Chapter 843: Guangdong Ren's Invitation

In the South Sea, within the Red Moon Sea Zone, a secret room on Silver Serpent Island.

Wang Changsheng sat cross-legged on a prayer mat. A crimson eyeball floated before him, emitting an astonishing spiritual energy fluctuation. His face was slightly pale, and a large quantity of artifact-refining materials were scattered in front of him.

Wang Changsheng formed a spell seal with his fingers, and from his mouth, a stream of black flame flew out, enveloping the red eyeball. His fingers continued to form seals, striking the red eyeball with successive magical incantations.

After a while, a clear bird cry sounded, and a phantom image of a black phoenix appeared above the red eyeball.

"Is this a Black Phoenix phantom? Could this eyeball be the eye of a Black Phoenix?" Wang Changsheng said in surprise. It was common to refine artifacts using demon beast materials, but this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

The Black Phoenix is a branch of the Fire Phoenix, possessing immense divine abilities.

"No wonder the Eight-Direction Alliance offered a hefty reward; so he stole this item."

Wang Changsheng appeared thoughtful. Even if it was the eye of a Black Phoenix, it didn't mean it could be used to refine a magical eye. Generally, only if the Black Phoenix's eyes had undergone a mutation during its life and possessed great divine powers could they be used for such refinement. He hadn't heard of any major cultivation sect raising Black Phoenixes. Could this Black Phoenix eye come from the demon race? The demon race in the South Sea was powerful, once nearly ruling the South Sea cultivation world. If it truly came from the demon race, what place did that map represent? The territory of the Black Phoenix tribe? To Wang Changsheng's knowledge, the South Sea demon race was mainly led by seven tribes: the Azure Dragon, Black Phoenix, Thunder Tortoise, Split Hawk, Blood Shark, Azure Scale, and Flying Python. The Black Phoenix tribe's strength was second only to the Azure Dragon tribe.

Among Lu Gang's possessions was a map. Wang Changsheng pondered carefully and concluded it shouldn't be the Black Phoenix tribe's territory because it was too detailed. Unless Lu Gang was a member of the Black Phoenix tribe, but from the items Lu Gang left behind, he appeared to be a descendant of the Barbarian race. The Barbarian race were descendants of ancient giants, natural body cultivators, possessing immense strength. Wang Changsheng shook his head, casting these thoughts aside. He decided to first re-refine the Black Phoenix eye.

In the estate, Wang Ruyan was explaining musical theory to Wang Rongting, Wang Rongxiang, and Wang Rongfei. To be honest, there weren't many sound cultivators in the cultivation world. If it weren't for Wang Ruyan, no one in the Wang family would practice musical cultivation. After returning to Silver Serpent Island, Wang Ruyan specifically guided the three.

"Alright, that's enough for today. You may return! First, go into seclusion to attempt to reach the Foundation Establishment stage; we'll talk more after you've advanced." Wang Ruyan instructed. Wang Rongting and the other two agreed in unison, bowed, and withdrew.

Wang Tianqi strode in quickly and respectfully said, "Great-grandmother, your grandchild has an important matter to report."

"Tianqi! Come quickly to your great-grandmother's side." Wang Ruyan said warmly. Wang Tianqi was Wang Ping'an's only descendant with spiritual roots, and Wang Ruyan truly adored this great-granddaughter.

Wang Tianqi acknowledged and quickly walked to Wang Ruyan's side.

"What's the urgent matter? You look so rushed."

"Great-grandmother, Senior Guang Dongren sent someone to contact me. He said he has an important matter for great-grandfather, mentioning it's related to forming a Nascent Soul, and that it's good news for great-grandfather. As for the specifics, he wants to discuss them in person with grandfather."

Guang Dongren was Wang Changsheng's nominal master. When Green Lotus Mountain Villa was attacked, Hundred Spirit Gate also helped gather a group of Wang family members. Furthermore, Hundred Spirit Gate did not allow other forces to enter Green Lotus Mountain Villa, showing considerable care for the Wang family.

"Related to forming a Nascent Soul? That's interesting." Wang Changsheng's voice suddenly rang out. He walked out of his residence, a broad smile on his face. He possessed two Nascent Soul formation spiritual items and a spirit treasure, so his chances of advancing to the Nascent Soul stage were quite high. However, no one would ever complain about having too many Nascent Soul formation spiritual items.

"Senior Guang said so. He's currently in Spirit Turtle Market and hopes to speak with grandfather in person."

Wang Changsheng nodded and asked, "Tianqi, you weren't followed on your way here, were you?"

"No, I circled around quite a bit before returning. Also, I didn't directly contact Senior Guang; it was passed on through subordinates."

Wang Tianqi's intelligence hall was well-staffed and strong, with alchemists, artifact refiners, talisman makers, formation masters, and merchants. She conducted her affairs very carefully. Wang Changsheng nodded reassuringly and asked about Wang Tianqi's daily cultivation. Wang Tianqi answered truthfully.

After a brief chat, Wang Changsheng dismissed Wang Tianqi.

"Husband, what do you think about this? Could it be a trap set by the Nine Nether Sect?" Wang Ruyan asked with some concern. Compared to the Nascent Soul formation spiritual items, she was more worried about a trap set by the Nine Nether Sect. It was well-known that the Green Lotus Wang family was a subordinate of the Hundred Spirit Gate, and to eliminate threats completely, the Nine Nether Sect was very likely to do something like this. Guang Dongren had been good to the Wang family, but there were no eternal interests. If the Nine Nether Sect held a knife to Guang Dongren's throat, would he cooperate with them?

"I share that concern. To be safe, I'll make the trip with you! If we really encounter trouble, we'll use a secret technique to escape." Wang Changsheng called Wang Qingshan and informed him of the situation.

"Ninth Uncle, please be careful on your journey. If he truly conspires with the Nine Nether Sect against you, I won't hold back."

"We will be careful. While we are away, you will temporarily oversee Silver Serpent Island." After a few more instructions, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan departed from Silver Serpent Island. They transformed into a streak of blue light and vanished into the sky.

More than half a year later, they arrived at Spirit Turtle Island and met Guang Dongren in a private room at a teahouse. Guang Dongren had cultivated to the ninth layer of Core Formation, and compared to before, he was plumper.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Guang Dongren's expression became serious, and he began to speak of the main matter: "Fellow Daoist Wang, have you heard of the Heavenly Moon Golden Lotus?"

"The Heavenly Moon Golden Lotus? This spiritual item is extremely rare, growing within the highly toxic Heavenly Moon Divine Water. Heavenly Moon Divine Water is a naturally formed spiritual substance, inherently containing potent toxins, and no living creature can survive within it, except for the Heavenly Moon Golden Lotus." Wang Changsheng was already at the seventh layer of Core Formation. He had consulted a vast number of ancient texts and knew of many spiritual items helpful for forming a Nascent Soul; the Heavenly Moon Golden Lotus was one such item. The Heavenly Moon Golden Lotus grows in the highly toxic Heavenly Moon Divine Water, which is a naturally occurring spiritual substance containing potent toxins. Many cultivators had previously attempted to artificially cultivate the Heavenly Moon Golden Lotus, but all failed. It is truly an item that can only be found by chance and cannot be deliberately sought.

"Exactly, that's the item. The Heavenly Moon Golden Lotus is the main ingredient for refining the Heavenly Moon Divine Pill. The Heavenly Moon Divine Pill can increase the chances of forming a Nascent Soul by thirty percent. However, most of the spiritual herbs required to refine the Heavenly Moon Divine Pill have become extinct. Consuming the lotus seeds of the Heavenly Moon Golden Lotus directly can increase the chance of forming a Nascent Soul by ten percent. Unfortunately, no matter how many lotus seeds are consumed, the chance only increases by ten percent. Still, a ten percent increase in the chance of forming a Nascent Soul is quite significant."

"The troublesome part is that the Heavenly Moon Golden Lotus grows on a large island in the Spirit-Depleted Sea Zone, where powerful restrictions abound. Most problematic of all, the Spirit-Depleted Sea Zone may experience surges of Spirit-Depleting Qi."

By the end of his explanation, Guang Dongren's expression had turned solemn.