Chapter 101: The Transient Guild
Luo Meng shuddered slightly at the sight of the change in Han Li's demeanor, and he sighed, "Please don't be angry, Fellow Daoist. Truth be told... even I'm not very sure of how this happened myself...
“All I remember is that my injuries had become too severe, and I fell unconscious after I left behind my final words... Only several days ago did I suddenly awaken and realize that I had already perished, with only this wisp of my soul's aura remaining in this Soulbirth Flower..."
"If you already woke up several days ago, then why didn't you reveal yourself? Why did you continue to hide in this Soulbirth Flower?" Han Li asked.
"Well... The first reason for this is that I'm too weak in my current form, and I ran the risk of instantly disintegrating out of existence if I left the Soulbirth Flower. As for the second reason... that's because I was wary of your existence," Luo Meng replied in a rather hesitant voice.
"You recognize me?" Han Li asked as his brows furrowed slightly.
"Truth be told... After I awakened, I was able to use the feeble connection I still had with the statues on the island to see what's recently been happening on the island during my descendants' prayer sessions... Hence, I did find out about the efforts you made to protect our Dark Veil Island," Luo Meng replied after a brief hesitation.
Han Li fell silent as he watched the miniature black figure before him with a cold expression.
Judging from the circumstances, Luo Meng was most likely telling the truth. Following his demise, some of his soul's aura was somehow drawn into the Soulbirth Flower, which had the ability to give rise to souls. After that, the wisp of soul's aura became one with the flower, and that was how it had managed to escape Han Li's detection.
Now that the flower had been matured to a certain extent, its soul-gathering ability had been enhanced, thereby allowing this wisp of soul aura to form a temporary soul fragment. Even though the temporary soul fragment had been bolstered by Han Li's incantation seals, judging from its stuttering speech, it most likely wasn't going to be able to maintain this form for much longer.
Luo Meng was growing a little uneasy in the face of Han Li's silence, and he said in a sheepish voice, "Please forgive me for remaining hidden and trying to fool you, Fellow Daoist... I'm aware that you also wish to pursue the path of the Earth Immortal... so I harbor no delusions that you may help me regain a physical body. As long as you promise me to continue protecting my people, I'm willing to answer all of your questions to the best of my abilities."
"Rest assured, I'm somewhat indebted to your Luo Clan, so I will protect your people as long as the circumstances permit me to do so," Han Li replied.
"I believe you, Fellow Daoist Liu. If you have any questions, then go ahead and ask them. I'll be sure to tell you everything that I know," Luo Meng said with a firm nod.
"First, let's talk about the Transient Guild that this mask just mentioned. What is that all about?" Han Li asked as he took a glance at the cow mask, which was still suspended in mid-air.
"Let's see, how do I put this... The Transient Guild is a very mysterious organization, so I don't know too much about it, and I only joined the organization by chance... However, it was all thanks to this guild that I was able to achieve everything that I went on to achieve..." Luo Meng replied after a brief hesitation.
"Oh? Would you care to elaborate?" Han Li asked as he raised an eyebrow.
"In the past, my cultivation aptitude was quite ordinary. Even though I encountered some opportunities and stumbled my way to the Body Integration Stage, I was perpetually stumped by a cultivation bottleneck and had no hope of further progression...
“After that, I received all types of cultivation resources and guidance in cultivation arts from the Transient Guild, and as a result, I was able to make rapid progress in my cultivation, breaking through to the Grand Ascension Stage before ascending to immortality...
“After that, I continued to cultivate for countless years without being able to manifest any powers of laws, and it was only through the help of the guild again that I was able to become an Earthly Immortal."
"Surely the Transient Guild wouldn't have just provided you with all this assistance free of charge," Han Li said as he raised an eyebrow.
"Of course not... After I became an immortal, I had to return all of the cultivation resources that I used up. For that, I had to serve the Transient Guild for tens of thousands of years without compensation before I was finally able to return my debt... However, after that, I chose to stay in the guild so that I could retain my membership status," Luo Meng explained.
"Is there some type of benefit that you can derive from being a member of the guild even after you become an immortal?" Han Li asked.
"Indeed, Fellow Daoist Liu. The Transient Guild is a far more mysterious and powerful organization than the average person can even begin to fathom... On top of that, the guild champions a policy of equality, where anyone can exchange for anything with one another... After I sustained my severe injuries 10,000 years ago, I was able to exchange for a Soulbirth Flower from the guild in order to reform an Earthly Deity Avatar," Luo Meng explained.
"That's quite interesting," Han Li mused as he stroked his chin in contemplation.
"It's no exaggeration to say that you can obtain virtually anything you want from the Transient Guild as long as you can afford it... You can even recruit powerful allies from the guild to help you kill enemies." Luo Meng seemed to have recalled some past memories, and a hint of excitement had crept into his voice.
"Surely all things must be balanced. If there are so many benefits to staying in the Transient Guild, then I'm sure you have to pay a hefty price to remain in the guild, right?" Han Li asked.
"Indeed... The Transient Guild isn't an organization that you can remain in as you please. The guild has very strict rules, and at the lower levels, in order to maintain membership status, one has to either periodically offer up large quantities of resources to the guild... or complete missions released by the higher-ups...
“Otherwise, not only will you be evicted from the guild, you'll also have to pay an unimaginable price..." Luo Meng replied with a wry smile.
"What kind of missions do they release?" Han Li asked as a hint of intrigue appeared in his eyes.
"I'm a bit embarrassed to admit this, but I've actually only gone on one mission released by the guild... and it was extremely perilous. It was during that mission that my Earthly Deity Avatar was destroyed while shielding me from a fatal blow, leaving only its head behind. My main body was also severely wounded, but I was fortunate enough to have been able to escape with my life," Luo Meng replied.
"You must've gone into seclusion in this secret area to recover while nurturing this Soulbirth Flower after that mission, right?" Han Li asked.
"That's right... It was also from that point that I never participated in any of the guild's other missions... During the following several thousand years, I had always maintained my membership status in the guild by scraping together resources for offerings..." Luo Meng replied.
"In that case, how did you perish in the end? Even if your Earthly Deity Avatar was completely destroyed, surely that wouldn't pose any threat to your life. Besides, the head of your Earthly Deity Avatar still remains intact, so you can continue to harness the power of faith," Han Li said in a puzzled voice.
Luo Meng fell silent upon hearing this, seemingly lost in past memories.
Only after a long while did he shake his head as he replied in a forlorn voice, "I had already recovered from my injuries, but due to the destruction of my avatar, the power of laws that I was able to wield was very limited. Hence, I hid in this secret area for over 8,000 years... But all of a sudden, an enemy of mine somehow managed to track me down.
“As a result, I had no choice but to emerge from this secret area and face him with my true body. In the end, I was able to kill him, but I had also sustained severe injuries during the battle... After that, I was able to return to this secret area, but my old injuries were compounded by new ones, and I was unable to recover..."
"If the missions are so dangerous, surely the guild wouldn't just send anyone to complete them. Could it be that all low-level members of the Transient Guild are beings of the same caliber as Ancestral Gods like yourself?" Han Li asked as his brows furrowed slightly.
"I'm afraid I don't know that..." Luo Meng replied with a shake of his head.
"You may not have any acquaintances in the guild, but seeing as you've gone on a mission, surely you've met some of the guild's other members," Han Li said.
"Allow me to explain, Fellow Daoists... The members of the Transient Guild will only meet while on missions, and no contact is made outside of that... On top of that, during gatherings of guild members, everyone must wear special masks handed down by the guild," Luo Meng explained.
"This is the mask that you're talking about, right? This is indeed quite a special mask. You've already perished long ago, and all that remains is a wisp of your soul's aura. I would say that my spiritual sense is more powerful than the average immortal of my level, but even I was unable to detect anything, yet it was still able to detect your existence," Han Li said as he pointed at the cow mask.
"That's not the only remarkable thing about the mask... Not only is it able to completely conceal its wearer's appearance and aura, it also acts as a treasure to facilitate communication between guild members... As soon as someone loses their membership rights, the mask will immediately self-destruct," Luo Meng replied.
"What do you plan to do about the matter that the mask just spoke of?" Han Li asked.
"What can I possibly do? In my current state, there's no way I can do what the mask asks of me... Even if the guild sends people to investigate, by the time they get here, I will have completely disappeared off the face of this realm... However, if they try to punish my people for my transgressions, I hope that you can keep your promise and help my people avert that crisis," Luo Meng replied with a concerned look on his face.
"You make it sound so easy. If the Transient Guild really is as powerful as you claim, how will I possibly be able to protect this Dark Veil Island on my own?" Han Li asked in a cold voice.
"I naturally wouldn't dare to ask you to directly oppose the guild, but I would be eternally grateful if you could save some of my people and preserve the bloodline of my Dark Veil Island," Luo Meng implored in a desperate voice.
"Perhaps there's another way, but I'm not sure if it'll work," Han Li said as a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.
"What is it?" Luo Meng hurriedly asked.
"How about I go on this mission in your stead?" Han Li asked.
Luo Meng faltered slightly upon hearing this, following which an incredulous look appeared on his face. "As I already mentioned, all of the missions released by the guild are extremely perilous... Are you sure you want to go, Fellow Daoist Liu?"
Han Li was silent for a moment before replying in a truthful manner, "Truth be told, after hearing your description of the Transient Guild, it seems like this organization will be very useful to me. Hence, I require an identity that'll allow me to remain in the guild. If this mask can completely conceal my aura and appearance, then I'm sure no one will notice even if I go in your place, right?"
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