An Unexpected Gain

The four of them now dared not let the sect’s excellent disciples and high-ranking members act alone, fearing further attacks and assassinations.

Consequently, they moved as a quartet, and with their speed, they could reach any destination the moment they received news.

Amidst this, another peculiar, domineering power lingered.

According to the town mayor, it belonged to a woman in purple who had cultivated a technique from Ghost Soul Valley.

“This power feels somewhat familiar,” Xuanhui Holy Mother remarked, sensing a déjà vu about its presence.

She pondered for a moment, and soon the image of Yan Yun flashed in her mind.

“Right, it’s that little girl’s power.”
“Why is it her again?”
“If she’s connected to Ghost Soul Valley, then why would she kill its members, or was she merely passing through?”
Xuanhui Holy Mother fell into deep thought.

Meanwhile, Yan Yun had arrived at a desolate mountain, approximately a hundred li from the aforementioned town.

According to the man named Xu, their Ghost Soul Valley sub-branch was located here.

However, upon arriving, she detected nothing, unable to discern any sign of a sub-branch.

“Old Ancestor, is there anything unusual about this place?” Yan Yun inquired.

Yan Lingyun immediately probed with her divine sense, and upon sensing, her divine sense swiftly collided with an invisible wall.

“Indeed, there’s a formidable isolation array here.”
“If I were at my peak, this array wouldn’t impede my divine sense, but alas, with my current remnant soul power, I cannot penetrate such an array specifically designed to block divine sense detection.”

Given Yan Lingyun’s words, Yan Yun knew she could not linger here.

“In that case, let’s forget it for now.”
“We’ll find an opportunity to inform the Four Great Powers and let them handle it,” Yan Yun declared, then promptly departed.

Xiang Country was likely headed for troubled times.

Although the Four Great Powers, including the Xuanhui Sect, were only of mid-tier standing in Xiang Country, the scope of Ghost Soul Valley’s threat would surely encompass the entire nation.

It was unknown how many mortals and cultivators Ghost Soul Valley had secretly murdered.

Yan Yun had a premonition that she would eventually clash with Ghost Soul Valley, especially since the Poison Sect she intended to establish would be situated on the fringes of their five families’ territories.

The lack of attention thus far was merely because the Poison Sect was not yet fully constructed.

Once the Poison Sect was officially operational, conflicts with surrounding cultivation powers were inevitable.

Two days later, at the entrance to the Royal Capital of Xiang Country, its scale was more than double that of the Royal Capital of Jiang Country.

Yet, its immense size was primarily because only the Royal Capital itself fell within King Xiang’s direct sphere of influence, indicating that his decrees rarely extended beyond its walls.

Nominally, the cultivation world of Xiang Country still afforded King Xiang some respect.

However, such an ununified dynasty could not acquire the Heavenly Dao’s fortune, nor could it foster exceptional talents within Xiang Country.

Without the blessing of Heavenly Dao’s fortune, King Xiang could not attain Divine Fire Realm power within Xiang Country.

In reality, King Xiang was merely the sect master of a large cultivation power within Xiang Country.

“This scale is truly grand,” Yan Yun remarked, gazing at the ordinary city walls.

She then walked inside.

Stepping inside, one felt as if they had entered a colossal marketplace.

From the city gates onward, stalls and shops selling all manner of cultivators’ goods lined every path.

This clearly indicated that, in Xiang Country, cultivators and mortals largely coexisted.

The materials sold by these cultivators were quite low-grade, yet their prices were far from cheap; for the same materials, the prices here were easily more than double those in Jiang Country.

One could only attribute it to scarcity driving up value; in places with sparse spiritual energy, not only was the output of spirit stones low, but prices were also high.

Nonetheless, Yan Yun had to admit that the Royal Capital of Xiang Country possessed the strongest atmosphere of a cultivation world among all the cities she had witnessed.

Cultivators bustled in the sky, while others rode various spirit beast mounts on the ground.

Such sights were utterly impossible in the Royal Capital of Jiang Country.

After a brief search, Yan Yun quickly discovered that Qianjin Pavilion in the Royal Capital of Xiang Country was quite expansive, seemingly comparable in scale to Qianjin Pavilion in Immortal Alliance City of Jiang Country.

Yan Yun proceeded directly to the consultation desk, as most Qianjin Pavilions shared a similar structure.

“How may I help you, esteemed guest?” the female cultivator at the desk asked with a professional smile.

Yan Yun was straightforward.

“I wish to inquire if your esteemed merchant association has any spirit mother lodes for sale?”

Upon hearing Yan Yun’s question about a spirit mother lode, the female cultivator immediately recognized a potentially large transaction.

“May I ask what grade of spirit mother lode the esteemed guest requires?”

If Yan Yun were to buy one, she would need at least a large-scale spirit mother lode.

“Do you have large-scale spirit mother lodes?”

The female cultivator was startled.

“A spirit mother lode?”
“A large-scale one?”
“Esteemed guest, do you realize how many spirit stones such an item would cost?”

Her words implicitly conveyed: Even if we have one, can you afford it?

Yan Yun naturally understood the underlying meaning.

“Just tell me if you have one.”
“Whether I can afford it or not is irrelevant to you.”

Seeing Yan Yun’s serious demeanor, the female cultivator immediately asked her to wait while she consulted her superior.

Such high-grade treasures were beyond her authority to discuss.

Approximately five minutes later, a charming woman in a golden dress approached Yan Yun.

“Esteemed guest, are you the one looking to purchase a large-scale spirit mother lode?”
“This humble one is Jin Mei, the Pavilion Master of Qianjin Pavilion here.”
“A pleasure to meet you.”

After assessing the woman, Yan Yun promptly returned the bow.

“Indeed, greetings, Pavilion Master Jin.”
“I wonder if your esteemed pavilion possesses a large-scale spirit mother lode?”
Yan Yun cut straight to the chase.

Seeing that Yan Yun seemed serious, Jin Mei countered with a question.

“Is a medium-scale spirit mother lode not sufficient?”

Yan Yun felt a slight pang of disappointment, realizing from the woman’s tone that a large-scale spirit mother lode was likely unavailable.

“If a large-scale spirit vein is available, that would naturally be ideal.”
“If not, a medium-scale one would be reluctantly acceptable.”

Jin Mei’s expression became unreadable upon hearing Yan Yun’s reply, finding it difficult to ascertain Yan Yun’s background.

In her perception, Yan Yun was merely in the Spirit Transformation Realm; let alone a large spirit mother lode, she might not even be able to afford a small one.

“We do, but it might be somewhat troublesome,” Jin Mei stated.

This statement piqued Yan Yun’s interest.

“What do you mean?” Yan Yun asked, puzzled.

Jin Mei immediately explained in detail.

They currently did not have a large-scale spirit mother lode in stock, but they knew of a location that did, and they were preparing to send people to retrieve it.

The gist was that Qianjin Pavilion was soon heading to a place that was once the mountain gate of a major sect.

Due to its decline, the sect had eventually sealed itself off.

They had already found this location, which contained not only a large-scale spirit mother lode but also various other treasures.

Some of Qianjin Pavilion’s merchandise was acquired from others, while another portion was obtained from exploring secret realms.

After listening, Yan Yun largely understood.

“Ah!”
“So, you’re saying it’s not guaranteed to be acquired, right?”

“Indeed, that is the case.”
“Of course, if you still desire it then, you can make a reservation in advance.”
“If we successfully acquire it, we can sell it to you immediately.”
“However, it must be stated upfront: if you reserve it, you must purchase it at that time, otherwise, my Qianjin Pavilion will come seeking trouble,” Jin Mei warned.

Yan Yun chuckled softly.

“Since it’s not available, then forget it.”

With that, Yan Yun turned and left.

She had no desire to be exploited.

Jin Mei watched Yan Yun depart, feeling somewhat confused.

Was this little girl in the Spirit Transformation Realm truly looking to buy a spirit mother lode, or was she merely amusing herself?

After a moment’s consideration, she still offered a piece of advice.

“Young lady, that secret realm is expected to emerge in about a month.”
“It will likely cause a stir throughout Xiang Country.”
“You might want to keep an eye on it.”
“Qianjin Pavilion has already reserved the valuable items inside; they will certainly belong to us then.”

Yan Yun paused for a moment, but only briefly, before exiting Qianjin Pavilion and disappearing from Jin Mei’s sight.

‘A month from now. It seems this isn’t a secret, as she told me directly. I think we don’t even need to buy it; we can just seize it,’ Yan Yun mused with a soft laugh.

“The emergence of a self-sealed major sect’s ruins will undoubtedly create a monumental stir, attracting numerous Divine Venerable experts to contend for its treasures.”
“While you possess a Divine Venerable Talisman from that demon, you could certainly compete, but frankly, using the power of a peak Divine Venerable purely for a large spirit stone mother lode might not be cost-effective,” Yan Lingyun advised.

Yet, Yan Yun disagreed.

“Power is meant to be used.”
“As long as it’s applied in the right place, there’s no loss.”

This trip had been in vain, yet not entirely so, as she had at least gained some valuable information.

‘Sigh! I wonder how my wife and the others are doing. Have they already reached the Dao Palace of the Righteous Dao Alliance?’
After leaving Qianjin Pavilion, Yan Yun leisurely strolled along the bustling street.

Since she had come to the capital of Xiang Country, she certainly couldn’t just leave without exploring.

As for Jiang Yao and the others, they had indeed arrived at the headquarters of the Righteous Dao Alliance and had been accepted as students by a powerful Divine Venerable in the Dao Palace.

The Divine Venerables of the Dao Palace instructed their disciples as teachers, not as masters.

In truth, if it were merely for simple learning, Fairy Yunshuang and the others would have been sufficient to teach Jiang Yao and her companions.

Jiang Yao’s true purpose in coming to the Dao Palace was for cultivation resources.

Jiang Yao received exceptionally high treatment.

With her talent, the Dao Palace’s powerful elders determined that Jiang Yao would undoubtedly reach the Divine Venerable Realm within two to three hundred years.

She currently sat with other Immortal Seeds and Fairy Yunshuang in a spacious palace, her Yunhua Sect disciple attire replaced by the Dao Palace’s student robes.

While perhaps not as ornate as the Yunhua Sect’s garments, the new attire exuded a more captivating aura.

Jiang Yao’s beauty required no lavish clothing or ornamental decorations; indeed, such things only served to diminish her ethereal elegance, making her appear rather mundane.

At this moment, she wore a simple white dress, her hair tied back with a white ribbon, devoid of any other accessories.

‘Sigh! I wonder how she’s doing. It’s been a day since I sent the message, and still no reply. It’s truly anxiety-inducing.’
Jiang Yao had sent a message to Yan Yun yesterday, but today, she could no longer wait.

She had only officially become a Dao Palace student yesterday.

“Jiang Yao, Jiang Yao, where is the new Jiang Yao?”

Just as Jiang Yao was lost in thought, an aged matron seated at the front suddenly called out her name.

However, Jiang Yao, lost in her reverie, did not respond.

“Yao’er, Yao’er, the teacher is calling you.”

The person sitting next to her quickly reached out and tugged at her clothes, bringing Jiang Yao back to her senses.

Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Su Muyu pulling her sleeve.

“Mother, what’s wrong?” Jiang Yao asked, still a little disoriented.

Su Muyu subtly gestured with her eyes, prompting Jiang Yao to look forward.

The aged matron was staring at her with a darkened expression, causing Jiang Yao to suddenly stand up.

“Oh, teacher, were you calling me?” Jiang Yao asked awkwardly.

Her flustered expression was strikingly reminiscent of her past life, when she would be caught daydreaming in class and called upon by her teacher.