Chapter 870: Giving Qingnu the Betrothal Gift

Having finished discussing the demonic cultivators, Ye Qing then brought up the Three Foundation Establishment Treasures.

"Sect Master Chen," Ye Qing began, "the alchemists of my sect have completed the refinement of this elixir formula over the years. After its release in various immortal cities throughout the Eastern Lands, its effects have indeed matched the formula's description. Now, our sect plans to sell it across the Eastern Continent via the Nine Heavens Merchant Association, in preparation for the reclamation efforts a century from now."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai's face lit up with joy. This was because as soon as the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect began sales, he could legitimately introduce his own Three Foundation Establishment Treasures in the Eastern Barrens, and even in the Eastern Yi region. He could then claim to have a partnership with the Nine Heavens Merchant Association, allowing him direct access to the first-hand supply.

Ye Qing nodded in agreement, stating that Chen Mobai could simply attribute any issues to him.

"The Starry Sky Dao Sect actually perfected it a few years ago," Ye Qing continued, "but out of consideration for our Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect, they only distributed it within their own sect. Once we expand our sales, they should also start selling it through merchant associations." Ye Qing's remark made Chen Mobai marvel at the immense prestige of the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect. Even a quasi-sacred land like the Starry Sky Dao Sect held such deep reservations about them.

"Oh, by the way, Yu Shuji approached me earlier..." Chen Mobai then mentioned how the Starry Sky Dao Sect wanted him to mediate communications with the One Yuan Dao Palace. Ye Qing smiled slightly upon hearing this, approving of Chen Mobai's refusal.

"You were right not to get involved in that matter," Ye Qing stated. "Three of the four great sacred lands of the Eastern Lands are participating in this reclamation. If the One Yuan Dao Palace wishes to maintain its position as a sacred land, it will sometimes need to present something substantial."

Though Ye Qing did not explicitly state it, his words made Chen Mobai understand. If the One Yuan Dao Palace failed to demonstrate its Nascent God level foundation during this reclamation, it would likely fall from the ranks of sacred lands.

This left him with a complex mix of emotions. He was worried, yet full of anticipation. His concern, naturally, stemmed from the One Yuan Dao Palace being the nominal main lineage of his Five Elements Sect. His anticipation, however, was that if the One Yuan Dao Palace declined, his quest to obtain the One Yuan True Monarch's ascension secret technique would likely become much simpler. Perhaps in the future, if the Five Elements Sect prospered in the Eastern Barrens, it could even replace the One Yuan Dao Palace and become a sacred land itself.

"However, our Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect still hopes that the One Yuan Dao Palace can regain its prestige," Ye Qing added. "After all, blocking the Bright Venerable back then counts as a major favor owed by my master."

Ye Qing articulated their lineage's stance, and Chen Mobai's expression showed sudden understanding. True Monarch Xuantian was renowned as the foremost figure in the Eastern Lands, yet the Bright Venerable, as the most extraordinary individual in the Demonic Dao, possessed formidable strength. Being able to contend equally with an avatar left by an ascending cultivator, it was conceivable that a clash with Yuan Qingque would undoubtedly be a fierce struggle.

The One Yuan Dao Palace had helped True Monarch Xuantian block the Bright Venerable. If this debt of gratitude were not repaid, Yuan Qingque might not even be able to ascend.

However, in the major sects of the Sky River Realm, there was a saying that "disciples perform the labor." If a master had unresolved karma before ascending, it would be transferred to their disciples.

It was precisely for this reason that Ye Qing had always looked after Chen Mobai. In his view, if they could help the One Yuan Dao Palace overcome its current most difficult period, and if Chen Mobai matured, perhaps even reaching the Nascent God stage, then this favor could be considered repaid on behalf of his master.

"Regarding the teleportation array, I will make a trip to the Grand Void Immortal City after I return," Ye Qing stated. "However, before that, Sect Master Chen, it would be best for you to hold your Nascent Soul Ceremony, officially announcing to the Eastern Continent that your Five Elements Sect is a major Nascent Soul sect." Ye Qing reiterated this point, and Chen Mobai thanked him again.

"Upon my return, I will hold the Nascent Soul Ceremony together with my Dao companion," Chen Mobai replied.

Chen Mobai's words caused Yuan Zhen, who was nearby, to slightly stiffen. "Sect Master Chen has a Dao companion?" she asked.

"Yes, her name is Qing Nü, and she is an alchemist."

As Chen Mobai mentioned Qing Nü, a warm smile spread across his face. Yuan Zhen, after listening, couldn't help but nod gently and then, unable to resist, asked again, "Is she a direct descendant of a major sect? I wonder if I know her?"

"Saintess Yuan likely doesn't know her," Chen Mobai replied. "She had been cultivating in the Barren Ruins with an eccentric senior. After that senior left the Eastern Continent, he entrusted her to me. Over time, as we spent more time together, affection grew between us, we expressed our feelings to each other, and decided to become Dao companions. I plan to combine my Nascent Soul Ceremony with our Dao companion ceremony."

Chen Mobai had previously mentioned marrying Qing Nü, but due to a series of events after his Nascent Soul formation, it had been delayed until now. Fortunately, Qing Nü didn't mind; in her view, being with Chen Mobai was all that mattered. However, Chen Mobai felt that since she was alone in the Sky River Realm, he needed to give her a proper status.

"Daoist Qing Nü is truly fortunate," Yuan Zhen said with a hint of envy in her voice. "Sect Master Chen, you wouldn't believe how many female cultivators from major sects in the Eastern Lands have inquired about you through me, hoping to walk the path of cultivation with you for the rest of their lives." It wasn't just her close friends; even Yuan Zhen herself had once entertained such a thought.

At that time, she had considered giving him some hints if Chen Mobai could form his Nascent Soul. Her Yuan clan certainly wouldn't refuse such a genius. Later, when Chen Mobai formed his Nascent Soul and Yuan Zhen herself failed, her personality compelled her to wait longer, intending to drop hints only after she too had formed her Nascent Soul. Little did she know that this waiting period would bring her such disheartening news.

"I wish you both happiness," Yuan Zhen said, forcing a smile.

"If both of you are available then, I hope you can come to the Eastern Barrens to attend," Chen Mobai said, extending an invitation after thanking them. Ye Qing nodded, but Yuan Zhen remained silent.

The next day.

Ye Qing and Yuan Zhen returned to the Eastern Lands via the large teleportation array of Golden Crow Immortal City. As they left, they also took Rogue Cultivator Yuji with them.

After seeing them off, Chen Mobai, fearing the White Crow Patriarch's jealousy, also departed immediately.

Since he was already in the Eastern Yi region, he naturally intended to visit Bright Mirror Mountain.

"Junior Brother, you've come at just the right time." Upon learning of Chen Mobai's arrival, Zhou Shengqing joyfully led him to the spiritual stone storage vault, where blocks of uncut ore nearly filled the space.

Half of these had been excavated by the Five Elements Sect in previous years, and the other half by Zhuo Ming after her arrival.

When Zhuo Ming set foot on the spiritual stone mine of Duoqiu Mountain, its secrets were completely revealed.

Under Zhuo Ming's guidance, there was no need for professional geomancers; simply digging in the directions she indicated guaranteed a yield. Upon learning this, Zhou Shengqing personally led Nascent Core cultivators like Mo Douguang and Zhou Ye in mining, which allowed them to extract such a large quantity in a short amount of time.

Chen Mobai swept his divine sense through the vault, roughly estimating the raw spiritual stones to be around one hundred million. It was truly worthy of being called a large-scale spiritual stone mine.

Beyond these, there was even one and a half top-grade spiritual stones. Zhou Shengqing had kept one piece, intending to give it to Mo Douguang in the future, while the half-piece was awarded to Zhuo Ming on the spot after it was unearthed.

"Thank you, Senior Brother, for your great kindness to Ming'er." Chen Mobai, aware of this, also expressed his gratitude.

"She's also half my disciple, and I estimate she's the most likely to inherit Master Hunyuan's legacy in the future." Zhou Shengqing had always been very fond of Zhuo Ming. When he was inside the Soul Nurturing Wood, she had meticulously cared for him. He had also observed her character and talent, believing she was destined for greatness.

"Since Senior Brother puts it that way, I will impart the Hunyuan Dao Fruit to her in the future." Chen Mobai had considered this for a long time, but as the Hunyuan Dao Fruit was the Five Elements Sect's supreme legacy, he would certainly need Zhou Shengqing's approval to pass it on to a sect disciple here.

"Junior Brother can make the decision on this; I have no objections." Zhou Shengqing nodded. At this point, Chen Mobai recalled another matter.

After they had destroyed Mount Shaking Peak, they obtained a piece of Earth Mother Stone. Zhou Shengqing had used it when he formed his Nascent Soul, and Chen Mobai wondered if the empty shell was still around.

"Yes, it is. After all, it was my first top-grade spiritual stone, so I kept it," Zhou Shengqing replied. Although he felt a bit puzzled, he still took it out from his storage bag and gave it to Chen Mobai.

"There's a secret technique in the Longevity Sect that can use this as a core to absorb Earth Qi," Chen Mobai explained his idea. "I plan to embed it within the Grand Emperor's body to see if it can help it ascend in rank."

In reality, he intended to use his divine sense light-blade instrument to engrave the immortal sect's spiritual stone charging formation onto it. Once the Grand Emperor consumed it, it would function like an empty Earth Mother Stone, continuously absorbing Earth Qi from beneath the ground. This was also the method used by the immortal sect to cultivate Grand Emperors, and after consulting some records, he quickly learned it using the Square Inch Book.

He had mentioned during the refinement of the Nascent Cultivation Pill that he would help the Grand Emperor ascend in rank after he formed his Nascent Soul. When he obtained the Solar Saint Fruit, he remembered the Grand Emperor, which was also a primary ingredient for the Nascent Cultivation Pill, and decided to arrange this matter.

"Junior Brother, you've worked hard. I hope Junior Brother Mo succeeds in forming his Nascent Soul." Zhou Shengqing had a very deep affection for Mo Douguang, who had followed him throughout their journey. As for Zhou Ye, he made no mention of him at all.

Next, Chen Mobai brought up the idea of holding the Nascent Soul Ceremony and the Dao Companion Ceremony together.

"I've been wanting to say this for a while," Zhou Shengqing said, his face lighting up with renewed joy after hearing Chen Mobai. He then produced a pre-written list. "I've already prepared Daoist Qing Nü's betrothal gifts. See if they are suitable."

"Senior Brother, isn't this too valuable!" Chen Mobai took the list, opened it, and was utterly astonished.

There were three main betrothal gifts.

The first, and seemingly simplest, was ten thousand acres of medicinal fields! It came with a map of the Eastern Barrens, marking the exact location of these ten thousand acres. This included eight thousand acres from the Heaven-Returning Valley and an additional two thousand acres from the Giant Tree Ridge.

It was well-known that these two locations comprised the first and second best medicinal fields in the Eastern Barrens; combined, they represented the most vital herbal resources of the entire Eastern Barrens. If Qing Nü were to marry into the sect, she would instantly become the largest landowner in the Eastern Barrens.

The second betrothal gift was the entire Yun County. Qing Nü was currently residing temporarily on Tianpeng Mountain in Yun County. Zhou Shengqing believed she might have an emotional attachment to the area, so he simply enfeoffed the entire Yun County to her. Furthermore, he intended to also transfer the developing Cloud Dream Immortal City and Cloud Dream Academy under her name.

The first two gifts were already incredibly lavish, but the third was what truly astonished Chen Mobai. Zhou Shengqing directly assigned the Tier 5 Yellow Dragon Cave Abode in Cloud Dream Lake to Qing Nü! And this wasn't even territory belonging to their Five Elements Sect!