Everybody is Kung Fu Fighting, While I Started a Farm

by Little Merger

Rejuvenation of spiritual energy, prevalence of martial arts, and extraordinary awakening, Jiang He said that he didn’t panic at all. With a farm system, farming can become stronger. What should I do if I practice too slowly? Don’t panic, plant some cucumbers to eat. Cucumber effects: clearing away heat and detoxification (relieving hundreds of toxins), strengthening the brain a

11. 329

Read Everybody is Kung Fu Fighting, While I Started a Farm Chapter 329 - : What If Sufferance Took Too Long? online for free - NovelFull

Chapter 329: What If Sufferance Took Too Long?

It was only after half an hour that Jiang He finished making an inventory of and grouping his spoils.

He was feeling thrilled at the moment and only had one word to describe his pickings these times— huge!

"43,000 inferior-grade sage spirit stones, 4,100 mediocre-grade spirit stones, and 380 superior-grade spirit stones. Thirty-eight soul items of every grade, eight of which are armors and four of which are special mystic treasures, while the rest are all weapons such as swords, blades, and lances."

"Six inferior-grade sage items."

"Three mediocre-grade sage items."

"Two superior-grade sage items."

"A number of medicinal pellets, paper talismans, and cultivation manuals…"

The inferior-grade spirit stones mostly belonged to the Yuan Spirit cultivators and they did not even have many mediocre-grade spirit stones with them, just around a hundred between them. However, what stunned Jiang He the most was that though the Scarlet Sun Daoist of the Penglai Sect looked the poorest among them, he was actually the richest.

He actually had over 2,000 mediocre-grade spirit stones and 200 superior-grade spirit stones!

Moreover, his mystic item was a superior-grade sage item that had a unique shape and resembled the semi-circular blades belonging to Cordo, a Sky Demon Cultist whom Jiang He had killed.

Aside from those, the Scarlet Sun Daoist had a mediocre-grade armor and over a dozen soul items.

On the other hand, Hong Shanze's bottle gourd was a superior-grade sage item.

And inside the bottle gourd were two inferior-grade sage-tier flying swords and one mediocre-grade sage-tier flying sword.

Though Jiang He had gathered many medicinal pellets as well, he had no idea what most of them were aside from the spirit condensation pellets, leaving him a little baffled… Why would a great master of pellet-refining like himself fail to identify the medicinal pellets?

Could the 'Jiang-Style Pellet Refinement' be flawed?

It was noon right now.

There was a mansion with a kitchen inside his farm.

Sora and Boa Hancock had cooked lunch. After eating, Jiang He started his grand undertaking of planting.

There was a total of 43,000 spirits stones and even without the inferior-grade sage spirit stones there were 4,100 left. Digging holes for each stone was just too troublesome.

Hence…

Jiang He sprinkled the spirit stones over his farm like he did when he planted rice.

After that, Dumbo casted his earth-type powers, causing the farm soil to churn and bury every spirit stone.

"I'll plant the mystic treasures and medicinal pellets in this style as well…"

Going about it like clockwork, Jiang He planted every mystic treasure and medicinal pellet.

There were just a dozen paper talismans left in the end, but surprising, six of them were thunder talismans and Jiang He found them from the disciples of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.

"Could there be a master adept at refining thunder talismans at the Ten Thousand Swords Sect?"

"If that's true, I'll catch him and have him make thunder talismans for me without end… When the time comes, there would be waves of thunderbolts descending from above as I throw the thunder talismans by the dozens. That would absolutely be more powerful than the Doom Shrooms!"

After all, that thing was much more useful than Doom Shrooms.

In the end, Doom Shrooms were only effective within enclosed environments such as the Stargate, because elites could instantly evade them otherwise. Any Convergence-tier could accelerate in a split second to make themselves scarce from the center of the explosion, and not even five hundred Doom Shrooms thrown at once could blow them to death if they had sage-items protecting themselves.

However, the Five Thunder Talisman was different.

Thanks to his experiment, he found out that the five thunderbolts overhead seemed to have auto-aim as the first thunderbolt struck Zhong Wanshan squarely. After that, the second and third bolts struck Hong Shanze and the Scarlet Sun Daoist.

As for the fourth and fifth… those were basically stray bolts.

With the other targets killed, surely it would not strike Jiang He, would it?

Of course, the most important part was that he stayed immune from the Five Thunder Talisman by crouching and clutching his head.

"What a shame that the Five Thunder Talisman is different from the Doom Shrooms and its effect would not stack. Otherwise, the Penglai Sect and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect or whatnot would be reduced to dust after I throw out several hundred of those talismans!"

Jiang He could feel that his perspective and mindset broadening.

If these thunder talismans only released the full-power strike of a full-fledged Yuan Spirit cultivator, would there be stronger thunder talismans?

For example, one that would directly blow up Convergence-tier, Sufferance-tier, or even Mahayana-tier cultivators…

"There has to be a paper talisman with that power, though it would be incredibly rare even if there are. Perhaps I really should capture that master of paper talismans at the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, who is adept at thunder talismans… Or I could create a method to refine paper talismans myself."

Since the spirit stones, mystic treasures, medicinal pellets and paper talismans were just planted, it would take at least two hours to harvest them.

Jiang He then left his farm in a flash.

In the end, his chief purpose of going overseas was to capture a Feral King, and he did not even get one until now.

And yet, once he left the farm, he sensed the 'message' left on his jade charm.

He took out it out to find it flashing several times and thereafter, a message surged into his mind's eye.

"I have very bad news, Jiang He."

"After you killed Zhong Wanshan, Hong Shanze, the Scarlet Sun Daoist, and the other cultivators, their sects are shaking with rage and have sent Sufferance-tier elites after your head."

"The Ten Thousand Swords Sect has sent the Thousand Sword Daoist, who has suffered through six retributions."

"On the other hand, the Penglai Sect has sent the True Habitant of Forgotten Love, who is the former chieftain of the Penglai Sect and a powerful cultivator who has suffered through seven retributions."

"I'll try to find out about their techniques, mystic treasures, and methods. I'll contact you later."

Jiang He was surprised.

The communications jade charm had a messaging function too?

"Interesting, it's a function that could match mobile phones. That said, what principle does this jade charm work on?"

Nonetheless, Jiang He soon stopped thinking about it and his gaze became somber.

The Thousand Sword Daoist?

The True Habitant of Forgotten Love?

Elite cultivators who had suffered through six and seven retributions?

"Aren't the Penglai Sect and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect too ruthless and not playing their cards logically? I've just killed a Convergence-tier novice and Convergence-tier intermediate cultivators, so you should send Convergence-tier advanced or full-fledged Convergence-tier cultivators, whom I would keep counter-killing and looting, after which I would become stronger."

Afterwards, they would start sending average Sufferance-tier cultivators, and then stronger Sufferance-tier cultivators, allowing him to keep counter-killing, looting, and strengthening. Then, one day, he would visit both sects on his own when his godly cultivation was accomplished, bulldozing both sects with peerless fighting power—that would be the correct plot progression for any protagonist.

Who goes for the killing stroke on the get-go?

They have simply resorted to sending cultivators who suffered through six and seven retributions. How am I supposed to turn the tables?

"Hold on…"

"What is their actual tier again?"

Only then did Jiang He remember about that question…

He did not know much about Sufferance-tier. Could it be categorized like one retribution, two retributions, three retributions and so forth?

"It's so detailed… but how is it grouped?"

"Could it be that cultivators who have suffered through one heavenly retribution would be grouped as one retribution. Thereafter, they would allow their cultivation to stabilize before suffering through another heavenly retribution, making it two retributions… and this pattern would continue up to nine retributions?"

There was a horrible look on Jiang He's face at that very thought.

Damn it!

I had only wanted to gather Farm Points. Then, after I ascend as a full-fledged Yuan Spirit, I would directly learn the fifth and sixth folds of Three Thousand Calamites, directly ascending as a full-fledged Convergence cultivator, before progressing to Sufferance…

And after weathering through the heavenly retributions, it was ascension to full-fledged Sufferance-tier cultivator.

Still, if the heavenly retributions were divided numerically from one up to nine, did that not mean he would have to suffer nine consecutive heavenly retributions?

Gasp!

Jiang He could not help inhaling sharply!

It was a pain to even think about suffering through nine heavenly retributions in one go, though it would be even scarier if one had to withstand from morning till night…

"It could last overnight if it takes longer than expected and there's not telling if I can have dinner or supper in the middle of Sufferance… What if I get hungry?"

Report chapter

Chapter 330: Has Jiang He Gone Mad?

Swish!

Jiang He returned to his farm in a flash.

Catch ferals?

Catch, my foot!

Survival was more important, and he certainly could not afford to get killed by the Sufferance-tier cultivators from the Penglai Sect and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect before he caught the Feral Kings. Those beasts would have to wait for later.

Jiang He did not believe that he had the power to hold his own against cultivators who suffered six or seven retributions. Even the Five Thunder Talisman would be insignificant to him.

With that, his farm turned into a tiny particle latching on a tuft of seaweed under the sea.

At the same time, Jiang He experimented.

"As I've thought… my divine mind is able to leave the farm and observe what's outside."

"This would make things much more convenient and I could look at the sights out there while I farmed… eh?"

That was when Jiang He's divine mind caught two powerful auras bounding toward his direction.

One of them was a middle-aged man wearing black robes and a cruel expression while carrying three mystic swords over his shoulder and the other was an old man with white hair but youthful looks. However, neither of them could find Jiang He after searching fifty kilometers around them.

The Thousand Sword Daoist was the one carrying three mystic swords and he was releasing his aura, causing the very air to ripple and the seas around him to churn.

On the other hand, the Hermit of Forgotten Love appeared serene and unruffled, flinging his sleeve. Appearing rather holy and profound, he spoke slowly and unhurriedly, "There's no need for haste, Thousand Swords. That despicable Jiang He's aura had just shown up in this area and even if he has techniques that senses danger beforehand, how far could he run?"

"No!"

The Thousand Sword Daoist shook his head, frowning. "He would definitely not escape my senses if he was fleeing, but that weird brat seems to have vanished into thin air. Could he possibly possess a grotto-heaven mystic-treasure that could block tracking?"

Grotto-heaven mystic treasures were different from Void Storage.

After all, Void Storage only kept items and inanimate objects.

On the other hand, a grotto-heaven mystic-treasure would allow living people to dwell within and was not much different from Secret Realms, though it was of a higher class. Indeed, it was equal to Secret Realm being refined with profound mystic energies to a mystic treasure that could be carried around.

The Hermit of Forgotten Love became amused at that. "But how rare are grotto-heaven mystic-treasures? There aren't many amongst secluded immortal clans and sects that possess grotto-heaven mystic-treasures, are there?"

As they conversed, the Thousand Sword Daoist pinched his fingers to quietly divine. His eyes flashing, he looked beneath the sea and said somberly, "The brat is undersea and within fifty kilometers. Find him!"

'The Thousand Sword Daoist?'

'The Hermit of Forgotten Love?'

'It seems that my hunch is right. Both immortal sects have methods that could track me, and the would instantly notice me once I leave the farm,' Jiang He thought.

The immortals had many mystic techniques. Novels had introduced stuff like qi tracking, bloodline tracking, or karmic observance untold times, and it would be weird if they did not have that.

Still, even as he carefully observed the two men above him, he could not hear the two men's conversation because he was afraid to use his divine mind to spy on them. Nonetheless, after the Thousand Sword Daoist made a divination, Jiang He could see that his eyes penetrated beneath the depths of the sea.

"Oh, no!"

"They must now that I'm hiding undersea!"

And just as expected, after the two sufferance-tier cultivates searched around fruitlessly, they dived into the sea together.

Their divine minds were combing every inch of the bottom of the sea and the Thousand Sword Daoist could be heard shouting, "Forgotten Love, use your divine mind to check carefully and study any grotto-heaven mystic-treasure thoroughly if you find one. You would definitely find something out of place."

In his farm, Jiang He's gaze darkened.

With a thought, he promptly controlled the particle so it detached from the seaweed and flowed around the sea currents, slowly leaving that place.

He could even feel a divine mind sweeping past him.

It was only after the divine mind was gone that Jiang He moved the particle that was his farm, latching it onto a huge fish that was frightened because of the Thousand Sword Daoist and the Hermit of Forgotten Love's auras, and left rapidly.

Jiang He's sense of danger only faded after swimming over fifty miles away.

He breathed a long sigh of relief in his farm, and there was a somber look on his face.

He realized that he could not continue like this.

"Those two sects clearly have their tracking methods, which I can't nullify it even if I know what it is. That is why I fear I would be detected immediately if I leave my farm."

"But I can't keep hiding here for the rest of my life, can I?"

Even as the thought came to mind…

Jiang He suddenly realized that staying a few more days in his farm was quite good too.

He could farm at his leisure, as well as play around with his pets and his eagles, not to mention that he had maids who could give him massages, warm his bed, and cook. What was there not to like?

"No, why would I think like that?"

"I, Jiang He, have now ventured into the martial path for three months, facing untold occasions of ambushes, encirclement. All my fingers and toes wouldn't be enough to count the powerful foes I've encountered, but on which occasion have I not risen to the challenge and cultivated diligently before retaliating on my own pace?"

"Having me cower in my farm? No! Can! Do!"

He would retaliate!

He must retaliate!

Jiang He was getting more furious the more he thought about it…

Those two sects are too much!

I was farming in my own house, walking my dogs and maids while living my days in peace and quiet, but you had to send your people to recruit me. Most importantly, you could not bother sending someone normal, but instead threw some thugs at me who keep saying 'I shall bestow you immortal cultivation and providence,' absolutely belittling me.

After that, you people got upset after I showed them what's what?

Even causing a major commotion to try to kill me?

"I need a perfect plan if I want to fight back. Otherwise, even if I kill both the Thousand Sword Daoist and the Hermit of Forgotten Love, they would send more Sufferance-tier cultivators, this time with eight or nine retributions."

"I can't keep fooling around with those fools from the immortal sect, can I?"

Jiang He pondered, but realized that there was no perfect plan against those two immortal sects that had thousands of years worth of history and possessed untold depth of power. In fact, he did not even know the number of elites they had.

Even as he thought so and cultivated from the spirit condensation pellets, the huge fish had finally stopped after untold time had passed.

Moving the farm away from the fish's body, his divine mind extended as he slightly checked on the outside. That was when he became startled. "Why does that isle outside looks so familiar?"

"Wait…"

"Isn't that the isle where we had a barbecue on the first day out at sea?"

Jiang He came to a realization then.

He had even run into the True Habitant of Nine Dragons and Cloudy Sky at the time, after which they had a little conflict, with Jiang He himself getting hunted since then.

After being left baffled for a while, Jiang He withdrew his divine mind and thought, "If I recall correctly, the mountain archway to the Penglai Sect should be east from here and not too far away… probably around five hundred to a thousand kilometers."

"This is fate!"

Jiang He took out the array boards and array flags he 'refined' as well as every Doom Shroom he had left, muttering as if talking to himself, "According to the Taixu Sect, only Sufferance cultivators with three retributions can violently break the array I've simply put together over my house. If I use every array board and array flag I had and put up several hundred thousand spirit stones to set up several arrays outside their archway, would I be able to restrain the people from the immortal sect?"

That just might work!

He hence put away every Doom Shroom, array board, and array flag, and then turned towards the many spirit stone trees and different types of pellet trees, mystic treasure trees, and paper talisman trees…

And only then did his frown vanish from his face

A great harvest!

Whether he could attack the Penglai Sect would depend on the specific numbers of the harvest that night.

Taking out another handful of spirit condensation pellets to cultivate his Yuan Spirit, Jiang He walked up and harvested the trees grown from the superior-grade spirit stones.

[Ding!]

[1,000 Farm Points.]

The crisp jingle of a System Notification in Jiang He's head left his heard racing, and he exclaimed in delight, "As I've thought, each spirit stone earns me a thousand Farm Points, and since a hundred spirit stones grow from each tree, I get a hundred thousand Farm Points!"

Jiang He had a total of 380 superior-grade spirit stones after all.

"In addition, I have 4,100 mediocre-grade spirit stones. If each tree earns me ten thousand Farm Points, it would mean I earn 41 million Farm Points. Add that to the soul items, sage items, medicinal pellets, and paper talismans, and I'll earn over dozens of millions."

"I've even earned over ten million…"

"Gasp!"

Jiang He could not help inhaling sharply…

Did that not mean his Farm Points would exceed a hundred million soon?

Jiang He became quite bothered at that thought.

A hundred million Farm Points…

After he ascended as a full-fledged Yuan Spirit, he would spend ten million to instantly improve to full-fledged Convergence-tier, and fifty million more to full-fledged Sufferance. That would leave him with forty million more Farm Points…

"How should I spend those forty million?"

"I could just improve my physique."

"40 million Farm Points might not be enough to improve my physique to Sufferance-tier, though full-fledged Convergence-tier would not be a problem. When that happens, my physique would be enough to guard against mediocre-grade sage items, and a single punch would be enough blow the doggone brains out of anyone at Zhong Wanshan's level!"

Meanwhile…

Both the Thousand Sword Daoist and the Hermit of Forgotten Love were still searching that part of the seas then.

Their divine minds were combing every inch of the area, not sparing even the corals and seaweeds.

However, the particle that was Jiang He's farm would definitely not escape their search if they did that immediately after they had gone underwater.

Now, however… if would be weird if they found anything!

Their efforts were fruitless even after searching for several hours.

The Thousand Sword Daoist began divining again.

Shock registered on his face after that and he exclaimed, "Impossible… The divination before showed that Jiang He was probably in this area, and with both you and I searching, no blade of grass could have escaped us… so why is he somewhere else now?"

"Eh?"

The Hermit of Forgotten Love turned to him and could not help asking, "Where is he now?"

Inwardly, he was less trusting of the Thousand Sword Daoist's divination now.

Why would a sect of sword cultivator like you train in divination instead of training in the way of the sword?

Divine this, divine that, and then ending up with nothing.

They spent hours around these waters without finding a single thing.

The Thousand Sword Daoist pointed eastward then. "Around 2,000 kilometers to the east from here."

Heh.

The Hermit of Forgotten Love chuckled and said, "Thousand Swords, you do know that the mountain archway of my Penglai Sect is 250 kilometers east from here, and our domain stretches over a thousand kilometers around it?"

Was Jiang He a fool?

They could loan him a hundred guts, but would he dare to venture inside the domain of the Penglai Sect?

"Well…"

The Thousand Sword Daoist hesitated then. Indeed, he was doubting himself after searching over a hundred kilometers worth of ocean, only to find nothing.

Could there have been a problem with his divination?

"No!"

"My divination could not have been wrong. And if that is the case… Jiang He would be the factor. He might possess some special move to avoid my divination, even causing an error."

Gritting his teeth, he growled, "Forgotten Love, I'll divine with my full power later. Stand guard over me and prevent the water vermin from disturbing me."

He sat cross-legged in the ocean, the air around him shaking as his qi strengthened. There were even faint rumblings of thunder in the horizon, leaving the Hermit of Forgotten Love stunned—they could invoke heavenly retribution if it continued!

Fortunately, the Thousand Sword Daoist completed his divination just then.

With a wave of his hand, bronze coins spread out in a single horizontal line before him, which he breathed his mystic energies upon. The coins immediately trembled and released green radiance, whilst the Thousand Sword Daoist opened his eyes and stared closely at the bronze coins, a flash of surprise appearing in his eyes then.

Somehow…

The divination turned out the same as before?

Has Jiang He gone mad? He really did run off to the domain of the Penglai Sect!

Report chapter

Chapter 331: 112.8 Million Farm Points

The Hermit of Forgotten Love frowned.

He was about to voice his doubt, but held back—the Hermit of Forgotten Love's divination just now had clearly taken a toll on him, and doubting him further would cause a rift between them.

And what if his divination was not mistaken?

The most dangerous place was also the safest. If Jiang He did hide near the Penglai Sect…

As the thought crossed his mind, the Hermit of Forgotten Love promptly whipped out his acoustics jade charm to contact the Penglai Sect.

Soon, both men sped off, leaving the oceans and hurried towards the Penglai Sect.

Meanwhile, Jiang He was naturally unaware about all that.

He was rubbing his temples in his farm and breathing a long, weary sigh. "I've finally harvested everything…"

It had taken him over an hour to do all that. Still, having to work hard did not matter since he was a farmer. How much did that little bit of effort even weigh?

Most importantly, the System Notifications were so annoying.

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding… there was no end to the ringing and his head was almost exploding. Fortunately, the System had a silent mode or Jiang He would definitely had been overwhelmed.

Still, a smile showed on his face at the sight of his System Backpack, which was filled to the brim.

Diligent effort would always be rewarded.

Jiang He did a general count and noticed that he had harvested a total of 410,000 mediocre-grade spirit stones as well as 38,000 superior-grade spirit stones. The soul items and sage items that he had planted had each improved by one grade after he strengthened them too.

After turning the tables against the Penglai Sect and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect cultivators, he had initially obtained thirty-eight soul items of various grades. As for sage items, there were six of inferior-grade, three of mediocre-grade and two of superior-grade.

But after strengthening them via planting, all his inferior-grade soul items became mediocre-grade soul items, while mediocre-grade soul items became superior-grade soul items, and superior-grade soul items became premium-grade soul items.

"All six inferior-grade sage items became mediocre-grade sage items."

"Meanwhile, the three mediocre-grade sage items became superior-grade sage items… with that, I have enough sage times to trade for the Taixu Sect's moon."

"As for the two superior-grade sage items…"

Jiang He felt a little helpless then.

The two superior-grade sage items had certainly been upgraded to premium-grade sage items, but the sword-honing bottle gourd and a moon blade were useless to him… even if those were great treasures for others, neither items were worth a penny to Jiang He.

Instead of taking the time to hone a sword, would it not be better for him to plant it?

"What a shame."

"And here I was thinking that the bottle gourd would grow into seven little bottle gourds after replanting, and letting the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers eat it… wouldn't the kids be able to breathe Sword Qi as well after that?"

"When that happens, they could switch between Sword Qi and Blade Qi at any time with just one 'hetui'. How wonderful would that be?"

With that, he nonchalantly dumped both premium-grade sage items into his System Backpack.

Out of sight, out of mind.

He would keep them to trade for other premium-grade sage items in the future.

After that, he would plant the traded item and he just might strengthen it into an immortal weapon.

Collecting his thoughts, Jiang He turned his eyes toward his stats panel.

[Name: Jiang He]

[Cultivation: Immortal Path—advanced Yuan Spirit; Martial Arts—divine-tier (union)]

[Ability: Royal Sword, fire]

[Martial Arts Cultivation: Indestructible Diamond (Mastery), Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms (Mastery), Strengthened Nine Yang Technique (Eighth Tier), Ninefold Thunderblade (Mastery), Dragon-Elephant Prajna (Mastery), Nine Heavenly Stars Body Formula (Third Tier), Three Thousand Calamities (Fourth Fold), Twenty-Three Swords (Mastery).]

[Arrays: Ice and Fire Duality Sword Array, Sword Array of Five Elements and Six Pulses, Great Nine Heavens Array of Dragon Sealing, Nine Heavens Thunderflame Array, Earthen Black Tortoise Array, Ten Thousand Phenomenon Array.]

[Owned Land: 9 Mu]

[Farm Level: 5 (EXP 500000/500000)]

[System Backpack: 24 boxes]

[System Shop: Unlocked]

[Farm Points: 112,800,000]

"112.8 million Farm Points. It is more or less expected."

Taking out several spirit condensation pellets and cultivating nonchalantly, Jiang He felt the growth of his Yuan Spirit while thinking, 'At this rate, I would be a full-fledged Yuan Spirit come tomorrow morning… of course, on the condition that I cultivate overnight without sleeping.'

Overnight cultivation?

Jiang He gritted his teeth and went for it!

It was not like losing one night's worth of sleep would kill!

Moreover, how could he sleep soundly if he did not resolve the annoyance that were the two immortal sects?

"Still… there is something that needs solving."

Jiang He stepped out of his farm in a flash, arriving on the isle where he had a barbecue.

Taking out his jade charm, he studied it.

However, he still had no idea how to use it after studying it for half a day.

"Since Elder Mo could reach me with this jade charm, I should be able to reach him as well… the fact that I can't use it means it still lacks something… the jade charm in novels would have a spiritual mark left on its counterparts."

Elder Mo had given Jiang He this jade charm, which meant that he had placed his spiritual mark on it, which was how he could contact Jiang He. However, Jiang He had not left a spiritual mark on Elder Mo's jade charm, which was why he could not initiate contact Elder Mo.

Jiang He realized that with a start.

Is that not the same as phone calls?

I can call you if know your number, but how could I reach you if I don't know your number?

Moreover, it would be they type without a caller ID, meaning I can't get back to you after you've called me.

"This jade charm is so outdated…" After complaining a little, Jiang He was ready to head back to his farm when his jade charm flashed. He appeared delighted—Elder Mo was calling him.

He promptly answered.

A silhouette of Elder Mo was projected then and he went straight to the point, saying, "Jiang He, did you run off to the Penglai Sect? I just received word that all their elites have been mobilized to search the nearby seas!"

"The Thousand Sword Daoist who is hunting you is adept at divination and is able to deduce the general location of where you are hiding. You have to be careful!"

Jiang He appeared taken aback and he exclaimed in surprise, "That impressive?"

That was when a powerful aura flew in from afar and Jiang He looked up to find a full-fledged Yuan Spirit cultivator streaking through the skies with Royal Sword Flight. His divine mind was searching the seas without holding back… and he eventually found Jiang He.

Incidentally, that cultivator was the True Habitant of Nine Dragons, and he was astonished at the sight. He promptly attempted to flee but it was already too late—two Sword Qis, one scarlet and the other blue shot towards him like long dragons, piercing his chest immediately. With that, raging Sword Qi pervaded his body and extinguished his Yuan Spirit.

Jiang He then retrieved both flying swords with a wave of his hand and could not help laughing. "It seems that using mediocre-grade sage weapons to cast the Ice and Fire Duality Sword Array greatly improves its power."

Elder Mo's silhouette was left gaping and he could not help exclaiming, "Did you just… kill someone?"

"Yeah."

"You know him too, it's that True Habitant of Nine Dragons from the Penglai Sect. Anyway, I have something to ask you, Elder Mo."

"I'm sure an elite would arrive soon after I've killed him, so let's keep it short…"

Jiang He appeared calm, as if killing another cultivator of equal level with Elder Mo was just like killing a mosquito as he asked, "Elder Mo, I'd like to ask… how is the Sufferance-tier specifically categorized?"

That question left Elder Mo deeply suspicious.

He asked by reflex, "Could the legacy you received not categorize Sufferance-cultivation into different tiers?"

Nonetheless, Jiang He answered truthfully, "You wouldn't know, Elder Mo, but I did not receive any legacies on the immortal path. Every technique I've cultivated to date has actually been developed on my own or revamped from online documents… By the way, do you know about the Internet? It's something very interesting…"

Elder Mo did not catch the last part clearly, though he would not have understood it even if he did.

His silhouette shook once, a look of disbelief showing on his face.

After seeing that, Jiang He said, "Could you be doubting me, Elder Mo? Heck, it's not just immortal cultivation—I created every martial art, array, pellet refinement, item refinement and even sword array on my own!"

He appeared a little unbearably angry at that. "That Ten Thousand Swords Sect or whatnot is too much! I created a sword array on my own and they had to insist that the Ice and Fire Duality Sword Array is a forbidden technique they keep within their own sect. Don't you think that's ridiculous?"

"Aside from the Ice and Fire Duality Sword Array, I've also made the Sword Array of Yin-Yang and Three Realms, the Sword Array of Four Harmonies and Universality, the Sword Array of Five Elements and Six Pulses, the Sword Array of Seven Stars and Eight Trigrams, the Sword Array of Nine Skies Thunderflame, as well as the Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity! What, do those sword arrays belong to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect?"

Elder Mo's eyes bulged into circles then, and his mouth was hanging open so wide that even a large eggplant could fit.

That was when Jiang He gasped in surprised and muttered to himself, "What the heck… the the Sword Array of Nine Skies Thunderflame? I forgot I had that… and isn't that overlapping with the Nine Skies Thunderflame Array?"

At that very moment, endless thoughts flowed through Elder Mo's head. As a million emotions coursed through his mind, he was left unsure of what to say just then.

He was thinking…

Was Jiang He for real?

He could accept it if Jiang He was merely bragging, but wouldn't it be ridiculous if it was all true?

Regardless, he was unwilling to believe it and simply proceeded to explain the cultivation tiers in Sufferance, which Jiang He was left at a loss. "There really are nine heavenly retributions… by the way, how many thunderbolts would there be in each heavenly retribution, how powerful would it be, and what is the timeframe for each heavenly retribution?"

"There are nine thunderbolts in each heavenly retribution, and the bolts would naturally be powerful—there is no telling how many elites have died to their heavenly retributions. As for the timeframe… it would be two joss sticks between each bolt."

"That long?!"

Jiang He was surprised. "There are people actually getting killed even though there is so much time between each bolt? Shouldn't they have recovered from any injury after taking some mystic pellets or medicine the time of two joss sticks?"

"Those take times to refine, just as time is needed to recover from one's injuries…"

Elder Mo was about to ask 'why would you ask this' when he heard Jiang He mutter, "One joss stick is half an hour… so two joss sticks is an hour?"

"With each heavenly thunderbolt descending in the space of an hour… each heavenly retribution includes nine thunderbolts, and nine times nine is eighty-one…"

"Gasp!"

"Doesn't that mean I would have to suffer through eighty-one hours' worth of heavenly retribution?"

Jiang He felt a massive headache then and could not help cursing, "Damn it, and I thought suffering overnight was enough. It turns out to be eighty-one hours instead, and not even three days and nights would be enough!"

Elder Mo's mouth hung open before asking blankly, "What are you calculating, Jiang He?"

"I'm calculating how much time it would take for me to suffer through all nine retributions in one go… not even three days and nights is enough? Isn't that too troublesome? Is there a quicker method to Sufferance?"

"You're just a Yuan Spirit. Do you need to think that far?"

Elder Mo laughed.

Now, he was convinced that everything Jiang He said before was mere boasts.

A mere Yuan Spirit-novice cultivator like him thinking about Sufferance? And all nine retributions at once?

Hehe!

Why don't you ascend to the heavens?

Hold on…

Yuan Spirit-novice?

The silhouette was a spiritual mark Elder Mo placed in the Jade Charm, and it could both talk to Jiang He and detect his aura…

Hence, after feeling his aura a little, he exclaimed in shock, "What the hell? Jiang He… you're already at Yuan Spirit-advanced?"

How many days had it only been?

Elder Mo clearly remembered that the brat was a Yuan Spirit novice when he visited Jiang He's house.

As for Elder Mo himself, how many years had it taken him to ascend as a full-fledged Yuan Spirit?

"Yeah."

Jiang He nodded then. All he could think about was Sufferance, and he muttered to himself, "A heavenly thunderbolt every hour is a real pain to even think about … how painful it would be to wait for each hour to pass."

"Oh, yes!"

"I could stay on top of the Penglai Sect's mountain archway for my Sufferance and kill time in that hour by socializing with them…"

"Anyway, Elder Mo, I'm off to suffer my retribution. After I deal with the Penglai Sect and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect in a few days, I'll have a drink with you."

Elder Mo was left speechless.

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Chapter 332: Today, I Shall Flatten the Penglai Sect's Island!

"Elder Nine Dragons' soul plate has shattered!"

In the Throne of Requiem of the Penglai Sect, the disciples on duty paled in shock. Someone soon passed the word to the Hermit of Forgotten Love, who was still hunting Jiang He, which prompted a look of fury on the hermit's face. Clenching his teeth, he greeted, "Jiang He, that mad dog! I shall tear out his flesh and crush his bones!"

After cursing for a while, he sought out the Thousand Sword Daoist—it was difficult for the latter to divine where Jiang He was, but tracking the aura of the True Habitant of Nine Dragons was much simpler.

Soon, many figures arrived on the island.

Multiple divine minds interweaved and extended but found nothing at all, before various godly powers erupted and blew up the entire island.

Over the distant horizon, Jiang He's farm had assumed the form of a white cloud hovering up in the skies.

As he watched what happened below, Jiang He could not help inhaling sharply.

"Gasp!"

"That bunch is so cruel!"

"It's lucky I escaped early. Wouldn't I get blown out of hiding by their wild bombardment if I had remained there?"

With that done, Jiang He ignored the cultivators from the Penglai Sect and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.

Those people were now wildly searching the seas several thousand miles around the island, but never once took a look at the skies. In fact, Jiang He did not go out of his own way to control the white cloud that his farm had transformed into but instead allow it to drift along with the wind, since the average cultivator would not notice anything if they were not paying attention.

In the meantime, Jiang He seized the moment to cultivate.

One spirit condensation pellet after another was reduced to trash, while his Yuan Spirit strengthened rapidly.

A thought suddenly occurred to Jiang He then…

If each secluded immortal sect was willing to consume spirit condensation pellets, would they not be able to rapidly develop large groups of full-fledged Yuan Spirit cultivators?

Even so, Jiang He did not count in the value of the spirit condensation pellets.

Five hundred of those pellets were worth one premium-grade soul item.

And ever since he had begun cultivating as a novice Yuan Spirit, he had consumed more than 5,000 spirit condensation pellets.

Even so, he would still need up to 3,000 spirit condensation pellets at least.

That would make it almost eight thousand spirit condensation pellets used, which was worth sixteen premium-grade soul time…

And which immortal sect could afford to be so extravagant?

Moreover, brewing spirit condensation pellets would take time.

Even with enough spirit condensation pellets, developing a full-fledged Yuan Spirit cultivator could not be done in a year or so— that was why no cultivator from the immortal sects could cultivate so rapidly like Jiang He.

Time passed.

Soon, it was next morning.

Boom!

Suddenly, Jiang He's aura strengthened incredibly.

His mystic energy had also increased wildly as the Yuan Qi inside his farm surged towards him. At the same time, his Yuan Spirit was strengthening swiftly, reaching up to nine feet and nine inches in a single stroke.

More time passed.

Jiang He then opened his eyes and exhaled a long turbid breath, sighting, "Half a month has passed since the fifth of November and I've finally cultivated up from novice Yuan Spirit to full-fledged Yuan Spirit."

Rising to his feet and waving his hand, he then said, "Sora, Boa, prepare breakfast. There's still things to do after I eat."

The two maids hence went to work at the Chinese-style standing at a corner of the farm.

Soon, the rice aroma of Dragontooth Rice porridge began to waft, and the little steamed buns wrapped over eggplant and water serpent meat was cooked.

Meanwhile, Jiang He took a bath and headed downstairs.

The reason he would take a bath early in the morning was because he had been too busy to bathe over the last few days, and he would still have to suffer eighty-one hours of heavenly retribution. When that happens, he would have to survive through heavenly thunderbolts while pitting wits and strength against the Penglai Sect, leaving him with no time for a bath.

As Jiang He ate breakfast, the many elites of the Penglai Sect and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect were all looking grim!

They still could not find Jiang He…

Even though both immortal sects had joined hands against a mere commoner cultivator and even mobilized two of their Sufferance-tier elites, they could not find a thing even after hunting him for such a long time, and were also inflicted with severe casualties.

Moreover, they even noticed that other secluded immortal sects, demonic sects, and ancient daemon cultivators were nearby, enjoying the show.

"No! If this continues, the reputation of the Penglai Sect and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect would hit rock-bottom. Who would bother to join us when we open our doors once Chaos arrives?"

Inside the Penglai Sect, one of their Sufferance-tier elites had a dark look on his face.

The many Sufferance-tier elites cultivating in seclusion had been startled by Jiang He.

As they spoke, there was no concealment of accusation in their voice, leaving the Penglai Sect chieftain quiet… he had no idea what he should say.

To tell the truth, he really did not expect such an outcome.

A commoner cultivator, stirring such tremendous waves?

The argument lasted a long time at the great temple.

The Penglai Sect chieftain then spoke, "Dear Supreme Venerable Elder, now that our two sects are rallying our forces to hunt down Jiang He, we have become a joke to many other immortal sects, demonic sects, and ancient daemon cultivators. If this continues and we still could not apprehend him, where could we show our faces?"

"I suggest activating the Clear Sky Mirror to find that brat!"

"Moreover, the Penglai Sect could use this chance to reveal ourselves ahead of schedule!"

"I've sent someone to ask around. Jiang He is now a lynchpin and the divine guardian of the Hua Nation, and honored as their number one elite. If we kill him, our reputation would definitely be greatly boosted among the commoners."

"But…"

An elder said hesitantly, "Chieftain, Jiang He holds a strong reputation among the commoners. Wouldn't killing him invoke the hatred of the masses?"

"Chaos is at hand, and only the strongest stand tall." The Penglai Sect chieftain replied flatly. "The commoners need the protection of the strong if they want to survive. Would they still hate us if our Penglai Sect is willing to shelter them?"

One of the Sufferance-tier Supreme Venerable Elders slammed his hand on the table then and exclaimed, "Very well! Bring out the Clear Sky Mirror!"

The Clear Sky Mirror was a treasure of the Penglai Sect far superior to most premium-grade sage items, reaching the level of demi-immortal item, and was wielded by the White Brows Daoist, a Mahayana-tier elite.

In no time at all, the Penglai Sect chieftain and several Sufferance-tier elites arrived before a pair of tightly shut doors. They kowtowed before the temple and stated their business.

Soon, the doors of the temple opened on their own and an ancient mirror flew out.

It was made of special material that at once resembled gold and jade but were actually neither, and weighing over 3,000 catties. Tadpole scripts, as well as the pictures of cloudy dragons and mystical birds, were inscribed on the back of the mirror, with the sculpting appearing to float out. However, it felt flat and smooth if touched, which made it truly unique.

When seen from the front, the Clear Sky Mirror seemed to emanate a blurred radiance, though anyone looking closer would find that their vision extended further the more they looked. It was as if there was a rain of flowers behind the mirror and golden fields of twilight clouds, within which water, wind, fire, and clouds wafted and alternated volatilely.

The Penglai Sect chieftain held the Clear Sky Mirror and kowtowed in thanks.

After that, he summoned every elder and elite of the Penglai Sect who were in pursuit of Jiang He.

The Thousand Sword Daoist of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect followed even though he was left confused.

He could not help feeling stunned when he learned that the Penglai Sect was about to use the Clear Sky Mirror and would reveal themselves ahead of schedule. "The main immortal sects and demonic sects did not reveal themselves because the time isn't right, and they would definitely cause an uproar if they revealed themselves ahead of time."

"Your Ten Thousand Swords Sect could reveal yourself if you want to."

The Penglai Sect chieftain said then. "Chaos is coming, and my sect is merely mustering our strength before the storm, and planning ahead of time… Supreme Venerable Elders and fellow elders, today we shall open our array, and the Penglai Sect will return to this world!

The many Supreme Venerable Elders and elders all agreed and stepped out of the great temple. They watched as light flow out of the vast Secret Realm, and then moved at once, mystic energy surging as the Secret Realm extending several hundred miles around Penglai Sect quaked endlessly.

Up on the cloud outside, Jiang He had just finished breakfast and stepped out of his farm to find that the seas beneath was suddenly rising. Waves over hundreds of feet high were churning, building up to a tsunami that stretched over several hundred kilometers, an utterly horrific sight that surged across every direction.

Gasp!

Jiang He inhaled sharply and could not help exclaiming, "Such a tidal wave would destroy any land a thousand kilometers away… luckily, the Hua Nation's coastline is around two hundred kilometers from here and the waves would not reach it."

So the Hua Nation was fine, but the island nation…

As a matter of fact, the Secret Realm of the Penglai Sect was hidden beneath one of the island nation's islands, which had already been struck by a massive disaster when Lin Tianzheng fought the Nine-Headed Serpent Emperor. Now, the tsunami would undoubtedly end the island nation with a total wipeout.

Even so, Jiang He could not bother about that much.

He saw then that a colossal immortal island was rising from the sea.

It was several hundred kilometers wide and covered in a radiant array that kept seawater away.

Thick mist covered the island itself, and there were various buildings that stood beside forests with ancient, towering trees, on top of which spirit animals like divine cranes hovered.

"Is that…"

"The Penglai Sect?"

Jiang He did a double take.

What the heck?

The Penglai Sect was going to reveal themselves already?

Of course, that was not the most important part… as his farm flowed along the wind as a white cloud, it ended right above the Penglai Sect through coincidence—it was basically destined, indicating that there was a grand karmic connection between him and the Penglai Sect.

"Right now, I have eighteen Five Thunder Talismans and almost 900 Doom Shrooms. Could I flatten the Penglai Sect if I threw everything out at once?"

A thought occurred to Jiang He then, but then he thought, "I'm afraid that it would be difficult. A secluded immortal sect like the Penglai Sect would definitely have a powerful mountain guarding array, and the 900 Doom Shrooms would not detonate to maximum effect even if I were to throw them now."

Jiang He kept watching the massive island rising from the depths of the ocean, and eventually made his decision.

He would stick to his previous plan.

Set up a vast array.

Keep the Penglai Sect's island sealed.

After that, he would provoke the Penglai Sect cultivators. If they opened the array to come after him, he would seize the chance and throw all 900 Doom Shrooms and eighteen Five Thunder Talismans inside, blowing them upside down!

"Still, I will need a backup plan."

"If I can't throw the 900 Doom Shrooms and eighteen Five Thunder Talismans inside, I will cultivate up to Sufferance and take on my heavenly retributions right above their heads. I don't believe they'll be able to maintain their composure at that point."

With that in mind, Jiang He hence took out every array board and array flag, along with every last spirit stone aside from the 38,000 superior-grade spirit stones!

"The array I've set up around my house did not need many every array boards or array flags, and just a few dozen thousands of inferior-grade spirit stones, but Sufferance-tier without three retributions would have a hard time breaking my array. With so many resources thrown out now, not even full-fledged Sufferance cultivators or even Mahayana cultivators would break my array!"

Watching as half of the Penglai Island breached the water then, Jiang He gritted his teeth and flung his hands…

Swish!

Streaks of flashes flew out and tons of Orirocks, array boards and array flags build up a great array that instantly encircled the area several hundred miles around the Penglai Sect island!

The first array, the Great Nine Heavens Array of Dragon Sealing, formed instalty!

Then came the second, the Nine Heavens Thunderflame Array!

Illusory array, Ten Thousand Phenomenon Array!

Guarding array, the Earthen Black Tortoise Array!

All four arrays materialized in the matter of several breaths.

Inside the Penglai Sect, the many elders, Supreme Venerable Elders, and disciples were commanding their arrays to levitate the island, the excitement and thrill on their faces hardly concealed.

One of the Supreme Venerable Elders, who was over two thousand years old, laughed wildly as he looked skyward, tears welling in his eyes as he exclaimed, "Haha! This day has finally come! I've confined myself for over two thousand years, but my Penglai Sect once again reveals itself to the world and open its gates!"

"Soon, we shall regain our former glory… eh?"

The Supreme Venerable Elder eyes narrowed as he exclaimed in surprise then, "What is that?"

He saw a white cloud hanging over the horizon, on top of which stood an unreasonably handsome youth.

The youth then threw out veins of flashes…

And then…

Oom!

An array so massive that it covered the entire Penglai Island instantly materialized.

The Supreme Venerable Elder, having confined himself for centuries, was left baffled and asked, "Who is that person casting an array? Why would he lay it outside our Penglai Sect?"

Nearby, Cloudy Sky Fairy Child's beautiful gaze widened, having a nagging feeling that the array was especially familiar. That was when a flash of inspiration came and she recalled the array he saw at Jiang He's house, and she promptly cried out, "It's Jiang He…"

Kaboom!

The seas roared.

The Penglai Island had finally rose above the seas.

Even so, Jiang He's fourfold arrays had completely surrounded it as well.

Up above the white cloud, Jiang He strode out into the array he had set out and looked beneath to find another array. That was the mountain-guarding array the Penglai Sect set up themselves that shielded their entire island.

Meanwhile, multiple figures had taken to the skies, looking up at Jiang He in anger from behind their array.

"You really want to die, Jiang He?"

"Heh."

Jiang He sneered flatly. "Could you kill me even if I wanted to die?"

"A mere commoner cultivator and a Yuan Spirit-intermediate daring to mouth such insolence?" Cloudy Sky Fairy Child retorted coquettishly.

"Yuan Spirit-intermediate?"

Sneering, Jiang He's figure trembled then as he released his full-fledged Yuan Spirit aura, the silhouette of his nine-foot and nine-inch Yuan Spirit manifesting behind him as he sneered. "Open your doggone eyes and see. I'm a full-fledged Yuan Spirit!"

In that very moment, Jiang He was exceedingly smug as he laughed out loud, "Isn't Penglai Sect trying to kill me? Now, I have come to resolve all differences."

"Give up on hunting me and swear not to try anything against me, and pay several thousands of superior-grade spirit stones in compensation for my mental toll. Do that, and I won't force you to take further responsibility."

"Otherwise…"

Jiang He invoked the Mosquito Cutter.

Immortal light was blazing over the Mosquito Cutter. The ripples of immortal power rippled, causing everyone in the Penglai Sect to hold their breaths. Even their two Mahayana-tier cultivators opened their eyes, their eyes piercing through the air to look upon the sword.

An immortal weapon?

Jiang He actually had one?

In fact, it was not only the Penglai Sect. In the distance, the faces of the many elites twitched even though they were merely there to enjoy the show, their eyes alit with greed.

Meanwhile, Mosquito Cutter in hand, Jiang He declared at the top of his voice, "Or I will flatten the Penglai Sect!"

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Chapter 333: An Ascension Easier Than Eating or Drinking

"Insolence!"

Behind the Penglai Island's array, the Thousand Sword Daoist was bellowing in rage and charged toward Jiang He murderously. However, he was unable fly out of the array, the Penglai Sect Island's array sparkling with dazzling radiance as it blocked him.

The Hermit of Forgotten Love then emerged behind him, smiling. "Thousand Swords, since the brat Jiang He himself has come before the gates of the Penglai Sect to issue a challenge, it is only natural that we be the ones who handle him. You have not been here for more than a thousand years, I believe? Just you wait—we'll slaughter that rogue, let's have a stroll around my sect."

Taking on stride forward, the Hermit of Forgotten Love stepped out of the Penglai Sect array. If Jiang He did not carry an immortal item, it did not matter who killed him.

But now that he was holding one in his hand, it had to be the Penglai Sect!

In that instant, he was actually feeling a little thrilled.

An immortal item!

And an immortal sword at that!

After all, every faction in the world, from the secluded immortal sects, demonic sects, to the ancient daemon cultivators, did not possess any immortal item. Even the Penglai Sect's greatest treasure, the Clear Sky Mirror, was just a demi-immortal item.

The other cultivators of the Penglai Sect were thrilled as well, with their pint-sized chieftain sobbing endlessly, overwhelmed with emotion as he muttered, "Founder, protect us. If we secure that immortal sect, our Penglai Sect shall soon restore our former glory, even moving one step ahead of other factions in claiming providence amidst all Chaos!"

At that very moment, he found Jiang He not so repulsive and instead quite likeable.

He truly was the Penglai Sect's lucky star!

They might even spare his rotten life if he surrendered the immortal sword.

At the same time, the Thousand Sword Daoist pulled back. There was a grim look on his face in the first place, and there was no change on it even now.

However, the truth was that he had sneakily contacted the leaders of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.

He could only hope that Jiang He actually had some extent of competence and trump cards since he had dared to attack the Penglai Sect, and would not be instantly done in by the Hermit of Forgotten Love. If he could just last a few minutes and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect's elites arrived, it was not certain who would obtain that immortal sword in the end!

"Furthermore, my Ten Thousand Swords Sect is a sect of sword cultivators, and our strength would definitely rise to the next level if we can get that immortal sword…"

The Thousand Sword Daoist's eyes narrowed then.

Up in the skies, the Hermit of Forgotten Love moved.

His seventh-retribution Sufferance-tier aura burst forth without holding back and he was not pulling his punches even though Jiang He was merely a full-fledged Yuan Spirit.

Then, he growled, "Give up the immortal sword, Jiang He, and I'll spare your life!"

"Spare me?"

Jiang He looked at the Hermit of Forgotten Love as if he was an idiot.

Is this dude an imbecile?

Does he see nothing?

Your Penglai Sect is surrounded by me and you're still lusting after my Mosquito Cutter, even threatening my life?

On the other hand, the Hermit of Forgotten Love was rather irritated by the look Jiang He gave him, and he promptly reached out and made a grabbing motion. With a loud rumble, a palm several Mu in length materialized out of thin air and extended towards Jiang He.

"So powerful!"

Jiang He's eyes narrowed.

The seventh-retribution Sufferance-tier cultivator was truly frightening, and Jiang He thought that the hand could have easily crushed him.

However, the condition for that was for the hand to reach him.

In the instant that the Hermit of Forgotten Love attacked, the Nine Heavens Thunderflame Array erupted!

All at once, heavenly thunder and fire shot towards the Hermit of Forgotten Love, vaporizing the hand conjured out of mystic energy. Shocked, the hermit charged his mystic treasure and used his full strength, but was still knocked around and left cutting a sorry figure.

Below, the faces of the crowd hovering above Penglai Island twitched, with Cloudy Sky Fairy Child exclaiming in shock, "Impossible! I've seen Jiang He's array and Convergence-tiers could roughly stay immune from its effect. His array shouldn't be that powerful!"

At the same time, Jiang He was sighting softly.

The sheer power unleashed by the Nine Heavens Thunderflame Array was a little underwhelming.

It couldn't even take down a seven-retribution elite and would hardly be a threat if it was up against a Mahayana-tier elite… of course, the Nine Heavens Thunderflame Array was only one of four arrays. If it triggered the other arrays, one out of the arrays purposed for sealing, death, illusory, and guarding just might get them.

"Jiang He!"

The Hermit of Forgotten Love was left charred amidst the thunderbolts and flames, his white hair having curled into an afro. His eyes were fully red as he gritted his teeth and bellowed furiously, bracing against a thunderbolt as he bounded towards Jiang He again.

Jiang he retreated again in response.

Then, the Ten Thousand Phenomenon Array erupted.

Compared to the sight of lightning and fire shooting across every direction when the Nine Heavens Thunderflame Array activated, the Ten Thousand Phenomenon Array was invisible.

And when the Hermit of Forgotten Love entered the array, his whole body shuddered in the very next second as he pulled back from attacking as hard as he could. Disbelief appeared over his face charred by thunderbolts and fire then, and he exclaimed in shock, "Xiu'er?"

"Is that you? Xiu'er?"

"Xiu'er, did you know how much I've missed you over the years?"

On the other hand, Jiang He scowled.

He was aware that the Hermit of Forgotten Love was caught in a mirage as the Ten Thousand Phenomenon Array drew upon his deepest memories and desires… But why the hell are you calling me 'Xiu'er?"

Still, come to think of it…

Could this 'Xiu'er' have been that hermit's former flame?

It was only to be expected.

In any novels, any True Habitant, hermit, immortal, or even demon king whose title includes stuff like 'forgotten love' must have had a relationship that was carved into their very bones.

Shaking his head to get rid of all the random thoughts in his head then, Jiang He sighed. "It's time to ascend!"

"System improve cultivation, and cultivate Three Thousand Calamities up to the fifth fold!"

[Ding!]

[-10 million Farm Points.]

[Congratulations, Host. You have cultivated the sword sage cultivation 'Three Thousand Calamites' to fifth fold.]

Meanwhile, the crowd at the Penglai Sect were looking fully stunned.

Everything happening now was changing their mood repeatedly as if they were riding a rollercoaster, going up one instant and descending the next, making it an utter thrill.

They had assumed that a mighty seventh-retribution elite like the Hermit of Forgotten Love would be able to make short work of Jiang He. They just did not expect that the array he laid out could erupt with terrible thunderflame, and even the Hermit of Forgotten Love was actually having a hard time.

That gave pause to the many cultivators who had wanted to go and help.

If a seventh-retribution Hermit of Forgotten Love could only go so far, would they not be just going to die, since their cultivation was beneath the Hermit of Forgotten Love's?

Still, they could not help feeling earnest delight when they saw the Hermit of Forgotten Love bracing the thunderbolts to unleash his killing stroke. There were even those who clenched their fists and quietly cheered the Hermit of Forgotten Love on.

Only Cloudy Sky Fairy Child cried out in surprised and quickly yelled, "Don't…'

Even so…

It was already too late.

In the next instant, the Hermit of Forgotten Love, halfway through releasing his killing stroke, paused in the air. He started to sob, laugh and shriek as if possessed, yelling, "Xiu'er, Xiu'er," again and again.

The crowd was left stunned, whereas Cloudy Sky Fairy Child's expression turned grim as she exclaimed, "It's an illusory array!"

"His array technique is incredibly frightening. The array which includes sealing, illusory, guarding, and death could not be cracked even by the Taixu Sect chieftain, not to mention that this one has a greatly boosted death array, and its illusory array affects even seven-retribution elites."

Cloudy Sky Fairy Child looked up to the Hermit of Forgotten Love then and exclaimed, "Chieftain, activate the Clear Sky Mirror now and see if we could find a flaw in his array to crack his array. Otherwise, only the White Brows Ancestral Master could crack it!"

The chieftain turned the Clear Sky Mirror toward the horizon then. The luster from the mirror illuminated every direction then, and Cloudy Sky looked along the radiance, only to be stunned once again…

The array that Jiang He had laid out was filled with flaws.

The array…

Was actually no array.

And yet, she felt like she did not know where she should start.

"Eh?"

"No…"

Suddenly, the look on the Penglai Sect chieftain's eyes changed. Controlling the Clear Sky Mirror, he could clearly feel the changing aura in Jiang He's body through its radiance, and exclaimed in astonishment, "Jiang He has ascended!"

"He has reached Convergence!"

"What?"

"Jiang He is Convergence-tier?"

At those words, the many Penglai Sect cultivators were all left dumfounded, with Cloud Sky crying out, "Impossible, impossible! He was merely Yuan Spirit-intermediate when I saw him a few days ago, and how long has it been since? Not even an immortal reincarnated could cultivate from Yuan Spirit-intermediate to Convergence in such a short time!"

And yet, the Penglai Sect chieftain completely ignored Cloudy Sky.

His sense of what was real as a Daoist was rendered meaningless right then.

He felt his common sense being turned upside down, even as he mumbled hoarsely, "He is Convergence-intermediate now, and his cultivation is still rising… he's Convergence-advanced… wait, he's a full-fledged Convergence-tier now!"

"No, wait!"

"He is still ascending…"

Kaboom!

Thunder cracked out of the blue.

Even from behind the Penglai Sect's array and the fourfold array that Jiang He had put up, the crowd could see thunderclouds rolling up in the skies, gathering to form a single colossal thundercloud that stretched over five hundred kilometers.

The Penglai Sect chieftain dropped to the ground limply then and said hoarsely, "What devilry has our Penglai Sect provoked… he is Sufferance-tier now!"

The many other elites of the Penglai Sect were silent.

It was already unbelievable that he could cultivate from Yuan Spirit-intermediate to full-fledged Yuan Spirit…

But was he still full-fledged Yuan Spirit now?

He had directly finished his Convergence-tier cultivation and reached Sufferance!

Not even eating and drinking was that easy, was it?

Gasp!

Suddenly, someone inhaled sharply and cried out in surprise, "Heavens, a five-hundred-kilometer cloud of retribution… and it is still enlarging. But is that all there is to the Ninefold Heavenly Retribution?"

At the same time, the Penglai Sect chieftain who was still feeling Jiang He's changing aura through the Clear Sky Mirror was almost losing his mind and falling apart. Gritting his teeth, he seethed, "No, this is impossible. Why is his aura still strengthening… third retribution? Fifth retribution? Eight retribution? Ninth retribution…"

"Is he going to suffer through all nine retributions in one go and ascend as a Sufferance of all nine retributions?"

"Oh no!"

The Penglai Sect chieftain suddenly leapt up from the ground then and cried out in surprise, "Hurry! Awaken the Hermit of Forgotten Love. He is still within the range of the heavenly retribution and would draw the thunderbolts to himself…"

And yet, it was too late.

There was a resounding cracking boom.

A purple thunder descended from up high.

No!

There were actually two. One struck Jiang He… while the other struck the Hermit of Forgotten Love, who was still mumbling "Xiu'er!"

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Chapter 334: Poison Mushrooms?

Sufferance-tier was divided to nine tiers of retribution. The next thunderbolt would strike even if one was not confident in surviving it, or even if one did not draw it to themselves on their own. Indeed, even if one were to maintain their current Sufferance-tier for a hundred years, the heavens would unleash their retribution regardless.

Of course, rarely would there be those who draw heavenly retribution on their own will.

Almost all elites suffering through retributions would keep cultivating and improving themselves, dragging things out up to a hundred years before suffering another retribution, which improved their chances of survival by a major extent.

As for the Hermit of Forgotten Love, the last time he had suffered retribution was twenty-three years ago.

At the time, he was weathering his retribution in the depths of the ocean, causing a major tsunami that affected a certain foreign nation's coastal cities, devastating it with cyclones and tsunamis.

But at the moment, his hundred year-limit was not reached yet.

And being caught in an array, could he survive the heavenly thunderbolt?

One bolt descended then and directly knocked the Hermit of Forgotten Love out of the mirage. His figure shook up in the air as he almost fell from the sky, and he coughed out a mouthful of blood in bewilderment. He thought he was still inside the illusion and was still mouthing 'Xiu'er', but in the very next second and he came to his senses, his whole body shuddered.

"Heavenly retribution?"

"Did my eighth heavenly retribution just arrive?

"But…"

"I'm not prepared at all!"

There was a look of despair in the eyes of the Hermit of Forgotten Love after he was maimed by the first thunderstrike. He promptly took out a handful of spirit pellets and stuffed it inside his move, as he could only braced himself through the retribution now that things had come to this. Even if he had only a twenty percent chance of survival, he would keep struggling.

Even so, he could not help being left bewildered when he looked up at the cloud of retribution that spanned five hundred kilometers, as well as Jiang He who continued hovering up in the air.

Was this… a heavenly retribution that Jiang He had invoked?

Jiang He wanted to suffer through it, but the hermit himself was also Sufferance tier, meaning he was within range of the thunderbolts of retribution as well as without arrays to conceal his auras. Therefore, it was logical that the hermit would invoke heavenly retribution, but why the hell could Jiang He invoke heavenly retribution as well?

Was he not merely a full-fledged Yuan Spirit?

How could he invoke it if he is not even Convergence-tier?

He was still a full-fledged Yuan Spirit when I charged towards him just now. Could the thirty years I lived shamelessly with Xiu'er inside the mirage be not imaginary, but thirty years had really passed?

Nonetheless, the Hermit of Forgotten Love quickly suppressed his confused thoughts and invoked his mystic treasure, then promptly sat cross-legged up in the air to quickly heal and condition himself.

Each thunderbolt of retribution struck by the hour so that the Sufferance-tier individual would get a buffering period. Otherwise, who would bother living through the pain when all nine thunderbolts struck at once? Suicide was better!

Down below, the Penglai Sect crowd could not help breathing a long sigh when they saw what happened. Right now, none of them was brave enough to offer help.

After all, those beneath Sufferance-tier would not be strong enough. Jiang He would not even have to attack them—his array would kill them already. As for Sufferance-tier elites, any of them who left the Penglai Sect array would have their auras immediately locked in by the thundercloud of retribution, drawing the thunderbolts to himself.

"Now, we can only rely on the Hermit of Forgotten Love."

Gritting his teeth, the Penglai Sect chieftain said somberly, "The Hermit of Forgotten Love is powerful, he would have up to thirty percent chance of success even if he suffers the retributions right now. The White Brows Founding Master has also sent word that the Clear Sky Mirror could be lent to him during a vital moment, improving his chances of success…"

Even before he could finish, the Penglai Sect chieftain came to his senses and his face dropped in astoundment. "What… is Jiang He doing?"

He was looking skyward.

Beneath the thundercloud of retribution, Jiang He was holding the Mosquito Cutter and walking toward the Hermit of Forgotten Love.

He was rather annoyed.

I'm suffering my own retribution. What are you doing, joining the fun?

Most importantly…

The first thunderbolt was done, and it would be another hour before the next.

In other words, having just finished breakfast, he had to find something to do—how grilling would it be to wait idly like this otherwise?

While he continued striding forward, Jiang He carefully sensed his cultivation.

He was a little surprised.

Cultivating the sixth fold of the Three Thousand Calamites had cost him a hundred million Farm Points, not the fifty million Farm Points hehad expected. Still, the rewards were tremendous, and the feeling of jumping past one cultivation tier and the next in an instant could not be more delightful.

"Mastery of the Three Thousand Calamites corresponds to…"

Full-fledged Sufferance?

"Hmmm, I'm not sure since I've not weathered through heavenly retributions before. Still… I feel that it would be very easy to kill an injured seventh-retribution inside the array I set up."

Jiang He was now less than thirty meters in front of the Hermit of Forgotten Love.

"Jiang He!"

The Hermit of Forgotten Love, who had been sitting cross-legged, promptly opened his eyes with a look of utter disbelief and he cried out hoarsely, "You're… Sufferance now? No, that's impossible… but isn't your cultivation full-fledged Sufferance?"

"Oh?"

Jiang He answered in surprise. "I've not even weathered through the thunderbolts, but I count as a full-fledged Sufferance already?"

Fear filled the Hermit of Forgotten Love's face. He rose to his feet and quickly fled, attempting to return to the Penglai Sect. Even so, Jiang He's array activated just as he moved.

The Great Nine Heavens Array of Dragon Sealing!

Pow!

The Hermit of Forgotten Love slammed onto the array and was knocked back.

"No!"

He screamed in panic as overwhelming killing intent flowed out of Jiang He's body and he quickly said, "Jiang He, you can't kill me, you can't kill me! There are two Mahayana elites in my Penglai Sect, as well as immortals who have headed beyond the stars…"

Nonetheless, Jiang He's Mosquito Cutter shone with dazzling immortal light then.

At that very moment, Jiang He's own array was quaking violently by the immortal light.

Every flying sword over a thousand miles resonated and started to vibrate slightly, while Jiang He pointed a finger and exhaled, casting the first style of Three Thousand Calamities, White Foal Crosses the Rift.

The immortal light disappeared in a flash.

The Hermit of Forgotten Love could not even charge his mystic treasures and defensive measures in time when a sword flash tore into his head between his brows. His Yuan Spirit hence darted out from within and tried to escape again, only to find shadows of swords arising everywhere.

In the very next second, a sword would landed on his Yuan Spirit.

Snikt.

Yuan Spirit vaporized.

The Hermit of Forgotten Love had fallen.

With a wave of his hand, Jiang He retrieved the hermit's Spatial Ring and mystic treasures, and then looked in surprise at the Mosquito Cutter, muttering, "Is seventh-retribution that weak?"

"No, no. It's not that seventh-retribution is weak… I'm just too powerful!"

"Mastery over the sixth fold of Three Thousand Calamities has pushed my cultivation to full-fledged Sufferance. Added to the fact that I'm a sword cultivator and my self-developed sword cultivator technique Three Thousand Calamities isn't that weak, I could fight even Mahayana-tier elites…"

"Oh, and I have an immortal weapon too."

He then looked up at the 500 km thundercloud then, inside of which horrific lightning flashes were brewing.

Even so, Jiang He felt in this very moment…

That the thundercloud was nothing much.

Abruptly taking to the air, Jiang He then turned into a sword flash and flew inside the thundercloud.

Instantly, the thundercloud brewing with lightning bolts sparkled with horrific bolts that converged on Jiang He. Laughing, he swung his sword…

Whoosh!

A colossal sword flash descended directly, its Sword Qi blazing over a thousand miles and tearing the thundercloud apart.

In the next instant, the thundercloud rolled feebly a few times before fading!

The world was left silent then.

In the distance, those elites who had been watching the show and were starting to lust after Jiang He's Mosquito Cutter could feel their eyes widening. In fact, they did not even bother to hide their auras and figures now.

Likewise, the Penglai Sect crowd looked like they had seen a ghost.

The Hermit of Forgotten Love's fall left them in indignant grief, but that only lasted seconds—the sight of Jiang He's single swing that tore through the thundercloud of retribution left them dumbstruck.

Meanwhile, within their ancient great temple of the Penglai Sect, two long-dormant presences rapidly awakened.

The Clear Sky Mirror that the Penglai Sect chieftain was holding shook and turned into a moving flash, darting into the hands of an old Daoist with long white brows, white hair, and youthful looks.

"Ancestral Masters!"

The Penglai Sect chieftain was delighted.

He promptly knelt on the ground, and exclaimed loudly in the direction of the great temple, "Welcome, Ancestral Masters, on leaving your seclusion!"

Up in the air, after cutting through the thunderclouds, Jiang he sensed the profound auras surging into his body—it was the backlash after weathering through heavenly retribution.

Jiang He did not pay it any attention, and instead thought to himself, "Back then, I had cut the thundercloud when I was weathering the Four Retributions of the Nine Lesser Heavens, and now I've done it again with the Ninefold Heavenly Retribution…"

How does one safely and instantly complete Sufferance?

Just cut down the card with a single swing of one's sword. Not only would that save a whole lot of time, it also avoids being left worn out after getting thunderstruck.

Jiang He had learned that from experience.

He must remember that.

In the end, he was the first Sufferance cultivator of the new age… as a pioneer, he should speak about his cultivation experience along this path if he was going to have a talk at the Martial Arts Academy again, and share it with everyone.

Whoosh!

Beneath him, the Penglai Sect's mountain-guarding array was opening.

Jiang He's eyes shifted toward it, but just as he was about to seize that moment and throw in every Doom Shroom and Five Thunder Talisman he had, he found a moving flash streaking toward him.

It turned out to be an old person wearing Daoist robes, and every strand of hair he had, from brow to beard, was white.

The old man had a kindly face and saluted Jiang He with fist to palm, neither hate nor anger registering on his face as he smiled. "Jiang He, fellow sage, I have learned about everything that happened before, and it is all a misunderstanding. The True Habitant of Nine Dragons had deliberately spiced up his story because of his grudge towards you, confounding the chieftain of my Penglai Sect and the others."

"Now that Nine Dragons is dead, with the Scarlet Sun Child and the Hermit of Forgotten Love paying the price for their transgressions, I believe your rage would have certainly eased. Why don't we let bygones be bygones and forget this grudge? Our Penglai Sect would offer you a gift in apology too."

"Ancestral Master!"

Down below on Penglai Island, one of the Penglai Supreme Venerable Elders was shrieking in rage, fiery light shooting out of his eyes as he seethed through clenched teeth, "Ancestral Master, our Penglai Sect has stood for thousands of years. How could we bow our heads at a commoner cultivator who gained dog poo luck?"

"Fight! Fight! At worst, it is merely death!"

The other Penglai Sect cultivators roared as well.

"Silence!" the other Mahayana-tier bellowed furiously at that.

On the other hand, the White Brows Ancestral Master was still up in the air and smiling. "Jiang He, I have reached Mahayana for over sixteen hundred years and this mirror I'm holding is a demi-immortal item called the Clear Sky Mirror. It is not as if the Penglai Sect is unable to fight back if you wish for conflict."

"Heh."

Jiang He laughed coldly before drawing his sword. Sword Qi and immortal light shone up in the skies as he charged toward the White Brows Ancestral Master whilst chuckling fearsomely, "You who are too old to die. How dare you ask for peace but still threaten me?"

Oom!

Clearly having expected that, the White Brows Daoist invoked his Clear Sky Mirror, releasing veins of green radiance as he engaged Jiang He in a melee and burst out with various godly Daoist techniques. Even with his immortal sword, Jiang He could not do anything against the old Daoist just then.

"Brother White Brows, I'm here to help!"

Below them, the Mahayana cultivator roared then.

He was about to fly out of the Penglai Island when his danger sense suddenly pricked up.

He could see that Jiang He had suddenly waved his hand even as he fought off White Brows Daoist, throwing out a compact wave of a certain object.

At the moment, the Penglai Sect's array had remained open, while almost 900 Doom Shrooms were raining down.

"Are those mushrooms? Why are they black?"

As his instincts kicked in, a thought occurred to the old Mahayana-tier Daoist. "Could they be poisonous?"

Directing his mystic energies to shield his body, he extended his hand and grasped, conjuring a massive hand out of thin air that reached toward the hundreds of Doom Shrooms…

And then…

Kaboom!

There was tremendous crack that left the whole world shaking.

Almost 900 Doom Shrooms had detonated simultaneously.

One Doom Shroom would erupt with a 300,000-ton yield, and 900 meant it would blow up with a 270-million-ton yield…

The Mahayana-tier's conjured hand instantly crumbled. Being closest to the explosion, he was instantly engulfed in the extreme heat that reached several hundred million degrees…

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Chapter 335: The Penglai Sect… Is Gone!

What sort of power does explosives that could blow up with a 270 million ton-yield actually unleash?

To tell the truth, no person would ever know. That is because no nation in this world has ever developed a hydrogen bomb of such astounding yield, although there is not telling if there were any such ordnance made after the Revival of Qi.

That Little Boy dropped all those years before had merely blown up with a yield of ten thousand tons, but it had still flattened Hiroshima in a split second and inflicted over a hundred thousand casualties.

As a matter of fact, even the nuclear bomb 'Ivan' that was developed later under the leadership of 'Mad Bomber' Nikita Khrushchev had a yield of merely fifty million tons. However, after it was detonated, the resulting explosion had basically laid to waste every building within several hundred kilometers, and the raging storms that its eruption had caused extended up to a thousand kilometers away!

According to the numbers, the scorching winds that 'Ivan' would release, which had a yield of fifty million tons, could inflict burns to a person standing 170 km away, just as the flash from the explosion would inflict agony and burned the retinas of someone looking at it from 220 km away, even causing blindness in more severe cases.

And after the explosion itself, the resulting release of electromagnetic pulse could cause a full hour of downtime for wireless communication signals and electric devices, even pushing the entire continent of Europe and Asia nine centimeters down south.

In other words, once the Doom Shrooms with a total of 270 million ton-yield erupted in a single instant, that Mahayana-tier elite's massive hand conjured out of mystic energies vaporized instantly. Moreover, being at the very heart of the explosion and despite having equipped a premium-grade sage combat garments to shield himself in the very first instant, the searing heat that reached up to several hundred thousand degrees melted his premium-grade sage combat garments, incinerating his physical body violently in that very second. Even though his Yuan Spirit tried to escape, it was engulfed by the ensuing heat wave right after it flew out of his body.

If that was what happened to Mahayana-tier elites, there was certainly less need to speak about the cultivators who were merely Sufferance-tier, Convergence-tier, or Yuan Spirit-tier.

Even if they were quite far from the explosion and would have the time to react, all of them were still consumed by the great flash, blazing inferno, and electromagnetic pulse when they tried to flee away in the distance.

Ka-boom!

As the heaven-splitting rumble resounded amidst the seas, a mushroom cloud of immeasurable proportions shot up to the skies above the island belonging to the Penglai Immortal Sect. The heat waves that ignited as a result actually forced apart both Jiang He and the White Brows Daoist who were clashing up in the skies, and continued flying higher up above to escape the blast.

A towering wave kicked up from the seas, stirring a tsunami that reached several hundred meters in height and surged toward every direction.

"What the hell!"

"Are the Doom Shrooms that erupted with the twenty seventy million ton-yield that scary?"

Jiang He was left taken aback.

He looked towards the center of the explosion, but he had to turned his eyes away when he felt tremendous pain and a burning sensation from his retinas.

On the other hand, the White Brows Daoist felt as if his entire being had lost all traces of sanity.

He was yelling and screaming his heart out.

Even so, he was forced to retreat fruitless from each of his attempts to charge inside the explosion.

At the same time, the many elites who were hiding in the distant had fear showing in the faces. Strands of divine mind were interweaved as they communicated, wondering what immortal art on earth Jiang He had released, just as several streaks of immortal lights paused up in the air further away at the horizon.

They were all elites from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.

And there were up to eight of them.

The one in the lead was the one and only Mahayana-tier elite of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. He appeared to have the visage of a middle-aged person and he was standing upon the Dragon Abyss Sword—the greatest treasure of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect—while a Sufferance-tier elite who had weathered seven retributions stood behind him.

One could say that the Ten Thousand Swords Sect had sent forth everything they had.

At the very least, a Sufferance-tier elite who had weathered five retributions was staying behind to defend their sect, while every other cultivator came forth solely for the immortal sword that Jiang He was holding.

If they could just obtain the immortal sword, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect would reign supreme over the world even if they only had with a single Mahayana-tier elite.

Be that as it may, in this very moment, there was a look of fear in the said Mahayana-tier sword cultivator. Staring at the distant mushroom cloud taking to the skies, he exclaimed in shock, "What is that?"

The other Sufferance-tier cultivators all shook their heads, indicating that they had no idea.

They had kept themselves secluded for a very long time and only ever left confinement when they had to suffer their retribution, not to mention that they would only do so in lone islands in the oceans where no one else was in sight. How would they even get to know modern technology?

Of course, they were certainly not bothered to know.

In the eyes of these cultivators, everything else was merely profane. What could those so-called scientific technology even possibly cook up anyway?

Some of those present had seen those matchlocks and fire cannons or whatnot, but that would not even be enough to scratch their itch.

"Eh? Wasn't that direction… where the Penglai Sect actually was?"

That was when suddenly someone gasped in surprise and the everyone else's faces twitched. One of them promptly took out a jade charm to contact the Thousand Sword Daoist, but was only left with a dejected expression following that acoustic transmission. "There's no reply. Moreover, the spiritual mark that Brother Thousand Sword had left is incredibly weak and on the verge of crumbling…"

As long as the spiritual mark existed, the person would not perish.

But even if he was not killed yet, the Thousand Sword Daoist was almost no different from in this very moment.

Meanwhile, though the shockwave from the explosion had begun to fade, for the Penglai Island at least, that mushroom cloud up in the skies had yet to diminish.

A scattered handful of figures appeared over the surface of the ocean then, just as several feeble and nearly crumbling Yuan Spirit showed up…

Up in the air, the White Brows Daoist vomited a mouthful of blood with a loud rasp, and quickly went down.

His divine mind was searching wildly across every direction, looking for any person from the Penglai Sect who had survived… as well as the Penglai Island itself.

And yet, was there still a Penglai Island?

All that was left was several scattered rocks hovering up above the surface of the ocean. In fact, after around nine hundred Doom Shrooms had blew up at once, the island that had stretched over a hundred kilometers squared was completely gone.

"Brother…"

That was when a weak Yuan Spirit materialized out from under the ocean.

It was the other Mahayana-tier elite of the Penglai Sect. His physical body had completely been reduced to ashes, and even his Yuan Spirit, which managed to escape, was almost vaporized beneath the ensuing searing height. It was only fortunate that Yuan Spirits held no weight and he managed to escape rapidly, and hence managed to escape with his life by a hair's breadth.

Even so… so what if he survived?

At the moment, the strength of his Yuan Spirit would only reach Convergence-tier at best…

It was impossible for him to recover even if he wanted to.

"Founding master…"

The other cultivators of the Penglai Sect gathered around the White Brows Daoist then.

There was only a total of seven of them.

Among the seven, three had been further away from the heart of the explosion and managed to escape rather quickly, not to mention that they had sage items that protected themselves. As a result, they at least existed even if they had sustained some serious injuries.

On the other hand, that other Mahayana-tier elite and the other three did not even have a single physical piece of themselves left.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"

The White Brows Daoist reared his head to scream at the skies, bellowing like a ferocious beast.

"Jiang He…"

His white beard and white hair were dancing. Just as his entire being started showing signs of falling to the darkness right then, he seethed in fury. "You destroyed the very lands of my Penglai Sect, laying waste to an immortal sect that stood for thousands of years. My Penglai Sect would never rest unless one of us is vanquished, for there is no coexisting between us…"

Meanwhile, up in the air…

"Hmmm?"

While he looked upon what the Penglai Sect was reduced to by his bombardment, Jiang He felt a sudden flash of… inward commiseration, and felt a sinking feeling right then!

Still…

Commiseration?

What a laugh!

All of those people had been cultivators.

And in the realm of cultivators, the strong only ever prey upon the weak. If Jiang He would act like a Saint right now, he would never know what killed him in the future…

Now, there was no easing the hostility between himself and the Penglai Sect!

"And since there is no easing it, so…."

He must nip it at the bud!

Gritting his teeth, Jiang He's figure could be seen streaking down from the skies above, as he charged toward the White Brows Daoist without saying a single word.

At the same time, the White Brows Daoist drove his mystic energies to full-gear. In his hand, the Clear Sky Mirror was bursting with godlike power as he attempted to overwhelm and kill Jiang He. However, it did not matter how much power he unleashed, for he could hardly hold up against the power of the immortal sword Jiang He was holding.

An immortal weapon…

Though it only differed from the demi-immortal item by a single word, the power each respective weapon unleashed was a different as the sky and the ground.

At the same time, the seven cultivators left of the Penglai Sect who had been lingering behind the White Brows Daoist quietly backed away, for they received his command.

"Leave!"

"I will hold Jiang He. All of you must run immediately, for that brat is a sword cultivator with great power and wields an immortal weapon as well. His combat power is no weaker than mine…"

Pow!

With a single swing of his sword, Jiang He deflected a beam shot out of the mirror.

At the same time, streaks of sword light fired out from between his brows.

Right now, he may lack a lot of things, but he did not lack mystic treasures and flying swords. After having counter-killed many other cultivators such as True Habitant of Scarlet Sun, Zhong Wanshan, and Hong Shanze, he had obtained a lot of mystic treasures and flying swords, and after planting them…

Aside from the Greenwood Sword, he now had two superior-grade sage flying swords as well as six mediocre-grade sage flying swords

It was only a further pity, therefore, that the attributes of the flying swords were incompatible and he was unable to pool them to charge the Sword Array of Five Elements and Six Pulses.

As such, Jiang He had to take a step back and compromise, hence learning the stronger sword array that was the Sword Array of Seven Stars and Eight Trigrams.

[Ding!]

[-1 million Farm Points.]

[Congratulations, Host. You have cultivated the Sword Array of Seven Stars and Eight Trigrams up to mastery…]

A System Notification jingled in Jiang He's head and as volumes of complex and mysterious information about the sword array poured into Jiang He's very mind. After that, as he pointed and flicked his fingers, his numerous flying swords shot out—the immortal sword Mosquito Cutter in the lead and seven flying swords followed, instantly laying out the Sword Array of Seven Stars and Eight Trigrams.

The primary function of the Sword Array of Seven Stars and Eight Trigrams was to subdue an opponent.

But in that split second, all heaven and earth seemed to turn still. All that exist was infinite Sword Qi rampaging, forming the colossal Sword Array of Seven Stars and Eight Trigrams as it bore down upon the White Brows Daoist from on high!

"What is that?!"

Stunned, the White Brows Daoist quickly bit through the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood and essence upon the Clear Sky Mirror. Igniting his own essences, mystic energies, and not even holding back the very core of his being, he drove the Clear Sky Mirror to the very limit of its power. With that, solid golden radiance that resembled the rays of twilight fired out, conjuring a world out of thin air through mystic energies as the White Brows Daoist attempted to block the Sword Array of Seven Stars and Eight Trigrams.

However, it did nothing.

In the next split second…

Ka-boom!

The radiance emanating from the Clear Sky Mirror shattered.

Likewise, the White Brows Daoist was subdued by the Sword Array of Seven Stars and Eight Trigrams.

In that very moment, Jiang He directed his mystic energies to charge the Sword Array of Seven Stars and Eight Trigrams. He was also reaching out with a grasping motion, taking out every piece of Five Thunder Talisman he had and throwing them out towards the seven remaining cultivators of the Penglai Sect.

Up in the air, thunderclouds promptly began to gather as the godly thunderbolts of five elements seemed to lock on upon those seven individuals, shooting down upon them one after another. All of those cultivators had been maimed and on the verge of death in the first place, but they still put up every move at their disposal right then… be that as it may, they all perished after blocking seventy thunderbolts released from fourteen Five Thunder Talismans, and even the Yuan Spirits was reduced to scraps.

"No…"

Inside the Sword Array of Seven Stars and Eight Trigrams, the White Brows Daoist was roaring madly in rage. He was bleeding from all of his orifices even as he burned his Daoist essence to the limit, to the point that scarlet flames were alit around his body. As the fires raged on, ripples were stirred upon the very air around him and space itself quaked.

"What a man!"

Jiang He was actually stunned.

That thing that would not die from old age was actually that fearsome?

Though burning one's essence to such extent would allow a person to rapidly unleash overwhelming combat ability, it was basically the same as severing oneself from one's very own being. When the fight ends, their tier of cultivation would definitely fall, and any intention to advance another inch would be incredibly difficult.

Once Jiang He put himself in the White Bro Daoist's shoes, an elite who had reached Mahayana-tier for over a thousand years would not only have to face a degrade in cultivation, but would also have to live through the tragic life of having his sect destroyed and all his disciples and grand-disciples slain…

Jiang He hence decided to end things for the man.

"System, how many Farm Points does it take to cultivate the Sword Array of Nine Skies Thunderflame?"

The System was silent in respond.

Cursing inwardly, Jiang He then cut to the chase. "System, cultivate the Sword Array of Sword Array of Nine Skies Thunderflame!"

[Ding!]

[Insufficient Farm Points…]

Jiang He was left at a loss for words.

He had earned a total of a 112.8 million Farm Points… and it was already falling short?

"It costs ten million to completely cultivate into a Convergence-tier, and a hundred million to improve from there to full-fledged Sufferance… And then there is the Sword Array of Seven Stars and Eight Trigrams which costs ten million… so all that is left is just 1.8 million Farm Points, huh?"

Jiang He hence sighed softly and reluctantly took out a pepper.

There was no helping it.

He now had to rely upon the pepper's fifty percent boost to combat power to help the White Brows Daoist die.

Finishing the pepper with several chews, the aura of his body improved by fifty percent. He could not help feeling pride as if the world was now beneath him as his mystic energies ran rampant, and he undid the Sword Array of Seven Stars and Eight Trigrams with a wave of his hand.

The White Brows Daoist could not help being delighted upon being freed from the restraint of the sword array. Clear Sky Mirror in hand, he charged toward Jiang He.

"Jiang He!"

"I shall take you down with myself…"

However, in the very next second, a sword flash of no other dazzle ignited.

Mosquito Cutter, First Style of the Three Thousand Calamities—White Foal Crosses the Rift.

A single swing of his sword shattered the Clear Sky Mirror.

At the same time, the White Brows Daoist was cut in twain.

Because he had been burning his Daoist essence and Yuan Spirit, the White Brows Daoist's Yuan Spirit was with blazing in a ferocious inferno. He attempted to fly off and escape, but by the next instant, boundless sword radiance flashed upon the world.

It was the Twenty-Three Swords.

Snikt.

The White Brows Daoist's Yuan Spirit was torn through with a single cut.

Then, it utterly dissipated with a loud bang.

Beckoning to every flying sword to return to him with a wave of his hand, Jiang He was now rather tired after having released the Twenty-Three Swords twice on this very day. Yawning, he was just about to search for spoils when his eyes turned by reflex to the nearby sea.

A frail Yuan Spirit had just weaved out from beneath the waves and was quickly fleeing toward the distance.

"The Thousand Sword Daoist?"

Jiang He laughed out loud, and punched out from the distance…

Ka-boom!

Overwhelming qi and mystic energies consumed the Yuan Spirit, and the frail Yuan Spirit of the Thousand Sword Daoist instantly blew up.

Jiang He's eyes turned then as he realized that a Spatial Ring had dropped out after the exploded Yuan Spirit. Reaching out with a grasping motion, he caught the Spatial Ring and could not help laughing out loud. "To be honest, I did not really notice the sly old fox that is the Thousand Sword Daoist. If my Yuan Spirit had not improved by leaps and bounds while metamorphizing after I had ascended to full-fledged Sufferance-tier, thereby gaining incredible senses, that doggone thing would have managed to escape me."

With that, Jiang He nonchalantly put the Spatial Ring away.

Wrinkling his brow, he then looked at the air around him.

Though there was not a single person in sight, the veins of powerful auras that were hidden did not escape Jiang He's notice. It appeared that the elites from the secluded immortal sects and demonic sects, as well as the ancient daemon cultivators, had never left. After all, age had turned them crafty, so why would they retreat so easily?

All of them were waiting for the conflict between Jiang He and the Penglai Sect to end in mutual destruction, with neither coming out on top as they, the third party, reaped all the winnings.

In the end, the temptation of obtaining an immortal sword was too great!

Moreover, there was the Clear Sky Mirror aside from the immortal sword. At first, they had been coveting the treasure vault of the Penglai Sect which was accumulating in riches for several thousand years… but the Penglai Island was gone entirely now, and the Penglai Sect's treasure vault was completely destroyed from the violent explosion.

That being said, merely one immortal sword and one demi-immortal item was plenty enough for them to risk it.

Hence, as he felt the numerous veins of auras, Jiang He felt himself having a headache.

Damn it…

He was too careless.

Would these people attack him?

The chance that it would happen… was considerable.

All of these people must have been convinced that fighting the White Brows Daoist would take a massive toll on Jiang He and cause some serious injuries. What if they had even thought that he looked strong but was actually very weak?

And he… definitely…

Sustained some minor injuries.

Having released the Twenty-Three Swords two times in a single day, his spirit was a little depleted and fatigued. It would most certainly affect them if he kept fighting.

Among the people observing him were Mahayana-tier elites and elites of varying cultivation in Sufferance. If all of them worked together to take Jiang He down, he would at best kill one… No, he would only be able to take down two elites on the White Brows Daoist's level, no to mention that he would have run away right after!

"I absolutely must not be cowed. If I really did, these people would be making a move."

Hence, Jiang He started to fish out some of the scattered mystic treasures and Spatial Rings from the seas, when a thought occurred to him… perhaps his bunch of observers would be kept in check if Jiang He adopted a more overbearing presence.

He went beside the corpse of the White Brows Daoist and took his Spatial Ring, as well as the Clear Sky Mirror which had floated over eight hundred meters away, having almost been cut in two by his own sword.

"Someone is preparing to attack me!"

Jiang He's heart skipped a beat then, and he promptly laughed faintly.

He looked around, his face looking ever smug as he chuckled, "Friends, shouldn't you be going home now that you are done watching the show? Hmmm… that friend out there over at southeast. You are a daemonic cultivator, aren't you?"

"A mere Sufferance with eight retributions, daring to show hostility towards me?"

"Where is your Holy Grounds? Should I go plant some shrooms at your place?"

Whoosh!

The Mosquito Cutter materialized over Jiang He's head at that.

Killing intent flaring over his body, he promptly slashed out from several hundred kilometers away.

There was a muffled cry as blood splashed down from the skies right afterwards. A daemon whose Daemonic Qi was Sufferance-tier with eight retributions weathered hence dropped out from the clouds, and he promptly turned into a scarlet radiance as he fled, his voice echoing, "Brother Jiang He, it was just a misunderstanding—in fact, it was all a misunderstanding… I bear no grudges against you at all, Brother Jiang He…"

With that, he escaped at once.

Jiang He waved his hand and retrieved the Mosquito Cutter in return.

The many elites who had been watching were left in discreet shock and awe.

Was that the power of an immortal sword?

A single cut actually maimed an eight-retribution daemon from around two hundred kilometers away. The daemon would have been killed instantly if it was just fifty kilometers away!

Up in the air, the various Sufferance-tier elites who had weathered seven or eight retributions quickly left.

On the other hand, the divine minds of the Mahayana-tier elites had an exchange before all of them fled as well.

Jiang He laughed several times at that, and said, "It is just as I had expected. Those antiques that could not die from old age even after living one or two thousand years are actually all cowards. Just a little intimidation, and they would run quicker than anyone else."

After that, he searched the seas around… and end up feeling very helpless.

The treasure vault of the Penglai Sect had indeed been blown away.

Spirit stone, mystic treasure, or whatnot—everything that were a little low in grade were directly vaporized. All that was left were a dozen scattered mediocre-grade and superior-grade sage items, floating on the surface of the ocean.

There was also a premium-grade combat garment.

It must have been belonged to the Mahayana-tier elite. He had been at the very heart of the explosion when the nine hundred Doom Shrooms detonated, and only the trousers were left after it was incinerated with the searing heat of several hundred million degrees.

Regardless, Jiang He picked up every last one of the sage items…

It did not matter if it was broken… all he had to do was bring it home and plant of it.

"In fact, it does not matter if I had or did not have these mystic treasures. I am more concerned about the cultivation manuals the Penglai Sect had… what a shame!"

Jiang He was beside himself with regret.

The immortal sect that had several thousands of years' worth of history would definitely possess uncountable cultivation manuals passed down across generations. It would be enough for Jiang He to establish his own sect and faction if he did get them, and even if he had no intention of doing that, he could give it to Wang Hou, who in turn would treat Jiang He as if Jiang He was his actual father. It was also a very good idea for Jiang He to hold on to the manuals for himself as a leisure reading material to kill time, or use it for reference when he created new cultivation manuals later.

"It is a good thing that I do not have any Doom Shrooms left now. Wouldn't I blow up everything the Ten Thousand Swords Sect had if I were to throw the shrooms by instinct when I visit them?"

As the thought flashed in Jiang He's mind, he suddenly remembered something…

Why had he not seen any elites from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect?

Reasonably speaking, should they not have received word once Jiang He himself had showed up at the Penglai Sect, what with the Thousand Sword Daoist being present?

"What a bother!"

"The Ten Thousand Swords Sect did not come… I would have to visit them when I head home later!"

Jiang He was rather troubled.

Those folks were not playing their cards normally!

You lot are an entire sect of sword cultivators. How would an immortal sword not tempt you in any way?

That being said, Jiang He himself had yet to deliver on his promise to the Superpower Research Department about capturing a Feral King… even so, after having just released the Twenty-Three Swords two times, he was getting a little tired.

That being said, Ten Thousand Swords Sect would not flee if he really decided to delay matters until after he woke up and captured a Feral King… would they?

"They would not do that, would they?"

"The Ten Thousand Swords Sect has laid out their foundation for over several thousand years. They would not throw in the towel, would they?"

"Yes, well, as the saying goes: the monk could run away, but he cannot run away from the temple…"

Jiang He muttered to himself, yawning. "I will go to sleep for now and head to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect after I wake up…."

As for catching a Feral King?

Jiang He was becoming a little reluctant to do that.

Now that he had become even more powerful, even with his physical beast taming method, his temper would still flare if those Ferals remained stubborn as ever, with his single breath being very much able to blow the Feral King to death.

"Perhaps I should just look for a Holy Ground of on those ancient daemon cultivators, and have them give me two daemonic cultivators who are Daemonic Pellet tier?"

"Actually, I wonder which Holy Ground that eight retribution daemonic cultivator I maimed with a single sword strike belonged to… After I wake up and deal with the grief against the Ten Thousand Sword Sect, I will definitely go looking for daemonic cultivators who are Daemonic Pellet tier!"

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Chapter 336: I Have No Excuse To Fight Now!

A thousand miles away from the 'former' Penglai Island, one of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect's Sufferance-tier elites shivered all over and muttered with a look of utter disbelief, "Brother Thousand Sword… has fallen?"

The spiritual mark that the Thousand Sword Daoist had left him with had already faded.

It meant that the person was utterly dead, with not one fragment of his Yuan Spirit left.

The seven Sufferance-tier elites all turned toward the single Mahayana-tier elite of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect then, only to find that said elite was staring somewhere far away and looked even more shocked than they were. He only came to his senses after a long while, looking almost disembodied as he whispered, "The White Brows Daoist and his disciples are all fallen?"

His voice was quiet, but it was even more shocking than a bolt from the blue when the seven Sufferance-tier elite heard him.

A Mahayana-tier elite, fallen?

Ever since that upheaval over two thousand years ago, the immortal sects, demonic sects, and ancient daemon cultivators all secluded themselves. Even the occasional conflict were small squabbles, which was why no Sufferance-tier elite had died, let alone a Mahayana-tier… of course, the ones who died to heavenly retributions did not count.

Even if there had been several monstrous beings born unto the mortal realm out of nowhere and gained meteoric rise, none of them slain a Mahayana-tier elite.

"Ancestral Master…"

After a dozen seconds, one of the Sufferance-tier elites came to his senses and asked, "What should we do now?

The Mahayana-tier elite of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect took out a communications jade charm then. He appeared even more baffled even as he spoke to someone, and a look of shock and worry showed up between his brows.

After a while…

He put away the jade cham and cried out in panic, "Return. Everyone must return at once!"

"Every last member of their Penglai Sect has been wiped out—the elders, the disciples, their Sufferance-tier elites, and two Mahayana-tier ancestral masters are all fallen."

The Ten Thousand Swords Sect's Sufferance-tier elites were left astonished. But before they could ask anything, the Mahayana-tier elite put weight behind every word and said seriously, "They were all killed by Jiang He!"

At the Martial Arts Department (MAD) Headquarters in Jingdu City, thanks to the Bezoar Detox Pills, Amoxicillin Capsules, and seven days of hard work, the Daemonic Qi lingering over Wang Hou's body were all extracted.

He clutched at his thermal cup the office and had an enjoyable sip while smiling smugly. "I really am the luckiest. Not only did the Daemonic Qi failed to hurt me, I even gained something out of that injury by ascending up to Void-tier advanced. With such progress, I might even reach Zero-Void if I get attacked another two or three times."

Zhou Yu and several high-ranked MAD officials were sitting nearby.

One of them was the divine-tier elite who brought Jiang He his mutated rice and Mosquito Cutter, and his lips twitched by reflex… there were a lot of good things about Wang Hou, but he always loved to brag in front of others.

Do you even remember what you look like when you returned from the Wanshougong of West Mountain?

Your face had been blackened after the Daemonic Qi entered his body, and I had to help you get to your own bed. It is questionable whether you would have survived if Jiang He did not give you those medicine, and you are already putting on airs now?

Of course… the divine-tier elite only thought that and did not have the guts to actually say it.

Meanwhile, Wang Hou had a few more sips of his tea before moving on to the heart of the conversation, saying, "Today, I've called everyone here to announce something important… now that things have become stable at the Hua Nation, I want to use this time to go on a journey and see if I could gain some providence while doing my best to improve myself."

The others were not surprised.

Wang Hou had already revealed his plans before, and his leadership-style at the MAD was really the 'I don't care' type.

He would be hitting something if it was a big deal, and barking 'don't trouble me' if it was not.

After some thought, Zhou Yu stood up as well, cleared his throat and asked, "Minister Wang, could I have some time off as well?"

"I would soon gain complete grasp over the Boundary of Wills, and I want to confine myself a little to try charging up to divine-tier…"

Wang Hou chuckled in response. "I'll permit your leave. The last few years have been hard on you and you would have long since reached divine-tier if not for the various affairs in the MAD. There are also some treasures at the vault that strengthens will and spirit, and I'll give special permission for you to get them later."

Delighted, Zhou Yu grinned. "I won't hold back, then."

The others all offered their congratulations to Zhou Yu ahead of time then, with someone teasing, "Deputy Zhou, remember to treat everyone after you've ascended."

"Treat! There has to be a treat!"

The office was all cheerful and at peace when…

Bang!

Someone crashed through the office.

It was a rank-eight martial artist.

He was the chief of intelligence in the MAD headquarters, and he looked beside himself with worry as he exclaimed, "Bad news, Minister Wang…"

The look on everyone's faces changed then.

Three minutes later…

A satellite image was delivered before Wang Hou and it displayed a mushroom cloud of immeasurable proportions.

The mushroom cloud and flames from the explosion covered everything else, and nothing in the center of the explosion could be seen clearly. After Wang Hou got in touch with the military, a specialist said, "It must be a hydrogen bomb of terrible yield… it was at least a hundred and fifty tons in yield!"

"Those part of the seas are under the island nation's jurisdiction, but they should not have the ability to create nuclear bombs!"

"Minister Wang, the position of explosion is mostly ascertained…"

The intelligent department soon provided an accurate location of the explosion by calculating the coordinates. Wang Hou stared at the report passed to him at that, his eyes twitching as he muttered, "This is…"

He was a little uncertain, and hence sought out Elder Lin… who soon gave them a definitive answer.

The old man appeared a little perplexed as he said, "This is indeed the location of the Penglai Sect… Could it be…"

Elder Lin's eyes widened at Wang Hou as a bold idea occurred to him, but he soon refuted that thought himself and said, "It shouldn't be Jiang He since he is still at Lingzhou City. How could he have run off to throw bombs at the Penglai Sect?"

Wang Hou chuckled bitterly. "He is overseas!"

Elder Lin's whole body shuddered at that.

His idea was definitely right, then—moreover, Jiang He had been at odds with the Penglai Sect's True Habitant of Nine Dragons.

After that, Wang Hou whipped out his phone and dialed Jiang He's number, but ended up reaching a voice message saying 'unable to reach the number at the moment.' Beside him, Elder Lin thought about it a little before saying, "Minister Wang, let's head overseas. I know the Penglai Sect and we could get some information."

Soon, Elder Lin had moved and flown overseas.

He knows the location of the Penglai Sect and had once received a jade charm that permitted him free entry into their territory. However, after becoming utter disillusioned with the sect following the invasion against the Sky Demons, Elder Lin crippled his mystic energies and cultivation on his own initiative, erasing his connection with the Penglai Sect.

Now, though the tsunamis and tidal waves had calmed down when Elder Lin reached the Penglai Sect, all he could see was mountain boulders and charred debris of buildings left everywhere. Then, he soon saw a stone plaque on which the word 'Penglai' was emblazoned in gold.

The plaque itself was made with special materials that resembled immeasurably sturdy golden ores, though it was actually so light it floated on a water.

Lin Tianzheng's eyes narrowed at that and he could not help inhaling sharply.

He recognized that plaque!

He had seen it on both occasions when he entered the Penglai Sect's Secret Realm, because it stood in front of the Penglai Sect's mountain gates.

Aside from that, there were also pieces of corpses remaining in the sea.

Lin Tianzheng's heart raced at that. He appeared full of disbelief as he took out a jade charm, charging it and feeling it repeatedly…

And yet, he sensed nothing.

"The Penglai Sect… is gone?"

"How could this be?"

"A secluded immortal sect with a history of several thousand years and untold numbers of elites. How could a hydrogen bomb wipe them out just like that?"

Ah…

It was not a hydrogen bomb.

Those had radiation, and Elder Lin sensed nothing ever since arriving. Moreover, according to Jiang He, he had always used his own 'homecooked bombs'…

So, Jiang He had used those to blow up the Penglai Sect?

After that, Lin Tianzheng combed through several hundred kilometers of the ocean around that location and found nothing. He was not sure if there were survivors from the Penglai Sect, just as was not sure that Jiang He had survived.

Still, he was lucky enough to pick up a Spatial Ring and aside from some medicinal pellets, there was a premium-grade soul item and several Penglai Sect cultivation manuals.

By night, Lin Tianzheng had already returned home.

He informed Wang Hou about everything he had found.

Wang Hou, however, was chuckling after Lin Tianzheng said that he was not sure if Jiang He was dead or alive. "Don't worry, the good never live long while plagues live for thousands of years. The kid would definitely be alright even if both of us died."

Lin Tianzheng appeared pensive then and appeared to disagree with the 'plagues live for thousands years' statement. Did Jiang He not single handedly earned the peace that the Hua Nation now enjoyed? How did the kid become a plague?

Wang Hou scowled at that and said, "I'm just giving an example, Elder Lin. Why so serious?"

Meanwhile…

Jiang He was snoozing away and only woke up after sleeping for an entire day.

He then stepped outside his farm to find dark clouds covering the skies, with the occasional flicker of thunderbolts. At the same time, both eaglets were crying out shrilly and rearing their heads skywards, looking challenging at the clouds of retribution.

"The Four Retributions of the Nine Lesser Heavens?"

"Are my eagles weathering the retribution?"

Jiang He was not surprised, though when he looked at the clouds at retribution that spanned just around five kilometers… he found them rather weak.

Both golden eaglets possessed the bloodlines of divine beasts, with the Blazing Violet-Golden Eaglet itself connected to mutated divine beasts. They would make short work of the Four Retributions of the Nine Lesser Heavens, and were even allowing the thunderbolts to strike their bodies, honing it and easily weathering through the heavenly retribution.

Pleased, Jiang He took out a huge pile of soul items and said, "Now that you are Daemonic Pellet tier and could use mystic treasures, these would work for you. Each of you can pick some to use for now since sage items would not work much for you, so I'll give you those later."

Dumbo and the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers had their share too, and were grinning broadly.

He then glanced at his phone to check the time when he exclaimed, "Eh? It's already the twenty-first? I'd actually slept the whole day!"

Time really flew.

Telling his two maids, cat, dog, eaglets, and the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers to return inside his farm then, he grinned. "Let's go home and deal with the Ten Thousand Swords Sect for now. It's no different if I bring you guys out to play later anyway."

He streaked forward rapidly with Royal Sword Flight.

It was an easy for him to fly at six times the speed of light after becoming a full-fledged Sufferance-tier elite.

Soon, he returned to Jinyintan Village, though several cultivators rushed toward him just as he landed at his farm. The one in the lead was a middle-aged Daoist carrying a long sword over his back, and he possessed a powerful aura that did not lose out to the White Brows Daoist.

"Brother Jiang He…"

The Daoist was all smiles as he approached, and quickly introduced himself when Jiang He appeared suspicious. "The name is Jin Sidao. My Daoist title is the Lord of the Dragon Abyss Sword and I hail from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, and I am here today to offer a humble apology and to make amends."

As he spoke, he lowered his back in a bow, and there was a sincere apologetic look on his face.

Behind him, the chieftain of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect as well as several of their Sufferance-tier elders were bowing as well.

Hence, Jiang He became a little embarrassed despite being overflowing with killing intent at first, and could not help saying, "I was ready to find out where you people are and go wipe you out. Well, I have no excuse to attack now that you lot are doing this."

Report chapter

Chapter 337: The Sincerity of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect

The representatives of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect led by Jin Sidao did not even dare to breathe too loudly.

In fact, sweat could be seen on the foreheads of the less gutsy ones.

Because the Penglai Immortal Sect was already a precedent.

The people that they had sent to the Penglai Sect a few days ago had asked around about the battle after they returned. After learning how easily Jiang He had wiped out the Penglai Sect—another immortal sect without thousands of years-worth of history that would not lose out the Ten Thousand Swords Sect—every single person from top to bottom of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect were left fearing for their lives.

And the best solution they could come up with… was to apologize, and make amends to resolve the grudge.

Word had it that Jiang He had offered to resolve their differences after reaching the Penglai Sect, although the Penglai Sect was reluctant and was hence wiped out.

And upon hearing Jiang He's words, Jin Sidao quickly said, "Please calm down, Brother Jiang He. I have learned about how the events had actually turned out, and we, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, were certainly at fault in the first place."

He then nonchalantly threw Zhong Yue, who was wrapped into a dumpling, in front of Jiang He, adding, "This brat caused this entire mess, and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect is willing to hand him over to you to deal with at your discretion."

"Additionally…"

He paused then, while the chieftain of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect had already handed out a Spatial Ring.

Jin Sidao took it and handed it to Jiang He with both hands, saying, "Here is a little token of sincerity from our sect. We hope you can accept it, Brother Jiang He."

Jiang He then coolly looked at Zhong Yue who was still down on the ground.

There was venomous hatred in his eyes.

Withdrawing his gaze, Jiang He calmly said, "He is a disciple of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. You should deal with him as you see fit."

Jin Sidao's eyes flashed at Zhong Yue then.

And in the next split second, Zhong Yue's Yuan Spirit had crumbled and his body was completely devoid of all signs of life, after of which the Ten Thousand Swords Sect chieftain retrieved his corpse. Necessary gestures ought to be made, and it did not matter whether Zhong Yue was at fault—he had to die right this moment.

Otherwise, his hatred against Jiang He might drive him to do something in the future, thereby implicating the Ten Thousand Swords Sect as well. Should that ever happen, the entire sect would have to die with him.

Meanwhile, Jiang He pretended as if he did not see all that and reached out his hand to accept the Spatial Ring.

It was ownerless, so it did not have to be cultivated for anyone to see whatever was stored inside.

There were only three medicinal pellets, but these were aromatic and astonishingly effective, and would definitely be superior to the spirit condensation pellets.

The Ten Thousand Swords Sect even paid enough attention to detail that they had placed a gold leaf label beside the pellets—it appeared that these were called Epiphany Pellets and were class-eight, and one would reach the state of epiphany after consumption, and easily grasp the essence of Dao.

There was also a premium-grade sage combat garment, a superior-grade sage flying sword, five thousand mediocre-grade spirit stones, and five hundred superior-grade spirit stones.

It was obvious that the Ten Thousand Swords Sect was being very sincere.

Quickly putting away the Spatial Ring, Jiang He chuckled, "I'm not obsessed with death and destruction, and since the Ten Thousand Swords Sect has been so sincere, it would not hurt to clear all grudges with a smile."

"Still, I have three conditions."

The Ten Thousand Swords Sect crowd could not help breathing a sigh of relief, with Jin Sidao himself smiling. "Just mentioned it as you will, Brother Jiang He. As long as the Ten Thousand Swords Sect can fulfill it, thirty or even three hundred conditions are fine, let alone three."

"That many is unnecessary."

Jiang He waved him off and smiled. "The first condition is for the Ten Thousand Swords Sect to swear an oath that none of you would bear ill will towards me. Or else, don't blame me for being heartless and dismantle your sect."

Though he spoke with a smile, everyone present felt a chill in their hearts.

Even so, they had to agree to Jiang He's right away.

They were not crazy enough to bring death upon themselves.

Jiang He only breathed a sigh of relief after he saw everyone else nod and took the oath. "It seems that your sect truly wishes to resolve this grudge. You must be insincere if you have not sworn it, and if you were insincere, you might regret it and ambush me, leaving me fearing my life every day and wary be it when I sleep, go shopping, or need the loo. If that was really it, I most certainly would have to make the trip to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect."

"We would never dare, Brother Jiang He," Jin Sidao quickly said.

With that, Jiang He mentioned the second condition, "Right now, the Hua Nation lacks any form of immortal arts. I intend to promote all immortal arts, but since the Penglai Sect's legacies were destroyed entirely by me, I would have to loan it from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect."

"As such, give me a handful of your cultivations manuals spanning from Qi Refinist to Heavenly Immortal, and each must be complete."

The looks on the Ten Thousand Swords Sect elites' faces changed sharply at that.

These ancient sects valued their legacies more than anything else in the world. While they lowered their heads towards Jiang He today mostly because they feared that he would destroy the Ten Thousand Swords Sect and end their millennia-old history, demanding their cultivation manuals hurts more than killing them.

One Sufferance-tier Supreme Venerable Elder was about to step forward then, but was stopped by Jin Sidao, who communicated through acoustics. "He is only demanding for our cultivation manuals, not the heart of our legacies. We did collect some manuals over the years, and we could give him those."

Even as he communicated in secret, Jin Sidao flashed a pained smile. "Brother Jiang He, to tell the truth, we, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, have no technique to cultivate immortality like now. In fact, it's not just us—none of the secluded immortal sects possess any manuals of cultivation techniques for immortality."

He then explained that after the great war over two thousand years ago, the Dragon Vein of Earth had been sealed. Without sufficient Spirit Qi to sustain them, the immortals hence left Earth and journeyed across the stars.

"The immortals left Earth to journey across the stars?"

Jiang He's eyes glinted as he asked, "Where had they gone to?"

Jin Sidao shook his head to gesture that he had no idea, and mused to himself for a while before saying, "The starry skies of the universe are immeasurably vast with innumerable species residing everywhere. It is said that the predecessor of humans had once established themselves as a faction upon the stars, and the immortals must have left in search of them."

"Could they have taken away the Daoist legacies before they left for the stars?" Jiang He asked.

Jin Sidao smiled bitterly again then. "My own ancestral master was one of the immortals who had gone on one of those voyages… back then, he said that with the Dragon Vein of Earth having been severed, Spirit Qi would soon dry up. It would be fine for Earth if no one ascended as an immortal, but if someone did, the Spirit Qi on Earth would wither even more quickly and usher in the Degenerate Age earlier than planned. That is why my seniors in the Ten Thousand Swords Sect left with half of our legacies, leaving only cultivation manuals and other relics with which we could cultivate to Mahayana-tier, which is also the case for most major immortal sects and demonic sects."

"There are exceptions, of course—after the great war, there were immortals who were fatally injured and left their Daoist keepsakes behind, and there were commoners who managed to obtain it by chance, hence cultivating all the way to Heavenly Immortal… which quickened the exhaustion of Earth's Spirit Qi. That happened over six hundred years ago, when the ancestral master of Wudang ascended as an immortal and drove Earth entirely to the Degenerate Age. Spirit Qi was basically dried up after that, and things only improved around a dozen years ago."

Jiang He understood with a start then.

At the same time, he understood why there were still martial elites who appeared during ancient times, even though martial arts had decayed over six hundred years ago. He had assumed that it was caused by the invasion of the Sky Demons, and did not expect the ancestral master of Mount Wudang to be the cause.

Even so, there were more mysteries even as many mysteries were solved.

The Wudang ancestral master ascended as an immortal at the time, but neither Elder Guo nor the guru of the Tantra Sect had found out the real reason why the Hundred Races would invade Earth after searching the entire planet for three years.

So, why would the Hundred Races invade Earth?

There must be something that they coveted on Earth. It surely wouldn't be because they had too much free time, would it?

As those thoughts came to mind, Jiang He asked, "It's fine if you have none of those cultivation manuals. How about a few manuals that train up to Mahayana-tier, then?"

Jin Sidao nodded an affirmative.

Jiang He suddenly turned solemn then, and spoke very seriously, "Then, my last condition…"

At the same time, Jin Sidao's heart thumped.

The other elites of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect saw Jiang He's look as well…

Still, they could not help feeling very relieved after Jiang He said that he was requesting to borrow someone from them, since they were very afraid that Jiang He would come up with some ridiculous request.

One of their black-robed Sufferance-tier Supreme Venerable Elder offered then, "As long as you ask, Brother Jiang He, we would loan three or even five of our own, let alone one!"

Jiang He smiled in response. "Do you have someone who is great at refining Thunder Talismans?"

The grin on the Sufferance-tier Supreme Venerable Elder promptly froze.

The Ten Thousand Swords Sect was a sect of sword cultivators and not many of them knew how to create talismans. In fact, it was that Supreme Venerable Elder himself who knew how to refine Thunder Talismans.

His Daoist title was Thunder Talisman Daoist, and he was a six-retribution elite at that.

After Jin Sidao introduced them, an enthusiastic Jiang He went up and grasped the Thunder Talisman Daoist's hands with a hopeful look. "Thunder Talisman Daoist, I am very impressed by your technique in crafting talismans. To tell the truth, I want to learn it as well and I wonder if you could stay around my house so I could discuss the technique with you?"

Nope!

The Thunder Talisman Daoist really wanted to fling his sleeves, though when he spoke, he said, "It is my honor to share our learnings about the art of talismans."

With that, Jin Sidao and the other Ten Thousand Swords Sect elites left, leaving the Thunder Talisman Daoist alone with Jiang He, fidgeting uncomfortably…

Jiang He then pointed at the houses in the farm and said, "Find a room you would like to stay in for now, Daoist. I have some private affair to see to, and I will discuss things in detail with you later."

Would the Thunder Talisman Daoist even dare to refuse?

After that, Jiang He returned home and reinserted his farm.

He took out the Spatial Ring that the Ten Thousand Swords Sect had given him in compensation, feeling a little thrilled. "Aside from the Epiphany pellets, the premium-grade sage combat attire and the superior-grade sage flying sword, the five thousand mediocre-grade spirit stones, and five hundred superior-grade spirit stones would be enough for me to cultivate the Sword Array of Nine Skies Thunderflame as well as the Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity. I could also master the Nine Heavenly Stars Body Formula…"

At that very moment, a bold idea occurred to him…

Shouldn't he rob some of the immortal sects, demonic sects, and ancient daemon cultivators, while aiming for spirit stones specifically?

He would have enough resources to ascend as an immortal after plundering a handful of sects.

"Still, I would need an appropriate excuse if I am going to plunder. That said, since I did maim one of the daemonic cultivator's Yuan Spirit clone at Shennongjia, I could go there again. Although I wonder if it has recovered by now…"

"And then there is that eight-retribution daemonic cultivator who had the guts to aim his hostility at me…"

Jiang He was about to make up his mind when his jade charm vibrated.

He took it out and answered Elder Mo's call, who said, "Have you returned from overseas yet, Lord Jiang He? Two of my Taixu Sect's ancestral masters have left confinement and wish to visit you at your residence… do you think that's possible?"

"Visit me?"

Jiang He did a double take, not quite able to adapt to Elder Mo's change of tone and attitude toward him now.

You were calling me 'fellow Daoist' before, and now you're calling me 'Lord'?

Is that not a little too distant?

Jiang He thought about it and said, "I actually have something I need the Taixu Sect to find out, and we could complete the deal we agreed on last time as well. How about this? I'll come to visit the Taixu Sect tomorrow."

He was just done talking to Elder Mo when his gaze shifted toward the distance. Feeling out the veins of powerful aura approaching from afar, Jiang He appeared taken aback. "Why did Minister Wang and the others come?"

Then, he smiled.

These people had come just in time.

He might not have returned if they had come one or two hours earlier.

They could now discuss about promoting immortal arts.

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Chapter 338: Could Hydrogen Bombs Blow Up an Immortal Sect?

"Are you sure it's Jiang He?"

"It should be him…"

Over fifty kilometers outside Lingzhou City, both Wang Hou and Lin Tianzheng were flying rapidly toward Jiang He's house, with Wang Hou talking to someone else over the phone. "Our surveillance equipment has detected someone flying over the skies of base cities at 6.8 times the speed of sound. I can't imagine anyone else reaching such speed aside from Mister Jiang."

It was only obvious.

Wang Hou did not arrive at this time by coincidence, but thanks to intelligence reports.

After all, Jiang He did not cloak his figure when he returned from overseas, and it made sense if he was picked up by a base city's surveillance systems.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Both Wang Hou and Lin Tianzheng landed outside Jiang He's house.

Jiang He got to his feet to welcome them, since the array guarding his house was still up. If both Wang Hou and Lin Tianzheng entered it on their own, they would be killed by a thunderbolt at any moment.

"Minister Wang, Elder Lin."

He greeted them with smiles and said, "What a coincidence that you would arrive now, just when I got home… I do have something important to discuss with you."

After a little chat, both Wang Hou and Lin Tianzheng turned toward the Thunder Talisman Daoist.

He had really listened to Jiang He and was looking for a house to stay nearby. Even so, there was not a single complete building around Jiang He's house at all, with most left in ruins following various battles.

He hence waved his hand firmly and blew away the house opposite Jiang he's house, and took out an upper-grade soul item that resembled a raft out of his Spatial Ring.

The Thunder Talisman Daoist blew a gust of air and threw the raft on the ground, and the raft rapidly expanded into a double-decked ship over thirty-meters in length.

Leaping on to the deck, he then offered Jiang He a fist-palm salute and said, "Brother Jiang He, I shall stay here for a few days. Just tell me if you need anything."

Jiang He nodded.

As the Thunder Talisman Daoist climbed inside the ship, he did not look straight at Wang Hou or Lin Tianzheng… after all, why bother himself with two mere commoners cultivating martial arts whom he could crush with a thumb?

On the other hand, both Wang Hou and Lin Tianzheng looked utterly baffled.

Was that…

A cultivator?

They were unable to see through the Thunder Talisman Daoist's cultivation because the gap between them was too massive, although there was no concealing the sense of danger they felt in his presence.

The two men only whispered after the Thunder Talisman Daoist climbed up the boat, "Jiang He, that's…"

"A master whom I loaned, specializing in crafting talismans. Ignore him."

Jiang He stretched out a hand to usher them then, saying, "Minister Wang, Elder Lin, if you please."

After they arrived at Jiang He's mansion and before he said anything, Wang Hou pressed, "Did you have a quarrel with the Penglai Sect, Jiang He?"

Jiang He did a double take, but then nodded and said, "You are really well-informed, Minister Wang—you even know about that."

I'm well-informed?

Wang Hou was at a loss for words. "How could I not know that you had blown up the Penglai Sect?"

Jiang He laughed and appeared a little embarrassed then as he said, "I can't help it. Didn't I agree to catch two Feral Kings for the Superpower Research Department? But right after I left, both the Penglai Sect and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect came to my house. Setting aside how they had intruded inside the array I set up and sent several Yuan Spirit-tier and Convergence-tier elites, they even sent stronger Sufferance-tier after me when I managed to counter-kill those who were chasing me before. My hand was forced… I had no ideas aside from retaliating."

"After that, I went to the Penglai Sect and set an array to surround it. But while I improved my cultivation and suffered my retributions, and borrowed the power of the retribution thunderbolts to crack the Penglai Sect's array, I had to change my plans because the Penglai Sect's ancestral master came after me with a demi-immortal item… Therefore, I seized the moment when they opened their array and threw in every last bomb I planted—I mean, crafted. I ended up overcompensating and all of Penglai Sect was gone."

Towards the end, Jiang He felt a little upset even as he spoke.

Did you think I wanted to blow up Penglai Island?

As a matter of fact, I did not. How good looking an island it was, and would I not have gotten a place to have a break when I go on an overseas trip if I had occupied it? Most importantly, there were also their riches and vault that accumulated over the last several thousand years…

But after he thrown 900 or so Doom Shrooms, everything was gone.

Jiang He could feel his heart bleeding.

On the other hand, Wang Hou was scowling.

You flattened the Penglai Sect and even talk like you felt all miserable about it. The Penglai Sect might come back to life from sheer rage if they knew!

At that thought, Wang Hou said, "By the way, the Penglai Sect is an immortal sect in the end and would have much cards at their disposal. There is no telling how many had escaped, and if they return seeking revenge…"

In fact, Wang Hou was a little worried then.

Nonetheless, Jiang He confidently said, "No worries. Don't you know how I, Jiang He, do things? Since I would blow up their sect, I would naturally weed every last one of them out and never allow any threats to remain."

He then spoke of how the Ten Thousand Swords Sect came to him, apologizing and seeking penance. "The Ten Thousand Swords Sect would be offering several cultivation manuals, so gift them to the country. I'll leave how the manuals would be handled and promoted to you, Minister Wang."

Delighted, Wang Hou thanked Jiang He repeatedly.

Still, his expression turned somber again as he mused to himself, "Promoting and when it should be promoted would require a process. Right now, martial arts are starting to spread among the citizens. If we promote immortal arts, there is a chance we would cause many people to give up on martial arts while failing to build up on immortal arts, and we would lose more than what we've bargained for."

"Certainly, cultivating immortal takes a serious toll, and if one's talent or physique prove lacking, they are fated not to make it far on the path of immortal arts."

Lin Tianzheng nodded as well. "Moreover, would martial arts lose out to immortal arts entirely? One could reach the divine even with powerful martial arts alone, just as formidable martial artists could turn the table on the gods!"

"Is it really that troublesome?"

Jiang He was stunned.

Did cultivating immortal arts have that many obstacles and limitations?

Talent or physique?

How did he manage to cultivate immortal arts even though his talent or physique was lacking?

And it did not seem difficult to cultivate it?

Soon, the topic was drawn to the Penglai Sect and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect again.

Wang Hou chuckled. "Jiang He, you would definitely have greatly intimidated the secluded immortal sects and demonic sects after you wiped out the Penglai Sect all by yourself. They would have to be wary of their place when they eventually show up or think about doing anything rash. And that is great, absolutely great!"

In fact, Wang Hou had another idea…

Should their country try wiping out one of the secluded immortal sects too?

If Jiang He's homecooked bombs could destroy one, would hydrogen bombs be even more effective?

Still, Jiang He quickly refuted that idea once he voiced it, as he said seriously, "Absolutely not, Minister Wang… those elites possess extremely sharp senses for danger and they would have fled by the time you fired your nukes. With them out of harm's reach and you only blowing up their territory, there would be unimaginable consequences when those who survived retaliated!"

"That is the first part. As for the second… the radiation resulting from the hydrogen bomb is exceedingly high. Moreover, I blew up the Penglai Sect with my homecooked bombs which reached up to 270 million tons in yield. How horrific the radiation from such a powerful hydrogen bomb would be?"

Puzzled, Wang Hou interjected to ask, "The homecooked bombs you made… have no radiation at all?"

Jiang He could not help chuckling.

My bombs are environmental-friendly and green in every sense of the word. It is basically a plant, so where would the radiation come from?

Not bothered to explain, he proceeded to the third reason as to why he would not use hydrogen bombs against the secluded immortal sects.

"According to what I know, there are plenty of Sufferance-tier and Mahayana-tier elites presiding inside the secluded immortal sects, demonic sects, and the Holy Grounds of the ancient daemon cultivators. It is not difficult for the likes of them to stop hydrogen bombs—all they need to do is wave their mystic treasure and the bomb would be detonated hundreds of miles away. How would you reach them?"

Wang Hou appeared dejected and helpless then, feeling a sense of vulnerability inside.

Were those secluded immortal sects that powerful?

If they did not have Jiang He…

He did not even dare to imagine the outcome otherwise.

Were the billions of people on Earth there to be harvested as the other beings wished?

Report chapter

Chapter 339: Planting A Sun?

Wang Hou arrived excitedly but left in melancholy.

On the way back, Lin Tianzheng saw through his thoughts and asked with a smile, "Are you worried that Earth would be a mess when the immortal sects and demonic sects reveal themselves?"

Wang Hou nodded and sighed. "With our little bit of ability, we won't even count as a force amidst the chaos. According to what Jiang He said, the respective secluded sects have their own cultivators, whose abilities range from Yuan Spirit, Convergence, Sufferance, and even Mahayana, the last of which is close to immortal sects."

"You and me, being Void-tier in martial arts cultivation, would only be equal to True Child in immortal cultivation. Any immortal sects or demonic sects just have to send some of their elites to overwhelm the Hua Nation."

Lin Tianzheng could not say anything for a long while.

It was only afterwards that he said, "Those immortal sects and demonic sects possess histories that extend over thousands of years, and their elites have only reached their current level after hundreds or thousands of years. Even though I myself have cultivated over two hundred years, how hard it was to cultivate with the environment in the past. Yuan Qi was drying up across the world and reaching grandmaster was incredibly difficult, let alone divine-tier."

"Still, that does not amount to much. Our cultivation is improving by leaps and bounds with the Revival of Qi and as long as we get enough time, would it be that hard to surpass those antiques that are too old to die?"

"Minister Wang, you are just over forty and had depended entirely on yourself when you started cultivating. With your talent, your current level would be unimaginable if you inherited a complete legacy and is taught by a famed instructed."

Ling Tianzheng added, "In fact, your cultivation has surpassed mine now. Give it time, and surpassing those antiques would be easy."

"That's for sure!"

Wang Hou smiled coolly. "Give me another ten years, and what would the immortal sects and demonic sects amount to if they revealed themselves? I am cutting them all down if they dare to cause trouble then!"

In that very moment, Wang Hou's confidence and imposing air was the exact same after he ascended up to Void-tier and kicked down the Tantra Sect's front door.

"That's the Minister Wang I know."

Lin Tianzheng chuckled. "Now that we have Jiang He with us, the immortal sects and demonic sects would never dare to show themselves. Just keep calm and cultivate, Minister Wang, and leave promoting immortal arts to others."

On the other hand, Wang Hou spaced out.

He rolled his eyes at Lin Tianzheng.

Screw me!

Are you even consoling me here, Old Lin?

You must be annoying me on purpose…

Jiang He, Jiang He…

Come to think of it, what is that kid's current cultivation now?

Jiang He was younger than Wang Hou, and was just around rank three or four around three months ago according to the information gathered by the Martial Arts Department.

Not even cultivating by riding a rocket progresses that quickly, does it?

In the bathing pool on the third floor of Jiang He's mansion, Jiang He was having a soak while enjoying his maids' massaging on each shoulder, and was relaxing so much that every sweat pore was widening.

After his bath, Sora even offered to give him an oil massage.

"Oil massage? What oil?"

Jiang He refused immediately since he still had to go farming—where would he get the free time? Still, he could not help feel curious about oil massage and tried it a little anyway, and that lasted several hours, with the sun setting by the time he left the mansion and stepped out into his farm.

The skies in the farm were a dull gray.

"It's night soon, and there should have been a moon shining right now." Jiang He sighed emotionally, only remembering then that he got a sun from the Taixu with a trade, and it was inside his System Backpack all along but he did not remember enough to plant it.

With that, he promptly took out the scarlet sphere that resembled a glass orb and planted with a pack of Mysterious Soil he redeemed.

After that, Jiang He took out 5,000 mediocre-grade spirit stones and 500 superior-grade spirit stones, planting everything.

"It's time to level up my farm after earning this final wave of Farm Points."

Jiang He thought to himself, and took out his spoils from the Penglai Sect.

He did not look closely at the broken mediocre-grade and superior-grade sage items and simply dug holes to plant them. However, he did look closely at the premium grade sage-tier combat garment, where only its trousers were left after being burnt by the searing heat unleashed from the exploding Doom Shrooms.

However…

He could not see a thing.

Only the trousers were left. It would be weird if he could see anything!

Jiang He hence planted the trousers and smiled. "That premium grade sage-tier would be strengthened through planting up to demi-immortal item. When that happens, I would have the Mosquito Cutter for attack, the demi-immortal combat garment for defense. I could also strengthen the Clear Sky Mirror into an immortal item too…"

Simply put, he would be unmatched!

Of course, Jiang He would not be unmatched in the truest sense of the word since there were a lot of secluded immortal sects, demonic sects, and ancient daemon cultivators. If their Mahayana-tier elites actually joined forces to do him in, Jiang He might not be able to fight them off.

"That is why I must not put off the Nine Heavenly Stars Body Formula. The template for being a sword cultivator is being weak in defense, and it is not same even if I have a demi-immortal item protecting me. The best way to go about this is to directly improve his physique to demi-immortal level, and when that happens, the Mahayana-tier elites would need an immortal item, or they would only scratch my skin at best even with a full-powered blow…"

Of course, Jiang He was a person with a sharp sense for danger.

He would not goof off just because he had become unmatched.

After all, according to most novel plots… the main character would never become invincible so easily—how is the author supposed to continue writing if they become peerless so easily?

Or what, are they supposed to write plots about urban life, show-off, face-slapping or cliché harems every single day?

Who would read that…

"The Ten Thousand Swords Sect's Jin Sidao had mentioned it: the immortals left earth to journey across the stars, and they might return after Spirit Qi is reinvigorated to a certain extent."

"Moreover, the hundred extraterrestrial races that once invaded earth might get a brain stroke some day and come back as well."

Jiang He could not help feeling a headache at the very idea.

Would he ever get another day of pace if this was the case?

"Whatever…"

"Overthinking does not help. What goes around comes around—could I even stop the immortals from returning?"

"How could I deny the extraterrestrial races a fight if they wanted one?"

"Eh?"

Jiang He suddenly gasped in surprise then and blinked. "I can't stop the immortals from returning since they are Earthlings returning home, but why can't I stop the extraterrestrial races?"

"If I attack first and killed all their elites so that they remain leaderless and caught in civil strife, would they have the time to attack Earth?"

Jiang He thought to himself then, and calculated the possibility of his plan…

"Taking the initiative to attack and wiping out their elites is definitely a perfect plan. However, the Hundred Races would definitely be very powerful since they could attack Earth even in the age of immortals, and my ability is still lacking a lot at the moment."

So, the question returns to the original point.

Nothing could be done if one was weak.

"Sigh…"

Jiang He took out the Clear Sky Mirror he almost cut in half, dug a hole, sprinkled a pack of Mysterious Soil over it before burying and watering it. After that, he could not hold back a sigh. "I'm still too weak. If I were powerful enough, I could stay at home while punching the Hundred Races' elites to death from across the universe. When that happens, would they dare to invade Earth even if they had a hundred more guts?"

After planting the Clear Sky Mirror, the scarlet glass orb that he had planted first was already sprouting. Two fresh leaves grew out of the ground and was rapidly growing into a small shoot.

Jiang He went up to check and realized in surprise that the tree was…

"Is that a Sang Tree?"

"I remembered eating the mulberries from a Sang Tree and seeing it before…"

The Sang Tree continued to grow until it became three meters tall after only an hour. There was also a fist-sized bud on its thickets tree, which began to blossom into a small fruit.

Jiang He saw that it was spherical when he looked closely.

Curiously, however, the little fruit turned from green to red as it became larger, after which it shone in red light, and one could even feel a searing heat from it.

Jiang He's eyes widened…

What the heck.

The sun of the Taixu Sect was a mystic treasure, but it was a mediocre-grade sage item, and not an actual sun!

I was just planting it to strengthen it, and now…

It has grown into a real, miniature sun?

"No way! Planting a sun?"

Jiang He felt that his imagination was broad enough. Even so, he now realized that his imagination was limited by what he saw—if suns could be planted, would he not be able to plant an Earth if he dug out some dirt?

"Hold on…"

"The Sang Tree?"

"More like the Fusang Tree…"

"According to myth, the sun is an incarnation of the Golden Crow, and the Golden Crows lives beneath the Fusang Tree…"

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Chapter 340: One Sword Swing and You're Dead

"So, does this mean that I've grown a Fusang Tree and a mini sun with one mediocre-grade sage glass orb?"

That was simply ridiculous!

'Maybe they just look similar,' Jiang He thought, but his eyes were fixed on the small red sun.

It was still getting larger and eventually became as round as a saucer, emanating light and heat.

Jiang He reached out to pluck the 'sun' then.

[Ding!]

[100,000 Farm Points.]

Though a System Notification jingled in his head, Jiang He ignored it. His gaze was captured entirely by the sun in his grasp.

It floated over Jiang He's palm, emanating faint light and heat, and Jiang He actually felt his body relaxing then.

A cluster of data appeared before his eyes.

[Sun (Miniature)]

[Tier: Superior-grade sage item (Growable)]

[Sacrifice a drop of blood for use.]

Jiang He's eyes lit up despite the brief introduction.

The sun?

Though it was miniature, 'growable' meant that it could get bigger, could it not?

Hence, Jiang He invoked it with a drop of blood, and information about the sun's function poured inside his mind.

"Glowing, heating, promoting photosynthesis, and supplying heat to the soil. Ultraviolet rays released could kill bacteria…"

Jiang He scowled then.

Was this really a sun now?

"Hmmm… hold on, what does this part meant?"

"Physical health is improved by frequent sunbathing, which improves blood circulation and removes impurities and bacteria. It also benefits the cultivation of Pure Daoist Form."

Sunlight had that function too?

Or perhaps only the sun he planted had that function?

And what was Pure Daoist Form?

That sounded awesome.

Jiang He had no idea what Pure Daoist Form was at all and simply categorized it as one of the spiritual forms like the Five Elements Spirit Form, Innate Daoist Birth, and Holy Body.

"So, even though this sun is a superior-grade sage item, it is a support item that cannot be used to fight at all?"

"I surely can't throw the sun in a fight since it would blind my teammates' eyes… well, I could use it to bludgeon an opponent when it grows large enough and shatter a whole planet with a single blow."

Jiang He's released mystic energy from his palm and the sun slowly took to the skies.

It rapidly enlarged as it rose to the air and eventually became a massive sun that hung up over the horizon. The gray hue of the farm was hence banished as the bright star shone overhead, and in that very moment, the Cloudscraper Vine flexed all thirty-six of its tendrils and sent out a delighted mood.

At the same time, the branches of the willow tree were swaying, each of which were morphing rapidly before beginning to shine in crystalline green light.

"Ah!"

"Master!"

The crisp loli voice of the willow tree entered Jiang He's ears then as she moaned, "Master, oh no, I'm breaking, it feels so good, I'm ascending…"

Ooom!

A special energy began to swirl around the ten-meter-tall willow tree, its endless branches continuing to rock while its crystal-green radiance dyed the entire farm an emerald hue.

"Ah…"

"Master…"

"It's not enough! I want more!"

Jiang He was left speechless.

Damn it!

Isn't the way you're moaning a little too distracting?

Can't you say that you weren't getting enough sunlight? Just say it directly! You're making as if I've done something to you, but you remained unsatisfied!

At Jiang He's thought and a surging of his mystic energies, the sun above promptly shone profoundly. A beam of sunlight then descended brightly upon the willow tree, and she went 'Ah~~~' before going completely silent.

Up in the skies, thunderclouds were rolling.

"Four Retributions of the Nine Lesser Heavens?

Jiang He appeared delighted. Was the willow tree reaching divine-tier already?

She had been growing too slowly prior to this and it was still a fraction away from divine-tier even though Jiang He had provided it with tons of spirit stones to cultivate with. On the other hand, it was now ascending with the sunlight from the miniature start that had just risen to the air…

Could the 'sun' he planted have the effect of helping plants evolve?

Jiang He turned to look behind to find that his spirit stones, soul items, and three Epiphany Pellets were all ripe. They seemed to grow quicker to some extent under the sun, and most importantly, their branches and leaves appeared even more lively.

That only proved Jiang He's theory further.

Still, he would allow the willow tree to weather through its own sufferance.

Her many willow branches shot to the skies and shattered the first thunderbolt, but the second thunderbolt soon descended and destroyed the willow tree's branches. Nonetheless, more branches took to the skies as well, and shattered the third thunderbolt too.

And that was not all—the dispersing thunder were all absorbed into the willow tree's branches, refining its massive trunk.

Soon, the thunderclouds faded.

The willow tree's trunk had thickened by one meter and had grown up to fifteen meters from ten meters. It would now be at least twenty meters tall if its tree crown was included, though its tree crown was very tidy, as if it had been trimmed neatly.

After all…

It was a 'girl'.

Was it not normal that she would be a little overly cautious about her 'hairstyle'?

"Master, I'm ascending, I'm ascending…"

The willow tree's delighted voice reached Jiang He's ears again as she exclaimed, "Master, I have a feeling that I could assume human form if I evolve twice more, and I could service you then, Master."

In terms of tier, she was now equivalent to a Feral King or a Golden Pellet cultivator. Evolving twice more meant she would reach Yuan Spirit, a level where all daemonic cultivators could change forms as well.

Be that as it may…

Jiang He found it weird how she used the term 'service'.

You are a tree, please!

"Focus on cultivating while I get you some cultivation manual for plants. If I need to, I'll make one for you later."

He then parted ways with the willow tree and turned, walking towards the many spirit stone trees.

Jiang He smiled from the joys of harvest as he stared at the trees filled with mediocre-grade and superior-grade spirit stones.

[Ding!]

[100 Farm Points.]

[Ding!]

[100 Farm Points.]

[Ding!]

[1000 Farm Points.]

Each tree, grown from a single spirit stone, had a hundred spirit stones, though mediocre-grade spirit stones gave 100 Farm Points while superior-grade spirit stones gave 1,000 Farm Points. Since Jiang He planted 5,000 mediocre-grade spirit stones and 500 superior-grade spirit stones, he earned a hundred million Farm Points.

The other sage items he recovered from the Penglai Sect also earned him over 20 million Farm Points, and everything earned Jiang He a grand total of around 150 million Farm Points.

"Oh?"

"The three Epiphany Pellets, Clear Sky Mirror, and the premium-grade sage combat garment are not ripe yet?"

Those were the only crops he had in the farm now.

The Clear Sky Mirror was a demi-immortal item. Thanks to Jiang He's experience in planting the Mosquito Cutter, it would probably be three days before it was ripe for harvest. In fact, only the trouser legs of the combat garment had grown out of the soil, though there were no traces of damage now and it would be another day before it grows into a complete demi-sage combat garment.

Jiang He had expected both the Clear Sky Mirror and the combat garment to take a long time to ripen. When it comes to the Epiphany Pellets, however… Jiang He was quite surprised!

The longer the growth cycle of an item, the more valuable it tends to be. As the Epiphany Pellet was basically a rank-eight spirit pellet, it would reach rank-nine after strengthening through planting. In other words, even Mahayana-tier individuals could use them to great effect.

Watering the three crops once again, Jiang He then looked up at the sun. Since it was still early, he could plant the mutated wheat he got previously…

He only slapped his forehead after he was done planting.

"Still early, my foot!"

"It's evening outside, isn't it? I entered the farm around seven, and it would probably be midnight. Moreover, since there is only sun inside my farm, it would be shining the whole day… I must get to the Taixu Sect as soon as possible to get that moon… after which it is only the stars left."

After some thought, Jiang He decided to get the stars from another place.

Surely he couldn't keep draining the Taixu Sect's resources, could he?

Nonetheless, with his planting done, Jiang He left the farm.

Since weeding, spraying pesticide, and clearing pests were unnecessary in his farm and he could harvest them come tomorrow, he decided to go to talk about talismans with the Thunder Talisman Daoist. He had to do that, especially after he had left the man idling for most of the day.

Naturally, Jiang He was not interested in other talismans.

He simply prefered thunder talismans.

That stuff could be used for blowing things up right after it was planted with a wide area of effect. If Jiang He hoarded fifty thousand of those and planted them, he just had to throw some at anyone daring to throw their weight around in his face, blowing the daylights out of them without doing much.

Hence, as Jiang He landed on the big ship's deck, he laughed, "Are you asleep, Thunder Talisman Daoist?"

The Thunder Talisman Daoist had his eyes closed to rest, but his face quickly dropped and he flew out of his room with a whoosh to greet Jiang He, forcing a smile as he said, "You're here, Brother Jiang He? Please, come in…"

Inwardly, however, he was apprehensive.

Am I asleep?

I would sleep if I could!

In fact, he had a hard time sleeping with a fearsome character like Jiang He, who had wiped out the entire Penglai Sect staying nearby.

Still, when Jiang He entered his room to find that the Thunder Talisman Daoist had lit a special aromatic candle that calms the mind in his pavilion, he could not help asking, "Are you having trouble sleeping, Thunder Talisman Daoist?"

Jiang He smiled when the Thunder Talisman Daoist nodded. "The truth is, I've had trouble sleeping before as well. Still, that problem is solved for me now. As it was a long-term problem for me, I am basically an expert in resolving poor sleep now."

I…

Poor sleep? My foot!

The Thunder Talisman Daoist really wanted to say nothing, but with Jiang He having put it that way, he was forced to ask.

"It's very simple," Jiang He added flatly. "You just have to release some Yuan Spirit techniques to drain your Yuan Spirit, and you would fear weary afterwards… What, you don't know any?"

"A major immortal sect like the Ten Thousand Swords Sect doesn't have any Yuan Spirit techniques?"

"Hmmm…"

"Well, not having it wouldn't matter. Maybe I could use my Yuan Spirit technique to cut your Yuan Spirit once, and the effect would be more or less the same as having your Yuan Spirit drained."

The Thunder Talisman Daoist's face dropped and he shivered in fright.

However, Jiang He's tone changed then, and he sighed. "Whatever, the Yuan Spirit technique I learned is too powerful, while both your cultivation and Yuan Spirit are too weak. I'm afraid you're dead with one swing of my sword."

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Chapter 341: Jiang He Draws A Talisman

In the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, the Thunder Talisman Daoist was famous for his poor temper.

Having suffered through six retributions, his ability was incredible in the first place. Since he also had an outstanding technique in crafting talismans, he was therefore ranked highly in his sect and he could severely vent his rage at others even though they had seven or eight retributions under their belt.

As such, under normal circumstances, the Thunder Talisman Daoist would have already rolled up his sleeves and unsheathed his sword to attack after having been so directly mocked about having weak cultivation and Yuan Spirit as well as held in contempt.

Even so, in that very moment, he felt no grief, but was a little… pleased.

Jiang He held him in contempt?

Wonderful!

He was afraid Jiang He might really release his Yuan Spirit secret technique at himself.

Moreover, the Yuan Spirit secret technique was too rare a skill. In fact, according to what the Thunder Talisman Daoist knew, only the most ancient group of daemon cultivators possessed one such technique, and that was even with all immortal sects, demonic sects, and ancient daemon cultivators included.

It was such an impressive technique and it simply required the very scent of a target's Yuan Spirit to be released. After that, the caster just had to craft a strawman, write the target's name, and light a joss candle of the strawman's head. Pray to it three times a day over twenty-days, and the target would die from a disembodied soul.

Naturally, there was no telling what the specific mystics involved was.

Even as he thought about it, the Thunder Talisman Daoist took out some divine fruits and seven paper talismans out of his Spatial Ring. With a wave of his hand, the talismans all touched ground and turned into seven maidens dressed thinly.

The maidens resembled real humans and all of them possessed unmatched beauty and stunning fingers. Some of them started dancing, while others served Jiang He wine and fed him grapes.

His interest piqued, Jiang He pulled one of the maidens to himself to test how she felt to the touch before exclaiming in surprise, "She is just like a real human… is this a talisman technique too, Thunder Talisman Daoist?"

The Thunder Talisman Daoist smiled smugly. "These are Fairy Talismans which I've refined based on Daoist weapon talismans after much contemplation on my part. It is extremely difficult to make them, and I only managed seven after burning through plenty of treasures. Each of the maidens summoned are astonishingly beautiful like goddess incarnates, and they could do everything—sing, dance, and play every known musical instrument."

Jiang He nodded as his eyes swept across the seven fairy maidens that transformed from the talismans. "Being able to do everything and play every known musical instrument? Such ladies are the loveliest."

"I'm interested in the seven Fairy Talismans, Thunder Talisman Daoist. May I borrow them from you?"

The Thunder Talisman Daoist's smile stiffened at that, and he became unsure of how to answer right then.

Still, Jiang He did not try to strongarm him, and simply smiled, "Of course, you don't have to lend them to me if you don't want to. I, Jiang He, would never take away things that a person cherishes."

"It's fine, I'll lend them to you!"

The Thunder Talisman Daoist said generously then, "It's just seven Fairy Talismans. Just take them if you like, Brother Jiang He."

Despite what he said, there was agony on the Thunder Talisman Daoist's face. Clenching his teeth, he reverted the seven dancing fairy maidens into seven talismans, and sent them flying to Jiang He with a pushing gesture.

"I'll take them, then?"

Jiang He said courteously as if stuffed the seven paper talismans into his pocket.

As for borrowing…

Jiang He understood three definitions when it comes to that word: returning something after borrowing it, not returning something after borrowing it, as well as being unable to return something after borrowing it… if he planted all seven paper talismans and could not return them, the Thunder Talisman Daoist would not blame him for it, would he?

"If push comes to shove, I could just give him seven inflatable dolls. They are all fake chicks anyway, so there's not much difference."

After putting away the seven Fairy Talismans, Jiang He cut to the chase and asked, "Thunder Talisman Daoist, may I ask how many types of Thunder Talismans there are that you're able to craft?"

"A lot."

The Thunder Talisman Daoist did not dare to hold back as he answered, "There are different tiers to talismans. Weaker thunder talismans could hardly damage Golden Pellet individuals, while stronger thunder talismans could kill even Sufferance elites and maim Mahayana elites. Indeed, according to myths, divine talismans are supposedly capable of killing immortals too."

"Talismans are that impressive? Why, what conditions are there to crafting one? Would it be difficult?"

As Jiang He humbly asked for guidance, the Thunder Talisman Daoist answered every question he posed—not because he had passion, but because he was scared!

Reasonably speaking, there would be many things that he stopped fearing after he had lived up to a thousand years old, but that did not include death. While the young ones would often have a rush of heated blood to the head and have a mindset that 'at worst I'll just die,' the longer one lived, said heated blood would turn cold. As cultivators like them pursued eternal life, who among them would willingly die for no reason?

Hence, seeing that Jiang He was quite interested in crafting talismans, the Thunder Talisman Daoist took out a paper talisman and said, "This is a Windwalking Talisman, a low-tier talisman. Qi Refinist-tier cultivators would paste it on their feet so that the winds would boost them as they flew, and being a novice talisman, it's one of the easier talismans to learn to craft."

He then took out another talisman paper, an ink brush and passed it to Jiang He, saying, "Crafting one would be easy for you, Brother Jiang He, since you are a full-fledged Sufferance elite and command great mystic energies. You could try drawing one."

"Eh?"

Jiang He quickly said, "I'm quite dull-witted, Thunder Talisman Daoist, and I'm afraid I would draw it wrongly. Moreover, I have not learned the basics of crafting talismans either."

"It's fine."

The Thunder Talisman Daoist smiled. "Under most circumstances, even True Child cultivators who never learned crafting talismans could easily make one."

True Child?

I'm already full-fledged Sufferance. What am I even afraid of?

Jiang He was at once brimming with confidence. Still, he was soon baffled when he raised the ink brush…

Damn it!

What the hell was that symbol drawn over that Windwalking Talisman?

One stroke here and one stroke there—there was no actual pattern at all.

Nonetheless, Jiang He braced himself to draw the talisman, but was unable to keep it up after three minutes. Slamming the ink brush on the table, he barked, "I give up, I give up. Aren't these brush strokes and whatnot too complicated? I could develop a talisman drawing technique myself instead of wasting time here."

Furious, the Thunder Talisman Daoist slapped the table and rose to his feet. But just as he was about to start scolding Jiang He, he remembered that Jiang He was not his disciple and promptly forced a smile, "It is indeed as you say, Brother Jiang He."

Even so, he was despising Jiang He a lot inwardly.

A high and mighty, full-fledged Sufferance could not even draw a Windwalking Talisman…

If one had to grade it, your talent in drawing talismans is in the negative.

"By the way, what is the most powerful talisman which you could draw, Thunder Talisman Daoist?"

As Jiang He's tone changed when he asked another question, the Thunder Talisman Daoist answered truthfully, "Of the talismans I could craft, the most powerful is the Nine Retribution Talisman, which got its name from the nine retributions of Sufferance. Making it is very difficult since it requires the thunderbolts of retribution as material, though the stronger the bolt is, the moreover the talisman would be. If I manage to harvest the ninth thunderbolt of retribution and craft it into a talisman, even full-fledged Sufferance elites would not dare to take the full brunt of its power."

"Incredible!"

Jiang He eyes lit up at that as he exclaimed, "The Nine Retribution Talisman… that is the powerful thunder talisman I need. True Habitant, why don't you start work right now? You can return to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect right after you're done. Moreover, I promise that as long as the Ten Thousand Swords Sect doesn't kill my mood in the future, I would never destroy you people."

Thunder Talisman Daoist was dumbstruck.

Damn it!

This youth… why did he have to say something so upsetting?

Are you trying to scare me to death, what with how you keep mentioning about destroying my sect?

And most importantly, don't kill your mood?

There really is no end to that…

Nonetheless, he flashed a begrudging smile. "To tell the truth, Brother Jiang He… I am unable to craft that Nine Retribution Talisman."

Once he saw Jiang He's dark look, the Thunder Talisman Daoist quickly added, "The most important material to craft it is the thunderbolts of retribution, but as you know, other Sufferance cultivators must not hang around the thundercloud of retribution belonging to another Sufferance cultivator because they would draw retribution to themselves otherwise. That is why I can't catch the thunderbolts myself."

"Can't you have someone else catch it?"

"Well, Convergence cultivators would not be enough, and they would be killed by the thunderbolts if they dared to catch one. On the other hand, would Mahayana-tier be willing to catch one when all they do is cultivate all yearlong? Moreover, the power of heavenly retribution is so frightening that not even Mahayana elites could assuredly capture it, and though an immortal predecessor did leave our sect with some, I had used it all for crafting the Nine Retribution Talisman."

Jiang He became silent at that.

Was crafting the Nine Retribution Talisman that difficult?

He mused to himself for a when his eyes suddenly lit up and he said, "How are the thunderbolts of retribution captured and stored, Thunder Talisman Daoist? Just tell me the method and I'll catch one for you."

"First, one must suppress the thunderbolt by force and refine it. It is very difficult to do so since it is a form of Heavenly Retribution, but once it becomes mild after your refinement, it could be placed inside a simple mystic container."

"Got it."

Jiang He rose to his feet and headed outside, while the Thunder Talisman Daoist asked in confusion, "Where are you going, Jiang He?"

"I'm going to catch the thunderbolts of retribution!"

The Thunder Talisman Daoist was speechless at that. "No one is suffering their retribution at the moment, Brother Jiang He—where would you get one?"

"What do you mean no one?"

Jiang He looked at the Thunder Talisman Daoist as if he was an idiot before thumping his chest several times. "While I have weathered only one thunderbolt of retribution, I could invoke retribution again if I cultivate my physique up to Sufferance as well. Moreover, my physique is not weak and a little cultivation would be enough to weather through it."

The Thunder Talisman Daoist appeared bewildered right then.

Your physique… is not too weak?

Alright.

Jiang He's qi was frighteningly powerful and at least on the level of True Child. One should note that cultivators developed their mystic energies through understandings of the universe, and rarely would any of them deliberately hone their bodies since mystic treasures and godly techniques would shield their bodies, which is why developing one's physique level to Jiang He's level was already plenty impressive.

That said…

How could you trigger the thunderbolts of retribution with that body of yours?

Even so, the Thunder Talisman Daoist was left stunned even as that thought struck him. He was watching Jiang He sitting cross-legged on the deck of his ship when he sensed overwhelming qi erupting away from his body and rapidly strengthening…

What the hell!

Was he even human?

Immortal physique cultivation is extremely difficult because one breaks one's own limit continuously with each ascension, while you are cultivating it just because you say so?

Most importantly…

Jiang He had ascended right after he sat down! Did that even make sense?

Report chapter

Chapter 342: Planting Thunderbolts of Retribution

Jiang He was sitting on the deck of the Thunder Talisman Daoist's mystic ship.

He started cultivating by turning on his System and spending his Farm Points.

Right now, he had mastered the third tier of the Nine Heavenly Stars Body Formula and his physique could match a full-fledged True Child cultivator. His qi is so overwhelmingly powerful that a raw-red mist swirls around him once it circulated, just as a scarlet radiance shot up from his head like a beacon.

[Ding!]

[3 million Farm Points.]

[Congratulations, Host. You have mastered the fourth fold of the Nine Heavenly Stars Body Formula.]

A System Notification jingled crisply and mechanically in his mind then, and at the very next moment, Jiang He's qi erupted with a rumble, just as his physique improved to full-fledged Yuan Spirit.

"Keep going, System!"

"Fifth and sixth fold of the Nine Heavenly Star Body Formula!"

Boom!

Jiang He's qi and blood stirred. At the same time, his bone, muscles, and skin rapidly strengthened from full-fledged Yuan Spirit to full-fledged Convergence… until the sound of thunder cracked over the night sky.

At the same time, the Thunder Talisman Daoist recovered from his shock and stared wide-eyed at Jiang He as if he was a monster…

Did he just reach Sufferance?

As if it could not be simpler?

Wasn't cultivating physique supposed to be more difficult than cultivating qi?

So why did Jiang He make it look as simple as eating or drinking… No, not even eating and drinking is that simple! You would have to chew to eat and a meal would take at least a dozen minutes, wouldn't it?

How long did it even take him to cultivate his physique from full full-fledged True Child to Sufferance?

Not even five minutes!

Up in the skies, thunderclouds of retribution gathered.

Terrible bolts were flashing within, and just like the last time, the thunderclouds spanned more than five hundred kilometers… and at this very moment, every living being within range could feel the horrifying pressure of the heavenly retribution.

Standing at the center of the thunderclouds, the Thunder Talisman Daoist felt as if he was being stared at directly.

He could even feel a vague power locking on to him.

"Oh no…"

"My…"

"My own thunderbolts of retribution are coming too!"

The Thunder Talisman Daoist went pale.

He had been so shocked he forgot about this part, but it was already too late for him to run—as such, he took out several talismans and invoked his flying sword, ready to weather his retribution

That was when Jiang He, still sitting on the deck, slowly rose to his feet.

The aura on his body was still expanding rapidly.

When he turned and found the Thunder Talisman Daoist looking ready to weather the retribution even if it killed him, he asked in surprise, "What are you doing, Brother?"

"Sufferance!"

That was all the Thunder Talisman Daoist answered as he began to inscribe symbols and arrays on the deck. There would be a little time before the first bolts descended after the thunderclouds gathered, and he must prepare however he could.

Jiang He, however, appeared taken aback. "Is there a need to go through such lengths? It's just Sufferance."

On the other hand, the Thunder Talisman Daoist had already set up his array and taken out several spirit stones to recover his mystic energies. Then, he bit the tip of his tongue and spat his blood essence on the array, and the array shone all at once, shielding his body.

He could still feel the expanding aura from Jiang He's body and could not help exclaiming, "Please stop cultivating right now, Brother Jiang He, or the thundercloud would be dished out according to your cultivation level."

"Is that how it works?"

Jiang He's interest was piqued then.

He looked up at the skies above.

The first bolt would probably strike in three minutes. Moreover, after his body and qi had strengthened up to the Nine Heavenly Star Body Formula, it would automatically cultivate up to full-fledged Sufferance as well. There was no need to worry…

As such, he took out a handful of sunflower seeds and munched on them calmly beneath the thunderclouds stretching over hundreds of miles. "Is Sufferance that specific, Thunder Talisman Daoist? You should teach it to everyone else—I hadn't heard about the details you've mentioned on my own Sufferance, so I had to simply cut down the thunderclouds since I was pressed for time. You are an immortal sect elite too, so would you happen to know why I have to go through retribution twice, once for cultivation and now for physique?"

Thunder Talisman Daoist was dumbstruck.

He opened his mouth, but was unsure how to answer just then.

Three minutes soon passed.

Boom-crack.

A thick violet bolt descended from the skies but soon split in two: One shot toward Jiang He while the other at the Thunder Talisman Daoist. The latter promptly charged his mystic treasure to repel it when he saw Jiang He taking to the skies, streaking towards both thunderbolts.

He had reached out with both hands and actually caught the bolts.

His mystic energies circulated as he qi erupted, and…

Bang!

Both thunderbolts were crushed in Jiang He's grasp.

The mystic treasure of the Thunder Talisman Daoist lost its target and was left flailing around wildly up in the air. At the same time, Jiang He did a double take before descending, scratching the back of his head as he asked in embarrassment, "Daoist, you said that the thunderbolts of retribution can be captured through refinement, but how, specifically? I somehow crushed the thunderbolts when I grabbed them… is that supposed to happen?"

The Thunder Talisman Daoist's mouth was hanging open. He felt his throat drying up and he was unable to say a thing.

Could thunderbolts be crushed?

Who am I supposed to ask if you ask me?

To tell the truth, the Thunder Talisman Daoist really did not expect that to happen… since no person had ever attempted this before! Most importantly, not only did this kid crush his own thunderbolt of retribution, but he also crushed the Daoist's too.

If Jiang He were to also crush the other thunderbolts that would come later, would the Daoist not be able to reach seven retribution without getting in harm's way?

"What's on your mind?"

Jiang He could not help asking as he stared at the Thunder Talisman Daoist.

What was this fella's deal?

That Daoist was scowling as if his parents had just been killed just a moment ago, and he was now beside himself in joy?

Hence, Jiang He promptly pressed him, "Daoist, hurry up and tell me how I'm supposed to refine the thunderbolts specifically. I'll collect them and then destroy the thunderclouds before going off to sleep… what time is it already? I have not slept soundly for a long time."

As such, the Thunder Talisman Daoist quickly told Jiang He about the method of refining of the thunderbolts of retribution.

Jiang He realized with a start at that and exclaimed, "I see, so refining the thunderbolts of retribution should be accomplished with my will and not brute strength, yes?"

When the Thunder Talisman Daoist nodded, Jiang He said, "Very well, Daoist. Take a break here—I'll be right back."

Whoosh!

Jiang He took to the skies and directly entered the rolling thunderclouds, which churned violently right then.

When the Thunder Talisman Daoist looked up, he could glimpse a figure weaving in and out through the thunderbolts from time to time, and the power of the thunderbolts were quickly weakening as time passed.

"What the hell!"

The Thunder Talisman Daoist was stunned.

Jiang He was so ruthless!

When it comes to Sufferance, others would weather through their retributions one by one, while Jiang He took it all at once… Likewise, while others would be incredibly cautious when they tried to catch thunderbolts and only capture a faint fragment of the energy dispersing away when it descended, Jiang He charged headlong inside the thundercloud, subjugating it and refining it.

Most importantly, at the rate of how quick the bolts in the thunderclouds were weakening…

It was obvious that Jiang He was rapidly refining and capturing each thunderbolt.

Hence, around forty minutes later, the five-hundred-kilometer thundercloud up in the skies was almost dried up. After that, it remained for a long while… before dispersing reluctantly.

Jiang He descended from the skies above, holding a bundle of thunderbolts in each hand as he called out, "Hurry up and bring out your containers, Thunder Talisman Daoist. Every porcelain tool I have to carry the thunderbolts are full and can't carry anymore."

The Thunder Talisman Daoist stiffly took out two containers to collect the thunderbolts before Jiang He took out a whole stack of bottles and cans, which he shoved at once into his hands. There were actually sparks swirling out of some of the containers, and they clearly were holding thunderbolts of frightening force.

"There are around forty thunderbolts of retribution here, Daoist, so you could take them to craft the Nine Retribution Talismans… I'll leave you to it, since I have to get rid of the other thunderbolts at my own house right now."

Jiang He sneaked back into his own yard in a flash and headed straight inside his farm.

He took out forty more bottles and cans with a turn of his hand, each of which stored heavenly thunderbolts as well.

He had collected a total of eighty bolts.

He was left with forty after he gave the other half to the Thunder Talisman Daoist, and was going to attempt planting the heavenly thunderbolts… if it could, what novelty would grow out?

Hole dug; thunderbolt planted.

To ensure that the thunderbolts would grow fertilely, Jiang He gritted his teeth and redeemed forty packs of Mysterious Soil.

And everything was done, he dusted some dirt he inadvertently got in his hands and sighed. "I hope I won't be disappointed… I did exert great effort to capture these thunderbolts after all, and even

Report chapter

Chapter 343: Give Jiang He a Fairy Maiden Around Seven Hundred Years Old?

Planting the thunderbolts required technique.

Though Jiang He had not planted anything like that before, he was a genuine farmer with vast… no, oceans worth of experience.

"The heavenly thunderbolts are just a form of lightning, and scientifically speaking, it is the electrons in the clouds becoming charged by the static electricity on the ground, which in turn forms an electric field. After that, once the electric field intensifies to a certain extent, electric is released in the form of plasma."

"Such a thing planted in the ground would naturally disperse."

"Therefore…"

Jiang He thought about it before planting the many cans and bottles.

With this, he wouldn't have to worry about the thunderbolts dispersing.

Yawning, Jiang He was ready to go home and sleep, and harvest the thunderbolts tomorrow when he harvested the wheat that he planted all over the farm. At the same time, he was feeling impressed with himself…

Planting thunderbolts…

Wasn't he the first in the world to do so since ancient times?

Could he really plant it?

"Would I reap what I sow?"

"Since I've added Mysterious Soil, would I get several superior thunderbolts too?"

"Hmmm…"

"Fat chance. Given how horrible the System is, I might get something like a heavenly thunderbolt pellet, which refines the body after consumption or turns physical form to thunderbolt form."

He arrived at the third-floor swimming pool.

It was only in the middle of his bath that he remembered…

He had forgotten to plant the Fairy Talismans.

After all, both Sora and Boa Hancock were sufficient for cooking, cleaning up the house, and warming his bed, though they were lacking in entertainment. While Jiang He did ask Sora to entertain him once, all she could do was striptease—in what way was that entertaining?

"After I plant those seven ravishing beauties, I could have them dance, sing and play musical instruments…"

Jiang He's thoughts went wild, and he only fell asleep around three in the morning.

He was certainly not aware that the entire Hua Nation was caught in a massive uproar because of his sufferance.

At the time, the thunderclouds had covered over five hundred kilometers, with lightning flashing and thunder cracking within. The citizens of Lingzhou City, who were the closest, could clearly feel the mysterious pressure extending from that thundercloud too.

Someone captured the image and uploaded it online.

There were also martial artists who photographed it as well and uploaded it to Warrior Home, causing a viral sensation instantly even though it was late night.

Fortunately, the Martial Arts Department (MAD) reacted swiftly, with Wang Hou immediately putting up an explanation, revealing that the thundercloud was Jiang He's heavenly retribution. Likewise, someone had also publicized the information that martial artists would invoke heavenly retribution as well once they ascended above divine-tier.

At the same time, outside Jiang He's house, the Thunder Talisman Daoist had whipped out his communications jade charm in his mystic ship pavilion to contact Jin Sidao, and informed him about Jiang He's physique ascension: how his physique ascended instantly to full-fledged Sufferance simply by sitting cross-legged, and how easily Jiang He had captured the heavenly thunderbolts.

Over on the other end of the jade charm, Jin Sidao was left petrified and unable to speak for a long time.

He only came to his senses after over one minute, a rejoicing look appearing over his face then.

It was fortunate that he chose to make amends and apologize, thereby resolving the grudge between Jiang He and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect instead of listening to certain Supreme Venerable Elders, who would rather go to war with Jiang He until one of them fell, by standing guard over their own sect's array!

Though the array could remain if that happened, there would certainly be casualties.

To tell the truth, the many things Jiang He had done had exceeded Jiang He's common sense. Even someone like him, who had lived over two thousand years and witnessed the immortals embark upon their journey across the stars, as well as being a Mahayana cultivator who saw the rise and fall of dynasties as well as the flow of history, had not heard about any person being able to reach such a demonic level of accomplishment. Prodigies and ancient heroes? What were they compared to Jiang He, who could ascend easily as if he was just eating or drinking?

After having further exchanges with the Thunder Talisman Daoist, he then learned that Jiang He was actually ascending to help the Thunder Talisman Daoist craft Nine Retribution Talismans, and therefore went on a physical sufferance on the spot and to capture heavenly thunderbolts.

"How… whimsical!" Jin Sidao exclaimed.

Perhaps only Jiang He could do something like ascending for the sake of acquiring the heavenly thunderbolts to refine the Nine Retribution Talisman, thereby weathering the thunderbolts of retribution while capturing some?

He instructed, "Focus on crafting the Nine Retribution Talisman since Jiang He has asked you to do it. Contact us immediately if you need anything."

"Jiang He had actually given me forty heavenly thunderbolts and asked me to refine every bolt into Nine Retribution Talismans. I could perhaps make three from each bolt, meaning that we would get a hundred and twenty talismans, though I still need a lot of other materials."

The Thunder Talisman Daoist spoke earnestly, while Jin Sidao replied, "It's fine. Just give me an inventory on the materials, and I'll send someone over to deliver it in two or three days. You could use it then."

Before he hung up, Jin Sidao thought of something and said, "Remember not to provoke Jiang He, and treat him as if he is your father."

Thunder Talisman Daoist was speechless.

He opened his mouth, but was unsure of what to say just then.

My father…

I actually killed him directly through sheer frustration. Are you sure you want me to treat Jiang He like my father?

On the other hand, Jin Sidao promptly sought out the Ten Thousand Swords Sect chieftain after hanging up and asked him, "Are the cultivation manuals that Jiang He has asked for ready?"

There was a bad look on the chieftain's face as he smiled bitterly. "Jiang He is too demanding, since it is no two-bit manual if it instructs in cultivation from Qi Refinist to Mahayana. We've only found two such manuals after searching through our collection, and I'm contacting the other major sects to see if they have collected other manuals."

As decided before, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect would not give up the cultivation manuals they inherited.

Still, there were a lot of torn scripts even if they tried to gather the cultivation manuals, and attempting to gather several complete sets would not be easy.

After thinking about it, Jin Sidao said, "There are already two manuals compiled after searching through our stores? Well, we could deliver a third manual to Jiang He and make it a sword cultivator technique."

"What?!"

Stunned, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect chieftain dropped to the floor, and bawled on his knees. "Absolutely not, ancestral master… our sect's techniques should only be learned by disciples initiated into our sect. During the sect's glory days, not even average apprentices had the right to cultivate complete sets of manuals."

"Our inherited techniques are the foundation of our sect. Once it is given to Jiang He and spread far and wide, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect would become a laughing stock among all cultivators."

However, when the chieftain saw that Jin Sidao insisted otherwise, he promptly growled and invoked the immortals of their sect. "Ancestral Master, I'm afraid that if our household techniques are being spread far and wide among commoners, the immortals would be displeased when they return. Please reconsider, ancestral master."

"B*stard!"

With a flick of his fingers, Jin Sidao fired a Sword Qi that sent the Ten Thousand Swords Sect chieftain flying over a dozen meters while he seethed, "You dare pressure me with the immortals?"

Rising to his feet in sheer frustration and grief, he seethed, "Where were the immortals when our sect faced destruction? Are you going to summon them when disaster looms?"

"Moreover, so what if the techniques of our sect are spread among commoners?"

"The other immortal sects, demonic sects, and ancient daemon cultivators have yet to reveal themselves and therefore can't accept new disciples. By the time they did so, the disciples of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect would have filled the world!"

"Eh?"

The Ten Thousand Swords Sect chieftain did a double take.

Soon, he realized with a start and understood what Jin Sidao said then, hence exclaiming in delight, "Ancestral master, I understand now… if the commoners would promote our sect's household techniques… then those who cultivate it would become the disciples of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect!"

"Once they cultivate our techniques, they would hence be connected to our sect… We could even join forces with the various commoner factions, setting up bases and branches, while dispatching elders or Supreme Venerable Elders to instruct them in cultivation or solve any obstacles obstructing them. We could even offer some resources that aid cultivation, which would count as a master-disciple relationship…"

"Even if they have not been personally initiated into the Ten Thousand Swords Sect… they are our disciples anyway!"

The Ten Thousand Swords Sect chieftain became thrilled at that.

Jin Sidao, however, said, "We must go about this wisely, and we can only do it after Jiang He and the commoner factions give their approval. Remember, do not cause the sect's downfall just because you want to cut corners."

The Ten Thousand Swords Sect chieftain nodded in acknowledgement.

Jin Sidao waved him off then and said, "Just pick any cultivation manual and send it to Jiang He. Send some resources to the leader of the commoners' faction as well, and remember that the times have change. Never presume that we are above them, for once chaos arrives, many heroes would rise among the commoners. If we could even recruit a handful of them, would we have to worry about restoring our past glory?"

With that, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect chieftain left respectfully.

On the other hand, Jin Sidao sat cross-legged in his temple while doing various mental calculations in his head, and he eventually could not help smiling bitterly. "Therefore, if the Ten Thousand Swords Sect wants to reclaim past glories… Jiang He remains the key."

"By the way, the Thunder Talisman Daoist mentioned that Jiang He seemed quite interested in the Fairy Talisman… Our sect does have a few fairy maidens around seven-hundred years old as well, should we just send them all to Jiang He?"

Meanwhile, Jiang He slept soundly, and woke up at noon.

He checked the phone to find that it would soon be one, and then at the date above…

It was already the 24th of November.

"It has been three months since I've transmigrated?"

Jiang He felt a little emotional.

It was three months already…

He was no longer a novice of martial arts or immortal arts… and had accidentally became invincible.

"Ahem."

"Can't get conceited, no way… I'm now at best full-fledged Sufferance in qi-refining and physique, and I'm able to fight Mahayana cultivators with my immortal weapon. I have yet to become immortal and would not count as peerless."

Washing up and heading downstairs, Jiang He then finished his lunch and headed out to his farm. He then realized that it was already a field of gold, with the wheat stalks each standing as tall as a human while huge wheat ears dangled from the tip, and one could tell it would be a great harvest from a single glance.

The heavenly thunderbolts he planted had budded into small trees as well, and judging from its growth rate, Jiang He estimated that they would only be ripe tomorrow or the day after.

"Does it really grow so slowly?"

Jiang He complained, and then glanced at the spot where he planted the Clear Sky Mirror, Epiphany Pellets, as well as the combat garment, which was only left with pant legs… they were growing well, though it would be two days before they become ripe as well.

"Hmm?"

Jiang He's gaze then narrowed at the spot where he had planted the Epiphany Pellets.

Since the spirit stones planted before had occupied most of the farm, Jiang He planted the three Epiphany Pellets into a corner of the farm. However, although three shoots were growing, they had tangled around each other and fused into a single tree.

"What the heck?"

"I was hoping for two more trees and to pop the pellets while I grasped the universe. How did the pellets become a single tree?"

Jiang He was a little speechless.

Still, he could do nothing about it—he must wait until after the Epiphany Pellets started blooming.

Calling out to Dumbo, Trumbo, and the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers, he had them harvest the wheat while he left the yard and visited the Thunder Talisman Daoist's ship, before taking to the skies and disappeared over the horizon.

He would head to the Taixu Sect of Mount Kunlun and exchange the moon, as well as ask around about the whereabouts of any Holy Grounds belonging to the ancient daemon cultivators. With that, he could borrow two Daemonic Pellet-tier daemon cultivators from them as well as a cultivation manual for plants.

"Sigh…"

"I wonder if the ancient daemon cultivators are reasonable enough to lend me some…"

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Chapter 344: You Know Item Refinement As Well, Brother Jiang He?

Up in the skies above, Jiang He had turned into a Sword Qi, streaking through the air.

Even so, he looked gloomy.

Yes!

What if the ancient daemon cultivators refused to lend him their plant-life cultivation?

"Fine, keep it to yourself. I could just create a cultivation method on my own… but most importantly, what about the Feral Kings? Surely I can't go overseas again… they must loan some to me!"

Shoosh!

The long trail of Sword Qi continued streaking through the skies and landed on Mount Kunlun at seven times the speed of light.

Taking out his jade charm and infusing some of his mystic energy, the jade charm shone brilliantly. In the next instant, at a temple within Taixu Sect's Secret Realm beneath the great array shielding Mount Kunlun, Elder Mo's face twitched as he took out his own jade charm and exclaimed, "Chieftain, Supreme Venerable Elders and Ancestral Masters… Jiang He has come!"

The many figures in the great temple rose to their feet.

It was no exaggeration that the Penglai Sect and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect acknowledged their inferiority to the Taixu Sect, because the Taixu Sect's background and ability definitely far surpassed either sects.

Others aside, when it came to Sufferance elites alone, the Taixu Sect already had twelve of them, four of whom already had seven or eight retributions—including the Taixu Sect chieftain himself. Even the weakest of the other eight already had three retributions.

Still, their Yuan Spirit and Convergence elites were mostly equal in number with the Penglai Sect and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.

After all, they had rarely gone out of their way to recruit disciples in the last few hundred years.

Nonetheless, the many Sufferance and Mahayana supreme venerable elders and ancestral elders who had confined themselves behind close doors for decades and centuries, rarely showing their faces, had all stepped out early in the morning once they learned that Jiang He was visiting. They waited out at the grand temple and rose to their feet when Elder Mo notified that Jiang He had arrived, even going out to welcome him.

"Open the mountain archways wide," one Mahayana elite said. "And send orders to the other elders and disciples to prepare a banquet with our best food, and treat Jiang He as best as they can."

Someone activated the array then, and with a resounding rumble, the array covering all of Mount Kunlun slowly faded. At the same time, a bright radiance shone within the Taixu Sect, forming bright arcs out of thin air that stretched over dozens of kilometers.

Outside

Boom…

Just like an earthquake.

The array covering Mount Kunlun dispersed then and Jiang He could now see the entire Taixu Sect.

It was unlike the Penglai Sect, which refined the Penglai Island into a Secret Realm that they kept hidden beneath the seas.

On the other hand, the Taixu Sect's Secret Realm floated above Mount Kunlun and their mountain archway was built into the Secret Realm as well. The array usually covered and concealed their presence all year long, and with the array faded, the sight within the Secret Realm was utterly revealed.

From the distance, it resembled a godly realm that hovered up in the skies.

There were forests, pavilions, and grand temples, outside of which mists swirled and kept those places vaguely visible, adding some extent of mystery and beauty to it.

Jiang He could not help chuckling…

Just as he had expected, power was what counted among cultivators.

He was an average, even inferior Yuan Spirit novice the last time he visited the Taixu Sect, which was why they had merely opened a passage for him to enter. Now, however, their mountain archway was wide open and their array utterly nullified, which was a far cry compared to the last time.

That was when a twilight radiance shone from within the Taixu Sect. It was extremely dazzling, and it laid out a luminous path in front of the mountain archway that extended to beneath Jiang He's feet before finally coming to a stop.

Many figures were also flying toward him from along the luminous path. There were four Mahayana cultivators, twelve Sufferance cultivators, the Taixu Sect chieftain, Elder Mo, and several Convergence cultivators.

From the distance, one could hear the Taixu Sect chieftain laughing loudly. "Please forgive us for not coming out further to receive you, Brother Jiang He… this way, please."

Everyone had reached Jiang He even as they spoke.

As the Taixu Sect chieftain gestured invitingly, Jiang He strode forward upon the mystical path of twilight radiance. It felt soft to step on and incredibly comfortable, as if one was stepping on top of clouds, although it felt quite firm. Jiang He even felt that he would have to use ten percent… no, half of his power to crush the luminous path.

Watching as the many Taixu Sect elites smiled as they welcome him, Jiang He put fist to palm in salute and addressed them brothers in return. Still, he could not help thinking, 'If I suddenly go all out right now and go on a warpath, could I kill off these four Mahayana cultivators?'

Probably…

It just might work.

Jiang He had a feeling that with his physique and qi both cultivated up to full-fledged Sufferance, along with the immortal sword in his possession, none of the Sufferance cultivators would be able to stop him if he launched a sneak attack.

When he had the free time, he would make inventory of the hundreds of soul items he possessed, as well as melt off whatever he did not need for materials to forge into stronger sage flying swords. After that, he would reorganize his Sword Array of Nine Skies Thunderflame and the Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity, so that it would not be as difficult as killing the White Brows Daoist the last time, even if he had to fight Mahayana elites directly…

It took him a dozen minutes to actually kill the White Brows Daoist, and that was only because the Penglai Sect was blown to bits, which wrecked the man mentally and affected his combat ability. Otherwise, they would have been fighting for several dozen minutes instead.

Meanwhile, the other members of the Taixu Sect had no idea what Jiang He was thinking as they ushered him into a great temple.

Inside, Taixu Sect disciples had put up tables full of spirit fruits and gourmet food, which left Jiang He a little taken aback…

Has the Taixu Sect always been this passionate?

Why did I only meet the chieftain and Elder Mo the last time I came?

Are they treating me this well only because I have the power to kill them all?

As he drank some wine, ate some spirit fruits, and had some idle conversation, Jiang He smiled. "Chieftain, the reason I've come here is to complete the trade we had agreed on last time…"

"Trade?"

"What trade?"

The four Mahayana cultivators and the supreme venerable elder were clearly unaware of the trade.

Nonetheless, the Taixu Sect chieftain smiled as he explained himself, and he spread his hands to reveal a crystal-clear pearl shining with moonlight hovering over his palm. With a gentle shove, the pearl appeared before Jiang He and he explained, "That pearl is called the Bright Moon Pearl, and I crafted it by gathering moonlight essence and frosted dark iron, after which it was refined for over seven hundred years until now. Though it could be used for both attacking and defending, its capacity for both is lacking compared to mystic treasures of the same tier, and I can't use it for Sufferance either. That is why I gifted it to Brother Jiang He."

Putting away the Bright Moon Pearl, Jiang He then took out a superior-grade sage flying sword, superior-grade sage moonblade, and two sets of combat armor, both of which were superior-grade sage items too. "We have mutually agreed to the deal in the first place," he said, "so how could I take what you treasure? Chieftain, these two superior-grade sage weapons are offensive mystic treasures, and take the one which you prefer."

"And there are two combat garments with different style and hue. Which one would you prefer?"

Jiang He then smiled. "To tell the truth, I know a thing or two about item refinement as well, though I could not ignite my furnace to start forging recently since I was busy. If you don't like these items, Chieftain, you could ask for something you prefer—I'll forge them for you after I'm done with the tasks I have on hand."

The Taixu Sect chieftain was speechless.

Shocked and perplexed, he asked, "You had learned item refinement as well, Brother Jiang He?"

No way, right?

According to the information that the Taixu Sect gathered, wasn't Jiang He supposed to be just twenty-five?

He is already so overwhelmingly powerful at that age, and the arrays he laid out was an utter mystery to the chieftain himself. And now it turned out that he knew item refinement too?

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Chapter 345: The Foxes of Mount Changbai

Almost every leader of the Taixu Sect was aware of Jiang He's information. With their ability, it was not difficult for them find out Jiang He's age, and that he had weathered all nine sufferance retributions for his physique.

Therefore, all of them could not help turning toward the man himself with looks of disbelief when they found out that he had learned item refinement too.

Jiang He nodded then, leaving every member of the Taixu Sect inside the temple in shock.

"Could you craft superior-grade sage items too?" One Mahayana elite pressed.

Jiang He thought about it before answering honestly, "To tell the truth, I had not learned it that long and never actually crafted any item yet. Still, I'm sure a superior-grade sage item wouldn't be a big deal, yes? As long as there are enough materials, it could be done."

The room was immediately quiet.

The Taixu Sect cultivators were shooting Jiang He weird looks, which made him frown.

What is it with those eyes, people?

He had no idea that the many Taixu Sect elites were extremely shocked that mountains and seas could well be falling apart in their minds.

Twenty-five years old?

A full-fledged Sufferance cultivator in both physique and qi-refinement, as well as being so skilled in arrays that the arrays he made were so one-of-a-kind, and not even the Taixu Sect chieftain could break it.

And now it turned out that he knew how to refine mystic treasures as well?

After all, one should know that being able to refine inferior-grade sage items was enough to earn one's title as a master of item refinement. And if Jiang He could indeed craft superior-grade sage items, he would be a grandmaster in that field!

When it comes to the other immortal sects, demonic sects, and ancient daemon cultivators, who among them had a grandmaster of item refinement?

The Taixu Sect would not know.

After all, the various factions had not interacted much after their seclusion that lasted more than two thousand years. As such, there was no telling if any master of item refinement improved to grandmaster in that period.

Such characters would definitely be noble in rank even in the Era of Qi Refinist. While they might not be equals compared to immortals, at the very least, Mahayana cultivators would behave courteously around them.

After all, the weapons Mahayana cultivators wielded were mostly superior-grade sage weapons.

If your weapons were damaged and required maintenance or you simply needed a new one, do you not have to ask them?

Therefore…

A twenty-five-year-old grandmaster of item refinement, physique refinement, and qi refinement?

It hurts to even think about it.

As the Taixu Sect was left in astonishment and the air in the room became a little weird, Jiang He had to change the topic and said, "Actually, I came here with another favor to ask… does your sect happen to have recipes for medicinal pellets? Could you sell me a few types? The higher the grade, the better… rank seven to rank nine would be good, since aside from item refinement and arrays, I am a little learned in pellet refinement as well, and I intend to try refining some."

It became even quieter just then.

After a dozen seconds later, someone started laughing and said, "Let's eat, let's eat… Elder Mo, give the other disciples a shout—it's time to eat."

Elder Mo had been spacing out and came to his senses then, and promptly rose to his feet and left the temple.

The other Taixu Sect cultivators started to have a lively conversation then. It was especially the case for the Mahayana cultivators who kept chattering away with Jiang He, although they would also stubbornly refrain from mentioning about the pellet recipes.

And since they did not mention it, Jiang He felt too awkward to ask.

In the end, those recipes were quite precious. They might not be willing to sell, and since the Taixu Sect had treated him quite well, Jiang He would not insist on buying it from them.

Soon, the many Taixu Sect elders and disciples started serving scrumptious dishes.

Be that as it may…

Jiang He felt more or less unsettled with seeing those old, burly white-haired man serving drinks and meals. The people of the Taixu Sect noticed that as well, and someone even teased him, "Perhaps our Taixu Sect should venture amongst the mortal realms and pick a few youthful disciples, Brother Jiang He, or we wouldn't be able to serve our guests."

"That's a good idea."

Jiang He nodded, though his tone soon changed as he added, "But Minister Wang had mentioned that since the immortal sects and demonic sects did not fight for Earth, no immortal sect should be allowed to recruit disciples. Perhaps you should talk to him about it."

Some among the Taixu Sect frowned in response, clearly displeased with that.

Did the Taixu Sect have to care about the commoners' feelings when they recruit disciples?

However, they could not say anything with Jiang He there with them.

On the other hand, Jiang He picked up his chopsticks—food was already served, and he would be a little cold if he did not accept the Taixu Sect's hospitality. After having a pinch of rice and reveled in its fragrant aroma, he could not help exclaiming, "This is soul rice, isn't it?"

Though this rice was much inferior to the Dragontooth Rice, it was much better than ordinary rice.

At the same time, one of the Sufferance-tier supreme venerable elders appeared proud upon hearing the words 'soul rice', and answered, "Good eye, Brother Jiang He. This rice is called the Taixu Soul Rice and is a rank-seven soul rice. Among the other immortal sects, demonic sects, and ancient daemon cultivators, only the Taixu Sect is able to grow rank-seven soul rice."

He then waved his hand dramatically, saying, "Elder Mo, go prepare twenty catties of Taixu Soul Rice so Brother Jiang He can have a taste of such novelty. After all, you can't buy such soul rice in the profane realm."

Jiang He promptly refused.

To tell the truth, after having gotten used to eating the Dragontooh Rice, eating this was not all that pleasant.

Even so, despite Jiang He's many refusals, the Taixu Sect cultivators kept insisting on giving it to him. As such, he had to be frank with them, "To tell the truth, I'm actually farmer who enjoy planting various herbs, vegetables, and grains. I have plenty of soul rice back home, so I appreciate your kindness but I must refuse."

That Taixu Sect's supreme venerable elder smiled in return. "True, with the Revival of Qi, the profane would be able to grow soul rice now as well. That said, the Taixu Soul Rice is rank-seven, and those average grains cannot hope to match it."

Jiang He could not help lifting a brow at that.

Though these people were wary of Jiang He's power and were careful with their speech, these cultivators' high and mighty attitude, which belittled all commoners, was already deeply ingrained and it could not be changed just then.

And what was with that supreme venerable elder's repetitive mention of the 'profane'? Who was he belittling here?

That very same supreme venerable elder picked up the twenty catties of Taixu Soul Rice then and continued to push it to Jiang He, who push it away and said flatly, "I'm sorry, but frankly speaking… it's not that I don't want the Taixu Soul Rice—I'm just not used to eating that stuff."

The supreme venerable elder's mouth hung open a little at that, but he soon said, "It's fine, Brother Jiang He. There's no way you would have eaten rank-seven soul rice, and you aren't used to it so soon…"

"Buzz off!"

There was a dark look on Jiang He's face, and he almost slapped out at the supreme venerable elder.

Are you an idiot?

A Sufferance cultivator who has weathered five retributions… you had probably cultivated for over a thousand years, did you not?

Did you live like a pig in those one thousand years too?

Jiang He waved his hand and took out a gurney sack of Dragontooth Rice at that and said, "This is rank-nine Dragontooth Rice which I've planted myself. The yield isn't great since I've only managed to harvest a few million catties, but I'm used to eating this, and not some average-grade soul rice."

At that point, Jiang He was no longer willing to hang around at the Taixu Sect. Standing up and offering a fist-palm salute, he said, "Thank you for your hospitality, brother and sisters. I'll be going since I have another matter to see to."

The expression on the Taixu Sect cultivators all changed at that, and they promptly rose to see Jiang He off.

Meanwhile, the Sufferance supreme venerable elder was left frozen like a stone statue, and was left sitting on his chair, unable to recover his senses for a long time.

On the other hand, as the others arrived outside the sect, one of the sect members presented Jiang He with three pellet recipes: one rank-seven, one rank-eight, and rank-nine. Jiang He did not take them for free either, and took out three intermediate-grade sage items, which he offered the Taixu Sect in return as payment for purchasing the pellet recipes.

"By the way, chieftain, you may take your time to come up with a design and function for the superior-grade sage item you want. Just come by my house to look for me when you've decided."

The Taixu Sect chieftain quickly thanked him.

But since it was a very important matter for him, he naturally had to weigh his options before making up his mind.

At the same time, Jiang He was stepping off the path of twilight radiance when he paused and asked, "By the way, brothers and sisters, would you happen to know which immortal sects and demonic sects had come to the seas to watch the show when I wiped out the Penglai Sect?"

"There is one particular daemon—Sufferance-tier, eight retributions, who was injured by one swing of my sword. Which Holy Ground does that daemon belong to?"

The Taixu Sect certainly knew about that matter, just as Sufferance-tier daemons who weathered eight retributions would not be a minor character. As such, their chieftain answered, "That eight-retribution daemon is known as the Greenfox King, and is one of the Daemon Kings of Mount Changbai, the Holy Grounds of the Foxes."

"Oh?"

"The foxes… do they have many elites? How many Mahayana cultivators? How strong are they compared to the Taixu Sect?" Jiang He asked then.

On the other hand, every person in the Taixu Sect was left with an inward seizing fear…

Could Jiang He be thinking about attacking the Foxes of Mount Changbai?

That Taixu Sect promptly said, "Brother Jiang He, the Foxes of Mount Changbai possess a strong background and have at least two Mahayana elites overseeing them… At the very least, there is no telling if they had any among them who rose to Mahayana over the last thousand years… Moreover, the Foxes of Mount Changbai have a strong bond with the Green Hill Foxes…"

"Just two? Hmm… we could give them the benefit of doubt and consider that they have three. Even so, it wouldn't be difficult."

Jiang He muttered to himself before chuckling, "Anyway, I'm just going to borrow something from the Foxes of Mount Changbai, not wipe them out… so, when it comes to who they are buddies with… what does have to do with me?"

With that, Jiang He flew away.

Someone sneered then. "Such audacity. He actually doesn't even respect three Mahayana cultivators—does he think that he's immortal already?"

"Silence!"

One of the Taixu Sect's Mahayana cultivators barked. "He has gained such cultivation at twenty-five, not to mention that he is accomplished at arrays and likely is a grandmaster of item-refinement. Moreover, he possesses an immortal sword and had wiped out the Penglai Sect all by himself, meaning that he has what it takes to be audacious!"

"Maybe he's just bragging?"

The Sufferance-tier supreme venerable elder with six retributions muttered, "He even claimed that he could refine rank-nine spirit pellets…"

"B*stard!"

The Mahayana cultivator promptly landed a slap across the supreme venerable elder's face and warned coolly, "Don't drag the Taixu Sect along with you if you have a death wish. We may be stronger than the Penglai Sect, but Jiang He is merely full-fledged Sufferance right now, despite being twenty-five. Does rising to Mahayana, or even ascending as an immortal, even pose a challenge to him?"

"As long as the immortals don't return to Earth… Jiang He is untouchable!"

"Diplomacy is the only way when it comes to such people. We must not cross him at all cost."

The Mahayana cultivator paused for a moment then, before adding, "By the way, gather the medicinal ingredients needed for the pellet recipes we gave him today, and deliver it to him when we have the time… preparing two portions each would be ideal, so that we could ask Jiang He to refine another pellet for our sect. We would know then whether he could actually refine pellets."

In truth, that Mahayana cultivator was a little afraid to believe that Jiang He could refine pellets… though he was more reluctant than afraid.

What the hell…

If a young man who was just twenty-five years was that impressive, does that not mean the two thousand years of the Mahayana cultivator's life was meaningless?

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Chapter 346: Eh? Why Is That Little Daemon Dead Already?

Beneath a seemingly plain hill at Mount Changbai.

Ooom.

Space rippled, and soon, a fox daemon covered entirely in a red coat of fur appeared. It was almost ten meters in length and had two wings protruding from its back, and it suddenly appeared over the grasslands.

It shook its fur coat when it landed and reared its head, baring its teeth as it barked several times at the skies. Then, laughing coldly and smugly, it said, "That trash Three Blades Lin actually dared to make an attempt on this emperor's life?"

"After returning to the Holy Ground of this emperor's tribe, the eminences had bestowed this emperor with daemonic cultivation techniques and an intermediate grade soul weapon. Moreover, this emperor is now Feral Emperor-pinnacle, and not even the Golden-Winged Roc nor the Dragoncroc Emperor are a match for this emperor now."

That fox daemon was indeed the Scarlet Fox King who had been hunted by Three Blades Lin and his fellow disciple, Pei Donglai.

The Scarlet Fox King was still a Feral King at the time, though it was now Feral Emperor. Moreover, having gained a daemonic cultivation technique and a daemonic weapon bestowed by an Eminent Fox, its power had increased so much that it had become buoyed.

It was now considering whether it should rally all Ferals in the Hua Nation in resistance… When that happened, it could afford to grab a handful of humans with tender meat as snacks.

After all, the Scarlet Fox King was quite the ruthless character.

It had directly and indirectly caused the deaths of over a hundred thousand humans, and not even Wang Hou could do anything it when it gained the protection of an Eminent Fox.

And now, as its calls resounded, several rank-eight and rank-nine Ferals soon quickly arrived and prostrated themselves on the ground, communicating slogans like 'welcome back, Your Majesty' psychically.

Beside itself in glee, the Scarlet Fox King spoke in human speech, "It has been hard on you all this while with this emperor not around."

"However, you would no longer need to suffer with this emperor's return."

"In the future, I might even obtain daemonic cultivation techniques and bestow you daemonic weapons… and guide you to my tribe's Holy Grounds for cultivation."

The Scarlet Fox King began to brag away then.

Bragging cost him nothing way, and what was not to like with having these imbecile Ferals follow him wholeheartedly?

Foxes were cunning, and foxes that cultivated up to the Scarlet Fox King's level were naturally even more cunning!

It was the Feral King of Mount Changbai and the Greater Khingan Range in the first place, and it had many high-tier Ferals under its command. However, after Jiang He had slain the Golden-Winged Roc and the Dragoncroc Emperor, the Hua Nation began to hunt down all Feral Kings without restraint, causing the Feral Kings to flee or hide themselves. Now left without Feral King protection, the high-tier Ferals all became profits for the high-ranked martial artists of the Hua Nation.

And now, these high-ranked martial artists were settling down in groups within the wildlands.

They hunted down the high-tier Ferals and gathered materials from their corpses, as well as searched for floral spirits within the wildlands and various rare treasures. In fact, the Superpower Research Department had to slightly lower the prices at which they purchased Feral materials.

That was why the Scarlet Fox Emperor immediately ordered every Feral beneath its command to send word everywhere: it had now ascended to Feral Emperor.

Hence, in just a matter of hours, almost a thousand Ferals rushed there from Mount Changbai and the Greater Khingan Range, seeking an audience with the Scarlet Fox King… or the Scarlet Fox Emperor, to be precise.

Of the one thousand Ferals, twenty of them were high-ranked. Each of them communicated psychically and cheered, 'Fox Emperor!'

That made the Scarlet Fox Emperor even smugger.

After all, one should know that its days in the Holy Ground of the Foxes had been tragic.

Every move was bound heavily by rules or regulations—where had the freedom it enjoyed so much at the mountains and the forest gone to?

Rules were deadly strict in the Holy Ground of the Foxes, and the title of Daemon King was not something the Scarlet Fox Emperor would have dared to use in that place. Only the daemons that had suffered through heavenly retributions would be addressed as king, so how could the Scarlet Fox Emperor not get smug when it was addressed as 'Fox Emperor'?

Sitting a top a stony mountain and rearing its head, its scarlet fur coat seemed to blaze like flames as it breathed human speech, "I am aware of your situation. I will attack and get rid of the cells of powerful fighters who are nearby for you…"

Nonetheless, the Scarlet Fox Emperor did not notice a sword's flash descending on the clouds overhead.

Of course, with its current cultivation, it could not see it even if it looked.

Up above the clouds, Jiang He was rather surprised when he looked down below.

Was that a… Feral Emperor?

"Aren't all Feral Kings within the Hua Nation borders in hiding? So why is there a Feral Emperor on Mount Changbai?"

Jiang He could not hold back a twinkle in his eyes as he stared below.

He could feel the swirling presences of daemonic power on that Feral Emperor's body.

Is that beast a daemonic cultivator?

"Hold on… a fox? In the Holy Ground of the Foxes at Mount Changbai?"

Jiang He could not help laughing when he realized that. "And I was troubled on my journey here… the Taixu Sect told me that the Holy Ground of the Foxes is in Mount Changbai, but did not say specifically where and how to enter… since that beast is a daemonic cultivator, it would know how to get in the Holy Grounds of its own kind, or at least a method to contact other fox cultivators."

"Hmmm?"

Just as he was about to descend and capture the Scarlet Fox Emperor, Jiang He suddenly remembered something.

A scarlet fox?

Wings growing over its back?

Speaks human tongue?

It also clearly possessed fire-type powers, so it made sense that it breathed fire, yes?

"Could that be the Scarlet Fox King of the Greater Khingan Range? He saw a post about it when I first transmigrated, didn't I?"

Something clicked in Jiang He's mind then, and even today, he clearly remembered the post about the Scarlet Fox King of the Greater Khingan Range:

'Shocking Find! A red fox the size of a calf spotted in the snowfields of the Greater Khingan Range! It has two wings growing over its back, speaks human language, and breathes flames!'

Though the size was different, the beast Jiang He was now looking at fits.

Indeed, size did not matter.

It was only natural that it grew larger now that it is a Feral King.

"So this is fate…"

Jiang He could not help grinning. Since he had confirmed that it was the Scarlet Fox King, he also recalled how Three Blades Lin had complained about a foiled attempt to hunt it down, and that it was the beast that killed many humans.

"This is the very same beast!"

"I'll send it to the Superpower Research Department right after I capture it and have them extract its blood and essence every waking moment—it would be a way of punishing it."

With that in mind…

Whoosh!

Treading upon the clouds, Jiang He descended from the skies then.

"Who is it?!"

The Scarlet Fox Emperor promptly rose from the giant boulder it stood upon, its eyes blazing as it growled, "Who dares tread upon the land of the foxes? Don't blame this emperor for killing you with my attack!"

In truth, the Scarlet Fox Emperor was rather wary.

Who could it be?

Was there supposed to be such a powerful person among the humans?

Still, despite its own doubts, the Scarlet Fox Emperor became unruly once it remembered that the Holy Ground of the Foxes was just behind it. Leaping off the giant boulder, it bared its teeth in a ferocious glare as it seethed, "State your name. I, the Scarlet Fox Emperor, never devours the anonymous!"

Jiang He could not help laughing out loud.

Was this dude that poor in sight?

"I'm Jiang He." He grinned then.

"What?!"

The Scarlet Fox Emperor was stunned, though it soon started laughing loudly. "Haha! You are that human who slayed the Golden-Winged Roc and the Dragoncroc Emperor? Good, good… it was said that you're no weakling, and it would be greatly nourishing to devour you."

Jiang He was dumbstruck.

It was now his turn to be baffled.

What the hell.

Did I give myself too much credit?

Could my name hold no threat at all?

Unbeknown to Jiang He, the Scarlet Fox Emperor was no one important in the Holy Ground of the Foxes either, so how could he be allowed to know about Jiang He's feats? The beast certainly did not know that he had wiped out the Penglai Sect and injured the Green Fox King, the Sufferance Daemon King with eight retributions weathered from hundreds of miles away either!

Nonetheless, Jiang He was about to move when his gaze shifted toward the distance.

Faraway, space itself rippled, and soon, an Elder Fox stepped out of the Holy Grounds in greeting, saying, "We were unaware that Brother Jiang He had come to visit us. Do forgive us for not coming out to greet you."

In fact, every Eminent Fox in the Holy Ground of the Foxes sensed Jiang He the instant he set foot on Mount Changbai.

The reason they did not step out to greet him was because… they were a little flustered!

Therefore, the Eminent Foxes were discussing how they should greet and face Jiang He, but they certainly did not expect that outside, the Scarlet Fox Emperor had threatened to kill the man even before they even reached a consensus…

That instantly scared the many Eminent Foxes half to death.

And now, the Elder Fox landed in front of the Scarlet Fox Emperor and shielded it while forcing a smile, saying, "Brother Jiang He, this young fox doesn't know your great name. Do forgive it if it has provoked you, Mister Jiang."

Jiang He said nothing, and simply punched out once instead.

Boom!

Overflowing qi surged forth with the force of a natural disaster, his full-fledged Sufferance physical strength erupting instantly. The Elder Fox's face dropped at that and promptly reverted into its true-form—a thousand-feet long white fox. It also spat out a daemonic weapon and attempted to block Jiang He's punch…

Be that as it may…

It was merely seven-retribution.

Jiang He's single punch had sent its daemonic weapon flying, and the thousand-feet long white fox flying several kilometers away. At the same time, the shockwave rippling away from the force of its punch had ground the Scarlet Fox Emperor and the one thousand Ferals around it into a single puddle of flesh.

Withdrawing his fist, Jiang He then smiled, "Don't worry, Brother. Why would I, Jiang He, stoop to a little daemon's level… Eh? It's dead already?"

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Chapter 347: The Power of the Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity Revealed

"…"

A thousand meters away, the white fox who was left coughing blood from the bunch turned into an old man again and hacked furiously. "You are too much, Jiang He!

"Too much?"

Jiang He could not hold back from laughing. "Dear brother, you're a fox, a daemon—what is too much about this? Moreover, I did what you told me and did not stoop to that little daemon's level. What more do you want from me?"

"You…"

Blargh!

The Elder Fox coughed out another mouthful of blood from sheer frustration!

Was Jiang He not being too shameless?!

How could you say something like that?!

On the other hand, Jiang He was sneering inwardly.

Did I attack the Scarlet Fox Emperor?

No, I did not!

I was simply punching you, but you were too weak to catch the blow. So, what could I do when the power from blow dispersed and knocked the Scarlet Fox Emperor to death?

If you had been over ten times stronger, caught the blow, and nullified my punch, would the Scarlet Fox Emperor have died?

That was when several figures stepped out of thin air just ahead of them.

There was a total of seven of them.

Two of them were Mahayana, while the other five were all Sufferance—two being eight-retributions and three being seven-retributions. While they all appeared in human form, they would still retain some fox characteristics: one old seven-retribution vixen had woolly fox ears, while another eight-retribution appeared to be a middle-aged man with a fox nose.

Nonetheless, Daemonic Qi was wafting out of their bodies as each of them stared at Jiang He warily, with the old vixen speaking then, "Jiang He, why have you come to the Holy Ground of the Foxes?"

"Dear brothers and sisters."

Jiang He held fist to palm as he smiled, "I came uninvited to borrow something from you foxes… but such wariness is unnecessary, isn't it? Though all of you are foxes and therefore daemons, I'm not belittling daemon cultivators as well, let alone wiping out the Foxes of Mount Changbai at the drop of a hat."

"How dare you?"

The old vixen barked, her aura overflowing as she gave a fearsome glare.

Jiang He frowned at the old vixen and said unhappily, "Could you have misheard me, old vixen?"

"I said I wouldn't want to wipe out the Foxes of Mount Changbai… or do you want me to go on a killing spree?"

The old vixen sneered, and it transformed instantly into a thousand-feet long old fox. Gaping its maw, it breathed out a daemonic weapon and invoked its Daemonic Pellet, then spoke in human tongue, "Jiang He, we, the Foxes of Mount Changbai do not wish to cross paths with you. Leave."

She was already chasing him off.

Moreover, it was not just the vixen—the auras of the other Daemon Foxes were bursting as they attempted to intimidate Jiang He and forced him to back off.

One must say that the overall number of eminences was more than what elites the Penglai Sect had. Moreover, the eight-retribution Daemon Fox which Jiang He's sword had injured did not even show up yet, which means that this was not the full power of the Foxes of Mount Changbai.

One Mahayana Daemon Fox moved a step forward then and said, "We foxes have never had any quarrels with the world, nor would we want to deal with any person or function while Chaos looms. Do forgive us for being unable to show you our hospitality, Brother Jiang He."

Though its words were reasonable, would Jiang He hear a word of it?

Daddy here has come from so far away and has ended up getting chased away when I did not even get to see where the mountain archway to your Holy Grounds are?

Would I be left with any dignity if word of this gets out?

And what if the other immortal sects, demonic sects, and ancient daemon cultivators act like the Foxes of Mount Changbai?

Jiang He was willing to bargain with human immortal sects a little further… but not daemon cultivators. Moreover, 'no quarrel with the world'? That Scarlet Fox Emperor had killed several hundred thousand humans, and yet your kind has offered it refuge—you call that no quarrel?

Quietly invoking his Mosquito Cutter, while letting loose a burst of his mystic energies, qi, and aura in that instant, Jiang He laughed. "Mount Changbai is the territory of the Hua Nation, and I, as a citizen, was simply placing by. What, do I have to suffer being chased away by other people… no, I mean vermin?"

"Jiang He!"

The old vixen barked in fury while the others followed suit, yelling, "Do you think the foxes are afraid of you, Jiang He!? Back down at once, or don't blame us for being ruthless!"

Whoosh!

Jiang He swung his sword at the direction of the seven-retribution Daemon Fox, and with a flash of his sword, he appeared directly in front of the beast.

Three Thousand Calamities: White Foal Crosses the Rift.

When Jiang He first created this move, he only set one special aspect to it—swiftness!

Of all the martial skills in the world, the quickest would never be matched.

Jiang He believed that the principle applied to immortal arts or divine skills too.

If my blade stabs out without giving you time to react, how could you stop it?

Indeed, that single swing of his sword had come too quickly.

Even though the Mahayana Daemon Fox had managed to catch the instant when Jiang He attacked and were already moving to stop him… it was already too late.

The head of the seven-retribution Daemon Fox which barked at Jiang He was sent flying with a loud crack.

Likewise, his Yuan Spirit instantly fell apart as the Sword Qi of the Mosquito Cutter raged.

Thud!

And once he died and lost all control, its true form—a gigantic black fox—was revealed, and it dropped to the ground.

Incensed, the auras of the other Daemon Foxes all erupted at that very moment, and daemonic weapon after daemonic weapon were launched towards Jiang He, who simply laughed out loud. He was completely fearless even though he was facing off against a big group alone, even repelling several of those daemonic weapons while he backed off ten kilometers away in a flash. "Foxes of Mount Changbai," he said icily, "so none of you are giving me any face, are you?'

On the other hand, the Daemon Foxes did not press their attack, though the old vixen cried out hysterically 'Black Fox King' as it dived towards the dead Daemon Fox.

It had already reverted to human form and was half-kneeling in front of the corpse of Black Fox King, before turning to cry out shrilly at Jiang He, "What the hell do you want, Jiang He?!"

"We, the Foxes of Mount Changbai, had no quarrel with you! Why would you invade our Holy Grounds, kill our young ones and injure one of our own, even killing the Black Fox King now?"

There was endless rage in our voice.

"Don't tell me you don't know what the Green Fox King, a fellow fox of your tribe had done?"

"When my Yuan Qi was wounded in the battle against the Penglai Sect, it was leering at my immortal sword in secret, even baring killing intent towards me… If I didn't release my sword to threaten the Green Fox King, it would have attacked while I would be instantly surrounded by the other lurking elites. Even so, I don't wish to argue and merely asked to borrow two things from you foxes, but forget not lending it to me—you beasts actually dared to chase me off?"

Jiang He's expression darkened then.

That old vixen had quite the sharp tongue.

If those who did not know the truth heard her, they would assume that Jiang He was starting fights without reason.

Taking a deep breath, sage flying swords began to float in the air in front of Jiang He and there were ten of them, including Mosquito Cutter. Each sword exuded razor-sharp Sword Qi, and built up into a Sword Array in almost an instant.

And when the Sword Array took shape, the faces on the many Eminent Foxes fell at once.

The power coming out of the Sword Array actually cut out streaks of inch-long dimensional rifts into the air around itself.

Even though it was just small rifts and some ways away from shattering space…

It was already on par with the power of an immortal.

One of the Mahayana Eminent Foxes promptly shrieked on top of its lungs in panic, "Mercy, Brother Jiang He! We will lend you whatever you want…."

He could feel the Sword Array locking on to his aura.

A most horrific killing intent had actually left its guts shivering.

Once that Sword Array was release, there is no doubting his death…

Snikt.

A crisp sound could be heard then.

The Mahayana Eminent Fox was pierced between the brows by a sword flash, and his gaze turned dead in an instant. After that, his corpse reverted to its true form on its own and dropped out of the air, crashing down on the ground.

On the other hand, Jiang He withdrew the Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity, feeling utterly shocked.

What the hell?

An instakill with a single slash?

That was supposed to be a Mahayana cultivator!

Was the Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity that awesome? One sword and the target was vanquished in both body and spirit?

His ten million Farm Points were certainly not squandered.

Killing a Mahayana cultivator instantly… well, what reason is there to hold back now?

Standing up on thin air, Jiang He rose further into the skies. Invoking the Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity again, he looked down upon the Eminent Foxes and sneered. "Give up the Green Fox King and lend me a cultivation manual for plant, as well as two of your Feral Kings or just one Feral Emperor… or I will flatten the Holy Ground of the Foxes on this very day!"

Uh-huh.

Jiang He felt that no one would refuse when he borrowed things in this manner—guaranteed.

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Chapter 348: What Do the Green Hill Foxes Even Amount To?

Discreet auras were materializing in the distant skies.

Their gazes and divine minds were all focused upon Jiang He, and there were many of them: Jin Sidao, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect's Lord of the Dragon Abyss Sword, several Mahayana cultivators from the Taixu Sect, along with many elites from various demonic sects as well as ancient daemon cultivators.

Jiang He felt extended his senses a little…

Even if there were a dozen people, the weakest among them was at least seven or eight retributions… did they not keep insisting that the time wasn't right for them to reveal themselves? Why were they all showing up in the blink of an eye?

After all, they had legs and Jiang He could not control them… Still, isn't it a little too much, running here to watch my show?

On the other hand, the Eminent Foxes were between a rock and a hard place.

Back off?

That would mean giving up on their dignity and the Foxes of Mount Changbai would be reduced to laughing stock from here on out…

But how were they supposed to move on from this?

In the split second needed to wave his hand, Jiang He took down a Mahayana Daemon. Would their Holy Grounds even stop him even if they went out in full force?

On the other hand, as Jiang He watched the Eminent Foxes all stared at him mournfully and hatefully. He coolly asked, "Why aren't you lot saying anything?"

"Did you not hear what I'd asked for just now?"

"Fine, I'll spend a little effort to repeat myself."

With the Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity hovering above his head and its aura exerting pressure across all directions, Jiang He kept staring at the many Eminent Foxes and said, "Surrender the Green Fox King and lend me a cultivation technique for plant beings, and I will be needing two lesser daemons too."

"By the way, isn't your Holy Grounds rich and doesn't it possess many daemonic weapons?"

"Lend me a few superior-grade sage flying swords too, along with 5,000 intermediate-grade spirit stones and 500 superior-grade spirit stones. Do that and I won't keep pressuring you Foxes of Mount Changbai."

"What!?"

The Eminent Foxes of Mount Changbai were at once baffled, with the old vixen barking, "You did not mention spirit stones and flying stones before…"

"Hmmm?"

Jiang He appeared surprised. "I did not mention that? Well, that's fine since I can mention it now all the same."

"Jiang He!"

The old vixen cried shrilly, "We, the Foxes of Mount Changbai, have stood for more than five thousand years. Would we still have any dignity left to live with if we lowered our heads to you now?!"

On the other hand, Jiang He was advancing while the power of the Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity erupted overhead. Still, though the sword array was locking on to another Mahayana fox, he was staring coolly at the old vixen who had kept complaining throughout. "I'm asking one last time. Are you lot lending it or not?"

"If you do, I won't bother the Foxes of Mount Changbai ever again… but if you don't, the Foxes of Mount Changbai shall vanish from the face of this earth."

"You are delusional…"

Slap!

Even before that old vixen could finish her sentence, the Mahayana Fox which was targeted had slapped her in the face.

What the hell.

You mad vixen! Are you being that bold because you knew that the Sword Array was not locking on to you?

Can't you see that my elder brother had been cut down by that Sword Array in an instant?

He was slightly stronger than me but could not stop it at all, so you are hoping that I would die too?

Hence, right after slapping the old vixen, he promptly braced itself and exclaimed, "Brother Jiang He, we can talk about this!"

"No."

Jiang He answered flatly, even though he was roaring with laughter inside.

Are the survival instincts of the Daemon Foxes that incredible?

I'm almost laughing out loud here.

Meanwhile, the Mahayana Fox gritted its teeth. Sensing that the Sword Array could land on his own head at any moment, it mustered whatever strength it had to speak, "Brother Jiang He, the Foxes of Mount Changbai can give you whatever you ask for. But the Green Fox King…"

Pausing, it then added, "It had acted carelessly back then, and had been severely injured by your sword, Brother Jiang He. It had been punished according, so please hold back, Brother Jiang He, and spare its life."

Jiang He, however, shook his head and released killing intent away from his body. "I did not mention one last condition. The Foxes of Mount Changbai shall die today!"

"I…"

Even as the Mahayana Fox was left exasperated, the old vixen it slapped struggled to get from the ground. Coughing blood and smiling fearsomely, it seethed, "Don't push us too far, Jiang He!"

Jiang He's gaze turned cool at that. With a flick of his finger, he directed a strand of the power from his Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity at the old vixen.

The old vixen could not stop it, nor did it attempt to.

Closing her eyes, it bellowed in fury while weeping blood, "Jiang He! When the Immortal Foxes return in the future, they shall repay you for the humiliation you inflicted upon us today!"

Clang!

That was when up in the skies, a Daemonic Qi descended, rolling like a cloud and stopped the flash from Jiang He's sword.

Jiang He's eyes lit up at that.

Though he had used just a fraction of his own Sword Qi, its offensive power would not be weaker than the full-powered strikes of Mahayana elites. How was it stopped so easily?

As he focused his gaze, the rolling cloud transformed into a young man wearing white war armor and holding a scarlet spear.

He had unmatched beauty and there was a gemlike blueness in his pupils. Both his ears were pointy, retaining some bit of a Daemon Fox's attribute.

He stared at Jiang He for a bit and smiled calmly. "Brother Jiang He, I know about everything that has happened. Even so, us foxes never had any quarrel with the world. Even if the Green Fox King of Mount Changbai was at fault for plotting against you, you have already taught it a lesson. Do give myself and the Green Hill Foxes some face, how about that?"

"A demi-immortal combat armor?"

"Premium-grade sage spear?"

"Mahayana-pinnacle cultivation?"

Jiang He thought then that the fellow's items were quite good. If he killed him, took the items and strengthen them through planting, would he not have a set of immortal combat armor?

His eyes then turned to the youth's face as he said flatly, "What do you amount to?"

"What do the Green Hill Foxes even amount to?"

"If you dare to act all pompous before me, why should I give you face?"

"Die!"

Within several seconds, Jiang He had already moved.

After he charged forward with the Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity, the Daemon Fox who resembled a youth was caught stunned. Though he retaliated with every move he knew, he was already left coughing blood after two moves even with the demi-immortal combat armor. Utterly astonished, he turned into a vein of Daemonic Qi to escape, his voice echoing from hundreds of miles away, "How dare you make an enemy of the Green Hill Foxes, Jiang He?!"

Jiang He swung his sword again, the light of his sword disappearing over a hundred miles away in a flash. Still, blood could be seen splashing out of the skies over there, and the Eminent Fox promptly fled after suffering a single sword strike, and was soon out of sight.

"Even if you're all talk, there isn't an ounce of competence in you…"

"The Green Hill Foxes?"

"Heh…"

Though his voice was serene, it boomed like thunder and resounded in the air. His last 'heh' of disdain especially left the Daemon Fox that had already fled four hundred kilometers away coughing blood from sheer frustration again.

Despite a flash of hostility in his face, he flew away without looking back.

At the same time, the old vixen started hooting away again, laughing wildly and smugly with immeasurable hate, "You're dead, Jiang He! You're dead!"

"The Green Hill Foxes have a long history, and we, the Foxes of Mount Changbai are but a branch of theirs. You have now provoked them, and you are definitely dead…"

Snikt.

A soft echo.

Sword Qi had pierced the old vixen between her brows and shattered her mind and soul. Jiang He gave its corpse just one look as it fell to the ground and said, "Noisy!"

With that, he turned toward the Mahayana Fox and asked with a smile, "Brother, what have you decided? Life, or death?"

The Daemon Fox laughed bitterly. There was a look of misery on its face as it asked, "Brother Jiang He, would you refrain from troubling us, the Foxes of Mount Changbai, after we lend you what you demand?"

Jiang He nodded.

"Very well," the Daemon Fox said. "From this day forth, we, the Foxes of Mount Changbai, shall keep ourselves confined to our mountain. Aside gathering from necessities, no disciples shall leave in the next thousand years. Please keep your word, Brother Jiang He."

"I, Jiang He, would never go back on my word."

Holding to one last bit of hope, the Daemon Fox then asked tentatively, "Would you return the items you've borrowed, Brother Jiang He?"

Jiang He shook his head.

I took a loan through my power. Why should I return it?

The Daemon Fox smiled miserably in response then, and said, "Please wait for a moment, Brother. We'll prepare the items right away."

It returned inside the mountain array, and after a while, veins of Daemonic Qi clashed within, causing a considerable commotion.

Still, the Mahayana Fox soon returned to Jiang He, and placed the corpse of the Green Fox King and a Spatial Ring before Jiang He.

He put down the items and returned inside the array without a word, declaring sonorously, "From this day forth, the Foxes of Mount Changbai shall keep our mountain sealed… for a thousand years!"

Jiang He put away the Green Fox King's corpse and the Spatial Ring, and turned to offer a fist-palm salute toward the skies.

Up above, the many auras lurking promptly fled without tarrying when they saw that…

They were afraid of ending up like the Green Fox King, after all.

Jiang He, however, quickly said, "What's the rush, brothers and sisters? I still have questions I need everyone to answer."

Several Mahayana elites from the Taixu Sect and Jin Sidao of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect stepped out then.

The Mahayana elites each had different expressions, the way they were looking at Jiang He changing right then. Though they were shocked when they had heard how Jiang He wiped out the Penglai Sect all by himself, they were feeling something completely different when they saw with their own eyes how Jiang He had cut down Eminent Daemons that were no weaker than themselves.

Sympathy?

Misery?

After cultivating for a thousand years, only to end up being unable to stop a brat's sword… why did he bother cultivating?

"Eh?"

Nonetheless, Jiang He was unaware of their thoughts and exclaimed in surprise, "All of you are here? By the way, do you know the name of the Daemon Fox wearing demi-immortal armor and a premium-grade sage spear?"

"And where do the Green Hill Foxes reside specifically?"

Jin Sidao did a double take, but then opened his eyes wide and asked, "Brother Jiang He… are you thinking about going to bother the Green Hill Foxes?"

Even as he finished, the Taixu Sect members beside him quickly said, "No, absolutely not!"

"Brother Jiang He, the Green Hill Foxes are not easy prey… they hold a deep depth to their power and possess many elites under their command… most importantly, they might possess a genuine immortal item!"

"Immortal item?"

Jiang He's eyes instantly sparkled right then.

If that was the case…

All the more reason to visit the Green Hill Foxes, then!

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Chapter 349: The Corpse of an Immortal Daemon?

Jin Sidao of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, as well as the four Mahayana-tier antiques of the Taixu Sect, were aware of many secrets.

All of them hence began to give their respective inputs, and soon told Jiang He all they knew about the Green Hill Foxes.

"They are enigmatic and unfathomable, as well as possess a long history. Even so, they rarely interact with various immortal sects or demonic sects, and had not much dealings with the Holy Grounds of other daemon cultivators either. That being said, nobody would dare to belittle them!"

"While it is known for sure that they boast a force of six Mahayana Foxes… one could be sure that it definitely was not their full force!"

"Oh, right!"

Jin Sidao's tone changed then as he lowered his voice and said quietly, "What keeps people most wary about the Green Hill Foxes is not the fact that they possess a real immortal item… but because they have the fully preserved corpse of an Immortal Daemon!"

"Eh?"

Jiang He face's twitched in slight surprise, and he soon frowned to ask in confusion, "No matter how rare an Immortal Daemon's corpse could be, it is still a corpse. What is there to be wary about? It's dead, or are they going to revive the corpse to fight me?"

"The corpse naturally wouldn't fight you, but what if it is controlled by someone else?"

Jin Sidao appeared somber as he said, "The complete corpse of an Immortal Daemon means that the Immortal Dao within has yet to fade, or has never once faded. Once charged, the immortal power of the corpse would burst forth, and the corpse could be used to wield immortal items and every power it contains. When that happens, even real immortals would have to keep their distance."

"The Immortal Dao…"

As the thought crossed Jiang He's mind and he measured that against his own current combat ability… he realized that he might not win!

"No, I absolutely wouldn't win… unless my ability improves to the next level up or to full-fledged Mahayana, where I would be infinitely close to becoming immortal, I might be able to hold my own with the Mosquito Cutter and the Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity!"

"Still… I would have to improve the Three Thousand Calamites to the seventh fold if I want to cultivate up to full-fledged Mahayana."

"But doing that would cost me a billion Farm Points!"

One billion…

That was no small number.

"Should I go to a few more sects to borrow some spirit stones?"

"If I could borrow a hundred thousand mediocre-grade spirit stones and ten thousand superior-grade spirit stones, I would get that one billion Farm Points."

The thought occurred to Jiang He then.

Still, he eventually shook his head.

It was not like he had been acquainted with those sects, so it was just not right to loan spirit stones…

"If a few more daemon cultivators like the Green Fox King bother me, the hundred thousand mediocre-grade spirit stones I need might be ready soon."

As Jiang He sighed, Jin Sidao and the Taixu Sect Mahayana elites felt their lips twitching.

What?

What are you even saying?

Judging from how you put it, are you trying to fake some incidents here?

Still, after facing two incidents where the Penglai Sect was wiped out and the Foxes of Mount Changbai were forced to submit, it was most likely that no immortal sect, demonic sect, nor ancient daemon cultivator would be so foolish that they would provoke Jiang He, would they?

"A hundred thousand mediocre-grade spirit stones?" Jin Sidao and the others asked, perplexed.

"I'm just convinced that I could improve my cultivation to Mahayana with that many spirits stones," Jiang He answered. "By the way, does how many spirits stones do your sects have in store?"

When he saw the drastic change of expression in their faces, Jiang He quickly said, "Don't worry, I won't take your spirit stones without offering anything in return. I would be exchanging them with mediocre-grade spirit stones… how about a rate of 1:1.5? I could exchange superior-grade spirit stones too at the same rate."

Nonetheless, Jin Sidao started bawling right then. "Brother Jiang He, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect don't even have a thousand mediocre-grade spirit stones in store, and there are less than a hundred superior-grade spirit stones… Otherwise, we would be willing to give you one and a half spirit stones for each spirit stone you have, or give you thousands of spirit stones for free."

Jiang He was speechless.

What are you talking about? Giving me one and a half spirit stones for each spirit stone I have?

When I said 1:15, I meant that I would be giving you one and a half spirit stones for each spirit stone you have, alright?

After making himself clear, Jin Sidao was left doing a double take. He then asked uncertainly, "Brother Jiang He… What do you intend with doing this?"

"Moreover, why would you exchange the spirit stones you have?"

Was that not completely unnecessary?

Of course, Jin Sidao did not say it.

At the same time, Jiang He was not offering an explanation. He cannot tell the others that the few hundred thousand mediocre-grade spirit stones he had could not be used as seeds, surely?

He simply smiled. "1:15. If you could gather a thousand mediocre-grade spirit stones, I'll give you 1,500 mediocre-grade spirit stones. Likewise, I would give you 150 superior-grade spirit stones if you could gather a hundred of those."

"Jin Sidao, would you accept this trade?"

"Yes, yes!"

Jin Sidao quickly nodded. Though still a doubtful, he asked Jiang He again to confirm it, after which he promptly took out his jade charm to contact a supreme venerable elder of his sect. "Brother Jiang He, I had already contacted the elites of my sect and they will deliver the spirit stones in around an hour."

"Have them bring them to my house."

Jiang He said, "We'll wait there."

Beside them, when the four Mahayana elites of the Taixu Sect saw that Jiang He was not joking around, one of them quickly took out their jade charm to contact their Sect, and asked them to deliver every mediocre-grade spirit stone and superior-grade spirit stone that could be moved to Jiang He's house.

After that, everyone returned to Jiang He house.

Soon, the spirit stones arrived as well.

The Ten Thousand Swords Sect had delivered 1,300 mediocre-grade spirit stones and 100 superior-grade spirit stones, which Jiang He received. After that, he immediately gave Jin Sidao the 1,950 mediocre-grade spirit stones and 150 superior-grade spirit stones.

On the other hand, the Taixu Sect delivered 8,000 mediocre-grade spirit stones and 650 superior-grade spirit stones.

After Earth's Dragon Vein had been sealed, the Orirock veins slowly withered as Spirit Qi slowly dried up across the world. The spirit stones each sect possessed were therefore accumulated stores.

In fact, they had not excavated spirit stones to replenish their stock over the last 2000 years. Even if they had been holding back on their usage, not many was left.

"8,000… So I should pay you with 1,200 mediocre-grade spirit stones, and 975 superior-grade spirit stones for the 650 you gave."

Jiang He settled the trade with the Taixu Sect.

Indeed, Jin Sidao's eyes were flashing after he made a profit, and he suddenly rose to his feet and said, "Brother Jiang He, how many more mediocre-grade spirit stones and superior-grade spirit stones would you need? I have friends among cultivators and I could buy theirs for you if you need them."

"No limits, and the more the better."

"However, remember that you must not trade with the spirits stones you got from me."

Jiang He smiled, while Jin Sidao left in a swish and a fist-palm salute.

The Taixu Sect's four Mahayana elites came to their senses then as well, and one of them stood up and said, "Brother Jiang He, we, the Taixu Sect, have some contacts as well. We would purchase theirs for you as well."

While they were puzzled as to why Jiang He would do all that, but since there was no problem with the spirit stones they received, who cares?

If they could borrow loads of spirit stones from the other sects, there would definitely be those willing to give if they paid them back with hundreds more.

Moreover, if they stuck to the 1:1.5 ratio when they traded with Jiang He, did that not mean they would be earning a big pile of spirit stones out of nothing?

Being the middleman is so delightful.

At the same time, for the other three Mahayana elites, with knowledge that one person alone would not get that many spirit stones, all of them stood up, bade Jiang He farewell, and left.

It was only after they were gone that Jiang He headed inside his farm and planted every spirit stone he had received. After that, he left his yard and went to the Thunder Talisman Daoist's mystical boat.

The Thunder Talisman Daoist was somberly crafting Nine Retribution Talismans right then. Jiang He stood in a corner and watched since he should not bother him.

The Daoist's mystic energy was bursting. Using daemon blood as ink, he was sketching away fervently with his brush which was imbued with power from thunderbolts of retribution. Then, around fifteen minutes later, the inscription on the talisman was completed!

There was a look of delight on the Thunder Talisman Daoist's face. After feeling it carefully, he exclaimed, "It's done!"

He handed the talisman to Jiang He and said, "I imbued a thunderbolt with the power equal to a seven-retribution thunderbolt. Once charged, it would have the power of a full-power thunderbolt at such level!"

"Just seven-retribution?"

Jiang He was rather disappointed, and he could not help asking, "Aren't you a master of talismans? How did you only end up with something like this after refining for an entire day and night?"

The Thunder Talisman Daoist was left annoyed.

It's seven retribution!

Is that so insignificant in your perspective?

Wait…

That actually seemed to be the case.

Hence, not daring to debate the issue with Jiang He, he said with much grief, "I have already crafted four Nine Retribution Talismans, two of which were five retribution, the other two being six and seven retribution. I've only just finished this seven-retribution talisman, and if you are in a hurry to use them, I could work overtime to make you a batch right away."

Jiang He put away the four Nine Retribution Talismans, ready to try planting them. "I would use the talismans in one or two days," he said. "So, I would be troubling you at this time… make as many as you can."

After all…

He had already set a grudge between himself and the Green Hill Foxes, and conflict was inevitable. To avoid long nights and bad dreams, he must resolve the matter as soon as possible.

When that happened, he would be all by himself as he challenged a major faction of that scale. It was unbearable to even think how weak he was alone.

Therefore, several dozen thunder talismans were necessary.

Even if there would not be dozens of those, there would at least be a dozen, right?

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Chapter 350: The Crafty Jin Sidao

Jiang He had always been prudent in whatever he did.

After all, according to what Jin Sidao of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect as well as the Mahayana elites of the Taixu Sect had said, the Green Hill Foxes were very powerful. Therefore, recklessly kicking down their door would not work.

That said, Jiang He was convinced that if he tried to flee, the Green Hill Foxes would never be able to catch him even with their immortal item or their immortal fox corpse.

Even so…

Was it not a slap to his own face if he knocked down their door and then fled?

That was why he must prepare in any way he could.

After bidding farewell to the Thunder Talisman Daoist, Jiang He returned home and redeemed four packs of Mysterious Soil to fertilize the four thunder talismans he had planted.

Meanwhile, Jin Sidao had arrived at the Jiuhua Sect.

It was another secluded immortal sect that stood on the peak of Mount Jiuhua. Hidden beneath their array, they were equal in strength to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.

Jin Sidao happened to be on good terms with them.

Therefore, they were the first group of people that came to mind when it came to lending spirit stones.

The Mahayana elite of the Jiuhua Sect left confinement received Jin Sidao and consoled him sincerely, "Brother, I have heard about the Ten Thousand Swords Sect… the child named Jiang He is so powerful that no one on Earth could stop him, unless the immortals return."

"Still, now that he has provoked the Green Hill Foxes… that bunch is not that kind…"

However, was Jin Sidao bothered to hear his nonsense?

Moreover, he was convinced he was on good terms with Jiang He…

Are you saying all this to try to drive a wedge between us here?

Nonetheless, considering that this was an old friend he needed a favor from, Jin Sidao held back.

"Brother…"

"Brother…"

Even so, the Mahayana elite of Mount Jiuhua continued to blab away. A vein bulging on his forehead, Jin Sidao then seethed through his teeth, "It's been two thousand years, Cang Song, but you have not changed at all."

"Yes!"

Cang Song looked skyward. There was nostalgia on his face as he muttered, "Two thousand years ago, you were the chief disciple of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, while I was the chief disciple of the Jiuhua Sect. At the time, you and I…"

What the hell.

Jin Sidao thought that he was going crazy then.

Is this man a demon?

Why does a person over two thousand years old have so much to say?

Though Jin Sidao could bear with this fellow's nonsense if it was any other day… he now had to head to other sects to get more spirit stones.

He hence cut Cang Song short and cut to the chase, saying, "Cang Song, I've actually come to your sect today because I have a favor to ask… I need spirits stones ranging from mediocre-grade to superior-grade, and the more the better—"

Even before Jin Sidao finished, Cang Song had already stood up headed back inside his temple. "See him off," he said without even looking back.

Almost throwing up blood right then, Jin Sidao seethed between his teeth. "Cang Song, I am not lending it for nothing. If you could give me 10,000 mediocre-grade spirit stones, I'll return 10,500…"

"In three days… no, two… actually, one! I'll definitely return the spirit stones to you in one day!"

Cang Song stopped in his tracks right then, unable to hold back the twinkle in his eyes.

Though it was a good thing to get 500 spirit stones out of thin air, not to mention that Jin Sidao was quite the fine character, Cang Song refused directly once he remembered that Jiang He had 'robbed' the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, saying, "Jin Sidao, I could be your company if you want to talk about old days for seven days and seven nights… but don't mention borrowing our spirit stones or it would ruin our friendship."

Jin Sidao drew his sword directly.

He had brought the treasure of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect—the Dragon Abyss Sword.

Being a demi-immortal weapon, the radiance of the Dragon Abyss Sword illuminated the temple once it was unsheathed. The sword hummed relentlessly, leaving Cang Song pale in shock and yelling angrily, "Are you trying to rob the Jiuhua Sect, Jin Sidao?!"

"Rob, my foot!"

Jin Sidao slammed the Dragon Abyss Sword on the table and said, "Brother Cang Song, I understand that you're worried about whether I'm able to return the spirit stones. So don't worry, if I don't return them to you, this Dragon Abyss Sword shall be given to the Jiuhua Sect."

Cang Song did a double take. "Are you for real?"

"I could swear it."

"We, the Jiuhua Sect, do not have many spirit stones stored, but we could gather around 6,000 mediocre-grade spirit stones and 800 superior-grade spirit stones. I don't want the spirit stones you want in interest, just the Dragon Abyss Sword!"

Cang Song brought the spirit stones soon enough, and said, "Swear it first, and I'll give you the spirit stones after."

Hence…

An hour later, Jin Sidao borrowed another 5,000 spirit stones from another sect.

And after gaining experience from those two sects, he utterly let himself loose.

Immortal sect?

Demonic sects?

Ancient daemon cultivators?

He would borrow from everyone!

It did not matter how well they were acquainted or even if there was a grudge between them. He would cut to the chase once he entered, and he did not have to be afraid that they would not lend him when he was using his Dragon Abyss Sword as collateral.

In contrast, every sect would try their best to gather as many spirit stones as they could to lend to Jin Sidao. After all, from where they stood…

Jin Sidao would not be able to return what he borrowed at all.

Hence, on that very night, Jin Sidao returned to Jiang He's house.

The Taixu Sect's Mahayana elite had arrived at the same time as well. Once he saw Jiang He, he took out 18,000 mediocre-grade spirit stones and 1,500 superior-grade spirit stones before shooting Jin Sidao a smug look.

Jiang He appeared delighted.

That was 330 million Farm Points in the bag.

Add that to the spirit stones that Jin Sidao and the Taixu Sect had brought before…

And it would be around 500 million Farm Points.

Jiang He hence accepted the spirit stones he borrowed from the Taixu Sect and returned them with the ratio he had agreed to before. "It was in such short notice and we were afraid of delaying your cultivation, Brother Jiang He," the Taixu Sect Mahayana elite said then. "That is why this is all we could manage. However, there is no need to get impatient, Brother Jiang He—we, the Taixu Sect, would definitely be able to lend more, and gather the hundred thousand mediocre-grade spirit stones you need."

"There's no need for that."

"If it's just a hundred thousand mediocre-grade spirit stones, I have already gathered it for Brother Jiang He."

Jin Sidao butted in just as the Mahayana elite finished. The latter appeared taken aback, but he soon laughed uncontrollably, saying, "Brother Jin, are you sure that you mean to say a hundred thousand mediocre-grade spirit stones, and not a hundred thousand inferior-grade spirit stones?"

"No, surely the Ten Thousand Swords Sect can't afford to borrow a hundred thousand inferior-grade spirit stones now, can they?"

Jin Sidao sneered but did not speak further.

Do not explain yourself when others doubt you, since excess explanations are futile. Why not slap them in the face directly with the truth? Is that not good enough?

He waved his hand.

Whoosh!

All at once, it began to rain spirit stones in Jiang He's house that piled into a small hill.

The Mahayana elite from the Taixu Sect looked as if he seen a ghost, while Jiang He extended his spirit and counted the spirit stones in almost an instant. His eyes lighting up, he said, "Seven hundred and eighty thousand mediocre-grade spirit stones… Good job, Jin Sidao."

Jin Sidao was all smiles when Jiang He flattered him. For some reason, he felt as if he was a child again, and the father who educated with a strict stick policy was patting his head and praising him for helping with an errand in the house.

He stared challengingly at the Taixu Sect Mahayana elite then and chuckled, "So, 780,000 mediocre-grade spirit stones, along with the other 5,000 superior-grade spirit stones I borrowed."

With that, he took out every last spirit stone he had and handed everything to Jiang He.

Beside him, the Taixu Sect Mahayana elite was finally past his limit and was basically roaring, "No, that's impossible! Seven hundred and eighty thousand mediocre-grade spirit stones? Five thousand superior-grade spirit stones? You need to gather such an amount from at least seven sects! Even counting in the Penglai Sect, my Taixu Sect, and your Ten Thousand Swords Sect, there are at best eight immortal sects on Earth…"

"Fool!"

Jin Sidao sneered. "Has anyone said that only immortal sects would have have spirit stones?"

"Wouldn't demonic sects and ancient daemon cultivators have spirit stones stored too?"

"No way…"

The Taixu Sect Mahayana elite was left dumbstruck then, muttering, "Why would the demonic sects and ancient daemon cultivators lend you spirit stones?"

"Dragon Abyss Sword!"

Jin Sidao only responded with three words.

What the hell!

The eyes of the Taixu Sect Mahayana elite was bulging, and he only came to his senses seconds later. He firmly slapped himself in the thigh, looking utterly vexed!

What the heck…

Why did he not think of such a trick?

His Taixu Sect possessed demi-immortal items too. Would they have to worry about not getting enough spirit stones when they use it for collateral?

Beside them, Jiang He was surprised by Jin Sidao's ploy.

This dude was really sly!

Putting away all the spirit stones, Jiang He thought, 'I wonder if the sects that have lent him their spirit stones would lose their minds if I backstabbed Jin Sidao right now and stole the Dragon Abyss Sword?'

Of course, Jiang He was just fooling around for a bit.

A few spirit stones were nothing much to him.

Moreover, after getting so many spirit stones in one go, he would have enough spirit stones to push his physical cultivation to full-fledged Mahayana, let alone qi cultivation Mahayana.

He promptly took out double the amount of spirit stones and passed them to Jin Sidao, saying, "Not bad, you deserve to be rewarded."

Flowers were virtually blossoming over Jin Sidao's face.

Double…

In other words, he had earned 780,000 mediocre-grade spirit stones as well as 5,000 superior-grade spirit stones in a single afternoon!

With such wealth, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was the richest cultivator, would it?

Not counting Jiang He, of course.

Jin Sidao could not help thinking then…

How many spirit stones did Jiang He actually have?

If he robbed him…

Jin Sidao promptly shuddered at that, startled by his own idea. Just as expected, becoming a millionaire overnight easily bloats a person.

That was when Jiang He breathed a long, emotional sigh. "It's so fortunate that I did not wipe out the Ten Thousand Swords Sect back then. Would I have been able to gather so many spirit stones otherwise?"

Jin Sidao was left speechless.

Damn it.

His good mood was immediately deflated.

Goodness.

Why did you suddenly have to mention destroying my sect?

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Chapter 351: Violet Sky Thunder Talisman!

After seeing off the absolutely thrilled Jin Sidao and the Taixu Sect Mahayana elite who kept sighing, Jiang He headed straight into his farm and resumed his plan to farm overnight!

"Spirit stones, paper talismans…"

"There are just four of the latter and I would finish planting them soon… but I would have to plant these spirit stones for at least two days without sleep!"

"And in two days…"

Jiang He glanced at the demi-immortal Clear Sky Mirror and the combat garment that were now blooming and nodded in satisfaction, smiling. "In two days, the Clear Sky Mirror would become an immortal item. Add that to the demi-saint combat garment and I'll be a lot more confident in dealing with the Green Hill Foxes."

On the other hand, Jiang He frowned when he looked at the weirdly-shaped tree that had grown from the Epiphany Pellets.

What was with that tree?

It had been growing for dozens of hours but was still only around a meter tall.

And Jiang He was hoping that there were a few trees worth of Epiphany Pellets to munch on as snacks.

"Well, the longer the growth cycle, the higher the value…"

"Could this tree be more valuable than the Clear Sky Mirror?"

Jiang He complained a little, but soon stopped thinking about it began to dig holes and plant the spirit stones… of course, Dumbo would not allow Jiang He to do a tough job like digging holes by himself.

Standing on its rear legs, its paws glinted with earthen-yellow light as it rapidly conjured hole after hole. "Take a break, Master," it said with a smile then. "I'll help you with such wild work."

Hence, Jiang He took out a stool and sat down beside the Epiphany Pellet tree, along with his grill rack, condiments, coal, and various Feral meat.

"It has been so long since I grilled anything."

"Since I have the time, I could cook a little supper… Hold on!"

Jiang He, who was fiddling with the meat, suddenly did a double take and exclaimed in surprise, "Didn't I forget something?"

Feral meat?

Ferals?

Damn it!

Where were the two little daemons the Foxes of Mount Changbai supposed to have loaned him?

There were two very adorable small vixens… but since Jiang He was preoccupied with talking to Jin Sidao and the others about the Green Hill Foxes, just as he left in a hurry, he forgot about those two critters entirely.

"Hmmm…"

"I'm afraid it would be a little inappropriate if I had to turn back to borrow it from the Foxes of Mount Changbai, especially after they sealed their own mountain. I should borrow two critters from the Green Hill Foxes when I visit them in the next two days."

As for whether the Green Hill Foxes were willing to lend them to him?

That was not a question to consider.

Because it was not up to them to decide.

Meanwhile, after leaving Jiang He's house, Jin Sidao did not return to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect right away, but instead made a beeline for the Thunder Talisman Daoist's mystic ship.

The second floor above deck was the Thunder Talisman Daoist's atelier.

He was still crafting Nine Retribution Talismans, but upon sensing Jin Sidao's presence, he went to him in a flash, bowing and asking, "Ancestral Master, you're here?"

When it comes to rank, Jin Sidao was a fellow disciple of the Thunder Talisman Daoist's grand-master.

However, the Thunder Talisman Daoist had never met his ancestral master.

Word was that he had been struck down by one of the thunderbolts of retribution in his Sufferance, a few years before the Thunder Talisman Daoist joined the Ten Thousand Swords Sect himself.

"I had some business with Jiang He, so I came by to visit you as well."

Jin Sidao appeared to be in a great mood, and he asked about the Thunder Talisman Daoist's progress with crafting the talismans, instructing, "You must do your best to craft those talismans for Jiang He. By the way, do you have enough spirit stones for your arrays and the talismans?"

The Thunder Talisman Daoist replied, "It's barely enough. With the gradual return of Spirit Qi, the energy absorbed from the world is enough to lay an array."

"How could you do that?"

Jin Sidao said seriously, "One must not commit even the tiniest of error when crafting the Nine Retribution Talisman. If something happened and the power of the thunderbolts of retribution erupted, there would not be a single piece of you left. Here, I'll be giving you these three thousand mediocre-grade spirit stones and three hundred superior-grade spirit stones—use them for now, and I'll bring you more if these are not enough."

That naturally left the Thunder Talisman Daoist dumbstruck.

Being another leader of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, he had a rough idea of the number of spirits his sect had. After Jiang He robbed… to be precise, after they paid Jiang He in compensation, they would not even manage 2,000 mediocre-grade spirit stones. So where did those 3,000 spirit stones come from?

An idea occurred to the Thunder Talisman Daoist then.

"Ancestral Master… did you resort to banditry?"

Jin Sidao could not help laughing out loud and said, "Why rob? Earning spirit stones is as easy as eating drinking for me. We, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect are the richest cultivators, bar Jiang He—merely 3,000 spirit stones is not even worth mentioning."

After leaving the Thunder Talisman Daoist with three thousand mediocre-grade spirit stones and three hundred superior-grade spirit stones, as well as the words 'focus on crafting talismans' and 'you must listen to Jiang He', Jin Sidao left in a hurry.

He still had to return the spirit stones he borrowed…

It was only after Jin Sidao left that the Thunder Talisman Daoist came to his senses and muttered to himself, "The richest among cultivators?"

"We, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, are famous for being poor… how did we become the richest? Could the ancestral master have suffered a traumatic stress and become possessed?"

Nonetheless, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect stop bothering himself about all that.

The Thunder Talisman Daoist felt his spirit soar. With scores of spirit stones to set up arrays and recharge his mystic energy, he could craft Nine Retribution Talismans several times quicker now. Crafting a dozen of those in two days would not be a problem, and he could even try crafting a stronger Nine Retribution Talisman.

Meanwhile, in the divinely beautiful Secret Realm of the Green Hill Foxes…

Unlike the dull, deathly microworlds of the other immortal sects, the Secret Realm of the Green Hill Foxes was filled with life!

While the disciples of other immortal sects and demonic sects were celibate, fox pups could be seen playing everywhere in the Secret Realm of the Green Hill Foxes.

After all, there was no helping it…

It was extremely difficult for powerful cultivators to procreate. Like the late Zhong Wanshan and his wife, they had only managed to have Zhong Yue in their three-hundred years marriage.

On the other hand, the Daemon Foxes' procreating ability was more than ten times that of cultivators.

Most importantly…

They were very fruitful!

Three to five in one brood was the norm, though a brood of up to eight was not rare.

And up in the skies above the Secret Realm, there was a massive white cloud that hovered all year-long.

Nine grand floating temples were built on top of it.

At the moment, a dozen of Daemon Foxes ranging from seven to nine retributions, as well as seven Mahayana Daemon Foxes, were sitting together.

The Daemon Fox who had suffered two strikes from Jiang He was among them too.

It was feeling miserable after being struck by Jiang He's sword, and its aura appeared to be wilting. Now, even as it refined the Sword Will in itself, it growled, "Everyone, that Jiang He human… must die!"

"In the endless years that we, Green Hill Foxes, have stood tall, have we ever been humiliated like this?"

"Even so… Jiang He is not so easily killed."

One Daemon Fox said hesitantly then, "And should we fail, his ability would grow enough in less than a hundred years to fight as equals against us Green Hill Foxes!"

"That's right."

Another Daemon Fox added, "I was there to see it when Jiang He massacred the Penglai Sect. He wields an immortal weapon and commands incredible combat power. Not only could he cut down the White Brows Daoist directly, but he also has a divine technique that could cause a terrible explosion…"

"We need at least three Mahayana and Nine Sufferance, laying out arrays and invoking the immortal items, to ensure that we Green Hill Foxes could kill him without suffering casualties of our own… even so, our immortal item exists in tandem with our Holy Grounds, and it consumes an astonishing toll each time we use it."

"However, if Jiang He comes down our front door, we would stand the highest chance to rid ourselves of him with the smallest cost."

There was silence inside the temple then.

One Daemon Fox laughed bitterly then. "That Jiang He is no fool. He is a friend of the Taixu Sect and would naturally how powerful we are. Would he put himself in harm's way to come to our Holy Grounds?"

The Daemon Fox who fought Jiang He turned to look at the other fox then and said, "Perhaps he would come to us as a guest if we invite him politely."

"Given how young and accomplished he is, he would surely be arrogant, reckless, and thinking nothing of others. That could be seen by how he dealt with the Penglai Sect and the Foxes of Mount Changbai."

"He acted hostilely against me, even demanding that we, the Green Hill Foxes, make amends… As such, if we invite him here openly and he comes, we shall invoke our immortal items to put him down. If he doesn't, I will spread word that he fears us, and have him lose all dignity!"

"Even so…"

One of the Daemon Fox asked then, "Is his move of blowing up Penglai Island a manifestation of his divinity? Would our Holy Grounds be in danger if we invite him here?"

"Hah!"

Another Daemon Fox laughed lightly in disdain. "When that happens, we'll invoke our ancestor's body to utterly unleash the power of our immortal item. He would not be able to use that move at all."

"Very well!"

"Tomorrow, I shall go to the mortal realm and invite Jiang He to our Holy Ground!"

That young Daemon Fox sneered coolly, a ruthless look flashing through its eyes then.

Meanwhile, Jiang He had just harvested the first batch of spirit stones…

There was no helping it.

He had too many spirit stones to plant in one go. After harvesting the first batch, he would have to chop down the trees and keep planting.

Meanwhile, the four Nine Retribution Talismans were ripe too.

However, when Jiang He plucked the Nine Retribution Talisman, which had the power of a seven-retribution heavenly thunderbolt, he saw that it had 'Violet Sky Thunder Talisman' written over it.

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Chapter 352: Yachts, Beaches, and Bikinis

[Violet Sky Thunder Talisman]

[Effect: Crafted from the legendary godly thunder of the violet skies. Erupts with seven such bolts after changing, and is capable of destroying the divine and immortals.]

[Usage: Capture an opponent's aura. Target would be locked after charging.]

Jiang He felt a little speechless even as he held the Violet Sky Thunder Talisman and studied it…

Isn't the System getting lazier?

Can't you give me more information?

For example, how powerful is the Violet Sky Thunder Talisman?

Could it kill a Mahayana elite?

"Destroying the divine and immortals… destroying the divine and immortals… it would be so funny when the time comes and it can't even blow a Mahayana-elite."

Jiang He plucked another Nine Retribution Talisman then. This one was fashioned from a five-retribution thunderbolt, and he realized that it releases five thunderbolts once charged.

"It seems that Violet Sky Thunder Talisman fashioned from nine-retribution thunderbolts would release nine thunderbolts…"

He hence reached out to pluck all the Violet Sky Thunder Talismans.

Each earned Jiang He 300,000 Farm Points, which was a reward higher than a premium-grade sage item—Jiang He felt a little thrilled at that.

In other words, despite being one-time consumable, the Violet Sky Thunder Talisman was higher in value than a premium-grade sage item!

Even most Mahayana elites would only view premium-grade sage items.

"This means that there is very likely that the Violet Sky Thunder Talisman could blow up Mahayana elites… but whether it would have to be tested, and there is also the troublesome part of needing to capture their aura."

A thought struck Jiang He then…

If the eminences of the Green Hill Foxes hid behind the arrays of their Holy Ground and would not come out, does that not mean he would be unable to capture their aura?

"Whatever. We'll cross that bridge when we reach it—this could wait until I start fighting the Green Hill Foxes."

Hence, Jiang He resumed his great undertaking of farming spirit stones.

After he had done that, he took out the plant-life cultivation technique from the Foxes of Mount Changbai.

It was a wood-type cultivation method called the Eastern Emperor Greenwood Art.

The manual was written in tadpole script. Unable to read it, Jiang He went to Trumbo, who quickly translated the whole book.

Ever since the cat had condensed its Daemonic Pellet and weathered the Four Lesser Retributions of the Nine Heavens, it had become more conscious about its personal image. Now, it would wear a pair of empty reading glasses, twirling the fur over its head until it was almost getting bald.

The cat even went to Lingzhou expressly to get a cat tuxedo made…

It was a shame that it got fat, which only made it appear funny.

Soon, it presented the Eastern Emperor Greenwood Art it had translated before Jiang He and smiled dazzlingly, "Should I explain things for you, Master? The Eastern Emperor Greenwood Art is said to have been developed by an elm tree, and it proclaimed itself the Eastern Emperor since it lived on the east. It's a shame that it died to its ninth retribution during Sufferance."

"…"

Jiang He's scowled then.

What the hell!

When he saw that the cultivation method was titled Eastern Emperor Greenwood Art, he thought that the technique sounded quite impressive, and even wondered if he should cultivate it himself after he translated it… but it turns out that the creator wasn't even Mahayana.

There were so many elites present in ancient times, including the immortals. How dare an elm tree less than Mahayana-tier proclaim itself Eastern Emperor?

Most importantly, the cultivation manual did not even reach Sufferance!

If one did not even master it, the later parts would be nonsense, would it not?

"Whatever. My farm has not level up yet and I can't plant cultivation manuals for now. Let's have the willow tree cultivate the Eastern Emperor Greenwood Art for now."

Hence, Trumbo played the part of teacher once again, and began to explain the Eastern Emperor Greenwood Art for the willow tree.

After offering some exposition, Trumbo adjusted its glasses with its feline paw and advise with heartfelt sincerity, "The Eastern Emperor Greenwood Art may be suitable for plant beings to cultivate, but the manual itself mentioned that it is hard to get into it. The Eastern Emperor itself had cultivated another technique, and it is only after it had reached Convergence that it created and slowly perfected the Eastern Emperor Greenwood Art… Eh?"

There was a flash of astonishment in Trumbo's feline eyes even as it finished—the branches of the willow tree that were swaying with the wind was suddenly shining with pale crystalline green radiance, a special aura swirling over the willow tree.

Then, the willow tree communicated its thoughts psychically, exclaiming in surprise, "I cultivated it…"

Trumbo was dumbstruck.

It had a whole load of curses brewing inside. And why does this scene feel so familiar?

At the same time, Jiang He stopped paying attention to them after he saw that the willow tree had cultivated the Eastern Emperor Greenwood Art. Using the free time he had before the next batch of spirit stone ripens, he took out seven special paper talismans.

Unlike standard paper talismans, it might be more appropriate to call these seven talismans papercutting.

Seven vivid papercutting of maidens.

"Hmmm…"

"These papercutting are basically the same like silicon dolls or paper dolls. The only difference is higher-grade materials, which is why they would be higher grade after planting."

As such, Jiang He started humming a tune as he planted the seven paper talisman maidens.

Soon, seven shoots grew out of the ground, each of which would stop growing after reaching 1.7m in height. They shone with divine radiance before finally becoming dazzlingly gorgeous maidens.

Since they were not 'plucked' yet, all of them had their eyes tightly shut.

They were also dressed in thin silk dresses, and the figures hidden beneath were as spicy as the next.

Their skin was fair and tender, and it felt like a gentle blow or a soft flick would break it. And then there were their red, scintillating lips…

Of course, Jiang He did not pay much attention or was concerned about it… being pretty and having a nice figure was enough.

Moreover, they could play instruments, dance, and sing some songs while he had the occasional grill session. Why should he care so much?

He walked up and plucked the seven maidens then.

[Ding!]

[10,000 Farm Points]

[Ding…]

System Notifications jingled repeatedly, just as the lashes of the seven maidens twitched and they opened their eyes at once. They then walked up to Jiang He, folded their hands over their bellies, and bowed slightly as they greeted him coquettishly, "Your humble servants are there to serve, master."

Jiang He was grinning widely. "Good, good…"

He called out to Sora and Boa Hancock and introduced them. Perhaps because they were all planted by him, the ladies were soon buddies.

Jiang He watched as they played around… and decided to level his farm as soon as possible, which would expand his farm area.

At the same time, it was time to go through with his plan to renovate his farm.

"Of course, I'm going to have to adjust my plans."

"Although I was going to make an artificial lake previously, it seems that I should make a small cove instead… It doesn't matter if it's small since I could expand it later. Also, yachts, beaches and bikinis are a must."

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Chapter 353: The Elder Tea Tree of Enlightenment

As Jiang He worked in his farm overnight, he ate supper, as well as breakfast and lunch on the next day in his farm.

He finally planted and harvested every spirit stone at four in the afternoon the next day.

Then, he could not help doing a double take when he turned on his System to check his stats panel!

"1.83 billion…"

"I only needed a billion to improve my qi cultivation to full-fledged Mahayana, and 1.8 billion to up the Nine Heavenly Stars Body Formula to full-fledged Mahayana as well…"

Jiang He blinked.

If the math was correct, did that not mean he would have 30 million Farm Points left?

Moreover, the Clear Sky Mirror, the premium-grade sage 'trousers' and the Epiphany Pellets were not harvested yet.

There was no rush to improve his cultivation, however, since Jiang He did not know if he would cause some phenomenon if he improved his qi-refining and physique at the same time. What if there was, and said phenomenon extend over thousands of miles? Wouldn't it alert those Daemon Foxes of Green Hill?

That was why it could wait until after he reached the doorstep of the Green Hill Foxes.

It was a matter of thinking it anyway.

"Hard work always pays… I only gained such rewards after I farmed overnight and did not sleep or rest for two days. In the future, no matter what accomplishments I gain, I would never forget to keep farming…"

Jiang He breathed a long sigh, before walking off to a corner and 'plucked' the combat garments growing out of the ground.

[Ding!]

[500,000 Farm Points.]

A System Notification jingled in his mind then. Jiang He's face twitched, and as he stared at the cool silver-white combat armor, a bunch of data appeared—

[Dark Sky War Armor]

[Tier: Demi-immortal item]

[Sacrifice a drop of blood for use.]

Jiang He was taken aback.

Dark Sky War Armor?

Why did that name reek of eighth-grader syndrome?

"Hmmm…"

"Wasn't that Penglai Sect's Mahayana elite called Dark Sky something?"'

Jiang He remembered then that the Taixu Sect chieftain seemed to have mentioned the Daoist Titles of the Penglai Sect's Mahayana elites. The one with the Clear Sky Mirror was the White Brows Daoist, while the other was Dark Sky something?

Since this armor was his, could it have been named after his Daoist titles?

Nonetheless, Jiang He stop pondering about it after complaining a little—it was just a war armor, who cares what its name was?

Blood drop.

Invocation.

At his thought, the Dark Sky War Armor turned into a silver light that flashed once, and was equipped over Jiang He's body in the next instant.

"Not bad, not bad. It's a demi-immortal armor and its defense would be several times stronger than what I had before… it more or less works, though I can use them together."

"The Green Hill Daemon Fox the other day seemed to have been wearing a demi-saint armor too… After I killed it and planted that armor, I would have immortal armor protection—who else other than immortals could hurt me then?"

On the other hand, the Clear Sky Mirror had grown atop a plain stone platform.

Jiang He reached out to pluck it, and—

[Ding!]

[1 million Farm Points.]

A System Notification jingled and the stone platform turned to dust the instant Jiang He plucked the Clear Sky Mirror.

The item did not change much in appearance after strengthening through planting, although it has now turned gold entirely.

Within the mirror, the world on the other end were vivid, the mountain and waters within looking no different from the real thing.

[Clear Sky Mirror]

[Tier: Inferior-grade immortal item.]

[Sacrifice a drop of blood for use.]

Blood drop, invocation.

Jiang He gained a certain understanding of the Clear Sky Mirror then. He then charged it and twilight radiance promptly shot out from the mirror with overwhelming power.

"Is there such a huge difference between immortal item and demi-immortal items?" Jiang He exclaimed in shock. "If this thing had been this powerful when the White Brows Daoist wielded it, a few rays of twilight would have burned me to death."

"Moreover…"

Jiang He charged the Clear Sky Mirror again then, and the world inside the mirror was refracted outside through the glare from the mirror.

"This world can be used for sealing!"

"Moreover… it seems to have a grotto-heaven of its own within!"

With another flash in the mirror, Dumbo, who had been sprawled on the ground and snoring away in its sleep, was moved into the world inside the mirror. It jolted awake and panicked when it saw the mountains and rivers around it. Even so, it could hardly budge the Clear Sky Mirror one inch no matter how it struggled.

Jaing He appeared thoughtful then.

The world refracted from within the mirror has the power of sealing, keeping an opponent in the mirror unless they possessed the power to break an immortal mirror.

Jiang He released Dumbo with a though then, and mused to himself, "The mirror world is a hundred kilometers wide and slightly larger than Penglai Island. It would be ideal as a base to develop a sect or faction."

However, he had no such intention.

It would be better for walking his cats, dogs, and eagles instead.

Putting the Clear Sky Mirror away, Jiang He was left utterly frustrated when he glanced towards the Epiphany Pellet Tree.

He just could not understand what was growing out of the three rank-eight spirit pellets. It was now almost four days and it was only two meters tall and fruitless, not to mention that there was no telling when it would be ripe.

"The Clear Sky Mirror has borne fruit already. Could this stuff be more valuable than an inferior-grade immortal item?"

Jiang He walked up and study the small tree closely.

Though it was only over two meters tall, its trunk was twisted and strong, as well as filled with wrinkles of age. It gave the impression that it had stood for a thousand years.

Its branches and leaves, however, were sparse.

Jiang He did a count, and it turns out that there were only 108 leaves on the tree. The patterns on each leaf were distinct, and the most important part was that there were different patterns with minute differences.

He stared at the mark for seconds and could not help stiffening, his entire being trapped in a curious trance.

Jiang He only recovered from the trance a dozen minutes later, and his face twitched as he said, "What was that?"

"Just now, that felt like… an epiphany?"

Jiang He was hesitant and uncertain since it was a little embarrassing—he might have cultivated for quite a while now, but he had no idea what epiphanies were. That said, he heard that prodigies often had those, and was earnestly envious towards those prodigies.

Hence, Jiang He looked at the leaves again and was soon entranced once more, though this occasion was more deliberate, and he gained a more intimate experience.

"It's not actually epiphany but not too far from it. I've simply entered a curious state, which allows me an easier time to grasp Dao."

There was a look of surprise on Jiang He's face at that thought.

He glanced at the Epiphany Pellet tree and then at its sparse leaves.

Tree leaves?

Tea leaves?

Those leaves happen to resemble tea leaves a lot.

Jiang He hence plucked one, put it in his mouth, and slowly munched on it, and a thick tea aroma actually wafted out within this mouth then.

"They really are tea leaves… the three Epiphany Pellets have grown into a tea tree, which eases the understanding of Dao for humans…"

At that very moment, a name appeared in Jiang He's mind: the Elder Tea Tree of Enlightenment!

Legends claimed that the Elder Tea Tree of Enlightenment was a wondrous tree, and that anyone meditating in its shade for two hours was better than meditating anywhere else for a month. Its 108 tea leaves were also different from each other as they contained different Daoist themes. Making tea with those leaves would even help a person to gain epiphany over Dao.

Jiang He, however, was baffled.

I just wanted to snack on the Epiphany Pellets. Isn't it a little ridiculous, suddenly coming up with the Elder Tea Tree of Enlightenment?

That was when Jiang He shifted his gaze, and he strode out of his farm to look up at the distant horizon.

A daemonic cloud that covered the sun and the skies and stretched over hundreds of kilometers was streaking towards Lingzhou City.

It then paused five kilometers away from Jiang He's house. On top of it, the Eminent Fox, which had 'traded' two blows with Jiang He on Mount Changbai, showed up. Looking down below, it called out sonorously, "Jiang He, where art thou?"

Surprise showed on Jiang He's face.

He had a lasting impression on that fellow.

He was wearing demi-immortal armor…

"I let that dog flee the other day, and it's coming to strut around at my house today?"

Quietly taking out a Violet Sky Thunder Talisman with a flip of his palm, Jiang He was about to target the Daemon Fox's aura and charge the talisman to kill that damned dog, when he saw the young human form of the beast turned towards him from afar. His eyes blazing like torches, he flicked his fingers and shot a red flash at Jiang He.

Jiang He reached out to catch the red flash, and realized that it was a red invitation.

He opened to read through the contents…

Okay!

It was in Tadpole Script, so he had no idea what it said!

Jiang He was ready to throw away the invitation when he saw the daemonic cloud sped off rapidly, even though the Eminent Fox's voice was echoing—

"Jiang He, the elders of my tribe hereby invite you to the Green Hill Holy Grounds. Would you dare to accept?"

With those words, he… to be precise, the fox had fled and was nowhere to be seen.

Perplexed, Jiang He's mouth was left hanging open… What did that mean?

Were the Green Hill Foxes inviting him to their Holy Grounds?

Could your method of invitation be any more special and direct?

"Wait… Just when I was quite troubled that I couldn't get into the Green Hill Holy Grounds… Doesn't this mean I could get in under broad daylight?"

Jiang He's face twitched, but he soon wrinkled his brow.

Could this be a trap?

Were the Green Hill Foxes having a brain stroke? They were actually inviting him to their Holy Grounds! Weren't they afraid that he would flatten it???

Report chapter

Chapter 354: Is That My Heavenly Retribution?

The Green Hill Foxes attitude worried Jiang He a little. To think that they came to him on their own initiative, inviting him to his territory—could they be setting a trap for him?

Jiang He quickly left his yard at the thought and went to the Thunder Talisman Daoist.

Anything could wait until after he gathered dozens of Violet Sky Thunder Talismans to calm his nerves.

The Thunder Talisman Daoist was standing on the deck of his mystic ship right then. The Eminent Fox's arrival had caused a huge commotion which left him startled, and even as he stared at the daemonic clouds rolling away into the distant horizon, he said somberly, "You must not be fooled by the Green Hill Foxes' deception, Brother Jiang He. The foxes are a cunning kind—they definitely are up to no good."

"It's fine. They are merely the Green Hill Foxes; they can't move the world."

Jiang He waved him off and shifted away from that topic, and instead asked, "How many Violet Sky Thunder Talismans have you crafted over the last two days, Daoist?"

"What Violet Sky Thunder Talisman?"

The Thunder Talisman Daoist appeared utterly confused and said, "I have never come across any talismans of that name, nor do I know how to craft them… weren't you telling me to make as many Nine Retribution Talismans, Brother Jiang He?"

"Oh… right, it's the Nine Retribution Talisman," Jiang He muttered.

Since the Violet Sky Thunder Talismans were what Jiang He harvested after planting the Nine Retribution Talismans for strengthening, the Thunder Talisman Daoist naturally wouldn't know about it.

Still, the Thunder Talisman Daoist could not help holding back an excited look when Jiang He mentioned the Nine Retribution Talismans, and he smugly said, "Brother Jiang He, I've managed to craft eighteen of the Nine Retribution Talismans over the last few days, with most of them being high-grade, including one grade-nine Nine Retribution Talisman."

"Oh?"

Jiang He gaze changed.

A tier-nine Nine Retribution Talisman?

In other words, it was refined from the heavenly thunderbolt of retribution for Sufferance who had reached nine retributions. Such was how the Nine Retribution Talismans were categorized, which in turn inspired Jiang He since his Violet Sky Thunder Talismans could be categorized in the same way too!

With that, Jiang He accepted the eighteen Nine Retribution Talismans.

Of the eighteen talismans, there was one grade-nine, two grade-eights, three rank-sevens, while the rest ranged from rank one to six.

After acquiring the Nine Retribution Talismans, he said, "It's been hard on you recently, Thunder Talisman Daoist… by the way, you may return to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect now, though there should be no delays in the progress of crafting new Nine Retribution Talismans, and it would be best if you could refine every thunderbolt that I have given you into Nine Retribution Talismans… of course, if you think you don't have enough thunderbolts, I could catch more for you."

Delighted, the Thunder Talisman Daoist said, "Many thanks, Brother Jiang He."

However, he refrained from mentioning the part about 'catching heavenly thunderbolts'…

Catch, my foot!

There are so many heavenly thunderbolts in store that he had yet to use them all. It would take him at least a month to refine all of them, and most importantly, the talismans place a huge toll on mind and mystic energy. He would have to rest at least several years if he is going to refine all those thunderbolts, not to mention that his cultivation had yet to stabilize after reaching seven-retribution by literally stealing Jiang He's thunder.

Uh-huh.

After he returned, he would confine himself for ten years before crafting more Nine Retribution Talismans. The key was that he could weather his retributions by force if Jiang He used up his heavenly thunderbolts, and having Jiang He catch his thunderbolts of retribution… it would be killing two birds with one stone, so what was not to like?

On the other hand, Jiang He did not ask any further questions. Returning to his farm, he began to plant the new Nine Retribution Talismans…

Even so, he had no idea that word about the Green Hill Foxes' 'invitation' had spread among all cultivators, with the Green Hill Foxes themselves stirring up the hype. They were intent on having news of it spread so far that if Jiang He proved unwilling to visit their Holy Grounds, they could make him utterly lose face while strengthening their own reputation.

Jin Sidao of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect and the Taixu Sect had both sent word to dissuade Jiang He, telling him not to get emotional and reckless.

On the other hand, the elites of the other sects who were unacquainted with Jiang He were actually feeling wary about Jiang He, a person who would destroy a sect if anything rubbed him the wrong way. Right now, many elites had left their seclusion and were discreetly observing it all, while guessing whether Jiang He would dare to visit the Green Hill Foxes!

"Jiang He's not a fool. Going to challenge the Green Hill Foxes alone? Even if the immortals have yet to return, the Green Hill Foxes hold such a strong depth that the average immortal cannot hope to challenge them."

One such elite offered his analysis, and sighed in slight disappointment. "Still, I really hope that he would visit them, since every cultivator sect would never have peace as long as he is not dead. Everyone is afraid that he would suddenly come knocking down their doors, demanding that they answer to some bizarre crime!"

Indeed, Jiang He had already become an archdemon among cultivators—was there any among those secluded elites who did not bore teeth-gnashing hatred toward him?

They had been cultivating for up to a thousand years in seclusion. Though they had assumed that Chaos was at hand and they could lead their sects to reclaim their past glory, they did not imagine that Jiang He would oppress them to the point that none of them were holding their heads high once they left their mountains.

Who could be pleased about that?

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Martial Arts Department (MAD), Lin Tianzheng was rubbing his temples and smiling bitterly.

A lot of people in Lingzhou City saw and heard how one of the Green Hill Foxes' Eminences had 'invited' Jiang He to their Holy Grounds, and that piece of news naturally reached Lin Tianzheng himself.

Even so, he could not do a thing.

He called Jiang He, who told him he did not have to worry about a thing.

He called Wang Hou, who had left Jingdu City the three days prior and was now gone without a trace. He had said he was searching for his providence…

And was now nowhere to be seen.

"Forget it…"

"Our country wouldn't have the power to interfere with this matter anyway. We can only hope that Jiang He's power overwhelms all and that he would pacify the Green Hill Foxes." Lin Tianzheng slowly sat down and sighed softly, feeling a feebleness inside.

He finally understood what Wang Hou was thinking.

Dejection, helplessness—those feelings would wear out an entire person in spirit.

"Improve… I must improve as soon as possible!"

"Even so… so what if I alone gain power? Unless I could be like Jiang He, dominating everything with his own power!"

Lin Tianzheng started to study the cultivation manuals that the Ten Thousand Swords Sect had donated. Then, he called in the divine-tier martial artist who was replacing Zhou Yu's place as deputy, asking, "Where is the person that the Ten Thousand Swords Sect have sent us?"

"He's staying at a hotel and had been loafing around on the streets over the last two days. The people from the secluded immortal sects seem to be interested in everything since they haven't left their mountains for centuries."

"Please ask him to come."

Lin Tianzheng replied. "I need to discuss the promotion of cultivation methods. The Ten Thousand Swords Sect would certainly use this opportunity to spread their own teachings and this is precisely one such opportunity."

Soon, he was face to face the Ten Thousand Swords Sect's elite.

The man was a Sufferance elite with three retributions.

Though he had only left the mountains two days ago, he had pretty much assimilated into the city. He had his long hair trimmed away in a favor of a stylish fade hair style and was also wearing a white jersey. And since his face was not elderly, he had a prim handsomeness to him.

Still, because Jin Sidao had reminded him repeatedly, he was quite courteous with Lin Tianzheng even though he was merely a Void-tier martial artist.

Lin Tianzheng himself cut straight to the chase without preamble. "I have a general idea why the Ten Thousand Swords Sect would offer these cultivation manuals kept secret among your sect—karmic connection. Even if your techniques were spread throughout this country, those who cultivate it would be bound to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect even if they were formally initiated as disciples, and are basically your disciples anyway."

The Sufferance elite from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect did not deny it, and said, "This is a win-win for both the Hua Nation and my sect. Aside from donating our inherited cultivation manuals, we would also be sending several of our cultivators to promote cultivation across the nation, enlightening those who need guidance and instructing their cultivation."

"With the Revival of Qi, there has been many soul herbs and plants growing out in the wildlands. I would save some since I can see that you are not able to use them to full potential for now, as well as newly train pellet-refinists and instructing them on pellet-refinement, thereby giving new cultivators a quicker way to gather cultivation resources."

"In fact, should Chaos descend in the future, or should disciples of demonic sects and ancient daemon cultivators cause havoc, we, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, would aid you in fending them off as well."

The Ten Thousand Swords Sect were indeed keeping themselves humble because of Jiang He.

Every condition mentioned were certainly beneficial to the Hua Nation.

It was definitely a win-win situation when examined for the long term, as the Ten Thousand Swords Sect's rise might depend on their partnership with Hua Nation… if all goes well, they would not only possibly gain some extent of great fortune despite the Chaos, but also assuredly strengthen ties with Jiang He.

With Jiang He around, would there be any cultivator who would dare to cross the Ten Thousand Swords Sect?

While Lin Tianzheng hammered out the specifics of a partnership with the elite from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, Jiang He was busy harvesting Violet Sky Thunder Talismans in his farm.

After he kept all eighteen Violet Sky Thunder Talismans in his System Backpack, Jiang He felt as if…

He had gained some measure of confidence.

When the time comes, he would just have to blow up the Green Hill Foxes to boost his presence and hype. He would be charged with energy when he fought then.

With that, he left, steering a sword flash as he headed straight towards the Green Hill Holy Grounds.

Just as he was about to arrive, he suddenly turned his hand, drawing out a Violet Sky Thunder Talisman with a hesitant look before saying, "I didn't test how powerful this paper talisman is. Wouldn't I be absolutely humiliated if it fails me at the Green Hill Holy Grounds?"

Pausing up in the skies, he clenched his teeth and said, "Let's test it right now… and I'll have an idea when it's go time!"

Still, how he should test it was a major problem.

Beneath him were wildlands.

Should he capture a Feral to test it?

However, using a Violet Sky Thunder Talisman to hit a high-rank Feral was such a waste, and even more wasteful than killing a mosquito with a laser canon.

"Should I test it on Jin Sidao?

"Isn't this Violet Sky Thunder Talisman supposed to have an auto-targeting gimmick that locks in on auras? The mystic treasures and spirit stones Jin Sidao gave me still have some of his aura lingering… hmmm?"

Jiang He could not help blinking at that very thought.

He took out an invitation letter with a turn of his hand.

The Eminent Fox's aura was upon it.

Should he give it a try?

The Classic of Mountains and Seas had mentioned that Green Hill was within Green Hill Country.

However, there was no point of reference for Green Hill Country.

All Jiang He knew was that Green Hill was 150 kilometers away from Mount Ji, which was in turn located Northwest of Shandong Plains, on the border between Lingcheng District and Linyi County. Northwest of Shandong Plains also basically referred to the northern part of the Yellow River within Shandong District.

It had been a fertile ground of commercial cotton and agriculture, though it was all wildlands now.

A hundred and fifty kilometers eastward from Mount Ji were several plain and ordinary hills, around which where foxes dwells.

These foxes varied in strength. The weak ones never mutated or evolved, while some of the stronger ones had reached rank-nine—judging from the faint Daemonic Qi from their bodies, they had clearly cultivated daemonic arts.

The hills were also covered in arrays. Elites watching would notice that this place was actually a valley that extended over a hundred miles…

And the Holy Grounds of the Green Hill Foxes was within.

"Jiang He is coming!"

A voice called out in the Holy Ground of the Green Hill Foxes then. After that, the Eminent Fox who had 'exchanged two blows' with Jiang He and sent him the written invitation abruptly appeared, while beside him, many other Eminent Foxes arrived one after another.

"Has Jiang He arrived, Fabulous Fox?"

One of the other Eminent Fox asked then, speaking the extremely questionable name of the Eminent Fox who assumed the form of a young man. Even so, Fabulous Fox was quite insistent on that name because he thought himself fabulous and an unparalleled prodigy among all foxes.

He smiled. "I left a portion of my own aura on the invitation, and I could feel it approaching our Holy Grounds rapidly. It must be Jiang He, bringing it here… Eh? It stopped…"

The smile on Fabulous Fox's face stiffened at that.

At the same time, a pang of fear arose deep inside his heart.

Fabulous Fox promptly looked up at the skies, only to find dark clouds rolling toward their direction, with horrific thunderbolts flashing within.

"Whose heavenly retribution has arrived?"

One of the Eminent Foxes cried out in surprise as his face turned ashen green, and it barked, "Wretch, why don't you step out to suffer your retribution? Are you trying to trigger every Sufferance eminence's retribution, weathering it in the Holy Grounds… eh?"

Before he could finish, he could sense that something was wrong with Fabulous Fox.

After all, he was shaking and mumbling, "Is… Isn't that my heavenly retribution?"

Report chapter

Chapter 355: The Might of the Violet Sky Thunder Talisman!

In the skies above the Green Hill Foxes' Holy Ground, a dark cloud was churning while lightning flashed.

The cloud, however, was very small—less than fifteen kilometers, it was insignificant when compared to the calamity clouds that targeted Sufferance cultivators, which spanned up to hundreds of miles.

Likewise, the flashing bolts within the dark clouds appeared very weak and did not appear to be special in any way. And yet, only Fabulous Fox—who was locked on by the thundercloud—could feel the pressure that the many flashing bolts were exerting upon him.

"No!"

The fox felt as if he was falling apart when he realized that the thundercloud had locked on upon him, and cried out involuntarily, "No, this is impossible! I've already reached Mahayana nine hundred years ago, why would heavenly retribution come for me again?"

Turning towards the other Mahayana Foxes of Green Hill even as he sensed the thunderbolts of retribution which could wipe out all things, he cried out in panic, "Hurry, save me! Invoke the immortal item to help me weather this retribution… No!"

"The ancestral immortal's body! Senior Elder, use the ancestral immortal's body or I'll be killed!'

Beside him, the Mahayana Foxes appeared baffled.

One vixen with youthful, luscious looks even covered her mouth as she giggled, "What are you doing, Elder Fabulous Fox? That thundercloud's is not all that powerful, and you could easily destroy it with your ability."

"That's right! Are our immortal items and the immortal body to be used so freely?"

Another Daemon Fox echoed then.

But at that very moment…

Crack!

Up in the skies above, one thunderbolt of retribution roughly as thick as an arm struck.

It did not erupt with a shockwave or thundered resoundingly. Indeed, that violet thunderbolt was simply floating downward, cutting an elegant arc through the skies… and…

Crack.

As if a mirror was broken, the mountain-guarding array of the Green Hill Foxes' Holy Ground was instantly destroyed.

All of Green Hill shuddered at that.

At that very moment, many Eminent Foxes felt their faces falling.

Fabulous Fox himself had promptly invoked his Daemonic Weapon and casted everything he had ever learned, even going so far to burn his Yuan Spirit and Dao.

Though he knew death was inevitable, that knowledge drove him to mount a struggle against it—taking to the skies, he stopped the first violet thunderbolt with his spear.

Even so, there was another bolt…

And then a third!

By the time the third thunderbolt struck, Fabulous Fox, who was already bleeding freely throughout his body, had his spear sent flying by the thunderbolt. At the same time, his massive fox form was pierced entirely by the bolt, and his body dropped out of the skies, slamming heavily down onto the ground.

Up in the air, the bolts in the thundercloud brewed for two breaths, but quickly faded without a target.

Though it appeared to have taken a long time, it actually took around ten seconds for the thundercloud to appear and its bolts to strike through the mountain-guarding array of the Green Hill Foxes' Holy Ground, as well as Fabulous Fox.

All of Green Hill was left in an eerie silence just then.

Beside the corpse of Fabulous Fox, the many Mahayana Foxes of Green Hill appeared astonished even as they stared tightly at it. The youthful vixen, who was also Mahayana, could feel her mouth hanging open as she muttered, "How could this be? That thundercloud should not be this powerful!"

Even when the heavenly thunderbolts struck, they, the foxes who were not targeted, could not even feel any force from the thunderbolts.

"No, this is no heavenly retribution!"

An elderly white-furred fox stepped out from within one of the temples then. Though he had assumed human form, there was nothing foxy about his appearance, and he actually looked like a simple old man.

He stared at the corpse on the ground, and then at the thundercloud which was fading away up in the skies, before growling, "If this really was heavenly retribution, the thunderbolts of retribution waiting for our other Sufferance foxes would certainly have descended as well. But there was none, which means that the thundercloud is no heavenly retribution but a godly technique!"

"Impossible!"

The color on the faces of the Eminent Foxes was drained then and they could not help crying out, "Not even the immortals could cast such a godly move! Unleashing a thundercloud that easily slayed Fabulous Fox, who was protected by a demi-immortal item… who could be capable of such a move?"

Meanwhile, outside, there was a considerable number of elites hidden near Green Hill.

They had come to enjoy the show after learning that the Green Hill Foxes had 'invited' Jiang He to their Holy Grounds. Even so, they did not expect to be astonished and baffled by the scene they saw.

What was going on?

All of them knew who Fabulous Fox was.

Though it was the youngest Mahayana cultivator, it was incredibly powerful. Even so, it had been killed so easily by heavenly thunderbolts despite the protection of his demi-immortal armor?

Most importantly…

Where the hell did those heavenly thunderbolts come from?

And how did a Mahayana manage to evoke those heavenly thunderbolts?

Indeed, it was not just the hidden elites and the Green Hill Foxes—far away, Jiang He was shocked too!

Though he could neither see nor feel the triggering of the Violet Sky Thunder Talisman from five hundred kilometers away, he could clearly feel that the aura of the Eminent Fox who assumed a young man's form, which he recognized from the written invitation… had faded.

"Is… is he dead?"

Jiang He blanked out a little then.

Dead, just like that?

Killed by his Violet Sky Thunder Talisman?

Still, he became thrilled in the very next instant!

Wow!

Wasn't the Violet Sky Thunder Talisman a little too outrageous?

He was at least five hundred kilometers away from Green Hill, wasn't he?

With that much distance, he did not need to see that person or even know their name, and all it takes is a trace of their aura to kill them from the distance?

At the same time, he felt happy for Jin Sidao.

The man had such good luck.

Though Jiang He had intended to wipe out the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, he was moved by Jin Sidao's 'sincerity' and had therefore spared his life.

He was even thinking about testing the power of the Violet Sky Thunder Talisman on Jin Sidao just a moment ago. If he had really done so…

Jin Sidao would probably be dead.

"Anyway, the Violet Sky Thunder Talisman that I had used just now was rank-four, so there would be four thunderbolts… I wonder how many bolts that unlucky Eminent Fox managed to stop? With his demi-immortal armor, he should have blocked a few, right?"

Jiang He thought then, before continuing ahead to Green Hill.

He was a man of his word. Since he had promised that unlucky fox that he would go to his tribe's Holy Grounds, he would certainly be there. Why should he give up halfway even though that fox had been killed by his Violet Sky Thunder Talisman?

"Oh, yes…"

"When I reach Green Hill, I have to ask the name of the thunderstruck fox. After all, a Mahayana Daemon Fox is no weakling, and having it die so unceremoniously is disrespectful."

The five-hundred-kilometer journey was soon completed with Jiang He being as he was right now.

He could see the mountains of Green Hill that stretched over hundreds of miles from afar then, which made him stop mid-air and left him taken aback.

"The Green Hill Foxes actually dispelled their mountain-guarding array?"

Therefore, he decided to improve his cultivation right then… it did not cross his mind that the Green Hill Foxes did not dispel their array, but that the array had been destroyed by the Violet Sky Thunder Talisman instead.

"System!"

"Up my cultivation!"

"And the Nine Heavenly Stars Body Formula too!"

[Ding!]

A System Notification jingled in his mind then—

[Ding!]

[-1 billion Farm Points.]

[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully cultivated the Three Thousand Calamities up to seventh fold.]

[Ding!]

[-800 million Farm Points.]

[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully cultivated the Nine Heavenly Stars Body Formula up to seventh fold.]

At that very moment, Jiang He's aura was bursting wildly.

His full-fledged Sufferance cultivation had instantly reached Mahayana, but it did not stop there—in the blink of an eye and as if riding a rocket, he was full-fledged Mahayana.

On the other hand, his physique did not improve that rapidly despite the leveling of the Nine Heavenly Stars Body Formula. Physical strengthening was a process in the end, and even if the System shortened it endlessly, it still took around eight seconds to complete it.

Hence, starlight began to descend from over the horizon and completely shroud Jiang He, which was an even more extraordinary and stunning sight since it occurred in broad daylight.

The elites who were hiding themselves noticed him then, with some stunned and others surprised. One even noticed the rapid improvement of Jiang He's aura, and cried out involuntarily, "How is that possible!?"

"How is he cultivating so quickly?"

"Full-fledged Sufferance?"

"Reaching full-fledged Mahayana in an instant?"

"No, his physical body is strengthening rapidly as well… What could that starlight be? It's actually helping Jiang He refine his body!"

Since the elites in hiding had noticed Jiang He, it was only natural that the Green Hill Foxes noticed him too. Waves of barking echoed, with the white-haired elder yelling, "Restart the array immediately! Sixth Elder, Seventh Elder, go out to receive Jiang He. Tenth Elder, you'll be invoking the ninth layer of the immortal item in Fabulous Fox's place!"

"I myself shall enter the ancestral immortal's body and attack once Jiang He enters our array. All of you, charge immortal items simultaneously and kill him."

Veins of aura arose right then!

There were nine Mahayana eminences among the Green Hill Foxes… ten, if the recently deceased Fabolous was included!

At first, they had been prepared to lure Jiang He in, slowly subjugating him and even coming up with a method to unravel his secret. However, none of them had such intent with Fabulous Fox dead!

They would have to wait until Jiang He was subjugated!

As for Jiang He's secret…

The Green Hill Foxes had a history spanning endless years, and they had every mind-reading and torture technique at their disposal.

Kaboom!

The mountain-guarding array of the Green Hill Foxes, which had been struck down by the Violet Sky Thunder Talisman, rose once again.

A hundred kilometers away, Jiang He was left perplexed just as he ascended.

Damn it.

What were the Green Hill Foxes playing at? Why was their array up again?

Still, that was when a corner of the array suddenly parted, while a man and woman with powerful auras darted outside. The man was handsome and the woman alluring, not to mention that she had a wooly fox tail poking out of her back too.

Jiang He was dumbstruck.

He had even more questions now. What the heck were the Green Hill Foxes trying to do?

Nullifying their array and then putting it up again, and now opening a slit from a corner to send out two Mahayana Foxes… why on earth were they playing at?

"Whatever…"

"In the end, the Green Hill Foxes have a powerful background. They might have other measures prepared against me aside from the immortal daemon's corpse and their immortal item. Just in case…"

Jiang He discreetly took out two more Violet Sky Thunder Talismans, which he had kept hidden in his palm.

All he could do was strike first, and kill those two Green Hill Daemon Foxes to weaken their forces!

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Chapter 356: Corpse of An Immortal Daemon; Jade Tower, Immortal Item

"Full-fledged Mahayana!"

"His physique is also extremely vigorous. It is clear that the extent of his body's cultivation alone has reached frightening heights!"

The Sixth Elder of the Green Hill Foxes was Mahayana-advanced. He had assumed the appearance of a middle-aged man, although both his nose and ears retained fox traits and there were several red whiskers over his mouth.

The Seventh Elder—the youthful looking vixen—was a complete textbook definition of 'fox spirit'. The think silk dress she wore kept swaying as the wind moved, her stunning figure revealed from time to time… whatever could be shown was shown, and while what should not be was shown a little too.

It was especially the case for her woolly tail, which swayed left to right mischievously, prompting an impulse to tear it out.

The two Daemon Foxes communicated discreetly with acoustics and were all smiles despite their inward shock. Even so, they did not move too far away from the mountain-guarding array as Seventh Elder took a small step forward and smiled lightly. "Your reputation precedes you, Brother Jiang He, and it is obvious that you are indeed extraordinary."

On the other hand, Jiang He's face was filled with wariness.

He must not be careless!

He would lose more than what he gained if he were to be ensnared by the Green Hill Foxes.

Was there anyone who knows not of the cunningness of foxes?

He stopped twenty-five kilometers away from the Green Hill Foxes' mountain-guarding array, and closely studied the two foxes before him to capture their aura. Still, he did not impatiently charge the Violet Sky Thunder Talismans at once, and instead asked, "May I ask what is the name of the one who had fled from my sword and then ran to my house to send a written invitation?"

"Are you referring to Elder Fabulous Fox?"

Seventh Elder smiled. "He is setting up a banquet in our Holy Grounds to receive you, Brother Jiang He. This way, please."

Naturally, she could not tell Jiang He that Fabulous Fox had been mysteriously slain by heavenly thunderbolts.

Even so, Jiang He did a double take at her words.

He exclaimed in surprise, "So that unlucky fool is called Fabulous Fox?"

"Wait…"

"What do you mean, he's not dead?"

Raising his hand to check the two Violet Sky Thunder Talismans he was holding, Jiang He appeared a little surprise and asked in surprise, "No way! The aura on the written invitation it gave has faded. How could he not be dead? Or did the Violet Sky Thunder Talismans I'd used did not actually kill him?"

The Green Hill Foxes' Sixth Elder and Seventh Elder traded glances, and both could see the fear in the other's eyes.

Sixth Elder then shrieked, "You were the one who had invoked that cloud of calamity?"

In the next instant, she had turned into a puff of smoke that darted straight into the Green Hill mountain-guarding array, while Sixth Elder yelled, "Hurry! Invoke the ancestral immortal's body and the immortal item…"

Even so…

It was already too late.

Jiang He threw two Violet Sky Thunder Talismans into the air then, locking on to Sixth Elder and Seventh Elder's aura as he charged them.

In the next split second, two thunderclouds extending up to twenty kilometers squared appeared out of nowhere above the skies of the Green Hill Foxes' Holy Ground. Jiang He stared at both clouds of calamity and could not help scowling and complaining. "Damn it… I can't even sense much power even though I'm this close… could these Violet Sky Thunder Talismans be duds?"

Nonetheless, just like the cloud of calamity that erupted before, one would not sense much power from it unless they were targeted—Jiang He certainly did not know that.

Even so, the Violet Sky Thunder Talisman was already released.

He should at least observe the specific effect, should he not?

That was what Jiang He thought…

If the Violet Sky Thunder Talismans were indeed duds, he would have to change his approach and charge inside by invoking the Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity.

That said…

Jiang He turned towards the mountain-guarding array standing over Green Hill.

Why could he hear cries of panic from within even from outside array?

And it seemed to be that coquettish vixen's voice too… why was she so scared?

Meanwhile, the beautiful vixen was screaming with despair written all over her face.

Likewise, fear filled Sixth Elder's face entirely.

They finally experienced the insignificant thunderclouds that targeted Fabulous Fox just now. Even though the thunderclouds appeared plain and weak to others, they were exerting unmatched pressure upon them.

They felt as if death loomed over them even before the heavenly thunderbolts struck down upon them.

Most importantly, the thundercloud locked on to their aura and there was no way to run. Even if Seventh Elder attempted to warp inside the Green Hill Foxes' Holy Ground, the thundercloud up in the skies would follow her no matter the place she fled to.

"Elders!"

"Save us!"

"Quick, we'll invoke the immortal item together to stop the thunderclouds…"

Both Sixth Elder and Seventh Elder were shrieking then.

With Fabulous Fox as a precedent, the Eminent Foxes of Green Hill did not even dare to slow down. At almost the same instant that the thunderclouds erupted, all of them charged the immortal items of the Green Hill Foxes at once.

The palace hovering up in the skies above Green Hill shook and emanated divine radiance.

It turned out that the nine palaces were all mystic treasures, with each emanating the presence of premium-grade sage items. As the Green Hill Foxes charged them, they instantly assumed the form of a nine-floored Jade Tower. Divine light shone brilliantly over the tower as it flew high above, and shield the two Elder Foxes that were locked on by the thunderclouds.

Boom-crack!

The first thunderbolt of retribution descended. The mountain-guarding array, which was just raised again, actually rippled like a watery surface before crumbling with a loud crack.

The violet thunderbolt struck the nine-floored Jade Tower then and actually left it shuddering.

"Incredible!"

When the Jade Tower was split into the nine palaces, each were premium-grade sage items. However, they turn into a single immortal item when they were fused—and an inferior-grade immortal item at that, though it was insignificant compared to most mediocre-grade immortal items.

With the nine Mahayana Foxes all charging it, at least fifty percent of the the Jade Tower's potential was released. Even so, the thunderbolt left it shaking even after it struck, so one could imagine…

Any Mahayana Fox unprotected by powerful treasures would be dead from two bolts.

"What the hell!"

Twenty-five kilometers outside the Green Hill mountain-guarding array, Jiang He, who was standing up in the air, jumped from the surprise.

Both heavenly thunderbolts may seem weakened and not as powerful as imagined, but they blew up the Green Hill mountain-guarding array with a single strike… didn't that mean that it was not actually dispelled by the foxes before, but crumbled under the power of the Violet Sky Thunder Talisman?

Jiang He turned his eyes towards the Jade Tower rising to the skies at that thought.

The building was hovering a thousand feet up in the skies and shone with divine light as it shielded the Sixth and Seventh Elder. When a second thunderbolt struck it, all it had managed was to shake the Jade Tower a little harder.

The third thunderbolt of retribution descended at that and the Jade Tower shook again.

Then the fourth, and the fifth…

Both Violet Sky Thunder Talismans were grade-four, and there were eight thunderbolts of retribution altogether.

And by the time the eighth bolt struck, the Jade Tower had actually dropped a hundred feet. The many Daemon Foxes who charged the Jade Tower all vomited blood at that, with looks of astonishment showing all over their faces.

They worked together to invoke the immortal item and repel the heavenly thunderbolts. Even so, they were coughing blood from the shock—how powerful could the heavenly thunderbolts be?

"Die!"

The Senior Elder of the Green Hill Foxes danced and cried out in rage then, and a strand of his Yuan Spirit flew out of his body. It slipped into thin air while he and the other eight Elder Foxes of Green Hill charged the Jade Tower and charged toward Jiang He, who was still outside.

Boom!

The world fell apart and the air rippled.

A gigantic Daemonic Fox appeared in the skies above Green Hill then.

Its body was white as snow and was three thousand feet long, just as it had six tails and was emanating thick immortal might. Its Dao swirled around itself, although it was a part of the Senior Elder's Yuan Spirit infused into the immortal daemon fox corpse.

"Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity, rise!"

Jiang He charged the Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity, knocking away the Jade Tower with a single stroke. Even so, the colossal immortal daemon fox corpse had already reached him in the next instant!

Swish!

A twilight radiance shot out from Jiang He's body and took the brunt of the blow from the immortal daemon fox corpse. Even so, Jiang He was knocked a thousand feet away while blood seeped out from the corner of its mouth.

"What?"

One of the Fox Elders cried out in surprise then. "Another immortal item? Jiang He actually had two?"

"Hold on…"

"The Clear Sky Mirror?"

"Impossible! The Penglai Sect's Clear Sky Mirror was merely a demi-saint item. It should not be this powerful even if it had fallen to Jiang He's hands…"

Veins of divine minds intertwined, feeling a second wind reach him then.

The many Elder Foxes could hardly conceal their looks of greed.

Two immortal items…

The Green Hill Foxes would claim both if they had managed to kill Jiang He, and their power would definitely overwhelm all cultivators when it happens.

"So powerful!"

Jiang He, who was sent flying fifty kilometers away, wiped off the blood on the corner of his mouth.

He could fend off the Jade Tower that the Elder Foxes had invoked together and even strike it with his Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity with a chance of beating them.

On the other hand, the corpse of the immortal daemon was absolutely frightening.

The immortal aura and the Dao emanating from it was almost hellish, and Jiang He's attacks were nullified completely.

Immortal, mortal…

Those were the two tiers of existence.

And as he watched both the Jade Tower and the immortal daemon corpse charging toward him again, Jiang He knew very well…

On this day, even if he would overwork himself and eat peppers to increase his combat power, he would not win against the immortal daemon corpse…

He had to come up with something else.

Once again invoking the Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity and using the Clear Sky Mirror to take the brunt of the immortal daemon corpse's attack, Jiang He ensnared the many veins of aura as he fought. The price of that was being struck a sword flash that the immortal daemon corpse conjured with its Dao, which left him bloodied.

Of course, his bones were not actually injured.

Right now, Jiang He was wearing a demi-immortal armor, while his physique was full-fledged Mahayana… his defense did not fall short by much compared to his attack.

With a flip of his hand, he took out a handful of Violet Sky Thunder Talismans then, cursing as he threw all of them out with a wave of his hand!

"I don't believe in bad mojo… could you lot stop this stack of Violet Sky Thunder Talismans?"

Ka-boom!

Twelve thunderclouds formed up in the skies right then.

Translator's Note:

(1) The fox spirits (狐狸精)are Chinese mythological creatures usually capable of shapeshifting, who may either be benevolent or malevolent spirits. Also refers to women who steal husbands/lovers from other women.

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Chapter 357: They Were All Struck Down By Lightning

"What the f*ck…"

A curse could be heard echoing throughout the world.

The Senior Elder of the Green Hill Foxes was left baffled, even as he controlled the immortal daemon corpse that was almost a thousand-meter long as it sore through the skies… How the heck did his Yuan Spirit clone get locked on by the thunderbolts of retribution?

His true form was being targeted too.

Likewise, the other Elder Daemon Foxes all felt the color drain out of their faces.

The thunderclouds were singling out their auras and nothing else.

That beautiful vixen even cried out in panic, "Why did two heavenly thunderbolts lock on to me?"

Beside her, the true form of the white-furred Senior Elder turned towards her with a scowl. "I'm targeted by two bolts as well… Everyone, rally inside the Jade Tower! We'll work together to repel the heavenly retribution!"

His tone then changed as he barked, "My Yuan Spirit clone is controlling the ancestral immortal's body and immune to heavenly thunderbolts. I'll distract Jiang He so that he won't interfere with us weathering the heavenly thunderbolts—it won't work against an immortal item no matter how powerful it is… oh no!"

Even before he finished, the Senior Elder's expression changed.

After all, the heavenly thunderbolts struck simultaneously from the twelve thunderclouds up in the skies.

Eleven of those bolts all struck the Jade Tower, while the remaining bolt shot toward the immortal daemon's corpse.

Despite hiding behind the Jade Tower that all the Elder Foxes had invoked together, they began coughing blood after being struck by eight thunderbolts.

Even so, there were twelve thunderbolts striking down upon them at once…

"Do not hold back, everyone…"

Kaboom!

The Senior Elder's yelling was drowned out by the rumble of the eleven thunderbolts striking down upon the Jade Tower. Its structure shook wildly and the divine radiance that it emanated appeared ready to fall apart.

In the distance, the Senior Elder's Yuan Spirit clone roared in fury, "If you are that good, come out and face me, Jiang He!"

Kaboom!

The immortal daemon corpse burst out with an even scarier aura then. It only shook a little even when one of the violet heavenly thunderbolts struck down on its colossal form, and around it, veins of Immortal Dao was released to instantly build up into an immortal art, slashing toward Jiang He.

After all, that Yuan Spirit clone…

Was desperate!

The heavenly thunderbolts up in the skies were striking down in barrages, with eleven thunderbolts descending at once in each barrage. The immortal radiance of the Jade Tower was already dimming from its assault and it would be falling apart in two more barrages.

Therefore, there was only one solution to break through this dangerous situation, and it was by killing Jiang He…

If these heavenly thunderbolts were Jiang He's godly technique, it would naturally fade if Jiang He was cut down.

On the other hand, Jiang He's combat ability was on full gear. Even so, he was a little surprised as he attacked with the Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity…

Was that immortal daemon corpse immune to the violet heavenly thunderbolts?

He even gave it a special treatment by using a grade-nine Violet Sky Thunder Talisman on it.

Still, Jiang He soon got the idea…

That immortal daemon corpse was a dead body, and perhaps even less. After it perished and its body was preserved, its Immortal Dao was invoked by its successors by years, and the corpse was hence converted into a special mystic treasure.

"And like mystic treasures, it's an inanimate object. The Green Hill Foxes would have to infuse a Yuan Spirit into it so that it moves!"

Jiang He could not help laughing at the thought.

After all, he was experienced in fighting Yuan Spirits.

He waved his hand and withdrew the Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity.

Against the immortal daemon corpse that was brimming with the might of an immortal, Jiang He pointed at it with his fingers as if they were a sword—

Snikt!

In the next instant, the hum of a sword rang throughout the horizon.

It was the sound effect of the Twenty-Three Swords… and its special effect was released as well: sword silhouettes materialized everywhere up in the skies and every other sword within fifty kilometers hummed in resonance.

Then, a formless sword radiance shot through the air, slashing toward the immortal daemon corpse.

"Oh no!"

The Senior Elder's Yuan Spirit clone, which was still controlling the immortal daemon corpse, was so stunned that even his true form cried out in shock, "A Yuan Spirit secret technique…"

Thud…

A soft sound.

The formless sword flash of the Twenty-Three Swords sunk within the immortal daemon corpse.

Though the immortal daemon corpse was powerful, its Dao still lingered. Its physique was equally overwhelming and a class above Jiang He's physique, which had cultivated the Nine Heavenly Stars Body Formula up to the seventh fold. Even Jiang He's Sword Array of Ten Realms and Infinity fail to inflict meaningful damage upon it, and it certainly would not reach the Yuan Spirit clone hidden in the sea of its 'consciousness'.

Even so, the Twenty-Three Swords was different.

It was a spiritual attack.

No matter how tough the immortal daemon corpse was, it was merely a physical defense.

After all, the target was merely a Yuan Spirit clone. Even after a thousand years of cultivation and power nearing Mahayana, spirits and souls were vulnerable—as such, a single release of the Twenty-Three Swords from Jiang He was enough to cut down the Yuan Spirit clone within.

Snikt~

Nearby, the Senior Elder was vomiting blood, its face turning extremely pale right then.

It was only natural for the true form to suffer recoil when a Yuan Spirit was cut down.

At the same time, the six-tailed immortal daemon corpse was 'dead' once again after being freed from the control of the Yuan Spirit Clone and fell out of the skies, slamming down onto the ground.

Jiang He landed and retrieved the immortal daemon corpse with a wave of his hand.

He then looked up at the Jade Tower—the immortal item was still floating up on thin air amid the twelve thunderclouds where flashes of lightning were still brewing.

Then, he saw the Eminent Foxes protected by the divine radiance of the Jade Tower, all of them were filled panic, terror, and rage. He could not help muttering to himself right then, "Impressive… it's the third barrage but the Jade Tower has yet to collapse. It seems to be quite powerful."

"Jiang He… Blargh!"

The beautiful vixen cried out in her falsetto voice, but coughed out a mouthful of blood just as she opened her mouth. Her rather thin clothing were already in tatters, and it was fortunate that she wore combat garments or it would have to be censored.

Kaboom!

The fourth barrage of heavenly thunderbolts descended then.

Because the Yuan Spirit clone that controlled the immortal daemon corpse was destroyed, the thunderclouds that locked on to Senior Elder's aura tracked down the true form.

After that, twelve heavenly thunderbolts descended at once.

Boom-crack!

The Jade Tower abruptly dropped out of the skies, its dazzling divine radiance rapidly darkening. At the same time, cracks were appearing all over the Jade Tower, and that powerful inferior-grade immortal item was struck down with the Violet Sky Thunder Talisman.

"Jiang He!"

One of the Eminent Foxes, no longer able to hold back, roared resoundingly as it reverted to its true form and charged toward Jiang He. Still, as it darted through the skies, one of the violet thunderbolts shot down and hit him squarely on the head, blowing up his skull.

Even before his Yuan Spirit could fly away, another heavenly thunderbolt hit it and blew it into pieces.

At the same time, more heavenly thunderbolts struck down upon the Eminent Foxes, who were now no longer protected by the Jade Tower. Even if they could block a bolt, the sheer force left them crying for their parents or cursing Jiang He… some even resorted to begging Jiang He for mercy.

Even so…

They were all dead soon enough.

Meanwhile, Jiang He looked at the calamity clouds above that were fading rapidly, and then at the many corpse strewn over the ground… and felt as if he was dreaming.

Why did he come to visit the Green Hill Foxes again?

The original plan was to stir trouble after coming to the Green Hill Holy Ground. Somehow, even before he entered… he ended up killing everyone?

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Chapter 358: Get Me Someone Who Is Good with Words

Up ahead, Green Hill was a mess.

The ground several hundred kilometers around it was split apart and the mountains nearby had collapsed. Raging Sword Will and immortal strength still swirled in the air, and average Sufferance-elites would have a hard time escaping alive if they entered this place.

As Jiang He stood upon the ruins and looked at the numerous massive fox corpses lying on the ground, he could not help feeling a little emotion right then!

Just as he had imagined, plans would never catch up to change.

When he arrived, he was ready to go through a tough fight here at Green Hill.

How could he have imagined that thirteen Violet Sky Thunder Talismans were enough to strike down every Mahayana Fox of Green Hill?

Hmmm…

Actually, it was quite a tough fight.

The immortal daemon corpse had troubled Jiang He considerably, leaving bleeding from the mouth and his qi unsettled. His right shoulder, too, was…

"Eh?"

Jiang He looked at his shoulder, only to find that it was still a blob of blood and flesh. "What's going on?" He could not help exclaiming. "Why aren't my wounds healing on its own?"

Right now, his physique was powerful and his regeneration ability was supposedly so frightening that it healed normal injuries in minutes.

The wound on his shoulder, however, was swirling with immortal might as well as strands of dead qi, which obstructed the regeneration of the flesh.

Helpless, Jiang He had to slap a band-aid on it. It would not do if the dead qi caused tetanus or muscle death.

After some thought, he took an Amoxicillin capsule and three Bezoar Detox Pills as well, and it came as no surprise that his shoulder injury healed completely in less than half a minute.

Jiang He then landed on the ground and picked up every last Daemon Fox corpse. Naturally, he did not leave behind their daemon weapons and Spatial Rings either.

The Green Hill Foxes certainly had deep pockets—each of the Elder Foxes possessed at least two premium-grade sage times, one for attack and the other for defense. Three of them even had demi-immortal daemonic weapons, not to mention the innumerable items stored in their Spatial Rings: spirit stones, sage items ranging from inferior grade to superior grade, paper talismans, as well as soul plants and materials for crafting medicinal pellets or mystic treasures.

"Hmmm…"

"Counting in Fabulous Fox's armor, aren't there four demi-immortal items?"

"After I get home and plant those four items to strengthen them, they would become genuine immortal items… still, the greatest rewards aren't these four demi-immortal items, but the immortal daemon corpse and that Jade Tower!"

From Jiang He's perspective, the value of the immortal daemon corpse was definitely higher than immortal items, especially the complete Dao it embodied. If he planted it in his farm, would he not make a killing if the strengthening aspect of his farm grew into several different Dao paths?

Of course, Jiang He would prefer having an immortal daemon then getting a manual.

Even so, there was no assurance of what he would get from planting.

Likewise, the Jade Tower was not bad either.

It would reach the level of mediocre-grade immortal item if it was indeed strengthened after planting. With his current ability and the new hoard of immortal items, he could protect himself even if the immortals returned.

"Protect myself…"

"Being only able to protect myself is not my style!"

"My goal is to have the immortals keep their act together even when they returned. Whoever dares to show off in front of me shall be directly slapped to death!"

Jiang He breathed a long sigh.

That goal was as far as it was grand, and seriously difficult to accomplish.

"There are only eight folds in the Three Thousand Calamities, which would only improve me to full-fledged Heavenly Immortal. Likewise, the Nine Heavenly Stars Body Formula only have nine folds, but it is a class beneath the Three Thousand Calamities. Even if I reached immortal physically, I would not be much stronger. So…"

"It is time to upgrade the farm and plant more cultivation manuals."

Jiang He could not help feeling a headache at that very thought!

Time to create cultivation manuals again.

It was a very difficult task, and when he felt uninspired, he would sit idly for hours without knowing how to start. That was no doubt grilling for Jiang He!

"Since I have assumed the path of a Sword Immortal, I should continue walking it. At the same time, I must not give up on my physique either—aside from my own cultivation, I need to develop a godly immortal art as well…"

Even as the thought crossed his mind, he strode toward Green Hill.

The cries of mourning resounded across the mountains. Countless Daemon Foxes were wailing for their perished Elders.

Meanwhile, up in the skies, veins of divine minds intertwined.

In their shock, the many elites hidden in the darkness were unable to speak for a long time. It was only until Jiang He stepped foot into Green Hill that some quietly said, "Is Jiang He really a commoner cultivator? Is he really still in his twenties?"

"Is he really not an immortal who has returned from the beyond?"

Whoosh!

Someone quickly left then.

Logically speaking, after the many Elder Foxes of Green Hill were slain by Jiang He, who had also taken away their immortal item and the immortal daemon corpse, this should have been the best timing to loot the burning house. Even so, that took skill because they could get killed while getting nothing for their misfortune.

Hence, as the first cultivator left, a second cultivator swiftly made himself scarce as well.

All of them appeared ashen-faced, feeling a tiny bit of misery aside from their utter astonishment…

Even in ancient times, Mahayana elites were no weaklings. They were basically an auxiliary corps of immortals, because after weathering the nine retributions to reach Mahayana, most of them would become immortal if nothing unexpected happens. Even so, they were now no more than little chicks before Jiang He, who could kill them however he wanted… it certainly was a huge blow for these elites who had cultivated for one or two thousand years.

There were even some who were ready to emulate the Foxes of Mount Changbai, sealing their mountains and locking their doors so that no disciple would leave before Chaos came, thereby avoiding a provocation on Jiang He.

Meanwhile, up in the skies, a young daemon cultivator with two horns on his head and wearing a brocade appeared terrified and shocked.

Beside him was a Mahayana daemon cultivator.

He then turned toward the brocade-wearing youth and asked, "Jiu'er, is that really the one who had cut down your Yuan Spirit clone before?"

The Adam's apple of the young daemon cultivator bobbed before he nodded stiffly.

Smack!

The Mahayana daemon cultivator promptly slapped him in the face, leaving the youth's cheek lopsided while the Mahayana cultivator roared, "Moron! How many times have I told you not to meddle with the profane realm? Why can't you listen?"

However, the brocade-wearing youth seemed not to feel pain even though his cheek was lopsided.

He dropped to his knees beneath the Mahayana daemon cultivator's feet, clutching it as he cried, "Father, save me… I… I don't want to die… I… I was just trying to groom the Dragoncroc Emperor since he carried the lineage of us dragons and possessed outstanding talent. Jiang He was only Golden Pellet at the time, I didn't imagine he would improve so quickly!"

The young daemon cultivator looked ready to fall apart.

This was Green Hill!

The foxes here were a class above them, so if Jiang He came knocking on their door to make trouble… how were they supposed to stop him?

"The Dragoncroc Emperor?"

"Draconic lineage?"

The Mahayana daemon cultivator became even more furious then, but he held back his impulse to slap his insolent son to death and seethed through his teeth, "We are Scaled Dragons. What on earth does that Dragoncroc Emperor have to do with us?"

"Return to our Holy Grounds at once and bring our treasures. Learn from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect and go to Jiang He, apologize to him, and make amends!"

Meanwhile, Jiang He had already entered Green Hill.

He could not help feeling awed as he studied its valley which stretched over several hundred kilometers…

What a nice place, with towering mountains and clear waters!

Most importantly, the Spirit Qi here was so concentrated that it would give his farm a run for its money. The average martial artist and cultivator would improve by leaps and bounds if they cultivated here.

"Perhaps I could discuss with the Green Hill Foxes about building a martial arts academy or a cultivator academy here. It definitely would become a Holy Ground for cultivation after a year or so of development."

At that thought, Jiang He's divine mind swept out as he flatly asked, "Is there a leader around here?"

A full-fledged Sufferance Daemon Fox flew toward him then.

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared tightly at Jiang He with overflowing hatred, and he seethed through his teeth, "The Green Hill Foxes shall never suffer your existence, Jiang He! You will be dead when our immortals return!"

Jiang He raised his palm, killed it with a single slap, and said, "Get me someone who is good with words."

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Chapter 359: The Green Hill Foxes, Wiped Out

"Jiang He!"

Another Daemon Fox—a seven-retribution Sufferance—invoked his daemon weapons and Daemonic Pellet while burning his Dao and Yuan Spirit, bellowing in rage, "The Green Hill Foxes will never…"

Pow!

Jiang He split the Daemon Fox's head with a single punch from the distance. With a cool laugh, his divine mind stretched out once again as he said sinisterly, "I, Jiang He, have come to visit the Green Hill Holy Grounds with sincerity. Here I was thinking that I would kill your Mahayana Eminences and leave after borrowing some stuff, but since all of you insist on being stubborn, every last one of you shall die!"

How powerful was his divine mind?

It shrouded Green Hill in its entirely and swept through every Daemon Fox.

Their brain waves could not escape Jiang He's senses at all.

When he was still a rank-nine martial artist, he could find out if someone was lying with this move. Right now, this same move made it easy for him to decide if the Daemon Foxes held enmity or killing intent towards him.

Still…

"Gasp!"

Jiang He inhaled sharply.

Aside from the few who were scared witless, most of the Daemon Foxes dwelling in Green Hill held enmity and murderous intent toward him?

"The killing intent is very strong, too…"

"It would cause me endless problems in the future if I allow them to live. Even if they cannot beat me, it would be troublesome if they attacked my pets and eagles."

Jiang He waved his hand and the Mosquito Cutter materialized.

With a swing of his sword, all of Green Hill was covered in endless Thunderflame Sword Qi.

It was the second technique of Three Thousand Calamities: Thunderflame Calamity.

Jiang He had set up this sword technique as an AOE skill when he created this technique. However, he tended to resort to throwing pea bombs and Doom Shrooms, which was why he did not use this technique much.

As thousands of Thunderflame Sword Qi descended, all of Green Hill appeared to have fallen ton apocalypse.

There were roars, wails, begs for mercy, and furious cursing, all mashed into one…

When the Thunderflame Sword Qi faded, the beautiful scenery of Green Hill was now hell on earth. Innumerable Daemon Fox corpses were sprawled across crushed cliffs, and were either cut in two by Sword Qi or burned to crisp by Thunderflame Sword Qi—a tragic sight that was beyond words.

Jiang He could not help blinking as he landed.

Damn it!

Did this mean…

Were they all dead?

Had his plan to bring a few Feral Kings to the Superpower Research Department go up in smoke again?

"However, this reflects my stats laterally. My ability has improved a little too quickly, which is why I don't have a greater control over my ability. If my control was precise enough, the Thunderflame calamity would have spared two Daemon Foxes instead of killing every last one of them, which I could bring to the Superpower Research Department for experiments."

Jiang He thought then, and resolved himself to cultivate himself for a while under the Old Tea Tree of Enlightenment after he leveled his farm.

He then walked around Green Hill and soon found the Green Hill Foxes' treasure vault.

There were mostly medicinal pellets and piles of daemonic mystic treasures here, which Jiang He had collected before starting a search in the Green Hill's scripture chamber.

The scripture chamber in Green Hill had hundreds of cultivation manuals.

Of course, most were daemonic cultivation manuals, and only twenty or so out of the hundreds of cultivation manuals was useable by humans, which Jiang He collected after skimming through them.

"These manuals are quite average and unsuitable for me to cultivate with, although it would be outstanding if I gifted them to someone… Oh, yes, those dead Sufferance, Convergence, and Yuan Spirit Daemon Foxes had daemonic weapons and Spatial Rings too…"

Jiang He hence searched through the many corpses and collected a huge pile of Spatial Rings.

Still, he was not bothered to check what was inside each ring…

"After so long, I've managed to get several hundred Spatial Rings, didn't I?"

"I can't use every ring, and there are too many to give everyone… that said, I could consider trading the rings for other stuff. Since my Mosquito Cutter and the Nine Heavenly Stars Body Formula are traded items, there might be treasures yet to be discovered among the average Joes."

Sitting on the debris that was Green Hill, Jiang He whipped out his satellite phone and gave Wang Hou a call, only to get an 'out of coverage area' message.

He then dialed Zhou Yu's number, but…

'The user of this number has turned off their mobile device.'

Not one to believe in bad luck, Jiang He dialed Lin Tianzheng's number, and only then learned that Wang Hou was out seeking 'providence' after asking about it. He could not be reached at the moment and might have entered some heritage site or Secret Realm. As for Zhou Yu, he had secluded himself to ascend up to divine-tier.

"Elder Lin, is there a Martial Arts Department (MAD) branch near Green Hill?"

"Yes."

Lin Tianzheng said. "There is a MAD branch in Lingcheng District, as well as a military garrison and military elites stationed there. Vast wildlands surround it, which is where the perimeter going into Shandong District was set up—that has been developed into city base now as well, and the forces there are quite formidable."

"Good."

Jiang He smiled. "Well, could you contact the person in charge of Lingcheng District and have him send some people to Green Hill?"

"To Green Hill? What for?"

Lin Tianzheng did a double take. When he came to his senses, he pressed, "Did you really go to Green Hill, Jiang He?"

"Yes. They had already sent an invitation—how could I not go?"

"Are you alright? Did the Green Hill Foxes trouble you? I heard from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect that they are a powerful clan, having up to seven Mahayana Eminences and immortal items in their Holy Grounds."

Jiang He answered truthfully, "They do have an immortal item and it was quite powerful. I had to spend quite an effort to kill the nine Eminent Foxes hiding under it."

Lin Tianzheng was left baffled right then.

The three-retribution Sufferance Elite of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect was beside him.

Once the cultivator heard what Jiang He said over the phone, he promptly sprang to his feet as if thunderstruck. On the other hand, Jiang He was not bothered by Lin Tianzheng's reaction and said, "So here's the thing, Old Lin—the Spirit Qi here at Green Hill is thick, and the scenery is beautiful… uh, of course, its' a little mangled after the battle just now, although it will be alright after a little gardening."

"Isn't the government promoting immortal cultivation? I think we could set up a cultivator academy here."

"What? The cultivator from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect is there with you?"

"He's worried that the Immortal Foxes of Green Hill would bother me after they return?"

"Hold on… could you ask him if their immortal swordsman would come to bother me as well after they return?"

The three-retribution cultivator looked ashen-faced, and he quickly yelled over the phone, "No, absolutely not! Don't worry, Lord Jiang He! There aren't that many immortal swordsmen in the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, and with dangers lurking everywhere in the worlds beyond, they might not even make it back, yes?"

Jiang He was speechless.

What was the name of this fella? Wasn't his survival instincts a little too strong? He had to get acquainted with him after he returned.

A passing joke had actually made him curse his own immoral swordsman to die out!

Chuckling, Jiang He then said, "Is there a meaning to worrying about this stuff, Elder Lin?"

"Do you think that the Immortal Foxes of Green Hill would not trouble us if we do not build an academy on their territory?"

"Would the immortals and immortal daemons keep their act together and obey our laws if they return to Earth?"

Jiang He did not elaborate further then and said, "Alright, I have other things to do so I'll hang up for now. If you want to take over Green Hill, you could do so anytime… you could just leave it be even if you don't."

After hanging up, Jiang He strode out of Green Hill.

Inwardly, he was becoming troubled…

"It's the end of November now… I told Old Mu that I would help him capture two Feral Kings in three days back then, but how many days has it been now?"

"Should I go overseas again?"

Just as Jiang He was about to leave the country, a daemonic cloud flew toward him from the horizon before he could move. It stopped right in front of him and the Mahayana daemon cultivator standing on top of it was grinning broadly as he greeted Jiang He, "Brother Jiang He."

The daemonic cultivator was well built, and there was a young Convergence novice daemon cultivator with two horns on his head beside him.

Jiang He was surprised.

Who were these daemon cultivators?

How dare they get in his way?

Still, he become delighted after his initial surprise.

He was still troubled about having no hunting grounds to capture Feral Kings. Should he subjugate these two daemon cultivators and have a word with them just to see if he could borrow two Feral Kings?

"Oh? It's you? That little daemon who interfered with me killing the Dragoncroc Emperor?"

Jiang He's face twitched when he recognized the young daemon cultivator with two horns. He had cut down his Yuan Spirit clone before, which looked identical to his true form.

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Chapter 360: Catching A Couple Dragons for You to Experiment With

Jiang He's mind kicked into gear right then.

Catching Feral Kings outside the country?

How troublesome would that be!

All he had to do was pressure the two daemons before him and have them lend him some.

Still, before Jiang He could attack, the well-built Mahayana daemon cultivator had slapped the young two-horned daemon cultivator on the back of his head to make him kneel, while barking angrily, "Trash, why aren't you on your news?"

Slap!

That palm had landed squarely and powerfully, and the tremendous force cracked and quaked the ground beneath the young daemon's knees, with fissures that stretched over several miles beneath its knee cap!

Jiang He was dumbstruck.

He was actually left taken aback by that move.

Did the kid's skull break?

In fact, the young daemon cultivator was left dumbfounded by that slap, although it quickly came to its senses and kowtowed, begging for mercy. "Lord Jiang He, please show your magnanimity to spare my life… Back then, I had misjudged things, which was why I taught the Dragoncroc Emperor daemon cultivation techniques."

"I had certainly been very blind that I would send a Yuan Spirit Clone to protect the Dragoncroc Emperor…"

Beside him, the huge Mahayana daemon cultivator was smiling apologetically. "Brother Jiang He…"

He quickly switched gears when he saw the irritation on Jiang He's face and said, "It was my fault for slumbering in seclusion and not teaching my son, Lord Jiang He, that he would pay you such insult. I would not complain no matter how you punish or hit him—I just hope that you could spare his life."

With that, he shoved his foot on the kneeling daemon cultivator, knocking him into the dirt while scolding, "You little wretch! What have I told you before I confined myself?"

The young daemon cultivator started bawling at that, repetitively begging for mercy as he kept exclaiming stuff like 'It's all my fault, father' or 'Mercy, Lord Jiang He'…

On the other hand, Jiang He was scowling.

What the hell…

Which race of daemon cultivator were these guys from?

They were actually using the suffering strategy?

And why did it feel as if a classmate sharing the same table had done something wrong, and his father had slapped him in front of the teacher?

Still, Jiang He was a kind-hearted person who could not bear to see such tearful sights. As such, his expression turned cold as he exclaimed in irritation, "Shut it! Cry some more and I'll wipe out your whole clan!"

One must say that Jiang He's words held great threat.

The young daemon cultivator promptly pursed his lips and stopped crying, whereas the Mahayana daemon cultivator was also trembling in fear, afraid to even breathe too loudly.

On the other hand, Jiang He simply took out a wooden stool and placed it on the ground.

As he plonked himself grandly on it, he looked between father and son, eventually settling on the young daemon cultivator and said flatly, "I remember you. Back then, the Dragoncroc Emperor and the Sky Demon Cult's Saint had made an agreement in secret to kill me. You had even tried to stop me with your Yuan Spirit clone when I went to Shennongjia to demand an explanation from the Dragoncroc Emperor."

"I was just thinking a few days ago that I should make time to visit Shennongjia again and have a nice discussion with you lot. Well, my effort is spared now that you're all here."

The teeth of the young daemon cultivator wearing a brocade was chafing as he struggled to compose himself and not keel over.

There was no helping it after all.

The one before him was an actual fiend, a great demon lord.

In just half a month, he had wiped out the Penglai Sect and beat up the Mahayana foxes of Mount Changbai, even forcing the latter to kill the Green Fox King as well as announcing that they would seal the mountain.

But the most horrific of his deeds had to be the battle just now.

The Green Hill Foxes were all wiped out!

If Jiang He had really come to his clan with a grudge, how were they even supposed to stop him?

Meanwhile, that Mahayana daemon cultivator breathed an inward sigh of relief and quickly presented Jiang He with a Spatial Ring, saying, "Lord Jiang He, this is a little gift from our clan. I hope you will accept it."

Jiang He took the ring, and noticed that there were many treasures inside after he studied it with his spirit.

There were 5,000 mediocre-grade spirit stones and superior-grade spirit stones, along with a premium-grade sage item and a demi-immortal item.

Moreover, the demi-immortal item was a sword.

It seemed that these daemon cultivators' Holy Grounds were quite rich and able to give out a demi-immortal sword. After all, even the Ten Thousand Swords Sect's best item was the Dragon Abyss Sword—a demi-immortal weapon.

Jiang He put away the Spatial Ring with a faint smile on his face, but he flatly said, "What is your clan? You're quite competent."

Slap!

Just as he spoke, the Mahayana daemon cultivator smacked his son on the back of his head again and scolded, "Moron! Why aren't you showing your true form to Lord Jiang He?"

With that, the young daemon cultivator changed instantly into a thousand-feet long scale dragon that took to the skies.

It soared several laps around the air before landing and assuming human form again.

Jiang He did a double take.

What the hell!

Scale dragon?

The daemon cultivators of Shennongjia were a clan of scale dragons?

Still, he soon composed himself. Since mythical stuff like the Green Hill Foxes proved true, it was logical that a scale dragon would pop up as well. In fact, the four palaces of the sea dragons might show up too.

After asking a little about the scale dragons, he learned that the Mahayana daemon cultivator's name was the Green Scale Dragon King.

It was actually a clan secret that must not be known to any outsider, but the Green Scale Dragon King certainly did not dare to withhold anything from Jiang He, and told him everything about the scale dragons at present.

They were certainly not a weak clan—when it comes to daemon cultivators, they had five Mahayanas, over twenty Sufferances and over a hundred Convergences, along with almost a thousand Yuan Spirits… One must say that compared to immortal sects or demonic sects and daemon cultivators were more numerous.

The chief reason was because the daemons were able to procreate and produce offspring.

Even for scale dragons, where only one of them was born after almost decades or centuries, their two-thousand-year history was certainly long. On the other hand, human cultivators could not achieve such things—leaving aside whether they were compatible enough, there was a huge inequality in numbers between men and women when it comes to cultivators.

For example, Jiang He only saw Cloudy Sky Fairy Child throughout the Penglai Sect.

"The Green Scale Dragon King …"

Jiang He muttered then, as he found that name unusually familiar—was it not the one Wang Hou had killed outside Jiangnan City Base, which ranked among the most powerful serpentine Ferals?

Of course, that other Green Scale Dragon King's title was self-proclaimed.

He was merely a snake that had evolved and mutated after the Revival of Qi, whereas the one in front of Jiang He now was a real scale dragon.

"Since you scale dragons are that sincere, I won't continue bickering with your clan."

Jiang He said flatly at that, "Of course—and these are all the prerequisites—that would depend on you scale dragons obeying the law and keeping your act together. Now that the immortal sects, demonic sects and daemon cultivators are all revealing themselves and many elites among the commoners have stepped up, if I learn of any person or daemon breaking the rules of us commoners, murdering and devouring humans, I, Jiang He, might pay your clan a visit."

"No, we would never," Green Scale Dragon King quickly said.

Jiang He waved him away impatiently, gesturing for the Green Scale Dragon King and his son to leave.

Though the Green Scale Dragon King appeared utterly reverent when it said, "Farewell, mister Jiang He", he was beside himself with joy…

They were alive!

He took his son along as he took to the skies and left rapidly, and only slowed down when they were around two hundred kilometers away. Still, his face suddenly fell as he promptly looked back to find a Sword Qi cutting an arc through the horizon, chasing after them.

"Father, could Jiang He be going back on his word?" that young brocade-wearing daemon cultivator muttered then.

On the other hand, the Green Scale Dragon King was sweating in fright, and fled away while dragging his son along—in fact, it ran over two hundred and fifty kilometers in a single breath until Jiang He caught up.

Scowling, Jiang He barked, "Why are you running, dog? I just wanted to borrow something from you and not cut you down. Do you have to be that spooked?"

Even so, both the Green Scale Dragon King and his son were trembling.

Still, Jiang He continued, "Do you have Feral King at your Holy Grounds… Hmm, the ones that have just condensed their Daemonic Pellets?"

"What?"

"Just one?"

"Well, Feral Emperor would work too."

Would the Green Scale Dragon King dare to refuse? He promptly agreed to it—whether a lesser daemon lived or died was certainly more ideal than having all scale dragons wiped out, was it not?

Jiang He nodded in satisfaction and said, "Alright, then I'm coming with you to get the little daemons."

"No!"

The Green Scale Dragon King cried out in shock, but quickly added, "How could we have you take on such a long trip, Lord Jiang He? I'll personally bring the daemons to your house once returned to my clan's Holy Grounds—would that work?"

Jiang He appeared content and nodded before leaving in a long arc of Sword Qi.

On the other hand, the Green Scale Dragon King was sweating all over his forehead…

It was so scary!

That fiend actually wants to visit the Holy Grounds of us scale dragons?

What if he really did go and his displeasure was incurred, in turn wiping out the entire clan of scale dragons?

He promptly returned to Shennongjia and entered the Holy Grounds of his clan, picking two young scale dragons with slightly impure bloodlines and who had committed some mistakes before… one of them had just condensed their Daemonic Pellet while the other was a True Child, which made them equal to Feral Emperors.

After that, the Green Scale Dragon King brought the two little scale dragons to Jiang He's house without delay.

Jiang He kept both scale dragons restrained inside his Clear Sky Mirror and thanked the Green Scale Dragon King, saying, "Don't worry. If this doesn't kill them, they would be returned to your clan."

After seeing the Green Scale Dragon King off, Jiang He headed straight to the underground base of the Superpower Research Department to meet Elder Mu.

"I'm really sorry, Elder Mu. I've had my hands full lately that I didn't have any time to spare at all. That is why my promise of catching Feral Kings were delayed."

The Superpower Research Department was filled with researchers focused on their work. Since they did not pay much attention to what happened outside, they really were not aware of Jiang He's recent grand feats.

One lady professor smiled then. "You're being kind, Mister Jiang. It's already extremely difficult to capture one Feral King alive and not getting it is fine. We could try to see if we could tame rank-nine Ferals instead, and then groom them into Feral Kings—that would help with the progress of developing the initiation pellets regardless."

"How troublesome would that be?"

Jiang He took out his Clear Sky Mirror. With a charge of mystic energy and a flash of twilight radiance, the two scale dragons restrained inside the Cleary Sky Mirror were released.

In a split second, two fearsome auras extended in the Superpower Research Department.

One of the scale dragons was green while the other was silver. The former was a Feral Emperor and more than three hundred feet long, while the silver one was a Feral King and almost reaching three hundred feet in length too.

However, despite the vastness of the underground base, their appearance almost filled the research center to the brim.

Furious, Jiang He slapped at them and barked in rage, "Why would you assume such massive forms? Shrink yourselves, right now… by the way, have you made the cages? Bring those over and I'll have them get inside themselves."

Meanwhile, the jaw of every personnel in the Superpower Research Department dropped.

The female professor's eyes widened and she could not help exclaiming, "Dragon?"

"Jiang He, you captured two dragons?"

"Not exactly."

Jiang He answered honestly, "It's just two scale dragons that I got for you in passing. Use them for your experiments, and don't worry—they're very obedient. If they dare to cause trouble, I'll wipe out their whole clan!"

The green scale dragon trembled in fear and promptly said, "Don't worry, Lord Jiang He. We brothers would definitely cooperate and not cause trouble… where's the cage? Where's the cage?"

"Didn't you hear that Lord Jiang He wants a cage?"

Someone brought a cage at that.

Both dragons shrunk themselves to approximately two meters long then and entered the alloy cage on their own, even locking it after entering.

Jiang He could not help being awed at that…

The Scaled Dragons were really obedient and easy to instruct!

Should he visit them again to borrow two dragon maidens as mounts too?

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