Chapter Five: The Saintess of Cicada Valley!

Yang Nan felt a sudden headache. He had not yet finalized the negotiation when Ni Cai stepped out to disrupt things.

"Brother Ni, has the Yuanjia Grotto-Heaven been secured?" Yang Nan diverted the topic, quickly turning his attention to Ni Cai.

Upon hearing Yang Nan’s inquiry, Ni Cai instantly cast the formation diagram aside and cried out, "Alright, alright! That Blue Star woman doesn't know true value and abandoned Yuanjia’s big tortoise shell without a second thought. I exerted a tremendous amount of effort and finally managed to hook this treasure back. After refining it this time, I’ve gained yet another magical treasure. If there are enough materials, I daresay I could even build an immortal’s dwelling!"

Yang Nan smiled faintly. "With Brother Ni’s great talent, making a personal move means success was guaranteed, right?"

Ni Cai gestured wildly and said, "Do you think my title as the Grandmaster of the Array Sect is for nothing? Having refined countless arrays over these past days, I had long since thoroughly comprehended the opening restrictions of that grotto-heaven. Coupled with the acquisition chants, it couldn't defeat me. However, to refine it into a magical treasure for my own use, I still need to ponder it further..."

Here, Ni Cai abruptly turned his head and shouted, "Hey, pretty boy! Where is your Panxi Array Diagram? Can you let me take a look at it? With this array diagram for reference, perhaps I could completely unravel the old tortoise's restrictions!"

Though Ni Cai rambled incoherently, Bai Yulang did not get angry. With a full smile, he brought over the three items from the table. Ni Cai, not entirely lacking in sense, waved his hand and said, "I won't look at your array diagram just yet. Let you and Yang Nan finish your talks first, or else you'll definitely claim we reneged! Though the treasure is fine, I cannot afford to ruin my reputation!"

He chewed voraciously through a final mouthful, ate and drank on his own, swept away the remaining food on the table like a whirlwind, and finally patted his belly with a laugh. "I'm off to refine that big tortoise shell now. A-Nan, once the talks are settled, immediately send that array diagram over to me."

Yang Nan watched with an amused expression as this eccentric character swaggered away. With Ni Cai causing such a disruption, Bai Yulang held the upper hand in confidence, and extracting any further benefits would likely prove difficult. Pondering for a moment, Yang Nan smiled and said, "Please forgive Brother Ni’s lack of manners, Brother Bai."

Bai Yulang gently shook his head. "How could this younger brother take offense at a person of such genuine nature? To have such an extraordinary talent under your command, Brother Yang, is truly something to be deeply envied. However, regarding Brother Yang's thoughts on my proposal..."

Yang Nan raised a palm and said calmly, "Brother Bai, it is not that this younger brother is stingy. The River-Luo Heavenly Mystery Diagram is my supreme method for recruiting demon masses from across the realm, and I will definitely not hand it over to others. Brother Bai is truly placing me in a difficult position this time. These three peerless items coupled with the *Zhexuan Rebirth Manual* are more than enough for the trade. I only wonder why Brother Bai is doing this?"

Profit moves people's hearts, and Yang Nan was not a particularly greedy person. The Panxi Array Diagram was a supreme, profound formation of the highest order in the world, rumored to conceal a great secret within. The Mingcai Twin-Flying Wings were magical treasures refined by the Cicada Sage, utilizing the very pair of transparent wings from his back; legends claimed a single flap covered a thousand miles, making them truly extraordinary. The Profound Weapon Vast Sea was an unparalleled water-element divine weapon; aside from the Water-Element Supreme Ultimate Origin Annihilation Sword—one of the top ten divine weapons in the world—the rank of this profound weapon was nearly equivalent to immortal grade!

Adding a copy of the *Zhexuan Rebirth Manual* to trade for a peerless demon cultivation manual was absolute more than enough!

Yet, why on earth was Bai Yulang being so generous?

If he did not figure this out, Yang Nan might end up being backstabbed later, and he would surely regret it beyond measure!

No matter how good an item was, one had to ask clearly before using it. After all, this Bai Yulang had only just met Yang Nan for the first time!

Seeing that Yang Nan harbored deep guard, Bai Yulang knew that unless he dispelled this suspicion, even if all the treasures in the world were piled upon Yang Nan, he would not accept them!

Those who practice the Dao must guard against greed, and Yang Nan’s composure training had truly reached a high level. Suddenly, Bai Yulang stood up, gently shook his wrist, and pulled out the pearl hairpin from the top of his head. His black hair cascaded down, and coupled with his peerless visage, it actually exuded a sacred aura!

He stretched out a pair of jade-white hands and gently stroked his face. The eyebrows on that breathtakingly beautiful face curved like new moons, and his lips were as vibrant as fresh flowers. How could there still be any trace of the handsome, sword-browed appearance from before?

Yet, this countenance surpassed his previous handsome young master's appearance by several notches, reaching a level of breathtaking beauty akin to a descending immortal maiden!

Among the women Yang Nan had seen in his lifetime, his master Bu Xu was the pinnacle, but Bai Yulang’s looks were actually three parts more beautiful than Bu Xu's!

That sacred and inviolable radiance left even the famously handsome Sturgeon Maiden attendants staring in a trance.

Having clearly seen this Bai Yulang with her long hair down, Yang Nan was suddenly enlightened: Bai Yulang was no young master at all, but rather Bai Yuniang! With this sacred, inviolable, and overwhelmingly radiant countenance, wouldn't he be completely blind to still treat her as a man?

Long Yao sprang to her feet and shouted coldly, "You are actually a woman? What is your true intention?"

Seeing the princess's expression turn unkind, the accompanying guards and soldiers all drew their magical treasures, filling the grand hall with an atmosphere of stern hostility! As long as Bai Yuniang failed to handle this properly, they would launch a collective assault!

Yang Nan waved a hand with a smile and said, "What are you all doing? Brother Bai... ah, Lady Bai harbors no ill intent. Why haven't you withdrawn yet?"

Long Yao let out a cold snort and reluctantly sat back down. Seeing that the princess said nothing, the surrounding guards sheepishly retracted their magical treasures. Bai Yuniang offered a gentle smile, radiating a peerless sanctity. "Brother Yang, this younger sister's surname is Bai, with the single given name Yu. Please forgive my discourtesy, but one must disguise oneself when traveling to avoid trouble; I had no intention of deceiving Brother Yang." She bowed her head, appearing extremely sincere.

Yang Nan nodded. He didn't care in the least—what did it matter whether this son of the Cicada Sage was male or female?

As long as she wasn't an enemy...

"Since Lady Bai has come with a single purpose, this matter must surely have a great deal to do with your esteemed father, right?" Yang Nan instantly guessed Bai Yu's motive! If something hadn't happened to the Cicada Sage, how could Bai Yu, noble as a princess, stoop so submissively to a minor Taoist priest like himself?

Though Yang Nan lacked immense vanity, he wasn't narcissistic enough to think he could effortlessly captivate all the beauties in the world.

Bai Yu nodded with a dim expression and said, "Brother Yang has guessed correctly. My father, Bai Xuan, has practiced the *Zhexuan Rebirth Manual* to the ninth revolution. After nine thousand years of grueling time, his physical body has been refined to the ultimate indestructible realm, but his divine soul struggles to form. Each revolution of the *Zhexuan Rebirth Manual* takes a thousand years. Now, nine thousand years later, my father's divine soul is weak. Without a peerless cultivation method to strengthen the divine soul, he will absolutely be unable to unite his divine soul and achieve immortal ascension.

"The situation in Cicada Valley is currently critical. If my father is no more, the one hundred thousand insect demons of Cicada Valley will face a catastrophic disaster in an instant! Therefore, upon hearing that the Thirty-Six River-Luo Heavenly Mystery Diagram had fallen into Brother Yang's hands, I hurried here. Please forgive any offense I may have caused, Brother Yang!"

Bai Yu spoke without concealment of a great secret concerning Cicada Valley, and this sincerity moved Yang Nan.

Speaking of her father, Bai Yu looked as though she might shed tears at any moment. Paired with her sacred visage, it was truly enough to instantly arouse a sense of tender pity in any man in the world. This demeanor was by no means pretentious; cicada demons were naturally sacred, surviving solely on the pure spiritual water and flower dew of heaven and earth, making them the purest demons in existence, and even their innate demonic aura was far fainter than that of other monsters.

Such a sacred aura was born naturally and could never be cultivated through acquired means.

Seeing her pitiful and touching appearance, Long Yao furrowed her brows and thought inwardly, "Yet another country-ruining siren!"

Acting as if he hadn't noticed at all, Yang Nan maintained his calm demeanor and said, "I already understand Lady Bai's intent. Presumably, those giving you a hard time are also among the Ten Great Demon Sages of the world, right?"

Bai Yu nodded and lowered her voice. "Hanxing the Phoenix Sage and Yuanji the Flower Sage are both mortal enemies of my father. Furthermore, Kuixing the Lion Sage once proposed marriage to my father, demanding that his son, Kuihan, take me as his wife. I flatly refused, which inevitably angered Lion Sage Kuixing. The three demon valleys have joined forces; without my father, there will be no Cicada Valley."

Yang Nan's heart sank. Although Cicada Valley possessed a following of one hundred thousand, the subordinates of the other demon sages were also strong as clouds. If the Cicada Sage were to die, the one hundred thousand beings of Cicada Valley would truly face annihilation! It was no wonder Bai Yu was in such desperate haste—destruction was right before their eyes, and it was enough to drive anyone to use any means necessary!

Yang Nan sighed inwardly: after nine thousand years of karmic reincarnation through life and death, the Cicada Sage ultimately found it hard to escape the fate of destruction. Although demon cultivation was inherently harder than human cultivation, failing to attain ascension after nine thousand years demonstrated just how difficult the path to immortality truly was!

Long Yao said coldly, "The factions of Phoenix Valley, Flower Valley, and Lion Valley are not weak. If Yang Nan helps you, he will become enemies with them. How can this possibly be done?"

These words made sense. If the Cicada Sage recovered in the future, the other valleys naturally would not fight to the death with Cicada Valley; however, Yang Nan would have gratuitously offended three major factions, leaving him with endless trouble down the line!

Cicada Valley promised today to lend Yang Nan a helping hand, but what if they reneged in the future?

Bai Yu's face turned pale, and she suddenly said with resolute sternness, "I know this matter places Brother Yang in a difficult position. If Brother Yang can trust this younger sister, I will take the manual back to the valley for my father to cultivate. I am willing, despite my meager looks, to serve by a gentleman's side. From this day forth, this body belongs to Brother Yang. My father has only me as a daughter; he will definitely not sit by and ignore this!"

Seeing that she had actually thought of such a method, Long Yao firmly objected, "No! How could any single person compare to the safety of tens of thousands of demon masses in the Spirit Beast Mountain? This is absolutely unacceptable!" She was already eager to push Bai Yu away; how could she possibly agree to such a condition?

Disregarding her rejection entirely, Bai Yu fixed her gaze steadily upon Yang Nan. "Brother Yang, if you still refuse, this younger sister will draw a sword and take her own life right here. The lives of the one hundred thousand souls in Cicada Valley rest entirely upon a single thought from Brother Yang!"

With a flip of her hand, a transparent feather sword, thin as a cicada's wing, rested across her jade-white neck. Under her slight agitation, she exerted a bit too much force, and a sharp feather sword cut a small gash on her neck, a trickle of blood slowly flowing down the blade!

If Yang Nan refused, this peerless woman would likely commit suicide on the spot. Bai Yu's resolute and decisive appearance reminded Yang Nan of Fang Qingyan from back then. He sighed softly and said, "Lady Bai, there is no need for this. Just take the Thirty-Six River-Luo Heavenly Mystery Diagram. Yang Nan is a practitioner of the Dao and holds little regard for female beauty; let us drop any talk of marriage. I only fear that this River-Luo Heavenly Mystery Diagram may fail to cure the Cicada Sage, which would only cause you sorrow in the end."

A demon cultivation manual was useless to Yang Nan anyway; using it to forge a favorable affinity was a good thing. Moreover, Bai Yu was striving to the utmost to seek medicine for her father, and Yang Nan was similarly trying to find medicine for his wife, giving them a sense of shared adversity.

Seeing Yang Nan consent, Bai Yu's pretty face lit up with wild joy, and she nodded repeatedly. "It will not! This River-Luo Heavenly Mystery Diagram was originally the possession of Yuanjia the Tortoise Sage. It is a premier divine method for cultivating the divine soul. Tortoise Sage Yuanjia relied on this very method to rest for ten thousand years. Although he later failed to break through to the immortal realm, the reason lay in his physical body, not his divine soul. Had it not been for this, how could a single spark of his spirit have remained undestinguished through soul-disinsemination into the mortal world?"

Yang Nan nodded. "You mean to say that after Yuanjia's soul-disinsemination, he will still remember his past life?"

Bai Yu nodded affirmatively. "Although Yuanjia has been reborn, his divine soul is incomparably powerful. Once his cultivation in this lifetime reaches a certain stage, he will definitely remember his past life. This is all thanks to the merit of the River-Luo Heavenly Mystery Diagram. It is simply a pity that this peerless cultivation method is a demon method; though Brother Yang is human and possesses this supreme treasure, he cannot cultivate it himself. Truly a pity."

Only then did Yang Nan understand why Yuan Na was so vastly different from other soul-disseminated beings, actually managing to recall his previous life afterward!

Thinking of Yuan Na stirred a completely different feeling within his heart...

Yang Nan chuckled and said, "There's no need to worry about that. If I strive hard, there will naturally be countless immortal cultivation manuals waiting for me in Kunlun in the future. As for divine techniques that keep the soul undestinguished, I don't care for them all that much!"

Possessing both the Indestructible Yin-Yang Wheel divine ability and Yin-Yang dual energies, his divine soul would sooner or later become an indestructible soul; why would he care about some Thirty-Six River-Luo Heavenly Mystery Diagram?

He merely intended to use such demon cultivation manuals as rewards for his subordinate demon masses!

Seeing Yang Nan's nonchalant expression, Bai Yu felt immense admiration and said, "Brother Yang's righteousness commands this younger sister's utmost respect. Since the matter is settled, please fetch the River-Luo Heavenly Mystery Diagram for me, Brother Yang, so this younger sister may hurry back to Cicada Valley to report to my father." Anxious only to memorize the manual, she couldn't even spare a moment to wipe the blood from her neck.