Chapter 234 - 231: Man in Black

Chapter 234: Chapter 231: Man in Black

After venting their frustrations and downing another pot of wine, the two staggered out of the city. They cast the Wind Control Skill and ambled leisurely up the mountain.

Not everyone in the world who pursues Cultivation does so for the sake of immortality. This was especially common among low-tier cultivators in the Miscellaneous Task and Qi Refining stages.

Once in the mountains, there were no signs of life. Further up, he spotted a cluster of palaces halfway up the slope. Chen Qingyang had his Conscious Fish halt its advance when he saw the three words inscribed on the main palace: Mountain Foot Palace.

As the name suggested, it was built halfway up the mountain to receive outsiders, thus preventing any disturbance to the secluded Cultivation happening higher up. Despite bearing the name of True Demon, the place was filled with the ancient charm of the Daoist School.

He recalled Zhao He mentioning that the great True Demon Sect now had only eighteen or nineteen Foundation Establishment Masters, fewer than even the Four Golden Peaks. The only reason they could hold this territory was that the Golden Core True Monarchs of the Yu Xiao Demon Sect were afraid that fighting the Celestial Child True Monarch would lead to injuries, which would in turn affect their artifacts and Cultivation.

Based on this, he inferred there were likely no Foundation Establishment Masters in this Lower Palace.

Chen Qingyang first had the fish circle the complex from a distance. He saw that it was shrouded by a seemingly endless bamboo forest. After detecting no activity, he tightened the circle, guiding the fish inside the palace grounds.

The palaces that came into view were magnificent, with buildings rising one after another along the slope. Flight after flight of White Jade Steps connected them. Inside the main hall, there were no idols to be worshipped, only the four words: "Supreme Lapis Lazuli True Demon."

The "True Demon" was a type of Great Dao, the direct opposite of the righteous Dao. This was completely different from the "demon" of the Yu Xiao Demon Sect, which connoted bloodlust and cruelty. As for the words "Lapis Lazuli," Chen Qingyang guessed they were related to the Dharma Gate the sect cultivated.

Low-tier disciples were busy in every palace, sweeping the courtyards and tidying up, as if preparing to welcome important guests.

’Could it be the Nine Nether Mechanic Divine Palace?’

After gradually confirming there was no immediate danger, Chen Qingyang grew bolder and maneuvered his Conscious Fish to scout the entire area thoroughly.

The person with the highest Cultivation was likely at the Half-Step Foundation Establishment realm. This wasn’t a behemoth of Immortal Cultivation like the Tai Xu Sect or the Yu Xiao Demon Sect, after all; for them, a single Half-Step Foundation Establishment cultivator was already quite impressive.

Below this individual were cultivators ranging from the first to the fourth realms of Essence Condensation, though there weren’t many of them—fewer even than at some of the more prominent Fuyuan Temples.

He had only just heard about the visit from the Nine Nether Mechanic Divine Palace and didn’t know the exact time of their arrival. It was supposed to happen in the next day or two, so Chen Qingyang decided he might as well stick around for the spectacle.

The Conscious Fish perched on a door beam, observing everyone who came and went. If it stayed there long enough, it could even merge with the beam itself, becoming nearly impossible to detect.

Chen Qingyang found a hidden spot thirty li away and began to cultivate in secret. This True Demon Mountain territory, unlike other Demon Sect territories, wasn’t filled with Arrays designed to draw True Essence. One could therefore practice Cultivation anywhere, but the Spiritual Qi was incredibly thin.

To be safe, Chen Qingyang used his own Spirit Stones for Cultivation. He had no idea what kind of Arrays might be active in the area; if he were to draw on the local Spiritual Qi and be discovered by whoever controlled them, the potential gains wouldn’t be worth the risk.

Time passed in a flash, and two days went by. Chen Qingyang leisurely opened his eyes, the glow around his body gradually receding as his thoughts instantly connected back to the Conscious Fish.

At that moment, seven figures were standing at the entrance to the Lower Palace. Their leader was a Half-Step Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He was a middle-aged man with a refined, scholarly air. He had a three-stranded beard, wore a square cap, and was dressed in a moon-white robe. This, combined with his sharp eyes, gave him the aura of a master strategist.

The middle-aged man was flanked by three people on either side, all of whom were at the Fourth Realm of Essence Condensation. Aside from the man himself, they were the strongest cultivators in the entire Mountain Foot Palace.

It was high noon, with the sun hanging directly overhead.

A gentle breeze blew, birds chirped among the flowers, and from their stance, it was clear they were waiting for someone.

Sure enough, a moment later, an old man came riding the wind from the distance. Half of his face was flesh, while the other half looked like it was covered in scales. One of his eyes shone like a dark gemstone, while the other was ordinary. He wore a loose-fitting robe with the collar turned up high, obscuring his neck.

Chen Qingyang observed him closely through the Conscious Fish and saw silver scales beneath the man’s neck, continuing down his body.

Throughout the entire Cyan Nether State, the only ones who cultivated the Armor Manipulation Skill belonged to the Nine Nether Mechanic Divine Palace.

’I can’t see through his Cultivation, so it must be quite high.’ He landed directly in front of the middle-aged man. The two seemed to know each other well. "Senior Brother Wei, it’s been many years! My greetings."

The elder from the Divine Palace bowed to the middle-aged man before glancing over the people surrounding them.

The middle-aged man returned the courtesy. "Why is it just you, Junior Brother Nangong? Where are the others?"

The elder said, "We were originally meant to come here, but halfway, our Master had a sudden change of heart and headed straight up the mountain. I expect he was eager to see the Celestial Child True Monarch. Considering you were waiting here for us, Senior Brother, he sent me to come and invite you to join them."

’The Nine Nether Mechanic Divine Palace doesn’t have any Golden Core True Monarchs at present, which means a Master represents the highest level of power they can send.’

’It’s a good thing that Master didn’t come here, or he might have discovered my presence.’ At this thought, Chen Qingyang pulled the Conscious Fish back a little, hiding it more carefully.

’Even though these sects are all subordinate to the Demon Sect, it’s normal for them to have private dealings with one another.’

"We have kept that item for three hundred years. It’s time for the handover!" the middle-aged man said.

But the elder replied, "Don’t worry about that. We can let them handle it. You and I are the closest to becoming Foundation Establishment Masters. The most important thing for us is to listen to the Master expound upon the Great Dao."

As he spoke, several more figures floated over from the distance. They all wore robes, but each one revealed glimpses of the Armor they wore underneath. There were six of them in total, all with Fourth Realm Cultivation.

It looked as if the guests and hosts had coordinated in advance. The disciples they brought were of equal standing, a mutual show of goodwill.

Chen Qingyang scanned the group carefully but didn’t see the familiar figure he was looking for.

’That makes sense. It has only been a few short years. For her to have reached the Essence Condensation Second Realm was already remarkable. How could she possibly have broken through again and come all the way here?’

The two groups introduced their members to one another. Some were already acquaintances, which showed just how closely the two sects coordinated their activities.

’I wonder if the Immortal Mansions subordinate to the Tai Xu Sect operate this way too?’

"Senior Brother Wei, let’s leave the rest to them. Shall we head up now?"

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment. "Always so impatient, Junior Brother Nangong. But you’re right, nothing should go wrong with them here. Let’s do as you wish."

The two Half-Step Foundation Establishment cultivators departed together, leaving the Fourth Realm Disciples gathered in a group. From the sounds of it, an item was about to be exchanged right here.

Chen Qingyang guessed that the item being returned to the Nine Nether Mechanic Divine Palace had to be a piece of Armor. Why else would the Demon Sect have kept it for three hundred years?

He had come mainly to broaden his horizons, and while he had no personal interest in this Magical Treasure, he still wanted to see what it looked like.

The disciples from both sides were extremely courteous, inviting the group from the Nine Nether Mechanic Divine Palace into a great hall. With the middle-aged man gone, a youth in splendid brocade robes took charge for the Demon Sect. Chen Qingyang heard the others address him as Senior Brother Tong.

"Junior Brothers, I expect the Master’s discussion of the Dao with the True Monarch will last at least three to five days. Why don’t you all settle in here for now? You can depart after the Masters descend the mountain in a few days. In the meantime, please let us know if there is anything you need."

On the Nine Nether Mechanic Divine Palace’s side, a handsome man with black robes and red hair seemed to be in charge. There was a hint of dark gold behind his ears.

"This has always been the custom. We outsiders cannot rashly enter the True Demon Sect’s main mountain gate. Your arrangements are excellent, Senior Brother Tong. However... might we be allowed to see the Xuanji Star-Attracting Wheel first? After all, it’s been away from our Nine Nether Mechanic Divine Palace for three hundred years. We miss it terribly!"

At these words, all the disciples from the Divine Palace gulped. This was clearly an incredibly powerful Magical Treasure.

The name contained the word "Xuanji," which immediately made Chen Qingyang think it must be related to breaking through to the Essence Condensation Fifth Realm.

The Armor Cultivation Skill was completely different from ordinary Qi Refining Methods. It was a practice that transformed one’s very body into a Magical Treasure.

It followed neither the Meridians nor required a Dantian Spiritual Sea. Even upon reaching the Realm of Essence Condensation, a cultivator could simply raise their Divine Soul to the appropriate level and then directly embed an Armor-Protecting Treasure into the corresponding acupoints to achieve Enlightenment.

The first time he met Lin Qingxuan, he had seen her use this very method to break through instantly.

Therefore, any one of the Divine Palace’s Essence Condensation Fourth Realm disciples here could directly advance to the Essence Condensation Fifth Realm just by embedding this Magical Treasure in their body and completing its Refinement.

Furthermore, this Magical Treasure sounded extraordinary. Once its power was mastered, they would be far superior to an ordinary cultivator at the Essence Condensation Fifth Realm. Such an opportunity to break through a realm directly was incredibly rare.

All six of them fixed their gaze on the youth from the Demon Sect. The youth gave a slight smile. "I understand. This is, after all, an item belonging to the Divine Palace. Three hundred years ago, Master Reversing Fate lost it to our founder in a bet. Our founder personally promised that it would be returned after three hundred years. Now that Master Reversing Fate has gone up the mountain and the three-hundred-year term is over, it is indeed time for me to hand it over to you."

’Now I get it,’ Chen Qingyang thought. ’No wonder Master Reversing Fate didn’t come here himself. He must have found it too humiliating, so he sent his disciples to do it while he could pretend it never happened.’

’Masters will be Masters!’

"Then we’ll have to trouble you to bring it out, Senior Brother!"

"Everyone, please wait a moment."

With that, the youth departed. The remaining disciples once again began exchanging polite pleasantries.

Through his Conscious Fish, Chen Qingyang’s senses were exceptionally sharp. He faintly detected an extremely subtle aura approaching.

Since he couldn’t determine the person’s Cultivation level, he didn’t dare make a rash move. Only when the presence drew closer did he sense it was at the Essence Condensation Fourth Realm, even weaker than himself. At this realization, he grew a little bolder.

He could see clearly now. The person was dressed in black, with a veiled scarf over their head that concealed their entire figure. They were hiding just outside the palace, their aura so faint that no one inside had noticed a thing.

’I can’t make out their face, but...’

’Why does that silhouette feel so familiar?’