Chapter 1998 - Refining the Cloud Mist Pearl King

The beast's roar sent alarm through all of Cloud Mist Manor, reaching beyond the crowd on the training ground. Countless disciples emerged from their residences and craned their necks to look skyward.

Before their eyes, white light flashed overhead. A white divine beast then took shape and descended. Its bizarre form resembled neither qilin nor dragon, but a strange hybrid of both. Two long horns rose from its head, seemingly capable of piercing the sky. As it trod through the air, its hooves carried enough explosive might to collapse the surrounding space.

Yet its aura inspired even greater terror. Its oppressive presence left everyone. including the Great Golden Immortals, feeling as though they could not breathe. A power that could make even an Immortal King wary lay beyond their imagination.

Liu Wuxie had accounted for this possibility while establishing the Seven-Star Glazed Array. The Glazed Trees had never required immortal beast blood. Ordinary spiritual liquid would have sufficed. His request for blood had been a deliberate precaution against an incident such as this.

Preparing for every possibility had become second nature to Liu Wuxie. His trust in Yun Zhong remained incomplete, so he had concealed a final trump card within the Seven-Star Glazed Array. Even a betrayal from Yun Zhong would not prevent him from leaving Cloud Mist Manor with ease.

The white divine beast opened its enormous maw, and a terrifying suction force erupted from within. It hauled the Liang Clan expert into the air, stripping away his control of his own body. Before he could even scream, the beast swallowed him whole. Nothing remained, not so much as a bone.

Long Ying and Long Yuanxiong exchanged fearful glances. No mere Profound Immortal had ever frightened them before. What terrified them now, however, was not Liu Wuxie himself, but the means by which he killed his enemies with such ease.

Having devoured one enemy, the white divine beast grew even stronger. Its maw opened once more, releasing a powerful force that obliterated every attack from Yan Wuji and his remaining companion. Around Liu Wuxie, space became a vacuum that barred anyone from approaching.

"How is this possible?!" Yan Wuji exclaimed. Fear paralyzed him, and he shook uncontrollably.

Frightened by what they had witnessed, the surrounding cultivators stepped back.

"That brat put such a powerful spiritual array in Cloud Mist Manor without anyone knowing. It won't be easy to kill him now," Yu Yan, Pei Zhongyi, and the others said. For all their deep hatred of Liu Wuxie, none dared to speak again or take another step. The white divine beast could target them next.

The white divine beast demanded vast amounts of immortal energy to sustain itself, limiting how long Liu Wuxie could maintain it. Even so, he had more than enough time to kill Yan Wuji and his two companions. Their deaths might also discourage anyone else in the crowd from acting against him.

"Spare my life!" the Wen Clan expert screamed as he was lifted into the sky. The white divine beast's maw swallowed him without a trace, just as it had the Liang Clan expert.

Yan Wuji was the last one left. He struggled desperately toward the edge of the training ground, intent on fleeing. The deaths of his two companions had stripped him of every desire to fight.

At the sight, Liu Wuxie tapped forward with his right hand. The white divine beast followed his direction, diving down to block Yan Wuji.

"Leaving already? Don't you think it's a little late for that?" Liu Wuxie asked mockingly, guiding the white divine beast slowly toward him.

"Kill me, Liu Wuxie, and the Yan Clan will never let you get away with it!" Yan Wuji threatened. Sheer terror had driven him to invoke his clan's name. Before the white divine beast, he was a helpless lamb, incapable of summoning even the thought of resistance.

"How tiresome. Another threat," Liu Wuxie snorted.

At his direction, the white divine beast stomped down and smashed Yan Wuji's body in two. Liu Wuxie followed with a powerful wave of divine sense, driving it into Yan Wuji's soul sea. He still needed more information about the three clans, as well as confirmation of whether they had colluded with the Heavenly Alliance.

Memories poured into Liu Wuxie's soul sea. Half a breath was all he needed to absorb them, and the white divine beast began to dissipate as soon as he finished. Nothing could save Yan Wuji now. Death would come shortly.

The ease with which Liu Wuxie had killed the three Golden Immortals silenced the entire training ground. Heavy breathing alone broke the stillness. No one could grasp how a few gestures had been enough to end their lives. He had done precisely what he had claimed. Killing them had proved no different from slaughtering livestock.

"Are they really dead?"

The surrounding cultivators withdrew to the edge of the training ground. After mocking Liu Wuxie so many times, they feared he would turn on them next.

Once Yan Wuji breathed his last, Yun Zhong told someone to carry off his corpse.

"The crisis at Cloud Mist Manor has ended. You have my deepest thanks for traveling so far to help us. Anyone who wishes to stay may return to their room and rest. Those who prefer to leave may do so freely," Yun Zhong said, using the moment to dismiss the gathering.

He knew how many of them concealed ill intentions. If they remained, trouble would follow sooner or later. The cultivators were no fools; they understood what his words meant.

"We'll be leaving, then, Manor Lord Yun."

The cultivators began to depart, with only a few choosing to remain at Cloud Mist Manor overnight and leave the following morning. Yun Zhong allowed them to stay and directed his men to escort them to their accommodations.

Most of the visitors left Cloud Mist Manor within moments. Terror of the white divine beast lent urgency to their departure. They feared it would appear again and choose them as its next targets.

"Please come this way, Young Master Liu," Yun Zhong said, gesturing for him to follow.

With Liu Wuxie having resolved Cloud Mist Manor's crisis, the manor now had to fulfill its promise and give him a Cloud Mist Pearl King in gratitude.

Neither Long Yuanxiong nor Long Ying felt any urgency to depart. Yun Zhong had made arrangements for them to rest first.

......

Yun Zhong and Liu Wuxie went to the study, where no one else was present. Over their midday meal, Liu Wuxie had raised another condition for helping Cloud Mist Manor.

For the moment, they left that matter unspoken. Yun Zhong approached a bookshelf and gently pushed it aside, exposing the hidden passage behind it. Opening the secret chamber made clear that he no longer treated Liu Wuxie as an outsider.

About a dozen breaths passed before Yun Zhong emerged from the secret chamber with a box. Cloud Mist Pearls differed from other treasures. Formed from condensed energy and essence, their powerful spiritual nature made them impossible to store in an interspatial ring.

"You helped us resolve our crisis, and I gave you my word. This Cloud Mist Pearl King is yours," Yun Zhong said, passing the box carefully to Liu Wuxie. A lingering trace of reluctance remained in his eyes.

"You have my thanks, Manor Lord Yun," Liu Wuxie replied as he took the box.

The Cloud Mist Pearl King held immense value for his cultivation. With its help, Liu Wuxie felt confident of reaching the seventh-level Profound Immortal Realm. The three treasures he would earn by completing his three missions would carry him into the Origin Immortal Realm. Then he would have a chance even against Golden Immortals.

The box went into Liu Wuxie's Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron. Unlike an interspatial ring, the cauldron could accommodate the Cloud Mist Pearl King.

"Young Master Liu, earlier today you spoke of another condition for helping us. Will you tell me what it is?" Yun Zhong asked. He valued his word and meant to fulfill the promise he had made.

"I want Cloud Mist Manor to cut off its supply of Crimson Cloudstones to the Mountain Guardian Sect," Liu Wuxie said, stating his purpose directly.

"Where did you learn that we sell Crimson Cloudstones to the Mountain Guardian Sect?" Yun Zhong asked, surprised. Their dealings with the sect were secret, known to few outsiders.

"There's no need to worry about that, Manor Lord Yun. I have a source of my own," Liu Wuxie replied, leaving the Chai Clan out of it.

"Did the Mountain Guardian Sect do something to offend you?" Yun Zhong asked.

He did not pursue the source of Liu Wuxie's information any further. Anyone determined to investigate could uncover clues, and Yun Zhong understood that well. He was more curious about why someone who appeared to be a newly admitted disciple of the Azure Jade Palace would seek out such information.

Depriving the Mountain Guardian Sect of Crimson Cloudstones would cripple its operations. Trouble would soon follow for the sect.

"The Mountain Guardian Sect refuses to pay the fifteen years of tribute it owes the Azure Jade Palace. Collecting that debt is one of my missions. You can see how difficult it would be for me to make them pay on my own. I need your help with that," Liu Wuxie explained.

Yun Zhong considered the request in silence, offering no immediate answer.

Cloud Mist Manor produced an abundance of Crimson Cloudstones, but few nearby forces specialized in crafting talismans. Its trade with the Mountain Guardian Sect stretched back centuries. Ending those sales would mean finding a new buyer. Otherwise, the manor's income would plummet.

With its own supply of Crimson Cloudstones, a superpower like the Azure Jade Palace had no reason to buy them elsewhere.

"Manor Lord Yun, I understand the difficulty this presents. I'm not asking you to end your sales of Crimson Cloudstones to the Mountain Guardian Sect for good. All I need is for you to play along," Liu Wuxie continued.

The Cloud Mist Pearl King had served as payment for resolving the manor’s crisis, leaving no debt between them. Any further assistance rested entirely at Yun Zhong’s discretion. If he refused, Liu Wuxie would have no grounds for complaint.

"All right. I'll go along with your plan. The timing suits us. The Mountain Guardian Sect will arrive in five days to purchase Crimson Cloudstones for the second half of the year. I'll hold up the sale and use that opportunity to make them pay their overdue tribute," Yun Zhong replied, agreeing to assist Liu Wuxie this time.

What he had witnessed of Liu Wuxie's abilities over the past day made it difficult to imagine how high the young man would rise if he realized his full potential. A favor owed by Liu Wuxie to Cloud Mist Manor might become valuable someday. That prospect had persuaded Yun Zhong to agree. As manor lord, his responsibility extended beyond the present to the future.

"Thank you for your help, Manor Lord Yun," Liu Wuxie said. He rose and cupped his fists, then left the study for the courtyard Yun Zhong had assigned him.

Upon returning to the courtyard, Liu Wuxie entered the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron without delay. He meant to begin refining the Cloud Mist Pearl King immediately.

A breakthrough outside would create a tremendous disturbance. To keep from attracting too much attention, he had chosen the cauldron's interior for the attempt.

With a wave of his hand, Liu Wuxie drew the box hovering above the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron into his palm. He opened it gently, exposing a Cloud Mist Pearl the size of a fist.

Contact with the outside world sent dazzling colors spilling from the pearl. They gathered into strange images that hovered before him, resembling clouds and mist alike.

"What a remarkable treasure!" Liu Wuxie exclaimed after taking a deep breath.

Within the Cloud Mist Pearl King, he sensed terrifying reserves of energy and essence. Such a pearl required a thousand years of absorbing both before it could form, and even Cloud Mist Manor had accumulated only a few over the years.

"Now to refine it!"

Pressed for time, Liu Wuxie intended to complete the Cloud Mist Pearl King's refinement before dawn. He summoned demonic flames at once, wrapping them around the pearl.

A powerful aura surged outward as the demonic flames began breaking down the Cloud Mist Pearl King. With his legs crossed, Liu Wuxie circulated the Desolate Devouring Art and drew vast streams of immortal energy from the surrounding space.