The Foundation Establishment Ceremony was crowded, with prying eyes everywhere.

If Li Chang’an were recognized, the Five Poison Wanderer Lineage would certainly not spare him.

But he had come anyway, braving the danger.

"Daoist Li, please, come inside."

Wu Ming silently noted the gesture and invited Li Chang’an inside to take a seat.

By now, quite a few people had already arrived.

Over a dozen Foundation Establishment Tribulation Cultivators had arrived, Jiang Yunsheng and the Black Talisman Old Demon among them.

Even the Five Poison Wanderer Lineage had sent a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

His name was Yan Feng, the Five Poison Wanderer’s senior disciple. He had an Early Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation, and his Poison Techniques were just as deadly. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Daoist Wu, did that Li Fan really not come?"

Yan Feng’s expression was cold, his pupils an emerald green. He scanned the entire ceremony, trying to find Li Chang’an.

But Li Chang’an’s Disguise Technique was exceptionally masterful.

In fact, he was standing right beside Yan Feng, but Yan Feng hadn’t noticed him in the slightest.

Wu Ming said to Yan Feng, "Daoist Yan, I, Wu Ming, never lie. Daoist Li really didn’t come."

Yan Feng snorted coldly, asked no more questions, and walked straight to a corner to sit down.

He clearly intended to wait there until the ceremony was over.

Wu Ming secretly sent a Sound Transmission to Li Chang’an.

"Daoist Li, you must be careful. Don’t expose yourself."

"Don’t worry."

Li Chang’an was very confident in his Disguise Technique. Besides, last night’s Divination had indicated a peaceful day, so there should be no surprises.

Soon, the ceremony officially began.

After a round of congratulations, the guests began to chat freely among themselves.

During this time, Li Chang’an acquainted himself with several Foundation Establishment Tribulation Cultivators, discussing Cultivation Insights and exchanging a few Treasures.

In the midst of conversation, he learned that these Foundation Establishment Tribulation Cultivators hadn’t come specifically for the ceremony, but for the impending Beast Tide.

A Beast Tide presented both danger and opportunity, which perfectly suited the adventurous nature of Tribulation Cultivators.

A moment later, Li Chang’an suddenly received a Sound Transmission.

"Daoist Li, you really have some nerve showing up here!"

He turned to look.

He saw Jiang Yunsheng standing not far away.

"Daoist Jiang, how did you recognize me?"

"Your disguise is excellent, Daoist Li. I couldn’t recognize you, but my Venerable Soul Banner did. It sensed the aura of its own kind."

"I see."

Li Chang’an’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he was a little surprised.

The Artifact Spirit in Jiang Yunsheng’s Venerable Soul Banner seemed to have recovered quite well.

In contrast, the Artifact Spirit in his own Venerable Soul Banner was in a volatile state. It would frequently fall into a deep slumber, and he could only communicate with it on rare occasions.

After a moment of thought, he asked, "Daoist Jiang, do you plan to inform the Five Poison Wanderer Lineage?"

"Rest assured, Daoist Li. I, Jiang Yunsheng, am not like that Black Talisman Old Demon!"

Jiang Yunsheng made it clear that he had no relationship with the Five Poison Wanderer Lineage. In fact, he found the Five Poison Wanderer’s methods detestable, simply because the man reminded him of his own father.

His father was also a heartless and treacherous man.

Years ago, to obtain Foundation Establishment Resources, his father had sold him and his mother to Demonic Cultivators to be used as Corpse Refining Materials.

Hearing this, Li Chang’an was secretly astonished.

He had often heard that some people would abandon everything for the sake of their cultivation, but he had never witnessed such a thing firsthand. Today, he finally had.

Jiang Yunsheng continued, "Daoist Li, your strength is considerable. I sought you out today to invite you to join the Huanghe Alliance."

"The Huanghe Alliance?"

Li Chang’an was even more surprised. ’That’s the faction Ye Hao established.’

The faction’s ultimate goal is the complete destruction of Yellow Crane Immortal City.

"Daoist Jiang, do you have a grudge against Yellow Crane Immortal City?"

"I do!"

Jiang Yunsheng’s voice was cold as he explained the reason.

His father was now an Honored Guest Elder at Yellow Crane Immortal City, with a Cultivation at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment.

But he was only at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment. It would be difficult to get revenge on his own, so he wanted to recruit more allies to stand against Yellow Crane Immortal City together.

At present, the Huanghe Alliance already had five Foundation Establishment Cultivators in its ranks.

And even more Qi Refining Cultivators.

’It’s already grown to five Foundation Establishment Cultivators. That Ye Hao fellow is really something else,’ Li Chang’an thought.

’Of course, it could also be because Yellow Crane Immortal City has offended too many people over the years.’

’Disciples from a Golden Core Influence like that are mostly arrogant and act without restraint. They’ll annihilate an entire clan on a whim, but there are always one or two fish who escape the net and grow up.’

Jiang Yunsheng asked again, "Daoist Li, what are your thoughts?"

"Daoist Jiang, I have no grudge against Yellow Crane Immortal City, so I have no intention of joining the Huanghe Alliance."

Although Li Chang’an also held a grudge against Yellow Crane Immortal City, he had no desire to confront them openly.

He preferred to hide in the shadows and bide his time.

After all, with over five hundred years of life ahead of him, there was no need to be hasty.

Next, Li Chang’an asked about the matter of souls.

Jiang Yunsheng’s Venerable Soul Banner contained several thousand souls—a truly astonishing number.

"Daoist Jiang, how have you managed to accumulate so many souls? Do you have some channel for purchasing them?"

"A few thousand? How could that be considered a lot?"

Jiang Yunsheng seemed somewhat taken aback.

"Daoist Li, with your strength, couldn’t you gather enough just by killing a few sanctimonious Righteous Cultivators?"

Hearing this, Li Chang’an felt a sense of resignation.

’Where am I supposed to find so many sanctimonious Righteous Cultivators to kill?’

’After all, I’m not a true Tribulation Cultivator. This identity is just a side hustle. I don’t normally go after Righteous Cultivators.’

But the Tribulation Cultivators present here were different.

After a while, these visiting Foundation Establishment Tribulation Cultivators actually began a serious discussion about which of the region’s Righteous Influences were easiest to attack.

"Cao Shaolong of the Qinghe Cao Family is dead, leaving only Cao Zhengxiong. Is anyone interested in testing their defenses? If we can break through, we’ll get our hands on the treasures the Cao Family has accumulated over centuries."

"That Cao Zhengxiong is at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment. Relying on his Array, he won’t be an easy target."

"On the other hand, there’s that Turtle from Cui Ping Mountain, Li Chang’an. He’s only at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment, and his strength is nothing special..."

Hearing this.