Chapter 2133: Nine-Leaf Blood Lotus

"Fellow Daoist Wang, Madam Wang, so it's you two."

Long Yunfeng's face lit up with joy upon seeing Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan. Long Yunfeng had also attended the grand ceremony hosted by the Taiyang Sect for True Monarch Taiyang. However, his cultivation was not high then, and he had only exchanged a few words with Wang Changsheng and his wife.

"Long time no see, Fellow Daoist Long."

Wang Changsheng greeted him with a smile, curious about what Long Yunfeng had stolen to be pursued by disciples from the Profound Azure Sect and the Nine Flames Gate.

"Fellow Daoist Long, return our item, and we can let bygones be bygones." The young woman in the golden skirt spoke with a heavy voice, her face filled with murderous intent.

Long Yunfeng's gaze shifted. With a flick of his wrist, an exquisite azure jade box flew out, heading towards Wang Changsheng.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, this is a Ten-Thousand-Year Nine-Leaf Blood Lotus. Its lotus seeds are perfect for refining clones." Long Yunfeng explained. He had only met Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan once and wasn't sure if they would save him, so he simply handed over the Nine-Leaf Blood Lotus. This way, the people from the Nine Flames Gate and the Profound Azure Sect would focus on Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan, drawing them into the conflict whether they wished to intervene or not.

As the void rippled, a shimmering red light formed a large hand that appeared out of thin air, reaching for the azure jade box. A blue sound wave swept in, passing through the red hand, which instantly exploded and dispersed into tiny specks of firelight.

Suddenly, hundreds of spiky azure thorns burst from the ground. These thorns rapidly wove together to form a gigantic azure hand, hundreds of feet in size, which snatched towards the azure jade box. Almost simultaneously, countless blue water vapor emerged from the void, instantly solidifying into hundreds of several-foot-long blue water blades. These blades shattered the azure hand into countless segments of azure thorns, which then fell to the ground.

Wang Changsheng caught the azure jade box and opened its lid. Inside was a blood-red lotus with nine petals. Two lotus seeds were missing, leaving seven remaining. The Nine-Leaf Blood Lotus seeds could be used to refine clones, but with only seven seeds, Wang Changsheng would be fortunate to keep even one for himself. Long Yunfeng had his own calculations; he had taken two lotus seeds and now remained outside the conflict, bearing no risk.

Next to the Nine-Leaf Blood Lotus was an azure storage ring. Wang Changsheng immersed his spiritual sense into it and nodded in satisfaction. The ring contained over ten thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, spiritual wood, and metal ores. Long Yunfeng proved to be sensible, so Wang Changsheng didn't argue with him.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, we were the first to discover that Nine-Leaf Blood Lotus. Fellow Daoist Long appeared unexpectedly and snatched it. We don't ask for much; if you give us two lotus seeds each, we will leave immediately." The young woman in the golden skirt spoke sincerely, her eyes filled with apprehension.

"Nonsense! Our Long family disciples discovered it first! The Nine-Leaf Blood Lotus is rightfully ours!" Long Yunfeng cursed loudly.

"I'm afraid I cannot comply." Wang Changsheng put away the Nine-Leaf Blood Lotus. If he gave away four lotus seeds, only three would remain, and it was unlikely that Chen Yueying and the others would leave him even one.

"There are many treasures in the Profound Spirit Cave, so there's no need for us to fight over this. Let's each take a step back and give us one lotus seed each; that's not too much to ask, is it?" The young woman in the golden skirt haggled. The Nine-Leaf Blood Lotus had nine seeds; asking for two was not excessive in their eyes.

Wang Changsheng shook his head, saying, "Let's forget about the Nine-Leaf Blood Lotus. I can give you some thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, spiritual wood, or ores instead." With seven lotus seeds, Wang Changsheng might be able to obtain one. If there were only five seeds, he might not get any, especially since Zhenhai Palace had many Void Refinement and Integration realm cultivators. It would be fortunate if they left him a single seed. After leaving the Profound Spirit Cave, specialized personnel would use spirit beasts to detect high-grade spiritual herbs, even if hidden in storage rings, making it impossible to conceal personal gains. According to sect rules, one could keep one-third of the acquired wealth, with the rest converted into merit points. The more wealth one plundered, the more one could retain.

"Hmph, you refuse a generous offer! Attack! Kill them and split the treasures!" The young woman in the golden skirt's expression turned cold, her eyes filled with a chilling light. With a slight opening of her lips, nine shimmering golden banners flew out. Their surfaces were covered with countless profound runes, exuding astonishing spiritual energy. She cast a spell, and the nine golden banners suddenly burst forth with dazzling golden light. A golden flame erupted from their surfaces, and after a blur, they transformed into nine golden fire clouds, causing the nearby temperature to rise sharply. The nine golden fire clouds dispersed, and the ground beneath them spontaneously combusted, sending flames soaring into the sky.

On the other side, the old man in green robes conjured a shimmering azure small bell, which instantly expanded in size. Chimes of "clang, clang, clang" rang out, and waves of azure sound swept forth, heading directly towards Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

Seizing the opportunity, Long Yunfeng's body glowed with an intense azure light, transforming into a streak of azure escape light that vanished into the air. The young woman in the golden skirt sneered. The golden flame pattern on her brow blazed brightly, and a palm-sized golden firebird flew out. With a flash of golden light, the firebird's size rapidly increased, transforming into a golden fire phoenix several hundred feet large. The void around it twisted and deformed, seemingly unable to withstand the intense heat. The golden fire phoenix flapped its wings and darted towards Long Yunfeng.

Long Yunfeng's escape light intensified, and he accelerated his speed. However, just then, a powerful gravitational force suddenly emanated from the ground, momentarily slowing his escape. Countless azure vines burst from the earth, rapidly weaving into a thorny azure hand that struck towards Long Yunfeng. Long Yunfeng's body radiated intense azure light, and a misty azure hurricane swept forth, enveloping him. The azure hand collided with the azure hurricane, instantly bursting into countless fragments. The golden fire phoenix swooped in, instantly tearing through the azure hurricane and slamming into Long Yunfeng's protective spiritual light.

With a tremendous roar, a fiery golden sun appeared high in the sky, accompanied by a man's utterly miserable cry. With a loud bang, the golden sun exploded into countless golden flames. A miniature Nascent Soul, clutching a shimmering azure orb, flew towards the sky, and an azure storage ring flew out alongside it. Specks of red light emerged in the void, forming a red hand that snatched the azure storage ring and flew back to the young woman in the golden skirt. The young woman in the golden skirt swept her spiritual sense over it, a look of joy appearing in her eyes. Ignoring Long Yunfeng for now, as his physical body was destroyed and his Nascent Soul couldn't escape far, she decided to deal with Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan first before pursuing Long Yunfeng's Nascent Soul.

The surrounding hundred-li radius was a sea of golden flames, terrifyingly hot, and the void itself was twisting and deforming. Outside the golden sea of fire, dense azure vines covered with sharp thorns spread out. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan stood atop a blue river, shielded by multiple layers of blue water screens. A large amount of the surrounding water evaporated, turning into billowing white mist.

"A fifth-tier spiritual flame!" Wang Changsheng's eyes narrowed as he looked at the swooping golden fire phoenix. Including the Profound Jade Ice Flame, he now possessed two fifth-tier spiritual flames. However, the Profound Jade Ice Flame was relatively weaker. If he could obtain three more fifth-tier spiritual flames, he might be able to use them to break through to the Void Refinement stage.