"Lingxuan Fellow Daoist, please come in!" Lin Shiming stood up, opened the door, and gestured for his guest to enter.
"Qian Mu Fellow Daoist, pardon my intrusion!" The Taihe Hermit also clasped his fists in greeting.
The two sat down at the table, and Lin Shiming took out some Emerald Orchid Tea. After heating a pot, he poured a cup for Taihe Hermit.
Seeing the change in Taihe Hermit's expression, Lin Shiming also took out a set of Array Plates to isolate the room.
Only then did Taihe Hermit take a sip, sighing at the exquisiteness of the Spiritual Tea. However, Lin Shiming just nodded and did not reply, leaving the hermit somewhat embarrassed.
Without further ado, he got straight to the point:
"May I ask if Qian Mu Fellow Daoist has a good strategy for the venture into the secret realm?"
"Lingxuan Fellow Daoist jests. I am but a newcomer; I have been in closed-door cultivation up to now, with the gates of my mountain firmly shut. How could I have any clever strategy? Perhaps it is you, Lingxuan Fellow Daoist, who has a grand plan?" Lin Shiming had a vague sense of the hermit's intentions.
However, for him, forming an alliance was not an option. With the hints he had, locating Spiritual Medicine was not a difficult task.
Upon hearing this, Taihe Hermit drained his cup of Emerald Orchid Tea in one gulp, clearly delighted.
He then took out a piece of Spirit Jade and spread it on the table.
"Qian Mu Fellow Daoist, this is Myriad Thousand Jade, three pieces in total. It will allow us to quickly converge within the Purple Sun Secret Realm, and naturally, the harvest of Spiritual Medicine will be substantial!"
"Most importantly, this time, I have made contact with the Purple Mansion Peak Taihe Hermit, one of the only two Purple Mansion Peak cultivators on Xu Ri Island. He once even managed to escape with ease from the hands of a Golden Core Demon King!"
"With Taihe Hermit leading, even if we only get to sip the broth, it will be of infinite benefit. At the very least, the Sect mission will be accomplished, and obtaining a piece of Ziji Tan for personal use is still within reach." Taihe Hermit finished speaking in one breath, then watched Lin Shiming with a smile.
"I will need to consider this matter further!" Lin Shiming tactfully declined.
Taihe Hermit's initiative to ally with a Purple Mansion Peak cultivator was like coveting the tiger's meal. In a situation of unequal strength, even if treasures were found, it would only be like preparing a wedding gown for another.
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"Does Qian Mu Fellow Daoist worry about Taihe Hermit's credibility?" Taihe Hermit's face showed a hint of doubt, then he continued:
"You can rest assured on this point. Taihe Hermit has always been highly reputable, and he is even willing to make an oath to Heavenly Dao for a fair share based on contributions!"
"To be frank, I already have a candidate for alliance. Otherwise, had Taihe Hermit invited me, I would have joyously accepted!" Lin Shiming showed regret but still refused.
That Taihe Hermit most likely wanted some Purple Mansion cultivators to scout ahead.
Lin Shiming did not want to expose the other party's intentions and kept the Taihe Hermit company with several more pots of Spiritual Tea. The hermit, feeling somewhat frustrated, bid farewell and left.
In the following three days, Lin Shiming focused on cultivating the Split Spirit Decision, and his Divine Sense made significant progress. If he had been slightly better than other Purple Mansion Middle Stage cultivators before, now his Divine Sense could absolutely compare to those at the peak of Purple Mansion Middle Stage.
With sufficient Ziji Tan and time, he was even confident that his Divine Sense could rival that of those at Purple Mansion Late Stage.
On the fourth day, Lin Shiming strolled around Xu Ri Island and bought some Spirit Beasts for testing purposes, even though he had an Array Formation that could be detected by his Spirit-Eating Ants.
But if he encountered any Killing Formations, the Spirit-Eating Ants still risked perishing. His Spirit-Eating Ants had just barely reached nine in number, not quite reaching a dozen, so naturally, he wouldn't let them take such risks.
Aside from the Spirit Beasts for detection, Lin Shiming also bought certain Elixirs and Spirit Talismans not available on Heavenly Phenomenon Island.
The only pity was that no trading conference ensued.
The seven days passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was time to gather. The ten people arrived once again at a side hall of Xu Ri Palace.
Xu Ri True Person had not yet arrived, but Taihe Hermit and Lingxuan Hermit looked at him somewhat differently.
They sized him up several times.
Lin Shiming did not mind, as entering the Secret Realm meant acting on their own, primarily hunting for Spiritual Medicine. Once out of the Secret Realm, he would need to be more wary of Xu Ri True Person.
Soon, Xu Ri True Person appeared, and by his side was also a female cultivator dressed in a red robe.
This was none other than the second Golden Core Cultivator from Xu Ri Island, Red Leaf True Person.
Of course, what was key was that following Red Leaf True Person, ten Purple Mansion cultivators appeared as well.
As soon as these ten cultivators appeared, Lin Shiming couldn't help but frown; they were all Buddha Cultivators from the Myriad Buddhas Island in the Putuo Sea Domain.
One of them, a bald cultivator with a head full of prayer scars, bore some resemblance to Red Leaf Hermit and possessed Purple Mansion Late Stage cultivation.
As Lin Shiming assessed the other party, they were also scrutinizing him.
"These ten Dao friends are from Myriad Buddhas Island, intending to pass through to the Secret Realm. This is also in line with the pact of our alliance with the top forces. If you can assist them, please do so!"
Xu Ri True Person introduced them, but his words had an intriguing undercurrent.
To assist if possible implied the unsaid choice of not assisting.
"Alright, let's head to the Transmission Formation now!" Without any further discussion, Xu Ri True Person gestured and then led everyone towards a prohibited Formation in Xu Ri Palace.
The Transmission Formation for the Purple Sun Secret Realm was evidently not accessible through the commonly used Transmission Formations.
This also involved the privacy of the Coral Alliance, after all, the Purple Sun Secret Realm was officially under the ownership of the Coral Alliance.
However, Lin Shiming also speculated that the other five major powers likely had similar secret realms they shared with the Coral Alliance, or the Coral Alliance would not be so cooperative.
After passing through Xu Ri Palace, they quickly arrived at a heavily guarded grand hall.
The grand hall was built incredibly lavishly, barely less so than Xu Ri Palace itself, and inscribed on its plaque were the words "Coral Alliance Forbidden Area!", exuding a deadly aura.
Each character seemed to emanate an eerie aura of carnage, a vision of blood-soaked battlefields and waves of beasts attacking, even for Lin Shiming to witness.
Besides, on both sides of the grand hall were abundant Formations, blatant and vibrant with Spirit Light. The Cultivators guarding the place were even at the Purple Mansion Late Stage.
Seeing Xu Ri True Person arrive, they promptly paid their respects.
Xu Ri True Person nodded and then strode in, soon arriving at a massive spiraling Transmission Formation. This formation was much larger than the usual ones, the Spirit Patterns on it were at least several times more numerous, and it had a total of eighty-one Spirit Slots.
The cost of a single transportation was at least three hundred Superior Grade Spirit Stones.
It implied a great distance.
In Lin Shiming's mind, his prior plan was to flee immediately after coming out of the Secret Realm, bide his time to release the Flaming Sword, and assassinate Xu Ri True Person.
Then, concealing his identity, he would return to Heavenly Phenomenon Island. With Xu Ri Island changing hands to Red Leaf True Person, Heavenly Phenomenon Island would still be within Lin Family's reach.
After all, Xu Ri True Person coveted Lin Shiming's Star Light power to unlock that Starlight Spiritual Treasure.
He would definitely not share it with anyone.
But if the transportation distance was too extensive, Lin Shiming would have to rely on the Transmission Formation, adding too many variables to his escape plan.
While Lin Shiming was contemplating, Xu Ri True Person took out hundreds of Superior Grade Spirit Stones and started embedding them one by one into the Spirit Slots.
At the same time, Red Leaf True Person waved her hand and issued numerous Transmission Orders, which fell into the hands of everyone present.
As everyone entered the Transmission Formation and the Spirit Patterns began to glow, finally a dazzling white light shined forth.
The white light lasted for seven breaths, and Lin Shiming, clutching the Transmission Order, still felt a wave of dizziness. Read exclusive adventures at Freewebnovel
Once the dizziness subsided, a huge island appeared before everyone.
By then, they were in a valley.
And next to the valley, there were many Cultivators, all of whom were at the Purple Mansion Cultivation level.
Even True Persons, Lin Shiming saw several of them.
Clearly, these were the internal island forces of the Coral Alliance.
The vast affiliate networks of the Coral Alliance had created numerous Purple Mansion Hermits. These large numbers of Hermits had better chances of entering the Ziyang Secret Scripture to look for Spiritual Medicines older than five thousand years.
Thus, forming a perfect closed loop.
That was the true essence of the Coral Alliance!
While Lin Shiming felt a surge of emotion, he also accelerated the activation of the Sword Storing Book to keep himself well-hidden.
Facing so many True Persons, if he revealed too much information, he feared he would not even be able to enter the Purple Sun Secret Realm.
After all, in the Cultivation World, it's not those destined who possess treasures, but rather those with power.
In the realm of Golden Core True Persons, how many can truly claim to be open and honest!