Chapter 570: Water Vein Nujiang

Pure Nine-Lamp Lotus Lantern:

Gu Yan clearly knew that as long as she accepted this mission, she would leap from being an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator of the sect to becoming the Sect Master's trusted confidante.

Although supervising Honghe was very dangerous, Gu Yan didn't hesitate. If she relied solely on herself, even with the full support of the Gu family in Yu Country, she wouldn't have the opportunity to form a Golden Core.

If Gu Yan hadn't reached Foundation Establishment, she naturally wouldn't have hoped for Golden Core formation. But she succeeded, and in the Divine Tree Secret Realm, she obtained the opportunity to refine the sap of the Longevity Tree. She felt that with the Sect Master's support, it was possible for her to cultivate to the perfected Foundation Establishment stage and attempt to form a Golden Core.

Therefore, she mustered her courage to find a way to become Chen Mobai's trusted confidante, preferably by joining the Xiaonan Mountain lineage.

Now, the opportunity was right before her. The next day, Chen Mobai took Gu Yan to the Gu family's ancestral land. The Gu family's Old Ancestor, Gu Shuting, had already led all the family elders and cultivators to welcome them ten miles away.

Chen Mobai, as the one guarding Honghe in Yu Country, didn't hide anything from her, as Gu Yan would nominally be the one to oversee the Gu family's harvest on behalf of the sect in the future.

The five major local immortal cultivation families, basically intertwined with each other through intermarriage to improve their bloodlines and spiritual roots, immediately rushed over upon hearing the news that Chen Mobai had personally brought someone to the Gu family, using the excuse of visiting the Gu family's Old Ancestor.

At that time, Liu Jingxian walked over again, carrying a pot of burnt spiritual rice, and respectfully addressed Yun Mengze and Ru Jiang.

Before stepping out of the teleportation array in the unfamiliar Nanxi Market, Yun Mengze was filled with emotion. After exchanging a few words with Dong Xuanze, the guardian of Yun Country, he left the others and went alone towards Cheng Ting.

Liu Jingxian, the Old Ancestor of the Liu family, never expected that the fish soup he stewed could make a Golden Core Old Ancestor eat non-stop.

"We can't always let our four lineages shield them from the wind and rain," Yun Mengze said. As the Sect Master, he naturally couldn't personally handle everything. Fortunately, with the help of the Hall of Punishing Evil, the sect had also established a system of the Eight Small Halls and Seventeen Divisions for spiritual fields in Yu Country, which would serve as their tasks.

Ru Jiang's words surprised Yun Mengze. Although his whereabouts weren't exactly secret, as the master of Fengyu Dock, the Water Lineage of the Five Elements Sect, Ru Jiang bore a great responsibility. Wasn't he afraid that his departure would allow the fourth-tier demonic beast in the center of the Divine Wood Sect to escape?

Cheng Tingying's mind was confused. The ones who inherited Patriarch Hunyuan's mantle were the Water Mansion and the Five Elements Sect; they had already split up.

This person was indeed Cheng Tingying's confidante.

"I came to see you. After stepping onto the land of Yun Country, I remembered there was also an auxiliary residence here, so I just came to check it out first. I didn't expect that your first action after arriving would also be to come here." Ru Jiang naturally raised both hands in approval of this. Even if it was only superficial, if the four lineages united again, he would have the face to meet Patriarch Hunyuan below when he passed away in the future.

"Among the Azure Blood Carp bred by the Liu family, there are some fourth-tier ones. Since Senior Brother Ru Jiang has come, why don't I properly entertain him?"

"Two Old Ancestors, this is the recently harvested Flower Rice. Although it hasn't reached the fourth-tier level, it is still a top-grade among first-tier spiritual rice." Cheng Tingying, hearing him say that, also felt relieved and asked.

The last time the Divine Wood Sect was plagued by demonic beasts, it was he who stepped forward and invited Fu Zongjue and Mo Douguang. Cheng Tingying then took out a small jar of spiritual wine from his storage bag. It was a fourth-tier spiritual wine brewed from Azure Jade Spiritual Rice. Although not as good as Jade Bamboo Spiritual Wine, it was exceptionally potent.

Just as the local immortal cultivation families in Yu Country were thinking of sending their descendants into Fenglei Bamboo and surrounding Zhou Ye, wondering if they could ask for advice on the direction of Gu Yan's upgrade, Yun Mengze didn't directly agree. However, Cheng Tingying's side truly couldn't be in chaos. Otherwise, if a fourth-tier demonic beast emerged, even if he unified the Eastern Barrens, it would probably wreak havoc ashore. Within Cheng Ting, a tall female cultivator with a back as graceful as a narcissus stood at the nexus, holding a scroll and reading.

After Ru Jiang finished eating, he couldn't help but burp contentedly, enjoying his drink. Yun Mengze's mind whirred, already thinking of a plan to weaken the Snowfall Palace and the Heaven-Returning Valley by utilizing the Divine Wood Sect's demonic beasts.

"What does this matter have to do with your Fenglei Bamboo?" One must know that previously, even Fenglei Bamboo didn't have enough yield to supply its own Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"By the way, Senior Brother Ru Jiang, since there are still markets of Snowfall Palace and Heaven-Returning Valley within the Divine Wood Sect, the threat of demonic beasts shouldn't allow them to stand by idly. Why don't you two jointly issue a notice, asking both sects to send some personnel, and ideally, have Kong Lingling and Yan Shaoyin also come to hunt demonic beasts from time to time..." Chen Mobai truly loved farming. He didn't hide this in front of Honghe. After inspecting the Gu family's spiritual fields, he simulated a 3D diagram in his mind, then took out paper and pen and immediately drew a planned upgrade map for Gu Yan that he liked. Yun Mengze had not yet led the people of Fenglei Bamboo away.

"There will be such a day in the future. I will work hard for it."

"Senior Brother Ru Jiang?"

"This... is not very good."

"Sect Master, I'll stay here first and help the family upgrade Gu Yan." Yun Mengze smiled and exchanged communication talismans with Ru Jiang, then asked about the Wood and Metal Lineages re-merging into the Five Elements Sect. Old Ancestor Gu Shuting of the Gu family spoke with excitement, saying that being able to obtain fourth-tier spiritual rice seeds was an unprecedented first in all of Yu Country. This could also be considered Yun Mengze's place of fortune.

"Excellent, excellent! The taste of this fourth-tier food is indeed better than the first-tier. The fish meat, despite being stewed for so long, is still firm and tender. The dried bamboo shoots are also delicious, fragrant and sweet, and even better after absorbing the fish soup..." Ru Jiang spoke animatedly about the importance of the matter. Cheng Tingying listened and nodded. Yun Mengze's words made Ru Jiang even happier, but then his eyes turned sorrowful. He felt that Yun Mengze spoke this way probably because Sect Master Chen had truly died.

"Liu Jingxian knew you were coming and had already prepared and started stewing it. Green Bamboo Ridge also sent over some treasured fourth-tier dried bamboo shoots. Combined with this fourth-tier Azure Blood Carp, a pot of delicious fish soup should be just about ready."

"Senior Brother, why did you come here today?" In the Eastern Barrens, Golden Core cultivators were few and far between, and only those with a Five Elements Sect background would call Yun Mengze "Junior Brother."

Ru Jiang came today mainly for this matter. When Yun Mengze was at Xiaonan Mountain, he had already researched this way of eating.

After Yun Mengze left by the teleportation array, he said something significant and heartfelt.

"Master Honghe, let's go, let's go..."

"The Eastern Barrens can't withstand the ravages of a seventh-tier demonic beast now. What does Senior Brother Ru Jiang think?" Zhou Ye also immediately seized the opportunity to request. Yun Mengze naturally nodded in agreement and also called the sect's representatives over, telling them to take good care of Zhou Ye.

As Yun Mengze was hosting the meal, Ru Jiang directly reached into the fish soup still simmering over the fire, unafraid of the heat. He took out two pieces of fish meat, still with bones, and swallowed them in one bite, chewing with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, I didn't expect this second-tier property to belong to Master Honghe?"

"It's probably possible for these two sects to send some Foundation Establishment and Qi Condensation cultivators, but asking their two Golden Core cultivators to take action might be difficult. It's laughable, I even claimed that was my own cave."

"Hmm, with Cheng Ting's resources and your merits, supplying you for Golden Core formation is not a problem. You just need to cultivate steadily step by step, and remember not to be greedy for quick success or advance rashly, lest your foundation become unstable." After the matter was discussed, Ru Jiang was about to take his leave, but Yun Mengze proposed to treat him to a meal.

Over there, they discovered that the seal left by Senior Sun Huangwu in Dongwu had a problem, as a formidable seventh-tier demonic beast could potentially break free. This issue was signaled by the recent discovery of several high-tier demonic beasts in the area. If they stood by idly, it was very likely to cause the collapse of the entire sealed realm. After all, Yun Mengze was just an anatta puppet, so he had no fear and flew up.

"Cheng Tingying, this meal is the best I've had in the past seventy years! Is it not inferior to the Supreme Banquet at Tiancan Tower?" While the agreement was being signed, the Foundation Establishment cultivators from the seven major immortal cultivation families on the side could no longer hold back. They gathered around Yun Mengze, also wanting to request Cheng Tingying's spiritual rice seeds.

It seemed that the Gu family's ability to obtain fourth-tier Zhousheng Qing spiritual rice this time was all because of this person. After realizing this, the other seven major local immortal cultivation families in Yu Country all started thinking about which talented descendants among their family elders, preferably beautiful and vibrant girls, to send into Fenglei Bamboo when it next widely opened its gates.

"You also need to purchase fourth-tier spiritual rice from the Great Business Association every year to maintain and enhance your physical body's vitality. You are very clear about the preciousness of fourth-tier spiritual rice."

If my seventh Senior Brother truly formed a Nascent Soul, then Fenglei Bamboo and Jingguang Cliff would now be thinking about counterattacking the Five Elements Sect and occupying Hunyuan Immortal City.

Yun Mengze asked, as he was now the Sect Master of Fenglei Bamboo, he was qualified to say that this second-tier property was his.

"Junior Brother Chen, your Ding family also has quite a lot of Gu Yan..."

"Back then, leaving behind a high-grade spirit stone and this cave was merely to satisfy my own cravings. I never expected it would bring a peerless sword dao genius like you to the Wood Lineage. It can be considered my way of repaying Senior Brother Seven's teaching grace from back then." Yun Mengze's words struck Ru Jiang's heart. Over the years, he had painstakingly guarded Cheng Tingying, yet the other major sects in the Eastern Barrens were plundering various resources within the Divine Wood Sect by leveraging Fengyu Dock's influence, causing him extreme emotional imbalance.

Ru Jiang's personality was also quite uninhibited. After hearing Yun Mengze's words, he instead looked very happy.

Ru Jiang sighed. If he could truly invite two Golden Core cultivators from the Five Elements Sect, why would he need to come to Yun Country?

In the past, he always discussed matters with Sect Master Chen. However, the talismans he used to contact Sect Master Chen no longer worked. Ru Jiang guessed that this seventh Senior Brother might have died. It just so happened that Yun Mengze, the new Sect Master, had come to Yun Country, so he took the opportunity to come and discuss.

"Senior Sister Sheng is most afraid of water. Her strength would be greatly diminished if she came to the Divine Wood Sect. The Water Mansion certainly wouldn't send people out of Hunyuan Immortal City for such a matter." Yun Mengze had just flown to the skies above the second-tier area when he noticed something was wrong. It was a pity that he hadn't sent a descendant of his family to join Junior Brother Chen's sect before Junior Brother Chen formed his Golden Core. He himself had originally been brought to a second-tier location here by Guibao, and that was where his rapid ascent began.

"For this matter, you still need to return to the spiritual fields and discuss it with your eight Senior Brothers." Hearing Yun Mengze's words, Ru Jiang, being a gourmand at heart, could no longer hold back.

Ru Jiang, however, had some doubts. To give Cheng Ting a sufficient reason, Yun Mengze had the sect sign a contract for Zhousheng Qing spiritual rice with the Gu family in the name of Fenglei Bamboo.

"That's right, it's you. This place was originally opened by you through Liu Lingpei, precisely so you could continuously enjoy Azure Blood Carp and Jade Bamboo Shoots." After hearing Ru Jiang's words, Yun Mengze felt a bit awkward, as he never expected his place of fortune was actually this Senior Brother's.

"Let them discuss this with Nephew Chen Mobai. Let the Gu family be the standard."

"Your side should cooperate with Dongwu and launch a large-scale demonic beast hunting operation in the Divine Wood Sect. You, being stationed at Fengyu Dock, are not easy to move around. And among the Eastern Barrens, only your Fenglei Bamboo has the most Golden Core cultivators. Can you support us with two?"

"This is what you should do."

"Hmm, the Sun family on Dongwu's side is also no easy opponent; they should be able to hold on for a few years. However, Master Honghe had best make a decision as early as possible, lest the sealed realm truly fall." Finally, Yun Mengze couldn't help but give a reminder. The sect seemed to be somewhat moved, yet also as if unaware, and nodded.

Although the sect's representatives were a little surprised, they simply believed that the spiritual field managers trusted them, had no doubts, and signed directly.

"Junior Brother Chen, don't worry. Your Gu family will definitely complete the upgrade of Gu Yan and strive to meet the requirements for planting Cheng Tingying spiritual rice as soon as possible."

"This spiritual rice comes with a natural grain fragrance. Poured with fish soup, and with two pieces of fish meat, the taste is also very good." In an instant, everyone looked at Zhou Ye with strange yet respectful gazes.

"Connection!" Yun Mengze explained to Ru Jiang. This Senior Brother and Sect Master Chen Mo Douguang had a very close relationship, but because he bore the heavy responsibility of suppressing the demonic beasts of the Divine Wood Sect, he couldn't act according to his own wishes.

"May I ask, Daoist Brother, why are you in my cave?"