Chapter 2856: Chance Encounter with Chen Yueying (None Today)

Azure Dragon Valley’s streets were bustling with people and the clamor of carriages and horses, creating a lively atmosphere. Wang Shenfeng strolled along the streets, taking in the sights.

A short while later, she appeared in a vast bluestone plaza. Numerous small stalls lined the plaza, offering a diverse array of goods. Wang Shenfeng purchased some Yin-attributed materials. After browsing around, she left the bluestone plaza.

An hour later, she arrived at the entrance of a nine-story azure pavilion. A golden sign above the entrance read "Tianfu Tower," indicating it was an inn. Wang Shenfeng entered. Her physical body had been destroyed, and she had taken over a new one, making it impossible for the culprit to recognize her. Wang Shenfeng was acting alone specifically to lure out the evil cultivators. As it was safe within the market, acting alone posed no risk.

A tall, slender man in a golden robe walked past the entrance of Tianfu Tower. He casually glanced at Wang Shenfeng's retreating back. He did not enter the inn but continued on his way.

More than half an hour later, the man in the golden robe appeared on a sparsely populated street; this was a residential area. He entered a quiet, blue-tiled courtyard. Inside stood a two-story azure pavilion and a bluestone pavilion. A red-robed man with a round face, small eyes, and large ears sat in the stone pavilion, his gaze grim.

"How is it? Did you find her whereabouts?" the red-robed man asked impatiently.

The man in the golden robe nodded. "Yes, I found her. She's staying at Tianfu Inn. I observed her for a while; she rarely interacts with other cultivators, so she's likely a rogue cultivator."

"No rush. Observe her for a while longer. Better safe than sorry," the red-robed man said, clearly worried. "I don't know why, but I feel uneasy, as if something major is about to happen. I hope it's not a trap."

"It shouldn't be a trap!" the man in the golden robe said carelessly. "The Long and Wang families are holding an auction, inviting many Integration-stage cultivators to exchange cultivation resources. This isn't the first time they've done something like this. Besides, we've never failed before. Who would know we're collecting the souls of Five-Yin Maidens?"

"Never failed'?" the red-robed man sighed. "Hmph, you can't actually believe their words, can you? After all these years, I don't believe there haven't been any failures. We've been working for over a millennium, having submitted twelve souls of Five-Yin Maidens. Daoist Liu and his group are also collecting Five-Yin Maiden souls. They only report good news, never bad. Who knows if what they say is true or false? If the Cult Master finds out they've failed, he'll likely eradicate them."

"That's true," the man in the golden robe said, looking very curious. "I wonder why the Cult Master is collecting so many Five-Yin Maiden souls. I heard it's to set up a formation and cultivate a secret technique. I wonder if the Cult Master's cultivation will advance further."

"Who knows?" the red-robed man sighed, his tone revealing a hint of helplessness. "We have no retreat. If we don't find the souls of the Five-Yin Maidens, the Cult Master won't spare us. We all have blood on our hands; without the Cult Master's protection, we would have been dead long ago."

"This auction is large-scale and has attracted many cultivators," the man in the golden robe said, a look of longing on his face. "I hope more Five-Yin Maidens show up; it'll save us trouble. If we collect two more Five-Yin Maiden souls, the Cult Master has promised to bestow us with treasures to help us pass the Grand Heavenly Tribulation."

The streets were swarming with people. Wang Changsheng and Long Tianheng, walking through the streets, quickly drew the attention of many cultivators.

"It's True Monarch Taihao and Senior Long!""Wow, I heard True Monarch Taihao and Immortal Tianqin once teamed up to kill an alien of the Mid-Integration stage.""I heard that too. It's said Immortal Xuanyue herself confirmed it, so it must be true."

The cultivators discussed animatedly, their expressions respectful. Wherever Wang Changsheng and Long Tianheng passed, pedestrians wisely moved aside, clearing a path.

A short while later, Wang Changsheng appeared in a vast estate. Wang Lihe reported the situation to him. "Ancestor," he said, "we followed your orders and had Shenfeng operate as a rogue cultivator. So far, we haven't found anything unusual." There were too many cultivators in the market; someone merely looking at Wang Shenfeng didn't necessarily mean they were an evil cultivator.

"That's good," Wang Changsheng pressed. "Tell her to be extra careful. Keep an eye on her from the shadows; don't let the evil cultivators succeed. Where's Chuanming?"

"He found some clues about the Five-Yin Maidens," Wang Lihe replied truthfully. "He went to Hundred Flowers Villa and will come over later."

Wang Changsheng nodded and said, "When Chuanming arrives at the market, have him come see me immediately." After giving a few instructions, Wang Changsheng left the estate and began strolling through the streets.

A short while later, he appeared in a thousand-acre bluestone plaza. There were many small stalls there. He circled the plaza but found nothing noteworthy.

"Junior Brother Wang, long time no see." A familiar female voice reached Wang Changsheng's ears. He looked towards the source of the voice; Chen Yueying was walking towards him. Judging by her aura, she was only at the late Integration stage.

Wang Changsheng was a bit confused. Zhao Yunxiao and Lin Tianlong had come to him together, asking for his help to find the Three-Headed Flood Dragon Turtle in the Barren Lands. He had thought Chen Yueying was about to attempt to reach the Mahayana stage! It turned out he had guessed wrong.

Chen Yueying had used the "Ethereal Grand Art" to alter her aura. Cultivators of the same stage couldn't discern her true cultivation, making it easy to conceal her strength. If the outside world knew Chen Yueying was already at the perfected Integration stage, someone might come looking for trouble when she attempted to reach the Mahayana stage. Having cultivated for many years, Chen Yueying had offended quite a few people. Some of them were Integration-stage cultivators from major sects, so it was better to be cautious.

"Senior Sister Chen, long time no see," Wang Changsheng asked casually. "Didn't Senior Brother Xiao come?"

"He's here. He went to catch up with a friend from the Seven Stars Sect," Chen Yueying said sincerely. "Are you free? Let's find a place to talk." A secret realm left behind by the Beiming family had appeared, and the Wang, Guo, and Liao families had all sent people to search for treasures inside. Afterwards, Wang Changsheng had gone to Zhenhai Palace, exchanged some materials for a piece of Seven-Star Jade, and asked Xiao Wentian to help build a Flying Spirit Platform. However, Xiao Wentian had never built a Flying Spirit Platform before, so he sent Liu Yihang and four others to assist the Wang family. The Wang family must have obtained many good things from the secret realm. Perhaps they even had the materials she needed.

"Yes, I was just thinking the same," Wang Changsheng agreed. He also wanted to have a good chat with Chen Yueying and ask her about cultivation-related issues.

About ten minutes later, they appeared in a quiet, blue-tiled courtyard. The two sat in a bluestone pavilion, sipping tea and chatting. After some small talk, Chen Yueying got to the point: "Junior Brother Wang, your clansmen entered the Beiming family's secret realm to search for treasures. They must have obtained quite a few valuable items, right? How about I trade you something for them?"

She took out an exquisite blue jade box and pushed it towards Wang Changsheng. "This is a Ren Water Immortal Apricot Fruit. It can accelerate a cultivator's cultivation speed. With this Ren Water Immortal Apricot Fruit, the chances of your family producing a third Integration-stage cultivator will be higher."