Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 460 Secret Realm Key
Song Xian was surprised that he would ask about this matter. This person was not related to him and said that he had important matters to discuss, but he directly touched on his secrets as soon as he opened his mouth.

Such a question should not be asked directly, not even by a stranger, let alone close friends and relatives.

He remained expressionless, picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and then slowly put it down: "Where did Fellow Daoist Wei hear this rumor?"

Wei Fan's gaze remained fixed intently on him, as if trying to find the answer on his face.

"To be honest, I have had dealings with Fellow Daoist Fang Mingxuan before. Recently, I heard that the Fang family was destroyed by your sect and Xuanyang Sect, so I went to Tianshui City to inquire about Fellow Daoist Fang Mingxuan. It is said that he was killed by you, so I came to ask you."

“The Fang family was indeed destroyed by our sect, but Fellow Daoist Fang Mingxuan was not killed by me. If you want to avenge your friend, you have come to the wrong person.” Song Xian couldn’t figure out what this person was thinking, nor did he know what he wanted. He would not admit to outsiders that he killed Fang Mingxuan.

Wei Fan shook his head: "Sect Leader Song, please don't misunderstand. Although I have dealt with Fellow Daoist Fang before, we don't have any real relationship. I am a rogue cultivator, and I have neither the interest nor the ability to interfere in the feud between your sect and the Fang family, let alone avenge Fellow Daoist Fang. That is even more impossible."

"I have come here to confirm one thing. Fellow Daoist Fang has an item that I need: a hexagonal golden stone. If it has fallen into the hands of Sect Leader Song, please name your price. I am willing to pay a high price to buy it."

Song Xian was slightly surprised by the hexagonal golden stone. How did this person know that Fang Mingxuan had such an item?

He had examined this thing carefully before, but hadn't found anything remarkable about it. It seems this thing is no ordinary object!

Otherwise, Wei Fan, a rogue cultivator, wouldn't have come alone.

He hadn't paid much attention to this item before, but after hearing what it said, he immediately became interested.

"It seems Fellow Daoist Wei is determined to get it!" Song Xian would never sell this item. Not to mention that he doesn't lack spirit stones at all, even if he were in dire need, now that he knows this item is a rare commodity, why would he hand it over to someone else before understanding its true value and function?

It's possible that this item has special functions, like the Ghost Pearl.

"To be honest, this item is called the Cloud Heaven Mother Stone. It is an indispensable material for refining tower-shaped magic treasures. I am a weapon refiner and have been collecting materials for refining magic treasures for many years. I previously approached Fellow Daoist Fang Mingxuan and offered to buy the Cloud Heaven Mother Stone from him, but he did not agree."

"Now that all the other materials have been collected, only the Cloud Heaven Mother Stone is still missing. I came to Xijiang County from Anfeng County specifically for this item. I never expected to learn that the Fang family had been wiped out."

"After making some inquiries, I heard that it was Sect Leader Song who killed Fellow Daoist Fang Mingxuan, so I took the liberty of coming here to disturb your peace."

"Refining magical artifacts is my lifelong wish. If Sect Leader Song can grant my wish, I will be eternally grateful."

"I see." Song Xian nodded calmly. "Unfortunately, you've come to the wrong person. Fang Mingxuan was indeed not killed by me."

"Is that so?" Wei Fan's eyes flickered slightly. "Does Sect Leader Song know who killed Fang..."

Before he could finish speaking, he stood there, stunned.

Song Xian flipped his hand and took out a mind-controlling talisman, which he then placed on the forehead. As spiritual energy flowed in, the talisman transformed into specks of light and merged into the forehead.

Wei Fan's gaze gradually became unfocused, so Song Xian began to ask questions.

"What is your name? What is the purpose of your visit?"

"My name is Wei Fan, and I have come here to obtain the key to open the secret realm."

The key to the secret realm? Could it be referring to that golden stone? He quickly followed up with, "What key to the secret realm?"

Under Song Xian's persistent questioning, Wei Fan gradually recounted the whole story.

Thirty years ago, he and Fang Mingxuan had explored the boundless sea of ​​the Muhe Grassland together and found a hidden cave. Inside, in addition to spirit stones, talismans, and various rare materials, there was also a mature second-grade mid-level spirit-replenishing pill, the three-colored water lotus, as well as two golden rhombus-shaped stones.

The two took the treasures and, through the records in the hidden cave, learned that the two golden rhombus-shaped stones were the key to a secret realm.

The secret realm is located on an island in the boundless sea, but it cannot be entered at any time. It can only be opened on the day when the seven stars align, by using the power of the stars.

The celestial phenomenon of the alignment of the seven stars only occurs once every hundred years, and the two were naturally unwilling to wait that long. So they took the key to the island and placed it inside the tightly sealed stone wall, but there was no response.

The two had no choice but to leave the Boundless Sea, agreeing to go again on the next day when the seven stars align.

The two golden rhombus-shaped stones that were originally joined together were also split in two, with each person carrying one piece.

After returning to Xishu County, they had someone refine the three-colored water lotus into a spirit-replenishing pill. After dividing the pills among themselves, they went their separate ways and never met again.

When Wei Fan recently learned that the Fang family had been wiped out and Fang Mingxuan had been killed, he had an idea. So he pretended to be a weapon refiner, hoping to trick Song Xian into giving him the other half of the golden stone, and then go to the secret realm alone.

It wasn't really an act, since he was a weapon refiner himself; he just made up the story of refining magical artifacts.

Of course, he dared to come alone not without a backup plan. To prevent any accidents, he handed over the other half of the golden stone to the Xuan Yuan Pavilion pawnshop in Xishu County. Unless he went there himself, no one could take it away.

After figuring out the whole story, Song Xian searched the man's body but did not find the golden stone.

Looking at Wei Fan, who had collapsed and was unconscious, he pondered for a while, then ordered someone to carry him to a room to rest.

The reason he decisively took action against Wei Fan was because he believed that Wei Fan was lying and that there must be some unknown secret behind Wei Fan's desire to obtain the golden stone.

Fang Mingxuan valued this item highly, placing it next to the Golden Essence Pill. Everything in his storage bag was arranged according to value, and its placement showed that in Fang Mingxuan's mind, this item was second only to the Golden Essence Pill in value.

Wei Fan claimed that this item was merely an important material for refining magical artifacts, which clearly did not reflect its true value.

It should be noted that the storage bag contained not only third-tier scrolls, but also rare items such as demon cores and century-old spiritual herbs.

No matter how precious the materials for a magical artifact are, their value can never compare to those things.

Therefore, Song Xian was certain that the visit was for ulterior motives. Naturally, he would not be polite to someone with ill intentions and ulterior motives, especially since the other party was just a rogue cultivator.

He just didn't expect that the other party's ulterior motives actually concealed a secret realm.

Unfortunately, the other party had a backup plan. Otherwise, if the other half of the golden stone had been found on him, Song Xian would have killed him without hesitation.

…In the dimly lit room, Wei Fan slowly woke up. As he opened his blurry eyes, he heard a steady voice say, “Fellow Daoist Wei, you’re awake.”

What comes into view is a peaceful face with a gentle smile and kind eyes, like an older brother next door taking care of his sick younger brother.

"What's wrong with me?" Wei Fan was still a little confused. Then, fragments of memories began to come back to him. His pupils shrank, his expression turned terrified, and he jumped up from the stone bed.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, please don't get agitated. I mean no harm." Song Xian smiled gently and raised his hands to show his friendliness.

"What did you do to me?" Wei Fan stared at him in horror, his mind already replaying what had just happened.

The reason he dared to go to the Hunyuan Sect's mountain gate alone was that he felt he had no grudge against them and therefore wanted to obtain the key through deception. Since they were all respectable people, even if the other party didn't want to sell, they wouldn't resort to violence if the deal fell through.

Unexpectedly, this person was so ruthless. No, not at all. The two had been chatting amicably, even smiling at each other, and in the blink of an eye, they started fighting.

What terrified him most was that he was subdued without any chance to fight back.

Before coming here, he had of course inquired about Song Xian's deeds and knew that he was extremely strong, but he had never seen him in person, and he was not here to fight him, so he did not pay much attention to it.

But to his utter surprise, his opponent was not only ruthless and decisive, but also incredibly strong. He was caught off guard in just one exchange.

How could this be? Wei Fan didn't know where his story had slipped up, nor why the other party had suddenly attacked, nor how he had unknowingly fallen into their trap.

He couldn't care less about anything else now; what he was most worried about was what the other party had done to his body.

Therefore, upon waking up, he immediately circulated his spiritual energy to check the condition inside his body.

“I did nothing. Fellow Daoist Wei, relax. Don’t be so tense. If I really had malicious intent, you would already be beheaded.” Song Xian spoke gently, with a warm smile on his face.

After a thorough examination, Wei Fan found nothing unusual in his body and breathed a slight sigh of relief. However, his fear did not subside, because he knew that the other party had the ability to kill him at any time.

Wei Fan swallowed hard, trying to remain calm. He regretted coming to their door like this, but it was too late for regrets now.

"what on earth do you want?"

“Fellow Daoist Wei, this is where you're wrong. We have no grudge against each other, how could you try to deceive me in this way?” Song Xian sat down on a chair next to him and waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down as well.

Wei Fan's eyes flickered, he swallowed hard, and slowly sat down. He placed his hands on his knees, no longer daring to look directly at Song Xian, like a primary school student who had done something wrong, with his head slightly lowered.

"I was indeed wrong about this. I sincerely apologize to Sect Leader Song. I hope that Sect Leader Song will not hold a grudge against me." At this moment, Wei Fan only wanted to leave this place safely and dared not think about anything else.

“If Fellow Daoist Wei had been open and honest from the beginning, why would we have gone through all this trouble? I’ll tell you the truth too: I killed Fang Mingxuan, and that thing is indeed in my possession.” Song Xian smiled, as if chatting with an old friend. After speaking, he flipped his hand and took out the golden rhombus-shaped stone, handing it to him: “Fellow Daoist Wei, take a look, is this it?”

Wei Fan was already like a frightened bird. When he saw it being handed to him, he didn't dare to reach out and take it. He just glanced at it and nodded: "That's right, it's this."

He immediately added, "Sect Leader Song, I was confused for a moment. I wasn't sure if the item was in your possession, so I made up this lie. I didn't mean to deceive you, and I had no ill intentions. So, whatever compensation Sect Leader Song needs, I'll give it to you, as long as you're willing to let me leave."

"Fellow Daoist Wei can leave at any time if he wants."

"Really?" Wei Fan immediately raised his head, his gaze like that of a drowning person grasping at a straw.

Song Xian smiled warmly: "Of course. I'm not a bandit who gathers up in the mountains, and you're not a bandit's wife, so why can't you leave? You're a guest I invited to the mountain gate, not someone I kidnapped. If you can come, you can certainly leave."

"Thank you very much, Sect Leader Song. I was rude and impolite. I will apologize again next time. Farewell." Upon hearing this, Wei Fan, like a child, changed from being apprehensive about his mistake to being overjoyed, and immediately stood up.

“Fellow Daoist Wei, you don’t want this anymore?” Song Xian picked up the golden stone and shook it.

"Does Sect Leader Song have any further instructions?" Wei Fan was not stupid, and upon hearing this, he sat down again.

"Fellow Daoist Wei was originally going to explore the secret realm of the Boundless Sea with Fang Mingxuan, right?"

"Yes."

"Now that Fang Mingxuan is dead, and this thing is in my hands, why can't we cooperate and go together?"

"Sect Leader Song wants to go to that secret realm? How about this! After I return, I will bring the half of the key to Sect Leader Song." Wei Fan only wanted to leave safely now and was no longer considering anything else.

Seeing that Song Xian did not respond, he took off the storage bag from his waist: "I will use my life as collateral, and leave the storage bag with Master Song. Once I return to Xishu County, I will retrieve it and send someone to deliver it to me immediately."

“Fellow Daoist Wei, you’ve misunderstood me. I intend for us to go together, and I guarantee that whatever we obtain will be split equally between us, just like you and Fang Mingxuan did.” Song Xian smiled and shook his head.

The reason he wanted to take Wei Fan with him was twofold: firstly, he was worried that Wei Fan would run away and disappear as soon as he left the mountain gate.

Secondly, there was a concern that even if Wei Fan kept his promise and took the other half of the key, he might spread the news out of resentment.

Even if you don't tell everyone, it's still troublesome to just tell others secretly.

Although he has never admitted to the outside world that he killed Fang Mingxuan, most people are now targeting him. There are countless people who secretly covet the Golden Essence Pill. If they knew his movements, there would definitely be people who would try to ambush him and seize the Golden Essence Pill.

For example, if Xu Zhuoxuan knew about this, even if he wasn't interested in the secret realm, he would still take this opportunity to get revenge.

Therefore, it is necessary to win over Wei Fan and prevent him from leaking the secret. The best way to do this is, of course, to bind them together through shared interests.

"As long as Sect Leader Song doesn't hold my deliberate deception against me, that half of the key is my apology. I promise to send it to you immediately upon returning to Xishu County."

Seeing that he still didn't trust him, Song Xian went straight to the point and pointed out his taboo: "Fellow Daoist Wei, are you worried that if you cooperate with me, you will be betrayed? Fellow Daoist Wei can inquire about my reputation. I never do anything that betrays principles for personal gain. I have explored secret realms with rogue cultivators before, and I have always kept my promises."

Wei Fan fell silent. Of course, he really wanted to go to that secret realm, otherwise he wouldn't have risked coming to the Hunyuan Sect's mountain gate alone to trick them into giving him the key. However, he was truly afraid of Song Xian's methods. If the two of them went to the secret realm together, it would be equivalent to handing his life over to Song Xian.

(End of this chapter)