Chapter 1970: 内幕、Li Rufeng、Li Ruyue

The golden eyeballs are called Spirit-Fixing Orbs, which are refined from the eyes of ancestors of the Multi-Eyed Race.

They didn't acquire much wealth from this mission. The Multi-Eyed Race members were decisive; realizing they were no match, they immediately self-destructed, destroying most of their possessions in the process.

"Senior Brother Chen had been keeping a close eye on Wuxingzi, yet the foreign race still managed to get ahead of us," Wang Ruyan frowned. "It appears someone is secretly colluding with the foreign race and feeding information to Wuxingzi." They had performed a soul-search on the captured Multi-Eyed Nascent Soul, but found no useful information.

According to Chen Xin's statement, he had been solely responsible for monitoring Wuxingzi. For Wuxingzi to have contacted the foreign race right under their noses, someone must have facilitated it, most likely a human cultivator.

Wang Changsheng nodded, expressing a touch of regret. "It's a pity we didn't acquire the eyeballs from the Multi-Eyed Race. Otherwise, we could have refined several exotic treasures."

"Still, it wasn't a wasted effort for us. We witnessed the Multi-Eyed Race's divine abilities, and we learned that the Heavenly Void Jade Tome actually has intricate restrictions that need to be gradually unraveled. No wonder Wuxingzi refused to hand it over." Wang Ruyan's face showed an expression of sudden understanding.

According to Cai Yunfeng, each page of the Heavenly Void Jade Tome contains multiple restrictions, and only by unlocking them can the corresponding content be revealed. Wuxingzi clearly hadn't unraveled all the restrictions; otherwise, he could have simply made a copy for his safety instead of stubbornly resisting.

"Exactly! I wonder what content the Heavenly Void Jade Tome in Wuxingzi's possession holds. He was surprisingly reluctant to give it up. If he wanted to save his life, handing it over to the Xuanqing Sect or the Divine Weapon Gate would have served the same purpose. Why give it to a foreign race? Is he truly colluding with them? Or perhaps, after the destruction of the Wuxing Sect he founded, he was so enraged that he simply handed the Heavenly Void Jade Tome over to the foreign race?" Wang Changsheng was greatly puzzled; there were many suspicious points, and he felt the matter was not so simple.

Golden Toad Island is adjacent to the foreign race's territory, so it's impossible for there to be no Integration cultivators present. Given the immense value of the Heavenly Void Jade Tome, even if Cai Yunfeng and others privately conspired and failed to inform the Integration cultivators, it would be highly illogical for Wuxingzi to escape right under their noses without any Integration cultivators noticing anything amiss.

"Our cultivation level is too low, and the information we can access is limited," Wang Ruyan speculated. "Perhaps there's some inside story we don't know."

Wang Changsheng nodded. After a brief chat, he returned to the basement to refine the Spirit-Fixing Orb.

In a secluded, vast manor, ancient trees, strange vines, rock gardens, and waterside pavilions were visible everywhere.

A simple green bamboo building stood, surrounded by several acres of Azure Cloud Bamboo. A gentle breeze rustled through the bamboo, creating a soft "swish" sound.

Inside the bamboo building, a dignified middle-aged woman and a burly, red-robed man sat around a green tea table, sipping tea and conversing.

The middle-aged woman possessed a graceful figure, skin as fair as snow, and wore a purple silk skirt with a beauty mark at the corner of her mouth. The red-robed man had sharp, sword-like eyebrows and piercing eyes that faintly emitted a red glow, while a subtle aura of malevolence emanated from his body.

"Wuxingzi has already given that half page of the Heavenly Void Jade Tome to the Multi-Eyed Race, and that Multi-Eyed Race member has already escaped," the purple-skirted woman said with a smile, her eyes filled with anticipation. "As soon as we release the news, the Multi-Eyed Race will surely hand that half page of the Heavenly Void Jade Tome over to the Fiery Spirit Race. Once that happens, our plan will be halfway to success."

"I just wonder if that Multi-Eyed Race member will indeed hand over the Heavenly Void Jade Tome to the Fiery Spirit Race," the red-robed man said, a hint of worry in his eyes. "Even if they do, Old Ghost Yan of the Fiery Spirit Race might not believe it."

The purple-skirted woman scoffed with a cold laugh. "To execute this play, the Wuxing Sect was even destroyed, resulting in significant casualties among high-level cultivators. Given the immense value of the Heavenly Void Jade Tome, even if Old Ghost Yan has suspicions, would he actually relinquish it? This is an overt scheme, using half a page of the Heavenly Void Jade Tome as a trap. Do they truly possess the courage to do so?"

The red-robed man nodded. "That's true. If the restrictions accompanying that half page of the Heavenly Void Jade Tome weren't so formidable, we wouldn't have given it away. Fellow Daoist Sun and the others expended a great deal of vital energy trying to unravel its restrictions."

"The cultivation method recorded in that half page of the Heavenly Void Jade Tome appears quite powerful, but it comes with significant side effects," the purple-skirted woman sneered. "If Old Monster Yan cultivates it, he won't notice issues in the short term, but it will become problematic over time. In severe cases, it will completely block his chances of further advancement."

The red-robed man changed the subject. "I hope this plan succeeds. I wonder where the Profound Spirit Celestial Venerable's dojo will appear next. I heard that within the last millennium, the Profound Spirit Celestial Venerable's dojo has appeared in both the Azure Glaze Sea and the Profound Wind Continent. This is quite strange. Have the restrictions on the Profound Spirit Celestial Venerable's dojo changed? Does it now appear once every millennium?"

"There's only one dojo of the Profound Spirit Celestial Venerable," the purple-skirted woman said dismissively. "Someone likely made a mistake and confused another Mahayana cultivator's dojo for his. It's not strange. The Profound Spirit Celestial Venerable's dojo appears only once every few thousand years, or even tens of thousands of years. Many cultivators have only read about it in ancient texts, and it's rare for anyone to enter it twice. Such matters depend entirely on fate."

The red-robed man nodded. "If we could enter the Profound Spirit Celestial Venerable's dojo and obtain his legacy, perhaps we could advance even further."

"If my calculations are correct, the Profound Spirit Celestial Venerable's dojo will reappear within the next ten thousand years," the purple-skirted woman said, her face full of anticipation. "I hope it manifests on the Profound Spirit Continent." For them, the Profound Spirit Celestial Venerable's dojo was a treasure trove and a significant opportunity for them to advance to the Mahayana stage.

A month quickly passed.

Wang Changsheng emerged from the basement, his face beaming with joy.

It had taken him a full month to restore the Spirit-Fixing Orb's spiritual essence, which clearly demonstrated the potent defiling power of the Blood Toad Gourd. During combat, any enemy treasure defiled by the Blood Toad Gourd would drastically lose its power and be unable to recover in a short period.

Upon entering the courtyard, Wang Changsheng saw Wang Ruyan approaching him.

"Husband," Wang Ruyan asked with a smile, "Senior Brother Chen mentioned there's a gathering soon, and fellow Daoists from the Xuanqing Sect will also be attending. Shall we go and take a look?"

There was no harm in making more friends; the human race had two Mahayana cultivators, and one of them hailed from the Xuanqing Sect.

"We don't have anything pressing to do, so let's go check it out," Wang Changsheng agreed. "It's always good to meet more people." He and Wang Ruyan then left their residence.

A short while later, they arrived at the entrance of a five-story green pavilion, guarded by two Core Formation cultivators.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan walked in unhindered; the guards did not stop them.

The grand hall on the ground floor was empty. Upon reaching the third floor, Wang Changsheng saw five Soul Transformation cultivators engaged in casual conversation. Chen Xin, Lu Guanghong, and Sun Wu were present, along with a delicate-looking girl in a blue skirt and a tall, dignified young man in a green robe.

"Junior Brother Wang, Junior Sister Wang, you've arrived," Chen Xin said, introducing them. "Allow me to introduce these two: Fellow Daoist Li and Immortal Li. They are both elites from Golden Leaf Island."

"Fellow Daoist Chen, you flatter us," the green-robed youth said humbly. "We are hardly deserving of the title 'elite.' My name is Li Rufeng, and this is my younger sister, Li Ruyue. It is a pleasure to meet Fellow Daoist Wang and Madam Wang."

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan did not delay, quickly introducing themselves.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, Madam Wang," Li Ruyue asked curiously, "we heard from Fellow Daoist Chen that you eliminated two Soul Transformation stage members of the Multi-Eyed Race?"

Wang Changsheng paused for a moment, recalling Cai Yunfeng's strict instructions against leaking any information.

"Junior Brother Wang, this isn't a secret," Chen Xin explained. "After all, Immortal Li was with us during that operation." As long as they didn't mention the Heavenly Void Jade Tome, there would be no issue.