Chapter 555: Respective Intentions

Zhao Zhao Menglian and the others could naturally see a bit of Zhang Zhang Tieyang's intentions in saying this.

The main reason why the other party proposed wanting to travel with Zhao Zhao Menglian and the others was that he saw they had the background of a Nascent Soul sect, plus the cultivation of several people was not low, and there were many people and strong strength.

Before Song Song Qingming and the others arrived here, Zhang Zhang Tieyang faced so many Foundation Establishment-stage stone statue puppet beasts alone and spent a lot of effort without breaking through. At this moment, he already knew the power of the restrictions and formations in this "Heaven-Reaching Tower" secret realm.

Even if he could find the companion he was traveling with next, it was estimated that even if they found good things, they might not necessarily have the ability to get them. Moreover, there were many experts in the secret realm

But if he could join Zhao Zhao Menglian's team, at least his safety would be guaranteed. Moreover, although Zhao Zhao Menglian and the others came from a Nascent Soul sect, they seemed quite reasonable. Following them, the group likely wouldn't make things too difficult for him.

"We all agreed years ago to enter the Heaven-Reaching Tower together. It is truly difficult to rashly agree to let a fellow Daoist accompany us. I hope Fellow Daoist Zhang will not take offense." Facing Zhang Zhang Tieyang's proactive overture, Zhao Zhao Menglian, as the team leader, only pondered for a moment before immediately rejecting him on the spot.

Although Zhang Zhang Tieyang's identity had been verified and there were no major issues, Zhao Zhao Menglian and the others had made an agreement before entering the "Heaven-Reaching Tower" that no one could bring in outsiders without everyone's approval. Therefore, Zhao Zhao Menglian did not want to waste any more time with him here.

Hearing Zhao Zhao Menglian's resolute refusal, Zhang Zhang Tieyang was instantly disappointed, yet unwilling to give up, he continued, "Could Fellow Daoist Zhao please reconsider? This is my first time entering this Heaven-Reaching Secret Realm, and I know very little about this place. If I cannot find a fellow Daoist to accompany me, I fear I will not escape the fate of being buried here."

"I hope all fellow Daoists will reconsider. If I, Zhang, am fortunate enough to get out, I will certainly not forget everyone's help today. Although my cultivation base is indeed not high, I am not entirely useless; I will certainly be of some use to you all."

"I also agree to let Fellow Daoist Zhang join." True Person Qingluo, who like Zhang Zhang Tieyang was a rogue cultivator, did not say much else but immediately made his stance clear.

Seeing that everyone's gaze had gathered on him, Song Song Qingming nodded slightly with a calm expression and said, "I have no objections to Fellow Daoist Zhang joining. Senior Sister Zhao, you all can decide!"

Just as Jin Wu Ziyuan finished speaking, Yun Yun Xinxue, who was to the side, immediately smiled and nodded in agreement, "Fellow Daoist Jin also makes some sense. With so many experts entering the Heaven-Reaching Tower this time, we will inevitably encounter powerful opponents. Having one more person inside can also provide an extra bit of strength."

"Senior Sister Zhao, I think since Fellow Daoist Zhang's identity is not an issue and he is willing to travel with us, it is not impossible to consider. I think it would be better to hear everyone's opinion first!"

"Besides, Fellow Daoist Zhang's divine abilities are not too weak, and he is someone willing to proactively contribute when things happen. He will certainly be able to help!"

Just as Zhao Zhao Menglian was about to open her mouth to reply, Jin Wu Ziyuan, who was to the side, suddenly sent a secret sound transmission to the people around him, then spoke directly:

The other party's cultivation base was not low, so he would certainly be useful later. However, when it came time to share the results, as long as the five of them on this side were in agreement, he would certainly not dare to say anything. Anyway, the other party had said himself earlier that it didn't matter if he received a smaller share of any good things found.

Before Jin Wu Ziyuan spoke, he had also secretly sent a message to Song Song Qingming. The reason the three of them agreed to let Zhang Zhang Tieyang join was not because they genuinely wanted to take him in as a partner, but simply because they wanted to find another useful helper they could exploit.

Whether it was Zhang Zhang Tieyang or Jin Wu Ziyuan and the others, both sides had their own little schemes. Everyone was a Golden Core cultivator who had practiced for many years; although they hadn't stated it explicitly, they were basically all aware of it.

Song Song Qingming did not care much about Jin Wu Ziyuan and the others' thoughts.

"Junior Brother Song, what do you think about this?" After hearing the thoughts of Jin Wu Ziyuan and the others, Zhao Zhao Menglian did not immediately state her position, but turned and asked Song Song Qingming, who had not yet spoken.

Zhang Zhang Tieyang, whose face had been full of disappointment, heard the words of Jin Wu Ziyuan and the others and, seeing that there was still a turning point, immediately showed a trace of joy on his face.

For such a cheap helper that could be exploited, Jin Wu Ziyuan and the others were naturally happy to accept. Anyway, the other party was just a rogue Golden Core cultivator without much of a background, and he wasn't someone they were familiar with. If they really encountered any danger and couldn't look after him, it shouldn't matter much. There was no need to worry about any major trouble after getting out.

This time entering the "Heaven-Reaching Tower," Song Song Qingming did not intend to always act with Zhao Zhao Menglian. He only needed to follow them smoothly to the third level. Whether the team brought Zhang Zhang Tieyang along or not should not have any major impact on Song Song Qingming.

Moreover, now that Jin Wu Ziyuan and the others had clearly expressed their agreement, even if Song Song Qingming wanted to oppose it, he likely wouldn't get his way and would only waste time here in vain. It was better to just agree and be done with it.

Hearing Song Song Qingming's answer, Zhao Zhao Menglian nodded and turned to Zhang Zhang Tieyang, who was to the side, saying, "Since Junior Brother Song also agrees, then welcome to join us, Fellow Daoist Zhang. However, I must state beforehand that when we act together later, you must follow my command and not act on your own initiative."

"Any spiritual objects obtained by everyone must also be handed over first before being distributed uniformly. If you agree, Fellow Daoist, then it is settled. If you cannot accept this, it is not too late to leave right now."

"Agreed, agreed. Fellow Daoist Zhao, rest assured, I will certainly follow instructions and will not act recklessly. Many thanks to all fellow Daoists for your kindness. A small token of respect, I hope everyone will not mind."

Seeing that Zhao Zhao Menglian had relaxed, Zhang Zhang Tieyang's face instantly bloomed with joy. He happily took out several bags of spiritual tea he had treasured and presented a portion to each of the five people present.

Regardless of his cultivation strength, Zhang Zhang Tieyang was clearly much better at dealing with people than the average person. It was evident that although this guy looked a bit slippery on the surface, he had managed to successfully form a Golden Core as a rogue cultivator and reach the same status as Song Song Qingming; there were indeed reasons for this.

After the group reached an agreement, under Zhao Zhao Menglian's lead, they came directly to the teleportation formation in the middle of the stone chamber. After carefully checking the formation to confirm there were no issues, they entered the teleportation formation one after another.

After another bout of familiar dizziness, with a flash of white light, Song Song Qingming and the others appeared in a somewhat damp cave.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, could this be the second level of the Heaven-Reaching Tower?" Just after walking out of the teleportation formation, Zhang Zhang Tieyang asked Zhao Zhao Menglian, who was to the side, with a smile on his face.

"Oh! Didn't Fellow Daoist Zhang say earlier that you didn't know much about what was inside? How is it that you seem to have known all along that the teleportation formation in the stone chamber was the passage to the second level?" Facing Zhang Zhang Tieyang's inquiry, Zhao Zhao Menglian suddenly asked back with a strange expression.

"This... hehe! Fellow Daoist Zhao has misunderstood me. I truly don't know much about this place; I just heard some rumors about the Heaven-Reaching Tower before."

Watching Zhang Zhang Tieyang, whose face showed not the slightest bit of embarrassment, Zhao Zhao Menglian revealed a slight smile at the corner of her mouth, then turned around and ignored him, leading the group to quickly walk out of the cave.

Just after walking out of the cave exit, before Song Song Qingming and the others walking behind could see the scenery outside, Zhao Zhao Menglian, who was at the very front of the team, suddenly seemed to see something incredible. She immediately stopped her movement, retreated a few steps quickly, and leaned against the stone wall to the side.

"Everyone, don't go out yet. Someone is passing by outside, and it seems to be an expert!"

Hearing Zhao Zhao Menglian say this, the group's faces immediately became tense. They stopped their steps one after another and retreated back into the cave with Zhao Zhao Menglian.

Being called an expert by Zhao Zhao Menglian, a sixth-layer Golden Core cultivator, the group didn't need to think to guess that this person was either a Nascent Soul old monster or at least an expert above the late stage of Golden Core. It seemed that many experts had already reached this second level ahead of them.

After a long while, Zhao Zhao Menglian turned sideways and said to Zhang Zhang Tieyang, who was to the side, "That person just flew past from the sky; they should have passed by already. Fellow Daoist Zhang, you go check the situation first."

"Uh!... Alright!"

Hearing Zhao Zhao Menglian call his name directly, Zhang Zhang Tieyang, who was hiding at the very back of the team, was stunned for a moment. Then, with a somewhat unpleasant expression, he nodded and walked slowly toward the outside.

Just as he was about to reach the cave entrance, Zhang Zhang Tieyang took out a silver magic robe and put it directly on his body. Very quickly, his figure disappeared from the eyes of Song Song Qingming and the others.

The quality of this magic robe on Zhang Zhang Tieyang that could hide his figure was quite good; it should be at least a second-tier top-quality magic garment, clearly much better than the Spirit-Hiding Shirt on Song Song Qingming. Even if a Golden Core cultivator didn't pay attention within a certain distance, it would be very difficult to detect his trail.

After seeing this item, Song Song Qingming and the others finally understood how Zhang Zhang Tieyang had been hiding his figure from everyone in the stone chamber on the first level.

After Zhang Zhang Tieyang carefully walked out of the cave under the tracking of everyone's spiritual sense, he did not return for a long time. Just as Zhao Zhao Menglian and the others in the cave were feeling somewhat puzzled, he hurried back into the cave with an anxious face.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, what happened? Did the other party discover us?" Seeing Zhang Zhang Tieyang's face so anxious, Zhao Zhao Menglian and the others immediately became tense, revealing a guarded appearance.

Song Song Qingming and Yun Yun Xinxue, who were standing slightly further away, had their gazes gathered on the teleportation formation not far behind them at this moment. As long as they discovered that the situation was wrong, they would immediately flee into the teleportation formation.

(End of chapter)