Chapter 832: Trade and Turbulence: The Danghun Bell’s Bargain

Lu Changsheng had long suspected that the Heavenly Sword Sect would never lend out their treasures lightly. He continued, “Apart from matters related to the Liang-Yue War, I won’t borrow them for free.”

“If you need Nascent Soul Spirit Items or any other resources—natural treasures included—just let me know, my friend.”

As he spoke, Lu Changsheng tapped his Storage Ring, and one by one, jade boxes and porcelain vials flew out and opened, each brimming with Nascent Soul Spirit Items.

He had already collected several batches of Nascent Soul Spirit Items in his early years.

This time, after slaying True Lord Pinghai and his men, he acquired two more sets of premium Nascent Soul Spirit Items.

Now, he certainly wasn’t short on Nascent Soul Spirit Items—they were plentiful for trading.

True Lord Juejian couldn’t help but be visibly moved when he saw Lu Changsheng casually produce five sets of these items.

Twelve years ago, a Core Formation Grand Cultivator from the Heavenly Sword Sect attempted a breakthrough to Nascent Soul by consuming several sets of Nascent Soul Spirit Items.

Currently, the Heavenly Sword Sect’s treasury still held two sets of Nascent Soul Spirit Items, but they were either of inferior quality or had mismatched attributes.

Of the five sets in Lu Changsheng’s possession, three were average while two were clearly of superior quality.

In such circumstances, who could resist temptation?

However, Lu Changsheng’s demonstration was far from over.

Rare resources, supreme Dao-Comprehending Artifacts, and even Spirit Treasures began to appear before True Lord Juejian, leaving the Nascent Soul cultivator visibly astonished and uneasy.

That City Lord of Dameng City, Yangming True Lord, is unbelievably rich, isn’t he?

This kind of wealth is certainly beyond what any Nascent Soul True Lord should possess!

However, upon noticing that many of the Dao-Comprehending Artifacts and Spirit Treasures were suffused with a robust water elemental aura and qi, True Lord Juejian instantly deduced that they had most likely been taken from the Nascent Soul cultivators his opponent had slain.

This man wasn’t lying—he had indeed slain numerous Nascent Soul cultivators!

He even managed to prevent those cultivators, when attempting soul escape, from taking their Storage Rings or life’s magical treasures! “I know your sect doesn’t trust me, but I come with sincerity,” he added.

“With a great tribulation looming, I’m also in search of allies. If your sect is willing to form an alliance with me, we can face the future together.”

Lu Changsheng was uncertain about the specifics of the great tribulation.

Yet, from the flood of information he had encountered—from the Liang-Yue War to escalating conflict rumors—he realized that the cultivation world was in turmoil.

In these turbulent times, it would be nearly impossible for the Lu Family to maintain peace with just one person at the helm.

Thus, he had to cultivate a wide network of alliances—more friends and fewer foes.

Having spent a hundred years in the Jiang Kingdom, he held a favorable view of the Heavenly Sword Sect, the dominant power there.

If both parties could maintain a good relationship and ally, it would undoubtedly be beneficial.

True Lord Juejian naturally recognized the mutual benefits and was happy to form an alliance with the Dameng City Lord.

However, the other party’s karmic entanglements were far too severe.

Still, recalling his senior brother’s advice to seek out any “sword”-related leads—and witnessing the peerless sword aura just displayed by the Dameng City Lord—

he took a deep breath and said solemnly, “City Lord Wang, True Lord Ben, I won’t beat around the bush.”

“The karmic troubles you bear are immense. I can’t decide on my own—I must report to my senior brother.”

“Binding Divine Net” is currently in my senior brother’s possession and cannot be lent out. As for other secret treasures that can restrict a cultivator’s soul escape, they are exceedingly rare—and our Heavenly Sword Sect only has a few.

“However, our treasury does hold one Spirit Treasure called 【Danghun Bell】. It can emit a soul-shaking wave that disrupts a cultivator’s divine sense; when a Nascent Soul escapes, it interferes with the spirit body. If you’re interested, we can trade.”

True Lord Juejian, eyeing the Nascent Soul Spirit Items and natural treasures before him, was visibly enticed and inclined to trade with Lu Changsheng.

“Danghun Bell?”

Lu Changsheng arched an eyebrow in interest.

True Lord Juejian replied, “Hold on, my friend—I’ll fetch the treasure.”

“Alright.”

Lu Changsheng smiled in response and waited patiently in the main hall.

Before long, True Lord Juejian returned with a palm-sized bell, its surface marred by patches of copper rust.

Lu Changsheng examined it briefly.

In an instant, he understood why True Lord Juejian was willing to trade this bell.

It was clearly an unorthodox Spirit Treasure.

Not only did it contradict the Heavenly Sword Sect’s cultivation methods, but it was also damaged—requiring immense magical energy and divine spirit power to activate.

In essence, aside from producing a brief disruptive shock to a cultivator’s Nascent Soul spirit during soul escape, its overall effectiveness was quite limited.

Nonetheless, for Lu Changsheng, the 【Danghun Bell】 was a rather attractive asset.

With his 【Heavenly Yuan Lotus】, he had no fear of depleting his magical energy.

Additionally, possessing the 【Taiyi Spirit】, with a divine sense comparable to that of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, meant he could fully unleash its potential.

Moreover, he could even reforge the 【Danghun Bell】.

Within the “Divine Creation Refinement Art” there exists a top-tier Spirit Treasure called 【Bell of Lost Souls】.

Although he couldn’t replicate it directly, he could use its forging method as a model to reforge and upgrade the 【Danghun Bell】.

“I want this treasure. True Lord Juejian, set your price.”

Lu Changsheng spoke.

“This treasure is damaged and its effect is limited. I won’t take advantage of you; I propose exchanging it for these two sets of Nascent Soul Spirit Items and this artifact.”

Although Lu Changsheng clearly needed a method to restrict soul escape, True Lord Juejian did not exploit the situation by charging exorbitant prices.

After all, the 【Danghun Bell】 had been gathering dust in the Heavenly Sword Sect’s treasury for over a hundred years.

Left idle, it might as well be used for trade.

Besides, the formidable Dameng City Lord before him could very well become an ally or partner in the future—it wasn’t worth being short-sighted.

Seeing True Lord Juejian so agreeable, Lu Changsheng readily nodded in assent.

Then, he tossed a Jade Slip.

Inside, it listed the materials he required as well as the natural treasures available for exchange.

The Heavenly Sword Sect, as the dominant power of the Jiang Kingdom with a legacy spanning thousands of years, possessed profound heritage.

The materials Lu Changsheng needed were extremely rare, yet the sect’s treasury held several of them.

Noticing that Lu Changsheng possessed many rare resources, True Lord Juejian offered to forward the resource list to his senior brother to check if the Yue Kingdom had what he required.

Though Lu Changsheng carried significant karmic troubles himself,

if it was merely a trade to earn a modest profit, who would dare trouble his Heavenly Sword Sect? “Thank you for your assistance, True Lord Juejian.”

Lu Changsheng replied gladly, deeply appreciating the value of good connections.

Otherwise, relying solely on gradual acquisitions at the Immortal City of Damengze would have taken an eternity.

Once the trade was finalized, their rapport grew noticeably closer.

Nonetheless, True Lord Juejian maintained his discretion and simply asked, “How long do you expect the matter at Starry Sea to be resolved, my friend?”

“At least one to two years, at most three to five years.”

Lu Changsheng mused softly.

True Lord Juejian’s face grew slightly stern.

For a Nascent Soul True Lord, three to five years was but a brief period of seclusion.

Yet in the current turmoil of the Yue Kingdom, three to five years felt agonizingly long.

“If the Liang-Yue War truly becomes unsustainable, True Lord Juejian, do send word to my Immortal City of Damengze.”

Lu Changsheng still hoped that the Yue Kingdom’s situation would stabilize.

If the Yue Kingdom were to suffer a complete defeat and war spread to the Jiang Kingdom, the Lu Family would be irreversibly dragged into the conflict.

“Alright.”

True Lord Juejian didn’t take these words to heart, considering them mere courtesy.

After all, in the early days at the Immortal City of Damengze, Lu Changsheng had promised that he and his wife would help if needed—but when it came time to seek their aid or to face battle, he always hesitated, until now.

True Lord Juejian even wanted to ask about his counterpart’s future plans and the status of Qingluan True Lord.

But after careful thought, he refrained from probing further and simply bowed, saying, “I wish you all the best, my friend.”

“Alright, I too shall await word from your esteemed sect.”

With the trade complete, Lu Changsheng didn’t linger—he rose and took his leave.

Soon, with True Lord Juejian seeing him off, he departed from the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Buzz!

Lu Changsheng bowed once more, and immediately his Misty Dust Banner appeared in his hand, stirring ripples in the void as his figure suddenly vanished.

Witnessing this, True Lord Juejian’s pupils constricted sharply.

Although Lu Changsheng had employed a Spirit Treasure, such instantaneous teleportation was extraordinary—hardly befitting a cultivator who had only recently broken through to Nascent Soul.

“Reincarnation and retraining, or recovering after a severe injury?”

True Lord Juejian muttered to himself, noticing that although Lu Changsheng’s cultivation appeared to be at the Core Formation stage, it was comparable to that of Hong Lian, a Nascent Soul True Lord.

He suspected that Lu Changsheng hadn’t undergone reincarnation and retraining at all, but had once been a Nascent Soul True Lord who, for certain reasons, fell in cultivation before returning to the Nascent Soul stage.

Though he had never encountered such a phenomenon, in the vast world of cultivation, wonders were plenty.

Moreover, he found it hard to fathom how the Dameng City Lord, Yangming True Lord, could possibly attempt to balance Core Formation against Nascent Soul levels!

It typically takes no more than twenty years after a Nascent Soul breakthrough to be capable of slaying several Nascent Soul True Lords.

Without further thought, he immediately relayed the information to True Lord Xuanjian in the remote Yue Kingdom.

Using his Misty Dust Banner, after teleporting over a thousand miles, Lu Changsheng gently patted the Heavenly Yuan Lotus and released the Golden-Winged Roc.

Then, an idea struck him—he sent the Three Treasure Incarnation and the Golden-Winged Roc ahead while he settled into the Heavenly Yuan Lotus for rest.

Having recently condensed his Taiyi Dao Seed, he hadn’t yet fully recovered.

Moreover, besides the Spiritual Eye Fountain he had installed himself, the Heavenly Yuan Lotus had acquired three third-rank top-tier Spiritual Eye Fountains from True Lord Pinghai and others.

Under these conditions, the natural spiritual energy within the Pocket Dimension was sufficient for him to channel blood energy and gradually restore his state using magical energy.

Besides, riding atop the Golden-Winged Roc was hardly as comfortable as journeying together with his wife and children in the Pocket Dimension.

However, thanks to the Golden-Winged Roc’s incredible speed, in less than a month he soared from the Heavenly Sword Sect, across the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, to the territory of the Jin Kingdom and the Five Poisons Sect.

“Let’s go.”

Sensing the external situation through the Three Treasure Incarnation, Lu Changsheng opened his eyes and, accompanied by his wife Meng Xiaochan and his children Lu Minghuang and Lu Mengchan, stepped out of the Heavenly Yuan Lotus.

As for his son, Lu Quanzhen,

considering his temperament and the abundant spiritual energy in the Heavenly Yuan Lotus, he was allowed to continue his cultivation within the Pocket Dimension.

After leaving the Heavenly Yuan Lotus, Lu Changsheng deployed the Yin-Yang Glass Wall and led his family to the entrance of the Five Poisons Sect.

At the sight of the Five Poisons Sect, Meng Xiaochan’s expression grew dreamy as she murmured with emotion.

The Five Poisons Sect was like a second home to her—a place for which she harbored deep affection.

Had it not been for her profound feelings for Lu Changsheng, she would never have chosen to settle in the Jiang Kingdom.

“Dad, Mom, is this the Five Poisons Sect?”

Lu Mengchan, gazing at the vividly hued, mist-wreathed, and mysteriously eerie mountains ahead, wrinkled her nose and remarked.

“Although my magical energy flows more smoothly here…”

she added, “I don’t like it; it’s not as clean and comfortable as home.”

Lu Minghuang looked at the Five Poisons Sect—a place both familiar and yet strange—with a complex expression.

Before the age of thirteen, he had lived his entire life in the Five Poisons Sect without ever leaving.

However, since leaving, it had been thirty years.

His feelings for the Five Poisons Sect were indeed complicated.

Influenced by the teachings of the Jiang Kingdom and the Lu Family, he harbored a certain aversion to such demonic forces.

Yet his mother was a demonic cultivator—a demonic sect elder.

He, too, had grown up immersed in the demonic path from a young age.

Moreover, his wife Meng Xiaochan, once a true inheritor of the Five Poisons Sect and a disciple of his mother, had always cared for him.

Even his father, though an orthodox cultivator, hardly seemed so—almost bordering on demonic—and even his brother Lu Quanzhen, with whom he had spent time recently, did not appear truly upright.

In such circumstances, he found it impossible to describe his own family’s nature or to clearly distinguish between the orthodox and the demonic.

“The difference between orthodox and demonic lies in your heart, not in titles.”

Noticing his son’s confusion, Lu Changsheng placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke calmly.

Though Lu Minghuang had already broken through Foundation Establishment, he was still a sheltered bloom with little experience, prone to confusion and inner conflict over what was truly orthodox.

To him, the difference between orthodox and demonic was nothing more than a matter of personal belief.

It was merely a matter of individual philosophy and perspective.

Lu Mengchan, hearing her mother call “Master,” almost instinctively blurted out “Ancestral Master,”

but recalling her father’s connection to the master, she immediately corrected herself.

“Mili,”

Lu Changsheng instantly understood that by finally bringing his son to see her after all these years, she still harbored lingering resentment.

Meng Xiaochan warmly stepped forward and addressed her master, saying, “Master.”

Lu Mengchan almost instinctively wanted to say “Ancestral Master,” but thinking of her father’s relationship, she quickly changed her words.

Although Nangong Mili still resented Lu Changsheng,

she knew this wasn’t the place for confrontation; she softly addressed her disciple and then led several people into the Five Poisons Sect.