wu Ze roared, slamming his palm onto the skull.

A brilliant flame erupted from the skull, which opened its mouth and spat out a ghostly fire that seemed to emanate from the netherworld.

Gu Yunqi’s numerous protective treasures shattered instantly.

Unable to dodge, he had to activate his Undying Sand Body.

However,

this ghostly fire was too astonishing; even the Undying Sand Body couldn’t withstand it, and countless grains of sand turned to dust in the flames.

“What an astonishing soul fire technique,”

Li Chang’an thought inwardly, shocked.

He had originally planned to make Gu Yunqi make a mistake, deliberately dying at the hands of the two siblings.

But now, before he could even create a mistake, he was severely injured by this ghostly fire, his life hanging by a thread.

Even if Gu Yunqi himself controlled this body, there would be no exception.

This was an absolutely overwhelming power!

“Fortunately, I didn’t directly confront these two,”

Li Chang’an thought to himself. If he had faced this Ten Thousand Soul Fire, he would have been severely injured, if not killed.

The flames died down.

He immediately manipulated the heavily injured Gu Yunqi to escape.

For the next quarter of an hour, countless cultivators in the Thousand Lakes Secret Realm witnessed Gu Yunqi being chased by the two demonic cultivators.

Finally,

in the ruins of the Great Jin Dynasty,

Gu Yunqi’s magical power waned, and he was caught by the two, once again enveloped by the Myriad Souls Flame.

This time,

his body was directly devoured by the Myriad Souls Flame, reduced to ashes in the flames, even his powerful Immortal Golden Core was burned to ash.

This renowned Holy Son of the Yellow Sand Sect, a generation of Yellow Sand Spirit Body, had perished!

At the moment of his death,

Li Chang’an noticed.

The earthen-yellow symbol in his sea of consciousness shattered on the spot, turning into a pale yellow spiritual light that dissipated into the world.

“Where did this symbol come from?”

He collected Gu Yunqi’s soul, pondering to himself.

At the same time

, Wu Ze and Wu Lan simultaneously received a telepathic message from Tang Taixian.

“Hurry! I’ve foreseen that you two are shrouded in an ominous aura. You must not return to the Yin Soul Sect’s mountain gate!”

Hearing the urgent voice from the communication jade pendant, both men were startled.

They dared not linger and hastily left.

Not long after,

four Nascent Soul True Monarchs appeared one after another in the Thousand Lakes Secret Realm.

True Monarch Zixia and True Monarch Zhuque were present, along with True Monarch Huangsha and True Monarch Baihu.

Although they were enemies

, True Monarch Zixia did not prevent the two from entering the Thousand Lakes Secret Realm because it involved the demonic path.

True Monarch Huangsha, with a grim expression, entered the Great Jin Ruins and retrieved Gu Yunqi’s storage bag.

His storage bag had already shattered within the Myriad Soul Fire, leaving only a few fragments.

“Myriad Soul Fire!”

He and the other three Nascent Soul True Monarchs present all sensed the lingering aura of soul fire on the storage bag.

White Tiger True Monarch said in a deep voice, “This fire is the natal demonic fire of that Ten Thousand Souls Old Demon of the Netherworld Sect.”

“The appearance of his natal demonic fire is almost equivalent to half of him personally taking action; no wonder young friend Gu perished here.” The

Nascent Soul True Monarchs present didn’t want to delve into the reason why Gu Yunqi and the two Demon Sect Holy Sons and Daughters appeared in the Thousand Lakes Secret Realm.

In their youth, they had all changed their identities, traveling to various places in search of opportunities.

Now,

the only question was:

what did Yellow Sand True Monarch intend to do?

“Demon cultivator!” Yellow Sand

True Monarch’s expression turned cold, and he instantly vanished from his spot.

Not long after,

deep within the Black Dragon Mountains, above the new spiritual land of the Netherworld Sect, a colossal hand of yellow sand suddenly appeared, blotting out the sky.

That hand possessed a majestic aura, powerful and terrifying, pressing down on the entire third-tier spiritual vein of the Netherworld Sect, descending heavily with overwhelming, violent power!

Boom!

The heavens and earth trembled, and the sun and moon lost their light!

The entire third-tier spiritual vein shattered instantly, along with countless cultivation sites and a large number of demonic cultivators on it, all turning to dust.

Whether Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, or Golden Core demonic cultivators, none could escape; they didn’t even have time to scream before dying under this palm strike!

When all the dust settled,

the towering spiritual vein, thousands of feet long, had completely vanished, leaving only a shockingly large palm print.

Just like that,

the Yin Soul Sect, a branch of the Ming Soul Sect, was wiped out for the second time!

This time, it was far more decisive than Li Chang’an’s previous attack; not even the spiritual vein remained.

“Such astonishing strength!”

Li Chang’an was secretly shocked.

This was the first time he had truly witnessed Huangsha Zhenjun’s attack.

He didn’t use his main body or a clone to observe nearby, but instead used the Divine Splitting and Beast Taming Technique, severing a portion of his divine sense and entering the body of a nearby demonic beast to avoid being noticed by Huangsha Zhenjun.

Through this palm strike,

Li Chang’an gained a basic understanding of Huangsha Zhenjun’s strength.

“It’s indeed too difficult for a Golden Core cultivator to defeat a Nascent Soul cultivator. We must try to avoid him and not let him come after us.”

Li Chang’an calculated the location of the brother and sister pair, Wu Ze and Wu Lan.

However, their auras were faint and difficult to discern.

Clearly,

the fourth-tier divination master had used divination techniques to conceal their auras.

…

Meanwhile,

outside the Black Dragon Mountains, beneath a mass grave,

Wu Ze and Wu Lan were pale-faced, still shaken, their breathing somewhat disordered.

Their hiding place was a corpse-raising ground with extremely heavy Yin energy that Wu Ze had discovered earlier, where he had cultivated a large number of poisonous corpses.

At this moment,

Tang Taixian was using a large amount of corpse energy to mask the living aura on their bodies.

“That was close! We were almost caught by that Yellow Sand True Lord. Thank you, Master Tang, for saving my brother and me.”

The two had already learned of the destruction of the Yin Soul Sect.

If they had left even a moment later, they would have been found by the Yellow Sand True Lord.

Wu Ze let out a long sigh of relief, though still somewhat frightened, a smile appeared on his face.

“Although the danger was great, we killed a righteous holy son, and one like Gu Yunqi, who had a very high chance of forming a Nascent Soul. This is a great achievement. When we return, the sect and our master will surely reward us.”

“That’s right, we have eliminated a future Nascent Soul enemy for the sect.”

Wu Lan nodded, agreeing with this, and did not argue with him.

Neither brother nor sister felt anything was wrong.

Tang Taixian, however, frowned and said to the two of them, “Strange, I feel something is wrong with this matter. It seems you have been plotted against.”

“Plotted against?”

Wu Ze shook his head.

“Master Tang, my brother and I, as well as that Gu Yunqi, are not weak in strength and spiritual perception. Who could plot against us? It couldn’t be that Li Fan.”

“Li Fan…”

Tang Taixian murmured the name, feeling uneasy once again.

As time passed,

the news of Gu Yunqi’s death gradually spread throughout the cultivation world of the Three Kingdoms.

Wu Ze and Wu Lan, the brother and sister, became famous overnight and received praise from many Nascent Soul elders.

…

Ancient Ruins and Secret Realms.

On the Zixia Sect’s flying boat.

Zi Xi, Mu Hongyu, and the others were somewhat surprised upon hearing the news.

“With Gu Yunqi’s strength, he actually died at the hands of those two.”

Zi Xi frowned slightly.

She had fought Gu Yunqi many times, and their strengths were evenly matched.

This meant that if it were her, she would also die at the hands of those two demonic cultivators.

“The people of the Demonic Sect should not be underestimated.”

Mu Hongyu’s expression was solemn, recalling how she had been instantly defeated by Ye Feng, the Holy Son of the Five Poisons Valley .

“However, Gu Yunqi’s death is actually a good thing for Fellow Daoist Li.”

She used her communication jade pendant to inform Li Chang’an of this.

At this moment.

Li Chang’an had already crossed the border between the cultivation worlds of Zhao and Yuan.

He concealed his figure and aura, entered a state of borrowing magic, and his escape technique was extremely fast, quickly heading towards the location of the sensed cave.

Regarding the message conveyed by Mu Hongyu,

Li Chang’an feigned surprise: “Eh, Gu Yunqi is actually dead?”

He gave a few simple words and ended the communication, continuing his journey.

A few days later.

Li Chang’an approached the location of the ancient tree cave he sensed.

He quickly frowned, for the area was sealed off by a fourth-order grand formation from the Vermilion Bird Sect.

After some inquiries, he learned that there was a secret realm

in that area

called the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm.

This secret realm had long been completely controlled by the Vermilion Bird Sect, and outsiders were forbidden from entering.

Even many disciples and elders within the Vermilion Bird Sect found it difficult to obtain the qualification to enter.

“This is troublesome,”

Li Chang’an murmured, standing at a distance, gazing at the location of the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm.

He was now certain that the ancient tree cave was within the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm, but he lacked the means to enter.

The entrance to the secret realm was protected

by several complete fourth-order grand formations.

With his current array-mastery skills, he couldn’t even open a crack, let alone break them.

Furthermore,

a large number of high-level cultivators from the Vermilion Bird Sect were stationed in that area.

Li Chang’an sensed over thirty Golden Core cultivators with just a slight effort.

Infiltrating would be equally difficult.

Hanging at the entrance to the secret realm was a precious mirror, a fourth-order artifact for breaking through illusions.

His disguise was ineffective.

A single glance from that precious mirror would expose his true form.

Furthermore,

he had heard that

every Vermilion Bird Sect disciple undergoes a full-body examination by a Nascent Soul True Monarch before entering the secret realm, to prevent them from being turned into puppets by outsiders.

“The Wood Seed Technique is ineffective; I’ll have to go in my true form.”

Various methods flashed through Li Chang’an’s mind, but he quickly rejected them all.

“Fine, I’ll ask Mu Hongyu first.”

Li Chang’an’s figure flickered, leaving the place and returning to Zhao Kingdom.

…

Half a month later.

He entered the ancient ruins secret realm, handing over a batch of pills and magical artifacts to Zi Xi, and incidentally telling Mu Hongyu about the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm.

“Fellow Daoist Li wants to enter the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm?”

Mu Hongyu was somewhat surprised.

Most of the treasures in the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm were useful for the cultivation techniques of Vermilion Bird Sect disciples.

She really couldn’t understand why Li Chang’an, a rogue cultivator, would enter the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm.

But she didn’t pry, only informing him of the situation of the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm.

“This matter is not easy to handle. Any cultivator who wants to enter the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm must obtain the permission of two Nascent Soul True Monarchs and numerous Golden Core high-ranking members of my Vermilion Bird Sect.”

“So troublesome?”

Li Chang’an frowned.

The Vermilion Bird Sect is guarding that secret realm far too tightly.

Mu Hongyu added, “Fellow Daoist Li, even if I wanted to enter the secret realm, I would need permission.”

“Does Fellow Daoist Mu have any other solutions?”

“I cannot guarantee this, but I will try my best to obtain permission for Fellow Daoist Li.”

After this exchange,

Mu Hongyu transformed into a streak of light and departed.

She planned to return to the Vermilion Bird Sect to discuss the matter with her master.

Li Chang’an returned to Changqing Mountain to wait.

More than ten days later,

he learned of the progress of the matter through his communication jade pendant.

Mu Hongyu informed him, “Fellow Daoist Li, although my master is a Nascent Soul True Monarch, she cannot decide the affairs of the entire Vermilion Bird Sect alone. I will try my best to mediate for you.”

“Alright, thank you for your trouble, Fellow Daoist Mu.”

This conversation

made Li Chang’an realize that

this matter would likely be more troublesome than he had anticipated.

…

A few more days passed.

In the main hall of the Vermilion Bird Sect,

Mu Hongyu’s voice rang out.

“Master, why can’t we grant Fellow Daoist Li a spot to enter the secret realm?”

“Hongyu, the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm belongs to the entire Vermilion Bird Sect. How can I allow an outsider to enter for your own selfish reasons, thus harming the sect’s interests?”

The Vermilion Bird True Monarch sat calmly deep within the main hall.

Mu Hongyu pleaded, “Master, Fellow Daoist Li saved my life. If it weren’t for him, we, master and disciple, would probably be separated by death. Can’t we really let him enter the secret realm?”

“Fine, I’ll grant you this once.”

Seeing her pleading expression, the Vermilion Bird True Monarch’s tone softened.

That evening,

the Vermilion Bird True Monarch summoned many high-ranking members of the Vermilion Bird Sect for a meeting.

She looked at everyone and relayed Mu Hongyu’s request.

“Letting an outsider into the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm violates the sect’s rules. Although I am a True Monarch, I cannot break the rules. Therefore, I seek your opinions. If you all agree, I am willing to place a fourth-tier treasure into the sect’s treasury free of charge as compensation to the sect.”

Before he finished speaking

, Mu Chen stepped forward to stop him.

“Master, the sect’s rules cannot be changed. If they are changed because of Hongyu’s selfishness, I’m afraid more people will try to circumvent the rules in the future.”

“Mu Chen, have you forgotten that in the ruins of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty, Fellow Daoist Li broke many formations for us, and you received a share of the treasures within those formations!”

Mu Hongyu’s face showed displeasure, a hint of anger flashing in her eyes.

She loudly rebuked, “You received many benefits from Fellow Daoist Li, yet now you want to stop him. Why are you so narrow-minded?”

“Hongyu, I am not narrow-minded; I am only thinking of the sect and Master’s reputation,”

Mu Chen defended himself without changing his expression.

He immediately stated.

If Li Chang’an were allowed to enter the secret realm for personal gain, it would likely damage the reputation of the Vermilion Bird True Monarch. The Vermilion Bird True Monarch

herself

didn’t care

, but many of her disciples couldn’t accept it.

Furthermore, another True Monarch of the Vermilion Bird Sect also felt Mu Chen’s words made sense and didn’t want the sect’s rules to be broken.

Suddenly,

the opposition grew louder.

Mu Hongyu gritted her teeth, her eyes reddening with rage, gripping her fiery spear tightly, wishing she could nail Mu Chen to the ground with a single blow.

Finally,

after some discussion,

the people in the hall reluctantly agreed to the matter.

They could all see that the Vermilion Bird True Monarch intended to facilitate this and didn’t want to offend her.

However,

the qualification to enter the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm couldn’t be given to Li Chang’an for free.

Everyone stated that Li Chang’an must offer enough treasures in exchange for this qualification.

In other words

, he would have to buy the qualification from the Vermilion Bird Sect.

After much discussion, they compiled a list of treasures.

The contents of this list nearly enraged Mu Hongyu to the point of causing a scene.

“Fourth-tier Crimson Firebird Essence Blood, Fourth-tier Blazing Black Eagle Natal Spirit Feather, Fourth-tier Phoenix Blood Grass, Fourth-tier Fire Cloud Crystal…”

There were over sixty treasures in total, all of them fourth-tier!

Moreover, even among fourth-tier treasures, these were extremely rare.

Even a Nascent Soul True Monarch might not be able to produce such items. How could

Li Chang’an, a rogue cultivator at the early Golden Core stage, possibly

gather all these things?

This list

was clearly a form of rejection.

Mu Hongyu angrily said, “If you all don’t want him to enter the secret realm, just say so! Why use these roundabout methods? If word gets out, it will inevitably become a laughingstock!”

Everyone remained silent, their silence serving as a clear statement.

They were deliberately making things difficult for Li Chang’an.

Everyone present had at

least a Golden Core cultivation level.

They weren’t worried about being resented by Li Chang’an, a rogue cultivator at the early Golden Core stage.

The Vermilion Bird True Monarch sighed inwardly and said, “There are indeed too many treasures here. How about this, let Li Chang’an only take out one-tenth of them? What do you all think?”

Hearing this, everyone looked at each other, and no one spoke for a moment.

Mu Hongyu secretly transmitted her voice, “Master, even if it’s only six types, it will be difficult for Fellow Daoist Li to produce them.”

“I will prepare half for him. If he can’t even produce the other half, it means he has no affinity with the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm.”

“Thank you, Master!”

Mu Hongyu immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

She knew that Li Chang’an had abundant luck and deep blessings.

He might be able to gather all three fourth-tier treasures.

On the other side,

Mu Chen didn’t think so.

He felt that, let alone six types, even just one treasure would be impossible for Li Chang’an to produce.

“He can forget about entering the Vermilion Bird Secret Realm in this lifetime!”

…

After this discussion ended…

Mu Hongyu immediately left the Vermilion Bird Sect and rushed to Changqing Mountain, where she recounted the entire incident to Li Chang’an.

After speaking,

she placed the list of treasures before him.

Li Chang’an glanced at it, inwardly sighing.

Previously, he was the one who had others collect treasures for him; this time, he was the one searching for treasures for others.

“They are all fourth-tier treasures. I don’t have a single one right now. I need to find a way to get them. Fortunately, I still have enough time.”

Li Chang’an was only at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, far from the peak.

His need for subsequent cultivation techniques wasn’t urgent.

If he couldn’t obtain these treasures, he would switch to a slightly lower-grade Heavenly Wood Element cultivation technique, using it to achieve Nascent Soul status, and then visit the Vermilion Bird Sect as a Nascent Soul True Monarch!

At that point,

the Vermilion Bird Sect wouldn’t be able to refuse him.

Mu Hongyu, with an apologetic expression, said, “Fellow Daoist Li, the reason this matter is so difficult is inextricably linked to Mu Chen. I misjudged him before; I never imagined he was so narrow-minded. I am truly sorry.”

“It’s alright, Fellow Daoist Mu, this matter has nothing to do with you,”

Li Chang’an waved his hand, seemingly unconcerned, but he had already added Mu Chen’s name to his list of targets.

Just then ,

he suddenly felt the ground beneath his feet tremble slightly.

Immediately afterward, the tremors grew increasingly violent.

“Earthquake!”

Li Chang’an and Mu Hongyu exchanged a glance, then left the courtyard together, flying into the sky.

Standing beneath the vast sky, they looked down at the boundless earth below.

They could see that

the entire earth was shaking, the ground churning and surging like rolling waves.

This tremor not only affected the area around Changqing Mountain but extended to the very edge of their vision.

A full quarter of an hour later, the earthquake gradually subsided.

At this moment,

countless cultivators had arrived in mid-air.

Their expressions varied; some were filled with fear, while others wore expressions of joy.

After the last earthquake,

numerous new opportunities appeared in various places, and even spiritual veins multiplied.

Li Chang’an’s Changqing Mountain spiritual vein appeared precisely after that earthquake.

This one was even more violent than the last.

Perhaps

even more opportunities would appear.

Even Li Chang’an had this thought.

“The frequency of treasure hunting should be much higher in the future.” Just then   , a crack several tens of feet wide suddenly appeared in the distant earth.   A howling cold wind rose from the ground, carrying countless dazzling treasures to the surface.   ”Opportunities!”   ”So many opportunities already!” Everyone’s faces lit up with joy,

transforming   into streaks of light and rushing towards the crack.   But two streaks of light were even faster than them.   They were Li Chang’an and Mu Hongyu.   In the blink of an eye,   the two arrived before the crack, spreading their divine senses to observe.   Although there were many treasures in the cold wind, most were low-grade treasures.   Li Chang’an wanted to know where these treasures came from.   Soon…   His divine sense detected a cluster of underground ruins.   Within these ruins emanated the aura of numerous treasures.   The howling wind was caused by a shift in the earth and would soon dissipate.   ”Another ruin buried underground. Just how many relics lie buried beneath the earth of the cultivation world?”   Li Chang’an’s figure flickered, entering the ruins. He kept half of   the treasures within   , giving the other half to Mu Hongyu.   Through information recorded in many jade slips, he learned that these ruins were a temporary armory for the soldiers of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty.   ”No wonder there are so many low-level treasures, all used by the soldiers of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty. Could there be a heavily guarded property nearby?”   Li Chang’an spread his divine sense far, but detected no other treasures.   Mu Hongyu also found nothing.   After a fruitless search, she bid farewell to Li Chang’an.   ”Fellow Daoist Li, this earthquake will likely bring significant changes to the cultivation world. I need to return to the Vermilion Bird Sect to discuss this matter with my master.”   ”Alright, Fellow Daoist Mu, take care.”   Li Chang’an escorted her to the edge of the ruins.   Afterwards, he went to the black market, giving Luo Qiantong a large sum of spirit stones and instructing him to keep an eye on any changes occurring.   Besides the spirit stones ,   he also lent Luo Qiantong five third-tier puppets.   Luo Qiantong’s ability to develop his information network was indeed impressive, but his own strength and that of his subordinates were too low; they hadn’t even cultivated a single pseudo-core cultivator yet.   Li Chang’an couldn’t bear to see this.   ”Qiantong, these five puppets are all high-grade third-tier puppets, their attributes perfectly corresponding to the Five Elements. If you use the Five Elements formation I gave you to fight together, you can crush enemies in the late Golden Core stage.”   ”Thank you, Uncle Li!”   Luo Qiantong was overjoyed.   With these five puppets, he would hardly need to fear any Golden Core forces in the Three Kingdoms anymore, and developing his information network would be much smoother.   ”If you really want to thank me, then keep an eye out for Nascent Soul opportunities for me.”   Li Chang’an calculated with his fingers and vaguely saw many dazzling treasure lights.   His previous idea was correct.   This earthquake would indeed bring many opportunities.   He carefully instructed Luo Qiantong, then left the black market and returned to Changqing Mountain.   ”Hmm, Changqing Mountain seems to have changed a bit.”   Li Chang’an stood in the courtyard, carefully sensing.   Compared to before the earthquake,   Changqing Mountain had grown a little taller, and the earth fire was more intense, while the spiritual energy at its core had become more concentrated, faintly reaching the fourth level.   Jiang Muyu, Luo Yunshu, and others who were cultivating in the mountain had all noticed this.

“Young Master, could there be some hidden treasures beneath Changqing Mountain that we haven’t yet discovered?”

“I don’t know either.”

Li Chang’an pondered for a moment, then immediately spilled a large amount of blood.

He used numerous blood avatars to burrow deep into the Changqing Mountain, searching carefully.

Not long after,

he discovered a peculiar underground space.

This space wasn’t large, and the surrounding rock walls were fiery red.

Li Chang’an entered, his gaze narrowing as he looked into the depths of this space.

“This is…”

The first thing that appeared before him was a crooked stone tablet. Inscribed

on the tablet

were two short lines of text:

【This is the Fire Cloud Secret Realm】

【The Great Jin Immortal Dynasty is mining Fire Cloud Crystals here; unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter】

“The Fire Cloud Secret Realm?”

Li Chang’an’s eyes lit up as he looked behind the stone tablet.

This place was actually the entrance to a secret realm!

Moreover,

the Fire Cloud Crystals within the secret realm were among the fourth-tier treasures on the Vermilion Bird Sect’s list.

Li Chang’an needed to obtain at least three treasures.

He had originally thought it would take a long time.

Unexpectedly… “

So quickly, I’ve already found one!”

“No wonder there’s an armory nearby. Those soldiers from the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty must have been guarding this secret realm.”

The resources of a secret realm are certainly valuable.

Li Chang’an stepped over the stone tablet and ventured deeper, attempting to enter the secret realm, but quickly stopped.

Ahead of him

stood a fourth-tier grand formation.

Li Chang’an vaguely sensed that behind the formation was a passage radiating intense heat, most likely the path into the secret realm.

However, he was blocked by the formation and could not proceed further.

“This formation must have been used by the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty to guard the entrance to the secret realm.”

Li Chang’an stood before the formation, observing for a long time, his brows gradually furrowing.

“So much time has passed, yet this formation hasn’t suffered much damage. With my current formation techniques, I simply cannot break it.”

He pondered for a long time, but still couldn’t think of a good solution.

To break this formation,

Li Chang’an either needed fourth-tier formation techniques or a fourth-tier formation-breaking treasure.

Furthermore…

Alternatively, a Nascent Soul expert could be invited to continuously bombard the formation.

Over time,

this might deplete the spirit stones stored within.

However, Li Chang’an only wanted to monopolize the resources of the entire secret realm and did not want outsiders to know of its existence, especially Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

“Seal this place off first!”

With a flicker of his figure, he transformed into a series of afterimages, outlining formation patterns around this space and placing array-setting treasures.

Soon,

a series of near-fourth-order formations took shape.

Among them were formations for defense and attack, as well as illusion formations to confuse outsiders.

If someone accidentally burrowed underground and arrived here, they would not notice anything and would only see an ordinary patch of rock and soil.

“It should be safe now!”

Li Chang’an breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He left a few puppets to guard the area and returned to his cave in Changqing Mountain.

In the days that followed,

Li Chang’an secretly collected information about the inheritance of fourth-order formations and fourth-order formation-breaking treasures through various channels.

Meanwhile, he constantly honed his array formation skills, frequently communicating with the numerous third-tier array master souls within his soul banner, attempting to reach even greater heights.

However,

the gap between near-fourth tier and fourth tier

was immense. A year passed in the blink of an eye.

Li Chang’an’s array formation skills hadn’t progressed much; instead, his alchemy, talisman drawing, and puppetry skills had all reached near-fourth tier.

Due to a lack of subsequent inheritance, all his skills remained at the near-fourth tier level,

unable to break through.

Naturally, he couldn’t enter the secret realm.

Li Chang’an could only watch helplessly as the Fiery Cloud Crystal Mountain lingered outside its walls.

Fortunately,

Jiang Muyu soon brought him good news.

During that year, Jiang Muyu had broken through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm and was about to participate in a trial.

“Young Master, someone saw the fourth-tier treasure, Phoenix Blood Grass, in my trial grounds.”

“Oh?”

Li Chang’an’s spirits lifted, and he asked Jiang Muyu to explain in detail

. Jiang Muyu immediately provided the details.

This trial

was arranged for her by the Great Qi Immortal Dynasty.

By passing the trials, one can receive blessings from the ancestors.

(End of Chapter)