Chapter 2338: Old Acquaintance

As they rounded a corner, a group of cultivators approached. Leading them was an elderly man in golden robes, with a round face and large eyes. He was slightly hunchbacked and wore a yellow gourd tied to his waist. All the cultivators in the group had a red maple leaf emblem on their clothing, clearly the symbol of a particular force.

The Wang family cultivators, on the other hand, had a blue lotus flower embroidered on their robes, which was their family's emblem.

"Fairy Duan, what a coincidence!" a tall, thin young man in yellow robes called out to Dong Xueli.

Wang Qingshan paused, surprised, and looked at Dong Xueli. Wang Qingfeng also looked at Dong Xueli, as he had never heard her mention this person before.

"My fellow cultivator, you've mistaken me for someone else," Dong Xueli explained calmly. "My surname is Dong; I'm not Fairy Duan. I am Madam Wang." Her tone was indifferent, showing no desire to elaborate.

"I am Luo Yiheng of the Yellow Maple Valley," the golden-robed elder said, cupping his hands respectfully. "May I ask your name, fellow cultivator?"

"Wang Qingshan of Green Lotus Island," Wang Qingshan replied, quickly returning the gesture. Wang Qingshan had heard of most prominent families and major sects, but this particular force was unknown to him, leading him to believe it was a minor one.

"Fairy Duan, do you truly not remember me? I'm Luo Tianbao! Your brother and I were good friends. We went to the deep mountains to gather spiritual herbs and were almost killed by a Golden-Eyed Wind Wolf. Your brother even showed me the sword manual your father left behind!" the yellow-robed youth explained.

"I don't know you," Dong Xueli said, her tone somewhat cold. "My name is Dong Xueli, and I am not the Fairy Duan you know. You've made a mistake."

Luo Tianbao was about to say more, but Luo Yiheng interrupted him. "Enough, Tianbao. This young cultivator Dong has already stated she doesn't know you. You've mistaken her for someone else."

Hearing this, Luo Tianbao dared not say anything further, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Fellow Daoist Luo, do you know where the Zhenhai Palace's stronghold is located? We are heading to the front lines under orders from Zhenhai Palace," Wang Qingshan asked politely.

"Zhenhai Palace!" Luo Yiheng's expression became respectful, and his tone grew more polite. "Go straight down this street, turn left after a thousand steps, then turn right, and walk a few hundred more steps. You'll be there."

"Thank you for the directions, Fellow Daoist Luo. We have a mission to attend to, so we'll take our leave now," Wang Qingshan bade farewell and proceeded forward.

Dong Xueli and the others quickly followed, soon disappearing into the crowd. Luo Tianbao watched Dong Xueli's retreating figure, his face still full of bewilderment.

"Tianbao, this is not within our clan's territory. Don't act recklessly and bring trouble upon our family," Luo Yiheng reprimanded him with a stern tone.

"But she really does resemble Fairy Duan too much," Luo Tianbao said, sounding unsure. "Perhaps after more than two millennia, I've simply mistaken her for someone else!"

"Two millennia? Hmph, you dare to say such a thing. You need to rein yourself in and not cause trouble that could implicate our family," Luo Yiheng admonished him without ceremony.

Luo Tianbao pouted but agreed.

They arrived at an eighteen-story blue pavilion, where many cultivators were entering and exiting. A plaque above the entrance shimmered with spiritual light, bearing the three golden characters "Zhenhai Tower." Wang Qingshan strode inside. The spacious and bright hall was bustling with over a thousand cultivators, including more than a hundred Soul Transformation cultivators.

"You must be Elder Wang's kinsmen, aren't you?" a clear, bell-like female voice rang out.

A young woman in a yellow dress with a round face approached. It was Huang Ge'er, who was currently at the late stage of Soul Transformation. Huang Ge'er served in the Deacon Hall. For this battle, she joined the military campaign, primarily responsible for allocating resources and managing the recruited cultivators.

"I am Wang Qingshan. And you, esteemed Fairy?" Wang Qingshan asked politely. Wang Changsheng knew too many cultivators, most of whom Wang Qingshan did not recognize.

"Please don't call me Fairy; I am Huang Ge'er, your junior," Huang Ge'er said. "Senior Wang, please follow me. I will arrange your accommodations and distribute your supplies." Huang Ge'er gestured for them to follow, leading Wang Qingshan, Dong Xueli, and the other ten Soul Transformation cultivators to a side room.

"Senior Wang, there's no need to worry. Elder Wang has shown me much kindness, and we are on the same side," Huang Ge'er said. "How many people have you brought this time? What are their cultivation levels? What skills do they possess? Please fill out this form, and I will assign tasks based on their cultivation and expertise." Huang Ge'er produced a shimmering silver magic plate and a golden jade pen, handing them to Wang Qingshan. Wang Qingshan truthfully recorded the details of the cultivators he brought, for ease of deployment.

"According to orders, participating cultivators will receive certain rewards," Huang Ge'er explained. "Void Refinement cultivators can obtain a low-grade Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure, Soul Transformation cultivators can receive two Spirit Treasures, and Nascent Soul cultivators can get a bottle of fourth-tier healing pills. If you slay foreign races, you will earn merit points. These merit points can be exchanged for cultivation resources, including Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures, territories, artifact forging materials, pills, talismans, formations, and more. The higher the cultivation level of the foreign race you slay, the more merit points you earn. It is best to obtain their Nascent Soul or corpse for easier calculation of merit points."

Huang Ge'er then took out a shimmering golden jade plate, offering it to Wang Qingshan to choose treasures. Without sufficient incentives, few would be willing to travel so far to fight on the front lines. Wang Qingshan suddenly understood. No wonder Lan Fukong was also participating; he was probably here for the Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure. He examined the items carefully. Several Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures caught his eye, but he could only choose one.

"A flight-type Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure!" Wang Qingshan exclaimed in surprise. On the golden jade plate was an image of a pair of shimmering blue boots, with a small line of text beside it: Sky-Escape Boots, extremely fast in flight.

"This treasure was refined by Ancestor Lin in his early years," Huang Ge'er explained. "Uncle-Master Fang specifically instructed me to keep this item. If Senior Wang doesn't find it suitable, then other Void Refinement cultivators can choose it." She explained that Zhenhai Palace had allocated a large batch of cultivation resources, but only a select few knew the exact list. Naturally, the best items were reserved for their own people. Zhenhai Palace had conscripted a large number of high-level cultivators, and naturally, there were distinctions in favoritism. Wang Changsheng had previously given Fang Ming some Golden Mulberry Divine Wood, so Fang Ming would naturally reciprocate given the opportunity. Most Void Refinement cultivators in Zhenhai Palace still used flying spiritual treasures, with only a few being able to wield flight-type Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures for travel.

Wang Qingshan nodded. With the Sky-Escape Boots, it would be easier to escape if they encountered powerful enemies. After he finished choosing his treasure, he handed the golden jade plate to Wang Qingfeng and the others, who each selected two spiritual treasures.

After chatting for a while, Wang Qingshan led Wang Qingfeng and the others away.

Over half an hour later, they appeared on a quiet street. The street was sparsely populated, with residences, pavilions, estates, and similar buildings lining both sides. Wang Qingshan and his group stood at the entrance of an estate with blue brick walls and glazed tiles. Two stone lions, taller than a person, flanked the entrance.

Wang Qingshan sent a sound transmission talisman. Soon after, a refined middle-aged man quickly walked out. "Greetings, Senior Wang," the middle-aged man said, bowing deeply.

"Alright, you're dismissed. You may return. We've settled in," Wang Qingshan waved his hand, dismissing the middle-aged man.

Inside the estate, there were exotic flowers and plants, pavilions and terraces, strange rock formations, arched bridges, and gardens. The estate was vast enough to comfortably accommodate over a thousand people, let alone Wang Qingshan's group of just over a hundred.

"None of you are to conflict with other cultivators. Try to make as many friends as possible," Wang Qingshan instructed them, then allowed them to move about freely.