"If you have nothing sincere to say, then don't speak at all. What exactly do you want? If there's nothing important, please leave," Queen Ming Kong said, her expression cold.

"I wish to meet with Lord Nether Moon God," Yuan Wuji stated, dropping all pretense and speaking directly.

"Hmph, do you think you can see the Lord Nether Moon God just because you want to?" Queen Ming Kong glanced at him, her tone indifferent.

"You..." The Blood Realm Venerable was furious upon hearing this and was about to explode in anger.

Yuan Wuji stopped him with a hand gesture, still wearing a smile, and asked, "May I know how Fellow Daoist Ming Kong would be willing to make an introduction?"

Seeing him lower his posture like this, the anger in Queen Ming Kong's heart dissipated somewhat, considering that she might be able to increase the number of believers for the Nether Moon God, she stopped making things difficult for him.

"Whether Divine wishes to see you or not, I would know only after I pray to him," Queen Ming Kong said solemnly.

"Then I shall be in your debt," Yuan Wuji said, nodding in agreement.

Queen Ming Kong did not speak further, closing her eyes and sitting in meditation, earnestly praying to the Nether Moon God in her heart.

In this secret realm, Yuan Ming's believers were few, and he soon heard Queen Ming Kong's call and prayer, making contact with her immediately.

Upon knowing that it was Yuan Wuji who wished to contact the Nether Moon God, Yuan Ming wore a contemplative expression.

After having taken Old Man Hei Zhu and two others as believers, he also considered recruiting the Tide-rider Alliance, but Yuan Wuji was a Late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator. Even with the Desire Power of the Stealing Heaven Tripod, Yuan Ming was not necessarily his match, which is why he had given up the idea.

Now that Yuan Wuji had come to him, if he were to refuse to meet, it would appear as though he had something to hide.

After a brief moment of thought, Yuan Ming agreed.

Yuan Wuji glanced at the Divine Statue and quickly shifted his gaze, signaling to Lan Xiao beside him to start praying.

Lan Xiao got the hint, silently invoking the name of Lord Nether Moon God in her heart, but there was no response.

After a while, she raised her head to look at Queen Ming Kong, her eyes inquiring.

"Clear your mind of distractions and pray with focus," Queen Ming Kong said coldly, as if she had anticipated this.

Lan Xiao pondered for a moment, steadied her spirits, and put aside the miscellaneous thoughts in her mind. Looking at the Divine Statue again, she suddenly felt a strange connection.

The next instant, Yuan Ming's Divine Sense descended, and a voice resonated within her Sea of Consciousness.

"What business do you have to seek an audience?"

Lan Xiao's face changed. Although she was only an Early-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator, the Cultivation Technique she practiced was unique, and in terms of Divine Soul Power, she was not inferior to a Mid-stage Nascent Soul. Yet the voice just now easily invaded deep into her Sea of Consciousness; the Soul Power within her Sea of Consciousness had no indication of an external force entering.

"Respectful Divine, I heard that by earnestly praying to you, we can receive Divine's blessings?" She quickly returned to her composure and respectfully replied telepathically.

Yuan Ming was taken aback upon hearing this.

He wondered who had spread this rumor, making him out to be a wish-granting stone that responded to every plea?

"Every sincere devotion will receive a response from Divine," Yuan Ming responded cryptically.

Lan Xiao was overjoyed at the reply and quickly said, "I am willing to offer up my most genuine devotion and most earnest prayers to you."

"You are not a member of my Moon Sect and cannot be called a believer of the God. However, God loves all people and treats them equally. If you wish to plant the divine seal, you may become my believer and receive my protection and blessings," Yuan Ming continued.

If it were possible to plant the Soul Lowering Technique rune in the Sea of Consciousness of Lan Xiao and the others, it would save a lot of trouble in the future.

Of course, Yuan Ming knew this was unlikely. His offer was merely an opening move to improve his position for later negotiations.

"Divine, I have only a shallow understanding of your Sect and am not yet worthy to be your believer. After I have prayed diligently and earned the qualification, I will come to serve you," Lan Xiao tactfully declined.

"If that's the case, I won't insist. Normally, only my believers receive blessings, but seeing your sincerity, you can offer a Tributor to exchange for what you seek," Yuan Ming replied, as he had anticipated.

Lan Xiao was not disappointed but rather delighted to hear this.

She never believed the story that she could receive blessings merely by praying fervently. Now knowing she could exchange goods, the anxiety in her heart finally subsided.

For her to actually become a believer of the so-called "Nether Moon God" was ridiculous, almost as preposterous as worshiping the Wuyue God.

"Divine, I want some Immortal Blood Jade and am willing to offer these four types of spiritual materials as Tributor: Nine-leaf Flower, Ice Soul Silkworm Silk, Red Mulberry Immortal Fruit, and Flesh Jade Bodhi. May I ask if this is acceptable?" Lan Xiao telepathically proposed.

She was confident that the Nether Moon God would not refuse the trade since the four spiritual materials she offered were far more valuable than the Immortal Blood Jade she sought.

If it were outside, aside from the Ice Soul Silk, any of the items would suffice to exchange for the Immortal Blood Jade.

However, this was a Secret Realm isolated from the outside world, where many treasures were destined to be priceless.

The other materials, although precious, did not cause much of a stir in Yuan Ming's ears.

But the Red Mulberry Immortal Fruit was a different story entirely. Their initial goal in attending the Immortal Fruit Assembly, which subsequently led them into a series of troubles, was to obtain the Red Mulberry Immortal Fruit.

"How much Immortal Blood Jade do you want?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Just four pieces," Lan Xiao hastily replied.

"Agreed, but you will need to provide four portions of the spiritual materials you're offering in return," Yuan Ming said.

Lan Xiao was taken aback, she had only planned to offer one portion of each material, not trade four for four.

"Divine, this..." Lan Xiao began, but was interrupted before she could finish.

"Do not attempt to haggle with me. If you are unwilling to make the exchange, then let us consider this matter terminated. From henceforth, do not try to communicate with me again, for a divine does not need believers filled with doubt," Yuan Ming spoke indifferently.

"My lord, please don't misunderstand me. I'm not trying to bargain. It's just that of the four spiritual materials, I can only spare two at most, and really can't provide all four," Lan Xiao said with a bitter smile.

"If that is the case, then I will only give you two pieces of Immortal Blood Jade. Do you still wish to make the exchange?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Yes," Lan Xiao pondered briefly before responding without delay.

She feared that if she took too long to consider, that damned divine would criticize her lack of decisiveness again.

She must obtain the Immortal Blood Jade to help Yuan Wuji accelerate the refinement of the Blood God's Son. That was of utmost importance.

"Come back here after half a month, and do not forget to bring your tribute," Yuan Ming stated.

The Immortal Blood Jade was no trivial matter, definitely not as readily obtainable as the Ice Soul Silk.

Yuan Ming needed to contact Yan Siyun to handle the affair. With all the back and forth, there was no telling how long it would take, so he could only afford to wait half a month, which was comparatively generous.

After leaving Queen Ming Kong's place, Yuan Wuji erected a barrier and asked, "What is your assessment of that Lord Nether Moon God?"

"Extremely formidable. I couldn't detect any Divine Sense invading my Sea of Consciousness at all. The voice just resonated in my Sea of Consciousness without warning. Had he opted to strike at me, I'm afraid I would have had no chance of withstanding it," Lan Xiao said, her expression rather grim.

"From the look of things, this Lord Nether Moon God has some Divine Skills indeed. Let's hope he can actually obtain the Immortal Blood Jade," Yuan Wuji reflected.

In the meantime, Yuan Ming did not immediately inform Xi Ying of the matter but promptly got in touch with Yan Siyun.

To his surprise, Bi Shuirou from Red Ganoderma Island happened to have the Immortal Blood Jade.

Yan Siyun did not mention that it was needed by Yuan Ming, but nevertheless, she spent no small sum to acquire it from Bi Shuirou.

As a result, the transaction they thought might not be completed even after half a month was finished in just three days.

When Queen Ming Kong arrived with the Immortal Blood Jade ahead of schedule, proposing to complete the transaction early, even Yuan Wuji found it hard to believe. However, his disbelief was swiftly replaced by immense joy.

After Queen Ming Kong left with the spiritual materials, the Blood Realm Venerable spoke with some displeasure, "Why didn't we just kill that woman and take the Immortal Blood Jade? This deal was a loss for us."

"The main priority is to assist me in creating the Blood God's Son. It's not wise to introduce complications. Once I have succeeded, we will settle our accounts with them. The resources of our Tide-rider Alliance are not so easily taken advantage of," Yuan Wuji waved his hand dismissively and said indifferently.

"I knew it, big brother. You would never stomach such a loss," Lan Xiao laughed.

"In the upcoming days, you all must diligently cultivate and maintain yourselves in peak condition as we have a tough battle ahead," Yuan Wuji stated with a smile.

"Understood," the other three quickly responded.

On the other side, Yuan Ming collected the treasures Queen Ming Kong brought back and immediately went to find Xi Ying.

"Red Mulberry Immortal Fruits? Where did you acquire these?" Xi Ying's eyes widened with delight and surprise upon seeing the treasures Yuan Ming presented.

"A hermit has his own ingenious ways. With these Red Mulberry Immortal Fruits, you can try refining Five Elements Infant Condensing Pills, right? It's just a pity there are only two," Yuan Ming said with a smile.

"It's enough," Xi Ying replied, her eyes twinkling as she nodded.

Feeling somewhat bashful under her intense gaze, Yuan Ming quickly urged her, "Then go and refine the elixir. I will protect you while you do it."

"Wonderful," Xi Ying beamed with a bright smile.

Time quickly flew by, and seven days passed.

Xi Ying successfully refined the Five Elements Infant Condensing Pills and took the opportunity to begin her retreat, attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage.

Since she was within the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space, there were no concerns for her safety. All Yuan Ming needed to ensure was his and the Stealing Heaven Tripod's security; he no longer had to go to the effort of protecting Xi Ying.

One day, within the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space.

Yuan Ming suddenly raised an eyebrow and flicked his fingers.

A stream of purple light surged out of the Spiritual Beast Bag, swiftly condensing in front of Yuan Ming into a purple-robed young girl—it was Hua Zhi.

She had grown taller, her features more delicate than before. Any trace of her Vine Demon heritage had vanished, leaving her entirely in human form.

Hua Zhi's aura had undergone dramatic changes, her powerful demon energy spreading widely, apparently at a Level 4 standard.

"Having slept for so long, you've finally awoken," Yuan Ming snorted.

Hua Zhi had broken through to Level 4 more than a year ago, but ever since then, she had been sleeping within the Spiritual Beast Bag, for reasons unknown.

Yuan Ming did not use any Illusion Technique to conceal the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space at the moment.

Hua Zhi had followed him for a long time; there was no harm in letting her see the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space.

"Master, it wasn't that I intentionally fell into deep sleep. It's a side effect of the Symbiosis Technique. After each use, I need to sleep for a lengthy period to recover my Primordial Qi," Hua Zhi explained, looking aggrieved.

"So, does that mean you have completed the integration with the Purple Extreme Tai Sui?" Yuan Ming's eyes lit up.

"Of course, I have mastered all of the Divine Skills of the Purple Extreme Tai Sui, and the power of the Absorption Poison Divine Ability has greatly increased. Master, how is your Sandman Poison? I will immediately help you expel it," Hua Zhi said, lifting her palm, from which a purple vine shot out.

"The poison has already been resolved. If I had waited for your rescue, by now I would likely be nothing more than a corpse," Yuan Ming replied irritably.

"Master is blessed with good fortune, turning misfortune into a blessing. How could a little poison trouble you? I knew you would resolve it, which is why I could sleep so peacefully," Hua Zhi chuckled smugly.

"Enough, tell me about your integration with the Purple Extreme Tai Sui and the details of your advancement," Yuan Ming directed.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.