Chapter 473 - 264: Meng Qiewei: I Agreed

Chapter 473: Chapter 264: Meng Qiewei: I Agreed

Zhuo Qingcheng and the others had returned.

Returning so quickly meant they had obviously obtained a treasure.

"Haven’t Senior Brother Shangguan and the others come out yet?" Zhuo Qingcheng asked.

Shen Yao shook her head. "No. They must have gone to explore the true Divine Object. There’s no telling when they’ll come out."

But just as she finished speaking, they heard footsteps.

"They’re out?" Zhou Qing was a little surprised.

Shen Yao listened for a moment. "The sound of one person’s footsteps. One person didn’t make it out."

Zhuo Qingcheng and the others were also a little surprised.

Monk Zhen Kong and Ling Dang exchanged a glance, a little concerned.

But none of them spoke, instead looking silently toward the corner.

In truth, they all had the same thought.

’Jiang Man probably isn’t coming out.’

But soon, a figure appeared.

The moment they saw his face, Shen Yao and the others’ pupils shrank in disbelief.

It was hard to believe.

"Why are you the one who came out?" Shen Yao blurted out.

Jiang Man was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"What about the Primordial Spirit expert?" Zhou Qing asked.

Jiang Man looked at them and feigned confusion. "Senior Brother Shangguan? Didn’t he come out ahead of time? You didn’t run into him."

Shen Yao froze. The reason was plausible, but the person was wrong.

Now she couldn’t tell if the Primordial Spirit expert had made it out or not.

If Jiang Man hadn’t come out, everyone would have understood the situation.

But now it was the other way around.

The situation had become perplexing.

’A Golden Core defeating a Primordial Spirit?’

’It’s not like he was an Ancient Primordial Spirit; they weren’t that easy to defeat.’

"Shall we look around then?" Jiang Man suggested.

Everyone nodded.

After searching the area, they still found no one.

"Could he have already left?" Monk Zhen Kong asked.

Ling Dang nodded as well. "He’s a Primordial Spirit. He probably wouldn’t wait for us. Whatever he wants to do, we’d just be a burden."

That was true. To a Primordial Spirit, having Golden Core cultivators along was indeed a burden.

In the end, the few of them decided to leave.

But even as they left, they couldn’t figure out whether the Primordial Spirit had been left behind here.

As for the treasure, no one asked.

The obvious answer would be that the Primordial Spirit had taken it.

Arriving amidst the pile of rocks, Jiang Man found Zhuo Qingcheng there as well. He couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Senior Sister, are you not yet forty?"

Zhuo Qingcheng was taken aback. "Junior Brother, that’s a rather impolite question."

She immediately explained, "Those under sixty can also come here, it’s just a bit more troublesome to get in."

Jiang Man nodded. ’So she’s over forty.’

"If there’s nothing else, let’s part ways," Shen Yao said immediately.

Then she left with Zhou Qing.

Jiang Man’s gaze swept over the departing Zhou Qing before he quickly retracted it.

He was thinking about something. ’All foxes are cunning.’

’What if that Fox Demon back then had been saying the opposite of what she meant?’

But Jiang Man didn’t dwell on it. For now, the priority was to hide.

And see if anyone from the Immortal Sects would show up.

Theoretically, the Immortal Sects still had three months.

After all, it would take Shangguan Yang over a hundred days to absorb and refine the Immeasurable Calamity.

Afterward, Zhuo Qingcheng also left.

Leaving Jiang Man with Monk Zhen Kong and Ling Dang.

"Where do we go now?" Ling Dang asked.

Jiang Man thought for a moment. "Is there anything ancient around? Or a treasure."

"Right now, all we know about is that tree," Monk Zhen Kong said.

"Then let’s go find that tree," Jiang Man decided.

’There’s no point in fighting for a ranking. I can’t beat those people.’

’So it’s more important to unlock a Talent.’

’Touching the Immeasurable Calamity only unlocked a Magic Purple Qi. It felt like a loss.’

’I have to find something else to touch, something without side effects.’

Afterward, Jiang Man and the others left that place and returned to the border area.

It was still early, so not many people had arrived yet.

"When does the Immortal Sect Grand Competition end, roughly?" Jiang Man asked.

Monk Zhen Kong shook his head. "I heard it takes one or two years."

Jiang Man’s brow furrowed. ’I’m in the Second Courtyard now. When I get out, won’t I have to enter the First Courtyard?’

’If I delay for another year or two, could I enter the Inner Sect directly?’

’I’d miss out on collecting the fees for same-courtyard rankings so many times.’

’What a massive loss.’

Afterward, they began to look for mist in the surroundings.

They searched for three days straight.

Finally, they saw the mist.

They rushed in, riding their swords, and sure enough, not long after, they saw a tree emitting a faint glow.

But no matter how they tried to get closer, they couldn’t shorten the distance.

"It’s an Array," Jiang Man said after landing on the ground. "Follow me."

Jiang Man then drew upon the surrounding Spiritual Qi and began to ceaselessly draw Array Patterns.

Monk Zhen Kong and the others following behind were somewhat surprised. So Jiang Man was highly skilled in Arrays as well.

They were actually very curious about where that Primordial Spirit expert had really gone.

But they didn’t ask.

’When you already have an answer, some questions are better left unasked.’

’Left meant left. There was nothing more to it.’

Before long, they emerged from the mist and saw a small tree ahead.

It was completely different from what they had seen in the mist.

At this moment, the tree had a faint glow.

Beneath the tree, three people were sitting cross-legged.

Each one of them exuded a terrifying pressure. Without even looking, one could tell that all three were Primordial Spirits.

At this moment, a woman spoke softly without opening her eyes, "Fellow Daoist, please wait in line. Come back after I’ve finished my enlightenment."

"Can I touch the tree first? If it’s not the tree I’m looking for, we’ll leave immediately," Jiang Man proposed.

The woman raised her eyes slightly, glanced at Jiang Man, and said, "Jiang Man of the Wuyun Sect?"

Jiang Man was a bit surprised, then said, "I am Qin Wen of the Wuyun Sect."

The woman said calmly, "Do as you wish."

Hearing this, Jiang Man breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he walked to the tree and reached out to touch it.

He immediately activated the Celestial Mirror Hundred Books.

The pages of the book flipped, finally stopping on page seventeen.

[Innate Enlightenment Tree: During the Xuanhuang Tides of the Ancient Times, a forest was submerged. One tree grew against the tide, absorbing the aura of heaven and earth and becoming divine. After the world underwent a great calamity, it was covered and spread by the Tianyi Array, branching out into countless opportunities for advancement that landed in various Secret Realms across the world. Cultivating under the tree can grant a sliver of an opportunity for sudden enlightenment, allowing for rapid progress in one Cultivation Skill or Magic Skill. There are only three such opportunities every fifty years.]

[Record the Innate Enlightenment Tree to obtain a wisp of Magic Purple Qi (Acquirable)]

Jiang Man withdrew his hand and was silent for a long time.

There were only three opportunities in total, and there were already three people under the tree.

Then there was indeed no need for them to stay here.

After that, he left with his companions.

"Jiang Man?" After they had left, another man at the side asked.

"Mm," the woman nodded and said, "The very Late Stage of Golden Core cultivator we’re supposed to test."

"And you just let him leave?" the man asked.

The woman said nonchalantly, "It was just a matter of convenience. Let him look for his own opportunities first. There’s no rush to test him. We can just do it the next time we meet."

At this time, the man with a sword resting on his knees said, "There’s no need to make things too difficult for him. Since he and Ji Meng from the Side Branch are a good match, we shouldn’t meddle. If we can go easy on him, we should."

"However, we can see what kind of person he is. We should be strict about his character but more lenient when it comes to his strength."

"Besides, he is someone Young Master Ji values. Even if your parents’ generation has their own ideas, you two should think twice."

"I understand. This time, it’s my turn to test him. I will suppress my cultivation to the Late Stage of Golden Core and give it a try," the woman said.

Afterward, the three of them closed their eyes and continued to absorb the opportunity.

But an instant later, the sword-bearing man stood up.

The other two were surprised. "What’s wrong?"

"The clan used a special Secret Skill to find me. They need to find someone named Shangguan Yang." The man took a deep breath, suppressing the opportunity he was absorbing. "You two continue to digest it. I’ll be leaving first."

—

「Wuyun Sect.」

Ji Meng, who had been drinking water, suddenly looked up.

Her brow furrowed as she looked at the sky.

"What is it, my lady?" Qing Dai inquired.

Ji Meng was surprised. "My true body is slumbering, and my Heart Spirit is here, but I can still sense spatial fluctuations from my main body’s power. A hole has been opened in the Immortal Sect Grand Competition."

"It seems something has happened over there. I’m afraid an Evil God is causing trouble inside."

"Master Jiang is in there. I wonder if he will be affected," Qing Dai said, a little worried.

Ji Meng shook her head. "Theoretically, it shouldn’t have anything to do with him. In practice, it’s hard to say."

"Master Jiang is very good at finding things," Qing Dai couldn’t help but sigh. "He even managed to find your sword, my lady. I’m afraid he’ll find something strange in the Immortal Sect Grand Competition too. Master Jiang is truly strange."

Ji Meng retracted her gaze and started reading her book.

Qing Dai thought for a moment and said, "My lady, have you considered the Grand Elder’s proposal?"

"What do you think?" Ji Meng asked.

"There is one big problem. The Bai Family Ancestor might come to assassinate you, my lady," Qing Dai said.

"You’re wrong. Even if this news doesn’t get out, he will still come for me," Ji Meng said.

Qing Dai was puzzled. "He shouldn’t know your whereabouts, my lady."

"He’s already found the people the Immortal Sect was looking for. We can’t hide either," Ji Meng said casually. "Inform him that I agree."

News traveled fast.

Within a few days, the general news had traveled from the Ji Family to Ji Hao.

He looked at the message, first with surprise, then with resignation.

But the first thing he did was to step out of his residence.

He strode through the air, arriving above Celestial Essence Peak.

A terrifying pressure emanated from his body.

’Now I have a legitimate reason to act.’

At that moment, at Celestial Essence Peak in the Wuyun Sect.

The sky went dark!