Chapter 176

Chapter 176

Ning Yuzhou acutely noticed the change in Lan Jinshang's attitude.

If bringing them to Star Crossing Gorge as guests was merely a verbal transaction, with no guarantee of success, her current shift in attitude made it clear that the person needing the longevity pill was in dire straits.

But he only smiled slightly, revealing nothing on his face, and engaged in polite conversation with her without showing any subservience or arrogance.

After Lan Jinshang inquired about their stay, she changed the subject and said, "I heard that these past few days, Miss Wen has been trading spirit pills with the sea beasts for ocean treasures?"

Wen Qiao looked up at her and softly replied, "Yes, Senior, rest assured, I am trading with them on equal terms."

Lan Jinshang chuckled. "Miss Wen is a fair person. They are very grateful for your willingness to trade spirit pills with them."

Lan Jinshang had no worries that these two cultivators would dare to play tricks on the sea beasts' territory. This young cultivator girl was unexpectedly simple and honest.

She realized that among the two, the one in charge was not the more powerful Wen Qiao but Ning Yuzhou.

Regarding Ning Yuzhou, although Lan Jinshang knew he was an alchemist capable of refining top-grade Earth-level pills, she found him somewhat inscrutable. In contrast, this girl named Wen Qiao was easy to understand and reassuring to the beasts.

Lan Jinshang didn't mention that she felt an inexplicable fondness for Wen Qiao.

Initially, she thought this fondness stemmed from Wen Qiao's willingness to trade spirit pills with the sea beasts on equal terms, unlike other cultivators who would immediately seek to extract blood, bones, and demon cores upon encountering high-level sea beasts.

However, upon meeting her, Lan Jinshang experienced a subtle emotion.

This fondness was natural and inherent, stemming from Wen Qiao herself.

Wen Qiao had a presence that drew beasts close, making them want to stay by her side as if guarding a treasure.

Of course, demon cultivators had transcended their beastly nature. Even though they sensed this subtle fondness, they were unaffected by it, considering it mere coincidence. Tiger Yansheng's behavior demonstrated this; his disdain for cultivators overpowered any such feelings.

Lan Jinshang couldn't fathom why she felt so subtly towards Wen Qiao until she realized Wen Qiao could understand the language of the beasts. This changed her perception of Wen Qiao.

Both Ning Yuzhou, whom she couldn't fully understand, and Wen Qiao, who could communicate with beasts, were clearly not ordinary people.

Lan Jinshang's thoughts raced, but her expression remained unchanged.

Seeing Lan Jinshang chatting with the two cultivators about trivial matters, Tiger Yansheng grew anxious.

"Blue Aunt!" He suddenly interrupted, reminding Lan Jinshang not to waste time.

Lan Jinshang paused, pursed her lips, and seemed to make a decision. She then said to Ning Yuzhou, "Young Master Ning, your longevity pill is excellent, but unfortunately, it can only extend life by two hundred years."

Both human and demon cultivators can only take the longevity herb or pill once in their lifetime. Taking it again would be ineffective. So even if Ning Yuzhou provided more longevity pills, it wouldn't help unless they found other life-extending treasures.

But such treasures were extremely rare and hard to find.

Thinking of this, Lan Jinshang's expression turned somber.

Ning Yuzhou smiled silently, knowing that while the longevity pill could extend life, it wasn't a miraculous elixir.

Two hundred years might seem long to mortals, but for cultivators, it was fleeting, often passing in a single seclusion period, which was far too short.

Yet, for many cultivators, an extra two hundred years could accomplish much and influence many destinies.

Seeing Ning Yuzhou remain calm and Wen Qiao listening quietly, Tiger Yansheng nearly jumped in frustration.

He had never seen cultivators like them—despite their low cultivation, they showed no fear before a king-level demon, acting calmly and unperturbed, either confident that nothing would happen to them or simply reckless.

Tiger Yansheng growled, "Blue Aunt, stop wasting time and just tell them."

Lan Jinshang's prepared words faltered again, and her look at Tiger Yansheng was indescribable. If he weren't her disciple, she might have wanted to discipline him.

Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou continued to observe, realizing that Tiger Yansheng was indeed an impulsive and easily readable demon.

Dealing with such impulsive demons was straightforward. Despite Ning Yuzhou's lower cultivation, he didn't take Tiger Yansheng seriously, finding him insignificant.

Cough. Cough.

Unable to avoid the situation, Lan Jinshang directly stated, "Young Master Ning, I actually want to ask you to save someone."

Ning Yuzhou responded with a hum and asked, "Senior Lan, may I ask who the longevity pill is intended for?"

Tiger Yansheng said menacingly, "You're asking too much!"

"Bing!" Lan Jinshang interjected.

Tiger Yansheng reluctantly shut up but glared at Ning Yuzhou, warning them not to try anything.

Ning Yuzhou ignored the blustering tiger shark and looked at Lan Jinshang.

Even Wen Qiao found Tiger Yansheng annoying. They hadn't done anything yet, and dismissing all cultivators wasn't friendly.

Lan Jinshang calmed Tiger Yansheng and apologized, "Young Master Ning, Miss Wen, please forgive Yansheng's impatience. The longevity pill is for my partner."

Hearing this, Wen Qiao's heart stirred, confirming her husband's guess. It was indeed for Lan Jinshang's partner.

However, the little dolphin had never mentioned having a father. They assumed it was like the pups in the moving desert, having only a mother.

For demons, single-parent families were common, and missing a parent wasn't unusual since demons weren't bound by human conventions.

"The person I want you to save is my partner," Lan Jinshang said.

"Your partner? The little dolphin's father?" Wen Qiao couldn't help but ask.

Lan Jinshang nodded. "He is severely injured and has very little life left. He has been recuperating deep within Star Crossing Gorge."

Upon hearing this, Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou finally understood why she needed the longevity pill. With it, they could extend his life by two hundred years, giving them time to heal his injuries and resolve the lifespan issue.

Lan Jinshang's thoughts were easy to guess. Since Ning Yuzhou could refine the longevity pill, perhaps he could heal her dao companion's injuries. Although Ning Yuzhou's cultivation was low, merely that of a ground-level alchemist, as long as there was a sliver of hope, Lan Jinshang was unwilling to give up.

That was why she had opened her mouth just now.

However, after realizing Ning Yuzhou's abilities, they also worried that he might refuse or try to bargain, for they did not have the means to control him like the sea clan did.

"Ning Gongzi, regardless of whether you can save him, I will ensure your safe passage to the nearby human cultivation continent," Lan Jinshang solemnly promised.

Hearing Lan Jinshang's words, Wen Qiao finally felt relieved.

Although they had agreed to refine the longevity pill for Lan Jinshang earlier, she clearly did not trust them and made no promises, only bringing them back as guests.

Wen Qiao had been worried that these demon cultivators might go back on their word or discover Ning Yuzhou's alchemy talent and keep them in the sea to refine pills for them.

But with Lan Jinshang's assurance, Wen Qiao felt reassured. Moreover, Lan Jinshang was smarter than they had imagined and did not want to offend them.

Ning Yuzhou was not surprised by Lan Jinshang's reaction. He pondered for a moment and said, "Senior Lan, I need to see the condition of your dao companion first."

"Of course," Lan Jinshang smiled. "I'll take you to see him."

"Aunt Lan..."

Yansheng hesitated, but Lan Jinshang interrupted him. "Yansheng, you stay outside. I'll take them to see Xuanlun."

Lan Jinshang was a decisive demon cultivator. Without further ado, she led them deeper into the palace.

The place where Wen Qiao and the others had rested was actually in the outer hall of the palace, some distance from the inner chambers.

After passing through the inner chambers, Lan Jinshang continued walking. Wen Qiao estimated that they had left the palace and entered the caves within the gorge.

This place was even more secluded than it looked from the outside.

Lan Jinshang led the way, seemingly preoccupied and silent.

Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou followed behind her, wisely keeping quiet. The two demon beasts perched on Wen Qiao's shoulders, curiously observing their surroundings. The passages they passed through were lined with crystal walls, and seashell lanterns hung on either side, exuding an opulent atmosphere.

However, this luxury seemed ordinary to the sea beasts. Compared to the palaces of the sea clan, this one paled in comparison. Its decorations were modeled after those of the sea clan's palaces, achieving only a superficial resemblance without the depth.

Initially, Wen Qiao found it novel, but soon realized it wasn't particularly interesting.

At the end of the passage, they saw seawater isolated by an array formation.

Lan Jinshang waved her sleeve, and the array formation shimmered with spiritual light, causing the seawater beyond to ripple and part, as if it would surge into the passage at any moment.

"From here, everything is submerged in water. Be careful," Lan Jinshang warned.

Only after entering with Lan Jinshang did they understand what she meant.

Not only was everything submerged in water, but the water contained such dense water spirit qi that it surged like a torrent, almost overwhelming their bodies. They quickly sealed their acupoints and pores, wary of inhaling too much spirit qi.

Sometimes, dense elemental spirit qi can feel comfortable, but if it exceeds a certain threshold, the body cannot absorb it all, making it terrifying.

Wen Tutu and Wen Guangun couldn't remain calm, clinging tightly to Wen Qiao.

Ning Yuzhou silently surveyed the underwater world, understanding the situation.

There was nothing particularly special about this place except for a spirit bead that gathered all the spirit qi within a hundred miles.

Of course, if it relied solely on the spirit bead, the water spirit qi wouldn't be so dense. The underground spirit vein provided a continuous flow of spirit power, turning the seawater into nearly pure spirit qi.

After nearly fifteen minutes of navigating through the water, they finally stopped.

Ahead, a pale blue water barrier appeared, circular and suspended in the water, resembling a giant blue water sphere, isolating it from the surrounding waters.

Wen Qiao watched the water sphere curiously, feeling a subtle sense of disorientation.

Despite being underwater, they sensed another water world within the sphere, where the water spirit qi was so dense it had condensed into liquid, even denser than the surrounding water spirit qi. Both Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao saw the water spirit qi continuously flowing into the blue water sphere, as if all the elemental spirit qi was feeding it—or rather, the demon cultivator inside.

Lan Jinshang stood before the pale blue barrier, her brows furrowed with concern and care, calling out, "Xuanlun."

As she spoke, something moved within the pale blue water sphere. A massive shadow approached, accompanied by an overwhelming aura.

Wen Tutu bristled again.

Fortunately, the aura dissipated almost instantly.

Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou's expressions changed slightly. That aura didn't resemble a king-level beast but rather an emperor-level beast...

Suddenly, they understood. Star Crossing Gorge indeed had an emperor-level beast, who had taken refuge here due to injuries. No wonder Star Crossing Gorge, despite having only two king-level beasts, remained unchallenged. The emperor-level demon cultivator was still present.

Even though the emperor-level demon cultivator was injured, they were far stronger than any below the king level.

Then, they saw a figure appear within the water sphere, separated from them by the blue water barrier.

It was a man with a pale face, delicate features, and a gentle demeanor.

Wen Qiao glanced at her husband and then at the male demon cultivator inside the sphere, scratching her head. She decided her husband looked better and had a superior presence.

"Mian Shang."

The male demon cultivator smiled at Lan Jinshang, his expression gentle.

Wen Qiao had never seen such a type of man before. Looking at the heroic and radiant Lan Jinshang, she suddenly felt that this pair of demon cultivators seemed quite well-matched.

"Xuanlun, these are Ning Gongzi and Wen Jiejie. The longevity pill was refined by Ning Gongzi. You two, this is Xuanlun, my dao companion," Lan Jinshang introduced, her voice softening when speaking to her gentle-looking dao companion.

Ning Yuzhou nodded slightly to the demon cultivator inside the sphere.

Wen Qiao also greeted him respectfully.

No matter how frail this demon cultivator appeared, as a Demon Emperor realm cultivator, he could not be that weak. Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao were not deceived by his appearance.

Xuanlun nodded slightly toward Wen Qiao and said, "I heard from Jinshang. Thank you for the longevity pills."

"Senior, there's no need to be so formal," Ning Yuzhou said with a smile, getting straight to the point. "Can Senior come out? Or shall we go in?"

Since they were going to treat this demon cultivator, they naturally needed to examine his condition first.

Lan Jinshang looked at Xuanlun hesitantly.

Xuanlun gave her a reassuring smile and said, "I'll come out instead. The water spirit energy in this water sphere is too dense; I fear your cultivation levels might not be able to withstand it."

Hearing the term "young friends," Wen Qiao couldn't help but look again at this frail demon cultivator named Xuanlun, unsure if he was genuinely kind or trying to bridge the gap between them.

The blue water barrier seemed solid, but Xuanlun easily passed through it, appearing before them.

Up close, his face was almost translucently pale, his lips nearly colorless. With his black hair and eyes, and his loose, aqua-blue robes, he looked even more fragile and vulnerable.

As he appeared, the surrounding spirit energy surged into his body, yet no matter how much water spirit energy he absorbed, it seemed insufficient. His breath became noticeably weaker, and his body swayed slightly.

Lan Jinshang quickly supported him.

Seeing this, Wen Qiao finally understood why the water spirit energy here was so dense—it was due to Xuanlun using it to suppress his injuries.