Chapter 451 - 446: Southern Ghost Kingdom

In the end, Du Youqian didn’t make any promises.

Sui Zhi must have been a little disappointed, but he didn’t show it.

First of all, even though Du Youqian had already achieved Nascent Soul Formation and was a Celestial Spirit Root Cultivator, a Spirit Root’s usefulness diminishes significantly after that stage.

A normal cultivator needs over five hundred years to go from the initial Nascent Soul stage to Nascent Soul Perfection.

Factoring in the time needed to build up one’s foundation and gather resources for advancement, it would likely take seven or eight hundred years to reach the Divinity Transformation realm.

But Sui Zhi only had less than two hundred years left.

Besides, how incredibly difficult was it to advance to Divinity Transformation!

Let’s say Du Youqian was a once-in-a-generation talent. But which Nascent Soul Master wasn’t a peerless genius, blessed by immense fortune, to have reached that realm in the first place?

And out of a dozen Nascent Soul Masters, it wasn’t guaranteed that even one could advance to Divinity Transformation.

So, while a glimmer of hope had sparked in Sui Zhi’s heart, he knew the chances were incredibly slim.

Furthermore, even if Du Youqian did successfully advance to Divinity Transformation, expelling the Gu insect would mean offending another Divinity Transformation True Monarch—an established one from the Demon Sect, no less.

Putting himself in Du Youqian’s shoes, Sui Zhi knew he wouldn’t be willing to offend a Demon Cultivator of the same realm for a mere family member either.

Thus, Sui Zhi didn’t expect Du Youqian to agree without hesitation, nor did he take such help for granted.

’He reasoned that if he were to hire an outsider, the cost to have a Divinity Transformation True Monarch remove the Gu insect from his body would be a Tier Six Jade.’

’Asking one of their own to do it might warrant a discount, but it would never be entirely free.’

He had indeed supported Du Youqian when the boy was young and weak, but that support, if measured in Spiritual Jade, amounted to only a few hundred, or a thousand at most.

A Tier Six Jade, on the other hand, was worth well over ten million Spiritual Jade!

Of course, a personal favor was difficult to measure in Spiritual Jade.

All he could do now was hope that Du Youqian was someone who valued personal bonds.

~~~~~~~~~~

In truth, Du Youqian didn’t mind helping Sui Zhi out after he advanced to Divinity Transformation.

’As for offending a Divinity Transformation True Monarch from the Demon Sect?’

’If I offend him, I offend him.’

’We can always talk.’

’If we can’t talk it out, we’ll fight.’

’If I can’t win, I’ll just run.’

’And if I really can’t escape? Then I’ll just die once.’

’What’s the big deal?’

This had nothing to do with whether he was a man of sentiment and honor. The crucial point was that Ruihan City held a relatively important place in his future plans.

’Individual power is certainly important, but before achieving Enlightenment, one must never get lost in one’s own Martial Force.’

’I must remember that even a hero needs help.’

If one day he truly became an Emperor, then it would be natural to be solitary and alone—it’s lonely at the top.

But before becoming an Emperor, acting like a loner, refusing to make friends or cultivate capable subordinates, was a sure path to ruin.

Du Youqian felt that in order to keep Ruihan City firmly under his control and ensure it could play a vital role, supporting a few outstanding cultivators from the family was a necessary part of his strategy.

Take the couple Sui Yu and Rong Qiao’Er, for instance.

And then there was Sui Zhi. Although he now knew Sui Zhi was being artificially pushed forward by the Ghost Infant Gu and that his actual aptitude wasn’t that great, but despite this ordeal, he hadn’t broken down and was still fighting to save himself. His willpower truly deserved the highest praise.

A Cultivator like that was worth investing in.

Right now, Ruihan City was in a flurry of activity, arranging Du Youqian’s Nascent Soul Ceremony.

Du Youqian, however, didn’t just sit around in the city. Instead, he took a trip to the territory of the Long-tailed Golden Chickens.

On his previous return journey, he had passed through their territory but hadn’t stopped. The caravan members had been anxious to get home, and the Artisans needed to be settled as quickly as possible.

Now that he had some free time, it was only natural to go and have a proper discussion with the clan.

Du Youqian was received with great hospitality. A Tier Two Long-tailed Golden Chicken even "voluntarily" offered its flesh and blood for his consumption.

’Or perhaps it was "volun-told."’

It had to be said that as a member of the Demon Race possessing Spiritual Wisdom, the meat of a Tier Two Long-tailed Golden Chicken was far more delectable than that of an ordinary chicken, and Du Youqian feasted with great relish.

The fine wine and delicious food made for a very lively atmosphere.

The Bi Fang Gravel he’d brought back this time had already been put to use. While it had yet to produce any immediate effects, the observations and calculations of several Tier Four Long-tailed Golden Chickens indicated that its potency was at least as good as, if not better than, what was described in their clan records.

They were now burning with enthusiasm, eager to accompany Ruihan City’s caravans on a few more trips to acquire more Bi Fang Gravel. This would allow them to quickly cultivate the most talented members of their next generation.

However, insatiable desire is not just a human trait; it seems to be a chicken trait as well.

They beat around the bush, asking if Du Youqian had a way to acquire Thorny Insects.

Unfortunately, Du Youqian had, in fact, specifically instructed the caravans from Ruihan City and the Four Principles Sect to search for Thorny Insects or their eggs.

But they had come up empty-handed in the Endless Desert Sea.

However, in the outside world, a nation to the west of the Binyin Sect was found to be selling Thorny Insect Eggs, which were reportedly discovered in a Secret Realm.

The unfortunate part was that the Thorny Insect Eggs had lost their viability and could no longer be hatched.

Dead Thorny Insect Eggs could be used in alchemy and were considered a Tier Three medicinal ingredient.

The Four Principles Sect’s caravan had purchased all the dead eggs and made an agreement with the seller to continue searching. If live ones were found, the sect would acquire them at a high price on their next trade run.

Du Youqian had brought a few with him this time to have the Long-tailed Golden Chickens identify them.

Upon seeing the eggs, the Tier Four Long-tailed Golden Chickens were so excited they began to dance on the spot. Their long tail feathers radiated a seven-colored light, a breathtaking sight.

"Shuai Xiao, this is it! This is it! If you can get us live Thorny Insects, we’re willing to pay any price! Anything!" Jinrong cried out, shaking his head in excitement.

"I’ll do my best to get them. We’re friends, aren’t we?" Du Youqian’s smile was humble and gentle, completely hiding the cunning merchant within.

’A treasure that can evolve the Long-tailed Golden Chickens’ bloodline, and a rare one at that... he’d be damned if he didn’t make a ten-thousand-fold profit!’

After leaving the territory of the Long-tailed Golden Chickens, Du Youqian headed south alone.

South of the Immortal City Alliance lay a vast, sprawling land said to be unsuitable for human habitation. It was the edge of the world, a region where the Ghost Race roamed.

On that vast land, the Ghost Race had established a great Ghost Kingdom.

However, very few people knew what the political landscape of the Ghost Kingdom was like, or how powerful its Martial Force was.

Humans and ghosts walk different paths. The Human Race did not covet the lands of the Ghost Race, and the Ghost Race, in turn, had no desire to expand.

There was virtually no contact between them.

Du Youqian continued south.

The farther south he went, the more the air grew thick with a gloomy, chilling energy, and all signs of human life vanished.

Normal flora and fauna could scarcely survive here, but special plants that thrived in environments rich with this chilling energy began to flourish.

This so-called yin energy was also a form of the world’s Spiritual Qi, but it was not one that living humans could absorb or utilize.

If a living person were to reside in such a place, they would likely be frail and sickly, most probably dying before ever reaching adulthood.

Du Youqian released Meng Xiao and Xi Mengran from the Soul-Imbued Jade.

As ghosts, they had no physical bodies and, of course, had long since lost the ability to breathe.

Yet now, they made a show of taking large, greedy breaths, clearly benefiting greatly from the chilling energy.

"Do you like it here?"

Xi Mengran nodded eagerly in response to Du Youqian’s question.

Meng Xiao, however, thought for a moment before replying via Divine Sense, "This place is very comfortable for us. It makes our ghostly forms more stable and active. However, our Cultivation speed won’t increase significantly here."

After they traveled south for a while longer, Du Youqian began to feel extremely uncomfortable.

And though he saw nothing out of the ordinary and his Divine Sense detected no ghostly beings, he could still feel that he was being watched.

The hidden spirits only held back because Meng Xiao and Xi Mengran were present—and perhaps also out of caution regarding his own power.

"This is as far as I can go," Du Youqian said. "I can’t go any deeper. You two will stay here and join the Ghost Kingdom. With your strength, I’m sure you’ll quickly be put in important positions."

Du Youqian felt a twinge of regret. He had wanted to see the ecosystem of the Ghost Kingdom for himself and witness the living conditions of its ghostly inhabitants.

"Will you come back?" Meng Xiao asked, reluctant to see him go.

"Of course!" Du Youqian said with a smile, arranging a method for them to contact each other in the future.

Then he added an instruction, "I need you to keep an eye out for something called a Thorny Insect. This insect likes to live in places with extremely dense yin energy, so I wonder if the Ghost Kingdom might have them. If so, I want you to collect and farm them for me."

"I will," Meng Xiao replied with a firm nod.

Du Youqian bade them farewell and turned to leave. After a few steps, he stopped, looked back, and said with a serious expression, "If, in the future, you manage to attain great power within the Ghost Kingdom, I hope we can reach an agreement to allow for trade and interaction between humans and ghosts. The Human World belongs to the Human Race, but it is also a world where all of the Ten Thousand Races can survive and prosper. The Ghost Race should also have its rightful place in the Human World."

Meng Xiao looked a bit lost. "I’ve never thought about such things."

"Well, now you can start thinking about it. For now, we are still minor players. But I will strive to keep climbing, to continue walking my path on the Dao. One day, I will stand at the very pinnacle of the Human World. Survival or Destruction—I will decide with a single word. When that time comes, I hope that you, as my friend and subordinate, will still be standing by my side, understanding me and carrying out my decisions."

Xi Mengran pouted and made a face, clearly displeased.

Meng Xiao, however, pledged with the utmost seriousness, "My lord, I will always be loyal to you."