Chapter 391: Yellow Springs Road

Looking around, Chen Mobai discovered that the ghost cultivator, refined by the True Fire, had left behind a thumb-sized black crystal that even the True Fire couldn't melt. Although he didn't know what it was, putting it into his bag first was surely the right move. After that, he collected all the storage bags left behind by Yuan Hongyuan and the others before slowly descending, satisfied.

***

**White Moon City**

After a period of chaos, and with Chen Mobai swiftly eliminating all the invading Foundation Establishment stage rogue cultivators, order was quickly restored. Of course, many shrewd rogue cultivators had already fled.

Soon after, several streaks of spiritual light flew in and landed in the city. Leading the way was none other than Bai Dingxian, who had previously fled. Among the six Foundation Establishment cultivators who accompanied him, Chen Mobai recognized three: Xie Yuntian, the Head of the Sword Practice Department of the Divine Wood Sect; Xi Yisheng, the Deputy Head; and Fu Huakun from the Hall of Merit. The other three were Bai Qifeng, another Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Bai family; Luo Jushan, the Luo family patriarch; and a guest elder at the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Junior Brother Chen, where are the invading rogue cultivators?" Fu Huakun asked as he surveyed the damaged shops in White Moon City.

"I have slain them."

"Oh?" Hearing his words, everyone was greatly surprised.

"Patriarch Bai, are you certain there were five Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators?" Xie Yuntian, Head of the Sword Practice Department, frowned, thinking Bai Dingxian had exaggerated the number of rogue cultivators to prompt the Divine Wood Sect to send more personnel.

"Absolutely true, I saw it with my own eyes! One of them was Yuan Hongyuan from Black Cloud Mountain. Just two days ago, I exchanged a third-tier spiritual tea for a Celestial Peach with him. I never imagined he harbored such malicious intent, targeting your sect's guardian!" Bai Dingxian said with a look of indignation.

At this moment, disciples from both the Bai family and the Divine Wood Sect also approached. After questioning them, everyone realized that what Chen Mobai said was true, and looks of shock appeared on their faces.

"Junior Brother Chen, have you mastered the Sword Fiend?" Xie Yuntian couldn't help but ask. Facing five opponents, even if they were of lower cultivation, he estimated he could, at best, only ensure his own survival. To defeat five opponents and kill them all, as Chen Mobai did, in his understanding, only mastering a third-tier technique like the Azure Flame Sword Fiend would suffice!

"Indeed, my half-year seclusion was precisely for solidifying the Sword Fiend," Chen Mobai replied. "I didn't expect that as soon as I emerged from seclusion, some petty individuals would come to test my sharpness. However, my sword proved quite sharp; I killed them all."

Chen Mobai's understated words astonished all seven newly arrived Foundation Establishment cultivators. It was important to note that one of them was Yuan Hongyuan, a notoriously ruthless individual. Furthermore, according to the descriptions from the Qi Cultivation disciples of the Divine Wood Sect and the Bai family, Chen Mobai had slain five major Foundation Establishment enemies with apparent ease, indicating overwhelming power.

After the initial shock, Xie Yuntian recovered. He immediately gave instructions to Xi Yisheng beside him, who nodded to Chen Mobai in greeting before departing. "Junior Brother Xi, please arrange for the sect disciples to occupy Black Cloud Mountain. If there are any remnants of the Yuan family, leave no one alive."

"I will order the Fu family and the Liang family to deal with the Rogue Cultivator Alliance. I've long found that organization an eyesore; this is a good opportunity to dismantle it," Fu Huakun also spoke. Besides Hong Xu, the Rogue Cultivator Alliance in this kingdom had another Foundation Establishment cultivator, but after Hong Xu committed such a serious offense, that person would certainly need to be dealt with as well.

"The Tang siblings were rogue cultivators from the Snow Kingdom, without relatives or connections. Since they died by Junior Brother Chen's sword, it can be considered well-deserved punishment. There's still one remaining person; Junior Brother Chen, do you know their background?"

The custom in the Eastern Barrens was blood for blood. Since they dared to attack and kill Chen Mobai, a disciple of the Divine Wood Sect, they should be prepared for their entire lineage to be wiped out.

"This person claimed to be a ghost cultivator, wielded a Hundred Ghosts Soul Refining Banner, and possessed unfathomable cultivation." Chen Mobai thought for a moment and decided to tell the truth. After all, this person claimed to have been a Golden Core stage cultivator in life, and with the Divine Wood Sect's power, they might be able to uncover something.

"A ghost cultivator!" Upon hearing the term "ghost cultivator," most of the Foundation Establishment cultivators present looked bewildered, seemingly unaware of what it signified. Only Fu Huakun and Xie Yuntian's expressions changed drastically, as if it were a forbidden term.

"Junior Brother Chen, this matter likely needs to be reported to the two Old Ancestors," Fu Huakun said, taking a deep breath, his expression grave. Though Chen Mobai didn't know why, he nodded, indicating he had no objections.

"Junior Brother Xie, I'll leave the aftermath here to you. I'll take Junior Brother Chen back to Giant Wood Ridge first." Xie Yuntian nodded gravely and immediately began taking over the forces of the Bai family and the Divine Wood Sect in the city, while also requesting the Luo family from the neighboring Illusion Wave City to send people to assist.

Before leaving, Chen Mobai waved to his two disciples, gave them a few instructions, and then departed for Giant Wood Ridge with Fu Huakun.

***

Since Sect Master Chu Zuoshu was on a friendly visit to Golden Light Cliff, the usual procedure for an audience with the two Old Ancestors was not feasible. However, Fu Huakun possessed a communication talisman given by Old Ancestor Fu, which could be used to contact him in emergencies.

Soon after, Chen Mobai met Fu Zongjue in the Hall of Punishment. He wasn't sure if it was his true body or a puppet. Upon hearing the words "ghost cultivator," Fu Zongjue's expression also changed slightly. Without a word, he simply waved his sleeve and took the two of them to the Divine Wood Hall. In just the time it took to brew a cup of tea, Zhou Shengqing's figure appeared before everyone. The two Old Ancestors of the Divine Wood Sect placed far greater importance on ghost cultivators than Chen Mobai had anticipated.

"Tell us about your encounter with the ghost cultivator." Zhou Shengqing asked Chen Mobai, holding the broken Hundred Ghosts Soul Refining Banner. Chen Mobai selectively omitted some details, stating that he unleashed his third-tier magical artifact, Sword Fiend, and thunderous spells, engaging in several rounds of intense battle with the ghost cultivator before incinerating him into dust with his Pure Yang True Fire.

"As expected, these ghost scoundrels are not completely eradicated," Zhou Shengqing said chillingly after listening. Then, seeing Chen Mobai's puzzled expression, he began to explain some past events from his time in the Five Elements Sect.

"Back then, although my master Hunyuan didn't have much lifespan left, if he had died of old age, he still had a century to live. However, he encountered a mysterious Yellow Springs Road. Master Hunyuan, confident in his profound cultivation, forced his way into this path of life and death, hoping to unravel the mystery of reincarnation. Yet, he returned gravely wounded and, after clinging on for several years, hastily passed away."

"Before his death, Master told us that the Yellow Springs Road was occupied by a group of ghost cultivators. If not for the extraordinary profoundness of his Hunyuan Dao Fruit, he probably wouldn't have returned alive. Fortunately, those powerful ghost cultivators couldn't descend to the mortal realm and could only exist by relying on the Yin energy of the Yellow Springs."

"However, Master's forceful entry into the Yellow Springs Road still broke the barrier between the Yin world and the Yang world, allowing some ghost cultivators to emerge through special methods. Before Master's passing, he instructed us to eliminate many ghost cultivators, and then, with his last breath, he sealed the Yellow Springs Road."

"Senior Brother also died in that battle. Afterwards, I disagreed with Junior Brother taking over as Sect Master, and so I joined forces with Junior Brother Mo to split from the Five Elements Sect." As Zhou Shengqing spoke, a rare look of recollection appeared on his face. For him, memories after that point were not very pleasant.

Fu Huakun was also a disciple of the Five Elements Sect back then and had participated in the campaign to eliminate the ghost cultivators of the Yellow Springs Road alongside Fu Zongjue, so he was aware of some details.

"Could this ghost cultivator have come from the Yellow Springs Road?" After hearing Zhou Shengqing's words, Chen Mobai was slightly surprised. If even Old Ancestor Hunyuan had died because of this, then the few Golden Core cultivators in the Eastern Barrens would be in precarious danger.

"Most likely. However, the spiritual talisman left by Master Hunyuan that could sense the Yellow Springs Road is in the hands of the Five Elements Sect. I don't know the current state of the seal."

As Zhou Shengqing sighed, he shook the Hundred Ghosts Soul Refining Banner in his hand. Pure spiritual energy surged into it, and instantly, shadowy, incomplete spectral entities appeared on the banner's surface, seemingly attempting to break free. However, due to the lack of proper cultivation methods and the damage to this ghost-path magical artifact, he ultimately couldn't summon the spectral spirits within the banner.

"It needs someone to repair it, but I don't know if it can be fixed," Fu Zongjue said upon seeing the scene. Ghost-path magical artifacts were different from other artifacts; ordinary artifact forging masters were powerless to fix them.

"Nephew Chen, this artifact might reveal something about the Yellow Springs Road. I'll temporarily take it; do you have any objections?" Zhou Shengqing said to Chen Mobai, who immediately shook his head, indicating that it was best if the Old Ancestor valued it. If it were in his hands, it would probably just gather dust in a corner.

"After all, it's also your spoils of war, and this time you've rendered great service, eliminating a major hidden danger for the sect in our heartland. I'll issue a note for the Hall of Merit to transfer fifty thousand spirit stones to you." However, Zhou Shengqing's next sentence made Chen Mobai overjoyed. He hadn't expected being ambushed would yield so many spirit stones; he even began thinking if it could happen more often.

***

After leaving the Divine Wood Hall, Chen Mobai immediately went to the Hall of Merit. With Zhou Shengqing's note, Luo Xue'er naturally transferred the spirit stones to Chen Mobai immediately.

"Senior Sister Luo, these fifty thousand spirit stones are a bit much. Can they be exchanged for mid-grade or high-grade spirit stones?" As Chen Mobai took them, he suddenly remembered that his Formless Puppet would consume roughly one high-grade spirit stone per month if it were to condense Pure Yang Purple Qi, prompting him to ask this question.

"Junior Brother Chen, given our relationship, exchanging them for mid-grade spirit stones is certainly not an issue. However, all the sect's high-grade spirit stones are with the two Old Ancestors; I truly cannot help you with that." Luo Xue'er, knowing Chen Mobai was young, proceeded to explain.

"Oh, why is that? Are high-grade spirit stones more precious?"

"Indeed. When cultivators reach the realm of the two Old Ancestors, the spiritual items they wish to purchase or exchange are customarily traded using high-grade spirit stones, such as third-tier spiritual rice, third-tier magical artifacts, pills, and so on. Furthermore, in the Eastern Barrens, our Divine Wood Sect is willing to pay a ten percent premium to exchange for high-grade spirit stones." In other words, it would require eleven thousand low-grade spirit stones to exchange for one high-grade spirit stone. Hearing this, Chen Mobai further inquired about the intricacies of the matter.

"Our Divine Wood Sect's exchange rate for high-grade spirit stones is considered restrained; after all, we have spirit stone mines and can extract some from the core veins each year. However, rogue cultivator families and second-rate sects spare no expense to purchase Foundation Establishment Pills from large trading houses. A single high-grade spirit stone, after being exchanged by them, might require an additional premium of over ten percent. But there's no other way. If one wishes to bid for Foundation Establishment Pills at auctions within the Eastern Yi territory, according to the requirements of the major trading houses, high-grade spirit stones are necessary. In previous years, the Bai clan of Snow Peak, relying on the popularity of their tea pills, accumulated some high-grade spirit stones and successfully bid for a Foundation Establishment Pill from the Mysterious Sky Grand Trading House. Now, all major families are following suit and beginning to hoard high-grade spirit stones."

After listening to Luo Xue'er's explanation, Chen Mobai recalled the scene in White Moon City where Bai Dingxian took out high-grade spirit stones to forcibly activate the defensive grand formation, and a look of sudden realization appeared on his face.

***

After leaving the Hall of Merit, he returned to his Little South Mountain. Zhuo Ming was still wondering why only Chen Mobai had returned, but she didn't dare to ask.

"Wenbai and the others are helping me rent shop fronts in the various trading cities of the kingdom. You should count and organize the inventory of spiritual wine, spiritual rice, and talisman paper." Chen Mobai didn't want Zhuo Ming to worry, so after leaving these instructions, he began to descend to the mountaintop to sort through his gains from this trip.

First, naturally, was the storage bag of the ghost cultivator who claimed to have reached the Golden Core stage; it was dull gray and utterly inconspicuous. Then Chen Mobai encountered the same situation as when he first acquired a storage bag: he couldn't open it! It seemed this fellow's words were true; he genuinely might have been a Golden Core ghost cultivator in life, as his spiritual consciousness realm was actually superior to Chen Mobai's.

However, Chen Mobai's knowledge now far surpassed his Qi Cultivation days. In these years of advanced study at the Dancing Artifact Dao Academy, he knew many ways to open this storage bag even when his spiritual consciousness realm was inferior. The simplest method was to use a talisman from the Immortal Sect side called a "Void Talisman." He knew about this talisman because Wu Shangru had specifically used it once when the Sky-Flying Talisman Factory's talisman paper and ink machines were handed over to Chen Mobai. These machines were custom-made and required a key matching Wu Shangru's spiritual consciousness fluctuations to activate. After the factory transfer, a "Void Talisman" was used to reformat the machines and keys, re-matching them to Chen Mobai. What was erased in the process were the spiritual consciousness imprints.

He intended to buy one to open the storage bag directly, but because of its extraordinary function, the Void Talisman could only be sold by vendors registered with the Immortal Sect's Enforcement Department, and its purpose and reason for purchase had to be stated at the time of acquisition. Chen Mobai thought about it and decided to learn to make one himself to avoid exposure. After all, he was now a second-tier talisman crafter, and with the storage bag in his possession, a few extra days wouldn't hurt.

Fortunately, apart from the ghost cultivator's storage bag, the spiritual consciousness realms of the other four, including Yuan Hongyuan, were inferior to Chen Mobai's, so he easily refined them. Chen Mobai first emptied the Tang siblings' storage bags, finding Tang Da's completely empty, while Tang Xiaomei's contained quite a few items. Chen Mobai activated his Void-Piercing Spiritual Eyes and quickly found his target: a section of Soul Nurturing Wood and a Celestial Peach.

With a smile on his face, Chen Mobai emptied Hong Xu's storage bag; spirit stones cascaded out, forming a small mound beside him, along with over a dozen different cultivation technique and legacy books. The two pill recipes were not found inside, as they had been bought out by the Starry Sky Grand Trading House. Finally, Chen Mobai emptied Yuan Hongyuan's storage bag.

***

I was bedridden for three days and am mostly recovered. The first day was the worst: I felt weak all over, had a headache, but couldn't sleep. After taking medicine and enduring it, I recovered with normal rest and eating. To everyone, if you test positive, remember to rest much, stay indoors, and avoid catching a cold to prevent repeated infections. I hope everyone stays healthy and safe.