novelapdf Chapter 78: The True Lord's Whereabouts
Chapter 78: The True Lord's Whereabouts
After hearing this, Master Taixi pondered for a long time before nodding and saying:
"Can."
"it is good."
Master Tianxuan laughed heartily, then vanished into the void and returned to the Dragon Palace of the East Sea.
Although the two immortals had agreed to the deal, the "Jade Pivot Edict on Extermination" could not simply be handed over to the dragon's subordinates in such a straightforward manner.
Naturally, there will be some fighting and killing during this time, putting on a good show for the other real people.
This is an established agreement, known to both Master Taixi and Master Tianxuan.
…………
Within the secret realm of 【Tai Xu】.
Pei Xiyan and Ying Zichu looked at the Purple Mansion Spiritual Objects in their hands, smiles appearing on their faces.
"I didn't expect it to go so smoothly this time."
Pei Xiyan couldn't believe it. You see, the only time he had ever gained anything was during the [Tai Xu] secret realm two hundred years ago.
Suddenly, they felt a sense of rejection. Li Wu frowned and said:
"The [Tai Xu] Secret Realm is about to close."
They looked up and saw a hole appearing in mid-air, with the outside world visible inside.
"Once you get out, don't linger. Immediately head towards the East China Sea," Pei Xiyan warned the crowd in a deep voice.
The secret realm is about to close, and there are probably many Purple Mansion True Persons lurking outside. If you stay too long, you might get trapped.
As soon as the words were spoken, everyone felt a tremendous force of repulsion surging from all directions, as if the entire secret realm was pushing them outwards.
Before they could react, their figures appeared in the sky above Dalichuan.
Besides Li Wu and his group, Qi Chengheng, Ji Si, Chu Yun, and others also appeared.
"Walk!"
Pei Xiyan gave a light shout, ignoring Qi Chengheng and the others, and transformed into a bolt of lightning, fleeing towards the East Sea.
Li Wu, Ying Zichu, Qi Yu, and others followed suit.
In the vast emptiness.
Several Purple Mansion True Persons, seeing the secret realm close and noticing that their disciples had not emerged, immediately changed their expressions.
"My disciple!"
They immediately focused their attention on Li Wu and the others, and with a quick hand seal, they sensed the aura of the Purple Mansion spiritual objects [Divine Thunder], [Thunderous Thunder], [Prosperity Qi], and [Longevity Qi] on their bodies.
"We must not let them escape to the East China Sea!"
Then a True Person of the Purple Mansion with three supernatural powers shouted, and then made a hand seal, and a huge illusory image of his Dharma body appeared in front of Li Wu and the others.
"Where are you going?!"
Master Zifu raised his hand to grab it.
Seeing the enormous hand reaching out, Li Wu and the others were startled and immediately used their magic to smash it away.
Qi Yu and Ying Zichu cast spells, and two bolts of lightning, one silver and one purple, struck the enormous, glowing hand.
However, it did not waver in the slightest.
"The Purple Mansion True Person is so powerful!" Li Wutong's pupils shrank.
Even a Core Formation cultivator wouldn't be able to withstand such an attack so easily, would they?
"Could this be some kind of supernatural power?"
Upon hearing this, the Purple Mansion True Man showed no joy or sorrow in his Dharma Body. He slightly bent his five fingers, and the giant hand that blotted out the sky suddenly tightened, his five fingers as thick as a mountain, enveloping Li Wu and the others.
Mysterious patterns appeared in their palms, sluggishly suppressing the flow of spiritual energy within everyone's bodies.
Just then, a clear, cold voice came from the horizon.
"Fellow Daoist Han, bullying the weak is beneath your dignity."
Before the words were finished, a beam of pure white sword light shot out from afar, traversing the sky and striking directly at the giant palm.
"Sizzle!"
Wherever the sword light passed, everything was torn apart. The giant hand snapped in two and vanished as a shower of light.
Li Wu and the others felt the pressure around them suddenly decrease, and they all gasped for breath, their backs soaked with cold sweat.
"Who is it?!"
The Purple Mansion True Man, who was called Fellow Daoist Han, was furious and suddenly turned his head to look.
Then, a figure could be seen walking through the air on the distant horizon.
The man was dressed in a blue Taoist robe, with his hair tied up in a high bun. He had a handsome face and appeared to be in his thirties. He was holding a precious sword in his arms.
"Fellow Daoist Shangqing!"
The man surnamed Han's pupils contracted, and his expression changed drastically.
The other Purple Mansion True Persons also changed color, clearly extremely wary of this sudden appearance.
The Supreme Pure Immortal landed in front of Li Wu and the others, his gaze sweeping lightly over the few Purple Mansion Immortals, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority:
"The True Lords made an agreement long ago: within the [Great Void] Secret Realm, all spiritual items brought out cannot be interfered with by Purple Mansion cultivators. Are you all going to disobey the True Lords?"
Master Han's face was ashen, and he said in a deep voice:
"Fellow Daoist Shangqing! Do you know what they took?"
"It's one thing that you, Sanqing Mountain, didn't send any disciples into Taixu this time, but now you're trying to stop us?"
Upon hearing this, Master Shangqing turned his head slightly and his gaze fell on Master Han.
He didn't speak, but simply patted the scabbard at his waist.
"Buzz!"
A sword cry resounded throughout the heavens and earth, and an extremely sharp sword intent suddenly burst forth from the scabbard, soaring into the sky and tearing apart the clouds within a hundred miles.
The Master surnamed Han turned pale and involuntarily took several steps back. He felt the sword intent pressing down on him as if it were a tangible force, making it difficult to even circulate his internal supernatural powers.
The several Purple Mansion True Persons beside him also retreated, their faces showing fear.
"This sword intent... he's probably about to attain the highest level of the [Sword Dao]!"
A real person gasped in shock.
Master Shangqing withdrew his gaze and said calmly:
"Who else wants to stop us?"
Silence fell, and no one dared to answer.
The Han surnamed Zhenren gritted his teeth and looked at Shangqing Zhenren, then at the Purple Mansion spiritual objects in Li Wu and the others' hands. He was filled with resentment, but in the end, he dared not say another word.
"Walk."
Master Shangqing turned around, waved his sleeve, and a beam of white light enveloped Li Wu and his group.
The next moment, a white light pierced the sky and sped towards the East China Sea, disappearing into the vast blue waves in an instant.
Only after the aura of the Shangqing True Man had completely dissipated did the Han surname True Man suddenly breathe a sigh of relief, his face terribly gloomy.
"Shangqing...Sanqing Mountain..."
He gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with resentment and bitterness.
Seeing this, the other cultivators also frowned slightly, their thoughts unknown.
…………
When the Purple Mansion True Man walks through the vast void, a distance of ten thousand miles is but a fleeting thought.
In the blink of an eye, they appeared on the East China Sea.
Shangqing let them down.
Li Wu and the others gazed at the boundless sea below, their minds still reeling.
Just a moment ago, I was surrounded by other Purple Mansion True Persons in Dalichuan, how did I end up in the East China Sea in the blink of an eye?
Pei Xiyan was the first to regain her senses, and bowed to the Shangqing Zhenren, saying:
"Junior Pei Xiyan pays respects to the venerable master."
The Supreme Purity Master raised his eyes and looked around, then nodded slightly and said:
"The current [Thunder] cultivator is quite impressive. You might become the first [Thunder] cultivator to break through to the Purple Mansion realm since the destruction of Thunder Palace."
After saying that, he looked at Li Wu beside him and said:
"【Divine Thunder】 cultivator...you are the only variable."
After saying that, he stopped talking and disappeared.
Looking at the suddenly vanished Purple Mansion True Man, Qi Yu asked with a puzzled expression:
"Who is this person? Why did he save us?"
Pei Xiyan explained:
"He is the Shangqing Zhenren of Sanqing Mountain, who cultivates the Dao of Pure Qi and is skilled in swordsmanship. He is a Great Zhenren who has perfected the Five Methods."
"As for why they saved us..."
Pei Xiyan shook her head and said, "I don't know either."
"But in any case, once we reach the East China Sea, we will be safe."
"Let's hurry back to the Dragon Palace to see Senior Brother Tianxuan."
"Um."
The group nodded slightly and then flew towards the Dragon Palace of the East Sea.
…………
The Dragon Palace of the East Sea.
Tianxuan looked at Pei Xiyan and the others who had returned, and nodded slightly:
"I am aware that you have brought the spiritual objects from the Purple Mansion."
However, he was more curious about Qi Yu standing to the side than about these things.
"[Longevity Qi]...I never thought there would still be cultivators of [Longevity Qi] in this world."
Qi Yu chuckled, stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said:
"This junior has met the real person."
Master Tianxuan nodded slightly, then gave a warning:
"Next, you'd better stay in the East Sea and wait until you break through to the Purple Mansion level before venturing out into the outside world."
Li Wuwei nodded slightly. He had already anticipated that if they were to appear in the territory of the four kingdoms, they would likely be immediately sought out by the Purple Mansion True Person.
However, the problem is that Li Wu did not have the Purple Mansion chapter, which is the follow-up to the Jade Pivot Edict on the Scripture.
So he cupped his hands and asked:
"Senior brother, but I don't have the Purple Mansion chapter of the cultivation technique. Even if I had a Purple Mansion level spiritual item, I'm afraid it would be difficult to break through to the Purple Mansion level."
Tianxuan waved his hand and said:
"You can go into seclusion to cultivate. I have already made a deal with the Taixi Zhenren of the Jin Yue Sect for the Purple Mansion Chapter of the Jade Pivot Edict on Exterminating Scriptures, and I will get it to you later."
Hearing this, Li Wu felt much more at ease, but still asked with doubt:
"Won't the True Lord punish us if General Jin Yue gives us the 'Jade Pivot Edict for Extermination'?"
After all, it was the decision made by the True Lords of these lineages to destroy the Thunder Palace back then.
Now, the [Divine Thunder] technique will be handed over to the Dragon Rank again, giving the East Sea Dragon Palace a chance to gather Thunder Rank True Persons.
If those True Lords found out about this, they would probably punish me.
However, Tianxuan's next words shocked them.
"After the destruction of the Thunder Palace, the rules and order of heaven and earth were in chaos. The True Lords either went far beyond the heavens to continue seeking the Great Dao, or went to the Void to escape the hunting orders of the Underworld."
"In other words, there is no True Lord in this world today."
"No True Lord?"
The group was all greatly shocked.
That means that the Purple Mansion True Man who has perfected the Five Laws is now at the pinnacle.
As a dragon and also a [She Lei], Tian Xuan is undoubtedly one of the strongest True Persons.
"And that Master Shangqing just now, with that sword intent, his strength must be quite high."
"Alright, go into seclusion and cultivate. Break through to the Purple Mansion realm as soon as possible." Tianxuan waved his hand and saw them off.
…………
The Refining Realm.
Sanlukou Fangshi.
With the biggest obstacle, the Wu family and Xiayun Temple, destroyed, the chamber of commerce established by Zhao Qianyuan grew bigger and bigger, and has become the largest chamber of commerce in the market.
Not only were products from Pukou Fangshi delivered to Sanlukou Fangshi, but products from Sanlukou Fangshi were also delivered to Pukou Fangshi.
Inside the Chamber of Commerce.
Zhao Qianyuan and Zhang Zai are reviewing the account books they have just compiled.
"The net profit for the whole of last year was ten thousand spirit stones." Zhang Zai raised an eyebrow, quite surprised by this figure.
He Qing Shimen gets 25% of the profits, which comes to 2,500 spirit stones.
This level of reward is not low even for a Foundation Establishment faction.
"However, this profit margin has reached its limit."
Zhao Qianyuan stroked his beard, shook his head slightly, and sighed:
"The number of monks in a prefecture is ultimately limited."
He pondered for a long time, then a flash of inspiration struck him, and he took out a jade slip, saying:
"Brother Zhang, this is my assessment of Xiazhu County and Yong'an County. Please take a look."
Zhang Zai took the jade slip, but did not look at it immediately. Instead, he frowned slightly and said:
"Brother Zhao, do you intend to expand the Chamber of Commerce's business to Xiazhu County and Yong'an County?"
Zhao Qianyuan stood up, paced back and forth, and nodded, saying:
"The markets in these two prefectures are larger in scale and have more monks than the market at the Three Crossroads."
Zhao Qianyuan's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he said in a deep voice:
"If we can open up these two trade routes, our profits could at least triple!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zai frowned slightly and said:
"However, these two prefectures are even stronger. As far as I know, there are two forces in Xiazhu Prefecture alone with late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. I'm afraid it won't be easy for us to enter, will it?"
Zhao Qianyuan waved his hand and said:
"I will discuss with some Foundation Establishment forces in each county in advance and give them some profits. I don't think there will be any major problems."
Hearing this, Zhang Zai finally understood that Zhao Qianyuan was determined to expand the Chamber of Commerce's business to Xiazhu County and Yong'an County no matter what.
He pondered for a long time before speaking:
"In that case, Brother Zhao, why don't you make contact with those Foundation Establishment forces first?"
"Um."
Zhao Qianyuan nodded slightly, then quickly left.
Zhang Zai took a sip of tea. His face had matured, and his eyes held the shrewdness typical of a businessman.
"This matter still needs to be reported to Senior Sister He."
With this in mind, he took out a small piece of paper, picked up a magic pen, and used a secret method to write down the message.
He then summoned a spirit bird and whispered:
"Let Senior Sister He decide on this matter."
…………
Qing Shimen.
When He Yu received Zhang Zai's message, he was tending to a nearly mature Sanyang Lingzhi in the spiritual field behind the mountain.
She unfolded the paper, glanced at it, and her brows furrowed slightly.
"Trade between the three prefectures... Zhao Qianyuan certainly has the guts."
He Yu put away the paper, pondered for a moment, and then turned and walked towards the main peak.
Today, Qing Shi Men is no longer the small sect with only a handful of members it once was.
Qing Shimen received a lot of supplies from the Wu family and Xiayun Temple, and He Yu managed them very well, resulting in rapid development.
"Nowadays, various skills within the sect are taught in their own schools, and the number of alchemists, talisman masters, and so on is increasing day by day. The amount of pills, talismans, and other items produced each year is indeed exceeding the demand."
"If we can expand the market, we can indeed earn more spirit stones, but it may also lead to conflicts among local forces."
He Yu lowered his head and pondered the pros and cons, even though there were risks involved.
However, the development of Qingshimen has now reached a bottleneck.
The production of elixirs, talismans, and magical artifacts within the sect has been increasing year by year, but the market at Sanlukou Market is already approaching saturation.
If new trade routes are not explored, these painstakingly crafted spiritual items will simply pile up in the warehouse and go to waste.
Just as He Yu was hesitating, a figure suddenly appeared beside her.
"He Yu".
He Yu turned his head and looked over, his expression immediately changing, and he exclaimed with great joy:
"Sect Leader, you've emerged from seclusion!"
The visitor was none other than Li Wu.
Li Wuwei nodded slightly and said:
"I noticed you hesitated a bit earlier, what happened?"
Upon hearing this, He Yu quickly handed over the note in his hand and explained:
"This is a message from Zhang Zai in Sanlukou Market. Zhao Qianyuan wants to expand the Chamber of Commerce's business to Xiazhu County and Yong'an County. This disciple is hesitant and asks the Sect Leader for a decision."
Li Wu took the paper, glanced at its contents, and raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Trade between the three prefectures..."
He pondered for a moment and asked:
What do you think?
He Yu had already considered the pros and cons of this matter, and upon hearing this, immediately replied:
"I believe this is feasible, but caution is needed."
"The markets in Xiazhu County and Yong'an County are far larger than those in Sanlukou. If we can open up trade routes, we can earn at least 20,000 to 30,000 spirit stones a year."
She paused, then said:
"However, these two prefectures are powerful, and Xiazhu Prefecture is even guarded by two forces with late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators."
"If we rush in, we might provoke conflict with local forces, or even trigger a fight."
After a moment's thought, Li Wusi spoke:
"Since Brother Zhao is confident, let him give it a try."
Li Wu was not afraid of those so-called late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.
After all, Xuan Lei was a genuine Core Formation cultivator.
Having been tempered in the Thunder Pool of the Dragon Palace, his strength in Danfeng Continent is likely to be among the top five.
Seeing Li Wu say this, He Yu immediately stopped hesitating and cupped his hands, saying:
"clear."
…………
the other side.
Upon receiving the reply and learning that the sect leader had emerged from seclusion, Zhang Zai was overjoyed and immediately went to find Zhao Qianyuan.
Zhao Qianyuan took the letter and read it, then exclaimed with delight:
"Brother Li has finally emerged from seclusion!"
Li Wu's strength goes without saying; he was able to overpower the Wu family patriarch, who was in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, even when he was in the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
Having emerged from seclusion this time, his strength must have increased significantly, and he may have already broken through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.
As for combat strength, it's probably close to the late Foundation Establishment stage!
"With Brother Li's help, we have even more confidence."
Zhang Zai, standing to the side, nodded repeatedly and said:
"Indeed."
Zhang Zai naturally trusted his sect leader unconditionally.
Since the sect leader says we can expand the business, then let's expand!
"In that case, Brother Zhao, let's put the matter of visiting the Foundation Establishment forces in Xiazhu County on our agenda as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qianyuan raised an eyebrow. Zhang Zai, who had been hesitant before, had suddenly become so enthusiastic.
"Hehe." Zhang Zai chuckled.
After discussing it, the two immediately decided on their itinerary and set off for Xiazhu County three days later.
First, pay a visit to the two largest local powers, [Hundred Flowers Valley] and [Jingming Sect].
Each of these two families has a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator in charge, and they have been operating in Xiazhu County for hundreds of years, making them deeply entrenched.
If you want to open up trade routes, you can't bypass them.
…………
Three days later.
Outside the Sanlukou market, a spirit boat and several silver-backed stingrays took off and flew southwest.
On the spirit ship, Zhao Qianyuan stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the receding market below, his eyes filled with ambition.
"Xiazhu County is about 8,000 li away from here. At the speed of the spirit ship, it would take two days to travel there."
Zhao Qianyuan turned to Zhang Zai beside him and said:
"I have already sent messages to Hundred Flowers Valley and Jingming Sect in advance to arrange a meeting date."
Zhang Zai nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the spiritual objects loaded on the ship.
They brought a lot of talismans, pills, and other items with them on this trip, which were considered gifts for the two sects.
"Brother Zhao, do you really think those two factions will agree to let us set up operations there?"
Zhang Zai still had some concerns.
Zhao Qianyuan stroked his beard and smiled:
"I don't know either, but we should try to make some contact, after all, business is all about negotiation."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zai nodded and said:
"Indeed."
…………
The spirit ship soared through the air and arrived at the territory of Xiazhu County two days later.
Xiazhu County was indeed much more prosperous than Guang'an County, where Sanlukou Market was located.
Below, the mountains rise and fall, and spiritual veins crisscross, with several gathering places of cultivators faintly visible.
Zhao Qianyuan pointed to a mountain peak shrouded in mist in the distance and said:
"That's where Hundred Flowers Valley is located. Let's go visit it first."
The spirit ship slowly descended, where disciples of Hundred Flowers Valley were already waiting at the mountain gate.
"Could it be Fellow Daoist Zhao from the Sanlukou Market?"
A beautiful female cultivator stepped forward and asked.
Zhao Qianyuan cupped his hands and said:
"Indeed, please inform them."
The female cultivator smiled slightly:
"The Valley Master has been waiting for a long time, please follow me."
The group entered the Valley of a Hundred Flowers, where they saw that the valley was planted with rare and exotic flowers and herbs, with a fragrant aroma and rich spiritual energy.
If one could cultivate here, it would probably be the dream of many male cultivators.
Before long, the group arrived at a grand hall.
Seated in the hall was a middle-aged female cultivator, dressed in a long dress adorned with a hundred flowers, with a dignified face. She was none other than Hua Qianyu, the mistress of the Hundred Flowers Valley.
"Junior Zhao Qianyuan pays respects to Valley Master Hua."
Zhao Qianyuan stepped forward and bowed.
Hua Qianyu raised her hand and said calmly:
"No need for formalities, please have a seat."
"I've heard that Fellow Daoist Zhao intends to establish trade routes in my Xiazhu County?"
Hua Qianyu gets straight to the point.
Zhao Qianyuan nodded and said:
"Indeed, this junior is willing to donate one-tenth of the annual profits to Hundred Flowers Valley, only asking the Valley Master to do me a favor."