Chapter 331: Second Entry into Tang Gu

Tong Yao did not keep Hua Changxi and the other two waiting long; soon he arrived to lead them to meet the Great Elder of the Artifact Saint Palace.

"Jing Le of the Talisman Saint Pavilion pays respects to Great Elder Yi Ming."

"Yan Zhenzhen of the Formation Saint Sect pays respects to Great Elder Yi Ming."

Tong Yao led Hua Changxi and the other two into a tent situated just outside the spiritual energy barrier; upon entering, Jing Le and Yan Zhenzhen immediately bowed to the red-robed middle-aged man seated inside.

Seeing that both knew the title of the Artifact Saint Palace's Great Elder, Hua Changxi instantly realized they had dealt with this person before; she quickly followed suit, saying, "Hua Changxi of the Pill Saint Hall pays respects to Great Elder Yi Ming."

Great Elder Yi Ming was a burly, powerful middle-aged man; looking at the three of them, he offered no pleasantries and cut straight to the point: "I hear you wish to enter the forbidden grounds of my Artifact Saint Palace?"

With his very first words, he raised the stakes to the utmost limit.

He did not speak of Tang Gu, but rather of the Artifact Saint Palace's forbidden grounds.

Let alone a sacred forbidden ground crucial to the stability of the Demon Prison; even an ordinary family's forbidden area is not somewhere outsiders can enter at will.

Jing Le and Yan Zhenzhen, who had long dealt with Great Elder Yi Ming, exchanged a helpless glance.

They knew that since the Great Elder had not outright rejected them but was instead questioning them so casually, he intended to demand an exorbitant price.

Seeing that neither Jing Le nor the other spoke, Hua Changxi remained silent as well, quietly observing developments from the side.

Great Elder Yi Ming glanced at the three of them and spoke again: "Not only do you want to enter my Artifact Saint Palace's forbidden grounds, but you also wish to claim the spiritual fire of our sacred land; aren't you being somewhat excessive?"

As he finished speaking, he pointedly looked at Hua Changxi.

Yan Zhenzhen smiled and said, "Great Elder, my Master told me that the Artifact Saint Palace intends to generously reward all friends who offered assistance; upon hearing this, we were overjoyed and thus boldly came to request our share of the gratitude gift."

Great Elder Yi Ming looked at Yan Zhenzhen with a smile and shook his head: "The entire Artifact Saint Palace is deeply grateful for your help; however, the sacred forbidden grounds are of grave importance, so I cannot 'casually' allow you to come and go."

Seeing that Great Elder Yi Ming was merely a hair's breadth away from explicitly stating 'benefits must be given to enter Tang Gu,' the corner of Yan Zhenzhen's mouth twitched involuntarily; knowing they must trade news regarding the Xuanyuan City Lord's Manor for the chance to enter Tang Gu, she turned to look at Hua Changxi.

Receiving Yan Zhenzhen's glance, Hua Changxi chose her words carefully: "Great Elder, the three of us have discovered an interesting place; if you permit us to enter Tang Gu, we are willing to take Tong Yao along with us."

Great Elder Yi Ming neither agreed nor disagreed, but continued to press: "Oh? What kind of interesting place is it?"

In dealing with people, Hua Changxi had grown somewhat; she knew one could not be led by the nose, answering whatever was asked. In verbal sparring, the key lay in controlling the initiative; even if holding a bad hand, one must play it as a trump card.

"Wait until Tong Yao has gone with us and returned before telling you."

Regarding the Xuanyuan City Lord's Manor, everything remained merely speculation on her part, along with Jing Le and Yan Zhenzhen; it was better not to reveal this information just yet.

Seeing that Great Elder Yi Ming still seemed eager to engage in several more rounds of verbal maneuvering, Hua Changxi, unwilling to waste time, gave him no chance to speak: "That region; without me, even if others know the location, they cannot enter."

"Only with me present does it become an opportunity."

Great Elder Yi Ming was not intimidated in the least; smiling broadly, he said, "But without the spiritual fire, you cannot enter either."

Hua Changxi looked at him: "Yet entering and exiting Tang Gu is not limited to a single path." She could also descend into the Nine Netherworlds and pass through Li Gate Fortress, though that would be rather time-consuming.

Hearing this, Great Elder Yi Ming raised an eyebrow.

Seeing this, Jing Le spoke up: "Great Elder, the opportunity we have discovered will be of great aid to artifact refining cultivators."

Out of ten artifact refining cultivators, nine also cultivate their bodies; an artifact refiner without a strong physique cannot walk the path far.

The direct disciples of the Artifact Saint Palace all cultivate both magic and body.

If he knew that the place they were going contained Yellow Earth Qi, he thought that with Great Elder Yi Ming's thick skin, the elder might even insist on accompanying them.

Yet the true situation within the Xuanyuan City Lord's Manor remained unknown.

Whether the Yellow Earth Tree inside the City Lord's Manor had borne fruit was uncertain; if it had, then upon their entry, the distribution of the Yellow Earth Fruits would be the primary matter.

If Great Elder Yi Ming truly went along, they feared they would not be able to compete with him for them.

Hua Changxi smiled as she looked at Tong Yao, who had been standing silently to the side: "For my part, I simply feel that given our relationship with Tong Yao, if we discover an opportunity, we ought to include a share for him."

"But we also know he is not one to accept things for free; consider the spiritual fire within Tang Gu as the bargaining chip he offers in exchange."

Great Elder Yi Ming chuckled softly; first he looked at Hua Changxi, then shifted his gaze to Yan Zhenzhen and Jing Le.

These three were all prominent figures from the three great sacred lands of Pills, Talismans, and Formations, each possessing great fortune; an opportunity discovered by them together...

Knowing that these three juniors before him were all slick operators, Great Elder Yi Ming grew too lazy to trouble them further: "Very well; since you are friends of Tong Yao, I shall allow you to enter Tang Gu once."

Having said this, Great Elder Yi Ming turned to look at Tong Yao and instructed: "They are your friends; you must entertain them thoroughly and ensure absolutely nothing happens to them within Tang Gu."

The implied meaning was for Tong Yao to keep watch over Hua Changxi and the other two, preventing them from running wild or acting recklessly inside Tang Gu.

After Tong Yao nodded in agreement, he led Hua Changxi and the other two out of the tent and headed straight toward the spiritual energy barrier.

As soon as they entered the spiritual energy barrier, Hua Changxi frowned.

Jing Le also said with a grave expression: "Why is the demon qi still leaking outward?"

With a poor expression, Tong Yao said: "The mountain-protecting great formation was destroyed by the explosion, which affected the formation eye; a stone carving was shattered by the shock, and now the elders are all trying to find a way to repair it."

Mentioning the stone carving, Hua Changxi thought of Baili Changfeng, who had voluntarily turned to stone to suppress the crack in the formation eye, and a sigh arose in her heart.

Tong Yao said: "Let us go; the entrance to the Artifact Saint Palace's barrier is in the central region of the spiritual energy barrier."

The further they walked toward the center of the spiritual energy barrier, the worse Hua Changxi felt; the demon qi within the barrier was now far denser than before, and the abundant demonic energy within it was beginning to affect her mind.

At this moment, she personally experienced the power of demonic energy fueling the black flames.

Soon, the back of Hua Changxi's right hand began to ache faintly, and various negative emotions constantly flashed through her mind; only after she silently recited the Clear Heart Mantra in her thoughts did she slowly suppress that inexplicable ferocity rising within her.

Before long, the four of them arrived at a massive fissure in the ground; Tong Yao took out a small red sword, inserted it into the crack, and red wave-like ripples immediately appeared in the air.

In merely a moment, a red opening the height of a person appeared in the center of the ripples.

"Let us go."

Tong Yao entered first, with Hua Changxi and the other two following closely behind; throughout the journey, none of the three looked around or spoke.

The four of them arrived at a stone platform amidst a sea of magma; then, after passing through a teleportation array, they finally appeared on the boundary stone platform at the center of Tang Gu.

At this moment, on the boundary stone platform, five burly middle-aged men, bare-chested, were working hard to repair a stone carving.

Not far from them, a cracked hole was clearly visible; because there was no stone carving to suppress it, a continuous stream of demon qi was leaking outward through the opening.

The demon qi here was too dense; faint black fish scales had already appeared on the back of Hua Changxi's right hand, and with her mind agitated, she quickly said to Tong Yao: "I will go ahead first; you follow slowly."

Tong Yao and the other two all noticed the black fish scales on the back of Hua Changxi's hand, and their expressions changed slightly.

Jing Le asked: "Are you alright?"

Hua Changxi offered no response and immediately leaped away from the Jieshi Platform.

Seeing this, Tong Yao turned to Jing Le and Yan Zhenzhen: "Changxi should be able to withstand these demonic energies; nevertheless, we had best not linger too long within Tang Gu."

"Wait for me a moment."

Tong Yao hurried over to the five cultivators repairing the stone statues, exchanged a few whispered words with them, then turned back: "Let us go."

The three walked toward the exit of the Jieshi Platform while conversing.

Tong Yao said, "By the way, since you followed us into Tang Gu this time, I assume you also intend to subdue a spiritual flame?"

Yan Zhenzhen smiled and said, "Spiritual flames are useful not only to alchemists and artifact refiners; they can also be employed to form formations and craft talismans. Even if one does not use them for formations or talismans, they can still be wielded to repel enemies."

"Jing Le and I naturally desire a spiritual flame."

Tong Yao smiled and said, "The seven-colored spiritual flames nurtured within Tang Gu are all extraordinary. To date, I have subdued only five colors; let us see if this time I can subdue the remaining two as well."

"This is Changxi's first entry into Tang Gu, yet she has already gathered all seven-colored spiritual flames. She must possess profound insights into subduing them. Let us hasten to find her; with her guidance, you may well succeed in subduing a few wisps of spiritual flame."

The three quickened their pace outward, but regrettably, along the entire route out, they failed to encounter Hua Changxi.