què bù gǎn kāi kǒu xún wèn shén me ， tóng yàng zhuǎn tóu xiàng hòu wàng qù le 。
却不敢开口询问什么，同样转头向后望去了。
He didn't dare to ask what was going on and turned his head to look back.
nà dào dàn huáng sè de dùn guāng hǎo kuài ， jī hū shì yī zhǎ yǎn jiù lái dào le miàn qián ， biàn huà wèi yī shǎn shǎn liàng de yún tuán ， lǐ miàn yǒu yī lìn dà de shēn yǐng ruò yǐn ruò xiàn 。
那道淡黄色的遁光好快，几乎是一眨眼就来到了面前，变化为一闪闪亮的云团，里面有一吝大的身影若隐若现。
The faint yellow light moved incredibly fast, arriving before them in the blink of an eye. It transformed into a shimmering cloud, revealing a large figure that could be vaguely seen inside.
jīn líng děng rén zì shì kàn bù qīng chǔ ， kě cǐ rén sàn chū lái de wēi yā què ràng tā men bó rán biàn sè ， suī rán jù tǐ de jìng jiè wú fǎ tàn cè ， kě sì hū bǐ yǎn qián zhè wèi lín qián bèi hái gèng shèng yī chóu 。 nán dào duì fāng jìng shì zhōng qī dǐng fēng de gāo shǒu ？ jǐ rén yǒu xiē dǎn hán le 。
金灵等人自是看不清楚，可此人散出来的威压却让他们勃然变色，虽然具体的境界无法探测，可似乎比眼前这位林前辈还更胜一筹。难道对方竟是中期顶峰的高手？几人有些胆寒了。
The others couldn't see clearly, but the aura this person emitted made their hearts race. Although they couldn't determine his exact cultivation level, it seemed to surpass Lin Xuan's. Could he be a peak middle-stage cultivator? The group felt a chill down their spines.
xīn zhōng dí gū ， dàn biǎo huí shàng ， zì rán shì lù chū yī fù gōng jìng wú bǐ de shén sè ， tā men kě bù gǎn chù nù zhè zhǒng děng jí de lǎo guài wù 。 ér lín xuān zé méi tóu huī tiāo ， shàng qián yī bù bào le bào quán ：“ zài xià lín xuān ， jiàn guò huáng méi dào yǒu 。
心中嘀咕，但表茴上，自然是露出一副恭敬无比的神色，他们可不敢触怒这种等级的老怪物。而林轩则眉头徽挑，上前一步抱了抱拳：“在下林轩，见过黄眉道友。
They muttered in their minds but showed an extremely respectful demeanor on the surface; they didn’t dare to anger such a powerful old monster. Lin Xuan raised his fist slightly and said, "I am Lin Xuan. I have come to meet Yellow Brow Daoist."
nà yún tuán yī zhèn fān yǒng ， wù qì sàn kāi ， yī míng shēn cái gāo dà de lǎo zhě lù le chū lái ， tóng yán hè ， kàn shàng qù qǐ mǎ yǒu bǎi suì gāo líng ， rán ér yī jiù jīng shén jué shuò ， yóu qí shì yī duì huáng méi ， shí fēn de yǐn rén zhǔ mù 。 yuán yīng hòu qī de xiū xiān zhě ！ bú yòng shuō ， zì rán shì nà wèi huáng méi zhēn rén le 。
那云团一阵翻涌，雾气散开，一名身材高大的老者露了出来，童颜鹤，看上去起码有百岁高龄，然而依旧精神矍铄，尤其是一对黄眉，十分的引人瞩目。元婴后期的修仙者！不用说，自然是那位黄眉真人了。
The cloud swirled, dissipating into mist, revealing a tall elderly man with a youthful appearance, clearly over a hundred years old but still vigorous. His yellow eyebrows were particularly striking. An advanced婴后期 cultivator! Without saying more, it was undoubtedly the Yellow Brow True Man.
tā kàn le yī yǎn lín xuān ， liǎn shàng yě bù yóu de lù chū jǐ fēn chà yì lái ， cǐ rén hǎo nián qīng ， ér qiě miàn shēng dé jǐn ， nán dào shì xīn jìn jí de yuán yīng xiū shì ？ bú duì …… tā yǐ shì zhōng qī de xiū wèi ， yóu cǐ tuī duàn ， duō bàn shì yī wèi kǔ xiū zhī shì ， zuì jìn zǎn chū guān 。
他看了一眼林轩，脸上也不由得露出几分诧异来，此人好年轻，而且面生得紧，难道是新晋级的元婴修士？不对……他已是中期的修为，由此推断，多半是一位苦修之士，最近昝出关。
He glanced at Lin Xuan and showed some surprise on his face. This person seemed very young and unfamiliar. Could he be a newly promoted婴中期 cultivator? No… He had already reached middle-stage cultivation, so by deduction, he must be a hardworking cultivator who recently emerged from seclusion.
shuō qǐ lái ， zhè wèi huáng méi zhēn rén céng jīng jiàn guò lín xuān yí miàn ， zhǐ bù guò nà shí hòu ， lín xuān hái shì yī míng xiǎo xiǎo de níng dān qī xiū xiān zhě ， tā zì rán bú huì jiāng tā yǔ yǎn qián de wú yīng zhōng qī de lǎo guài wù lián xì qǐ lái 。
说起来，这位黄眉真人曾经见过林轩一面，只不过那时候，林轩还是一名小小的凝丹期修仙者，他自然不会将他与眼前的无婴中期的老怪物联系起来。
In fact, the Yellow Brow True Man had once met Lin Xuan before, but back then, Lin Xuan was just a young condensation core stage cultivator. Naturally, he wouldn't connect him with this middle-stage婴期 old monster in front of him.
hé kuàng lín xuān zhǎng xiàng pǔ tōng ， shǔ yú diū jìn rén duī jiù huì bèi lián wàng de nà zhǒng ， gù ér tā méi shén me yìn xiàng yě shì hěn zhèng cháng de 。“ dào yǒu kè qì le ， qǐng shù lǎo fū yǎn zhuō ， bù zhī gé xià shì nǎ pài de gāo rén ， xiān xiāng hé chù ？”“ hē hē ， lín mǒu xián yún yě hè ， bù guò yī jiè sàn xiū 。”“ nóng ， zhè dào qiǎo le ， lǎo fū tóng yàng xǐ huān wú jū wú shù ， gé xià lái cǐ ， mò fēi shì tì jīn lǎo guài zhù quán lái de ？”
何况林轩长相普通，属于丢进人堆就会被连忘的那种，故而他没什么印象也是很正常的。“道友客气了，请恕老夫眼拙，不知阁下是哪派的高人，仙乡何处？”“呵呵，林某闲云野鹤，不过一介散修。”“哝，这倒巧了，老夫同样喜欢无拘无束，阁下来此，莫非是替金老怪助拳来的？”
Moreover, Lin Xuan's appearance was ordinary; someone who could easily blend into the crowd and be forgotten. Therefore, it was perfectly normal for him to have no impression. "Daoist, you're too polite. Please forgive my poor eyesight. I don't know which sect you belong to or where your hometown is," he said with a smile.
“ zhù quán ？” lín xuān méi tóu yī tiāo ， liǎn shàng mǎn shì yí huò ：“ dào yǒu zài shuō shén me ， zài xià yǔ jīn xiōng sù wèi móu miàn ， tán hé zhù quán ， wǒ lái dào cǐ chù ， shì rèn shí tā mén xià de yī míng dì zǐ ， bìng xiǎng yào jiāo huàn yī xiē dōng xī 。”“ yuán lái rú cǐ 。” huáng méi zhēn rén tīng le ， biǎo qíng dùn shí yī huǎn ：“ nà shì lǎo fū wù huì le ， wǒ hái yǐ wéi gé xià shì jīn lǎo guài qǐng lái de bāng shǒu 。” lín xuān wēi xiào zhe yáo le yáo tóu 。
“助拳？”林轩眉头一挑，脸上满是疑惑：“道友在说什么，在下与金兄素未谋面，谈何助拳，我来到此处，是认识他门下的一名弟子，并想要交换一些东西。”“原来如此。”黄眉真人听了，表情顿时一缓：“那是老夫误会了，我还以为阁下是金老怪请来的帮手。”林轩微笑着摇了摇头。
"Ha ha, I am just a free-roaming cultivator without any affiliation."
zhè huáng méi zhēn rén lái zhě bù shàn ， kàn yàng zi sì hū yǔ nà jīn lǎo guài yǒu guò jié ， bù guò lín xuān zì rán bú huì shǎ shǎ de qù dǎ tīng shén me ， tā kě bù xiǎng bèi jiǎo jìn wú bì yào de xuán wō 。 zì jǐ zhǐ yào dé dào zǐ lián mù jiù kě yǐ lí kāi zhè shì fēi zhī chù 。
这黄眉真人来者不善，看样子似乎与那金老怪有过节，不过林轩自然不会傻傻的去打听什么，他可不想被搅进无必要的漩涡。自己只要得到紫莲木就可以离开这是非之处。
"That's fortunate. I also enjoy freedom. Could it be that you came here to assist Old Monster Jin?" Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow in confusion: "Daoist, what are you talking about? I have never met Brother Jin before. How could I possibly help him? I am here because I know one of his disciples and want to exchange some items."
ér bāo kuò jīn líng zài nèi de jǐ míng dī jiē dì zǐ zé tīng dé liǎn sè kǔ ， bù guò tā men yě bù gǎn hú luàn chā zuǐ shén me ， ér shì qiāo qiāo fàng chū le chuán yīn fú 。
而包括金灵在内的几名低阶弟子则听得脸色苦，不过他们也不敢胡乱插嘴什么，而是悄悄放出了传音符。
"Ah, I see." The Yellow Brow True Man's expression relaxed. "I misunderstood; I thought you were a helper invited by Old Monster Jin." Lin Xuan shook his head with a smile.
zhè yàng de xiǎo dòng zuò zì rán mán bù guò huáng méi zhēn rén de ěr mù ， dàn què gù zuò bù zhī ， yǐ tā dà xiū shì de shēn fèn dāng rán bù xiè yǔ jǐ míng zhù jī qī xiū shì yī bān jiàn shí 。
这样的小动作自然瞒不过黄眉真人的耳目，但却故作不知，以他大修士的身份当然不屑与几名筑基期修士一般见识。
The Yellow Brow True Man was not well-intentioned. It seemed he had a grudge against the old monster. However, Lin Xuan wouldn't be foolish to inquire about it. He didn’t want to get entangled in unnecessary trouble. As long as he obtained the purple lotus wood, he could leave this place.
bù guò piàn kè de gōng fu ， yī zhèn yōu rán de shēng yīn jiù cóng gǔ nèi zhuàn lái le ：“ yuán lái shì huáng méi dào yǒu ， lǎo fū hái yǐ wéi gé xià yào liǎng sān yuè hòu cái huì guāng lín bǐ gǔ ， méi xiǎng dào gé xià rú cǐ xīn jí ， hái yǒu zhè wèi lín dào yǒu ， tīng shuō nǐ yǔ líng ér rèn shí ， qǐng qù bì fēng gé shāo zuò ， lǎo fū zhè jiù chū lái jiàn kè 。”
不过片刻的功夫，一阵悠然的声音就从谷内传来了：“原来是黄眉道友，老夫还以为阁下要两三月后才会光临鄙谷，没想到阁下如此心急，还有这位林道友，听说你与灵儿认识，请去碧封阁稍坐，老夫这就出来见客。”
Meanwhile, Jin Ling and several other low-ranking disciples listened with troubled faces but did not dare to speak out. Instead, they discreetly sent out a sound transmission talisman.
lín xuān zì rán méi yǒu yì yì ， ér huáng méi zhēn rén yě shì yī fù wú suǒ wèi de yàng zi ， yú shì yóu jǐ míng zhù jī qī xiū shì yǐn lù ， tā men yì qǐ jìn rù le lí xiàn xiá zhōng 。
林轩自然没有异议，而黄眉真人也是一副无所谓的样子，于是由几名筑基期修士引路，他们一起进入了离线峡中。
Such small actions were naturally unnoticed by the Yellow Brow True Man, who pretended to be unaware of it. As a high-ranking cultivator, he had no interest in dealing with middle-stage foundation establishment cultivators.
lǐ miàn pǒ wèi kuān kuò ， ér qiě dào chù dōu shì měi lún měi huàn de tíng tái lóu gé ， qí huā yì cǎo shǔ bù shèng shǔ ， bù shí hái yǒu hǎn jiàn de zhēn qín yì shòu jìn rù dào yǎn lián zhī zhōng 。 lín xuān jiāng shén shí fàng chū ， ráo yǒu xìng zhì de sì chù dǎ liàng 。 tū rán tā yǎn qián yī liàng 。 yī dà piàn shù mù yǐn rù yǎn lián 。 cǐ shù wèi zǐ sè ， hái yǒu dàn dàn de xiāng qì jiàn chū 。 bú yòng shuō ， zì rán jiù shì cǐ xíng xiǎng yào xún zhǎo de zǐ lián mù 。
里面颇为宽阔，而且到处都是美轮美奂的亭台楼阁，奇花异草数不胜数，不时还有罕见的珍禽异兽进入到眼帘之中。林轩将神识放出，饶有兴致的四处打量。突然他眼前一亮。一大片树木引入眼帘。此树为紫色，还有淡淡的香气鉴出。不用说，自然就是此行想要寻找的紫莲木。
In just a few moments, a soothing voice echoed from within the valley: "It is indeed Yellow Brow Daoist. I thought you would only visit our Drifting Cloud Valley after two or three months. You seem quite impatient. And this Lin Daoist, I heard that you know Ling'er; please go to the Azure Seal Pavilion and wait for me. I will come out to meet you."
jiàn lín xuān tíng xià jiǎo bù ， huáng méi zhēn rén yī è ， lüè gǎn chà yì de kāi kǒu le ：“ zěn me ， zhè zhòng shù mù dào yǒu méi yǒu jiàn guò ， què shí shì lí xiàn xiá dú yǒu ， bù guò chú le yòng lái liàn zhì yī xiē xià pǐn líng qì ， bìng méi yǒu duō dà yòng tú ， yǐ dào yǒu de xiū wèi shén tōng ， mò fēi yíng huì kàn shàng cǐ wù ？
见林轩停下脚步，黄眉真人一愕，略感诧异的开口了：“怎么，这种树木道友没有见过，确实是离线峡独有，不过除了用来炼制一些下品灵器，并没有多大用途，以道友的修为神通，莫非迎会看上此物？
Lin Xuan had no objections, and the Yellow Brow True Man showed a nonchalant attitude as well. Led by several middle-stage cultivators, they entered the Drifting Cloud Valley.
“ dāng rán bú shì ， zhǐ shì cǐ shù de yán sè yǒu xiē qí tè ， gù ér yǒu diǎn chī jīng bà le 。 yǐ lín xuān de chéng fǔ ， dāng rán bú huì shǎ shǎ de jiāng zì jǐ de mù dì shuō chū ， huí guò tóu ， shén sè píng jìng de kāi kǒu 。 huáng méi zhēn rén bàn xìn bàn yí ， bù guò què yě méi yǒu jì xù zhuī wèn xià qù 。 yóu jǐ míng zhù jī qī xiū shì jiāng tā men dài dào le yī chù bàn shān yāo shàng de liáng tíng lǐ 。 qí yú jǐ rén tuì le xià qù ， zhǐ yǒu jīn líng shén sè zhuì zhuì de zài yī páng fú shì 。
“当然不是，只是此树的颜色有些奇特，故而有点吃惊罢了。以林轩的城府，当然不会傻傻的将自己的目的说出，回过头，神色平静的开口。黄眉真人半信半疑，不过却也没有继续追问下去。由几名筑基期修士将他们带到了一处半山腰上的凉亭里。其余几人退了下去，只有金灵神色惴惴的在一旁服侍。
Inside, it was spacious with elegant pavilions and terraces adorned with exotic flowers and plants. Rare birds and beasts occasionally caught their eyes. Lin Xuan released his spirit sense and looked around with interest. Suddenly, a large expanse of trees came into view. These were purple in color and emitted a faint fragrance.
huáng méi zhēn rén yǔ lín xuān suí kǒu xián liáo le qǐ lái ， yǒu yì wú yì de dǎ tàn zhe duì fāng de dǐ xì ， bù guò liǎng rén dōu shì lǎo hú lí ， zì rán dōu méi yǒu shén me shōu huò 。 guò le yuē yī zhǎn chá de gōng fu 。 yī dào yào yǎn de jīn hóng chū xiàn zài le gǔ nèi shēn chù ， bìng xùn jié yǐ jí de cháo zhè biān fēi guò lái le 。 lín xuān tíng kǒu bù yán ， yǎn jīng wēi mī le qǐ lái 。 hěn kuài ， nà dào jīn hóng jiù luò dào le liáng tíng lǐ miàn ， xiàn chū le yī zhōng nián xiū shì de róng yán 。
黄眉真人与林轩随口闲聊了起来，有意无意的打探着对方的底细，不过两人都是老狐狸，自然都没有什么收获。过了约一盏茶的功夫。一道耀眼的金虹出现在了谷内深处，并迅捷以极的朝这边飞过来了。林轩停口不言，眼睛微眯了起来。很快，那道金虹就落到了凉亭里面，现出了一中年修士的容颜。
Of course, they were the purple lotus wood he was looking for.
dà yuē sì shí shé suì nián jì ， shēn cái gāo dà yǐ jí ， guāng tóu chì zú ， shǒu bì jiù yǒu cháng rén de dà tuǐ cū ， hún shēn shàng xià jìn shì féi ròu ， gěi rén de gǎn jué jiù xiàng shì yī zuò ròu shān shì de 。 zhè jiù shì dà míng dǐng dǐng de jīn lǎo guài ， lín xuān biǎo qíng yǒu xiē è rán 。
大约四十佘岁年纪，身材高大以极，光头赤足，手臂就有常人的大腿粗，浑身上下尽是肥肉，给人的感觉就像是一座肉山似的。这就是大名鼎鼎的金老怪，林轩表情有些愕然。
Seeing Lin Xuan stop, the Yellow Brow True Man was surprised and asked: "Why? Have you never seen this kind of tree before? It is indeed unique to Drifting Cloud Valley. However, it has little practical use except for some lower-grade spirit artifacts. Do you have any interest in it?"
zhè fù xíng xiàng yǔ zì jǐ xiān qián de xiǎng xiàng wán quán bù yí yàng 。
这副形象与自己先前的想象完全不一样。
"Of course not. I am just surprised by the color of these trees," Lin Xuan replied with a calm expression. He wouldn’t reveal his true intentions so easily. The Yellow Brow True Man was half-believing and half-doubting but didn't press further.
huáng méi zhēn rén yě tái qǐ tóu ， biǎo qíng míng xiǎn bù shàn ， shàng xià dǎ liàng le duì fāng jǐ yǎn ， jiàn duì fāng luǒ lù de pí fū ， mào chū yī céng dàn dàn de jīn sè ， biǎo qíng bù yóu de yǒu xiē níng zhòng le ：“ nǐ de jīn xuán nèi jiǎ gōng yǐ liàn dào le dì wǔ céng ， kàn lái nà méi huà xíng qī xuán guī de nèi dān ， yǐ bèi nǐ wán quán liàn huà le 。”
黄眉真人也抬起头，表情明显不善，上下打量了对方几眼，见对方裸露的皮肤，冒出一层淡淡的金色，表情不由得有些凝重了：“你的金玄内甲功已练到了第五层，看来那枚化形期玄龟的内丹，已被你完全炼化了。”
Led by several middle-stage cultivators, they were brought to a pavilion halfway up the mountain. The others retreated, while Jin Ling stood anxiously nearby.
“ bù cuò ， dào yǒu rú guǒ zǎo lái jǐ tiān ， huò xǔ hái néng gěi nǐ liú xià yī dīng bàn diǎn ， bù guò xiàn zài me …… gé xià shì bái pǎo yī tàng le 。” jīn lǎo guài guài xiào zhe shuō ， miàn duì hòu qī dà xiū shì de nù huǒ ， jìng rán méi yǒu yì diǎn jù sè ，
“不错，道友如果早来几天，或许还能给你留下一丁半点，不过现在么……阁下是白跑一趟了。”金老怪怪笑着说，面对后期大修士的怒火，竟然没有一点惧色，
The Yellow Brow True Man chatted casually with Lin Xuan, probing his background without revealing much himself. After about a cup of tea's time, a brilliant golden light appeared deep within the valley and flew swiftly towards them. Lin Xuan didn't speak; he narrowed his eyes. Soon, the golden light landed in the pavilion, revealing a middle-aged cultivator.
liǎng rén jiū jìng yīn hé jié chóu ， lín xuān xiàn zài yě shì yún lǐ wù lǐ ， gèng bù dǎ suàn chān huo jìn qù ， bào le bào quán ：“ jīn xiōng ， liǎng wèi yǒu shén me ēn yuàn ， kě yǐ zì xíng jiě jué ， lín mǒu lái dào zhè lǐ ， shì xiǎng yào yǔ jīn líng gū niáng jiāo huàn yī xiē dōng xī ， kě fǒu ràng zài xià zàn qiě tuì qù 。”
两人究竟因何结仇，林轩现在也是云里雾里，更不打算掺和进去，抱了抱拳：“金兄，两位有什么恩怨，可以自行解决，林某来到这里，是想要与金灵姑娘交换一些东西，可否让在下暂且退去。”
He was around forty years old, towering with a bald head and bare feet. His arms were as thick as a man's thigh, covered in fat, making him look like a living mountain of flesh. This was the famous Old Monster Jin, and Lin Xuan’s expression changed.
jīn lǎo guài huí guò tóu ， kàn le yī yǎn lín xuān ：“ zhè wèi dào yǒu miàn shēng dé jǐn ， bù guò nǐ de shì qíng líng ér yǐ jīng duì wǒ shuō guò ， wán quán méi yǒu wèn tí ， zhǐ yào gé xià zhù wǒ miè shā le jìng huáng méi lǎo zéi ， nǐ yào duō shǎo zǐ lián mù dōu kě yǐ ， shèn zhì běn gǔ zhǔ hái kě yǐ lìng wài gěi nǐ yī dà bǐ chóu xiè 。
金老怪回过头，看了一眼林轩：“这位道友面生得紧，不过你的事情灵儿已经对我说过，完全没有问题，只要阁下助我灭杀了迳黄眉老贼，你要多少紫莲木都可以，甚至本谷主还可以另外给你一大笔酬谢。
This appearance was completely different from what he had imagined.
huáng méi zhēn rén tīng le ， yǎn zhōng shǎn guò yī sī nù qì ， bù guò zhè wèi dà xiū shì yě zhēn chén dé zhù qì ， jū rán yī jiù qì dìng shén xián de zuò zài nà lǐ 。
黄眉真人听了，眼中闪过一丝怒气，不过这位大修士也真沉得住气，居然依旧气定神闲的坐在那里。
The Yellow Brow True Man also raised his head with an unfriendly expression, scrutinizing the other person. Seeing the faint golden aura on his skin, his face grew serious: "You have reached the fifth layer of Golden玄Internal Armor Technique. It seems you have fully refined that advanced stage turtle's heart."
"Indeed, if you had come a few days earlier, I might have left something for you. But now… You’ve wasted your trip," Old Monster Jin said with a strange smile. He showed no fear in the face of an advanced cultivator’s anger.
Lin Xuan raised his fist and said, "Brother Jin, any grudges between the two of you can be resolved on your own. I came here to exchange some items with Miss Lingling. Can you allow me to leave?"
Old Monster Jin turned around and looked at Lin Xuan: "This Daoist looks unfamiliar, but Ling'er has already told me about your matters. There's no problem. As long as you help me eliminate that Yellow Brow old bastard, I can give you all the purple lotus wood you want. Even this valley’s master will offer a substantial reward."
The Yellow Brow True Man's eyes flashed with anger, but he remained calm and composed despite his irritation.
He didn't dare to ask what was going on and turned his head to look back.
The faint yellow light moved incredibly fast, arriving before them in the blink of an eye. It transformed into a shimmering cloud, revealing a large figure that could be vaguely seen inside.
The others couldn't see clearly, but the aura this person emitted made their hearts race. Although they couldn't determine his exact cultivation level, it seemed to surpass Lin Xuan's. Could he be a peak middle-stage cultivator? The group felt a chill down their spines.
They muttered in their minds but showed an extremely respectful demeanor on the surface; they didn’t dare to anger such a powerful old monster. Lin Xuan raised his fist slightly and said, "I am Lin Xuan. I have come to meet Yellow Brow Daoist."
The cloud swirled, dissipating into mist, revealing a tall elderly man with a youthful appearance, clearly over a hundred years old but still vigorous. His yellow eyebrows were particularly striking. An advanced婴后期 cultivator! Without saying more, it was undoubtedly the Yellow Brow True Man.
He glanced at Lin Xuan and showed some surprise on his face. This person seemed very young and unfamiliar. Could he be a newly promoted婴中期 cultivator? No… He had already reached middle-stage cultivation, so by deduction, he must be a hardworking cultivator who recently emerged from seclusion.
In fact, the Yellow Brow True Man had once met Lin Xuan before, but back then, Lin Xuan was just a young condensation core stage cultivator. Naturally, he wouldn't connect him with this middle-stage婴期 old monster in front of him.
Moreover, Lin Xuan's appearance was ordinary; someone who could easily blend into the crowd and be forgotten. Therefore, it was perfectly normal for him to have no impression. "Daoist, you're too polite. Please forgive my poor eyesight. I don't know which sect you belong to or where your hometown is," he said with a smile.
"Ha ha, I am just a free-roaming cultivator without any affiliation."
"That's fortunate. I also enjoy freedom. Could it be that you came here to assist Old Monster Jin?" Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow in confusion: "Daoist, what are you talking about? I have never met Brother Jin before. How could I possibly help him? I am here because I know one of his disciples and want to exchange some items."
"Ah, I see." The Yellow Brow True Man's expression relaxed. "I misunderstood; I thought you were a helper invited by Old Monster Jin." Lin Xuan shook his head with a smile.
The Yellow Brow True Man was not well-intentioned. It seemed he had a grudge against the old monster. However, Lin Xuan wouldn't be foolish to inquire about it. He didn’t want to get entangled in unnecessary trouble. As long as he obtained the purple lotus wood, he could leave this place.
Meanwhile, Jin Ling and several other low-ranking disciples listened with troubled faces but did not dare to speak out. Instead, they discreetly sent out a sound transmission talisman.
Such small actions were naturally unnoticed by the Yellow Brow True Man, who pretended to be unaware of it. As a high-ranking cultivator, he had no interest in dealing with middle-stage foundation establishment cultivators.
In just a few moments, a soothing voice echoed from within the valley: "It is indeed Yellow Brow Daoist. I thought you would only visit our Drifting Cloud Valley after two or three months. You seem quite impatient. And this Lin Daoist, I heard that you know Ling'er; please go to the Azure Seal Pavilion and wait for me. I will come out to meet you."
Lin Xuan had no objections, and the Yellow Brow True Man showed a nonchalant attitude as well. Led by several middle-stage cultivators, they entered the Drifting Cloud Valley.
Inside, it was spacious with elegant pavilions and terraces adorned with exotic flowers and plants. Rare birds and beasts occasionally caught their eyes. Lin Xuan released his spirit sense and looked around with interest. Suddenly, a large expanse of trees came into view. These were purple in color and emitted a faint fragrance.
Of course, they were the purple lotus wood he was looking for.
Seeing Lin Xuan stop, the Yellow Brow True Man was surprised and asked: "Why? Have you never seen this kind of tree before? It is indeed unique to Drifting Cloud Valley. However, it has little practical use except for some lower-grade spirit artifacts. Do you have any interest in it?"
"Of course not. I am just surprised by the color of these trees," Lin Xuan replied with a calm expression. He wouldn’t reveal his true intentions so easily. The Yellow Brow True Man was half-believing and half-doubting but didn't press further.
Led by several middle-stage cultivators, they were brought to a pavilion halfway up the mountain. The others retreated, while Jin Ling stood anxiously nearby.
The Yellow Brow True Man chatted casually with Lin Xuan, probing his background without revealing much himself. After about a cup of tea's time, a brilliant golden light appeared deep within the valley and flew swiftly towards them. Lin Xuan didn't speak; he narrowed his eyes. Soon, the golden light landed in the pavilion, revealing a middle-aged cultivator.
He was around forty years old, towering with a bald head and bare feet. His arms were as thick as a man's thigh, covered in fat, making him look like a living mountain of flesh. This was the famous Old Monster Jin, and Lin Xuan’s expression changed.
This appearance was completely different from what he had imagined.
The Yellow Brow True Man also raised his head with an unfriendly expression, scrutinizing the other person. Seeing the faint golden aura on his skin, his face grew serious: "You have reached the fifth layer of Golden玄Internal Armor Technique. It seems you have fully refined that advanced stage turtle's heart."
"Indeed, if you had come a few days earlier, I might have left something for you. But now… You’ve wasted your trip," Old Monster Jin said with a strange smile. He showed no fear in the face of an advanced cultivator’s anger.
Lin Xuan raised his fist and said, "Brother Jin, any grudges between the two of you can be resolved on your own. I came here to exchange some items with Miss Lingling. Can you allow me to leave?"
Old Monster Jin turned around and looked at Lin Xuan: "This Daoist looks unfamiliar, but Ling'er has already told me about your matters. There's no problem. As long as you help me eliminate that Yellow Brow old bastard, I can give you all the purple lotus wood you want. Even this valley’s master will offer a substantial reward."
The Yellow Brow True Man's eyes flashed with anger, but he remained calm and composed despite his irritation.