Translator: CinderTL
[Three days from now, have Mingcheng take the Bodhi Spirit Core to Cloudveil Lake, 300,000 li west of the city. Someone will retrieve it there. Remember, only Mingcheng is to go. If anyone else accompanies him, Hui Zhen will die.] Song Wen transmitted.
[What about my son?] Du'e replied.
[Once I receive the Bodhi Spirit Core, someone will return your son to Cloudveil City,] Song Wen said.
[That's impossible! What if you go back on your word? My son would be in grave danger!] Du'e protested.
[Then how would you prefer to conduct this exchange?] Song Wen asked.
[Choose a location where we can meet face-to-face. I will only hand over the Bodhi Spirit Core after confirming my son's safety,] Du'e insisted.
[Du'e, you should know I'm just a nascent soul cultivator. How could I dare meet you in person?] Song Wen countered.
[Then I'll send a nascent soul cultivator to handle the exchange. Surely you'll be satisfied with that?] Du'e proposed.
[Agreed,] Song Wen replied after a moment's silence. [However, if any monk from the Dry Zen Temple appears near Cloudveil Lake within these three days, the deal is off.]
[Very well, I accept your terms,] Du'e replied readily.
After ending the communication, Song Wen didn't leave the inn, waiting there for three days.
On the evening of the third day, he received another message from Du'e.
Du'e's tone was furious.
[Mi Hai, what exactly do you mean by this? The men I sent are still waiting at Cloudveil Lake, but you haven't shown up.]
Song Wen replied, [Great Master, please don't be angry. My cultivation is weak, so I must be cautious.]
Du'e demanded, [What do you want for the trade?]
Song Wen proposed, [Tomorrow at noon, we'll meet in the desert a million li southwest of Cloudveil City. All other conditions remain unchanged.]
From the start, Song Wen had no intention of going to Cloudveil Lake.
The lake was too small, only a few thousand li wide.
Du'e could easily deploy a formation covering the entire lake.
If Song Wen appeared there, he would be trapped like a turtle in a jar.
But the desert a million li southwest of Cloudveil City was vast enough that even with the full power of the Dry Zen Temple, Du'e couldn't deploy a formation covering the entire area.
[That desert spans hundreds of thousands of li. How will my men find you?] Du'e asked.
Song Wen replied, [On the southern edge of the desert, there's an ancient city ruin. Have them wait there.]
The next day, a peak Nascent Soul cultivator appeared above the desolate desert, a landscape of sand and scattered rocks.
Below him, the faint outlines of crumbling walls and ruined structures could be seen.
The monk scanned the surroundings, but found no one.
He glanced up at the sky. The scorching sun hung high overhead, marking the hour as noon.
Yet the person he was supposed to meet still hadn't arrived.
He couldn't help but wonder if he was being tricked again, just like the previous day.
Just then, a sesame-seed-sized Gu insect emerged from the collapsed ruins and flew deep into the desert.
The monk instantly recognized it as a fourth-tier Gu.
He understood that his opponent was cautious, and this wasn't the true meeting place.
He turned his head westward, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face.
But after only a moment's pause, he activated his escape technique and pursued the Gu insect, which was already vanishing into the horizon.
After traveling roughly 50,000 kilometers, the monk found himself above a rugged terrain of rocky hills and sandy slopes.
The Gu insect landed atop one of the hills.
There, silhouetted against the sky, stood a figure cloaked in black.
At the figure's feet, Hui Zhen lay bound on the ground, tightly restrained by chains that prevented any movement.
Apart from some minor facial injuries, Hui Zhen appeared unharmed.
Hui Zhen noticed the newcomer and shouted loudly, "Senior Brother Jiewang, save me!"
Before Hui Zhen could finish speaking, the black shadow interjected, "Hui Zhen is here. Where's the Bodhi Spirit Core?"
A storage pouch suddenly appeared before Jiewang. The pouch hadn't been refined, allowing anyone's divine sense to easily penetrate it.
The black shadow, naturally Song Wen, confirmed the Bodhi Spirit Core was inside. With a wave of his hand, a surge of immense Spiritual Power swept through the pouch, snatching it away.
The Spiritual Power he unleashed was unrestrained. Jiewang was powerless to stop it, forced to watch helplessly as the pouch was taken.
Without pausing, Song Wen's figure flickered, vanishing into the distance.
Simultaneously, a stream of black Qi surged from his body, pouring into Hui Zhen's body. Hui Zhen immediately let out a pained wail.
Jiewang noticed Song Wen was a Divine Transformation Stage cultivator, a flicker of shock crossing his eyes. This contradicted the intelligence he had received.
Fortunately, the enemy had fled without killing him.
He rushed to Hui Zhen's side, quickly freeing him from the chains. He discovered a sinister Corpse Qi coursing through Hui Zhen's body, eroding his flesh. If left unchecked, Hui Zhen's life would be in grave danger.
The Corpse Qi was exceptionally dense, and he couldn't dispel it immediately.
He had no choice but to retrieve a jade slip and gently crush it.
Instantly, a golden pillar of light shot skyward.
Within a dozen breaths, a monk in a yellow kasaya arrived swiftly.
This was Du'e.
He immediately recognized Hui Zhen's predicament. A vast Buddhist-Daoist aura surged from his body, enveloping Hui Zhen.
Moments later, the Corpse Qi was completely purged from Hui Zhen's body.
"Father, you're finally here! Hurry and capture Mi Hai! I want to kill him with my own hands!" Hui Zhen exclaimed as soon as he was freed.
"He won't escape," Du'e said with unwavering confidence.
Before his words could fully fade, Du'e's figure vanished.
However, he returned shortly after, his expression grave.
Seeing Du'e return alone, Hui Zhen asked, "Father, where's Mi Hai?"
"He escaped," Du'e replied.
After pursuing Mi Hai for over a thousand li, Du'e discovered that the divine sense imprint he had left on the storage pouch had been erased. Moreover, the lingering traces of Mi Hai's aura had vanished without a trace.
This left Du'e both astonished and deeply suspicious.
The person who could erase his divine sense imprint so quickly must possess cultivation at least equal to his own.
Recalling Mi Hai's earlier claim that he belonged to a certain family, Du'e now believed it without a doubt.
After all, Mi Hai, who had kidnapped Hui Zhen, was a nascent soul cultivator; the black-robed figure who had traded with Jiewang was a divine transformation stage cultivator; and now, a Void Refinement Stage cultivator had emerged.
Even if they weren't a family, they were clearly a force with a Void Refinement Stage cultivator in their ranks.
Fearing the enemy might have further tricks up their sleeve and unable to trace their remaining aura, Du'e reluctantly abandoned the pursuit.
"Father, how could you let him escape like that?" Hui Zhen asked, her voice tinged with resentment and confusion.
Du'e's face darkened abruptly. "This matter ends here. You must not mention it to anyone outside the temple. The Bodhi Spirit Core is a forbidden item by order of the Veiled Moon Hall. I secretly obtained a thousand intact specimens, complete with roots, ready for transplantation. If the Veiled Moon Hall discovers this, even I won't escape death."
Seeing Du'e's grave tone, Hui Zhen dared not press further.
Du'e glared coldly at Hui Zhen before continuing.
"From this day forward, you will remain obediently within the temple. Until you achieve nascent soul formation, you are forbidden from stepping outside the Dry Zen Temple."
(End of the Chapter)
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