"With a God Transformation cultivator intervening, the Feisha Sect could only admit defeat." Shen Shanqing then uttered another statement that shocked Chen Mobai.
"God Transformation? Who was it? No wonder the Feisha Sect's Sand Master, despite possessing the Five Directions Divine Sands, was killed." Logically, Nascent Soul cultivators couldn't withstand fifth-tier artifacts. In Eastern Continent, only a Grand Nascent Soul cultivator with a similar fifth-tier artifact, or a God Transformation True Monarch, could have killed him.
"I don't know who it was, but when the Feisha Sect's Grand Elder tried to recall the Five Directions Divine Sands using an artifact-refining incantation, there was no response. This could only mean it was suppressed by a God Transformation level power." "Although the Feisha Sect is powerful, eight hundred years ago, in a war with the Myriad Immortals Island in the Barren Sea, their God Transformation True Monarch, Old Ancestor Hesha, died at the hands of a Demon Venerable. Now, they lack the confidence to pursue the matter fully when facing a Sacred Land, so they can only accept their misfortune." "After all, if they truly traced it back to a God Transformation cultivator from a Sacred Land or Demonic Path, they would currently only be able to defend themselves."
Chen Mobai then learned something else he hadn't known. Upon asking, he discovered that unlike the Eastern Continent, which enjoyed peace and prosperity under the protection of God Transformation cultivators from Sacred Lands, the other four seas were largely under the dominion of demon beasts. Especially in the Barren Sea, where the Feisha Sect was located, there resided a God Transformation mighty figure known as the Demon Venerable.
No one knew the Demon Venerable's origins, only that it possessed vast magical powers and appeared as a God Transformation level being. With great power, it raised an underwater volcano from the depths of the Barren Sea, settled there, and taught myriad demonic arts. It taught without discrimination; every living being could come to listen and seek wisdom. Hundreds of years passed, and countless spirits gained sentience by listening to the Demon Venerable's teachings, becoming its disciples. From then on, the place where the Demon Venerable resided was called "Myriad Immortals Island" by these demonic creatures. Of course, human cultivators scornfully referred to it as "Myriad Demons Island."
Initially, the Feisha Sect, wary of the Demon Venerable's formidable cultivation, paid it little heed, especially since it only lectured and spread its teachings. However, as the Myriad Demons Island's influence grew, and after the first fourth-tier Nascent Soul demon beast appeared, the Feisha Sect could no longer sit idly by. Old Ancestor Hesha, using a God Transformation decree, gathered cultivators from thirty-six Immortal Islands in the Barren Sea who possessed Nascent Soul cultivation, intending to destroy Myriad Demons Island. But in a direct confrontation, the Demon Venerable's cultivation proved even stronger. Fortunately, just before his death, Old Ancestor Hesha unleashed a powerful technique inherited from the Eastern Lands Imperial Court, heavily injuring the Demon Venerable and causing it to sink into the sea, also collapsing Myriad Immortals Island.
"The Celestial River Realm is truly vast," Chen Mobai exclaimed in amazement after hearing this. Compared to the Immortal Sect, it seemed impossible to establish oneself in this realm without a God Transformation True Monarch. Next, Chen Mobai inquired about other existing God Transformation cultivators across the Five Continents and Four Seas, but Shen Shanqing didn't know much about them; after all, their Heavenly Dining Pavilion was merely a large Nascent Soul sect. The Barren Sea and Profound Sea were located outside the Eastern Continent, and in past years, the Eastern Continent had organized armies of cultivators to fight against the demon beasts in these two sea regions, which was why they had this intelligence and information. To know the full extent of God Transformation True Monarchs in the Celestial River Realm, one would likely only find such information within the Sacred Lands of the Eastern Lands.
After listening, Chen Mobai thanked Shen Shanqing and felt an even stronger desire to establish an intelligence network exclusive to the Five Elements Sect. After personally seeing Shen Shanqing out, Chen Mobai returned to converse with Yan Shaoyin.
"Sect Master, these are the medicinal ingredients you requested..." Chen Mobai took the storage bag Yan Shaoyin handed him and nodded slightly after a glance. As the former foremost alchemist of the Eastern Barren, he was indeed perfectly suited for such tasks.
"Return to Huitian Valley and explain to everyone there about its merger into the Five Elements Sect." Currently, Huitian Valley was the only place in the Eastern Barren not yet under the Five Elements Sect's control. Once this was complete, Chen Mobai could rightfully claim to be the overlord of the Eastern Barren.
"Yes, Sect Master. However, my cultivation has fallen, and if I can't keep the disciples in check upon my return, it might affect the sect's important matters." Without psychological burden, Yan Shaoyin immediately changed his stance, considering everything from the Five Elements Sect's perspective.
"I'll have Junior Niece Luo accompany you." As he spoke, Chen Mobai called Luo Xue'er in, and she immediately accepted the order. After the two left, Chen Mobai felt a slight disappointment. The medicinal ingredients Yan Shaoyin brought still lacked Wind Spirit Vine. This meant the batch of Spirit Essence Pills still couldn't be refined. However, his disappointment only lasted a few days, because Mo Douguang had returned.
"Junior Brother, these are seven types of fourth-tier spirit herbs; I couldn't find some others." Chen Mobai received the storage bag from Mo Douguang. His spiritual sense probed inside, and to his great surprise, he found Wind Spirit Vine among them. Before Mo Douguang left the Eastern Barren, Chen Mobai had given him a list of missing primary ingredients for several elixirs, hoping he could collect them outside the Eastern Barren. He hadn't held much hope, but unexpectedly, Mo Douguang had now completed the final piece of the Spirit Essence Pill puzzle. "Thank you, Senior Brother Mo, you've been a great help!" Chen Mobai said gratefully as he took the bag.
"I didn't find these either; Junior Nephew Yue Zutao collected them in the Eastern Lands. Since I was returning, he asked me to bring them to you." Hearing Mo Douguang's words, Chen Mobai was filled with relief. Combining these fourth-tier medicinal ingredients with those he had collected at the Big Dipper Assembly, plus what the Five Elements Sect had gathered in the Eastern Barren, not only would allow Qing Nü to refine the Spirit Essence Pills, but it also completed the ingredients for a batch of Golden Liquid Jade Reversion Pills. This might allow the sect to gain a few more Core Formation cultivators. He truly lived up to his reputation as a sect prodigy, personally trained by Chen Mobai for a long time; leading the Five Elements Chamber of Commerce for only a year, he had already achieved such merits. Besides these medicinal ingredients, there was also a letter from Yue Zutao.
Chen Mobai took the letter and saw that it detailed Yue Zutao's activities after leading the Five Elements Chamber of Commerce out of the Eastern Barren. He had gone to Huangji Immortal City, one of the seven great Immortal Cities in the Eastern Lands, where he rented a shop. There, he was selling resources brought from the Five Elements Sect in the Eastern Barren while simultaneously gathering information about the Eastern Lands. These seven types of fourth-tier medicinal ingredients were found by Yue Zutao in the medicinal market of Huangji Immortal City, and he had exchanged some of the precious resources Chen Mobai had given him to acquire them. Finally, Yue Zutao also mentioned that the talismans and talisman ink produced by the puppet factory were very popular there and selling exceptionally well. What they had brought might soon sell out, requiring support from the sect.
After reading, Chen Mobai nodded and called his eldest disciple, Liu Wenbai, to arrange the matter. He had already optimized the puppet factory blueprints a long time ago. Although he ostensibly spent the year in the Immortal Gate's extreme northern grotto-heaven watching snow and fishing, collecting discarded talisman paper equipment from the second-hand market was effortless. These devices were essentially destined for scrap in the Immortal Gate, but when brought to the Celestial River Realm, they were undoubtedly high-end products. Puppets were even simpler: he offered very generous conditions to all puppeteers in the Five Elements Sect and made the blueprints public. As long as the crafted puppets met the standards, they could be exchanged for Qingyang Spirit Wood, Jinyang Spirit Wood, and other materials of varying sizes. This led many new disciples of the Five Elements Sect to choose puppetry as their auxiliary cultivation art among the hundred immortal crafts.
The expanded puppet factory could now produce tens of millions of talismans annually. However, Chen Mobai felt this was still insufficient. After all, the entire Eastern Barren currently could only consume three to four million talismans. His research at the Big Dipper Assembly also revealed that industrialized talismans and talisman ink were supreme quality products for the handcraft workshops of the Celestial River Realm. In the future, once he formed his Nascent Soul, the Five Elements Chamber of Commerce would inevitably expand beyond the Eastern Barren. If they spread throughout the entire Eastern Continent, Chen Mobai believed they could consume at least a hundred million talismans annually. He didn't intend to make huge profits from talismans; he simply wanted the Five Elements Chamber of Commerce to use this commodity to establish connections throughout the Eastern Continent. This way, if situations like Chu Zuoshu's disappearance occurred, they wouldn't be completely in the dark and reliant solely on the Heavenly Dining Pavilion.
"Wenbai, go and investigate various locations in the Eastern Barren to see where it would be suitable to establish branch puppet factories." After Liu Wenbai arrived, Chen Mobai gave him this instruction. Concentrating the entire industry in the Great Wood Ridge area was certainly not feasible; the industry and commerce of all nineteen counties in the Eastern Barren needed balanced development. The Eastern Barren Plateau was now being developed intensely, relying on the spirit fields of three counties to supply most of the low-tier spirit rice consumed by cultivators in the Eastern Barren. Originally the most resource-poor area in the entire Eastern Barren, it gradually became the center of the Eastern Barren cultivation world under Chen Mobai's new policies.
Meanwhile, the counties established by the Five Elements Sect's five lineages, such as Wind County and Flame County, could rely on their original foundations to keep pace with development during the overall leap in productivity across the Eastern Barren. However, other counties like Cloud County, Frost County, Thunder County, and Snow County began to decline, because cultivators there found ways to work for the Five Elements Sect in the Eastern Barren Plateau, hoping to earn enough spirit stones to settle in Beiyuan City during their lifetime. This led to unbalanced development in the Eastern Barren, with cultivators becoming increasingly concentrated. While this was an inevitable path for modernization, Chen Mobai still wanted to give the other counties in the Eastern Barren an opportunity to rise.
Over the years, Liu Wenbai had learned a great deal following Chen Mobai and quickly understood his master's intentions. The next day, Zhou Shengqing and Mo Douguang came looking for him together. Naturally, they sought Chen Mobai to discuss the matter of the Five Elements Essence Qi. Mo Douguang had no objections to this. "Senior Brother Zhou and I will first condense the Metal and Wood Essence Qi. Junior Brother Chen, you can focus on your cultivation. The sect needs a true Nascent Soul cultivator." Chen Mobai was deeply moved by Mo Douguang's words.
On this day, from the eastern sky of Beiyuan City, a spirit bird with entirely blue feathers and wings like fans flew in, with a yellow-robed woman seated upon its back. Before long, this Azure Phoenix Bird skillfully landed on the peak of Beiyuan Mountain. "Master!" Zhuo Ming dismounted from the bird's back and respectfully bowed to Chen Mobai. "No need for formalities, come and see this Golden Sun Spirit Tree." Chen Mobai waved to his precious disciple. Zhuo Ming had recently been in Yan County, where vast spirit fields of Fire Spirit Rice were planted. This year, they had suddenly suffered from an insect plague. Upon receiving the news, she had rushed to deal with it, only now discovering the source and leading the Five Elements Sect cultivators to eradicate the locust nest. After resolving the insect plague, knowing Chen Mobai was in Beiyuan City, she immediately rode the Azure Phoenix Bird from the spirit fields to pay her respects. In recent years, both master and disciple had expended considerable effort on this Golden Sun Spirit Tree in Beiyuan City. One could only say that advancing a spirit plant's tier was truly difficult. Chen Mobai and his disciple were the top spirit planters in the Eastern Barren, and the conditions they provided for this Golden Sun Spirit Tree were unprecedentedly abundant. They even watered it with an entire vial of fourth-tier Myriad Transformation Thunderwater, yet despite its aura growing daily, it had consistently failed to cross that threshold and trigger its advancement.
"Master, it's currently absorbing the immense essence contained within the Eternal Earth. As long as its upward momentum doesn't stop, it will eventually advance," Zhuo Ming said, relaying her diagnosis after communicating with it using the Myriad Spirit Insight. "It's not that I'm in a hurry, but in the next ten years, I'll be entering a secluded death-seclusion to break through to a higher realm. If I'm not here when this spirit plant advances, I won't be able to use 'A Leaf Blinds the Eye' to help it conceal its heavenly tribulation." Hearing Chen Mobai's words, Zhuo Ming was stunned. She knew that her master had already reached the late Core Formation stage long ago. A higher realm could only mean Core Formation Consummation. And after reaching Core Formation Consummation, one could attempt to form a Nascent Soul. A Nascent Soul! This was truly the undisputed overlord of the Eastern Barren cultivation world! Even looking across the entire Eastern Continent, such a being would be considered a high-level existence. "Disciple congratulates Master in advance on a successful breakthrough." Zhuo Ming's words made Chen Mobai laugh heartily. Afterward, master and disciple sat beneath the Golden Sun Spirit Tree and began their long-awaited teaching session.
Zhuo Ming had also reached Foundation Establishment Consummation, and her Body Forging Technique was at the third tier. According to Chen Mobai's estimation, if she took the Golden Liquid Jade Reversion Pill, forming her core would essentially be no problem. However, since he had set her on the path of enlightenment-based Core Formation, there was no need to rush; they would wait a bit longer. In Hong County, the tree-planting and desertification control efforts, with strong support from the Five Elements Sect, attracted many cultivation families and small sects with spirit stones. They all invested in this seemingly costly and labor-intensive grand project. This was because as the Blackwater River's excavation was nearing completion, the cultivators working on the river channel suddenly became surplus, so they all swarmed into the desertification control project. As of today, hundreds of Foundation Establishment cultivators and four to five thousand Qi Condensation cultivators had gathered in Hong County. No matter the place, the saying "strength in numbers" always held true.
"Thank you, Master, for your guidance." After guiding Zhuo Ming, Chen Mobai didn't waste any more time in Beiyuan City and directly took a teleportation array back to Tianpeng Mountain. When Qing Nü saw the seven types of fourth-tier spirit herbs he brought, her smile was endless. She had already prepared the equipment for refining the Spirit Essence Pills. Chen Mobai, of course, was not spared; she pulled him over to use the Doushuai Fire. Every time Qing Nü refined elixirs, it was a perfect teaching session for the alchemists of the Celestial River Realm. So, this time, Chen Mobai directly called Yan Shaoyin over. After returning to Huitian Valley, Yan Shaoyin announced the sect's merger into the Five Elements Sect. Although many disciples found it unacceptable, under his years of coercion and Luo Xue'er's suppressive presence as a Core Formation combatant, they all nodded in agreement. The locals understood that the outcome for dissenters was death. This was how Huitian Valley had treated cultivation forces within its territory in the past. Moreover, with their sect's pillar-like Old Ancestor having defected, the disciples simply had to obey orders. At most, it was just a change of sect to get by. If all else failed, they could become rogue cultivators, using the alchemy skills honed in Huitian Valley to earn spirit stones for cultivation wherever they went. However, any ambitious cultivator knew how convenient cultivation was within a large sect. In Huitian Valley, to refine a batch of elixirs, one could basically exchange for all the main and auxiliary ingredients as long as there were enough spirit stones. But for rogue cultivators, it might take years or even over a decade of arduous effort to gather everything. The most tragic part was when, after gathering everything, a rogue cultivator would find out and simply steal it. Although such incidents were severely suppressed and greatly reduced after the Five Elements Sect's rule over the Eastern Barren, the life of a rogue cultivator was always the most difficult in the cultivation world.
After Yan Shaoyin issued the command, E Yun, who had already received the news, brought his people to Huitian Valley and, together with Luo Xue'er, began inventorying the personnel list, ledgers, and, most importantly, the medicinal fields and other assets. Hearing Chen Mobai's summons, Yan Shaoyin, seizing the opportunity to avoid the sorrow of his ancestral legacy being taken over, went directly to Tianpeng Mountain. Besides him, Zeng Woyou and Yan Jinye, master and disciple, were also present. When they saw Yan Shaoyin, they specifically bowed to him; after all, he had held the position of the foremost alchemist in the Eastern Barren for over two hundred years, and these alchemists had essentially grown up hearing his name. Yan Shaoyin knew Zeng Woyou; although he was the head of the Five Elements Sect's Alchemy Department, his skill was rather ordinary. Nevertheless, out of respect for Chen Mobai, he amiably nodded to the master and disciple. Just then, Chen Mobai and Qing Nü descended from the mountain peak.
"Is this the true disciple of that senior stranger? Indeed, she possesses a pure temperament distinct from cultivators of the Eastern Barren..." Seeing Qing Nü, whose beauty was unparalleled and temperament unmatched, Yan Shaoyin secretly nodded in approval. However, he soon couldn't help but slightly frown. This was because he sensed that Qing Nü was not a true Core Formation cultivator, but rather an unorthodox Golden Core. It seemed this senior stranger's disciple had ordinary talent. Yan Shaoyin believed that Qing Nü must have failed to form a true core before, hence resorting to refining an unorthodox Golden Core. At that moment, a hint of doubt arose in his mind regarding what Chen Mobai had said earlier. For an excellent alchemist, failing to successfully form their own true core was somewhat unacceptable.
Just as Yan Shaoyin worried if Chen Mobai had misled him, a wisp of purplish-blue flame emerged. Then, right before his eyes, Chen Mobai and Qing Nü worked in perfect, seamless coordination, refining the Spirit Essence Pills in just one month. The moment ten perfect pills emerged from the furnace, Yan Shaoyin's eyes nearly popped out. "Sect Master, may I examine one?" Yan Shaoyin, unable to suppress the tremor in his heart, asked. Chen Mobai nodded and poured one out for him. Yan Shaoyin then performed Huitian Valley's secret pill appraisal technique. Soon, Yan Shaoyin couldn't help but gasp. Under his appraisal technique, he detected no traces of pill toxins in the Spirit Essence Pill in his palm. Another batch of supreme-grade pills. Yan Shaoyin was now certain that Qing Nü was the alchemist who refined the supreme-grade Reversion Pills. He deeply regretted his earlier superficiality, fortunate that he hadn't shown it. Otherwise, he would have been greatly disgraced.
"Esteemed fellow Daoist, the alchemy steps just now were different from our usual methods in the Eastern Barren. May I humbly ask for some guidance?" After returning the Spirit Essence Pill, Yan Shaoyin respectfully sought Qing Nü's advice. "Of course. Junior Nephew Zeng and Junior Niece Yan, come over as well. Feel free to ask any questions you have." Qing Nü had already learned about Yan Shaoyin's background from Chen Mobai and knew that the elixirs she refined would later need to enter the Eastern Continent market under his name, so she was very courteous.
While Qing Nü and the other alchemists were exchanging knowledge, Chen Mobai bid them farewell and, taking the newly refined batch of Spirit Essence Pills, returned to the peak of Tianpeng Mountain. He sat cross-legged beneath the revitalized five-cornered ancient maple, poured out a single crystal-clear, jade-like Spirit Essence Pill, and consumed it directly. After closing his eyes, holding a supreme-grade spirit stone, Chen Mobai didn't forget to use the 'Yinyou Yi' technique to gather the pure fire spirit qi of the area, then refined it using the Pure Yang Scroll. Yan Shaoyin and the others, who were at the foot of the mountain seeking alchemy guidance, felt the entire Tianpeng Mountain subtly tremble at that instant. Looking up, they saw crimson, flame-like fire spirit qi like clouds covering the sky, enveloping the entire mountaintop, forming a funnel shape, continuously pouring down towards a certain spot on the peak. Yan Shaoyin also formed his core with fire-attribute methods; his Earth Heart True Fire Art was well-known in the Eastern Barren and could be cultivated to the Nascent Soul realm. "The Sect Master truly has a profound foundation!" Before forming his Nascent Soul, Yan Shaoyin condensed seven strands of Earth Heart True Qi, but even when cultivating with all his might, the phenomenon of absorbing fire spirit qi was less than one-fifth of Chen Mobai's. Therefore, seeing this scene, he was greatly astonished. But at the same time, he felt an inexplicable pleasant surprise. With such a foundation, the Sect Master would surely succeed in forming his Nascent Soul. Unconsciously, Yan Shaoyin's identification with the Five Elements Sect became even deeper.
Time flowed like water. Unbeknownst to him, Chen Mobai had been in secluded cultivation on the peak of Tianpeng Mountain for two years. He only consumed four Spirit Essence Pills to cultivate the Core Formation chapter of the Pure Yang Scroll to the Grand Perfection realm. Moreover, besides reaching Golden Core Consummation, he had also condensed three-fifths of the Doushuai Fire. With the aid of this immortal flame, his Pure Yang True Qi had also been refined to the extreme of his current realm. Now, his Dantian Qi Sea contained no more Pure Yang spiritual power, entirely filled with boundless Pure Yang True Qi. However, this Pure Yang True Qi was still somewhat ethereal, and he needed to further refine it using the Lantern Illumination Art. Aside from this, his spiritual sense and physical body had also improved. After refining the entire bottle of Starlight Spirit Liquid, his Eternal Life Dao Body showed subtle signs of enhancement, but since this spirit liquid wasn't specifically tailored to his Body Forging Technique, its effects were somewhat diminished, unable to directly help him break through to the fourth tier. Chen Mobai was not discouraged by this; he simply consumed spirit rice daily and continued to temper his physique, intending to break through in one go when forming his Nascent Soul, leveraging the power of breakthrough.
As for his spiritual sense, since it had already been elevated to Core Formation Consummation with the aid of the Clear Bamboo, it only became purer and clearer. However, during his cultivation of the Danfeng Chaoyang Diagram today, Chen Mobai, under the blessing of the Crown of Heaven and Earth's Beings, suddenly entered a profound, divine, and enlightened state. In this state, he seemed able to perceive an extraordinary and vast will that permeated heaven and earth. This will permeated all things, holding all the mysteries of the universe, and it seemed that anyone who merged with it could wield the authority of the Heavenly Heart. At that moment, he felt an impulse to break free from the constraints of his physical body and merge with this vast will. At the crucial moment, his natal artifact, the Morning Bell, chimed in his Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness, allowing him to restrain himself. It was precisely because of this that Chen Mobai awoke from his secluded cultivation today. He recalled the mysterious state he had entered, and inwardly contemplated all the knowledge in his mind, seeking to find the reason. Soon, three words appeared before his eyes: "Tongtian Zhi!" This was the fourth layer of the Danfeng Chaoyang Diagram. It was said that the phoenix was an auspicious divine bird, naturally blessed by heaven, forever bringing good fortune. Even if it encountered disaster, it would receive heavenly warnings and avoid it. If Chen Mobai mastered this layer, he would gain a spiritual blessing akin to a cicada sensing autumn before it arrives; whenever he faced life-threatening danger, he would have a premonition, giving him time to prepare to resolve the disaster. However, this realm was still too advanced for a Golden Core cultivator. Chen Mobai didn't know why he suddenly comprehended "Tongtian Zhi," and he was grateful for the Morning Bell's chime; otherwise, he wouldn't know if it would have been a blessing or a misfortune.
After being startled awake from his seclusion, Chen Mobai felt his mind hadn't yet settled, so he simply got up. "Oh, you've come out of seclusion? Why didn't you inform me beforehand?" As he moved away from the five-cornered ancient maple, Qing Nü sensed his presence and immediately flew up from the foot of the mountain. There was nothing to hide from his Dao companion. Chen Mobai explained that he had just entered the Tongtian Zhi realm, and his mind was a bit unstable. "It must be because your cultivation talent is too exceptional; I don't have such worries," Qing Nü said with a smile after hearing him. Chen Mobai couldn't help but laugh, and the two spent some intimate moments on the mountain peak. "While you were in seclusion, many message talismans arrived. Would you like to see them?" Afterward, Qing Nü took a stack of written talismans from her storage bag and handed them to Chen Mobai. He took them and read through them one by one. Mostly, they contained good news. Last year, Nujiang had broken through to the late Core Formation stage and, under Zhou Shengqing's arrangement, began condensing Water Essence Qi. Early this year, Sheng Zhaoxi, living up to expectations, also broke through his bottleneck and started condensing Fire Essence Qi. Upon reading this, Chen Mobai immediately took out the Reversion Pills Qing Nü had previously refined and the remaining Spirit Essence Pills, preparing to personally deliver them to compensate for their consumption of Five Elements Essence Qi. Soon, he saw the last message talisman.
[3 minutes ago] Chapter 818: Bathing in the Sun Sea Master and Apprentice
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