Mortals cultivate immortality, and their IQ is playing with their heartbeats

#302 - Zhongli Phantom

Li Chengfeng's face remained calm and serene: "Oh dear, this is quite a predicament.

This stone was obtained through many hardships and holds extraordinary significance; it's my treasure for showing off my battle achievements.

If it were bought by you, Sister, the brothers of my Azure Cloud Sect would surely disbelieve my words.

Unless, Sister, you can find an even more valuable and rare Blood Nether Stone, I might consider a trade. Otherwise, I'm afraid I must decline!"

Li Chengfeng's words were as firm as iron, leaving Zhongli Meiying momentarily stunned, a flash of ruthlessness in her eyes.

She almost couldn't suppress her desire to kill Qiu Fengyue, but reason and strategic considerations forced her to quell the impulse, and she gritted her teeth, saying: "Little Brother, are you truly unwilling to budge?

This Blood Nether Stone is of utmost importance to my Blood Clan, and its quantity is limited, so I cannot easily part with it. Is there truly no other treasure that can catch your eye?"

Li Chengfeng was leisurely, a faint smile curving his lips: "Well, what does that have to do with me? What I seek is simply to impress my fellow disciples.

To say that Qiu Fengyue is brave and unparalleled, capable of making those aristocratic second-generation immortals lose face.

Without this stone as proof, wouldn't my story become mere empty talk? For this glory and face, how could I easily back down?

Unless you can bring out an even superior Blood Nether Stone to trade, otherwise, this matter is off the table."

Li Chengfeng's words completely grasped Zhongli Meiying's thoughts.

He knew perfectly well that this Blood Nether Stone contained hidden secrets, and the array runes were exceptionally complex; even he needed external assistance to glimpse its secrets.

Old Demon, this knowledgeable Transcending Tribulation stage expert, shook his head and sighed, praising its sophistication as unprecedented, its value naturally self-evident.

Zhongli Meiying sighed inwardly, fortunate that she had made two preparations this time: one was a tampered-with bait, and the other was a flawless, high-quality Blood Nether Stone, originally intended as a backup for unforeseen circumstances.

Now it seemed that Qiu Fengyue had become a stumbling block in her plan.

Her eyes flickered as she calculated in her heart that if she couldn't exchange for the first Blood Nether Stone, her entire plan would fall apart; and the second one, if unused, would be fine, but once used, it would mean having to kill Qiu Fengyue.

She coldly sized up Li Chengfeng, thinking to herself: "You brought this on yourself, don't blame me for being ruthless." She had already made up her mind that if things developed to this point, she couldn't care less about anything else.

Zhongli Meiying suppressed her anger, barely managing a bitter smile, her voice slightly choked: "Since Little Brother is so insistent, fortunately, I came prepared.

This second Blood Nether Stone, although large in size and rich in blood energy, actually contains impurities, making cultivation quite troublesome.

In terms of purity and value, it's difficult to compare with what you obtained earlier. However, if you like it, we can exchange; if not, I'll look for something else."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengfeng's lips curled into a smug smile, and he bluntly said: "Forget about other things, just show me this Blood Nether Stone, Sister, please."

Zhongli Meiying had no choice but to wave her hand, and an enormous Blood Nether Stone appeared out of thin air, nearly as tall as a person, more than half a zhang long, with surging blood energy and a more condensed texture, far superior to the previous one.

At first glance, Li Chengfeng understood in his heart, realizing that his guess was correct.

Zhongli Meiying was no ordinary person; how could she easily use such a precious Blood Nether Stone to exchange for a small stone? If that small stone didn't have something special about it and was difficult to replicate, she would never act this way.

He pretended to be nonchalant and smiled: "Deal!"

With a wave of his hand, he took the large Blood Nether Stone into his possession, then gently tossed the original small stone in front of Zhongli Meiying: "This stone now belongs to you, Sister; how you dispose of it is none of my concern."

Looking at Li Chengfeng's smug appearance, Zhongli Meiying's heart was burning with anger, but she had to suppress it.

Barely squeezing out a sentence: "Alright, then I won't disturb Little Brother's rest any longer, farewell."

With that, she turned and left, her pace hurried, without looking back.

After Zhongli Meiying left.

Li Chengfeng's mind flickered, and the large Blood Nether Stone reappeared before him.

He activated his Eye of Divine Sense and carefully examined it, and sure enough, he found that this stone had also been tampered with, but unlike the previous one, this seemed to be some kind of tracking method; once carrying this stone, it would be difficult to escape the other party's surveillance.

Li Chengfeng sneered in his heart; how could he not know the trickery involved? He also moved his mind and immediately sealed the newly acquired Blood Nether Stone, ensuring that not a trace of its aura leaked out.

When he used it in the future, he would clear the tracking divine sense within it, so as not to startle the snake.

This transaction, seemingly to his advantage, was actually full of undercurrents, with both sides calculating against each other.

After Li Chengfeng quickly completed his arrangements, although he felt a bit helpless about Yu Yan's safety, he also understood that he had to focus on the immediate crisis.

The depth and breadth of this conspiracy far exceeded his imagination, and the secrets hidden within were enough to shock the entire cultivation world.

He knew that he had been drawn into a complex network woven by the three major forces.

The Qi Dynasty, the Blood Clan, and the Azure Cloud Sect, these three forces each acted independently, yet they joined forces due to some common goal.

The Blood Clan's capture of him was supposedly just part of Lou Xueyun's scheme, but the real goal was clearly more far-reaching.

And Qiu Fengyue's act of buying the stone now seemed meaningful to Li Chengfeng, and he realized that there must be unspeakable secrets behind it, closely related to the old monster who had possessed Wang Jun.

The Heavenly Demon Sect, a significant force on the Heavenly Demon Sect's territory, naturally could not escape the connection.

Li Chengfeng speculated in his heart that the Heavenly Demon Sect might be the mastermind behind this conspiracy, or perhaps the one being used.

But in any case, they were already deeply involved, becoming pawns in this storm.

Regarding the strength of that old monster, Li Chengfeng's heart was filled with doubts and apprehension.

To be able to make the three major forces so alarmed, even to the point of joining forces to deal with him, his cultivation and methods were unimaginable.

When the stone burst forth a year ago, the old monster appeared out of thin air, a scene that Li Chengfeng still remembered vividly.

He knew that compared to such an existence, he was nothing more than an ant.

However, it was this gap that ignited the fighting spirit and curiosity in his heart.

He no longer thought too much, but focused his attention on the next action.

Since he was already in the center of the vortex, escape was impossible, so he could only face the difficulties head-on and look for a chance to break the situation.

Li Chengfeng believed that as long as he was cautious and smart enough, he would definitely be able to find a glimmer of hope in this conspiracy, and might even profit from it.

Faced with the shocking scene in the picture of a palm shattering an ancient demon, Li Chengfeng's heart was full of doubts and speculations.

He was certain that the ancient demon had fallen in that fierce battle, but the question that followed was, who exactly was this old monster who had possessed Wang Jun's body?

This mystery shrouded his heart like a mist, leaving him puzzled.

However, prolonged thinking did not bring answers, and Li Chengfeng knew that in this perilous moment, too much speculation would only waste time and energy.

So, he decisively decided to temporarily put down this mystery and focus on the current situation.

He understood that in this world full of variables, only by remaining calm and vigilant could he seek a glimmer of hope in this vortex.

To ensure his safety, Li Chengfeng once again used his methods. With a thought, his main body instantly escaped into the Life Realm space, which was his haven and his strongest backing.

At the same time, he used his divine power to transform a Foundation Establishment stage substitute puppet into Qiu Fengyue's appearance and left it in the room.

In this way, even if someone came to investigate, they would only find this harmless puppet and would not notice his true whereabouts.