Chapter 646: Four-Stage Mountain-Calming Stone

Since Xu Shengbing had made a move against Yin Qingmei, Chen Mobai knew he had to visit Mount Liujia.

After instructing Luo Yixuan to stay behind and protect Zhuo Ming and Yin Qingmei, he stepped into Beiyuan City's teleportation array.

With successive flashes of silver light, he arrived within the borders of Hong Kingdom.

Upon receiving news of his arrival, Yan Yuanhao immediately rushed over.

However, Chen Mobai did not let him follow, as he intended to go there to demand an explanation.

Mount Liujia also possessed a Tier 4 spiritual vein, protected by a Tier 4 grand array, exhibiting all the prestige befitting a major sect in the Eastern Wilderness.

Upon Chen Mobai's arrival, he made no attempt to conceal his formidable spiritual power. Soon, Yu Changjian, the sect master of Mount Liujia, nervously greeted him from behind the array.

"Sect Master Chen, to what do we owe the honor of your visit?"

Chen Mobai's expression remained calm as he took out a portrait of Xu Shengbing and flicked it towards Yu Changjian.

"You recognize this person, don't you?"

"Yes, this is our sect's former sect master who was expelled..." Although Yu Changjian didn't know why Chen Mobai had come, he instinctively tried to distance Xu Shengbing and Mount Liujia from the matter.

"A few days ago, he led a reactionary force called the 'Restoration Society' in an ambush against my sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators, with malicious intent..." Chen Mobai did not beat around the bush; he directly branded Xu Shengbing as an enemy of the Divine Wood Sect.

Yu Changjian broke out in a cold sweat after hearing the first half of the sentence, and by the time Chen Mobai finished, he nearly fainted.

"Sect Master Chen, this matter truly has nothing to do with Mount Liujia. I expelled him from the sect ten years ago, and this was announced throughout the Eastern Wilderness..." Yu Changjian immediately began to explain, asserting that Xu Shengbing's actions were purely his personal conduct and had no connection whatsoever to Mount Liujia.

"Whether it has a connection or not is not for you to decide," Chen Mobai stated. Seeing his icy expression, Yu Changjian's eyes flickered with uncertainty. In the end, he could only grit his teeth and continue to apologize.

"Sect Master Chen, please instruct us: how can Mount Liujia clear its name?"

"I am merely here to give you an opportunity to prove your innocence. How you choose to prove it and convince me not to act against Mount Liujia is your concern," Chen Mobai said with a calm expression.

After Nan Shidao's death, Mount Liujia was no longer considered a major sect in the Eastern Wilderness. Facing a Core Formation cultivator, while they could rely on the sect's grand array to resist, doing so would completely infuriate Sect Master Chen. If that happened, the Divine Wood Sect's army would advance north, several Core Formation cultivators would descend, and it would only be a matter of time before Mount Liujia was annihilated.

Therefore, although Chen Mobai's words were cruel, they were very realistic. It was now up to Yu Changjian, the sect master of Mount Liujia, to convince him.

"Sect Master Chen, when Senior Fu of your esteemed sect took all of our sect's inherited texts, he said that as long as our sect remained secluded, he would not harm us in the slightest." Yu Changjian was still trying to negotiate, hoping that Chen Mobai would show respect to Fu Zongjue. After all, for high-level cultivators, even casual remarks were typically adhered to.

"If I'm not mistaken, this agreement was reached between Xu Shengbing and Senior Brother Fu, wasn't it? Now Xu Shengbing has initiated an attack, ambushing my sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators, effectively breaking the agreement first. Senior Brother Fu's promise is naturally nullified." After saying this, Chen Mobai looked at Yu Changjian with a hint of disappointment. He reached for the yellow gourd at his waist, already preparing to uncork it.

This action sent a shiver down Yu Changjian's spine. As Chen Mobai's reputation grew, the power of his yellow gourd was now widely known. Even within the array, Yu Changjian felt his hair stand on end.

"Sect Master Chen, please wait! Our sect possesses an ancestral Tier 3 Soul Crystal, which can be used to create Tier 3 human puppets. Senior Fu of your esteemed sect, having obtained our sect's inheritance, will surely have great need of it." In desperation, Yu Changjian could only offer one of Mount Liujia's most precious items.

"Soul Crystal?" Chen Mobai was somewhat surprised; it was the first time he had heard of such an item.

Yu Changjian immediately explained that these were unique to the Eastern Wilderness, a type of crystal that might drop after slaying a yin spirit or ghost cultivator. It was an essential component for creating high-level puppets.

"I see." Chen Mobai recalled that after he had slain a ghost cultivator previously, there indeed seemed to have been a crystal-like object.

"But it's merely a Tier 3 Soul Crystal. You know that when Senior Brother Zhou emerged from his Nascent Soul breakthrough, he slew several Tier 3 ghost cultivators, and these items dropped from them too..." Chen Mobai didn't know if Soul Crystals dropped when Zhou Shengqing used his Reverse Longevity Art to kill ghost cultivators, as Zhou Shengqing would likely have given them directly to Fu Zongjue, considering they were only useful to him. However, this did not prevent Chen Mobai from using it to continue exerting pressure.

Yu Changjian gnashed his teeth after hearing this. Although he knew that Zhou Shengqing had likely failed and passed away since he hadn't appeared for his Nascent Soul ceremony for so many years, he had indeed slain many ghost cultivators in public back then. Therefore, facing Chen Mobai's words, he could only offer Mount Liujia's most valuable possessions.

"Sect Master Chen, our sect also possesses three types of Tier 4 spirit herbs. If you require one, you may choose among them!"

The history of these three Tier 4 spirit herbs could be traced back to the era of pioneer cultivators, almost as old as the inheritance of Mount Liujia itself. Originally, there were seven types, but the Primordial Ancestor of the Five Elements Sect had taken four of them for unknown alchemy purposes, leaving only these remaining.

"I've also heard of these spirit herbs, but I know that only Hong Kingdom's climate can sustain their growth. I don't have any need for alchemy right now, so I won't take them." Chen Mobai's words made Yu Changjian's expression turn even more bitter.

These were already the best items he could offer. If these weren't enough, did it mean Chen Mobai intended to wipe out Mount Liujia?

"Sect Master Chen, please be direct. What must our sect do to escape this calamity?" While cursing Xu Shengbing inwardly, Yu Changjian could only continue to lower his head and apologize to Chen Mobai.

"I've heard that the core of Mount Liujia's spiritual vein is a Tier 4 Mountain Suppressing Stone..." The moment Chen Mobai's words fell, Yu Changjian's expression drastically changed.

"Sect Master Chen, without this Mountain Suppressing Stone, the power of our sect's protective grand array will gradually weaken, and within a few years, it will degrade from Tier 4 to Tier 3..." "Wouldn't that be better? A Tier 3 array is more fitting for the current Mount Liujia. The fact that you constantly possess a Tier 4 protective grand array is like a thorn in my eye, something I constantly have to worry about. Only a Mount Liujia that I can completely control will be considered no threat in my eyes, allowing me to rest assured that your lineage can remain in Hong Kingdom." Yu Changjian's words were cut short by Chen Mobai, whose own words were starkly realistic and blunt.

The reason Fu Zongjue initially agreed to Mount Liujia's seclusion was not only his desire for the complete puppet inheritance but also because breaking through a Tier 4 array was simply too time-consuming. Especially since their Divine Wood Sect had no Nascent Soul cultivators, they would have to mobilize a large number of people to unleash the full power of their Jia-wood Dao Soldiers to even shake the might of a Tier 4 array. At the same time, they would also need an Earth Master to act, either by destroying Mount Liujia's spiritual vein or by using a malicious item like a Vein-Shattering Pearl, to possibly breach it.

Furthermore, Mount Liujia, possessing a Tier 4 spiritual vein and a Tier 4 grand array after its seclusion, could very well produce another Core Formation cultivator and return to its peak if left to develop unchecked. Chen Mobai intended to transform the desertified Hong Kingdom back into lush green lands in the future. Naturally, he would not leave the hidden danger of Mount Liujia in the heartland of such a meritorious endeavor.

He had been thinking about how to resolve this issue. Originally, he had planned to transplant the Jade Phoenix Tree when he was addressing the desertification, gradually integrating Hong Kingdom's spiritual veins and weakening Mount Liujia's Tier 4 spiritual vein to Tier 3. However, that would take too long. Now, with Xu Shengbing providing an excuse, he intended to first dismantle Mount Liujia's Tier 4 grand array, which symbolized its status as a major Eastern Wilderness sect.

"Sect Master Chen, this matter..." Yu Changjian's face showed intense struggle. He naturally understood the consequences of surrendering the Tier 4 Mountain Suppressing Stone: it meant abandoning their sect's last remaining means of resisting the Divine Wood Sect. However, if he refused, judging by the Core Formation sect master of the Divine Wood Sect appearing in person, it was clear that today's matter would not end peacefully.

"Sect Master Yu, I can make a promise: as long as you hand over this Tier 4 Mountain Suppressing Stone, I will absolutely not act against Mount Liujia in my lifetime." Seeing his struggling expression, Chen Mobai added fuel to the fire.

"Can Sect Master Chen's words represent the entire Divine Wood Sect?" However, Yu Changjian was also an old hand; he wanted to prevent Chen Mobai from playing word games, as the Divine Wood Sect had more than one Core Formation cultivator.

"Naturally!" Chen Mobai sighed inwardly upon hearing this. He had originally planned to avoid taking action himself and wait for Zhuo Ming, Yin Qingmei, and others to achieve Core Formation before letting them handle it. But since Yu Changjian had put it that way, he could only agree.

Anyway, without the Mountain Suppressing Stone, Mount Liujia would be like a tiger without its fangs. In the future, by gradually depleting its spiritual veins and spirit herbs, this major Eastern Wilderness sect would eventually fall into complete decline. Moreover, this Tier 4 Mountain Suppressing Stone wasn't just for setting up arrays; in Zhuo Ming's hands, it could also be used to upgrade Beiyuan City's spiritual vein.

Beiyuan City was being constructed to the scale of the foremost immortal city in the Eastern Wilderness Plateau, and its Tier 3 spiritual vein was becoming increasingly insufficient as it developed. Previously, E Yun had submitted a proposal to upgrade it to a Tier 4 spiritual vein.

Coincidentally, over these past few years, through selling houses and leasing shops, they had accumulated tens of millions of spirit stones, enough for the spiritual vein upgrade. However, upgrading to a Tier 4 spiritual vein also required a treasure capable of suppressing spiritual energy.

The Tier 4 spirit plant of Giant Wood Ridge could certainly not be transplanted to Beiyuan Immortal City, so progress was stalled there. However, the Tier 4 Mountain Suppressing Stone perfectly possessed the function of suppressing spiritual veins.

Yu Changjian and Chen Mobai each made a Dao Heart Vow, agreeing that Mount Liujia and the Divine Wood Sect would be friendly allies and would not actively engage in conflict for a hundred years.

"Sect Master Chen, please wait a moment. I will retrieve the Mountain Suppressing Stone!" After confirming that all details were without flaw, Yu Changjian sighed, his body and spirit somewhat stooped, and flew towards the sect's interior.

He knew that Mount Liujia's continuous inheritance might begin its decline in his hands. However, circumstances were beyond his control! It was not his fault! It was all that scoundrel Xu Shengbing's fault...

After redirecting all his anger towards the deceased Xu Shengbing, Yu Changjian took his sect master's token, opened the various restrictions of the array, and entered the depths of Mount Liujia.

This was an underground chamber within the mountain's belly, with a stone platform in the center.

Yu Changjian took the Mountain Suppressing Stone from its place on the platform and put it into a box. Feeling the aura of the surrounding grand array begin to weaken, he couldn't help but sigh, then turned to deliver the item to Chen Mobai.

However, at the doorway, a tall, black-robed cultivator stood, though Yu Changjian didn't know when he had appeared.

Upon seeing him, Yu Changjian was first vigilant and puzzled, then his expression drastically changed.