The road is vague

Chapter 271 The Legend of Jianmu
The Foundation Building, Longevity, and Enlightenment Conference, held once every ten years by the Duotian Sect, can be described as a grand event in the State of Lu.

According to incomplete statistics.

Since its inception, the Heaven-Seizing Sect has held more than 270 sessions, gaining increasing recognition and allowing the State of Lu to greatly expand its influence.

However, this so-called Longevity and Enlightenment Conference has been secretly referred to by many as the Immortal Enlightenment Conference.

After Li Mo arrived at the sect market at the foot of Duotian Sect Mountain, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

There are only three days left until the conference begins.

Ahead lay a vast expanse of mist. Li Mo paused briefly, while others continued to enter the mist around him.

"Illusion array?"

A simple illusion array had been set up outside the market. Just as he was wondering about this, an old man stumbled out of the mist.

The old man kept looking around, appearing bewildered and uncertain.

"Xiao Bao? Xiao Bao!"

He looked panicked and anxious, and grabbed someone who was about to enter the illusion array.

"Immortal Master, please help me find my grandson, Xiaobao."

This man was seven feet tall, well-educated, and had a refined appearance. He held a folding fan and looked at the old man. Li Mo couldn't help but look surprised when he saw this man.

This was none other than Zuo Lan, the Thousand-Chariot Gate of Che Wuguo, whom he had met once before.

Just over a month ago, the other party helped him modify the white jade flying car. He never expected that he would run into the other party again so soon after arriving at the foot of the Duotian Sect Mountain.

However, he was disguised as a disciple of the Sword Heart Sect of Zhao State. He wore a metal mask unique to Zhao State, covering only the upper half of his face and revealing only his eyes. His clothing was also tight-fitting and brownish-gray, making him look quite low-key.

For the people of Zhao, swordsmen and knights-errant were cultural representatives of those who could kill one person in ten steps and remain anonymous for a thousand miles.

"Old man, don't be anxious. Tell me what happened slowly."

Zuo Lan has a gentle temperament.

His rugged and bold nature contrasted sharply with that of most cultivators in Chewu Kingdom.

"It's like this, I took my grandson up the mountain to gather firewood, and we kept seeing immortals flying this way. I couldn't resist my grandson's nagging, so I followed him. When my grandson saw people entering the mist, he excitedly ran in. I tried to stop him, but it was too late. In the blink of an eye, he was gone. It's been several hours now. Every time I go in, I feel dizzy for a while before coming out again..."

Just as the two were talking, Li Mo, carrying the Tiancheng Huajin Sword, discreetly brushed past them and entered the mist.

Ordinary people are not allowed to enter.

This is completely different from the regulations of the Qian State, reflecting the distinct distinction between immortals and mortals in the Lu State.

Within the Great Qian Kingdom, the principle of "the most intelligent of all beings" is followed, with humans taking precedence. There is no essential difference in social power between mortals and cultivators.

"so many people!"

Li Mo had just passed through the mist and entered the market when he froze.

The market was packed with people.

Right.

Not only disciples from various sects in Lu, but also disciples from nearby countries gathered here. Some held longevity tokens and prepared to participate in the conference, while others came to broaden their horizons.

Li Mo looked at the cultivators dressed in all sorts of clothes on the street and couldn't help but marvel.

"Tianbao Trading Company will be auctioning the Longevity Token tonight!!"

With a shout, the words "Longevity Token" immediately attracted the attention of those nearby. A large number of disciples gathered to investigate, and in the blink of an eye, the area was completely surrounded.

Li Mo was squeezed in the crowd and it took him a while to break free.

He looked helpless, glanced at the tavern not far away, and then walked over.

"Little Second!"

"Welcome, sir. What would you like to eat?"

So, on the waiter's recommendation, Li Mo ordered two dishes unique to the State of Lu: braised three delicacies and honey-preserved pork, as well as a pot of rice wine and a plate of rice cakes.

The so-called "Three Delicacies in Sauce" is made by dipping three different seasonal vegetables in a secret meat sauce.

Honey-cured pork is made by melting down honeycomb, storing and curing the pork, and then eating it with honey.

Li Mo really couldn't get used to the food in Lu State, but fortunately, the conversation between the two disciples at the next table caught his attention.

"Brother Liu, look, so many people are vying for the Longevity Token."

The man with the mustache looked across the street and couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

"If you want to bid for the Longevity Token at the auction, every time it costs tens of thousands of spirit stones. With so many spirit stones, why not do something else? Why bother going to that secret realm to seek opportunities? What if you encounter something unforeseen?"

Say it.

He and his friend raised their glasses and drank the wine in one gulp.

"Brother Zhao, you are mistaken. Not to mention that you are a disciple of the Heaven-Seizing Sect, and the Longevity Token is extremely precious, which brings you honor, just consider the last conference. It is said that a disciple of the Korean Spirit Herb Sect from the four Gobi countries actually found the legendary Jianmu Divine Tree. After returning to Korea, he advanced to the Golden Core stage in less than two years. Is that true?"

The cultivator surnamed Liu shook his head, disagreeing with the words of the disciple surnamed Zhao from the Duotian Sect.

He looked envious.

"He was just lucky."

The disciples of the Duotian Sect snorted and sighed.

"In every major conference, although there are always a few lucky ones, apart from the true disciples of various sects who already have clear clues, the vast majority of people are left disappointed. Countless ancient demon lineages, monsters, and demons have perished because of this, and many have even killed to steal treasures. Take this time for example, with the emergence of the Jianmu Divine Tree, I wonder how many true disciples will fight to the death for it..."

Jianmu?

Li Mo was dumbfounded.

The legendary Jianmu tree is a bridge connecting heaven, earth, and spirits; it is a divine tree with spatial properties.

Some speculate that ancient cultivators may have used the Jianmu tree to contact beings from other worlds. If this is true, its value would definitely surpass that of the Qingling Divine Tree on Qingming Mountain.

However, even if a group of Foundation Establishment disciples were to place such a divine tree in front of them, they could not harm it in the slightest. At most, they could only take some branches and leaves.

"Hiss, I heard that it was because there was a phoenix-blooded Tianhong bird on this Jianmu tree that all the sects in Lu sent their true disciples?"

"Rainbow Bird, is that so?"

As a member of the Heaven-Seizing Sect, this mustachioed cultivator was unaware of this. This suggests that neither of them possessed particularly high cultivation levels; they were merely engaging in idle boasting and conversation.

"If that's the case, then this grand event will be quite lively! I was wondering about that before. No wonder all the sects sent their true disciples to participate. It's said that the Lingmu Sect in the Qian Kingdom worships a Rainbow Bird, which has the characteristic of not undergoing Nirvana to enhance its potential and can gradually transform into a phoenix. Its strength is unfathomable!"

"Hehe, I've heard about it too. But it's said that during the great war between the two countries fifty years ago, this sect was almost wiped out by the Rebirth Sect. Now it can only eke out a living in the Qian Kingdom and is not worth mentioning anymore. That Rainbow Bird might have a chance to fly to our Lu Kingdom in the future, and then we can make them a pair..."

Li Mo lowered his head to eat his food, listening to the conversation between the two, his heart filled with uncontrollable rage.

Our sect's sacred bird, which we guard the mountain, has actually caught the attention of these two disciples from the State of Lu.

It feels like someone is secretly thinking about your beautiful wife right in front of you.

Even if the Lingmu Sect has declined, it's not up to these two to spout nonsense here. But this is the State of Lu, so even though Li Mo was furious, he could only pretend nothing was wrong and continue drinking and eating.

"Brother Zhao, in your opinion, which of the true disciples from each sect has a better chance?"

"Haha! Of course, our sect has a much better chance. Not to mention the advantage of being close to the source, Liu Can and Zhao Wu are orphans who grew up together and are as close as brothers. Later, they were both taken in as disciples of our sect, taught by the same master, and promoted to true disciples. They are called sworn brothers and have mastered a combined attack technique that can even give a Golden Core cultivator a fighting chance..."

Upon hearing this, the cultivator surnamed Liu chuckled, disagreeing with the assessment.

"As far as I know, our Natural Sect has sent Senior Brother Bi Wangchan this time. Senior Brother Bi was in the early Foundation Establishment stage when he fought two mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators single-handedly and killed them. He was praised by the sect leader as a peerless genius with an innate Dao Body, most suitable for cultivating our sect's techniques..."

Each sect's true disciples must possess unique skills, which is why their sects invest significant resources in them.

However, even for some of the most powerful sects, the number of their true disciples at any given time usually does not exceed double digits, otherwise it would inevitably lead to competition for resources.

In contrast, sects like Lingmu Sect had only had two true disciples for a long time.

Now that Sima Fu has been promoted, three more people have been selected, bringing the total number of true disciples to four. This is already an extreme overdraft.

Even if Li Mo goes into seclusion every year, he still earns nearly five thousand spirit stones, as well as various rights and interests through his sect. One can imagine the pressure this puts on a sect.

Listening to the two men's boasting, Li Mo downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.

But at this moment.

After he put down his wine glass, he suddenly noticed a five or six-year-old boy standing in front of him. The boy had his hair tied up in a topknot and was staring at the honey-glazed meat in front of him with big eyes, swallowing his saliva repeatedly.

Li Mo was stunned for a moment.

"You are... Xiao Bao?"

Upon hearing this, the boy nodded vigorously, which Li Mo found truly unbelievable.

After a moment of thought, he picked up the piece of honey-cured pork that he didn't quite like and handed it to the other person.

"Eat if you want. After you're done, I'll take you to find your grandpa. He's so worried. And you must never run off again."

"Thank you uncle!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Bao immediately picked up the candied pork and began to wolf it down, clearly starving.

However, he started crying as he ate.

"Waaah, I went into the fog and Grandpa disappeared in the blink of an eye. I can't find him anywhere. When I go back this time, my mother will definitely beat me to death."

Upon hearing this, Li Mo couldn't help but chuckle.

After a stick of incense.

Li Mo, having brought Xiao Bao, who was full and satisfied, to find his grandfather.

The old man burst into tears of joy and hugged the baby tightly.

Zuo Lan looked at Li Mo.

"I am Zuo Lan from the Qiancheng Sect of the Wu Kingdom. We have been searching for him in the market for a long time. Thank you, fellow Daoist."

Li Mo clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"I am Li Heiquan of the Zhao State Sword Heart Sect."

He broke down the character "默" (mò, meaning silent) into "黑犬" (hēi quǎn, meaning black dog) and displayed an attitude of taking it for granted.

Upon hearing Li Mo's name, Zuo Lan couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, but her face remained calm as she carefully examined this cultivator from the Seven Kingdoms, revealing a hint of curiosity.

It is said that the cultivation techniques of the cultivators in the Seven Kingdoms all have the characteristic of improving in battle and becoming stronger the more they fight.

If they are forced into a long period of peace, the sect might just perish on its own.

The two chatted for a while and had a very pleasant conversation.

It wasn't until the old man told his grandson to leave the market that Zuo Lan said goodbye to Li Mo. Li Mo watched the three of them walk away and couldn't help but smile slightly.

"It seems the disguise was quite successful; Zuo Lan, whom I had met once before, did not recognize me."

Next two days.

On the one hand, Li Mo gathered information in the market and became familiar with disciples from various countries and sects. On the other hand, he frequently visited the market shops and participated in various trade fairs and auctions.

His luck was actually quite good.

In addition to unexpectedly discovering Soul Nourishing Incense in a shop, he also won a Longevity Pill for Foundation Establishment stage cultivators at an auction!

Needless to say, the Longevity Pill can extend one's lifespan after being ingested and refined. Although it is only for the Foundation Establishment stage, it is still priceless. Li Mo spent more than five thousand spirit stones on it.

"Only the Yin Virtue Pill is needed to refine the Ethereal Pill and begin the dual cultivation of body and mind."

Besides.

He looked at the three Soul-Nourishing Incense sticks he had managed to snag, and couldn't help but reveal a hint of pride.

The Muzhou region is teeming with Lingmu Sect disciples, making it nearly impossible to find a bargain. However, once he enters the territory of Lu, his Lingyan technique will have great potential.

For example, these three sticks of incense for nourishing the soul.

This is a secret material that helps one break through to the Golden Core stage. It is also one of the secret techniques recorded in the Lingmu Sect's ancestral hall. He originally wanted to find some Soul Nourishing Wood to make it, but he found it here ready-made and sold it as ordinary high-grade sandalwood.

He eventually bought it for a mere thirty spirit stones.

"Although the Soul Nourishing Incense doesn't significantly increase the probability of advancing to the Golden Core stage, it is still something that helps in breaking through to the Golden Core stage. Moreover, there are three sticks, which would be impossible without several thousand spirit stones. If the shopkeeper knew about this, he would probably regret it to the core."

Li Mo suddenly felt that, compared to seclusion and enlightenment, the true way for Lingmu Sect disciples to cultivate might be to travel around and seek opportunities.

(End of this chapter)