Chapter 860: Goodbye Red River

After touring Beiyuan City, Chen Mobai was satisfied as he headed towards the summit of Mount Beiyuan.

Suddenly, he spotted someone.

It was a thin, handsome male cultivator, of average height, looking very ordinary, with a cultivation level fluctuating at the Qi Refining stage. However, his appearance and physique were merely disguises. Chen Mobai easily saw through it: this person was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and a very powerful one, almost at the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm.

If he hadn't known the person, Chen Mobai would likely have just glanced, left a mental mark, and moved on. But this particular individual piqued his curiosity.

Hong He was browsing a stall. He had come hoping to buy pills that could enhance his cultivation, but it was unlikely that anything useful to him would be found at such a stall. Still, he was merely passing the time. His main objective was the exchange meetings among fellow cultivators scheduled for the evening.

After purchasing a second-tier medicinal ingredient, Hong He stood up, ready to leave, when his eyes suddenly widened.

Chen Mobai stood before him, smiling faintly.

Hong He instinctively wanted to flee, but the moment he considered the current realm of the Sect Master before him, his entire body stiffened, as if bound by a magical restraint spell.

"Come with me!"

Hearing those three words, Hong He subtly exhaled a breath of relief. Chen Mobai had already turned, and Hong He, not daring to escape, respectfully followed the Nascent Soul cultivator ahead of him towards the summit of Mount Beiyuan.

"How have you been these past years since leaving the sect?"

After they sat down, Chen Mobai's first question brought a pang of sadness to Hong He, almost bringing him to tears. Throughout their journey, he had even imagined Chen Mobai executing him to prevent the Five Elements Sect from being tainted by demonic cultivation. He never expected such a kind and warm greeting.

In that moment, Hong He, who had drifted outside for decades, deeply regretted why he had cultivated demonic arts in the first place.

"This disciple has... been well these years!" Hong He managed, suppressing the tumultuous emotions in his heart and trying to speak as calmly as possible. "Sect Master... can I still return to the sect?"

"I'm glad you didn't harm Gu Yan when you left," Chen Mobai said. "Furthermore, I haven't heard of any disciples being harmed within the sect during your time there. In that regard, you haven't wronged the sect. However, even if you initially cultivated the Sea Swallowing Demonic Art unintentionally, you later actively devoured many rogue cultivators and marauders. This is something I cannot forgive. Those who commit wrongs must face punishment, and you certainly cannot return to the Five Elements Sect."

Chen Mobai was honest. Regardless, it was a fact that Hong He had cultivated demonic arts.

"Sect Master, those I devoured were all individuals who had previously engaged in marauding," Hong He quickly explained.

But Chen Mobai still shook his head. "Although the Five Elements Sect now has two Nascent Soul cultivators, myself and Senior Brother Zhou, our strength is still vastly inferior compared to the Nine Heavens Demonic Extermination Sect, a sacred land in the Eastern Lands. I cannot allow an hidden danger like you within the sect."

Hearing this, Hong He lowered his head, his face filled with sorrow.

"Are you here in Beiyuan City to gather resources?" Seeing his reaction, Chen Mobai changed the subject.

Hong He quickly composed himself and stated his purpose for coming. He needed a pill to advance his cultivation to the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm. A renowned rogue cultivator named Daoist Yuji was holding a trade fair in Beiyuan City, and among the items was a Verdant Water Azure Spirit Pill, which would be extremely beneficial to Hong He. That's why he had specifically come.

Daoist Yuji? Chen Mobai didn't recognize such a minor figure, so Hong He immediately explained that she was from Eastern Wu and had previously been the matriarch of a small family. However, during a previous massive beast tide, her family's disciples were conscripted by the Sun family and almost all perished in Yunmeng Marsh. Upon receiving the news, Daoist Yuji, in her grief, immediately disbanded her family. She took only a few bloodline descendants and crossed the Yunmeng Marsh border late one night, fleeing to the Eastern Barrens.

Since she brought all her family's wealth with her, she lived comfortably in Beiyuan City. Not only did she utilize the local resources to break through to the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm, but she even opened a thriving specialty store featuring goods from Eastern Wu.

When Sun Huangji failed to form his Nascent Soul and perished, and Sun Huanglong subsequently went on a killing spree to suppress the entire Eastern Wu region and maintain the Sun family's hegemony, Daoist Yuji saw an opportunity. She specifically sent her descendants back to Eastern Wu to preach to the cultivating families there about the grandeur of Beiyuan City, the greatness of the Five Elements Sect, and the sincerity of Sect Master Chen! Many smaller family factions in Eastern Wu, unwilling to live in fear, were persuaded and followed with hope to Beiyuan City.

Of course, after arriving, these people would first pay their respects to Daoist Yuji. With her help, they purchased properties, opened shops, and so on. Daoist Yuji profited handsomely from this strategy. The reason for this trade fair was that Daoist Yuji wanted to collect books and knowledge not available in Beiyuan City's library, so she could exchange them for third-tier Core Formation insights.

It wasn't just Daoist Yuji. Ever since Chen Mobai established that rule, the Foundation Establishment ancestors of various great families in the Eastern Barrens had, without a moment's hesitation, taken out their most treasured inherited knowledge just to exchange for Core Formation insights. Among them, the most generous was Zhu Jinyu, the former Sect Master of the Blowing Snow Palace. When she affiliated with the Five Elements Sect and learned about this from Lan Lingping, she directly exchanged all of her sect's millennia-worth of accumulated texts for all the Core Formation insights available in the library. She even had some exchange opportunities remaining, which Zhu Jinyu saved, intending to use them when the Five Elements Sect made new Core Formation insights available in the future. It proved her foresight was excellent; in just three short years, the Five Elements Sect had indeed acquired three more Core Formation insights.

"I won't give you the pills. Here are Nu Jiang's Core Formation insights; commit them to memory." After understanding Hong He's purpose, Chen Mobai nodded gently. He then took out paper and a pen, retrieved Nu Jiang's original insights from the memory of the Heaven's Reckoning Bead, wrote them down, and handed them to Hong He.

"Thank you, Sect Master!" Hong He's hands trembled as he received the paper with excited reverence. After reading and memorizing the contents, he immediately burned the paper on the spot.

"Once you leave this door, I won't know you, nor will you be a disciple of my Five Elements Sect." Chen Mobai uttered these final words. Hong He's eyes showed a hint of sadness, but he solemnly performed a deep bow.

"This disciple swears that even in death, I will not bring trouble to the sect!" After saying this, Hong He stood up.

"Sect Master, there's one more thing," Hong He said before leaving. "That Daoist Yuji might also have cultivated demonic arts."

Chen Mobai's eyes narrowed slightly, and he nodded gently. A short while later, Luo Yixuan arrived, having received his summons.

"Master, you called for me."

Luo Yixuan had been in Beiyuan City this whole time. Besides her dealings with the Starry Sky Grand Merchant Guild, Chen Mobai had also entrusted her with the affairs of the Five Elements Commerce Guild. Yue Zutao had already begun to dominate the low-end market in the Eastern Lands with industrialized talismans. Now, every year, the Eastern Barrens had to produce massive quantities of talismans to send over. Besides talismans, there were also some local specialties from the Eastern Barrens.

Previously, Liu Wenbai was in charge of this matter. However, seeing his junior sisters one by one forming their cores, and even Jiang Zongheng, who had joined the sect most recently, achieving this step, this eldest disciple grew restless. He told Chen Mobai that he wished to enter seclusion, at least to cultivate to the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm first. Naturally, Chen Mobai agreed. However, he also cautioned Liu Wenbai that while seclusion was fine, he should not be overly hasty or use pills to force his growth.

Liu Wenbai's most significant characteristic was his earnest obedience. For most of these years, he had been cultivating in the fourth-tier immortal's cave Chen Mobai arranged for him in Beiyuan City. However, he was still overseeing the affairs of the Xiaonanshan Shop. Additionally, Chen Mobai had him transfer the responsibilities for the puppet factory, the Five Elements Commerce Guild, and other ventures to Luo Yixuan.

"I understand, Master!" After telling Luo Yixuan about Daoist Yuji, a spark of interest flickered in her eyes.

"If she is confirmed to be a demonic cultivator, remember to gather solid evidence. We will not act directly; I will notify the Nine Heavens Demonic Extermination Sect." Chen Mobai knew that although his disciple possessed a beautiful face and immortal charm, her childhood experiences had instilled a significant desire to kill.

"Yes, Master!" Hearing Chen Mobai's words, Luo Yixuan felt a slight disappointment. Since forming her core, she hadn't yet encountered an opponent strong enough for her to test her perfected "Profound Dark Heavy Water." During the battle against the Profound Roar Dao Palace, Ancestor Jinfeng was slain by Chen Mobai, and the remaining Core Formation cultivators were all taken care of by the older generation, such as Mo Douguang and Zhou Ye. She had only been able to engage with Foundation Establishment cultivators. How could she improve like that! Thus, upon hearing the rare possibility of a demonic cultivator, Luo Yixuan had hoped to follow the trail, uncover whoever was hidden behind Daoist Yuji, and get a good opportunity to test her skills. After all, she had Granny Ming by her side and a fourth-tier Moon Splendor Blade. As long as it wasn't a Core Formation cultivator of Mo Douguang or Zhou Ye's caliber, she was confident she could contend.

Inside Daoist Yuji's immortal's cave, she spoke respectfully to Zhu Jun: "Senior Zhu, everyone has been arranged."

"Good. This operation must succeed; failure is not an option. If it's accomplished, I will give you a Core Formation spiritual medicine from the Sun-Bathing Sea." Zhu Jun listened, then nodded calmly, making a promise.

Daoist Yuji's face immediately flushed, seemingly captivated by the offer.