Chapter 466 - 461: At All Costs

Seeing Du Youqian drain his cup, Ruan Xiu leaned over and personally refilled it for him before dropping a bombshell. "Senior Jie Yu is a Core Formation Master. The resources required to teleport her to the outside world are dozens of times greater than for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. So why would the Taihe Sect exhaust all its power—no, the power of the entire Profound Sects Orthodox Camp—to send her to the Human World?"

Ruan Xiu didn’t keep him in suspense and immediately explained, "Because Senior Jie Yu possesses astonishing charm and is exceptionally skilled at persuading others. At the time, the entire Profound Sects Orthodox Sect was on the brink of collapse. The only hope was to have Senior Jie Yu try to persuade the Taihe Sect in the Human World to intervene and turn the tide."

Du Youqian had long seen from various signs that the situation for the Profound Sects Orthodox Sect was not good.

But he had not expected that decades ago, the entire Profound Sects Orthodox Camp had faced the threat of being completely overthrown.

At that time, the Holy Blood Sect had developed a new Secret Technique (or perhaps it was developed long ago and had simply been sealed away) that could draw upon the Essence Blood of others to extend one’s own lifespan, even breaking the limits of one’s Celestial Lifespan.

They even made this Secret Technique publicly available. Any Cultivator from the Demon Sect Camp could obtain this Secret Technique from the Holy Blood Sect in exchange for a certain contribution.

The Holy Blood Sect were the progenitors of Secret Techniques related to Essence Blood, so it was not surprising that they developed such a technique.

But such a powerful Secret Technique was not without its limitations.

The most severe restriction was that after extending one’s life by absorbing another’s Essence Blood, one could no longer make the slightest progress in their Cultivation.

For those who aspired to the Great Dao, this restriction alone was enough for them to not even consider this Secret Technique.

However, in the current Momenan, where advancing to Core Formation had become impossible and even a Master like Wu Ai had been stuck at the Golden Core Late Stage for centuries without making any progress, such a restriction was of little consequence.

Another restriction was that after using this Secret Technique to extend one’s life, one would need to periodically absorb others’ Essence Blood or else suffer a severe backlash.

And as everyone knows, absorbing too much of another’s Essence Blood would cause a Cultivator’s Dao Foundation to become unstable, their Magical Power to become turbid and full of impurities, and their Magical Combat prowess to drop severely.

Furthermore, extending one’s life by absorbing Essence Blood could not be done indefinitely.

It was said that at first, one only needed to absorb the Essence Blood of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to extend one’s lifespan. Later, the Essence Blood of a Core Formation Master was required for it to be effective. Further on, the Essence Blood of a Golden Core Late Stage Cultivator was needed to add several decades or a century of life. And after that, perhaps even absorbing the Essence Blood of a Nascent Soul Master would only grant a few more years.

But despite all these restrictions and inconveniences, this Cultivation Technique was still eagerly sought after by the Demon Sect Camp.

Thus, in a short period, everyone in the Momenan Cultivation Realm lived in fear for their own safety.

The people of the Demon Sect not only killed each other but also hunted the Cultivators of the Profound Sects Orthodox Sect as prey.

This was because they discovered that the Essence Blood of Profound Sects Orthodox Cultivators seemed to be of higher quality, granting a longer lifespan extension after absorption, with slightly fewer negative consequences.

In a very short time, the Cultivators of the Profound Sects Orthodox Camp suffered heavy losses.

Of course, the number of Demon Cultivators also decreased significantly. This was a decline for the entire Momenan Cultivation Realm, not just a tragedy for the Profound Sects Orthodox Sect.

It was just that, relatively speaking, the rate at which the number of Demon Cultivators decreased was a bit slower, and their losses were not as severe.

It was under these circumstances that Jie Yu accepted a mission in a time of crisis and was teleported out to go to the Taihe Sect in the Human World, pleading for reinforcements.

"So what exactly did she do? Did the Taihe Sect from the Human World take action?"

"The exact role Senior Jie Yu played isn’t very clear. She never communicated with Momenan again. From the other side of the Teleportation Array, a few short words of reprimand from the Holy Blood Sect and the Taihe Sect were sent back."

Du Youqian chuckled. "The heavens are high and the emperor is far away. A few perfunctory words of reprimand are probably useless."

"You can’t say it was completely useless. The Demon Sect did quiet down for a while," Ruan Xiu said, shaking her head and sighing.

She had been the one speaking with Du Youqian this whole time.

’The Chongzhen Sect is probably being overly cautious with me,’ he thought. ’They must think that by having a beautiful Kun Cultivator speak with me, even if she says something wrong, it wouldn’t be proper for me to lash out on the spot, leaving some room for maneuver.’

’Who controls the Teleportation Array now?’ Du Youqian wondered, but of course, he didn’t ask out loud. This secret was only known to the True Inheritance Core Formation Cultivators of the Taihe Sect and the Holy Blood Sect.

’Once I leave the Chongzhen Sect, I’ll just call out Huang Bo Master and ask him.’

Huang Bo Master was one of the Holy Blood Sect’s Core Formation True Inheritors.

This man, along with about a hundred other Cultivators, had been following Du Youqian, hoping he would lead them out of Momenan.

Of course, Du Youqian had no intention of taking them.

It wasn’t that he was afraid of them dying. Rather, if he led them to the passage, they would naturally harbor expectations, hoping he would intervene and help them when they encountered danger.

’But I can barely look after myself, so how could I possibly help them?’

’At that point, how could they not feel resentful?’

Du Youqian wasn’t exactly afraid of the resentment and curses of a mere hundred people on the verge of death.

However, in this life, he wanted to walk the path of the Profound Sects Orthodox Dao. A bit of resentment wouldn’t be a major hindrance, but he supposed it would, more or less, have at least a tiny bit of influence.

’Besides, the situations one might encounter in the passage change in an instant.’

’Someone might get desperate and try to drag someone else down with them before they die.’

’After all, it’s always easier to destroy than to build, easier to harm than to save.’

’So, it’s better not to take them.’

Of course, he also considered that he could perhaps choose a few of them—Cultivators at Core Formation or above, at least—tell them the location of the passage, and let them try their luck after he had left.

Naturally, Du Youqian wouldn’t tell them unconditionally. They would need to pay a certain price.

For example, trading... for it.

What this "..." was, Du Youqian didn’t say. He’d just give them a look and let them figure it out for themselves.

In short, it was a seller’s market. Take it or leave it.

Du Youqian wasn’t hurting for money, either. To move him, they would probably have to go bankrupt.

After enjoying a few days at the Chongzhen Sect, Du Youqian finally took his leave.

Outside the Woniushan Blessed Land, Du Youqian halted his Flying Sword, beckoned with his hand, and said, "Huang Bo, come here."

Huang Bo Master appeared in a flash, his expression showing a hint of excitement, yet the depths of his eyes were utterly cold.

He performed a deep, respectful bow. "This junior, Huang Bo, pays his respects to the True Monarch. For what reason has the True Monarch summoned me?"

Du Youqian didn’t even look at him and asked directly, "Who controls the Teleportation Array now? The one at the bottom of the eastern sea."

Huang Bo Master realized that Du Youqian had sealed off the surrounding area with his Divine Sense, preventing any sound or Divine Sense from traveling far. He couldn’t help but be astonished by the strength and masterful application of Du Youqian’s Divine Sense. After a moment of thought, he replied, "Is the True Monarch asking about the Teleportation Array to the Human World? After it was repaired again all those years ago, we followed the old rules, with our sect and the Taihe Sect taking turns guarding it, rotating every twenty years. But after Senior Jie Yu was teleported out, we seized the Teleportation Array and have never let anyone from the Taihe Sect inside since. After all, following that incident, we and the Taihe Sect have completely torn away all pretense of civility."

Du Youqian nodded. "What are the conditions for teleporting people out now? Are the Spiritual Diamond reserves you have stored up enough to teleport out a few Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators?"

Huang Bo Master answered immediately, without a second thought, as if he had mulled over this question countless times in his mind. "First, we need approval from the Human World side. Otherwise, anyone teleported from here will not arrive and will instead be lost in the turbulent currents of space. By the old standards, I’m afraid no one in Momenan currently meets the conditions for teleportation."

’That’s only because you don’t know about Deng Maoyu,’ Du Youqian thought. ’Deng Maoyu is usually quite low-key.’

Huang Bo Master continued, "The resources we’ve accumulated are enough to teleport three Foundation Establishment Cultivators. If it were a Core Formation Cultivator, I’m afraid it wouldn’t even be enough for one."

Du Youqian smiled as he sized him up. "It’s impossible for you to be teleported out, so give up on that idea. Even if you found a way to lower your realm to Foundation Establishment without damaging your Dao Foundation, you’re not the kind of genius who would qualify for teleportation."

Huang Bo Master gave a bitter smile, but his eyes remained cold. "This junior has also considered that. I know I don’t qualify, but I still hold onto a sliver of hope. This junior is unwilling to wait for death here in Momenan. No matter the cost, I want to leave."

Du Youqian smiled faintly. "Unfortunately, those of you who have extended your lives by absorbing the Essence Blood of others can no longer advance your Cultivation. Even if you went to the Human World, you wouldn’t be able to make any progress."

Huang Bo Master raised his head and looked at Du Youqian earnestly. After a long moment, he said, "This junior has never absorbed another’s Essence Blood. This junior is only just over three hundred years old. As a Golden Core Middle Stage Cultivator, I still have three hundred years of lifespan remaining, so I am in no hurry to extend it. Moreover, this junior has always held onto hope, unwilling to be trapped in Momenan, unwilling to yield to fate, so I have steadfastly refrained from absorbing the Essence Blood of others to extend my life."

’What this guy is saying is actually true...’

He couldn’t help but size up Huang Bo Master carefully once more.

This man was no prodigy overflowing with talent, but his disposition was truly extraordinary.

After a moment of contemplation, Du Youqian said, "I will not take you with me. I will not take anyone to brave that passage."

Huang Bo Master showed no surprise, no anger, and no dejection. Although his expression was one of distress, his eyes were actually cold and devoid of any emotional fluctuation. "This junior understands. I wonder if the True Monarch could inform me of the passage’s location. After the True Monarch has left, this junior will make some preparations and then try his luck."

Du Youqian smiled faintly. "What price can you pay? Don’t be in a hurry to answer. I can’t be bothered to haggle with you. State what you are willing to pay. If I don’t agree, you won’t get a second chance to make an offer."

Without a moment’s hesitation, Huang Bo Master said, "Everything."

His cheeks suddenly turned crimson, like a cooked shrimp, and then he opened his mouth and spat out a drop of Essence Blood.

He quickly took out a Jade Box to catch the drop of Essence Blood, then closed his eyes.

Du Youqian could feel him using a Secret Technique to sever a piece of his own soul.

The soul is fragile; any operation performed on it must be done with extreme care.

After a long moment, Huang Bo Master had already sliced off a sliver of his soul and fused it into the drop of Essence Blood.

Then, without hesitation, he handed the Jade Box to Du Youqian.