"Feng, you old man!" A booming shout rang out. Dao Lord Jinghe's flight speed suddenly accelerated, and he instantly rushed forward. The Li Fire Gourd appeared in his hand, hovering before him as he angrily declared, "How dare you lay a hand on my disciple!"
Before Feng Xiao could speak, Ding Luan was already laughing. "Brother Daoist Jinghe, don't be so hasty. My husband was just playing a little joke on your boy."
"A joke?" Dao Lord Jinghe was no fool. After taking in the scene before him, he roughly understood what had happened, and his voice softened. "Alright, you two don't need to play games. Since you've protected him once, consider this Dao Lord owing you a favor!"
Hearing this, Feng Xiao laughed heartily. With a tap of two fingers, a stream of spiritual energy poured into Qin Xi's Jianjing acupoint. Qin Xi, who had been immobilized by the blocked meridian, finally regained his mobility and let out a sigh of relief.
He bowed respectfully to Feng Xiao without a trace of disrespect. "Thank you, Senior Feng." Feng Xiao's earlier move against him was intended to use him to restrain Dao Lord Jinghe. Dao Lord Jinghe had played along perfectly, so the Feng-Xiao couple had decisively chosen to ally with Dao Lord Jinghe.
Qin Xi's mind was sharp, so he remained respectful to Feng Xiao. Among cultivators, interests were often intertwined. Since his master had chosen to ally with the couple, they were now companions. As such, he had no reason to disrespect Feng Xiao.
Feng Xiao nodded with a smile, but Ding Luan addressed Dao Lord Jinghe with a charming smile. "Brother Daoist Jinghe, I truly admire your boy's cleverness. How about giving him to me as a son-in-law? My Feng Ning might be a bit spoiled, but she's a good girl."
In just a few breaths, the conversation had jumped from checks and balances to alliance, and now to marriage discussions. Old Daoist Fuling and the others flying ahead hadn't even arrived yet, and their topic had already leaped who-knows-where.
Qin Xi pretended not to hear this exchange and walked back to Dao Lord Jinghe's side. "Master."
"Hmm." Dao Lord Jinghe saw he was alone and looked around. "Where's Tiange?"
Qin Xi was worried about this very matter. "I got separated from Tiange. Master, since you're here, I'll go look for her..."
"Wait!" Dao Lord Jinghe raised a hand to stop him, frowning as he said, "Don't act recklessly. This is deep within the Ruins of All Immortals; you two shouldn't even be here. Since you're already here, wait first. Once Master resolves matters here, I'll go with you to find Tiange!"
"But..." Qin Xi only got two words out before seeing Dao Lord Jinghe's expression. He sighed and complied. "Understood."
Of course, he knew his master was right. With so many Nascent Soul cultivators here, it was clear that getting lost in the fog had led them mistakenly deep into the Ruins of All Immortals. It was no longer appropriate for him to act alone. Yet, thinking of Tiange still lost in the fog, alone and unable to find her way, made him feel as anxious as if his heart were burning.
Seeing his distracted look, Dao Lord Jinghe understood perfectly but said nothing more to him. Instead, he answered Ding Luan's earlier question. "You're a bit late with that offer. Your Feng Ning is fine, but unfortunately, my boy already has someone in his heart."
"Oh?" Ding Luan was somewhat surprised. She glanced at Qin Xi and joked, "What a pity. But I wonder which young lady it is?"
"Haha, 'fertile water shouldn't flow to outsiders' fields.' Coincidentally, it's still my disciple..." Dao Lord Jinghe's proud words were only half-spoken when a sinister voice interrupted.
"The three of you are quite impatient, aren't you? Talking about marriage alliances in such a short time?"
This voice belonged to Venerable Songfeng. His own disciple had been killed by Qin Xi. Now, seeing Dao Lord Jinghe and the Luan-Feng couple discussing disciples and daughters, he felt his teeth itch with hatred.
Ding Luan even poured oil on the fire, smiling as she said, "Old Man Songfeng, jealous because you have no children? Instead of wasting time here, you should go make one... Oh, wait, with that body of yours that's neither human, ghost, demon, nor monster, you probably can't produce one, can you?"
"You—!" Venerable Songfeng suddenly flew into a rage. His Origin Demonic Qi surged, and he conjured the long blade once more.
In this short time, the other Nascent Soul cultivators had successively landed their flight lights, each staring at Venerable Songfeng with unfriendly expressions.
Old Daoist Fuling of the Ancient Sword Sect, Sword Venerable Xiaohe, Loose Cultivator Qingming, Dao Lord Huayan of the Xuanqing Sect, Black Wind Daoist of the Tiandao Sect, Lu Daquan... Although most of these were only early Nascent Soul stage besides Old Daoist Fuling, Dao Lord Jinghe, Ding Luan, Feng Xiao, and Daoist Ji were solidly mid-Nascent Soul stage.
Venerable Songfeng paused for a moment, then snorted coldly. Without even a farewell, he transformed into a mass of black clouds and departed.
The ten Nascent Soul cultivators present all breathed a sigh of relief. They had numbers. While they weren't afraid of this Venerable Songfeng, the old man was a madman. If they truly fought, given his reputation as the number one late-Nascent Soul cultivator in the Tianji Region, even if they won, they would likely lose several people, and they might still fail to kill him. For him to leave on his own was for the best.
With Venerable Songfeng gone, the newly arrived Old Daoist Fuling smiled and greeted the others. "Fellow Daoist Feng, Fellow Daoist Ding, Fellow Daoist Ji, Fellow Daoist Jinghe. What are you all up to?"
During the beast tide incident, Mo Tiange and Ye Jingwen had had unpleasant dealings with the Ancient Sword Sect, so Dao Lord Jinghe's attitude toward Old Daoist Fuling wasn't great either. He just perfunctorily raised a hand in acknowledgment.
Ding Luan, however, smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Fuling, long time no see. It's really nothing much. My husband and I, along with Fellow Daoist Ji, just happened to discover something."
"Is that so?" A glint flashed in Old Daoist Fuling's eyes, but under the smiles of Ding Luan and Feng Xiao, it quickly faded. He remained smiling. "Fellow Daoists, rest assured. With the two of you working together, where would an old Daoist like me have room to intervene? I merely wish to broaden my horizons. Surely you won't object?"
Ding Luan smiled leisurely. "Fellow Daoist Fuling, what are you saying? It's not anything particularly good—just a piece of Dazzling Fire Jade Essence. I imagine such a thing would be useless to a Daoist like you."
"Oh..." The light in Old Daoist Fuling's eyes indeed went out. Dazzling Fire Jade Essence was a good thing, a rare material for refining fire-attribute magical treasures. But he was a sword cultivator; such things were of little use to sword cultivators.
In contrast, Qin Xi beside Dao Lord Jinghe had a gleam in his eyes.
The gaze of a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator was extremely sharp. Ding Luan's attention immediately fell on Qin Xi. She asked with a smile, "Qin boy, are you perhaps interested in this Dazzling Fire Jade Essence? Ah, right, both you and your master cultivate fire-attribute techniques."
Though her words were amiable, Ding Luan's gaze flicked meaningfully toward Dao Lord Jinghe.
Dao Lord Jinghe snorted. "You two don't need to test me. When has this Dao Lord ever gone back on his word?"
Among cultivators, scheming and intrigue were common. However, the higher the cultivation level, the more importance they placed on promises. Once spoken, they generally wouldn't be broken unless it involved immense benefits.
A piece of Dazzling Fire Jade Essence met that standard, which was why Ding Luan and Feng Xiao were testing Dao Lord Jinghe. However, they also knew that while Qin Jinghe had a disagreeable personality, he was a man of his word. He hadn't known about the Dazzling Fire Jade Essence before, but now that he did and still spoke thus, he surely wouldn't contend with them for it.
Among the five mid-Nascent Soul cultivators present, Old Daoist Fuling had no interest, Dao Lord Jinghe wouldn't fight for it, and the remaining three—the couple and Daoist Ji—were allies. Naturally, there were no other threats. Feng Xiao bowed to the others. "Thank you, everyone." As he spoke, he gave Daoist Ji a meaningful look. Daoist Ji nodded and leaped down into the volcano crater.
While Daoist Ji went to retrieve the Dazzling Fire Jade Essence, Ding Luan's gaze shifted. Seeing the clear-featured, trembling Foundation Establishment youth following behind Old Daoist Fuling, she asked with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Fuling, when did you take on a new disciple?"
Old Daoist Fuling glanced at the youth behind him and stroked his beard, smiling. "This young friend is not my disciple."
"Is that so?" Ding Luan was somewhat surprised. "Since when have you been so kind-hearted? If he's not your disciple, why bring him to Tianmo Mountain?"
"Haha!" Old Daoist Fuling seemed in quite a good mood. "It's fine to tell you. However, Fellow Daoist Ding, you and your husband mustn't try to snatch him from me!"
Feng Xiao smiled faintly. "Fellow Daoist Fuling, what are you saying? We already have a daughter. Would we snatch this young friend to be our son-in-law?"
"That's hard to say." Old Daoist Fuling's smile was profound and inscrutable.
His expression was too mysterious, so the Luan-Feng couple, Dao Lord Jinghe, and the others couldn't help but release their divine senses to probe the youth. Upon probing, the expressions of several changed.
After a long moment, Ding Luan murmured to herself, "Pure Yang Constitution..."
Hearing these four words, Qin Xi's expression changed drastically, and he couldn't help but look at the youth.
Old Daoist Fuling, however, smiled without speaking, clearly very pleased. He wasn't worried about others snatching the youth. After all, Pure Yang Constitution was only useful to female cultivators. The only female cultivator present was Ding Luan, who already had a dual cultivation partner. Although they had a daughter they cherished like a treasure, they likely wouldn't casually find a Cauldron for her. As for others with female disciples, they would have to consider the consequences of snatching someone from him.
A moment later, Feng Xiao said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Fuling truly has good fortune. Pure Yang Constitution is found once in a thousand years. I suppose you intend to give him to your disciple as a Cauldron?"
Hearing the word "Cauldron," the youth grew even more terrified.
Old Daoist Fuling smiled. "A Cauldron is going too far. This young friend's aptitude is also good. Taking him in as a disciple wouldn't be a problem."
"Is that so?" Ding Luan was about to say more when Daoist Ji reappeared at the volcano crater, so she stopped.
Daoist Ji cautiously glanced at the assembled Nascent Soul cultivators before gently tossing out the Dazzling Fire Jade Essence in his hand.
The several Nascent Soul cultivators had no intention of snatching it but hadn't left either, naturally interested in the Dazzling Fire Jade Essence and wanting to see what this piece grown in the Ruins of All Immortals looked like. Upon seeing the piece Daoist Ji threw out, everyone's eyes went wide.
A light flashed in Old Daoist Fuling's eyes, and even Dao Lord Jinghe felt a stir of desire. This piece of Dazzling Fire Jade Essence was simply too perfect! It was the size of two palms, fiery red and crystalline, utterly pure! They had never seen such Dazzling Fire Jade Essence before.
"Three Seniors." The first to speak was Qin Xi.
The gazes of the Luan-Feng couple and Daoist Ji instantly turned wary toward him.
Qin Xi's tone was calm. "I wonder if the three Seniors are only interested in the Dazzling Fire Jade Essence?"
The three were taken aback. It was still Ding Luan who smiled and asked, "Qin boy, what do you mean by that?"
Qin Xi said, "A piece of Jade Essence this large, growing here for at least tens of thousands of years, is sufficient to produce Jade Marrow. If there is Jade Marrow, I wonder if the three Seniors would be willing to part with it? This junior is willing to exchange it for other treasures."
"Jade Marrow?" Dao Lord Jinghe's heart stirred, and his eyes also grew eager. "That's right. With the Jade Essence's quality being so excellent, if it has produced Jade Marrow, it must be exceptional."
Hearing this, the three mid-Nascent Soul cultivators exchanged glances. Although Jade Marrow was also rare, compared to this Dazzling Fire Jade Essence, it was nothing.
Ding Luan then said, "So it's Jade Marrow you want. If this piece of Jade Essence contains Jade Marrow, giving it to you is no problem."
Qin Xi smiled and bowed in thanks. "Thank you, three Seniors."
Hearing their exchange, a flicker of regret passed through the eyes of Old Daoist Fuling and the others. Seeing the Dazzling Fire Jade Essence was so outstanding, they had all felt greed. If Qin Jinghe's group had clashed with these three, they could have fished in troubled waters. Unfortunately, the Qin boy wanted the Jade Marrow, and Ding Luan had given him this favor. It seemed a fight wouldn't break out.
Thinking this, Old Daoist Fuling bowed to the crowd. "Since there's no issue, we'll take our leave first. Fellow Daoists, until we meet again."
The trio of Ding Luan, Feng Xiao, and Daoist Ji were eager for them to leave and politely returned the courtesy. As for Dao Lord Jinghe's group, they paid no heed at all.