Chapter 364 - 359: Where Is Your Dignity as a Core Formation Master?

"I wouldn’t dare accept the title ’Fellow Daoist’." Even though he had already reached Core Formation, Kang Yinghe’s attitude toward Du Youqian was more deferential than ever.

Du Youqian found this strange.

He had been using his crushingly powerful Divine Sense to monitor every fluctuation in Kang Yinghe’s emotions and thoughts.

He could sense that Kang Yinghe’s respect and obedience toward him were genuine.

It seemed Kang Yinghe had no desire to break free from his control.

In fact, Du Youqian had long prepared some leverage. He had planned that once Kang Yinghe reached Core Formation and became Immune to All Techniques, rendering the Secret Techniques and Restrictions controlling him ineffective, he would use that leverage to force Kang Yinghe to continue serving him.

To his surprise, Kang Yinghe had no desire to be forced. He actively wanted to latch onto a powerful patron...

Du Youqian fought the urge to grab him by the collar, shake him violently, and demand an answer.

’Haven’t you reached Core Formation?’

’Where is your dignity as a Core Formation Master?’

’Where is your backbone?’

’A Core Formation Master is supposed to be a regional hegemon! Have you ever seen one so eager to be another man’s dog?’

’Fine...’ Du Youqian thought to himself. ’I shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.’

He took a moment to adjust his mindset before adopting his usual attitude toward Kang Yinghe: slightly cold and reserved, but not demeaning or oppressive. Overall, he projected the image of a steady and just superior.

He then spoke. "If you want to become the de facto leader of the Shengxia Sect, what obstacles do you need me to clear for you?"

Kang Yinghe replied respectfully, "Aside from myself, the Sect has four other Core Formation Masters. One is at the Golden Core Late Stage, and another is at the Golden Core Middle Stage. These two will be my main obstacles to seizing absolute control. However, I don’t wish to kill or gravely injure them, as that would weaken the Sect’s overall strength. I wonder, my lord, if you know of a way to remove them from power without killing them?"

Du Youqian could certainly understand Kang Yinghe’s concerns.

In a world where ultimate power rested with the individual, Cultivators at the Golden Core Middle and Late Stages were the greatest source of combat strength for a sect like Shengxia, which lacked a Nascent Soul Elder Monster.

Even if they never had to fight, their mere presence in the Sect served as a deterrent to other factions.

If Kang Yinghe were to eliminate them just to secure his own position, it would be as laughable as Ukraine destroying its own nuclear weapons while dreaming of pity from its Western daddies.

In reality, those people only want to take advantage of you, to suck you dry and bleed you for all you’re worth.

Du Youqian didn’t actually care about the future of the Shengxia Sect.

He only wanted access to all the scriptures stored by the Shengxia Sect and to engage in a series of collaborations with them to prepare for his future reincarnations.

But since Kang Yinghe had voiced these concerns, it was appropriate for Du Youqian to make a gesture.

Li Fei had long since made intelligence gathering a priority, and she had plenty of information on the Shengxia Sect’s four Core Formation Masters.

After a moment of thought, Du Youqian said, "Clip their wings, then use your Martial Force to compel them into a century of seclusion. By the time a hundred years have passed, you’ll be at the Golden Core Middle Stage, or perhaps even the Late Stage. When they finally emerge, it will be too late for them to change anything. They’ll have no choice but to accept that you’re in absolute control."

Kang Yinghe agreed without a second thought.

It was, indeed, an excellent solution.

The Shengxia Sect didn’t need these two patriarchs to go out waging wars; it needed their power as a deterrent.

As long as they were alive—whether in seclusion, giving grand pronouncements in the Sect’s main hall, or cuddling beautiful consorts in the back garden under the moonlight, busy making heirs—their existence alone was a deterrent to outsiders.

"As for how to clip their wings, I’ll need you to provide some intelligence. Also," Du Youqian summoned with his Divine Sense, and Li Fei quickly hurried over, "Li Fei, share the intelligence you have with Elder Kang. Then, consult with Elder Kang to devise a plan on how to clip the wings of Shengxia Sect’s Golden Sea Master and Master Yuanhua, leaving them isolated and helpless. Once the plan is formulated, I will find someone to execute it."

"Yes, Gang Leader." In front of outsiders, Li Fei would never use the more intimate "Brother Zong," always careful to uphold his authority.

But she also refused to call him by his proper title, "Vice Gang Leader," insisting on "Gang Leader" instead.

Fortunately, Laudfen had no objections, nor did he dare have any.

Li Fei had actually dressed up before coming, but Du Youqian didn’t pay her much attention.

Even now, Du Youqian maintained his routine of explaining her Cultivation difficulties once every ten days, so he was more than familiar with her.

And while Li Fei desperately wanted to climb into his bed, she would never do anything drastic to make things awkward for him.

So the relationship between them was still quite amicable and harmonious.

Li Fei was now at the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer, not far from Qi Cultivation Perfection. Du Youqian was confident he could help her reach Foundation Establishment before she turned fifty-five.

Her Cultivation level was nothing special in the current Zouma Gang, of course.

But as Du Youqian’s confidante, her power was not insignificant.

Even when facing a Core Formation Lord like Kang Yinghe, she was polite but also self-assured, giving a bow that was neither servile nor haughty.

Kang Yinghe didn’t dare put on airs, either. He returned the gesture with a slight bow, and the two of them quickly began their discussion.

In short order, they had hashed out a preliminary plan. Du Youqian gave it a cursory review, approved it, and instructed them to continue refining the details.

Of course, even after the plan was finalized, it couldn’t be put into action immediately. Kang Yinghe still needed time to consolidate his Cultivation, refine his Treasures, and practice the Magic and Secret Techniques of a Core Formation Master.

Even if he were quick, an optimistic estimate would still put the operation several years in the future.

Of course, upon reaching Core Formation, one’s lifespan was often several hundred years. A few years was just the blink of an eye.

Kang Yinghe and Li Fei also assumed Du Youqian wouldn’t care about such a short amount of time.

But what they didn’t know was...

Because of his struggles in Momenan, Du Youqian’s Celestial Lifespan was now less than seven hundred years.

And he was now almost five hundred and twenty years old... not the promising young Core Formation Master under sixty they imagined him to be.

They thought Du Youqian was ambitious, that he wanted to build the Zouma Gang into the number one power in the Endless Desert Western Domain.

They thought that in the future, he would continue to expand, gather resources, and become the first native Great Cultivator in the Endless Desert Western Domain to achieve Nascent Soul Formation in a thousand years.

But it was impossible for them to know.

Du Youqian had never thought that way.

’Nascent Soul Formation? Not in this lifetime.’ He could already faintly sense a bottleneck. If he didn’t find Zong Li’s sister—dead or alive—he feared he wouldn’t even be able to recover his Cultivation to the Golden Core Late Stage.

’Power?’

’To put it bluntly, what’s the point of establishing a power in this godforsaken shithole?’

’An outside faction could just send over a single Nascent Soul Elder Monster and wipe the entire Endless Desert Western Domain off the map.’

’It’s just that this place is too barren, with no coveted resources. No one can be bothered to come here.’

One might look at the Endless Desert Western Domain and think the conflicts weren’t that intense—just gangs squabbling, with few casualties among ordinary people.

But according to Kang Yinghe, in the Vast Human World outside, some places had long been reduced to scorched earth.

In some places, the Human Race lived as if in hell, even being raised as fodder for the Demon Race.

Unlike here in the Endless Desert Sea, the conflict between the Human Race and the Demon Race was not intense.

Why didn’t the Split-Ear Sand Foxes try to expand outward?

For one, they preferred the desert environment.

For another... even with their somewhat magical abilities, their combat prowess was just too weak.

If they went to the outside world, they wouldn’t even qualify as cannon fodder. They could only be pets, or food...

Of course, being a pet and being food were not mutually exclusive.

Therefore, the Split-Ear Sand Foxes would rather languish in the Endless Desert Sea than venture out.

Naturally, Du Youqian had no desire to build some great power in a place where everyone was content to just lie down and let things rot.

If he really did build it up... if he really established a Nascent Soul-level power here...

It might attract some Demon Race that feeds on Human Nascent Souls, or some old monster from a Demon Sect who needs Human Nascent Souls for their Demon Skills, to come barging in for a feast.

Du Youqian’s current plan was to establish a Sect on the edge of the Endless Desert Sea, with Li Fei and those children as its core.

With him, a Core Formation Master, presiding, and with the endorsement of an old Golden Core Sect like the Shengxia Sect, the new Sect should be able to establish itself quickly.

Then, this Sect would quietly stay out of conflicts, keep a low profile guarding its own little corner of the world, and live a tranquil existence.

It would exist for the sole purpose of lending a helping hand every time Du Youqian reincarnated, allowing him to quickly get through the initial stages.

In the future, Du Youqian would also guide Fang Hua, Lin Sha, and others into this Sect.

He could even build a dedicated Ghost Nurturing Pool in the Sect and bring Xi Mengran and Meng Xiao over as well.

Then he would just lie low and build his strength here, accumulating power until he could withstand a siege from a Nascent Soul faction, or even a Divinity Transformation faction.

Until he had the ability to participate in higher-level struggles, to step onto the Great Dao...

Du Youqian cultivated quietly in seclusion.

In recent years, as the Zouma Gang’s power expanded, his Human Dao Sword finally regained some of its potency and could be used as a conventional weapon.

But he didn’t implement any reforms in the Zouma Gang’s territory. His official public position was only Vice Gang Leader, and more importantly, the population here was really sparse...

The Endless Desert Western Domain was comparable in size to Momenan, but its total population was less than that of a single densely populated state in the Wu Kingdom.

So Du Youqian couldn’t be bothered to orchestrate anything; it would be a futile effort.

Being able to just barely use the Human Dao Sword was enough.

Right now, his Cultivation was also in a stage where it was difficult to advance. He might as well focus his energy on trying to comprehend a new Divine Ability.

He no longer even meddled in the gang’s affairs; besides, Laudfen was doing a decent job.

As for people like Wei Wei, he no longer needed to placate them.

The gang’s military campaigns were handled by the other Core Formation Masters and their allies.

His only duties were teaching Li Fei once every ten days and occasionally interacting with the youths she was training—just enough to maintain a connection without becoming estranged. But he couldn’t get too close, either, lest he lose his aura of authority and mystery.

So, there really weren’t many things that Du Youqian needed to handle personally.

This day, he was gently stroking Xiao Sha Jiang, who was sleeping on his lap, when Kang Yinghe came to see him.

After Kang Yinghe finished professing his loyalty, Du Youqian smiled and asked, "What’s this? Are you in a hurry to press me into action?"