Chapter 2408: Tianji Valley

The Heavenly Secret Sect boasts a legacy spanning over seventy thousand years, a profound heritage, and countless masters. Its Grand Elder, Venerable Tianji, has recently advanced to the Integration Stage.

To commemorate this milestone, the Heavenly Secret Sect is hosting a grand celebration, extending invitations to numerous guests, including the Deng family from Xuanyun Mountain.

Tianji Valley, a market town established by the Heavenly Secret Sect, has seen a surge of foreign cultivators pouring in with the ongoing celebration, enhancing the sect's prosperity.

The spacious and clean streets were teeming with cultivators, bustling with activity and incredibly lively.

A short, stout young man in a blue robe was strolling along the street, his curious gaze scanning his surroundings.

The young man in the blue robe wore a string of blue beads on his chest and had a round face with small eyes. He was, in fact, Wang Changsheng, who had altered his appearance.

After leaving the Qingyun Sect, Wang Changsheng hastened to Xuanyun Mountain. There, he captured a Deng family cultivator at the Nascent Soul Stage and performed a soul search, discovering that Deng Tianyang had gone to the Heavenly Secret Sect to attend Venerable Tianji's celebration.

Left with no other option, he could only rush to Tianji Valley to find an opportunity to deal with Deng Tianyang.

On a side note, Wang Changsheng had never truly traveled extensively in the inner land, having mostly been active overseas. However, out of caution, he still used a treasure to alter his appearance.

Unless one possessed a rare treasure or special spirit eyes, it should be impossible to discern Wang Changsheng's true appearance.

Generally speaking, high-level cultivators would not casually employ secret arts to probe the appearance of other high-level cultivators.

The inner land boasts an abundance of spirit herbs, spirit fruits, and numerous metal ore veins. Many shops lining the streets sold spirit herbs or metal ores.

A short while later, Wang Changsheng appeared at the entrance of a nine-story azure pavilion. Its plaque bore the three large characters "Xuan Yue Ju," indicating it was a teahouse.

Teahouses are convenient for gathering information, so he planned to have some tea and gather information while he was there.

The aura he currently emitted was that of the Nascent Soul Stage, making it difficult for cultivators below the Void Refinement Stage to discern his true cultivation level.

Xuan Yue Ju's business was thriving; all its private rooms were occupied.

Wang Changsheng went up to the ninth floor, ordered a pot of spirit tea, and quietly drank, listening to the other cultivators chat.

Over a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators were gathered on the ninth floor, and their conversations all revolved around the Heavenly Secret Sect.

The Heavenly Secret Sect was founded by Divine Lord Tianji, whose strength was extraordinary. He once fought against four opponents, consecutively slaying three Integration Stage cultivators from other races, thereby becoming renowned throughout the entire Xuanling Continent. Sadly, he perished under a grand heavenly tribulation.

At its peak, the Heavenly Secret Sect boasted six Integration Stage cultivators. However, it later faced several major calamities, resulting in the deaths or injuries of almost all its Integration Stage cultivators. It gradually declined, leaving only one Void Refinement Stage cultivator. Without an unforeseen intervention, the Heavenly Secret Sect was expected to slowly fade away, eventually disappearing into the long river of history.

However, heaven blessed the Heavenly Secret Sect with the emergence of a genius who advanced to the Integration Stage in less than ten thousand years, allowing the sect to regain its former glory.

A proud male voice suddenly declared, “I saw Venerable Tianji in my early years. When that elder sat there, a faint precious light seemed to emanate from him. It was clear at a glance he was an extraordinary individual. As I expected, after not seeing him for several millennia, that elder has indeed advanced to the Integration Stage. Given enough time, Senior Chen will surely surpass the sect founder, Divine Lord Tianji.”

“Haha, Fellow Daoist Lan,” another male voice interjected, somewhat playfully, “you really know how to flatter! Everyone you see is an extraordinary individual. Can't you use a different phrase?”

“Lan Fukong?”

Wang Changsheng found the voice somewhat familiar. He looked towards the stairs and saw Lan Fukong striding up, with two Void Refinement Stage cultivators walking ahead of him.

“In Divine Lord Tianji's era, he reigned supreme over the Xuanling Continent; who wouldn't bow before him?” Lan Fukong continued, “New generations surpass the old, and it's only a matter of time before Senior Chen surpasses Divine Lord Tianji. I, Lan, am truly fortunate to be invited to Senior Chen's celebration. Heh heh, the next time I come to the Heavenly Secret Sect, I expect it will be for Senior Chen's Grand Ascension celebration.”

Lan Fukong beamed with pride, as if he were praising himself.

Wang Changsheng chuckled inwardly. Lan Fukong loved to flatter, but his connections were truly good, seeing as he had actually received an invitation from the Heavenly Secret Sect.

Flattery always works. Without a conflict of interest, who doesn't like to hear a few kind words?

“I have long heard of Fellow Daoist Lan's great reputation,” a handsome golden-robed man laughed heartily. “And seeing you today, it truly lives up to its renown. The 'Grand Flatterer True Monarch' can indeed flatter, haha.” The group then entered a private room, and no more sounds came out.

A faint smile appeared on Wang Changsheng's lips as he continued to drink his tea.

He sat in the teahouse for over half an hour, and hearing no substantial information, he got up and left.

He began to stroll around the market town, purchasing materials for artifact refining.

He had acquired considerable wealth from the Qingyun Sect's treasure vault and also obtained the possessions of three Void Refinement Stage cultivators, making him extremely wealthy. It was a perfect opportunity to splurge, as sixth-tier artifact refining materials were not cheap.

An hour later, Wang Changsheng appeared at the entrance of a bookstore. The shop wasn't large, only about a hundred zhang, and its shelves displayed various jade slips, bamboo slips, and thick ancient books.

The shopkeeper was a short, stout old man in a golden robe, only at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

As soon as Wang Changsheng stepped in, the golden-robed old man immediately came forward and respectfully asked, "Senior, what a great honor for you to visit. How may I assist you?"

Wang Changsheng took out a square azure token. On it were carved the characters "Qiyue." This was an exclusive item of the Qiyue Tower, capable of sensing the location of Qiyue Tower branches within a certain range.

The Qiyue Tower was an information organization that collected and sold intelligence, making very few errors.

“Senior, please come in. Senior Sun has been waiting for a while.”

The golden-robed old man led Wang Changsheng to the backyard. The backyard was only about a hundred zhang, where a refined scholar in white robes sat by an azure stone table. Judging by his spiritual power fluctuations, he was clearly a Nascent Soul cultivator.

The scholar in white robes held a thick book in his hand, and a set of exquisite tea ware was laid out on the stone table.

“Fellow Daoist, do you wish to sell information or inquire about it?” the scholar in white robes asked, setting down his book. “If you wish to sell information, you must provide evidence, as we must ensure its accuracy.”

“I wish to buy information,” Wang Changsheng said. “Do you know where I can find Nether River Water?”

Wang Changsheng asked. He had visited many large market towns, but only in Tianji Valley had he found a Qiyue Tower branch.

“Nether River Water!”

The scholar in white robes' expression changed. He scrutinized Wang Changsheng, pondered for a moment, and cautiously said, "This junior needs time to contact the heads of other branches. If there's any news, how about I inform Senior immediately?"

Wang Changsheng nodded and asked, "How long until there's news? How many spirit stones will it cost?"

He had previously inquired about Nether River Water with the Qiyue Tower, but unfortunately, there had been no information. He hoped this time he could obtain news of Nether River Water.

“We will provide news within seven days,” the scholar in white robes said politely. “As for the spirit stones, once we have news of Nether River Water, I will give you a quote. If you find the price reasonable, we can proceed with the transaction; otherwise, we can drop it.”

Wang Changsheng nodded, took out a gleaming blue communication disk, handed it to the scholar in white robes, and said, "If there's any news about Nether River Water, contact me using this communication disk. My surname is Lin."

“No problem, Senior Lin,” the scholar in white robes replied.

Wang Changsheng nodded in satisfaction and turned to leave.