Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

Chapter 62 Encountering the Conspiracy Again

"Who are you people? How dare you barge into our sect uninvited? Surrender now!" the burly man rushed up to Zhao Sheng and demanded.

Zhao Sheng took out the invitation, showed it to him, and explained, "Taoist friend, please don't misunderstand. The two of us were invited; we did not come unbidden."

The burly man checked the invitation and, seeing that it was genuine, his expression cleared slightly, but he still questioned, "Where is your escort messenger? Where did he go?"

"Ha-ha, look, he's coming now."

Zhao Sheng chuckled and pointed skyward with his right hand.

At that moment, Zhou Siming was rapidly flying towards them on a Flying Lizard.

Before he could dismount, the burly man suddenly cursed, "Zhou Sinian, look at the fine mess you've created! Instead of properly escorting guests, where did you run off to? Do you want to take a trip to the Law Enforcement Hall?"

Upon hearing the burly man's voice, Zhou Siming shuddered, hurried over, and repeatedly bowed, "Brother Ren, I realize my mistakes. Please have mercy, do not report this to the Law Enforcement Hall."

"Hmph, for the sake of Senior Sister Zhou, this time I'll let it pass!"

Once the burly man and the patrol team had gone far away, Zhao Sheng, looking at a sweating Zhou Siming, said with a chuckle, "Mr. Zhou, aren't you supposed to take us to the Foreign Affairs Hall now? Hopefully, you won't go the wrong way this time!"

"Hmph, let's go!"

Zhou Siming let out an irritated snort, shot Zhao Sheng a harsh glare, then turned and walked away.

This time, Zhou Siming did not play any tricks.

Within merely the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the three of them arrived in front of a majestic building that looked like a palace, with the words 'Foreign Affairs Hall' in gold lettering in the middle of the plaque.

The Foreign Affairs Hall was a six-story palace building covering nearly ten acres and over twenty meters in height, with no fewer than five entrances.

At that time, many disciples of the Elixir Cauldron Sect in various colored Crimson Robes and other Cultivators in different outfits were bustling in and out, creating a very busy scene.

Zhou Siming led the two around the plaza, bypassed the main entrance, and stopped in front of one of the side doors of the Foreign Affairs Hall.

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"Here we are, you can go in on your own!" Zhou Siming coldly dropped the remark and then left.

Zhao Sheng, unfazed, smiled and walked into the Foreign Affairs Hall with Zhao Jijian.

However, just as they reached the entrance, they were stopped once again.

An Outer Disciple in a white robe stood at the door, expressionless, and challenged, "What is your business here?"

Seeing this, Zhao Sheng sighed inwardly, thinking to himself, "It seems no matter the world, it's always the same. With power comes arrogance, and this makes things difficult and unpleasant."

Despite feeling uncomfortable, Zhao Sheng still dutifully took out the invitation and repeated his explanation for the third time.

"Hand it over!"

"Hand over what?"

Zhao Sheng was taken aback by the question, momentarily unable to respond.

At this moment, Zhao Jijian stepped forward and tossed a bottle of Elixir Pills into the other's chest.

Unexpectedly, this only enraged the man, who stomped the Elixir Pills into the ground and cursed, "Pah, what kind of person do you think I am? I was asking for the invitation."

Hearing this, Zhao Jijian, aside from feeling embarrassed, was inwardly shocked.

Not accepting a bribe! This hardly seemed like the behavior of an Outer Disciple of a major sect!

It is known that some Loose Cultivators and children from small families who come to handle affairs at a sect—if they don't give a bribe to the gatekeepers—are not even allowed inside.

This bad practice had almost become a norm in the Cultivation World for thousands of years.

Could it be that they had encountered a true gentleman today?

Probably not that simple!

As Zhao Jijian thought this, just as he was about to remind the Family Head, he saw him unhesitatingly putting back the invitation into his Storage Bag.

The man, seeing this, angrily said, "What are you doing? Hand it over now!"

"Hand over what?" Zhao Sheng asked with a smirk.

"The—invitation—letter!" the man, clenching his teeth and suppressing his anger, demanded harshly.

Zhao Sheng shook his head solemnly, "I can't give you the invitation letter. What if you lose it?"

The man laughed in annoyance and angrily said, "If you don't have the invitation letter, then don't even think about entering."

Seeing this, Zhao Jijian stepped forward, subtly channeling his spiritual power to release the aura of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

"Heh, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, so what? Try to make a move if you dare," the man retorted fearlessly, even provocatively.

He was fearless.

Although the rules of the Elixir Cauldron Sect were strict, there were always loopholes to exploit.

Over the years, the rules of the Elixir Cauldron Sect had been thoroughly understood by its disciples.

And with the myriad personal relations at play, outsiders unaware of the Sect's influence risked suffering losses even if they were right, should they rashly confront an Elixir Cauldron Sect Disciple.

In the world of cultivation, it's not just about fighting; it's also about understanding human relationships!

So... did Zhao Jijian and Zhao Sheng understand the implications?

One was an old man who had mingled in the Cultivation World for decades, while the other was an old immortal who had been reincarnated four times.

The answer was self-evident!

Zhao Sheng stepped forward, signaling Zhao Jijian not to act.

Looking at the confident gatekeeper Disciple, Zhao Sheng smiled and suddenly shouted loudly, "Why won't you let us in?"

"I told you, without an invitation letter, no one is allowed in," the man said impatiently.

"But we do have it!" Zhao Sheng channeled his Dantian, making his voice more resonant.

At this moment, when the gatekeeper Disciple saw the curious onlookers around him, far from panicking, he mocked, "What are you yelling for! If you had shown it earlier, I would've already let you in."

Seeing this, Zhao Sheng raised an eyebrow, knowing that this person must have a powerful backer behind him.

Seeing that his little trick was ineffective, Zhao Sheng shifted his mind and pretended to naively argue loudly with the man for a few moments.

Meanwhile, the situation around Zhao Sheng had successfully attracted increasingly more people's attention.

When the timing seemed right, Zhao Sheng, feigning anger, pulled a Golden Ring Spirit Earthworm from the spirit worm bag and threw it on the ground, pretending he was about to step on it.

Just then, a thunderous shout suddenly exploded, "Stop!"

In an instant, it was as if a bolt of lightning had struck from the sky, causing a heart-wrenching pain among the bystanders, making them almost spit blood.

Zhao Sheng's vision blurred momentarily, and when he focused, he saw an elderly man with a long beard suddenly appear in front of him.

This person had a broad face and big ears, with a beard hanging down to his chest, dressed in a Heavenly Silkworm Silk Robe, embroidered with six three-legged, two-eared alchemy furnaces.

The long-bearded elder took the Golden Ring Spirit Earthworm into his hand, his face showing relief as he said, "Thank goodness I arrived in time, otherwise this precious treasure would have been wasted by you, lad."

Seeing this person appear, Zhao Sheng felt a surge of joy inside and thought to himself, "Indeed, someone who recognizes the value, not in vain did I perform this act. I've finally lured a big fish."

The gatekeeper Disciple, seeing the newcomer, turned pale with fright and hurriedly bowed in panic, saying, "Disciple pays respect to True Spirit Ginseng!"

The Elixir Cauldron Sect had a very interesting tradition: once a Disciple successfully formed a Golden Core, they not only automatically became an elder of the Sect, but they also invariably adopted a name related to a Spiritual Medicine.

Spirit Ginseng is one of the most famous Spiritual Medicines in the Cultivation World.

Considering that this long-bearded elder had taken 'Spirit Ginseng' as his Taoist name, one could imagine his high status within the Elixir Cauldron Sect.