132: To Seek the Spiritual Energy of the Immortal World, Ask Only Whether Your Heart Can Remain True

Upon seeing Hou Wanzong's expression, Chen Dengming knew that the other party had misunderstood.

He had barely finished explaining when the other person's smile became even more enigmatic, as if the more he explained, the worse it got. He then gave up on explaining and inquired about the current situation of Lüo Bing and the Luo Family.

Hou Wanzong sighed and shook his head, saying, "Senior Brother Chen, you've come to the right person. Let me tell you, don't get agitated. Junior Sister Luo's condition isn't good right now."

She seems to have gotten herself into some trouble with the Moon Reflection Sect. Now even our sect's Golden Core Ancestor has reprimanded her and punished her by making her repent in the Wonderful Sound Sect's Repentance Cave. I think this matter is no small thing."

"Oh?"

Chen Dengming frowned, his eyes showing a strange expression. "What does this have to do with the Moon Reflection Sect? The Moon Reflection Sect is currently struggling to survive and is facing condemnation from many of our sects. How could it possibly affect Fellow Daoist Luo of your sect?"

Hou Wanzong hesitated, "This matter is rather strange. It seems to involve a secret of a small mortal country, but I don't know the specifics. After all, it's a sect secret."

Only junior sister Luo and others who participated in this secret plan knew about it. We didn't dare to inquire too much. We only knew that the sect was looking for someone. What was that person's name again?

Hmm. I can't remember. After all, he was just a minor Rogue Cultivator who killed a disciple of the Moon Reflection Sect and escaped.

Upon hearing this, Chen Dengming understood that Lüo Bing's reprimand and involvement in the trouble seemed to be related to him.

It seems that after he killed Nangong Yun, the Moon Reflection Sect really did send people to look for him, but naturally they couldn't find him.

However, he did not use an alias at the time, because no matter how cautious he was, he couldn't predict the future.

He never expected that Nangong Yun would suddenly come to find him, and that he would have to kill him and leave his peaceful cultivation environment to escape.

Since one cannot predict the future, it is impossible to simply change one's habitual name and live an anonymous life.

This is like a normal person who just wants to live an honest and law-abiding life. How could they possibly foresee that they would one day encounter murder and flee? So, before the event even happens, they presciently change their name to something they are used to. This is completely illogical.

Therefore, after the incident, the people of the Moon Reflection Sect, by following the clues based on his name, were still able to find his relationship with the Luo Family and locate Lüo Bing.

More than a year has passed since that incident, yet Lüo Bing was recently reprimanded. Could it be that the Wonderful Sound Sect is also looking for him now?

Chen Dengming then tentatively inquired about some more information.

It was gradually confirmed that Lüo Bing had indeed been reprimanded by the Golden Core Ancestor the Wonderful Sound Sect only recently.

Hou Wanzong, a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Wonderful Sound Sect, only knew the general outline of the matter and was completely unaware of the inside story.

"Senior Brother Chen, Junior Sister Luo is currently repenting in the Repentance Cave. It will be difficult for you to contact her, as even Sound Transmission Jade Talisman cannot be used to send a message inside."

"It's alright. By the way, I wanted to ask, since Lüo Bing is in the Wonderful Sound Sect, is her Lineage Luo Family, now within the Wonderful Sound Sect's territory?"

"Of course he is. Senior Brother Chen, you wish to visit the Luo Family? Well, Luo Ping is currently with the Luo Family. Senior Brother Chen, I've heard that the Luo Family Ancestor has quite a few connections."

By the end of his speech, Hou Wanzong's smile had become somewhat awkward.

He regretted it a little; he had made too many promises just now. This Senior Brother Chen wasn't just bold; he was downright audacious.

If they were to actually go to the Luo Family and encounter Luo Ping, what a terrible crime it would be to witness it in front of his wife!

If the Luo Family Ancestor were to blame or get angry, he would also face some minor trouble.

Chen Dengming, "Brother Hou, you've misunderstood. I was just asking where your Wonderful Sound Sect is now?"

Cao Yan interjected at this moment, laughing, "Junior Brother Chen, the Wonderful Sound Sect has now joined forces with the Moon Reflection Sect, the Five Elements Escape Sect, and many other Immortal Sect to form a second pass at Jiamu Pass, five thousand miles away."

"Given the tense war situation, I think it's best to wait until the fighting eases a bit before you go to visit them. By then, Fairy Lüo might have already emerged."

"Jiamu Pass, more than 5,000 li away?"

Chen Dengming was taken aback. He had thought that if it was nearby, there was no harm in going to take a look.

I never imagined it would be this far.

After all, what he had to cross was War Zone and Battlefield. Even if he was fast, there was a very high probability that he would encounter enemy Devil Cultivator, or even Golden Core Devil Cultivator, on his way back and forth.

With our current strength, crossing 5,000 miles across War Zone is still too dangerous.

Moreover, it's clear that Cao Yan and Hou Wanzong have both misunderstood; if he insists on going, it might not be a good thing.

Now that Lüo Bing is not with the Lineage, his long journey there will indeed invite gossip.

He immediately smiled and nodded, saying, "Senior Brother Cao is right. Jiamu Pass is too far away. Actually, I just have a friend still at the Luo Family. Now that the Luo Family is confirmed, it's fine."

He was indeed relieved. Since the Luo Family was safe, Xu Wei was naturally fine, so there was nothing to worry about.

Hou Wanzong breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt ashamed and embarrassed, wondering if he had been too obvious and failed to help the other party.

Seeing that Chen Dengming and Cao Yan were about to leave, he immediately saw them off personally.

Chen Dengming casually glanced at the many Rogue Cultivator queuing below.

The condition of these Qi Rogue Cultivator cultivators serving in the army looked much more miserable than that of the Qi Cultivation Cultivator from the sects. They were all covered in dust and dirt, looking like ordinary refugees, which puzzled Chen Dengming.

He also came from the Rogue Cultivator. Even if a rogue Rogue Cultivator is incompetent, they shouldn't look like this. A first-level Cleansing Technique can solve this appearance problem. Could it be that none of these Rogue Cultivators have learned Cleansing Technique?

Seeing Chen Dengming sizing Rogue Cultivator, Hou Wanzong laughed and said, "Hey? Senior Brother Chen, are you perhaps quite interested in these peasants?"

He spoke casually, and was humble and respectful towards Chen Dengming, but when it came to a group of Rogue Cultivator, his arrogance and disdain were evident.

Chen Dengming shook his head inwardly, but showed no outward expression; he was already used to this hierarchy of contempt.

Rogue Cultivator look down on ordinary people; Rogue Cultivator in large cities look down on rogue Rogue Cultivator; Lineage cultivators look down on Rogue Cultivator cultivators in large cities; sect cultivators look down on Lineage cultivators; and major sect cultivators look down on minor sect cultivators.

With each layer of contempt applied, even ordinary Rogue Cultivator suffer greatly.

Unbeknownst to him, he has now risen to the very top of the social hierarchy.

But he remained true to himself and did not want to look down on anyone, including ordinary people.

But he couldn't change the situation. Just as he was about to look away, he suddenly felt the Soul House in his arms tremble slightly. The Little Array Spirit was close to his heart, communicating with him telepathically.

"Fellow Daoist, pay attention. Below, there's an acquaintance, Formation. He's the Formation who gave me to you back then, Jiang Qiang."

"What?!"

Chen Dengming frowned, his gaze quickly landing on a familiar, travel-worn face in the crowd, his eyes fixed on it.

The owner of that face seemed not to have expected the Foundation Establishment cultivator to suddenly look down at him. He was stunned for a moment, and then he and the group of Rogue Cultivator around him turned pale with fright. They immediately lowered their heads like quails, their hearts pounding wildly.

Chen Dengming's eyes flickered briefly, but his expression quickly returned to normal. He stopped and looked at Hou Wanzong with a smile, saying, "Brother Hou, I have a spirit beast that needs to be kept in captivity. I wonder if any of the Rogue Cultivator below could choose one to take as their caretaker?"

Hou Wanzong was slightly taken aback, then looked at Cao Yan, who was equally surprised, and then laughed, "Senior Brother Chen, what you're saying is easy. He's just a Rogue Cultivator serving in the military. It's very simple for you to take him away."

This group of Rogue Cultivator has now been handed over to your Longevity Sect. Senior Brother Cao is in charge of this matter, so you can just ask Senior Brother directly. I certainly agree."

Cao Yan frowned slightly, thinking that Chen Dengming had listened to his advice and given him face, and that this Junior Brother's courage and hobbies in certain areas were quite to his liking.

He had brought the other party here specifically for this matter; if he couldn't be accommodating on such a small thing, then all his efforts to do them a favor would have been wasted. He pondered for a moment and said.

"Since it is Junior Brother Chen who has made this request, I, Cao, will naturally accommodate you. However, this matter is, after all..."

Cao Yan coughed lightly, gave Chen Dengming a look, and smiled, "These Rogue Cultivator are all recorded. Anyone who dares to run away before accumulating enough merit will be held accountable and convicted, and will not have a good end."

Therefore, Brother Chen, if you want to choose one person to take away, you'll have to do them a favor."

Chen Dengming was about to ask how much credit he had received.

Cao Yan smiled, "How about this, Junior Brother Chen, you choose the person directly, and I'll take the Senior Brother for this small contribution."

"I can't possibly accept that," Chen Dengming was about to refuse.

Hou Wanzong understood the implied meaning behind the song. Although he was surprised that Cao Yan was giving Chen Dengming so much face, he still immediately pulled Chen Dengming aside and smiled.

"Hey, Senior Brother Chen, since Senior Brother Cao is treating us, you should accept it without hesitation. A Rogue Cultivator doesn't need to accumulate much merit, so don't let Brother Cao's kindness go to waste."

"Well then, thank you very much, Senior Brother Cao. When Senior Brother come to the Evergreen Sect another day, I will definitely host a banquet to entertain Junior Brother."

Chen Dengming did not offer any further polite or humble remarks.

He had already realized that Cao Yan was trying to use this opportunity to extend the favor to the end, and if he insisted on refusing, it would only displease the other party.

Sometimes, being overly polite isn't the best approach to interpersonal relationships.

Soon, Jiang Qiang was summoned from the group of independent Rogue Cultivator below by a Qi Cultivation Cultivator had received instructions.

"My lord, may I ask what business this Foundation Establishment senior has with me, Xiao Jiang?"

Jiang Qiang's palms were sweating with nervousness and anxiety. He endured the pain and forced a dry laugh as he took out a Low-grade Spirit Crystal that he had been saving for a long time to save his life and stuffed it into the crystal, fawning over the person with a smile.

This spirit crystal is his last remaining savings, meant to save his life in a critical moment.

Since the attack on Fengwu Workshop and the subsequent separation from Zhu Xun, he has encountered various risks along the way, many of which he has overcome by spending money to avoid disaster and by being quick-witted and cautious. Otherwise, he would not have made it this far.

The principle of giving up some things to gain others is the core essence of his strong-form algorithm.

Money is important, but you can only have money if you're alive. Compared to your own life, no amount of money is too precious to lose; in a critical moment, you must give it up to save your life.

But to his surprise, as soon as he handed over the spirit crystal, the Qi Cultivation Cultivator from the Wonderful Sound Sect immediately pushed it back.

Jiang Qiang's heart skipped a beat. He saw that the usually arrogant supervising cultivator was actually smiling this time, with a hint of envy, jealousy and flattery in his smile.

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, no need. You've gotten lucky this time. That Foundation Establishment senior from the Changchun Longevity Sect has taken a liking to you. If you rise to prominence in the future, you'll have to take care of him."

"Huh?" Jiang Qiang was a little stunned, his mind was a bit dizzy, and his already anxious heart became even more nervous.

Why would Foundation Establishment cultivator take a liking to him?

Aside from his meager skill in crafting array plates, Jiang Qiang had no other special talents. What did he have that would be of interest to Foundation Establishment cultivator?

Even with his limited ability to refine array plates, it was unlikely to attract the attention of Foundation Establishment cultivator, and he didn't even show it.

With a mix of trepidation and anticipation, Jiang Qiang was brought before Chen Dengming.

Chen Dengming saw through Jiang Qiang's nervousness at a glance, secretly amused, feeling a sense of joy at reuniting with a brother. However, he didn't explain anything, only saying, "From now on, follow him and become a Black Cloud Leopard keeper," which was enough to explain his purpose.

After a cup of tea.

Chen Dengming parted ways with Cao Yan and the others.

With a silent and extremely uneasy Jiang Qiang in tow, they returned to their lodging.

"Roar--"

The Black Cloud Leopard leaped lightly from the rooftop, its terrifying Sha Qi causing Jiang Qiang's face to turn pale.

Seriously? This mere Qi Cultivation Fifth Level cultivator, Xiao Jiang, is supposed to take care of this Black Cloud Leopard that looks like it could easily overpower Brother Chen?

"Hei Zi, keep watch outside."

Chen Dengming gave a low shout and beckoned Jiang Qiang to come inside.

"That voice"

Jiang Qiang felt that Chen Dengming's voice sounded familiar, but thought it was just his imagination. Upon hearing this, he followed respectfully into the house.

Chen Dengming casually waved his hand, and the door slammed shut.

He had just made the gesture to close the door when Jiang Qiang knelt down with a 'plop,' expressing his gratitude with tears streaming down his face.

"Senior, thank you for taking me in from among the Rogue Cultivator."

"I, Xiao Jiang, have no way to repay your kindness. I will definitely take good care of that old man Black Panther outside for you in the future. Although I have no experience in raising spirit pets, I have a very strong learning talent and am hardworking."

"Qiangzi?"

Chen Dengming was somewhat dumbfounded and called out to Jiang Qiang.

"Huh?" Jiang Qiang responded, subconsciously preparing to continue playing the victim and currying favor, but suddenly froze, looking up at Chen Dengming as if he had seen a ghost.

She immediately lowered her head, her heart pounding wildly.

"Senior, why did you call me by my nickname just now?"

He gradually recognized the familiar voice, and even guessed what it meant from the familiar call.

But this happiness came too quickly and too suddenly, leaving him in disbelief.

Fearing that I might be hallucinating due to recent stress, or perhaps I've fallen victim to some sophisticated illusion, I remained kneeling, awaiting further confirmation.

Just then, Chen Dengming's laughter rang out, "Qiangzi, you're still as quick-witted as ever! I was worried about you for nothing."

Jiang Qiang felt a jolt run through his body, his heart felt like it was on fire, his eyes reddened, and he choked up as if he was about to cry. He swallowed hard, forcing back the cry that was rising in his throat, and said nervously.

"Senior, did you cast some kind of illusion on me?"

Why do I feel like you're an old friend? Hehe, please don't joke like that, senior, I'm scared!

The smile on Chen Dengming's lips gradually faded. Thinking of Zhu Xun's death, and then of his brother Jiang Qiang's disheveled state when he saw him before, he could no longer laugh.

His life has improved, but it's hard to imagine what his two former brothers went through.

Behind Jiang Qiang's seemingly comical actions and words lies a forced suppression of fear and confusion.

Even when they were right in front of him, they remained kneeling, afraid to acknowledge him, lest their heads roll the moment they stood up.

This level of caution and meticulousness surpasses even his own.

"Qiangzi, get up. It really is me, your Brother Chen. Besides me, who else in this vast Cultivation World would call you Qiangzi?"

Chen Dengming personally went over and helped Jiang Qiang up. Then he dispelled the Spiritual Qi from his face, the distance between his eyes changed, and his facial contours also underwent subtle changes.

Jiang Qiang was stunned, his heart pounding in his chest, afraid that if he said the wrong thing, it would be like a spark igniting a firecracker and exploding with a "bang".

"Still don't believe me? Do you remember when you used a strong algorithm to help me sell things?"

Back in Brocade Workshop. Also, in the Gathering Place, you had an enemy named Qian Yuan, who died a horrible death."

Mentioning Qian Yuan, Jiang Qiang suddenly laughed, a wide, hearty laugh, a laugh of cathartic satisfaction, yet also a laugh of utter relief. "Yeah, he died a horrible death. When he died, he had his own hand stuffed into his mouth. He only had that one hand, hahaha."

His voice choked with emotion as he laughed, "Sometimes I even dream about someone surnamed Qian several times. I dream that he's laughing at me, laughing at how I died a more miserable death than him."

My legs were chopped off, and I crawled on the ground. When I died, my hands were also chopped off and stuffed into my mouth.

Chen Dengming fell silent for a moment, then sighed, patted Jiang Qiang on the shoulder, and spoke slowly in a calm yet convincing tone.

"Qiangzi, you're safe."

"At least within the territory of the Longevity Sect, you're safe. You can open a small Formation shop in the Marketplace and live a peaceful life, or you can go back and sell Gu for me."

Jiang Qiang finally came to his senses, his eyes shining with admiration and surprise. This was probably the most glorious moment of the year. "Brother Chen, you... you've reached the Foundation Establishment? And you've even joined the Evergreen Sect? No, the Longevity Sect?"

"Haha, I haven't joined the Longevity Sect yet, I'm only in the Evergreen Sect. But, it should be soon."

The two met again, and in this chaotic world, amidst the vast sea of people, they had so much to talk about.

Jiang Qiang was extremely grateful to Chen Dengming, to the point of prostration and deep gratitude. No one had ever shown him such respect and loyalty. He considered Chen Dengming to be his mentor, brother, benefactor, and even his second parents.

As for Chen Dengming, it doesn't really matter how strong Jiang Qiang is, what use he can be to him, or how much profit he can be made from him.

Most importantly, these are the people who struggled alongside him from the bottom up after he entered the Cultivation World. They are sincere and loyal to him, and that is enough.

Seeing the other person was like seeing his own true self, seeing the bottom line and principles that pointed directly to his true self, making him realize that he had not yet lost himself in this cruel and cold Cultivation World.

He firmly believed that cultivating immortality was not about being indifferent to cultivation and pursuing all selfish interests, but rather about having Xianxia spirit in one's heart, the heroic spirit of drawing one's sword to conquer the world, and the unrestrained freedom of roaming the world with one's sword.

If one is indifferent, loses their true self, and becomes cold and profit-driven, then they can hardly be called carefree and unrestrained.

Even if, on his Longevity Path, he were to buy a pot of wine and bid farewell to his many old friends who were nearing the end of their lives, it would be better than cold indifference or even cruel sacrifice. At least he would have a clear conscience and cherish the beautiful memories he had to cherish.

The two chatted for a long time until the butcher Zhu Xun was called out. Jiang Qiang fell silent for a moment, then burst into disbelief and cried out.

Chen Dengming shook his head, offered some words of comfort, and then left the room.

Looking at the setting sun in the distance, which burned quietly on the horizon like a bonfire, a smile involuntarily flashed in his eyes.

This trip was a complete success, as I learned that the Luo Family was safe and sound and also found two old friends, Zhu Xun and Jiang Qiang.

Compared to this, the rewards for sect rescue missions are secondary and incidental.

This is precisely the clear truth before us: immortality and destiny depend on fate. If you seek Spiritual Qi in the Xianxia, simply ask yourself if you can preserve your true self.

(Finally, I'm asking for a final round of monthly votes. I'm still adding an extra chapter today! I'm also asking for monthly votes at the beginning of the new month. 300 monthly votes will result in 10,000 words per day.)