32: The Lunar Pearl!

The smile Wang Tianba forced onto his face looked uglier than if he were crying.

He bowed deeply to Gu Changsheng, bending all the way down.

"If the Immortal Master does not mind, my Wang Family's back mountain has an ancestral hall dedicated to our past ancestors. It is the quietest place available. Please, Immortal Master, move to my Wang Family's Forbidden Ground to rest."

Forbidden Ground.

He emphasized those two words heavily.

Rather than an invitation, it was more like he was proactively handing the hilt of a blade over to Gu Changsheng.

Gu Changsheng calmly accepted this "invitation" and followed Wang Tianba through the layers of courtyards in the Wang Family manor, heading toward the ancestral hall located on the back mountain.

The closer they got, the thicker the sense of coldness in the air became.

At the entrance of the ancestral hall, guards stood at every third and fifth step. They were all the Wang Family's most elite guards, with high, bulging temples and steady breaths—clearly experts in internal martial arts.

Under Wang Tianba's personal lead, these guards bowed and stepped aside one after another, but the gazes they cast toward Gu Changsheng were filled with vigilance and scrutiny.

The moment Gu Changsheng stepped into the ancestral hall's main gate, a surge of pure yin essence of the great moon, more than ten times denser than outside, rushed toward him like an invisible wave.

All the pores on his body relaxed at that moment.

That Evil Qi, which would be bone-chilling and avoided at all costs by other Cultivators, was like nectar after a long drought to him.

The Withered Wood Meets Spring Scripture within him didn't even need his active prompting; it began to circulate on its own, slowly drawing this pure energy into his Meridians, silently dissolving and transforming it into strands of pure magic power.

The Second Layer of Qi Refining Bottleneck, which had been as solid as a rock, actually showed an extremely faint sign of loosening.

Comfortable.

This is practically a cultivation treasure land tailored for me!

Gu Changsheng marveled internally, but his face remained expressionless, still maintaining that indifferent and calm appearance.

"Immortal Master, this Quiet Room is the best room in the main hall of the ancestral shrine. Usually, only the Sect Elders can use it when they go into seclusion."

Wang Tianba led him to an elegantly furnished Quiet Room, his attitude becoming increasingly respectful.

"This place is warm in winter and cool in summer, making it most suitable for quiet meditation. If the Immortal Master rests here, absolutely no one will disturb you."

He paused, and as if remembering something, he pointed toward the backyard deep within the ancestral hall, which was enclosed by high walls, and added with hidden meaning.

"It's just that... that backyard is the place where the ancestral tablets are enshrined. The Yin Qi is heaviest there. I ask the Immortal Master to please never approach it, lest you be tainted by unclean things and have your quiet cultivation disturbed."

"Understood."

Gu Changsheng simply gave a faint response and walked into the Quiet Room.

Wang Tianba watched the door slowly close. He stood there with a shifting expression before finally letting out a long sigh, turning to leave, and personally arranging the guards.

Inside the Quiet Room, Gu Changsheng immediately set up a simple warning Formation Plate.

He was in no hurry to Cultivate; instead, he closed his eyes and sank his mind into his consciousness.

"Deduce."

He wanted to confirm that ultimate secret.

"Target of Deduction: The secret hidden beneath the Wang Family Ancestral Hall."

[This Deduction is estimated to consume twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Do you wish to continue?]

Twenty!

Gu Changsheng's heart skipped a beat.

It seemed the value of this secret far exceeded his imagination.

"Continue!"

Without hesitation, he took twenty Spirit Stones from the wooden box Wang Tianba had sent and held them in his hand.

The light of the Spirit Stones dimmed instantly, turning into a pile of fine powder.

Immediately after, a line of text, clearer than any before and even tinged with a hint of golden light, surfaced in his mind.

[Deduction Result: Thirty meters directly beneath the ancestral hall, a Taiyin Spiritual Well is suppressed. The Seal on the well's mouth is damaged due to its age. At the core of the well's bottom, a 'taiyin treasure orb' is being nurtured. It will fully form on the night of the full moon in three days.]

taiyin treasure orb!

The moment Gu Changsheng saw those three words, the calm lake of his heart was tossed by monstrous waves.

This wasn't just some Spiritual Qi; it was a physical treasure condensed from the purest Taiyin Origin power!

This kind of thing—forget the Qi Refinement Stage—even Cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Stage would fight to the death for it!

Its value simply could not be measured by Spirit Stones.

Not only could it help him break through the Second Layer of Qi Refining Bottleneck without any suspense, but it could also purify his magic power and refine his skeletal roots, laying the most solid foundation for his future Foundation Establishment.

This trip wasn't just a massive profit; it was a godsend windfall!

Gu Changsheng forcibly suppressed the wild joy in his heart and began to think calmly.

A treasure is good, but one must be alive to take it.

Wang Tianba's warning and the full moon night three days away—all of this indicated that undercurrents were surging here.

He needed a foolproof plan.

His Divine Sense quietly spread out like an invisible spiderweb, enveloping the entire ancestral hall.

Very quickly, he discovered a guard patrolling a corner of the ancestral hall whose demeanor was completely different from the others.

It was a young man in his early twenties. Although he tried hard to look serious, his wandering gaze and the occasional flash of panic exposed his inner unease.

"character panel."

With a thought, Gu Changsheng locked onto that young man.

A pale gold panel quietly unfolded above the man's head.

[Name: Wang Mang]

[Identity: Branch Family disciple of the Wang Family, Ancestral Hall Guard]

[Cultivation: Fetal Breathing Realm Zhouxing Circle]

[Recent Concerns: In love with Zhao Yanran, the daughter of the Zhao Clan Chief, and has been bribed by the Zhao Family. The Zhao Family promised that once the matter is successful, they will let him marry into the Family and help him step onto the Immortal Path. He plans to use his position on the night of the full moon in three days to destroy a key node of the ancestral hall's protective Formation, detonating the Taiyin Spiritual Well and framing the Li Family, who will come to investigate, for everything.]

Good grief!

After reading this information, Gu Changsheng almost laughed out loud.

This plot was more exciting than a grand opera.

The Wang Family wants to hide it, the Zhao Family wants to steal it, the Li Family wants to investigate, and now there's even an internal traitor blinded by love.

This isn't some dragon's pool or tiger's den; this is practically a perfect stage handed to him by the heavens!

He had originally been worrying about how to sneak underground unnoticed to take the orb.

Now it seemed he wouldn't need to do it himself at all.

He just had to wait three days for this "Chosen One," Wang Mang, to tear a giant hole in the Formation, and then he could reap the benefits as the fisherman.

Gu Changsheng withdrew his Divine Sense, and all his worries vanished.

He took out several low-grade Formation Plates and Talismans he had picked up at the Sect Market.

One was a "Qi Concealing Talisman" for hiding one's presence.

One was a "Labyrinth Formation Plate" capable of creating illusions.

And several defensive "Golden Light Talismans."

Although they were all cheap, low-grade goods, in a mortal land, combined with his cultivation, they were enough to handle the vast majority of unexpected situations.

He arranged these items one by one in the Quiet Room, ensuring he could hide his figure and block any investigation at the first moment.

Having finished all this, Gu Changsheng sat down cross-legged in peace and began to breathe in and out the ubiquitous Taiyin Qi.

What he had to do was wait.

Wait for a grand play that was already destined to begin.

Time passed day by day.

The ancestral hall remained calm. Wang Tianba came every day to pay his respects with a humble attitude, but he never mentioned a word about the spiritual well.

People from the Li and Zhao Families also tried to approach the ancestral hall under the guise of giving gifts, but they were all strictly blocked outside by the Wang Family guards.

Beneath the surface of Yunhe Commandery, the atmosphere grew increasingly eerie and tense.

In a flash, the third day arrived.

At dusk, a bright full moon hung early in the sky, emitting a cold, clear glow.

Inside the Quiet Room, Gu Changsheng opened his eyes from his meditation.

He keenly sensed an extremely obscure aura in the silent woods surrounding the ancestral hall.

That aura did not belong to anyone from the three great families; it was faint, yet it carried the unique magic power fluctuations of a Cultivator in the Qi Refining Realm.

Qi Refining Third Layer.

Gu Changsheng swept his Divine Sense and immediately made a judgment.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?

Interesting, this is getting more and more interesting.

Instead of being nervous, he showed a playful smile and quietly slapped the "Qi Concealing Talisman" onto himself.

His entire being instantly merged into the surrounding darkness.