Chapter 511: East Wilderness Reaction

“Alright, since Six-Jia Mountain is so sensible, I’ll keep my word and grant you a path to survival. From now on, your lineage shall seal off your mountain and cultivate.”

Fu Zongjue burst into laughter when he saw Xu Shengbing, the sect master of Six-Jia Mountain, open the mountain protection formation and hand over hundreds of scrolls of puppet knowledge accumulated over a thousand years.

An Jinghui immediately stepped forward to inspect the puppet inheritances. As the head of the Divine Wood Sect’s Puppet Department, he was the most knowledgeable person present, apart from Fu Zongjue.

After confirming there were no issues, he took out a storage bag, packed all the scrolls, and returned to Fu Zongjue’s side, respectfully presenting it.

“Let’s go!”

Fu Zongjue did not linger there for another step. Laughing heartily, he summoned his escape light and led the Divine Wood Sect一行人 away from Six-Jia Mountain.

Only after watching their party disappear did Xu Shengbing raise his head, a flicker of resentment in his eyes.

But without a Core Formation cultivator to lead them, how could they resist the alliance of evil forces in the Eastern Barrens, with the Divine Wood Sect at its core?

In the battle of Yan Kingdom, the Divine Wood Sect gained another Core Formation cultivator, while the two Core Formation cultivators of the Southern Xuan Sect, on whom Six-Jia Mountain had relied, saw one die and one flee. Even their own ancestor had fallen to Mo Douguang’s sword.

Now, not only Six-Jia Mountain, but even the Five Elements Sect must be utterly astonished.

In just over twenty years, the power balance between the once equally matched sides had instantly reversed.

The key to this reversal was the peerless sword cultivation genius named Chen Guixian.

If only he had known there was such a genius among the rogue cultivators in Nanxi Market, they should have abducted him back to Six-Jia Mountain then.

Xu Shengbing recalled thirty years ago, when he had traveled throughout the Eastern Barrens to find a suitable ghost spiritual embryo for one of his ancestors who had turned into a ghost cultivator. He had selected over a dozen cultivation vessels and had also passed through Yun Kingdom’s Nanxi Market, where he planted a mark on a minor rogue cultivator.

If he had lingered longer around Nanxi Market then, perhaps he would have encountered this astonishingly talented Chen Guixian.

After all, a genius’s brilliance cannot be hidden. Xu Shengbing, who had specifically cultivated a spiritual eye technique to find vessels for revival, was confident that if he had seen Chen Guixian, the latter’s astonishing swordsmanship talent would have been completely revealed to him.

It was regrettable that he had been complacent back then. After selecting Lu Shu and teaching him cultivation methods for half a year, he had rushed off to Yu Kingdom to find an old flame.

If he had stayed for another year or so, Six-Jia Mountain would have had an additional Core Formation cultivator.

Perhaps by now, they would already be counter-attacking and settling scores with the Five Elements Sect.

“Sect Master…”

Just as Xu Shengbing felt a heartache so intense it was hard to breathe, some elders of Six-Jia Mountain approached him, their faces filled with grief, indignation, and humiliation.

“All of you, cultivate behind closed doors. If you must descend the mountain in the future, do not claim to be from Six-Jia Mountain.”

Upon hearing this, some aggressive Foundation Establishment elders, unable to bear it, began to accuse him of handing over the sect’s millennia-old inheritance.

“Even if Six-Jia Mountain is destroyed and all these inheritances are burned, we cannot allow the Divine Wood Sect to grow stronger.”

Many Six-Jia Mountain elders evidently held this view, but Xu Shengbing was the sect master precisely because he was better at weighing pros and cons.

“As long as Six-Jia Mountain remains, there is hope for another Core Formation cultivator to emerge in our sect. Compared to the inheritance, I believe this is far more important.”

Xu Shengbing pointed to the mountain beneath his feet. This was one of the Eastern Barrens’ few fourth-tier spiritual veins. Although only low-grade fourth-tier, it was the foundation that had ensured a continuous stream of Core Formation cultivators for Six-Jia Mountain over a thousand years.

As long as the spiritual vein remained, there was a future.

If even the spiritual vein were lost, Six-Jia Mountain, even if it fled to the Eastern Yi region, would gradually scatter like stars and clouds, turning into dust in history.

“Hmph, I cannot agree with your view…”

A late-stage Foundation Establishment elder spoke with cold eyes. With his rallying call, nearly a quarter of Six-Jia Mountain’s disciples joined in opposing Xu Shengbing.

“Yu Changjian, you and I entered the sect at the same time, yet I have suppressed you your entire life. That resentment has been brewing for over a hundred years, hasn’t it? Are you trying to force a coup now?”

Xu Shengbing, however, calmly looked at Yu Changjian, his expression serene, even as most of the sect members watched him with suspicion.

His composed demeanor made Yu Changjian feel a flicker of doubt, but this was the best opportunity in a century to take control of Six-Jia Mountain.

The oppressive Nan Shidao was dead, and Xu Shengbing had just disgraced the sect under Fu Zongjue’s coercion. With all conditions—the right time, place, and people—on his side, if he still couldn’t oust him from the sect master position, then he deserved to be a failure his entire life.

“Please, Sect Master, step down!”

After considering all the consequences, Yu Changjian took a deep breath, stepped forward, and uttered these words to Xu Shengbing.

It was a month later when Chen Mobai heard about the Six-Jia Mountain sect master being overthrown and a new one ascending.

After Fu Zongjue obtained the puppet inheritance, he immediately returned to Giant Wood Ridge. Therefore, Chen Mobai was left to arrange and manage the three territories of Yan Kingdom, Xiao Kingdom, and Hong Kingdom.

Due to the Divine Wood Sect’s insufficient manpower, they could only initially cooperate with local cultivation families and other forces, formally taking the lead while actually entrusting market operations, mineral resource development, and other tasks to others.

Of course, the most valuable resources, such as spiritual stone mines, would undoubtedly be controlled by the Divine Wood Sect after driving out the Southern Xuan Sect.

Unfortunately, the most precious Voidstone mine had already been completely exploited. However, even when the mine was in Earthshaker Peak’s hands, its reserves were low. When the Divine Wood Sect handed it over to the Southern Xuan Sect, the latter had engaged in retaliatory mining, so it was normal for it to become an empty mine now.

With Chen Mobai, a Core Formation cultivator, overseeing the transition, the Divine Wood Sect’s takeover of the three kingdoms proceeded without any ripples.

In Yan Kingdom, Yue Zutao remained as the驻守 (garrison commander). In Xiao Kingdom, Zhou Wangshen was already familiar with the territory. For the new Hong Kingdom, Chen Mobai dispatched his good friend, Yuan Chiye.

However, as the Divine Wood Sect gradually took control of the resources and spiritual veins of the three kingdoms, undercurrents began to stir throughout the Eastern Barrens.

The Five Elements Sect, Heaven-Return Valley, and Blowing Snow Palace were all deeply worried.

Originally, after the Five Elements Sect split, the Seven Great Sects of the Eastern Barrens had achieved a very delicate triangular balance.

But now, Earthshaker Peak had been annihilated, and Six-Jia Mountain existed in name only.

The Core Formation alliance, which had been one corner outside of the Five Elements background, was suddenly left with only Heaven-Return Valley and Blowing Snow Palace.

These two sects were also awed by the Divine Wood Sect.

If the destruction of Earthshaker Peak was still within their comprehension, the defeat of the Southern Xuan Sect and Six-Jia Mountain completely exceeded their expectations.

Putting Six-Jia Mountain aside, among the two Core Formation cultivators of the Southern Xuan Sect alone, no one in the Eastern Barrens, apart from Zhou Shengqing, dared to claim a definite victory against them.

They were elders of a Nascent Soul-tier sect, widely renowned in the three realms near Eastern Yi.

Their attempt to interrupt Zhou Shengqing’s Nascent Soul breakthrough was also in line with the expectations of Heaven-Return Valley and Blowing Snow Palace.

Yan Shaoyin even thought that with the Southern Xuan Sect entering the Eastern Barrens and stirring up the waters, he would have hope for his own Nascent Soul breakthrough.

When the Divine Wood Sect and the Southern Xuan Sect engaged in a grand battle in Yan Kingdom, Yan Shaoyin performed a divination and concluded that Fu Zongjue not dying was already the best outcome.

Who knew the result would be completely beyond his wildest predictions?

The Southern Xuan Sect’s cultivator army not only failed to reach Giant Wood Ridge but was swept away by the Divine Wood Sect’s newly promoted Core Formation Ancestor Chen, who appeared out of nowhere, before they even left Yan Kingdom.

“So, this Golden Elixir Jade Return Pill was prepared for him.”

In Heaven-Return Valley, Yan Shaoyin recalled the elixir he had painstakingly refined and couldn't help but feel a trace of regret.

However, upon closer reflection, if time were to return to the day Zhou Shengqing approached him and Yan Shaoyin had to make the choice again, he would still nod in agreement.

“I hope my disciple can also successfully form a Core.”

That batch of Golden Elixir Jade Return Pills yielded four pills, and Heaven-Return Valley received half. One of them had already been given to Yan Shaoyin’s eldest disciple, who was currently in seclusion, preparing to consume it.

With Chen Mobai’s success as an example, Yan Shaoyin’s expectations for his disciple greatly increased.

“How can Zhou Shengqing be so lucky? When the sect split, Fu Zongjue formed his Core, and now, during his Nascent Soul breakthrough, there’s this Chen Guixian. Is he really going to achieve Nascent Soul?”

Yan Shaoyin muttered to himself, his brows furrowing.

If Zhou Shengqing achieved Nascent Soul, he would have no room to rise in this lifetime. If he wanted to advance further, he would likely have to abandon Heaven-Return Valley’s legacy and join the Star-Sky Grand Mercantile Association.

But he certainly wouldn’t give up until the very last moment.

“Zhou Shengqing definitely won’t achieve Nascent Soul.”

He could only hope for this.

Deep within a palace built from ice blocks in Blowing Snow Palace, a pure white, snow-like lotus bloomed in a cold pond. A slender figure sat at the heart of the flower, while the congealed cold energy around her solidified into ice, freezing her and the white lotus together.

Two women in blue and white palace robes, with charming faces, entered.

They were Zhu Jinyu, the sect master of Blowing Snow Palace, and Lan Lingping, the outer sect manager.

“Greetings, Master!”

After entering, both women knelt before the white lotus. The one who commanded such reverence from them was naturally Kong Lingling, the Core Formation cultivator of Blowing Snow Palace.

“What is it?”

A chilling voice echoed in the two women’s Purple Mansion seas of consciousness. They immediately relayed all the information they had gathered recently about the Divine Wood Sect and Chen Mobai to Kong Lingling.

“This person possesses extraordinary talent. At this rate of advancement, he is likely the most promising among the Eastern Barrens’ Core Formation cultivators to achieve Nascent Soul.”

After listening to Chen Mobai’s life story, Kong Lingling couldn’t help but sigh.

Such talent, perhaps even a Heavenly Spiritual Root would be somewhat inferior in comparison.

“Master, Grandmaster Yan from Heaven-Return Valley sent a letter.”

“I know. But I am currently at a critical juncture in my cultivation and cannot travel. Furthermore, the Divine Wood Sect slew Nan Xuanjing. Even if Golden Wind Ancestor doesn’t have much lifespan left, he will surely react to such an incident. Let us first wait for the Profound Sky Dao Palace’s response.”

After synthesizing all the intelligence, Kong Lingling decided to observe the situation first.

“Master, Ancestor Chen of the Divine Wood Sect had exchanges with me before he formed his Core, and we had a pleasant conversation…”

Lan Lingping then reported about the Fire Spirit Rice. Kong Lingling also remembered this matter. If Zhou Shengqing were to achieve Nascent Soul in the future and the Divine Wood Sect grew powerful, this could serve as an entry point to forge good relations with Ancestor Chen.

However, given the unclear stance of the Profound Sky Dao Palace, Kong Lingling still instructed Lan Lingping not to deepen ties with Ancestor Chen in the name of Blowing Snow Palace.

“Oh, and isn’t your disciple also at Foundation Establishment? It’s perfect. Let her be our representative to congratulate Ancestor Chen on forming his Core. If the Divine Wood Sect later fails to withstand the Profound Sky Dao Palace’s subsequent retaliation, then you can expel her from the sect.”

“Yes, Master.”

This idea was largely consistent with Lan Lingping’s own thoughts. However, after Xueting reached Foundation Establishment, she could no longer manipulate her former disciple as she wished, so she needed Kong Lingling, the Core Formation ancestor, to give the order.

After leaving the ice palace, Lan Lingping handed Kong Lingling’s handwritten letter to Xueting.

“Since it is Ancestor’s wish, I shall obey.”

Xueting said in a cool tone. As she turned to leave, a flicker of resentment crossed her eyes.

She hadn’t expected that even after reaching Foundation Establishment, she was still being excluded.

She felt no warmth whatsoever in Blowing Snow Palace.

For some reason, she recalled her year in Little South Mountain.

Though very brief, it was the only memory in her life where she had felt warmth.

What if Blowing Snow Palace were also ruled by the Divine Wood Sect?

Suddenly, this terrifying thought emerged in Xueting’s mind.

She immediately suppressed the distracting thoughts in her heart, selected some unique spiritual products from the Snow Kingdom, and then took a teleportation array towards Jian Kingdom.

In Baiyue Market, she skillfully found the Little South Mountain Shop. Soon after, Liu Wenbo, having received the news, also arrived via teleportation array.

“Junior Sister Xueting, what a coincidence! Master just returned from Yan Kingdom two days ago, and the sect is currently discussing how to hold his Core Formation grand ceremony. I didn’t expect your Blowing Snow Palace to come calling so soon.”

Over the years, Liu Wenbo had expanded the Little South Mountain Shop to half of the Eastern Barrens through spiritual rice and talismans, with three branches in the Snow Kingdom. During his regular trips there to deliver goods, he had exchanged many messages with Xueting.

The two could be considered good friends.

“If not for Ancestor Chen’s guidance in the past, I wouldn’t have been able to successfully reach Foundation Establishment. I’ve long wanted to come and express my gratitude, but Ancestor Chen was in seclusion, and I was busy with sect trivialities. Only now do I have the opportunity to personally express my thanks.”

Over the years, Xueting had been assigned to handle various trivial matters in the outer sect and cultivate Fire Spirit Rice in spiritual fields. Her speaking ability had also improved significantly, unlike her cold demeanor when she was in Little South Mountain.

“Hahaha, Master will surely be very happy to see that you’ve successfully reached Foundation Establishment.”

Liu Wenbo said, then led Xueting to Jade Pot Market, the closest market to Giant Wood Ridge, via teleportation array, and then presented her visiting card to Chen Mobai.

“Oh, she’s reached Foundation Establishment? That is indeed a joyous occasion.”

Chen Mobai didn’t have a deep impression of Xueting, but Zhuo Ming seemed to have a very good relationship with her. When they were cultivating Fire Spirit Rice in the Snow Kingdom, Xueting often wrote to Zhuo Ming for advice on technical difficulties, which Zhuo Ming answered one by one.

“Have Zhuo Ming receive her.”

Chen Mobai nodded. After arranging for Xueting, he looked up at the Lifespan Wood at the very center of Giant Wood Ridge.

“Junior Brother Chen, come and see me.”

Zhou Shengqing’s voice sounded in his ear.