Chapter 947: Three Yin Road Fruit

Chen Mobai stood high above Liujia Immortal City, observing the bustling crowd below, and nodded slightly.

Among the newly established Nine Palace Immortal Cities, Liujia Immortal City in Hong County was performing exceptionally well, second only to the already densely populated Beiyuan Wanhua.

Desertification control was a long-term endeavor. Although Zhuo Ming had successfully transformed Hong County back into a land of green mountains and clear waters, the vast sand sea beyond Hong County remained a significant challenge for the Five Elements Sect in the future. Consequently, the Five Elements Sect invested substantial spirit stones in Hong County annually, dispatching sect cultivators or employing local ones to gradually manage the desert and push back the sand sea.

These desert-controlling cultivators, having worked in Hong County for extended periods, had accumulated a considerable amount of spirit stones. As soon as Liujia Immortal City was established, many came to purchase homes, seeking a stable place to settle down.

Following the announcement of the Danxia Pavilion and the medium-sized teleportation array, housing prices in Liujia Immortal City steadily climbed. Although these desert-controlling cultivators earned their spirit stones through arduous labor, the Five Elements Sect's years of investment had significantly enriched their storage bags.

To acquire the Three Foundation Establishment Treasures, even the most frugal cultivators gritted their teeth and managed to obtain a set.

Chen Mobai also instructed the Five Elements Sect's Spirit Stone Bank to issue a large amount of credit, allowing long-term, reputable desert-controlling cultivators to spend ahead of time and gain eligibility for lotteries.

This measure earned the profound gratitude of all diligent rogue cultivators working for the Five Elements Sect, who unanimously praised Immortal Venerable Chen as a true living immortal.

"Greetings, Sect Master!"Shortly after, Yin Qingmei, who was in charge of the immortal city, flew over and bowed to Chen Mobai, who was atop the Taiyi Five Smoke Net. Since Zhuo Ming and others were present, she could only address him as Sect Master.

"Qingmei, you've done well."Chen Mobai did not spare his praise for her. While the success of Liujia Immortal City was primarily due to the Five Elements Sect's persistent efforts in desertification control over the years, which retained a large number of cultivators, Yin Qingmei had also made significant contributions in the initial stages of river dredging and and sand management.

Therefore, her efforts were fundamental to the rise of this new city.

"It's all due to Warden Yan's hard work; I haven't managed much myself..." Yin Qingmei spoke truthfully. In recent years, she had primarily been stationed at the Liujia Mountain spiritual vein, focusing on her cultivation, while all mundane affairs were left to Yan Yuanhao, the Warden of Hong County.

"Indeed, the sect will not neglect those who have contributed," Chen Mobai stated calmly after listening. E Yun, standing nearby, immediately nodded, as Chen Mobai had already instructed him to arrange for Yan Yuanhao to receive a Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill.

After inspecting this area, Chen Mobai led his entourage to survey the vast sand sea outside Hong County that was undergoing reclamation.

Soon, they descended above the edge of the boundless desert, where a vivid and resilient scene slowly unfolded before their eyes.

Hundreds of cultivators, dressed in plain robes, were scattered across the desert-oasis border. Like tenacious seeds, they worked with clear divisions of labor: some manipulated spiritual shovels to dig tree pits and plant saplings, others applied soil-stabilizing and fertilizing techniques, and still others conjured clouds and rain.

Before the vast, wind-swept desert, they wove green barriers, pushing forward, albeit with difficulty, yet powerfully, into the boundless sand sea.

The cultivators' faces were tanned dark from prolonged exposure to the scorching sun, but in many eyes, there was a hopeful anticipation for the future.

They did not fully grasp the ultimate outcome of their hard work, but they knew that by planting more saplings and ensuring the survival of these rows of young trees, they would receive spirit stones, Five Elements Coins, spirit rice, and other corresponding rewards from the Five Elements Sect.

Driven by their hopes for the future, they toiled relentlessly at the very edge of the vast sand sea, gradually revitalizing this once barren land.

Although it might seem like a futile effort, akin to a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot, with decades of hard work only pushing the desert's boundary back slightly, to Chen Mobai and his disciple Zhuo Ming, it represented enormous progress.

Because this signified that one day, the boundless sand sea would be completely managed by them.

Within the Five Elements Sect, there was not much understanding of desertification control, which was seen as a costly and resource-intensive endeavor. However, Chen Mobai's prestige was so immense that no one dared to oppose his decisions. Thus, even with annual investments of millions of spirit stones, and increasing expenditures as the scope expanded, the Five Elements Sect continued its efforts in sand management.

This infrastructure project also served as a basic income for many rogue cultivators in the Eastern Wasteland.

If they emerged from seclusion and couldn't immediately find good work, they would come here to plant trees and manage the desert.

It was a bit arduous, but at least it required no special skills; any cultivator could do it.

If they preferred less demanding work, they could also farm or herd sheep and cattle.

Over the years, the number of sect disciples in the Five Elements Sect had reached 80,000, and if those eliminated by various academies were included, the total would easily exceed 100,000.

However, even with so many cultivators, managing the vast Eastern Wasteland was like trying to put out a blazing cart with a cup of water. Therefore, the Five Elements Sect opened up many job positions. For instance, to manage a thousand mu of spiritual fields, they would dispatch two or three of their own disciples and then hire dozens of external cultivators.

Managing spiritual fields was considered a good job by many cultivators in the Eastern Wasteland.

The work was light, offering ample free time, allowing them to balance cultivation while working. However, the spirit stone remuneration was minimal, and in some highly competitive areas like those near Beiyuan City, the compensation was sometimes only spirit rice, and even then, connections were needed to be selected.

Besides this, there were also jobs in mining, herb gathering, Five Elements essence refinement, and more.

In short, in the Eastern Wasteland, as long as one was willing to work, there was no shortage of jobs.

After completing the inspection, Chen Mobai was very satisfied.

The Eastern Wasteland was beginning to show signs of a minor immortal sect.

Finally, he took Zhuo Ming to the celestial atmosphere, and in front of her, merged the Small Heavenly Curtain Big Dipper Array with the Five Elements Nine Palaces formation on the ground.

Although this heaven-and-earth net formation was less than one percent as powerful as those of true immortal sects, Chen Mobai had at least used his abilities to construct its rudimentary form.

"Your talent in earth formations is exceptional, but you still need to learn much about heavenly formations..." Chen Mobai instructed Zhuo Ming on array knowledge. This disciple had a significant imbalance in her studies; she grasped anything related to earth spiritual pivots instantly but performed at the level of an ordinary cultivator when it came to anything not related to the earth.

However, the fundamentals of array formations were universal. Once her proficiency in earth formations improved, she would be able to apply that understanding to learn heavenly and human formations by analogy.

Zhuo Ming watched Chen Mobai effortlessly merge the Small Heavenly Curtain with the Five Elements Nine Palaces, and her face filled with admiration.

She felt that her master's achievements in array formations were far beyond anything she could hope to attain in her lifetime.

"Oh!" Just as Chen Mobai merged the Small Heavenly Curtain with the Five Elements Nine Palaces, he made an unexpected discovery.

"Master, what is it?" Zhuo Ming asked curiously.

"A Nascent Soul cultivator has secretly infiltrated. Good fortune, I suppose, that I happened to discover them!" After the mini version of the heaven-and-earth net in the Eastern Wasteland merged, Chen Mobai, while still unable to fully control all the spiritual energy in the region, could detect presences with very clear traces.

For example, now, although the Nascent Soul cultivator infiltrating the Eastern Wasteland had avoided the Five Elements Sect's territory and was flying in a winding path, her mighty energy fluctuations could not escape the merged heaven-and-earth net.

Upon discovering this, Chen Mobai informed Zhuo Ming, then transformed into a silver light and vanished from his spot.

Since the intruder was only a Nascent Soul cultivator, Chen Mobai did not wait for Zhou Shengqing.

However, he was very curious as to why the individual was being so secretive.

Therefore, he did not immediately teleport to intercept, but instead used the heaven-and-earth net to track the intruder's traces, following at a distance where he would not be detected.

Soon, he arrived along the path where the Nascent Soul cultivator had flown. Listening with his Empty Valley Sound ability, he quickly recognized a familiar sensation from the residual energy fluctuations in the air.

Although the intruder was trying her best to conceal herself, that extremely cold aura reminded Chen Mobai of the first Nascent Soul cultivator he had ever directly confronted in his life.

Venerable Bingyun of the Ice Heaven Palace in the Eastern Lands!

Sixty years had passed so quickly!

Chen Mobai recalled the contract he had barely managed to forge with Venerable Bingyun, relying on Yuan Zhen, and his eyes subtly gleamed.

It was time to sever that connection.

However, a question immediately arose in his mind.

Why would Venerable Bingyun go to such great lengths to secretly infiltrate the Eastern Wasteland?

It was well known that the Five Elements Sect was no longer what it once was; even overtly, it boasted three Nascent Soul cultivators. If Venerable Bingyun were wise, she would remain in the Eastern Lands rather than venturing alone into the tiger's den.

So, what reason could compel this Nascent Soul cultivator to risk such danger?

As Chen Mobai pondered, Venerable Bingyun finally halted her flight.

Chen Mobai was also very familiar with that location.

Could it be that there were still uncleared traces from before? Something that could implicate the Ice Heaven Palace in ties with the Demonic Dao?

Chen Mobai considered this possibility. At that moment, Venerable Bingyun had already flown into a cave, effortlessly passing through an ice wall with her Ice Heaven Art, and entered the area where the Mother of Locusts was sealed.

Chen Mobai pondered briefly. Since the location below was a sealed area left by Ice Heaven and Snow Land, it might contain powers he didn't understand. Therefore, he didn't risk using Void Walk to sneak in.

However, to prevent Venerable Bingyun from escaping, he had already activated the mini heaven-and-earth net to seal off the spiritual vein here.

This way, even if there was a hidden teleportation array inside, it would be rendered unusable.

After completing these preparations, Chen Mobai somewhat excitedly took out his sword gourd.

He wondered how long Venerable Bingyun could withstand his perfected Yuan Yang Sword Fiend.

Behind the ice wall, upon seeing the Azure Brilliance Ice Heart Rope concealed in the void, the usually aloof Venerable Bingyun couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Her sixty years of forbearance had finally paid off.

With this fifth-tier supreme treasure from Ice Heaven and Snow Land, her Ice Heaven Art could advance to a higher level. Through her studies of Ice Heaven and Snow Land's legacy over the years, she had also discovered another use for this treasure: it could help cultivators absorb and refine ice essences, aiding their cultivation.

With this and some additional ice-attribute spiritual items, she might even be able to cultivate to the late Nascent Soul stage!

If she was fortunate enough to achieve merits during the frontier development and unite with the other legacies of Ice Heaven and Snow Land, she might even be able to negotiate with the Daoist Sect for the Heavenly Saint True Spirit Pill, just like the Five Burning Heaven Lines.

In that case, Transcendent Transformation...

The more she thought about it, the more beautiful the prospect seemed. In Venerable Bingyun's eyes, she could almost see a future where she rebuilt Ice Heaven and Snow Land and became a True Monarch.

After an uncontrollable burst of laughter, she performed the treasure-refining incantation she had long mastered.

The Azure Brilliance Ice Heart Rope, dormant for thousands of years, quickly manifested from the void as it received the infusion of familiar Ice Heaven True Qi.

After completing the refinement of this fifth-tier supreme treasure, Venerable Bingyun also learned much from the awakened spirit of the artifact.

It was originally a mid-grade fifth-tier item, but after thousands of years without refinement, it had fallen to low-grade fifth-tier.

Fortunately, this was still an ice vein; otherwise, it might not even have maintained its fifth-tier status.

"From now on, you won't suffer like this. I will let you experience all kinds of ice-attribute spiritual items..." Venerable Bingyun ambitiously communicated with the artifact spirit. The latter, upon hearing this, was very puzzled, as Ice Heaven and Snow Land previously possessed a sixth-tier ice spiritual vein. Simply placing it within the core of that spiritual vein would allow it to recover its vitality in the shortest time possible.

Refining other ice-attribute spiritual items would certainly not be as efficient.

"Ice Heaven and Snow Land has been destroyed, and the sixth-tier spiritual vein is long gone..." Venerable Bingyun, resigned, had no choice but to truthfully inform the artifact spirit of the sect's immense changes. After the Transcendent Transformation cultivator passed away, Ice Heaven and Snow Land endured for a millennium, but eventually, unable to sustain the consumption of the sixth-tier spiritual vein, it was forced to disband.

"How could True Monarch Suiyu pass away? She clearly had the qualifications to ascend!" The Azure Brilliance Ice Heart Rope's spirit found this hard to believe.

"True Monarch Suiyu engaged in a great battle with the Transcendent Transformation cultivator of Blazing Heaven Pure Land, harming her vitality, and both great holy lands declined as a result..." In the past, Ice Heaven and Snow Land and Blazing Heaven Pure Land were both holy lands in the Eastern Continent. Unfortunately, like fire and water, they were incompatible. Entangled in grievances, the two holy lands engaged in a fierce conflict, and their two Transcendent Transformation cultivators were drawn into it.

"There must have been other holy lands instigating this..." The artifact spirit of the Azure Brilliance Ice Heart Rope did not believe that True Monarch Suiyu would be so unwise as to forsake her chance at ascension just to compete with the Transcendent Transformation cultivator of Blazing Heaven Pure Land.

"Once my cultivation succeeds, I will definitely seek clarification from the Four Great Holy Lands of the Eastern Lands!" Venerable Bingyun was filled with ambition after obtaining the fifth-tier supreme treasure.

"Good, this truly befits our sect's legacy! With my assistance, if you can find one of the Three Yin Dao Fruits in the future, attaining Transcendent Transformation is not without hope!"

Hearing this, Venerable Bingyun's heart burned even hotter.

Ice Heaven and Snow Land was also a legacy left by an ascended cultivator. Its patriarch, named Jiyin, had already reached the Void Refinement stage in the Heavenly River Realm before his ascension, possessing immense power, and he left behind a Dao Fruit inheritance.

However, the Dao Fruit left by Jiyin was too powerful, so it was divided into three, inherited by three disciples: Taiyin, Xuanyin, and Shaoyin.

In the past, True Monarch Suiyu refined the Taiyin and Shaoyin Dao Fruits, earning her the reputation of having the qualifications for ascension.

If Venerable Bingyun could obtain one of them, at the very least, reorganizing Ice Heaven and Snow Land would be no problem.

Filled with anticipation for a bright future, Venerable Bingyun departed, carrying the Azure Brilliance Ice Heart Rope.

"Why so slow?" Just as she stepped out of the cave entrance, she heard a familiar voice.

Seeing the handsome young man standing on the snowy ground, with a gourd hanging from his waist and dressed in golden immortal robes, the humiliation of being driven out of the Eastern Wasteland in the past welled up within her, yet Venerable Bingyun unexpectedly burst into laughter.

"Perfect! I'll use your blood to refine my newly acquired magic treasure!"