Chapter 435: True Immortal's Ten Intestines

As he watched the captain leave, Xu Qing pondered. Although he didn't yet know the specifics of the important matter the captain mentioned, he had a fairly good guess, understanding that this outing would likely not be short.

So he simply took a long leave of absence. Over the next three days, he purchased all necessary items in the commandery capital. After all preparations were complete, Xu Qing returned to Sword Pavilion and took out the Black Heaven Tribe eye that Ghost Hand had given him to study.

This item was wondrous, possessing some mental amplification effects. However, when Xu Qing activated it with the power of the Purple Moon Heavenly Palace, it underwent unusual changes.

Three days passed in a flash.

For these three days, whenever dusk fell, the sky above the commandery capital was different from usual. Perhaps due to the season, the sky was no longer dim yellow, but a fiery red.

It dyed the land and all buildings a crimson red, like blood.

It was impossible to tell if it was an auspicious sign or an ill omen.

This continued for three consecutive days.

Standing inside Sword Pavilion, Xu Qing looked at the sky. A sudden, inexplicable unease welled up in his heart. The feeling came very suddenly and dissipated just as quickly.

Xu Qing's eyes showed confusion. He had never had such a sensation before. Pondering now, it seemed this unease came from his Fated Azure Dragon.

Just as Xu Qing was pondering, a person walked out from the red glow.

It was the captain.

He arrived enthusiastically. After seeing Xu Qing, he chuckled, then formed hand seals to set up a formation around them. He also had Xu Qing activate Sword Pavilion's formation. After shielding their surroundings, he spoke mysteriously.

"Little A'Qing, all preparations are complete. This time, it'll just be the two of us; we won't call anyone else."

"I originally planned to call Ning Yan, but after that kid passed the assessment, he actually disappeared. I searched for a long time but couldn't find him. Could it be that he knew I intended to use him as a meat shield?"

The captain sighed regretfully, lamenting as if a cooked duck had flown away.

Xu Qing was also surprised to hear this. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "If he doesn't participate, will it have a big impact?"

"Originally, it would have had a big impact, but with the Black Heaven Tribe jade slip you gave me, it doesn't matter if Ning Yan participates or not." The captain's eyes gleamed as he spoke in a low voice. "Little A'Qing, this time we won't act recklessly; we'll use strategy. I'm taking you to... the Saintly Lan Tribe!"

Xu Qing was thoughtful. "Are we disguising ourselves as members of the Black Heaven Tribe to go to the Saintly Lan Tribe?"

The captain laughed heartily, his spirits soaring. "You still understand me, Little A'Qing. That's right. This time, we'll disguise ourselves as Black Heaven Tribe members to go to the Saintly Lan Tribe. Think about it: the Saintly Lan Tribe are servants of the Black Heaven Tribe. If we disguise ourselves as their masters, all our plans can be achieved once we're there."

Xu Qing nodded. There were still many details to be resolved, but the captain clearly had a talent for disguises, so Xu Qing wasn't worried about those details.

He analyzed the general direction and felt the plan was feasible.

"Where in the Saintly Lan Tribe are we going?" Xu Qing asked.

"The Great Barren East Commandery of the Saintly Lan Tribe!" the captain whispered.

"Within the Saintly Lan Grand Domain, there are fourteen commanderies. This Great Barren East Commandery borders Fenghai Commandery. Within it lies an unusual place called the Ten Immoral Intestines!"

Xu Qing's gaze sharpened. He didn't know much about the Saintly Lan Tribe, but hearing that name, he instinctively felt a strange discomfort throughout his body.

Noticing Xu Qing's expression, the captain spoke softly. "Don't you think this name is strange? The Ten Immoral Intestines refers to ten strange trees that twist and grow like intestines directly into the sky."

"These Ten Immoral Intestine trees have existed for an extremely long time. Before the arrival of the gods, their reach spread across three-quarters of the region, worshipped and sacrificed to by all races in this region."

"It is said that at that time, everything one saw in this region was a branch of these trees, covered with countless hanging corpses, all sacrificed to it. It was said that doing so could bring blessings, and even the Mysterious Nether Ancient Emperor did not stop this custom in the region."

"Of course, there's another legend about these Ten Immoral Intestines." The captain's eyes held a deep glint.

"Legend has it that these Ten Immoral Intestines were formed countless ages ago when the last member of the Calamity Immortal Tribe ascended to immortality!"

Xu Qing's gaze sharpened.

"The Calamity Immortal Tribe was mysterious and unfathomable. They believed that intestines traversed the wheel of life and were the origin of all things. At the moment of ascension, one must open their body, use oneself as a supplement, and release their spiritual intestines to merge with heaven and earth, only then could they absorb the world's nutrients."

"Legend says this Calamity Immortal Tribe member ultimately succeeded; he transformed into a true immortal of the Wanggu Continent. And these Ten Immoral Intestines are his true form... However, the arrival of the gods imprisoned him, and he now lies dormant."

As the captain spoke, he took out an apple and a peach. He handed the apple to Xu Qing, took a bite of the peach himself, and continued speaking.

"This is also a true immortal?" Xu Qing took a deep breath. This was different from the immortal he had imagined.

"Didn't expect that, did you? That's what a true immortal looks like. Little A'Qing, your understanding of this world is still insufficient. In the future, you should learn more from your Senior Brother." The captain said, biting his peach, a hint of pride in his expression.

Xu Qing thought it made sense and nodded earnestly.

The captain's eyes held deep meaning as he spoke softly. "What do you think an immortal looks like? Our human race believes them to be ethereal, detached from the mundane world, elegant, and elusive."

"But every race has a different understanding. The Calamity Immortal Tribe believes immortals are the Ten Intestines. And many other non-human races have diverse forms of immortals in their tribal myths."

"We'll be going to many places in the future, and you'll see countless bizarre and fantastical things."

"This world is quite fun, you know." The captain smiled.

Xu Qing's heart stirred as he gazed into the distance.

The captain's voice continued. "Surrounding those Ten Immoral Intestine trees, endless jungles have spread around them. This time, that's where we're going!"

"In that Ten Immoral Intestine jungle, a large number of True Immortal Dao Fruits grow every hundred years. Of course, these fruits look quite strange, identical to spectacles."

"These fruits cannot be eaten. Eating them causes madness and the emergence of multiple personalities. Even those from the Tai Si Immortal Gate, whose cultivation methods require multiple personalities, dare not eat them."

"However, these True Immortal Dao Fruits are rare materials for artifact refining, capable of greatly increasing the power of artifacts refined with them. Therefore, their value is considerable."

"Our commandery's official administration, due to having no trade relations with the Saintly Lan Tribe, constantly issues missions to acquire these Dao Fruits. One Dao Fruit yields ten thousand military merits!"

"This time, if we get a few hundred Dao Fruits, won't that be several million military merits?"

"How about it, Little A'Qing? Am I amazing or not? I dug for a long time in the Merits Bureau to uncover this lead for a major undertaking. Of course, this is just the first objective; there are others to follow..."

The captain's expression held a hint of pride. After finishing one peach, he took out another and took a bite.

Xu Qing instinctively showed admiration, but his eyes revealed thoughtfulness.

"Junior Brother, can you not be so perfunctory? I taught you how to change your expressions..." The captain gazed expectantly at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing nodded. His eyes widened, and his expression showed a hint of disbelief. Then he spoke calmly. "Senior Brother, besides the trees themselves, what other arrangements and dangers are there around the Ten Immoral Intestines? And for something so important, surely the Saintly Lan Tribe would also collect them?"

The captain looked at Xu Qing's changing expression and reluctantly accepted it. He continued explaining his plan while eating his peach. "The Ten Immoral Intestines themselves pose a danger, as they are dormant, after all."

"Around the jungles formed by the Ten Immoral Intestine trees, countless city-states and small nations have formed over the years due to the presence of the Dao Fruits. Most of these small nations are affiliated with the Four Great Dynasties within the Saintly Lan Grand Domain."

"There are indeed dangers, but if we go as Black Heaven Tribe members and handle the details well, our great undertaking can succeed!"

The captain licked his lips, a hint of madness in his eyes.

"The key to this matter is how we get there. Going directly as Black Heaven Tribe members would be too abrupt," Xu Qing said softly.

The captain looked as if everything was within his carefully planned strategy.

"Each time the Dao Fruits of the Ten Immoral Intestine trees approach maturity, they require a special nutrient called Mica Stone. While this nutrient can be found elsewhere, its yield is low. Only our Fenghai Commandery's Morning Glow Prefecture produces it in abundance."

"So whenever these Dao Fruits near maturity, many Saintly Lan Tribe merchant caravans secretly infiltrate to smuggle Mica Stone. Although the official administration doesn't trade with the Saintly Lan Tribe, the Yao family aligns itself with the Saintly Lan Tribe."

"This is also an important source of income for the Yao family."

At this point, the captain looked into Xu Qing's eyes. "Do you understand what I mean, Little A'Qing?"

Xu Qing's eyes gleamed with an unusual light. He spoke lightly. "Make one of the caravans willingly take us into the Saintly Lan Tribe!"

The captain laughed heartily, his eyes shining. "Exactly!"

"I've planned everything. I had you observe those Black Heaven Tribe members' recordings precisely for this reason. We'll disguise ourselves as Black Heaven Tribe members; I'm confident and prepared for this."

"While the Sword-Wielding Palace's operation to capture Black Heaven Tribe members was secretive, I have secretly spread word of it to a target caravan, letting them know something like this occurred. However, they don't know how many Black Heaven Tribe members were captured."

"Next, we just need to put on a show. This requires a Sword Wielder to cooperate..."

"You're so familiar with Kong Xianglong, how about you handle this?" the captain whispered.

Xu Qing thought for a moment and nodded.

"Then it's settled. We depart tomorrow morning!" The captain took a deep breath, anticipation in his eyes, and swallowed the peach in his hand. "Little A'Qing, this time we're going to get rich! And there's absolutely no danger; we'll truly go as masters!"

Xu Qing understood. This venture was extremely dangerous, but he was also well prepared. Moreover, if they succeeded, the military merits would indeed be astonishing, so anticipation also appeared in his eyes. He yearned for military merits immensely. As for how the two of them would return after this matter was completed, Xu Qing didn't ask. He and the captain had undertaken many major endeavors together. Their rhythm was to cooperate wholeheartedly in the early stages, and then each leave their fate to destiny after completion.

Watching the captain leave at that moment, Xu Qing took out a voice transmission jade slip and contacted Kong Xianglong. He didn't explain everything, only stating his requirements. Kong Xianglong laughed heartily upon hearing it.

"Disguising as the Black Heaven Tribe, what an idea! Count me in!"

Xu Qing hesitated.

"Uh... then I won't go. Xu Qing, I know you don't like to hear this, but I still have to warn you: be careful of your Senior Brother. His 'one zhang of brilliance' is unreliable; don't get tricked by him."

Xu Qing gave a wry smile. He exchanged a few more words with Kong Xianglong, and after agreeing on the details for tomorrow, he ended the voice transmission.

Seeing that it was already late, Xu Qing organized his storage bag. Thinking that the duration of this outing was undetermined, he sent a voice transmission to Immortal Zi Xuan, informing her of his departure.

After completing these tasks, he sat cross-legged, waiting for dawn.

However... before dawn arrived, someone arrived outside his Sword Pavilion.

It was Immortal Zi Xuan.

As she walked into Sword Pavilion, her fragrance permeated the entire pavilion. She looked at Xu Qing, her eyes full of tenderness, and spoke softly.

"You're going out to handle matters, and I won't stop you. But your protection isn't enough, so I've come to give you a layer of protection."

Outside the door behind her graceful figure, moonlight poured in like a river, flowing over her dress and onto the ground.

Under the moonlight, Zi Xuan seemed to be standing in a river of moonlight. Her elegant expression and gentle gaze were like a lotus blooming in the moonlit river, steadfastly preserving her own tranquility.