Chapter 511: Closed-door Cultivation

Wang Changsheng had acquired six Tier 3 demonic cores—five low-grade and one mid-grade—two Tier 3 spirit essences, and a batch of Tier 3 artifact refining materials. His magical artifacts included three red-glowing flying daggers, a small red umbrella, and a Ruyi Black Jade Staff. He also possessed seven spiritual medicines over 500 years old, one Fuling Golden Fruit (which increased the chance of forming a Core by 10%), over 500 jin of Tier 3 Heaven and Earth Spiritual Water, a batch of spiritual insect eggs, and over a dozen unknown black orbs. The most precious item was the Glazed Tidal Moonstone.

These were Wang Changsheng's gains, and everything Ye Lin possessed also went to him. Ye Lin had even more valuables, all of which Wang Changsheng had stored in his storage orb.

He had previously made a hurried trip back to Green Lotus Manor but didn't manage to meet Wang Qingkai.

Back then, Wang Mingjiang, blinded by greed, ambushed and killed disciples of the Taiyi Immortal Sect. To clean up Wang Mingjiang's mess, Wang Changsheng had no choice but to borrow the Taiyi Immortal Sect's Haotian Mirror to break through to the Core Formation stage. After forming his Core, life was difficult but without major dangers, and the family developed steadily.

This expedition to the Heavenly Wolf Secret Realm brought Wang Changsheng a significant amount of wealth, especially the Glazed Tidal Moonstone, which could accelerate his cultivation speed. He initially thought everything was progressing well, but the matter concerning Ye Lin weighed heavily on his mind like a huge boulder. He needed to raise his cultivation as quickly as possible. Additionally, the family had to cultivate a second Core Formation cultivator without delay. Beyond that, he intended to send out some core family members to prevent them from being wiped out in one swoop.

The Tier 3 formation flags and arrays Ye Lin possessed could not be used by the Wang family. Wang Changsheng would have to purchase them elsewhere.

Ye Lin was a high-grade Tier 3 Formation Master. If the people from the Nine Nether Sect failed to find Ye Lin for an extended period, they would likely investigate from the perspective of formations. Any force that produced a large number of Tier 3 formation flags and arrays, or whose formation skills suddenly improved dramatically, would be highly suspected of harboring Ye Lin.

Therefore, Wang Changsheng could not let Ye Lin help set up Tier 3 formations for the time being. Even with Tier 2 formations, he had to be cautious.

Wang Changsheng sorted and put away the materials on the ground, then wrote a handwritten letter and left.

He handed the letter and two low-grade Tier 3 demonic cores to Wang Qiuxin, instructing, "Qiuxin, return to Green Lotus Manor immediately. Tell Qingkai to do as I said, without delay. The demonic cores must be given to Qingkai, so Qingqi can refine Foundation Establishment Pills."

Only Wang Changsheng and Wang Changyue knew about the existence of the teleportation array. Wang Changsheng didn't want too many people to be aware of it.

"Yes, Uncle Nine," Wang Qiuxin replied.

Wang Qiuxin agreed and turned to leave.

Back in the room, Wang Changsheng released his Bicephalic Rat and fed it a low-grade Tier 3 earth-attribute demonic core. After consuming the core, the rat continued to scurry around excitedly.

Wang Changsheng hesitated for a moment, then took out a palm-sized black mushroom and fed it to the Bicephalic Rat.

After ingesting this spiritual medicine, which was over 600 years old, the Bicephalic Rat seemed drunk. It stood up, swayed from side to side, fell to the ground, and then rolled around. After a while, it lay still, motionless, and fell into a deep sleep.

Wang Changsheng put the Bicephalic Rat back into its Spirit Beast Orb, then took out the Glazed Tidal Moonstone and placed it beside him.

Soon, tiny blue specks of light began to appear in the room, and the air grew thick with moisture.

"As expected of a rare Heaven and Earth Stone," he mused, "with the Glazed Tidal Moonstone and the aid of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Water, I will surely reach the second layer of Core Formation within ten years."

He took out a blue porcelain bottle, and as he uncorked it, a bone-chilling cold burst forth.

Wang Changsheng took a deep breath, and a large expanse of blue liquid surged from the bottle, swirling to envelop his body.

He silently recited the cultivation incantation for the seventh layer of the "Kuei Water True Scripture" and began to cultivate.

In the basement, Ye Lin sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes darting around as if contemplating something.

The Northern Frontier.

The Black Flame Sect was a minor sect in the Northern Frontier, with two Core Formation cultivators. Its leader, Nangong Sheng, had a cultivation base at the fifth layer of Core Formation.

The Black Flame Sect was originally a subordinate force of the Golden Flame Palace. During the internal strife within the Nine Nether Sect, the Golden Flame Palace allied with several sects discontent with the Nine Nether Sect and besieged it. Shangguan Wei, the newly appointed sect leader of the Nine Nether Sect, unleashed the sect's treasure, the Nine Nether Bell, and with great divine ability, slew two Nascent Soul cultivators, repelling the attacking coalition.

Following this, Shangguan Wei led her disciples to attack the Golden Flame Palace, annihilating it and solidifying her position as the Nine Nether Sect Leader.

Nangong Sheng had also participated in the siege of the Nine Nether Sect. Ever since the Golden Flame Palace was destroyed, Nangong Sheng had lived in constant fear, always looking for a powerful backer. Without the support of a major power, given the Nine Nether Sect's aggressive conduct, the Black Flame Sect would be next to be wiped out.

In the deliberation hall, Nangong Sheng was speaking with a man and a woman. The woman was a tall, beautiful lady in white, exuding a sharp, murderous aura, clearly not someone to be trifled with. The man, of medium build, wore a green long gown and also radiated a strong malevolent presence.

"Fellow Daoist Nangong, what more is there to consider?" the beautiful woman in white earnestly persuaded. "You've provoked the Nine Nether Sect. Besides our Fiery Wind Cult, which other force would dare to take in your Black Flame Sect? The conditions we've offered are already very generous."

Nangong Sheng gave a bitter smile internally. If he hadn't provoked the Nine Nether Sect, why would he seek allegiance with another force?

The Fiery Wind Cult, to which the beautiful woman in white belonged, was a major sect, even stronger than the Golden Flame Palace. At this time, all forces were busy expanding their power, and the Fiery Wind Cult was no exception.

"Alright! I..." Before Nangong Sheng could finish his sentence, a plump, beautiful woman in a red gown hurried in, her expression somewhat flustered.

Nangong Sheng frowned slightly and asked nervously, "My dear, what happened?"

"Husband," she reported, "people from the Taiyi Immortal Sect are outside. They insist that our Black Flame Sect stole their supplies and threaten to destroy us. Five Core Formation cultivators are leading them, along with over a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators."

Nangong Sheng's face changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "What? When did our Black Flame Sect ever rob the Taiyi Immortal Sect of their supplies? This is a baseless accusation!"

He looked at the man in the green gown, who smiled calmly and said, "Since it's a misunderstanding, simply clarify it. The Taiyi Immortal Sect is new to this area; they wouldn't act so overbearingly, unless they intend to go to war with our Fiery Wind Cult."

"Alright then! Let's go out and see."

Before long, Nangong Sheng and the other three arrived outside the mountain gate. Standing on the back of a crimson flood dragon, over twenty zhang long, were hundreds of Taiyi Immortal Sect disciples, led by Meng Tianzheng.

Meng Tianzheng had already cultivated to the sixth layer of Core Formation. He was ordered to subdue the Black Flame Sect this time, and Wang Mingren was also among them.

"I am Meng Tianzheng of the Taiyi Immortal Sect. Which of you is Nangong Sheng, the leader of the Black Flame Sect?" Meng Tianzheng's gaze swept over the four. He naturally knew who Nangong Sheng was but merely pretended not to.

"I am Nangong Sheng, the leader of the Black Flame Sect," Nangong Sheng said with an ingratiating smile. "Fellow Daoist Meng, there must be a misunderstanding. How could anyone from our Black Flame Sect possibly steal your supplies?"

"Hmph," Meng Tianzheng said coldly, "are you implying that our Taiyi Immortal Sect is wrongly accusing you? That Senior Uncle Chen's judgment is incorrect? Those people were wearing the attire of Black Flame Sect disciples. If they weren't your sect members, were they perhaps ours?"

"I am Song Qingyun of the Fiery Wind Cult," the man in green frowned, his expression displeased. "Fellow Daoist Meng, words alone prove nothing. The Taiyi Immortal Sect has just arrived; don't act too excessively."

Meng Tianzheng's eyes narrowed. "Song Qingyun? Song Qingyun, one of the Fiery Wind Twin Evils? I'll seek your guidance another day. Fellow Daoist Nangong, you now have two paths before you: either annihilation or a pledge of allegiance. Our Taiyi Immortal Sect never treats its own people poorly. You decide."

"This..." Nangong Sheng hesitated, a look of indecision on his face.

"Taiyi Immortal Sect, don't go too far," the beautiful woman in white said chillingly. "The Black Flame Sect already belongs to our Fiery Wind Cult. If you deal with the Black Flame Sect, you are provoking our Fiery Wind Cult."

"So what if we are provoking your Fiery Wind Cult?" Leng Rumei sneered with disdain.

Wang Mingren watched the Core Formation cultivators confront each other, his expression calm.

Nangong Sheng's face became very grim. He couldn't afford to offend either the Taiyi Immortal Sect or the Fiery Wind Cult.

"Fellow Daoist Nangong, I'll give you ten breaths to consider," Meng Tianzheng said. "If you don't answer, I will consider you an opponent of our Taiyi Immortal Sect, and you can't blame us for being impolite."

Hearing this, Nangong Sheng let out a bitter laugh internally.

His eyes darted about, and he said with an ingratiating smile, "A wise bird chooses its tree to nest in. How about this: each of you sends out three disciples to spar. Best two out of three wins, and our Black Flame Sect will pledge allegiance to the victorious side. What do you say?"

"Good, that's a good suggestion," Song Qingyun readily agreed. "I'd like to see if the Taiyi Immortal Sect is truly that powerful."

Song Qingyun agreed without hesitation. He also didn't want to create a feud with the Taiyi Immortal Sect. Winning would be ideal, but even if they lost, it would only mean the death of three Foundation Establishment disciples, a loss the Fiery Wind Cult could afford.