Chapter 102: The Situation Is Very Favorable

After returning home, Chen Mobai and his mother, Tang Pancui, had another meal. Then, amidst her nagging, he went back to his room.

Silver light shimmered.

He was back in the Tianhe Realm.

Carefully, he emerged from the hole he had dug. Seeing the wooden hut still standing, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Confirming that the demonic beasts had not yet reached the island, Chen Mobai changed his clothes and rejoined the team.

"So, how was it? Did you feel uncomfortable going back to rest?" Qi Rui saw him return, walked over with a laugh, and patted his shoulder.

"Not at all."

"How is that possible? Last time, I took Senior Brother Wang's ashes back and rested for a day. Lying in bed, with my eyes closed, all I could visualize were the scenes of battling demonic beasts here. I couldn't rest at all."

Hearing this, Chen Mobai shook his head. He had been resting at his own home on Diyuan Star, completely unconcerned about demonic beasts attacking him there.

"How's the situation?"

"Better than ever," Wang Yuanwu said.

Chen Mobai was startled to see him; one of Wang Yuanwu's arms was bandaged and hung in a sling around his neck.

"Last night, those fiends launched a sneak attack. Although Senior Uncle Ning was notified in time, I still lost an arm. But it has been reattached with a Regeneration Talisman."

Hearing this, Chen Mobai immediately looked around and noticed that three more people were missing from the team. He asked and learned that one person had died, and two others were seriously injured and had left the team. This showed that last night's battle must have been exceptionally brutal.

"If only I had been here," Chen Mobai felt a slight pang of self-reproach.

"Don't worry," Qi Rui said, understanding Chen Mobai's feelings as he patted his shoulder. "It's almost over. There won't be any more casualties."

On a nearby rock, Shi Pengyi also raised a hand to greet him.

Feeling a slight sense of relief, Chen Mobai, however, didn't quite understand Qi Rui's words. "Is it ending? Did Godwood Sect send more reinforcements?"

"Ancestor Fu personally arrived at Yunmeng Marsh and moved to Fengyu Dock. He ordered the Foundation Establishment Senior Uncles from our Godwood Sect stationed there to withdraw, and two of them have been teleported here to Qingguang Island. The situation here has at least stabilized now."

Hearing this, Chen Mobai was overjoyed. Without realizing it, he had already come to regard himself as a part of Qingguang Island.

"Next, we just have to wait for Ancestor Fu and True Lord Nujiang to free up their hands and sweep through the outer regions of Yunmeng Marsh."

Although Godwood Sect and Golden Radiance Cliff had split from the Five Elements Sect, when the peace agreement was originally signed, it was stipulated that if there were unusual movements from demonic beasts in Yunmeng Marsh, both sects would still answer the call and help suppress the seal left by Primordial Ancestor. Because of this, every ten years, Godwood Sect would dispatch a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators to Fengyu Dock. Of course, all the gains from hunting demonic beasts belonged to them.

Qingguang Island and other market islands were initially established to process the gains from the demonic beasts hunted by these Foundation Establishment cultivators deep within Yunmeng Marsh. Later, as they developed, the sect's two ancestors discovered how profitable they were and began to value them even more.

This time, six of Godwood Sect's island market towns in Yunmeng Marsh were besieged by demonic beasts; two couldn't hold out and had already fallen. Qingguang Island, being on the outermost edge and closer to the mainland, did not receive as many demonic beasts. Coupled with Zheng Deming's proper handling, it suffered the least losses.

"I'll take the night watch tonight," Chen Mobai volunteered, and Wang Yuanwu did not refuse, as it was already Qi Rui's team's turn for the watch anyway.

It seemed they had become addicted to sneak attacks. Indeed, that night, a flock of Black Plague Birds descended from the dark clouds under the cover of night, swooping towards them. However, Chen Mobai and his protected companions coordinated seamlessly and stabilized their defense line. Moreover, Wang Yuanwu, even at the cost of having Junior Brother Liu draw upon the earth's spiritual ley lines, activated the Divine Wood Radiance again. They finally managed to hold out until two Foundation Establishment cultivators arrived.

One was Ning Leshan from Golden Radiance Cliff, and the other was Peng Bei from Godwood Sect, who had rushed from Fengyu Dock. The former was a sword cultivator, while the latter had hunted demonic beasts for many years and employed extremely ruthless methods. Not a single Black Plague Bird from the flock managed to escape; all perished on the cliff.

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators even felt it wasn't enough; they charged out of the island and fiercely battled the two second-tier Bird Kings. However, outside, it was the Bird Kings' home turf. They commanded their flock and formed a simple battle formation. The two Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't break through and were instead trapped. Finally, as dawn broke and their spiritual power was heavily depleted, the two Foundation Establishment cultivators ordered four Divine Wood Radiances to be fired from the west bank, shattering the battle formations commanded by the two second-tier Bird Kings. Only then did they safely retreat.

"Why haven't these fiends retreated yet?" After the two Foundation Establishment cultivators returned, they greeted everyone and flew back to the center of the island. Wang Yuanwu, however, couldn't quite understand, standing by the shore and looking at the barren reefs where only a quarter of the initial Black Plague Bird flock remained.

"Perhaps they are under orders." The social order of demonic beasts is very primitive: lower ranks obey higher ranks.

"Maybe. Still, we should remain vigilant and not make mistakes at the last moment, letting these fiends rush onto the island." Wang Yuanwu, dragging his newly reattached arm which had started to bleed again due to the intense battle, sat beneath the spiritual tree and began to meditate and cultivate his Qi.

"With Manager Wang's cultivation level, isn't he also a true disciple of your Godwood Sect?" Chen Mobai and Qi Rui moved aside to drink and chat. Upon hearing the question, Qi Rui nodded then shook his head.

"Senior Brother Wang was also a true disciple twenty years ago, but he failed his Foundation Establishment and stepped down from that position. He's still paying off the contribution points for that Foundation Establishment Pill."

"Huh?" Chen Mobai's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What's there to be surprised about?" Qi Rui was already very open with Chen Mobai. After two sips of wine, he explained the process of exchanging for Foundation Establishment Pills in Godwood Sect. "Do you think every true disciple can accumulate 10,000 contribution points to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill? If it's not gifted by elders or predecessors, they have to borrow from fellow disciples."

"The sect actually supports this. After all, the longer a Foundation Establishment Pill is stored, the more its potency diminishes. Even the most exceptionally talented disciples cannot accumulate 10,000 contribution points within a mere ten years. So, to prevent the waste of Foundation Establishment Pills, the sect allows elders to bestow contribution points, or for fellow disciples to lend to each other."

"Generally, as long as you're a true disciple with no issues in your conduct, we're all willing to lend. After all, if the senior brother we lend to successfully establishes his foundation, that creates a significant debt of gratitude. In the future, if you also need to borrow contribution points for a Foundation Establishment Pill, that senior brother would surely empty his pockets to help you in return."

"And the contribution points gained from sect missions completed by Foundation Establishment cultivators are at least ten times higher than what we Qi Cultivators can earn. If you're lucky enough to lend contribution points to two or three true senior brothers who then successfully establish their foundations, you'll basically be able to borrow enough contribution points from them to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill."