Chapter 210 - 122: Evading Tribulation and Overcoming Adversity, Cyan and Purple Pearl Fruit

Chapter 210: Chapter 122: Evading Tribulation and Overcoming Adversity, Cyan and Purple Pearl Fruit

A Nascent Soul Cultivator’s spirit and qi are in harmony. Their Magical Power incarnation possesses its own consciousness, but compared to the original body, it seems to lack a certain spiritual spark. Perhaps this is because the True Spirit resides within the original body. However, this has an upside: there is no fear of the incarnation developing a will of its own, or even betraying its creator.

Having sorted through his thoughts, Xuzhuang began to inspect the spoils from his journey. He toyed with the Dragon Transformation Dharma Jade for a moment, then picked up the Earth Lung Fire Stone. Suddenly, he raised an eyebrow and let out a soft sound of surprise.

Xuzhuang held the Fire Stone in his hand and carefully inspected it with his Spiritual Sense. With a sudden surge of his Magical Power, the Earth Core Muddy Flame ignited. He covered himself with the Purple Qi Xiaoyi but didn’t stop the refining process. About a quarter of an hour later, a black light flashed on the Fire Stone, the Earth Core Muddy Flame went out, and a pile of items CLATTERED out.

"So it really was hidden inside," Xuzhuang said with a faint smile. His doppelganger had thought that all of the Extreme Flame Demon’s possessions had been incinerated by the Great Sun True Flame. Yet the moment his original body touched it, he noticed a discrepancy. ’It seems a doppelganger from the Three Elements Residence in the World Technique is still a far cry from a Second Primordial Spirit.’

He released his Spiritual Sense to scan the items on the ground. They were mostly Demon Sect artifacts, subterranean crystal essences, and other similar things. While valuable, they weren’t enough to truly surprise Xuzhuang. A single jade box, however, did catch his eye.

Xuzhuang reached out, and the jade box flew into his hand. He opened it to find a neat row of eight Glazed Small Bottles inside. Seven were filled to the brim with an extremely dense, crimson liquid. It looked like magma, yet was perfectly translucent. The last bottle was also more than half full.

"Is this Fire Essence?" Xuzhuang was slightly surprised. "Could the Extreme Flame Demon have painstakingly refined this in the Earth Lungs?"

This Fire Essence wasn’t necessarily a rare thing; it was an artificial fire-attribute treasured material meticulously refined by cultivators proficient in fire techniques. It could be used to substitute for other fire-attribute materials in both technique cultivation and Artifact Refining. However, judging by the purity of this particular box, it seemed to have been personally refined by a Nascent Soul Cultivator using Earth Fire Essence, which made it quite precious indeed.

"This is a pleasant surprise." Xuzhuang suddenly realized this item was perfect for his needs and mused to himself, ’It wouldn’t be so bad if a few more demonic tribulations like this came along.’

He shook his head and, with a sweep of his sleeve, sent all the items on the ground into his estate’s treasury. After carefully storing the Fire Essence and the Earth Lung Fire Stone, Xuzhuang straightened his robes, left his cave residence, and rode a gentle breeze up to the clouds.

Because his single cultivation session to enter the Innate Tai Su Realm took eighteen years, Xuzhuang’s return to the sect was far later than he’d originally planned. Fortunately, after Zeng Quanfeng had been brought back to Profound Yellow, he’d been appointed liaison to the True Form Temple. He had even visited Xuzhuang, bringing news that all was well there. With Meng Fusheng also standing guard, there was little chance of anything going wrong, which was why Xuzhuang had been able to cultivate in peace within the sect.

Calculating the time, he realized it was about time for another trip to the Celestial Waterfall Realm. Only after settling the affairs of the True Form Temple could he become a director in the Three Halls and gain the initiative in the conflict against the demons.

Although he was still within the sect grounds, Xuzhuang executed his Flying Escape technique above the second layer of clouds. After flying for a short while, the majestic and seemingly unchanging Cloud Palace appeared, standing aloof from the swirling winds and clouds. Zhi Xing was already waiting outside.

"Hm?" A thought occurred to Xuzhuang. ’Does the Sect Leader have other instructions for me?’

Sure enough, when Zhi Xing saw Xuzhuang land, he hurried forward, bowed, and said respectfully, "Greetings, Martial Uncle. The Zhenren knew you were coming and specially sent me to wait for you here."

"Greetings, Attendant," Xuzhuang said, returning the bow. "Please lead the way."

"Yes, Martial Uncle. Please follow me." The attendant made a salutation, then led Xuzhuang into the Cloud Palace. When they arrived before a side hall, he said respectfully, "Please enter, Martial Uncle."

Xuzhuang nodded and stepped into the hall. He saw Daochen Zhenren and an unexpected figure inside. With graying hair and beard and a set of crooked, protruding teeth, who else could it be but the Immoral Taoist?

The Immoral Taoist had, for once, changed into a Daoist Robe and was even holding a Duster. Though it wasn’t particularly clean, it was a far sight more respectable than his usual tattered, beggar-like attire. He was conversing with Daochen Zhenren when he saw Xuzhuang enter. With a sly chuckle, he called out, "Xu the Kid, long time no see!"

Daochen Zhenren simply smiled and said nothing. Seeing this, Xuzhuang stepped forward, performed a salute, and greeted the Sect Leader. He then bowed to the Immoral Taoist, saying, "It has been a long time, Zhenren."

The Immoral Taoist brought his pinky to his face, as if about to do something unseemly, but he stopped himself. Stroking his beard instead, he turned to Daochen Zhenren and asked, "Zhenren, since you’ve summoned this kid, does that mean you’ve agreed to this old Daoist’s proposal?"

Daochen Zhenren said languidly, "I did not specifically summon Daomiao."

The Immoral Taoist looked somewhat surprised, but then Daochen Zhenren continued, "Your proposal is very tempting, fellow Daoist. However, my Tai Su Orthodox Sect does not wish to force its disciples to act for the sake of mere benefits."

At this, Daochen Zhenren glanced at Xuzhuang with an enigmatic smile. "As for whether Daomiao is willing, fellow Daoist, you can ask him yourself. And regarding the Cyan Tribulation Pearl Fruit, there is no need to reserve a share for Tai Su. You may discuss the matter directly with Daomiao." Having said his piece, he adopted the air of a detached bystander and fell silent.

Hearing Daochen’s words, the Immoral Taoist was briefly surprised, then broke into a toothy grin. He turned to Xuzhuang. "No wonder this Daoist Lord calculated that today was an auspicious day to visit! So you were going to show up on your own. Well? Are you willing to cooperate with this Daoist Lord or not?"

Hearing this, Xuzhuang understood the Immoral Taoist’s purpose. He had come for none other than the agreement regarding the Innate Spirit Root.

Xuzhuang had previously been reluctant to agree to the Immoral Taoist’s proposal because he didn’t want to get caught in the schemes of a Primordial Spirit True Man. After returning to the sect, however, he had asked for Daochen Zhenren’s opinion on the matter, and Daochen Zhenren had not rejected the idea.