Chapter 736: Isn’t This Too Coincidental?

Starry Sea.

Within a deep sea trench.

Whoosh!

A stream of dark, overbearing energy continuously leaked from the fissure, plundering and devouring all the surrounding spiritual energy.

Looking closely, a giant, gleaming golden egg streaked with dark gloomy light could be seen lying within the depths of the fissure.

This giant egg was covered in mysterious, winding, and intricate runes. As it pulsed with light, it resembled a giant, crouching beast, devouring the spiritual energy generated by the fissure, also luring in spiritual fish and sea beasts to consume.

This giant egg was none other than the Kunpeng egg that many forces in the Starry Sea were searching for! At this moment, within the Kunpeng egg, Lu Quanzhen, who had taken the form of a demonic embryo, was constantly absorbing and seizing the nutrition and energy of the young Kunpeng.

Over the years, he had considered many escape methods.

For example, negotiating with the young Kunpeng, seizing control, or even using the Kunpeng egg’s energy to lure in a third-rank top-tier demon king, then taking the opportunity to escape.

But the young Kunpeng wasn’t foolish, knowing its current state was no match for a top-tier demon king. It was also worried that too much commotion would attract trouble.

So, to avoid Lu Quanzhen’s interference and schemes, it hid in this deep-sea fissure, using the fissure’s spiritual energy to nurture itself.

Although its growth and emergence would be much slower, it was absolutely safe, ensuring it could kill Lu Quanzhen after emerging.

After all, the thing it wanted to do most right now was to kill this parasitic tumor on its body!

Lu Quanzhen was also aware of the young Kunpeng’s thoughts.

But he was helpless at the moment.

All he could do was absorb as much nutrition as possible from the Kunpeng egg, delaying the young Kunpeng’s emergence, and then fight for his life at the last moment.

After Lu Changsheng traveled from Da Mengze to the Starry Sea on the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale, he went straight to the ruins of the Kunpeng Nest.

During this process, he checked the map daily, adjusting his position to avoid entering the territories of major forces. After all, a fourth-rank demon king moving within the Starry Sea could easily attract attention.

Especially since the forces here had implemented many alert and defensive measures against beast tides and demon king attacks.

Getting close could easily lead to an attack.

Even though Lu Changsheng wasn’t afraid, he didn’t want any unnecessary trouble.

With the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale, it only took Lu Changsheng a month to approach the ruins of the Kunpeng Nest.

Although, as Shen Yiren said, many rogue cultivators had gathered here, along with some cultivators from various forces guarding the area, the strongest was only at mid-Core Formation realm.

So, after Lu Changsheng activated his Inverted Yin-Yang Glazed Jade, he arrived at the ruins as if he were invisible.

“No wonder the major forces of the Starry Sea haven’t sealed off this area. The secret realm has completely collapsed and dissipated, swept into the Great Void.”

Golden runes intertwined in Lu Changsheng’s pupils as he observed the surroundings.

Apart from some residual energy from the secret realm, there was no trace of the Kunpeng Nest.

This was quite normal.

Even if natural treasures and secret realm fragments had flowed out when the secret realm collapsed, they would have already been taken by other cultivators or demon beasts, leaving nothing behind.

Lu Changsheng made hand seals, attempting to gather the surrounding Heaven and Earth spiritual energy to deduce information related to the Kunpeng egg.

However, the heavenly secrets were still hazy and chaotic, making it difficult to deduce.

After a brief attempt, Lu Changsheng stopped his divination.

If the Kunpeng egg’s whereabouts could be deduced using the residual energy of the Kunpeng’s secret realm, then it would have already been found by the Nascent Soul forces of the Starry Sea.

He didn’t believe that in such a vast Starry Sea, there wasn’t a single third-rank top-tier diviner.

Besides, he hadn’t come here expecting to directly obtain clues about the Kunpeng egg from the ruins.

A white jade porcelain vial appeared in Lu Changsheng’s hand. He used a secret technique to collect some of the residual energy from the Kunpeng’s secret realm, then used a Qi-gazing technique to search for some sand and stones that were stained with the secret realm’s energy.

Having done this, he quietly left.

He planned to use this secret realm energy and the blood connection to his son, Lu Quanzhen, as a medium for in-depth deduction once he had more clues about the Kunpeng egg.

Half a month later, seeing that the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale was about to enter the area of Penglai Island, Lu Changsheng raised his hand slightly, and the Heavenly Yuan Lotus, his second Dantian, appeared.

Since the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale was too large, his spirit pet bag couldn’t hold it, nor could it bear its weight.

So, at this time, he had to use the Heavenly Yuan Lotus’ pocket dimension.

Otherwise, under normal circumstances, he didn’t like to use the Heavenly Yuan Lotus to store things, as it would affect the operation of his second Dantian.

“Spirit Whale.”

Lu Changsheng called out to the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale. The Heavenly Yuan Lotus in his palm emitted a blue mystical light, forming a swirling vortex.

“Roar!”

The Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale let out a low roar, its body glowing with light. Then, in the dazzling light, it gradually shrank, transforming into a petite eleven or twelve-year-old girl with a delicate, indifferent face and two curved dragon horns on her head.

“Master.”

Although the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale wore a domineering suit of armor and had an indifferent expression, she had a somewhat airheaded quality. She looked at Lu Changsheng with her large, dark eyes, then entered the Heavenly Yuan Lotus.

“Damn, that’s heavy!”

As the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale entered the Heavenly Yuan Lotus, the lotus seat in Lu Changsheng’s hand instantly became heavier.

Although the Heavenly Yuan Lotus was a space treasure with its own pocket dimension, it was still affected by volume and weight.

Especially weight.

Once it was overloaded, not only would he feel weighed down, but he also wouldn’t be able to use the Heavenly Yuan Lotus as his second Dantian as smoothly as usual.

But he had no choice. He didn’t have a fourth-rank spirit pet bag, nor had he prepared any related disguise treasures for the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale.

Once they entered Penglai Immortal City, they would definitely be noticed.

“I should refine a few fourth-rank spirit pet bags later.”

Not just for the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale.

Once the Soul-Taking Beast and the Golden-Winged Roc advanced to the fourth rank, the current spirit pet bags would no longer be usable.

Even now, the Golden-Winged Roc and the Soul-Taking Beast felt cramped in the spirit pet bags.

Fortunately, the two spirit pets came from the system and were extremely loyal to Lu Changsheng, never complaining.

Otherwise, any other third-rank top-tier demon king or quasi-fourth-rank demon king would probably protest immediately, unwilling to enter such a cramped environment.

After putting away the Heavenly Yuan Lotus and adjusting to the weight, Lu Changsheng circulated the Yin-Yang Creation Sutra, converting his magical energy into the Treasure Cauldron Medicine King Scripture, taking on the appearance of Xuamu Daoist, and flew towards Penglai Immortal City.

Entering Penglai Immortal City, he noticed it was livelier than before.

“A high-level auction?”

Lu Changsheng had previously asked Shen Yiren about high-level cultivator trade fairs.

She had said that in three years, there would be a high-level cultivator auction that was held every ten years.

Counting the time, it had already been over two years, and the auction was about to begin.

Soon, Lu Changsheng wandered around Penglai Immortal City for a while and arrived at the Heavenly Star Pavilion, where he purchased two pieces of information.

One was about the Kunpeng egg.

The other was about the general information of the upcoming auction in Penglai Immortal City.

“Nascent Soul spirit items.”

The first piece of information was just hearsay, with no details about the Kunpeng egg.

As for the second, it stated that Penglai Island would release several Nascent Soul spirit items as the finale.

However, Lu Changsheng wasn’t too interested in Nascent Soul spirit items.

In the Mirage Domain of Vast Sands, he had obtained a total of eight Nascent Soul spirit items.

Counting the Infant Nurturing Flower he already had, he wasn’t lacking in Nascent Soul spirit items.

Besides, he also had the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror, a Celestial Treasure.

It could condense Nascent Soul-level Sun Essence and Moon Essence!

Although it took sixty years to condense one portion of Nascent Soul-level Sun Essence or Moon Essence.

Lu Changsheng could give some Yin-Yang attributed Heaven and Earth spiritual materials to Ah Wu to refine, using them to condense Sun Essence and Moon Essence.

After wandering around Penglai Immortal City, Lu Changsheng returned to the Divine Maiden Palace to report, then went back to his own Moonmelt Isle.

As for why it took him over a year to travel to the Kunpeng Nest ruins, the Divine Maiden Palace didn’t inquire in detail.

After all, as a Core Formation Grand Elder and guest elder, as long as he didn’t violate or harm the sect’s interests, there wouldn’t be too many restrictions.

Moreover, the main cost for the Divine Maiden Palace was providing a fourth-rank spiritual vein to help him break through to the Nascent Soul realm, not much else.

If Lu Changsheng’s performance and contributions were insufficient during these fifty years, his service time would be extended. Therefore, the Divine Maiden Palace wouldn’t be too harsh or nitpicky.

“Elder Xu!”

Hearing that Lu Changsheng had returned, Song Yudies came to greet him immediately, proactively reporting the situation of the past year.

Apart from the high-level auction, nothing major had happened on Penglai Island.

As for news related to the Kunpeng egg, it was the same as the information Lu Changsheng had purchased, only some hearsay.

“Yes.”

Lu Changsheng looked at the beautiful and tall Song Yudies in front of him and nodded gently.

Get the rest you deserve in your next life!

“Elder Xu, Yudies also heard a rumor that Elder Jing Qing is preparing to attempt a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm.”

After becoming the steward of Moonmelt Isle, Song Yudies’ status and position in the Divine Maiden Palace had risen. She was invited to gatherings of both the aristocratic families and the inner sect’s true disciples.

Although she wasn’t very interested in these.

But since Lu Changsheng had previously instructed her to pay more attention to news about the Kunpeng egg and the Starry Sea, these gatherings were a channel for information.

“Attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul realm.”

Lu Changsheng raised an eyebrow, knowing that this person was one of the Divine Maiden Palace’s Core Formation peak-stage cultivators.

If he successfully broke through to the Nascent Soul realm, the Divine Maiden Palace’s power would further increase, completely suppressing the other forces on Penglai Island.

“And I heard that once Elder Jing Qing breaks through to the Nascent Soul realm, he will propose a Dao companion agreement to the Third Palace Master.”

Song Yudies continued.

Based on the Third Palace Master’s previous visit, her own Elder cooking, and so on, she suspected that Lu Changsheng also had a good impression of the Third Palace Master.

This was very normal.

The three Palace Masters of the Divine Maiden Palace were renowned throughout the Starry Sea for their beauty.

The Great Palace Master was out of reach for many.

The Second Palace Master was already married.

So, the remaining Third Palace Master, Shen Yiren, was regarded as a dream goddess by many.

Even many Core Formation cultivators joined the Divine Maiden Palace as guest elders or retainers to win the favor of the Third Palace Master.

Besides external cultivators, there were also many within Penglai Island, including the core lineage of the Divine Maiden Palace, who admired the Third Palace Master.

This Elder Jing Qing was one of the more promising ones.

Not only was he handsome, talented, and capable, but he was also a core cultivator nurtured by the Divine Maiden Palace itself.

“Oh boy.”

Lu Changsheng had long known that if he wanted to become Dao companions with the Third Palace Master, he would have many rivals in love.

But he hadn’t expected such a strong rival.

Once he breaks through to the Nascent Soul realm, he will propose a Dao companion agreement to Shen Yiren. Although he could tell that Shen Yiren had a good impression of him and a certain degree of affection.

This kind of affection was still far from matters of love between a man and a woman.

Moreover, due to the incident with his son Lu Quanzhen, there were many loopholes in his words, causing Shen Yiren’s good impression of him to slightly decrease. It would be difficult to make progress with this Third Palace Master in a short time.

Lu Changsheng briefly inquired about this Elder Jing Qing and came to the conclusion that it would be difficult for this person to become Dao companions with Shen Yiren.

He was handsome, talented, capable, and a core cultivator of the Divine Maiden Palace. His relationship with Shen Yiren was only good, not close.

Under these circumstances, if he thought that breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm would allow him to seal the deal, it would be quite difficult.

After all, with two Nascent Soul older sisters, Shen Yiren didn’t need to compromise with anyone.

But it was possible that Elder Jing Qing had focused his time and energy on cultivation in his early years, not having much time for romance. After breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm, he might launch a pursuit, taking advantage of being in close proximity.

“Tsk, it’s not easy to win over such a woman.”

Lu Changsheng knew that becoming Dao companions with a woman like Shen Yiren required mutual attraction and couldn’t be rushed.

He waved his hand at Song Yudies, indicating that she should notify him when the auction in Penglai Immortal City was about to begin, and then entered seclusion to draw talismans.

Half a year later.

Lu Changsheng received a message from Song Yudies.

She said the auction would start in three days, and they could go together with the high-level cultivators of the Divine Maiden Palace.

“Okay.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Changsheng patted his skirt, left Moonmelt Isle, and arrived at the Divine Maiden Palace’s mountain gate.

There were five or six figures there, with Shen Yiren leading the group.

She had her hair tied up in a bun, wore a luxurious, figure hugging, blue-green dress, and sat elegantly on a five-colored spirit deer, looking graceful and beautiful.

Lu Changsheng immediately recognized that this five-colored spirit deer was no ordinary beast; it was a spirit beast with a Heaven-rank bloodline.

“Fellow Daoist Xu.”

Seeing Lu Changsheng arrive, Shen Yiren smiled warmly, her voice soft and pleasant.

The other Core Formation cultivators beside her also cupped their hands and nodded in greeting, sizing up Lu Changsheng.

After all, a new Core Formation late-stage guest elder was no small matter, and they took the opportunity to get acquainted.

“I heard that Elder Xu is proficient in medical principles and the Talisman Art. I have also researched the Talisman Art. We can exchange and discuss it sometime.”

A white-haired but youthful-looking man said to Lu Changsheng politely.

“You’re most welcome.”

Although Lu Changsheng wasn’t interested in such things.

But as Xuamu Zhenren, a clan cultivator and rogue cultivator, he would naturally be happy to interact with others to improve.

Otherwise, if he only showed interest in Shen Yiren, his intentions would be too obvious.

After waiting for a while, two more Core Formation cultivators arrived, and then they all headed to Penglai Immortal City together.

All the cultivators along the way bowed respectfully upon seeing them.

After all, apart from such high-level cultivator auctions, it was rare to see so many Core Formation cultivators traveling together.

“Greetings, Third Palace Master. Greetings, Elders!”

“Martial Uncle, Little Aunt.”

Arriving at Penglai Immortal City, several Divine Maiden Palace disciples came to greet them. Leading them were two beautiful women, one older and one younger.

The older one looked to be in her late twenties, with stunning features. Her slightly defined features gave her a somewhat aloof appearance.

She was tall and graceful, comparable to Shen Yiren. Under her white, flowing dress, a pair of delicate white embroidered shoes were faintly visible.

The younger girl was sixteen or seventeen years old. Although her looks weren’t far behind the older one, her figure was completely different, like a budding flower.

“Yuning, Wanzhao.”

Shen Yiren smiled softly, her voice like a clear spring, and introduced the people beside her.

Then, holding Qin Yuning’s hand, she said to Lu Changsheng, “Yuning, this is Elder Xu, who saved you back then.”

“Yuning greets Elder Xu. Thank you for your help that day, Elder!”

Qin Yuning looked at the refined and handsome Lu Changsheng, cupped her hands, her graceful figure subtly revealed, beautiful and moving.

“You’re too kind, Fellow Daoist.”

After being in the Divine Maiden Palace for so long, Lu Changsheng knew that Qin Yuning, whom he had saved, was the disciple of the Divine Maiden Palace’s Great Palace Master, Shen Jianjia. That was why Shen Yiren had personally visited to thank him.

However, he was more surprised and astonished by the girl beside her, Shen Wanzhao.

He thought, ‘Isn’t this too coincidental?!’ He recognized her at first glance as the little girl he had asked for directions and medical treatment when he sent his son Lu Quanzhen to the Starry Sea years ago.

He never expected that she would call Shen Yiren ‘Little Aunt’! But the Great Palace Master has no Dao companion, and the Second Palace Master doesn’t seem to have a daughter, right?