Silver Dragon Island, cold wind brushing the face.

    The boundless water rippled in circles after circles.

    Qin Ming, Long Nu Sanjiu, Ding Xu, and others all looked towards Chen Yun, as if waiting for an answer.

    About half a year after entering the Heavenly Cave of Yueyun Lake, everyone had long since become devoted to Chen Yun under his repeated demonstration of divine power to save the situation.

    Naturally, after hearing the inquiry from the sea nymph leader, a crowd of people waited for Chen Yun to make a decision.

    The sea nymph leader and the sea nymph warriors were in exactly the same situation, waiting for Chen Yun's reply.

    Frankly speaking, Chen Yun felt that the danger posed by the sea nymph tribe would be even higher if they were malevolent.

    Why is that?

    Because the sea nymph leader had previously hinted that the king of the sea nymphs seemed to have the ability to defeat a dragon alone.

    That's one reason.

    Secondly, the sea nymph leader's cultivation level is immeasurable. In fact, Chen Yun's form outside of his body has an intuitive feeling that the other party is stronger than him. Although the sea nymph warriors are not as strong as the sea nymph leader, each of them seems to have a power comparable to that of an advanced mage.

    Imagine a sea nymph king who can single-handedly defeat a dragon. There must be numerous other leaders within the tribe with a power similar to the sea nymph leader. Adding to that, the countless sea nymph warriors. If they were to attack, how could they possibly be a match for them?

    Just because you single-handedly defeated a dragon with the help of the divine weapon, the Five-Color Azure Stone Pagoda, it seems impressive.

    In reality, Chen Yun was well aware that if the dragon hadn't suppressed its strength to only using two-tenths of its power, even with the Five-Color Azure Stone Pagoda at his disposal, he probably wouldn't have been effective.

    The key to being able to use the Five-Color Azure Stone Pagoda to subdue the other party was the Continuous Soul Suppression Art, which bought him time.

    If the dragon had used all its might, Chen Yun believed his soul suppression technique couldn't even invade the other party's consciousness, let alone summon the divine weapon to lock them down and subdue them.

    Although the sea nymphs appear benevolent, for everyone's safety, Chen Yun thought it was best not to go.

    It's just that he really wants to obtain the rare and precious Heavenly Grass, and not going is how to get it?

    Thoughtful, Chen Yun looked at the sea nymph leader and courteously declined, "Thank you for your kind offer, Daoist and I with my companions have arrived at the Heavenly Cave of Yueyun Lake from outside, we can only stay here for a year, or else we will be crushed into fragments by the powerful force of the cave. Now that half of the time has passed, we must leave to reach the exit. I'm afraid we don't have time to visit your palace in the sea nymph tribe."

    Qin Ming, Long Nu Sanjiu, Ding Xu, and the others heaved a slight sigh of relief. They actually thought along the same lines as Chen Yun and dared not risk their lives.

    The sea nymph leader didn't think too much about it and smiled, "Our sea nymph tribe isn't actually within the cave, but the world we live in has some parts that overlap with the cave. The overlapping parts are where our tribe lives, so every 50 years, we are forced to enter the cave. This is actually a great danger to our tribe. Strong cultivators often invade, treating us as spiritual beasts and even stripping us for our fur, bones, and internal organs to extract spiritual beads. I invited you to visit our palace in the sea nymph tribe because your actions and behaviors differ from other cultivators. You didn't treat Jiāo Niáo as a spiritual beast and saved her life. As a life-saving favor, we treat it equally. That's why I invited you. Even if you don't have time to return to the exit, you won't be crushed by the powerful force of the cave; at most, you can stay in our world for 50 years."

    Chen Yun asked curiously, "You are not from within the cave?"

    The sea nymph leader seemed to have a lot of information about this and explained in detail, "The Heavenly Cave of Yueyun Lake is how you call it, but it is actually part of the Jingzhou fairyland. The Jingzhou fairyland is connected with all the heavens and worlds. When it officially opens, the connected parts will be swept away by the immense power of the fairyland and all fall into the cave. For example, the dragon you subdued just now is not a dragon born and bred within the cave; he is also from our world. That's why he knows about our sea nymph tribe."

    Another sea nymph warrior, slightly less imposing than the sea nymph leader, added, "In reality, most of the spiritual beasts within the Heavenly Cave of Yueyun Lake are not native creatures. Only some super powerful spiritual beasts are true descendants of the cave. Therefore, when the cave opens, those spiritual beasts dare not wander around for fear that they will be crushed into fragments by the power when the cave closes."

    Chen Yun heard this for the first time and couldn't help but feel a spark of interest.

    Perhaps Qin Ming, Long Nu Sanjiu, and Ding Xu, and others are also the first time they hear such a saying. They all look curious.

    Qin Ming asked in confusion, "Don't those treasured items also come from the nurturing of the cave?"

    "No." The sea nymph leader shook his head, "Various heavenly grasses, treasured items, and treasures from the earth are all cultivated by the great power of the cave. In other words, some things are brought into the cave by the overlap of worlds and then nurtured by the great power of the cave into spiritual roots, treasures, and so on. For example, that Silver Dragon Needle is said to have been a bone left behind by the ancestor of a dragon that died long ago. After millions of years of spiritual qi nourishment from the great power of the cave, it gradually became a powerful treasure."

    Chen Yun was puzzled and said, "Since the Silver Dragon Needle is made from the bones of the dragon's ancestor and possesses immense power, why not take it?"

    Among them, Long Nu Sanjiu, Ding Xu, and Zhang Ling nodded in agreement, as if they also couldn't understand why.

    The sea nymph leader said, "I don't know why it is not taken. But my sea nymph tribe also has a treasure that is constantly cultivated by the great power of the cave for years. That treasure possesses unparalleled power that can destroy the sky and earth, but my sea nymph tribe will only use it once in case of a catastrophic crisis that could lead to our extinction. Otherwise, we will keep it in place to accept the cultivation from the great power of the cave, making it stronger and stronger."

    He paused for a moment, then said meaningfully, "The longer something is stored in the cave, the higher its quality becomes. Therefore, I suspect that the reason why the dragon does not take the Silver Dragon Needle is that it hopes the treasure will become increasingly powerful under the cultivation of the cave's great power, so that one day when it achieves enlightenment, it can retrieve it as a proof of its path to enlightenment."

    It's not surprising that the dragon became enraged all of a sudden when it heard that they were going to take the Silver Dragon Needle from their side.

    So it's their ancestor's bones, and possibly even an item for enlightenment. Who wouldn't be angry?

    Chen Yun, Long Nu Sanjiu, Ding Xu, and the others were all deep in thought.

    The sea nymph leader extended the invitation once again, "Gentlemen, I have explained everything so clearly. Will you be willing to visit our palace of the sea nymph tribe?"

    Qin Ming, Zhang Ling, and Sun Yan cast their gazes toward Chen Yun once again.

    "Although going to the sea nymph tribe's palace would be safe for us, we still need to return to our own world, and it would still delay our journey." Chen Yun still refused, "We will visit the Heavenly Cave of Yueyun Lake next time and go there. Thank you, General, for your kind offer."

    The sea nymph leader sighed, "Okay, since the gentlemen refuse to come, I can't force them. However, I must say that not returning this great favor of saving Jiao Niang would make me unable to sleep well. So, if you have any desired heavenly grasses or treasures from the earth, tell me and I will see if my sea nymph tribe has any spare ones that are not being used. If so, I will give them to you gentlemen as a token of gratitude."

    The other party is determined to repay the favor!

    Chen Yun originally hadn't even thought about how to ask for the Dragon-Drying Grass. Seeing the other party mention it, he couldn't help but feel a little pleased in his heart.

    However, the person who wants to repay the favor is not just himself. If he declares his desire for Dragon-Drying Grass, it might seem like he is taking advantage of the benefits of his companions.

    Chen Yun involuntarily looked towards Qin Ming, Long Nu Sanjiu, and others.

    Qin Ming, Long Nu Sanjiu, and Ding Xu were not idiots. Seeing Chen Yun's gaze, they roughly understood that he had something in mind.

    "I don't need anything."

    "We have already collected all the things we need in the cave."

    The group of people responded in turn.

    Chen Yun knew that everyone was trying to give him the opportunity to ask for benefits, and he felt a faint sense of gratitude.

    Of course, while taking advantage of the opportunity to ask for benefits, it is necessary to make up for our companions in the end. Otherwise, it would be too unethical.

    Thinking, Chen Yun looked at the sea nymph leader, "I do have some heavenly grasses that are still lacking. I wonder if you have any on hand."

    The sea nymph leader's eyes lit up, "What kind of items? Feel free to mention them."

    Chen Yun said, "I need some Dragon-Drying Grass, nine heaven's wild ginseng, and Immortal Red flowers, General. Do you have any of these?"

    Upon hearing this, the sea nymph leader's brow furrowed slightly, "We do have Dragon-Drying Grass and nine heaven's wild ginseng in our tribe, but we have never seen Immortal Red flowers before. Moreover, for Dragon-Drying Grass, I can ask the King for 20-30 plants without any problem, but nine heaven's wild ginseng is incredibly rare. I may not be able to give it to you."

    Ah?

    Yes, the sea nymph tribe not only has Dragon-Drying Grass, but also nine heaven's wild ginseng.

    Although the other party said that Dragon-Drying Grass was not a problem, and nine heaven's wild ginseng might not be able to help him obtain, Chen Yun was still excited.

    He hurriedly said, "Dragon-Drying Grass will be fine. If you are willing to help, I will certainly thank you later."

    The sea nymph leader laughed and said, "Gentleman, please don't worry about the matter of rewards. I am repaying the favor now. If you thank me excessively again, when will my debt be repaid? Alright, since the gentlemen don't want to visit our palace, please wait for a moment. I will first return to the palace and ask King for 20-30 pieces of Dragon-Drying Grass. As for nine heaven's wild ginseng, I will also ask for it, but whether King will give it to me or not, that depends on him."

    Chen Yun said, "I am grateful to you, General."

    The sea nymph leader said a few more polite words and then left with the warriors.

    Just as the sea nymph tribe left, Wu Kejiu returned from the water.

    The group gathered around.

    "Master Wu, how is it?"

    "Did you obtain the Silver Dragon Needle?"

    Master Wu smiled and looked at everyone, holding the "metal" that glimmered in silver light, three feet long and as sharp as Qing Feng, he said, "It has been retrieved. Thank you all for your help today, especially Mr. Chen who put in a lot of effort."

    The crowd said a few words of humility, mainly expressing the idea of mutual benefit and reciprocity.

    Chen Yun also followed along and said a couple of nice things.

    After a few exchanges, Wu Kejiu pulled Chen Yun to a less populated shore.

    Wu Kejiu pulled out a yellow silk bag and looked at Chen Yun with seriousness, "Mr. Chen, I was able to obtain the Silver Dragon Needle this time thanks to your great magic. According to the agreement we made beforehand, I should give you an equivalent compensation, so please take this storage bag."

    Chen Yun didn't hesitate, took the storage bag and casually placed it into the spatial void of his Jin Tian Technique. "Thank you, Master Wu."

    Wu Kejiu said, "It should be me thanking you, Mr. Chen. After all, it was for helping me retrieve the Silver Dragon Needle that your array flag was destroyed."

    Chen Yun waved his hand and said, "It's not a problem. I'll find materials to refine it when we come out of the cave."

    Indeed, he really doesn't care much about the array flag.

    Not to mention the array flag, even the contents of the storage bag given by Wu Kejiu didn't interest Chen Yun.

    Yeah, actually, there are two other storage items in the magical instruments, but he hasn't looked inside them carefully either. One is a money magical instrument given by Kang Yuan, and when Chen Yun saw the technique of Earth Travel, he couldn't wait to learn it and hasn't checked the contents since.

    The other item is the strand of hair obtained after killing Lü Cheng, which is most likely also a storage artifact. However, since Chen Yun lacks the corresponding "unlocking skill," he has no idea what the situation is.

    Including the storage bag given by Wu Kejiu, Chen Yun currently has three storage artifacts whose contents he has not inspected.

    The reason he has no interest in looking inside is because Chen Yun is currently thinking about more important things.

    That's right, it's about Dragon-Drying Grass and nine heaven's wild ginseng.

    The sea nymph leader did promise to get the Dragon-Drying Grass for him, but the nine heaven's wild ginseng is uncertain whether it will work.

    Chen Yun really wants to obtain the three missing ingredients for the upgraded version of the Liquor and Metamorphosis Soup quickly. Now that he knows that the sea nymph tribe has Dragon-Drying Grass and nine heaven's wild ginseng, he naturally wants to get them.

    If nine heaven's wild ginseng can also be obtained, then I will only be short of Immortal Red flowers to gather all the ingredients needed for the upgraded version of Liquor and Metamorphosis Soup.

    "Hoping the sea nymph leader can help me get nine heaven's wild ginseng."

    Looking towards the boundless waters, Chen Yun secretly hoped in his heart.

    (End of this chapter)