"Qi Chunan has left Lingyuan City?"

Jia Ren, crafting talismans in his Cave in Lingyuan City, seemed to sense something.

The Divine Coin Talisman throbbed ceaselessly, as if it was about to leave the River Mountain Bag and ride the wind.

This talisman only exhibited such activity under one circumstance—Qi Chunan had left Lingyuan City. He had thought that Qi Chunan would stay holed up in Lingyuan City like a coward, but in the end, he couldn't resist. It was highly likely that he had learned through Wish Bizarre that Wang Fugui was not in Lingyuan City. I can only make my move now.

Jia Ren had wanted to wait for Wang Fugui's return. A Late-Stage Deity-Transforming Cultivator could easily resolve the issue.

He wouldn't have had to risk anything, simply lying in wait to reap the fruits of victory. Alas, things did not go as one wished.

With Wang Fugui not returning, he had to personally take action to retrieve the Profound Realm Key.

"Qi Chunan has left Lingyuan City!" Jia Ren took out a black compass and transmitted his voice.

This was the second treasure given to him by Wang Fugui before his departure—the Tongluo Sound Disc. This item could convey messages to Wang Fugui in the Eastern Desolation Domain.

Whether he had the time to come was a matter of luck. In any case, it provided an additional layer of insurance.

"Time to depart!"

Jia Ren and his Insect External Incarnation far away stood simultaneously, turning into two beams of light, flying towards the direction the Divine Coin Talisman sensed.

He's running fast!

The Divine Coin Talisman could sense the direction of the target. The closer the distance, the clearer the sensation; the farther away, the more indistinct the sensing became. Qi Chunan's escape was not slow, and the distance between them was widening.

"Ancient Wings!"

Using a Teleportation Array to leave from the north gate of Lingyuan City, Jia Ren decisively pulled out the Ancient Talisman Wings and inserted twelve talismans into it. The talismans weren't the commonly used Divine Wind Talisman; Second Tier Talismans provided little benefit to a Golden Core Cultivator and weren't quite sufficient to pursue a Nascent Soul Cultivator. These were Third-order Talismans: the Qinggang Divine Wind Talisman, recently crafted.

With the twelve Third-order Qinggang Divine Wind Talismans activated, the color of the Ancient Talisman Wings changed from black to green, with twelve streams of green wind visible to the naked eye swirling around the Ancient Talisman Wings. The Ancient Talisman Wings flapped, and the next instant, a white cloud explosion scar was left in the spot where the person had disappeared.

Jia Ren pursued relentlessly in the direction the Divine Coin Talisman sensed. With the speed granted by the twelve Qinggang Divine Wind Talismans, he could clearly sense he was getting closer to the target.

In the sensing of his divine consciousness, three Nascent Soul Cultivators emitting intense heat signatures were fleeing at an astonishing speed.

Three Nascent Soul Cultivators?! Were they allies Qi Chunan had called upon?

They turned into beams of Escape Light, unable to conceal their auras. Among the three, one strong and two weak, they were one Mid-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator and two Nascent Soul Early Stage Cultivators. Having seen Qi Chunan's portrait, Jia Ren easily identified the main culprit. The other two, he did not recognize. They were bona fide Nascent Soul Cultivators. The difficulty of slaying Nascent Soul Cultivators had greatly increased, to say nothing of the fact that there was a Mid Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator present.

If Jia Ren wanted to slay the three Nascent Soul Cultivators, he couldn't avoid using the Divine Coin Talisman. Was there another way to resolve this? I overlooked a problem. Although the three Nascent Soul Cultivators seemed to have joined forces, it didn't mean they shared the same interests. The other two Nascent Soul Cultivators were likely not Loose Cultivators. Sect Disciples had to consider not only themselves but also their Sect's future. If they could bring along their Sect members to the Mysterious Realm, why would they leave alone? Their strengths varied, so Qi Chunan could not have control over the Profound Realm Key. If he was smart, he would never reveal the Profound Realm Key. Thus, there was an opportunity to incite conflict among them.

The pursuit by the speed-impressive individual elicited immediate reactions from the three Nascent Soul Cultivators. Qi Chunan's face turned pale. Despite sensing the newcomer to be a Golden Core Cultivator, he dared not be careless.

What if it was a Divine Transformation Cultivator in disguise? Even if it wasn't, they must be somehow connected to a Divine Transformation Cultivator.

Huang Sihai and Li Qiantang were momentarily stunned. Although the speed of the newcomer was outstanding, surpassing ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivators, their true strength was that of the Middle Stage of the Golden Core.

A Golden Core Stage Cultivator daring to pursue three Nascent Soul Cultivators? Who gave him the gall? Tired of living, is he?!

"I'd trouble Daoist Li to take action."

"This is your advance payment!"

A wooden box containing Red-blood Sun Gold was thrown over and landed in the hands of Li Qiantang. Qi Chunan's Escape Light did not stop; on the contrary, it sped up by a third. Huang Sihai glanced at the oncoming Jia Ren, did not stay, and closely followed Qi Chunan.

After confirming there was nothing wrong with the Red-blood Sun Gold, Li Qiantang quickly stored it away. Turning his head to look at the pursuer, suspicion filled his mind.

If the person wasn't a Divine Transformation Stage Cultivator, why the need to flee so fast?! This guy still is a coward.

Li Qiantang grumbled inwardly but still took the money for the job. A five-foot-long Cloud Cluster Knife materialized in his palm, its blade golden and strikingly conspicuous under the sunlight.

"If you can withstand three slashes from me, I'll spare your life!"

He raised the Cloud Cluster Knife high into the air. Above the sky, a massive amount of nature's spiritual energy converged, slowly forming a shadow of a blade light nearly a hundred feet long, pointing distantly towards Jia Ren. Jia Ren felt as though he stood on the execution ground with the beheading knife hanging high overhead, sending chills down his spine.

"Senior, my name is Jia Ren, and I ask you to help me reclaim justice," he said. "Qi Chunan has taken the Profound Realm Key of the Xuan Shui Sect. If you help me slay this beast, the Profound Realm Key will be yours to own."

Jia Ren spoke with sincere intent, though his words were a mix of truth and falsehood.

The existence of Qi Chunan and the Profound Realm Key of the Xuan Shui Sect were real, but the key becoming his own was an impossibility.

The Profound Realm Key?!

Qi Chunan's face grew unsightly, while Li Qiantang and Huang Sihai looked astonished, turning their heads toward Qi Chunan. The commotion caused by the Profound Realm Key was considerable; numerous Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Four Great Desolate Domains were still in pursuit of this treasure. Upon reflection, Qi Chunan's strange behavior from years ago had a plausible explanation.

No wonder he fled so swiftly; it turned out to be a creditor's visit. A single Golden Core Cultivator would have been manageable, but the real trouble arose when Nascent Soul Cultivators who heard the news started to appear. Hundreds of Nascent Soul Cultivators were enough to destroy any Sect.

"Goodness! What a deeply hidden secret."

"You thought that a piece of Red-blood Sun Gold would be enough to dismiss me?!"

Li Qiantang did not hesitate to change direction, swinging his hundred-zhang great sword at the fleeing Qi Chunan. He unhesitatingly became the turncoat, reversing his blade's direction.

BOOM!

The giant hundred-zhang Cloud Cluster Knife seemed to move instantaneously, swiftly slashing downward as if to cut through everything, even Magical Treasures. Qi Chunan extended his right palm from which seemed to muster a white gale, hurled out at astonishing speed and hit the descending heavenly blade. The illusory hundred-zhang heavenly blade, not yet having struck, appeared as if stripped of its momentum, disintegrating into pure nature's spiritual energy.

Heavenly Feather Gate's Divine Technique: Undefined Tempest!

He watched the distant Huang Sihai with a wary face, fearing he might suffer a pincer attack from two Nascent Soul Cultivators.

Li Qiantang he could handle, but the Mid-Stage Nascent Soul Huang Sihai would be much more troublesome.

As expected, a blue-black Seven Seas Tower descended from the sky, smashing down towards him. A terrifying suction and pressure swept over him, threatening to engulf him into the tower. Qi Chunan's hired Nascent Soul Cultivators turned against him upon learning of the Profound Realm Key.

If the newcomer had been a Divine Transformation Stage Cultivator, the three, under such pressure, might have maintained a united front. But a Golden Core Mid-Stage Cultivator was too weak to be of concern. An external threat so weak was contrary to the initial plan. It turned into him ensnaring himself, left to deal alone with the two 'helpers'.

Qi Chunan's arms grew white feathers, transforming into crane wings, and flapped towards the sky, dodging the suction and bombardment of the Seven Seas Tower. His movements were as nimble as a flying crane, twisting and dodging through the attacks.

He aimed to turn the tables and revert to the original trajectory.

"Do you recall the attack I suffered seven years ago from the Divine Transformation Cultivators? This man is not only a Golden Core Cultivator, but there is also a Divine Transformation Cultivator backing him," he said. "If the three of us continue to fight, we may well die at the hands of Divine Transformation Cultivators. Would it not be better for us three to unite and enter the Mysterious Realm together?"

Only when faced with a formidable external enemy could they truly unite.

Divine Transformation Cultivators?!

The two had witnessed Qi Chunan being bombarded with golden coins seven years ago; some even suspected he had stolen the Profound Realm Key, and it turned out their guess was right on the mark. With the added pressure of a Divine Transformation Cultivator, both ceased their offense.

Continuing the fight was meaningless; if a Divine Transformation Cultivator arrived in person, neither would be able to keep hold of the Profound Realm Key. They didn't want to simply hand over the precious Profound Realm Key, not even to a Divine Transformation Cultivator.

"As long as we use the Profound Realm Key to enter the Mysterious Realm before the Divine Transformation Cultivator arrives, even they won't be able to do anything to us," Qi Chunan said with confidence, stirring interest in Huang Sihai and Li Qiantang.

The Profound Realm Key was exceedingly rare; this was an opportunity not to be missed at any cost. The Seven Seas Tower Magical Treasure landed in Huang Sihai's right palm as he gazed intently at the approaching Jia Ren. Li Qiantang gripped the Cloud Cluster Knife Magical Treasure, his gaze repeatedly sizing up Jia Ren's face.

Kill them to silence them!

Jia Ren wouldn't allow them to unite against him.

If a Divine Transformation Cultivator could unite them, the same power could tear their alliance apart.

"The Divine Transformation Cultivator will be here soon; where do you get the confidence that you can fend off a Late-Stage Deity-Transforming Cultivator?" he challenged.

A Late-Stage Deity-Transforming Cultivator?!

The trio couldn't help but turn pale; they had assumed it was just an Early Stage Divine Transformation Cultivator. Although no match, they might have had a sliver of a chance had they worked together. But facing a Late-Stage Deity-Transforming Cultivator was akin to a death sentence.

"Don't be fooled by him!"

"None of the Masters of the super sects in the Four Great Desolate Domains are at the Late-stage of Soul Transformation!"

Qi Chunan stepped forward to calm everyone's nerves and sent a secret signal, ready to make his escape.

Only a fool would linger here, waiting for a Divine Transformation Cultivator to arrive. Without any chance of victory, escape was the only option. If not now, then when?

"Wait but the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, and you will see that my words hold no falsehood," said Jia Ren, who would not provide evidence of Wang Fugui's strength.

By setting a specific time for the arrival of the Divine Transformation Cultivator, the pressure was different from before — entirely another level.

Could you escape the grasp of a Divine Transformation Cultivator within the time it takes to brew tea? The answer was no!

"If you two are willing to help me retrieve the Profound Realm Key, there will be spots for you in the Mysterious Realm," Jia Ren declared, his words as sharp as arrows, his tongue like a knife.

With the name of the Divine Transformation Cultivator and empty promises, Jia Ren effortlessly dismantled the coalition of Nascent Soul Cultivators and even turned enemies into allies.

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