Chapter 645: I Go to Mount Liujia

Chen Mobai clicked his tongue as he watched Xu Shengping turn into a puddle of blood. His Ethereal Eye had been active the whole time, allowing him to clearly see that the Blood Curse Lightning Art wasn't something his opponent intended to activate, but rather a restriction left within him by a higher-level cultivator. It was a pity that a Foundation Establishment Completion cultivator, a potential Core Formation seed even, had been annihilated without a trace. Chen Mobai hadn't even had the chance to ask his name.

However, cultivators like him were rare in the Eastern Barrens. He took out a brush and paper, and his painting skills, honed at the Weapon Dance Academy, allowed him to easily sketch Xu Shengping's likeness.

"Do you know this person?"

After finishing the sketch, Chen Mobai used the Ground-Leaving Flame Light Escape, teleporting in front of Xie Yuntian and handing him the portrait.

"That's Xu Shengping, the former sect leader of Mount Liujia!"

As the head of the Sword Practice Department, Xie Yuntian had also been a true disciple of the Five Elements Sect in his youth, traversing nearly all nineteen nations of the Eastern Barrens in his campaigns. Naturally, he recognized Xu Shengping, who had been a prominent figure alongside him back then.

"Former sect leader, huh..." Chen Mobai pondered for a moment after hearing this. He was wondering if that reason alone would be sufficient to destroy Mount Liujia.

"Sect Leader, what should we do with these three people?" At this moment, Xie Yuntian spoke.

When Chen Mobai had captured Xu Shengping earlier, he had also used the Primordial Yang Sword Qi to cripple the cultivation of the three Foundation Establishment cultivators who were surrounding them. After removing their black robes, they revealed three cultivators with pale faces, looking weak and feeble.

"Oh, there's even a 'Ghost Child Prime Embryo'!" Chen Mobai walked up to one of the slender young men, about to ask a few questions, when suddenly a strange spiritual energy fluctuation erupted within the youth. It was the same Blood Curse Lightning Art as Xu Shengping's, on the verge of detonating and turning him, along with the two nearby Foundation Establishment cultivators, into dust. Chen Mobai waved his hand, and a brilliant golden flame burst from his palm, instantly reducing the youth to ashes.

"Sect Leader Chen, please forgive me. I didn't know the target of this ambush was a cultivator from your esteemed sect. I was merely lured into it, wanting to earn some breakthrough pills." At this moment, another cultivator, with an aged face and a long beard reaching his shoulders, spoke in a terrified tone.

"Oh, who are you?" Chen Mobai asked with some curiosity.

"Sect Leader Chen, I am Mu Xishen, a rogue cultivator from North Abyss City. For cultivation resources, I joined an organization called the Restoration Society. They supply me with resources on a daily basis, and I act for them when necessary..." Mu Xishen said with a miserable expression. His Dantian Qi Sea had already been crippled by Chen Mobai, a century of arduous cultivation ruined in an instant. Yet, even so, he still wanted to live and began to confess truthfully. "I was lured by Yan Gongsheng, who is next to me. He said he would give me a bottle of Reversion Pills after the deed was done..."

After hearing his words, Chen Mobai walked up to the last Foundation Establishment cultivator, a middle-aged man with a square face and dim, despairing eyes.

"A remnant of Mount Tremorpeak?" Chen Mobai asked. Yan Gongsheng looked up at him, his eyes filled with undisguised hatred. It seemed he was right. Only a profound hatred, like that of having one's family and sect destroyed, would make a Foundation Establishment cultivator dare to show such a look to a Core Formation expert like Chen Mobai.

"You don't need to waste your breath. I won't say anything." Yan Gongsheng said in a cold tone, seemingly resigned to death.

"Is that so? Alright then!" Chen Mobai nodded after hearing this. Then, as Yan Gongsheng watched in disbelief, a brilliant orange-red light shot out from the yellow gourd at Chen Mobai's waist, slicing across his neck. After the head fell, Chen Mobai looked at Mu Xishen, the last survivor.

"Sect Leader Chen, I was truly momentarily deluded! Please spare me, my cultivation has been difficult..." Mu Xishen repeatedly kowtowed and begged for mercy, but the orange-red light flashed again, and his head too fell to the ground.

"Sect Leader, shouldn't we keep them for interrogation to extract information?" Xie Yuntian walked over, asking with some surprise.

"These people have clearly sworn Soul Oaths; they wouldn't be able to reveal the information we want. In that case, it's better to kill them to prevent future trouble." After all, in the history of the Heavenly River Realm, there are legends of cultivators whose Dantian Qi Sea was crippled, yet they gained astonishing luck, acquired heaven-defying natural treasures that changed their destiny, allowing them to resume cultivation and even reach the pinnacle.

"This time, we truly owe it to your intervention, Sect Leader. It wouldn't matter if I died, but if Junior Sister Yin had been captured by the enemy, the sect's loss would have been immense." The value of a Heavenly Spirit Root could be considered equivalent to a Core Formation cultivator.

Chen Mobai, however, felt a bit awkward, as Xie Yuntian was the only one unaware of this "fishing expedition." Given his intelligence, he must have guessed by now, but he could only pretend not to know.

"You escort Qingmei to meet up with Ming'er and Xuan'er as planned. I will follow behind you on the way to prevent a second wave of ambush." Xie Yuntian and Yin Qingmei naturally nodded in agreement to Chen Mobai's instructions. However, it was clear that even the Restoration Society could only assemble such an ambush force once, as Foundation Establishment Completion cultivators were exceedingly rare in the Eastern Barrens. The three of them successfully teleported to North Abyss City.

E Yun was personally waiting for them. He was shocked to see Chen Mobai himself had arrived.

"The two Junior Sisters, along with Junior Brother Qi, Junior Brother Yu, and some sect disciples, are currently digging canals at the border between Yan Nation and Shuang Nation to divert melting snow from the mountains into rivers. However, Shuang Nation has some concerns about our chosen canal routes, and Junior Sister Zhuo is currently negotiating with them..." In a hidden cave dwelling in North Abyss City, E Yun reported to Chen Mobai on the progress of developing the Eastern Barrens Plateau.

Over in Xiao Nation, Luo Xue'er's work was proceeding smoothly. After all, Cloud Dream Lake was considered territory of the Divine Wood Sect, so no one would object regardless of where they began to divert water for irrigation. However, in Yan Nation, because it involved the Blowing Snow Palace, some specific routes needed to be negotiated to avoid affecting their spiritual fields and spiritual veins in Shuang Nation. It was fortunate that this was an agreement set by Chen Mobai and Kong Lingling, two Core Formation grand ancestors; otherwise, Zhuo Ming would likely still be bickering with the people from Blowing Snow Palace.

"Is there enough manpower?" Chen Mobai asked. Although cultivators possessed various spells, making canal digging dozens of times more efficient than manual labor, the project spanned thousands of miles, requiring immense manpower and time.

"It's barely enough for now, but once Junior Sister Zhuo confirms all the routes for this White River through Yan Nation, the manpower will definitely be insufficient." E Yun truthfully explained their difficulties. Digging canals required cultivators specializing in Earth-attribute cultivation methods, and when diverting snowmelt for irrigation, trees needed to be planted along the banks and dams built for reinforcement to prevent soil erosion. If it were just a few river sections, he could barely manage by posting tasks and recruiting rogue cultivators in North Abyss City. But if it were to be spread throughout the entire Yan Nation, it would be far from enough.

The names of the two rivers were chosen by Chen Mobai himself. The one diverting snowmelt in Yan Nation was named White River, while the one in Xiao Nation was Mo River. When the two rivers converged in Hong Nation, it would be tentatively named Profound River. This was precisely his given name. Having been in the Eastern Barrens for so long, he had integrated himself into it and hoped to leave his permanent mark on this place, thus the naming. He hoped that thousands of years later, his name would be perpetually celebrated in this realm because of these two rivers.

Establishing virtue, achieving merit, uttering words! This was both establishing virtue and achieving merit! This massive project had begun, but Chen Mobai remained very clear-headed, instructing E Yun to remember not to blindly rush the construction schedule.

"Let's take it one step at a time. This is a grand project that will last a hundred years. Once completed, it will change the entire landscape of the Eastern Barrens, so it's better to be cautious and meticulous." E Yun listened and nodded gently, indicating he had noted it.

"Greetings, Master!" Just then, Jiang Zongheng, who was at the Evergreen Academy, rushed over after receiving the news.

When master and disciple met, before Chen Mobai could even speak, Jiang Zongheng announced that he had already added new courses at the academy. In the coming years, he would first train a group of Earth Masters and Spiritual Planters to assist Zhuo Ming with digging canals, planting trees to consolidate soil, and combating desertification. Among the entire Divine Wood Sect, Jiang Zongheng was the first cultivator to grasp Chen Mobai's intention to transform the world.

The plateau possessed the largest area of fertile land in the entire Eastern Barrens. If fully developed for planting spiritual rice or even developing animal husbandry, it could solve most of the famine issues. With abundant food supplies, the unification of the Eastern Barrens would no longer be just a dream. The reason the Eastern Barrens was previously divided into nineteen nations, besides the influence of the major sects, was also due to insufficient food. Whenever a nation's population exceeded its limits, wars would break out between nations to reduce the population. If the Divine Wood Sect had only one nation under its control, facing such a situation and not wanting to fight other major sects, they would only be able to trigger internal strife. This was somewhat humiliating for the cultivators who secretly ruled these nations, so they eventually opted to split into several states directly.

Jiang Zongheng knew that Zhuo Ming possessed many improved varieties of spiritual rice seeds. Although these spiritual rice grains had weak spiritual energy, they were highly productive, allowing for two harvests a year, with the highest yield even reaching a thousand catties per mu. The entire Eastern Barrens Plateau, which Chen Mobai had once traversed with his two disciples, had a cultivable land area of a full thirty million mu. If successful, Jiang Zongheng believed that the spiritual rice from this region could feed all the people of the Eastern Barrens, laying the material foundation for grand unification.

"Well done, but I think the categories within Evergreen Academy are still a bit too few. Besides Earth Masters and Spiritual Planters, you could add more specific courses like agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries to cultivate specialized talents." Standing on the shoulders of the Immortal Sect, Chen Mobai's vision was far grander than Jiang Zongheng's.

"Master, I don't know which senior brothers in the sect are skilled in these areas. I can invite them to teach at the academy." Jiang Zongheng understood immediately, quickly realizing the greater benefits these courses could bring.

"It's not necessary for only sect cultivators to be teachers. You can hire some rogue cultivators or people from families who have rich experience in these fields. For instance, your Eldest Senior Brother's Liu family, although their industries have upgraded over the years, their traditional fishing skills are still preserved. I just don't know if they'd be willing to share them..." At this point, Chen Mobai thought of the Eastern Barrens cultivators' stubbornness regarding knowledge transmission. Although he held great influence and the Liu family would likely agree if he simply asked, he didn't want to use his power to coerce them. He hoped people would genuinely wish to teach and impart knowledge at Evergreen Academy.

"I understand, Master. I will work towards this direction from now on." Jiang Zongheng nodded, indicating that upon his return, he would start looking for rogue cultivators with expertise in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries. Compared to families, rogue cultivators would generally be willing as long as there were spirit stones involved.

"When opening up the great rivers, hydraulic engineering and similar projects can also be undertaken. Furthermore, the plateau harbors the richest mineral resources in the entire Eastern Barrens; these courses should also be included. Ming'er will be staying here for a long time anyway, so when she has free time, she can come over and give a few lessons occasionally." Chen Mobai didn't care if Jiang Zongheng could fully grasp it all; he just poured out all the information and specialized knowledge he had gathered from the Immortal Sect. Once the two great rivers were opened and irrigation was established, agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries on the Eastern Barrens Plateau could all be put on the right track. Training relevant talents now was perfectly fitting.

"Yes, Master!" Jiang Zongheng largely understood everything after hearing it once. Such content also existed in mortal dynasties, and he had heard great scholars speak of it in his youth, though not in such a specific and systematic manner as Chen Mobai presented it. After listening, applying what he learned, Jiang Zongheng even had a look of sudden realization on his face. Indeed, the principle of regulating one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world was applicable even in the cultivation world.

Chen Mobai stayed in North Abyss City for two more days, waiting for Zhuo Ming and Luo Yixuan to return.

"Qingmei, let's plant your Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root here in North Abyss City first. Afterward, you can help Ming'er plant trees along the sides of the dug canals to consolidate the soil." With Zhuo Ming present, Chen Mobai had full confidence in transplanting the Jadeite Parasol Tree. Yin Qingmei naturally let him arrange everything.

Soon, their group arrived at the highest mountain peak in North Abyss City. Zhuo Ming felt a sense of nostalgia seeing this place; it was where he had once successfully refined the Ten Thousand Virtues Cauldron. After planting the Jadeite Parasol Tree, Chen Mobai departed first.

"Master, are you returning to the sect?" Zhuo Ming and Yin Qingmei were discussing around the newly transplanted Jadeite Parasol Tree, while Luo Yixuan had stayed by Chen Mobai's side the entire time. Seeing him descend, she immediately asked.

"No, I'm going to Hong Nation!" Chen Mobai shook his head, naming a place that made Luo Yixuan a bit puzzled.

"To Hong Nation? Are you going to check Yan Yuanhao's results in tree planting and desertification control? Master, do you want me to accompany you? I want to see how much rain my cultivation can bring down in the desert!" Luo Yixuan certainly wanted to go with Chen Mobai, but he shook his head.

"I'm going to Mount Liujia!"