210: Chapter 210 Outside Huaiyang City, Deep in the Mountains

The Zheng Family Elders behind Patriarch Zheng Tiande began to whisper among themselves; some even muttered quietly, "Could this old man be senile?"

Only Jiang Changge remained leaning against the high-backed chair, his posture casual, the smile on his face unchanged.

He had long since seen through the nature of that mist, and precisely because of this, he had not stopped the Grey-robed Elder when he acted first to take the item.

The old man's maneuver just now—the speed of his movements and the precision of his timing—clearly showed that he had recognized the object long ago, yet he had calmly waited for the stone to shatter before pocketing the item before anyone else could react.

Taking the item first, then admitting defeat—this clearly left him no opportunity to refuse.

Thinking of this, Jiang Changge couldn't help but roll his eyes internally. This old man looked like an immortal with a refined demeanor, but his actions were cunning and shrewd.

Before he could even say whether he was willing to sell, the other party had already laid out the words, "I ask Fellow Daoist to name your price; I will have no objections." With things put this way, if he were to haggle further, he would appear petty.

Moreover, that item was not of much use to him. The dark grey mist contained a wisp of extremely ancient Immortal Dao Origin, which was a rare and sought-after supplement for existences like Red Dust Immortals who had already stepped across the threshold of the immortal realm, helping them repair their immortal bodies and stabilize their immortal foundations.

But for Jiang Changge, he had the System in his hands, the Creation Sutra by his side, and Chaos Qi he could refine; while such an item was precious, it was not indispensable.

"In that case." Jiang Changge stood up from the high-backed chair and straightened his robes. The smile on his lips carried a hint of helplessness, yet also a touch of nonchalance, "Shall we find a place to chat?"

The Grey-robed Elder nodded slightly, a trace of a smile flashing in his murky eyes, as if to say—I accept your concession.

Their gazes met in mid-air for a fleeting moment, and then they both laughed simultaneously.

The laughter was not loud, but it made everyone on the third floor feel an indescribable sense of oppression, as if two mountains that had been sleeping for ten thousand years had awakened at the same moment, gently shaking off the snow from their shoulders.

The next instant, the figures of Jiang Changge and the Grey-robed Elder vanished from their spots simultaneously.

It was as if they had never been there in the first place, disappearing into thin air from everyone's sight.

Pavilion Master Guo Peng was the first to react; he slowly returned his stone-cutting blade to his storage ring, took a deep breath, and regained the composure befitting a branch master of Bafang Pavilion.

He did not ask where those two Seniors had gone, nor did he attempt to investigate their identities. Some things were not for him to know.

Zhao Guangbi stood in place, his gaze scanning back and forth between the empty high-backed chair and the counter. After a long silence, he spoke in a low voice, "Pavilion Master Guo, who exactly were those two Seniors?"

Pavilion Master Guo Peng shook his head and did not answer.

But in his mind, he kept replaying the moment the Grey-robed Elder had moved to collect the mist.

In that instant, he had vaguely sensed a fluctuation of power that surpassed the Peak of the Mahayana Stage. Although it lasted only a moment, it was enough for him to confirm that neither of those two individuals was someone he could hope to match.

At the top of the stairs, Patriarch Zheng Tiande stood with a gloomy expression for a moment, but ultimately said nothing more. He turned and led the Zheng Family members downstairs, his footsteps heavier than when they had arrived.

Zheng Lingfeng followed at the back. Before leaving, he glanced back at the empty high-backed chair, a wave of indescribable lingering fear rising in his heart.

He had been so arrogant and domineering on the third floor just now; if he had accidentally provoked either of those two, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Clan Head Sun Henian walked over to Sun Mingcheng's side, patted his son's shoulder, and said in a low voice, "Well done."

He did not elaborate, but Sun Mingcheng understood what his father was referring to: maintaining respect before the Grey-robed Elder and remaining neither humble nor arrogant before Zheng Lingfeng—these were the qualities that a descendant of the Sun Family should possess.

Outside Bafang Pavilion, the crowd on the main street gradually dispersed.

The Cultivators who had rushed over upon hearing the news had not seen the true appearance of the life-substitution talisman, but the scene that had just unfolded—two mysterious experts gambling on the third floor of Bafang Pavilion, with one revealing a High Grade Heaven Rank Spirit Essence, and the other revealing some treasure that even the Bafang Pavilion master could not recognize, ultimately ending with the Grey-robed Elder voluntarily admitting defeat—was enough to keep them talking for ten days or half a month.

And while these discussions gradually subsided, news about the life-substitution talisman and the two mysterious experts was spreading rapidly from Huaiyang City as the center to even more distant places.

Central Plains, Zixiao Holy Land.

In a towering palace floating above a sea of clouds, a white-haired Elder dressed in purple Daoist robes set down the transmission Jade Slip in his hand.

He was the External Affairs Elder of Zixiao Holy Land, with cultivation at the Middle Stage of Undergoing Tribulation, and was in charge of external intelligence within this behemoth, one of the Five Great Sacred Lands of the Central Plains.

He was silent for a moment, then raised his hand to write an edict in the Void Realm. The edict transformed into four streaks of purple light, which flew off in four different directions.

One went to the Lieyang Holy Land, one to the Taixu Holy Land, one to the Xingchen Holy Land, and the final one went to the Jiuyou Holy Land.

The four great Holy Lands received the news almost simultaneously: the life-substitution talisman had appeared, and the location was Bafang Pavilion in Huaiyang City.

At the same time, in the council halls of the three great families of the Central Plains—the Xiao Family, the Mu Family, and the Lin Family—someone was reporting this news.

The reactions of the three families differed: the Xiao Family dispatched their Shadow Guard, who were most skilled in concealment and tracking; the Mu Family notified several clan Elders who were already near Huaiyang City; and the Lin Family directly dispatched a team led by a Mahayana Stage expert to rush to Huaiyang City overnight.

Several hundred miles outside Huaiyang City, a spirit boat had just landed.

Han Tiexin stepped down from the bow of the boat, and before he could enter the city, he received the latest news transmitted from his clan.

The two mysterious experts had vanished into thin air on the third floor of Bafang Pavilion, and their whereabouts were unknown.

Han Tiexin stood outside the city gates, looking at the city before him that was still brightly lit, and let out a long sigh. He had arrived one step too late.

Outside Huaiyang City, deep within the mountains.

An inconspicuous mountain Peak was hidden among the rolling hills; the mountain was low, the forests sparse, and even if a Cultivator flew overhead, they would not spare it a second glance.

However, at this moment, two figures appeared without warning on a flat, clean bluestone platform on the mountainside. One was dressed in white as snow, and the other in simple grey robes; they were none other than Jiang Changge and the Grey-robed Elder, who had vanished from the third floor of Bafang Pavilion.

The Grey-robed Elder waved his hand, and the rock wall in front of the bluestone platform rippled like water, revealing a spacious and bright Immortal Cave.

The furnishings inside the Immortal Cave were extremely simple: a stone table, two meditation cushions, and in the corner, a coarse pottery vase containing a few sprigs of unknown wildflowers, their petals still dotted with morning dew, clearly freshly picked today.

Embedded in the cave walls were several fist-sized moonstones, emitting a soft and gentle light that illuminated the entire Immortal Cave, making it as tranquil as a courtyard under the moonlight.