Chapter 875: Taixu Daoist Zhang Pankong

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The black-robed cultivator nodded slightly as he watched Mu Qin in Ku Zhu's arms take her last breath. Before Ku Zhu had even passed the trial, he had already informed Mu Qin about the blood sacrifice and the Heavenly Abyss Dao Fruit. In the end, his judgment proved correct; Mu Qin indeed made the sacrifice to prevent Ku Zhu from falling into the demonic path. However, this could only prevent it for a time.

Beiyuan City!

Only three days remained until the grand ceremony.

The representative from Kongsang Valley finally arrived. It was Yi Chenghan, whom Chen Mobai recognized, and his face looked a little haggard. After presenting the congratulatory gift, Chen Mobai learned from him that Grandmaster Mu Qin's soul lamp had shattered. This incident caused some turmoil within Kongsang Valley. Fortunately, Ku Zhu's soul lamp was still intact; otherwise, they would likely be dividing the family by now. The news of Mu Qin's death left Chen Mobai feeling somewhat reflective. After all, she was the first Nascent Soul cultivator to interact with their Five Elements Sect. It was thanks to her that they were able to attend the Big Dipper Assembly and obtain the Three-Light Divine Water.

"Please accept my condolences!" Chen Mobai said to Yi Chenghan, then added that if anything happened in Dongyi in the future, they could go to the Five Elements Sect's branch academy on Mount Mingjing. Yi Chenghan was very grateful for this.

Next, Chen Mobai received the head chef from Heavenly Delicacies Pavilion, who had traveled from the Eastern Lands. The head chef, named Ren Qiu, was a late Core Formation cultivator, personally brought by Shen Shanqing to pay his respects. During the rise of the Five Elements Sect, Shen Shanqing had provided significant assistance, so Chen Mobai did not forget to send him an invitation this time. He even contracted out all the catering for the ceremony, excluding beverages, to Heavenly Delicacies Pavilion.

"Greetings, Sect Master Chen. I heard about your grand ceremony and specifically brought twelve master chefs from the Eastern Lands to assist," Ren Qiu said. Ren Qiu was a short, plump cultivator with a round figure. He smiled broadly, his face full and amiable, as he handed over the gift box he was carrying.

"Head Chef Ren, you're too kind. I didn't expect you to lead the team personally. It seems we're in for a treat this time," Chen Mobai immediately thanked him. Chen Mobai was quite fond of Heavenly Delicacies Pavilion's cuisine, as their ingredients were superior and generously used. Furthermore, Ren Qiu had received the true teachings of the Heavenly Delicacies Pavilion's two Nascent Soul cultivators, earning his position as head chef through genuine culinary skill.

"Sect Master Chen, please rest assured. Leave the ceremony's meals to me."

After conversing with Ren Qiu for a while, Chen Mobai mentioned Shen Shanqing's assistance to him, causing Ren Qiu to nod repeatedly and declare that such an excellent talent needed proper nurturing. Shen Shanqing's face lit up with joy upon hearing this. He had originally thought he would spend his entire life in the Eastern Barrens. Who would have thought he could re-enter the Eastern Lands headquarters' radar by relying on the Five Elements Sect? This time, Ren Qiu also revealed to Shen Shanqing that if he could form a Core, he would be put in charge of Heavenly Delicacies Pavilion's branches in Dongyi, the Eastern Barrens, and Dongwu. It wasn't just talk; Ren Qiu had already taught Shen Shanqing the Heavenly Delicacies Pavilion's Core Formation mantra for cultivating Qi through food and had given him many rare delicacies that could enhance his cultivation. Shen Shanqing was extremely glad he had been assigned to the Eastern Barrens; otherwise, it would have been another martial brother encountering Chen Mobai and soaring to success. He was now even imagining a beautiful future where, after forming his Core, he would meet the two Nascent Soul grand ancestors.

In the main hall, Ren Qiu asked Chen Mobai about his various requirements for the dishes, then hastily took Shen Shanqing to purchase ingredients. Ren Qiu had initially expected it to be troublesome, but to his surprise, they managed to acquire most of what they needed right in Beiyuan City. For the remaining items, a simple request would have the Five Elements Sect dispatch them from various parts of the nineteen counties of the Eastern Barrens.

"Under Sect Master Chen's governance, these Eastern Barrens are no longer inferior to the immortal cities of the Eastern Lands," Ren Qiu exclaimed, impressed, after personally experiencing Beiyuan City.

"This Sect Master Chen clearly isn't someone who could have been nurtured here in the Eastern Barrens. I suspect what Grand Ancestor White Crow revealed is true: he must be a Dao Child deliberately raised in the Eastern Barrens by the One Yuan Dao Palace to prevent him from being harmed by the demonic path," Shen Shanqing voiced his speculation. Shen Shanqing shared his guess. Heavenly Delicacies Pavilion was well-informed; when Grand Ancestor White Crow wanted to publicize that Chen Mobai was Chen Qingdi, he had sought help from Heavenly Delicacies Pavilion in Golden Crow Immortal City to spread the news. Shen Shanqing was also very surprised when he received the news, but he certainly couldn't ask Chen Mobai about it. Moreover, as it was related to his own business, he could only pretend ignorance.

"After the Five Elements Sect upgrades to a major Nascent Soul sect, the major powers in the Eastern Lands will pay more attention to the Eastern Barrens. As the head chef of Heavenly Delicacies Pavilion here, you must be extremely careful when selling intelligence. If someone wants to purchase information about the Five Elements Sect, you must weigh it carefully yourself. As for whether Sect Master Chen is a Dao Child of the One Yuan Dao Palace, we should not investigate further." Ren Qiu instructed Shen Shanqing. Although Heavenly Delicacies Pavilion had two Nascent Soul grand ancestors, they still needed to be extremely cautious when dealing with forces at the Sacred Land level. Furthermore, even if he wasn't Chen Qingdi, the Five Elements Sect genuinely had two Nascent Soul cultivators. Heavenly Delicacies Pavilion always prioritized fostering good relations and avoiding offense when facing such powers. It was precisely because of this that Shen Shanqing, who had a good relationship with the Five Elements Sect, received focused training.

Time quickly passed, and it was the day before the grand ceremony.

After trying on his ceremonial attire, Chen Mobai was speaking with Qing Nü when his expression subtly changed. Soon after, two Nascent Soul-level spiritual energy fluctuations arrived above Beiyuan City. Neither of them concealed their auras, instantly drawing the attention of all cultivators in the city.

"Hahaha, Fellow Daoist Ye Qing, I thought you weren't coming!" Chen Mobai flew out from the peak of Mount Beiyuan, laughing heartily. He cupped his fists in greeting to the arriving Ye Qing, then looked with some surprise at the dignified young man in dark robes beside him. Chen Mobai had met this person before. He had descended with the Palace Master of Biluo Palace at the Xing Tian Dao Sect and had ultimately sealed the spatial rift. A faint suspicion arose in his heart, but he still asked with a curious expression, "May I ask for this Fellow Daoist's name?"

"Zhang Pankong!" The dark-robed youth spoke his name. He was indeed the Dao Child of the Grand Void Ethereal Palace.

Chen Mobai's guess was confirmed, and he welcomed him with a look of feigned surprise: "I didn't expect the Grand Void Dao Child himself to grace us with his presence. My Beiyuan City is truly honored."

Ye Qing said, "I mentioned the large-scale teleportation array you spoke of last time. It's fortunate that it's your grand ceremony, so I brought him here to take a look." Ye Qing was truly reliable; he always followed through on his promises. Chen Mobai immediately invited the two down and personally brewed tea for these two Sacred Land Dao Children.

Meanwhile, in Beiyuan City, everyone who witnessed this scene began to buzz with discussion. "There's no mistake about it! Sect Master Chen must be Chen Qingdi, the current Dao Child of the One Yuan Dao Palace. Otherwise, why would these two Sacred Land Dao Children travel thousands of miles to the Eastern Barrens just to celebrate with him?" Some who prided themselves on being well-informed immediately began sharing their insider information. Ren Qiu, the head chef of Heavenly Delicacies Pavilion, had initially found it hard to believe, but now he was somewhat convinced. After all, Ye Qing was notoriously difficult to socialize with in the Eastern Lands. Zhang Pankong was also known for his reclusive and aloof nature. For them to travel from the Eastern Lands to the Eastern Barrens for a ceremony, their relationship could certainly not be superficial.

On the peak of Mount Beiyuan, under the Tier 4 Longevity Tree, Chen Mobai was brewing tea. Ye Qing was the first to speak, explaining why Yuan Zhen couldn't come: "My junior sister said she suddenly gained a new understanding of the Nine Heavens Profound Scripture and needs to go into seclusion to consolidate it, so she couldn't come this time. She asked me to apologize to you."

"No worries at all; cultivation is paramount," Chen Mobai immediately replied, shaking his head.

"A large-scale teleportation array costs fifty million spirit stones, with a yearly maintenance fee of one million spirit stones," Zhang Pankong stated directly. Hearing this price, Chen Mobai couldn't help but gasp. However, the ability to purchase it at all was due to Ye Qing's influence, so he didn't haggle, nodding and agreeing: "No problem. But would one array be enough?"

Chen Mobai's words caused Zhang Pankong to frown slightly, appearing somewhat puzzled: "If you set up one here in the Eastern Barrens, and I connect it to the one in Golden Crow Immortal City, it can link Dongyi and the Eastern Barrens, which would also save costs."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai showed a strange expression: "If Grand Void Dao Child can convince Grand Ancestor White Crow, I have no objections." If they were connected, the Five Elements Sect could mobilize all its cultivators into Golden Crow Immortal City on the same day they wished to attack the Sunbath Sea. As long as Grand Ancestor White Crow was a normal person, he would never agree to this.

Zhang Pankong looked bewildered, while Ye Qing immediately spoke up, explaining the reason.

"So, you have a grievance!" Zhang Pankong rarely left the Eastern Lands and had never paid attention to the Eastern Continent's frontiers, so he truly didn't know about the conflict between the Five Elements Sect and Sunbath Sea.

"For two arrays, I can give you a five percent discount. However, the maintenance part is handled by Junior Sister Shan Miaosu, so I cannot offer a discount on that." Zhang Pankong certainly wouldn't communicate such matters with Sunbath Sea. Besides, since the Five Elements Sect could afford it, two arrays would be even better for him.

"Then I'll trouble Grand Void Dao Child. I'll set up one in Beiyuan City and another on Mount Mingjing in Dongyi." As Chen Mobai spoke, he immediately took out a map of the Five Elements Sect. According to his requirements, the sect's spiritual vein department updated it annually. This map encompassed the three frontier regions of the Eastern Continent, parts of the Desolate Ruins, and the Cloud Dream Lake. Furthermore, under his many years of refinement, it was exceptionally exquisite.

It was the first time Zhang Pankong and Ye Qing had seen such a map. Every mountain range, river, forest, and county was meticulously depicted. Mountain peaks were marked with elevation, allowing one to immediately see the terrain's undulations. Rivers wound like ribbons, and forests were portrayed in varying shades of green, their boundaries distinct, even allowing for the differentiation of tree species. Counties and immortal cities were distributed throughout, connected by a network of roads.

"Does the one on Mount Mingjing need to connect with an immortal city in the Eastern Lands?" Zhang Pankong asked again.

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai showed hesitation. He intended to set up large-scale teleportation arrays merely to connect the Eastern Barrens and Dongyi, not to link with the Eastern Lands.