HCB Chapter 215 Returning to the Sect
Chapter 215 Returning to the Sect
"Master, is it really necessary to return to the sect?"
The celebration ended very late, and the next day, Immortal Lord Qingxu came to Meiwu Courtyard to inform Cheng Jiu and the others that they were going back.
It was very sudden, and it directly disrupted Cheng Jiu's plans.
"Well, only your uncle and I from Guiyuan Sect came this time. Your uncle is taking his two disciples to the Qilin Clan, so he doesn't have time."
This mission not only resulted in the signing of a friendly treaty but also the negotiation of important matters such as the Star Domain. There were many things to discuss, and it was necessary to return to the sect to report back.
"Xiao Jiu, is something the matter?"
Cheng Jiu shook his head: "It's just a small matter!"
Cheng Jiu told his master about the mine and his promise to refine pills for the Qinglu clan.
"Don't worry about the mine, Xiao Jiu. Who in the demon realm has more resources than the Demon Emperor? I'll talk to the Demon Emperor about it later."
As for the Azure Deer Clan, go and ask them what kind of pills they want. Then, return to your sect, purchase them from the Medicine Peak, and send them over via the post station at market price. They should be satisfied.
It wasn't that Immortal Lord Qingxu was worried, but Cheng Jiu had only left the Demon Realm as an envoy of five people, and it was really bad that only he returned to the sect.
Although Cheng Jiu and his companions are nominally their master's appendages, they also bear the responsibility of being messengers in a certain sense.
Not only Cheng Jiu wanted to return to the sect with his master, but Li Weixin, who had previously discussed it with his master, also had to give up his plans and return to the sect with his master.
"I'll listen to my master!" Cheng Jiu had no objection to the solution proposed by his master.
Immortal Lord Qingxu moved very quickly. Before long, the Grand Master of Ceremonies beside the Demon Emperor entered Meiwu Courtyard with a stack of land deeds. Just then, Gong Cheng and Gong Yu had not yet left.
Gong Cheng, Gong Yu, and the other three followed Cheng Jiu to look at the land deeds. Just as their master said, whose resources could compare to the Demon Emperor's?
Cheng Jiu's eyes were blurry from looking at the whole stack of pages; he couldn't take it all in.
Moreover, the land deeds delivered were for either high-grade or top-grade mineral veins.
A mineral vein, when converted into spirit stones, is worth about 300,000 top-grade spirit stones for a high-grade vein, and at least 1 million top-grade spirit stones for a very high-grade vein.
But no matter which option you choose, you won't lose money if you buy it.
Cheng Jiu couldn't decide which land deed to choose, so he looked to his master for help.
Immortal Lord Qingxu enjoyed his disciple's plea for help and, as Cheng Jiu requested, selected three top-grade mineral veins and three high-grade mineral veins that were relatively close to Guiyuan Sect for her.
After purchasing these mineral veins, Cheng Jiu had spent all the spirit stones he had.
After Cheng Jiu finished selecting the ore vein and paid with spirit stones, he saw his master casually pull out a stack of land deeds from the pile and place them in the Grand Ceremony Master's hand: "I'll take all of these, and put them all under my disciple's name!"
"Master...Master!" Cheng Jiu stared in disbelief, stammering, unable to even speak properly.
"What's wrong?" Immortal Lord Qingxu looked at Cheng Jiu's dumbfounded expression and said with a smile, "These are not for you now. You don't have the strength to develop them yet. When you have the strength in the future, these mines will truly belong to you."
Without strength, even a land deed is useless; this world has always been about strength.
Cheng Jiu was able to develop these mineral veins not only because of the land deeds, but also because she was a disciple of the Guiyuan Sect and an apprentice of a Celestial Lord. Otherwise, who would accept a Nascent Soul cultivator occupying so many resources?
Like a child carrying gold, without these titles, they will eventually be taken away by someone else.
The mineral veins extracted by Immortal Lord Qingxu are scattered throughout the demon realm. If Cheng Jiu wanted to develop them, the powerful demon clans wouldn't recognize her. That's why Immortal Lord Qingxu said they would truly belong to Cheng Jiu in the future.
Apart from Qianli Immortal Lord, the other masters all owned land and property to varying degrees, with the two Immortal Lords of Guiyuan Sect being the most extravagant.
As for the Wuji Sect, Senior Brother Shangguan simply couldn't produce that many spirit stones; the mine was given to them by their master.
This is no small sum. Shangguan Song was still shocked when he saw that Cheng Jiu and Gong Cheng, and that the Gong brothers were able to take out spirit stones to purchase property.
In the cultivation world, it is often said that Medicine King Valley is the richest among the five major sects, after all, it specializes in producing alchemists. But for some reason, he has a misconception that apart from their Wuji Sect and Longyuan Sect being poor, the other sects are quite wealthy.
Is it just my imagination?
Seeing that the Miyagi brothers had bought eight top-quality mineral veins in a row, the two seemed to be handling things with some ease.
It's not an illusion!
Waaah, he doesn't have a problem with his own sect, he's just jealous of the rich! Jealous of the rich!
"It's a bit pricey!" Gong Yu said, touching his storage ring.
"Well, it's a pity that all the mines near Guiyuan Sect have been bought up."
After listening to the conversation between Qingxu Immortal Lord and Cheng Jiu, the two brothers understood something and subsequently chose mines close to the Wilderness and Guiyuan Sect.
As for Qingyang Immortal Lord helping the two brothers acquire property, that's for the future; the two brothers never intended to buy it all.
The original thick stack of land deeds has now shrunk by half.
The immortal lords didn't use spirit stones; they exchanged resources instead. The spirit stone exchange was just to take care of a few junior disciples.
The Demon Emperor doesn't need that many top-grade spirit stones. Spirit stones are just a form of currency in the Demon Realm; the mainstream currency for the Demon Race is still demon gold.
The immortal lords were all aware of this, and they couldn't let the demon emperor suffer too much, so they also bought some and chose to exchange resources.
Cheng Jiu and his group of five, unaware of their master's legal troubles, gathered together and chatted enthusiastically about how to develop the mine. In the end, they unanimously decided to entrust the development to Li Weixin's family.
Some rare and precious ores can be kept by oneself, while the remaining mined ores can be entrusted to Wanbaoge for auction and acquisition, so that they do not need to spend too much energy on management.
Li Wei readily agreed to the commission from his friends. This was a fantastic opportunity, a huge business deal that wouldn't require much effort, and his family could also make a profit from it.
When Kunmu, the patriarch of the Qinglu clan, received Cheng Jiu's message, he was somewhat flattered. What did he do to deserve that Cheng Jiu would think of their clan before leaving? If it were any other alchemist, they would have left long ago without even sending a message.
A short while later, a reply from the Qinglu clan was delivered to Cheng Jiu.
Nine thousand Grade 5 Spirit Nourishing Pills.
In addition, there are corresponding spirit stones, starting at twice the price. A bottle of Grade 5 Spirit Nourishing Pill is worth ten top-grade spirit stones. Nine thousand spirit stones would be one thousand bottles, which would be ten thousand top-grade spirit stones.
Double that is 20,000.
Cheng Jiu was devastated; she was even allowed to profit from the price difference.
Fortunately, she had stockpiled a lot of fifth-grade pills when she practiced before; nine thousand Spirit Nourishing Pills were enough for her.
There's no regret about not being able to join the Green Deer Clan. The difference between them and the Badger Clan is just too great. Nine thousand spirit stones not only took a lot of time, but also yielded very few spirit stones.
After delivering the pills to the Qinglu clan, Cheng Jiu set off with his master to return to the sect.
Although they came together, they parted ways on the way back. Compared to the wild and desolate regions, Pearl Sea is closer to the other sects.
The four immortals, including Qianli Immortal Lord, chose to cross the Pearl Sea to return to their sect.
After saying goodbye to each other.
Immortal Lord Qingxu, carrying Cheng Jiu, stood on Xuanze's back and flew towards the desolate region.
The journey back was faster than the journey to the Demon Realm. Cheng Jiu then realized that if they, his disciples, hadn't taken the wrong turn, the Royal City wasn't far from the Guiyuan Sect. At Xuanze's speed, they could have arrived in half a month.
Cheng Jiu sat on Xuan Ze's lap, watching the scenery flash by.
Xuanze traversed the desolate region with unbridled speed, and even the most foolish monsters that dared to approach were slain by Qingxu Immortal Lord with a single sword strike. He hardly stopped along the way.
In the poisonous fog forest, Cheng Jiu looked south and could see the sky in the distance, which looked almost blood-stained.
"Master, look!" Cheng Jiu tugged at Qingxu Immortal Lord's sleeve and pointed to the blood-red sky in the distance.
Immortal Lord Qingxu looked into the distance and slightly pinched his fingers, understanding dawning on him: "He finally took that step!"
"Who?" Cheng Jiu asked, puzzled.
“That’s the Swamp Hell Glacier,” Immortal Lord Qingxu said calmly.
"Immortal Lord Qin'an!" Cheng Jiu exclaimed in realization, "What did he do?"
“According to what you said before, Xiao Jiu, the most serious problem with that woman is not the bloodline conflict, but the curse that her mother placed on her. Because of this curse, the bloodline in her body is almost unbalanced.”
"Okay!" Cheng Jiu nodded.
Qin An's previous idea was to enhance the woman's favor with the Heavenly Dao and atone for his birth.
However, he chose a shortcut, which Heaven didn't favor, hence its perception that the glacier's offering was becoming increasingly ineffective.
"Then wouldn't it be enough to just keep doing good deeds and accumulating merit? Why doesn't Immortal Lord Qin An do that?" Cheng Jiu asked curiously.
"Guess why there are no people in the cultivation world who cultivate merit?"
They existed in ancient times, but in the end, they almost all became demonic cultivators!
The matter of merit is mysterious and profound. If one does good deeds for the sake of merit, can it still be considered doing good deeds? Does one gain merit by doing good deeds, or does one do good deeds in order to gain merit?
The matter is far too complex, and the Heavenly Dao is quite subtle about it.
Compared to other methods, the glacier's offering may seem like a shortcut, but it is actually the optimal choice.
After listening to her master's words, Cheng Jiu fell silent. This was too far-fetched; she couldn't understand it. In essence, it meant that merit was very difficult to obtain, and it wasn't simply a matter of doing good deeds.
If one plunges headlong into the path of merit, it will likely end up being a wasted effort. In comparison, the glacier offering, though a shortcut, is a safer option.
"Master, what did Immortal Lord Qin An do?" Cheng Jiu asked.
“Those who cultivate to the Mahayana stage are more or less favored by the Heavenly Dao, especially Qin An. He broke through to the Mahayana stage at a young age. If he wants, he will definitely have a place in the future ascension.”
He is now probably inspired by you to perform a blood sacrifice to the Heavenly Dao, transferring his own fortune to his niece to offset the curse attached to her.
The price is the severing of the path to immortality, forever remaining at the Mahayana realm.
Cheng Jiu's heart skipped a beat for a moment, and a huge, indescribable emotion filled his heart.
The severing of the path to immortality is an incredibly tragic price for a cultivator with a promising future.
Many cultivators are stuck at their current cultivation level and cannot break through, and in their unwillingness to accept this, they fall into madness.
Now, in order to save Qin Yuheng's life, the other party is willing to make such a choice.
Qin Yuheng really has a very good uncle. Cheng Jiu thought that when Qin Anxianjun made this choice, Qin Yuheng's identity in his heart had transcended that of an orphan left behind by his sister, but rather because the other party was his only relative!
Although she understood, Cheng Jiu still felt a little sad because the other party had come up with this idea because of her.
Will Immortal Lord Qin An really not regret it later? Cheng Jiu dared not think too much about it: "Master...!"
"This was his own decision, and you don't need to feel guilty! He must have thought it through before making this decision."
Seeing Cheng Jiu's somewhat guilty expression, Immortal Lord Qingxu comforted him.
Cheng Jiu was still a little upset, but for Master Kuan's sake, he said sullenly, "Immortal Lord Qin An is so good to his niece!"
Cheng Jiu thought of Qin Yuheng's mother, whose most important person in her life was probably her only brother, Qin Anxianjun.
Besides Qin Yuheng's father, the person she hated most in her life was probably Qin Yuheng, the child she gave birth to without her consent.
If she knew that the person she loved most would abandon his immortal path to remove the curse she placed on the person he hated most, would she regret leaving behind this curse?
Xuanze continued flying forward until the crimson hue on the horizon disappeared.
Cheng Jiu regained his composure. What's done is done, and further lamenting is nothing but needless worry.
A massive, menacing black city wall, guarding the entire wilderness, appeared before Cheng Jiu.
Although I've only been away for a few months, it feels like a lifetime has passed.
Xuanze's route leads directly to the largest city gate, so there's no need to deviate from the route to find it.
A disciple dressed in emerald green saw Xuanze's figure in the distance and quickly ran into the small door next to him.
A moment later, the massive city gate creaked open with a sickening groan, slowly, very slowly, opening to both sides.
The sect leader, along with the elders and a group of his personal disciples, poured out of the sect.
Upon meeting, the sect leader exclaimed excitedly, "Greetings, Immortal Lord Qingxu! You've had a long journey, Immortal Lord!"
"Greetings, Immortal Lord Qingxu!"
The elders and disciples behind him all bowed in unison.
"Get up! Sect Master, it's not tiring!"
With a wave of his hand, Immortal Lord Qingxu lifted up all the elders and disciples by an invisible force.
Cheng Jiu silently hid behind her master, thus avoiding the bow; thankfully, she was quick-witted.
"Let's go back and talk! Immortal Lord, please!" The sect leader gestured for them to proceed.
Xuanze flew forward, with the sect leader, elders, and disciples following behind on their swords.
Once everyone had entered the gate, it slowly closed again.
They didn't stop along the way and went straight to the main peak.
Cheng Jiu followed behind his master and got off Xuan Ze.
The sect leader expressed his gratitude and praise at the sect leader's peak, and also awarded Cheng Jiu a prize.
Amidst the fervent gazes of the disciples, Immortal Lord Qingxu dismissed Cheng Jiu and led him into the Sect Master's Hall with the Sect Master and elders. Clearly, this group of Guiyuan Sect administrators had something to discuss.
Cheng Jiu was happy to be free of Cheng Jiu's presence.
Qin Che, Yingyue, and Wen Sishu all gathered around. It had been a long time since they had seen Cheng Jiu, and they were quite curious about his experiences in the demon realm.
It was great to see Cheng Jiu, a good friend I hadn't seen in a long time, and everyone moved together to Qin Che's residence on the sect's main peak.
It was a binary-coded mansion, completely bare except for a martial arts training ground; there was nothing there.
The courtyard house doors were wide open, and the overall atmosphere was quite cool and pleasant, with a gentle breeze that felt incredibly comfortable.
There were no tables or chairs in the main hall, only a few huge animal skin cushions. Outside was the only training ground, where many weapons were placed. A bed could be vaguely seen next to the inner room.
In short, a very comfortable courtyard to sleep in.
Sitting on a warm cushion, Cheng Jiu leaned back against the lumbar support. In front of him was a small table that Qin Che had somehow brought out, with a soft stove on it cooking the rice wine that Cheng Jiu had brought from the demon realm.
Seeing only Senior Brother Qin Che, Cheng Jiu was still puzzled, since Senior Brother Huo Yan was always inseparable from him.
According to Senior Brother Qin Che, Huo Yan went into seclusion to cultivate with his master.
Cheng Jiu nodded in understanding, and amidst the aroma of the fermented rice wine, began to recount his experiences in the demon realm over the past few months.