Chapter 40: The Plot from the Lanfeng Sect

“Senior has a sharp eye, knowing it was genuine with just a casual glance. I am impressed.”

Ye Yun could tell the yellow-clad young woman was an Earth Immortal, but he couldn’t discern which layer. His current realm was too low, and he wasn’t very familiar with the Earth Immortal Realm. He felt she was indeed an Earth Immortal, but not as unfathomable as Daoist Tianhong, rather about the same level as Feng Xinghen.

“Brother Ye is too polite. I am Chen Xiaomei. Little brother, you can call me Sister Xiaoxiao from now on. Everyone here calls me that.”

The yellow-clad young woman continued, “My Jianyu Pavilion has always had dealings with the Lanfeng Sect. The Lanfeng Sect is a powerful force in the North Sea cultivation world. We rely on them in many aspects. By the way, Senior Tianhong from your esteemed sect is currently in Duanjian City.”

“Sister Xiaoxiao isn’t joking? That old man Daoist Tianhong is really here? And Feng Xinghen and the others are too?”

Ye Yun had just taken a sip of tea when he heard Chen Xiaomei mention the relationship between Jianyu Pavilion and the Lanfeng Sect and directly bring up Daoist Tianhong. He was so startled he nearly choked, and his heartbeat sped up rapidly.

The Lanfeng Sect was a colossal entity. Its true strength was unknown to anyone, but there was no doubt the entire Purple Jade Continent was wary of it. Ye Yun still didn’t truly understand why Daoist Tianhong had given him a disciple identity. It definitely wasn’t just because he took a simple liking to him. There must be a plot.

Chen Xiaomei suddenly felt Ye Yun was acting a bit strange, but she didn’t ask. She maintained a smiling face. “How could Sister Xiaoxiao lie to you about serious matters? It’s only Senior Tianhong and Feng Xinghen, just the two of them.”

“Tianhong is my master. I was just accepted as his disciple. Sister Xiaoxiao, let’s talk business. I have nearly two thousand low-level Demon Crystal Cores here. I want to buy an offensive Cultivation Artifact, low-tier is fine. I wonder if I can exchange for one?” Ye Yun changed the subject to avoid Chen Xiaomei asking further questions.

“Low-tier saint-grade, offensive type, isn’t too expensive. The best quality low-tier saint-grade requires ten low-level mature stage Demon Crystal Cores, or one hundred Adult Stage Demon Crystal Cores, and so on.” Chen Xiaomei explained.

“So expensive.”

Ye Yun was stunned. He knew Cultivation Artifacts were precious, but he didn’t expect them to be this costly. He had nearly two thousand Demon Crystal Cores on him, half hunted by himself and half found in Yan Yun’ao’s Storage Ring. Spending so many at once hurt. Reluctantly, he took out all the Demon Crystal Cores from his Storage Ring. “These are all my Demon Crystal Cores. I’ll exchange them for one low-tier Cultivation Artifact. Exchange the rest for Qi Condensing Pills.”

“Brother Ye, please follow me to select an artifact.” Chen Xiaomei had a servant count the Demon Crystal Cores. She led Ye Yun to a huge, brand-new counter on the second floor and began introducing various offensive Cultivation Artifacts of different appearances.

“Sister Xiaoxiao, there’s a guest outside who wants to sell a low-tier defensive Cultivation Artifact with a Seal that cannot be refined. The quality is superior. He wants five hundred Qi Condensing Pills for it.”

At that moment, a handsome young man came respectfully to Chen Xiaomei’s side.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaomei’s aura instantly changed, becoming icy cold. Presumably, she cultivated Cold Yuan True Qi. “Hmph, refining a Cultivation Artifact with its original owner’s will Seal is extremely troublesome. And he wants five hundred Qi Condensing Pills? That’s a joke. Offer two hundred.”

“Yes.” The young man left with fear.

“A low-tier artifact is actually so cheap.”

Ye Yun’s mind stirred. “It’s right that it’s cheap. Artifacts are meant to be used. If they can’t be used, they have no value. It’s also very normal for an artifact to have its original owner’s will Seal. Ordinary people indeed find it very difficult to refine. However, my Blood Mansion Crucible can refine any artifact. It’s a pity my current realm isn’t high enough. This is actually a money-making opportunity.”

Thinking it over carefully, a plan suddenly began forming in Ye Yun’s mind. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. Ye Yun started paying attention to the artifacts in the counter. His gaze suddenly settled on a crimson red sword. The sword body was fiery red, covered with many technique lines left from forging. These lines were mysterious, truly precious, as they recorded the forging method.

“Sister Xiaoxiao, could you take out this artifact, please?” Ye Yun didn’t stand on ceremony and pointed at the crimson sword.

Chen Xiaomei personally went to the counter, took down the sword, and handed it to Ye Yun. She smiled and introduced it. “This sword is named Yunyi Sword. I heard it was forged by a senior female Heavenly Immortal cultivator. Its quality is top-grade. It mainly possesses dual attributes of fire and earth. It’s extremely hard. It’s a top-tier item among low-tier artifacts, comparable to ordinary mid-tier artifacts.”

“Not bad.”

Grasping the crimson Yunyi Sword, feeling its simple and unadorned body, a light, clean aura faintly emanated from it. The whole sword was filled with exquisite craftsmanship. He praised inwardly, “The Yunyi Sword’s quality is good, but it’s far inferior to my Serpent Spirit Flying Armor. Father practices the Blazing Fire Palm, one of the family’s three great secret arts. Paired with the Yunyi Sword, it would be like adding wings to a tiger. Father’s cultivation is lost now. Once he has this Cultivation Artifact, he can protect himself. Even a Tenth Layer of Flesh Immortal would be destroyed in one strike. Only an Earth Immortal could withstand it.”

“I’ll take this one.” After checking that there were no Restrictions or Seals inside the sword, Ye Yun agreed readily and directly stored the Yunyi Sword in his Storage Ring.

“The remaining Demon Crystal Cores can be exchanged for over two thousand Qi Condensing Pills. Let’s go downstairs.” Seeing Ye Yun so straightforward, Chen Xiaomei was in a great mood. She enthusiastically led Ye Yun to the first floor and immediately had someone bring the Qi Condensing Pills and a Jade Slip engraved with the three large characters for Jianyu Pavilion.

Ye Yun first stored the many cloth bags filled with Qi Condensing Pills into his Storage Ring. Then he picked up the Jade Slip. It was very exquisite. Chen Xiaomei introduced it, “This is our Jianyu Pavilion’s exclusive membership card. It can be used at any branch on the Purple Jade Continent. In times of need, it can also be used for borrowing.”

“Then I shall take my leave now.” Ye Yun felt many prying gazes around him. He bowed to Chen Xiaomei in farewell and then strode out of Jianyu Pavilion.

Chen Xiaomei saw him off at the door, watching until he disappeared into the crowd. She thought to herself, “He’s the one Senior Tianhong asked our Jianyu Pavilion to keep an eye on. The Lanfeng Sect has gained another peerless genius…”

“How detestable. Jianyu Pavilion is actually connected to the Lanfeng Sect. That Chen Xiaomei isn’t simple. She knows Daoist Tianhong. If Daoist Tianhong truly has some plot against me, plus they’ve met, and Jianyu Pavilion is the biggest trading guild in Duanjian City… What if she tells Daoist Tianhong? Then I’ll be in trouble.”

Having left Jianyu Pavilion, Ye Yun strode swiftly towards the city exit. Thinking of Daoist Tianhong’s unfathomable cultivation and Feng Xinghen’s hostility, if they met, Ye Yun really didn’t dare to imagine what would happen.

Duanjian City was enormous. Ye Yun could only walk and couldn’t release his full power to hurry. His heart burned with anxiety. After about half an hour, Ye Yun finally saw the city gate. Once he left this gate, he could head for Red Cloud City.

“Junior Ye, you said this old man is your master. Are you leaving without even saying goodbye to your teacher?”

Just as he was about to reach the gate, a Void-like voice suddenly sounded beside Ye Yun’s ear. Ye Yun abruptly stopped, his face turning pale. He turned to look left. About a hundred meters away, at the entrance of an open-air tea stall, Daoist Tianhong and a middle-aged man whose features were unclear were sitting there. Daoist Tianhong was looking right at him.

“Just about as I thought. It must be Jianyu Pavilion who sent the message.” In that instant, Ye Yun lost any thought of resistance. He deeply understood Daoist Tianhong’s power. He could only obediently and properly walk over.

“Sit.”

At the square table in the tea stall, Daoist Tianhong waved at the approaching Ye Yun and said blandly. His profound eyes held not a single ripple.

Ye Yun obediently sat down. A teacup filled with water was already placed on the table before him. Wafts of tea fragrance drifted out, slightly easing Ye Yun’s mood. Ye Yun bowed to Daoist Tianhong. “I pay my respects, Senior. I had no choice but to invoke your name earlier. I hope Senior can understand my difficult position.”

Daoist Tianhong said, “It doesn’t matter. You carry my Lanfeng Sect’s token, so naturally you are a member of my Lanfeng Sect. Moreover, you admitted it yourself, so my Lanfeng Sect should protect you.”

“Thank you, Senior.”

Ye Yun said somewhat awkwardly. He used the corner of his eye to observe the middle-aged man beside him. This man had fine hair draped on both sides of his cheeks, with sword-like eyebrows and deep pupils. His aquiline nose was domineering. He had his eyes slightly closed, his expression calm and composed, like a statue. He gave the feeling that the world had nothing to do with him. Ye Yun had a strange illusion and suddenly realized with a start: the middle-aged man seemed as natural as an ordinary Mortal, without the slightest fluctuation of True Qi.

Unable to help swallowing hard a few times, Ye Yun’s heart stirred with massive waves. “This person has no unusual aura, just like a Mortal. No, he is definitely not a Mortal. He is with Daoist Tianhong. His posture, it’s as if he doesn’t even regard Daoist Tianhong as existing. That’s contempt, absolute supreme control. If this person is a Cultivator, then he is strong beyond reason. Could he be in the Heaven Immortal Realm, like Uncle Han?”

“This old man has been waiting for you here for some time. I didn’t expect you to really come out alive. Very good. Worthy of someone I personally took a liking to.”

Daoist Tianhong examined Ye Yun with great appreciation and added, “Since you publicly declared yourself a disciple of my Lanfeng Sect, from now on you shall belong to our sect, never to betray it for life. Do you have anything to say?”

Overbearing. Absolutely overbearing pressure, even a threat, as if directly sentencing Ye Yun to death.

“Yes. From now on, I am a disciple of the Lanfeng Sect.”

In that moment, the situation was already unchangeable. Ye Yun also had no strength to resist. The other party wasn’t just Daoist Tianhong, but also a Giant sect.

Daoist Tianhong took a sip of tea and pursed his lips. “Very good, Ye Yun. From this moment on, I, Daoist Tianhong, am your master. You are my Closed-Door Disciple. Even within the Lanfeng Sect, this is supreme honor. You should know, even someone with talent like Xinghen underwent layer upon layer of trials and years of tempering before finally becoming this old man’s Closed-Door Disciple.”

“When I first saw you, I knew your talent was not inferior to Xinghen’s. However, becoming a Formal Disciple without going through the sect’s assessments will likely invite disbelief. Therefore, your master wants you to do one thing. As long as you complete this task, you can not only return to the sect openly to receive the induction ceremony, but even go to the North Sea sect mountain with the Elders. That is the most supreme, glorious honor. Moreover, your family and clansmen in Red Cloud City can all receive protection. In the future, they might even become the continent’s number one great family. As far as I know, the Ye Family was actually the continent’s master three thousand years ago and even established a dynasty. Unfortunately, it was later replaced by the White Jade Dynasty.”

“What? My Ye Family was the continent’s master three thousand years ago and established a dynasty?”

As Daoist Tianhong spoke those shocking words, Ye Yun immediately put on a face full of shock, surprise, and excitement. But inwardly, he was extremely puzzled. “Daoist Tianhong actually investigated my background and knows it in such detail. It seems the task he wants me to do is definitely not simple. He wants to tell me that if I accomplish this matter, both I and my entire Ye Family can receive immense benefits. But if I fail, then I and my family will be destroyed together, right?”

Seeing Ye Yun so excited, a trace of a profound smile appeared in Daoist Tianhong’s eyes. He stroked the teacup with his finger. “This matter shouldn’t be difficult for you.”

“I will definitely do my utmost to accomplish it.” Ye Yun hurriedly urged, his manner telling Daoist Tianhong that he wanted to rely on the Lanfeng Sect, this giant tree, for an infinitely bright future.

Daoist Tianhong suddenly furrowed his brow and uttered each word darkly, “Your master wants you to infiltrate the Xuanwu Sect.”