Chapter 1704
The Deal
"To be honest, fellow Daoist, I also do not know the whereabouts of that Xuanxian cultivator."
Tu Gang shook his head helplessly and said, "He hasn't appeared since we parted a month ago."
"At first, the sect was still searching for his whereabouts in Yunjing Prefecture, but there was no news for a long time, so the sect had no choice but to give up."
The Golden Immortal responsible for inquiring about the relevant information frowned. On his way here, he had already learned in detail about the purification of the Yin and Evil Land. He knew that the one who turned the tide and contributed the most was actually that Xuanxian cultivator, while the more than 10,000 disciples of the Yuntian Sect were just assisting from the side.
Therefore, this talent is crucial!
But the other party has been missing for several days now, and it's unknown when they will be able to find them.
If you're lucky, you might get the news quickly; but if you're unlucky, no one knows how long it will take.
After much deliberation, the Golden Immortal could only resort to the second option, and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Tu Gang, I've heard that your sect obtained a secret technique from that person that can resolve the Yin and Evil Lands? I wonder if you could pass it on to the Immortal Alliance?"
"Of course, the Immortal Alliance is not asking your sect to hand over the items for free, but is willing to spend spiritual items of equal value to complete the transaction with your sect."
In reality, they don't need to pay a high price at all, because they can obtain the method from disciples who have mastered the secrets of lotus cultivation.
After all, when the secret technique was passed on to those disciples, the situation was urgent, and Yuntian Sect did not have time to set up restrictions to prevent them from spreading it.
However, the Immortal Alliance has other requests, so they plan to give the Cloud Heaven Sect some benefits to encourage them to work even harder.
As for the other matter, the main thing is to ask the Yuntian Sect to continue searching for Li Zhirui, because he is the key figure.
Tu Gang understood the other party's unspoken meaning. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and said, "I will do my best, but I'm not very confident that I can find the other party."
"It's alright, then I'll have to trouble you, fellow Daoist."
The Golden Immortal did not make a forceful demand, because he knew that finding a Mystic Immortal was not an easy task.
Moreover, among the many sects and families of the Immortal Alliance, finding a cultivator who practices the Purification Law is not actually difficult.
However, this person's cultivation level may be relatively low, and they may not reach the Xuanxian realm.
After completing the transaction with Tu Gang, he set off to leave the place and immediately reported the Lotus Planting Secret Technique to the Immortal Alliance.
Let them worry about what happens next.
……
Talking two ends.
Li Zhirui, who had already arrived in a certain immortal city, was unaware that the Immortal Alliance was preparing to issue a proclamation and search for his whereabouts.
However, if he doesn't show himself, no one will know where he is.
Because of his cautious nature, he had already changed his appearance before arriving in this unfamiliar immortal city, presenting himself to the world in a completely new guise.
Moreover, after arriving here, Li Zhirui rented a quiet and secluded cave and began to consume merit points to accelerate his comprehension of the purification laws of the Myriad Profound Realms, hoping to break through to the late stage of the Profound Immortal realm as soon as possible.
As long as he successfully breaks through his cultivation level, then everything he has done since arriving in the Myriad Profound Realms will have been worthwhile!
Li Zhirui, who possesses a vast number of laws, may not yet have reached the level of a chosen one of the Heavenly Dao, but he has definitely been favored by the Heavenly Dao.
Therefore, when he was comprehending the laws of purification, the parts that were previously difficult and obscure were now almost completely revealed to him.
All he can do now is to absorb nutrients and strengthen himself to the best of his ability!
As time went by, the aura emanating from Li Zhirui's body became increasingly ethereal and mysterious, giving people a profound and almost Taoist feeling.
But suddenly, he opened his eyes and came to his senses. His face was no longer filled with the joy and happiness of being immersed in the laws of purification, but with deep fear and lingering dread.
"That was close. I almost succumbed to it and became part of the purification law."
A bitter smile appeared on Li Zhirui's lips. He had indeed been somewhat arrogant, not only believing that he could break through his realm in one fell swoop, but also going even further to challenge the Golden Immortal realm.
The reason for this situation is that he has accumulated too much merit, which allows him to comprehend the purification law without hindrance, resulting in a serious delusion!
If it weren't for his unwavering resolve, his awareness of something amiss, and his timely and decisive end to his cultivation, he would likely have been submerged in the sea of laws in a moment.
"Ugh!"
Li Zhirui sighed and said helplessly, "I didn't expect that gaining too much merit wouldn't necessarily be a good thing."
If other cultivators heard him say that, I wonder what their reaction would be.
Some people desperately seek merit but fail to accumulate it, while others complain that they have too much merit.
After this ordeal, he will be unable to continue comprehending the laws for a short period of time.
Fortunately, fortune and misfortune are intertwined. Although Li Zhirui almost succumbed to it and was assimilated by the laws, he also comprehended some new purification laws, which allowed him to advance his realm.
He is only one step away from breaking through to the late stage of the Profound Immortal realm!
However, he couldn't keep going all out. After calming himself down, he thought for a moment and then got up and left the cave.
Speaking of which, since he arrived here, he has gone into seclusion to cultivate and hasn't had a chance to properly explore this immortal city.
Therefore, Li Zhirui planned to go out for a walk, relax, and buy some local specialties to enrich his collection of spiritual items.
"Have you heard? Another great battle has broken out in the Lingxiao Mountains!" a cultivator said with a worried expression.
As he passed by a tea stall, he overheard these words. He turned around, found an empty seat, casually ordered a pot of spiritual tea, and decided to listen to what was going on.
The cultivator at his table, however, was unimpressed, saying casually, "Isn't it normal for a major battle to break out in the border area between the three major factions? What's so surprising about that?"
"You don't know this, but this time it's different!"
The cultivator shook his head and sighed, saying with a heavy heart, "This battle is not against demonic cultivators or demon races, but against some kind of very strange and bizarre monster."
"Those monsters have all sorts of strange appearances, and each one is extremely ferocious and terrifying. Most importantly, they carry a very powerful pollution. Once you are injured by a monster, the dense evil power will frantically destroy and erode your body."
"I heard that if the internal problems aren't addressed in time, there's a high chance of turning into a monster..."
This is not an ordinary defeat and death; instead, one will be transformed into a monster that is neither human nor ghost.
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the crowd finally changed.
They are naturally afraid of death, but they are even more afraid of being unable to control their own lives after death, and even being unable to reincarnate.
"Brother Lai, you're not lying to us, are you?" a cultivator asked, his voice trembling slightly.
The cultivator said with a wry smile, "What benefit would I gain from lying to you about something like this?"
The crowd fell silent; they already knew the answer in their hearts.
"The situation at the front is not going well, and the Immortal Alliance is very likely to issue a conscription order. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, it is best for everyone not to respond to the conscription, lest you end up with an unspeakable fate."
"Hmm." Upon hearing this news, everyone lost their appetite for chatting and quickly dispersed.
Only Li Zhirui sat there, deep in thought, his brows slightly furrowed.
Compared to other cultivators, he had personally experienced the Yin and Evil Land, so how could he not guess what was going on from the other party's words?
"There's more than one sinister place?!"
Moreover, judging from this situation, there may be other sinister places hidden elsewhere, which are just not exposed for the time being.
Should we make a move?
This is what troubles Li Zhirui the most.
Although merit is a good thing that the more the better, and a versatile resource that can be used in many places, after his experience of almost being assimilated by the laws, he has come to understand that some things are not necessarily better the more you have.
Besides, he's not a being of this realm, so what would he need so much merit for?
After some calculation, Li Zhirui discovered that the merits he possessed were not only enough for him to comprehend the laws of purification and advance himself further, but also to settle his karmic ties with the Myriad Profound Realms and depart without any burden.
With so much merit, it's impossible to attempt to reach the Golden Immortal realm within the Myriad Profound Realms, right?
If Li Zhirui really does that, then it won't be so easy for him to leave the Myriad Profound Realm again.
So he would never do that!
After careful consideration and deliberation, he finally decided not to take action.
Otherwise, if one were to accumulate a large amount of merit again, it would be too conspicuous and easily attract attention.
But this does not mean that Li Zhirui will do nothing.
He could acquire more spirit crystals, spirit items, and even some precious treasures that don't usually appear on the market by selling purified lotus seeds, which he would bring out in a critical situation!
With that thought in mind, he stopped worrying about it.
With his provision of purified lotus seeds, coupled with the Cloud Heaven Sect's mastery of the lotus cultivation secrets and the already formidable strength of the Immortal Alliance, it seems they can successfully resolve that sinister place.
However, a new problem has arisen: how can a deal be completed with the Immortal Alliance without the need for intervention?
Find an intermediary agent?
After pondering for a moment, Li Zhirui still felt it was not quite right, because if he used this method, the other party would still have to meet with him afterward and hand over the obtained spirit crystals and spirit items.
Moreover, this agent must be trustworthy enough or have strong control over the agent so that there is no need to worry about the other party running away for money.
Got it!
Just as he was racking his brains and couldn't find a solution, a special force suddenly appeared in his mind!
If it's this power, they have enough financial resources to buy all the purified lotus seeds in Li Zhirui's possession.
In this way, he could immediately obtain the spirit crystals and spirit items without having to wait for the other party to complete the transaction with the Immortal Alliance before handing them over to him. This would essentially reduce one step in the process and save him a lot of unnecessary trouble.
As for the price at which the other party sells it to the Immortal Alliance, that's none of Li Zhirui's business.
With that thought in mind, he left the spirit stone and immediately got up and headed towards a certain place.
Before long, Li Zhirui arrived at a shop that looked dilapidated.
The organization he sought out was the very same intelligence agency he had asked to find the evil lands and had successfully located—Qianji Pavilion!
"What would you like to buy?" The female cultivator sitting behind the counter asked with a smile as she stood up.
Li Zhirui shook his head and said, "I'm not here to buy anything, but to sell the spiritual items that the Immortal Alliance urgently needs."
"Oh?"
A glint of light flashed in the female cultivator's eyes, but she did not ask any further questions. She simply said, "Please make your way to the top-tier private room. There will be someone to receive you there."
He simply nodded and walked towards the corresponding private room.
Soon, Li Zhirui was already sitting in the top-tier room.
Sitting opposite him was a serious-looking monk.
As for this person's cultivation level, he couldn't see through it!
Either he possesses secret techniques or treasures that conceal his true level of cultivation, or his cultivation level is so profound that it is difficult for others to fathom.
What would you like to sell?
Li Zhirui did not answer, but instead took out several purification lotus seeds of different grades from his storage magic treasure and pushed them in front of the other party.
"This is……"
Hai Zang frowned slightly, his gaze fixed on the lotus seeds, as if trying to identify what kind of spiritual object they were.
But not long after, he raised his head and said softly, "Are you the mysterious cultivator who helped the Yuntian Sect resolve the Yin and Evil Land back then?"
"You have excellent eyesight!"
Li Zhirui was not surprised at all and readily admitted his identity.
As the largest intelligence organization within the Immortal Alliance, it would be extremely embarrassing for Qianji Pavilion to be unaware of such basic information.
"Don't you know that the Immortal Alliance is searching for you everywhere, wanting you to help resolve the newly emerged evil land?"
"I didn't know. I only just found out that there was a second evil place."
Li Zhirui shook his head, then explained, "But I don't want to participate in it anymore."
"Why? As far as I know, the Immortal Alliance has offered extremely generous terms, which would even tempt Golden Immortal cultivators."
"The tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind! Being too conspicuous is not a good thing." He didn't say the real reason, but this was one of his concerns.
"Moreover, the Yuntian Sect has already learned how to solve the problem of the Yin and Evil Land, and it may have already spread within the Immortal Alliance."
He did not require the lotus cultivation method to be kept secret; it was perfectly normal for the method to spread.
"But the solution is missing the most crucial link!"
Hai Cang's gaze swept over the few purified lotus seeds, and he said, "So you want to complete a deal with the Immortal Alliance through the Qianji Pavilion?"
"No, no, no, I only traded with Qianji Pavilion. Who you trade with afterwards is your business."
"hehe."
Hai Zang chuckled and said, "Speak, what price are you prepared to offer?"
"This concerns the safety of the Myriad Realms and the Immortal Alliance. I will not take advantage of the situation to plunder. I will just charge the normal price for spiritual items."
Li Zhirui added with a smile, "Of course, if there are any precious or rare spiritual items, such as innate spiritual seeds, that would be even better."
"You certainly have a big appetite."
But in the end, Hai Zang agreed to the deal. (End of Chapter)