Xuantian Immortal Cultivation Record

To Zhang Yuanjing's surprise, Yin Changshu did not unleash his silver tongue to persuade him to join the Star Moon Gate's camp. Instead, looking preoccupied, he led him to the Water Moon Pavilion on the north side of the city, summoned a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the early stage to arrange his accommodation, and solemnly instructed, "Absolutely do not leave the pavilion without permission," before hurrying away.

The Water Moon Pavilion was a stronghold established by the Star Moon Gate in Six Peaks Immortal City, usually used for the residence of disciples, and had hundreds of small courtyards to receive distinguished guests. All Foundation Establishment cultivators holding the Profound Yin Token were assigned a courtyard.

The rooms were lavishly decorated, and everything used was of high quality, but for the Foundation Establishment cultivators who were about to enter the Profound Yin Cave to risk their lives for a sliver of opportunity, it was nothing more than a fleeting illusion, and most had no intention of enjoying it.

Zhang Yuanjing had originally intended to search for spiritual herbs and exotic treasures, especially materials for Foundation Establishment Pills, after entering the Immortal City, and refine some for Ape Thirteen to take back to Misty Spirit Mountain. However, the situation was so tense that he couldn't visit the market, and Ape Thirteen couldn't enter, so he had to give up.

In the Water Moon Pavilion, there was also a large garden where the resident cultivators could take a walk and chat. However, Zhang Yuanjing had been traveling and toiling for the better part of the year and urgently needed to rest. He instructed the Qi Refining disciple of the Star Moon Gate who was attending outside the courtyard and began to meditate, only feeling refreshed and full of vitality after half a month.

Considering that the Foundation Establishment cultivators here were likely divided into two camps, he had little interest in making friends or obtaining information. Instead, he secluded himself in his room, sorting out his techniques and spiritual weapons, and summarizing his fighting experience. In his spare time, he cultivated and refined the three medicinal herbs for the益神丹(Yi Shen Dan) pills, preparing to refine a few more high-grade pills for future use. Even if his soul was injured, this pill had a good healing effect.

A few days later, the Qi Refining disciple outside the courtyard reported, "Senior Zhang, there is a senior surnamed Lao who claims to be your old friend and has come to visit you!"

Surname Lao? Lao Deren? Other than that, he didn't know anyone else with the surname Lao. He immediately replied, "Please invite him in!"

He then got up and left his room, entering the courtyard. At this moment, the courtyard door opened, and a black-clad Daoist in his forties with an unattractive appearance walked in. It was Lao Deren, whom he hadn't seen in twenty years, and his cultivation had also reached the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Hahaha, Fellow Daoist Zhang, you really came! Lao has been waiting for you for a long time!" As soon as Lao Deren saw Zhang Yuanjing, he burst into hearty laughter and strode forward.

Affected by his emotions, Zhang Yuanjing also stepped forward to meet him, "Fellow Daoist Lao, twenty years have passed, and your demeanor is even better than before. Congratulations!"

Zhang Yuanjing and Lao Deren shook hands and laughed, both feeling emotional. He led him into the reception room, seated him as a guest, and instructed the attending Qi Refining disciple to serve spiritual fruits and fragrant tea.

"Fellow Daoist Lao, I saw Hao Taichang of the Hidden Sun Sect when I came. I heard that this person is ruthless. I thought you wouldn't appear in the Immortal City! I didn't expect you to be alive and kicking under his nose. It's really beyond my expectations!" Zhang Yuanjing said with a smile.

Lao Deren chuckled and pointed to a tall pavilion on the east side, "With Elder Hou of the Star Moon Gate protecting me, how dare Hao Taichang be presumptuous!"

"Indeed! When did Fellow Daoist Lao enter the Immortal City?"

"Lao entered the Immortal City ten years ago. Hmm, even before the Star Moon Gate posted the notice recruiting Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivators."

Zhang Yuanjing raised his eyebrows, "Fellow Daoist Lao really came early. If it were any later, you would have to face the Five Sects' interception!"

Lao Deren smiled and said frankly, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, you and I can be considered friends in life and death, and Lao will not hide it from you. The reason I was able to enter the Immortal City safely and stay in the Immortal City for ten years unscathed is because I had already joined the Star Moon Gate."

Zhang Yuanjing was not surprised by this. This person had offended the Hidden Sun Sect, one of the Five Sects, to the death. If he wanted to survive, he could only join the Star Moon Gate. So he asked, "Were you instructed by the Star Moon Gate to instigate everyone to kill and seize tokens at that trade fair?"

Lao Deren nodded, "That's right. That Fellow Daoist Zeng Zelin was an outer disciple of the Star Moon Gate. His ancestor was indeed a Hidden Sun Sect alchemist, but he was later ostracized and came to Six Peaks Immortal City, where he happened to join the Star Moon Gate. However, because his identity was impure, he could never enter the inner sect. His trip to the Fire Dragon Abyss was actually to accumulate merit in order to enter the inner sect. Lao was persuaded by him to enter the Profound Yin Cave for a chance. I didn't intentionally hide these things, please forgive me."

Zhang Yuanjing waved his hand, "You and I were just chance acquaintances, how could such secrets be easily revealed." Then he changed the subject, "Did Fellow Daoist come here to persuade me to join the Star Moon Gate's side?"

Lao Deren said frankly, "That's right, that's exactly what it is. Lao heard that you were blocked by Hao Taichang on your way to the Immortal City. This person explicitly stated that you were the culprit who killed the six Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Guo family and wanted to arrest you. You and the Five Sects are at odds, why not join the Star Moon Gate!"

Zhang Yuanjing asked, "I only came to collect herbs and exchange them for pills, can't I remain neutral and not help either side?"

Lao Deren smiled bitterly, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, you have already offended the Five Sects, they won't let you go. If you don't join the Star Moon Gate's side, it means you have to face the siege of the Five Sects' Foundation Establishment cultivators alone. Although your combat power is outstanding, in such a dangerous environment, you will inevitably make mistakes."

Zhang Yuanjing's expression changed upon hearing this. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Fellow Daoist Lao, I would like to know what secrets the opening of the Profound Yin Cave holds, and why the Six Sects are so nervous?"

Lao Deren had obviously expected him to ask this question and replied, "It's a battle for spiritual veins!"

"A battle for spiritual veins?" Zhang Yuanjing was stunned, completely unable to imagine what connection the Profound Yin Grass had with spiritual veins.

Lao Deren said, "That's right, it's a battle for spiritual veins. You should know that the Star Moon Gate used to possess a large spiritual cave and was a major sect in the Southern Region. Later, because a main spiritual vein was blocked, the level of the spiritual cave declined, and it was difficult to produce Nascent Soul cultivators, so it was reduced to a medium-sized sect, on par with the Five Sects. If the Star Moon Gate has the opportunity to open up the spiritual veins and restore its former glory, what do you think the other Five Sects will do?"

"Could it be that the Profound Yin Cave leads directly to the Star Moon Gate's large spiritual vein?"

"Not quite. In the depths of the Profound Yin Cave, there is a spirit monster, namely a Profound Yin King Grass. This grass frantically devours the Yin Yuan power in the spiritual veins, causing the spiritual veins to become unbalanced in Yin and Yang and blocked. The Star Moon Gate's goal is to cut down this King Grass. As long as this King Grass is not causing trouble, the spiritual veins will slowly return to their former glory, so the Star Moon Gate can return to the ranks of the major sects." Lao Deren was indeed a well-informed person, even knowing such secrets.

"Profound Yin King Grass? What is its strength?" Zhang Yuanjing asked with a frown. Monsters of plants, trees, metals, and stones are called spirit monsters, which are extremely rare, and each one is very powerful and possesses unique innate abilities.

Lao Deren showed a slightly embarrassed expression, "This, probably the early stage of Nascent Soul."

Zhang Yuanjing immediately rolled his eyes, "Are you kidding me, how many Foundation Establishment cultivators can deal with a Nascent Soul spirit monster?"

Lao Deren chuckled twice, "Don't worry, Fellow Daoist, this Profound Yin King Grass also has a natural enemy. It is said that there is also a spirit monster near the King Grass, born to devour the King Grass. The Star Moon Gate's idea is to help this spirit monster and let it eat the King Grass. Moreover, we are not going to do this by joining the Star Moon Gate's side, but to block the Five Sects' cultivators for them and prevent them from causing trouble."

When Zhang Yuanjing heard this, this job was also extremely dangerous, so he asked, "I wonder how many rogue cultivators have joined the Star Moon Gate's side?"

Lao Deren hesitated for two breaths before saying, "Lao will not hide this from you. The number is definitely not as many as the Five Sects. Earlier, Lao instigated Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivators to snatch the Profound Yin Tokens. In the past ten years, nearly twenty people have succeeded. However, the Five Sects' counterattack was also very fierce, especially in the past ten years, they have been intercepting and killing everywhere, and have taken back half of the tokens. Only nine people, like Lao, have successfully arrived at the Immortal City.

"The Star Moon Gate issued a decree ten years ago to recruit Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivators and obtained twelve people. However, three years ago, a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator who joined the Five Sects was assassinated, triggering an assassination frenzy. Sixteen people died in just one year. Six of them belonged to the Five Sects, and ten belonged to the Star Moon Gate. Therefore, there are now only eleven rogue cultivators who have joined the Star Moon Gate.

"However, Fellow Daoist should know that there will also be twenty cultivators from the Star Moon Gate entering the Profound Yin Cave. Although the total number is slightly less than the Five Sects, their techniques are compatible, their orders are unified, and their strength is even stronger."

Lao Deren paused and continued, "Moreover, there is one of the biggest advantages of joining the Star Moon Gate. As long as you leave the cave alive, regardless of whether you have collected the Profound Yin Grass or not, you can exchange the heads of the Five Sects' cultivators for middle-grade Enlightenment Pills, two heads for one pill."

Zhang Yuanjing picked up the fragrant tea in his hand, took a sip, and looked at Lao Deren, who was full of expectation, and said, "Brother Lao, you don't think that eleven or twelve people can deal with the forty or so people from the Five Sects, do you?"

Lao Deren immediately shook his head, "Lao may be a little arrogant, but he is not so arrogant. It is really that the geography in the Profound Yin Cave is special. The cave passages are connected in all directions, and the space is quite narrow. If there are too many people, crowding together will only add to the chaos.

"Therefore, no matter which faction, they all enter the cave in teams of three or four, or seven or eight at most, carrying tokens on their bodies that can identify each other. If they encounter a weaker one, they can kill them. If they encounter a strong one, they can also use the terrain to avoid and escape."

Zhang Yuanjing thoughtfully asked, "From what Brother Lao said, you people enter the Profound Yin Cave and only do one thing, that is, find the Five Sects' cultivators and kill them. Is that so?"

Lao Deren nodded, "That's right. Collecting Profound Yin Grass is also to exchange for Enlightenment Pills, but it is easier to kill people, and the quality of the pills exchanged is even higher."

Zhang Yuanjing thought about it again and again, and felt that this matter was still very inappropriate. First, it was very dangerous. The Five Sects were determined to fight against the Star Moon Gate and must be well prepared, so it was not so easy to kill them. Second, this person had repeatedly said that there were great opportunities in the Profound Yin Cave, but at this time he did not mention it at all, indicating that what he said might not be false, but it must be hiding something. Third, the involvement was too deep. He was regarded as a descendant of the Fire Crow Daoist. If he slaughtered the Five Sects' cultivators, it would be equivalent to forcing the Fire Crow Daoist to a dead end and completely tearing apart his face with the Five Sects. This karma was too great for him to bear.

After thinking for a long time, he firmly said, "Fellow Daoist Lao, do you know the connection between me and Senior Fire Crow? If I join the Star Moon Gate, the Five Sects will definitely hold Senior Fire Crow accountable, wouldn't that be repaying kindness with enmity! I can't do this!"