Chapter 1118: Five Spirit Hermit

The Ouyang family hosted a grand 900th birthday celebration for Ouyang Hongsheng. This served several purposes: first, to announce the news to other forces and distance themselves from the incident. As even a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator had been body-snatched, indicating the ghost's formidable powers, the Ouyang family naturally wouldn't take the blame. Second, the recent major war had not significantly impacted the Ten Major Sects of the South Sea, but many other forces had been destroyed or severely crippled, leading to a major reshuffle. With the Ouyang family's partners either eliminated or heavily damaged, they needed to forge new partnerships with emerging forces to establish new trade routes. Third, the Ouyang family also aimed to use this occasion to display their strength and observe how the newly risen powers viewed them.

Some forces, having allied with the Ten Major Sects, no longer regarded the Ouyang family with due respect. It was necessary for the Ouyang family to demonstrate their strength, letting them know they were not to be trifled with.

With just one invitation, the Ouyang family could summon over twenty Nascent Soul cultivators, a feat other forces simply could not achieve.

Ouyang Hongsheng flicked his sleeve, and over thirty seashells of various colors flew out, landing in front of Wang Changsheng and the others.

Wang Changsheng held the blue seashell before him and immersed his spiritual sense within it. The shell contained descriptions of the body-snatched Ouyang family cultivator's appearance and divine abilities, along with information about the powers of ghost cultivators.

Wang Changsheng naturally had no intention of going to the Fallen Immortal Ice Plain to eliminate this person. Setting aside whether he could defeat him, the Fallen Immortal Ice Plain was one of the Seven Major Perilous Lands of the South Sea. Traveling there for ten million spirit stones was simply not worth it. Who knew where the opponent might be hiding in such a vast place? One wrong move, and he might perish there himself.

Ten million spirit stones was indeed a substantial sum. However, the Wang family now had its own territory and a large market town. With diligent management, earning ten million spirit stones was merely a matter of time. The same applied to other forces; they would not venture into the Fallen Immortal Ice Plain to search for the Ouyang family's body-snatched cultivator just for that amount.

Zhang Wuchen's beautiful eyes swirled. She asked with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Ouyang, do you have any specific whereabouts for him? The Fallen Immortal Ice Plain spans tens of millions of miles and is filled with numerous restrictions, making it very difficult for us to find him."

Ouyang Hongsheng shook his head. "We pursued him to the Fallen Immortal Ice Plain but did not go any further. We do not know his exact whereabouts. The bounty is valid indefinitely."

Zhang Wuchen nodded. Changing her tone, she smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Ouyang, it is rumored that your Ouyang family possesses a secret medicine called Beast Spirit Pills. I would like to purchase two from you. What do you think?"

With so many Nascent Soul cultivators attending the Ouyang family's birthday celebration and presenting valuable gifts, they certainly wouldn't be sent away with just a few cups of wine.

Ouyang Hongsheng smiled and said, "Madam Zhang, you jest. The Beast Spirit Pill is our Ouyang family's unique secret medicine, and its refining difficulty is extremely high; it cannot be measured by spirit stones alone. However, with so many fellow daoists coming to wish me a happy birthday, our Ouyang family cannot treat you unfairly. How about this: if any of your disciples or juniors can make it into the top ten of the Treasure-Snatching Competition, I will give out one Beast Spirit Pill. We will give out as many as there are people who make it into the top ten."

"Fellow Daoist Ouyang," He Bin interjected, his eyes narrowing, "I heard that your Ouyang family has a clansman with a Fire Luminosity Physique. Will she participate in the Treasure-Snatching Competition?"

The number of spiritual body cultivators is extremely rare. This is a probabilistic event, not something that increases merely with the number of cultivators. The Four Seas Sect, for instance, has tens of thousands of disciples, and its affiliated forces add up to over a hundred thousand cultivators, yet there is only one spiritual body cultivator among them.

Ouyang Hongsheng nodded, smiling, "Yue Rong will participate in this Treasure-Snatching Competition. This child cultivates very diligently, but I don't know if she can make it into the top ten. Fellow Daoist He, I heard you've taken in a disciple with a Heavenly Spiritual Root. Did you bring him?" As he spoke, a proud expression appeared on his face.

The Ouyang family intended to use this opportunity to present Ouyang Yuerong to the world. If she lost, it could temper her arrogance. If she won, the disciples of other forces would serve as stepping stones for Ouyang Yuerong's fame, while also proclaiming to other forces that the Ouyang family had capable successors. Small forces, if they have talented juniors, would rather hide them, fearing that news might leak and they would be killed. Large forces, however, once they've nurtured talents to a certain level, will hold grand celebrations. They present their highly talented juniors to compete with disciples from other forces, thereby sharpening their own younger generation.

"Hehe, I knew you would hold a Treasure-Snatching Competition. Of course, I brought him. I just wonder if he's a match for Fellow Daoist Ouyang's junior," He Bin chuckled, speaking with a hint of pride.

For a sect to endure, it must continuously produce outstanding talents. His disciple possessed a water-attribute Heavenly Spiritual Root, while Ouyang Hongsheng's junior had a Fire Luminosity Physique. It was truly hard to say who would win in a water-versus-fire contest.

Wang Changsheng listened to their conversation, a hint of envy in his eyes. Both Heavenly Spiritual Root and Spiritual Body—he wondered when the Wang family might also produce a Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivator. Spiritual bodies were too rare, so Wang Changsheng dared not even hope for one.

"I also brought a junior with a Heavenly Spiritual Root. Fellow Daoist Wang, did you bring any excellent juniors on this trip?" Huangfu Rui looked at Wang Changsheng and asked with a smile.

"I brought a junior with a Wind Spiritual Root. I just don't know if he can make it into the top ten," Wang Changsheng said with a smile. Even if he didn't say it, other Nascent Soul cultivators would notice something unusual during the competition later. He had brought Wang Huaxiu and others to the birthday celebration to give them experience and allow them to meet young talents from other forces.

"A wind-attribute anomalous spiritual root? My ninth disciple also has a Wind Spiritual Root. I wonder if he will encounter Fellow Daoist Wang's junior," a middle-aged man in a green robe, with an ordinary appearance, stroked his beard lightly and said with a smile. He was of medium build, with sharp, round eyes that conveyed a sense of shrewdness. This was the Scattered Cultivator of the Five Spirits, Tong Wan, one of the Five Immortals of the Overseas, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

Tong Wan could be considered a legend in the South Sea cultivation world. He started as a rogue cultivator and had five spiritual roots, yet he not only advanced to the Nascent Soul stage but also possessed formidable divine abilities, ranking among the Five Immortals of the Overseas.

"Both Fellow Daoist Wang's junior and Fellow Daoist He's ninth disciple have Wind Spiritual Roots? That's quite a coincidence. I wonder who is more powerful," Huangfu Rui's tone was warm, and an interested expression appeared on his face.

"There are many participants in the Treasure-Snatching Competition, so it will take a while to see the results. I suggest we hold an exchange meeting, how about that?" Ouyang Hongsheng proposed. The Nascent Soul cultivators present came from different sea regions, making it a perfect opportunity to hold an exchange meeting and trade for what they needed.

His proposal was met with approval from many. As the initiator, Ouyang Hongsheng was the first to take out over a dozen items: fourth-tier demonic cores, fourth-tier artifact refining materials, thousand-year spiritual herbs, and even two Beast Spirit Pills.

"I am looking to exchange for fire-attribute spiritual items over two thousand years old, or pills suitable for late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators," he announced. Wang Ruyan had entered a secret realm opened by the Fire Kylin clan in the Eastern Barrens and obtained fire-attribute spiritual herbs over two thousand years old. However, Wang Changsheng's cultivation level was relatively low, so he naturally wouldn't take them out for exchange. He wasn't interested, but other Nascent Soul cultivators were.

Zhang Wuchen took out a red wooden box and handed it to Ouyang Hongsheng. She communicated with Ouyang Hongsheng via spiritual transmission and exchanged for one Beast Spirit Pill.