Having made that decision, the two of them made no effort to delay and immediately sprang into action. The woman quickly passed through a corridor and arrived in a room with simple decor.
Within this room was a white-robed young man with a slightly sickly pallor, and he was seated beside a stone table, reading a shimmering silver book with rapt focus.
The young man immediately put down the book at the sight of the woman, and smiled as he asked, "Mother, would you like something from me?"
"Ming'er, pack up your stuff; we're going to the Long Family's Immortal Welcome Palace right away." In the face of her beloved son, the dark and stern expression on the woman's face had completely disappeared, replaced by one of doting compassion.
"The Long Family? Looks like the guy you captured wasn't an easy target after all," the young man said in a resigned manner as his brows furrowed slightly.
"How did you know about this?" The woman was rather taken aback.
"Don't forget that even though I don't possess exceptional magic power, I've already activated my True Dragon bloodline, which has granted me much better hearing. Even though I haven't left my room, I was still able to overhear some of your conversation," the young man explained.
"I see. Don't worry, Ming'er; your father and I will extract that man's inherited treasure and transplant it into your body no matter what. Not only will your chronic condition be cured as a result, you'll also be able to use that inherited spiritual power to break through a bottleneck, and there's a good chance you'll reach the Core Formation Stage right away. As for that kid's backers, there's no way he would dare to cross the Long Family," the elderly woman consoled.
The young man was silent for a moment before heaving a faint sigh. "Ever since this treatment method of transplanting an inherited treasure into my body was proposed, you and Father have constantly been searching for cultivators with inherited treasures that have yet to have their seals broken. I always had a feeling that this would lead to quite a bit of trouble. Now that we've finally found one, I presume you wouldn't be willing to let him go even if I were to try and persuade you, right, Mother?"
"What nonsense are you spouting? Your father and I only made the decision to have you as there's no way we can transcend our next major heavenly tribulations; we're not going to let you pass away ahead of us no matter what! As long as that kid's backer isn't one of the three sovereigns or seven monarchs, your uncle and grandfather will definitely be able to protect you. Besides, you've activated your True Dragon bloodline now, so you're automatically a member of the Long Family. If the Long Family doesn't protect you, then how can they still be known as the number one true spirit family?" The elderly woman's expression had darkened slightly again, and his voice was filled with hints of resentment.
"Alright, then. Seeing as the decision has already been made, let's get out of here right away. That Body Integration cultivator may get here very quickly," the young man urged as he shook his head in resignation.
The woman was rather surprised to hear this, following which a skeptical look appeared on her face. "Surely not, I've already examined that kid's body, and no marks were left within him."
"But you're not a Body Integration cultivator, after all, Mother. According to my knowledge, Body Integration cultivators have at least three or four types of methods through which they can plant spiritual sense marks without being detected by the spiritual sense of a Spatial Tempering cultivator. I may not have been able to cultivate my magic power during these past years, but I haven't been reading all of these tomes for nothing," the young man said with a wry smile.
A nervous look appeared on the woman's face upon hearing this. "You're right, then let's just get out of here right away; forget about packing your stuff! Your father is already going to retrieve that kid."
Meanwhile, the elderly man was standing in a secret chamber, appraising an unconscious person on the ground with a complex look in his eyes. "Don't blame us for being cruel and inhumane, Daoist priest. If we want to cure our son, then our only option would be to take your inherited treasure. Without your inherited treasure, you'll be completely unable to cultivate, which is a fate that I'm sure will be worse than death for you, so I'll send you on your way in a painless fashion." A sinister look appeared on his face as he spoke.
The man lying on the ground was naturally none other than Qi Lingzi. The elderly man flipped a hand over, and black light flashed between his fingers, upon which an inky-black talisman appeared.
He flicked his wrist, and the talisman immediately flew forth as a streak of grey light before vanishing into Qi Lingzi's body in a flash.
He then opened his mouth to expel a ball of black Qi, within which was a rotating azure copper bell.
He raised a hand before gently flicking a finger, and a crisp chime rang out from within the black Qi.
A peculiar scene then ensued.
Qi Lingzi's body suddenly shuddered before he got up on his own to face the elderly man in a standing position with his eyes still tightly shut. He was completely expressionless like a puppet, and the elderly man chanted something as he flicked one incantation seal through the air after another, and the azure bell immediately let loose a string of chimes of different durations.
Amid the seemingly ordinary bell chimes, Qi Lingzi slowly opened his eyes. They were completely glazed over at first before gradually gaining a hint of clarity, but they were still completely devoid of emotion.
The elderly man heaved a long sigh of relief upon seeing this, and he made a grabbing motion to withdraw the bell into his sleeve before turning to leave. Faint bell chimes were still ringing out from within his sleeve, and Qi Lingzi followed him out of the room in a wooden and rigid manner.
A short while later, two streaks of light, one black and one grey, flew out of the small mountain before heading directly toward Nine Immortal Mountain.
These two streaks of light contained both Qi Lingzi and the sickly young man, and after just a few flashes, they both vanished into the distance.
After an indeterminate period of time, a streak of azure light shot forth from another direction, quickly arriving at the small mountain. The azure light then faded to reveal two men, one of whom was very handsome, while the other was completely mundane in appearance.
They were none other than Hai Yuetian and Han Li.
Han Li swept his spiritual sense through the small mountain before a hint of surprise appeared on his face. "They're not here anymore!"
"What? They took him somewhere else? Will you still be able to track them down, Master?" Hai Yuetian asked in a nervous manner.
"Don't worry, the spiritual sense mark that I planted in Qi Lingzi's body is extremely feeble, but it'll periodically send me a strong signal that will alert me to his location," Han Li replied in a calm voice.
"Thank heavens! Those people really are brazen to the extreme; how dare they abduct someone in broad daylight at the Myriad Treasure Convention? Why didn't the law-enforcing cultivators do anything?" Hai Yuetian's expression eased slightly initially before an enraged look resurfaced in his eyes.
"Hehe, if a normal cultivator had done something like this, law-enforcing cultivators would've definitely stepped in, but if someone of the Spatial Tempering Stage had been behind this, then the law-enforcing cultivators would have to have second thoughts. If a Body Integration cultivator had been sighted abducting someone, the law-enforcing cultivators would most likely scrub their eyes clean and immediately turn away," Han Li chuckled coldly.
"Does that mean that old woman is a Body Integration cultivator?" Hai Yuetian's expression changed drastically upon hearing this.
"Most likely not. If she were a Body Integration cultivator as well, she wouldn't be fleeing from me like this," Han Li replied with a shake of his head.
"That's true," Hai Yuetian said with a nod.
Thus, the two of them waited for around an hour, following which Han Li abruptly turned toward a certain direction. "I've found them! They're heading toward Nine Immortal Mountain. Let's go!"
Before Hai Yuetian had a chance to respond, he was swept up by a burst of azure light, and the two of them flew through the air again, traveling toward Nine Immortal Mountain on this occasion.
Six hours later, Han Li and Hai Yuetian appeared surreptitiously in the air above a massive luxurious palace. The palace was split up into 10 levels, and it was none other than one of the nine Immortal Welcome Palaces.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly as he appraised the palace with a dark look in his eyes.
"Master, have we come to the wrong place? Has Qi Lingzi really been taken here?" Hai Yuetian asked in a strained voice as his face paled slightly.
It was quite clear that he understood what it entailed for Qi Lingzi to appear here.
"There's no mistaking it. At such a close range, these restrictions aren't enough to obstruct my spiritual sense at all," Han Li replied in a grim manner.
"Could it be that that old woman really is a Body Integration cultivator? But if that's the case, why was Junior Martial Brother Qi Lingzi outside of Nine Immortal Mountain to begin with?" Hai Yuetian murmured.
"It's very simple; if that old woman really is a Body Integration cultivator, then that cave abode outside Nine Immortal Mountain would only be a temporary one where she takes care of private matters without having to worry about being seen. Otherwise, she's not a Body Integration cultivator, but has ties with a certain Body Integration cultivator living here. In the latter case, she must've sought out this backer in order to scare us away," Han Li analyzed in a calm manner.
Hai Yuetian hesitated for a long while before asking, "What should we do, then, Master?"
"You go down first, and find out for me who is living on the ninth floor of this palace," Han Li instructed.
"Yes, Master!" Hai Yuetian was encouraged by Han Li's calm demeanor, and he immediately extended a respectful salute.
"I'll send you down there; after you find out the information I requested, go to the nearest hill over there to find me," Han Li continued before sweeping a sleeve through the air, upon which a ball of azure light immediately detached itself before carrying Hai Yuetian safely down onto the ground.
Meanwhile, he turned and flew toward a hill that was several tens of kilometers away. [IGT: "nearest hill"]
Even though Nine Immortal Mountain was comprised of the nine massive peaks, there were naturally some nameless and unimportant mountains and hills littered throughout the mountain range.
After landing on the ground, Hai Yuetian cast a glance toward the Immortal Welcome Palace, but didn't immediately make his way toward it. Instead, he took a deep breath before rushing toward the most lively and bustling place near the palace.
