darknovel Chapter 1107 Introduction
Chapter 1107 Introduction
Chen Yuan laughed and said, "Since you two are in love, I, as your teacher, would never be the bad guy. How could I possibly refuse?"
Zhang Yanwei felt as if he had heard heavenly music, and immediately clasped his hands and bowed: "Thank you for your kindness, Master!"
Chen Yuan's smile vanished: "Although I have given my permission, becoming Daoist partners requires the approval of one's master. This matter still needs to be discussed with Jin Yue's father. Are you confident in your abilities?"
Zhang Yanwei hesitated for a moment: "Jin Yue said before she left that she would do her best to persuade her father to make this happen, so it shouldn't be a problem."
Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow: "After you came to the Spirit Realm, you didn't go to the Frost Spirit Domain with Jin Yue?"
Zhang Yanwei said solemnly, "When I entered the Spirit Realm, Master was not in the sect. I have not yet seen Master's face. How dare I leave the sect for my own selfish reasons?"
A hint of relief flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes: "I have long known of your filial piety, but my disciples do not adhere to such formalities. When faced with a situation, one should be flexible and not be bound by these rules."
"Yes, disciple understands." Zhang Yanwei replied respectfully, but his expression remained as firm as ever.
Chen Yuan knew he hadn't listened, so he shook his head: "Has Jin Yue come looking for you all these years?"
Zhang Yanwei lowered his head: "No, she must have encountered something and is too busy to be there."
Chen Yuan frowned: "You two are in love. You waited for your master to return to the sect on Tongtian Island and dared not travel far. She did not have such concerns. How could she endure being separated for eighty years?"
Zhang Yanwei raised his head, looking quite nervous: "Master, Jin Yue would never change her mind. Could it be that her father doesn't approve of this?"
Chen Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "There's no need to speculate here. In a few days, you can go to the Frost Spirit Domain to find out the situation and find out Jin Yue's intentions."
"Remember, no matter what happens, do not act on your own initiative. Report back to your teacher first before making any decisions."
"Disciple understands." Zhang Yanwei agreed, his brows showing a mixture of anxiety and relief.
Yun Jinyue had not returned yet, and he had long suspected this, but he dared not travel far because his master had not yet returned to the sect. Otherwise, if his master returned, he would not be able to pay his respects immediately, which would be against the way of a disciple.
Now that I have received my master's permission to go to the Frost Spirit Realm to investigate, the weight on my heart is finally lifted, and I can finally relax.
Chen Yuan asked Zhang Yanwei a few more questions about his experiences in the Burning Demon Realm, which were nothing more than hiding his tracks and evading the demon race's extermination.
Although they faced several perilous situations, they never truly fell into the hands of the demon race; otherwise, they could not have hidden themselves unharmed for over two hundred years and entered the spirit realm.
However, one thing caught Chen Yuan's attention. Zhang Yanwei said, "After Master left, Senior Cangsong led us to hide in several pre-prepared hiding places, moving from time to time, occasionally capturing demon generals, and using soul-searching techniques to understand the movements of the demon race."
"Several years after Master entered the Xuanli Realm, the Bloodtooth Demon Saint issued a Demon Saint Edict to hunt down the whereabouts of his disciple, Jin Yue, and Fellow Daoist Liu, and offered a treasure that would drive the Demon General mad as a reward."
"We can only be more careful. If our master had not told us not to stray far from Leishan Cave, we would have already fled far away."
"Fortunately, the demon race also neglected this place under the lamp and did not search the Leishan Cave carefully."
"We were lucky enough to escape this calamity, and after waiting for the shadow spy cultivators sent by Elder Bai, we finally entered the Spirit Realm..."
Chen Yuan nodded slightly and asked, "When you established your cave dwelling on Tongtian Island, did you join our sect?"
Zhang Yanwei said, "That's right. Although my master is not in the sect, Elder Bai still made the decision to let me first join the sect. I am now a true disciple of Lingyun Peak."
Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Elder Bai is very kind. I owe him a favor. Do you know where Fellow Daoist Cangsong is currently residing?"
Zhang Yanwei said, "This disciple once visited Senior Cangsong in Donghua City. Does Master wish to see him?"
Chen Yuan slowly stood up: "Lead the way."
……
"The wooden dragon talisman you crafted, fellow Daoist, is indeed quite powerful. The wooden dragon it summons is comparable in strength to a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. However, it consumes far too much true essence, and its duration is only a quarter of an hour. Its flaws are too great, making it impractical."
In a quiet room, two people sat facing each other. One of them, a plump cultivator in a yellow robe, stroked his beard and examined the talisman with dragon patterns, intertwined with wooden branches, and uneven surface above his palm, and began to talk eloquently.
Sitting opposite him, Daoist Cangsong frowned as he listened to the yellow-robed cultivator's comments.
But he dared not refute it, and only said with a smile: "Fellow Daoist also said that after this talisman is used, it can summon a wood dragon with the strength of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Not only is it huge, but it can also absorb the wood element spiritual energy in the world to recover after being injured, making it extremely difficult to deal with."
"Whether used to block or kill the enemy, it is extremely useful and can reverse the disadvantage in a battle."
"As a trump card, it is only natural that this talisman consumes more true essence. How can it be considered a flaw?"
The yellow-robed cultivator smiled insincerely and said, "Fellow Daoist, you are mistaken. Our store specializes in selling talismans, and I have seen thousands of Nascent Soul talismans."
"Fellow Daoist's wooden dragon talisman can only be ranked in the middle. It has some advantages, but also significant disadvantages."
"Fellow Daoist, please take a look. This Golden Goose Talisman is of the same grade as the Wooden Dragon Talisman, but it is more powerful and consumes less true essence. It is the real trump card that can reverse the world."
He took out a wooden box, opened the lid, and inside lay a golden talisman, depicting the phantom of a golden wild goose, surrounded by intricate spiritual patterns.
Daoist Cangsong took the golden talisman into his hand, extended his divine sense, placed it on the talisman, and slowly merged it into the spiritual patterns.
He had studied the art of talismans for over a thousand years and his talisman-making skills were superb. Although this talisman was a metal-element talisman, it did not take long for him to see that its power was just as the yellow-robed cultivator had said, even surpassing that of the wooden dragon talisman. Moreover, the golden goose he summoned could use supernatural powers to fight enemies, and it consumed less true essence.
Daoist Cangsong put down the golden talisman and sighed: "The method of drawing this talisman is exquisite. I am ashamed to admit that I am not as good as it. May I ask how much this talisman is worth?"
The yellow-robed cultivator held up four fingers: "Forty top-grade spirit stones."
Daoist Cangsong was taken aback, then asked, "What about my wooden dragon talisman...?"
"Twenty top-grade spirit stones."
"Twenty stones?" Daoist Cangsong's expression changed. "The essence blood, fur, and spiritual materials of the wooden dragon that I used to draw this talisman cost fifteen top-grade spirit stones and took ten years to complete. It's only worth twenty top-grade spirit stones?"
The yellow-robed cultivator said slowly, "Fellow Daoist, please be patient. Twenty top-grade spirit stones is already quite a lot."
"If you feel it's not enough, you might as well ask around elsewhere. I'm afraid there isn't another shop in Donghua City that's willing to pay such a high price."
"If it weren't for the fact that the Donghua Auction is in seven years and my pavilion is also going to participate, and we are still short of a few Nascent Soul stage talismans, I wouldn't have offered such a high price."
"Then why don't I just take this talisman to the auction?" Daoist Cangsong raised his hand and pulled back the wooden dragon talisman hanging above the table, his tone tinged with resentment.
The yellow-robed cultivator smiled insincerely and said, "Fellow Daoist, you jest. The Donghua Auction is not something one can participate in casually."
"Participants in the auction must have at least the Nascent Soul cultivation level. The higher the cultivation level, the more spirit stones they need to pay."
"The treasures at the auction are extraordinary. Let alone this wooden dragon talisman, even if you brought out five or ten more, they still wouldn't be able to get into the auction."
"Our auction features a total of twenty-four talismans, all of which are of the highest quality. There are seven talismans for the Void Refinement stage, which are specifically sold to medium-sized sects for use in conquering other worlds."
"To tell you the truth, fellow Daoist, the quality of this wooden dragon talisman is only passable, barely enough to be included in the auction."
"Twenty top-grade spirit stones is already a concession, considering that you have sold talismans to our pavilion twice before. It's impossible to offer more. Whether you sell or not is entirely up to you."
The yellow-robed cultivator picked up the teacup in front of him, took a leisurely sip, and a slight smile remained on his lips, revealing a hint of mockery.
Daoist Cangsong fell silent for a long while before finally speaking: "Alright, twenty yuan it is. Where are the spirit stones?"
The yellow-robed cultivator laughed heartily and immediately took out twenty top-grade spirit stones from his mustard seed ring, handing them over to Daoist Cangsong.
Daoist Cangsong put down the wooden dragon talisman, put away the spirit stones, stood up without saying a word, and walked out of the quiet room amidst the farewells of the yellow-robed cultivator.
Led by a female cultivator at the Qi Refining stage, Daoist Cangsong arrived at the terrace. This "True Talisman Pavilion" was located high up in a magnificent building, with streaks of light flying past outside.
Not far away stood another magnificent building, with banners hanging out, shimmering with colorful light, bearing the names of various shops.
Daoist Cangsong turned around and glanced at the banner with the three large characters "Zhenfu Pavilion" on it. He snorted coldly, took off, and flew into the distance.
He certainly didn't want to sell his meticulously crafted talisman for twenty top-grade spirit stones, but before coming to the True Talisman Pavilion, he had already visited other shops and offered even lower prices than the True Talisman Pavilion.
When Cangsong Daoren thought about the ten years it took to refine this wooden dragon talisman, a wave of sorrow welled up in his heart.
His talisman-making skills, which he was so proud of in the human world, turned out to be nothing special in the spirit world.
The talisman-making techniques in the spirit world are incredibly exquisite. Not only talisman-making, but all the arts of cultivation are breathtaking.
The long history of inheritance, the ingenuity of countless cultivators, and the accumulation passed down from generation to generation make Cangsong Daoren's talisman-making skills seem so crude in the face of the talisman-making techniques of the spirit world.
Cangsong Daoren is already a genius in the human realm who is rare to find in ten thousand years when it comes to making talismans, but there are many geniuses like him in the spirit realm.
However, his talisman-making skills were unremarkable in the spirit world. In fact, due to the scarcity of rare spiritual and demonic materials in the human world, his talisman-making experience was not comparable to that of talisman makers in the spirit world.
The Wooden Dragon Talisman was the best talisman he had ever crafted by combining his own supernatural powers, yet it could only be sold for twenty top-grade spirit stones.
Ten years of hard work only earns three or four top-grade spirit stones.
A single five-thousand-year cultivation pill costs no less than ten top-grade spirit stones. He would also need to refine two or three more wooden dragon talismans, and with the time spent collecting spiritual and demonic materials, it would take at least fifty years to obtain a single cultivation pill.
Cultivation pills are inherently expensive. Cultivators strive for immortality, and to achieve immortality, they must advance their cultivation level. Thus, cultivating pills becomes paramount, even more important than magic weapons, talismans, and formations. Those are merely means of self-preservation and obtaining spirit stones and pills. If the cultivation world weren't so rife with conflict, every cultivator would prefer to spend all their spirit stones on pills, advancing to the next realm before their lifespan runs out, and winning the race against time.
With such a large number of cultivators in the Spirit Realm, the price of cultivation pills has skyrocketed. Even with continuous conquests of other realms and the acquisition of demon cores and spiritual herbs, the supply of pills is still insufficient.
Daoist Cangsong knew that selling the wooden dragon talisman would be a losing proposition for his cultivation, but he had no choice but to do so.
He needs to buy new spiritual materials and demonic materials to draw talismans, but he has run out of spirit stones and can only sell talismans to exchange for spirit stones.
Daoist Cangsong originally had no shortage of spirit stones, but that was more than three hundred years ago. He and Chen Yuan joined forces to assassinate the demon general and obtained a lot of spirit stones and pills.
However, after hiding in the Demon Realm for more than two hundred years, he had long since exhausted his spirit stones and elixirs in order to cultivate and evade the pursuit of the demon race.
After entering the Spirit Realm, Chen Yuan traveled far away from the sect and was not in Donghua City. Other sects learned that Daoist Cangsong was an ascended cultivator and wanted to recruit him into their sects, but he dared not agree.
He still carries the Fire Lotus mark left by Chen Yuan within him, and his life and death are in the hands of others. Without Chen Yuan's permission, he dares not act on his own.
Fortunately, Elder Bai only seemed indifferent. He arranged a cave dwelling for him in Donghua City, waiving the rent, so that he could have a place to stay and cultivate in peace.
However, Daoist Cangsong's talisman-making skills were not impressive in the Spirit Realm, and his meticulously crafted talismans could not be sold for many spirit stones. The Tai Xuan Sect had not recently launched any campaigns against other realms, and his several explorations of the interface fragments had yielded nothing.
Daoist Cangsong had considered going to other spiritual realms, but he worried that if he left, Chen Yuan would return to the sect and believe that he had left without saying goodbye, thus activating the Fire Lotus Mark and dying a violent death.
Although he believed that Chen Yuan was not such a cold-blooded person, he was ultimately in someone else's hands and dared not take the risk. He could only stay in Donghua City, where he became increasingly distressed.
With the cultivation level of Daoist Cangsong, if he indulges in pleasure, he won't have to worry about spirit stones for the next few thousand years.
However, those who can cultivate to the Nascent Soul realm have extremely firm Dao hearts, and they would never be willing to waste their time.
Daoist Cangsong had also experienced the torment of having the ascension passage to the human realm severed, leaving him with no choice but to wait for his death.
Even in that desperate situation, he still painstakingly sought the method of ascension, and his Dao heart was far more resilient than that of other Nascent Soul cultivators.
He traveled through the three realms and finally arrived at the Spirit Realm. His lifespan was extended by three thousand years due to the laws of heaven and earth in the Spirit Realm. He had ample time to improve his cultivation and pursue a higher realm, so how could he give up now?
The crux of the matter is that his life and death are in Chen Yuan's hands, but Chen Yuan has not returned to the sect. He dares not act rashly, lest he cause Chen Yuan to misunderstand and endanger his life.
The fiery lotus mark imprinted on his soul terrified Cangsong Daoren, but he did not resent Chen Yuan.
If it were him, he would have made the same choice.
He and Chen Yuan had many disagreements in the past, but after entering the Demon Burning Realm, Chen Yuan put aside his past grievances, protected him, and even gave him spirit stones and pills, which can be described as being extremely kind and righteous.
He knew Chen Yuan's secret, so Chen Yuan naturally had to be on guard.
Daoist Cangsong was even somewhat relieved, because the existence of this fire lotus mark meant that he and Chen Yuan had a closer connection, which might be the key to whether he could break through to the Void Refinement Realm in the future.
When he, Zhang Yanwei, and Yun Jinyue were hiding deep in a remote mountain range within the Leishan Cave, and met the shadow spy cultivators sent by Elder Bai, he was extremely excited.
Since Chen Yuan left, he has led a few junior humans to hide and go wherever they can find a secluded spot, waiting for the Shadow Spy cultivators of the Miaohe Sect to arrive and rescue them from the Burning Demon Realm.
At first, Daoist Cangsong was still hopeful, after all, Chen Yuan had said that after entering the Spirit Realm, he would immediately go to Miaohe Sect to find Yun Jinyue's father, Yun Xubai.
Once Yun Xubai learns that his biological daughter is still alive and trapped in the Burning Demon Realm, he will definitely send someone to rescue her immediately.
But as time went by, the Shadow Spy cultivators of the Miaohe Sect never appeared. Daoist Cangsong's expectations were dashed year after year, and he gradually became numb.
However, he dared not abandon Zhang Yanwei and the others. The Fire Lotus Mark was intact, Chen Yuan's life was not in danger, and he might have already entered the Spirit Realm.
The shadow spies from the Miaohe Sect could arrive at any time. If they didn't see him, they would report back to Chen Yuan, and the Fire Lotus Mark would explode.
He was also unwilling to abandon Zhang Yanwei and Yun Jinyue. After decades of getting along, he had come to regard them as his juniors.
Two hundred years is nothing to a Nascent Soul cultivator; it can be over in a long seclusion. But in the Demon Burning Realm, it seems exceptionally long.
He dared not go into seclusion to cultivate, as the demon race could come knocking at any time, especially after the Bloodtooth Demon Saint issued a demon saint's decree to hunt down Zhang Yanwei, Yun Jinyue, and others.
They had always been extremely cautious, not even daring to provoke the Demon General, so it was impossible for them to have attracted the attention of the Demon Saint. It must be that Chen Yuan had done something earth-shattering that implicated them.
He should have realized that Chen Yuan dared to attack the Demon General alone and provoke a war between Demon Kings. The secret realm he entered seemed to be related to the True Dragon, so he would definitely not be peaceful and it would probably be another bloody battle.
After narrowly escaping the pursuit of the demon race several times, just when they were about to give up, the people who came to their rescue finally appeared. However, they were not the shadow spy cultivators of the Miaohe Sect, but the shadow spy cultivators of the Taixuan Sect.
When Daoist Cangsong heard the words "Tai Xuan Sect" from the late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, he thought he had misheard.
The Shaoxuan Sect got its name because it inherited some of the legacy of the ancient Taixuan Sect and claimed to be the successors of the Taixuan Sect's lineage.
As the Supreme Elder of the Shaoxuan Sect, Daoist Cangsong had seen the name of the Taixuan Sect countless times in ancient texts, and his understanding of the Taixuan Sect was unparalleled in the human realm.
But he never expected that there was a Tai Xuan Sect in the Spirit Realm, and it was even founded by the famous Master Fu Huaixiao.
He had seen records of this Master Fu in ancient books. He led the Tai Xuan Sect to glory and led the various sects of the human world to conquer other worlds, bringing the ancient cultivation world to its peak. However, this also attracted a demon army, leaving the human world devastated, the world in decline, and the path to ascension cut off.
This Master Fu determined the fate of the human realm. After ascending to the spirit realm, he cultivated to the Mahayana realm in just tens of thousands of years, established the Tai Xuan Sect, and stirred up the winds and clouds of the spirit realm.
The shock of the Cangsong Daoist was beyond words. He followed the Shadow Spy cultivator and entered the Spirit Realm through the privately established spatial passage between the Demon Clan and the Tai Xuan Sect, finally no longer needing to hide.
Zhang Yanwei successfully joined the Tai Xuan Sect, while Yun Jinyue returned to the Miaohe Sect. However, he could only leave Tongtian Island and temporarily reside in Donghua City, waiting for Chen Yuan's return.
Daoist Cangsong also wanted to join the Taixuan Sect. The Taixuan Sect and Shaoxuan Sect had a deep connection, and Taixuan Sect was also a Mahayana sect with Chen Yuan's protection. If he could join the Taixuan Sect, his cultivation path would be smooth.
However, he was not Chen Yuan's personal disciple, so Elder Bai could not overstep his bounds and could only wait until Chen Yuan returned before making a decision.
Daoist Cangsong had considered using the connection between the Shaoxuan Sect and the Taixuan Sect to request an audience with Master Fu, but Master Fu was in seclusion and could not even meet with a Nascent Soul elder, let alone a Nascent Soul cultivator like himself, so he had to give up.
He waited patiently in Donghua City for twenty years, but Chen Yuan never returned.
Not wanting to waste time, yet not daring to leave the Xuanling Domain, he used spiritual and demonic materials to refine talismans, which he then sold to shops in the market in exchange for spirit stones.
Since successfully transforming into a deity, he has lived in fear of his lifespan running out. Later, he traveled to the Myriad Demon Continent and the Burning Demon Realm, living in constant fear. Now that he has finally entered the Spirit Realm, he does not want to waste even a year. Waiting for twenty years is already the limit.
Previously, he had only refined a few early-stage Nascent Soul talismans. This was his first time refining a Wooden Dragon Talisman, but he only sold it for twenty top-grade spirit stones.
If only there were better talisman-making techniques, Daoist Cangsong was confident that his talent in talisman-making was second to none, but his lineage was inferior to that of other talisman makers.
Eighty years have passed, and it's unknown when Chen Yuan will return to the sect. As long as he joins the Tai Xuan Sect, all problems will be solved.
The Taoist Cangsong sighed, flew over the bustling market, traversed the towering palaces, and arrived at several secluded mountain peaks before landing with his escape light.
This is the place where cultivators from Donghua City rent their cave dwellings. A huge spirit-gathering array has been set up here, covering an area of dozens of miles, with a spiritual energy concentration no less than that of a large spiritual vein.
Under Elder Bai's care, the cave dwelling where Daoist Cangsong resides is rich in spiritual energy, enough for Nascent Soul cultivators to cultivate, and there's no rent required.
But spiritual energy is ultimately just spiritual energy, far inferior to the cultivation of elixirs, which is why Daoist Cangsong had the idea of making talismans to exchange for spirit stones.
It now seems that this path is still not viable, so he has given up on the idea and plans to continue his seclusion and cultivation, waiting for Chen Yuan to return.
No matter how many years he has to wait this time, he will never again suffer the humiliation of the yellow-robed cultivator.
As Daoist Cangsong descended, he discovered two people standing in front of his cave. One of them was very familiar to him; it was Zhang Yanwei, with whom he had spent over two hundred years in the Demon Burning Realm.
The other person, dressed in white as snow, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, looked ethereal and otherworldly, smiling at him.
"Fellow Daoist Cangsong, how have you been?" The white-robed cultivator bowed with clasped hands, his voice clear and melodious.
Daoist Cangsong was stunned for a while before stepping forward, clasping his hands in return: "It's been many years since we last met. Elder Chen, you are as radiant as ever. Congratulations on your great progress in cultivation, advancing to the Void Refinement stage. May you live to be ten thousand years old!"
……
An hour later, Chen Yuan, Zhang Yanwei, and Cangsong Daoist returned to Tongtian Island together.
Chen Yuan invited Daoist Cangsong to join Lingyun Peak, and Daoist Cangsong had long had this intention. The two hit it off immediately.
Chen Yuan even voluntarily dispelled the Fire Lotus Mark, which surprised Daoist Cangsong. He asked, "Elder, aren't you worried that I'll reveal your cultivation technique to others...?"
Chen Yuan smiled slightly: "The sect leader already knows about my cultivation method. I was very wary of you before, but it was just in case. Please don't take offense."
"How dare I, how dare I..."
Cangsong Daoren breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how kind Chen Yuan was, he didn't want his life to be in someone else's hands.
His cultivation level was still at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. After joining Lingyun Peak and becoming a true disciple, he received the Tai Xuan Sect's talisman-making technique, and his cultivation path suddenly became clear.
Three days later, Zhang Yanwei bid farewell to Chen Yuan and went to the Frost Spirit Realm to see Yun Jinyue.
Chen Yuan went to Luosong Peak to thank Elder Bai in person, and then met with Elder Yuan and Han Xuan. He then went to the Wanling Hall outside Tongtian Peak to pay his respects to True Person Fu. (End of Chapter)