Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 409 Secret Intelligence: Xiao Chen's Plan

Despite some setbacks and infighting along the way.

But thanks to everyone's efforts, the peace conference came to a successful conclusion.

Master Jingchen concluded his speech with a formal declaration of peace.

Thus, this peace conference, destined to have a far-reaching impact, officially came to a close.

It is foreseeable that earth-shattering changes will take place throughout the entire Compassion Ocean region.

Whether they are independent cultivators or disciples of sects, they will all be affected by the series of proposals that have just been passed.

By working backward from the result, Xiao Chen finally grasped a clue to the matter.

No wonder the Taoist sect was so willing to give up its eight veto rights so easily before.

No wonder that even after the discussions that morning, everyone was still actively working together to compromise and bring the conference to a successful conclusion.

Because, judging from the final results, all the major sects that participated in the conference benefited greatly!
Almost all the fourth-level cultivators present showed a satisfied smile after the meeting.

Everyone enjoyed the dinner in a happy and lively atmosphere.

Then some impatient people, such as Heming Zhenjun and Ziyang Zhenjun of Chongzhen Temple, took their leave on the spot.

After bidding farewell to everyone, they set off overnight to return to their sect and prepare for the relocation.

The other major sects also did not linger.

They all bid farewell and left the next morning, returning to their respective sects to deal with the trivial matters that had accumulated over the past three years and to begin restoring the situation to its pre-war state.

Before leaving, many people also sought out Xiao Chen.

There's no need to elaborate on the matter of Gangyuan Zhenjun and the others.

It is worth mentioning that True Monarch Qian Shu made a special invitation: "Fellow Daoist Xiao, please be sure to visit Qianji Valley when you have time in the future."

"Due to the inconvenience of this trip, I did not bring any attendants from the valley."

"When the time comes, I'll have them perform the Thousand Machine Dance specially for you, fellow Daoist!"

Xiao Chen readily nodded: "No problem. I was just thinking of borrowing your sect's library in a couple of days."

"I might have to stay a few more days. Fellow Daoist Qian Shu, please don't find me annoying when that happens."

Upon hearing this, True Monarch Qian Shu laughed heartily: "Hahaha, then it's settled. My junior brother and I will await your arrival at Thousand Machine Valley!"

In addition, there was also the Iron Fan True Lord, who indicated that the Cangming Immortal Sect's scripture pavilion was always open to Xiao Chen.

"Of course I won't forget this."

Xiao Chen nodded, then changed the subject: "I just remembered a small matter that I would like to ask Fellow Daoist Iron Fan for a favor."

“I once encountered a cultivator from the Ruan family in the Cangran Secret Realm.”

"At the time, she said that the Ruan family happened to be located in the Cangming Sea. If their family is still there now, please take care of them during the upcoming investigation."

"Of course, there's no need to cover up their mistakes; just be truthful."

"Please also pass on a message to Ruan Lingchun, thanking her for sending the map within the secret realm."

At yesterday's peace conference, a proposal was made to conduct a rigorous investigation of all cultivation families in order to find those who colluded with the sea race.

Remembering the kindness of the map he had given them, Xiao Chen spoke up and said a good word for them.

In this way, it should help the Ruan family avoid some unnecessary troubles, such as people taking the opportunity to extort or frame them under the guise of investigating the sea tribe.

In any case, whether it's for him now or for Iron Fan Zhenjun.

It's really just a small matter, just a few words.

After seeing everyone off, Xiao Chen turned back and found Zen Master Fazhao. Under his guidance, he entered the Sutra Repository of Pudu Temple, a stone pagoda with eighteen stories high.

Since we're already here, we can't just leave this place untouched.

Moreover, he had heard from various sources before he came that the scripture library of Pudu Temple was the largest and most comprehensive scripture library in the Compassion Sea.

Aside from the absence of secret martial arts techniques from various sects and biographies left by elders, it also lacks these.

The remaining ancient books cover almost everything, and the scope is even wider.

Since he has such a great reputation, Xiao Chen naturally wanted to see how credible the rumors were.
“Mr. Xiao, please wear this rosary and do not take it off halfway through.”

Zen Master Fazhao led him through the outer array and helped him activate the prayer beads before saying goodbye: "I will not disturb you any longer while you are reading."

"If any unexpected situation arises, please crush one of the prayer beads, and I will come over to handle it immediately."

Xiao Chen nodded: "I understand, thank you for the hospitality!"

He then began browsing the books on each floor, starting from the first floor.

It must be admitted that this place is indeed exceptionally vast, and its collection of books is as numerous as the stars in the sky.

On just one floor, Xiao Chen saw approximately 200,000 books.

However, there is a problem: a large portion of these are Buddhist scriptures.

Moreover, it was filled with Buddhist terms such as 'names and forms' and 'dharma forms', and almost none of them had translation notes!

"Hiss~, who can understand this?"

Xiao Chen just kept shaking his head as he watched.

Although he could recognize all the characters individually, they were quite unfamiliar when put together.

Regarding this, it wasn't that Pudu Temple forgot to write a note, but rather that it did so intentionally.

The purpose is to ensure that disciples with the potential for enlightenment can directly comprehend the original text, rather than being influenced by or even misled by the interpretations of others.

However, for someone like Xiao Chen who had no background in Buddhist scriptures, it was very painful to read.

It's basically like turning a page in a book written in heaven.

"Forget it, I'll just skim through the Buddhist scriptures once."

Fortunately, Xiao Chen was very good at self-regulation and didn't pay attention to this small problem.

Instead, he simply gave up on in-depth study and instead skimmed through all the Buddhist scriptures in a perfunctory manner.

Absorb as much as you can, and forget about the rest.

However, to be fair, even setting aside these obscure and difficult Buddhist scriptures, the ancient books accumulated by Pudu Temple did indeed broaden Xiao Chen's horizons.

Especially as he gradually rose to higher levels.

The ancient books around them are getting older and older, and they record more and more secrets.

"Hey, why does this thing look so familiar?"

On the sixteenth floor, Xiao Chen found an ancient book from about two million years ago, which mentioned a spiritual creature that looked very familiar to him right at the beginning.

He thought about it carefully: "It is crystal clear and translucent, and contains runes that are Taoist in nature."

"Hey, isn't this just a Dao-Nourishing Crystal? Why all the mystery?"

Interestingly, as Xiao Chen flipped through the book, he discovered that although it recorded many spiritual objects, none of them had their names clearly written down.

All of them begin with a number.

The main features, production environment, and general effects of this product are highlighted.

As for the specific names of the items, the author deliberately omitted them.

When Xiao Chen reached the last page, he discovered an afterword written by someone unknown.

The article highly praised the original author's approach, stating that this should be the most correct way to educate disciples.

This allows them to truly remember the characteristics of the spirit and understand its situation.

At the end, he lamented that it was a great pity that the abbot would not allow him to modify the rest of the temple's collection of books into the same format.

Below this postscript, there is another comment from someone else.

However, this commentary holds a different view, arguing that due to the limitations of the past, there was no unified name for the same spirit in different regions, which is why it was necessary to remember the characteristics and identify it on one's own.

Nowadays, most spiritual creatures already have fixed names, so there's no need for such trouble.

Xiao Chen didn't know who was right and who was wrong.

But all he knew was that there was more than one book like this!
Moreover, it includes not only spirit ore, but also spirit herbs, spirit wood, and so on.

Because the situation in ancient times is different from that in today, it is very likely that some useful information is mixed in, but it cannot be distinguished directly by the name.

Therefore, Xiao Chen's reading speed slowed down significantly over the next day and two nights.

He had to stare at the few lines of text, or even just a few words, without any illustrations, and rack his brains to remember what it was.

This is to ensure that one does not miss any special spiritual materials.

The result is that it's almost like taking a targeted exam.

"Damn it, who came up with this way of recording things?"

Halfway through reading, Xiao Chen couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Using something like this to test—no, to torture your own disciples—serves no wonder your lineage hasn't been passed down!"

Despite his words, he still insisted on reading through all the books.

They even skipped the other normal ancient books halfway through, prioritizing this special exam.

When Xiao Chen finished reading the last similar book, he felt that his understanding of all kinds of spiritual objects in the world had reached a new level.

It's equivalent to reviewing all the similar books I've read before with great care.

Now, even for some spiritual objects that he has never actually seen, he has a general idea of ​​what they look like in his mind.

If I encounter this in the future, I should be able to identify it immediately.

In addition, Xiao Chen also learned some secret knowledge from Pudu Temple that he had never seen before in the major sects.

For example, the Sea of ​​Compassion once had a special secret place in ancient times.

Only fourth-level cultivators can enter it, and like the Vast Ocean Secret Realm, they can meet cultivators from other domains inside.

However, it was suddenly closed for some unknown reason and has never been opened since.

Those cultivators who entered it back then have naturally disappeared without a trace.

For example, there are records about the Wu tribe.

Both ancient texts mention that the Wu tribe was divided into many different tribes.

Besides the four relatively well-known witch tribes: the Sea Witch Clan, the Thunder Witch Clan, the Moon Witch Clan, and the Beast Witch Clan.

There once existed a tribe called the Blood Witch Clan.

However, it is similar to the demonic path on the human side, which is not recognized by outsiders and is also resisted by other witch tribes.

Therefore, it never developed and gradually disappeared under pressure from all sides.

However, a long time ago, a special rumor circulated.

It is said that it was precisely because the Blood Witch Clan broke into smaller groups that they were able to escape the large-scale encirclement and annihilation by the human race by chance, and instead recuperate in the shadows.

It also mentions many evil cultivators who practice the path of blood or some demonic cultivators who like blood sacrifice.

They might all be involved with, or at least related to, the Blood Witch Clan. "The Blood Witch Clan?"

As Xiao Chen looked at the intelligence report, he suddenly remembered the mirage he had seen on his way to Tingtao Sea.

He could now reasonably suspect that some Wu tribes still exist near the Sea of ​​Compassion and have survived to this day.

However, it is still uncertain whether it is the Blood Witch Clan.

After all, the only group Xiao Chen was relatively familiar with was the Moon Witch Clan, but unfortunately, what he saw back then was not the Moon Witch Tribe.

It couldn't possibly be the Moon Witch Tribe, otherwise they would have sent people to welcome their Holy Maiden long ago.

Instead of not having a single contact for hundreds of years.

"Well, since you've remembered it again, I'll remind Pudu Temple before I leave."

Xiao Chen didn't care about it: "It's just a hidden witch tribe, nothing serious."

He was still more interested in the remaining ancient secrets or rare information.

Right on the top floor, he saw a short record about the other domains.

It was a cultivation experience, but due to the passage of time and the fact that it was an excerpt, its source is no longer verifiable.

The most crucial part is a short recollection that mainly talks about two things.

The first thing to do is, when searching for spiritual herbs in the secret realm, if you encounter cultivators from the Central Region, it is best to leave immediately and not compete with them.

The cultivators from the Central Region are all domineering and look down on the cultivators from the other regions.

However, under normal circumstances, as long as they are willing to back down, they will not cause trouble even if they have a numerical advantage.

Therefore, it's best to avoid conflict if possible.

The second thing is also related to the secret realm.

If you find that the person you encounter is a cultivator from the Western Regions, you should quickly try to determine whether they are a heretical or evil cultivator by observing their appearance.

There is a small number of cultivators there who possess unorthodox or even heretical methods such as Gu worms or corpse refining.

Their methods are incredibly bizarre and ruthless, completely different from ordinary approaches, making them almost impossible to defend against.

If you encounter someone like this, you must be extra careful and take precautions.

If you discover that he may be hostile, it is best to strike first and nip the danger in the bud.

Never show mercy or compassion, or you might end up dying yourself.

"Oh?"

Upon seeing this, Xiao Chen couldn't help but feel a sense of curiosity and wariness: "Interesting, is he actually a Gu cultivator?"

"By the way, would Gu worms be considered a negative status effect?"

"Since it's a live insect, it shouldn't count, right?"

"Or perhaps it only blocks the toxins carried by insect-like worms, but doesn't affect the worms themselves?"

Xiao Chen felt that the Divine Blessing Veil could most likely only cover up the negative effects, but could not directly eliminate the Gu worms themselves.

In that case, if a Gu worm were to pounce on you and tear your flesh apart, it would be difficult to handle, and you would have to be careful.

"Hey, that's not right!"

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Xiao Chen's mind: "I'm a body cultivator, what am I afraid of?"

"Most insects should not pose a threat to body cultivators."

"Therefore, we really need to push forward with the path of physical cultivation as soon as possible."

In fact, Xiao Chen had already prepared the fourth-tier martial arts and sword techniques from the Tiangang Sect.

However, he has never been able to free up time for breakthroughs, nor has he deliberately collected spiritual items for breaking through to higher levels as he did before.

As a result, he still can't gather a second set of spiritual items that can help him achieve a stable breakthrough.

Despite the enhancement of the malevolent energy and the concentration of vital energy, Xiao Chen's success rate in directly breaking through is now quite high, at least 50% to 60%.

However, this probability is obviously a bit low for him.

"I've been busy dealing with the sea creatures lately and haven't had a chance to stop and properly sort out our next action plan."

When Xiao Chen reviewed the situation last time, he was still preoccupied with how to collect the evil energy.

It all happened four years ago.

"Let me think, what were we supposed to do back then?"

Xiao Chen thought for a moment and said, "I remember now. First, I broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, then I helped deal with Su Li's curse, and finally I went to eradicate the Yin Corpse Sect."

The first goal has now been achieved.

However, the second goal may be a bit difficult.

Su Li's situation is far more complicated than Xiao Chen initially thought; at least at the Nascent Soul stage, it's probably beyond his control.

"Well, it's alright. Luckily, she's still young and should live for many more years."

Xiao Chen was still confident about his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage: "I'll deal with the matter of the Lunar Eclipse Curse after I reach the Nascent Soul stage."

"Let's skip this step for now and fast forward to eradicating the Yin Corpse Sect."

In retrospect, the Yin Corpse Sect was quite lucky.

Before Xiao Chen could break through, he encountered the invasion of the Compassionate Sea by the sea race, so he stayed there for a long time.

Otherwise, the Big Dipper Spirit Fire, the enhanced array-breaking cone, and the mechanical grappling hook should all have been used to deal with the Yin Corpse Sect.

Of course, strictly speaking, the Yin Corpse Sect was the first enemy to face the mechanical claw.

However, Xiao Chen did it cleverly enough, and there were no Nascent Soul cultivators around, so no one noticed.

"Let me think, what else is important besides this?"

Xiao Chen carefully considered the matter: "The first thing to do is to go to Thousand Machine Valley and Cangming Immortal Sect to borrow their scripture collections."

"Then, as we agreed before, we'll go with everyone to the southeast to investigate the strange phenomena in the heavens and earth. We can try our luck there."

"Then, at the peace conference, it was decided to hold a large-scale auction next October."

"It would be best to participate in this as well; you might come across something useful."

"Judging by the time, my fully fused magical artifact should be almost finished. I'll have to take some time to go there in between."

"Thinking about it this way, it seems like it's been a long time since I've been back to Silent Island."

"Tsk, I really miss the Blood Crystal."

"Remember to buy some Golden Silk Glass Pastries on your way back."

Xiao Chen roughly estimated the time it would take to handle these matters: "Just the round trip plus borrowing the scriptures from the library will take almost a month."

"Add to that taking some time to go back to Ji'e Island and check on the fully fused magical artifact. It will take about half a year to finish both of these things."

"If we go to the Storm Sea to settle accounts, we might miss the auction."

Since he was going back, Xiao Chen definitely wanted to deal not only with the Yin Corpse Sect, but also with the Jin family of the Ten Thousand Immortals Islands and the three major families of the Pure Sky Sea.

Moreover, it would be best to wipe them out in one fell swoop with overwhelming force, so as not to give the latter two any time to escape.

To put it bluntly, it's either not to go back to avoid alerting the enemy, or to go back and not give them any chance to catch their breath.

"So from this perspective, I'd better stay here for about a year to sort out all the trivial matters before leaving."

Xiao Chen recalculated from beginning to end: "So in the next year, apart from the previous few things, it's about collecting spiritual items to prepare for the breakthrough."

"Then we'll attend the grand auction and explore the strange phenomena of heaven and earth together."

"Then, depending on the preparation of the spiritual artifacts at that time, you can choose whether to break through to the path of body cultivation or return directly to the Storm Sea."

"And in this way, I won't need to worry about the Ocean of Compassion anymore."

"I feel that this time arrangement is the best. After the cleanup is finished, we can go to the Vast Ocean Secret Realm again."

I had heard long ago that you could encounter cultivators from other realms there.

To be honest, Xiao Chen was a little excited, wanting to see for himself whether the cultivators from the other domains would be any different.

Especially just now, he also witnessed the existence of special Gu cultivators and corpse refiners in the Western Regions.

What about the Central Region and the Northern Region?
Could there be completely different cultivation paths?

If so, what would it be?

Xiao Chen's feelings at this moment can be described in one sentence: The world is so big, he wants to see it.

In any case, given his current status as a Nascent Soul True Monarch, coupled with the special circumstances that all the Nascent Soul Venerables in this world are hiding in the Three Mountains Cave Heaven, he should have a certain level of protection wherever he goes.

But speaking of it.

Even in the Sutra Repository of Pudu Temple, there was no explanation of why the Venerable Transformation Gods gathered together in the Three Mountains Grotto Heaven.

This made Xiao Chen even more curious about what secrets the Three Mountains Cave Heaven held.

Heaven knows what good things are inside that could so firmly attract so many Nascent Soul cultivators from this realm.

"Yes, I'll go inside and find out sooner or later!"

Thinking of this, Xiao Chen added another goal to his list: "Next, I also need to keep an eye on the Boundary Breaking Stone."

He already has one; if he gets one more, he can be sure he can return freely after going there.

However, putting this into practice might not be so easy.

Because Xiao Chen has not yet seen a reliable method for obtaining Boundary-Breaking Stones in any ancient book.

Even the occasional snippets of information related to the Boundary-Breaking Stone.

It could be either due to its antiquity or its direct connection to the Three Mountains Grotto Heaven.

It seems that the Boundary-Breaking Stone is also a special kind of spiritual object from heaven and earth, which can only be obtained through luck.

"Hmm, thinking about it carefully, this matter isn't really in a hurry. It shouldn't be too late to study it after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage."

To be honest, after experiencing the decisive battle at Pudu Temple, Xiao Chen realized that the Nascent Soul Venerable might be skilled in divine sense techniques.

He became less inclined to interact with the Nascent Soul Venerable.

They didn't even really want to go and take a look at the Three Mountains Cave Heaven anymore.

As the saying goes, a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall.

Knowing that there was more than one Nascent Soul cultivator inside the Three Mountains Grotto-Heaven, he naturally didn't want to go in and risk his life.

"Forget it, why think that far ahead? Let's just focus on getting this year done according to plan."

Xiao Chen made up his mind: "As for the Boundary-Breaking Stone, I'll leave it to luck."

"If we can meet them early on, we should visit the Three Mountains Cave Heaven and broaden our horizons."

"If you don't meet him, don't bother looking for him. Just focus on other important things."

(End of this chapter)