Chapter 768: Two of a Kind

Chapter 768: Liang Liang Xiang Cou

Soon, Dan Cheng sprang into action. The wide-open gates of Dan Cheng, closed for the first time in a thousand years, activated their nine-layer protective barrier.

On the streets, elders of Dan Cheng stood guard at every shop entrance, while teams of armored guards armed with spears patrolled back and forth. Even the vendors at the roadside stalls were quickly rounded up and controlled.

This operation in Dan Cheng created an atmosphere of tension in what was usually a peaceful city.

But all of this had its reasons.

Although Dan Cheng had formed an alliance with Ye Chen and his group, the matter was far from settled.

Dan Cheng was no ordinary force; it differed from the various cultivation families because its internal powers were intricate and complex. More than half of the stalls and shops along the streets belonged to other factions, merely operating in Dan Cheng's prosperous territory. While Dan Cheng had allied with Ye Chen, that didn't mean these other factions would do the same.

So, what seemed like a straightforward alliance involved a web of interests from various parties.

A shop owner stood at his shop's entrance, furrowing his brow as he watched the Dan Cheng guards passing by.

"What is Dan Cheng trying to do?"

"Rest assured and stay calm," the Dan Cheng elder stationed at the shop doors said with a slight smile. "It's just a routine check for spies."

"Spies?"

"Do not act rashly, or you may bring unnecessary trouble upon yourselves."

"Senior, isn't this making a bit too much of a commotion?" At the front of Dan Cheng's highest palace, Ye Chen stood there, observing the bustling city and turning his gaze to Dan Chen beside him.

"For safety's sake, these measures are necessary," Dan Chen said, taking a deep breath. "Over the years, far too many factions have infiltrated Dan Cheng through various means—enough to pose a real threat to us. Now that we've formed an alliance with you, it's time to clean them out."

"There's no need to eliminate them all," Ye Chen said with a smile. "With Dan Cheng's influence, if you extend an olive branch for an alliance, few factions would refuse."

"Don't worry, I have a good sense of how to handle this," Dan Chen replied, stroking his beard with a laugh. "My fellow disciples will approach them one by one to discuss it. I believe there won't be any major issues. As for those with ulterior motives, we won't show any mercy."

"By my estimate, this will yield quite a harvest," Ye Chen grinned. "Allied with Dan Cheng, and potentially with many other factions as well. Once we return, we'll prepare to wage war against Zheng Yang and unify Nan Chu."

"Your judgment is spot on," Dan Chen said, taking another deep breath. "The current state of Da Chu is unlike any era before. Our Dan Cheng intelligence network has uncovered numerous hidden and terrifying forces, all active in every corner of Da Chu. They were the great enemies of the Jiu Huang era, and though they've declined over the vast ages, their foundations remain intact."

"The tides of the world dictate that what unites will eventually divide, and what divides will unite. A so-called golden age requires not just passion, but a path forged through blood and bone."

"At such a young age, to have this level of insight—you're even more impressive than I imagined," Dan Chen said with a pleased smile.

"You're overpraising me, senior."

"Let's shift to talking about alchemy," Dan Chen said, changing the topic with a smile as he looked warmly at Ye Chen. "A year ago, you could already refine a four-pattern Ling Dan. By now, you must be able to easily produce a five-pattern Ling Dan."

"It's nothing much," Ye Chen said, flashing a set of white teeth.

"What about a six-pattern Ling Dan?" Dan Chen asked, smiling at Ye Chen.

"Well..." Ye Chen coughed lightly. "Honestly, I haven't tried it yet."

"I've given it a shot myself," Dan Chen said with a self-deprecating laugh, "but it always ends in failure."

"Senior, do you have the Dan Fang for a six-pattern Ling Dan?" Ye Chen asked, his eyes lighting up as he looked at Dan Chen.

"I do," Dan Chen nodded gently, not hiding anything. "But only half of it, pieced together carefully over centuries of research. Reconstructing the second half will take even more time, and the materials required for refining it are extremely hard to find."

"What a coincidence," Ye Chen said. "I've been researching a six-pattern Ling Dan lately, and the materials for it are also incredibly rare."

"You're researching a six-pattern Ling Dan too?"

"Just messing around with it!" Ye Chen replied, pulling an ancient scroll from his pocket and handing it to Dan Chen. It was covered in the names of hundreds of alchemy materials. "Take a look, senior. Do you have any of these in Dan Cheng? If so, I'd like to buy them. That's the other purpose of my visit, because these are so hard to track down. If even Dan Cheng doesn't have them, nowhere else will."

Ye Chen went on at length, but Dan Chen didn't respond right away. He was focused on examining the list of materials on the scroll, his eyes growing deeper with every line.

After a few seconds, Dan Chen closed the scroll and looked straight at Ye Chen. "Are you researching the Jiu Tian Ji Dan?"

Ye Chen let out a soft sound of surprise. "Senior, you know about it?"

"Of course I do," Dan Chen said with a slight smile. "Because we're researching the same Dan. And the materials you've listed match over ninety percent of what I've deduced."

"So, the half-Dan Fang you mentioned is for the Tian Ji Dan?"

"As you've guessed," Dan Chen nodded with a laugh. "I never expected that we're both working on the Tian Ji Dan."

"Senior, have you gathered all the materials for refining the Tian Ji Dan?"

"I've collected about eighty percent so far. There are still a few dozen kinds I haven't found."

"What about if we combine ours?" Ye Chen quickly pulled out a storage bag and handed it to Dan Chen. "I've only gathered nearly a hundred kinds. I wonder if together we can make a full set."

Dan Chen didn't say a word; he hurriedly took the storage bag, opened it, and glanced inside. His eyes instantly lit up, and even with his composure, his breathing grew rapid.

"How about it? Is it enough?" Ye Chen asked, staring intently at Dan Chen.

"Some materials you have, I have too, but others you have that I don't," Dan Chen said, breaking into a joyful smile. "Putting them together, we're only short of three kinds."

"Which three?" Ye Chen asked eagerly, unable to contain his excitement.

"Feng Sui, Long Xue, and Qi Lin Jiao."

"All divine beast materials!" Ye Chen exclaimed in astonishment. After a couple of seconds, he stroked his chin and pondered. "I've swallowed a drop of Bawang Long's Long Xue before. I wonder if my own essence blood could substitute for it."

"You've swallowed Long Xue?" Dan Chen asked, surprised.

"I did, in Tian Long Gu Cheng."

"If that's the case, your bloodline now carries the power of Long Xue, so it should work as a substitute."

"So, that just leaves Feng Sui and Qi Lin Jiao," Ye Chen said with a grin, feeling a bit excited.

"Though these two materials haven't shown up yet, even the slimmest hope in the face of despair holds infinite possibilities," Dan Chen said, taking a deep breath. "From now on, Dan Cheng will do everything in its power to search for them. Once we have them all, we can attempt to refine it."

"Senior, do you have a complete Tian Ji Dan here?" Ye Chen asked, looking at Dan Chen with a smile.

"We used to," Dan Chen replied. "Over the centuries, Dan Cheng has acquired Tian Ji Dan from Tian Xuan Men more than once. We've studied them in seclusion, but in the end, most were consumed. Speaking for myself, I've taken more than one Tian Ji Dan, yet my cultivation at the quasi-Tian peak hasn't advanced at all, let alone breaking through to the Tian realm."

"That's truly a shame," Ye Chen sighed, having hoped to examine a complete one, but now realizing he was mistaken.

"This is the Dan Fang I've deduced for the first half of the Tian Ji Dan," Dan Chen said, handing over a scroll. "There are inaccuracies in it, so it will need multiple tests."