"Since this kid has no objections, please go ahead, Brother Zhuo!" Ling Taixu gestured toward Zhuo Wen.
Zhuo Wen couldn't help but let out a breath of relief, cupping his fists with a smile. "I thank you, Brother Ling."
"Don't mention it, Brother Zhuo." Ling Taixu gave a slight nod. "Truthfully, the two of us should be thanking Brother Zhuo for helping us out of that situation!"
In reality, the three from the Reflecting Moon Sect joining them now was nothing but good news for Ling Taixu and Yang Kai. After all, only the two of them had staked out this spot, and with more and more factions arriving, they might run into some existence they couldn't afford to offend—only to have this place snatched away.
With Zhuo Wen joining, everything changed. The two of them instantly became a group of five, guarded by two powerful experts. Even if someone wanted to make a move on their position, they'd have to think twice about their own capabilities.
Zhuo Wen caught the implication behind those words and felt quite comfortable. He laughed heartily and waved his two disciples over to sit cross-legged on the ground.
Although Ling Taixu and Zhuo Wen were meeting for the first time, both were seasoned old foxes. After a few pleasantries, they were already quite familiar with each other.
Since Ling Taixu had been accommodating, Zhuo Wen naturally wanted to return the favor, and in the course of conversation, he revealed quite a bit of information about this foreign land.
It just so happened that Ling Taixu lacked exactly this kind of knowledge. He had come here fifty years ago, and after half a century, who knew whether anything had changed in this foreign land? Naturally, he wasted no time gathering intelligence.
Zhuo Wen, for his part, held nothing back.
Yang Kai listened attentively from the side.
Through the conversation between the two elders, Yang Kai learned that this foreign land had originally been stumbled upon by a handful of martial artists who had come to Netherworld Mountain. Over time, more and more people had come to know about it.
But by and large, those who knew of its existence treated it as a secret to be guarded and never publicized it. So over the course of decades and even centuries, while more and more people had learned about it, it had never become common knowledge.
This remained the case even now.
The Han Dynasty was home to countless sects—how many were there in total? Yet all the factions gathered here by the lakeside didn't even amount to a tenth of them. If word had spread to the whole world, there would be bloody battles here every ten years.
"This situation could have continued indefinitely, with no one needing to fight over positions," Zhuo Wen sighed. "But after the foreign land opened thirty years ago, more and more factions learned of its existence."
"What changed back then?" Ling Taixu asked thoughtfully.
"Because among the disciples who entered the foreign land that time, someone obtained something extraordinary." Zhuo Wen's voice grew low, his expression grave. He paused for a moment, savoring the suspense, before continuing: "Someone brought out several drops of Gleaming Flame Liquid from inside."
Ling Taixu's expression shifted slightly. "The supreme treasure used for refining Zhenyuan?"
Zhuo Wen nodded. "Precisely!"
The moment the name "Gleaming Flame Liquid" left his lips, both Chen Xueshu and Shu Xiaoyu found their breathing quicken ever so slightly. They clearly knew how precious and rare this substance was. Yang Kai, on the other hand, remained completely calm, not a flicker of change on his face.
Zhuo Wen took note of Yang Kai's reaction and secretly thought the boy must be rather ignorant—otherwise, how could he show no reaction at all?
What he didn't know was that although Yang Kai had never heard of Gleaming Flame Liquid, Ling Taixu's description alone was enough for him to grasp just how valuable such a thing must be.
But… Yang Kai already had Nine Yin Essence Condensation Dew, sealed within his Proud Bone Golden Body, waiting to be absorbed the moment he broke through to the Zhenyuan Realm. It would assist him in converting his Yuan Qi into Zhenyuan. So he wasn't particularly concerned about this Gleaming Flame Liquid.
Great treasures always drew countless contenders. Since he already had the Nine Yin Essence Condensation Dew, there was no need to pay attention to something like Gleaming Flame Liquid.
Zhuo Wen cleared his throat lightly and continued: "If it were only Gleaming Flame Liquid, it wouldn't have been enough to drive people mad. But the foreign land that opened up that time not only produced rare Gleaming Flame Liquid—someone also obtained Soul-Washing Dew!"
Ling Taixu's expression shifted once more.
Yang Kai finally grew curious. "What does Soul-Washing Dew do?"
Zhuo Wen smiled faintly and explained patiently: "Gleaming Flame Liquid can help martial artists refine their Zhenyuan, making it increasingly pure. But Soul-Washing Dew can help a person open their Sea of Consciousness and cultivate Divine Sense. When breaking through from the Zhenyuan Realm to the Shenyou Realm, a single drop of Soul-Washing Dew makes opening the Sea of Consciousness effortless, with no blockages whatsoever. For those already at the Shenyou Realm or above, one drop of Soul-Washing Dew can expand the Sea of Consciousness and make one's Divine Sense far more resilient—equivalent to years of bitter cultivation."
Yang Kai nodded slightly.
Ling Taixu said, "So that's how it is. No wonder so many more people have shown up. There are even quite a few young ones at the Separation-Union Realm willing to take the risk."
Fifty years ago, no one at the Separation-Union Realm would have dared to go in. At first, Ling Taixu had thought the times had changed and that the younger generation had simply grown bolder. He hadn't expected there to be such a reason behind it.
Martial artists at the Separation-Union Realm had only two tasks in their cultivation: advancing their realm and preparing to convert Yuan Qi into Zhenyuan. Gleaming Flame Liquid was naturally an enormous draw for them.
Similarly, martial artists at the Zhenyuan Realm also had two cultivation tasks: advancing their realm and preparing to open their Sea of Consciousness to cultivate Divine Sense. Whether it was Gleaming Flame Liquid or Soul-Washing Dew, they wanted both.
That was what had drawn so many people here.
Yang Kai's own heart was now burning with excitement.
He didn't care about the so-called Gleaming Flame Liquid, but Soul-Washing Dew had him thoroughly intrigued. The Earth Demon had once told him that his Five-Colored Warm Spirit Lotus needed to absorb many spirit treasures nourishing the soul in order to grow to the Seven-Colored stage. This Soul-Washing Dew was clearly one such treasure—and one with remarkable potency at that.