Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 389 Clues and Leads
"A low-grade Heaven-rank cultivation technique is indeed rare. However, I have been cultivating the Profound Origin True Scripture for so many years. If I were to switch to cultivating the same spiritual sense technique, wouldn't all these decades of hard work be wasted?" After a brief moment of thought, Lin Zixiang politely declined.

"This is much better than the Profound Origin True Scripture. It can greatly increase a cultivator's spiritual power, and the increase is much greater than that of the Profound Origin True Scripture."

"Where did the sect leader obtain this technique?"

"This was obtained from the storage bag of the cultivator who attacked me before." Song Xian casually made up a reason: "Senior Brother Zixiang, think it over carefully. If you really want to cultivate, I will pass on the first and second stages of this cultivation method to you first, which will be enough for you to cultivate to the late stage of Foundation Establishment. If you can break through to the Golden Core Realm in the future, I will pass on the third stage of the cultivation method to you."

"Oh!" Lin Zixiang didn't suspect anything. It was normal for someone to cultivate a high-level cultivation technique themselves first and then pass it on to the disciples of the sect.

"I think I'll pass. Breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage almost cost me my life, let alone the Golden Core stage. The Profound Origin True Scripture is enough for me. If I can cultivate it to the late Golden Core stage, that would be an incredible stroke of luck. Besides, the Desolate Heaven Expansion Technique is only one level stronger than the Profound Origin True Scripture. I've cultivated the Profound Origin True Scripture for so many years, it would be a shame to give it up like this."

“If Senior Brother Zixiang is unwilling to give up the Xuan Yuan True Scripture, then so be it.” Song Xian did not force him. “I also have a divine power here called the Shocking God and Soul Attacking Technique. It is a method of attacking with divine sense. When cultivated to perfection, it is extremely powerful. The Xuan Yuan True Scripture itself can increase one’s own divine sense. Combined with this divine power, it is not bad.”

"Soul-Shocking Technique." Lin Zixiang was overjoyed. Although he cultivated the Profound Origin True Scripture, he did not cultivate the method of attacking with divine sense. This technique was just right for him, so he agreed without thinking: "I am willing to learn this technique."

"Alright, I will give you the rubbing in a few days. This supernatural power is a sect secret. Because you are an elder of the sect and have made great contributions, it is entrusted to you. Senior Brother Zixiang must not pass it on to others without my permission. If you want to pass it on to others, you must inform me first and obtain my permission."

"Rest assured, Master, I know the rules."

A few days later, Song Xian summoned Hu Xiaobao and told him about the Desolate Heaven Expansion Technique. Like Lin Zixiang, Song Xian only said it was a low-grade Heaven-rank technique.

After a moment's thought, Hu Xiaobao agreed and decided to switch to cultivating the Desolate Heaven Knowledge Expansion Technique.

He originally cultivated the Xuan Yuan True Scripture, but unlike Lin Zixiang, his cultivation path was very smooth. He successfully broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage on his first attempt. With a single spiritual root and innate supernatural abilities, he had higher expectations for cultivation. Moreover, he was young, and it was not too late for him to switch cultivation methods at this time.

If one disregards the time spent cultivating the Profound Origin True Scripture, no one would choose the Desolate Heaven Knowledge Expansion Technique.

Although there is only one grade difference between a low-grade Heaven-rank cultivation technique and a high-grade Earth-rank cultivation technique, one can be cultivated to the Nascent Soul Realm while the other can only be cultivated to the Golden Core Realm. The difference between them is not small.

Lin Zixiang was unwilling to switch to cultivating the Desolate Heaven Knowledge Expansion Technique because he lacked confidence in himself and had invested too much energy in the Xuan Yuan True Scripture.

.........

Time flew by, and several months passed. On this day, Song Xian was cultivating the Desolate Heaven Expansion Technique in the secret room as usual. When another great cycle was completed, he opened his eyes and found that the moon was already high in the sky outside. Only then did he get up and walk out of the secret room.

"Sect Leader, Senior Brother Huang Ye requested an audience a few hours ago, saying he had important matters to report." The disciples waiting outside rushed to greet him as he emerged from the inner chamber.

"Call him over!"

"Yes," the disciple replied and left.

After Song Xian went to the waiting room, Huang Ye arrived shortly afterward, bowed, and said, "Sect Leader, we have news about the Purple Coral Elixir that you asked us to inquire about."

"Oh? Where is it?" Song Xian's eyes lit up.

Purple Coral Elixir is one of the key materials for refining mid-grade and high-grade second-tier puppets. Over the years, Song Xian has been collecting raw materials for refining mid-grade and high-grade second-tier puppets. He has collected all the raw materials for mid-grade second-tier puppets, and only Purple Coral Elixir is missing.

There are still four materials missing for the second-tier superior puppet, and Purple Coral Elixir is one of them.

Purple Coral Elixir is the sap of the Purple Coral Spirit Tree, a second-grade superior spirit tree that grows in the deep sea and has extremely demanding environmental requirements, making it very rare on the market.

Song Xian sent people to participate in auctions in Xijiang County, but they never saw this item appear.

Now, all that's missing is the Purple Coral Spirit Liquid, and he can start refining a mid-grade second-tier puppet. Therefore, he was overjoyed to hear about this item.

"I heard that there are a lot of purple coral trees at the bottom of the sea near Pear Blossom Island in the South China Sea of ​​the Muhe Grassland."

"Pear Blossom Island in the South China Sea? Is the news reliable? Who told you this?" Song Xian immediately asked. The South China Sea is located in the southern part of the Muhe Grassland, tens of thousands of miles away from Bianxi City. A round trip would take at least several months.

But that's not the key point; what he's more worried about is whether the news is a hoax.

Previously, the Luoyun Sect had taken advantage of his desire to obtain the strange fire by fabricating a false message in an attempt to lure him out of Luojia Mountain and ambush and kill him.

Given the lessons learned from the past, Song Xian could not help but be cautious.

Nowadays, he always has to verify the authenticity of any message he receives from others before he will set off.

Although the situation in Xijiang County has eased, it doesn't mean that no one is trying to take advantage of him.

He has many enemies, including Kong Xiangyuan, Luoyun Sect, and even the Foundation Establishment Level 8 cultivator from Muhe Grassland who tried to assassinate him but later escaped. They all wish for his death.

These are just the enemies in the open; the number of enemies in the shadows is countless.

Therefore, he had to be very careful in his actions, especially in places where he needed to go out and where there were specific coordinates, so he had to find out the whole story.

"The information comes from Yu Deshui, a disciple of the sect. He was originally a rogue cultivator from Bianxi City who occupied a cultivation room on Luojia Mountain. When Uncle Hu took over Luojia Mountain, he recruited him into the sect."

"Yu Deshui?" Song Xian had no recollection of this person at all. After the sect arrived in Bianxi City, it recruited a large number of people, which resulted in him not having met or heard of many of them.

What is this person's position?

"This person works at the Miscellaneous Affairs Peak of the Inner Affairs Hall, serving as the deputy captain of the third team under the Miscellaneous Affairs Peak."

"How could he know that I need the Purple Coral Elixir if he is a disciple of the Miscellaneous Affairs Peak?" Song Xian became even more suspicious. He only sent the Intelligence Peak to gather information and did not inform the sect disciples.

"He learned of this through Jiang Yuan, a disciple of the Intelligence Peak of this headquarters. I have already confirmed it with Jiang Yuan; the two have been quite close lately. During a casual conversation over drinks, Jiang Yuan revealed this matter. He came to me today to inform me of the news. This person is currently outside the manor. Does the Sect Leader wish to see him?"

Huang Ye knew that Song Xian was cautious and would definitely trace the source of the information, so he brought the person with him.

"Alright, bring him here!"

Huang Ye got up and left. Before long, he returned with a thin, fair-skinned man.

"Sect Leader, this person is Yu Deshui." "Disciple greets Sect Leader." Yu Deshui lowered his head and bowed, never daring to look up at Song Xian once.

Song Xian glanced at him and said, "No need for formalities."

Yu Deshui then slightly raised his head, lowered his hands, and his bright eyes revealed alertness.

"Where did you get the news about the Purple Coral Spirit Tree?"

"I enjoy inquiring about all sorts of things. When I was in the Muhe Grassland, I befriended a rogue cultivator there. He mentioned that there is a Purple Coral Spirit Tree at the bottom of the sea near Pear Blossom Island in the South China Sea."

Yu Deshui kept his head down. Since joining the Hunyuan Sect, he had been thinking about how to be given important responsibilities and how to climb the ranks. Therefore, he would make friends whenever he had free time and try to get acquainted with senior members and those of high status in the sect.

After much effort, he was finally promoted to the position of deputy captain of the Internal Affairs Hall squad. With a certain status, he also came into contact with cultivators of higher positions. Through an introduction, he became acquainted with Jiang Yuan, the captain of the first squad under the Intelligence Peak.

As they spent more time together, their relationship grew closer. Just the other day, while they were drinking and chatting, Yu Deshui subtly inquired about the preferences and needs of the sect's higher-ups.

Jiang Yuan informed Song Xian of his orders to search for several puppet materials and a strange fire. When he heard that Song Xian had ordered the intelligence peak to search for the Purple Coral Spirit Liquid for several years without success, he knew that his opportunity had come. So he immediately found Huang Ye and informed him of this information.

"What is the name of that rogue cultivator from the Mukh Grasslands, and where is he?"

“His name is Adora. He is a rogue cultivator, and his current whereabouts are unknown. I met him before I joined our sect.”

"So, you learned about the Purple Coral Spirit Tree several years ago."

"Yes."

“This Purple Coral Spirit Tree is a second-grade high-quality spirit tree, which is very rare and expensive. Since you know that there is such a thing there, why don’t you go and cut it down?”

"It is said that the sea area is extremely vast, and the exact location of the Purple Coral Spirit Tree is uncertain. To dive into the deep sea, one needs a high-grade Water-Clearing Pill. Moreover, powerful demonic beasts often appear in the deep sea, making it extremely dangerous and not worth the risk."

"Are there monsters in that place?"

"Yes, the South China Sea is often inhabited by deep-sea monsters. Because the South China Sea is connected to the boundless sea and has many cultivation resources, there are many sea monsters that live there."

Song Xian gave Huang Ye a wink, and Huang Ye immediately understood, got up and left the hall, closing the heavy door behind him.

He pulled out a mind-controlling talisman from his hand, beckoned Yu Deshui to come closer.

Yu Deshui felt uneasy as Huang Ye left and closed the door, but he had no choice but to go to Song Xian's side after being summoned by him.

Do you trust me?

"This disciple trusts the sect leader."

"Alright, you don't need to do anything later. I will insert this talisman into your body. Don't worry, it won't do you any harm."

Yu Deshui was nervous, unsure of what he was going to do, and asked in fear, "May I ask, Sect Leader, what is the purpose of this talisman?"

“You are a disciple of the sect, I will not harm you. I will explain to you after this is over.” Before he could ask any more questions, Song Xian placed the talisman on his forehead. As spiritual power flowed in, the talisman turned into specks of light and flowed into his head.

As the mind-controlling talisman took effect, Yu Deshui's body relaxed, and his eyes became somewhat dazed.

Song Xian then asked the same question again, and received the exact same answer, which put his mind at ease.

Since Yu Deshui's information came from the independent cultivators of the Muhe Grassland a few years ago, there was no need to worry that someone had set a trap for him, deliberately going through a long detour to lay a snare, since he had not yet joined a sect at that time.

As night fell, Yu Deshui slowly woke up, feeling a heavy head. When he recalled what had happened earlier, he jumped out of bed instantly and immediately examined himself internally. After confirming that there was no residual harm in his body, he breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, the door was pushed open, and a slender man walked in. Yu Deshui recognized him as Yang Shen, a disciple who followed Song Xian, so he quickly bowed and addressed him as Senior Brother Yang.

"You're awake. How are you? Are you alright? Does your head feel a little heavy?" Yang Shen nodded at him.

"I feel a bit dizzy. Senior Brother Yang, what's going on? What exactly is the purpose of the talisman the sect leader used? Could you please tell me?"

"This talisman is called the Mind-Bewitching Talisman, a unique skill of the sect leader. Its effect is similar to hypnosis. When the sect leader feels that there is a certain risk in the reports submitted by his disciples, he will use this talisman to verify the truth of the matter. This is to prevent being ambushed. Previously, the Falling Cloud Sect used an internal traitor to falsely report information about a secret treasure, intending to lure the sect leader out and ambush him. It was the sect leader's Mind-Bewitching Talisman that exposed the plot."

"I see." Yu Deshui suddenly realized, and at the same time recalled some vague fragments of his experience after being hypnotized.

"Here! This is your reward from the sect leader, one thousand spirit stones." Yang Shen took out a small bag from his sleeve and handed it to him.

"Thank you, Sect Leader, thank you, Senior Brother Yang." Yu Deshui accepted the bag, feeling a little disappointed, but pretending to be happy.

Although a thousand spirit stones was a lot of money, almost two years' salary for him, he still hoped to gain Song Xian's trust and recognition through this opportunity.

Yang Shen solemnly warned, "This is just a reward for providing information. If it is confirmed that there is a Purple Coral Spirit Tree in that place, you will not only be credited for your contribution, but you will also receive other rewards."

"But today's matter must be kept strictly confidential. The matter of the Mind-Bewitching Talisman must not be revealed to anyone, as it concerns the safety of the sect leader. If hostile forces know that the sect leader possesses this Mind-Bewitching Talisman, they will take corresponding countermeasures. For example, they might find a treasure that can clear the mind to deal with the Mind-Bewitching Talisman, and then use false information to lure the sect leader out."

"Junior Brother Yu, this matter is of utmost importance. Remember, you must not divulge it. Those who disobey will be severely punished by the sect. Do you understand?"

Yu Deshui immediately declared, "Don't worry, Senior Brother Yang, I'll keep this to myself."

“Junior Brother Yu, as you know, the sect has expanded its manpower a lot in recent years. People from all walks of life have flocked to the sect. Nobody knows which of these people are truly for the sect, which have ulterior motives, or even spies sent in by other forces. Anyway, you have passed the verification and can be confirmed that you are not someone with ulterior motives. Now that you have made this contribution, the sect leader will definitely promote you when the opportunity arises in the future.”

After this carrot-and-stick approach, Yu Deshui quickly pledged his loyalty and even swore that he would never reveal his secret.

After confirming the authenticity and reliability of the news, Song Xian summoned several core members of the sect the next day, saying that he had to go out for a while and made some simple arrangements for sect affairs.

(End of this chapter)