Mortal's Purple Sky Cave Heaven

Chapter 309 Everyone has their own thoughts

The other person was a middle-aged man with gray hair and a somewhat evil expression. He was Qi Miao Zhenren who had just finished talking with Lin Yinping, the saint of the Tuwu tribe.

With the appearance of the two people, the hall suddenly became quiet and you could hear a pin drop.

"Haha, fellow Taoists, I've been waiting for a long time." Xuan Qingzi laughed, looked at everyone and greeted them.

"Amitabha, there is no need for formalities. Let's quickly discuss what to do next. Where is Nie Zhaonan?" Zen Master Bi Yue chanted the Buddha's name and asked without hesitation.

Hearing this, Xuan Qingzi did not speak, but Qi Miao Zhenren spoke slowly as if he had already prepared something in mind. "Nie Zhaonan left Jinjing nearly a year ago. His cultivation is very advanced, and he wants to hide his tracks. Even we cannot find him quickly. However, his Taoist partner is in Jinjing City, and the once-a-century auction of the Great Jin is about to begin. He should be interested in it and should return to Jinjing in the next few days. We can just wait here."

"All of this is just Brother Qi Miao's guesswork, without much real evidence. Nie Zhaonan might have already left our Great Jin. Do we have to wait in these desolate mountains for eight or ten years?" Yi Xitian, with a halo on his face, did not believe what Master Qi Miao said and questioned.

"Haha, this is not something difficult to confirm. There are three people in the city who should know where Nie Zhaonan is. We can go to their homes and ask later." Xuan Qingzi still smiled and spoke.

"This way, it will be safer." Yi Xitian nodded.

"Okay, since you have thought about it for a long time and did not miss this gathering, you are obviously determined to participate in the duel with Nie Zhaonan. Then hand over the spirit stones now. But let me make it clear first, fellow Daoist Xuan Qingzi and I are just matchmakers. Whether it will succeed in the end depends on whether Nie Zhaonan agrees." Qi Miao Zhenren said in a solemn voice.

Before anyone else could speak, Xuan Qingzi shook his head and continued, "I don't think it's possible. One million spirit stones per person, ten people would be ten million. Ten million spirit stones, the wealth of one of us alone is far from reaching this number. But Nie Zhaonan is not an ordinary Yuanying late stage cultivator like us. Ten million spirit stones may tempt him, but if you want him to agree to compete with you smoothly, you fellow Taoists still need to prepare more spirit stones, so that it will be safer."

"If Nie Zhaonan is not satisfied with 10 million spirit stones, he is still asking for more. Isn't that too much?" someone said indignantly.

Qi Miao Zhenren looked at the person who spoke and said coldly: "Daoyou think your life is worth only one million spirit stones? If you feel dissatisfied, you can bargain with Nie Zhaonan face to face. There is no need to complain here."

Upon hearing what Nie Zhaonan said in person, the person who had just started complaining immediately stopped.

"You are all afraid of Nie Zhaonan's strength, but you also want to create the divine sand, so we propose a duel. This way, even if we lose, your lives can be saved. But the initiative is in Nie Zhaonan's hands. It depends entirely on him whether he agrees or not. It doesn't matter if you put in a few more spirit stones as a bet. You are not without hope of winning this battle." Xuan Qingzi glanced at everyone and said slowly.

"Senior brother, do we really have a chance of winning with only ten of us? The number of cultivators who participated in the siege of Nie Zhaonan that day was far more than this, yet they still failed to capture him." Xuan Lingzi said uncertainly.

Xuan Qingzi sighed deeply, and then said with some regret: "The situation was chaotic that day. Dozens of cultivators came from various forces, sects, and even independent cultivators. They were wary of each other, and they only put in 70% of their strength when besieging Nie Zhaonan. Most of the time, they were just defending and protecting themselves. Who really fought to the death? There were so many Yuanying cultivators that day. If everyone fought hard, even a Shenhua cultivator would have a chance to defeat them."

Ultimately, it's because they are not united. Otherwise, how could the Divine Sand of Creation be taken away by one person? Everyone understands this.

“But Nie Zhaonan doesn’t look like he’s using his full strength. He was still at ease when fighting against us. Even if we fight desperately, he will unleash all his strength and won’t hide anymore. In this way, the possibility of defeating him is still slim.” The old man in black robe looked thoughtful and spoke coldly.

After hearing this, most of the people present fell silent, and some even showed signs of retreating. They were not fools, and after hearing this, they knew that the chances of winning were extremely slim, and handing over one million spirit stones would be 90% wasted.

The expressions of the crowd naturally caught the attention of Qi Miao Zhenren, but he did not care. He just looked at Yi Xitian, whose face was pale, and Master Bi Yue, who was holding the golden Zen staff, thought for a moment, and said:

"I heard that Daoist Fellow Yi Xitian borrowed the Zhenji Sect's treasure, the 'Water Control Flag', and Zen Master Biyue also took the sect's 'Mysterious Crystal Shield' with him. Is this true?"

"Relying on some friendship and spending some money, I did borrow the 'Water Control Flag' from the Zhenji Sect." Yi Xitian was not surprised that Qi Miao Zhenren knew about this. He just said it in a light tone, as if he was just talking about a trivial matter.

"Water Control Flag, I didn't expect that Brother Yi actually had the ability to borrow this thing!" Someone said in disbelief and shock.

The Zhenji Sect is one of the three major Taoist sects in Dajin. Although there must be more than one imitation spiritual treasures in the sect, there are not many. It is naturally extremely difficult to borrow one. It cannot be as simple as Yi Xitian said.

"The 'Water Control Flag' of the Zhenji Sect is a rare imitation magic treasure that can trap enemies and also has a defensive effect. In this way, Nie Zhaonan's Thunder Escape Technique will naturally be greatly restrained." The black-robed old man said with a gleam in his eyes.

When everyone heard this, their confidence increased and they all turned their eyes to Master Biyue.

"Brother Abbot knew that this trip was dangerous, so he gave me the 'Black Crystal Shield' for self-defense." Zen Master Biyue said leisurely with his eyes half open and half closed, as if he was not disturbed by external things.

"It really is the 'Mysterious Crystal Shield'! This shield is said to be made of many top-grade earth-attribute materials. It has amazing defense, just enough to block Nie Zhaonan's sharp flying sword." Xuan Lingzi raised his eyebrows and said with joy.

"The safety of all of you fellow Taoists still needs the care of Zen Master Biyue." Xuan Qingzi suddenly said.

"Amitabha." Master Bi Yue chanted the Buddha's name, with a compassionate look on his face: "Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."

Upon hearing this, the other monks in the hall no longer looked solemn and gradually relaxed.

"Yes. In this way, with two imitation magic treasures to help you, your chances of winning can be said to have greatly increased." Qi Miao Zhenren nodded.

Seeing that no one had any objection, Xuan Qingzi said, "Give me the spirit stone now, so that when Nie Zhaonan shows up, we can quickly negotiate with him."

Hearing this, Xuan Lingzi threw out a storage bag without any hesitation. The old man in black robe also handed a storage bag to Xuan Qingzi. Then it was Master Bi Yue and Yi Xitian.
After a while, the ten storage bags and ten million spirit stones were temporarily collected by Xuan Qingzi. After discussing some details of the battle, everyone said goodbye and left. Only Xuan Qingzi, Xuan Lingzi, Qi Miao Zhenren and the black-robed old man were left in the hall.

"Junior Brother Xuan Lingzi, Fellow Daoist Wei, when your life is in danger, just admit defeat. There is no need to fight to the death." Xuan Qingzi warned solemnly.

Hearing this, Xuan Lingzi was slightly stunned and said, "Brother Xuan Qingzi, there are two imitation magic treasures, and they are both extremely restraining to Nie Zhaonan's magical powers and magic treasures. Even so, do you think our chances of winning are slim?"

"It's not that it's not small, it's that we simply don't know Nie Zhaonan's ability, let alone judge his chances of winning this duel." Xuan Qingzi said thoughtfully.

"As long as we force out Nie Zhaonan's strength and hidden means, it won't matter even if we lose this battle." Suddenly, Qi Miao Zhenren said meaningfully.

"Yes, as long as we are sure of Nie Zhaonan's background, we will be able to gather enough strength to kill him, and then the treasures on him will naturally be obtained by us." The old man in black robe said with a sinister smile.

“But I hope that Nie Zhaonan is not too powerful and exceeds the limit of a Nascent Soul cultivator. Otherwise, when it comes to that point, even the God Transformation Ancestor behind us will not be willing to be his enemy and may even be willing to associate with him as his peer.” A hint of worry appeared on Xuan Qingzi’s wrinkled face.

"It shouldn't be that serious." Xuan Lingzi thought for a moment and said, "In our Great Jin, the only one who is worthy of being treated as a peer by a Divine Transformation cultivator is the Lord of the Ice Sea. But that Ice Phoenix has been a tenth-order demon since ancient times. After thousands of years of cultivation, it is also a spiritual beast of heaven and earth. Only then can it have the strength to rival a Divine Transformation cultivator. How long has Nie Zhaonan been cultivating? How can he reach that level?"

"It's hard to say," Qi Miao Zhenren shook his head, "Nie Zhaonan is really too evil and too mysterious. He couldn't be unaware that there are Divine Transformation cultivators in our Great Jin. Despite this, he is still so ostentatious and doesn't even give our Tianmo Sect and Taiyi Sect any face. He should have confidence, but I don't know how confident he is."

"Indeed, Nie Zhaonan is indeed too arrogant. He monopolized the Divine Sand of Creation and refused to share it with our two sects. He also asked us to exchange treasures with him. He lacks the caution and awe that a cultivator should have. But if he thinks he is powerful enough and does not need to worry about the Divine Transformation cultivators, then everything makes sense." Xuan Qingzi also spoke, and his words agreed with the views of Qi Miao Zhenren.

After hearing what the two said, the old man in black robe's heart began to beat violently, and Xuan Lingzi also looked uneasy.

"All this is just our speculation. Maybe what Nie Zhaonan revealed before was all about him, and he was just taking advantage of the power of others." Xuan Qingzi comforted.

"Okay, you two don't have to worry about anything. You are not forced to die in battle." Qi Miao Zhenren also echoed.

Hearing what Xuan Qingzi and Qi Miao Zhenren said, the old man in black robe and Xuan Lingzi felt relieved, but they secretly warned themselves that during the battle, if something went wrong at the slightest, they should admit defeat without any hesitation.

In a secluded valley, Yi Xitian and Zen Master Bi Yue stood opposite each other.

"Taiyi Sect and Tianmo Sect are obviously using us as pawns to test Nie Zhaonan's strength." Yi Xitian still used the secret technique to cover his face and spoke.

"I know about this, and I believe that all the fellow Taoists present here also understand it. But there is no other way. Without relying on the prestige of their two sects, how can they gather so many late Nascent Soul cultivators together, form a temporary alliance, and deal with Nie Zhaonan together? Just to say that the Jinghuo Sect where I am located does not have this ability. Besides, I and fellow Taoist Yi both have imitation magic treasures on us, so even if the situation is dangerous next, we can protect ourselves. Why should we care about their plans?" Zen Master Biyue said calmly without any emotion on his face.

"Since Zen Master Bi Yue has said so and is not going to bother about this matter, then I, Yi, have nothing to say. But from now on, the two of us will need to cooperate more, and we must get the Divine Sand of Creation in our hands." Yi Xitian said slowly, holding it with care.

"Of course." Zen Master Bi Yue nodded. He looked at Yi Xitian with a little curiosity in his eyes and said half-guessingly:

"Friend Yi Dao should not be a casual cultivator."

"Why do you think so, Master?" Yi Xitian's tone remained calm.

"It is very difficult for a casual cultivator to cultivate to this level and to advance to the Divine Transformation stage without the support of a sect behind him!" Zen Master Biyue thought for a while, "Besides, top-notch treasures like imitation spiritual treasures are not easily borrowed. Fellow Daoist should have a close connection with the Zhenji Sect, or even be a cultivator of the Zhenji Sect." His voice was old and weak, but very sure.

"Master, you will know what the truth is in the future." Yi Xitian said with a smile.

Seeing his indifferent attitude, Master Biyue became unsure of his guess.

"Goodbye." Yi Xitian's smile faded. He didn't stay here any longer. He turned into a beam of light and flew away.

“Are you hiding your identity because you’re afraid of being feared by the Divine Transformation cultivator? I’m also feeling a little threatened, and I don’t know whether the Divine Transformation cultivator will attack me. After all, as long as I’m lucky enough to break through the Divine Transformation stage, the Jinghuo Sect will instantly become one of the top three sects in Dajin, which will have a huge impact on them.” Zen Master Biyue murmured, as if he was talking to Yi Xitian who was leaving.

No one knows who spread the news of 'the cultivator with the greatest hope of breaking through to the Spirit Transformation Stage in Dajin'. This is not an honor, nor does it bring any benefit. Instead, it puts them on the spot.

"Three fellow Taoists in the city, please go to heaven to gather together." The grand voice resounded throughout the entire Jinjing City.

But what was strange was that ordinary cultivators and mortals seemed not to hear the thunder-like sound, but instead these words rang in the ears of some cultivators with advanced cultivation.

"What a powerful secret art of transmitting sound!" Han Li couldn't help but sigh as he listened to the whispers in his ears and watched the sound waves in the sky causing the clouds to shake slightly.

"This is the secret sound transmission technique of the Heavenly Demon Sect - the devil's sound fills the ears. The cultivation level of the person who performs this technique is also extremely high, so such a strange scene is formed." Lord Dayan explained.

(End of this chapter)