Chapter 201 - 175: Spiritual Insight and Attunement

Chapter 201: Chapter 175: Spiritual Insight and Attunement

In the pavilion within the courtyard.

Tan Hu produced a jade box containing the exotic spiritual essence with a flip of his hand, placed it on the table, and said with a smile, "Mission accomplished. Mire Marsh birthed a supreme-grade exotic spiritual essence of both blood and soul."

Lan Cai Shen’s eyes lit up. He waved his hand to open the jade box, picked up the yin-jade bottle inside, and drew out a wisp of black and red aura.

The aura emerged, twisted for a moment, and transformed into a Profound Red Banner.

"Good, good, good..."

A spiritual glimmer shone in Lan Cai Shen’s eyes. After studying it for a few breaths, he nodded in satisfaction. He then placed the yin-jade bottle back in the jade box, put it away, and looked up at Tan Hu with a smile. "You’ve worked hard, Junior Brother Tan. Did anything unexpected happen?"

"There’s no need for formalities, Senior Brother. It’s all for Junior Brother Li."

Tan Hu smiled and waved it off. He thought for a moment, then his smile vanished and he frowned. "While I was conducting the blood sacrifice, a Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Ten Thousand Poison Forest tried to steal the spiritual essence, so I killed him. After a period of quiet, there were more furtive attempts. I took my vessel into the Mist Marsh to pursue them and slew a few insignificant Qi Cultivators."

"On my way back, however, I encountered a peculiar cultivator."

Tan Hu’s gaze flickered. "I thought he was another one trying to get at the spiritual essence, so I engaged him."

"His methods were extraordinary. Even though he was only at the Mid-Meridian Condensation realm, his mastery of the Water Control Technique was simply sublime. We fought for a moment, but I couldn’t gain any advantage."

"Oh?"

Lan Cai Shen looked surprised and asked, "The Water Manipulation Technique? Could you discern his origins?"

’Tan Hu is a Late-Meridian Condensation cultivator, and his Beast Soul lineage is one of the two core inheritances of the Cyan Yang Sect. With his Cultivation Technique and realm, he still couldn’t suppress this person?’

Tan Hu thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I couldn’t figure out his origins." After a pause, he added, "When I fought him, his Spiritual Power felt as vast as a great river, and he was skilled at overwhelming his opponents with the sheer force of water."

"My own attacks had very little effect on him."

There was more that Tan Hu left unsaid. He had even sent his tiger familiar to devour the man’s soul, but it had been blocked by a mirror-shaped soul Magical Artifact.

’With that level of cultivation and such a precious Magical Artifact, he couldn’t possibly be a Loose Cultivator.’

’I just don’t know which sect he belongs to.’

"Spiritual Power as vast as a river, skilled with water..."

Lan Cai Shen grew pensive, mentally sifting through all the sects he knew.

In his memory, the sects he knew that fit this description were Zichuan Palace, the Profound Yin Sect, and the Wentian Clan. The closest of these, Zichuan Palace, was still separated from the Cyan Yang Sect by the territories of several other sects, while the other two were even farther away.

The journey across the territories of several sects was so perilous that even an ordinary Dao Foundation Cultivator might not succeed.

’He’s just a Meridian Condensation cultivator. How could he possibly have made that journey?’

Just as Lan Cai Shen was lost in thought, his expression flickered and he looked up at the sky.

A black dot appeared on the horizon.

As it drew closer, it was revealed to be a Floating Palace.

A smile touched Lan Cai Shen’s lips when he saw it.

Seeing this, a thought struck Tan Hu, and he asked, "Are they from Huifeng Valley?"

Lan Cai Shen nodded slightly. "I asked Steward Bai to pause the Gathering of Slave Cultivators to help me preside over the blood sacrifice at Huifeng Valley."

’Steward Bai?’

Tan Hu thought for a moment, and the image of an amiable old man surfaced in his mind.

As the two of them were speaking,

the palace floated into the air above the courtyard, then slowly shrank until it was drawn into the sleeve of an amiable-looking old man.

Three figures slowly descended into the courtyard.

Lan Cai Shen rose and walked out of the pavilion. Cupping his fists toward the old man in the lead, he smiled. "I’ve troubled you with this blood sacrifice, Steward Bai."

Upon hearing this, Steward Bai’s expression became somewhat unnatural, and the young man and woman behind him didn’t dare to look up at Lan Cai Shen.

Seeing their reactions, Lan Cai Shen’s heart sank.

A wry smile appeared on Steward Bai’s face. He produced a jade box with a flip of his hand and reluctantly offered it to Lan Cai Shen.

Lan Cai Shen glanced at the jade box but did not accept it. He frowned. "Steward Bai, what is the meaning of this?"

Inside the jade box was a Tier Two High-grade Spirit Medicine, the payment he had promised for the steward’s help.

Steward Bai pushed the jade box forward again, shaking his head with a sigh. "I have failed the task Steward Lan entrusted to me. The exotic spiritual essence was taken."

’Taken?’

Lan Cai Shen was stunned for a moment, then asked gravely, "By whom?"

’There’s a difference between "taken" and "seized."’

’The latter means it was stolen, the former could mean it was given away. The implications were vastly different.’

Although Steward Bai was only a steward, as one of the men in charge of Gathering Slave Cultivators, he was backed by a complex web of connections. This was precisely why Lan Cai Shen had asked him to preside over the blood sacrifice, knowing that Huifeng Valley was deep within the heartland of Qingyuan Country.

With him presiding, even the most sinister characters would have to think twice.

’And now Steward Bai was telling him the exotic spiritual essence had been... given away?’

Steward Bai was silently cursing his misfortune. He had intended to make a quick profit and curry a small favor, but in this situation, he would be lucky to escape without offending anyone.

After a long hesitation, he sent a voice transmission, uttering a single phrase: "Prospective True Inheritor, Jiang Han!"

"Please try to understand, Steward Lan. I had no other choice."

At these words, Lan Cai Shen’s eyes instantly turned an icy blue, and the air for a hundred meters around him chilled as if winter had descended.

Steward Bai dared not linger. He shoved the jade box into Tan Hu’s hands and hastily waved his sleeve, releasing the Floating Palace. Sweeping the pale-faced youth and woman up with him, he fled into the palace, which then shot into the sky and disappeared.

Tan Hu weighed the jade box in his hand. A baleful aura filled his gaze as he asked in a grim voice, "Senior Brother Lan, who stole the spiritual essence?"

Lan Cai Shen came back to his senses, the icy blue in his eyes slowly receding. "Jiang Han," he said softly.

"True Inheritor Jiang..."

Tan Hu’s expression changed. The words he was about to speak caught in his throat, and he stammered, "He... why would he steal this Spiritual Power? He..."

"Enough."

Lan Cai Shen waved a hand dismissively, gazing up at the sky. "It’s just a single strand of exotic spiritual essence," he said lightly. "So what if he has it? Consider it a scrap thrown to a dog."

"Get ready. We return to the Ring Mountain Spiritual Land tomorrow."