Chapter 391: Nascent Soul True Lord

Several days later.

Near the Five Elements Mountain Range, atop a hidden and unremarkable Shanfeng, a rugged and dim corridor led deep into the mountain body.

Luo Chen and Luo Xi were now walking inward with extremely tense expressions.

One stick of incense later.

The view before their eyes suddenly opened up, revealing a massive artificial cavern, in the center of which lay a black stone plaza covering several mu.

These black stones emitted waves of mysterious light, seemingly possessing the ability to block all divine sense exploration.

Furthermore, the surfaces of the black stones were densely inscribed with numerous spirit runes, connected together to form a profound and great prohibition array that shrouded this entire space.

It almost completely isolated this place from the outside world, making it impossible to detect even a trace of abnormality.

Yet, seated cross-legged on a woven grass cushion in the center of the black stone plaza was a young man in a green robe with delicate features, yet strangely, not a wisp of magic power aura could be sensed from his body—

This person, however, inexplicably gave off a tremendous sense of oppression.

Luo Chen and the other arrived not far before the youth in the green robe, not daring to breathe loudly.

Even Elder Luo Xi, who was at the early stage of the Jin Dan realm, felt so nervous in his presence that he was at a loss for what to do with his hands and feet.

After a long while, the youth in the green robe opened his eyes, black as ink, as if capable of piercing through all things.

He faintly asked the two, "How have matters proceeded?"

As his voice fell, his utterly ethereal sound echoed throughout the entire space.

Luo Chen hurriedly stepped forward, bowed respectfully to the youth in the green robe, and then replied, "Reporting to the Supreme Elder, this Nine Yang Soul-Continuing Pill is truly too troublesome."

"The only means of obtaining it is controlled by Shopkeeper Lu of the Mirror Jing Xue Ge in the Five Elements Mountain Market; within the entire Great Jin, there are only a handful of Grand Masters capable of refining this pill."

"Yet that Shopkeeper Lu actually demands a fourth-tier spiritual item before he is willing to invite Alchemist Su to help refine the spiritual pill."

Speaking to this point, he cautiously glanced at the youth in the green robe, observing the other's attitude and reaction.

This cultivator, who appeared as a youth, was the Nascent Soul True Lord of the Great Zhou Xuanqing Temple—Senior Han Ya.

"Continue," the youth in the green robe said without any emotional fluctuation, neither joy nor sorrow.

Seeing that the other had not become angry, Luo Chen immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Besides this, recently while Elder Luo and I were gathering spiritual items, we received some good news; it is said that half a month from now, the Ten Thousand Dao Shang Alliance of the Five Elements Mountain Market will auction off a section of the Star Sea Divine Vine..."

"Star Sea Divine Vine?" Upon the face of the youth in the green robe, which had shown neither joy nor sorrow, finally appeared a slight movement.

Seeing that the Yunxi Laozu was somewhat moved, Luo Chen hurriedly said, "Supreme Elder, if we cannot obtain the Nine Yang Soul-Continuing Pill, would it not be better for us to bid on that section of Star Sea Divine Vine and bring it to you?"

As these words fell.

A glint of sharp light flowed within Senior Han Ya's eyes.

Immediately after, he suddenly sneered, "These brats from the Blood Refining Demonic Sect truly will stop at nothing."

"They are actually willing to use the Star Sea Divine Vine as bait."

"Thinking they can hook this Old Ancestor with such a petty trick."

Hearing this, Luo Chen and Elder Luo Xi were suddenly startled! "Supreme Elder, could it be that you mean..." Luo Chen's mind also panicked.

"Correct, how could the five great divine trees of the Immortal Realm be so easily obtained? Behind this, nine times out of ten, are those two Holy Sons of the Demonic Sects; knowing that this Old Ancestor's primordial soul is injured, they have specifically set this trap for this Old Ancestor to lure the snake out of its hole."

The youth in the green robe narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing a trace of gloomy coldness.

Upon hearing this, Luo Chen and the other felt chilled to the bone!

Immediately, they did not dare to act on their own authority, awaiting Senior Han Ya's next instructions.

The air fell into a brief silence.

After a long while.

Senior Han Ya spoke with a hint of hatred:

"This Old Ancestor did not expect that the Demonic Sect's Holy Maiden in question actually controlled a high-grade demonic spiritual treasure; her Ice Soul Demonic Light divine ability was even more unimaginable, actually capable of suppressing and freezing a cultivator's Nascent Soul primordial soul."

"It was only because this Old Ancestor was careless that I fell for their trap."

"If not for finding a physical body with decent aptitude for possession in time this time, the several-thousand-year foundation of the Xuanqing Temple would likely have been completely destroyed..."

"The poison of the Demonic Light is like a maggot clinging to the bone, constantly eroding this Old Ancestor's Nascent Soul primordial soul; this matter must be resolved as soon as possible."

"Once the primordial soul is completely repaired, this Old Ancestor can quickly cultivate back to the Nascent Soul realm within a short time; at that point, I will recall the disciples of our sect to retake the mountain gate and rise again from defeat!"

"Hehe! Fortunately, this Old Ancestor kept a trick up my sleeve, transferring the core disciples away to flee in advance, and the foundation and hidden depth of the sect are all in this Old Ancestor's hands."

"Those peripheral losses of trivial matters are harmless; if they must be abandoned, then let them be abandoned."

Upon hearing this, Luo Chen and Luo Xi could not help but fall speechless.

Indeed, those Nascent Soul old monsters who have lived for over a thousand years are none of them easy to deal with; their schemes are deep, and the older they get, the more monstrous they become... Nowadays, Senior Han Ya's reputation is not very good across the three Immortal Realms; for a dignified Qin Zhenjun to end up in such a state is truly unmatched.

To the extent that Senior Han Ya could be called a model of enduring humiliation to survive.

However, Luo Chen and the other naturally did not dare to show the slightest abnormal expression before Senior Han Ya.

"Let it be so; it was not easy to find a hiding place."

"Since the Blood Refining Demonic Sect wants to lure this Old Ancestor into a trap, why not play along with their plan; you two will pretend to participate in the auction then, and secretly contact that Shopkeeper Lu to obtain the Nine Yang Soul-Continuing Pill as soon as possible."

"The sooner the better."

"As for the fourth-tier spiritual material he wants, then simply satisfy him."

"As long as I can restore my Nascent Soul cultivation, paying a bit more of a price is no harm."

In just a brief moment, Senior Han Ya had already made his decision.

"We respectfully obey the Supreme Elder's command!"

Luo Chen and the other hurriedly bowed and responded.

Subsequently, the two left the cavern to attend to their affairs.

Half a month later.

Within the Five Elements Mountain Market, the auction organized by the Ten Thousand Dao Shang Alliance was held at the Five Blessings Auction House as scheduled.

Because the Starsea Divine Vine, a divine tree of the Immortal Realm, had appeared, a large number of cultivators from all corners of the land had come to witness the spectacle.

The Wei Dao Alliance also reinforced its personnel, strengthening security patrols at the marketplace and conducting extremely meticulous verification of every cultivator's identity entering the market.

In particular, demonic cultivators from outside could not slip in at all.

Unlike in the past, only orthodox factions had been invited to participate.

Now that the Great Jin had established the Wei Dao Alliance, its relations with the demonic cultivators of the Great Li were as hostile as water and fire.

Qin Ming was naturally paying close attention to this auction.

After all, if there was a chance, he still wanted to obtain the Starsea Divine Vine.

But right now, a conspiracy seemed to be lurking beneath the surface, so he could only wait and observe for a while.

Although demonic cultivators could not enter the Five Elements Mountain Marketplace, they might have already planted moles inside—or even been lying in wait outside.

Waiting for some unlucky soul to bid for the Starsea Divine Vine, then ambushing him to extract his soul.

As for the auction side, Qin Ming had already sent Hua Tianxiong to follow up.

With Hua Tianxiong watching, he didn't need to worry too much.

Meanwhile, Qin Ming sat calmly at the Mirror Jing Xue Ge's branch.

The auction was in full swing.

At the same time.

Luo Chen arrived alone at the Mirror Jing Xue Ge.

After stating his purpose, Lao Jia asked Luo Chen to wait a moment, then went upstairs to consult Qin Ming.

"Report, Shopkeeper Lu, there is a cultivator surnamed Luo outside who says he previously spoke with you and wishes to meet you."

"What do you say—should I let him in or not?"

"If not, I'll go down and send him away."

Qin Ming set down his teacup and smiled faintly. "The Luo family, as expected, still found their way to me after all this circling."

"Lao Jia, bring him up."

"Yes, Shopkeeper Lu."

Moments later.

Lao Jia led the handsome and elegant Luo Chen into the fourth-floor private chamber.

"Shopkeeper, Young Master Luo has arrived. I'll take my leave," Lao Jia said, bowing respectfully before withdrawing.

Luo Chen raised a hand to his mouth and feigned a weak cough twice, greeting Qin Ming: "Cough! Cough! Shopkeeper Lu, we meet again."

Then he forced a strained smile.

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming sat calmly in his chair, showing no intention to rise and greet him.

He sipped his tea, not even looking up, and said: "Enough, Young Master Luo. If you're here to do business, why hide behind pretenses? Why not show your true face?"

"If you're sincere, why pretend to be injured—and disguise your appearance?"

Boom!

Luo Chen's smile froze instantly; he could hardly believe it.

He never imagined that, with the disguise artifact granted by the Supreme Elder, his identity could be exposed—and his secrets uncovered so easily.

"If Young Master Luo insists on this, then I'll see you out," Qin Ming said coolly.

"Then I'll need to consult someone."

So Luo Chen stepped outside, pulled out a long-range voice-transmission talisman, and secretly contacted someone.

Qin Ming knew that the person Luo Chen was urgently contacting was likely the true master behind all this.

Soon after.

Luo Chen returned before Qin Ming, formed a hand seal, and removed his disguise.

His true face emerged—a young cultivator even more handsome than before, at the late Foundation Establishment realm.

Qin Ming nodded.

The young man's cultivation to such a realm at his age suggested his talent and spiritual roots were no ordinary matter.

"Shopkeeper Lu, let me reintroduce myself—I am Bai Yuhan, a true disciple of the Xuanqing Monastery of the Great Zhou."

"I mean no harm to your pavilion; I merely had to be cautious for certain reasons. I hope you'll forgive me."

Bai Yuhan bowed to Qin Ming—after all, he needed something from him, so he adopted an extremely courteous posture.

And he abandoned any underestimation of this Mirror Jing Xue Ge shopkeeper.

He had not expected the man to be so hidden.

Someone who could see through his disguise so easily was no ordinary person.

At the very least, he had held back.

After hearing Bai Yuhan's introduction, Qin Ming was also taken aback. He rose, invited Bai Yuhan to sit, poured him spirit tea, and spoke bluntly:

"Young Master Bai, you're here about the Nine Yang Soul-Continuing Pill, aren't you?"

"Heh! Shopkeeper Lu, your insight is sharp—I am indeed here for that."

"The offer you made earlier—to exchange fourth-rank spirit materials for one chance at having Su Danshi brew a pill—does it still stand?" Bai Yuhan asked.

Qin Ming smiled mysteriously and shook his head.

Seeing this, Bai Yuhan's face darkened slightly. "What does Shopkeeper Lu mean? I've shown my sincerity—surely you're not mocking me?"

"Heh! Young Master Bai, don't misunderstand," Qin Ming said, then directly pulled out a delicate jade vial and placed it before him.

Bai Yuhan was baffled, then opened the vial—and a powerful, rich medicinal fragrance surged out.

Immediately, a brilliant five-colored aura shot forth from within, revealing a pill swirling with spiritual essence.

"This—this—"

Bai Yuhan froze on the spot, stammering as he asked uncertainly.

"That's right; this pill is indeed the Nine Yang Soul-Continuing Pill."

"Isn't this precisely what Young Master Bai requires?"

"Long ago, I already commissioned Alchemist Su to refine this spiritual pill, originally intending to auction it off at an auction."

"But since Young Master Bai has a request for it, I kept it back."

"Heh heh!"

Qin Ming smiled as he gazed at the other.

Bai Yuhan inspected it carefully for a long while before finally confirming that this was indeed the miraculous elixir required by Yunxi Laozu.

At this moment, Bai Yuhan also realized that Shopkeeper Lu had clearly got him cornered.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have directly produced a genuine Nine Yang Soul-Continuing Pill.

For a moment.

Bai Yuhan felt half joy and half worry; he was joyful that he had finally found the pill he had long sought.

What worried him was that Shopkeeper Lu had directly brought out a finished pill, so his ambitions must be considerable.

Thus, he closed the jade vial in his hand, carefully placed it back on the table, and asked Qin Ming:

"I wonder what fourth-tier spiritual material Shopkeeper Lu requires to be willing to part with this Nine Yang Soul-Continuing Pill?"

At this moment, Qin Ming could easily guess for whom this spiritual pill was intended.

Nine times out of ten, it was for treating the divine soul of an extremely important figure within the Profound Clear Sect.

So he cleared his throat lightly and said tentatively, "Lu wishes to exchange it for a Five Elements Spiritual Ginseng."

"What?!"

Even though Bai Yuhan was a true disciple of the Profound Clear Sect, at this moment he could barely keep his composure.

"Shopkeeper Lu, your conditions are far too harsh, aren't they?"

"If it were an ordinary fourth-tier spiritual material, that would be one thing, but this Five Elements Spiritual Ginseng is a mid-grade fourth-tier spiritual medicine and an extremely scarce item at that," Bai Yuhan couldn't help but say.

Qin Ming knew that the Profound Clear Sect was a Nascent Soul sect and certainly possessed such strategic-grade spiritual medicines.

If one missed this opportunity, there would be no other.

"If not now, then when?" "Aside from the Five Elements Spiritual Ginseng, Lu will not exchange for anything else."

Bai Yuhan was helpless; gnashing his teeth, he said:

"Then Shopkeeper Lu, please wait a moment while Bai goes to request instructions."

Afterwards, he walked into the adjacent room, took out a long-distance transmission talisman, and secretly reported and communicated.

A full half-incense stick of time passed.

Only then did Bai Yuhan return to the room where Qin Ming was, plastering on a smile again as he said to Qin Ming:

"Shopkeeper Lu has waited long; since you possess a finished Nine Yang Soul-Continuing Pill."

"To be honest, our sect does indeed have the Five Elements Spiritual Ginseng."

"However, regarding this spiritual medicine, Shopkeeper Lu must surely know it is exceptionally precious, hence it is not on my person."

"Nor do I have the authority to decide."

"Those above instructed me to convey to Shopkeeper Lu that this matter is of great importance; they wish to invite you for a discussion and can conduct the transaction with you face-to-face."

Hearing this, Qin Ming was also stunned for a moment and asked, "May I ask who 'those above' of Young Master Bai are..."

"Shopkeeper Lu will know upon arrival; it cannot be spoken of now."

Bai Yuhan said with a smile; seemingly fearing Qin Ming might have reservations, he continued explaining:

"Shopkeeper Lu, rest assured; even if the deal falls through, goodwill remains."

"Our Profound Clear Sect is a renowned righteous sect in Great Zhou with a solid reputation; we would absolutely never do anything to make things difficult for you."

Qin Ming hadn't expected the other party to propose such conditions.

But thinking again, since he himself had proposed such excessive trading conditions, it seemed not improper for the other party to act cautiously.

Considering that currently, aside from Nascent Soul True Lords, he feared no one's strength.

Besides that, he also wanted to see what scheme Bai Yuhan was hatching.

So he nodded and agreed to the other's proposal.

Seeing this, Bai Yuhan was immediately overjoyed. "Then Shopkeeper Lu, let us go now; please follow me."

Immediately, the two directly left the market.

On the way, Qin Ming asked somewhat puzzledly, "Young Master Bai, isn't the Star Sea Divine Vine currently being auctioned at the Five Blessings Auction?"

"This item also possesses tremendous efficacy for restoring the divine soul."

"Why must you insist on the Nine Yang Soul-Continuing Pill in my hands?"

Inside the Dharma Boat, Bai Yuhan glanced at Qin Ming with deep meaning and said, "Shopkeeper Lu pretends ignorance; what kind of item is the Star Sea Divine Vine? How could it be so easily obtained?"

"It is clearly aimed at our Profound Clear Sect."

"Naturally, we will not fall for such a trick."

Hearing this, Qin Ming pursed his lips; it seemed the people of the Profound Clear Sect were not fools either—likely some cunning old fox behind the scenes was guiding their strategy.

With Bai Yuhan's such simple-minded young generation, it was clearly impossible for him to make such a judgment.

The two flew for over two double-hours before arriving at a hidden Shanfeng.

Bai Yuhan took out a token and activated the mechanism set up upon the Shanfeng.

Afterwards, he led Qin Ming through a cave, all the way to a karst plaza deep within the mountain body.

But when Qin Ming saw the green-robed youth sitting cross-legged on the black stone plaza, his pupils couldn't help but contract sharply.

His entire being instantly rallied to twelve parts vigilance.

"A Nascent Soul True Lord!"

……

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(End of Chapter)