Chapter 1386: Farewell Virtual Forty-Nine

Pure Nine Gates

While the Wuqi Daoist Academy held its internal meetings, the other three factions were doing the same. The Jumang lineage, which had made a grave error, was particularly active; Wenren Xuewei was eager to perform great deeds for the Immortal Sect to atone for the crimes attributed to Patriarch Changchun. The Kunpeng main lineage, lacking a True Monarch of God Transformation, also saw this as an opportunity for their Nascent Soul cultivators, such as Beiming Yune, to acquire resources for their own God Transformation.

In contrast, the Butian lineage remained relatively calm. With Yuan Xu and Qing Ping capable of handling affairs, the immediate priority was Qian Xing, who had a strong likelihood of reaching the Void Refinement stage. After all, having been reincarnated, Qian Xing had already decided to embark on the Path of Illusion. If the Path of Stars had still been an option, he would undoubtedly have prioritized setting up the seventh-tier Zhou Tian Xing Dou He Luo Grand Array. Therefore, Qian Xing entrusted this matter to Yuan Xu, allowing the latter to fully cooperate with Chen Mobai's strategy for developing a sea of stars.

Once the higher-ups had aligned their objectives, the three main halls below began implementing the plans. Among the newly appointed hall masters of these three halls, Lan Haitian, the Hall Master of Immortal Affairs, took the lead. Although Hua Zijing, the Hall Master of Zhengfa, and Chen Xiaohei, the Hall Master of Kaiyuan, were both from the Wuqi lineage, Chen Mobai knew that in terms of ability, they combined could not rival Lan Haitian. Thus, during the three halls' meeting, he publicly supported Lan Haitian, empowering him to mobilize all the Immortal Sect's resources and personnel.

With full backing, Lan Haitian did not disappoint Chen Mobai. He began a sweeping reform of the Immortal Sect's systems to adapt them for the approaching Star Sea era. First, a dedicated Star Sea Department was established. Then, in education, cosmology, a field that was previously quite niche, received significant promotion. Furthermore, the Immortal Sect's top talents were gathered to accompany Yuan Xu to Zhanjian Star to begin work on the first experimental star. While Lan Haitian was making such substantial progress, Hua Zijing quietly started preparing military strategies.

Given Chen Mobai's current standing, even if he produced an astronomical amount of spirit stones from the Tianhe Realm, no one in the Immortal Sect would question their origin. Everyone believed he had earned them through frugality at the Hanging Gourd Daoist Temple and personally subsidized the Immortal Sect, which deeply moved many. With ample spirit stones, the previously hoarded top-tier reserves, such as the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, Four Symbols Daoist Palace, and various star warships, were all activated. They now rotated annually, patrolling the Tianyang star system. This not only familiarized the military cultivators with these war artifacts but also served as a precaution against potential expansion wars.

Because Chen Mobai had gradually released the demonic thoughts from Diyuan Star, many demon-infested planets within the Xuan Palace would sense the fluctuations of the Great Dao and begin to draw closer. This was also the original reason why the Immortal Sect's Five Ancestors came to this location. Throughout the entire Purple Heaven Universe, countless demon-infested planets had gathered around the annihilated Xuan Palace. Diyuan Star, being close to the Xuan Palace, could control the Great Dao fluctuations of these demonic thoughts to 'fish' for planets as needed, thereby accumulating initial capital. Unfortunately, the Immortal Sect's Five Ancestors underestimated the demon-infested planets; they initially attracted the Three-Eyed Race and were nearly wiped out. Subsequent encounters, such as with the Pluto star, also proved to be powerful. However, now that Chen Mobai had reached the Void Refinement stage, and with the Purple Heaven Palace in hand, any demon-infested planet not guarded by a seventh-tier being was a "fish" he could reel in. And precisely because the Immortal Sect's grand strategy required a vast number of spiritual veins, acquiring Dao merits was a top priority.

Considering the Immortal Sect's history, it could take hundreds or even thousands of years to 'fish' for a demon-infested planet that yields Dao merits. Chen Mobai naturally didn't want Lan Haitian's 'golden generation' to spend their entire lives laying foundations for future generations only to eventually pass away. So, he contacted Xu Si Jiu in advance to arrange a Dao merit loan. When Xu Si Jiu first delivered goods, he immediately recognized Chen Mobai's Innate Void Spirit Body and wanted him to join Taixu Express. At that time, Chen Mobai wasn't very familiar with the situation in the Purple Heaven Universe and said he would consider it. After reaching the Void Refinement stage, Chen Mobai had made up his mind. Since heaven had bestowed upon him the Innate Void Spirit Body, he naturally couldn't waste such a talent.

Moreover, after refining the Purple Heaven Palace, as his cultivation grew, he gradually became able to locate and control all the projecting branch palaces of the Purple Heaven Palace throughout this universe that propagated the Dao. Many of the planets he passed through were demon-infested. Chen Mobai had once attempted this at the Hanging Gourd Daoist Temple and discovered that many demon-infested planets already had owners. Some were directly purified of their demonic thoughts and treated as private planets, while others, like Diyuan Star, used demonic thoughts to 'fish'. However, in the fringe star systems of the Hanging Gourd Daoist Temple, there were still many undiscovered demon-infested planets. Chen Mobai could choose to post the coordinates of these planets on the Demon Market platform to earn Dao merits. But he thought about it carefully afterward. Previously, he had to reluctantly let others profit because his strength was insufficient, but now that he had reached Void Refinement, he definitely wanted to claim all the profits himself.

So, he noted down the coordinates of these demon-infested planets, planning to have Bai Guang handle this once the Spirit Venerable emerged from seclusion, Death God was unsealed, and Bai Guang was found. After all, dealing with demon-infested planets usually involved combat, and Bai Guang was an expert in that regard. With this guaranteed source of Dao merits, Chen Mobai decided to ask Xu Si Jiu to be his guarantor and take out a loan from the Central Dao Merit Bank. To his pleasant surprise, due to his central household registration, the bank was even willing to lend twice the amount: 20 Dao merits. The interest was a bit high—1 Dao merit per century. However, Chen Mobai was not at all afraid and would borrow as much as he could. After all, even if the business of demon-infested planets around the Hanging Gourd Daoist Temple was exhausted, there was still the entire universe. He could identify countless demon-infested planets through the Purple Heaven Palace projections. However, those beyond the Hanging Gourd Daoist Temple were too far, and he was too lazy to travel there. For those, he could only upload them to the Demon Market platform to earn intelligence fees, but doing it too often would arouse suspicion. After all, even the most powerful intelligence merchants, with numerous informants, only had the coordinates of a few dozen demon-infested planets. After securing the loan, Chen Mobai immediately applied to join Taixu Express. Once approved, he would become a member of Taixu Dao Ancestor Company.

Time flowed on. In the blink of an eye, three years passed. One day, Chen Mobai, who was guiding his daughter in cultivation, suddenly looked up at the sky. "That's enough for today," Chen Mobai told Chen Xiaohei, then instantly teleported to the summit of the Five Peaks Immortal Mountain, where the World Gate stood. With a flick of his sleeve, this sixth-tier artifact began to emit a brilliant silver light, and the Spatial Dao of the entire Tianyang star system began to fluctuate.

This commotion naturally couldn't escape the notice of Qian Xing and others nearby, who quickly teleported over. "Chunyang, what's wrong?" Qian Xing asked curiously. "A guest has arrived," Chen Mobai replied, then activated the void to fully open the World Gate. In an instant, a splendid silver light shot up into the sky and vanished into the void beyond. Hua Zijing, who was leading the Vermilion Bird Daoist Palace on patrol, had received Chen Mobai's telepathic message in advance, allowing her to avoid the spatial light and remain in a corner of the universe.

Soon, to the astonished gaze of the Immortal Sect members, a tunnel opened in the cosmos, and a bright silver serpentine creature flew out, draped in starlight, descending upon Diyuan Star. "Greetings, fellow Daoist. Thank you for coming in person," Chen Mobai, who had been waiting outside the Sky Screen Earth Net Array, greeted Xu Si Jiu with a smile. "I truly didn't misjudge you; you've reached Void Refinement so quickly," Xu Si Jiu said, turning into a human form upon seeing Chen Mobai and nodding slightly. "Please come this way, fellow Daoist. I'll need much guidance from you regarding the reconstruction of the Void Post Station," Chen Mobai gestured for Xu Si Jiu to come to the Five Peaks Immortal Mountain.

"Let's check the goods first. This is your delivery." After taking a seat, Xu Si Jiu waved his hand, and packages quickly emerged from beside him, floating onto the table in front of them. Chen Mobai motioned to Qian Xing, Yun Hai, Wenren Xuewei, and others, instructing them to open and inspect the packages according to their expertise, cross-referencing the information on them. These were medicinal ingredients for refining various fifth-tier elixirs, core array plates for setting up celestial arrays, and fifth-tier mineral resources, among other things. Being fifth-tier, they weren't expensive, totaling only 3 Dao merits. In addition to the fifth-tier items, there were naturally sixth-tier ones.

Chen Mobai saw four irregularly shaped crystals of different colors, each affixed with a silver talisman, and immediately said, "These are sixth-tier spiritual veins; I'll handle them personally." As the current leader of the Immortal Sect, Chen Mobai's considerations were quite comprehensive. Because their Scarlet City Mountain already had a sixth-tier fire spiritual vein, he purchased four lower-grade sixth-tier spiritual veins of metal, wood, water, and earth, perfectly completing the Five Elements attributes. This way, any Nascent Soul cultivator of any attribute in the Immortal Sect who wished to achieve God Transformation could enter seclusion in the corresponding sixth-tier spiritual vein area. Since he bought four this time, the merchant agreed to Chen Mobai's request for specific spiritual vein attributes. Previously, these 1-Dao merit spiritual veins were shipped randomly. After inspection, Chen Mobai nodded slightly, confirming that the four spiritual veins were in perfect condition.

"And these," Xu Si Jiu pointed to two wooden boxes on the table. "The merchant was quite generous and gave you a complimentary box." Chen Mobai opened the left box, and the Immortal Sect members saw 100 neatly arranged crystals of various colors inside. Each of these was a fifth-tier spiritual vein. However, 100 of them combined only amounted to 1 Dao merit. Next, Chen Mobai opened the adjacent box. It also contained spiritual vein crystals, but unlike the first box, these crystals varied in size and spiritual energy levels, though there were many of them. This box was a gift from the merchant. Chen Mobai's divine sense counted them, revealing 108 fourth-tier spiritual veins. "I'll buy from this merchant again next time," Chen Mobai nodded with great satisfaction, then closed both boxes of spiritual vein crystals and handed them to Qian Xing. Even with Qian Xing's cultivation level, his hands trembled slightly when he received the two boxes. So many spiritual veins!

"Senior Brother, when the time comes, let the person in charge of developing each outer planet take one of these. As for the sixth-tier spiritual veins in my hand, I will personally integrate them into suitable locations on Diyuan Star after the current matters are concluded," Chen Mobai instructed, pointing to the two boxes of spiritual veins in Qian Xing's hands and the four sixth-tier spiritual veins he held. Everyone present looked on with anticipation. If the Immortal Sect had more sixth-tier spiritual veins, they wouldn't have to flock to the Five Peaks Immortal Mountain. Although they were all fellow Daoists, a bit of distance and privacy were still preferable.

"And these three volumes of the Taixu Heavenly Scrolls," Xu Si Jiu said, producing the last item after Chen Mobai had inspected the delivery. Since he was paying for shipping anyway, Chen Mobai had requested a copy of the Taixu Heavenly Scrolls that recorded the Path of Illusion, so it could be legitimately passed down within the Immortal Sect. "Senior Brother, here you go," Chen Mobai took it, read through it, found it was no different from his own records of Void Illusions, and casually handed it to Qian Xing. Qian Xing passed the two boxes of spiritual veins to Qing Ping beside him before freeing his hands to excitedly receive the three volumes of the Taixu Heavenly Scrolls. Qing Ping, who received the spiritual veins, also trembled slightly. No one present, throughout their entire lives of cultivation, had ever witnessed such a scene.

"Fellow Daoist, this is my deposit. After the Void Post Station is rebuilt, how will it connect to your headquarters for receiving and sending goods?" After inspecting the goods, Chen Mobai directly brought up the main topic, paying 10 Dao merits as his deposit for joining Taixu Express, then asked about the most crucial point. "There are two methods. One is more effort for you: when you have goods to send, you personally travel back and forth. The advantage is no cost, but it's slow. The second method is to take out another loan to build a star-spanning teleportation array, directly connecting it to the star-spanning teleportation network. Then, it can directly interface with the teleportation arrays on the Hanging Gourd Daoist Temple side. Of course, the Hanging Gourd Daoist Temple side must also agree."

The second method meant Chen Mobai would build a teleportation array at his own expense to bridge the final distance from the Immortal Sect to the Xuanyang star system, which Song Qingyi was in charge of. If this teleportation array was built, the Immortal Sect would then have established transportation routes to all parts of the Hanging Gourd Daoist Temple. "How many Dao merits would that loan be?" Chen Mobai asked, as he still wished to accomplish this matter. After all, while the journey from Diyuan Star to the Xuanyang star system might not seem difficult to him as a Void Refinement cultivator, if a God Transformation cultivator wanted to fly across space to reach it, even with the correct direction and without getting lost, it would take at least several decades.

"The construction of a star-spanning teleportation array is charged by distance. Generally, 1 Dao merit covers a distance of 10 Tianyang systems. You'd probably need to loan about 100 Dao merits." Upon hearing Xu Si Jiu's quote, Chen Mobai's eyes widened. "How much!?" "If you want to save costs and don't consider teleportation comfort, it can be compressed to within 80 Dao merits. Although our express department and the teleportation department have different leadership, I have connections..." Hearing Xu Si Jiu's serious explanation, Chen Mobai gave a bitter laugh and immediately abandoned the idea. He knew that cross-galaxy teleportation, where 1 Dao merit could traverse the distance of 100 star systems, and had thought that building a star-spanning teleportation array directly wouldn't be too expensive. However, as the conversation deepened, Chen Mobai understood. It was like building roads: if the conditions were harsh, the cost of every meter of road was exorbitant, but once built, the toll fees were very cheap.