Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 478 The Mad Whitebeard and the Bewildered Pudu Temple

Before we knew it, the first month of the lunar calendar had arrived.

Most cultivators, especially lower-level cultivators, are enjoying this annual festival.

However, in the sea between Yunchi Sea and Zhanlong Sea, several Golden Core cultivators have been acting strangely.

They arrived from different directions and gradually gathered together.

They even specifically chose a cave on a small, deserted island as their meeting place.

The first person waiting inside the cave was a Golden Core cultivator at the Great Perfection stage, who held a white whisk and wore a black iron mask to conceal his true appearance.

The second person to arrive was a young man dressed in a scholar's robe, carrying a paper fan in the dead of winter.

Then came a late-stage Golden Core cultivator who was completely wrapped in black cloth and wearing a bamboo hat.

Finally, a female cultivator in green robes arrived, with a sword at her waist and her head covered by a veil.

She had just arrived at the back of the cave when she looked around with slight surprise: "Wow, you called so many people over at once?"

"Brother Bai, what big deal are you up to this time?"

That's right, the Golden Core cultivator who first summoned everyone to this place was none other than Whitebeard, the Tribulation Cultivator with the highest bounty in the entire Storm Sea.

The other three.

The order is: sixth is the pale-faced scholar, fifth is the ruthless boatman, and third is the green-clad swift swordsman.

Outsiders might assume that they are all lone cultivators who have no contact with each other.

But in reality, not all cultivators are lone wolves.

At least they cooperated quite a bit to hunt down sect cultivators who were more difficult to deal with, but who also brought greater rewards upon success.

There was even one other person in this small circle, namely Ghost Face Green, who was ranked tenth.

But that guy was unlucky. He secretly went to the Sea of ​​No Light to have some fun, but he was caught red-handed by the enraged Yin Corpse Sect and died on the spot.

"Haha, I've received an absolutely reliable message."

A rough, abrasive voice came from beneath the white-bearded man's black iron mask: "It concerns the whereabouts of at least four Boundary-Breaking Stones!"

"We're all old friends, so I don't need to go over the rules."

"The specific information is all here. Take it if you want to see it."

As he spoke, he took out a telepathic flying sword and placed it in front of him.

The other three people widened their eyes upon hearing this.

These individuals were unlike ordinary Golden Core cultivators; they all knew about the Three Mountains Grotto-Heavens and the existence of the Boundary-Breaking Stone.

As an essential consumable for entering and exiting the cave, this thing has always been highly valuable since ancient times.

In special times, such opportunities are priceless.

Let alone for them, a group of Golden Core cultivators, even for Nascent Soul True Monarchs, it would be considered a priceless treasure.

Therefore, after hearing that it concerned at least four boundary-breaking stones...

They immediately understood why Whitebeard had rushed to summon everyone at this time.

How could I not be anxious!

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, unlike any other business transaction.

If we miss this chance, who knows how many centuries we might have to wait to experience it again?

Qingyi Kuaijian immediately stepped forward and picked up the sound transmission flying sword.

However, after learning the specifics, her expression immediately changed.

Then her lips moved slightly, but no sound came out. Instead, she handed the sound-transmitting flying sword to the pale-faced scholar next to her.

Seeing her strange reaction, the pale-faced scholar suddenly became curious.

However, when he learned of the situation, he was stunned and speechless for a moment.

"What's wrong with you guys today? You seem a bit strange?"

The unscrupulous boatman glanced at them curiously and then reached out to take the telepathic flying sword.

His expression immediately changed drastically, and he exclaimed in shock, "What? Brother Bai, are you crazy?!"

"Are you really planning to harm the disciples of Pudu Temple?"

The unscrupulous boatman paced back and forth a couple of times, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

Unable to resist, he continued, "If we mess with these little bald monks, won't those old bald monks dig three feet into the ground to avenge them?"

"Even if we manage to evade the search, we'll probably have to lay low for several years."

"Why don't we just rob those rogue cultivators? We can kill them as much as we want and no one will care. Why do something so dangerous all of a sudden?"

"This is clearly a risky and unprofitable endeavor, why bother going through all that trouble?"

Whitebeard looked at the rambling, unscrupulous boatman in front of him and a murderous intent immediately arose in his heart, but he quickly suppressed it.

According to the information he received.

Both messengers sent by Pudu Temple this time possessed late-stage Golden Core cultivation.

Considering their powerful backgrounds, and the fact that almost all Golden Arhats are treated as body cultivators.

To deal with them, we need to find more skilled fighters and rely on our numerical advantage to achieve a swift victory.

If the fight starts and drags on for too long, allowing reinforcements to arrive, then it will be these cultivators who suffer the consequences.

Given the gravity of the matter, hiring someone from outside at the last minute is likely to be even less reliable.

It's not advisable to directly confront the unscrupulous boatman yet; we should try to persuade him to join us in taking action first.

Thinking of this, Whitebeard adjusted his mindset slightly.

Then he laughed three more times: "Hahaha, they say the older you get in the martial arts world, the more timid you become. I didn't believe it before."

"I never expected that the once fearless and ruthless boatmen would now be so hesitant and timid in their actions."

"If you're afraid of risks, then don't do this kind of work where you're constantly putting your head on the line."

"It would be so much better to rent two acres of spirit fields outside Baicao City and become a spirit farmer in peace. If anything happens, we can just hide in the city nearby, which is the safest option."

Upon hearing this, the unscrupulous boatman immediately felt insulted.

He immediately retorted loudly, "What utter bullshit!"

"Back when I was on the spirit boat, I met a true disciple of the Five Thunder Temple and treated him to noodles."

"If I'm a coward, then there's no one brave in the Storm Sea!"

He was about to continue explaining, but then he felt something was off.

Firstly, he has indeed rarely attacked disciples of major sects in the past two years, and has mostly been searching for lone rogue cultivators.

After all, the two are vastly different in their combat abilities, and the troubles that follow are on completely different levels.

Secondly, if he continues to argue about the risks of robbing and killing disciples of Pudu Temple, wouldn't it just make things worse and make him seem like he has changed?

So the unscrupulous boatman simply snorted, "Hmph, you idiot, what do you think?"

"And Sister Qing, do you guys think this business is viable?"

“If you say yes, then I, Lao Hei, will not utter a single cowardly word.”

"Let's just fuck them!"

Upon hearing the unscrupulous boatman's question, the pale-faced scholar frowned slightly.

This guy heard the term "bookworm" one day and has been calling him that ever since.

This always made him feel very annoyed, and he secretly thought to himself: I think you're the idiot, a complete fool!
"Sigh~, such a big matter is really hard for me, a woman, to handle."

The man in green robes with a swift sword also spoke up, asking, "Scholar, what's your opinion?"

Although she has killed many people in her spare time, she doesn't mind calling herself a woman and pretending to be weak when necessary.

"Sister Qing, please don't make fun of me."

The pale-faced scholar waved his hand, lowered his head to think for a moment, and carefully spoke: "Actually, I also think this is a bit risky."

“Boundary-Breaking Stones are certainly very precious, let alone four of them.”

"However, the difficulty and consequences of ambush and kill disciples of Pudu Temple are also quite great."

"All things considered, it doesn't feel like a very profitable deal."

"Of course, my thoughts may not be comprehensive enough in this haste. Let's hear what Brother Bai has to say."

“I believe that Brother Bai must have his reasons for having this idea.”

As soon as he finished speaking, all three of them turned their gazes to Whitebeard, waiting for him to give a reasonable explanation.

Although they are all Tribulation Cultivators, they are different from ordinary Tribulation Cultivators who only think about making a big deal.

Even after learning about the precious spiritual items, people not only focus on whether they are alive to obtain them, but also on whether they are alive to spend them.

"Since everyone is curious, I'll say a few more words."

Seeing this, Whitebeard had no choice but to explain, "I can't go into too much detail, but in short, a major client urgently needs a Boundary-Breaking Stone."

"He wants a large quantity, and he's asking for a higher price."

"Add this amount to the normal market rate!"

As he spoke, he extended his index and middle fingers and gently shook them: "This isn't the total price, it's two million spirit stones added to each piece."

"He also promised me that he could help me get a batch of top-grade True Essence Gathering Pills with three patterns."

"In other words, as long as we get the Breakthrough Stone, we can not only make a move immediately and exchange it for a large sum of spirit stones to share, but we can also each get a top-grade Breakthrough Spirit Pill."

Generally speaking, a boundary-breaking stone can be worth anywhere from a million to several million depending on market conditions.

Of course, this is just a convenient reference for calculation; most of the time, people will directly exchange it for an equivalent fourth-tier spirit item.

Given this, it's not surprising that one could obtain a True Essence Gathering Pill with three patterns in exchange.

Actually, for them, getting a regular breakthrough pill wasn't a big problem at all.

After all, there are quite a few third-tier alchemists who will work as long as they have money.

However, it is extremely difficult to invite a fourth-level alchemist to refine a top-tier breakthrough elixir with pill patterns.

Firstly, fourth-level alchemists hold a high status and are often difficult to persuade.

Secondly, they are wanted criminals and dare not show their faces in public.

Therefore, upon hearing such favorable terms, all three were immediately tempted.

"Brother Bai, is this big client of yours reliable?"

The man in green robes with the swift sword couldn't help but ask, "Don't try to fool us later."

With an extra two million spirit stones for each boundary-breaking stone, it means that after they split it equally, each person will receive more than two million spirit stones.

What does this amount of money represent?

You should know that a typical disciple of a major sect would only carry around two or three hundred thousand spirit stones.

Moreover, they wouldn't dare to rob and kill disciples of major sects every day.

To put it bluntly, the profits from this single job, just from the Boundary-Breaking Stone, are equivalent to dozens of other trips. And if you also consider the golden-bodied Arhat who emerged from the Three Mountains Grotto-Heavens, who knows what other rare spiritual items might be hidden in his storage ring—the profits are simply unimaginable!

"Of course you can rely on them!"

Whitebeard replied almost without hesitation: "The specifics must be kept secret, but I can guarantee that they won't mess things up over there."

This wasn't the first time these people had worked together.

Seeing that things had come to this point, Qingyi Kuaijian immediately agreed: "In that case, I will follow Brother Bai's arrangements for the next few days."

The pale-faced scholar hesitated for a moment.

But after a brief moment of thought, he agreed: "It does seem like a good deal. At worst, we can hide it for a few more years after this trip."

Upon hearing this, the unscrupulous boatman shouted in agreement, "Alright, let's do it then!"

"They're just disciples of Pudu Temple. This isn't the first time I've ripped off monks."

In fact, he had only robbed ordinary Buddhist disciples, but no one would delve into such matters.

Seeing that the three had agreed, Whitebeard immediately took the lead in finalizing the specific action plan.

He took out a large nautical chart and unfolded it: "I've already decided on the time and place to take action."

"Let's each prepare what we need on the island first, and then in six hours we'll take the spirit shuttle to the area between the Dragon Slayer Sea and the Wind-Stopping Sea to guard it."

"Qingmei and the scholar will guard the left side, and the two of us will guard the right side."

"As soon as you see a spirit boat bearing the banner of Pudu Temple approaching, contact them immediately and take them out together."

“I’ve calculated it all. It will take at least half an hour for the nearest Divine Sword Pavilion to arrive after receiving the news.”

"As long as we can resolve this within 15 minutes, even if a Nascent Soul True Monarch comes, he won't be able to pursue us."

To be fair, his battle plan was somewhat rudimentary.

However, often the simpler something is, the less likely it is to go wrong. The simpler the plan, the less likely it is to deviate from its intended course.

The four men each memorized the nautical chart and its location.

Then they immediately began to busy themselves on the island, hastily making some talismans and elixirs for battle.

I also took the opportunity to review my spells and calm myself down.

They then rode the Lingshuo ahead of the messenger from Pudu Temple and ambushed him on his way.

Begin to patiently wait for the prey to arrive.

On the other hand, ever since the Void King ordered that they bear the cost of the boundary-breaking stones to invite Xiao Chen to the temple for a chat.

The disciples quickly selected two golden-bodied Arhats with the cultivation of the Great Perfection of the Golden Core realm to act as messengers.

They will carry the invitation and the Boundary-Breaking Stone to the Storm Sea to invite people.

Actually, there wasn't anything wrong with this arrangement.

After all, this is just a messenger job; it's not like we need to send the Fourth-Rank Zen Master to do such a trivial errand.

In some respects, sending golden Arhats would appear more moderate and more in line with the style of a powerful force.

Firstly, although Xiao Chen's cultivation level was not high, his strength was already quite high.

If a fourth-level Zen master were to bring him back with an invitation, it would seem somewhat like he was using his power to intimidate him.

Having a younger person invite someone, while the essence remains the same, will appear to be more gentle.

Secondly, Pudu Temple is a powerful force that possesses a fifth-level Mingwang (a type of deity).

They didn't want outsiders to see their Zen master personally going to invite someone, as if he were currying favor with Xiao Chen; that would be too undignified.

Things that affect one's reputation should not be discussed, even if they can be done, and certainly not known to outsiders.

In conclusion, Pudu Temple ultimately selected two golden Arhats to serve as messengers.

Carrying the Boundary-Breaking Stone with him, he went to Cloud Pool Sea to find Xiao Chen according to the pre-arranged intelligence.

However, when they arrived at Yunchi Sea, they found that Xiao Chen was no longer at Tianyin Sect, but had gone to Jinxia Sect.

So the two of them followed the same route and arrived at Jinxia Sect.

But they were only two golden-bodied Arhats after all, and even when piloting the spirit ship, their speed was quite limited.

So they arrived three days late and naturally couldn't find Xiao Chen.

They had no choice but to change their route back to the Myriad Immortal Islands, and then chased all the way to the Divine Sword Pavilion.

Clearly, they were late again, and this time they were a full four days late.

After making inquiries from various sources, they learned that Xiao Chen had later appeared at the Jade Leaf Merchant Guild in the Sea of ​​No Light.

So they continued sailing the spirit ship, preparing to head to the Sea of ​​No Light.

As a result, the two were walking on the road, reciting the Heart Sutra and chanting Buddhist scriptures, when they were suddenly robbed by bandits.

They naturally fought to the death, while also seeking help from nearby righteous sects.

Unfortunately, the group that made the move this time was arguably the most powerful group of cultivators in the Storm Sea.

Even though they both had Buddhist treasures issued by Pudu Temple for protection, and were also skilled in martial arts and physically strong.

However, two fists cannot fight four hands in the end, and it was quickly defeated after only a quarter of an hour under the siege.

Ultimately, his golden body was shattered, and his storage ring was stolen.

When Lieque Zhenjun of the Divine Sword Pavilion received the message and rushed to the scene, the cultivator who had made the move had already fled.

There were no cultivators left within a radius of several thousand miles.

In this respect, Whitebeard and his crew were truly professionals, each of them having experienced being hunted by a Nascent Soul True Monarch more than once.

Needless to say, their bounties subsequently increased significantly.

The key issue is that the invitation and the boundary-breaking stone that were originally intended to be given to Xiao Chen have all disappeared.

"What did you say? Our people have been kidnapped?"

Inside the Dapudu Temple in the Three Mountains Grotto Heaven, the Zen master in charge of arranging this matter was completely stunned when he heard the relevant information.

He checked the information repeatedly in disbelief: "How could this be?"

How dare they do such a thing?

It's not that he doesn't understand that there are many tribulations in the cultivation world.

However, for many years, no disciple who acted openly and honestly in the name of Pudu Temple had encountered such a problem.

Those cultivators aren't stupid either; they might even dare to attack a Foundation Establishment stage monk.

However, when people see a golden Arhat statue, they usually choose to walk around it rather than risk breaking their teeth by trying to tackle such a tough nut to crack.

Upon learning of the situation, the monks in the temple were initially stunned, completely bewildered.

Then they all felt somewhat incredulous.

Then came righteous indignation: "This is absolutely outrageous! I think they're tired of living!"

"They dared to attack our Pudu Temple! This is clearly no ordinary cultivator who has been robbed of his power. They must be dealt with severely!"

"They actually dared to kill my third and twelfth senior brothers! I think they're beyond saving! Master, take me with you to redeem them!"

……

However, the Zen master in charge of this matter only felt a bit of a headache.

An invitation can be rewritten if it's lost, but the problem of the boundary-breaking stone is not so easy to solve.

It's not that Pudu Temple doesn't have reserves, but the problem is that doing this will not only increase costs, but also force a delay.

Most importantly, they didn't know where Xiao Chen was now, and there was no related information from the outside world.

Even if we make a new invitation and prepare the boundary-breaking stone again.

But where should we send it?
The only information we have so far is that Xiao Chen publicly promised Huo Xinghuai that he would attend the exchange meeting.

Apart from that, Pudu Temple knew nothing about his other whereabouts.

But that's where the problem lies.

The exchange meeting is scheduled to take place after spring, which is clearly not in line with the previous instructions of the Vajra King of Emptiness.

Simply put, this matter has been botched.

Despite his reluctance, he honestly reported the situation back to King Ming.

"Ambush?"

Upon hearing the news, the Void King was somewhat surprised: "Have the Calamity Cultivators of the Storm Sea become so rampant now?"

It was learned that even looking back ten thousand years, this was the first case of a golden-bodied Arhat being abducted and killed.

He was also somewhat taken aback and felt a little dazed.

Wow, what a coincidence!
Over thousands of years, many golden-bodied Arhats have died in battle, but this is the first time they have died at the hands of a cultivator.

But this rare event happened precisely on the way to deliver the invitation to Xiao Chen.

Was it an accident, or is there more to the story?

At first, Kongxing Mingwang only had some suspicions in his own mind.

However, during this time, he heard news that Xiao Chen was suspected to be a successor of the Shenji Sect, which made him even more curious about his background.

I also learned about what happened at Jingkonghai.

I increasingly suspect that this is either settling old scores or a pretext for killing under the influence of an Asura reincarnation.

Now that I've encountered this situation again, I can't help but start to overthink it.

"Didn't the intelligence say he would be attending the Hundred Herbs City Exchange Meeting?"

The Void King looked at his disciple and said, "This time, you will go there yourself and bring Xiao Chen back."

"Yes, take my Demon-Suppressing Purple Gold Bowl with you at all times."

"If you encounter any unexpected changes along the way, you should immediately use the pot to hide in for refuge, and remember to prioritize your own safety."

In the room where the Vajra of Emptiness practices, several Buddhist implements are hung.

Among them are not only the purple-gold alms bowl, but also Buddhist implements such as kasaya, wooden fish, ever-burning lamp, and prayer wheel.

Almost every Buddhist artifact imaginable to outsiders can be found here.

In addition, there are many handwritten Buddhist scriptures, all of which are posted side by side on the surrounding walls.

Although these things had not been specifically blessed by the Vajra of Emptiness, they had been with him for a long time.

It possesses far greater power than ordinary Buddhist artifacts.

Under normal circumstances, a fourth-level Zen master carrying the Demon-Suppressing Purple Gold Bowl is more than capable of protecting himself, even when facing a top-tier Nascent Soul True Monarch.

If any abnormal situation is encountered, there's no need to test it further; it's safe to conclude that there's something wrong with Xiao Chen.

"Disciple understands!"

The Zen master immediately accepted the order and respectfully bowed to the Demon-Suppressing Purple Gold Bowl.

Then he picked it up with both hands, carried it all the way out, and then put it into his storage ring.

(End of this chapter)