At the beginning, I cleaned the Sutra Library and completed the incomplete skills.

Chapter 199: Mixing Fish Eyes with Pearls

Even Li Lan, listening to the idle chatter of the rogue cultivators, had his curiosity piqued.

Although Spirit Bean Soldier was made to imitate a magical artifact,

No matter what, it still possessed a portion of a magical artifact's power,

And it was not common throughout the entire Jiuhua County.

Without a strong background, even ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators might not possess one or two.

The only safe way for rogue cultivators to obtain Spirit Bean Soldier was to join the Human Emperor Hall and receive rewards from above.

This was enough to show the scarcity of Spirit Bean Soldier.

Was this White Lotus Sect not too wealthy and powerful?

Did they really dare to take out Spirit Bean Soldier for sale?

Li Lan now had many treasures and trump cards on him, so his need for Spirit Bean Soldier was not too great,

But if he had the chance to obtain one through trade,

He would certainly not refuse.

With interest already piqued, Li Lan followed the crowd to the Hundred Artifact Pavilion.

At this moment,

The place was already packed with people.

All the cultivators had come because of its reputation, wanting to see what the Spirit Bean Soldier looked like.

In the main hall of the Hundred Artifact Pavilion,

A White Lotus Sect member in the Foundation Establishment (Early Stage) cultivation base was displaying the item in his hand with a friendly smile.

It was a jade box with a restriction placed on it, and an iron nail-shaped artifact lay quietly within.

This nail was about seven inches long, covered in rust, and tiny white electric arcs occasionally flashed across its surface.

Judging from the spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from the iron nail,

This was indeed Spirit Bean Soldier without a doubt.

But after the many rogue cultivators who were watching had their fill, their faces couldn't help but show bitterness.

Most people didn't even ask the price before stepping aside.

"It's rare to encounter an opportunity to trade for Spirit Bean Soldier, but I didn't expect it to be a rare lightning-attribute Spirit Bean Soldier.

I cultivate fire-attribute cultivation techniques, so even if I bought this treasure, I wouldn't be able to use it! Alas! What a pity!"

Many cultivators who had gone forward to examine the Spirit Bean Soldier mostly expressed similar sighs.

Upon hearing this, Li Lan's heart immediately became interested. Although he did not cultivate lightning-attribute cultivation techniques, he could freely generate lightning-attribute magical power.

This magical power could be used to cast lightning-attribute spells,

He thought that activating this lightning-attribute Spirit Bean Soldier should not be a problem,

It seemed like this iron nail Spirit Bean Soldier was tailor-made for him.

Cultivating for nearly thirty years, had he finally encountered such a good thing as finding a loophole?

Li Lan couldn't help but feel a little moved, and subconsciously prepared to go forward,

To inquire about the power of this iron nail Spirit Bean Soldier and how to trade for it.

But a conversation that reached his ears made him immediately stop in his tracks.

"Master, besides this item, are there no other attribute Spirit Bean Soldiers for sale?"

"Hey, you're asking in vain. If they really had the basic five-element attribute Spirit Bean Soldier, they would definitely keep it for themselves. How could they easily take it out for trade?

In my opinion, there shouldn't be any mutated lightning-attribute cultivators in this White Lotus Sect. This item would be a waste if left idle, so they specifically sold it to us."

"Are there any cultivators with lightning spiritual roots in Jiuhua County?

I've never seen one before. Although this item is Spirit Bean Soldier, even if it's cheap, I doubt many cultivators will buy it."

"Why not? You forgot, that great demon Li Jiangchuan, who is being hunted by the Demon Hunting Token, seems to have a lightning spiritual root,

According to the known information, the other party seems to be proficient in earth, fire, and lightning escape techniques,

Perhaps he has mutated earth, fire, and lightning triple spiritual roots.

If it were him, he should be able to easily activate this iron nail Spirit Bean Soldier."

The speaker had no intention, but the listener was paying attention.

When Li Lan heard this sentence, his heart immediately tightened.

Could it be that the reason the White Lotus Sect suddenly traded Spirit Bean Soldier here was to deliberately set a trap for him?

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? He had just obtained the Eternal Life Coffin, causing a celestial phenomenon,

The White Lotus Sect, which had been silent for a long time in Jiuhua County, suddenly emerged like bamboo shoots after a rain, brazenly occupying a low-grade Spirit Vein, and also had its members spread rumors that they could provide shelter and challenge the Human Emperor Hall.

Now they were even trading Spirit Bean Soldier that could only be used by a few people like him,

All of this,

Looked like a meticulously planned conspiracy to lure him out.

Although this was just his one-sided guess and had not been confirmed.

But a gentleman does not stand under a precarious wall,

The naturally cautious Li Lan, after deducing this, decided not to stay here any longer.

Without the premise of absolute gain,

He was never willing to take risks easily.

Li Lan immediately dispelled the idea of trading for this iron nail Spirit Bean Soldier, and quietly left the place under the cover of the crowd.

It was precisely because of this caution,

That he successfully avoided a big trouble.

Behind the Hundred Artifact Pavilion,

Two white-robed cultivators sat cross-legged on meditation cushions, their energy and focus restrained like old monks in meditation, not moving at all.

Behind both of them were tattooed lotus patterns, one gold and one green.

"Is this method confirmed to be effective? According to the known intelligence, that Li Jiangchuan is quite cunning and probably won't easily fall for it."

One of the white-robed cultivators with a green lotus tattoo on his back moved his lips and asked.

"It may not be effective in the short term, but as long as he is still in this Cultivation World, he will always have to search for cultivation resources and improve his cultivation.

When he reappears and is hunted by the Human Emperor Hall with nowhere to go,

He will naturally want to find a backer, and by then, he will find that the only ally he can choose is our White Lotus Sect.

As long as he comes here, no matter how cunning he is, it will be useless,

A mere junior in the Foundation Establishment (Early Stage), with the strength of you and me, two Foundation Establishment (Late Stage) cultivators, we can capture him with a slight move."

The white-robed cultivator with a golden lotus tattoo on his back was clearly more composed and analyzed the situation calmly.

Upon hearing this, the other white-robed cultivator's stiff old face showed a hint of joy.

"Excellent! Once he falls into our hands, we'll thoroughly brainwash him, and the item that caused the celestial phenomenon will be within reach!"

Li Lan did not know that he had already become a coveted target in the eyes of all cultivators in Jiuhua County at this moment.

After realizing that the White Lotus Sect was not quite right,

He immediately went to the Junnan Area.

Seven months passed,

It had been seven months since Li Lan discovered the Eternal Life Coffin in Lin'an Stronghold and caused the celestial phenomenon.

Although the Human Emperor Hall had found nothing during this period and had not collected any clues about him,

They did not mean to stop, but rather intensified their efforts.

The number of Human Emperor Hall Executors patrolling along the way increased day by day, almost to the point where they encountered one every fifty to sixty miles.

Li Lan had never known before,

That there were so many Foundation Establishment powerhouses hidden in Jiuhua County.

Although he had changed his appearance now, there were many strange people and experts in the Cultivation World,

It was hard to guarantee that among those Executors, there were no beings who could see through the disguise of bone-shrinking techniques.

After much deliberation,

Li Lan thought of a good way to divert the trouble.

He controlled the Spirit Bean Soldier to find a rogue cultivator market,

Through the Qian Business Association, he sent a voice transmission jade slip with a restriction attached to Su Hongying in the Guangji Sect,

Then he found a hidden place and waited quietly.

In the depths of the Chongshan Region, in the Guangji Sect's deliberation hall.

Yun Que Old Ancestor sat in the main seat, holding a voice transmission jade slip, his eyes flickering between bright and dim.

Li Lan's voice came from the jade slip, echoing repeatedly in the hall.

"Senior Sister Hongying, the Human Emperor Hall is incompetent and ruthless, forcing me to have no other choice. Junior Brother Pengfei and I have decided to join the White Lotus Sect and will soon become disciples under the Yu Prefecture branch master. I cannot bid you farewell in person, Senior Sister, please do not blame me."

Although there were still many inner sect Elders of the Foundation Establishment (Middle Stage) standing in the hall,

They were all thinking about something at this time, and not a single person spoke. The hall was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

After an unknown amount of time,

Yun Que Old Ancestor's unique youthful voice sounded.

"What do you inner sect Elders think of this matter?"

The Old Ancestor asked,

The Elders naturally could no longer remain silent,

One of the inner sect Elders pondered for a moment and said cautiously:

"Replying to Old Ancestor, this junior believes that this should be a plan of 'grafting flowers onto another tree' and 'replacing the peach with a plum'.

This Li Jiangchuan is extremely cunning. He has not revealed any clues for seven months, so how could he make such a big mistake on a small matter like a voice transmission jade slip? There must be a trick in this!"

Yun Que Old Ancestor's face did not change much,

Having lived for so many years, he naturally couldn't fail to think of this.

"You also know that this child is cunning. If he is using a counter-scheme and deliberately doing the opposite to make us relax our vigilance, then what?

This Li Jiangchuan, with only the cultivation base of Foundation Establishment (Early Stage), has managed to evade the pursuit of almost all cultivators for seven months, which is truly incredible.

From this perspective, it is indeed possible that he has joined the White Lotus Sect and is receiving their protection.

Those Executors of the Human Emperor Hall, holding the Demon Hunting Token, have explored most of the restricted caves,

But they haven't checked the White Lotus Sect's new stronghold, Mount Yufeng, have they?

Is it possible that this child is really hiding in there, and this voice transmission jade slip is a deliberate blindfold to mix fish eyes with pearls?"

"This—"

Yun Que Old Ancestor's words immediately plunged the inner sect cultivators into silence once again, sighing repeatedly in their hearts that this child was truly cunning.

Just at this moment,

An inner sect Elder with a panicked expression entered the hall to report.

"Old Ancestor, the two Overseers of the Human Emperor Hall have arrived uninvited!"

Upon hearing this, the Elders present

Their expressions all changed.

The Overseers of the Human Emperor Hall were at least at the Golden Core Stage cultivation base.

Now that two Golden Core Stage powerhouses were visiting at the same time, what was the matter?

Could it be that they were here to make a fuss and demand an explanation?

After all,

That Li Jiangchuan was previously a registered disciple of their sect.

If the Human Emperor Hall really pursued the matter, it would be a big deal.

However,

While many inner sect Elders were fearful and uneasy,

Yun Que Old Ancestor's face did not show much change.

He waved his hand and said lazily:

"Please invite the two Overseers into the hall, you all may withdraw."

Not long after.

Spiritual Grace Fairy and Grandmaster Huiguang arrived in the hall.

When the three met, there was no expected tension.

The atmosphere was unexpectedly harmonious.

"I heard that Brother Yun Que already has news of that Li Jiangchuan. This monk is here specifically to congratulate you."

Grandmaster Huiguang said with a friendly smile, cupping his hands sincerely.

Yun Que Old Ancestor was too lazy to talk nonsense with him,

He said directly:

"Alright, there are no outsiders here. Who are you putting on this act for?

Your Human Emperor Hall's intelligence network is spread throughout the major sects, so you should have known the content of that voice transmission jade slip long ago, right?

Let's speak frankly,

This time the White Lotus Sect is resurfacing in Jiuhua County, and I have also secretly gone to investigate,

There are a few old fellows there who are quite troublesome,

With my strength alone, they will not tell me the truth.

If the three of us join forces, perhaps we can still get a chance.

If it is really as the voice transmission jade slip says, that this Li Jiangchuan wants to become a disciple under the White Lotus Sect branch master, then this opportunity probably has nothing to do with us,

After all, the true strength of that Yu Prefecture branch master is something that even your branch master would have to be wary of.

What do you two think?"

Spiritual Grace Fairy's old face's loose skin trembled, and she cupped her hands and smiled:

"Brother Yun Que and I thought of the same thing. We have this intention.

Those madmen of the White Lotus Sect are not like us, they don't plan for themselves at all,

Perhaps they will really report the matter of this celestial phenomenon to the Yu Prefecture branch master.

However,

Yu Prefecture's capital is not close to this place. This old woman has already cut off the only teleportation array in Jiuhua County City in advance.

It will take a considerable amount of time for that branch master to learn of this matter.

And this period of time is our last chance,

If we are late, this benefit might really have to be handed over to those old monsters, the branch masters of the Human Emperor Hall."

The three Golden Core Stage cultivators exchanged glances and quickly reached a consensus,