Niu Dazhuang glanced at Xia Qingxue, as if wanting to say something, but was stopped by a sharp look from Yin Shang.
Somewhat confused, he sent a voice transmission:
"We're just letting the Golden Crow Sect have it?"
Yin Shang shook his head.
"That thing was requested by one of their Grand Elders. There's no point in fighting over it."
Though neither of them had been able to identify the plant, the fact that it had broken through the rules of this minor world and reached fourth-rank status was enough to know it was extraordinary.
A Golden Core cultivator had already begun to grasp the "Dao" wielding means far beyond what ordinary people could imagine. It was obvious that the Golden Crow Sect and Heavenly Vein Sect had divined something about the changes in the Qiantian Secret Realm, which was why they had suddenly sent disciples to participate. Their true purpose was this spiritual plant.
While Luoxia City did have the power to compete with them, especially given this was their territory, Mu Guibai had already instructed Yin Shang before entering the secret realm. That's why they had never intended to make the rare treasures their main objective, instead proceeding according to their usual mission.
Even getting a single leaf from the spiritual plant was already a huge surprise. Letting Xia Qingxue have the seed was not a big deal.
As for whether the Heavenly Vein Sect would end up empty-handed, that wasn't Luoxia City's problem. That was between the Golden Crow Sect and the Heavenly Vein Sect.
Xia Qingxue's offer was more than fair, and Song Changsheng didn't hesitate to trade the seed for the vine in her hand.
Though she had told him to name his price, that didn't mean she was being overly generous, and the exact value of the seed was still uncertain. A fair trade for the vine was a safer choice.
After all, it was the main trunk of a fourth-rank spiritual plant. Even at its worst, it was still worthy of being used to forge a fourth-rank artifact. If used to refine a second or third-rank artifact, it would have enormous potential.
Xia Qingxue was a bit surprised by his decision, but didn't say much. She simply nodded and took the seed in exchange.
In any case, the task was now complete. Though cultivating a spiritual plant from a seed would take time, the Golden Crow Sect had no shortage of that. As a sect that had stood for thousands of years, their foundation was beyond imagination. It was only a matter of whether they were willing to invest the resources.
"Fellow Daoists Xia, Song, now that this matter is settled, let's prepare to head back."
Yin Shang finally let out a breath of relief. With the transaction concluded peacefully, there would be no need to deal with a fight between the two, something that would have been extremely troublesome.
"Take care. I won't be joining you just yet, I plan to explore a bit longer,"
Song Changsheng said with a cupped fist.
Niu Dazhuang looked around at the three towering mountains and hollered,
"Senior Brother, you go ahead. I'll stay here and take a look too!"
Yin Shang gave him a surprised look but said nothing. Instead, he shot him a warning glance.
"Fine. Just don't forget the time."
With that, he grabbed the unconscious Hou Tianming and flew toward the exit. Xia Qingxue followed as well. Having completed her mission, she had no interest in the other treasures here.
Once the others had gone, Niu Dazhuang grinned at Song Changsheng.
"Now that the busybodies are gone, let's finish our fight!"
Song Changsheng smiled wryly and shook his head.
"You didn't stay behind just to spar with me, did you, Fellow Daoist Niu?"
At those words, a glint flashed in Niu Dazhuang's eyes.
"So you saw through it, too."
"I may not be a master, but I'm not blind. There are array patterns hidden here. Why don't we each study on our own without interfering?"
Song Changsheng offered with a smile.
Niu Dazhuang scoffed,
"You Song clan folks are so fake. You figured out what I couldn't, and you still claim you're no expert? What does that make me then?"
He still felt a bit sore about it. After all, he was a top-tier second-rank formation master and the personal disciple of Zhan Tianxia, the strongest formation expert in the Great Qi cultivation world, yet he'd been overshadowed by Song Changsheng.
Still, he was an honest person. If he lost, he lost. He might be a little bitter, but he had no ill intent.
Song Changsheng just chuckled, not taking it to heart. After all, they'd interacted more than once.
"Where do you want to start, Fellow Daoist Niu?"
Niu Dazhuang ignored the question and flew straight to the mountain they had previously damaged. Landing on the broken peak, he placed a hand on the ground, and in an instant, glowing array patterns began to emerge across the mountain's surface.
These were the original formation lines of the Three-Mountain Three-Talent Array. Only naturally formed innate arrays had these patterns. To most people, they were worthless, but to formation masters, they were priceless.
Song Changsheng also landed on one of the peaks, though he used a different approach. With the help of his Eye of True Sight, he could study the original array lines on all three mountains simultaneously.
The Three-Mountain Three-Talent Array, as the name implies, connected three mountains into a special variation of a Three-Talent Formation. The principles were similar to the Three-Talent Formation that Niu Dazhuang had used to break the array earlier.
The three mountains represented Heaven, Earth, and Man, drawing power from the natural world. Once the formation was complete, it provided both offense and defense, cyclical and self-sustaining.
Judging from its incomplete state and the flaws still present, the formation had likely only recently formed. It was far inferior to the Misty Maze Array Song Changsheng had encountered in the Ten-Thousand Mountain Range, which was why he had been able to spot its weaknesses so easily.
Still, that didn't mean it was weak. On the contrary, it was one of the legendary Ten Innate Arrays, from which all modern arrays were derived.
If Song Changsheng could fully comprehend its original formation lines, his understanding of formations would advance by leaps and bounds…
Seven days later, Song Changsheng withdrew his gaze, pinched the bridge of his nose, and let out a long, weary breath. Several days of sleepless effort had pushed him to the edge of exhaustion, but fortunately, he had fully comprehended the array patterns. After digesting what he had learned, he could soon attempt a breakthrough.
On the other side, Niu Dazhuang had already moved to a third mountain. Unlike Song Changsheng, he didn't have a bird's-eye view approach and could only study things in sections. This was the last of the three peaks, and he still needed some time.
Two days later, Niu Dazhuang finished his analysis. When he looked at Song Changsheng, who was currently meditating, the corner of his mouth twitched. He had hoped to outshine him this time, but clearly, he was overly optimistic.
"What kind of dog-shit luck is this guy riding on? Eye techniques, spirit flames, he gets all the good stuff. Compared to him, I'm the one who looks like I came from a backwater foundation clan."
Niu Dazhuang grumbled inwardly.
"Fellow Daoist Niu," Song Changsheng stood up and said,
"The secret realm will close in a few days. Shall we head back now?"
"Crap, I almost forgot about that!"
Niu Dazhuang quickly did a calculation; it was only three days until the closing, and they were still far from the exit.
The two raced back at full speed. Fortunately, there were no delays on the road, and they safely rejoined the main group at the exit.
Yin Shang visibly relaxed upon seeing they were both safe and began organizing everyone's withdrawal.
"We've lost quite a few people,"
Song Changsheng remarked.
Zhuang Yuchan's eyes dimmed slightly as she replied,
"Nearly twenty have fallen, and over ten were severely injured. They've already been sent out early."
Song Changsheng was a bit shocked.
"We didn't even take losses like that during the beast tide."
"This year's not even that bad."
Niu Dazhuang sighed.
"The worst time, we lost more than half."
He had led the most expeditions into the secret realm over the years. Normally, he would have led this one too, but because of Xia Qingxue's presence, Mu Guibai had been worried he might cause trouble, so Yin Shang was assigned as team leader.
Over the years, countless Luoxia City disciples had lost their lives in this secret realm, but there was no helping it.
On the one hand, it was to obtain cultivation resources like beast materials and spiritual herbs; on the other, it was to train the younger generation in real combat against spirit beasts.
Luoxia City bordered the vast Ten-Thousand Mountain Range, where a beast tide could erupt at any time. Compared to that, the beast tides in the Qiantian Secret Realm were just ripples.
"Where's that Heavenly Vein Sect brat? Has he woken up yet? The nerve of him, trying to threaten me,"
Niu Dazhuang muttered, glancing around but not spotting Hou Tianming.
Yin Shang gave Song Changsheng a meaningful look and replied,
"His injuries were severe. I've already arranged for someone to send him out. He should be long gone by now. Daoist Xia also left earlier."
"Tch, he got off easy,"
Niu Dazhuang said regretfully.
"You did it on purpose, didn't you?"
At the rear of the group, Zhuang Yuchan asked in a low voice.
"Did what on purpose?"
Song Changsheng blinked.
"Hou Tianming. Senior Brother Yin already told me what happened. I bet you had something to do with how badly he was hurt."
She gave him a wink.
Song Changsheng gave a helpless smile and spread his hands.
"Was it that obvious?"
"Don't worry. Hou Tianming's just going to have to swallow it. You're not directly responsible anyway; it's more due to his strength, or lack thereof. But I underestimated you. You managed to go toe-to-toe with Senior Brother Niu."
"I was barely holding on. If we'd gone all out, I definitely would've lost,"
Song Changsheng said, staying humble.
"Though… he wouldn't have come out unscathed either."
"That's still impressive. I remember when we first met, it was Senior Brother Niu who had to save us. And now, you can hold your own against him."
Zhuang Yuchan's eyes reflected a trace of nostalgia; it had been her first experience out in the world, and she'd nearly lost her life.
Song Changsheng also grew a bit sentimental. He had indeed made great strides in recent years. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something.
"By the way, do you remember those jade tokens we found in that cave residence?"
"Of course. There were three of them, one for you, me, and Fellow Daoist Zhu. I've been carrying mine ever since, but I've no idea what it's for."
Song Changsheng hesitated for a moment, then said,
"I received a legacy from the cave's owner. According to what I learned, those jade tokens are linked to a certain secret, possibly connected to the Blood Demon. Keep your eye on it."
"The Blood Demon?"
Zhuang Yuchan's face turned serious.
"Got it. If it's related to the Blood Demon, we can't ignore it. I'll look into it."
As soon as they exited the secret realm, Song Qingluo rushed up to him and handed him a sealed letter.
He opened it and saw a short, urgent message:
"Grand Elder gravely injured, return immediately!!"
Song Changsheng's expression changed instantly. The letter had been sent over ten days ago, just after he'd entered the secret realm. Judging by the timeline, this must have happened during the ambush on Yu Chengbo and the others.
"Fellow Daoist Song, what's wrong?"
Zhuang Yuchan asked, noticing the change in his expression.
Song Changsheng cupped his fists solemnly toward Zhuang Yuchan and said,
"Fellow Daoist Zhuang, I originally intended to bid farewell to the city lords in person, but something urgent has happened within my clan. I must depart immediately. Please convey my respects to them on my behalf."
"And also, say goodbye to Fellow Daoist Xu for me. If he ever visits Lingzhou, I'll treat him to a drink."
"Leaving so soon?"
Zhuang Yuchan was taken aback; she had planned to keep him around for a few more days.
"I'm heading out right now. Take care, Fellow Daoist Zhuang."
As he spoke, Song Changsheng handed her a white jade jar and quickly left the mountain with Song Qingluo at his side.
Zhuang Yuchan watched their departing figures, momentarily lost in thought.
"What's got you so dazed?"
Niu Dazhuang suddenly appeared beside her, asking in his usual loud manner.
Zhuang Yuchan snapped out of it, her tone a bit subdued.
"Fellow Daoist Song's family has run into trouble; he's already headed down the mountain."
"What, the Lieyang Sect launched an attack or something?"
Niu Dazhuang looked surprised. He hadn't gotten his fill of fighting back in the secret realm and had been hoping for a rematch.
But his attention was quickly caught by the jar in Zhuang Yuchan's hand.
"Hey, what's this? He gave that to you? Lemme see what treasure it is."
Before she could respond, he grabbed the jar and opened it. A rich aroma of wine immediately hit his nose. His expression changed, and he took a hearty swig.
"Damn, this is Monkey Wine! That kid had something this good?"
Just as he was about to go for another gulp, he suddenly sensed killing intent beside him and jolted with alarm. Quickly capping the jar, he handed it back with a flattering smile.
"I was just, uh, testing for poison. Yeah, poison. It's really good stuff."
Zhuang Yuchan rolled her eyes and turned her back on him in disdain.
...
After descending from Tianyin Mountain, Song Changsheng turned to Song Qingluo and instructed,
"Qingluo, send my regards to the clan elders and my teacher. I won't be returning to Wangyue Pavilion."
"Got it, don't worry, I'll handle it."
Song Qingluo thumped his chest confidently.
"Good. I trust you. Here, take this Monkey Wine. Drink a small cup before cultivation each day, it'll do you good. But remember, don't overindulge. Focus on your training."
Song Changsheng handed him another white jade jar containing twenty jin of the wine.
Holding the jar, Song Qingluo felt a wave of warmth in his heart.
"Don't worry, Young Lord! I'll cultivate hard and bring glory to the clan, just like you!"
"Good. I'm off. Take care."
After giving his instructions, Song Changsheng immediately headed toward the nearest city gate.
Although he was traveling alone, his heart was free of fear. If the Lieyang Sect still harbored ill intentions, then he would make sure they remembered his name once more!
Since he didn't have a flying vessel, Song Changsheng used the Swiftwind Talisman he had purchased earlier to travel. It took him nearly half a month to return to the Wangyue Mountain Range.
To his surprise, the journey was uneventful; neither the Earthfire Sect nor the Lieyang Sect sent anyone to cause trouble.
As soon as he arrived at his clan's territory, he rushed straight to the residence of Song Xianyun with all the speed he could muster…
-support me in Patreon for more chapter, 160+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader