Chapter 576 - 281: Princess Consort, You Wouldn’t Want...

Chapter 576: Chapter 281: Princess Consort, You Wouldn’t Want...

Initial Saint Sect, Spiritual Spring Secret Chamber.

Bare-chested, Chen Sheng sat cross-legged in the center of the Golden Spring Spirit Pool. The surrounding Restrictions emanated a faint glow, and every node was inlaid with an Elemental Crystal.

This was the Three Talents Gathering Essence Array.

It was a secret array from a Daoist Sect, one that Nie Xiangjun had taught to Chen Sheng.

It could rapidly increase the concentration of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi in the vicinity, greatly accelerating the speed of one’s cultivation.

It was practically a must-have for any cultivator.

However, its only drawback was its exorbitant consumption of Elemental Crystals.

Activating the Spirit Gathering Array once consumed at least thirty-six Elemental Crystals.

Typically, it could only be maintained for seven days at most.

With a consumption rate like that, no ordinary cultivator could ever afford it; only the true, top-tier Holy Lands could.

But Chen Sheng could.

Most importantly, he was not short on Elemental Crystals.

After annihilating Luoyun Manor, Golden Spring Temple, and Qingfeng Temple, he had amassed over two thousand Elemental Crystals.

This was comparable to the wealth a prefecture-level faction might accumulate over many years.

After unifying the entire Ning’an Martial World and seizing control of both military and political power, his income grew even more terrifying.

Although his official salary was only twenty-four Elemental Crystals a year, his other miscellaneous benefits guaranteed him a minimum of over one thousand Elemental Crystals annually.

Such were the obscene profits of a monopoly.

Within Ning’an Prefecture, all the factions—the major and minor clans, the sects, the Government Office, the military, the Prefecture Government Office—had their own vassals or patrons. However, if one were to investigate carefully, they would discover that all roads now led back to Chen Sheng.

If all the factions in Ning’an Prefecture formed a pyramid, then Chen Sheng was, without a doubt, its apex.

Even factions with powerful backers, such as the Iron Sword Sect, the Danxia Sect, and the Ning’an Wang Clan, still had to pay monthly tribute to Chen Sheng.

In fact, Chen Sheng’s influence had already surpassed that of their so-called patrons.

With the Initial Saint Sect acting as the head of the Ning’an Martial World, one could only imagine Chen Sheng’s status.

For this very reason, countless Martial Artists in Ning’an had come to call him the Lord of Ning’an.

This title was both a compliment and a criticism.

It was a case of the dragon slayer becoming the dragon.

But Chen Sheng didn’t care, paid it no mind, and refused to acknowledge it.

After all, the tangible benefits were already his. He could understand why outsiders might have a few things to say.

’As for reporting me?’

’Who in all of Ning’an would dare?’

From the Prefecture Government Office managing civil affairs, to the Military Preparation Army controlling the troops, to the Jingwu Bureau overseeing the Jianghu—Chen Sheng had his people in all of them. To report him was to have a death wish.

Furthermore, Chen Sheng had the backing of the State Government’s Martial Bureau.

Even if someone wanted to report him, they wouldn’t be able to find an avenue to do so.

Of course, Chen Sheng wasn’t foolish enough to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

His level of extortion was the result of precise calculation.

After all, Ning’an Prefecture had a massive source of wealth in the Wushan Yuan Ore. As long as he controlled this Spiritual Vein, Chen Sheng’s profits were guaranteed, even though a portion had to be handed over to his superiors.

The portion he kept for himself was more than enough to satisfy him.

Besides all that, Lan Yufei had gifted him a large number of Elemental Crystals before he left the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect. Adding in gifts from Zhao Chengxiang, Chen Sheng’s current net worth had long since surpassed what a cultivator at the Mystic Realm could even dream of possessing.

Even a Golden Core Grandmaster would likely be envious upon seeing it.

That was why Chen Sheng could afford to use the extravagant Gathering Essence Array to aid his cultivation without a second thought.

To him, Elemental Crystals were merely external objects.

Only by converting them into cultivation could their value be truly realized.

While Chen Sheng was cultivating with intense focus, the respectful voice of an Initial Saint Sect disciple suddenly sounded from outside the secret chamber:

"My Lord, a woman is asking for an audience at the mountain gate. She carries a letter of introduction from the Ning’an Wang Clan. Master Liu has already invited her into the main hall."

Chen Sheng opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them. He knew who the woman was.

’It must be Princess Consort Xiangyang, Yu Nanzhi.’

The Wang Family had sent word yesterday.

Chen Sheng glanced at the Elemental Crystals arranged on the nodes around him. He didn’t want to be wasteful. If he left the secret chamber now, the crystals would be rendered useless, and he would have to set up the array all over again.

And it was well-known that Chen Sheng was a frugal man by nature.

He hated waste above all else.

He was the type to eat every last grain of rice in his bowl.

Naturally, he couldn’t bear to waste such precious Elemental Crystals.

After a moment of contemplation, he said:

"Tell the lady that I am in secluded cultivation and cannot be disturbed.

If she wishes to see me, she may come directly to the Spiritual Spring Secret Chamber. If she is unwilling, she is free to leave.

I will make time to meet with her when I am finished."

"Yes, My Lord!"

.....

"The Spiritual Spring Secret Chamber? What is that?"

Yu Nanzhi frowned as she listened to the Initial Saint Sect’s Hall Master.

’How utterly disrespectful of Chen Sheng.’

’She was, after all, Princess Consort Xiangyang and the legitimate daughter of the Yu Clan. How could he refuse to see her in the main hall?’

"The Spiritual Spring Secret Chamber was originally the source of the spring at Golden Spring Temple. It is now the Lord’s private, restricted area. The Lord often cultivates while bathing in the Spirit Pool inside," Master Liu explained gravely.

"Bathing... cultivating..."

Yu Nanzhi’s delicate brows furrowed, and a flicker of shocked anger flashed in her eyes.

’I can’t believe Chen Sheng is this audacious!’ she thought.

’He’s making his attitude clear from our very first meeting.’

Yes.

In Yu Nanzhi’s mind, Chen Sheng’s actions were a clear statement of his intentions.

Chen Sheng was clearly saying:

’If you want to talk, come into the secret chamber.’

’If you don’t, you can go home.’

For a moment, Yu Nanzhi was overcome with deep hesitation.

If the matter of the Chen County armaments—a matter of vital importance to Prince Xiang’s Mansion and the Yu Clan—weren’t at stake, she would have turned and left without a second thought. The problem was, Chen Sheng held all the cards.