Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Ling Shuoye's pupils shrank: "What do you mean by that, senior? I don't understand."

Chen Yuan smiled slightly, flipped his hand to take out a jade slip, raised his hand and pushed it gently towards Ling Shuoye.

"After reading this letter, young friend Ling will understand the purpose of my visit."

Ling Shuoye subconsciously took two steps back, accepted the jade slip with both hands, glanced at Chen Yuan with surprise and uncertainty, and then spread his divine sense to probe into the jade slip.

A moment later, he withdrew his divine sense, let out a long sigh, but a hint of lingering fear flashed in his eyes.

He held the jade slip in his hand, bowed deeply to Chen Yuan, and said respectfully, "Senior Chen, it is an honor to have you here. I am sorry for not welcoming you properly. Please forgive me."

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "I have come here without your knowledge, young friend, what offense have I committed?"

"It is remarkable that you, young friend, are unaware of my identity yet remain completely calm and composed, which is truly admirable."

Ling Shuoye said with lingering fear, "To be honest, when I first met you, senior, I was filled with fear and thought I had inadvertently revealed a flaw. I almost ran away."

"But then I thought, if the cult were to discover my identity, they would definitely make a big show of capturing me, and would never send people to my residence in the middle of the night."

"Since you are not a cultivator of the Divine Sect, yet you were able to sneak into the Divine Sect's headquarters without anyone noticing, your cultivation must be far superior to mine."

"To arrive so quietly in the dead of night must mean he has ulterior motives, and he doesn't seem worried at all about being discovered by other religious cultivators."

"Whether I fight back or flee for my life, I'm afraid it will be ineffective and will only anger you."

"We might as well remain unchanged and wait for all changes; perhaps there is still a glimmer of hope."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes: "Young friend Ling was able to think of these key points in the blink of an eye. His mind is sharp and far surpasses that of ordinary people."

"Zhang Daoyou has already explained Chen's purpose in his letter."

"I would like to ask you to find out some information for me, young friend. Whether it succeeds or not, I will not let you waste your time."

After learning the route to Dragon God City from the Foundation Establishment Steward in Xiyang City, Chen Yuan, along with Liu Kaiyang, flew day and night for thirteen days, traversing more than 300,000 miles, and finally arrived at Dragon God City.

This was despite his severe injuries and the fact that he had slowed down his escape speed considerably in order to conserve his true energy.

If he were at his peak, he could have traveled from Xiyang City to this place in just one or two days.

Dragon God City was shrouded in an array, preventing even Nascent Soul cultivators from sneaking in. Foundation Establishment deacons were stationed at all four city gates to check the identities of passing cultivators.

However, for Chen Yuan, who had refined the true blood of the Kunpeng, the grand formation set up by the Dragon God City was completely ineffective.

He used his teleportation technique to bring Liu Kaiyang into Dragon God City, and then, following the letter given to him by Zhang Xuancang, secretly inquired about Ling Shuoye's residence.

As night fell, he teleported with Liu Kaiyang to the main altar of the Divine Sect, waiting for Ling Shuoye to return.

Chen Yuan had assumed that Ling Shuoye would be panicked after seeing him and Liu Kaiyang, and had already set up a divine sense barrier so as not to alert other cultivators of the Divine Sect.

But to everyone's surprise, Ling Shuoye remained so calm that all his preparations were rendered useless, and he quietly withdrew his divine sense.

……

Upon hearing this, Ling Shuoye's expression turned solemn: "Senior, what are you saying? This junior has not learned that Ao Lin and She Mo have used Ping Le City as a wager."

"Elder Xing... Xing Qianyue also took action personally. The beast tide is coming in full force, and Ping Le City is in imminent danger."

"If it weren't for your intervention, senior, Ping Le City would have been razed to the ground, and Master would not have escaped the calamity either."

"I will never forget your great kindness, senior. My master has also entrusted me with the task of obeying your orders." "Even if my identity is exposed and I am forced to flee Dragon God City, I will not hesitate."

"If you have any instructions, please give them. I will go through fire and water without hesitation and will not utter a word of shirking responsibility. I dare not even ask for any reward."

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Young friend, you flatter me. I only wish to ask you to inquire about something. I wonder if you have heard of the three spiritual herbs: Jade Marrow Fungus, Tongyou Orchid, and Heart-Protecting Lotus..."

He described the appearance of the three spiritual herbs in detail, and then cast a projection spell to condense the phantom images of the three herbs one by one.

After he finished speaking, Ling Shuoye looked troubled: "Senior, please forgive me. These three kinds of spiritual herbs are all three thousand years old and are extremely precious."

"This junior's cultivation is shallow, and I have never managed a spirit herb garden, so I have never come into contact with such a treasure."

Chen Yuan never believed that Ling Shuoye, a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, could know about the three-thousand-year-old spiritual herb, so he was not disappointed.

His expression remained gentle: "Young friend, do you know where the Dragon God Sect's herb garden is located, and who manages it?"

Ling Shuoye replied, "The Divine Sect's Spiritual Herb Garden is located within the main altar, but even the most precious spiritual herbs there are no more than eight hundred years old."

“The spiritual herbs that are over a thousand years old are planted in a separate spiritual herb garden, and only the Nascent Soul elders know their location.”

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed: "Young friend, you have been lurking in the Divine Sect for a hundred years. Have you become friends with any elders? Can you lure him out of Dragon God City?"

Ling Shuoye's expression changed slightly: "Senior, do you perhaps intend to sneak into the spirit herb garden and steal the spirit herbs?"

"Although I have never entered that herb garden, I have heard an elder's disciple mention it."

"The spiritual energy within is extremely dense, condensing into mist, and protected by an array that far surpasses the grand array of the temple, with a Nascent Soul elder constantly guarding it."

"This junior does not know how you entered the temple, but it is absolutely impossible to sneak in. I hope you will reconsider."

Chen Yuan smiled slightly: "Young friend, do not worry. I will not act rashly. I will just make sure that the three kinds of spiritual herbs I need are in Dragon God City before I make any further plans."

Ling Shuoye's expression softened slightly, but he still hesitated a bit: "This junior is quite favored by an elder in the early Nascent Soul stage, Dugu Sha. Senior is a great cultivator, so this person is naturally no match for you."

"But if a Nascent Soul Elder is killed by a senior, it will definitely alarm the sect leader and other elders, and the city's defenses will become extremely tight."

"Even if the spirit herb garden truly contains the spirit herbs that you need, senior, it will probably be difficult to obtain them."

Chen Yuan said, "I will only capture him and interrogate him for information about the spiritual herbs; I will not take his life."

Ling Shuoye shook his head: "The elders of the Divine Sect have all taken the Blood Silk Gu, how could they be captured alive by you, senior?"

Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow: "All I know is that after taking this Blood Silk Gu, one needs to take a Blood Coagulation Pill every ten years, otherwise the soul will be devoured by it, and one will die on the spot."

"Why can't I capture Dugu Sha even though this Gu exists?"

Ling Shuoye sighed: "Senior, you may not know this, but the Blood Silk Gu is essentially a kind of demonic beast. It just has a special innate ability and parasitizes the soul."

"Although its intelligence is extremely low, it is not an inanimate object after all. In addition, since it has been integrated into the soul of the elder of the Divine Cult, it can be slightly perceived to have its thoughts."

"The Jiaolong clan has also imbued each Blood Silk Gu with supernatural powers. As soon as it senses that the person it is parasitizing has a heart of betrayal, it will immediately devour their soul."

"If the Blood Silk Gu only needs to take one Blood Coagulation Pill every ten years, it will be safe."

"Why should our human Nascent Soul cultivators build cities in remote places? We can all join the Divine Cult, and as long as we keep it a secret from the Dragon Clan, we can use them to strengthen ourselves. Wouldn't that be better?" (End of Chapter)