53: Turbulent flow

"The Xuan character room will do," Lin Feng interrupted.

Wang Xiaoliu's eyes brightened even more, and his attitude became increasingly solicitous: "Senior is generous! This way, please!"

Cuiyunju was built against the mountain, with pavilions, terraces, and towers hidden among the lush ancient trees, creating a serene environment.

Wang Xiaoliu was clearly familiar with the manager here and quickly completed the procedures for Lin Feng, renting out a secluded Xuan character Immortal Cave located halfway up the mountain.

The Immortal Cave was protected by a simple Restriction outside, and its interior was elegantly furnished. After activating the Qi Gathering Formation in the center of the Cultivation quiet room, pure second-tier Spiritual Qi gathered in wisps. Although it was far from comparable to Xuanlei Island's spiritual spring, it was sufficient for ordinary Cultivation.

After paying three hundred Spirit Stones for ten days' rent and giving Wang Xiaoliu an additional five Spirit Stones as a reward, Lin Feng dismissed him, stating that he would call him if anything came up.

Closing the Immortal Cave stone door and activating the isolation Restriction, Lin Feng sat cross-legged on a futon, not immediately Cultivating. He needed to quickly understand the information network of this place. The most chaotic place where news spread the fastest was undoubtedly taverns and tea houses.

After a brief rest to recover from the slight fatigue of his journey, Lin Feng went out again, still maintaining the ordinary appearance of a Qi Refinement ninth-layer Cultivator. Guided by Wang Xiaoliu, he arrived at a highly renowned Cultivator tavern in the central area of Tianfeng City—"Lan Yue Lou."

This building was seven stories high, with flying eaves and upturned corners, carved beams and painted pillars, exuding an extraordinary Aura.

Before entering, a tempting aroma of food and wine, along with a wave of clamor, assailed him.

Stepping into the main hall, the view suddenly opened up.

The space was extremely wide, at least ten zhang in circumference. The dome was inlaid with moonstones emitting soft light, making it as bright as day. Dozens of large pear wood tables were scattered about, and at this moment, seven or eight out of ten were already occupied!

Cultivators gathered in groups of three or five, either discussing loudly or whispering, clinking cups and exchanging toasts, creating a lively atmosphere. Female Cultivators in the Qi Refinement Stage, dressed in light clothing and with beautiful appearances, shuttled among them, carrying jade plates and serving various spiritual meals and fine wines.

Wang Xiaoliu skillfully led Lin Feng to an empty table in the corner of the first-floor hall and whispered, "Senior, the first floor has the most diverse and fastest news, but if you want to hear more secret information, you have to go to the private rooms upstairs, but that cost... hehe."

"No matter, this is fine."

Lin Feng waved his hand, his gaze subtly sweeping across the entire hall.

He casually ordered a few signature spiritual dishes and a pot of the local specialty, "aquatic wave brew," and drank by himself.

The wine was light green, slightly astringent on the palate, then transformed into a warm Spiritual Qi that spread through his limbs, carrying a unique marine plant aroma, which had a distinct flavor.

Several men dressed as Loose Cultivators at the next table had loud voices, spitting as they spoke:

"...Have you heard? The Starry Archipelago is in complete chaos! Three months ago, in the waters near 'Shattered Star Isle,' a woodcutter personally saw a green-robed figure with Dragon horns emerging from towering waves! A Transformed Yao King! It scared him out of his wits! Immediately after, a Yao Beast tide erupted, and several small islands were submerged, resulting in heavy casualties! Now 'Star Luo Sect' and 'Heavenly Craft Island' have sent masters over, and I heard they've fought several battles, dyeing the sea red!"

"Exactly! I have a cousin who runs a cargo ship to 'Black Rock Island.' When he passed through the 'Ghost Weeping Reef' waters, he saw from afar a thick, unresolvable blood mist covering several small islands! When the mist cleared and he went to look... hiss... the entire island, not a single chicken or dog left alive! The corpses were all mummified! It must have been those damned demonic brats from the Black Fiend Hall! Extracting souls and refining blood to Cultivate evil arts!"

A Cultivator with a scar on his face lowered his voice, filled with fear.

"Hmph, demonic Cultivators running rampant isn't new. But have you heard about the new thing on 'Rosy Cloud Island'?"

Another person interjected, "Half a month ago, on the western shore reef beach of Rosy Cloud Island, every full moon night, a seven-colored glow would shoot up into the sky, lasting for half an hour! Some brave Cultivators followed the light and found the entrance to an ancient Cultivator Immortal Cave that had been washed open by the sea!

What happened?

Seven people went in, five went crazy, and the remaining two came out incoherent, talking about 'stars inverting' and 'phantom devouring souls.' They also died suddenly a few days later! It's very sinister! Now that entrance has been jointly sealed by several forces, and no one knows what deadly stuff is inside..."

"Speaking of sinister, I think it's not as strange as the bizarre incident in 'Thousand Reef City'! Several somewhat famous Qi Refinement Late Stage Cultivators in the city disappeared silently! No one alive, no corpse! Some suspect it's a vendetta, others say they were carried off by powerful Yao Beasts, and even more absurdly, some say they were refined into human puppets by passing evil Cultivators! It's causing widespread panic..."

"Who cares about Yao Kings, demonic Cultivators, or ancient Immortal Caves! Let's think about what's in front of us. The Golden Scale Merchant Guild's biannual large-scale auction will open in five days! I heard that among the treasures headlining this time, there's a Foundation Establishment Pill! And a partial Pill Formula for the 'Condensing Crystal Pill'! Goodness, people will be fighting over these!"

"Foundation Establishment Pill? Dream on! How could such a treasure be coveted by Loose Cultivators like us? It's already been reserved by the major Sects and Families! It's good enough just to go in and see it..."

Amidst the noisy discussions, various fragments of information flowed into Lin Feng's ears like a tide.

He picked up the jade cup, took another shallow sip of aquatic wave brew, his face calm, but his mind racing.

"A Transformed Yao King appeared in the Starry Archipelago, causing a Yao Beast tide... Star Luo Sect and Heavenly Craft Island have intervened? It seems the conflict is quite large and unlikely to subside in the short term. That sea area has become a place of trouble."

"Black Fiend Hall... slaughtering islands and refining blood..." A cold glint flashed in Lin Feng's eyes. Such demonic Cultivator acts, utterly inhumane, if encountered, must be eliminated! However, the opponent's ability to silently slaughter several islands indicates their strength should not be underestimated, and he needed to be extremely vigilant.

"Rosy Cloud Island ancient Cultivator Immortal Cave... stars inverting, phantom devouring souls?" Lin Feng's heart stirred slightly. This description subtly matched some high-level illusion formations and even ancient formations involving spatial distortion mentioned in Formation Madman Hermit's Jade Slip. Unfortunately, the entrance was already sealed, and it was extremely dangerous, not something he could pursue at present.

"Cultivators mysteriously disappearing... secretive methods..." This required even more vigilance; Tianfeng City was not absolutely safe either.

And the last piece of news about a Foundation Establishment Pill being among the headline items at the Golden Scale Merchant Guild auction invigorated Lin Feng! This was undoubtedly one of his most important goals for this trip!

"Auction... Foundation Establishment Pill..." Lin Feng put down his cup, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the smooth pear wood tabletop. The appearance of the Foundation Establishment Pill was both unexpected and reasonable.