Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Lizhou, the Yunyin Mountains.

At noon, the sky was clear and the sun was high in the sky, but it still could not penetrate the thick clouds and fog that shrouded the mountains.

At the foot of the mountain range lies the vast city of Yunyin, where streaks of light constantly rise and fall, and the city's markets are bustling with people, a scene of great prosperity.

After that upheaval a century ago, the elders of the Jiuli Sect suffered heavy casualties, and war broke out on the border of Lizhou. The Zhengqing Sect and the Zhuyan Baigu Sect provoked each other and sought revenge, resulting in constant conflicts.

The spiritual mines and veins scattered throughout the Jiuli Sect have all been harassed by cultivators from both sects, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries among the sect's cultivators. This has continued uninterrupted for a hundred years.

But Cloud Hidden City remained peaceful and undisturbed.

On this day, a streak of light flew from afar and landed outside Cloud Hidden City, revealing a cultivator.

The man was dressed in white, tall and slender, wearing a straw hat with the brim pulled low to cover the upper half of his face. After queuing to pay the spirit stones and receive the pass token, he stepped into the city.

The white-robed monk strolled leisurely, his steps seemingly slow, yet he moved freely through the crowd.

The cultivators on the road seemed to be like water plants being parted by waves, spreading out to both sides on their own, unknowingly making way for each other.

The white-robed cultivator arrived at the center of Cloud Hidden City and entered a small pavilion.

The interior of the pavilion was a hidden world, covering a vast area and bustling with people, the cultivators coming and going all having at least the Foundation Establishment cultivation level.

Most of the people who greeted them were young and beautiful female cultivators at the Qi Refining stage, interspersed with a few handsome young men; they were overwhelmed with guests.

Display stands shrouded in true essence shields stood in the hall, with stone platforms embedded in the four walls, displaying all kinds of spiritual herbs, pills, demon core materials, talismans, and magical artifacts.

This hall was built by the Jiuli Sect, and it sells a wide variety of items, but the most famous of them are various mythical beasts and strange insects.

The Jiuli Sect is most skilled at raising spirit beasts, but they don't like all spirit beasts.

Many of these spirit beasts, with mixed bloodlines and mediocre talents, were not worth training by any disciples, and killing them would be a great pity, so they were simply put out for sale.

However, for other sects and independent cultivators, the spirit beasts that were eliminated by the Jiuli Sect were extremely rare, and buyers came in droves.

After entering the hall, the white-robed monk went straight to the second floor of the pavilion.

Immediately, a female cultivator at the Qi Refining stage approached. The white-robed cultivator remained silent, his Nascent Soul energy flashing by in an instant, and said calmly, "Take me to see Li Xiuyuan."

The female cultivator at the Qi Refining stage had a slight change in expression. She gave a graceful bow, showing utmost respect: "Senior, please follow me."

She had seen many Core Formation cultivators, but Nascent Soul cultivators were a rare sight.

Moreover, this Nascent Soul senior addressed the Jiuli Sect elder in charge of the pavilion by his name without any politeness, which made the Qi Refining female cultivator dare not be negligent in the slightest.

The white-robed cultivator followed the Qi Refining female cultivator up to the third floor, where they arrived at a quiet room.

The Qi Refining female cultivator bowed and said, "Please wait a moment, senior."

She bowed and retreated. After a while, an elderly man with white hair walked in.

He approached the white-robed cultivator and subtly sized him up. He then quietly released his divine sense, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea – he returned empty-handed.

The shadow cast by the brim of the bamboo hat obscured half of the white-robed cultivator's face, appearing heavy and deep, like a bottomless abyss, impossible to fathom even with divine sense.

A hint of doubt flashed in the old man's eyes. He clasped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "I am Li Xiuyuan. May I ask your esteemed name, fellow Daoist? What business do you have with me?"

The white-robed cultivator raised his hand and removed his bamboo hat, revealing an otherworldly face with indifferent eyes, and the atmosphere in the quiet room suddenly turned cold.

The old man was startled, then his expression changed drastically, and he retreated rapidly. But as the white-robed cultivator removed his bamboo hat, he stretched out a hand, moving with lightning speed, and grabbed the old man's neck.

The old man's eyes bulged, and he cried out urgently, "Fellow Daoist Chen, spare my life!"

The white-robed cultivator possessed immense strength, nearly snapping his neck.

A powerful sealing force spread out, locking the quiet room, rendering the old man unable to use any means of teleportation or self-preservation.

Upon hearing this, the white-robed cultivator suddenly loosened his grip and stared at the old man: "Fellow Daoist, do you recognize me, Chen?"

The old man slowly lowered his head, looked at the white-robed cultivator's arm, and said with a wry smile, "Fellow Daoist Chen displayed great power in the secret realm of the Yuling Sect. After the sect leader returned to the sect, he secretly ordered the disciples of our sect to search for your whereabouts. How could I not recognize you?"

“Li and fellow Daoist have no grudges against each other. We can talk things out. Why make a big fuss?”

If it were an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator, he would never sit idly by and wait for death.

However, over the years, Chen Yuan's name has become widely known in the Jiuli Sect, and Ye Guihong hates him to the bone. He has revealed all of Chen Yuan's supernatural abilities and methods, urging the cultivators in the sect to be careful.

The old man knew that Chen Yuan was an extremely rare body cultivator, whose physical body was comparable to a level ten demon king, possessing immense strength capable of moving mountains and taking down peaks.

Therefore, he dared not make any rash moves, otherwise, if he angered Chen Yuan, he would surely die.

Chen Yuan said calmly, "As long as you do me a favor, I won't do anything to you."

"Fellow Daoist, please speak. As long as it doesn't require me to betray my sect, I will absolutely not refuse!"

"This matter is not difficult. Please have someone invite Ye Guihong here, but do not reveal my identity."

The old man paused, then asked, "Fellow Daoist wishes to negotiate with the Sect Leader?"

Chen Yuan said calmly, "No need to ask any more questions, just do as I say, and I will spare your life."

The old man advised, "Fellow Daoist, do you perhaps intend to deal with the Sect Leader? The Sect Leader is a great cultivator, and there are nearly ten elders guarding the sect. They will arrive in an instant."

"Moreover, our sect has been managing Cloud Hidden City for tens of thousands of years and has set up numerous heavy formations."

"Once activated, a net will be cast immediately, leaving no way to escape to heaven or earth."

"Fellow Daoist, to fight the Sect Leader in the city is tantamount to courting death. Please think twice!"

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes and slowly increased the pressure on his hand: "It seems Fellow Daoist Li is determined not to agree?"

The old man's expression changed, and he immediately changed his words: "I, Li, will immediately send someone to invite the sect leader!"

Chen Yuan slowly released his grip, and the old man felt a sense of relief, but a sudden, intense pain shot through his soul. His body felt as if it were engulfed in flames, and he raised his hand to tightly clutch his head, letting out a miserable scream.

Three breaths later, the pain suddenly disappeared.

The old man slowly lowered his hand, panting heavily, his eyes filled with fear as he looked at Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan said calmly, "Fellow Daoist, you'd better not try anything funny, or don't blame me for being ruthless."

The old man nodded weakly and said with a bitter smile, "How could I, Li, joke with my own life?"

Chen Yuan then withdrew his sealing power, put his bamboo hat back on, and slowly sat down.

The old man flicked his sleeve, opened the door, and ordered the Qi Refining female cultivator guarding the door to summon a Foundation Establishment disciple. He instructed, "You return to the sect now and meet with the sect leader. Tell him that Elder Wei Ba of the Panzhu Sect has come to visit and has important matters to discuss. Please invite him to Yunyin City for a meeting." (End of Chapter)