Promise!

Chapter 312, Hidden

'The Great Qian royal family possesses the Xuanyuan Sword, bound to their bloodline, a sword of emperors, unparalleled in its killing power; the Shi clan possesses the Kunlun Mirror, which, when combined with the Shi family's techniques and the sacrifices of its members, can shorten a person's lifespan; the Gongshu clan possesses the Azure Dragon Mechanical Beast, whose peak power rivals that of a Pure Yang Realm cultivator at the third level of the Yang God Realm or a Mixed Yuan Realm beast at the Great Vajra Realm, but requires a pilot of sufficient strength and the Spirit Source Red Crystal.'

Hearing this, Zhuang Jin felt a sense of unease: 'Although these have various limitations, it's enough to show the profound foundation of these powerful clans. In truth, they are no less powerful than me, and perhaps even stronger.'

Fortunately, after breaking through to the Yang God realm, I didn't become arrogant and test my abilities with my own body.

This gave him a sense of relief, but also strengthened his resolve to conceal himself and confirm that his current path was correct: 'If it weren't for this mysterious gathering, the deal with Xuan Yuan Ni Huang that revealed the various clans' secrets, I would have had to risk my life to succeed, not to mention the gain of Yang God resources.'

Both Zhuang Jin and Xuan Yuan Nihuang felt the transaction was worthwhile and were satisfied with each other.

Next, it was Shangguan Yunchang's turn to purchase spirit pearls. She was interested in any type of spirit pearl, including those related to Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and the Three Powers. She said that any specific requirements could be discussed in detail, and that she could provide items at the Yang God level.

This was naturally for Zhuang Jin's sake. As Zhuang Jin's true form, it was not appropriate for her to bring this up, but it was fine for her, which could be considered a tacit understanding between the two.

Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Nihuang glanced over and said, 'To be able to provide items at the Yang God level, could this person also be from a powerful clan? But what use is this spirit pearl?'

Meng Duangui tentatively asked if there were any items that could help one break through to the Yang God realm.

The gift this person gave Zhuang Jin when they first met was a Water Spirit Pearl. Naturally, he also had other spirit pearls in his possession, not just one, but five of them: gold, water, fire, earth, and ice. When he heard Shangguan Yunchang say that there was a secret technique to help him break through the Yang Mystic Technique, he was immediately excited.

Originally, he knew that Zhuang Jin needed spirit pearls and wanted to use them to control Zhuang Jin. But now that he had the help to break through the Yang Secret Technique, Zhuang Jin was no longer important, so he also requested a separate exchange.

In the end, Meng Duangui paid a certain amount of spiritual energy points to authenticate the "Revolution of Life and Death" as genuine. They agreed that after the five spiritual pearls returned, they would be sacrificed for transit, and at that time, they would exchange the secret method stored there.

And so another deal was struck.

Originally, Zhuang Jin obtained six spirit orbs from Yuwen Shentong, with two extra wind spirit orbs and thunder spirit orbs. Now, with five more, he has seven spirit orbs again, completing most of a set.

Then there's Xuanyuan Nihuang. As the representative chosen by the royal family, she has access to all kinds of resources without having to rely on outsiders. If there's anything that truly moves her, it's only spiritual energy.

However, that requires a large amount of psionic points and the favor of the 'Spirit Lord'.

As for psionic points, since this is our first time entering the gathering, each of us only has a small amount. The value of these points is unclear, and we can also obtain them by developing our own followers. I am seeking the favor of the 'Spirit Lord' and plan to try developing more followers to see if I can meet his needs.

These two didn't really need to trade, so they didn't speak and skipped over her.

Next, it was Meng Duangui's turn. After obtaining the secret method to assist in breaking through to the Yang God realm, he asked if there were any treasures that could help him break through to the Yang God realm. As he spoke, he looked at Zhuang Jin, the true form of the Yang God.

Zhuang Jin naturally had what this person needed. He still had a lot of the 'Phoenix Nirvana Blood' he had traded before. He could refine it into his body or force it out and use it. However, this person's value had been squeezed dry for the time being, and there was nothing to trade. Taking out this item would easily expose his identity, so he did not speak up.

Seeing that Zhuang Jin remained unmoved, he felt a pang of regret, but he could only skip over it.

Afterwards, Shi Yaotang sought to resolve the hidden dangers within his own body. The only thing he could offer was the spiritual energy points he had accumulated from participating in the gathering, which was the 'seed of Yang God power' from his ancestor.

The difference in value between them was enormous. Neither Zhuang Jin, who had the ability to resolve the issue directly, nor Xuan Yuan Nihuang, who could resolve it indirectly, spoke up.

Finally, there's Ye Fan. He's only at the Nascent Soul stage now, and he wants to use spiritual energy points to obtain the Innate True Qi chapter of his own cultivation technique. If that's not enough, the Innate Secrets will suffice.

Everyone else had spoken about the Yang Shen level, but when it was his turn to speak, he only asked for the Innate level cultivation method. To be honest, it did lower his prestige a bit.

Zhuang Jin was slightly dazed upon hearing this, and then suddenly realized that even in Yong'an, the capital, innate information was blocked and extremely precious to low-level rogue martial artists.

Based on the ideas that "even a mosquito is still meat," "this matter is beneficial without cost," and "since we were all among the first to be selected to enter the mysterious gathering, I might as well do you a favor," Xuan Yuan Nihuang agreed to use her pitiful amount of spiritual energy points to tell you the secrets of the innate realm, and promised to give you a cultivation technique that leads directly to the Yin God in the third realm of the innate realm when she returned.

She also gained something unexpected from this transaction. Ye Fan probably felt bad about it, so he added a piece of information about a possible immortal relic treasure.

After everyone took turns going around, the mysterious gathering did not end, followed by a short chat.

What's particularly interesting is that Xuan Yuan Nihuang, a member of the royal family, recounts the actions of some powerful clans and aristocratic families; while Meng Duangui, a member of an aristocratic family, describes some royal and court policies.

These are clearly all concealing their identities.

However, from Zhuang Jin's God-like perspective, with everything laid out before him, the feeling was quite unique.

Zhuang Jinyang, the original deity, and Shangguan Yunchang also shared some stories about pioneering the land.

Shi Yaotang was confined to his clan, but through these casual conversations, he learned some things about the outside world.

Ye Fan, however, saw business opportunities and chances to profit from these high-level movements and information. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "This is the world of connections! Even if the seniors don't intentionally mentor me, just by overhearing some information, a martial artist like me can make a fortune."

He now deeply realizes that this mysterious gathering is a tremendous opportunity for him.

Just then, Zhuang Jin suddenly controlled the 'Spirit Master' clone to speak: "Speaking of Songling, there is a very interesting little thing in the deepest part of there."

His mind merged with the origin of space, and in his Creator state, he could sense that some powerful being was lurking in the center of the red zone deepest in Songling.

The fact that the 'Spirit Lord' rarely spoke naturally drew everyone's attention. What he... no, what He called a 'very interesting little gadget' was probably a major crisis for them.

Xuanyuan Nihuang was already pondering whether she could use this point to trick the other four clans;

Meng Duangui was planning to avoid the Songling reclamation project if possible in order to protect himself.
Shi Yaotang cursed inwardly, hoping that this time, his ancestor would die... no, suffer a severe injury;
Ye Fan became even more determined not to enter Songling for the time being, but to use the information gap in the capital to seize business opportunities and earn resources.

With everyone harboring their own thoughts, the mysterious gathering came to an end with the announcement by Zhuang Jin's 'Spirit Master' avatar.

……

Yong'an, the capital city, the first ring road, the imperial palace.

After the mysterious gathering ended and her consciousness returned, Xuan Yuan Ni Huang immediately went to find the last remaining member of the royal family, the Yang God Ancestor who was in seclusion—Xuan Yuan Nan Shan.

After making a couple of probing attempts, and the 'Spirit Master' did not stop her, she revealed the details of the mysterious gatherings she had previously participated in.

Originally, when Xuan Yuan Nanshan first heard about it, he had the same thought as Xuan Yuan Nihuang: that some lucky person who obtained the opportunity from the immortal ruins was playing tricks. However, upon hearing that a single glance could suppress the Yang God, his expression became slightly solemn, but he still did not quite believe it and suspected that it was some kind of mystification.

Only after hearing that the creation of things from the void was not something that a Yang God could do did he become solemn, but he still had some doubts and thought it was some kind of unknown means.
Finally learning the three-part name—a traveler from beyond the heavens, a person of limitless destiny, and the controller of the spiritual realm—Xuanyuan Nihuang silently recited it and sensed the connection, finally becoming completely convinced, then turning to horror. Just as Zhuang Jin had thought, even Xuanyuan Nanshan, the Yang God Ancestor, was frightened and completely fooled upon hearing it.

“Ancestor, according to my speculation, that ‘Spirit Lord’ was sealed away by that immortal eight hundred years ago. The earthquake at the end of last year may have caused a problem with the seal, thus leaking its influence and gradually reviving.”

Xuanyuan Nihuang revealed her guess.

Xuanyuan Nanshan nodded in agreement, successfully swayed: "That's probably true. Tell me the whole story in more detail."

“Psionic points…spiritual energy…”

"Wait, what did you say? Spiritual energy?!"

Xuanyuan Nanshan's beard was almost pulled off. He was moved and listened patiently before making a decision: "Spiritual energy requires spiritual energy points, and... the favor of that person. Now let's try to attract believers and pray for them."

The Great Qian royal family is not what it used to be, but the resources they can mobilize are still extremely terrifying. They quickly found a hundred people, ranging from ordinary people to those at the Great Realm of Qi Condensation, then to those at the Great Realm of Innate, and even a Yin God martial artist, who chanted their names.

Xuanyuan Nanshan clearly sensed that an invisible connection was formed when these names were recited. After confirming this, his eyes trembled slightly, and a sense of relief arose in his heart.

Fortunately, I didn't disbelieve in superstitions and rashly try it myself.

As the only Yang God Ancestor in the royal family, he naturally could not establish contact with such an unknown being; otherwise, any unexpected event would be a catastrophe.

Afterwards, Xuan Yuan Nanshan and Xuan Yuan Nihuang carefully observed and discovered that the excess and scattered spiritual energy of these people who prayed was absorbed through an invisible channel, which increased their spiritual energy points.

In comparison, martial artists, especially those at higher levels, benefit the most. The spiritual energy points provided by ordinary people are negligible and can only be accumulated gradually, like grains of sand forming a tower or small contributions making a whole.

After that, Xuanyuan Nihuang recited the name of the sacrifice and transferred the promised Yang God resources before the transaction. Some of these resources were deliberately marked and then excluded.

This can be considered an implicit warning.

Seeing this, both Xuan Yuan Nanshan and Xuan Yuan Nihuang remained silent. After a moment, Xuan Yuan Nihuang changed the subject and talked about the information about the transaction with Zhuang Jin himself.

"At the end of last year... he died suddenly... using divine means..."

Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Nanshan was not surprised: "I saw the late emperor's body before. The cause of his sudden death was that his Yang spirit essence was brutally extracted from his body..."

He sensed something, but was so frightened that he dared not investigate further.

After learning the truth from Zhuang Jin, Yuwen Shentong hinted that his aim was to bring the royal family and the other three clans together to share the burden.

Upon learning this, the five major clans were worried, but they quickly realized that the methods left behind by the immortals, such as the spirit in the Suspended Mirror, probably had some kind of rule or restriction set up, and could not be used recklessly.

This gave them some comfort, but it also left them feeling deeply uneasy. This time, the reclamation of Songling was a test of their limits.

It was precisely for this reason that the five major clans anticipated the unexpected events during the land reclamation and made preparations in advance.

"The Spirit Lord said that there might be something deep within Songling..."

As Xuanyuan Nihuang spoke, she said, "What a pity."

It's a pity that we can't use this as a pretext to trap the other four valves as well.

Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Nanshan shook his head: "Now, our royal family needs a common external enemy."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Xuan Yuan Nihuang understood that this common external enemy could be a method left behind by that immortal, or, if necessary, the 'Spirit Lord'.

For this purpose, Xuanyuan Nanshan decided to retain Xuanyuan Nihuang as a channel to help that 'Spirit Lord' win over believers, and cooperate temporarily.

Back in the reign of Emperor Qianyuan, the royal family held absolute power and could not tolerate the existence of any uncontrollable factors. But things are different now. The royal family is weak and insecure, and even the Yuwen clan, with whom they cooperate, may not be honest. Not to mention the Shi, Mu, and Gongshu clans, who are all eyeing them covetously. There are also hidden methods left behind by immortals...

Having too much debt doesn't bother you, having too many lice doesn't make you itch, and the royal family doesn't care about having another mysterious 'spiritual master'. In a critical moment, it might even introduce a check and balance.

……

Star-catching tower.

When Shangguan Yunchang regained consciousness, Zhuang Jin did not hide anything and came over to tell her about the various changes in the Holy Spirit Pearl.

"Since my husband is capable of this, can others replicate it, thereby exposing the problem?" Shangguan Yunchang asked, filling in the gaps in her understanding.

The Holy Spirit Pearl had appeared before Zhuang Jin, otherwise how would he have recognized it?

However, the Holy Spirit Pearl, which transcends the ten types of spiritual pearls of Yin and Yang, Five Elements, Three Powers, and so on, does not naturally form in strange places like other spiritual pearls. The only recorded source of the Holy Spirit Pearl is the Immortal Ruins.

"The rarity of the Holy Spirit Pearl goes without saying. It is only possible to find it in the ruins of immortals of medium or higher grade. There are only two or three recorded in history. Even so, if you obtain the Holy Spirit Pearl and collect and devour all ten kinds of spirit pearls, what you will create is nothing more than a dead space."

To replicate Zhuang Jin's path, one must first devour the 'Void Realm Stone,' which is as rare as, or even more precious than, the Holy Spirit Pearl.

Before Xiao Linye, there was no record of a treasure like the 'Void Realm Stone' in a prestigious family like the Shangguan family. It seems that this item was left behind by that immortal to assist in the cultivation of the 'Nine-Nine Qiankun Technique'.

Even if one were to gather the Holy Spirit Pearl, the Void Stone, and the ten kinds of Spirit Pearls, there would still be other requirements to achieve the transformation that Zhuang Jin had.

To reach the Yangshen realm, one's soul must exhibit spiritual illumination characteristics. Furthermore, one must possess a soul far exceeding that of ordinary people, like Zhuang Jin, capable of supporting the status of a creator. One's innate soul must be at least 70-80% stronger than that of ordinary people.

—In this respect, the second and third realms of Yang Shen are indeed of higher spiritual essence than the first realm, but they have not undergone a complete qualitative change or sublimation. They are also inferior in quantity and are therefore not good enough.

Furthermore, one would need a similar nightmare-like supernatural power. With all these factors combined, and by simultaneously fulfilling these already extremely low-probability conditions, replicating Zhuang Jin's path would become virtually impossible.

……

(End of this chapter)