Chapter 630: Spiritual Treasure Distribution 2

“Thank you for the advice, Brother Qi. I’ll have someone look into it.”

Longx Longx gave a slight nod. She couldn’t treat Qi Yue with the same attitude she reserved for Lian Liangpu, so her expression softened considerably.

Qi Yue had returned to the Sect. As a Core Formation True Man, even if he didn’t take on an official position, he had to be given the status of an Elder. This meant the least senior member of the existing Elder Council had to be kicked out.

That unlucky Elder was none other than the Vice Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall.

Of the thirty-six Elder seats, after accounting for the Core Formation True Men, only twenty-something were left for Foundation Establishment Cultivators to compete for.

Considering there were over two hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators in total, one could imagine how fierce the competition was.

For the vast majority of Qingfeng Sect Disciples, a position as an Elder was the ultimate dream, the highest they could hope to achieve.

Even though Qi Yue’s return had cost her faction an Elder seat, Longx Longx was still perfectly polite to him.

After all, since returning, Qi Yue had lived a life of leisure, uninterested in sect affairs. Furthermore, he and his Dao Companion were both Core Formation True Men.

Adding to that his status as a Direct Disciple of Ancestor Ge Cang, he was someone everyone wanted to befriend, not offend.

Of the two types of Flying Spirit Beasts Qi Yue had mentioned, the Ray Beast had vast wings upon which buildings and pavilions could be constructed, allowing it to carry several hundred people at once with no problem.

Although its flight speed was relatively slow, it was perfect for transporting people and resources.

The Flying Camel, on the other hand, was harder to tame. It could carry several dozen people without issue and had the ability to ride the clouds, making its flight speed extremely fast.

「Several days later」

The cloud-piercing Qii Mountain finally appeared in their field of vision.

Once a Holy Land of the Liang Country’s Cultivation Realm, it had now lost its former glory and looked rather ordinary.

“Are you the fellow Daoists from the Qingfeng Sect? I am Tian Rui of the Celestial Principle Sect. I have been waiting for some time.”

A scholar-robed Core Formation Cultivator flew into the sky. Upon seeing the army of cultivators moving as fast as flight with Divine Movement Talismans attached, a trace of disdain flickered in his eyes.

But he quickly recalled the heroic figure of that senior Sword Cultivator and hurriedly buried the thought deep in his heart, not daring to let anyone see the slightest hint of it.

‘With a Nascent Soul Ancestor like that, it isn’t a major problem if a sect’s foundation is shallow or its disciples are untalented.’

‘Hadn’t Qii Mountain, which the Celestial Principle Sect had coveted for a hundred years, ended up in the hands of the Qingfeng Sect anyway?’

The Cultivation Realm was, after all, a world where ultimate power resided within the individual. When a leader was strong enough, they could single-handedly turn the tide.

Four people flew down from the battleship, and Qi Yue stepped out from the group to speak. “We appreciate Fellow Daoist Tian waiting for so long. I am Qi Yue of Qingfeng… I was wondering where our Ancestor Bai is? Is there anywhere we are needed at the moment?”

“Heh, so it’s Fellow Daoist Qi. I’ve heard much about you…”

The scholar-robed Core Formation Cultivator’s gaze was full of meaning. He had clearly heard of Qi Yue’s reputation—how he, with his Qingsang Spirit Body, had been imprisoned by Elder Shibi of the No-Life Sect and forced to become a live-in grandson-in-law, using the wonders of his Spirit Body to help his Dao Companion achieve Core Formation.

This anecdote had become widely known after an upheaval in the No-Life Sect a few years ago, when a newly-ascended Nascent Soul betrayed the sect and fled.

“Your sect’s True Monarch Bai is at the summit of Qii Mountain. Come with me to see him at once. We are to hand over the various resources to you shortly.”

Qi Yue and the others were bewildered. After a brief discussion, it was decided that he and Ma Ruoxi would go ahead to greet the Ancestor, while Longx Longx and Lian Liangpu would continue leading the Sect Disciples toward the summit of Qii Mountain.

“Fellow Daoist Bai, everything is settled. All that’s left is this final batch of Treasures that hasn’t been divided… Why don’t we split them up? Then Junior Brother Le and I can head to the Frost Country sooner.”

Shi Chengdong hadn’t expected that while taking inventory of the Holy Lotus Sect’s legacy over the past few days, Bai Zichen hadn’t tried any tricks.

With the defector Hong Xuan guiding them, the process was extremely efficient, and the accounts were cleared up quickly.

“Very well.”

A faint, unreadable smile played on Bai Zichen’s lips. With a wave of his hand, three rays of brilliant light flew into the Immortal Reception Hall.

They were an Oil Lamp, a bronze bell, and a Lotus Platform.

He then reached over to a stone pillar near where he was sitting and pulled hard. Chunks of stone fell away, revealing a five-foot section of Fire Bamboo hidden inside.

“Please, Fellow Daoist, you may choose first. We will take the remaining two,” Shi Chengdong said with feigned magnanimity, his gaze sweeping discreetly over the four Treasures.

‘Their interactions over the past few days had led me to believe that this world-renowned Sword Cultivator is a man of his word, a cultivator of noble character who possesses a truly pure heart.’

‘Only such a person could remain unmoved when faced with a Nascent Soul Spiritual Object like the Blood Crown Celestial Lingzhi, and even draw his sword to destroy it.’

‘He knew that even he and Le Zheng, who came from the Central Domain, had been tempted at that moment, their minds wavering, imagining how they could catalyze the Lingzhi’s growth with minimal cost.’

These four Treasures were the entirety of the Holy Lotus Sect’s collection of Spiritual Treasures accumulated over ten thousand years.

Some may have been lost or damaged over time; only these four remained usable.

The Celestial Principle Sect’s foundation was better than the Holy Lotus Sect’s, but only by a limited margin. Naturally, they were eager to acquire two Spiritual Treasures at once.

‘Given True Monarch Bai’s character, he’ll surely say that for fairness’s sake, we should just take turns picking,’ Shi Chengdong thought. ‘Then I’ll have Junior Brother Le go up and choose. Hopefully, he can find a Spiritual Treasure with an Artifact Spirit that will immediately acknowledge him as its master. That would be perfect.’

“In that case, I won’t stand on ceremony.”

Bai Zichen didn’t hesitate, clearly having made his decision long ago.

“The Soul-Catching and Spirit-Diminishing Bell was used by the Holy Lotus Sect to anchor the Array Core. Its aura is already linked with the Grand Array, so it cannot be easily separated. Add to that this Bamboo Sword in my hand, and that makes for exactly two Spiritual Treasures.”

Huh?

Shi Chengdong was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected this answer, and he certainly hadn’t imagined that the section of Fire Bamboo was actually a Flying Sword.

Although it clearly looked like a piece of bamboo brimming with Fire Element Spiritual Energy, and he couldn’t feel the slightest sharp aura of a Flying Sword from it, if Bai Zichen himself said so, then it was undoubtedly a Flying Sword.

And among treasures of the same grade, Flying Swords were always at the very pinnacle.

The fluctuations from the other three Spiritual Treasures were similar; they were all Low-Grade Spiritual Treasures, so the difference in their value wasn’t great. It just depended on which one was more suitable for the user.

“Fine. With this, our sect’s karmic ties to Qii Mountain are completely severed. We have no need to linger here any longer.”

Shi Chengdong stored the Oil Lamp and the Lotus Platform in his Realm, planning to study them more closely upon his return to decide who was best suited for which.

After a few more words of small talk, they took their leave.

He glanced back at Qii Mountain one last time, boarded the Floating Battleship, and formally led the Celestial Principle Sect disciples away from Qii Mountain to establish their new Mountain Gate.

“Xi’er, have Zhou Suqing come over later. See if she can repair this Tier Four Array… For the Mountain Guardian Array, it’s best not to hire an outside Array Master. We don’t want someone leaving a backdoor.”

Bai Zichen picked up the Soul-Catching and Spirit-Diminishing Bell and shook it gently. Once activated, the bell could affect all living beings within a hundred-li radius.

It was an extremely difficult-to-defend-against Sound Element attack that directly damaged the Divine Soul, silently turning people into mindless fools.

After toying with it for a moment, he tossed it out, returning the Soul-Catching and Spirit-Diminishing Bell to its place within the Nine Palace Ruins Array to maintain the formation’s stability.

He had inspected this Tier Four Array. Aside from the Array Plate being intact, nine out of ten Array Banners were destroyed, and most of the array nodes were useless.

The only reason it could still display the power of a Quasi-Fourth Tier Array was because this Spiritual Treasure was serving as the Array Core, gathering the Heaven and Earth Primordial Power.

He had already collected all the records related to the Nine Palace Ruins Array, as well as the legacy of the Tier Four Array Dao—a full hundred Jade Scrolls.

If Zhou Suqing could use this to achieve another breakthrough and become a Tier Four Array Master, it would be excellent news for both her and the Qingfeng Sect.

Both Black Mountain and Qii Mountain needed a Tier Four Array to have some ability to protect themselves in the chaotic times to come.

This would prevent any random band of Tribulation Cultivators or pack of Demon Beasts from storming their heartlands and causing chaos.

A Nascent Soul Ancestor had his own business to attend to. He couldn’t be expected to stand guard all day; he wasn’t a gatekeeper.

Besides, Tier Four Array Masters had a much higher chance of reaching the Nascent Soul stage than those in other Tier Four professions.

Perhaps this was because the Array Dao was, at its core, about comprehending the Heaven and Earth Dao and integrating it into an array.

Zhou Suqing’s Cultivation speed had slowed considerably after she entered the Core Formation Stage; after so many years, she was still only at the Mid-Stage Core Formation.

If her goal was to reach the Nascent Soul stage, that simply wasn’t fast enough.

“Understood. This disciple will send a message to Senior Sister Zhou at once,” Ma Ruoxi, who had been standing respectfully behind him with her hands clasped, nodded and replied.