Chapter 233: Chen Qiu's Celestial Tour

Chapter 233: Chen Qiu's Celestial Tour

As soon as those words were spoken, Fat Dragon froze in place. He was not supposed to show his face, but after hearing Fat Dragon's message, he politely invited the Dao Sect Master into the flying ship.

Using ten thousand years of frost to melt into a spring, he personally brewed a pot of tea, and the two of them chatted over drinks.

After an incense stick's worth of time...

The Dao Sect Master left the flying ship, taking 1,500 spirit fruits from the Brown Bear's hands and leaving behind 1.5 million spirit stones.

Although he didn't want to admit it, he felt a bit embarrassed.

But at that moment, in the empty cabin, he had to admit that his breathing was a bit rapid. This son of a bitch had just brought back his principal!

Are array cultivators this rich these days? One million five hundred thousand spirit stones!

He had a total of 2.95 million spirit stones, and with this 1.7 million spirit stones from the Dao Sect, he now had 4.6 million spirit stones!

At his daily consumption rate of 10,000 spirit stones, this amount was enough for him to seclude himself for more than a year.

He named this operation "Chen Qiu's Celestial Tour." Before the tour, he only had a little over a million medium-grade spirit stones, but now he was already close to 4.5 million medium-grade spirit stones.

To be honest, this was the first time he felt a bit embarrassed. He felt like he was taking advantage of someone, but he had thought that after killing so many people, he would have become cold and heartless. Now, he found himself feeling a bit ashamed.

During their chat, he learned that the Dao Sect Master was an excellent chess player, so he took out a treasure that had been gathering dust in his storage ring.

This treasure was something he had obtained during the "Nightfall Approaches" incident on the Profound Heaven Continent. He had never opened it, and it was the perfect opportunity to use it as a gift.

"..."

Upon hearing Chen Qiu's question, Fat Dragon also couldn't help but pause for a moment. "Should we kill all the array cultivators in Profound Heaven State?"

"That way, the Dao Sect will have the entire market for array disks in Profound Heaven State."

"At least before the State Continent Shackles are lifted, the entire Profound Heaven State will only have the Dao Sect capable of producing array disks."

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu nodded thoughtfully. "The idea is good, but the approach is a bit extreme and overly cruel. The difficulty of implementing it is also too great."

"Then, you go and come up with a plan. Use my reputation to promote the Dao Sect, focusing on the angle that Chen Qiu believes the Dao Sect's arrays are the best in Profound Heaven State. Create some hype around that."

"Understood." Fat Dragon nodded, then continued to offer suggestions. "Recently, we found out that the 'Profound Heaven Daily' belongs to the North Ridge Sect, right?"

"Since we're passing by the North Ridge Sect, we can use the Profound Heaven Daily to promote the Dao Sect. Just say that Brother Qiu used it and praised it."

"That's good."

Chen Qiu laughed. "You'll be in charge of this matter. When the time comes, you can go and negotiate with the North Ridge Sect."

After that, he took a deep breath, looking towards the horizon with a hint of pride and a light smile.

"Let's set off!"

"..."

Standing in the corner of the deck, the Heavenly Axe Sect Master had been hiding in the corner for a long time, silent. He had been excited and had even planned out a route, intending to visit each house one by one.

He was looking forward to showing off a bit to those who held grudges against the Heavenly Axe Sect and putting on a bit of an air.

But now, he just wanted to jump off the flying ship and rush to the Dao Sect to grab his old friend by the collar and ask what he was thinking. One million five hundred thousand? That's one million five hundred thousand, equivalent to almost four Bai Families! It's almost enough to buy his life! How could you bear to give it away?

And you've always been so stubborn, thinking that such forceful actions are unreasonable. But if it's your initiative to offer it, then there's no problem, right?

Yes, he knew the Dao Sect had money, and not just him—the entire Profound Heaven State knew. But he never expected that they could be this rich!

He now felt his breathing quicken, and he just wanted to wait for the end of Chen Qiu's Celestial Tour and then rush to the Dao Sect to ask his old friend about his thought process. You told him to do some 'bribery,' but do you even know what bribery means? The key point is 'bribery,' and it's supposed to be a little bit at a time. Where did you get the idea to go all-in like this?

You might as well say you've betrayed and defected from the sect!

Even as a sect master, one shouldn't spend the sect's spirit stones so recklessly!

Although it was a bit outrageous, it had to be said that it was very effective.

He could see that the senior was a bit stunned by his friend's bribery tactics. A monster talent who could instantly kill a Body Fusion Stage cultivator with his Nascent Soul Stage strength was left speechless by his friend's actions, and this could be considered a significant achievement.

A cultivator capable of using the Three Thousand Thunder Movement to slay dozens of Essence Condensation cultivators.

When faced with his friend's unreasonable bribery, he stood silent in his place.

It was a pity.

Although the Heavenly Axe Sect was a top-tier force, it was similar to the Bai Family in that it didn't have that many spirit stones. Otherwise, he would have also wanted to follow his friend's example and go all-in with his 'bribery.'

He wanted to give the senior a little 'bribery' shock.

In Profound Heaven State, at the North Ridge Sect, the owner of the Profound Heaven Daily, a top-tier force, but a neutral one. At this moment, in the sect's main hall, the North Ridge Sect Master was looking at the elders with a solemn expression. "According to the Mocking Heaven Sect's route of advancement, they will likely arrive at the North Ridge Sect very soon.

"Everyone, pay attention and don't do anything foolish."

"You all know what happened to the Bai Family, Maiden Sword Sect, and the Buddhist Sect. We should just cooperate like the Dao Sect and play by the rules. It's just a matter of losing some spirit stones."

"Don't forget that the Profound Heaven Daily recently criticized Chen Qiu. If you offend him and he labels you as a demonic sect, you're on your own. Don't look at me; I definitely can't beat him."

"If you think you can beat him, I can help you request a one-on-one fight."

"Do you all understand?"

The elders on both sides exchanged glances and then responded in unison with a deep voice, "Understood!"

News of Chen Qiu's celestial tour had spread far and wide, reaching the ears of many powers. So far, unless a power held a grudge against Chen Qiu, there would typically be no casualties, only a loss of spirit stones.

This loss was insignificant.

However, they had no idea how many spirit stones the Dao Sect had offered, leaving them unsure of how much to give. After a quick calculation, they realized that Chen Qiu should have arrived by now.

But...

The North Ridge Sect Master's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he spread his divine sense, but he couldn't detect any movement from the Mock Heaven Sect group. Could they have bypassed the North Ridge Sect? Or had their route changed?

However, the North Ridge Sect Master was unaware of this.

At this moment, Chen Qiu wasn't following the planned route to the North Ridge Sect. Instead, he was diligently destroying the mountain defense arrays of the sects surrounding the Dao Sect, but this process wasn't without its challenges.

"Activate your sect's mountain defense array."

Fat Dragon stood expressionlessly in mid-air, looking down at the small sect below. The sect master of this small sect was on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing and pleading for mercy along with several elders.

"We dare not, we dare not!"

The sect master's voice trembled with fear as he cried, "Senior, how could we possibly activate our mountain defense array? If you want to kill us, this array wouldn't be able to stop you."

Fat Dragon remained silent for a moment, then said, "Activate the array, and I won't kill you."

"We dare not!"

The sect master's head shook like a rattle drum as he knelt on the ground, his voice quivering, "Senior, please rest assured, we definitely won't dare to activate it."

"Go ahead and activate it."

"We dare not!"

"Forget it." Chen Qiu's voice came from within the flying ship, and he called Fat Dragon back, continuing to fly towards the distance.

They had already destroyed the mountain defense arrays of eight sects, which should have been enough for the Dao Sect to make a profit. As for this sect, the sect master looked terrified, so they let it go and continued on their journey.

There were still many more sects to visit.

They were busy.

Among the eight sects whose arrays had been destroyed, one of them was the Cause Sect.

Inside the Cause Sect's courtyard, the white-haired elder lady sat silently in her recliner, deep in thought. Her emotions were hard to describe when she first learned that Chen Qiu had bypassed their sect and headed straight for the Dao Sect.

She felt both relieved and somewhat dissatisfied.

She was relieved that the Cause Sect had escaped a calamity, but she couldn't help but feel resentful that Chen Qiu had bypassed their sect. Was it because he looked down on them?

Even a mosquito is still meat; what did it mean that he didn't even bother to stop by their sect? Wasn't this looking down on them?

It was as if she and a hundred other women had been captured and humiliated by a filthy, ugly man. Initially, they all felt terrified and anxious, but when they saw the ugly man humiliating all the other women and even letting her go, her fear turned into anger. How dare he look down on people!

But, to her surprise...

Chen Qiu had turned back, and she even felt a sense of relief. She immediately activated the mountain defense array and was even prepared to pay a high price for the fruit basket in Chen Qiu's hands!

However—

Chen Qiu merely sent someone to destroy her mountain defense array, and without even showing his face or stopping, he disappeared into the horizon once again.

What should have been a simple robbery turned into a payment.

She had mentally prepared for this, but what happened was completely different from what she had expected, leaving her at a loss for words and feeling irritated.

"Old...Venerable Lady."

The Bai Family Patriarch whispered beside her, "It seems we saved a lot of spirit stones."

"Did we?"

The old lady's expression remained unchanged as she said, "Doesn't rebuilding a mountain defense array require spirit stones? These spirit stones are better off given to Chen Qiu. At least, we can buy some goodwill. This is so annoying."

Finally...

After the North Ridge Sect's anxious wait, the Mock Heaven Sect group finally arrived in a grand manner, hovering above the North Ridge Sect's mountain gate.

Before the flying ship had even stabilized...

A deafening chorus of greetings rose from below, like a tsunami.

"Welcome, Mock Heaven Sect!"

"Welcome, Sect Master Chen!"

Dozens of North Ridge Sect disciples stood on both sides of the sect's platform, shouting their welcomes while waving flowers, forming a ceremonial procession.

Not far away...

Nearly a thousand North Ridge Sect disciples stood in formation, each holding a Green Peak Sword, emitting sword intent that divided into black and white. These sword intents shot into the sky and then spread out in all directions.

From above, the sword intents formed two large characters and an exclamation mark.

"Gratitude!"

The North Ridge Sect Master, personally leading a group of elders with beaming smiles, stood on the sect's platform, waving enthusiastically towards the flying ship high above.

"..."

The Heavenly Axe Sect Master, standing on the deck of the flying ship, looked down at the scene below with an expressionless face and silence. He suddenly felt that his previous judgment of the various powers in Mystic Heaven State might have been slightly off.

The image these powers presented differed quite a bit from his memories.

Take the Dao Sect Master, for example.

He was an old friend of his, but in his heart, this person was rather stubborn and unyielding. As a result, he went all-in with bribery, leaving him speechless.

And then there was the North Ridge Sect.

The owner of the Profound Heaven Daily, who claimed to be a neutral force, had disciples who carried themselves with an air of pride, especially the sect master. But now, all he saw was cowardice, not pride.

"Hmm?"

Fat Dragon looked down at the scene below, slightly surprised. "Are they all so well-behaved? It's a bit difficult to carry out our work like this. I was originally planning to set an example, but now it seems like they're not giving us a chance."

"Let's go."

Chen Xiu walked from the cabin to the deck. He needed to personally oversee this matter, as the Profound Heaven Daily required careful consideration.

"Yes, yes."

In the North Ridge Sect's reception hall, a plate of watery spirit fruits was placed on the table, and the North Ridge Sect Master was nodding obediently, "I understand, I'll arrange this immediately. I'll take care of it personally."

"Mm."

Chen Xiu's face remained calm as he lightly tapped the table with his index finger, "You can decide on the title yourself."

After saying this, he got up and left the reception hall alone. The rest of the matters were not for him to interfere with; it was better to leave them to Fat Dragon. After all, if he intervened, it would seem like he was losing face.

However, as he left, he felt a sense of emptiness beside him, which was somewhat inappropriate.

It seemed he needed to find a few maidservants.

With maidservants by his side, he could leave the reception hall in a more graceful manner. Otherwise, leaving alone would make him feel lonely. After consuming all these cultivation resources, when he emerged from seclusion, he would put this matter on the agenda.

The Mock Heaven Sect indeed needed two batches of maidservants.

One batch would take care of the sect's disciples, and the other would serve him.

He had thought of this idea in the Profound Heaven Continent, but it had never been implemented. After this matter was concluded, he would assign it to the Heavenly Axe Sect Master, who was familiar with Mystic Heaven State and well-suited for the task.

This was the purpose of a sect's existence. He only needed to focus on cultivation, leaving all trivial matters to others. Otherwise, if he handled everything personally, even with three heads and six arms, he would still be exhausted.

As his cultivation and combat power increased,

he wouldn't even need to show up; his reputation alone would be enough to accomplish many things.

For example—

Normally, an Initial Rank Divine Transformation cultivation was insignificant in front of the North Ridge Sect. But at this moment, the North Ridge Sect Master looked at Fat Dragon with a respectful expression, testing the waters, "Elder Fat, what's next for us?"

An Initial Rank Divine Transformation cultivation was not impressive.

However, the identity of the Great Elder of the Mock Heaven Sect was somewhat intimidating, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he held a high position with great authority.

"Mm."

Fat Dragon took a fruit basket from the Brown Bear Elder beside him and placed it on the table, pushing it towards the North Ridge Sect Master. He said calmly, "The Mock Heaven Sect never visits empty-handed. This is a small token of our appreciation."

"This..."

The North Ridge Sect Master quickly stood up, looking flustered. He carefully took the fruit basket from the table and handed it to a disciple beside him. Then, he took out several storage rings from his pocket and placed them on the table, pushing them towards Fat Dragon, saying sincerely,

"The North Ridge Sect also has a tradition of never letting guests leave empty-handed. Please accept this small token of our gratitude!"

Elder Fat didn't lie.

The Mock Heaven Sect indeed never visited empty-handed, but he was well aware that there was more to this saying. The Mock Heaven Sect also never left empty-handed.

After probing the storage rings with his divine sense and finding fifteen thousand medium-grade spirit stones inside, Fat Dragon smiled and nodded, "In that case, we bid you farewell. May the North Ridge Sect's legacy last for ten thousand years."

With that, he turned and walked out of the reception hall.

"..."

The Heavenly Axe Sect Master, standing in the corner of the room, twitched his lips slightly and prepared to follow Fat Dragon out. Everything had gone smoothly, without any unexpected incidents.

But at that moment—

Just as Fat Dragon had left the reception hall.

The North Ridge Sect Master quickly got up, grabbing the Heavenly Axe Sect Master by the collar and whispering, "We're old friends. Tell me, why did the Mock Heaven Sect give the Dao Sect a token but not us?"

"Moreover, the senior specifically instructed me to promote the Dao Sect in the Profound Heaven Daily and use his reputation to spread the word."

"How much more did the Dao Sect offer?"

"Why did the Dao Sect get a token, while I only got a blessing and a fruit basket?"

"..."

The Heavenly Axe Sect Master looked at his old rival with a complex expression, not saying a word. He raised his palms and spread his ten fingers.

"Ten thousand more?"

The North Ridge Sect Master was slightly startled, a flash of shock in his eyes. He had offered fifteen thousand spirit stones, so ten thousand more would make it twenty-five thousand. Did the Dao Sect offer twenty-five thousand spirit stones?

This was no small sum!

But soon, he came to a realization, and sighed with emotion, "No wonder, Senior is so dedicated to the Dao Sect. The Dao Sect is indeed wealthy, and they can casually fork out 250,000 spirit stones without batting an eye."

"The North Ridge Sect isn't as rich as the Dao Sect. These 150,000 spirit stones are already pushing the limits for the North Ridge Sect."

"Tsk."

The Heavenly Axe Sect Master couldn't help but smile, "Buddy, do you think 250,000 spirit stones are worth Senior's dedication to the Dao Sect?"

"I'm not talking about an extra 100,000, but ten times more than that!"

"Do you know what it means to go all-in with bribery? Think about it carefully."

He patted the shoulder of his old rival with a meaningful gesture, then turned around without hesitation and strode out of the reception hall, quickly catching up with Fat Dragon's pace.

Was he shocked?

He was indeed shocked! Even the Senior was stunned, let alone the North Ridge Sect Master. This old friend of his sure knew how to create surprises.

"Ten times more?"

The North Ridge Sect Master's entire body stiffened instantly, and it took him a while to recover. He even forgot to see his guest off, feeling as if his sea of divine sense had been attacked. His head felt light, and he was a bit dizzy.

He had given 150,000 spirit stones.

Ten times that amount would be 1.5 million spirit stones?

Was the Dao Sect out of its mind?!

Are you going to grovel at the feet of their ancestors and offer their pants to the Senior?!

But soon, he reacted with a hint of displeasure on his face, realizing that this meant he had to vigorously promote the Dao Sect in the Profound Heaven Daily, or else there might be no effect, or if he played a little trick, the Senior might come looking for him.

His Profound Heaven Daily charged an extremely high price for advertising to various sects, such as the Dao Sect and the Ten Thousand Dan Sect. After all, the Profound Heaven Daily was the only daily newspaper in the entire Mystic Heaven State, and its strict control over the years had ensured excellent promotional effects.

The Dao Sect had sent people to negotiate with him several times.

However, the price had never been agreed upon.

Unexpectedly, this time, not only did he have to do it for free, but he also had to promote the Dao Sect extensively.

No way.

Thinking of how that old dog from the Dao Sect would show off in front of him, a nameless fire rose from his heart, and he felt a surge of anger. He felt his vision darken, and his heart demons stirred.

After some time, he would have to go to the Heart Demon Purification Pavilion in the Heavenly Palace to get rid of these heart demons.

At this moment, on the peak of the Dao Sect...

The Dao Sect Master gazed at the treasure hanging on the wall with deep emotion. He had already framed the chessboard given by the Senior, and beside it, he had meticulously recorded the effects of this treasure.

Above it, there was a line of large characters.

"Vast Calendar 9997, July 12th, the Mocking Heaven Sect Master Chen Xiu's gift to Zhang Qing!"

Zhang Qing was his name.

"Simply perfect."

The Dao Sect Master looked at the framed chessboard on the wall, and a sense of pride surged within him. He didn't plan to use this spiritual treasure. To be honest, even if he won two stones above heaven, he would only gain two spiritual treasures.

And he didn't even know what rank those treasures would be.

Although he was skilled at chess, he wasn't sure if he could win half a stone above heaven.

Moreover, if he met the Senior in the future and the Senior asked whether he had won or not, if he lost, it wouldn't just be embarrassing; it would be a waste of the Senior's kindness, which might displease the Senior.

But framing it was a different story.

On the one hand, he didn't have to worry about this, and on the other hand, this thing would be able to maximize its value! It was a gift personally given by the Senior! This thing was like an Imperial Sword in his hand; who would dare to provoke him with it?

With the Mocking Heaven Token in his left hand and the chessboard in his right, he didn't believe anyone in the entire Profound Heaven State would dare to mess with him!

As for why he left his name, "Zhang Qing," instead of the Dao Sect, it was simply a little trick of his to secretly turn Chen Xiu's gift to the Dao Sect into a gift to him.

What benefits did this bring?

There were countless benefits.

Even if he left the Dao Sect in the future, he could still use this treasure. Even if he didn't leave, it could greatly strengthen and consolidate his position within the Dao Sect. What's this called?

It's called being clever.

He stood in place, his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the framed chessboard on the reception hall wall, and couldn't help but breathe a satisfied sigh. On the tea table, there was also the tea left by the Senior.

Ten Thousand Year Frost and Ten Thousand Year Heavenly Cold Tea.

Just then—

A Dao Sect disciple suddenly came from outside to deliver a message, "Reporting to the Sect Master, at the mountain gate, the Supreme Elder of the Cause Sect, accompanied by his offerings, requests an audience and asks for the Dao Sect Elder to come out and reconstruct the sect's mountain defense array."

Usually, for a sect like the Cause Sect, there was no need to notify the Sect Master. Informing an Elder would suffice. But today, the Sect Master had specifically instructed that no matter who came to the mountain gate, they should notify him. Although he didn't understand why, he was just a disciple and wouldn't ask too many questions.

"Oh?"

The Dao Sect Master's eyes lit up. He carefully adjusted the framed chessboard on the wall, then sat down at the tea table and arranged the tea set.

He placed the seemingly inconspicuous Mocking Heaven Token on the corner of the table.

He also laid out the spiritual fruits from the Mocking Heaven Sect's mountain on the table.

After displaying the Ten Thousand Year Frost and Ten Thousand Year Heavenly Cold Tea, he pretended to be solemn and coughed lightly with a fist clenched.

"A distinguished guest has arrived. Bring them to me quickly, and I will receive them personally."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end