Chapter 1063

The Five Elements Sect's Strength

The Five Elements Sect's Strength

The Dao Sect's pioneering order requires the Five Elements Sect to dispatch one-tenth of its personnel to the newly established Dongling Immortal City in the Barren Realm.

The Eastern Continent is vast. After many years of development, humanity has only managed to occupy about one-sixth of its total area, comprising six domains.

Among these, Dongtu and Dongli were developed first and are adjacent. Dongyue followed, bordering Dongtu.

After Dongyue was opened, the Fentian Pure Land, then located where the Golden Crow Immortal City now stands, discovered a fifth-tier Sun Divine Tree and a Golden Crow True Spirit. At immense cost, it led the major sects of Dongtu to establish Dongyi.

However, Dongyi and Dongtu are separated by a vast distance, with over a hundred thousand miles of barren wasteland in between.

Despite this great distance, the Dongtu Holy Land can still control Dongyi thanks to the Grand Teleportation Array of the Boundless Palace of the Void.

Furthermore, after its establishment, Dongyi also forged connections with the Profound Sea. This allowed for a continuous supply of resources from both the barren realm and the sea to Dongtu. Its strategic location is also crucial; serving as a bridgehead, it has repelled demon tribes from the Profound Sea dozens of times, preventing them from harming Dongtu.

After experiencing the benefits of the Dongyi Domain, the major Holy Lands of Dongtu subsequently opened up Donghuang and Dongwu.

The barren realm now slated for development is located in the central part of the Eastern Continent, encompassed by Dongyi, Dongyue, and Donghuang.

Overall, however, it is closer to Dongyi and Dongyue.

The Dao Sect had previously located a fourth-tier spiritual脉 in that barren realm and established Dongling Immortal City there to serve as the base camp for this pioneering effort.

The one who delivered the order to the Five Elements Sect this time was Qi Jiansu, a familiar acquaintance of Chen Mobai and the Saintess of the Dao Sect.

Sending her was a significant gesture of respect towards the Five Elements Sect.

"Daoist Friend Qi, rest assured, I will ensure our sect's cultivators arrive on time."

Qi Jiansu was very pleased to hear Chen Mobai's words. Although the Holy Lands were the main force behind this pioneering expedition, the Five Elements Sect had become an indispensable pillar of the righteous path in the Eastern Continent.

Moreover, in recent years, without the aid of the Holy Lands, the Five Elements Sect had successfully developed and constructed the barren realm between Donghuang and Dongyi. This made them the most experienced force in pioneering among all powers in the Eastern Continent.

With the Five Elements Sect's assistance, this pioneering effort would be much easier.

"It's a pity I can't meet Daoist Friend Qingnu this time..."

As she took the teleportation array to depart, Qi Jiansu expressed her deep regret. Over the years, she and Qingnu had frequently corresponded, exchanging knowledge and techniques on alchemy, and had long since become friends.

One of the reasons she accepted the Five Elements Sect's mission this time was her desire to meet her friend, whom she hadn't seen in over fifty years.

However, Qingnu was currently refining Heavenly Pure Water and would not emerge from seclusion anytime soon. Qi Jiansu also had other duties, preventing her from staying long in Donghuang.

"As long as we diligently advance on the path of cultivation, there will be plenty of opportunities to meet in the future."

Chen Mobai said this.

In his view, both he and Qingnu were guaranteed to reach the Divine Transformation stage. As the Saintess of the Dao Sect, Qi Jiansu naturally possessed top-tier talent and comprehension. If she could also reach Divine Transformation, then as one of the Eastern Continent's top cultivators in the future, they would be able to meet whenever they wished.

"I hope so."

Qi Jiansu clearly understood Chen Mobai's meaning, looking at the refined and elegant young man before her with a hint of surprise, and could only respond with a slightly reserved nod.

Sect Master Chen is remarkably confident.

With that thought, Qi Jiansu, enveloped in a silver glow, vanished into the teleportation array.

After Chen Mobai saw off the Dao Sect Saintess, the disciples of the Five Elements Sect who were to accompany him to Dongling Immortal City began gathering in Beiyuan City one after another.

Although the Dao Sect requested one-tenth of the Five Elements Sect's personnel, they were not overly strict in their verification. Apart from top-tier cultivators, the numbers just needed to be approximate.

Currently, including Fu Zongjue, the Five Elements Sect officially has nine Nascent Soul cultivators.

There are also two anomalies: the Little Yellow Dragon Maiden and the Grand Elder Child.

Regardless, only one Nascent Soul cultivator was required.

As Sect Master, Chen Mobai decided to lead by example and personally command the forces.

After years of peaceful development, the number of disciples in the Five Elements Sect had already exceeded two hundred thousand. This was despite Chen Mobai raising the admission standards in recent years, only recruiting elite disciples who graduated from the academies.

As for Foundation Establishment cultivators, there are currently 3,200 registered individuals.

This number is updated annually; in the leanest years, there have been at least sixteen newly promoted Foundation Establishment cultivators, while in peak years, the number has reached as high as forty-three.

This is mainly due to the Three Treasures for Foundation Establishment. Under Qingnu's guidance, the production capacity of these pills has exploded. Any disciple of the Five Elements Sect can directly exchange them using sect contributions at the Spirit Treasure Pavilion.

Furthermore, because Qingnu's Danxia Pavilion had already acquired control of most of the medicinal fields in Donghuang, Dongwu, and Dongyi, and with the Five Elements Chamber of Commerce operating across the Eastern Continent and overseas, Chen Mobai was also generous with expenditures. The vast amounts of spirit stones earned were reinvested locally, ensuring that the Five Elements Sect never lacked raw materials for the Three Treasures for Foundation Establishment.

Consequently, as long as Five Elements Sect disciples accumulate enough contributions, they can currently exchange for the Three Treasures for Foundation Establishment an unlimited number of times.

Under these circumstances, Foundation Establishment, once a monumental leap, had long become a common occurrence.

In addition, a significant number of cultivators from Donghuang, Dongyi, and Dongwu also successfully achieved Foundation Establishment with the help of the Three Treasures. Their first action after success was to seek to join the Five Elements Sect as guest elders.

However, the Five Elements Sect's entry requirements for this were very high.

At minimum, a second-tier certification in one of the Hundred Immortal Arts was required. This certification was not the common type prevalent in the Eastern Continent but a specialized assessment by the Five Elements Sect, with standards equivalent to those of an immortal sect.

Yet, even with such a high threshold, it couldn't deter rogue cultivators eager to join.

Currently, the Five Elements Sect recruits rogue cultivators for Foundation Establishment irregularly, only posting notices when there are vacant sect positions and a need arises.

While the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators had exploded like a volcano, Core Formation cultivators remained exceptionally rare and valuable.

Including heretic Golden Cores and those who pledged allegiance from Dongwu and Dongyi, the Five Elements Sect currently has 68 Core Formation cultivators.

Following the one-tenth ratio, seven Core Formation cultivators were required.

However, Chen Mobai, with a wave of his hand, directly selected ten.

This allowed for two sets of Five Elements Dao Soldiers, along with two hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators and twenty thousand Qi Refining cultivators, perfectly matching the Dao Sect's pioneering order.

However, once this news spread, the number of people wishing to participate was unexpectedly high.

"Junior Brother, in recent years, the number of sect disciples has grown significantly, making life less comfortable than before. Obtaining elixirs for Foundation Establishment and Core Formation now requires even greater effort."

Zhou Shengqing, delighted, handed Chen Mobai a large stack of rosters that had been passed to him.

Back when he was still with the Divine Wood Sect, he would never have dreamed that his own sect would one day have so many disciples under its command.

Chen Mobai took the rosters and saw that many heretic Golden Core cultivators within the Five Elements Sect wished to participate in this pioneering expedition.

Although heretic Golden Cores were technically Core Formation cultivators, within the Five Elements Sect, they were not treated as such, and their benefits were only slightly better than those of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Therefore, they all desired to advance further. However, despite the availability of Core Formation resources, none possessed the same courage as Tan Rong to commit everything. Thus, they hoped to accumulate enough sect contributions through this pioneering effort to exchange for the Golden Liquid Jade Return Pill.

After discussing with Zhou Shengqing and others, Chen Mobai had initially confirmed only five individuals: Ban Zhaodan, Zhou Wangshen, Luo Yixuan, Han Zhiling, and Luzhu.

All five of these individuals were well-connected. Upon hearing that Chen Mobai would personally lead the team, Zhou Ye even sent Luzhu, whom he had always protected meticulously, hoping that by following the Sect Master, she could gain merit to exchange for Nascent Soul resources from the sect in the future.

What Zhou Ye could think of, other shrewd individuals also considered.

Consequently, those with connections all activated their networks, seeking to participate.

Zhou Shengqing, who had been stationed in Beiyuan City, became the target of many public relations efforts. He, in turn, deferred all these requests to Chen Mobai.

"Then I'll pick five more Core Formation cultivators. There are too many Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators; let E Yun handle them."

After a glance, Chen Mobai called over E Yun, the acting sect master. The latter nodded and took the list after hearing the request.

"Sect Master, one more thing: conventionally, the pioneering order should be allocated tier by tier. Should we also ask the vassal families and forces in Dongwu, Dongyi, and Donghuang to contribute some personnel?"

E Yun brought up another matter that Chen Mobai had overlooked.

The Dao Sect required the Five Elements Sect to dispatch one-tenth of its personnel, but according to local custom, this quota would be distributed downwards. This was how it was handled previously when the Dongwu Alliance resisted the demon beasts from Yunmeng Marsh.

"Then let's follow local customs. Have the Dongwu families provide three thousand people, the major forces in Donghuang three thousand, and Dongyi three thousand as well."

Although Chen Mobai felt that this number of personnel might not even be enough for internal distribution within the Five Elements Sect, he also knew that there would certainly be casualties in war, even with his personal leadership.

Having vassals contribute personnel would mean fewer casualties for his own disciples.

Furthermore, for the many cultivators from forces under the Five Elements Sect, this pioneering expedition presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for advancement.

If a chosen one could seize the opportunity, they might, like True Monarch Yiyuan, transform from a pioneering cultivator into an ascended mighty figure.

If the Five Elements Sect took all the slots, it would be beneficial for smaller families and forces but could discourage Golden Core forces.

After all, human desires are boundless.

While the Five Elements Sect occasionally sold Core Formation elixirs externally, it always kept Nascent Soul resources for its own use, never allowing them to flow outwards.

Core Formation cultivators from Dongwu, Dongyi, and even Donghuang, seeing Nascent Soul cultivators emerge one after another from the Five Elements Sect, were all envious, believing they too could succeed if they had the same resources.

The Holy Lands were willing to provide various precious resources to motivate the cultivators of the major sects in the Eastern Continent for this pioneering effort.

Examples included the Transcendent Spirit Pill, capable of achieving Divine Transformation; the Nascent Soul Condensing Pill, assisting in Nascent Soul formation; and even the Heavenly Yang Fire Liquid and Spirit Ice Profound Liquid for Core Formation.

For Chen Mobai, only the Transcendent Spirit Pill was appealing.

But for the Golden Core Patriarchs of other forces, this might be their most promising chance to obtain Nascent Soul resources.

After giving E Yun the non-mandatory requirements, Chen Mobai also began inspecting the newly manufactured war airships from the Donghuang Arsenal.

With Sheng Zhaoxi's skill level, it was naturally impossible to forge star-spanning battleships in Donghuang. However, by combining it with the treasure ship technology contributed by Dongwu, they managed to produce this model of Five Elements airship.

There were five fourth-tier, twenty-five third-tier, and five hundred second-tier airships in total.

These fourth-tier airships were, of course, fourth-tier in a broad sense.

This meant they could achieve fourth-tier output power, equivalent to the highest-tier treasure ship of the Sun family in Dongwu.

However, in Chen Mobai's view, they were merely at the peak of the third tier.

Nevertheless, Sheng Zhaoxi's ability to produce these items was quite commendable.

Chen Mobai was already contemplating giving her the recently acquired fifth-tier Sea Spirit Agate.

"I will first lead a team to Dongling Immortal City..."

After inspecting the Five Elements airship fleet, which Sheng Zhaoxi had meticulously crafted over several decades, Chen Mobai began directing the ten thousand cultivators already assembled in Beiyuan City to board the ships.

For this military campaign, he entrusted the overall command to his grand-disciple, Duan Shuyu.

Duan Shuyu had already proven his capabilities in this regard during the last great war between Dongwu and the demon beasts of the Barren Sea.

Chen Mobai always excelled at utilizing talent, and he brought Duan Shuyu along for this expedition.

Besides Duan Shuyu, Chen Mobai also summoned Jin Linger, who practiced the White Emperor Soldier Elephant Scripture, as she could only progress in a wartime environment.

"Master!"

Luo Yixuan, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, rushed over from Dongyi after receiving the order. The moment she saw Chen Mobai, her eyes seemed to sparkle with joy.

"You've arrived. Let's go."

Chen Mobai was also very happy to see his third disciple after a long absence and motioned for her to board the airship.

Then, under the awestruck gaze of numerous cultivators in Beiyuan City, a fourth-tier fiery red treasure ship radiated brilliant spiritual light. Leading its many third-tier and second-tier airships, it formed a massive fiery cloud, seemingly igniting the sky, and sped eastward.

Dongli.

A tall, black-robed man with deep-set eyes and skin clinging to his bones stood in the sky, gazing down at the various spiritual脉 that had been encroached upon by the Eastern Continent's Holy Lands. Eerie white flames burned in his eyes.

"Soon, all of this will return to our hands."

Beside the black-robed man, Diao Xianlan spoke. Besides her, numerous shadowy demonic figures stood scattered around.

These were all Nascent Soul cultivators from the top demonic sects of the Eastern Continent.

Yet, at this moment, all of them stood respectfully behind the black-robed man.

Suddenly, a fissure opened at the back of the man's head, and an eerie white bone bead flew out, transforming into a person who should have died long ago.