Lin Baizhi asked, "Two fellow Daoists, the trial has not yet concluded. Our performance should be considered quite outstanding, so why are you making us leave?"
"It’s meaningless!"
The two Demon Kings offered no explanation, too lazy to waste words on them. Seeing that the group refused to leave, the Tiger King immediately manipulated the Ancestor Puppet, unleashing a terrifying Demon Technique that swept everyone away.
In the blink of an eye, the crowd was swept out to the exit of the Secret Realm.
"Detestable!"
Lin Zhuoran’s face flashed with anger as he slammed his fist into the rock wall beside him.
The expressions of the others were equally unsightly. They had painstakingly endured for several days, honestly undertaking the trial solely for the Nascent Soul heritage. Yet the two Demon Kings had declared it meaningless!
Cui Yan frowned and said, "I’m afraid the Nascent Soul heritage has already been taken by Li Chang’an."
Lin Zhuoran’s face was full of wrath as he glared in the direction of Changqing Mountain.
"He is nothing but a Demonic undercover spy! What right does he have to obtain a heritage within the jurisdiction of our Righteous Dao? Are you all willing to come with me and slay that Li Chang’an?"
"Daoist Lin, don’t be impulsive. That Li Chang’an is no longer an ordinary Loose Cultivator; he has multiple Nascent Soul True Monarchs backing him."
None of the group agreed to Lin Zhuoran’s invitation to slay the demon. Although they suspected Li Chang’an was a Demonic undercover spy, they lacked concrete evidence and didn’t want to provoke several Nascent Soul True Monarchs over this. Even Liu Xuanfeng disagreed.
Ultimately, though the rest were unwilling to resign themselves to this outcome, they had no other choice but to depart their separate ways.
Only Lin Zhuoran remained where he was. He seemed to want to enter the Secret Realm for another attempt, but in reality, he was waiting for everyone to leave before heading alone toward Changqing Mountain.
"As long as I kill Li Chang’an, I can eliminate a massive hidden danger for my Righteous Dao!"
Lin Zhuoran’s eyes brimmed with killing intent as he instantly vanished into the horizon.
***
Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
During this month, Li Chang’an did not return to Changqing Mountain, but instead traveled to various places to purchase materials. Just as he had anticipated, the ingredients for the Beast Heart Pill were relatively common and not difficult to find. He had acquired a full five complete sets of materials!
"This should be enough," Li Chang’an said to himself, feeling completely satisfied as he looked at the multitude of materials in his Storage Pouch. All it took was a single Beast Heart Pill to trade with the Yellow Stone Sect for the Sealing Demon Stone. Although the Beast Heart Pill was difficult to refine, he had a whole four extra sets of materials to practice with, so he shouldn’t fail.
"Even if they all fail, it won’t matter. I can just buy more. These materials can all be bought with Spirit Stones; there is no need to exchange special treasures for them."
Li Chang’an executed his Escape Technique and quietly returned to the Changqing Mountain region.
Just as he was about to enter Changqing Mountain, he suddenly detected a familiar aura. He wondered, "Lin Zhuoran? Why is this kid waiting in ambush outside Changqing Mountain? Could he be planning to make a move against me?"
Lin Zhuoran’s position was very close to Changqing Mountain.
At this moment, he was hiding within a low hill. Using his Qi Concealment, he remained utterly motionless, blending seamlessly into the hill itself. This hiding technique was quite brilliant; ordinary Golden Core Cultivators wouldn’t be able to spot it at all. But in Li Chang’an’s eyes, this little trick amounted to nothing.
Taking a single step, he instantly appeared behind Lin Zhuoran.
Lin Zhuoran remained completely oblivious. His expression was focused as he kept a tight watch on Changqing Mountain. Right at that moment, Li Chang’an patted him on the shoulder.
"Lin Zhuoran, what are you doing here?"
"Huh?"
Lin Zhuoran’s entire body shuddered. He slowly turned his head, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Li Chang’an?"
"It’s me."
"You... How could you..."
Lin Zhuoran was horrified. He hadn’t noticed a thing, which meant Li Chang’an’s strength was vastly superior to his own. Just a moment ago, his heart had been brimming with confidence, thinking he could easily slay Li Chang’an. But now, that confidence was completely gone!
He no longer entertained any thoughts of Magical Combat; he only wanted to pull a life-saving item from his Storage Pouch to buy himself a chance to escape. However, his Storage Pouch had vanished at some point. Furthermore, a terrifying coercion pressed down on him, rendering him entirely unable to move.
With a casual wave of his hand, Li Chang’an tossed him into a Spirit Beast Bag, and then immediately returned to Changqing Mountain. He didn’t rush to begin refining the Beast Heart Pill, but instead waited out the night. Seeing that his Divination indicated no problems, he dumped Lin Zhuoran out of the bag. Lin Zhuoran was a disciple of Holy Fire True Monarch; perhaps he could extract some useful information from him.
"Lin Zhuoran, tell me your purpose for coming."
"I..."
Lin Zhuoran fell silent for a moment. He knew full well that the gap in their strength was too vast, and it was nearly impossible for him to escape. No matter what methods he used, the final outcome would not change in the slightest. With this thought in mind, he actually calmed down considerably, no longer feeling quite as terrified.
"Li Chang’an, I came outside Changqing Mountain to kill you."
"Kill me?"
Li Chang’an was not too surprised by this. He asked again, "You want to kill me for my treasure, to obtain the Nascent Soul heritage in my hands?"
"Correct!"
Lin Zhuoran did not deny it. He looked directly at Li Chang’an and voiced his thoughts. "By killing you, I could both obtain the Nascent Soul heritage in your hands and eliminate a hidden danger for the Righteous Dao. Unfortunately, my strength is insufficient."
"So to say, you are not a person of the Demonic path?"
"Me?"
Lin Zhuoran was taken aback. His voice instantly grew several pitches higher. "Li Chang’an, I am a Nascent Soul Great Saint Son! How could I possibly betray the Righteous Dao and associate with the Demonic path?"
"Your master doesn’t think so."
"Do not slander my master!"
Lin Zhuoran shouted loudly. Knowing he could hardly escape death, he had no fear of arguing with Li Chang’an. "Li Chang’an, it’s clear that you are the Demonic undercover spy! Without the resources of the Demonic path, how could you have reached this stage with your mere Low Grade Spirit Root talent?"
"There are countless fortuitous encounters in this world; you simply haven’t seen enough of them."
Li Chang’an shook his head slightly. Too lazy to justify himself, he merely asked him, "Lin Zhuoran, if your master isn’t a Demonic undercover spy, why did he collude with the Demonic Path Demonic Monarch to deal with Elder Turtle?"
"Nonsense! Turtle Ancestor is alive and well."
"If that’s the case, take a look at this."
A flash of Spiritual Light appeared in Li Chang’an’s hand, revealing a Crystal Bottle. The Old Turtle’s Soul was inside the Crystal Bottle.
Upon seeing him, Lin Zhuoran looked as though he had been struck by lightning, the expression on his face instantly freezing.