Chapter 1067: Secret Stories

Chen Mobai's heart skipped a beat. His intuition told him that the item Tai Xu True King was looking for might be the turtle treasure. He pretended to be surprised and asked, "What exactly is Tai Xu True King looking for?"

Yuan Zhen hesitated but finally revealed, "It is said to be a treasure called the 'Gate of Grand Emptiness,' and it is also the foundational artifact used to create this realm. Tai Xu True King once brought it to the Spiritual Firmament Immortal Realm, but its whereabouts are now unknown."

Hearing this, Chen Mobai's heart was shaken even more. The Gate of Grand Emptiness—wasn't that the supreme treasure used by Daoist Zixiao to create the cosmos? How could it be in Tai Xu True King's hands? Could it be that Tai Xu True King *is* Daoist Zixiao? Chen Mobai was filled with doubts, but he knew he couldn't ask these questions directly.

"Could it be that this supreme treasure is now in the Heavenly River Realm?" Xuan De's eyes lit up, and he asked on Chen Mobai's behalf. Needless to say, a treasure that garnered such attention from a being like Tai Xu True King must be incredibly precious, perhaps even a legendary primordial artifact.

"If it's not in the Spiritual Firmament Immortal Realm, then the most likely place is this realm. Senior Brother Xuan De has always been blessed with great fortune; perhaps he might obtain it and be favored by Tai Xu True King, becoming a personal disciple." Yuan Zhen said this with a hint of a jest. Xuan De immediately thought of something, his expression subtly changed, and he chuckled awkwardly, lowering his head.

"Regarding matters of the Upper Realm, it's best for us not to speculate too much. It's not something cultivators of our level can get involved with," Zhang Pankong interjected at this point. As the Daozi of the Grand Emptiness Ethereal Palace, he held a great sense of reverence for the Spiritual Firmament Immortal Realm. Moreover, since it concerned Patriarch Tai Xu True King, he didn't want it discussed too much.

Although Chen Mobai still had many questions, he smiled and changed the subject. "Since we're gathered here today, let's discuss pioneering the wilderness or perhaps share our cultivation experiences." Xuan De and the others nodded, and they began discussing the primary objective of this pioneering expedition: the Golden Flame Suan Ni.

This fifth-tier true spirit was immensely powerful. During the last righteous-demonic war, it intervened, sweeping through Dongyi and nearly breaking through Dongyue to rampage across the Eastern Lands. Now, they were going to fight it in its lair. They wondered if True Monarch Wuchen and True Monarch Dakong, working together, would be able to slay it.

"They can definitely kill it," Xuan De said, full of confidence in the strength of the pioneering army led by the Daoist Sect. "The key is whether they can prevent the Golden Flame Suan Ni from detonating the spirit veins of Shituo Ridge before it dies." As the oldest sacred land in the Eastern Continent, the Daoist Sect's foundation was unfathomable. The only thing True Monarch Wuchen needed to consider was how to complete this pioneering effort using as few of their resources as possible.

"By the way, if the Heavenly Saint True Spirit Pills are successfully refined this time, will Senior Brother Xuan De receive one?" Zhang Pankong asked.

"My master did promise that if our sect obtains two pills, I would be the first to be considered after the sect leader," Xuan De replied directly, without concealment, since Zhang Pankong and Yuan Zhen had previously revealed secrets of the Upper Realm.

"I truly envy you; you never lack any kind of medicinal pills," Yuan Zhen said, a look of admiration on her face. Even as the Saintess of the Nine Heavens Demon Eradication Sect, she had nearly failed to gather all the necessary pills during her last few attempts to form a Nascent Soul.

"If Junior Sister Yuan and Junior Brother Zhang perform well during this pioneering effort, perhaps a pill might be reserved for you too," Xuan De could only offer this comfort.

"I definitely won't have a chance. Even if our sect gets two pills, they would go to Sect Leader Ni and Senior Brother Ye," Yuan Zhen said, knowing her place. She knew that in terms of seniority or cultivation, she was among the last among the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Nine Heavens Demon Eradication Sect, and had never even considered getting a Heavenly Saint True Spirit Pill from this pioneering expedition.

Hearing this, Chen Mobai's heart stirred. If the Nine Heavens Demon Eradication Sect only obtained one pill, Ni Yuanzhong and Ye Qing would likely have to contend for it. However, with the Daoist Sect starting the pioneering effort early, if Ye Qing couldn't make it in time, he certainly wouldn't be qualified. Even if Yuan Qingque were present, it would be difficult for him to say anything, as both Ni Yuanzhong and Ye Qing were his disciples.

As for the Grand Emptiness Ethereal Palace, since two Soul Transformation cultivators intervened during the last righteous-demonic war, they were confirmed to receive two Heavenly Saint True Spirit Pills. "One goes to Palace Master Biluo, and the other will be contested between Junior Brother Zhang and Junior Sister Shan?" Qi Jiansu, who had been silent, asked softly after refilling their Shoumei tea.

"Neither my junior sister nor I will likely get the other pill," Zhang Pankong said, shaking his head with a regretful expression. True Monarch Dagu, who had been invited by True Monarch Dakong to assist, was a Soul Transformation cultivator from the Southern Continent's Grand Emptiness Ethereal Palace, so the other pill belonged to the Southern Continent.

"Besides this Golden Flame Suan Ni, are there any other fifth-tier true spirits in the Desolate Ruins?" Chen Mobai asked after hearing this. With so many people present, one batch would certainly not be enough. Since the Eastern Continent's righteous cultivator army had gathered, it might be better to take the opportunity to eliminate a few more.

"Over tens of thousands of years, our sect has essentially cleared most of them out. The remaining ones are mostly in the deepest parts of the Desolate Ruins. Or they are the bloodline true spirits of the demon beast royal courts, which are difficult to deal with," Xuan De replied. Xuan De's words brought to Chen Mobai's mind scenes of bloody pioneering efforts. The sacred lands of the Eastern Continent sustained generations of Soul Transformation cultivators this way. He wondered what they would do once all the true spirit bloodlines were exterminated.

"Has your esteemed sect never considered rearing fifth-tier true spirits?" Chen Mobai asked. The main ingredient for the Heavenly Saint True Spirit Pill was demon beast essence blood. To him, a member of the Immortal Sect, always "killing the goose that lays the golden eggs" seemed somewhat wasteful.

"Sect Leader Chen, you might not know this, but this pill recipe evolved from the ancient Grand Dao Elixir. To have an auxiliary effect for Soul Transformation, it is essential to smelt the power of the Grand Dao contained within the true spirit's bloodline," Xuan De explained. "Ten thousand years ago, our sect also tried the method you suggested. For this, several generations of our sect's Soul Transformation True Monarchs even traveled far to the Central Continent to consult with the Myriad Spirit Sect, and we did successfully rear two fifth-tier true spirits. But we eventually found that the Grand Dao power within a true spirit's bloodline is limited. Once extracted, even if subsequent essence blood still contains Grand Dao power, the Heavenly Saint True Spirit Pills refined from it would only have two to three tenths of the effect of the first batch. Their ability to assist in Soul Transformation would be negligible."

After listening, Chen Mobai asked about the Grand Dao Elixir. This time, Yuan Zhen answered. These matters were generally known to the upper echelons of the Eastern Continent's sacred lands, but it was Chen Mobai's first time hearing them, and his expression showed enlightenment. "So that's how it is."

Medicinal pills related to Soul Transformation in the Heavenly River Realm were essentially extensions of the Grand Dao Elixir. The Myriad Spirit Sect's Heavenly Spirit Pill was also similar. However, the Grand Dao Elixir was too overbearing; no matter how strong or high-ranked a true spirit was, only one pill could be refined from it. For the sacred lands of the Heavenly River Realm, this felt wasteful, so later, more efficient pill recipes like the Heavenly Saint True Spirit Pill were adapted and created.

Even so, Chen Mobai still felt it was wasteful. If he could get the pill recipe and let Yuan Xu and others from the Immortal Sect research it, they might be able to reduce costs and increase efficiency. But unfortunately, this pill recipe was the lifeblood of the Daoist Sect. Not to mention seeing it, even inquiring about it would make them wary.

He possessed the Jellyfish Palace's Soul Transformation pill recipe. In his mind, he was willing to exchange it, as both the Nine Heavens Demon Eradication Sect and the Daoist Sect were more suited to water-attribute Taiyi Three Pills. Unfortunately, this item could not see the light of day. Revealing it would risk facing pursuit from the Heavenly River Realm's foremost power, the Jellyfish Palace. Thinking of this, Chen Mobai suppressed his idea.

He did hear Yuan Zhen say that the Nine Heavens Demon Eradication Sect had inherited the pill recipe for the Grand Dao Elixir, but due to its low efficiency and other special reasons, it had been sealed away and was no longer used. This was something he could consider finding a way to exchange with the Nine Heavens Demon Eradication Sect in the future. Because of their good neighbor, the Daoist Sect, the Nine Heavens Demon Eradication Sect had not spent massive resources on training high-level alchemists for the past few millennia, and this pill recipe had long been shelved. Chen Mobai believed that with Qing Nu or the Immortal Sect's research capabilities, having the Grand Dao Elixir recipe, they should be able to deduce the Heavenly Saint True Spirit Pill.

"During this pioneering expedition, we must not overlook the value of other treasures. Most areas in the Desolate Ruins are untouched, containing many precious spiritual herbs and materials that would greatly benefit our cultivation," Zhang Pankong said at this moment, bringing up the topic of earning resources from this endeavor. The few present could be considered Nascent Soul cultivators with the most prominent backgrounds in the Eastern Continent. As long as they didn't go too far, the three sacred lands wouldn't object.

After the gathering, Chen Mobai chatted with Yuan Zhen for a while on the way, then left with the little yellow dragon girl and returned to the Five Elements Sect's encampment.

After briefly explaining the rules of this pioneering expedition, Chen Mobai took Zhou Wangshen and other Core Formation cultivators to Dongling Immortal City to meet with the relevant personnel from the Daoist Sect. From now on, all major and minor miscellaneous tasks related to the pioneering effort would be handled by Zhou Wangshen. Of course, commanding troops, fighting battles, and training the army would still primarily be Duan Shuyu's responsibility.

As for Chen Mobai, he dispatched his second Nascent Soul to survey the Kun position area assigned to the Five Elements Sect, draw a more detailed map, and mark various demon beast territories and spirit vein grades. Although Dongling Immortal City served as the main base, since the results of the pioneering effort were based on how many creatures were killed, Chen Mobai decided to build another immortal city as the Five Elements Sect army's stationing ground and operational hub. With his formation mastery, and the assistance of his second Nascent Soul, as time passed and he controlled more spirit veins, he would be able to set up a fifth-tier formation. However, if he did that, his opponents would certainly be even less inclined to make a move. Therefore, after selecting the center for his immortal city, Chen Mobai simply set up a high-grade fourth-tier formation, outwardly disguising it as only a mid-to-low-grade fourth-tier one.

But it seemed his efforts were in vain. Both the One Yuan Dao Palace and the Five Burning Heavens Veins, upon learning the detailed rules of the pioneering expedition, all did the same as him: they led their respective sect armies, chose a fourth-tier spirit vein outside Dongling Immortal City, established their encampments, and then dispatched disciples to survey the demon beast situation in the areas they needed to clear. In addition, these forces began frantically recruiting outsiders. After all, the Desolate Ruins were vast, and the tens of thousands of cultivators they brought, though elites, simply couldn't cover such a large territory. At this point, previously overlooked rogue cultivators and small forces became highly sought after.

Among them, the Stargaze Dao Sect recruited the most masters because they directly offered the Three Light Divine Water as compensation, practically sweeping up all rogue cultivators and Core Formation cultivators from various forces. After all, three million Daoist Coins for a Nascent Soul Condensing Pill was simply too much, while the Three Light Divine Water only cost two million, and if one joined the Stargaze Dao Sect, they even received an 80% discount. Even the Core Formation cultivators from Dongwu and Dongyi who had come with the Five Elements Sect were greatly tempted. However, Chen Mobai's prestige was sufficient, so these individuals were only tempted but dared not act.

After the Stargaze Dao Sect had recruited the Core Formation cultivators, most of the remaining mid- and low-tier cultivators went to the One Yuan Dao Palace. Although the top-tier forces knew that the One Yuan Dao Palace had been expelled from the ranks of sacred lands, the lower-tier cultivators were unaware. They all thought it was still a sacred land. Moreover, Tu De also offered various cultivation methods and secret manuals accumulated by the One Yuan Dao Palace as compensation, quickly attracting many rogue cultivators and small forces lacking inheritances.

In that same courtyard, the Daozi and Saintesses of the three sacred lands were drinking tea with Chen Mobai. "This Tu De is truly shameless. He sold off the inheritances collected by generations of One Yuan Dao Palace patriarchs just for his own selfish gain!" Yuan Zhen was the first to speak, criticizing him after hearing about it.

"Anyway, he already packaged a copy of the One Yuan Dao Palace's inheritance and gave it to the Five Elements Sect, so he feels at ease giving it to outsiders now. Besides, it's just some Nascent Soul cultivation methods and experiences..." Zhang Pankong put down his Zixia spirit tea, having thoroughly analyzed Tu De's mindset.

"Under normal circumstances, I would certainly argue with him about this, as it's the heritage of my One Yuan orthodoxy. But since it's during this pioneering effort, I must show respect to your three sacred lands, so I merely wrote a letter to admonish him," Chen Mobai said. The pioneering effort had already begun. Various forces had found suitable fourth-tier spirit veins outside Dongling Immortal City, established their bases, and were now advancing in their designated directions. Because the top-tier demon beasts in the vicinity had already been cleared out by the Daoist Sect, their progress was currently like a hot knife through butter. Conversely, the Five Elements Sect, following Chen Mobai's intentions, advanced steadily and slowly. And because their offered conditions were the lowest among all forces, their progress was the slowest.

"Tu De definitely won't listen to you. He has refined the Chaotic Yuan Dao Fruit. If he gets a Heavenly Saint True Spirit Pill, his chances of reaching Soul Transformation are indeed not small. So, he'll probably use all of the One Yuan Dao Palace's accumulated resources to acquire one. We need to find a way to stop him," Yuan Zhen continued. She had long been on Chen Mobai's side and didn't want Tu De to succeed in Soul Transformation.

"Even if he succeeds in Soul Transformation, I will still be the true successor of One Yuan," Chen Mobai said, full of confidence. However, based on his last encounter with Tu De, Chen Mobai felt that Tu De's chances of achieving Soul Transformation were not great.

"By the way, the Monster Beast Sect's army arrived today..." Xuan De said after finishing the spirit tea Chen Mobai brought. The Monster Beast Sect was considered a major sect in the Eastern Lands, and it also had the Myriad Spirit Sect backing it. So, Xuan De and Shen Xi went together to greet them. Xuan De informed Chen Mobai because Chen Mobai had previously inquired about this matter.

"Grand Elder Mu Youyi of the Monster Beast Sect and I are also friends. Since they're here, I should definitely go meet them," Chen Mobai said. As he spoke, Chen Mobai took out a communication talisman and handed it to Han Zhiling, who had accompanied him that day to gain experience, instructing her to send it according to the information provided by Xuan De.

In the Monster Beast Sect's encampment, a young man with long gray hair and deep blue eyes chuckled softly after reading the communication talisman handed to him by Mu Youyi. "Oh, this 'Turtle Immortal Chen' of the Five Elements Sect is quite interesting. I hadn't even thought of seeking him out, and he's come knocking on my door himself." This person was none other than Su Taifeng, the Daozi of the Myriad Spirit Sect.

"Daozi, how should I reply?" Mu Youyi asked respectfully, his gaze involuntarily falling upon a small pig with chicken feet and gray-white fur lying beside Su Taifeng's feet. This was a true spirit reared by the Myriad Spirit Sect, a fifth-tier Li Li. However, this Li Li had advanced in the Western Continent and had never been brought back to the Central Continent, so it was not on the Myriad Spirit Sect's official roster. Upon seeing this fifth-tier true spirit, Mu Youyi seemed to foresee Chen Mobai's demise. Even if he was invincible among Nascent Soul cultivators, the gap in major cultivation realms would make him feel despair. A flicker of pity crossed Mu Youyi's heart at this thought. This was the Heavenly River Realm. Even for the successor of True Monarch One Yuan, having something coveted by the Myriad Spirit Sect already meant a path to death.

"As he wishes, let's arrange a time to meet. I also want to see the yellow dragon; after all, it will be my destined true spirit in the future," Su Taifeng said. As Su Taifeng spoke, he crushed Chen Mobai's communication talisman into powder, gently blew on it, and watched it drift out of the tent.