Chapter 226 - 104: All Is Ready but the East Wind, So No More Problems At Last?

"My Master is an elusive figure. He began wandering the world several years ago, and his location has been unknown ever since."

"I’ve only been following my Master’s orders, cultivating and waiting in his grotto-abode. He told me that if anyone ever came looking for him, I was to have them wait outside for half a month."

"If, after half a month, that person still hasn’t left and insists on a meeting, only then was I to come out and welcome them into the grotto-abode."

"Why do you still not believe me? You’ve already searched the entire grotto-abode."

"This is the sachet my Master told me to give you."

Jingyang City, deep within a secluded estate.

A crisp, youthful voice rang out from the center of the pavilion.

The speaker was a young Daoist acolyte with his hair tied up in a Daoist Bun. With his rosy lips and white teeth, he appeared to be only seven or eight years old. He exuded a pure spiritual aura, fresh and natural.

Everyone present could see that he had been transformed from a mountain spirit or a wild creature and that he possessed a considerable level of Dao Practice.

Furthermore, there was no trace of bloodthirsty Evil Qi about him, proving he had never taken a life.

"The Half-Immortal Zhenren that the Alliance Leader had us search for for so long... only left this sachet? Could he have known we would come looking for him?"

Within the pavilion, quite a few people were seated in a circle.

They were men and women, old and young, of both the Human Race and Alien Races. A divine radiance shimmered around them, and their vital energy was immense, a clear sign of their extraordinary strength.

The person speaking at that moment was a beautiful woman whose charm had only ripened with age. Her face was fair and smooth.

She wore a brocade robe that accentuated her graceful figure. Multicolored venomous snakes coiled around her waist and neck, and even her pupils were vertical slits.

Though she hailed from the Snake Race, she bore few of its characteristic features.

"If the Alliance Leader had us search for the Half-Immortal Zhenren, there must be a reason for it. And that Half-Immortal Zhenren is truly worthy of his name. He can calculate all things under heaven—he knows the past five hundred years and the next five hundred. It’s even said that the Ancestral Master who founded the Celestial Derivation Sect had a connection to him..."

Another powerful expert spoke. He had a square face, a wide mouth, and a greatsword strapped to his back. His burly figure emanated power, like a walking furnace.

"The Alliance Leader has already received word. I expect they will be here soon."

"We’ll soon find out if this sachet is what we’ve been looking for," said another.

This place was one of the Naxian Alliance’s strongholds in Jingyang City.

And they were all members of the Naxian Alliance; even the weakest person present had a cultivation at the Fifth Realm.

The vast majority of them were Loose Cultivators, possessing no powerful background. Their cultivation had been stuck at a bottleneck for a long time.

Years ago, they were approached by people from the Naxian Alliance.

The Naxian Alliance provided them with cultivation resources—including Elixir Pills, Spirit Stones, and so on—and in return, they were required to pledge their loyalty to the mysterious Alliance Leader.

And that mysterious Alliance Leader wouldn’t force them to undertake sinister or dangerous tasks.

They were only occasionally asked to gather information from various regions, collect intelligence, or assassinate individuals heavy with sin.

Over time, the Naxian Alliance’s reputation spread throughout the Loose Cultivator circles within Great Xia, and more and more people pledged their service to it.

However, no one knew the identity of the mysterious Alliance Leader. They only knew that this person came from an extraordinary background and controlled vast resources.

Within the Naxian Alliance, only those whose cultivation and strength had reached the Fifth Realm or higher were qualified to have contact with the mysterious Alliance Leader.

A tangle of thoughts occupied everyone’s minds.

The sound of footsteps came from outside the courtyard. A tall, upright figure wearing silk cyan robes and a Bronze Mask walked in, flanked by several beautiful, gauze-veiled maids.

Hearing the commotion, the many members of the Naxian Alliance present rose to their feet, cupped their hands, and said respectfully, "Greetings, Alliance Leader."

This was the first time some of them had seen the Alliance Leader, and as they surreptitiously sized the figure up, they were utterly astonished.

Previously, they had only heard rumors that the Alliance Leader of the Naxian Alliance was very young and from an illustrious family, always accompanied by picturesque maids, and possessed unfathomable strength.

Seeing this person with their own eyes, they felt that the Alliance Leader was even more inscrutable.

That Bronze Mask was clearly a special kind of Secret Treasure. It not only blocked any attempt to peer behind it but also wounded any Divine Sense that tried, causing a sharp, searing pain in the mind.

As they reeled from the shock, their expressions became even more deferential.

All of this only served to prove that the origins of the Naxian Alliance’s leader were even more terrifying than they had imagined.

’To live in Jingyang City, the Imperial Capital of Great Xia, you have to be either wealthy or noble. Perhaps the Alliance was secretly founded by a young master from some ancient and powerful Noble Family.’

"Are you the one my Master told me to wait for?"

The little Daoist acolyte in the pavilion, however, paid no mind to any of that.

When he saw the leader of the group approaching, he simply grabbed the sachet and walked over. His voice held a note of impatience. "Finally, you’re here. This is the sachet my Master told me to give you. As soon as you confirm it’s correct, I’m going back to Lutai Mountain."

The slender figure wearing the Bronze Mask revealed only a pair of eyes, as tranquil as the abyss. Their gaze swept casually across the area.

A maid from behind them immediately stepped forward and accepted the sachet from the boy’s hand. It was clearly sealed with some kind of Restriction that would require a special technique to undo.

The slender figure took one look and understood how to open it. With a slight nod, they said, "Thank you for your trouble."

The voice was gentle and neutral, making it impossible to determine their gender or age.

"Lan’Er..."

"This is a gift of thanks from our Young Master. Please accept it, little Daoist master."

Upon hearing her name, a maid immediately understood. From her Sumeru Ring, she retrieved a Spirit Fruit that was crystal clear and so vibrantly green it seemed to drip with freshness, and offered it to the young Daoist acolyte.

The young Daoist acolyte’s face lit up with a grin when he saw it, all his earlier impatience vanishing in an instant.

"The sachet is correct. This is what I was looking for."

"You have all performed well on this mission. I will bestow fitting rewards upon you in due time."

The slender figure spoke flatly as their gaze swept over the assembled members of the Naxian Alliance.

"Thank you, Alliance Leader."