Chapter 90: The Alchemy King's Third Abode
In an unremarkable valley in the Qingcang Mountains, Shen Mo stood alone, eyes closed, quietly waiting for his counterpart to arrive.
Of course, he appeared to be alone, but in reality, there was a concealed cave not far away.
A giant rock python often used that cave to enter the Qingcang Mountains, searching for other minerals to grind its teeth.
With a single signal from Shen Mo, the rock python would rush out of the cave to ensure his safety.
Even though the demoness Mo Yuheng had never shown any malice towards him, Shen Mo could never fully trust her.
One must always keep a backup plan.
Before long, he caught a whiff of a fragrant breeze.
A seductive figure then approached, winding around him like a water snake.
Silver bell-like laughter followed.
"You really trust me, coming here all by yourself," Mo Yuheng chuckled, covering her mouth.
Shen Mo then opened his eyes and looked at her.
Mo Yuheng deliberately stayed very close to him.
Her soft, delicate hand rested unsteadily on his shoulder, quickly exploring.
Her luscious, vibrant red lips were within kissing distance.
It seemed like if he wanted to, he could kiss her right away.
But Shen Mo knew very well that if he tried, she would immediately pull away, denying him the chance.
Shen Mo frowned, "If you want to talk, just talk. No need to get handsy."
Mo Yuheng withdrew her hand and stepped back.
She pouted, looking aggrieved, "So heartless."
Shen Mo remained unmoved.
Hmph, women!
They aren't even one-tenth as gentle, kind, and understanding as my master!
Seeing that Shen Mo was still unresponsive, Mo Yuheng snorted coquettishly, "Fine, fine, I'll tell you!"
"You want Stormy Rain Sect to help restrain Feishuang Sect, right? That's easy. With one order from me, Stormy Rain Sect will fully mobilize."
Shen Mo asked calmly, "And the price?"
Mo Yuheng smiled slightly but didn't answer directly. Instead, she said, "According to my informant from Verdant Vine Sect, Feishuang Sect discovered an abode a month ago in Thorn Forest."
"They killed all the informed rogue cultivators and ordered their elders to keep silent."
"We suspect that Feishuang Sect might have found the third Alchemy King's abode."
Shen Mo's heart stirred.
There were three Alchemy King's abodes in total.
One was found by the Divine Sword Sect.
Shen Mo himself had acquired one.
Indeed, the whereabouts of the third Alchemy King's abode were still unknown.
Feishuang Sect's ruthless killing of all the informed rogue cultivators could very well be because this abode was extremely valuable.
So much so that even the slightest information leak could bring about a major crisis.
Shen Mo frowned, "You want me to help you get that Alchemy King's abode? Why not ask Stormy Rain Sect?"
"Besides, it's been a month. The treasures in the Alchemy King's abode have probably been taken by Feishuang Sect already, haven't they?"
Thorn Forest lay between Feishuang Sect and Stormy Rain Sect, a resource-rich forest.
Qingxuan Sect was quite far from Thorn Forest, and the area in between was all Feishuang Sect's territory.
Mo Yuheng smiled and shook her head, "That Alchemy King's abode is the most treasure-laden and dangerous. Feishuang Sect is certainly still trying to break the formations and has not yet entered the abode."
"As for why we chose Qingxuan Sect, it's because Qingxuan Sect now possesses the Crystal Refining Technique, and the Crystal Refining Artifacts you produce surpass those of the Heavy Weapon Sect. You already have the foundation to become a top-tier sect."
"Your alliance with Stormy Rain Sect will make it easier to defeat Feishuang Sect and obtain that Alchemy King's abode."
"I'm here today to outline the terms."
"Stormy Rain Sect will help you restrain Feishuang Sect and ensure that Qingxuan Sect can smoothly annex the Heavy Weapon Sect without any interference from other sects."
"In return, once Qingxuan Sect becomes a top-tier sect, you will help us deal with Feishuang Sect. As for the treasures in the Alchemy King's abode, they will go to whoever can claim them. Whoever gets them keeps them."
Mo Yuheng smiled slyly, like a fox.
Shen Mo raised an eyebrow.
The offer was generous and hard to refuse.
Moreover, Mo Yuheng cleverly stated that the treasures in the Alchemy King's abode would go to whoever could claim them.
But so-called fate still ultimately depended on one's own strength.
If you weren't strong enough, no amount of fate would help.
However, by then, Shen Mo would have obtained the Five-Color Lotus and would have entered the ranks of Core Formation stage cultivators.
Whoever gets the treasures keeps them?
It's not certain who will end up with them.
Shen Mo smiled slightly and nodded, "Alright, I agree."
Mo Yuheng was a bit surprised at his straightforward agreement, "What about your master? Don't you need to tell her?"
Shen Mo shook his head, "My master always follows my lead."
"Very well, you can coordinate directly with Stormy Rain Sect. My Verdant Vine Sect will not be involved in this matter," Mo Yuheng said with a smile before turning to leave.
Shen Mo chuckled softly.
The top five sects of Xuanjing Prefecture still preferred to stay out of direct conflict.
Once Mo Yuheng departed, Shen Mo quickly left as well.
...
Time flew by.
A month later, two elderly Core Formation stage cultivators knelt before Shen Mo, their expressions full of anxiety.
They were inner sect elders of the Heavy Weapon Sect.
Specifically, they had been sent by the Heavy Weapon Sect to seek aid from Feishuang Sect and Lingxi Sect.
However, Shen Mo had already learned of this plan from Wu Leng's life panel.
Thus, he had arranged for ambushes along their route, capturing them easily.
It was almost laughable.
Despite their Major Accomplishment Core Formation Realm, these two hadn't even put up a symbolic resistance when faced with Qingxuan Sect's ambushers. Instead, they surrendered immediately, raising their hands in the air.
"Hand over your belongings," Elder Li commanded sternly.
The two elders, trembling, hurriedly offered their storage rings with both hands.
"Yes, yes, it's all here. Wu Gangfei forced us to come up with supreme-grade treasures, but those are rare and hard to find, so we each contributed five hundred top-grade spirit stones instead."
"Wu Gangfei himself also provided two treasures, which are included here."
Elder Li respectfully handed the rings to Shen Mo.
Upon inspection, Shen Mo was delighted.
The two storage rings contained over two thousand top-grade spirit stones!
Additionally, there were two crucial items.
The first was a palm-sized five-colored lotus flower with five lotus seeds.
It was precisely the Five-Color Lotus that Shen Mo had been seeking.
The second item surprised him even more—it was a piece of black armor!
It was clearly made from the same material as the demon armor fragment he had obtained earlier!
"This Five-Color Lotus has only five lotus seeds and looks untouched. It hasn't been used," Shen Mo mused.
He quickly deduced that the Heavy Weapon Sect likely had two Five-Color Lotuses!
The one they handed over had fewer seeds.
The one they kept must have more seeds!
Nevertheless, this benefited Shen Mo.
"Wu Gangfei has indeed sacrificed much, but now it's all mine," Shen Mo smiled.
With these items, he was now only ten supreme-grade treasures away from achieving his goal of forming the Inferno Golden Core.
At the same time, he marveled at the depth of the Heavy Weapon Sect's resources.
They could easily produce such valuable treasures.
Capturing their mountain gate would surely yield even greater rewards!
"What do you plan to do with us, Young Sect Master?" the elder on the left asked humbly.
Shen Mo smirked.
He wasn't the Young Sect Master of the Heavy Weapon Sect, yet they addressed him as such.
Seeing that Shen Mo remained silent, the two elders became even more anxious.
"In truth, we don't like Wu Gangfei. He's the one who planned the attacks on the Thunder Crystal Mine, killing miners and ambushing Qingxuan Sect disciples. We had nothing to do with it!"
"As long as the Young Sect Master agrees, we can stay by Wu Gangfei's side and report back to you anytime!"
They spoke hurriedly.
Standing behind Shen Mo, Elder Li looked on with disdain.
The Heavy Weapon Sect might have weakened significantly, but it wasn't completely defeated.
These inner sect elders, upon being captured, hadn't even been tortured yet and had already defected.
Truly despicable.
These were inner sect elders.
The outer sect elders, stewards, and disciples beneath them must have even more wavering loyalty.
Clearly, the Heavy Weapon Sect was already in disarray, with everyone looking for a way out.
Shen Mo smiled faintly, "How can I trust you?"
The two elders exchanged a look and gritted their teeth, "We're willing to secretly send our grandsons to you. You can investigate—we each have only one grandson."
"This way, you can be assured, Young Sect Master."
Shen Mo smiled and nodded, "Very well, excellent."
Offering their grandsons as hostages to ensure trust was indeed a good move.
Though one could only wonder how the grandsons would react.
What a display of ultimate family bond.
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