"Five years have passed, could something have happened to them?"

On the lawn in front of Tong Yunshu’s residence at the peak of White Jade City, Huang Chengcheng, Qin Huai’an, and Zhuge Cang gathered with grave expressions, discussing together.

"Bah, stop being a jinx. Back then, when they were merely at the Foundation Establishment Stage, they could still exit safely. Now, both are Core Formation Cultivators, and their combat power is countless times stronger than before. How could anything happen?" Huang Chengcheng spat at the worried Qin Huai’an.

Qin Huai’an coughed dryly, saying, "Of course, I hope they are safe and sound, but... it’s been five years and there’s been no movement in the mountain. Isn’t it natural for me to worry?"

Zhuge Cang comforted, "Don’t worry, there can’t be any danger for them. The reason they haven’t come out must be due to new opportunities. White Jade City must have been a major sect in the previous Cultivation Era, within that Nine-Nine Returning to One Array certainly hide many secrets. They must be in closed-door cultivation."

Huang Chengcheng looked at Tong Yunshu and said, "Yun Shu, you are skilled in talismanic arrays and went to investigate two years ago but couldn’t find the entrance to the array and had to return. Now, two more years have passed, and in half a month, the people from the Southern Domain will be coming again. With Yang Fei and Qin Yanyang not here, what if something unexpected happens? How about you go and check again?"

Tong Yunshu shook her head, "It’s useless. The array inside the mountain has inexplicably closed off. Although I am skilled in Talisman Tao and have studied formations, this Nine-Nine Returning to One Array is too mysterious, and it seems to have closed off automatically, preventing outsiders from entering. Hence, even if I try again, it won’t help."

Zhuge Cang said, "Yun Shu is right, the array has closed automatically, outsiders can’t get in unless Yang Fei and Qin Yanyang break through and leave. Lu Chen has tried entering over these years as well, still without success. His expertise in formations is even greater than Yang Fei and Yun Shu."

Huang Chengcheng nodded helplessly, "So we can only wait for them to come out themselves? But how do we arrange things this time when the Southern Domain people arrive?"

Zhuge Cang glared and said, "Just receive them as we usually do. The workshop is at the foot of the mountain, within the Four Spirits Blood Array. If the Southern Domain people dare to come in, it’s business as usual. If not, they can leave the relevant materials for refining genetic fluid, and we will give them ten bottles of the genetic liquid."

Tong Yunshu said, "Yes, that’s the arrangement. Even if Yang Fei and Qin Yanyang don’t show up, the Southern Domain people won’t know what they’re doing and won’t act recklessly."

"Anyway, we just need to be careful."

In the half month that followed, they began to prepare to welcome the Southern Domain cultivators for the market transactions.

The half month passed in a flash, and this time, the Southern Domain team did not arrive with the Star River Battleship but formed a grand procession with spirit boats as in previous market transactions.

Leading the team, besides Hai Mo and Yan Wei, were two Late-stage Foundation Establishment Peak cultivators from Shang Qing Sect’s Tian Nan Peak.

These two were actually over two hundred and fifty years old, classified as outer disciples within Shang Qing Sect, with little hope of ever reaching the Core Formation Realm.

They were juniors of the Wan Daorong aristocratic family, named Wan Ping and Wan Fang respectively.

Their aptitude was average; had they cultivated by themselves, they might never have crossed the Foundation Establishment threshold, but with Wan Daorong’s assistance, they finally reached the Foundation Establishment Stage at over one hundred years old, thus extending their lifespan.

They are absolutely loyal to Wan Daorong.

This time, the team arriving on Earth was vast, composed of four to five hundred strong.

Though there were less than thirty Foundation Establishment Cultivators, the majority were young Artifact Refining Cultivators, who were considered elite trained by respective factions.

In past conflicts with Earth, the Southern Domain’s six major forces suffered significant losses in their new-generation Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Noticing the development potential on Earth from Wu You and Zhuo Donglai, who stayed for cultivation, they decided to treat Earth as a trial land for new-generation disciples and dispatched hundreds of Artifact Refining Cultivators.

Additionally, there were loose cultivators eager to do business with Earth, making the team appear large and impressive.

At White Jade City, Huang Chengcheng and other Earth cultivators were exceedingly vigilant upon seeing the Southern Domain’s grand procession.

Fortunately, Hai Mo and Yan Wei were acquaintances, and the Southern Domain team did not demand transactions outside the Four Spirits Blood Array’s coverage. After greeting Earth’s cultivators, they entered the core area of the Four Spirits Blood Array, arriving at the foot of White Jade City Mountain.

Even though Yang Fei and Qin Yanyang were absent, Tong Yunshu, Lu Chen, and Zhuge Cang were able to partially activate the killing array within the Four Spirits Blood Array. Considering there were only around twenty Foundation Establishment Cultivators among the Southern Domain cultivators, with the rest being Qi Refinement Cultivators, Earth’s people were completely at ease.

"I am Wan Ping, from the worldly aristocratic family of Master Wan. This is my clan brother Wan Fang. We come on orders from our ancestor to pay respects to Senior Yang Feiyang. The ancestor has instructed us to relay some words to Senior Yang." Wan Ping stepped forward, politely saluting the Foundation Establishment cultivators from Earth, including Tong Yunshu, and stated his purpose.

Tong Yunshu apologized, "Ah, Mr. Wan. Yang Fei entered closed-door cultivation two years ago and hasn’t emerged yet. It might be difficult to meet you. Are the words from Master Wan very important? Do they have to be heard only by Yang Fei?"

Wan Ping’s face immediately showed a troubled expression.

He thought this task would be simple and easy but didn’t expect this inconvenient situation with Yang Fei in closed-door cultivation.

"How long does Senior Yang need for his closed-door cultivation? When will he emerge?" Wan Ping quickly asked.

Tong Yunshu saw a tinge of anxiousness on his face, sparking silent doubts in her mind.

What could Wan Daorong possibly have to convey to Yang Fei that is so urgent?

Even she didn’t know when Yang Fei would come out, so she thought for a moment and said, "Yang Fei didn’t mention how long he would be in closed-door cultivation. If it’s not too urgent, you might consider waiting here."

Wan Ping looked towards Wan Fang.

After a brief exchange of glances, they both nodded and said to Tong Yunshu, "Then we will trouble this Immortal. Should Senior Yang emerge, please let us know."

Tong Yunshu felt somewhat embarrassed being called an Immortal, as she was not accustomed to it.

She knew that Wan Ping and Wan Fang were not intentionally trying to flatter her. In the Immortal Realm, female cultivators with excellent appearance were commonly addressed as Immortals by male cultivators.

On the day the Southern Domain team arrived, the market transactions commenced at the foot of White Jade City Mountain.

Earth cultivators fervently sought after various talismans, spiritual artifacts, low-rank magic treasures, auxiliary elixirs, and other cultivation-related necessities from the Southern Domain.

For Southern Domain cultivators, selling their crafted items at five to ten times higher prices than other Southern Domain markets was profitable.

Moreover, the Spirit Stones possessed by Earth cultivators, even the most ordinary ones, were of slightly higher grade than those circulating in the Southern Domain.

In short, for Southern Domain cultivators, trading on Earth was immensely lucrative.