Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation

Chapter 226 167: Luo Qingxuan: Which Genius Can Withstand Such a Test?

At the entrance to Dragon Soul Valley.

The shimmering, circular portal stood silently, with Cultivators occasionally flying in and out, their expressions grave.

Over a hundred zhang away, a large number of Cultivators stood in ten clearly distinct groups, surrounding the portal and waiting in silence.

Compared to previous years, the number of Cultivators gathered here from the various factions was far greater. Even some major figures had arrived on the scene.

However, the higher-ups of each family found it only natural. No amount of attention was too much when vying for such an unprecedented opportunity.

At that moment, inside the Dragon Race's camp, which had been significantly expanded and fortified.

The noble and stunningly beautiful Bai Qingyi, dressed in magnificent robes, paced back and forth with a slight frown, occasionally glancing at the Magical Power projection of a sand table beside her.

The three-zhang-wide projection displayed a high-precision Terrain Map of Dragon Soul Valley. Certain areas were detailed down to a single tree, a small hill, or a puddle of water.

Of course, only a small portion of the map was this detailed. Most areas could not be rendered to such a degree, and nearly thirty percent of the territory was completely blank.

Those were treacherous lands with extremely high danger levels. Although many Cultivators had attempted to enter them in past years, they had basically all gone in and never returned.

The few lucky souls with heaven-defying luck who managed to escape would refuse to speak a word about their experiences inside. Some even lost their minds and were driven mad, their lives ruined forever.

"...Have you still found no trace of him?"

After a long silence, Bai Qingyi finally asked in a low voice.

Beside her, Luo Qingxuan shook her head with a helpless expression.

"None of the teams we sent out have sent back any news yet. They have, however, gotten into quite a few conflicts with Cultivators from other factions."

They had sent reinforcements into Dragon Soul Valley more than once to search for Ling Changqing, but unfortunately, they had yet to succeed.

The longer it dragged on, the greater the chance that something had happened to Ling Changqing—an outcome the Dragon Race's upper echelons found absolutely unacceptable.

Bai Qingyi pursed her cherry-red lips, her brow furrowed as she spoke.

"Could it be... that he's already been discovered and trapped by the Cultivators from those other families? Is that why he can't respond to our messages?"

Luo Qingxuan's expression changed slightly. "Surely not? My husband has always had luck that defies the heavens. How could he possibly be discovered by them?"

Bai Qingyi sighed. "That may be true, but he's all alone right now. How could he possibly evade a manhunt involving tens of thousands of Cultivators by himself?"

The Nine Great Families were posturing as if they were determined to succeed at any cost, which put a great deal of pressure on the Dragon Race's leadership.

But even so, the Deep Sea Dragon Race would never abandon Ling Changqing, even if it meant truly falling out with them and going to war.

'This won't do...'

Luo Qingxuan paced back and forth anxiously. If her Cultivation Realm didn't forbid it, she would have led a party into Dragon Soul Valley herself.

The way things were now was absolute torture.

Bai Qingyi watched her daughter's reaction, a hint of a smile appearing in her lustrous, beautiful eyes.

"There's no need to be so impatient. Your earlier point was correct. With Ling Changqing's extraordinary Destiny, no one can find him unless he wants to be found."

Luo Qingxuan blinked her bright eyes and muttered under her breath:

"That would be for the best, of course, but I'm just afraid... afraid he's been bewitched by some Fox Spirit from another family and has run off with her willingly!"

Luo Qingxuan had seen them with her own eyes—the Female Cultivators who had suddenly joined the teams from the Nine Great Families were all the most outstanding beauties of their generation.

And then there were those Golden Core Female Cultivators who had sealed their Cultivation to enter Dragon Soul Valley. They too were peerless, city-toppling beauties. It was obvious what they were after by joining the fray.

One could only say that the leaders of the Nine Great Families were truly unscrupulous and utterly shameless to use such a tactic to test a man's character.

What genius could withstand such a test?

"How could that be?"

Bai Qingyi was amused. She pinched her daughter's smooth, delicate cheek and teased,

"No matter how pretty those wildflowers are, how could they possibly compare to your beauty and grace? Don't overthink it!"

Luo Qingxuan, her beautiful face slightly flushed, let out a soft huff and managed to suppress the anxiety in her heart.

...

「Meteor Fall Abyss.」

"...Sister Wan, are you saying that Ling Changqing might have changed his appearance and is hiding among us?"

Tang Yifeng's expression was grave as he communicated silently with the stunningly beautiful woman beside him using his Divine Thought.

This peerless beauty, named Tang Qingwan, was the brightest pearl among the Tang Family's younger generation. Her true Cultivation outside the valley had already reached the Late stage Golden Core.

For the sake of recruiting Ling Changqing, the family's upper echelons had urgently recalled her from her travels and had her enter Dragon Soul Valley after sealing her Cultivation.

Tang Qingwan nodded slightly. "Although it's just my personal speculation with no evidence, I believe the possibility is very real."

Ling Changqing couldn't possibly ignore the numerous opportunities within Dragon Soul Valley. Since he's come in, he would definitely want to plunder it thoroughly before he'd be willing to leave.

He wants the opportunities, but he doesn't want to be disturbed or interfered with by outsiders. Wouldn't he have to find a way to change his appearance?

If he continued to wander around Dragon Soul Valley as himself, he would find it absolutely impossible to move a single step.

"Alright. That Wang Chang'an, the one sitting with the Yu Family's team of Cultivators... I think he's highly suspicious!"

Tang Qingwan further clarified her thoughts.

Tang Yifeng's eyes narrowed slightly. "Let's assume for a moment that you're right. What should we do now? Make a move and snatch him directly?"

Tang Qingwan shook her head and smiled. "Obviously, we can't do that. Not unless you want to be swarmed and attacked by every Cultivator here!"

The Tang Family's forces here were not dominant. They would have a hard enough time just dealing with the Yu Family, let alone the other major families. Therefore, using brute force was not an option.