Chapter 262: Heaven's Mercy

Meng Chuan landed in front of the main entrance of Dongtian Pavilion. The old steward was already there, smiling and greeting him, "Lord Meng Chuan, please come in."

"With my flying speed, Master must have detected me from hundreds of miles away to have the steward ready to greet me," Meng Chuan marveled inwardly at his Master's capabilities. He followed the old steward inside, through a winding corridor, until they reached a familiar garden. In the garden, a pavilion stood, where Venerable Qin Wu and the Yuanchu Mountain Lord were seated, sipping tea and chatting.

The old steward naturally excused himself. Meng Chuan approached them and respectfully bowed, "Greetings, Master, Mountain Lord."

"Junior Brother Meng, it's rare for you to visit Yuanchu Mountain," the Yuanchu Mountain Lord said with a smile.

Meng Chuan mumbled to himself.

In the past decade, he had returned several times, but usually only to see his Master before leaving.

"He's back, so of course it's for something important." Venerable Qin Wu looked at Meng Chuan and nodded with satisfaction. "Your physical body cultivation technique has reached a new realm. If my perception is correct, you've also successfully refined that wisp of 'Guaiyuan Fiendish Aura'."

"Nothing escapes Master's notice," Meng Chuan quickly replied. Before his Master, his aura was perfectly concealed, but his Primordial Spirit realm, physical body, and fiendish aura could not be hidden.

The Yuanchu Mountain Lord, who was beside them, asked curiously, "Guaiyuan Fiendish Aura? What kind of fiendish aura is that?"

"It's a fiendish aura stored in Vault A3. Our world doesn't produce this type of fiendish aura; it was obtained by chance from outside our realm by a Yuanchu Mountain ancestor. It's incredibly precious, and only Yuanchu Mountain possesses it in this world," Venerable Qin Wu explained.

"Vault A3?" The Yuanchu Mountain Lord nodded slightly.

Although he held the position of Mountain Lord, Yuanchu Mountain, as the oldest sect, held many secrets that only Venerables were privileged to know. For instance, the sect's 'A-grade' treasure vaults were beyond the Mountain Lord's authority; only Creation Realm Venerables had the right to know about and open them.

Venerable Qin Wu waved his hand.

Six large bronze gourds immediately appeared in the adjacent garden. Venerable Qin Wu said, "These contain two portions of Guaiyuan Fiendish Aura. I believe this should be enough for your cultivation. Yuanchu Mountain only has five portions of Guaiyuan Fiendish Aura in total, and you've taken nearly half... In the future, it might only be enough for one junior to cultivate."

Meng Chuan smiled. "I'm sure future generations will have their own opportunities; perhaps they'll encounter even better fiendish aura." As he spoke, Meng Chuan waved his hand, and the six large bronze gourds disappeared into his Grotto-Heaven Pearl.

"Hmm?"

The Yuanchu Mountain Lord's pupils constricted as he watched Meng Chuan retrieve the items with a wave of his hand.

Storage bags and similar items required one to physically place things inside.

Waving a hand to store items? A Grotto-Heaven treasure?

"These two portions of Guaiyuan Fiendish Aura require two hundred million merit points," Venerable Qin Wu stated. "You don't have enough accumulated merit points right now, so we'll deduct one hundred thirty-two million points from you first. You still owe sixty-eight million points."

"He can incur debt?" The Yuanchu Mountain Lord could only murmur to himself. Normally, Yuanchu Mountain operated on a system where items were exchanged for merit points; there was no precedent for taking items first and accruing points later. Furthermore, Grotto-Heaven treasures were incredibly precious, almost impossible to obtain through merit points. Did Meng Chuan acquire it through some fortunate encounter? The Yuanchu Mountain Lord refrained from asking more questions for the time being.

Meng Chuan dutifully replied, "This disciple owes sixty-eight million merit points."

With his Thunder Magnetic Domain, Meng Chuan wasn't worried about the debt.

"You've taken the fiendish aura. Is there anything else? If not, you may return," Venerable Qin Wu said, resuming his tea.

"This disciple has something to report," Meng Chuan said.

"Speak."

Venerable Qin Wu put down his teacup, picked up the teapot nearby, and leisurely poured tea.

"This disciple possesses a divine ability called 'Thunder Magnetic Domain,' which allows me to scout underground," Meng Chuan respectfully stated. "Underground, I can sense within a three-mile radius around myself."

Venerable Qin Wu looked up at Meng Chuan, his pupils dilating as he stared blankly.

*Hiss, hiss, hiss.*

Tea poured from the spout, quickly filling the teacup until it overflowed onto the table.

"Scouting three miles underground around himself? Even King Bai Yu only scouts five miles around himself. While the range is slightly smaller, Meng Chuan's speed is several times faster than King Bai Yu's. Overall, Meng Chuan's underground scouting capabilities are likely no less than King Bai Yu's." Venerable Qin Wu, accustomed to significant events, quickly processed Meng Chuan's information and began thinking excitedly.

"Master? Master?" A voice interrupted Venerable Qin Wu's thoughts.

"Hmm?"

Venerable Qin Wu immediately stopped pondering.

"Your tea is overflowing," Meng Chuan reminded him.

Venerable Qin Wu looked down, then quickly lifted the teapot spout and set the teapot aside, smiling broadly at the spilled tea. "Overflowing is good, overflowing is truly good, hahaha, hahahaha... I've cultivated to the Creation Realm, where everything is perfectly under my control. Yet, I'm delighted that I've spilled tea this time."

"Meng Chuan, you mentioned the divine ability Thunder Magnetic Domain? Is it a divine ability gained from cultivating a physical body technique?" Venerable Qin Wu pressed on. "I recall you used this ability when you dealt with the Blackrock Great Demon King, but back then, you could only scout half a mile underground."

Yuanchu Mountain had detailed records; everything the Blackrock Great Demon King confessed was documented.

Therefore, when Meng Chuan said his Thunder Magnetic Domain could scout three miles around him, Venerable Qin Wu guessed the reason.

"Yes, after my physical body cultivation technique broke through, the power of my divine ability also greatly increased," Meng Chuan nodded.

Venerable Qin Wu nodded repeatedly, his face beaming with joy. "Good, good, good!!!"

He uttered "good" three times in a row, revealing his inner excitement.

"Junior Brother Meng, you said..." The Yuanchu Mountain Lord beside him finally couldn't help but interject, "You can scout three miles around yourself underground?"

"Yes," Meng Chuan nodded.

"Have you already tested it?" The Yuanchu Mountain Lord quickly asked. "King Bai Yu is the only one in the world with a significant underground scouting range. You are only a Marquis Godfiend, yet you're just slightly inferior to him? Are you absolutely sure?"

Meng Chuan replied, "This disciple tested it several times underground on the way to Yuanchu Mountain; there is absolutely no mistake."

"This, this..." The Yuanchu Mountain Lord found it hard to believe.

"Heaven truly pities our human race," Venerable Qin Wu exclaimed. "First, King Bai Yu was born, and now we have Meng Chuan!"

"Junior Brother Meng's speed is several times that of King Bai Yu. Even if his range is smaller, his scouting capabilities might not be inferior to King Bai Yu's." The Yuanchu Mountain Lord was extremely excited. "Heaven's compassion, compassion for our human race!"

King Bai Yu and Meng Chuan both had a profound impact on the entire human race.

In hunting down demon races, one person could be worth an entire sect! There were only three major sects in the world in total. This clearly showed how crucial these two individuals were.

"From now on, I will arrange for other Marquis Godfiends to handle rescue operations in those six provinces. From now on, you will be like King Bai Yu; you only need to spend a few hours each day scouting underground," Venerable Qin Wu said, looking at Meng Chuan. "Also, the Guaiyuan Fiendish Aura and the Grotto-Heaven Pearl are gifts to you. They are yours from now on."

"That's not acceptable."

Meng Chuan quickly said, "Both are worth seven hundred million merit points. As I scout for underground demon races, I will naturally acquire spoils of war. I can slowly deduct the cost then. The sect must adhere to its rules."

"Junior Brother Meng, just take them," the Yuanchu Mountain Lord said, his beard trembling with excitement. "Seven hundred million merit points is nothing! For any position, the sect grants merit points. Your current role... is Yuanchu Mountain's foremost scout, irreplaceable by anyone. No one would object to granting you seven hundred million merit points. If we wanted to invite King Bai Yu to scout underground in the Great Zhou Dynasty, seven hundred million merit points might not even secure his services for a year!"