Chapter 530: An Order

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Chen Fei did not refuse, and in fact, he couldn’t refuse. When Jiang Xiuming uttered these words, it inherently represented a command.

Actually, Jiang Xiuming had already seen Chen Fei from a distance before, in the depths of the black mist, but he didn’t pay much attention to him at that time.

And now, Chen Fei had actually reached the edge of the black mist, indicating that he possessed a remarkable method of exploration.

Jiang Xiuming had previously believed that he could find the spiritual treasure on his own, but after searching for so long, he had to admit that his previous optimism was somewhat unfounded.

Continuing the search would likely yield little results, and he might even be beaten to it by others. Therefore, when he saw Chen Fei and Jian Jinsheng, Jiang Xiuming couldn’t help but consider asking for their help.

Although they were only in the early stages of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, in the current situation where there were no other options, he had to try everything. After all, it couldn’t get any worse than the current circumstances.

“I shall heed the senior’s command!” Chen Fei nodded slightly, his eyes filled with a hint of curiosity.

Following Jiang Xiuming seemed like a decent choice now. At the very least, no one would suspect that the spiritual treasure was on him.

Furthermore, standing in their current location, Chen Fei noticed that the outskirts of the black mist seemed to be shrinking, which meant that the eerie power was receding, and the danger within the black mist was diminishing.

If it was indeed the case, then Chen Fei didn’t need to hurry to leave. Clearing any possible suspicion from himself first would actually be a good thing.

According to Chen Fei’s expectations, these peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators wouldn’t just give up if they couldn’t find the spiritual treasure. They would likely stay forcefully even after the black mist dissipated.

They might not even wait for the black mist to completely disperse; there might already be peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators waiting outside.

In the eyes of Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, this incomplete spiritual treasure, which couldn’t get any more incomplete, might appear as mere scrap, valuable but limited.

However, in the eyes of peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, it would be a supreme treasure, a key that could potentially break through the limits of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

Guaranteed success was impossible, but even a slight increase in the odds offered great hope.

Anything involving the Mountain Sea Realm, even if it was just a tiny glimmer of hope, was enough to make them all flock to it.

In this situation, many methods that wouldn’t be used under normal circumstances would likely be employed one after another, all in the pursuit of finding the spiritual treasure.

“I’m not sure, but we need to try!” Jian Jinsheng heard Jiang Xiuming’s words and felt somewhat uncertain. At the same time, the clarity he had just regained was being eroded once again.

As Jiang Xiuming had mentioned, even if Jian Jinsheng wasn’t slain by Chen Fei, he would likely end up becoming eerie fertilizer and eventually die within the black mist.

“Let’s begin!”

Jiang Xiuming, seeing Jian Jinsheng’s condition, pointed his finger at the center of Jian Jinsheng’s forehead, and a blade of light swept through his spiritual sea, splitting the black mist into two, which then began to dissipate.

Jian Jinsheng’s mind suddenly lightened, a sense of relief washed over him, and his eyes cleared instantly.

Realizing his own condition, Jian Jinsheng wasted no time and started sensing the aura of the spiritual treasure.

“It’s over there!”

After a moment of sensing, Jian Jinsheng pointed towards the right.

With a wave of his right hand, Jiang Xiuming, carrying Chen Fei and Jian Jinsheng with his spiritual energy, disappeared from their original location. When they reappeared, the three of them were already above a cluster of spiritual resonance.

Jian Jinsheng sensed the aura of the spiritual treasure, but it was not the essence of the treasure itself; it was the spiritual resonance that had peeled off from the treasure.

On the surface, the two auras seemed identical, but their essence was vastly different.

Jiang Xiuming remained expressionless as he clenched the spiritual resonance below. It couldn’t be said that Jian Jinsheng had made a mistake, but this was not the outcome Jiang Xiuming had been hoping for.

“To distinguish the differences between the two, continue!” Jiang Xiuming said in a deep voice.

Jian Jinsheng nodded and stared at the spiritual resonance before him for a moment. Then, he once again used the power of the black mist to sense the aura of the spiritual treasure.

If it weren’t for Jiang Xiuming by his side, solely relying on this ability to sense the aura of the treasure, Jian Jinsheng would probably have gathered a considerable amount of spiritual resonance by now.

However, if not for Jiang Xiuming, at this moment, Jian Jinsheng would either have been slain by Chen Fei with a single sword or have merged too deeply with the black mist, becoming a complete puppet.

In Jian Jinsheng’s perception at this moment, there were several auras of spiritual treasures within a few miles, but upon careful examination, he realized they were all spiritual resonances, not the actual treasures themselves.

Jian Jinsheng opened his eyes, turned to look at Jiang Xiuming, and said, “They are all spiritual resonances; I cannot sense the aura of the actual treasure.” Jiang Xiuming’s brows furrowed slightly, knowing that he shouldn’t hold too much hope, but they had just started, and it seemed like their hope was about to be extinguished abruptly.

“Point them out one by one,” Jiang Xiuming instructed.

“Alright, over there!”

Jian Jinsheng quickly pointed in a direction, and Jiang Xiuming, with the two others in tow, disappeared once more. When they reappeared, there was a cluster of spiritual resonance floating below them.

Jiang Xiuming waved his hand to collect the spiritual resonance and then looked at Jian Jinsheng, who quickly pointed out another direction.

For someone like Jiang Xiuming with his level of cultivation, the spiritual resonance held no assistance anymore. As for the subtle hints of the Mountain Sea Realm contained within, Jiang Xiuming had already grasped these shallow insights long ago.

For a peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator like Jiang Xiuming, what was needed were deeper insights into the Mountain Sea Realm, something that couldn’t be solved by a bit of spiritual resonance. To acquire the essence of the spiritual treasure was essential.

As for the increase in lifespan from gathering spiritual resonance, Jiang Xiuming had already consumed other life-extending elixirs, rendering the spiritual resonance ineffective.

Now, Jiang Xiuming had collected the spiritual resonance with the most he could do, mainly to bring it back to the members of the Tiandao Sect. It was more of a formality at this point.

They had checked more than a dozen places in succession, and each place had yielded only spiritual resonance. They had also encountered a few other Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, but none of them were related to the spiritual treasure.

Jiang Xiuming’s expression grew solemn, and he turned to Chen Fei. Chen Fei activated his Heavenly Eye and also found several instances of spiritual resonance.

Compared to Jian Jinsheng, Chen Fei’s search for spiritual resonance was much slower. After all, Jian Jinsheng relied on the assistance of the entire mist, while Chen Fei had to use his Heavenly Eye to painstakingly search for it.

“Jiang Xiuming, why did you bring two more people with you?”

A voice rang out, and the figure of Gong Jianlan appeared nearby. She glanced at Chen Fei and recognized him as the junior with impressive eye techniques that she had seen before.

Gong Jianlan then turned her gaze towards Jian Jinsheng, her expression slightly changing as she sensed something was amiss with him. At the same time, she understood Jiang Xiuming’s intention.

“It’s no use; we can only find spiritual resonance, not the spiritual treasure,” Jiang Xiuming shook his head.

The relationship between the Tiandao Sect and the Fengwu Pavilion was relatively good. When they were initially planning to contend for the spiritual treasure, they belonged to the same small faction.

Therefore, Jiang Xiuming didn’t keep it a secret from Gong Jianlan, mainly because there was little point in concealing it when they couldn’t find the treasure.

“The range of the black mist is shrinking rapidly. Let’s go outside and gather everyone,” Gong Jianlan suggested after some thought, her voice serious.

“Agreed!” Jiang Xiuming nodded without opposition, and with Chen Fei and Jian Jinsheng in tow, he rushed towards the outskirts.

Chen Fei didn’t resist, allowing Jiang Xiuming to lead the way while glancing at Jian Jinsheng nearby.

Jian Jinsheng had been borrowing the power of the black mist to sense the aura of the spiritual treasure. At this moment, the clarity in his eyes had become much cloudier.

He struggled to maintain his clarity, but it was evident that, relying solely on his own strength, it had become difficult for him to do so. Furthermore, since they hadn’t found the spiritual treasure, Jiang Xiuming had no intention of helping Jian Jinsheng cleanse the contamination.

After a brief moment, the group broke through the black mist, and in the sky, several peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators were already stationed there, looking down below.

As soon as someone emerged from the black mist, they would be immediately summoned and required to wait in a designated area.

This behavior might seem overbearing, but with over a dozen peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators standing there, even if you were unwilling, you had to comply.

After all, it wasn’t the will of a single sect but the joint demand of ten top forces. Even late Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators couldn’t leave this place at the moment.

Jiang Xiuming glanced at Chen Fei and Jian Jinsheng. He initially considered sending the two directly to the designated location but ultimately decided to keep them with him.

Perhaps later, during the identification of the aura of the spiritual treasure, having the two with him could help him confirm the presence of the treasure faster. It was a possibility.

Other peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators glanced at the two briefly, but their gaze lingered mainly on Jian Jinsheng. The taint of demonic influence on him was too obvious, and with a little thought, they understood Jiang Xiuming’s intentions.

Chen Fei stood in mid-air, observing the half-circle of black mist below as it continued to shrink, revealing the muddy ground that had been tainted by its presence.

As the radius of the black mist diminished, more and more Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators appeared and were then guided to a designated area to wait.

After a full three hours had passed, the black mist condensed to a radius of about a mile and then stopped shrinking.

Gong Jianlan plunged directly into the black mist, pulling out the Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators who were trapped inside one by one.

From that moment on, aside from those who had been killed in combat, all the other individuals were gathered here.

The Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators from the ten factions stood at the periphery, subtly enclosing the rest of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators. Sixteen peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators were positioned above, overlooking the scene below.

Although the surrounded Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators harbored grievances, no one dared to voice their discontent.

Anyone who dared to step forward at this moment would likely be made an example of. Having lived for so long, nobody would engage in such a foolish act.

The atmosphere was tense as the sixteen peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators scanned the people below repeatedly, but they couldn’t detect the slightest aura of the spiritual treasure.

If the spiritual treasure were truly down there at this moment, even with the most powerful concealment techniques, it couldn’t be hidden perfectly.

That was a spiritual treasure, and with the power of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, perfect concealment was impossible. To possess such power, one would either be a Mountain Sea Realm cultivator or a peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator on the verge of breaking through to the Mountain Sea Realm with just a slight push.

None of the people below met these criteria.

No one brought up the idea of searching Qiankun Bags. At this point, that would have been a relentless approach, and even the sixteen peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, though overbearing, hadn’t reached that level of audacity.

Jiang Xiuming glanced at Jian Jinsheng and Chen Fei. Jian Jinsheng earnestly sensed the surroundings but ultimately shook his head, and Chen Fei did the same.

“Could it be that it’s already left this place?” someone murmured quietly.

“I’ll go guard the passage.”

Gong Jianlan uttered these words and then transformed into a phoenix, soaring into the sky. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared from view.

The other peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators remained silent. Some followed behind Gong Jianlan and vanished as well, while others, still not giving up hope, continued to watch the scene below.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and all the peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators had disappeared. Those below couldn’t help but relax.

Chen Fei looked at Jian Jinsheng beside him, and Jian Jinsheng’s body stiffened involuntarily..