Chapter 339 - 230: A Gathering of Core Formation Experts, Reunion with an Old Acquaintance

Chapter 339: Chapter 230: A Gathering of Core Formation Experts, Reunion with an Old Acquaintance

Lin Changheng offered a small smile and explained, simultaneously hinting at his own mastery of the Alchemy Dao, hoping to plant an idea and perhaps win over a new client.

"I see."

Liu Yuhuan nodded. In truth, both she and her companion from the Liu Family were once again stunned by the revelation that he was a "Tier Two Middle Grade Alchemist"...

After they exchanged a few more pleasantries, Lin Changheng got straight to the point.

"Alchemist Lin, are you saying you wish to purchase items from the Secret Realm?"

The elderly Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Liu Family zeroed in on the crucial point, a glint in his eyes.

"That’s right."

Lin Changheng nodded and handed them a list of Materials he had prepared beforehand. It would be ideal if they could find and either harvest or transplant the items. Failing that, even digging up their Residual Roots and bringing them back would be acceptable.

He also laid out some very tempting conditions.

Payment could be in Spirit Stones, or he could perform Alchemy for them.

He could refine elixirs to advance the Cultivation of those in the Early and Middle Stages of Foundation Establishment, with guaranteed quality. To prove his point, Lin Changheng even handed them a vial of pills for their inspection.

Moreover, as long as they provided the Materials, he could even refine Foundation Establishment Pills—and Masterpiece Pills were not out of the question.

Whether they were concerned with their own Cultivation, the family’s future, or simply wanted more Spirit Stones, it would be difficult for them to refuse Lin Changheng’s offer.

"Alright!"

Before Liu Yuhuan could even speak, the elderly Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Liu Family nodded in agreement. He handed back the vial of pills, its medicinal aroma expertly contained. "We will certainly keep this matter in mind and do our best to gather what you need," he said. "But our success will be determined by our actions, not by mere promises."

"Of course."

Lin Changheng agreed with this sentiment. His objective was largely accomplished.

"Haha," the old cultivator chuckled, "since we share this connection and have a basis for trust, we should interact more often and strengthen our relationship."

The elderly Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Liu Family was now trying to build a closer relationship.

He also asked to purchase a few healing and recovery pills. Lin Changheng sold them at a twenty-percent discount, treating the discounted amount as a deposit for their future cooperation.

...

Day gave way to night, and soon enough, the day arrived for the Secret Realm to open.

As the first golden rays of dawn pierced through the clouds, landing precisely on an unusually turbulent section of the river, the Spiritual Qi in the air suddenly turned frenzied. It was like boiling water, letting out an inaudible hum.

As if triggered by some unseen force, the water in that section of the river began to spin wildly, forming a massive whirlpool. But the center of the vortex didn’t dip down; it bulged upward. An invisible force parted the turbid water, revealing a strange, hundred-foot-wide stretch of the riverbed.

Above the riverbed, the air shimmered violently, refracting light into a kaleidoscopic halo. An indistinct, colossal portal, seemingly woven from light, shadow, and mist, was struggling to coalesce, radiating peculiar spatial ripples.

"The hour has come!"

A female voice, as crisp and cold as striking jade, suddenly rang out, cutting cleanly through the roar of the river and the stir of the crowd.

The Female Core Formation Cultivator from the Purple Extreme Sect, who had been meditating in silence, finally moved. With a single step, she was hovering in the air directly above the vortex, her robes fluttering like a Fairy descending upon the mortal realm.

Facing the frenzied, chaotic Spatial Energy below, her expression remained placid. Her slender, jade-like hands emerged from her wide sleeves, and her fingers danced like butterflies flitting through flowers, rapidly forming one arcane Dharma Seal after another.

As she moved, a heart-stoppingly immense Spiritual Pressure emanated from her, far surpassing that of any Fake Core Cultivator present and causing the very sky to shift in color.

"Purple Qi from the East—stabilize!"

Her vermilion lips parted, but the words she spoke carried the weight of absolute law. In an instant, a pillar of supremely pure, noble, and arcane purple Magical Power erupted from her palm. It didn’t shoot toward the shimmering portal; instead, like a divine pillar steadying the sea, it plunged straight into the heart of the raging vortex!

BOOM!

The chaotic, violent Spatial Energy was instantly constrained as if by an invisible giant hand. Before their very eyes, the distorted, shimmering portal stabilized and grew distinct. Faint purple patterns began to emerge upon its surface, as if a natural Seal were being slowly unveiled.

The Female Cultivator’s hand seal changed once more. She squeezed three drops of blood from her fingertip, merging them into the pillar of purple light. The pillar flared brilliantly, transforming into a massive purple Rune that slammed onto the now-solidified portal to the Secret Realm.

"Open!"

At her sharp cry, the massive, shimmering portal trembled violently and then burst open with a deafening roar!

Beyond the gate was not the churning river, but a swirling, phantasmagorical landscape. The faint silhouettes of mountains, rivers, and towering ancient trees were visible within. An aura, even purer, more ancient, and more primeval than the outside world’s, gushed forth like a burst dam, instantly sweeping over the entire riverbank!

The entrance to the Jiangxia Secret Realm was open!

After accomplishing all this, the face of the Female Core Formation Cultivator from the Purple Extreme Sect had grown a shade paler, a clear sign of the immense energy she had expended.

She withdrew her hands and spoke slowly. "Those who hold a token from the Upper Sect may enter. Those without a token who attempt to force entry... The Restrictions will kill you. You will bear the consequences."

...

After a moment of dead silence, just as the Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the families under the Purple Extreme Sect’s banner were about to enter the portal, they all froze in place as if paralyzed.

WHOOSH!

The next instant, a terrifying gale erupted without warning on the distant horizon where river met sky. Possessing the power to sweep away everything in its path, it came with the force of a tidal wave, carving a deep furrow into the wide river, crushing the waves to foam, and almost forming a massive waterspout as it hurtled toward them!

Such a sudden and powerful display was clearly not the work of nature. Never mind the cultivators from the various families; even the disciples of the Purple Extreme Sect looked alarmed.

Lin Changheng looked up with the rest of the crowd, his heart clenching.

’This pressure... it’s far stronger than the display the Purple Extreme Sect and the two great Noble Families put on when they arrived!’

The two Fake Core Ancestors from the Song and Sun Families, who had been resting with their eyes closed, snapped them open. A sharp light glinted in their cloudy eyes, and their expressions turned exceedingly grave.

The Female Core Formation Cultivator from the Purple Extreme Sect, who had just opened the portal, seemed to have anticipated this. She merely cast an indifferent gaze toward the disturbance.

...