To comprehend all laws and attain immortality

The banquet lasted from noon until the sun began to set, and everyone dispersed in high spirits.

That night, Lin Chen fell into a deep sleep in the side hall, finally relieving the fatigue of the past few days.

Gu Fan sat cross-legged on the futon, his eyes slightly closed, concentrating on meditation, guiding the magical power within his body to slowly flow into the Glazed Pure Heart Bamboo.

Thirty percent of his magical power was exhausted in an instant. He watched the three-foot-long green bamboo sway gently, but it showed no sign of growing any bigger. He couldn't help but sigh softly.

Just then, light footsteps came from outside the hall, unhurried and undisguised.

Gu Fan suddenly opened his eyes, moved slightly, and got up to walk out of the hall.

The person who came was Mo Siliang.

Three hours ago, the two were feasting together, but now Mo Siliang came alone. The reason for this made Gu Fan a little curious.

"Fellow Daoist, you've come so late at night, is there something important you need?"

Gu Fan stepped out of the hall and asked in a calm tone.

Mo Siliang hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded: "It's nothing serious. I just heard that this is your first time in Qin, and you may not be aware of some details, so I came to remind you."

Gu Fan recalled Mo Siliang's refusal to attend the ceremony at the banquet earlier that day and tentatively asked, "Is it related to the Rebirth Festival sacrificial ceremony?"

"That's not the case." Mo Siliang shook his head slightly and explained, "The reason I am unwilling to stay and observe the ceremony is that the Qin Kingdom has been quite turbulent in recent years, and I do not wish to linger here any longer."

"Not peaceful?" Gu Fan raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled.

Mo Siliang countered, "Senior, are you familiar with the Rebirth Sect's secret technique of feigning death and forming the Golden Core?"

Gu Fan nodded slightly.

Upon seeing this, Mo Siliang's expression relaxed slightly: "What I'm about to say is related to this secret technique. Once a cultivator of the Rebirth Sect enters a state of suspended animation, they must not be disturbed, otherwise, at best, all their previous efforts will be wasted, and at worst, they will die and their cultivation will be extinguished."

"The Mo family is located in Jiangnan, facing the Qin state across the river, and knows a little about these inside stories. In recent years, there have been several incidents in the Qin state where cultivators who have been in seclusion and have pretended to be dead have been attacked, and many cultivators have died as a result. Because of this, the Qin state conducts extremely strict searches for cultivators from outside the country, but has never been able to find the real culprit behind it."

"I see." Gu Fan nodded in understanding, already having some plans in mind.

Mo Siliang said that he had said all he needed to say, and then bowed and took his leave.

Gu Fan walked him a few steps and watched him leave before turning back into the hall to ponder the matter carefully.

The Qin cultivator who had faked his death was attacked, and the true culprit behind it remains unknown. It's understandable that Mo Siliang, representing the Mo family to conduct business here, would want to stay out of it. However, it's hard to tell whether his special visit in the middle of the night to remind him was to do someone a favor or if he had other motives.

The three kingdoms of Xizhou appear to be at peace, but judging from the recent situations of Chen and Qin, undercurrents are already surging beneath the surface.

However, these things have little to do with him.

Not to mention that he was a distinguished guest invited by the Rebirth Sect at great expense, and that he had the support of the Lingxiao Sect, in terms of his own strength alone, as a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, he had nothing to fear in the Qionghua Realm as long as a Nascent Soul True Monarch did not make a move.

With his mind clear, Gu Fan closed his eyes again and immersed himself in cultivation once more.

Unexpectedly, less than half an hour later, footsteps came from outside the palace again, even lighter than before.

Gu Fan frowned slightly and scanned the area with his divine sense. The person who came was Yun Shuwan.

Just then, Yun Shuwan raised her hand to knock on the door, which opened inwards. Gu Fan stepped out slowly and asked in a calm tone, "Fellow Daoist, you've come here so late at night; surely you have important business to attend to?"

Yun Shuwan changed into a light purple palace dress, shedding her daytime sanctity and gaining a touch of charm. The bright moonlight shone on her, adding a hazy beauty to her.

Even though Gu Fan had seen many beauties, he couldn't help but look at them with admiration.

Yun Shuwan chuckled softly and said gently, "To be honest, fellow Daoist, I have indeed come here with a few things to tell you, but... would you please allow me to speak outside the hall?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Fan stepped aside and gestured for him to enter, saying, "I apologize for my rudeness. Please come into the hall for a chat, fellow Daoist."

Yun Shuwan nodded slightly, stepped into the hall, and left a faint fragrance as she brushed past Gu Fan.

A moment later, the two sat facing each other at the jade table.

"Now, fellow Daoist, may you speak?" Gu Fan asked first.

Yun Shuwan took out a pot of spiritual wine with her delicate hand, poured a cup for each of them, and said softly, "There were too many people and too much chatter at the banquet earlier, so there were some things that were inconvenient to mention. In recent years, there have been treacherous cultivators appearing in the Qin Kingdom, who specifically harass cultivators who are in the Core Formation stage and are feigning death. The sect leader was furious and ordered a thorough investigation, but so far, nothing has been found."

"With your cultivation level, you shouldn't need to worry about these things. However, you are an honored guest of our sect, and you are accompanied by a mortal. If you are disturbed, it would be due to our sect's poor hospitality. Therefore, I have come here specifically to remind you."

Gu Fan's eyebrows twitched slightly. He hadn't expected that what Yun Shuwan said was the same thing that Mo Siliang had mentioned.

"Even your esteemed sect couldn't track down that cultivator's whereabouts?"

Yun Shuwan shook her head regretfully, her tone tinged with helplessness: "That cultivator was extremely cunning. Our sect's cultivators went to great lengths to set up an ambush, only to discover that he was actually at the late Golden Core stage. He was focused on escaping, and we couldn't even figure out the foundation of his cultivation, so he got away. After that, he rarely showed up, leaving us helpless."

Upon hearing this, Gu Fan's eyes flickered slightly, and he immediately understood Yun Shuwan's unspoken meaning.

Upon hearing this, Gu Fan's eyes flickered slightly, and he immediately understood Yun Shuwan's unspoken meaning.

Those who can cultivate to the late stage of the Golden Core realm are by no means unknown individuals; they must come from major sects.

Previously, Mo Siliang exposed that he had come to Xizhou incognito, and he happened to be at the late stage of Golden Core cultivation. Yun Shuwan's words were inevitably a test.

"Fellow Daoist, you don't suspect me, do you?" Gu Fan chuckled, his tone slightly teasing.

"Fellow Daoist, please don't misunderstand!" Yun Shuwan quickly stood up and apologized, bowing her head. "I was just reminding you truthfully and had no intention of doubting you. I hope you will forgive me."

Gu Fan remained noncommittal, picked up his wine cup, and took a small sip.

Seeing that he was not angry, Yun Shuwan slowly sat down and continued, "The second matter is the case of Lin Chen that you instructed me to investigate. I have already sent people to investigate, and I expect to receive news soon."

"Thank you for your trouble, fellow Daoist." Gu Fan raised his cup in thanks.

"You're too kind, fellow Daoist." Yun Shuwan picked up her cup and gently clinked it with his, then tilted her head back and drank the spiritual wine in one gulp. Her smooth neck gleamed under the lamplight.

After drinking the spiritual wine, Yun Shuwan's cheeks flushed slightly, and she said softly, "Besides that, I have another request. I wonder if you would be willing to lend a hand?"

Gu Fan raised an eyebrow, not immediately agreeing, and said in a deep voice, "I wonder what you need me to do, my friend?"

Yun Shuwan smiled gently and said slowly, "I would like to ask you to refine a set of trapping array artifacts. The higher the grade, the better. Ideally, it should be able to imprison space so that people cannot travel or move. If it can imprison the soul, that would be even more appropriate."

"As for the reward, I would like to offer a Tribulation-Crossing Pill as a gift. What do you think, fellow Daoist?"

"The Tribulation-Crossing Pill?" Upon hearing this name, a hint of excitement flashed in Gu Fan's eyes.

The Crossing Calamity Pill is an auxiliary pill used by Golden Core cultivators when they break through their core and form their nascent soul.

For a Golden Core cultivator to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, they must overcome two major obstacles: the Shattering Core Tribulation and the Inner Demon Tribulation.

The difficulty of passing the shattered core tribulation is closely related to the number of times the golden core has been refined; the fewer times it has been refined, the higher the difficulty of passing the tribulation.

The Calamity-Crossing Pill, on the other hand, is a pill specifically designed to counteract inner demon tribulations.

Although its medicinal effects are far less than those of the Nascent Soul Pill for the Shattered Core Tribulation, it is still extremely rare and can slightly reduce the intensity of the Heart Demon Tribulation.

Yun Shuwan was unaware that he possessed the Crystal Pure Heart Bamboo, which could ward off inner demons, and the price he offered was already quite attractive.

After all, no late-stage Golden Core cultivator doesn't yearn to shatter their core and become an Infant, and countless cultivators perish in the tribulation of inner demons.

"May I ask, fellow Daoist, do you want this set of array artifacts to deal with that Tribulation Cultivator?" Gu Fan pondered for a moment before asking.

Normally, array masters sell their tools without asking about their purpose, but Yun Shuwan's willingness to spend such a high price inevitably aroused his curiosity.

"Fellow Daoist is wise, it is precisely to capture that Tribulation Cultivator." Yun Shuwan did not hide anything, her tone full of helplessness, "Our sect has many Foundation Establishment cultivators who have the hope of forming the Core Formation stage, but in recent years, many have died because of him. If we do not capture him soon, our sect will be severely damaged. Last time he escaped by luck, this time we must make full preparations."

Gu Fan immediately understood and slowly nodded: "In that case, I will accept this matter. Fellow Daoist, please come and collect it in three days."

Although he himself does not need the Tribulation-Crossing Pill, he still has disciples and followers who will surely need it in the future.

Moreover, the spiritual materials for refining the Tribulation-Crossing Pill are extremely rare, so he had no reason to miss out.