Chapter 309: Chapter 307: The Unlucky Fragrance Sect
Within the Qingfeng Sect’s Secret Hall, there were no longer any Treasures that held much appeal for Bai Zichen.
For him, the greatest use of Sect Contribution Points was to issue missions and have Sect Disciples run errands for him.
For instance, in the second year after bringing Hejian County under his control, the Mi Family, which was overseen by a Fake Pill Cultivator, presented him with their ancestral Tier Three Golden Light Fiery Sword Refining Secret Technique.
Bai Zichen immediately granted the Mi Family a spot for an Inner Sect Disciple and awarded them one hundred thousand Contribution Points, leaving the Mi Family’s Fake Pill Patriarch beaming with joy.
Among the various Cultivation Families in Hejian County, the Mi Family was a relatively new power, with a history of only a few hundred years.
However, the previous Patriarch had been a Core Formation Loose Cultivator. In his later years, after establishing the Clan and ensuring its prosperity, he quickly elevated the Mi Family to one of the top three Noble Families in Hejian County.
Before the previous Patriarch passed away, he purchased a Tier Three Demon Pill to help the most outstanding member of the younger generation refine the Demon Pill and become a Fake Pill Cultivator.
This allowed them to maintain a top-tier combat strength among the Cultivation Families.
Currently, in the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, missions for Tier Three Flying Swords and Tier Three Sword Refining Secret Techniques were still posted long-term.
Although he had the Moon Xuan Sword, before he could deploy the Star River Sword Array, a Tier Three Flying Sword would at most be icing on the cake.
But he would never turn down an extra Tier Three Flying Sword or another Tier Three Sword Refining Secret Technique.
Gathering twelve Tier Four Flying Swords wasn’t just a tall tale; it was the stuff of myths and legends.
The Tianhe Sword Sect, for example, only possessed two Tier Four Flying Swords.
Even a Super Sword Sect like the Five Phoenix Sword Sect couldn’t ensure that every Nascent Soul True Monarch had a legacy Tier Four Flying Sword.
Even including the personal swords of their Divinity Transformation Great Powers, they only had six or seven in total.
In other words, Bai Zichen would have to sack two Sword Cultivation Sects on the level of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect just to have a chance at gathering the Tier Four Flying Swords needed to deploy the Star River Sword Array.
Furthermore, a Tier Four Flying Sword’s value couldn’t be measured in Spirit Stones, and those who acquired one rarely traded it, even if they didn’t use it themselves.
In comparison, obtaining Tier Three Flying Swords seemed much more practical.
As long as Bai Zichen’s Cultivation advanced, he was quite confident he could gather twelve Tier Three Flying Swords.
’When the Star River Sword Monarch deployed his array back then, he used Tier Three Flying Swords, and it was enough to shake the world and defeat several opponents of the same level... The Sword Array draws upon the vast Starry Sky Sword Intent, forming its own celestial bodies. A Cultivator within the array is essentially facing a small world, a marvel with a similar principle to the Grotto Heaven Power of a Divinity Transformation Great Power.’
He had carefully examined the Sword Refining Secret Technique for the Golden Light Fierce Fire Sword. There was nothing particularly special about the Sword Refining Materials.
They were all High Tier Five Metals Spirit, just used in larger quantities.
The only thing that required special attention was the final moment of the sword’s creation, when a ball of True Flame had to be integrated into it.
According to the Sword Refining Secret Technique, there were no specific restrictions on the type of True Flame, but different True Flames would result in slight variations in the final Flying Sword.
However, the author of this Sword Refining Secret Technique had only experimented with three types of True Flame, and had meticulously recorded the effects after the Flying Sword was forged.
It even included detailed descriptions of the origins of these True Flames and the easiest places to find them.
’The Innate Nine Yang True Flame. This Golden Light Fierce Fire Sword can actually be tempered and formed with this flame... The Southern Domain’s Dian Country, the Ten Thousand Miles Volcano, where stone melts and gold flows, a place no one below the Nascent Soul Cultivator level should enter deep within.’
Bai Zichen saw the name of the Innate Nine Yang True Flame in this Tier Three Sword Refining Secret Technique. This True Flame was essential for him to reforge the Nine Yang Divine Fire Mirror and restore it to a Top-Grade Magical Treasure.
’Dian Country, isn’t that where the Five Elements Sect is located... It’s quite far, and I’ll need Nascent Soul Cultivation to safely venture into its depths.’
Thus, the Innate Nine Yang True Flame now had two uses for him.
If he had the time in the future, he could make a trip, pay a visit to the Five Elements Sect, and see Master Qingmu and Master Hei Shui.
’I wonder how Master Qingmu is doing, whether he has stabilized his injuries...’
It seemed like only yesterday that he had single-handedly invited two Core Formation True Men to defend Feiyue Lake from the clutches of several Core Formation Demon Cultivators.
In the blink of an eye, he was already at the Mid-Stage Core Formation realm.
He committed this to memory, marking Dian Country as a place he must visit during his future travels across the world.
Soon, it was time for the year-end harvest in the Blood Jujube Forest. Watered by the blood of countless Blood Beasts, the Blood Jujube harvest was unaffected, with each fruit plump and full.
After being picked and weighed, the harvest easily surpassed the mark of six thousand catties.
Huo Feiyan led a team to select the thousand best-quality fruits for Han Qing to use in Alchemy, and another thousand of the next-best quality were set aside as reserves.
The remaining Blood Jujubes were transferred to the Spirit Plant Hall. A small portion would be put on the shelves for Sect Disciples to exchange for.
The majority, however, flowed to the Pill Hall to be used in Refining various common elixirs that replenished qi and blood.
Bai Zichen had originally planned to return to Black Mountain. Firstly, to ask Master Ge Cang for guidance on the essentials of cultivating the Daoist Classic Cantongqi, and secondly, to find a Tier Three Peak Demon Beast to hunt.
Throughout all of Liang Country, Tier Three Demon Beasts were most numerous in the Black Mountain Range.
In Hejian County, you might not find a trace of a Tier Three Demon Beast even if you turned the entire place upside down.
After all, Demon Beasts needed to survive too, and without a Tier Three Spirit Vein, it was impossible to support the food source required by a Tier Three Demon King.
If not the Black Mountain Range, his only other option was Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, to search for traces of Tier Three Demon Beasts in the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect’s backyard.
As for other places in Liang Country, it was hard to say if there were any Tier Three Demon Beasts at all.
However, if he left Ten Thousand Immortals Creek, there would be no one to watch over Hejian County. Moreover, the day they would open the Mountain Gate to recruit new disciples was fast approaching, so he simply decided to wait a while.
He hadn’t expected that his wait would bring him some major news.
"The Fragrance Sect was wiped out?"
Looking at the latest intelligence report Lii Guizhen had handed him, Bai Zichen asked again without reading it closely.
"Three Floating Battleships from the Celestial Principle Sect arrived before the Fragrance Sect’s Mountain Gate and ordered them to evacuate within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Before the Fragrance Sect could even react, their Grand Array was blasted apart by countless Thunderlight Cannons, and not one of the several thousand members of the sect survived..."
Lii Guizhen’s face was still filled with shock, yet there was also a hint of pride.
Despite having already clashed with the Qingfeng Sect, the Celestial Principle Sect had still chosen a different target to deal with.
In other words, even with the immense power demonstrated by a sect-war weapon like the Floating Battleship, the Celestial Principle Sect still wasn’t confident in its ability to defeat the Qingfeng Sect.
The Fragrance Sect was just unlucky; they weren’t originally in the Celestial Principle Sect’s sights.
It was just that after failing to take Black Mountain, the Celestial Principle Sect had casually chosen a place to rest and settle. It was a disaster that had come out of nowhere.
"Two of the Demon Path Five Sects, gone just like that. Who would have thought?"
Bai Zichen scanned the important parts of the report twice, confirming that no Nascent Soul Level powers had appeared during the entire war of extermination.
Of course, given the Fragrance Sect’s strength, dealing with them was as easy as reading the lines on one’s palm for the Celestial Principle Sect.
Let alone their Floating Battleships, with Refining techniques far beyond those of the Liang Country’s Cultivation Realm, the sheer number of Core Formation True Men they possessed was enough to crush the vast majority of Core Formation Level Sects.
’According to the description, the destructive power of the Floating Battleships is indeed terrifying. If we were besieged by three of them, even our Duality Illusion Moon Array might not hold... They’ve revealed about fifteen Core Formation True Men so far, but that Nascent Soul Sect Leader has yet to show his face.’
With such an Overseas Dragon suddenly barging into the Liang Country’s Cultivation Realm, it immediately drew the attention of all the major powers.
Even other Sects in the Northern Domain, outside of Liang Country, were paying close attention.
A Nascent Soul Sect from the Central Domain, even one that had failed in a competition and been forced to leave its homeland, was still a significant force to be reckoned with in the Northern Domain.
Fortunately, the Celestial Principle Sect seemed to have suffered losses during their migration. Their Floating Battleships were damaged and missing, and most importantly, their Sect Leader remained hidden from view.
This allowed the Nascent Soul Sects of the Northern Domain to breathe a sigh of relief. A wounded Celestial Principle Sect didn’t have the strength to stir up trouble in the Northern Domain. They could just lie low in Liang Country and slowly recover.
From the various intelligence reports and their act of seizing the Fragrance Sect’s Spirit Vein, Bai Zichen deduced that the Celestial Principle Sect had indeed relocated their entire sect to Liang Country and likely had no way of returning to the Central Domain anytime soon.
"Also, some Fragrance Sect disciples who were traveling and escaped the disaster ran to the Holy Lotus Sect to accuse the Celestial Principle Sect, demanding that the Upper Sect uphold justice for them. They were immediately tied up by the Holy Lotus Sect and handed over to the Celestial Principle Sect for punishment... The Holy Lotus Sect even issued a public decree, stating that the Fragrance Sect practiced blood sacrifices on Mortals, that their virtue didn’t match their station, and that their right to exist as a sect had been revoked."
Lii Guizhen then took out the newly received decree from the Holy Lotus Sect and presented it.
"Plugging one’s ears while stealing a bell. So now they remember to punish the Demon Path... They’re just giving themselves an out to avoid damaging their reputation as the nominal rulers of Liang Country."
Bai Zichen sneered, but having two Nascent Soul Sects in Liang Country wasn’t a bad thing for the Qingfeng Sect.
The Holy Lotus Sect and the Celestial Principle Sect had originally been allies, but with the Celestial Principle Sect’s power greatly diminished and their inability to return to the Central Domain in the short term, forcing them to put down roots in Liang Country, their relationship had become rather delicate.
He didn’t know the specifics of the agreement between the two sects, but anyone in the Holy Lotus Sect’s position would surely be wary of the Celestial Principle Sect.
Perhaps in the eyes of True Monarch Jiulian at this moment, the threat posed by the Celestial Principle Sect now far exceeded that of the Qingfeng Sect.
"Keep a close watch on the Celestial Principle Sect’s movements and report any new information to me immediately... How are the preparations for opening the Mountain Gate coming along? There’s only a month left. I don’t want it to end with a fizzle."
Bai Zichen brought his focus back to the task at hand.
In Black Mountain and Hejian counties, the hottest topic of late was undoubtedly the Qingfeng Sect once again opening its Mountain Gate, recruiting new disciples from both counties for the first time.
The number of available spots had more than doubled compared to the last recruitment.
Of course, with Hejian County’s population being nearly three times that of Black Mountain County, this recruitment number was perfectly normal.
In the future, it would need to increase even further.
"Master, the Immortal Seedlings found through the Spirit-Guiding search have already been settled into courtyards. As you instructed, we’ve accepted all of them as long as they have a Spiritual Root, even those with Five Spiritual Roots. We turned no one away."
Lii Guizhen’s expression turned serious as he carefully answered his master’s questions.
He knew that opening the Mountain Gate was a major priority for the Sect, and critically, his master placed great importance on it. After accepting this task, he had thrown himself into it completely.
"Currently, there are twenty-seven Immortal Seedlings in total: thirteen have been assigned as Outer Sect Disciples, and fourteen as servant disciples... In addition, the major Cultivation Families have informed us that they will be sending seven of their younger disciples, and we estimate around fifteen hundred Loose Cultivators will register to participate."
The so-called Immortal Seedlings were individuals discovered among the common folk who possessed Spiritual Roots, identified through the Spirit-Guiding process.
They were blank slates who had never set foot in the Cultivation Realm, making them the most favored source of disciples for all major sects.
The Qingfeng Sect’s original rule was that an Immortal Seedling with Three Spiritual Roots could enter the sect directly. Those with Four Spirit Root Talent would be judged based on their age and astuteness.