Chapter 158: "Qiu, Are You Going Alone?"

Chapter 158: "Qiu, Are You Going Alone?"

The flying boat, already battered and damaged by the Yuan Ying Elder's attacks, was riddled with holes, but it could still barely fly, albeit at a much slower speed than before.

Controlling it was simple; it moved as he willed.

However, Chen Qiu still chose to travel in this boat, as he wasn't in a hurry and didn't mind the slower pace. This was his first flying boat, originally priced at a hefty 700 middle-grade Spirit Stones.

If it weren't for encountering Yuanzong's true disciple Qi Mei, he might not have been willing to spend 700 middle-grade Spirit Stones on a flying boat for a few months.

From the Yuanzong's treasure vault and behind the elders of several sects, he had found a total of six First Rank Nascent Soul bodies and one Fourth Rank Nascent Soul body, in addition to the First Rank Nascent Soul body he had obtained from the Dan Xiu heritage in the Great Xia Kingdom.

These resources could help cultivate eight Nascent Souls for the Mock Heaven Sect.

He had already distributed these resources.

With just a day or two of focused cultivation, these people could smoothly breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage, becoming a significant force for the Mock Heaven Sect. Eight Nascent Souls, even though they were all at the first layer, were still Nascent Souls, which was a crushing level for Golden Core cultivators.

Of course, he himself was not included in this Golden Core count.

Except for the treasures in the treasure vault that he had collected, Chen Qiu didn't reclaim the resources in the Mock Heaven Sect's corner where the disciples lived, implementing a policy of 'finders keepers.'

As for his Second Rank Nascent Soul Pills, he had already obtained four, and he only needed five more to have enough.

After a leisurely night of travel, as dawn approached, Chen Qiu stopped the flying boat not far from the Great Path Sect's mountain gate. He prepared to personally visit the sect leader to have a chat, bringing only one person with him, a scholar.

This way, even if he encountered danger, he could use the 'Virtue Defense Order' to ward off harm, then quickly escape using the scholar's bloodline entry. He could return later to slay the demons.

"Qiu, are you going alone?"

Fat Dragon looked at Chen Qiu with concern, "Why not bring some Mock Heaven Sect disciples? After all, they are all at the Golden Core Fulfillment stage and have a certain level of deterrence."

"No need."

Chen Qiu shook his head, "It's pointless to bring them if they haven't reached the Nascent Soul stage. I'll go in and see; they'll likely refuse to buy due to my low cultivation level. They might take action, and it'll be easier to escape with fewer people."

After storing Fat Dragon, the others, and the flying boat in his Pocket World, he set off with the scholar along the mountain path towards the Great Path Sect's mountain gate.

"Halt!"

As soon as they reached the mountain gate, two Great Path Sect disciples in their sect's attire blocked their way with cold expressions, "This is the site of the Great Path Sect. What is your business here? I'll go and report to our sect leader."

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu stood still and smiled politely, "We have just annihilated the Yuanzong Sect, and since we can't stay here for long, we want to sell their four cities and one market to your sect. Please report to your sect leader if he's interested in the purchase."

The Great Path Sect's disciple guarding the mountain stood there, momentarily stunned, finding it hard to believe what he had just heard. Yuanzong was their neighboring sect, and he had no idea when it was destroyed. The man before him, though cloaked, exuded an extraordinary aura, and he didn't seem to be faking it.

However, he didn't dwell on whether this news was true or not.

Determining the truth was the responsibility of the elders and the sect leader; his duty was to report.

The disciple guarding the mountain stepped aside, communicated through a Communication Ring for a while, and then returned with a slightly respectful expression, "Please follow me. Our sect leader invites you both to come up the mountain."

"Hmm."

Led by the disciple, Chen Qiu slowly made his way up the mountain path towards the peak. The Great Path Sect seemed to be a sword cultivation sect, as strands of sword intent floated in the air above the entire sect.

Under the tremor of sword intent, he could even hear the scholar's Qing Feng sword trembling in his sleeve.

Along the way, he saw many valuable items; the Great Path Sect was as rich as the Yuanzong, if not more so.

That's good.

Chen Qiu smiled lightly, leaning on the Heavenly Clue Umbrella, and quietly followed the disciple.

Soon, they arrived at a side room.

After the disciple opened the door and stepped back, Chen Qiu entered with the scholar and saw a middle-aged man with a square face sitting in a chair. Before Chen Qiu could speak, the man stood up and spoke in a deep voice.

"Please, take a seat."

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu nodded slightly and then sat down across from the man. Meeting his gaze, he smiled gently, "I've long admired your reputation, sect leader. Now that we've met, your extraordinary aura is indeed impressive. Let's get straight to the point. I believe your disciples have already conveyed my intentions. What price can you offer?"

The Great Path Sect leader stared at Chen Qiu for a long time before slowly sitting down and pouring tea for both of them, "I acknowledge your strength, but you might not be fully aware of the power dynamics in Quzhou."

The scholar had been standing by Chen Qiu's side since they entered the room, maintaining a cold demeanor and exuding a chilling aura.

The sect leader took a deep breath, suppressing his underlying awe, and then looked at Chen Qiu seriously.

"In Quzhou, a sect's power isn't determined by how many territories it can conquer or buy."

"In other words, the three cities and one market of the Yuanzong generate an annual tax revenue of 6,000 middle-grade Spirit Stones. Even if I pay you the taxes for twenty years, which is 120,000 middle-grade Spirit Stones, the Great Path Sect will still make a profit, as it will be pure profit after twenty years."

"But—"

"This is unrealistic."

"A sect's power is primarily determined by how many territories it can defend."

"To be blunt, even if you give me the Yuanzong's territory, I wouldn't dare to take it."

"If I send people to occupy that territory now, the surrounding forces will form an alliance to attack our Great Path Sect tomorrow."

"In Quzhou, if a sect's territory doesn't match its strength, it will face a punitive expedition."

To be honest, when he heard about the mysterious man's background from a Great Path Sect disciple, he had to drink three cups of tea to calm his emotions.

It was truly shocking.

Last night, he received news of the destruction of the Yuanzong Sect, but he didn't know who was responsible. He only knew that someone had sensed an extremely fierce battle during the day at Yuanzong.

Then, just as dawn broke, the mysterious man found him.

He couldn't determine if this man, who was merely at the Golden Core Perfection stage, was the same person from yesterday or an envoy of that mysterious man. After all, it was impossible for someone at the Golden Core Perfection stage to destroy the Yuanzong Sect, which had six Nascent Soul cultivators.

The most crucial point was!

While waiting for this mysterious young man in the side room, he saw that the young man had been constantly surveying his sect along the way!

Although he couldn't see the man's eyes, this posture was all too familiar.

It was the same posture he used when he went to the brothel to choose a top courtesan.

He heard that Yuanzong was completely emptied, and this mysterious young man clearly acted as if the Great Path Sect already belonged to him, ready to take action at any moment. This made him vigilant.

After inheriting a sect for so long, one naturally knew that it took hundreds or even thousands of years to establish a sect, but destroying one might only require a single opportunity.

Take Yuanzong, for example.

But what he said earlier wasn't wrong. He couldn't possibly buy Yuanzong's territory, nor would he dare to. At the same time, he had to choose his words carefully to avoid provoking the mysterious person behind this young man.

For a Golden Core cultivator to enter his Great Path Sect and speak to him, a Nascent Soul cultivator in the late stage, without any hesitation, was a level of composure that even a typical Golden Core prodigy couldn't achieve.

Even Golden Core prodigies would subconsciously show reverence when facing a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

This had nothing to do with status.

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu propped his chin with one hand and, after a moment's thought, nodded, "Your sect leader's suggestion makes sense. Since I've worked so hard to destroy Yuanzong, I can't just let their territory fall into the hands of other forces."

"If I leave like this, I'll feel like I've lost out."

"Or perhaps, sell it to a strong force outside the surrounding area?"

"No."

The leader of the Great Path Sect shook his head and said seriously, "Even sects with Soul Transformation masters wouldn't cross boundaries to occupy a territory. That would break the rules."

"Usually, in such a situation..."

"For example, after Yuanzong was destroyed, the surrounding sects would want to annex their territory. They would go to war, negotiate after the battle, and then divide Yuanzong's territory based on the outcome. This is inevitable."

"In fact, before you arrived, the Great Path Sect had already prepared for war."

"However..."

The leader of the Great Path Sect hesitated, "There is another way. The Great Path Sect can announce that the mysterious person who destroyed Yuanzong chose to sell the territory to us. During the war, the other sects would be wary of offending you, given your strength. This way, the Great Path Sect can also claim a larger share of the territory."

"And the Great Path Sect will offer you a corresponding reward."

"Agreed."

Chen Qiu smiled, stood up, and drank the tea that the leader of the Great Path Sect offered before leaning forward and saying, "So, what's your price, sect leader?"

". . ."

The leader of the Great Path Sect looked at Chen Qiu's empty teacup, and his pupils flashed with shock once again. On the Xuantian Continent, to drink a cup of tea without any precautions meant either great confidence or arrogance.

But for someone who had just destroyed Yuanzong, he was more inclined to believe it was the former.

After a long while, he held up three fingers, "Three thousand medium-grade Spirit Stones. Since you've been to Yuanzong, you should know that their reserve of Spirit Stones wouldn't be much more than this amount. A sect requires a large amount of Spirit Stones to maintain its operations."

"This is the lowest price the Great Path Sect can offer."

"Of course, if everything goes well in the upcoming war and the Great Path Sect manages to occupy even one city, we'll recoup our losses in a few years. But before that, the Great Path Sect can't offer too many Spirit Stones. I hope you understand."

"Agreed."

Chen Qiu smiled and stood up, saying warmly, "I prefer dealing with reputable sects. I wish your sect all the best."

He then took the storage ring offered by the leader of the Great Path Sect, bowed, and left the side room.

It was a smooth transaction.

Even after leaving the Great Path Sect's mountain gate, no one stopped him.

The eight elders who had been standing next to the side room's secret chamber the entire time turned to the sect leader with complex expressions after Chen Qiu left, "Sect Leader, are you really going to give this young man three thousand medium-grade Spirit Stones so easily?"

"Do you really think his reputation is worth three thousand medium-grade Spirit Stones?"

"I don't know."

The leader of the Great Path Sect sighed, leaned back in his chair, and rubbed his temples, "Perhaps it's worth it, or perhaps not. If we can use this mysterious person's reputation to make the other sects hesitate, allowing us to occupy one or two more cities, then it's worth it."

"But the three thousand medium-grade Spirit Stones aren't just for that."

"They are mainly for preserving the Great Path Sect's heritage."

"Didn't you see the young man's gaze when he came up the mountain? He looked like he wanted to empty the Great Path Sect completely. If he had shown the slightest disrespect, the Great Path Sect would have suffered countless casualties by now."

"He alone?" One of the elders frowned and said in a low voice, "A Golden Core Peak and a First Level Golden Core, and they want to annihilate Great Path Sect?"

"Yes."

The Sect Leader's expressionless face spoke softly, "If nothing unexpected happens, the Yuanzong Elder should have also said these words."

"Alright, gather the disciples and prepare for battle. All negotiations must be built upon death."

"And spread the news."

At this moment, Chen Qiu had already returned to the deck of the damaged flying boat and was heading towards Su City. The sun had just risen, and the boat's damage was quite severe, causing it to move slower than usual. It seemed that they would arrive in Su City early the next morning.

The Su Clan had widely invited the talented individuals from Quzhou to participate in their Heritage Realm in Su City. Those who successfully completed the trial would be rewarded with a Spirit Transformation Body, an offer Chen Qiu couldn't refuse.

He was in a good mood.

Another 3,000 medium-grade Spirit Stones were deposited into his account, bringing his total to 12,000 medium-grade Spirit Stones. He felt his purse had suddenly become much heavier.

If it weren't for the annihilation of Yuanzong, he wouldn't have earned these 3,000 medium-grade Spirit Stones.

"More than ten thousand Spirit Stones."

Chen Qiu propped his chin with one hand, already thinking about how to spend them. He wondered if there was a place to directly sell Second Level Yuanying Pills and Spirit Transformation Bodies. With so many Spirit Stones, he should be able to buy a Spirit Transformation Body, right?

Assuming someone was willing to sell a Spirit Transformation Body.

A day and a night passed in the blink of an eye.

When the sun rose again, Chen Qiu's flying boat had already entered the territory of the Su Clan and slowly descended towards the entrance of Su City. As soon as he landed, he saw a young man in luxurious robes, followed by a group of men and women, striding towards him.

Before he could even land.

He heard a warm and sunny voice, like sunshine.

"Hahaha, it's been a long time since we last met, Qizi. Your flying boat is still so domineering, but it seems like you encountered some trouble along the way. Come, come, everyone is waiting."

"Hmm?"

The voice suddenly stopped abruptly.

The young man in luxurious robes paused slightly upon seeing several unfamiliar men walking down from the flying boat, "Who are you all? Where is Qi Mei, the direct disciple of Yuanzong?"

"My name is Ren Zhi."

Chen Qiu smiled warmly and said, "Qi Mei was killed by me, and Yuanzong was annihilated as well. Are you friends of Qi Mei?"

". . ."

The young man's lips twitched slightly, then he took a deep breath, "Qi Mei is a Quzhou talent with a Seventh Level Golden Core. Her strength is not to be underestimated. You, on the other hand, seem to have reached the perfection stage of the Golden Core. To be able to kill Qi Mei, your strength must be extraordinary."

"We are not Qi Mei's friends. We only met her once."

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Young Master of the Su Clan and the organizer of this event, inviting the talents of Quzhou to participate in the Heritage Realm in Su City."

"As long as you are a talent from Quzhou, I welcome you with open arms."

"It's an honor to meet you," Chen Qiu said with a hearty laugh, bowing and clasping his fists in greeting, "I've heard of your great reputation, Su Gongzi, and today I finally get to meet you in person. Your demeanor is indeed extraordinary."

He had come for this person, whether it was a trap or not. As long as there was a Spirit Transformation Body in the Heritage Realm, this trip wouldn't be in vain.

Just then—

A woman with a First Level Golden Core cultivation stood behind the young man, her face filled with resentment as she stared at Chen Qiu. Although she didn't speak, her animosity was keenly sensed by Chen Qiu.

"Who is she?"

Chen Qiu tilted his head, looking at the woman in the crowd with surprise.

"Hmm?"

The Su Clan's young master, with his powdered face, hesitated and spoke in a small voice, "She has admired Qi Mei, the direct disciple of Yuanzong, for a long time. She is one of Qi Mei's suitors. You killed Qi Mei, so she might have some opinions about you. Her brother is..."

Before he could finish his sentence.

A flash of light suddenly shot out from the sleeve of the scholar who had been following Chen Qiu, and the woman's head suddenly floated lightly in mid-air. The Golden Core that had just been ejected from her body didn't even have time to react before it completely turned into powder in the air.

She was dead beyond a doubt.

At this moment.

The Su Clan's young master, with his powdered face, stood there dumbfounded. He finally finished his sentence, "She is a direct disciple of the Seven Sects."

What a fast sword!

Although the swordsman was only at the First Level Golden Core, his sword was so fast that even his divine sense hadn't had time to react before the woman's head was severed.

"It's nothing."

Chen Qiu acted as if nothing had happened and patted the Su Clan young master's shoulder with a smile, "Let's talk about business. When will the Heritage Realm be opened?"

"Phew."

The Su Clan young master took a deep breath. He had a vague idea of who this man named Ren Zhi was. Ren Zhi was probably an alias, and he might have just taken it when he killed Qi Mei.

If nothing unexpected happened, the man named Ren Zhi before him was likely the mysterious law cultivator talent from a few days ago in Dayuan City. Qi Mei probably found this person first and tried to recruit him, but it seemed like something went wrong.

Instead, it brought disaster to Yuanzong.

A Golden Core talent, no matter how strong, couldn't have annihilated Yuanzong, which had a Nascent Soul at its peak.

If nothing unexpected happened, this law cultivator talent was likely not a wandering cultivator but had backing from another power. In that case, his original plan to recruit this law cultivator talent might have to be put on hold for now.

But he couldn't afford to offend him.

His thoughts quickly flashed through his mind, and he forced a smile, "Good, since Ren Gongzi is so confident, I won't say more. The Heritage Realm will open tomorrow."

"Many talents from Quzhou have arrived in the past few days. There will be a debate conference tonight, and Ren Gongzi can stay at the inn we've prepared. We can discuss the Dao together in the evening. As talents from Quzhou, we will surely have a lot in common."

"Good.

Su City, inside the inn.

After Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon had strolled around for a while, they returned to the inn prepared for them by the Su family. It was the best inn in Su City, and only the Heaven's Pride were staying there, with no other guests.

At this moment, they were setting up a soundproof array and discussing.

"Qiu Ge, we've found out something this time."

Fat Dragon's eyes lit up with excitement, and his voice trembled with emotion, "Qiu Ge, you can't even imagine how much that Malevolent Wood is worth! It's ten medium-grade Spirit Stones per piece!"

"How much?"

Even Chen Qiu was shocked and stood there in disbelief.

Ten medium-grade Spirit Stones per piece?

He had nearly 200,000 pieces of this stuff!

In other words, he had finally managed to save up nearly 100,000 Spirit Stones after working hard to annihilate a Demon Sect!

But the 200,000 pieces of Malevolent Wood he brought out from Great Xia Kingdom were worth 2 million Spirit Stones?! And they were medium-grade Spirit Stones?!

"Absolutely true!!!"

Fat Dragon nodded heavily, took a deep breath to calm his excitement, and continued, "But Malevolent Wood is useless in Xuantian Continent. Qiu Ge, you wouldn't have guessed what its biggest use is in Xuantian Continent."

"Basically, there are three main uses."

"First, it can be used as a consumable in the Talented Path Realm to gain temporary buffs."

"Second, it's used as a consumable when forging high-grade Golden Core and high-grade Nascent Soul."

"Third, Heaven Repair!"

"Heaven Repair?" A hint of confusion flashed in Chen Qiu's eyes.

"Yeah." Fat Dragon continued solemnly, "Malevolent Wood doesn't have much use in Xuantian Continent, so most people won't buy it. Although the quantity isn't much, there are still some, but a hundred years ago, the sky suddenly collapsed."

"To be precise, a hole suddenly appeared in the sky, causing the Spirit Qi of Xuantian Continent to leak out uncontrollably, and that hole couldn't be sealed."

"If this hole had continued, Xuantian Continent would soon be devoid of Spirit Qi. At that time, everyone's cultivation would have to rely on Spirit Stones, but Spirit Stones are limited, and without the Spirit Qi of heaven and earth, Spirit Stones wouldn't regenerate."

"Gradually, gradually..."

"Xuantian Continent would have become a true Withered World, and when all the high-level cultivators died, there would be no more Golden Core or even Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and everyone would be ordinary mortals."

"This was a natural disaster, an almost catastrophic event for Xuantian Continent."

"Just when everyone was at a loss, a Saintess from a sect in Zhongzhou started collecting Malevolent Wood on a large scale."

"It took her a year to collect almost all the Malevolent Wood on Xuantian Continent and used a large amount of it to plug the hole in the sky."

"This Saintess from the Zhongzhou sect gained enormous virtue, amounting to over a hundred billion."

"But the Saintess didn't survive."

"Thus—"

"The disaster was averted. Now, in Xuantian Continent's ten states and nine regions, many places have statues of the Saintess, to commemorate her and the sect's contribution to Xuantian Continent."

"That sect is now one of the top sects in Zhongzhou, and it is said that the hundred billion virtue points all returned to the sect after the Saintess's death, bringing a hundred years of prosperity to the sect."

"Because the hole appeared above the lower nine regions, the overall concentration of Spirit Qi there is weaker than in the upper nine regions and Zhongzhou. Although it has gradually recovered over the years, it's still not as good as the other regions, resulting in a decline in the overall strength of the lower nine regions. Many powerful cultivators are unwilling to stay there and have moved to Zhongzhou."

"Malevolent Wood has some other effects, but they are less common and not useful to most people, and it can't be used for Weapon Forging."

"Recently, many people have been collecting Malevolent Wood on a large scale, mainly to give their Heaven's Pride some foundation in the Talented Path Realm."

"But Qiu Ge, your nearly 200,000 pieces of Malevolent Wood can only be sold in parts; the market can't absorb that much, and there are only a few Heaven's Pride participating in the Talented Path."

"The Eight Directions Fruit is also a Heaven Repair item."

"At that time, the Saintess from the sect also collected many Eight Directions Fruits. The Eight Directions Fruit is colorless and tasteless, a Heaven and Earth Spirit Fruit, and apart from this function, it's also a favorite ingredient for some spiritual Heavenly Materials. The Eight Directions Fruit is very expensive, with a single fruit priced at around a thousand medium-grade Spirit Stones."

"Mainly used to attract Heavenly Materials."

"Making it easier to capture them."

Chen Qiu sat silently in a chair, tapping his index finger on the table without speaking. A hundred billion virtue points sounded like a terrifying number. So far, on the Xuantian Continent virtue ranking, he was in third place.

But the first place had barely exceeded a hundred billion virtue points.

A hundred billion virtue points were equivalent to ten times his own.

Although he hadn't met this Saintess from the Zhongzhou sect, he still admired her actions. To be honest, if the sky collapsed in Quzhou now, he could use all his Malevolent Wood for Heaven Repair, but he probably wouldn't give his life for it.

Even if the sky was repaired, what would be the point if he died?

Precisely because he couldn't do it, he admired this Saintess whom he had never met. She truly sacrificed her life to save the world, and the hundred billion virtue points were well-deserved.

It's just a pity.

If she hadn't died, with a hundred billion virtue points, she could have walked proudly across Xuantian Continent.

Chen Qiu shook his head and stopped thinking about it. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and rested, preparing for the Su Clan's Heritage Realm the next day. He didn't know what the Heritage Realm would entail or what aspects it would test.

He was quite confident in his abilities, but the problem was that the Heritage Realm sometimes tested more than just strength.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end