Chapter 228: Sudden Appearance of a Strange Poison (I)

As a half-immortal fox who had learned to care for her phone battery, Xi Lian was happy to agree to Wang Sheng's request to stay outside once the Special Investigation Unit had swiftly delivered her the latest model phone.

Wang Sheng had been worried that Xi Lian could be feeling unwell, which was why she suddenly asked to go home. He took a moment to check on her, only to be met with an exaggerated eye-roll.

"The phone is starting to lag, but you're even slower than the phone."

Wang Sheng was speechless. It seemed that the half-immortal fox now had performance standards for her phone.

Wang Sheng was feeling more and more like he was the one from ancient times. He mostly used his phone just to contact people, while Xi Lian had already blended into modern society. Online shopping had become a regular part of her daily life.

The Hidden Earth Sect was located in a fairly ordinary town. It was the kind of modernized rural area one could find anywhere in the eastern region of the Hua Republic. Moreover, its territory was about a fifty-minute drive from Wang Sheng's location. Had Shen Qianlin not stepped up, it would have been easy for the Hidden Earth Sect to stay concealed.

After Shen Sui'an left, Wang Sheng and the others rested in the restaurant for about an hour. Qing Yanzi and several Daoist elders flew into the city one after another. To make it easier to discuss plans during the trip, the Special Investigation Unit temporarily arranged for a tour bus.

When the bus picked up Wang Sheng and the others, Qing Yanzi and six Daoist elders from different Daoist heritages were already seated inside. Over ten Special Investigation Unit staff members were also with them.

The group wasted no time starting their half-day visit to the Hidden Earth Sect.

Wang Sheng boarded with Mu Wanxuan, Liu Yunzhi, Shen Qianlin, and Xi Lian, forming quite a pleasant-looking group of five. The four young ones greeted the Daoist elders, while the elders and Qing Yanzi rose to greet Xi Lian. A group of "ancients" bowing to each other on a tour bus made for a rather amusing scene.

Xi Lian forced a polite smile, making her look very much like a high school girl who had flunked her finals but was still being dragged around to visits to relatives during the New Year. After nodding a few times, she pulled Mu Wanxuan to sit in the back.

Qing Yanzi smiled cheerfully, clearly satisfied. "Little Xuan seems to be getting along well with her."

Although their sect was small, they were all strong, and the friends they made were anything but ordinary.

Today, their master had changed his usual attire to a black Daoist robe. If not for the faint smile on his lips, he would have looked rather stern and cold.

"Little Sheng, come sit here. I just happened to want to test whether you've been slacking in your cultivation lately."

Qing Yanzi pointed to a seat across the aisle. Wang Sheng glanced at his senior sister. Since she was happily browsing her phone with Xi Lian, he invited Liu Yunzhi to join him in the front instead.

Once Wang Sheng had sat down, the Daoist elders offered some praise, more to give face to Qing Yanzi than to Wang Sheng himself. They were all Golden Core Realm cultivators from nearby sects, ranking between the twentieth and fortieth in the Heavenly Rankings.

Shen Qianlin sat near the front door with a few young girls from the Special Investigation Unit. She didn't come to the back, thinking the atmosphere there didn't quite suit her.

Wang Sheng couldn't help but recall his conversation with Shen Sui'an in the men's restroom. Thinking back on it now, it really left a vivid impression on him.

Qing Yanzi looked at Wang Sheng's sword case. "Little Sheng, do you have your celestial-grade flying sword with you?"

"I do."

"Let me show it to the seniors," Qing Yanzi requested. "On the way here, I bragged that it's a celestial-grade item."

"Yes, Master." Without objections, Wang Sheng summoned the celestial-grade flying sword that he had been nurturing within him. He presented it respectfully.

The Daoist elders didn't put on airs. They stood up, leaned forward to examine it, and clicked their tongues in amazement.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"This is certainly no ordinary item," one said. "Its radiance seems capable of dispelling corruption, shattering battle formations, and even damaging the primordial spirit."

"Just its sharpness alone already outclasses any treasured sword," another added. "The spirituality it holds is even more precious."

"The formation spirit from the Shu Sword Sect is likely the only remaining immortal path spirit today. It's a shame we didn't get to meet them. Truly a regret in this life."

"We're lucky enough to have the chance to cultivate. That already puts us ahead of the previous generation."

Soon, the celestial-grade flying sword was returned to Wang Sheng. He could feel the sword's slight resentment, as though it didn't want anyone else to hold it.

Qing Yanzi smiled. "Little Sheng, why haven't you named it yet?"

Wang Sheng quickly passed off the mentally taxing task. "Master, why don't you give it a name? I'm terrible at naming things. I already have a sword called Spiritless. I just never got around to naming this one."

Qing Yanzi thought for a moment. "If 'Spiritless' begins with

'wu

[1]

'

meaning 'without,' then the opposite would be

'you

[2]

'

meaning 'with.' As for

'ling

[3]

'

meaning 'spirit,' its opposites could be words like dull, clumsy, slow, stupid, or blunt..."

Uh, a sword named Stupid?

Wang Sheng nearly laughed out loud.

Qing Yanzi mulled over it, and the Daoist elders watched him with interest.

Soon, Qing Yanzi's eyes lit up. "How about Flying Haze?"

The Daoist elders nearly lost their footing. They all looked at Qing Yanzi in speechless disbelief. That name had absolutely nothing to do with his earlier reasoning!

His master's tendency to stay composed while joking around did not surprise Wang Sheng at all. He calmly bowed. "Thank you for the name, Master."

Flying Haze hummed softly, as though quite pleased with its new name.

Once the bus started moving, Qing Yanzi brought up the Nether Gate matter. The Daoist elders shared what ancient texts they had preserved about the Nether Realm, but the information was all very limited.

The Nether Realm belonged to the underworld and had no direct connection to the mortal world. However, they all agreed on one point: if the Nether Gate was left as it was, it would bring endless problems. The sooner they resolved it, the better.

A few minutes later, Qing Yanzi turned to Wang Sheng. Warmly, he asked, "Little Sheng, you already know what to do next without needing me to spell it out, right?"

Wang Sheng nodded, then frowned in thought. "Maybe you should give me instructions anyway, Master."

Soft laughter spread throughout the bus. Clearly, Wang Sheng's "honesty" had amused everyone.

"Do I still have to?" Qing Yanzi asked calmly. "Just do what you did when you provoked the Sakura Island delegation last time. No need to be so tense about it this time."

Liu Yunzhi laughed out loud, suddenly anticipating some drama.

Wang Sheng smiled wryly. "Master, that was against the Sakura Island delegation, and they were the ones acting unreasonable first. The Hidden Earth Sect doesn't have any dark history. We should try to reason with them."

"Of course we should." A Daoist elder smiled. "But if they won't listen to reason, there's not much we can do. With the Nether Gate out in the open, something could go wrong at any moment. We don't have the luxury of waiting."

Qing Yanzi added, "Asking them to lend their sect's treasures is already a stretch. We're not exactly in the right here."

Wang Sheng frowned. "Then if negotiations don't work and they still won't lend them..."

Qing Yanzi shrugged. "Since we're not in the right anyway, being a bit forceful won't matter. I'll take the blame. Our principle is to avoid hurting people if possible."

In other words, if the Hidden Earth Sect refused to cooperate, they would still take the treasures that could monitor or influence the Nether Realm. They would even resort to force if they had to.

Fine. At least we have some kind of plan.

If Shen Qianlin learned that Qing Yanzi and the others were already prepared to use force, she'd probably feel conflicted.

Qing Yanzi went on to check Wang Sheng's recent cultivation progress and reminded him of a few important points about forming a Golden Core. With his master and senior sister having successfully reached the Golden Core Realm, Wang Sheng's odds of successfully forming his were much higher.

Compared to his peers, his cultivation was a bit faster, even though he only ever took steady steps. The Pure Yang Immortal Mantra had left no hidden dangers. Now, he was already close to reaching the late-stage of the Illusory Core Realm. Once he made a breakthrough, it wouldn't take long before he could prepare for the formation of his Golden Core. Waiting a bit longer would naturally make the process safer.

"Master, have you seen the latest rankings? Senior Sister has been quickly rising through the ranks."

"That's because she's cultivating fast," Qing Yanzi replied. "Don't get competitive. Just focus on your own path and take it one step at a time. Your senior sister is now practicing the Dao of Balanced Yin and Yang. There's not much more I can teach her. Lately, I've been wondering how to guide her going forward...

Having a disciple like Mu Wanxuan, who was practically equal to an immortal, put some pressure on Qing Yanzi. Thankfully, he had recently broken through to the late-stage of the Golden Core Realm. She might have already caught up to him otherwise.

In his heart, Wang Sheng could only make a quiet vow: one day, he would make his master feel pressure from his second disciple too...

Achieving such a feat was quite difficult, though. At the moment, Wang Sheng was still listed as the top ranker under the Earthly Rankings, though he was technically on the Heavenly Rankings.

Given his overall strength, he was more than capable of entering the lower end of the Heavenly Rankings. Since it was updated weekly, the Special Investigation Unit should have accurate records of his capabilities. They were clearly leaving him out on purpose.

Entries like "Rank 98: Daoist Master Fei Yu" and "Rank 99: Daoist Master Fei Yu" looked like they could be bumped off the Heavenly Rankings at any time. Compared to those, "Rank 1: Daoist Master Fei Yu" on the Earthly Rankings had a much more impressive ring to it.

The Daoist elders were getting more excited as they chatted and discussed cultivation. Soon, the bus left the ring road and continued along a busy country road.

***

Based on the time, Shen Sui'an had probably already been holding a clan meeting for an hour. So far, there had been no news.

Shen Qianlin was clearly quite concerned. She kept checking her phone, but she still hadn't received a call from her father.

Ten minutes from their destination, they found themselves in an area already covered in rice fields and vegetable sheds. The landscaping was quite well done, with small groves scattered around.

A Daoist elder stroked his beard and sighed. "Who would have thought that a thousand-year-old sect would be hiding in a place like this?"

"The Hidden Earth Sect certainly has its unique qualities."

At that moment, Shen Qianlin's phone rang, and all the Special Investigation Unit staff also simultaneously received a message. She quickly answered it, and the entire bus fell silent.

1. 无, which means "without" or "the absence of." ☜

2. 有, which means "with" or "exist." ☜

3. 灵, which means "spirit," "intelligent," "agile," "sharp," or "alert." ☜