Nine Evolutions of the True Spirit
chapter-424

Initially, many cultivators were overjoyed when Tian-Hu revealed another Wonder Water Spirit Nurturing Pellet. However, this was short-lived, after Tian-Hu targeted Dao-Li.

Dao-Li struggled to find his words before eventually replying, “Brother Tian-Hu, I have a few top-tier mystic class wonder items and top-notch spirit stones with me. I would be more than willing to exchange them for the pellet.”

Tian-Hu maintained his grin. “Dao-Li, drop the nonsense. You know what I want. This is not the first day we’ve dealt with each other. Give me the five-year Longevity Pellet recipe, and you’ll get the pellet. In fact, I can even give you three Wonder Water Spirit Nurturing Pellets. There should be another young man in your sect who has also lost his strength. Come on, it’s a win-win situation. As long as Wang Xu-Fei recovers, there’s a chance for him to achieve a sixth-grade Golden Core. Then there’s Zhuo Xu-Yun, who is Dao-Yan’s disciple. I need you to think about this carefully.”

Tian-Hu slapped two more boxes onto the table. Silence descended on the palace as everyone’s attention shifted to Dao-Li, waiting for him to make a decision.

It was no secret that the Zhen Ling Sect was very keen on collecting Longevity Pellet recipes. Aside from the Xuan Ling Sect, many sects in the region had taken advantage of the Zhen Ling sect's desperation. Tian-Hu’s actions today meant only one thing, the reputed Tian-Kang was on the verge of dying. Was the Xuan Ling Sect willing to watch three Core Forging Realm cultivators lose their strength forever instead of surrendering the Longevity Pill recipe?

Lu Ping couldn’t help but sigh at how forceful the older generation could be. He knew that the two elders had held a private conversation before this, but in the blink of an eye, Tian-Hu had openly threatened Dao-Li, forcing him to decide on the spot. Dao-Li's response was very important. A wrong move would mean losing his people's faith, affecting the unity within the Xuan Ling Sect.

“He struck Dao-Li at his weakest point!” Lu Ping’s expression was very tense. He locked his eyes on the Xuan Ling Sect’s cultivators fiercely, calculating the success rate of Tian-Hu’s actions.

Dao-Li's thoughts were straightforward. If the cost of having the opponent’s Law Avatar Realm cultivator dead were only three Core Forging Realm cultivators, they would be more than happy to pay the price. However, the invasion of the monster race was a massive problem they all had to face. From the bigger picture, an increase in Tian-Kang’s lifespan would greatly help both the Zhen Ling Sect and the region. Additionally, if the Xuan Ling Sect sacrificed their cultivators, they would lose their disciples' confidence and faith.

Yet, their position as the strongest sect in the region was now being threatened by the Zhen Ling Sect. They were unwilling to let the opportunity to weaken the Zhen Ling Sect slip by when the opportunity had delivered itself to their doorstep. With eight Law Avatar Realm cultivators, three of whom were in the mid-Law Avatar Realm, the Zhen Ling Sect had grown into a terrifying powerhouse that couldn't be underestimated. Even if the Oceania Blaze Sect and Water Mist Sect combined, they would only have five Law Avatar Realm cultivators, with only one mid-Law Avatar Realm cultivator.

While Dao-Li kept silent and wore a stern expression, Wei Xu-Ren suddenly grinned and said, “Tian-Hu, stop dreaming! The Longevity Pill is incredibly precious, let alone a five-year Longevity Pill! Your sect murdered my master! Tian-Kang can only be blamed for his own death! It’s lucky that he survived for so many years!”

“Shut up!” Tian-Hu and Dao-Li both roared at the same time.

The combined presence of two Law Avatar Realm cultivators came crashing down on Wei Xu-Ren. Wei Xu-Ren’s face paled, and while he maintained a fierce grin, he was no longer as confident.

The other master and grandmaster alchemists were all shocked, despite maintaining a calm expression on the surface.

“Dao-Kong’s death was caused by the Zhen Ling Sect?”

“So he didn’t die while exploring an ancient ruin? I knew it! No ancient ruins are powerful enough to kill a Law Avatar Realm cultivator! How did the Xuan Ling Sect even hold it in for so long? Dao-Sheng is not someone like that!”

“So that’s why. Do you all remember the battle between the Zhen Ling Sect and Xuan Ling Sect on the Rising Sun Island a few decades ago?”

“Dao-Kong wasn’t there!”

“Why didn’t he show up to a battle between the two sects’ Law Avatar Realm cultivators? It was because he was already dead! The battle involved eleven Law Avatar Realm cultivators, five of whom were in the mid-Law Avatar Realm! Why do you think the news about Dao-Kong’s death spread shortly after the battle? Why was the island handed to the Xuan Ling Sect?”

“Interesting. The two sects are incredibly defensive about any information about the battle. Something fishy must have happened. Hmmm. From what that idiotic Wei Xu-Ren said, it seems Tian-Kang is dying?”

“That’s right. Tian-Xue and Tian-Fan fought Dao-Sheng, while Tian-Xiang and Dao-Quan, who were the ultimate rivals, fought each other. Being the fourth strongest cultivator in the sect, Tian-Kang must have fought against Dao-Yan, who is in the mid-Law Avatar Realm! He definitely had to deplete his lifespan to use something powerful to stop Dao-Yan. So that’s why the Zhen Ling Sect has been trying to acquire Longevity Pill recipes for so many years!”

Dao-Li was so angry that he wanted to strike Wei Xu-Ren down on the spot. Previously, his hesitation to trade the Longevity Pill recipe for the Wonder Water Nurturing Spirit Pellets could be because he wanted to save the disciples but also wished to weaken the Zhen Ling Sect. Even if he decided to sacrifice the disciples, he did it for the sect's greater good, which would be understood in the end. However, all hopes of earning some empathy were dashed when Wei Xu-Ren blatantly unveiled the truth. It would be interpreted that the Xuan Ling Sect was willing to sacrifice anyone so that the Zhen Ling Sect’s Law Avatar Realm cultivator could no longer extend his lifespan. While the two scenarios were actually the same, the implications were different.

Tian-Hu shook his head as he accepted the reality. Despite being unable to acquire the recipe, he still managed to inflict damage on the Xuan Ling Sect. He let out a sigh, “Okay. I understand what the Xuan Ling Sect wants now.”

Dao-Li’s expression twisted immediately; if he didn’t do anything, Tian-Hu’s words would greatly damage the Xuan Ling Sect’s reputation!

He hurriedly said, “All right. We can give you the recipe, but on one condition!”

“Speak. Hurry!” Tian-Hu stopped in his tracks abruptly and stared into Dao-Li’s eyes.

Lu Ping hurriedly cleared his mind and looked at Dao-Li. Wei Xu-Ren opened his mouth to say something, but he suddenly found himself unable to do so. Was it Dao-Li, or was it Tian-Hu? No one knew.

Dao-Li stared deeply into Tian-Hu’s eyes and squeezed out his words, “I want the Splendiferous Jade Dew! Our sect wants the Splendiferous Jade Dew!”

An uproar took place in an instant. Many cultivators were clueless, so they did not hesitate to inquire more about the Splendiferous Jade Dew. Lu Ping, too, was unaware. When he raised his head, he noticed many Law Avatar Realm cultivators looking at Tian-Hu in surprise.

It was obvious that they knew what Splendiferous Jade Dew was.

Lu Ping shifted his sights to Tian-Hu, while Tian-Hu shook his head, “Dao-Li, we don’t have any Splendiferous Jade Dew. I know where your demand for the Splendiferous Jade Dew comes from, but we don’t have any. I thought you would ask for the Core Forging Pellet instead of this.

Hmmm. Does that mean that the Xuan Ling Sect has the recipe for the pellet and is planning to concoct it?”

Tian-Hu’s words caused the atmosphere to heat up even more. Although the Splendiferous Jade Dew was something beyond most people’s comprehension, everyone knew the significance of a Core Forging Pellet.

It was a spirit pellet that could purify and boost the grade of a Golden Core. Lu Ping could still clearly remember Guo Xuan-Shan and Liu Xuan-Ling’s shock when he presented eight Core Forging Pellets back then.

Compared to a Core Forging Pellet, a pellet capable of helping someone advance to the Law Avatar Realm, like the one Tian-Hu had given the elderly cultivator, was nothing.

The purification and advancement of a Golden Core signified more than just a higher chance of entering the Law Avatar Realm. It also presented an opportunity to achieve a level of strength far higher than anyone else.

Lu Ping’s heart sank to the bottom because he somewhat understood what was coming.

Dao-Li’s eerie laughter resounded, “The Core Forging Pellet is very scarce; not even the Fei Ling Sect of the past had many of them. They were only in the possession of the Fei Ling Sect’s Great Ancestor. The Zhen Ling Sect couldn’t have possibly managed to retrieve them all, and even if you did, how many could you have gotten? Why are you only using them now? Jiang Tian-Lin defeated the owner of Golden Jiao Island and Junior Nephew Feng. Then, Liu Tian-Ling advanced to the Law Avatar Realm and defeated Junior Feng, who was much stronger than her. Why were Guo Xuan-Shan, Qu Xuan-Cheng, and Li Xuan-Yin capable of advancing their Golden Core grades and becoming peak Core Forging Realm cultivators in such a short period of time?”

Tian-Hu said nothing and merely listened. Dao-Li continued, “The Fei Ling Sect definitely didn’t have that many pellets with them. Besides, their existence has been erased for more than four thousand years. Even if the pellets are still around, they must have lost some efficacy! After all, the higher the grade of a pellet, the harder it is to maintain its efficacy.”

Dao-Li paused momentarily and scanned the hall, finding many cultivators paying close attention and nodding at his hypothesis. He then said, “This means that the Zhen Ling Sect has a source of obtaining these pellets! These Core Forging Pellets are freshly concocted, indicating that your sect has the recipe, and not only that, you also have the Splendiferous Jade Dew, the most important ingredient in concocting the pellet!”