Zang Xiaojian noticed that after Lu Qingshan had entered the wooden sculpture shop, he began to look at the wooden carvings attentively, pondering something to himself.
Suddenly, she recalled Lu Qingshan’s special attention to the wooden carvings yesterday. If she hadn’t mimicked his actions and taken a wooden sculpture when leaving the shop, she wouldn’t have found the secret hidden within the carvings.
She restrained herself for a long time but finally couldn’t hold back. Throwing aside her intent to ignore Lu Qingshan for a while, she leaned closer and asked softly, "Lu Qingshan, did you also discover…"
"Fellow cultivator Lu, Fellow cultivator Zang." A very gentle voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Zang Xiaojian before she could finish.
"How did you get here?" Zang Xiaojian turned and looked at the speaker with extreme surprise.
In the small wooden sculpture shop, a third visitor had arrived.
Looking at Mo Yan’s very familiar face, Lu Qingshan also covertly glanced at Xue Zhuyong who seemed to still be sleeping on the rattan chair, his mind abuzz with thoughts.
This should be the first meeting between these two who were supposed to be very close.
However, clearly, at this moment, neither of them was aware of the bond between them.
"Master Mo, what urgent matter brings you to us?" Lu Qingshan asked unhurriedly.
People don’t visit without a reason. Mo Yan coming here definitely meant something was up.
Mo Yan looked around and, noticing Xue Zhuyong resting on the rattan chair, said without much thought, "Let’s talk outside, shall we?"
Lu Qingshan and Zang Xiaojian followed Mo Yan, leaving the wooden sculpture shop.
"The Jiaolong Demon King, along with five hundred Jiao Beasts, is already heading straight for Jiaolong Island; they are currently en route," Mo Yan began explosively.
Lu Qingshan frowned slightly, "Have you started to act?"
Mo Yan nodded, acknowledging, "Yes, but as you might expect, we also aren’t very confident.
So, besides the planning against the Jiaolong Demon King, we also have an additional plan."
Lu Qingshan nodded in understanding. "Is this why you have come to find us?"
"Exactly," Mo Yan explained in detail, "The Jiaolong Demon King wants to break into the Fifth Grade and transform into a dragon.
But as we know, transforming into a dragon isn’t that easy, even with the Jiaolong Demon King’s bloodline, the chances of successfully transforming are not high."
"The Jiaolong Demon King is well aware of this. Thus, he has gathered many rare spirit materials in his lair to construct a Dragon Transformation Pool to aid in his transformation."
"Are you planning to strike at the Dragon Transformation Pool?" Zang Xiaojian had also grasped Mo Yan’s intent at this point.
"Correct, this time we have prepared on two fronts," Mo Yan nodded, admitting, "On one hand, our Great Cultivator with the Dragon Slaying Saber will confront the Jiaolong Demon King, trying to slay the vile Jiao.
On the other, while the Jiaolong Demon King leads most of the Jiao Beasts away from the Hidden Reef Domain, we’ll send someone to sneak into his lair and destroy the Dragon Transformation Pool."
"By then, if we fail on the front lines with the Dragon Slaying Saber, at least we could hope that the Jiaolong Demon King, having lost the aid of the Dragon Transformation Pool, would fail to transform and perish on his own."
"Of course, this is the most helpless and passive option, but as things stand, we won’t give up any viable options," Mo Yan said with a firm gaze.
"So, what do you need us for?"
"Although the Jiaolong Demon King has taken most of the Jiao Beasts away from their lair, there are still hundreds of Jiao Beasts circling in the Jiao Clan sea domain.
All our Golden Core Cultivators from the Dragon Slaying Saber are currently gathered on the front lines, so we can’t muster any combat power above the Foundation Establishment level at the Dragon Transformation Pool.
In such a situation, we have no choice but to opt for an undercover mission, diving deep into Dragon Pool to destroy the Dragon Transformation Pool.
"Such undercover operations require quality over quantity, and having too many people could actually complicate things," Mo Yan paused, then explained, "As the strongest Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the Dragon Slaying Saber, I am responsible for dealing with the Dragon Transformation Pool."
"My original intention was to go alone, but the Jiao Clan’s habitat is vast, and I’m not confident I could complete the mission quickly.
Experience tales with empire
Lately, I thought of you. When you ambushed the Golden Core Cultivators of the Sea God Sect, you all demonstrated combat power far beyond ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators, so I want to invite you to explore Dragon Pool with me."
"Of course, this endeavor is not without risk, but first, I will provide magical artifacts to conceal our aura, to minimize the risks as much as possible." Mo Yan took out two green jade pendants from his storage ring and handed them to Lu Qingshan and Zang Xiaojian.
"These are Hidden Spirit Pendants, Middle Grade Spiritual Artifacts. These artifacts can erase the aura of Foundation Establishment Cultivators completely. However, they are not capable of concealing Golden Core Cultivators, whose aura is too strong. This is also one of the reasons this operation is primarily for Foundation Establishment Cultivators," Mo Yan explained.
Zang Xiaojian, intrigued, took the Hidden Spirit Pendant from Mo Yan and channeled some Spiritual Power onto the pendant. A transparent ripple immediately emanated from the pendant, quickly enveloping Zang Xiaojian’s entire body.
Lu Qingshan released his Divine Sense and scanned Zang Xiaojian.
Even though Zang Xiaojian was right before his eyes, in his Divine Sense perception, the place where Zang Xiaojian stood appeared completely empty.
"Excellent artifact!" Lu Qingshan couldn’t help but praise.
Mo Yan humbly replied, "Lu fellow cultivator flatters me. While it does deserve some praise for its ability to hide aura, it is still quite limited and only suitable for Foundation Establishment Cultivators."
"Did you craft this artifact?" Zang Xiaojian, holding the Hidden Spirit Pendant, shook it towards Mo Yan.
Mo Yan nodded slightly, then said, "If you are willing to accompany me to Dragon Pool, first and foremost, I won’t take back these Hidden Spirit Pendants. Additionally, I will pay a large sum of Spirit Stones as compensation for your assistance.
Lastly, whether we succeed in our mission or not, once a day has passed, you can immediately withdraw from the Jiao Clan sea domain. I absolutely won’t let you face the risk of encountering the Jiaolong Demon King. What do you think?"
As soon as Mo Yan finished speaking, an excited sparkle immediately flashed in Zang Xiaojian’s eyes.
An adventure into Dragon Pool was extremely attractive to a young girl new to the world.
However, despite her excitement, Zang Xiaojian didn’t immediately agree to Mo Yan’s invitation but instead looked expectantly at Lu Qingshan.
She didn’t know why, but she truly felt that if Lu Qingshan didn’t go, she wouldn’t either.
Lu Qingshan glanced at Zang Xiaojian, whose face all but screamed "Let’s go!" He rubbed his forehead somewhat helplessly, pondered for a moment, weighed the pros and cons, and eventually accepted Mo Yan’s invitation, "Then Zang Xiaojian and I will join you on this trip."
Seeing that Lu Qingshan had agreed, Zang Xiaojian immediately began rubbing her hands together excitedly, "So when do we set off?"
Mo Yan said gravely, "Now."