Chapter 442: Bad, They're Coming for My Disciple

On Tao Yang Star, in Zhongji Hall.

Chief officials from the Xuanji Department, Earth Path Department, Medical Department, Martial Department, Realm Transport Department, and other departments met again for discussions.

It had been over half a year since Zhao Xing arrived. During this time, small meetings were frequent, but this was only the second major conference.

Although many leaders were present, only four truly made decisions: Envoy Haitong Zhao Xing, Earth Path Department Supervisor Qiu Zishan, Xuanji Department Supervisor Gu Ming, and Martial Department Guardian Zhou Ze.

“I’d like to initiate a temporary personnel transfer. The list is as follows. Please raise any objections you may have.” Zhao Xing transmitted the list to the heads of each department via a star-mirror.

After a brief wait, no one spoke. No one dared. The last time Bi Gang voiced an objection, he was immediately imprisoned by the Grand Void Straw Man. After being released from confinement a few days later, he was punished by being sent to carry stones from the corner peaks of Jieshan. Who would dare to object now?

Zhao Xing scanned the expressions of the people in the hall and immediately understood that the pressure had been too intense recently. In truth, he hadn’t done much, just increased the workload significantly—treating other professionals as warriors, and warriors as beasts of burden. Anyone who dared to object was locked in the Grand Void Straw Man’s ‘dark room’.

Public opinion regarding the agricultural officials of the Self-Sect was polarized. While officials like Yuan Qiusheng were beloved, combat-oriented agricultural officials were generally viewed as abnormal. He called himself the “Primordial Holy Son,” which insiders naturally saw as a compliment. To outsiders, however, it probably sounded more like the “Abnormal Holy Son.”

“I need to change this impression,” Zhao Xing thought to himself. “Everyone being afraid of me isn’t a good thing.”

“Supervisor Qiu, although I’ve cultivated the 'Extreme Land' technique, I’m not as familiar with the Earth Path Department’s personnel as you are. Do you think this transfer list is appropriate?”

“Martial Uncle, it’s perfectly suitable,” Qiu Zishan nodded honestly. After more than half a year of working together, he had been completely won over by Zhao Xing. By seniority, he was a disciple of Tao Yangzi, who was a disciple of Emperor Hongshan. Zhao Xing, however, was personally introduced by Emperor Hongshan. So, he simply began calling Zhao Xing “Martial Uncle.”

“Good,” Zhao Xing nodded with a smile. Qiu Zishan was still too straightforward. Zhao Xing’s question was clearly meant to prompt him to initiate discussion and raise work-related issues. But Qiu Zishan simply couldn't grasp the underlying intention. It seemed this delicate task still needed Gu Ming’s touch.

“Supervisor Gu, what do you think?”

Gu Ming pondered for a moment, first affirming Zhao Xing’s personnel transfer initiative: “Currently, many departments on Tao Yang Star are understaffed. Your decision to transfer personnel is, firstly, to improve efficiency, and secondly, to facilitate the later calculation of merits. We cannot have individuals performing the duties of a chief official only to receive the merits of a deputy.”

See? Gu Ming’s mind was sharp; he immediately grasped the leader’s intent.

“After the abnormal phenomena at Diejieshan occurred, a portion of Tao Yang Base personnel was transferred to the First Base, primarily consisting of martial artists, medical staff, and engineers. Another group was trapped within Diejieshan. Though fewer in number, many were chief or deputy officials from various departments. Personnel were dispatched twice: once after an accident occurred at the Fourth Jieshan, and another time when the passage between the Fourth and Fifth Jieshan collapsed, requiring personnel to reinforce the underground tunnels.” Gu Ming began recounting past events at Tao Yang Base, helping Zhao Xing review the causes and effects.

For instance, the Martial Department commanded a total of four Pioneer Armies. Zhou Ze served as the chief envoy, while Bi Gang and two other warriors were deputy envoys. However, only Zhou Ze and Bi Gang remained here; the other two deputy envoys were trapped within Jieshan. Other chief officials, such as those from the Realm Transport Department and Medical Department, were also significantly understaffed.

Zhao Xing reviewed Tao Yang Star’s past military and administrative orders, finding both dispatches to be quite unreasonable. He instinctively asked, “Why weren’t efforts concentrated into a single, large-scale operation, rather than small, piecemeal actions?”

Gu Ming remained silent, merely glancing at Qiu Zishan. The latter looked ashamed.

Zhao Xing understood immediately. Given Mount Taigu’s leadership position on the Haitong Ancient Path, Qiu Zishan, as chief official of the Earth Path Department, was nominally equal to Gu Ming. However, initially, everything was done according to Qiu Zishan’s directives. It wasn't until Qiu Zishan made several mistakes that Gu Ming finally confronted him. But those were all in the past now. Qiu Zishan was even calling Zhao Xing “Martial Uncle,” so what more could Gu Ming say?

Seeing that Zhao Xing didn't press the matter, he moved on with a single sentence: “The catastrophe struck too quickly, and Tao Yang Base was established too recently.”

“Fortunately, you, Sir, turned the tide. We have not only cleared away the Jieshan fragments and realigned the Yin-Yang Twin Stars but also repaired a small portion of the teleportation arrays. Everyone has implemented some remedial measures. Perhaps we can achieve a balance where our achievements offset our mistakes, or even where our achievements outweigh them.”

The atmosphere in the hall immediately lightened. Indeed, after more than half a year of effort, Tao Yang Star’s recovery was nearing its pre-catastrophe level, though personnel and resources had been severely depleted. Thanks to Zhao Xing’s dharma treatise, everyone’s fear of Diejieshan had significantly diminished. It was just a natural disaster, wasn't it? All of them were Dao Domain realm cultivators. In the context of the Desolate Domain era, who hadn't taken on a few missions to combat the Desolate Domain? Zhao Xing's dharma treatise had at least dispelled the fear stemming from the unknown! With a clear direction, even if they, as Dao Domain realm cultivators, still couldn’t solve the Diejieshan problem, surely Reincarnation realm cultivators, or even demigods, could? Assuming Tao Yang Star could return to normal, the Haitong Ancient Path might not necessarily be closed. Their power and status were firmly tied to the Haitong Ancient Path. As long as the Path wasn’t abandoned, they could continue their work.

“Sir, you just mentioned personnel transfers. I, Gu Ming, and the Xuanji Department are the first to agree. However, I believe we could make minor adjustments to the specific individuals involved…”

Gu Ming set a good example, and soon, the leaders in Zhongji Hall began speaking up enthusiastically.

“Supervisor Zhao, my Realm Transport Department has eight Land Mountain Boats stationed at Yuzhong Square. Originally, only Supervisor Fang of the Realm Transport Department could operate them, as the authorization was tied to him. Without his dharma talisman, none of us could board a Land Mountain Boat. Currently, Supervisor Fang is trapped in Diejieshan. Although you’ve appointed me as interim chief official, I cannot access these eight Land Mountain Boats. If you, Sir, could request a change in authorization from above, I would be able to access them. The Land Mountain Boats could then cooperate with the Earth Path Department to transport the corner peaks away, and also isolate the Jieshan’s aggregation properties.”

“Envoy Haitong, your dharma treatise mentioned that the geological changes during the Mesozoic Triassic period of Diejieshan released stored ‘flow energy,’ which can paralyze one’s spiritual senses and weaken mental will. My Medical Department discovered two months ago that the herbal materials used to create Dao Profound Pills can effectively counter this geological change. However, I, Chai Sisi, am only a basic-level physician, not a master-level physician, so I cannot research an effective resistance formula. Furthermore, the ingredients for Dao Profound Pills are prohibited in the Scarlet Star Empire. I have no authority to apply for them, and even if I did, I couldn't manage the dosage process. Promoting me to master-level physician is not feasible. The only master-level physician currently is Lou Lanxiao. I hope you will consider this, Sir.”

On the Haitong Ancient Path, setting aside other matters, the mid to high-level core personnel of all departments were undoubtedly elite. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been dispatched to such crucial ancient paths for pioneering work. With Tao Yangzi absent, under Qiu Zishan’s temporary leadership, these individuals’ talents hadn’t been fully utilized, and even the elites had become a disorganized crowd. Once Zhao Xing, as the chief official, exerted his proper influence, all departments on Tao Yang Star immediately burst with renewed vigor. Everyone knew what to do and saw hope; they would no longer be in disarray as before.

The scene of collective brainstorming in Zhongji Hall made Qiu Zishan feel utterly ashamed. He couldn't understand how the same group of people, who were insignificant under his leadership, had transformed into elites after Martial Uncle Zhao arrived. Qiu Zishan could only attribute the problem to his lack of personal charisma, which prevented him from gaining these people’s genuine support. Thinking this, Qiu Zishan felt even worse, wishing he could use an earth-burrowing spell to escape.

“Zishan, what’s so shameful about not being as capable as Martial Uncle Zhao?” his junior sister Gong Xiaoyuan, who was beside him, saw through Qiu Zishan’s thoughts. “Talents like Martial Uncle Zhao, who understand both the principles of cultivation and administrative affairs, are rare to encounter in a lifetime. For us at Mount Taigu, it’s enough to be good at our work. Coordinating all departments was never your responsibility; it should be Master’s!”

Hearing his junior sister comfort him, Qiu Zishan immediately felt much better: “Junior Sister, you’re right. We’ll do our best! Martial Uncle Zhao will certainly initiate rescue operations soon. Our Earth Path Department must not fall behind.”

Gong Xiaoyuan: “Mmm.”

The meeting uncovered and resolved many issues.

After the meeting adjourned, Zhao Xing immediately prepared to send a message to Emperor Bihui. Just as he exited Zhongji Hall, he saw a burly man furtively peeking from around the corner.

With a single step, Zhao Xing appeared behind Bi Gang.

“Deputy Envoy Bi, what are you doing here?”

Bi Gang jumped in surprise, but quickly recovered: “Ah, Envoy Haitong, well, about that—”

Seeing Bi Gang stammering, unable to speak, Zhao Xing said, “If you’re not going to say anything, I’m leaving.”

“Envoy Haitong, wait!”

Bi Gang gritted his teeth, knelt on one knee, and cupped his hands: “I offended you previously, Envoy Haitong, and have not yet offered my apologies. Please, Sir, overlook my transgression and forgive me this time.”

Zhao Xing looked at Bi Gang and said blandly, “Oh? How is it that I heard you’ve been spreading ill rumors about me since your release, saying I humiliated colleagues and was inhumanely harsh?”

Bi Gang’s face paled: “It was my ignorance; I failed to understand your painstaking efforts, Sir. I am willing to accept any punishment.” Seeing Tao Yang Star flourish and everything moving in a positive direction, Bi Gang couldn’t sit still. Zhao Xing had discussed deploying the Martial Department's three armies for mountain rescue during the Zhongji Hall meeting. Only Bi Gang’s Pioneer Army was assigned its original task: moving the fallen stones from the Sixth and Seventh Jieshan. How could this be acceptable? Qi Sect warriors were capable of enduring hardship, but they couldn't be constantly suffering! Initially, he thought the Haitong Ancient Path was doomed, and whether tasks were completed didn't matter. But now, that was no longer the case. For the sake of his subordinates, he had to come and plead.

The weeds in the corner of the palace wall swayed, leaving only the rustling sound of the wind.

After a moment of silence, he looked up, but Zhao Xing was nowhere to be seen.

Just as Bi Gang thought he hadn't received Zhao Xing’s forgiveness, a voice carried by the wind reached his ear: “I will not dwell on past matters. Return to your camp, select a thousand skilled individuals, and three months from now, accompany me into the Seventh Jieshan.”

Bi Gang immediately stood up joyfully, cupping his hands in the direction where Zhao Xing had disappeared: “Many thanks, Supervisor Zhao!”

At the Sixth Jieshan, the hard, massive rocks suddenly bulged, as if something was trying to break through the ground. At first, it was just a bubble shape, but the center point grew increasingly sharp, and the mountain seemed to sprout sharp protrusions. The Jieshan’s aggregating force struggled against this breaking power. Finally, at a certain moment, “Boom!” A pit appeared in the Jieshan, and large quantities of rock fragments were flung outwards after losing their aggregation. A pit, wider at the opening and narrower inside, appeared in the mountain, and a realm-vessel, thin at the front and thick at the back, burst out.

“Whoosh!”

The front half of the realm-vessel was a drill, which had become fiery red and glowing due to its rapid rotation, as if a sun was burning within it. Someone flew out from inside the realm-vessel, took out a treasured gourd, and poured its contents onto the drill. Seven moon-rivers quickly coiled around the drill, attempting to halt the realm-vessel’s drill.

“Boom!” A piercing roar suddenly erupted amidst the clash of yin and yang. The drill rapidly dimmed, displaying canyon-like cracks, and debris flew everywhere. The seven moon-rivers were also largely annihilated.

“Damn it, another one scrapped. This is truly damned sinister; even nine supreme-grade Primordial Yin-Yang Drills have been rendered useless—thank goodness I brought extra, or else I wouldn't be able to return.” Lord Lanji grumbled as he put away the gourd.

He was a Lord-level artificer.

A year ago, upon receiving a mission from the Empire, he urgently rushed to Bihui Star on the Haitong Ancient Path to open a passage between the Sixth and Fifth Jieshan.

Diejieshan’s characteristic was that it was bottomless in all directions—up, down, left, and right—hidden entirely within the void. Therefore, tunnels could only be excavated through weak points. And they could only be dug from the Manifestation Layer. If one were to dig from the Dao Manifestation Layer or the Dao Ancient Layer, it would be impossible to say when the passage would finally be opened.

Even so, Lord Lanji still felt an immense headache. That cursed Diejieshan, constantly transforming void energy to aggregate its mountain body, had no clear weak points whatsoever! The patterns previously discovered became inaccurate after the collapse. He had dug for a full year, scrapping nine supreme-grade Primordial Divine Weapon drills, before finally carving a small path through the Sixth Jieshan.

Lord Lanji quickly transformed the realm-vessel and began to probe the surrounding directions.

Unexpectedly, he found the starry sky ahead of the Sixth Jieshan to be remarkably clear.

“What’s going on? Weren't the Sixth and Seventh Mountains supposed to have collapsed, with their fragments filling the central base space? Was the intelligence incorrect?”

Lord Lanji cautiously contacted the people on Tao Yang Star and discovered that the star-mirror had a signal here. Clearly, Tao Yang Base’s communication star-chain was also active.

“How strange!” Lord Lanji exclaimed and quickly rushed towards Tao Yang Star to deliver the goods. He also had to hurry; Jieshan would mend itself. The mountain path he had opened was not stable, and if he returned too late, it would once again become a solid block.

“Whoosh~”

Since the starry sky was clean and clear, the route was straightforward, allowing Lord Lanji to accelerate his vessel without restraint. It only took him five days to fly to Tao Yang Star.

“Who is Zhao Xing? Tell him to come out and receive the delivery!” Lord Lanji’s realm-vessel hovered above the star, continuously sending out signals.

Zhao Xing was with Gu Ming. Having received notification five days prior that a Reincarnation realm artificer was coming to Tao Yang Star to deliver goods, they had been waiting at the Realm Transport Port.

“Lord Lanji, I am Zhao—”

“Swoosh~”

The realm-vessel suddenly emitted a flash of white light. Lord Lanji tossed the cargo and then immediately sped away. Gu Ming was speechless. Wasn’t the Empire’s artificer lord a bit too eager?

“Is Lord Lanji rushing to deliver his next order?”

Zhao Xing shook his head: “I don’t know. Perhaps he wants to save some money.” The Empire’s reimbursement quota was fixed. How many drills Lord Lanji scrapped to clear the Jieshan was his own business; if the consumption remained within the quota, the remainder belonged to Lord Lanji himself.

“Hmm? There’s still someone else. I don’t recall any mention of reinforcements.” Zhao Xing suddenly noticed another person standing on top of the cargo. Their rank was not low; they were also a Lord.

“May I ask who you are, senior?” Zhao Xing already knew this person’s name was Ji Shan, and that he was a Lord-level cultivator, but he didn’t know why he had come.

“You are Zhao Xing? I came specifically for you,” Ji Shan’s gaze was fervent. “The samples of earth veins that Emperor Bihui allocated for you were all personally selected by me from Mount Taigu’s archives. If we had to draw them from the Empire’s archives, you’d have to wait at least another three years.”

Zhao Xing glanced at Gu Ming, who immediately said, “Entrust the cargo's storage to me.” Since Lord Ji Shan wasn't on the official list, it implied a personal mission, specifically intended for Zhao Xing. Gu Ming didn't want to be in the way here, so he immediately arranged for someone to go and receive the cargo.

“Senior, please come inside and take a seat of honor.” Zhao Xing invited Lord Ji Shan into the hall.

Meanwhile, in the Scarlet Star Empire, Primordial Realm.

A multi-party meeting was underway in Thousand Stars City. Zuo Qiyu and the Five Poisons were still seated on the main floating platform. Emperor Yuanding of the Reincarnation Divine Palace, Emperor Mangya of the Ancient Kingdom Alliance, Scholar Bowei of the Seven Realms from the Academy City, and Emperor Tianwu of the Primordial Heavenly Palace were seated in two rows.

All of them gravely watched a middle-aged man in a green dharma robe in the center.

Undoubtedly, the first half of the meeting was dedicated to holding Mount Taigu accountable.

“Emperor Lushan, when we first cooperated, your Mount Taigu swore that the Tri-Stacked Jieshan was not a problem and could be resolved. Now, five out of the seven major ancient paths have problems, and all of them are at the Diejieshan segment. I won’t mention the number of casualties, wasted resources, and time; I presume your Mount Taigu is well aware of these. My Primordial Heavenly Palace demands an explanation,” Emperor Tianwu was the first to challenge.

“The Ancient Kingdom Alliance also suffered heavy losses in this Jieshan disaster,” Emperor Mangya said coldly. “Lord Lushan, I won’t say anything else unpleasant. As for the future rights originally designated for the five paths, your Mount Taigu should yield thirty percent.”

Emperor Yuanding of the Reincarnation Divine Palace and Scholar Bowei of the Seven Realms remained silent, but clearly shared the same sentiment. The ultimate goal of holding an ally accountable was simply to gain compensation. Thirty percent was already like cutting flesh from Mount Taigu's own thigh. After all, Mount Taigu itself would have to pay a great deal.

When the topic turned to profits, the atmosphere in the hall immediately grew heavy. Just then, Emperor Five Poisons spoke.

“Emperor Mangya, what do you mean by ‘not saying anything unpleasant’? You should say it, and you should say it loudly and emphatically!”

Emperor Mangya was somewhat taken aback. Emperor Five Poisons leaped from the floating platform, drifted in front of Emperor Lushan, and launched into a furious tirade. “Lushan, you impudent child! Your Mount Taigu made such grand promises, yet now you’ve botched everything. You’ve caused many talents from my Primordial Realm to be trapped, and many to be injured or killed—It’s one thing for the disciples to be useless, but even that Hongshan fellow, who specializes in mountain arts, is trapped within the Tri-Stacked Jieshan. What a disgrace! He has utterly shamed the Holy Monarch!”

“Brother Five Elements—” Emperor Lushan was about to speak.

“Who the hell is your brother!” Emperor Five Poisons saw him retort and cursed even more fiercely.

“Fourteen epochs before the Desolate Domain, you and I were digging in the Black Sky Desolate Domain. The five great emperors couldn’t even dig out a single black stone, and many of my people died. Eight epochs before the Desolate Domain, you shamelessly claimed you could stabilize the Ten Directions Mountain, ha ha ha! You talked so much that the Kui Niu were blown all the way to the Northern Boundary River! Alright, I won't mention anything too far back. At the beginning of the Desolate Domain era, the Gold-Devouring Emperor of the Myriad River Demon Race managed to gnaw away half of your Primordial Realm’s earth veins. That truly made this old man laugh himself to death—Are the agricultural officials of Mount Taigu’s three realms and twelve mountains all grown on dirt? Oh, I forgot, you do indeed eat dirt. Isn’t the first layer of 'Extreme Land' about drawing earth veins into the body? Heh heh, what a useless cultivation method! I think it should be called 'Wasteland Cultivation' instead!”

Facing the interrogations from Emperor Mangya and others, Emperor Lushan had remained composed. However, confronted with Emperor Five Poisons’ insults, he truly began to lose his composure. Five Poisons specialized in hitting where it hurt, bringing up all of Mount Taigu’s dark history. Emperor Lushan was absolutely seething. But he couldn’t retaliate physically, nor could he talk back. After all, Emperor Five Poisons was Zhao Xing’s true teacher. The current problems of Mount Taigu would very likely need Zhao Xing’s dharma treatise to be resolved!

After Five Poisons jumped in, the first half of the Primordial Conference became a one-man taunting show by Five Poisons. No one even brought up demanding compensation from Mount Taigu anymore, as they couldn't get a word in edgewise. The first half concluded with Lord Lushan’s face having turned green from the scolding.

By the second half, Emperor Five Poisons had finally tired himself out from scolding. Emperor Lushan finally had a chance to speak.

“Fellow Daoists, this matter is indeed the fault of my Mount Taigu; we underestimated the difficulty of the Tri-Stacked Jieshan,” Emperor Lushan said, bowing in apology. Then he looked at Emperor Five Poisons: “Brother Five Elements is right, I am useless, and my junior brother Hongshan is also useless.”

“Oh?” Emperor Five Poisons glanced at Emperor Lushan. Why was this old fellow so humble today? It wasn't like him.

Zuo Qiyu tugged at Five Poisons: “Stop scolding. Let him speak.”

Emperor Lushan then looked at Emperor Yuanding and the others: “The problem of the Tri-Stacked Jieshan is not unsolvable. Mount Taigu can guarantee that everything will be restored to its original state within a century.”

Emperor Mangya glanced at Emperor Lushan, exchanged a look with Emperor Yuanding and Emperor Tianwu, and nodded slightly. Then Emperor Yuanding spoke: “Brother Lushan, there’s no need for such formality. Ultimately, we are cooperating allies, not genuinely trying to make things difficult for Mount Taigu. If the matter can be resolved, then naturally, that would be for the best. But if not—”

Emperor Lushan said, “If we fail to do so, then we will proceed as Brother Mangya suggested: my Mount Taigu will voluntarily yield thirty percent of our original rights and interests.”

Emperor Mangya snorted: “It’s easy to say, but we’ve put out so many resources and treasures; this isn’t a game. You must show some results! If your Mount Taigu cannot handle it, perhaps let others try. The Ancient Kingdom Alliance and the Primordial Heavenly Palace are not without agricultural officials.”

Seeing Emperor Mangya’s aggressive posture, Emperor Lushan, left with no choice, took out a dharma book from his sleeve: “Please, everyone, take a look. This is a dharma treatise written by a disciple of my Mount Taigu, which offers significant guidance for resolving the Tri-Stacked Jieshan problem, and it has already been initially verified.” Everyone immediately scanned the dharma book that Lord Lushan presented. On its cover were ten large characters: “On the Origin of the Mesozoic Tri-Stacked Jieshan.” At the bottom corner was the author’s signature: Zhao Xing.

Upon seeing that name, Emperor Five Poisons was momentarily stunned. “What’s going on? Zhao Xing’s dharma treatise is being treated as a treasure by Mount Taigu?” Emperor Five Poisons immediately reviewed the contents of the dharma book and then looked at Emperor Lushan’s serious expression. His eyes showed a mixture of surprise and anger. He was surprised that a dharma treatise written by his disciple was valued by Mount Taigu; what immense talent that indicated! He was angry, however, that Emperor Lushan’s phrasing had been “a disciple of my Mount Taigu.” “Damn it, no wonder that old fox didn’t talk back. He’s trying to steal my disciple!” “Shameless old scoundrel!”