## Chapter 348: Invitation from Purple Mist
“It’s nothing serious, mainly my physical body is damaged.”
Yun Lan Zhen Jun forced a smile onto his face, his body wobbling as he was supported by Purple Mist Xian Zi. He landed on her escaping light.
The brilliant purple mist cloud isolated their spiritual senses and concealed their specific situation, landing on the Yun Lan Peak, where the fourth-order spiritual vein was located.
The Nascent Soul cultivators of Yun Xia Zong, seeing the extent of Yun Lan Zhen Jun’s injuries, dared not discuss it casually.
However, this level of injury, for a Nascent Soul Zhen Jun, wasn’t considered fatal.
Before reaching the point of Nascent Soul leaving the body, it wasn’t considered a true life-or-death crisis.
On Qingluan Peak, Lu Chang An’s eyes flickered with a peculiar color. His senses and understanding, exceeding those of a Jindan cultivator, allowed him to discern a few details.
Yun Lan Zhen Jun’s injuries weren’t just about his physical body, losing an arm. His Nascent Soul spirit was also weakened.
“Yun Lan Zhen Jun never underwent a body-seizure (夺舍, *a practice where a cultivator takes over another’s body*), so his original physical body, losing an arm, even if he uses celestial spiritual objects and sacred herbs to repair it, the flesh will always have a flaw.”
Lu Chang An mused.
The injury itself was secondary, the key was the imperfection left by the physical body, affecting future advancement.
This influence wasn’t a decisive factor.
But for cultivators who found advancement already difficult, it was like adding insult to injury.
Or, someone who barely had a chance to advance, might be denied the opportunity for life due to this situation.
As for body-seizure? The impact would be even greater. After Nascent Soul seizes a new body, it would lose some of its essence, and the combination with the physical body wouldn’t be perfect, causing cultivation to become even harder to transcend previous levels.
For most cultivators, their original flawless physical body was surely the most compatible.
“This matter has nothing to do with this Zhen Jun.”
Lu Chang An, as the lucky star of the sect, was certain of this.
Xuan Tian Hu Teng (玄天葫藤, *a type of mythical vine known for its mystical properties*) had only taken root recently, its luck amplification was already weak, and when it fell upon individual cultivators, it was negligible.
He had always cultivated discreetly in Yun Xia Zong, without taking actions that would affect the upper echelons.
Even if he didn’t join Yun Xia Zong, today’s events would have happened anyway.
In the Greater Abyss, where spiritual vein resources were richer, the proportion of Nascent Soul cultivators advancing to the mid-stage didn’t exceed 30%.
…
Yun Lan Peak, the Supreme Elder’s subworld.
Yun Lan Zhen Jun sat in meditation, taking a few healing sacred pills, his complexion had recovered slightly, but his expression was still downcast.
“Brother Lan, who did this?”
Purple Mist Zhen Jun’s voice was clear and cold, expressing concern.
“I left the Dan Dao Alliance territory and was ambushed on the way. The attackers were two Nascent Soul cultivators, one of whom is suspected to be the demonic leader, Nangong Xiu, who is wanted by the ‘Heavenly Sword Pavilion’ in the Southern Region.”
“The other person used a special artifact to conceal their appearance and magical power aura, secretly administering a strange baby poison (婴毒, *a type of poison that specifically targets a cultivator’s Nascent Soul*), causing my Nascent Soul to be poisoned. If forced to leave my body, the poison would have acted even faster.”
“Fortunately, I used the sect’s secret life-saving techniques, forcing the two of them to retreat without achieving anything.”
Yun Lan Zhen Jun spoke with lingering fear.
“Strange baby poison? Could it be the work of the Great Serpent Mountain (大蛇山, *a mountain range known for its venomous snakes and connection to a powerful sect* )? The poison of that ‘Red Gloom Serpent King (赤幽蛇王, *a legendary poisonous snake king* )’ can harm Nascent Soul, affecting the spiritual sense.”
Purple Mist Zhen Jun’s star-like eyes flickered, speculating.
Great Serpent Mountain was the sworn enemy of Yun Xia Zong.
The relationship between the two sects had always been strained, with grudges extending back to their ancestors’ Nascent Soul period, even before joining the Great Yu (大宇, *a large kingdom with vast territory*).
In the last two hundred years, Great Serpent Mountain had been recovering, keeping a low profile, and with the Great Yu royal family mediating, the two sides resolved their conflicts and lived in peace.
“The baby poison I was infected with is quite different from the Red Gloom Serpent King’s poison.”
Yun Lan Zhen Jun pondered.
“However, Great Serpent Mountain is indeed a suspect. They definitely don’t want to see Yun Xia Zong have three Nascent Soul cultivators, let alone see me advance to the mid-stage Nascent Soul.”
“I’m afraid, it’s not just Great Serpent Mountain that doesn’t want to see our Yun Xia Zong become too strong.”
Purple Mist Zhen Jun sighed softly.
Yun Lan Zhen Jun remained silent for a long time, knowing that after being poisoned and losing an arm, the hope of advancing to the mid-stage Nascent Soul in this life was even more distant.
“You were ambushed and plotted against after leaving the Dan Dao Alliance. In this matter, even if that Le Dan Shi (乐丹师, *a respected master alchemist*) didn’t leak the information, he was still negligent. I will send someone to convey a message, asking for sacred medicine to neutralize the poison and expedite the Nascent Soul’s recovery,” Purple Mist Zhen Jun suggested.
Yun Lan Zhen Jun nodded, and said, “Fortunately, the transaction with Le Dan Shi this time has made some progress. The resources for Yun Qing’s (云清, *a disciple of the sect* ) Nascent Soul formation are almost ready, and we don’t have to worry about refining the Transformation Baby Pill (化婴丹, *a pill that helps cultivators to form their Nascent Soul* ).”
“That’s good. Yun Qing is about to reach the peak of Jindan. If she can get another spiritual object that helps resist the Heart Demon Tribulation (心魔劫, *a tribulation that tests the mental fortitude of a cultivator during Nascent Soul formation*), it will increase her chances.”
Purple Mist Zhen Jun’s face softened, and she smiled slightly.
Yun Lan Zhen Jun’s trip this time, although risky, had gained crucial value, which was easy to arouse resentment.
“In a few years, a high-level auction will be held in Yun Tian City (云天城, *a renowned city in the Central Region*) of the Central Region. By then, Brother, you can rest and recuperate, and then try your luck again.”
…
Over the next year.
Yun Xia Zong launched a top-down investigation, mainly targeting internal betrayers within the sect.
The results were not bad, they uncovered a few internal agents who had been bribed and were providing outsiders with Yun Xia Zong’s confidential information.
Lu Chang An noticed that most of the agents caught were connected to Great Serpent Mountain.
At the end of this incident, he was almost implicated.
One of the servants on Qingluan Peak was tampered with. He carried a Great Serpent Mountain token back to his main peak subworld.
Fortunately, the Earth Rock Rat (地岩鼠, *a type of rodent with keen senses* ) was very sensitive to smell and discovered the special token of Great Serpent Mountain, instinctively abhorring it.
Lu Chang An immediately turned the servant over to the Yun Xia Zong Disciplinary Hall, clearing his suspicion.
“Great Serpent Mountain! Intending to frame this Zhen Jun, even if they couldn’t succeed, they would still try to create discord between me and Purple Mist Zhen Jun.”
Lu Chang An secretly made a note of it in his heart.
He cultivated diligently within the sect, keeping such a low profile, and yet he had been targeted by Great Serpent Mountain.
The time he went to Great Serpent Mountain and spoke with Wu Xin Zhen Ren (无心真人, *a cultivator with a strong connection to Great Serpent Mountain* ), he was likely noticed.
To be precise, the Earth Rock Rat was noticed, its aura was detected by the ‘Red Gloom Serpent King’.
After living in the Great Yu Kingdom for over ten years, Lu Chang An had a deeper understanding of the inside story of Great Serpent Mountain.
Rumors said that the sect’s talisman beast, ‘Red Gloom Serpent King,’ enjoyed devouring rat demons.
For the serpent king, high-level rat demons were a great supplement, which could promote cultivation.
Speaking of “Great Serpent Mountain,” Lu Chang An recalled some rumors that spread around the Great Yu Kingdom after Yun Lan Zhen Jun was attacked.
One version claimed that the ambush on Yun Lan Zhen Jun was a conspiracy between Great Serpent Mountain and the Dan Alliance (丹盟, *an alliance of alchemists and sects specialized in alchemy*).
The Dan Alliance cultivators provided the whereabouts of Yun Lan Zhen Jun, allowing the ambush to succeed.
Although mostly rumors, some were publicly confirmed facts.
For example, Yun Lan Zhen Jun was attacked after leaving the Dan Dao Alliance.
“Dan Dao Alliance, fourth-order Dan Shi, Master Le…”
Lu Chang An had been paying attention to the Dan Alliance.
The Dan Dao Alliance, led by many master alchemists and a few alchemy sects, formed a neutral force alliance, with influence not limited to the Central Region, even extending to other regions of the Greater Abyss.
This force alliance was farther from the forbidden zone of the Central Region. It was located on the outer edge of the Central Region’s east side, closer to the Greater Abyss’ eastern region, which made it easier to obtain materials from the Sea Region of the Sixteen Sects (镇海十六宗, *a powerful alliance of sects located near the sea*).
The Dan Dao Alliance, as a neutral force, valued harmony and wealth, and generally had a good reputation.
Once, a dispersed Jindan late-stage cultivator asked the Dan Alliance to refine a Transformation Baby Pill for him, and he luckily advanced to Nascent Soul, becoming a guardian for the Dan Alliance for a hundred years.
Even though such an example happened once in a millennium, it still attracted many people.
The Greater Abyss was rich in resources, and the cultivation civilization was highly developed, so the number of high-level Dan Shi was also greater.
Therefore, in this land, dispersed Nascent Soul cultivators were born occasionally.
If Lu Chang An could gather the materials for the Transformation Baby Pill, compared to the Great Qing (大青, *a country adjacent to Great Yu* ), it would be easier for him to find someone to refine the pill.
…
Two years later, the turmoil surrounding Yun Lan Zhen Jun being injured in an ambush had subsided.
Master Le of the Dan Dao Alliance sent someone to deliver a fourth-order detoxification pill as a form of condolence.
However, Master Le denied any involvement in the matter.
Lu Chang An had reached the age of 339, and it had been twenty years since he left the Great Qing.
On this day, in his subworld’s secret chamber.
An elegant and beautiful peacock frame, with its wings spread, was suspended in the air.
Following the instructions from Master Wei Kui Shi (魏傀师, *a master puppeteer* ), Lu Chang An adjusted and refined some of the bones in the framework.
Over the decades, Master Wei Kui Shi had helped Lu Chang An formulate a plan to build the Strange Spirit Peacock Puppet (异灵孔雀傀儡, *a puppet made from the spirit of a mythical peacock* ).
The peacock frame in front of him was just a prototype, its materials exceeded those of ordinary third-order high-level puppets.
It was still early to finish the product, it still needed to be slowly perfected, and more precious materials had to be provided.
This Strange Spirit Peacock Puppet mimicked the true spirit, the Five-Colored Peacock.
Fortunately, the core bloodline related materials were all provided by the Peacock Saintess’s (孔雀圣女, *a holy woman with a connection to peacocks* ) top-grade spiritual bird.
Lu Chang An already had a fourth-order puppet, so his ambitions were quite large.
The Strange Spirit Peacock Puppet he was creating needed to be at least a quasi-fourth-order, and therefore, it had slowed down the refining process.
A quasi-fourth-order Strange Spirit Puppet might be even more difficult to refine than a normal fourth-order puppet, Master Wei Kui Shi had been studying it for many years, completely immersed in it.
“Another year, and it will be the high-level auction in Yun Tian City of the Central Region.”
Lu Chang An sealed the Strange Spirit Peacock prototype, preparing for a long trip.
Yun Tian City was the number one immortal city in the Central Region.
Back then, the meeting place he and Jing Wu Feng (景无枫, *a mysterious cultivator* ) had agreed upon was in this immortal city.
Lu Chang An actually didn’t want to cooperate with Jing Wu Feng, he was mysterious, with unfathomable power, and he traveled to the Greater Abyss through a spatial rift.
However, for the sake of resources for Nascent Soul formation, and for the Earth Rock Rat to transform to the fourth-order, he had to go to Yun Tian City.
Especially the Earth Rock Rat, it had spent several years refining at the peak of the third-order, and its lifespan was not as long as his.
The high-level auction in Yun Tian City was held once every ten years, mainly targeting high-level cultivators above the Jindan stage.
Whenever such a grand auction was held, many Jindan cultivators would gather in Yun Tian City, and even Nascent Soul old monsters, who were rarely seen on ordinary days, would appear in large numbers.
Reaching this circle would make it easier to obtain resources for Nascent Soul formation or transformation.
…
Lu Chang An still needed several decades to reach the peak of Jindan, so the progress of his Nascent Soul formation preparation could only be considered average.
He mainly obtained the Lunar Jade Liquid (太阴玉液, *a rare liquid that can aid in cultivation* ), the Meridian-Clearing Wind (子午清风, *a type of wind that can help clear energy pathways* ), and some sub-par materials for Nascent Soul formation.
Nascent Soul formation preparation can be divided into three categories.
First, advancement type, such as the Transformation Baby Pill, the Lunar Jade Liquid, etc., which increase the success rate of Nascent Soul formation.
Second, tribulation objects, used to resist heavenly thunder.
Third, Nascent Soul spiritual objects, which are the most diverse.
Nascent Soul spiritual objects can be categorized into magical power type, spiritual sense type, and even those that cleanse the physical body, perfecting the foundation.
The above three categories are relatively common.
There is also a rarest type of Nascent Soul spiritual object, which can enhance the resistance to the Heart Demon Tribulation, commonly known as the Heart Demon type.
Of course, the Heart Demon type Nascent Soul spiritual object only slightly increases the resistance to the Heart Demon, it is not a decisive factor, the key is still up to oneself.
The Heart Demon type Nascent Soul spiritual object is the Immortal Jindan (不朽金丹, *a type of golden elixir that can help with Nascent Soul formation* ) and Nascent Soul seed, both of which are rare.
Fortunately, Lu Chang An cultivated the Longevity Technique (长青功, *a powerful technique that helps with longevity and cultivation* ), which gave him an advantage in resisting the Heart Demon Tribulation, having gone through several lifetimes.
Having it would be best, but it wouldn’t be a problem if he didn’t.
As for the quality of the Nascent Soul, it wasn’t as differentiated as the Jindan.
In the Human Realm (人界, *the mortal realm* ), there is currently only one mainstream way to form Nascent Soul, which is the Human Dao Nascent Soul (人道元婴, *a method of Nascent Soul formation based on human principles* ).
Regardless of the Jindan quality, as long as the Nascent Soul formation is successful, and the tribulation is experienced, the final quality won’t differ much, mainly due to differences in techniques.
However, those who successfully form Nascent Soul are basically those with upper-level True Dan quality and above, and half of them are Immortal Jindan.
Rumors say that there is a “Heaven Dao Nascent Soul (天道元婴, *a method of Nascent Soul formation that follows the laws of heaven* )” method in the Ancient Cultivation World (修仙界, *the world of cultivators* ), which allows those who form Nascent Soul to obtain a more solid foundation, as well as understanding of heaven.
However, the methods of Heaven Dao Nascent Soul have been lost, and it’s impossible to succeed in the Human Realm. It is a legend from the upper realm.
Even the geniuses of the Divine Realm (化神圣地, *a place where cultivators can attain a high level of power* ) wouldn’t dare try it.
Because, Heaven Dao Nascent Soul requires the Nascent Soul to leave the body directly after it is newly formed, to experience the baptism of heavenly thunder, which is an unimaginable horror.
The newly formed Nascent Soul is in a state of infancy, very fragile, and unstable. It would collapse in a single strike under the bombardment of heavenly thunder.
Lu Chang An never thought about the Heaven Dao Nascent Soul, he honestly prepared for the Human Dao Nascent Soul.
After all, that’s how it is in the Human Realm, and it wouldn’t lag behind those of the same level.
…
Half a year later.
Lu Chang An had made all the necessary preparations and was about to embark on a long journey.
As a guest elder, it was best to inform the Supreme Elder before leaving the mountain gate and the Great Yu Kingdom.
Being a diviner, he could even calculate a good day to leave.
He didn’t know why, but recently Lu Chang An hadn’t been able to divine a good day to go out, and he even divined a minor misfortune.
This made him speechless.
However, involving Nascent Soul opportunities and traveling such a long distance, it was often impossible for everything to go smoothly.
Lu Chang An simply went to visit the Supreme Elder first, to inform her.
Among the two Nascent Soul Zhen Jun of Yun Xia Zong, Lu Chang An had a closer relationship with Purple Mist Zhen Jun, after all, she was the one who personally recruited him.
Purple Mist Peak was fragrant and pleasant, with birds singing and flowers blooming.
Lu Chang An didn’t wait long before he was summoned by Purple Mist Xian Zi.
In the elegant palace, Purple Mist Xian Zi sat on the throne, her curves graceful, her head adorned with a phoenix hairpin, her hair bunched in a high bun. Her lips were red and her teeth were white.
She raised her slender jade hand, brewed a fourth-order spiritual tea in the air, and handed Lu Chang An a cup of tea.
“Master Xiang, are you preparing to leave on a long journey at this time, perhaps going to the high-level auction in Yun Tian City of the Central Region?”
Upon learning of his intentions, Purple Mist Zhen Jun smiled gently, speculating.
“That’s right.”
Lu Chang An’s mind raced, he didn’t deliberately conceal it.
“Master Xiang, according to confidential information obtained by this Zong, you may have been targeted by ‘Great Serpent Mountain’. If you travel alone, it may not be safe.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Chang An understood. No wonder he hadn’t been able to divine a good day to go out recently.
“This Zong has plans to attend the auction in Yun Tian City. If you don’t mind, Master Xiang, you can travel with me, so we can watch over each other.”
Purple Mist Zhen Jun suggested.
Actually, what she said about being targeted was a bit of an exaggeration. Great Serpent Mountain probably wanted to create discord, try to pull him over to their side, and Xiang Da Long was just one of their targets.
“Will you be leading the team to this auction?”
Lu Chang An was startled.
According to custom, among the two Zhen Jun of Yun Xia Zong, Yun Lan Zhen Jun had a higher status, and mostly handled external affairs.
Purple Mist Zhen Jun usually guarded the mountain gate and took care of internal matters.
There were some of their peers who joked that Yun Lan Zhen Jun was worried that Purple Mist Xian Zi was too charming, and had many suitors in the past. So, he kept her under his wing, and rarely allowed his Dao Companion (道侣, *a partner in cultivation* ) to go out and be seen.
“Yes, Brother Lan has other matters, so this Zhen Jun will be leading the team this time.”
Perhaps sensing Lu Chang An’s hesitation, Purple Mist Zhen Jun’s star-like eyes turned slightly, and she added with a smile.
“This Zhen Jun has been a Nascent Soul for over a hundred years, my magical powers are not inferior to Brother’s. Besides, during this time, there are more high-level cultivators going to Yun Tian City from the Great Yu Kingdom and its surrounding areas, the journey will be safer than usual.”
Lu Chang An thought to himself, Yun Lan Zhen Jun’s injuries probably hadn’t fully healed yet, so he let Purple Mist Zhen Jun go to Yun Tian City this time.
Now that she had spoken to this point, Lu Chang An tactfully agreed.
“Senior Purple Mist has invited me, Xiang is honored.”
(End of Chapter)
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