Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 433 Elder Ke Qing

In the dimly lit secret room, Song Xian sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his hands clasped together, and golden flames enveloped his entire body.

The next moment, flames burst forth from his body and condensed above his head, forming the shape of a golden crow. When the golden fireballs between his palms merged into the golden crow's body, the golden crow seemed to come alive instantly.

Not far away, Su Zhirou held the crimson lantern, her spiritual power surging into it. Golden runes flowed across the lantern's surface, and as more and more spiritual power flowed in, the golden runes spun faster and faster.

The golden flames moved uncontrollably toward the crimson lantern, and even the Golden Crow itself involuntarily entered the lantern.

The golden runes flowing on the lantern only gradually stopped after the entire massive body of the Golden Crow was absorbed into it.

It really works.

A look of joy flashed in Song Xian's eyes. Although he didn't know what this crimson lantern was, it was obviously capable of sealing the strange fire. In this way, when he wanted to seize the strange fire in the future, he wouldn't need to use the Profound Heaven Fusion Fire Technique anymore; he could just use this lantern.

The Mysterious Heavenly Fire Fusion Technique has a major drawback when absorbing and refining strange fire: it cannot be abandoned halfway. When performing this technique, one must devote oneself entirely to it and have no time to attend to anything else.

In other words, at this moment, he is at his most vulnerable, and if someone attacks him, he is completely unable to fight back.

Just like when he absorbed the Xuanluo Yin Fire and the White Bone Extreme Flame, he needed someone to protect him and fight against external risks.

But with this crimson lantern treasure, things are different. He only needs to channel his spiritual power into it to seal the strange fire.

Once the strange fire is sealed and he reaches a safe location, he can release it and then absorb it using the Profound Heaven Fusion Fire Technique.

The scroll he had previously obtained, which was meant to seal the Xuanluo Yin Fire, did not have this effect. This scroll was only effective against the Xuanluo Yin Fire and had no effect on other strange fires, so he could not use that scroll to seal other strange fires.

Seeing the Golden Crow being absorbed by the crimson lantern, and his mind severing its connection with the Golden Crow's flames, he once again unleashed the Profound Heaven Fusion Fire Technique, releasing the Profound Luo Yin Fire.

As the black serpent's true form appeared, Su Zhirou, as planned, once again channeled her spiritual power into the crimson lantern. As the golden runes on the lantern's surface swirled, golden flames emerged from within, condensing into the shape of a golden crow.

Seeing this, Song Xian was certain of his earlier judgment: although the crimson lantern could seal different kinds of fire, it could only seal one kind of fire and could not make different kinds of fire coexist.

When there is no strange fire inside the lantern, spiritual power surges in and activates the runes on it, allowing it to absorb the strange fire that is sealed in front of it.

When a lantern already has a sealed flame, the incoming spiritual energy can only release the flame inside, and cannot absorb another flame.

Although I don't understand how the red lantern works, it's enough to know its effects and functions.

.........

As night fell, the moon was bright and the stars were few. In the magnificent mansion of Tianshan, painful and hoarse cries echoed inside and outside. People came and went in a hurry, and everyone looked tense. Hu Xiaobao sat calmly in the hall, but his expression was very calm.

After a while, a sharp cry was heard, and then a woman quickly entered the hall, bowing with a happy expression: "Congratulations, Martial Uncle, Senior Sister Yang has given birth to a baby boy, and both mother and child are safe and sound."

"Congratulations, Uncle-Master."

"Congratulations, Uncle-Master."

Several close disciples congratulated him.

Hu Xiaobao simply nodded, showing no joy on his face. He got up and left the room, going to the delivery room.

Inside, a woman covered in sweat was looking at the crying toddler beside her with doting eyes. When he arrived, she smiled slightly and said softly, "It's a son."

Hu Xiaobao stretched out his hands, and immediately someone picked up the child and placed him in his arms.

The child cried even louder and louder.

Hu Xiaobao looked at the child in his arms, flipped his hand, took out a talisman, and gently drew a line on the child's arm with his finger. The child's arm was immediately cut open, and blood gushed out and soaked into the talisman.

Inside the room, apart from the child's louder wailing, everyone else remained silent. The woman on the bed, however, suddenly tensed up, her body slightly bent forward, her hands gripping the sheets tightly.

Soon, the talisman emitted light.

The woman finally relaxed, and a joyful smile appeared on her face.

"Congratulations, Uncle Hu! Congratulations, Senior Sister Yang! Your son possesses spiritual roots. If he can inherit Uncle Jiang's spiritual root aptitude, he will surely achieve great things in the future."

"With Uncle Hu's talent, this child will definitely be just as good. In fact, it's not impossible for him to surpass his master and even possess a unique spiritual root."

Those around him offered their congratulations.

Hu Xiaobao finally smiled and gently tapped the baby's forehead with his finger.

.........

In the blink of an eye, more than a month has passed.

That day, Song Xian was cultivating in his cultivation room with his eyes closed as usual when a knocking sound came from outside. He opened his eyes, waved his hand, and spiritual energy shot out, causing the stone door to open by itself without any wind.

A disciple stood outside and bowed, saying, "Sect Leader, Martial Uncle Xiao Ling has brought an unfamiliar Foundation Establishment cultivator, saying he has important business to discuss."

"Where are they now?"

"Uncle Xiao is waiting outside the hall, while the unfamiliar Foundation Establishment cultivator is outside the mountain gate."

Song Xian immediately got up and went outside. After walking for a short while, he saw Xiao Ling coming to greet him. Before she could speak, he asked first, "Is it Hu An who has arrived?"

"Yes. Juan and his son came together."

"Good. Well done." Song Xian was delighted. Now that they had someone to refine the Yin Soul Pearl, all that was left was to collect the materials needed to refine it.

In the future, he will be able to continuously exchange for ghost crystals, generate spiritual milk, and cultivate the ghosts within the Blood Soul Banner. In this way, it won't be long before the Blood Soul Banner undergoes a huge change, and it may even be able to advance to a magic weapon, or even cultivate a ghost king within it.

……

Outside the gate of Luoyun Mountain, a thin old man with slightly graying temples was waiting with a robust-looking young man. After Song Xian descended in his escape light, he strode towards them with a big smile on his face.

His gaze swept over the two men. The thin, old man was at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment, with a scraggly beard, unkempt appearance, and a weathered face, but his eyes were very deep, and he possessed dual spiritual roots. The young man, on the other hand, looked like a simpleton, with a cultivation level of only the fifth level of Qi Refining and three spiritual roots.

"Fellow Daoist Hu, your presence is an honor. I apologize for not welcoming you sooner." Song Xian walked up to the two men and bowed.

"This is our sect leader, Senior Brother Song Xian," Xiao Ling introduced.

"Does Sect Leader Song truly intend to appoint my son as a guest elder of your sect?" Hu An returned the greeting, looking directly at him.

"Of course, how could I, Song, dare to deceive you with such boastful words? This is not the place to talk. Please follow me inside, fellow Daoists."

The group entered the mountain gate and arrived at the council hall, where they took their seats as hosts and guests.

Juan got straight to the point, his voice booming: "Sect Leader Song, I don't lie in front of you. I know that the reason your sect hired my son as a guest elder is because of my weapon-refining skills."

"I have already heard about the deeds of Sect Leader Song from Fellow Daoist Xiao. Your sect rose from humble beginnings and, under the leadership of Sect Leader Song, became the number one sect in Bianxi City in less than a hundred years. I admire you greatly."

"However, I am already a guest elder of the Huaxuan Sect, and therefore cannot accept your invitation to serve as a guest elder. My son's cultivation is low and his skills are shallow, so he is far from qualified to serve as a guest elder of your sect. But since Sect Leader Song has extended such a generous invitation, we would be disrespectful to refuse."

"If you ever need my help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask, and I will do my best."

Song Xian smiled slightly. He liked dealing with honest people: "Fellow Daoist Hu is straightforward, so I won't hold back either. Our sect will appoint Fellow Daoist Hu Yue as a guest elder with an annual salary of 10,000 spirit stones. In addition, Fellow Daoist Hu Yue can use the refining materials in our sect's cultivation room and treasury at will. If Fellow Daoist Hu Yue has any other needs, our sect will try its best to meet them."

"The condition is that Fellow Daoist Hu Yue must refine the Yin Soul Pearl for me and must keep this secret and not reveal this information to anyone else."

“No problem.” Juan agreed without hesitation: “I wonder how many Yin Soul Pearls Sect Leader Song needs to refine.”

"There is no limit, the more the better. What I hope to achieve a long-term cooperation with you is for you to spend a few months each year coming to our sect to refine Yin Soul Pearls specifically for me."

Juan was somewhat surprised and subconsciously glanced at Xiao Ling. When the two were negotiating the terms, Xiao Ling only said that she needed to refine a batch of Yin Soul Pearls. She would spend several months every year refining Yin Soul Pearls. How many would that require!

Xiao Ling remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she was equally surprised. Of course, she didn't know that Song Xian had refined the Yin Soul Pearl to make a deal with the Ghost Realm; she thought that Song Xian only needed it for cultivating some kind of technique or supernatural power.

Hearing this, I know that Song Xian must have a greater purpose, but I can't figure out what he needs so many Yin Soul Pearls for.

"Sect Leader Song, could you give me a rough estimate of how many you need?"

Song Xian maintained his smile: "Was I not clear enough? There is no specific quantity requirement. Just like refining pills and magical artifacts, they are mass-produced every year, so the more the better. As for what they are used for, Fellow Daoist Hu need not ask further, I have nothing to say."

"There's no upper limit, which means you can refine as many Yin Soul Pearls as you have the materials, right? So, if you have enough materials, wouldn't I be refining Yin Soul Pearls for you all year round?"

"Of course not. Fellow Daoist only needs to spend two or three months each year coming to our sect to refine Yin Soul Pearls for me."

Juan's expression turned cold, his words laced with disdain: "Spending ten thousand spirit stones to have me serve your sect for free for two or three months every year, Sect Leader Song, you've really got a good plan!"

Seeing that he was clearly dissatisfied, Song Xian did not rush to explain. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down slowly: "Fellow Daoist Hu can inquire in Xijiang County. I dare not say anything else, but my reputation is beyond reproach."

"There's something I don't know if Junior Sister Xiao has told Fellow Daoist Hu. Years ago, our sect sold Jade Fragrance Pills, which were coveted by the Jade Abyss Sect in this city. I found Wen Yiren of the Falling Cloud Sect and offered her 30% of the profits to settle this matter for our sect."

"Later, the reputation of Yuxiang Pills grew, and they sold very well in Xijiang County, earning nearly 200,000 spirit stones a year. At that time, our sect's power far surpassed that of Yuyuan Sect. However, our sect has never broken its promise to Wen Yiren of 30% of the profits."

"It wasn't until the Luoyun Sect betrayed the Beast Taming Sect, attacked and killed me, and forced our sect to relocate from Bianxi City that we stopped giving spirit stones to Wen Yiren."

"Since I have promised to appoint your son as a guest elder of our sect, I will never break my promise. As long as I am alive and our sect is not destroyed, Fellow Daoist Hu Yue will be a guest elder of our sect for life. No matter what happens in the future, and no matter whether Fellow Daoist Hu Yue lives or dies, your son will always be a guest elder of our sect."

"He doesn't need to do anything for our sect, nor does he need to stay here. Our sect will provide him with the full 10,000 spirit stones every year. If he wants to cultivate here, our sect will provide him with a cultivation room suitable for his level. In addition, we will try our best to meet any other needs he may have."

"What I promised your son was a guarantee of lifelong cultivation without worry, and all I asked for was to refine a few Yin Soul Pearls. Is this request too much?"

Juan remained silent, his eyes flickering slightly.

If Song Xian offered him a guest eldership, ten thousand spirit stones a year, a cultivation room, and two or three months of his time to craft magical artifacts, he would refuse without hesitation.

Given his reputation, many sects would be willing to pay a high price to hire him as a guest elder, and with his skills, earning ten thousand spirit stones in two or three months would be a piece of cake.

But he is himself, and his child is his child.

Because of his connections, his son received special preferential treatment in Emperor Xuanzong's court, but that was all because of his influence.

And he couldn't guarantee that he could protect his child for life.

If anything were to happen to him, Emperor Xuanzong would certainly not give his son such preferential treatment again.

Throughout his life, he went on several treasure hunts and encountered dangers on numerous occasions, knowing full well that accidents could happen at any time, and he was well aware of this.

Cultivation is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind. Although he has good spiritual roots and aptitude, there are countless people in the world with similar aptitudes, and even more aptitudes than his.

Even those cultivators with only one spiritual root might not be able to reach the Golden Core or Nascent Soul realm. As a rogue cultivator with two spiritual roots, how could he possibly surpass them if he didn't fight desperately for opportunities?

From the moment he embarked on the path of cultivation, he resolved to become the most outstanding figure in the cultivation world, and was unwilling to stop there and spend the rest of his life there.

If he were to waste his life like those monks who linger on in death, waiting for their demise, it would be better for him to die sooner rather than later. If he still had any worldly attachments in his pursuit of cultivation, it was this child.

He was carefree and couldn't stand being restrained. He didn't care about others' opinions or take orders from them. As a result, many sects offered him generous terms to join them, but he was never tempted. He also refused to let his children join sects and work for others.

Although he had a close relationship with Emperor Xuanzong, he was too embarrassed to ask the emperor to appoint his son as a guest elder, as this would be an unreasonable and demanding request.

Even if Emperor Xuanzong reluctantly agrees, he will surely strip him of his title of "son" if something unexpected happens to him.

Therefore, when he heard Xiao Ling say that the Hunyuan Sect was willing to hire his son as a guest elder, he was tempted. Being a guest elder meant that he would not have to be under the orders of others, and he would have status and resources, which was undoubtedly the best choice.

He originally thought that the other party just wanted to refine a large batch of Yin Soul Pearls, so it was not unreasonable for him to spend a few years to secure a guarantee for his child.

Unexpectedly, the other party wanted to refine Yin Soul Pearls in large quantities every year. In that case, wouldn't he become a long-term laborer for the Hunyuan Sect?

He was about to refuse, but when Song Xian said that no matter whether he was still alive or not, his son's status as a guest elder would not be taken away, he was tempted and hesitated for a moment.

(End of this chapter)