The Foundation Establishment Ceremony was crowded, with prying eyes everywhere.
If Li Changâan were recognized, the Five Poison Wanderer Lineage would certainly not spare him.
But he had come anyway, braving the danger.
"Daoist Li, please, come inside."
Wu Ming silently noted the gesture and invited Li Changâan inside to take a seat.
By now, quite a few people had already arrived.
Over a dozen Foundation Establishment Tribulation Cultivators had arrived, Jiang Yunsheng and the Black Talisman Old Demon among them.
Even the Five Poison Wanderer Lineage had sent a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
His name was Yan Feng, the Five Poison Wandererâs senior disciple. He had an Early Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation, and his Poison Techniques were just as deadly.
"Daoist Wu, did that Li Fan really not come?"
Yan Fengâs expression was cold, his pupils an emerald green. He scanned the entire ceremony, trying to find Li Changâan.
But Li Changâanâs Disguise Technique was exceptionally masterful.
In fact, he was standing right beside Yan Feng, but Yan Feng hadnât noticed him in the slightest.
Wu Ming said to Yan Feng, "Daoist Yan, I, Wu Ming, never lie. Daoist Li really didnât come."
Yan Feng snorted coldly, asked no more questions, and walked straight to a corner to sit down.
He clearly intended to wait there until the ceremony was over.
Wu Ming secretly sent a Sound Transmission to Li Changâan.
"Daoist Li, you must be careful. Donât expose yourself."
"Donât worry."
Li Changâan was very confident in his Disguise Technique. Besides, last nightâs Divination had indicated a peaceful day, so there should be no surprises.
Soon, the ceremony officially began.
After a round of congratulations, the guests began to chat freely among themselves.
During this time, Li Changâan acquainted himself with several Foundation Establishment Tribulation Cultivators, discussing Cultivation Insights and exchanging a few Treasures.
In the midst of conversation, he learned that these Foundation Establishment Tribulation Cultivators hadnât come specifically for the ceremony, but for the impending Beast Tide.
A Beast Tide presented both danger and opportunity, which perfectly suited the adventurous nature of Tribulation Cultivators.
A moment later, Li Changâan suddenly received a Sound Transmission.
"Daoist Li, you really have some nerve showing up here!"
He turned to look.
He saw Jiang Yunsheng standing not far away.
"Daoist Jiang, how did you recognize me?"
"Your disguise is excellent, Daoist Li. I couldnât recognize you, but my Venerable Soul Banner did. It sensed the aura of its own kind."
"I see."
Li Changâanâs expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he was a little surprised.
The Artifact Spirit in Jiang Yunshengâs Venerable Soul Banner seemed to have recovered quite well.
In contrast, the Artifact Spirit in his own Venerable Soul Banner was in a volatile state. It would frequently fall into a deep slumber, and he could only communicate with it on rare occasions.
After a moment of thought, he asked, "Daoist Jiang, do you plan to inform the Five Poison Wanderer Lineage?"
"Rest assured, Daoist Li. I, Jiang Yunsheng, am not like that Black Talisman Old Demon!"
Jiang Yunsheng made it clear that he had no relationship with the Five Poison Wanderer Lineage. In fact, he found the Five Poison Wandererâs methods detestable, simply because the man reminded him of his own father.
His father was also a heartless and treacherous man.
Years ago, to obtain Foundation Establishment Resources, his father had sold him and his mother to Demonic Cultivators to be used as Corpse Refining Materials.
Hearing this, Li Changâan was secretly astonished.
He had often heard that some people would abandon everything for the sake of their cultivation, but he had never witnessed such a thing firsthand. Today, he finally had.
Jiang Yunsheng continued, "Daoist Li, your strength is considerable. I sought you out today to invite you to join the Huanghe Alliance."
"The Huanghe Alliance?"
Li Changâan was even more surprised. âThatâs the faction Ye Hao established.â
The factionâs ultimate goal is the complete destruction of Yellow Crane Immortal City.
"Daoist Jiang, do you have a grudge against Yellow Crane Immortal City?"
"I do!"
Jiang Yunshengâs voice was cold as he explained the reason.
His father was now an Honored Guest Elder at Yellow Crane Immortal City, with a Cultivation at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment.
But he was only at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment. It would be difficult to get revenge on his own, so he wanted to recruit more allies to stand against Yellow Crane Immortal City together.
At present, the Huanghe Alliance already had five Foundation Establishment Cultivators in its ranks.
And even more Qi Refining Cultivators.
âItâs already grown to five Foundation Establishment Cultivators. That Ye Hao fellow is really something else,â Li Changâan thought.
âOf course, it could also be because Yellow Crane Immortal City has offended too many people over the years.â
âDisciples from a Golden Core Influence like that are mostly arrogant and act without restraint. Theyâll annihilate an entire clan on a whim, but there are always one or two fish who escape the net and grow up.â
Jiang Yunsheng asked again, "Daoist Li, what are your thoughts?"
"Daoist Jiang, I have no grudge against Yellow Crane Immortal City, so I have no intention of joining the Huanghe Alliance."
Although Li Changâan also held a grudge against Yellow Crane Immortal City, he had no desire to confront them openly.
He preferred to hide in the shadows and bide his time.
After all, with over five hundred years of life ahead of him, there was no need to be hasty.
Next, Li Changâan asked about the matter of souls.
Jiang Yunshengâs Venerable Soul Banner contained several thousand soulsâa truly astonishing number.
"Daoist Jiang, how have you managed to accumulate so many souls? Do you have some channel for purchasing them?"
"A few thousand? How could that be considered a lot?"
Jiang Yunsheng seemed somewhat taken aback.
"Daoist Li, with your strength, couldnât you gather enough just by killing a few sanctimonious Righteous Cultivators?"
Hearing this, Li Changâan felt a sense of resignation.
âWhere am I supposed to find so many sanctimonious Righteous Cultivators to kill?â
âAfter all, Iâm not a true Tribulation Cultivator. This identity is just a side hustle. I donât normally go after Righteous Cultivators.â
But the Tribulation Cultivators present here were different.
After a while, these visiting Foundation Establishment Tribulation Cultivators actually began a serious discussion about which of the regionâs Righteous Influences were easiest to attack.
"Cao Shaolong of the Qinghe Cao Family is dead, leaving only Cao Zhengxiong. Is anyone interested in testing their defenses? If we can break through, weâll get our hands on the treasures the Cao Family has accumulated over centuries."
"That Cao Zhengxiong is at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment. Relying on his Array, he wonât be an easy target."
"On the other hand, thereâs that Turtle from Cui Ping Mountain, Li Changâan. Heâs only at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment, and his strength is nothing special..."
Hearing this.