Chapter 517: Obsessed with Money

Emperor Yanfeng stood up in suppressed anger, his eyes flashing. "Give me back the wine jar!" he demanded.

Xing Han remained seated, his hand inverted and gripping the mouth of the jar as he offered it. Emperor Yanfeng slowly extended his palm. His hand moved forward with immense difficulty, and that short distance took him half an incense stick's time.

By the bonfire, Qin Mu, Xu Shenghua, and the others watched the two men's hands in silence.

Xing Han's hand was incredibly steady; the arm gripping the wine jar didn't budge an inch. In contrast, Emperor Yanfeng's outstretched arm was slightly trembling. Not only his arm, but his five fingers were also constantly vibrating, and each vibration brought an unparalleled shock to Qin Mu and the others.

Each twitch of his arm and vibration of his fingers was akin to activating a divine art. His highly condensed vital qi could be faintly seen transforming into countless tiny flood dragons within the patterns of the skin on his arms and palms.

Beneath his skin, true dragons seemed to be coiling and gathering power. However, this power wasn't constantly at its peak; instead, it pulsed, expanding and contracting.

He cultivated the Nine Dragons Emperor's Art, which he had once taught to Qin Mu. Qin Mu then taught Ling Yuxiu another version of the Nine Dragons Emperor's Art, which he had comprehended in the True Dragon's Lair, and Ling Yuxiu subsequently taught this version to Emperor Yanfeng.

Emperor Yanfeng was an unparalleled genius. Although his Nine Dragons Emperor's Art was not originally considered an outstanding cultivation method, he continuously refined it and developed its power to the extreme. This finally led to extraordinary accomplishments, allowing him to stand alongside the Three Great Sacred Grounds.

After obtaining the cultivation method from the True Dragon's Lair, he completely refined away the hidden ailments in his body, making his divine treasures stronger than ever before. The robustness of his divine treasures also earned Xing Han's recognition; Xing Han believed his divine treasures had already reached the divine realm.

This time, he had crossed the Divine Bridge and entered the realm of a deity, making his cultivation even more profound than before.

Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu watched as the dragon-like power beneath the skin of his arm expanded and contracted in a controlled, rhythmic manner. Their hearts were greatly shaken, and they gained much insight and understanding.

The Nine Dragons Emperor's Art that Qin Mu had taught Ling Yuxiu was not a complete true dragon cultivation method; he hadn't been able to fully decipher the dragon script on it. Later, with the help of Bai Qingfu and his sister, Qin Mu deciphered more dragon script, which further advanced the cultivation method's level. However, after returning to Yankang, he hadn't yet had the chance to pass on the more complete version to Ling Yuxiu.

It was truly incredible that Emperor Yanfeng, relying on incomplete fragments, was able to cultivate to this extent, refining the Nine Dragons Emperor's Art as if it had entered the Dao!

However, even with Emperor Yanfeng's true dragon divine art on the verge of entering the Dao, he still found it difficult to advance in front of Xing Han.

Every inch his palm moved forward was incredibly arduous. Although his various divine art transformations were well-hidden, they appeared far inferior compared to Xing Han's mountain-steady hand.

Finally, Emperor Yanfeng's palm grasped the mouth of the jar. Xing Han suddenly flicked his index finger, aiming it at Emperor Yanfeng's palm.

Emperor Yanfeng flicked his finger back. Their fingers met, and a faint whooshing sound came from the wine jar, as if stirred by the wind from their fingers.

At the mouth of the jar, their fingers moved like shadows, rapidly exchanging an unknown number of blows.

"Crack."

Emperor Yanfeng's expression subtly changed; the knuckle of his middle finger was broken.

Suppressing the pain, Emperor Yanfeng smiled, released his grip, and slowly retreated. "Since Senior Brother loves wine so much," he chuckled, "then I shall bestow this jar of wine upon you."

Xing Han set the wine jar down and said casually, "My alcohol tolerance is low; I've had enough."

As the wine jar was put down, Hu Ling'er's craving for alcohol surged. Smelling the aroma, she walked towards it, chuckling, "If you're not drinking, I'll have a taste."

Suddenly, she heard a faint whooshing sound from inside the jar. Looking in, she saw the wine swirling, and something seemed to be swimming and fighting within the swirling liquid.

She poked her small head towards the mouth of the jar, wanting to examine it closely, when suddenly her collar was grabbed, and she was lifted up.

Qin Mu pulled her back, placing her beside the bonfire. Shaking his head, he said, "Don't look, it's dangerous. If you want to drink, ask Yuxiu to get you a few jars."

Hu Ling'er cautiously asked, "Young Master, what's inside that jar...?"

"It's quite horrifying."

Qin Mu secretly glanced around and whispered, "There are many people here. I'll poke it for you to see later; it's guaranteed to be magnificent."

Hu Ling'er was barely able to contain her excitement, constantly looking towards the wine jar.

The whooshing sound inside the jar grew louder, inevitably piquing her curiosity. She kept looking up to observe from time to time, too restless to sit still.

And the aroma of the wine inside the jar also seemed to grow stronger.

Emperor Yanfeng returned to the banquet. General Tiance immediately approached him, asking subtly, "Your Majesty, are you going to make a move?"

Emperor Yanfeng's eyebrow subtly arched. "You sensed it?"

General Tiance nodded. "A very powerful person. Did Your Majesty engage him? I'll go call Duke Weiguo."

He had just finished speaking when Duke Weiguo appeared behind him, saying in a low voice, "Just now, when Your Majesty made your move, this old subject felt an unusual fluctuation from underground. It was your divine arts shaking the earth's veins. The newcomer is very strong, Your Majesty..."

Emperor Yanfeng shook his head. "There's no need to mind him. The newcomer is Xing Han; there's no immediate danger. It's just that..."

He hesitated for a moment. "It might be hard on beloved official Qin. He is truly a loyal subject. To hold back Xing Han, he willingly kept him by his side. Who would have thought that he, a Heavenly Devil Cult Master, would be so chivalrous and courageous..."

He sighed with emotion.

"Cult Master just mentioned a big business?"

Si Yunxiang blinked her eyes and inquired, "Can we get rich?"

Hu Ling'er was paying attention to the wine jar, sniffing its aroma, her craving strong. But upon hearing the words "get rich," she immediately perked up her ears. Without turning her head, she twisted her neck, slowly swiveling her small head around. "Big business? Get rich? Young Master, what kind of business?"

"This time, when I went to Fengdu with Senior Brother Xing Han, I obtained a treasure there called the 'Realm Between Life and Death.' It can connect Fengdu with the mortal world."

Qin Mu glanced at Xing Han. Xing Han, who had been calm as usual, now showed a drastic change in expression, clearly recalling his unpleasant past in Fengdu. Qin Mu smiled faintly and said, "The business I want to do is a 'mortal world business.' There are many divine spirits and devils' primordial spirits in Fengdu. Although they are dead, they live quite well there. Some had unfulfilled wishes in life but suffered from being unable to leave Fengdu, so they are willing to pay a high price for people from the mortal world to accomplish tasks for them. I have many affairs and little time, so I want to use this treasure to open a path, allowing Yankang's divine art practitioners to take on tasks from them. It will be both an experience and a form of cultivation, and they can also gain a significant fortune."

He smiled faintly and said leisurely, "The divine spirits and devils of Fengdu can even teach the divine art practitioners who fulfill their wishes their own cultivation methods and divine arts from when they were alive. Practitioners can also earn Fengdu gold coins and use them to enter Fengdu. As for me, I plan to collect some 'toll money' from divine art practitioners entering the Realm Between Life and Death, just to supplement my household expenses."

"Divine spirits and devils' cultivation methods and divine arts?" Everyone by the bonfire changed their expressions simultaneously, greatly tempted.

They didn't know what Fengdu gold coins were, but divine spirits and devils' cultivation methods and divine arts were definitely treasures that tempted them.

It should be known that the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture was renowned as a cultivation method that could lead to becoming a god or a devil, and this cultivation method was the Heavenly Devil Cult's foundational scripture!

The Dao Sword of the Dao Sect and the Great Thunderclap Monastery's Tathagata Mahayana Sutra were both cultivation methods that could lead to becoming a god or a Buddha, which is why they were considered great sacred grounds.

Even if the cultivation methods and divine arts of Fengdu's divine spirits and devils were not as good as those of the Three Great Sacred Grounds, they would still be extraordinary!

"Ever since Cult Master Qin established the Divine Bridge Spatial Numerology Model and spread the Magpie Bridge Art, Profound Guidance Art, and Divine Crossing Art," Long Yu said, "the Divine Bridge was no longer the greatest obstacle to becoming a deity. Lack of god-devil level cultivation methods is the real issue! To be honest, these days, quite a few old seniors have come to Little Jade Capital seeking cultivation methods, but the ones in my Little Jade Capital only go up to the Divine Bridge realm at most. Beyond that, there are none."

Dao Master Lin Xuan nodded and said, "My Dao Sect also doesn't have a god-level cultivation method for the Innate Grand Profound Art. Cult Master Qin's words have also tempted me."

The biggest problem for Yankang's powerhouses in cultivation now is that while the path ahead was previously broken and is now open, there are no cultivation methods to practice, and they don't know how to proceed on the path ahead.

If Qin Mu could truly use the Realm Between Life and Death to connect the Yin and Yang realms and obtain cultivation methods for higher realms, this would indeed be an immeasurable merit, worth any amount of money!

Even Xing Han was somewhat tempted at this moment, but thinking of Fengdu suppressing him, he could only give up the idea.

"If these juniors truly obtain cultivation methods beyond the divine realm," he thought, "it will be hard to say whether I'll be able to take their limbs then, or if they'll shatter my soul."

His eyes flickered; at that moment, he indeed harbored killing intent, but he was, after all, a Grandmaster, and still suppressed it.

Si Yunxiang and Hu Ling'er's breathing grew heavy, their eyes gleaming brightly. The same thought arose in both their minds: "We're rich! Rich enough to rival a nation!"

"Once the Realm Between Life and Death is set up," Hu Ling'er exclaimed, "even the Emperor probably won't be able to resist a trip to Fengdu!" She perked up her two fluffy ears, which twitched and fluttered. She said excitedly, "Young Master, how much money should we charge the Emperor?"

Si Yunxiang excitedly said, "The old immortals of Little Jade Capital, the monks of Great Thunderclap Monastery, and the old Daoists of the Dao Sect are all fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered!"

Monk Mingxin, Dao Master Lin Xuan, Wang Muran, Ling Yuxiu, and the others all turned somewhat pale. Before they could even protest, Si Yunxiang and Hu Ling'er suddenly exchanged glances, and simultaneously realized something, saying in unison, "Young Master (Cult Master), if we collect money in the mortal world, what about the underworld? We can collect money in the underworld too!"

"Driven by greed! You two are both unscrupulous; at least leave some gravy for others!" Qin Mu shook his head and said, "I've entrusted the matter of collecting money in the underworld to the successive Human Emperors of the Human Emperor's Palace. That gravy is theirs; don't even think about it."

Si Yunxiang and Hu Ling'er were both somewhat disappointed. Hu Ling'er's previously perked tail also drooped, but then she immediately thought of getting rich soon and couldn't help but straighten each of her tails upright again.

The sky grew light, and the banquet dispersed.

Qin Mu waited until everyone on the mountain had gone to rest. Only then did he pull Hu Ling'er along in a quick jog, keeping a good distance from the wine jar. He then flicked a finger, and a small pebble landed in the wine jar.

The pebble fell into the wine jar, but there was no movement.

Hu Ling'er was also suspicious. "Young Master, did you see wrong?"

Qin Mu shook his head, turned to look at Xing Han, who was walking beside him, and said, "Senior Brother Xing Han, this jar..."

"It's suppressed by me."

Xing Han said calmly, "If you want to release the power within the jar, I can grant your wish. How many such jade mountains does your Imperial College have?"

"Don't release it yet!"

Qin Mu had just finished speaking when Xing Han had already released his magic power, showing him a strange smile. "Great Divine Physician, I also hold grudges."

Qin Mu's hair stood on end. He grabbed Hu Ling'er and ran. "I can't stay in the capital anymore! The Emperor will definitely chop off my head! Let's go quickly!"