Chapter 2019: Wang Ruyan Advances to Mid-Huashen, Enemies Meet with Intense Rivalry

Fifty years passed in the blink of an eye.

Xuanyang Realm, Xuanyin Continent, Xuanying Island.

The door to a secret chamber suddenly opened, and Wang Ruyan walked out. Her aura was noticeably stronger than before, having clearly advanced to the Mid-Stage Soul Transformation realm.

After completing the first three layers of the "Taixu Forging God Art," she entered secluded cultivation, diligently practicing for decades, and successfully advanced to the Mid-Stage Soul Transformation realm.

She noticed that the door to Wang Changsheng's secret chamber was still tightly shut, presuming he was still in seclusion.

Stepping out of the pavilion, Wang Ruyan extended her divine sense and discovered an unfamiliar female cultivator at their residence, who was only at the Core Formation stage.

Arriving at a side courtyard, Wang Ruyan sent out a sound transmission talisman.

Not long after, Jiang Yulin walked out, her expression nervous.

"Junior Jiang Yulin greets Senior."

Jiang Yulin asked nervously.

Wang Ruyan scrutinized Jiang Yulin and asked, "Who are you? And why are you here?"

She and Wang Changsheng used the "Concentric Worms" to perform a secret technique, which allowed them to know each other's thoughts, but they couldn't read each other's memories. Thus, she didn't know Jiang Yulin's background.

Jiang Yulin dared not delay and quickly recounted the whole incident.

"A human, I see. So that's how it is. You can continue staying here then!" Wang Ruyan instructed; she hadn't intended to make things difficult for Jiang Yulin in the first place.

She sympathized with Jiang Yulin's plight, but she was powerless to help. This was the territory of foreign races, and it would be very inconvenient to take her along.

Jiang Yulin let out a sigh of relief, agreed, and returned to her courtyard.

Wang Ruyan walked back. Just as she reached her small courtyard, a sound transmission talisman flew in, landing in front of her.

Wang Ruyan crushed the talisman, and Feng Yao's voice suddenly rang out: "Fellow Daoist Jiao, we are ready to depart. Is now a good time for you? Come to the assembly hall; I'll introduce you to two fellow Daoists."

"Wife, you've advanced to the Mid-Stage Soul Transformation realm!"

A surprised and delighted male voice suddenly rang out.

Wang Ruyan looked toward the source of the voice and saw Wang Changsheng walking towards her.

Wang Changsheng's aura was also significantly stronger than before; he was in the Mid-Stage Soul Transformation realm.

In recent years, he had focused solely on studying the art of puppetry. He had refined three Level Five puppet beasts, and adding the shark puppet beast, he now possessed four Level Five puppet beasts, including a mid-grade Level Five Golden Eagle puppet beast.

To a certain extent, the Golden Eagle puppet beast was equivalent to a lightning-attributed Level Five spirit bird. The difference was that the Golden Eagle puppet beast was inanimate, relying entirely on Wang Changsheng's divine sense for control, whereas a Level Five spirit bird could act independently.

Wang Ruyan nodded and said, "The 'Taixu Forging God Art' is indeed a good cultivation technique. Speaking of which, my advancement to the Mid-Stage Soul Transformation realm is somewhat related to it."

The "Heavenly Maiden's Divine Sound" has certain requirements for a cultivator's divine sense. If her divine sense hadn't grown considerably, it would have been quite difficult for Wang Ruyan to advance to the Mid-Stage Soul Transformation realm.

"Oh, right," Wang Ruyan added, remembering something. "Fellow Daoist Feng invited us to the assembly hall for a discussion. He said he wants to introduce us to two fellow Daoists."

Wang Changsheng nodded, and he and Wang Ruyan left their residence, heading for the assembly hall.

In the assembly hall, Feng Yao was seated in the main seat, a smile on his face. Judging by his aura, he had clearly advanced to the Mid-Stage Soul Transformation realm.

Five beast-human cultivators were seated nearby. Leading them was a middle-aged man with golden wings on his back, whose aura was considerably stronger than Feng Yao's.

A beast-human with an ape's head and a human body frowned and said, "Fellow Daoist Feng, why haven't those two you mentioned arrived yet? With just a few of us here, why do you need to invite others?"

Feng Yao courteously explained. A cold sneer flashed in his heart: "We agreed on two people for the treasure hunt, but you brought three. Luckily, I made backup plans. Otherwise, even if I advanced to the Mid-Stage Soul Transformation realm, I wouldn't be a match for you."

Two streaks of escape light flew in, landing within the assembly hall. They were Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

"Oh, it's you!"

The ape-headed beast-human's expression turned cold, and his killing intent soared.

A flicker of surprise crossed Wang Changsheng's eyes. He hadn't expected to encounter his adversaries here, in such an unexpected way.

More than fifty years ago, he had gone out to kill a Golden Lightning Vulture and encountered Tong Tianhua being pursued, whom he had conveniently saved.

It was these very beast-humans who had been pursuing Tong Tianhua; he hadn't expected to meet them again here.

"Fellow Daoist Feng, what's going on?" the middle-aged man with golden wings frowned and said, his face filled with killing intent. "You're inviting them to the Profound Wind Grotto-heaven? Don't you know they saved a human? They might even have been bribed by the humans."

"Fellow Daoist Tong is an honored guest of our Merman race," Wang Changsheng sneered. "Our Elder Hai has repeatedly ordered us to take good care of Fellow Daoist Tong. When I encountered Fellow Daoist Tong being pursued by you, how could I not help? Am I to disregard Elder Hai's orders and listen to you beast-humans instead?"

Wang Changsheng sneered. Even if it came to a fight, he wouldn't fear them.

"Hmph, I, Yu Xin, am not part of your Merman race, and I don't fall for your tricks," the middle-aged man said, his face displeased. "Fellow Daoist Feng, are you truly inviting them to the Profound Wind Grotto-heaven for treasure?"

"That's right. The two fellow Daoists from the Merman race saved my life, and I have already invited them," Feng Yao interceded. "Fellow Daoist Yu, please give me some face. It's better to resolve animosity than to deepen it. Why quarrel over a human?"

Feng Yao interceded. The more discordant the two groups were, the happier he became, as they wouldn't unite against him.

Yu Xin's expression fluctuated uncertainly, revealing a pensive look.

"Alright!" Yu Xin conceded. "For Fellow Daoist Feng's sake, we'll put this matter aside for now."

Yu Xin decided to set the matter aside. If Feng Yao didn't lead the way, none of them would know the location of the Azure Phoenix Fruit Tree. The Profound Wind Grotto-heaven was full of dangers, and blindly venturing in could lead to unforeseen trouble.

Wang Changsheng remained silent, knowing clearly in his heart that when they obtained the Azure Phoenix Divine Fruit, it would be time to settle their grudges.

Feng Yao's expression softened, and he said, "That's more like it. Once my subordinate arrives, we'll depart immediately."

No sooner had he spoken than Jiang Qingfeng walked in.

"Fellow Daoist Feng, is this the person you mentioned?" Yu Xin frowned, his face displeased. "What help can a Nascent Soul cultivator be?"

"Fellow Daoist Yu, you might not know this," Feng Yao explained. "Jiang Qingfeng is skilled in plant cultivation. I need his help to transplant some rare spiritual herbs. If conditions allow, I even plan to transplant the Azure Phoenix Divine Fruit Tree back." By the end, his expression was excited.

Wang Changsheng was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Feng Yao to bring Jiang Qingfeng along; it seemed Jiang Qingfeng's abilities were beyond his expectations.

Yu Xin's expression softened, and he said nothing more.

"Jiang Qingfeng, this time, your performance will be key," Feng Yao instructed. "If you do well, I can arrange for you and your wife to reunite."

"Rest assured, I will do my best," Jiang Qingfeng agreed, his expression calm.

"Let's go!"

Feng Yao waved his large sleeve, transforming into a swirling greenish wind, and flew out. Wang Changsheng and the others followed closely.

Not long after, the group vanished into the horizon.