"Fellow Daoist Jia is right. Xiao Jing, you may continue," the Qiong Hai Island Master said without any hint of anger, turning to speak to the colorful-robed female cultivator.

"Yes, Senior Jia has offered five hundred thousand spirit stones. Is there a higher bid?" the colorful-robed female cultivator asked, glancing over the crowd.

White Scale Master kept a tense face, his wide mouth pursed into a line, while Queen Ming Kong furrowed her brows without saying a word, and Golden Transformation Master wanted to bid but was worried about angering the other party.

Jia Sifang, who was at the center of it all, seemed oblivious to these matters. After waiting for a moment, he looked back at the colorful-robed female cultivator to speak again.

Yuan Ming didn't place a bid either. Although the several abilities of the Tide Rising Misty Sea Ring were good, they weren't worth the risk of offending several Nascent Soul cultivators.

"If there are no other bids, you should bring down the hammer," Jia Sifang said indifferently, his tone slightly impatient.

"Since no other Fellow Daoists have bid, then this Tide Rising Misty Sea Ring goes to Senior Jia!" The colorful-robed female cultivator glanced at the box where Queen Ming Kong and the others were, but seeing no reaction from them, she brought down her wooden hammer.

Thus, in a somewhat eerie atmosphere, the auction finally came to an end.

...

Yuan Ming and his two companions followed the crowd out of the auction house.

The nearby people were abuzz with excitement, talking animatedly among themselves.

The auction was truly thrilling, with the appearance of an imitation Spiritual Treasure and the emergence of a Tide Maker, leaving even those who had obtained nothing feeling that the trip had been worthwhile.

"Who would've thought a Tide Maker would appear, could it be for the Red Mulberry Immortal Fruit?" Yan Sijing couldn't help but glance back, her tone quite excited, evidently having recovered from her disappointment at losing the apricot wood green fire.

"Only Core Formation cultivators can participate in the Immortal Fruit Conference. That senior must have had other business, maybe he came for the Tide Rising Misty Sea Ring. With this treasure, traveling through the sea would indeed be much more convenient," Yan Siyun said calmly.

Yuan Ming didn't join in the conversation, his mind harboring a trace of curiosity towards Jia Sifang.

This person had brazenly flown into the city despite the ban and had dominated the auction, suppressing three other Nascent Soul cultivators from even daring to bid. Such a character, also known as a Tide Maker, naturally piqued his curiosity.

As Yuan Ming pondered, suddenly his expression changed, and his divine sense reached out behind him.

Wu Yuezhi, wearing a bamboo hat, also emerged from the auction house.

During the auction, Yuan Ming had specifically observed the box where Wu Yuezhi was located for a while, but Wu Yuezhi hadn't participated in any bidding from beginning to end, as if he were just there to watch.

Was there nothing that caught his eye? Or did he have some other purpose?

As soon as Wu Yuezhi left the auction house, he blended into the dense crowd and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Yuan Ming looked in the direction where the man had gone and soon withdrew his gaze.

He took a short stroll around the workshop with Yan Siyun and the others before returning to their residence.

...

Back in his quarters, Yuan Ming immediately unfurled a light screen and sealed it with a silver barrier, entering the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space.

His divine sense followed Miao Xian's Soul Descent Rune down, enveloping the entire Fusang City in search of Wu Yuezhi's trace.

With the revival of the Wu Yue Sect and the Dawn Alliance being the sect's external force, Wu Yuezhi's secretive appearance on Fusang Island was undoubtedly with ulterior motives.

Yuan Ming would have ignored this man if he hadn't noticed him. But now that he had, it was safer to investigate, just in case he was targeting him and Xi Ying.

Strangely, even after scouring Fusang City with his divine sense, he couldn't find any trace of Wu Yuezhi.

"Has he already left?" Yuan Ming furrowed his brows.

But this wasn't a problem for him.

Yuan Ming exited the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space and took out a stick of Possession Black Incense. After lighting it, he used it to possess Wu Yuezhi's body.

At this moment, Wu Yuezhi was speeding across the sea's surface, with Fusang Island's silhouette faintly visible behind him.

"He really did leave, and quickly at that," Yuan Ming muttered to himself. Then, he channeled his Divine Soul Power to imprint Wu Yuezhi's soul and tried to make him reveal his purpose on Fusang Island.

Wu Yuezhi just furrowed his brows for a moment before returning to calm, effectively resisting the influence of the Soul Seal.

Yuan Ming was surprised by Wu Yuezhi's strong will.

He decided not to force the man further, to avoid arousing suspicion.

After flying forward for a short while, Wu Yuezhi encountered a figure on the sea before him, clad in plain clothes with a white complexion surrounded by a murderous air—it was the Tide Maker, Jia Sifang!

"Senior Jia!" Wu Yuezhi stopped in front of the Tide Maker and offered a salute.

"Why is it you? Where is that youngster Ni Mu?" Jia Sifang glanced at Wu Yuezhi and asked indifferently.

"The Alliance Hierarch has recently ascended to the high position of Venerable, managing all the affairs of the Divine Sect in the East Sea. It's quite overwhelming for him, so he sent me to liaise with you, Senior," Wu Yuezhi respectfully explained.

"Ni Mu has become a Venerable of the Wu Yue Sect? The younger generation is indeed formidable. It's hard to believe that the Core Formation junior who once followed us Tide Makers around to handle various chores has now made a name for himself," Jia Sifang chuckled, his voice devoid of any real joy.

"No wonder Wu Yuezhi went to the auction but bought nothing—turns out he was there to meet with Jia Sifang..." Yuan Ming suddenly understood.

"The Alliance Hierarch says he has never forgotten the help Senior offered him back then. Working together with you this time is his way of repaying that debt," Wu Yuezhi continued.

"Recompense? The task he asked of me is extremely dangerous, lose concentration for a moment, and I could very well be crushed to pieces," Jia Sifang huffed.

"Such dangers might pose a risk to others, but for an elder like you, it would merely be a trivial effort. And not to mention, the reward is rather substantial," Wu Yuezhi said with a smile.

"Enough, considering I had an acquaintance with Ni Mu back in the day, I'll take on the task. How should I go about it?" Jia Sifang asked.

"The details are all here. You can look over them at your leisure. If there's anything you're unsure about, feel free to contact me anytime," Wu Yuezhi took out a black jade scroll and passed it over.

Yuan Ming immediately operated his Divine Sense, attempting to probe the contents of the jade scroll, but Jia Sifang had already stowed it away.

"Good, in terms of scheming, I can trust Ni Mu. When do we start?" Jia Sifang inquired.

"The Alliance Hierarch said it's best to start making arrangements after the Immortal Fruit Conference begins," Wu Yuezhi stated unhurriedly.

"That works," Jia Sifang nodded, then turned to leave.

"Elder, please wait, the Alliance Hierarch has another matter to entrust," Wu Yuezhi called back.

Jia Sifang stopped and looked back.

"The Alliance Hierarch mentioned that another friend of his is very likely to be involved in this matter. He wants you to be extremely careful while acting," Wu Yuezhi said.

"Who is it?" Jia Sifang's brow furrowed.

"A woman named Xi Ying," Wu Yuezhi replied.

"Xi Ying? A name I've not heard of, does she belong to the Xi Family of Xiankong Mountain?" Jia Sifang asked.

"Exactly," Wu Yuezhi nodded.

"So, it's those turtles who've tucked their heads in for thousands of years. What, have they finally mustered the courage to come out after lurking for so long?" Jia Sifang said scoffingly.

"The Xi Family patriarch Xi Zheng has even secured a Venerable position within the Wuyue Sect. With thousands of years of heritage, the Xi Family should not be underestimated," Wu Yuezhi gently remarked.

"I'm already well aware of the Xi Family's methods. I'll keep an eye out for that person you mentioned." Jia Sifang stated before abruptly turning around and transforming into a stream of blue tunneling light, disappearing into the distance.

Wu Yuezhi did not linger in the spot either, flying off in another direction.

Yuan Ming lingered in Wu Yuezhi's body for a moment longer until the possession ended, and his consciousness returned to his body.

His expression shifted, taking a while to settle down.

Though this possession of Wu Yuezhi didn't expose his true intentions, it inadvertently provided insight into other information.

Xi Ying's family, it turns out, hailed from a place called "Xiankong Mountain."

And Xi Ying's knowledge of the forthcoming Immortal Fruit Conference surpassed his own. It seemed she was plotting something, and Ni Mu was likely involved as well, not to mention the formidable Tide Maker Jia Sifang... The situation was becoming increasingly convoluted.

He rose and headed out, intending to seek out Xi Ying for an explanation, but stopped at the doorstep.

"Fine, since Xi Ying hasn't spelled it out, it mustn't be time yet. It's better not to ask. As for the others, let's see what you're plotting," Yuan Ming murmured to himself, walking back to sit at the edge of his bed and sweeping his sleeve.

A tall artifact refining furnace, completely lustrous white, appeared in the room—the Sun and Moon Flame Sunrise Furnace. When he had left the Shura Palace before, he had taken the furnace with him.

Although this action would slightly damage the formation set up in the Shura Palace's Artifact Refining Hall, it wouldn't be difficult to repair with Xi Ying around.

Yuan Ming flicked his fingers in a spellcasting gesture, and the Sun and Moon Flame Sunrise Furnace glowed with spirit light, splitting into two.

The body of the furnace slowly lifted into the air, the base remaining on the ground, revealing a large glob of Pure Yang Flame inside.

He put on the Cold Moon Ring and chanted under his breath as a thread of white light shot out, winding around the Pure Yang Flame.

The Pure Yang Flame seemed to sense danger and immediately lashed back, enveloping the white thread, attempting to incinerate it.

However, the Cold Moon Ring, now fully refined, increased vastly in power. No matter how fiercely the Pure Yang Flame blazed, the thread showed no sign of dissipating.

With a sudden slash of the light thread, about one-tenth of the Pure Yang Flame was cut off, hanging in mid-air without dispersing.

Then, Yuan Ming also took out a blue jade bottle. With his finger, which wore the Cold Moon Ring, touching it, a layer of white crystal film instantly surfaced on the bottle wall, resembling an ice crystal.

This was a new ability mastered after the Cold Moon Ring was fully refined—adding a layer of Cold Moon Crystal Film to any object. The membrane, containing the cold power of the Cold Moon Ring, was difficult to breach, especially adept at withstanding Fire Attribute attacks.

The only downside was that the Cold Moon Crystal Film had a time limit. It could only last for a day before dissolving.

Yuan Ming raised the jade bottle and gestured with a spellcasting motion.

A suction force emerged from the mouth of the bottle, drawing in the small glob of Pure Yang Flame.

Yuan Ming immediately placed a Sealing Talisman on the jade bottle, which brought him peace of mind.

The True Flame he had promised to Yan Sijing was precisely this Pure Yang Flame.

Not only was this True Flame useful for Artifact Refining and Alchemy, it was especially good at purifying impurities, far stronger than any such apricot wood green fire.

Yuan Ming looked at the blue jade bottle in his hand, an expressionless visage on his face, though his thoughts were racing internally.

All things considered, he had helped the Yan sisters quite a bit, and he had many tasks of his own to tend to. Moving forward, he'd leave it to them to make their own way. If Yan Sijing and her sister couldn't make a name for themselves after this, he wouldn't continue to invest any further.

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