Chapter 713 - 99: Encountering the Artifact Spirit Again (2)

As for the demands that Li Ji’an mentioned earlier, Wu Yishan did not break his promise, compensating with five Tier Three middle-stage spirit talismans. However, he truly could not provide the Fourth Grade treasure robe that Li Ji’an had casually mentioned before.

But Wu Yishan didn’t bring up the Fourth Grade magical treasure, the Flame Demon Spear, obtained in the "Breaking Array".

"President Wu, you are being too generous." Li Ji’an put away the spirit talismans, smiling and cupping his hands.

Wu Yishan waved his hands repeatedly, "Fellow Daoist Chang’an, you are too polite. This was all due to my lack of strict guidance, and I, Wu, am obliged to pay the price!"

"You rebellious child, quickly offer a toast to True Man Chang’an and Alchemist Guo." At this point, Wu Yishan glared again at Wu Yehua, who was waiting by the side, and reprimanded him.

Wu Yehua hurriedly stepped forward, pouring and offering wine with an apologetic smile.

Li Ji’an was already well aware of Wu Yehua’s character, someone who could bend and stretch as a true talent.

In his view, Wu Yehua was more suitable to take over the Jinhua Commerce Association than someone as rigid as Wu Chengzhi.

"Since President Wu treats me so kindly, should I say or not say something, Li wonders?" After drinking the wine offered by Wu Yehua, Li Ji’an hesitated slightly.

"Please, Fellow Daoist Chang’an, speak frankly. I, Wu, am all ears!" Wu Yishan hurriedly urged eagerly.

Li Ji’an glanced at the senior members of the Jinhua Commerce Association who were accompanying the wine.

"You’ve all worked hard today, you may leave first, and I will accompany Fellow Daoist Chang’an." Wu Yishan immediately dismissed everyone.

Only then did Li Ji’an lower his voice and say, "Regarding the position of Commerce Alliance Leader, I advise President Wu to think thrice. Your vote will have no impact on the final outcome, but it concerns the future of your Jinhua Commerce Association."

"Haha, I seem a bit tipsy, didn’t say anything I shouldn’t have, did I?"

"Ah? Haha, did Fellow Daoist Chang’an say something? I’m afraid I was also a bit drunk and heard nothing." Wu Yishan was momentarily taken aback, then hurriedly cooperated with Li Ji’an.

However, his heart was actually tightening in secret.

When the "Breaking Array" ended, he was indeed shocked by the foundation of the Nine Tripods Commerce Association.

But in the past two years, the Fierce Tiger Commerce Association’s all-out effort had also impressed him greatly.

Therefore, his heart actually leaned more towards the Fierce Tiger Commerce Association.

And at this moment, Li Ji’an’s certainty made him even more uneasy.

"Is the Nine Tripods Commerce Association so confident?"

"Have they secretly secured enough votes?"

"If I cast my vote for the Nine Tripods Commerce Association during the voting, can it compensate for today’s offense?"

The more he thought about it, the more uncertain he felt inside.

During the subsequent banquet, he was even more frequently lost in thought.

Ultimately, he could only excuse himself by claiming there was a major issue at the commerce association that needed urgent attention and temporarily left, instructing Wu Yehua to serve well.

Once Wu Yishan left, Wu Yehua began to play more freely.

After several tests, he discovered that Li Ji’an’s attitude towards him was not as harsh as it was in public, and he believed that Li Ji’an was deliberately treating him as a pawn.

As such, he became more unreserved.

After three rounds of wine, Wu Yehua suddenly shifted the topic: "I heard that True Man Chang’an comes from the Celestial Cyan Domain, may I ask if the True Man knows a cultivator named Liu Qingyun?"

Li Ji’an remained calm and shook his head slightly, "Never heard of him."

"That’s truly strange then..." Wu Yehua sighed.

Just as Li Ji’an was about to tease him further, Ning Sujin transmitted a message, "Husband, there’s a strange spiritual resonance in the backyard."

Reminded by Ning Sujin, he fully opened his divine sense, unobtrusively probing into the backyard.

"It’s her again, Wu Miaozhen?"

The person in the backyard was completely exposed under his divine sense scan.

It was none other than Wu Yehua’s fourth sister, Wu Miaozhen.

Back when he joined the Jinhua Commerce Association as Liu Qingyun, Wu Miaozhen had initially approached him inquisitively.

She had even made physical contact with him.

And during that physical contact, Li Ji’an unexpectedly sensed a foreign power entering his body.

Since then, he deliberately avoided Wu Miaozhen.

However, the other party also seemed to proactively avoid him, so he no longer paid any mind.

"What kind of anomaly is it? Decades ago, I also sensed a trace of the unusual." Li Ji’an immediately voiced this to Ning Sujin.

"It’s somewhat similar to my primordial spirit but different, and the sensing is very faint and blurry. However, there seems to be some familiarity, and I feel like I’ve sensed it before somewhere." Ning Sujin responded.

Li Ji’an felt a slight shock in his heart.

The fact that Ning Sujin’s current primordial spirit power couldn’t fully sense it exemplified its terrifying nature.

Moreover, with divine sense on par with Core Formation ascendants today, he couldn’t sense a thing.

"What could it possibly be?" Li Ji’an held his breath slightly.

But he soon relaxed internally.

If the other party had malicious intent towards him, he would not have been spared decades ago.

"Junior Wu Miaozhen greets True Man Chang’an, Alchemist Guo, and the two ladies." At this moment, Wu Miaozhen boldly walked over, gracefully greeting all four.

"True Man Chang’an, this is my fourth sister," Wu Yehua hurriedly introduced.

Li Ji’an nodded slightly.

"Thank you, True Senior Chang’an, for your leniency on today’s matters. This humble girl offers a toast to the senior." After greeting, Wu Miaozhen respectfully picked up a wine pot, offering a drink to Li Ji’an.

"Hmm? Not again?" As she offered a toast, she once more attempted to make physical contact with him.

"Could it be that she needs physical contact to gather some information about me?" Li Ji’an skillfully avoided it.

Unable to make contact with Li Ji’an, Wu Miaozhen appeared slightly disappointed, having to drink a cup of spirit wine honestly.

"Husband, the spiritual resonance is not coming from this girl’s sea of consciousness, but from her dantian," Ning Sujin transmitted again at this time.

At close range, Ning Sujin’s sensing was even clearer.

"Indeed, this is right. The energy is similar to the one we sensed from the Dragon-Suppressing Cauldron in the Dragon Burial Cave back then. But compared to the almost dissipated aura from the cauldron back then, the aura emitted from this girl’s body is denser,"

"Hmm? Is it similar to the aura from the Dragon-Suppressing Cauldron?" Li Ji’an was inwardly shocked.

What kind of aura could be on the Dragon-Suppressing Cauldron?

It was an ancient Spiritual Treasure, and although worn down by time, its artifact spirit long extinct, there was residual artifact spirit aura remaining.

"Could this girl possess a Spiritual Treasure?"

"It’s highly likely!" Ning Sujin affirmed.

"A Foundation Establishment junior cultivator possessing a Spiritual Treasure!" Li Ji’an felt his heart in turmoil.

In the present Post-Ancient Era, treasures from the Upper Three Grades are already extremely rare.

As for Spiritual Treasures, they are virtually extinct.

Only three are known in the entire Great Marsh Cultivation Realm, and all are in the hands of veteran Nascent Soul True Monarchs in the Central Ten Domains!

"This humble girl offers the senior another toast, thanking the senior for being magnanimous towards my foolish brother." Just as Li Ji’an was internally in shock, Wu Miaozhen once again used the opportunity of toasting to try to make physical contact with him.

"Haha, the young friend overly honors me!" Li Ji’an skillfully dodged again.

Wu Miaozhen drank another cup and dejectedly set down the cup.

Suddenly, Li Ji’an’s divine sense detected a sharp change in her mind.

"Senior, please continue to enjoy your drink, this humble girl will first take her leave."

Immediately, without waiting for Li Ji’an to respond, she hurriedly left, returning to the backyard.

She didn’t stop until she reached her secret chamber, activating all the defensive formations.

Only then did Wu Miaozhen urgently ask, "Grandma Shui, what happened? I haven’t found the chance to make contact with the True Man Chang’an yet."

A kindly, elderly voice soon spoke, "It’s enough, that female cultivator beside True Man Chang’an is not simple; her divine sense is comparable to the True Monarch’s primordial spirit."

"What? The female cultivator is comparable to a True Monarch?" Wu Miaozhen was greatly shocked.

"Stay calm, it’s only her divine sense that is comparable, and there’s no True Monarch magical power wave.

If my guess isn’t wrong, she’s either a soul cultivator or a True Monarch who has assumed a new body to cultivate again," Grandma Shui reassured.

"I see!" Wu Miaozhen let out a sigh of relief.

She then asked again, "Grandma Shui, you haven’t told me why you wanted me to make contact with that True Man Chang’an?"

On hearing this, Grandma Shui was slightly silent.

Only after a moment did she slowly say, "I sensed a familiar aura on him."

"A familiar aura?" Wu Miaozhen asked in disbelief.

"Grandma Shui, you’ve been slumbering for thousands of years and nurturing in our line’s dantians, how could you feel a familiar aura? Unless a figure from several thousand years ago is reincarnated?"

"No, do you remember that chubby cultivator decades ago?" Grandma Shui spoke gently.