Yuantian Pidao

Chapter 401 The Inheritance of Illusion and Truth
Spring goes and autumn comes, and another year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Over the past year, Diancui Mountain has been making frequent moves, which has given it a certain influence within the sect. Of course, these things have nothing to do with Jiang Chen himself, as he still focuses his main energy on his own cultivation.

After a year of cultivation, his physical body has forged a six-story jade tower, entering the mid-stage of the Dao Foundation stage, while his mist dragon body has forged a nine-story jade tower, entering the late-stage of the Dao Foundation stage.

Of course, the biggest change was in the Spirit Lord. He not only successfully condensed the Crimson Divine Talisman with the help of the incense provided by the Taiping Dao Alliance and stepped into the second level, but also gained a deeper understanding of the Hundred Fruit Garden Secret Realm. The most obvious change was that the green mountain that served as the pillar had grown to a thousand feet tall and had a majestic aura.

However, on this very day, news from outside broke Jiang Chen's peace.

"Any news about the Rootless Tree?"

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow upon seeing the message Hongyu sent.

"Reporting to Young Master, the news came from the Nian family. Not long ago, a secret realm was discovered, and someone found traces of the Rootless Tree within it. However, there are many dangers in that secret realm, and the discoverer was unable to bring the Rootless Tree out."

Speaking gently, Hongyu recounted all the information in detail.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen seemed to be deep in thought.

The origin of the matter is that a secret realm appeared in the Three Crossings Mountain in the Central Region not long ago. This secret realm was originally hidden in the void, but it was only revealed to the world due to the changes in the earth's veins and the tremors of the void during this period.

After realizing the extraordinary nature of this secret realm, several nearby forces sprang into action and began vying for it. Not only Qi Refining cultivators but also Foundation Establishment cultivators were mobilized, and there were even faint traces of Purple Mansion cultivators. Later, the matter escalated so much that the Impermanence Sect intervened.

After mediation by the Impermanence Sect, the various forces were able to stop fighting and ultimately decided to jointly develop the secret realm, including the Nian family.

"The Nian family, is it the same Nian family that Master Nian He is from? What a coincidence."

As his thoughts raced, Jiang Chen recalled the True Man Nianhe he had encountered during their previous battle.

The Central Region is the base of the Impermanence Sect, and most of the forces here are related to the Impermanence Sect to some extent, such as the Nian family.

"Young master, Nian Hua, the head of the Nian family, is waiting outside. Would you like to see him?"

Seeing Jiang Chen remain silent, Hongyu asked a question.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen pondered for a moment and then nodded.

Not long after, Jiang Chen met Nianhua at Yingkelou. He looked to be in his forties, with dark skin, as if he had experienced a lot of hardships.

"Nianjia Nianhua greets Junior Brother Jiang."

With a calm and composed demeanor, Nianhua bowed to Jiang Chen, her attitude appearing very gentle.

Besides being a member of the Nian family, he is also an inner disciple of the Wuchang Sect, having always cultivated alongside Master Nian He. He now possesses the cultivation level of the late stage of the Dao Foundation stage.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Chen also smiled.

"Senior Brother Nian, please sit down. I have heard of your great name before, and seeing you today, I can confirm that you are truly extraordinary. I'm afraid you are not far from reaching the Purple Mansion realm."

With a smile in his voice, Jiang Chen gestured for him to enter.

Upon hearing this, Nianhua let out a hearty laugh.

"In terms of reputation, who among the inner disciples today can compare to you, junior brother? Once you achieved perfection, the sect was shaken, and everyone knew about it."

"As for the Purple Mansion, alas, it's just a step away, yet worlds apart. Whether I can cross that threshold in this lifetime is a question." As he finished speaking, his emotions faltered, and a hint of melancholy appeared on his dark, aged face. However, he quickly composed himself.

"Junior Brother Jiang Chen, to be honest, I will be returning home soon to compete for a share of the secret realm development for my family."

"The impact of a Purple Mansion cultivator taking action is too great and could potentially cause the secret realm to self-destruct. Therefore, according to the agreement among the various factions, this time the competition will mainly be contested by Foundation Establishment cultivators, in order to determine the future development of the secret realm."

"Of course, that's not really important. What's really important is that my Nian family suspects there's a legacy left behind by the Illusionary True Hermit in this secret realm. This legacy is quite important to my Nian family, and we need to get our hands on it as much as possible."

"I wanted to invite you to come along this time because I hope you can lend me a hand. As long as you can obtain the inheritance of the Illusionary True Hermit, not only the Rootless Wood, but also the profits derived from the development of the secret realm will be given to you by my Nian family."

With sincere words, Nianhua expressed her thoughts.

Hearing this, Jiang Chen glanced at Nian Hua with slight surprise. The price offered by the Nian family was quite high. Thirty percent of the Nian family's profits from a secret realm was not a small amount. If managed well, this secret realm could be maintained for many years. Most importantly, all operating costs were paid by the Nian family, and he only needed to receive a share.

"Senior Brother Nian really trusts me."

With a pointed remark, Jiang Chen sighed, implying that the Nian family's request for his help was a pretense, and that sending gifts was probably their real intention.

Upon hearing this, Nianhua nodded.

“My Nian family does have high hopes for my junior brother and intends to befriend him. However, we do need his help. The inheritance of the Illusionary True Man is quite special. My junior brother has a naturally powerful and unique soul, which gives him a significant advantage in finding the inheritance of the Illusionary True Man.”

Without any concealment, time will reveal the reasons behind it all.

The Nian family sought out Jiang Chen for two reasons: first, Jiang Chen might indeed be able to help them find the inheritance of the Illusionary True Immortal; second, they wanted to take this opportunity to establish a relationship with Jiang Chen, as the Nian family had actually declined compared to the past.

Currently, the Nian family only has one person with a Purple Mansion, namely Nian He, who is an elder of the Wuchang Sect. As for the strongest person in the family, he is only at the Dao Foundation Perfection stage and does not have a Purple Mansion. If Nian He reaches the end of his life, then the Nian family will truly have no successor.

Under such circumstances, the Nian family needed to find a powerful patron to rely on in order to avoid the worst-case scenario, and Jiang Chen was one of their choices. Although Jiang Chen has not yet achieved the Purple Mansion realm, his potential is already evident, and his future is promising.

Hearing this, and seeing such a young man, Jiang Chen's eyes flickered slightly.

"Very well, since Senior Brother is so frank, then Junior Brother will accompany you on this journey."

After a moment's hesitation, Jiang Chen gave an affirmative answer.

He was getting restless and really should go out for a walk.

Upon receiving this answer, Nianhua was overjoyed. Originally, the Nian family sought out Jiang Chen more to do a favor and did not expect to find the inheritance of the Illusionary True Hermit through Jiang Chen. They had other means. However, after meeting Jiang Chen today, he vaguely felt that this move was the right one.

“Alright, then we’ll set off in three days. This time, we’ll keep our tracks hidden and try not to alert anyone.”

Their voices were low, and they had agreed on a departure time.

Hearing this, Jiang Chen nodded.

"Illusory True Hermit, I always felt that this inheritance was quite important to me..."

Watching Nianhua's departing figure, Jiang Chen fell into deep thought.

When Dianhua mentioned Huanzhen Sanren before, for some reason, his mind was touched, as if he had a destiny with this inheritance. If it weren't for that, he might not have been willing to make this trip with just the Wugen Wood.

(End of this chapter)