Seemingly sensing Lin Xiuyuan's confusion, Chen Xue said, "The cultivators you encountered belonged to the Yan Kingdom. It was by chance that, because of your message, I specifically communicated with the cultivators in my sect and learned about this matter."
Upon hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan suddenly realized what was going on.
It makes sense; the movements of someone like Wu Chengfeng would inevitably attract the attention of the Nine Kingdoms Alliance cultivators within the secret realm. And those individuals, being cultivators from sects, would naturally spread such news.
I was somewhat surprised to deduce that he was a talisman master; I guess he went to check him out beforehand.
With such intelligence at their disposal, and considering that there are only so many talisman masters in the entire secret realm, and top-tier talisman masters are even rarer, it's not surprising that the target was locked onto him.
There's no point in hiding it. The trip to the demon's lair was clearly for seeking opportunities. Appropriately revealing one's strength and resources can save a lot of trouble.
Lin Xiuyuan nodded generously, and with a touch of humility, cupped his hands in greeting:
"Fellow Daoist Chen, you flatter me. I merely used some tricks and schemed against him. Otherwise, how could I have injured such a prodigy of the Demonic Sect? In terms of foundation and cultivation, I am far inferior."
Upon hearing this conversation, the expressions of the people around them immediately changed, and the contempt in their eyes quickly faded.
Everyone stared at Lin Xiuyuan in surprise, their expressions filled with disbelief.
This matter later spread and caused quite a stir.
After all, once you reach this level, talisman masters basically have no advantage. Some high-level talismans, unless used in large quantities, are unlikely to pose a threat to a Qi Refining Perfection expert. As long as they are equipped with top-tier spiritual artifacts, they can basically overwhelm talisman masters.
That's why it caused such a sensation when the news first broke.
Especially Wu Chengfeng, a prodigy of the demonic sect, whose name is known throughout the Southern Continent. Anyone with a bit of background has heard of him, after all, he is the chief disciple of one of the four great demonic sects!
He is one of the most outstanding demonic prodigies in the Northwest.
At this moment, no one expected that it would be such a frail young cultivator before them...
Thus, the surprise in their eyes intensified, but a hint of skepticism remained.
After all, even a top-tier talisman master would find it difficult to harm such a prodigy of the demonic path, right? However, Lin Xiuyuan did say that he secretly plotted against him, which seems reasonable, doesn't it?
Regardless, everyone's attitude at this moment no longer held any contempt. They were all shocked and regarded Lin Xiuyuan as a strong person of the same level!
Only Chen Xue had witnessed Lin Xiuyuan's power and knew very well that he was incredibly strong. Even if she didn't go all out, she would still find it difficult to overpower him. Others might have some doubts, but she was already deeply shaken by it.
She was quite pleased to have managed to recruit Lin Xiuyuan, whose combat strength was probably even greater than she had imagined, as he had actually managed to injure someone like Wu Chengfeng!
At this moment, Chen Shaorong, who was standing to the side, narrowed his eyes and couldn't help but smile as he smoothed things over, saying, "As expected of a talisman master personally invited by my cousin, you have such a record. You have really brought great prestige to our Nine Kingdoms Alliance. I, Chen, have long heard of your name and admire you greatly."
"It seems I was mistaken. I never imagined that Fellow Daoist Lin was the renowned talisman master of recent days. I am truly apologies for any inappropriate remarks. Please forgive me."
The elderly monk also cupped his hands in greeting at the opportune moment.
"Senior, there's no need for that. Everyone is well aware of the dangers of this trip, so it's only natural to be cautious. There's no need to apologize; you're being too kind."
Lin Xiuyuan cupped his hands in greeting to the elderly cultivator, then turned to Chen Shaorong and said, "And who are you? You must be the prodigy of the Chen family, Young Master Chen Shaorong?"
Seeing that the atmosphere had eased, Chen Xue introduced them:
"Yes, this is my cousin, Chen Shaorong, the pride of the Chen family. This Sister Liu is my good friend. She has a good reputation in Changguo and frequents Beihefang Market. She is extremely skilled in combat."
"These two are my cousin's friends, from the Wei family, a renowned family of cultivators in the Yan Kingdom..."
Lin Xiuyuan greeted them with clasped hands, and the woman surnamed Chang, dressed in palace attire, responded with a smile, as did Chen Shaorong.
As for the two people, one old and one young, they greeted each other with smiles and clasped hands. Their names were Wei Xian and Wei Maoxue, respectively. As guessed, the former was the latter's elder.
Chen Xue gave Wei Maoxue a detailed introduction to the young cultivator, saying that he had exceptional talent, had already joined a major sect in the Yan Kingdom, and was now a top-tier array master.
It was said that Chen Shaorong had gone to great lengths to invite the two of them.
After learning about the situation, a thoughtful look flashed in Lin Xiuyuan's eyes.
After introducing everything, Chen Xue handed a Qiankun bag to Lin Xiuyuan and said, "Fellow Daoist Lin, these are the demon skins I collected. Consider them extra payment, since you will need to make use of them anyway."
"And this jade slip should provide you with some protection for what you need!"
After saying that, Chen Xue handed him a jade slip.
Lin Xiuyuan first checked the Qiankun bag and found that there were nearly a hundred demon skins inside... It seems that Chen Xue took it very seriously when she learned that he was going to use them to make talismans. Such a large quantity was probably collected by sending messages to other cultivators in the Golden Sea Sect.
Lin Xiuyuan nodded in satisfaction. Although there wasn't enough time to refine more at the moment, it was enough to replenish the supplies whenever needed.
As for the jade slip, Lin Xiuyuan took it and examined it. After a while, he nodded heavily to Chen Xue and said, "This is good enough. I will do my best on this trip."
This jade slip actually contains several strands of Chen Xue's soul power. If he crushes or destroys it, it will damage Chen Xue's soul.
Even though she is a Foundation Establishment cultivator with the resources of the Chen family, it would probably take her one or two decades to fully recover from a soul injury!
This is not a simple injury like Lin Xiuyuan's. His divine sense was destroyed, but his soul was not harmed at all. He just suffered a shock and will recover easily with time, although it will take quite a while.
For a prodigy like Chen Xue, cultivation time is of utmost importance. Whether she can quickly break through to the Purple Mansion stage is crucial to her future path to the Golden Core stage, and such an item is naturally a good guarantee.
Lin Xiuyuan was satisfied with this. Although it was just a means of checks and balances and could not cause too many restrictions or too much backlash, it was enough.
Otherwise, how could they possibly exploit the other party's weakness? Obviously, that's highly unlikely.
The others glanced at the scene, seemingly lost in thought, but didn't inquire further.
The fact that everyone gathered here clearly indicates that they had all been promised a reward by the Chen siblings; otherwise, who would have gone to the demon's lair?
"Alright, let's set off now and head straight for the demon's lair."
Seeing Lin Xiuyuan nod in satisfaction, Chen Xue couldn't help but smile. She glanced at Chen Shaorong and then said...
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