Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Chapter 420 Conditions
After the beast tide hit, the mountain gate of Guanlan Sect in the north of Shuofeng City was covered by a layer of formation curtain. There were cultivators patrolling every day and the guard was very strict.

The independent cultivators and cultivators from various sects who lived outside Shuofeng Market would not show anything when they saw the state of Guanlan Sect, but there would be a hint of sarcasm in their eyes.

Xiong Lie's words reached the ears of all the cultivators, and even mortals could hear them clearly.

They knew that the Guanlan Sect also knew that this beast tide was entirely caused by Tang Daozhou.

The monks on the city wall are on guard against sudden attacks from monsters. So who are the monks patrolling around the Guanlan Sect's mountain gate on guard against?

This move by Guanlan Sect made people in the city even more uneasy.

Resisting the beast tide is indeed the righteous cause of the monks in Hanzhou, but fighting with the monsters for Tang Daozhou's selfish reasons is not what the monks want.

But the Guanlan Sect could not care less about all this. Tang Daozhou was seriously injured and monsters were besieging the city. This was a critical moment of life and death, and no flaws were allowed to be exposed.

To the north of the city is a mountain range dozens of miles long. Most spiritual veins are attached to the earth veins, so they often exist in mountains. The Guanlan Sect’s mountain gate is also built here.

In a valley, which is also the place with the most concentrated spiritual energy in Guanlan Sect, a beam of light descended from the sky, revealing the figure of a cultivator named Han.

He clasped his fists and bowed to the two stone doors on the mountain wall, and said loudly: "Disciple Han Chengzong, I pay my respects to the Master."

About a quarter of an hour later, the stone door opened and Tang Daozhou's slightly weak voice came from the cave: "Come in and talk."

Han Chengzong stepped in, passed through a passage and came to the main hall.

Tang Daozhou sat in the main seat, his face somewhat pale, his aura still fluctuating, and it was obvious that his injuries had not yet fully recovered.

He frowned and asked, "What's the matter? Are the monsters attacking the city again?"

Han Chengzong pursed his lips twice and shook his head: "Master, the monsters are not attacking the city. I have something else to report to you."

There was a hint of displeasure in Tang Daozhou's voice: "Since I have already entrusted all the power of the sect to you, you should focus on resisting the beast tide. I still have to recuperate and have no time to be distracted."

Han Chengzong gritted his teeth and said, "Master, this beast tide is extremely fierce. In just two attacks on the city, four Jindan elders, thirty-seven foundation-building deacons, and one hundred and ninety-five Qi-refining disciples of our sect died in battle. There are countless injured people, and the recruited cultivators also suffered heavy casualties."

"Xiong Lie is really determined to fight us to the death this time. If the beast tide continues, our sect will certainly be seriously injured, and it is not impossible that the city will be destroyed. Those monks sent outside will not die for our sect!"

Tang Daozhou's voice turned cold: "Are you blaming me for attracting the beast tide?"

Han Chengzong bowed quickly: "Disciple dare not! Disciple...disciple just wants to say that Master should return the Hanchi grass to Xiong Lie to save Shuofeng from danger."

At this point, he seemed to have some courage, raised his head, and said earnestly: "Master, Xiong Lie has gone crazy, and he doesn't even care about the casualties of his monsters, and he is determined to fight us to the death."

"He will definitely not give up unless he captures Shuofeng City or gets back the Frost Chi Grass this time..."

"Shut up!" Tang Daozhou shouted, "It's not your turn to teach me how to act!"

Han Chengzong trembled all over and bowed deeply: "My disciple's words were rude, please punish me, Master."

Tang Daozhou stared at Han Chengzong, sighed, and his tone became gentle again: "Chengzong, I know that you care about the sect and have lived up to the name I gave you. Otherwise, I would not have entrusted the power of the sect to you."

"But don't forget that monsters are savage and cruel by nature, and Xiong Lie is even more cunning. How can you trust him?"

“Master, I just don’t believe that Xiong Lie would abandon all his monsters for a piece of Hanchi grass. There are more monster kings who want to kill him than there are Nascent Soul cultivators.”

"You also know that I have been stuck at the bottleneck of the middle stage for more than two hundred years."

"As long as we survive this beast tide and wait until the cold chi grass matures and is refined into elixirs, I can break through the bottleneck. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity must not be missed."

"Then I will chop off Xiong Lie's head and offer sacrifices to the dead and injured monks in our sect. Our sect will become the second largest sect in Hanzhou, after Bingling Sect!"

"But that is Hanchi grass..." Han Chengzong showed hesitation on his face.

What Tang Daozhou said seemed to make sense, but the Hanchi grass was a treasure that could help both ice-attributed monsters and cultivators break through the realm. He didn't believe that Xiong Lie was just bluffing.

Tang Daozhou frowned: "Why, do you also want to question the master's decision?"

Han Chengzong bowed quickly: "Disciple dare not, disciple just..."

"Okay, go ahead and arrange the defense of the city. We must not let the beast tide break through Shuofeng City. We have the formation to rely on. When the monsters suffer too many casualties, Xiong Lie will retreat." Tang Daozhou interrupted him and his tone became cold again.

Han Chengzong sighed inwardly and replied, "Yes, disciple obeys your command."

After saying that, he turned and walked out of the cave, his steps somewhat heavy.

Tang Daozhou looked at Han Chengzong's departing back, a hint of hesitation in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared and he became cold and hard again.

Although he did not show up, he had been observing the development of the beast tide with his spiritual sense. How could he not know that the Guanlan Sect monks had suffered heavy casualties.

But he has been stuck in the early stage of Nascent Soul for too long. As long as he can break through the bottleneck of the middle stage, he is willing to pay any price.

……

After Han Chengzong left his master's cave, he buried all his thoughts deep in his heart and focused on resisting the beast tide.

Although he felt that his master's actions were inappropriate, as a disciple, how could he disobey his master's orders?

The monsters' attacks continued, and so did the monks' resistance.

Death and killing shrouded Shuofeng City. No matter how cold the wind was, it could not blow away the thick smell of blood over Shuofeng City.

Tang Daozhou was right. With the support of the formation, the casualties among the monsters would be greater than those among the monks in the city.

But no matter how intelligent a monster is, it is still a monster after all, and there is a ferocious nature in its blood, especially those low-level monsters with low intelligence.

Under Xiong Lie's gaze and the pressure from the Demon King, every demon beast was fearless and almost crazy.

They are afraid of death, or rather, they dare not be afraid of death.

There is still a chance of survival if they fight to the death to attack the city, but if they dare to retreat, Xiong Lie will never let them go.

However, cultivators do not have the determination of the monsters. They practice hard, not to fight to the death to resist the beast tide, but to achieve immortality.

Even for the monks of Guanlan Sect, saving their lives was their first priority, and killing monsters was a secondary priority, not to mention the recruited monks, who gradually became restrained in front of the crazy monsters.

On the battlefield, the less you fear death, the less likely you are to die; the more you want to save your life, the less likely you are to die. This is true for mortals and monks alike.

Two more beast tides passed, and within half a month, the casualties among the monks in Shuofeng City became increasingly severe.

Nearly half of the more than 200 foundation-building monks of Guanlan Sect died on the battlefield.

More than 500 Qi-refining monks were killed or injured, accounting for one-third of the Qi-refining disciples in the sect.

Among the twenty-three Jindan elders, eight died, and two of them were in the late Jindan stage, which could be said to be a serious loss of vitality.

The mortal soldiers were replaced batch after batch, and only half of them were innate warriors left, and the other half only had the strength of Hua Jin and Gang Jin. They were very struggling in front of the first-level lower-order monsters. Even some old warriors who had retired were put on their armor and went into battle again.

Among the four city walls, the beast tide on the north wall was the most fierce, and the defense line was almost breached twice.

It was only after Han Chengzong ordered his men to activate the formation with all their strength and used two extremely powerful talismans left over from ancient times that they were able to block it.

The human race suffered heavy casualties, and the monsters suffered even more casualties. Among the tens of thousands of monsters, more than half have died.

But Xiong Lie had no intention of retreating and would never give up until he captured Shuofeng City.

Each beast wave lasted for three days. When the fourth beast wave receded, Xiong Lie's thunderous voice once again spread throughout the city: "This time, I only want to get the Frost Chi Grass back. After I break through the city, I will only kill the monks of Guanlan Sect."

"The rest of you can leave. I will not pursue any questions. If anyone destroys the battle flag and helps me break the city, I will reward him handsomely!"

When the cultivators in the city heard this, regardless of whether they were from Guanlan Sect or not, their expressions changed.

Tang Daozhou, who had been recuperating in the cave, finally showed up.

He flew up into the sky, facing Xiong Lie from a distance, and said coldly: "We, the cultivators of Hanzhou, are sworn enemies with the demon race, so how could we believe in such a clumsy provocation." "Since ancient times, after the beast tide broke through the city, there have been very few survivors. Fellow Taoists, only by working together can we survive this disaster!"

Xiong Lie laughed, turned and left. The monsters also retreated like the tide, leaving corpses all over the ground.

Of course he knew that the monks in the city would not easily believe his words.

But as long as we can make the people in Shuofeng City more unstable, and encourage them to prioritize saving their lives and leave some spare strength during the fight, our chances of breaking the city will be greater.

The beast tide receded, and the monk dragged his tired body and left the city wall in silence.

The mortals climbed up the city walls, cleaned up the battlefield, and carried away the corpses, their expressions numb.

The only sound in the air was the whistling of the cold wind, like the crying of a ghost.

Han Chengzong struggled under the white violent bear for another three days and three nights. Most of his energy was depleted and he was exhausted.

But he still managed to hold on, flew to Tang Daozhou, clasped his fists and bowed, with a sad look on his face: "Master, Elder Qi and Elder Liu unfortunately passed away..."

Tang Daozhou raised his hand to stop him from speaking: "No need to say more, I know everything."

His face looked ugly as well. Elder Qi and Elder Liu were both Jindan cultivators, and Elder Liu was in the late Jindan stage. This time he died in the mouth of the monster. When the next beast tide comes, the situation in Shuofeng City will be even more critical.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Chengzong, you will double the amount of spirit stones that the monks who participate in the war receive every day. How many Jindan monks are there in the market who have not participated in the war?"

Han Chengzong thought for a moment and replied, "There are still five Jindan cultivators who have not participated in the battle. One of them is in the late Jindan stage. His name is Chen Yuan. He is a casual cultivator from Renzhou. It seems that he is going to the ice field to hunt monsters."

"Chen Yuan...where is this person now?"

"The second cave of Tianzi."

Tang Daozhou frowned and said, "A casual cultivator from Renzhou wants to stay out of this matter? I will go and invite him in person!"

He left with a flick of his sleeves, and came to the courtyard where Chen Yuan lived. He dropped his light and said calmly, "Is my young friend Chen in your house? I, Tang Daozhou, have come to pay you a special visit!"

Shuofeng City is vast, with many mountains and rivers. The caves for rent are located on a hilly area.

The Tianzi Cave Mansion occupies a hill several dozen feet high, with a formation set up. It is warm like spring, planted with green trees, and is beautiful and quiet.

Tang Daozhou was angry because of Xiong Lie's words, but after all, he came to ask for help in the battle, so he still maintained some courtesy and did not directly use his spiritual sense to spy on Chen Yuan.

As soon as he finished speaking, the gate of the courtyard slowly opened, and a calm voice came out: "Come in."

Tang Daozhou narrowed his eyes, and the anger that had been suppressed in his heart rose again.

A mere casual Jindan cultivator dares to act so arrogantly. Does he really think Hanzhou is a remote and poor place?
He swung his sleeves, strode into the courtyard and headed straight for the main hall.

Tang Daozhou walked into the main hall and saw a young monk sitting on the main seat. He did not even stand up to greet him, and his anger grew even greater.

His eyes turned cold, and his Nascent Soul aura slowly emanated from him: "Are you Chen Yuan?"

Chen Yuan looked at Tang Daozhou with anger in his eyes, and felt the oncoming pressure of the Nascent Soul, as if a spring breeze was blowing past.

He smiled slightly and bowed, "Yes, I apologize for not being able to come and greet you. Fellow Daoist Tang, please take a seat."

As soon as these words were spoken, Tang Daozhou, who was about to get angry, was stunned.

How can a casual cultivator who has reached the Jindan stage dare to call himself a fellow Taoist?
He suppressed his anger, spread his spiritual sense, and probed towards Chen Yuan, and was shocked.

Chen Yuan was sitting right in front of him, but he couldn't find out anything.

In Tang Daozhou's spiritual perception, Chen Yuan was just like an ordinary mortal without any cultivation.

But under the pressure from the Nascent Soul cultivator, he was as steady as a rock, talking and laughing as usual, seemingly unaffected by the slightest bit.

There is only one explanation, Chen Yuan’s cultivation is higher than his!

Tang Daozhou's heart was filled with shock and he forced a smile, clasped his fists and bowed: "My disciple's vision is shallow and I don't know the identity of Taoist Chen. I hope Taoist Chen can forgive me. I will punish him when I return and ask him to come to Taoist Chen's house to apologize."

Chen Yuan smiled slightly and extended his hand to invite him: "It's okay. Chen has not revealed his identity, and your disciple has not been disrespectful in any way. Fellow Daoist Tang does not need to do this."

"Haha, that's good. I usually act very considerately..." Tang Daozhou sat down on the left and looked at Chen Yuan in doubt. "Fellow Daoist Chen has a high level of cultivation. I can't see through his depth at all. I'm really ashamed."

Since Chen Yuan is a Nascent Soul cultivator, his identity as a casual cultivator from Renzhou might also be fake.

Tang Daozhou didn't know Chen Yuan's origins, and he didn't even know whether he was a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator or a great cultivator. He felt quite uneasy and wanted to find out Chen Yuan's identity and cultivation level first.

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Tang, you are too kind. I am just a little bit superior in spiritual awareness, and my cultivation is much inferior to yours."

As he spoke, he released his Qi, and his cultivation level of the early Nascent Soul stage was clearly revealed.

Tang Daozhou finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had not seen Chen Yuan's cultivation level just now and was a little flustered. He even forgot that his spiritual sense could be isolated and detected.

But then he was startled again. He had cultivated to the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage more than two hundred years ago, but he could not see Chen Yuan's cultivation level at all. Doesn't this mean that Chen Yuan's spiritual awareness is comparable to that of a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator?
This is even more terrifying than his cultivation reaching the middle stage of the Nascent Soul!
Although Chen Yuan's cultivation level did not seem to be very high, only equivalent to the initial Nascent Soul stage, Tang Daozhou still did not dare to underestimate him in the slightest.

Chen Yuan asked, "Fellow Daoist Tang, why did you come to visit me today?"

Tang Daozhou changed his mind, stood up, clasped his fists and bowed: "The beast tide has been attacking the city for a long time, and the cultivators in the city have suffered heavy casualties. An elder of our sect in the late Jindan stage unfortunately died in battle today."

"I originally wanted to ask Fellow Daoist Chen to fight against the seventh-level monster, but I didn't expect that Fellow Daoist Chen is actually a Nascent Soul cultivator. God is really helping me."

"Please join hands with me to defeat Xiong Lie and save Shuofeng City from danger. I will be grateful to you!"

He said this very sincerely, but Chen Yuan remained calm and said calmly: "Since Fellow Daoist Tang is concerned about the safety of all the cultivators in the city, why don't you return the Frost Chi Grass to Xiong Lie?"

"This..." Tang Daozhou's old face showed embarrassment, "Fellow Daoist Chen, you are joking. How can we trust the words of the monster?"

Chen Yuan said: "I have heard people say that Xiong Lie may seem rough and reckless, but he is actually very smart. If there is no profit to be made, he would not waste the lives of his monsters in vain."

"I think that Brother Tang might as well give it a try. Xiong Lie should retreat at this point."

Tang Daozhou's expression changed constantly, and he suddenly sighed: "To be honest with you, I have been stuck in the bottleneck of the middle stage for more than two hundred years."

"I accidentally learned that Xiong Lie had a stalk of Hanchi grass. I sneaked into the ice field several times and tried my best to finally get what I wanted."

"This is my only hope to break through the bottleneck. The beast tide attacked the city several times, and our sect's cultivators suffered heavy casualties. I am unwilling to return the Frost Chi Grass."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly: "Fellow Daoist Tang has a strong will to seek the truth, and I admire you. It's not impossible for me to take action, but it's not appropriate to offend a transformed demon king for no reason."

Tang Daozhou showed a delighted look on his face: "Chen Daoyou, if you have any conditions, just speak up!"

Chen Yuan smiled slightly: "Fellow Daoist Tang, do you have any Nascent Soul Stage elixirs?"

Tang Daozhou frowned and said, "I have been stuck in the bottleneck of the middle stage for many years. I have no need to use cultivation pills, and I don't have any in stock."

"How about this, I am willing to give you three thousand-year-old spiritual herbs as a reward for your help, what do you think?"

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Thousand-year spiritual herbs are fine, but two are a little too few. Fellow Daoist Tang is the leader of a sect. Guanlan Sect has controlled Shuofeng City for more than three thousand years. There should be no shortage of thousand-year spiritual herbs. Just bring out ten and I will help you right away."

Tang Daozhou was stunned for a moment, his expression gradually darkened, staring at Chen Yuan: "Fellow Daoist Chen, are you kidding? Ten thousand-year-old spiritual herbs only get you to help once?"

He was very angry. If he had not seen that Chen Yuan had extraordinary spiritual awareness and unknown origins, he would have left in anger.

Ten thousand-year-old spiritual herbs are enough to refine half a bottle of Nascent Soul stage elixir. In the barren Hanzhou, this is enough to motivate a Nascent Soul cultivator to kill people.

He just asked Chen Yuan for help, not to let Chen Yuan fight with Xiong Lie for his life. He actually asked for such a high price, which was really taking advantage of someone's misfortune.

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Tang, please be patient. I am not the type to take advantage of others' misfortunes. As long as you bring out ten thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, I will defeat Xiong Lie without you having to do anything."

"By then, Shuofeng City and the Hanchi grass can be preserved, and you will have a chance to break through the bottleneck. In comparison, ten thousand-year-old spiritual herbs are nothing."

(End of this chapter)