Rogue Cultivator Assembly

"How about one hundred and fifty Spirit Stone?"

The young man in white spoke.

"No problem. Did you craft this Law Artifact? It has a nice design."

Shen Long asked casually.

The young man in white is unlikely to be the murderer of Shen Long's parents. Openly selling the seized magical Law Artifact would only invite trouble.

"I didn't make it; I seized it from a heretical cultivator who Evil Cultivator."

The young man in white said.

Shen Long nodded, paid the Spirit Stone, put away the Green Lotus Pendant, and returned to Qian Dafu's side.

Qian Dafu didn't ask any further questions; everyone has their own secrets.

They strolled around the Bluestone Square. Shen Long bought some refining materials to feed the Gold-Eating Ant, Qian Dafu bought more than a dozen spirit medicine. The two then left the Bluestone Square.

Back at the Spirit Control Garden, Shen Long asked, "Junior Brother Qian, do you know the stall owner who sold me the Law Artifact?"

"I don't know him, but if you want to get to know him, I can think of a way."

Qian Dafu said.

"Then I'll have to trouble you. I want to find out his background. It would be even better if I could talk to him in person. I want to ask him about the origin of that Law Artifact."

"Is there anything special about that Law Artifact?"

Qian Dafu hesitated for a moment, then asked.

"That was something my father always carried with him. They went out hunting Demon Beast and disappeared."

Shen Long told the truth.

Qian Dafu's expression hardened, and he said, "Leave this to me. I'll investigate this person's background for you."

"Thank you very much, Junior Brother Qian. If you ever need my help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."

Shen Long promised.

Qian Dafu nodded, chatted for a few words, and then turned and left Spirit Control Garden.

Back at Green Cicada Courtyard, Shen Long entered a guest room, took out the Green Lotus Pendant, and looked as if reminiscing.

"Father, Mother, whoever killed you, I will make them pay with their blood."

Shen Long muttered to himself, his face filled with murderous intent. After all these years, he had finally found a clue.

······

In Seven Rosy Clouds Garden, Master Jinxia and a woman in a golden dress of exceptional beauty sat in a Cyan Stone Pavilion, sipping tea and chatting.

"Xu Yang, the top of the 72 Talents of the Spirit Control Sect, has advanced to the Golden Core Realm. This time at the Mystic Yang Dharma Assembly, Junior Nephew Xu and his companions will have one less powerful enemy."

"That's what the woman in the golden dress said."

Fairy Yuncai, Core Formation Mid Stage.

"Junior Nephew Chen is in seclusion attempting to break through to the Golden Core Realm and was unable to participate in this Profound Mystic Yang Dharma Assembly. However, Junior Nephew Yu has deeply inherited Junior Sister Yu's True Disciple and should be able to achieve a good ranking."

Master Jinxia spoke first.

"I hope so. I hope I can use this Mystic Yang Dharma Assembly break through this bottleneck, otherwise I'll have to go and travel to other places."

The Fairy Yuncai sighed, her face full of sorrow.

She's stuck at a bottleneck, and hasn't been able to resolve it yet.

······

A sprawling manor with a solemn entrance. A gleaming gold plaque bears the three large golden characters "Mystic Yang Garden," and two Mystic Yang Sect disciples stand guard at the gate.

True Man Ganyang and a portly old man in a green robe sat in a Cyan Stone Pavilion, while a man of medium build in a green robe was giving a report.

"The people from the Spirit Control Sect and the Tyrant Blade Villa have arrived. The Spirit Control Sect is led by Master Ice Silkworm, and the Tyrant Blade Villa is led by True Man Golden Blade. Xu Yang, the leader of the Spirit Control Sect's 72 Talents, has advanced to the Golden Core Realm. The two beauties from the Seven Rosy Clouds Sect have not shown up; they may have been delayed by something."

The man in the blue robe spoke slowly.

"Understood, Nephew Li. Go and send a message to those Core Formation Cultivator, inviting them to a gathering at Mystic Yang Garden tonight."

"True Man Ganyang instructed."

"Yes, Uncle-Master Chen."

The man in the blue robe agreed and withdrew.

"With the abilities of my junior apprentices Gan, Liu, and Nephew Li, they should be able to secure a place in the top three."

The old man in the green robe smiled and spoke with a confident expression.

True Man Qingyang, Core Formation Mid Stage.

"The juniors' sparring is nothing. I hope to exchange for what I need. Besides the Core Formation Cultivator from the Five Sects of Qin, there are also several Core Formation Cultivator from other countries."

"I am a True Man Ganyang," he said, his face showing anticipation.

"I hope so! It's not easy to get what you need in exchange."

"True Man Qingyang said."

True Man Ganyang nodded and said nothing more.

······

Three days passed quickly at the Spirit Control Garden.

In the Green Cicada Courtyard, in a secret room.

Shen Long sat cross-legged on a Blue Prayer Mat, feeding the Gold-Eating Ant.

Scattered on the ground were large amounts of ore and Spirit Wood Spirit Wood, covered by swarms of Gold-Eating Ant. Their teeth were very sharp, and the ore and Spirit Wood were as easy to cut as tofu in front of them.

In half an hour, they had devoured all the ores and Spirit Wood on the ground. Each meal cost them at least a thousand Spirit Stone, which Shen Long could afford.

A Sound Transmission Talisman flew in and landed in front of Shen Long.

Shen Long flicked his finger, and a beam of blue light shot out, striking the communication Sound Transmission Talisman. The Sound Transmission Talisman spontaneously combusted, and Qian Dafu's voice came through. "Senior Brother Shen, I've made contact with the person who sold you the Law Artifact. Would you be willing to come out and talk?"

Hearing this, Shen Long put the Gold-Eating Ant back into his Spirit Beast Bag and went outside, where Qian Dafu stood at the door.

"Junior Brother Qian, you made contact so quickly? What's this person's background?"

Shen Long asked.

"This man is called Lan Tianhai. He comes from a small Lineage, the Lan Clan, which has been established for over fifty years. They are easy to control. I can invite him over for a chat."

Qian Dafu said.

"Junior Brother Qian, you're so efficient! Why don't you invite him over for a chat? I have some questions for him."

Shen Long said.

Qian Dafu nodded, took out a golden Communication Disk, entered a spell, and made a series of gestures.

"He's on his way, I'll go meet him! Senior Brother Shen, please make some tea."

After saying this, Qian Dafu turned and walked out.

Shen Long went outside and entered the stone pavilion, where he took out tea utensils and tea leaves to brew tea.

Half an hour later, Qian Dafu arrived with Lan Tianhai. Shen Long invited them to sit down and poured them tea.

After exchanging a few polite words, Shen Long got down to business. "Fellow Daoist Lan, if I may ask, where did you obtain that Law Artifact?"

"When I was on business in the Shu Kingdom, I killed several Evil Cultivator in the Qi Refining stage and seized these items from them."

Lan Tianhai explained.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, do you know their origins?"

Shen Long asked.

"The Loose Cultivator Assembly! This is a newly emerging force. On the surface, it's a group of Rogue Cultivator, mostly composed of Rogue Cultivator. However, the Loose Cultivator Assembly Association has a history of murder and robbery, and even formed a team to wipe out members of the Tang Clan, only to be destroyed by the Tang Clan."

Lan Tianhai said.

"It's destroyed!"

Shen Long frowned deeply.

"I heard the leader has been executed, but a group of his followers are still missing. These are their Identity Token; I have no use for them, so I'm giving them to Fellow Daoist Shen."

Lan Tianhai took out a Cyan Token with the three large golden characters "Loose Cultivator Assembly" engraved on the front.

"This bottle of He Yuan Pill is a small token of my appreciation. Thank you, Fellow Daoist Lan."

Shen Long thanked him, took out a Cyan Porcelain Bottle, and handed it to Lan Tianhai.

Lan Tianhai was overjoyed and repeatedly expressed his gratitude, accepting the bottle of He Yuan Pill.

After chatting for half an hour, Lan Tianhai said goodbye and left.

"Junior Brother Qian, you didn't tell him why I wanted to see him!"

Shen Long asked.

"No, I wouldn't tell outsiders about something like this so easily. I've checked, Lan Clan currently has over a hundred members, including four Foundation Establishment Cultivator. He has no reason to offend us over such a trivial matter."

Qian Dafu said.

"I hope so. This time, I owe you a lot, Junior Brother Qian. Otherwise, he might not have told me so much."

Shen Long expressed his gratitude.

Lan Tianhai comes from Lineage cultivators. He can run away, but he can't hide. If Lan Tianhai killed Shen Long's parents, Shen Long will take revenge on the entire Lan Clan.

"It was nothing, we're fellow disciples, no need to stand on ceremony."

Qian Dafu said nonchalantly.

"I'll say it again: if you need my help, just let me know."

Shen Long promised.

Qian Dafu nodded and agreed.

"By the way, Fairy Li of the Mystic Yang Sect is hosting a gathering tonight. I heard there are quite a few Foundation Establishment Cultivator attending. Would you like to join us?"

Qian Dafu seemed to remember something and asked.

"What time? Where?"

Shen Long asked.

"Maple Forest Courtyard, tonight at 7 PM."

Qian Dafu said.

Shen Long nodded. "Let's go together then!"

After chatting for a few minutes, Qian Dafu left.

"The Loose Cultivator Assembly!"

Shen Long stared at the token in his hand, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.