Volume Five: Emerging Brilliance - Chapter Fifteen: A Household of Treasures

Urged on by Xia Mai, a coward who feared death above all else, the six newly captured Nascent Souls within the Jade Blood Ring gradually grew accustomed to their new identity and plight. As for the words spoken by Xia Mai, they were naturally directed by Li Chengzhu, who communicated with him through divine sense.

Among the six newly admitted Nascent Souls, some were elders and disciples of prestigious sects, while others were rogue cultivators. What caught Li Chengzhu's eye the most was a man named Zheng De, who turned out to be an elder of the Dragon Gate Dao Sect.

Back on the Red Rock Plateau, Li Chengzhu had witnessed firsthand the terrifying power of the talismans used by that member of the Dragon Gate Dao Sect—talismans capable of doubling one's strength out of thin air within a short period.

He had truly struck gold this time. Li Chengzhu could not help bursting into a hearty laugh. With Zheng De in his grasp, did he ever need to worry about not knowing how to craft talismans in the future? Across the entire realm, the Dragon Gate Dao Sect was the sole authority on talisman forging. It was not that other cultivators could not use talismans, but rather that the Dragon Gate Dao Sect's application of them had reached a divine, effortless mastery that ordinary immortals could not possibly match. Once Zheng De fully accepted his status and had to rely on the formidable Boss Li, Li Chengzhu could leisurely and systematically extract the secret techniques for crafting and utilizing talismans.

Another individual named Tang San also captured Li Chengzhu's attention, and not for any trivial reason: this man was a disciple of the Qitian Pavilion, specifically the personal, direct disciple of the sect master.

The old father-in-law had intended to marry Xiao Ying off precisely to the Qitian Pavilion. Although it was a mutually beneficial marriage of convenience, it had always left a bad taste in Li Chengzhu's mouth. Now that he had run into a disciple of the Qitian Pavilion, his mind was already racing with ways to extract some of its deepest secrets and then blackmail that stubborn old pavilion master. Since Tang San was the direct disciple of the pavilion master, surely he knew a few scandalous or hidden matters?

With his abacus clicking merrily in his mind, Li Chengzhu quickly transmitted instructions via divine sense to Xia Mai and Ke Ba.

Naturally, Tang San had no idea that the former future young mistress of the pavilion had already married into Li Chengzhu's household. This timid and exceedingly snobbish fellow was now eager to lavish flattery upon Boss Li every single day, just to keep the little beast from coming around to terrify him.

The Nascent Souls of the remaining individuals were by no means weak, all possessing the formidable cultivation base of the Mahayana stage. That fellow Zhu Youlei was especially powerful; if he hadn't happened to run into Luo Badao during that tournament, he likely wouldn't have lost his physical body. At the very least, he had broken into the top eight, representing the pinnacle of the younger generation of Mahayana experts in the immortal realm.

Xia Mai and Ke Ba were the first people Li Chengzhu had ever thrown into the Jade Blood Ring, and they understood him far better than the others did, especially Ke Ba. Extremely intelligent and adept at reading facial expressions and sizing up situations, Ke Ba knew that Li Chengzhu wanted to use him to test and execute his ideas. Consequently, among the eight men, he was the only one who did not harbor deep terror toward Li Chengzhu. Gradually, the other seven came to look up to him as their leader, giving him the distinct posture of a commander over Li Chengzhu's growing army of Nascent Souls.

It was rare for cultivators from various sects to bare their souls to one another, let alone share the exact same fate as common prisoners. Sympathizing with each other's plight, they lacked the mental energy to hatch malicious plots. Even though six of the newly arrived individuals harbored resentment because Zhu Youlei had lost his physical body on their account, Zhu Youlei himself cast aside old grudges under the subtle guidance of Ke Ba and Xia Mai, and they all began to live together in harmony.

Everyone knew that if they were to venture out in their pure energy forms, one possibility was being captured and protected by others—or rather, placed under house arrest. That was the best-case scenario. Another possibility was running into some wicked individual who would swallow or refine them. Most of the people present fell into this category; while not outright evil, they had occasionally done good deeds, yet they would hardly hesitate to devour a Nascent Soul if it could increase their own strength. The final and most wretched possibility was enduring the agonizing pain of a slow wither, gradually dissipating into the immortal realm due to a lack of spiritual energy to absorb. While the second and third outcomes both resulted in total annihilation of soul and spirit, the second at least offered a swift release, whereas the last was utterly intolerable.

It was akin to knowing you were about to die—would you rather be beheaded cleanly or subjected to a thousand cuts?

Wanting to find the Mani Bead? That was difficult; you might as well simply pray to meet an Immortal Emperor.

As for the directives Li Chengzhu gave to Xia Mai and Ke Ba, they were told to rally the other Nascent Souls and encourage everyone to speak with open hearts. They were to extract as many sect secrets as possible.

Having lived in the immortal realm for five years, Li Chengzhu was no longer the greenhorn he used to be. Extensive exposure and understanding had taught him that within the immortal world, major sects and cultivators were strictly forbidden from sharing their knowledge or resources with outsiders—a policy quite akin to the isolationist maritime bans imposed by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming dynasty. Precisely because of this, when Gu Longlong offered even the slightest guidance to the residents of Rainbow City regarding their cultivation, they held her in such profound reverence.

Being able to bring forth one's cultivation insights for everyone to share could save countless people from taking detours. In the hearts of Rainbow City's residents, the great City Lord Gu was practically an Immortal Emperor.

Boss Li’s tactic was to win hearts first.

He made them all understand that it would be extremely difficult for them to ever leave the space within this ring. Yet, he refused to leave them completely devoid of hope. Li Chengzhu also had Ke Ba spread the news about searching for the Mani Bead, and he opened the boundary of the Jade Blood Ring to let the Nascent Souls peer directly into his surroundings.

Upon beholding that hazy white sky and the various exotic immortal beasts roaming about, the Nascent Souls grew ecstatic. Even someone as calm as Ke Ba flushed with excitement, staring at Li Chengzhu in utter shock.

This man was truly daring enough to defy the heavens, having actually managed to sneak into the Heaven-Covering Earth-Carrying Grand Formation.

Yet, upon recalling the words spoken by that disciple of the Putuo Gate, and considering the rumors that the Mani Bead existed within the Immortal Forbidden Land, a spark of hope ignited in the hearts of all the Nascent Souls. They nearly threw themselves at Li Chengzhu's knees to hail him as their benefactor.

With their spirits lifted, their tongues loosened, and they inevitably began to spill the guarded secrets of their respective sects.

Ke Ba observed coldly from the sidelines, memorizing every detail. These secrets were his chips to bargain with Li Chengzhu for the Mani Bead.

The hope of reconstructing a physical body and resuming cultivation electrified every single Nascent Soul, completely driving from their minds the fact that Li Chengzhu, by sharing such deeply guarded secrets with them, had never had any intention of letting them go free in the first place.

With hope now kindled, even the demand Ke Ba had previously raised—asking for two months of research in exchange for a single day's worth of Wood Essence—was quietly dropped.

Yuan Mu turned his head to glance at Li Chengzhu, whose face wore a lewd, crafty grin, and felt a slight chill run down his spine. That expression had been plastered across the man's face ever since he emerged from the Jade Blood Ring, and there was no telling what kind of scheme he was cooking up. Still, Yuan Mu knew it was best to avoid provoking him; when this man turned insidious, Yuan Mu was certainly no match for him.

The two men circled widely around the spot where the snake-like immortal beast had been slain, gradually spiraling outward in wider and wider radiuses, until Li Chengzhu genuinely managed to discover several water-attribute immortal beasts.

The strength of these immortal beasts was by no means weak—far more formidable than that Thunder Beast King, and their offensive tricks were endlessly varied, though mostly centered around water and ice. Li Chengzhu had once witnessed the terrifying lethality of that Mysterious Ice Qi, so he consistently lurked behind Immortal Yuan Mu, launching sneak attacks from safety. The Nine Heavens Daluo Cauldron served interchangeably as a defense and an offensive weapon; with Immortal Yuan Mu acting as his human shield, those attacks posed virtually no threat to Li Chengzhu whatsoever.

Boss Li now felt immensely grateful that he had captured the little beast so early on. With it acting as a guide to steer him clear of those immensely powerful immortal beasts, given his cultivation level back then, stumbling into even one of them would have left him without a burial site.

The little beast truly was his lucky star.

The Glazed Needle was now also at the disposal of the little beast. Its movement speed was astonishingly fast—so fast that even Yuan Mu's divine sense could not capture its trajectory, making it look precisely like teleportation. With the existence of a defense-piercing divine artifact like the Glazed Needle, slaying immortal beasts together saved the two men a tremendous amount of effort.

Li Chengzhu calculated in his heart that once he collected a sufficient number of immortal cores, he would bring his grand idea to fruition. When nearly ten immortal artifacts were unleashed at once, even immortals would likely have to retreat three paces. As his own cultivation level continued to grow, it would be more than enough to make up for the regret of not being able to use the God-Slaying Bow casually.

Ever since one of the three pieces of Wood Essence was absorbed by Gu Longlong, Li Chengzhu had not dared to touch the remaining ones casually. The two remaining pieces had also made a massive sacrifice for his child, leaving the Wood Essence dim and devoid of luster, costing Li Chengzhu a precious bloodline treasure for the sake of an infant.

Yet, all of that was secondary; as long as the child was safe and sound, nothing else mattered. Besides, seeing that little Ranran possessed the cultivation base of the late Division Spirit stage right from birth, her future prospects were bound to be limitless.

While Boss Li was busy totting up his plans in his mind, the little beast dozing with half-closed eyes on his shoulder suddenly pricked up its ears, turned its head sharply, and let out a squeaking cry.

Yuan Mu halted his steps mid-stride. The guidance of the little beast was infallible; it must have discovered another immortal beast this time. He quickly asked, "Where?"

Li Chengzhu pondered slightly. This cry from the little beast was somewhat unusual. Although he shared a telepathic link with it and could vaguely sense its intent, he could not truly translate its thoughts into words. Glancing at Yuan Mu, he waved a hand silently and flew off in a designated direction, leading the immortal along.

The distance this time was rather far; Li Chengzhu flew with Yuan Mu for a full quarter of an hour before noticing anything unusual.

Along the entire flight, they hadn't even spotted a single bird. Previously, no matter where they went, low-tier spirit beasts would always perch on the branches, chattering noisily. Yet here, not a single low-tier spirit beast was to be seen—it was genuinely somewhat eerie.

The two exchanged glances, each reading the gravity in the other's eyes.

With a swift hiss, Yuan Mu drew the Long Rainbow Cord from his ring, clutching it tightly in his grip to guard against any contingencies while simultaneously spreading his divine sense in all directions.

Li Chengzhu did not dare to be careless either. The Nine Heavens Daluo Cauldron had long since been released, and the sharp, ringing hum of metallic blades immediately filled the air.

Aside from their own movements, absolute silence prevailed—a stillness so profound it bordered on the abnormal.

The two crept forward inch by inch. The trees here seemed noticeably taller and more massive than anywhere else, and a fresh, pure fragrance drifted into their nostrils, causing both men to involuntarily snap to rapt attention.