Chapter 1789: Black Gold Stone, Fifth-Rank Silkworm Silk, Fifth-Rank Beast Hide

"Fellow Daoist Gongsun, that's very thoughtful of you. Thank you. How has Fellow Daoist Sun been recently?" Wang Changsheng expressed his gratitude and accepted the items. With the fourth-tier Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada's inner core and a bottle of Beast Spirit Pills, his own Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada now had a chance to advance to the fourth tier.

Sun Tianhu had been stationed on Dongli Island, monitoring the changes in the Buried Immortal Sea. As soon as the spiritual energy dissipated, he planned to enter the Buried Immortal Sea.

"Grandmaster Sun is doing well," Gongsun Yang replied seriously. "He asked me to convey a message: if the spiritual energy in the Buried Immortal Sea dissipates, he requests Fellow Daoist Wang's assistance in eliminating the cultivators of the Tianlan Sect. If successful, your family will also receive a significant amount of cultivation resources." Gongsun Yang added that while Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan had not been in the Deity Transformation stage for long, their mastery of combined attack techniques and possession of Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasures would significantly ease the pressure on Sun Tianhu and the others if they agreed to help.

"If the spiritual energy dissipates, we are certainly willing to help!" Wang Changsheng readily agreed. As it concerned the safety of the Dongli Realm, he felt duty-bound to assist.

Gongsun Yang's face lit up with delight. He took out an exquisite blue jade box, opened it, revealing a dark, unremarkable piece of ore inside.

"This is Black Gold Stone," Meng Tianzheng exclaimed, a hint of envy in his eyes. "It's a fifth-tier refining material. When spiritual power is injected, it becomes incredibly heavy, like ten thousand catties; the more spiritual power infused, the heavier its mass."

"This is a personal gift for Fellow Daoist Wang," Gongsun Yang said with sincerity. "With the Seven-Colored Coral and this Black Gold Stone, once you gather a few more refining materials, you'll be able to forge two heavy-type magical artifacts. Only body cultivators can fully unleash their power." He explained that fifth-tier materials were rare, even on Myriad Beasts Island, and couldn't be given away casually. Otherwise, Deity Transformation cultivators could simply host celebrations frequently and easily accumulate a large supply of such materials.

"Fellow Daoist Gongsun, that's incredibly thoughtful of you. Thank you," Wang Changsheng said, accepting the Black Gold Stone. This stone, along with Primordial Magnetic Crystal and Seven-Colored Coral, could be used to forge heavy-type spirit treasures.

Meng Tianzheng smiled faintly. "I've also brought something," he said, "though I'm not sure if Fellow Daoist Wang will like it." He then produced an exquisite red jade box containing a bundle of red silkworm silk.

"Fifth-tier silkworm silk, a primary material for refining spirit treasures!" The Wang family had risen too quickly, lacking deep foundations, and was in urgent need of fifth-tier refining materials. Wang Ruyan's personal artifact, the Golden Lotus Zither, was still a Bodhi artifact. With this bundle of fifth-tier silkworm silk, the Golden Lotus Zither now had a chance to be upgraded to a spirit treasure. This gift from the Grand Unity Immortal Sect truly touched Wang Changsheng.

"Fellow Daoist Meng, your sect is incredibly thoughtful. Thank you," Wang Changsheng said gratefully, accepting both jade boxes.

Wang Ruyan picked up the teapot, pouring tea, and casually inquired, "Fellow Daoist Meng, Fellow Daoist Gongsun, has Long Xiaoyao made any further appearances?"

"No, he seems to have vanished," Gongsun Yang sneered. "If I were Long Xiaoyao, I wouldn't show myself easily either. The last time they appeared, a Deity Transformation cultivator was killed, so they're probably like startled birds." He added that Long Xiaoyao and his group's continued absence was the greatest threat. It was easier to be a thief for a thousand days than to guard against one for a thousand days. Due to the presence of Long Xiaoyao and Li Shuo, many Deity Transformation cultivators now had to exercise extreme caution when traveling, fearing ambushes.

Given the vast expanse of the Dongli Realm, if they decided to hide anywhere, they would be incredibly difficult to locate.

"Hmph, if they dare to show their faces, we'll certainly make them regret it," Meng Tianzheng growled with a murderous aura. As a dual cultivator of both magic and body, and having been in the Deity Transformation stage for over a century, he had no fear of Long Xiaoyao.

The four conversed about the situation in the Dongli Realm, and Wang Changsheng gained much useful information. After over half an hour, Gongsun Yang took his leave, while Meng Tianzheng continued to chat with Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, what exactly did the artifact spirit tell you back then?" Meng Tianzheng asked seriously, his eyes filled with anticipation. "Would you be willing to share? She told me she possessed a method to ascend to the Spirit Realm, and she would only reveal it if I helped her gather refining materials."

Wang Changsheng's brow furrowed slightly. This was similar to what the artifact spirit had told him, yet with a key difference: the artifact spirit had promised to take Wang Changsheng to the Spirit Realm, whereas she only offered to reveal the ascension method to Meng Tianzheng. He wondered if Meng Tianzheng was being truthful, or if the artifact spirit made similar promises to everyone, simply dangling a carrot to encourage the swift collection of rare materials. He quickly dismissed this latter thought. The artifact spirit's deliberate act of giving Wang Changjie a Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasure indicated a unique treatment. If her intention was solely deceit, there would have been no need to bestow such a powerful artifact, spiritual items for Deity Transformation breakthroughs, and fifth-tier pills.

"She told me something similar," Wang Changsheng fabricated, "but she said that once enough rare materials were gathered, she could regain her freedom, and then she would grant me a substantial reward." He couldn't verify the truth of Meng Tianzheng's words, and it was wise to be cautious. Meng Tianzheng was not a close acquaintance, so Wang Changsheng didn't fully trust him. Furthermore, who could truly know if the artifact spirit's promises were genuine? What if they were empty words? If Wang Changsheng disseminated the information and the artifact spirit later disavowed it, wouldn't other Deity Transformation cultivators conclude he was lying?

Meng Tianzheng remained half-convinced, half-skeptical. He conceded that the artifact spirit's tactic was indeed shrewd; aside from the spirit itself, no one truly knew what it had communicated to Wang Changsheng and the others. After all, one's true thoughts are often concealed.

He then produced an exquisite azure jade box. Opening it, he revealed a misty blue beast hide, its surface adorned with faint silver patterns.

"This is a fifth-tier beast hide, Fellow Daoist Wang," he said. "Would you be willing to exchange it for some refining materials?"

After a brief thought, Wang Changsheng produced a white brocade box. He opened it to reveal a piece of snow-white wood: Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng Wood.

Wang Changsheng had acquired a Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng Fruit Tree and had used some of its trunk for artifact refining.

"This is Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng Wood," Wang Changsheng said softly. "Your beast hide is a bit small, so I'd be at a disadvantage in this exchange. However, since we've been old friends for many years, I'll trade with you." He inwardly noted that he would have been reluctant to make the exchange if the Grand Unity Immortal Sect hadn't gifted him a bundle of fifth-tier silkworm silk, as Meng Tianzheng's fifth-tier beast hide was indeed somewhat undersized for a fair trade.

Meng Tianzheng's face lit up with joy, and he readily agreed.

After chatting for nearly a quarter of an hour, Meng Tianzheng rose to leave. Wang Changsheng instructed Wang Mengfen to escort him to rest.

"With this fifth-tier silkworm silk, I can help my wife's personal artifact upgrade to a spirit treasure," Wang Changsheng said with a touch of excitement. The process of elevating an artifact to a spirit treasure was intricate and demanded numerous rare refining materials. The fifth-tier silkworm silk was the most crucial component, and all other necessary materials had already been gathered.

Wang Ruyan smiled and nodded. "I was just considering refining fifth-tier talismans," she said. "With this fifth-tier beast hide, I can finally attempt to create them."

After a few more exchanges, they each retired to separate private chambers: Wang Changsheng to refine artifacts, and Wang Ruyan to craft talismans.