After Zheng Fa said this, the cave abode fell silent.
The other four fellow disciples all looked at Zheng Fa differently at this moment, and their expressions were almost identical, conveying the same message:
Well, you with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, where did you learn tea ceremony from?
Zheng Fa, the second senior brother, gritted his teeth and squeezed out a sentence: "I also do not wish to go to Vast Sun Mountain!"
However, he hadn't quite adjusted his expression, especially with Zheng Fa's obviously sincere and insightful words preceding him, making his own seem less genuine in comparison.
The Ninth Elder ignored him, not even glancing at his second disciple. Instead, he looked at Zheng Fa a few more times, as if observing his sincerity. After a moment, he finally spoke:
"Since Li Hao really doesn't want to go, then let your second senior brother go."
The word "true" inevitably surprised Zheng Fa's fellow disciples, and even more so made the second senior brother's expression show a hint of shame and annoyance.
Zheng Fa didn't care much about them. With his current strength, he could only be somewhat wary of the thing in the mist at the Divine Fire Mountain.
Facing the gazes of everyone, including the ninth elder of the Nascent Soul, he merely smiled slightly, his demeanor undeniably composed.
Although his Divine Soul, body, and even Cultivation Method had become exactly the same as the original Li Hao, his original personality and strength gave him a greater sense of confidence than before.
He wouldn't have come to this cave abode if it weren't for figuring out what was in the mist.
Several fellow disciples found that this fourth junior brother was rather arrogant and humble, quite different from their previous impression of him.
However, they were not very familiar with this fourth junior brother, and considering that their master had said that Li Hao's cultivation had improved, they felt that this change was not incomprehensible.
The Ninth Elder glanced at the disciple again, but couldn't find any flaws. He didn't say anything more, but seemed to remember his master's responsibilities, and asked everyone, "Have you encountered any difficulties in your cultivation recently?"
"Regarding cultivation..." Zheng Fa's junior sister spoke up, "Master, those outside Golden Core cultivators are bullying us too much..."
"How can we possibly continue to cultivate diligently when they've already divided up all the Spirit Stone stones and pills?"
Upon hearing this, the other disciples nodded in agreement.
Zheng Fa was also pondering in his heart that the Profound Mystery Sect was actually not peaceful at the moment:
With seven Spirit Transformation elders suddenly appearing out of nowhere, how could the original Profound Mystery Sect cultivators not be shocked?
For example, the money-giving and money-receiving Affairs Cave was originally controlled by the Golden Core cultivators of the Sect Leader's lineage, but now it has been occupied by the Spirit Transformation elders, who are extremely greedy.
The original disciples of the Profound Mystery Sect already harbored immense resentment.
Conflicts arose between the two factions, but no one dared to act rashly in front of the seven Spirit Transformation elders.
This junior sister, who usually didn't dare to complain, couldn't help but speak up in front of her master, the Ninth Elder.
Before the Ninth Elder could speak, the junior sister continued, "Furthermore... why is the sect going against Alliance Leader Zheng?"
Upon hearing this, the Ninth Elder's face turned cold, and he said sternly, "Shut up."
"..."
The aura of Nascent Soul flashed across her face in an instant, leaving Zheng Fa's junior sister speechless.
Zheng Fa felt Qi Ingestion.
That's a very valid question!
What business is it of you children of Dao Fruit's affairs?
What did Vast Sun Mountain do to deserve your lives?
It really can!
"You don't need to worry about cultivation resources..." the Ninth Elder explained, " Vast Sun Mountain has already sent orders to allocate Spirit Stone and pills to our sect every month..."
"From now on, each of you..."
"If one achieves the Nascent Soul, there will be even more..."
The Ninth Elder's words left all five disciples speechless, including Zheng Fa, who looked genuinely surprised—this time it wasn't an act, he truly thought it was a lot.
The supplies Vast Sun Mountain provided to the Profound Mystery Sect were worth significantly more than the current monthly income of the Nine Mountains Sect...
Upon reflection, Zheng Fa understood. Although the Hundred Immortals Alliance now has six factions, in terms of actual territory and population, it is still far inferior to Vast Sun Mountain.
Moreover, Vast Sun Mountain has now powerfully unified the immortal Immortal Sect in its territory, and it is currently very wealthy.
Regardless of the purpose of giving Profound Mystery Sect so many resources, they are not a significant amount for them.
"So, those disciples of the Spirit Transformation elders came here to consume the resources of Vast Sun Mountain?"
It seems this junior sister isn't stupid after all. Zheng Fa has also figured it out— Nascent Soul sect like Profound Mystery Sect isn't really worth much to Spirit Transformation elder.
Clearly, the Profound Mystery Sect has now become a battlefield where the Hundred Immortals Alliance and Vast Sun Mountain are secretly clashing, and a major incident could easily occur if one is not careful.
They sent their disciples to the Profound Mystery Sect precisely for...
Subsidy fraud?
The Ninth Elder shook his head and said, "They are powerful, but your Cultivation Resources will only be more than before."
"Moreover, if you advance to the Nascent Soul stage in the future, you will not only have resources, but also the true Divine Transformation cultivation techniques of Haori Mountain."
This made the junior sister's indignation lessen considerably.
Zheng Fa understood; Vast Sun Mountain had given them too much!
"What about Alliance Leader Zheng? He killed the Great Freedom Demon Emperor..."
The Ninth Elder looked up, as if gazing at the summit of Divine Fire Mountain:
"This is not something we can decide. But you don't need to worry too much... Vast Sun Mountain has so many Spirit Stone, we can't just send them to their deaths so easily."
There was a hint of helplessness in those words, and Zheng Fa understood it... Although Vast Sun Mountain was quick to pay, it was also relatively domineering. For example, this Ninth Elder probably had some dissatisfaction in his heart.
But it was the second senior brother, who was going to Vast Sun Mountain, who suddenly spoke up:
" Zheng Fa established this guild, but in reality, it's a scheme to seize the Secret Method of various sects!"
"Leaving aside my Profound Mystery Sect, there are many dissatisfied cultivators in the Hundred Immortals Alliance. In the past, they were only deterred by Zheng Fa's power, but now that Vast Sun Mountain is backing them up... they are gathering in droves."
"Indeed, Zheng Fa has lost his way and found himself isolated!"
Zheng Fa was not angry when he heard this, and the crowd of people who agreed was obviously just talking nonsense from his second senior brother.
However, there are indeed many cultivators in the Hundred Immortals Alliance who oppose the Nine Mountains Sect, and the various rules of the guild are unacceptable to many traditional cultivators.
It wouldn't have been a Profound Mystery Sect hadn't intervened.
But now that the Profound Mystery Sect's rebellious intentions are obvious, and with Vast Sun Mountain launching Spirit Stone offensive from behind, they do indeed have some momentum.
Perhaps there aren't many people who truly stand with the Profound Mystery Sect.
But how many sects are wavering?
At this moment, he began to understand Vast Sun Mountain's thoughts:
They used money to fund the opposition of the Hundred Immortals Alliance.
They created divisions within the Hundred Immortals Alliance to slow down Zheng Fa and the Nine Mountains Sect's progress.
Unfortunately... the other party was indeed very wealthy and powerful.
What they can give to the Profound Mystery Sect and these smaller sects, Nine Mountains Sect really can't.
Ultimately, the existence of the Profound Mystery Sect will effectively cause the Hundred Immortals Alliance to split apart.
As long as the Profound Mystery Sect exists, the Hundred Immortals Alliance cannot be considered unified, which would damage the prestige of Zheng Fa and the Nine Mountains Sect.
This kind of harm may be invisible and intangible, but it can make some people waver and add a lot of resistance to the policies that Zheng Fa wants to promote.
But how could they be so sure that the Profound Mystery Sect could survive Zheng Fa's attacks?
What's that shrouded in mist on the mountain?
A few days later, Zheng Fa, under the pretext of his procurement duties, descended from Fire God Mountain. Seeing that no one was around, he set up a rainbow beam and returned to the Nine Mountains Realm in a short time.
"It's not just a matter of prestige." In the Heavenly Palace Hall, after recounting his observations, Senior Sister Zhang frowned and said, "I only recently realized that the Profound Mystery Sect is actually one of the lifelines of our Hundred Immortals Alliance."
"Um?"
Senior Sister Zhang tossed out a map, which showed the terrain of the Hundred Immortals Alliance:
" The Hundred Immortals Alliance is bordered by the sea to the east, and of its other three sides, the northwest and southwest sides, it borders Vast Sun Mountain."
"Only to the south is there a passageway adjacent to the territory of the Supreme Unity Sect."
"The Profound Mystery Sect is currently blocking this passage node."
This time, Zheng Fa really frowned.
This issue is indeed more important than the damage to one's prestige.
Vast Sun Mountain is now clearly at odds with the Hundred Immortals Alliance, although Dao Fruit is unable to intervene due to the alliance agreement.
But I don't think I have much of a desire to do business with the Hundred Immortals Alliance.
Previously, even though Vast Sun Mountain didn't allow it, the Rogue Cultivator and small sects below were still free and could do business with the Hundred Immortals Alliance, so it wasn't a big deal.
The problem is that Vast Sun Mountain is now exercising increasingly strict control over cultivators in the region, and those people will probably not dare to associate with the Hundred Immortals Alliance in the future.
Therefore, future land trade routes will inevitably have to rely on the Supreme Unity Sect in the south.
"Our Hundred Immortals Alliance has a small territory. Although we can produce some spiritual materials, it is far inferior to that of Vast Sun Mountain."
"Especially your method of training disciples, junior brother, is quite expensive."
"Currently... the spiritual materials of my Nine Mountains Sect are already insufficient to cover our expenses."
Senior Sister Zhang's tone held a hint of helplessness.
This problem has been around for a long time.
They consumed a great deal of resources in order to experiment with the Divine Origin Great Pill.
In addition to various industrial research projects, the current accounts of the Nine Mountains Sect are truly appalling.
Moreover, even without this problem, Vast Sun Mountain has abundant resources while Nine Mountains Sect has scarce resources, and over time, the gap between the two will indeed only widen.
Now he truly understood why Vast Sun Mountain was so generous to the Profound Mystery Sect:
This Profound Mystery Sect is truly of great use to Vast Sun Mountain... In terms of economy and spiritual materials, it can even blockade the Hundred Immortals Alliance.
Inside the hall, Xie Qingxue and Old Han exchanged a glance and frowned.
Although the Tianhe Sect is powerful, it's not far enough to effectively address all the issues. Moreover, the Tianhe Sect itself probably has a host of problems to deal with...
After leaving the Heavenly Palace Hall, Old Han Yan Wushuang followed Xie Qingxue into the guest courtyard.
Vast Sun Mountain really went all out.
Yan Wushuang said indignantly.
Xie Qingxue somewhat understood Vast Sun Mountain: "If it weren't for the restrictions of the alliance, Vast Sun Mountain Dao Fruit would probably be ready to fight the Hundred Immortals Alliance to the death right now."
There was something she didn't say—
This alliance truly saved Zheng Fa's life.
Yan Wushuang didn't know Zheng Fa's true strength, but she did.
Old Han, stroking his beard, surprisingly showed a hint of joy in his eyes. "This isn't entirely a bad thing for us."
"Um?"
"If we want to establish ourselves in the Nine Mountains Realm, we must be of some use."
Old Han said in a low voice.
Xie Qingxue glanced at him but didn't speak. She hadn't told Yan Wushuang that her master might be in trouble, but Old Han knew.
Therefore, what Old Han meant was that they were already living under someone else's roof.
"The Profound Mystery Sect controls the trade routes and is the most skilled weapon-refining sect in the Hundred Immortals Alliance. Their absence will greatly benefit Zheng Fa."
Yan Wushuang was stunned for a moment, then suddenly slapped her forehead. " Wushuang Association?"
"Exactly!" Old Han laughed. "I preside over the Wushuang Association, and we have now established some channels. Due to the domineering nature of Vast Sun Mountain, some channels may be cut off... but it is still a supplement to the Nine Mountains Realm, and perhaps the only supplement."
"From now on, the Nine Mountains Sect will likely have to rely on the Wushuang Association for many of its spiritual resources."
Xie Qingxue nodded slowly. Old Han meant that the Wushuang Association Society could smuggle and provide the Hundred Immortals Alliance with some scarce spiritual materials.
Then Old Han continued, "The fact that Profound Mystery Sect doesn't join the Artifact Refiners Guild is also an obstacle for Zheng Fa."
"While our Tianhe Sect may not be as skilled in weapon crafting as Vast Sun Mountain, the top Five Sects, our accumulated experience is definitely greater Profound Mystery Sect!"
Xie Qingxue understood what Old Han meant. Although their Tianhe Sect's Sword Dao was Sword Dao strongest, it was still one of the Five Sects, and its weapon crafting skills were not to be underestimated.
Moreover, the Life-bound Spirit Treasure is a Secret Method unique to them.
When it comes to Secret Method in ordinary weapon crafting, they probably can't compare to those of Vast Sun Mountain.
But that's compared to Vast Sun Mountain, and to the Nine Mountains Sect...
Yeah, that's really a bit bullying.
Upon hearing this, Yan Wushuang smiled and said, "Then, can we be of any help to Zheng Fa?"
Old Han nodded with a smile, Yan Wushuang chatted excitedly for a few more minutes before happily retreating to cultivate.
Watching him leave, Xie Qingxue finally turned her gaze to Old Han, her eyes revealing no emotion.
Old Han understood that she had seen through his thoughts, and said in a low voice, " Zheng Fa... is a grateful person."
"..."
Xie Qingxue looked up at the Heavenly Palace Hall, a hint of guilt in her eyes.
She understood what Old Han meant: her master... was likely in grave danger, and the Tianhe Sect was probably in grave danger as well.
Whether it's the Wushuang Association or their weapon-forging techniques, Old Han is now seeking something useful to the Nine Mountains Sect...
Ultimately, it boils down to... taking advantage of someone's kindness to repay a debt of gratitude.
If nothing happens to the Tianhe Sect in the future, fine. But if something does happen, he thinks he should ask Zheng Fa to save the Tianhe Sect.
Only Yan Wushuang didn't notice.
" Old Han, don't you usually... like to criticize the Tianhe Sect?"
Old Han paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed:
"I've heard too many secrets; there's something I already discovered..."
"Um?"
"Many people's words and hearts go in opposite directions." Old Han paused, "Me too, I'm all shit."
Xie Qingxue didn't say anything.
Because... she's the same.
The next day, Old Han and his team were invited to participate in an experiment—the trial run of the Divine Firmament Mining Ship.
This is the second time this has happened.
Last time, Zheng Fa suddenly realized that Xiao Yuying was missing and was probably in danger. Since it was a matter of life and death, he and Senior Sister Zhang rushed to the Profound Mystery Sect.
The experiment was thus abandoned.
Now that Xiao Yuying is free, the experiment has been put back on the agenda.
This time, besides Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang, three people from the Tianhe Sect, plus Xiao Yuying, also came to observe the ceremony.
A group of people landed on the same mineral vein they had visited before, watching the Divine Firmament Mining Ship.
Especially for Old Han, this was his first time visiting the Nine Mountains Realm, and the Divine Firmament Mining Ship was completely unfamiliar to him.
It even struck him as somewhat incomprehensible.
Madam Xuanhua stood before the crowd and announced loudly, "Begin!"
The bow of the Divine Firmament Mining Ship in the sky first emitted a beam of light, sweeping across the mountain peaks beneath the ship.
"This is Spiritual-Energy Scanner," Madam Xuanhua explained to the group. "Together with disciples possessing the Void-Piercing Spirit Eye, they can complement each other and explore the mines together."
Zheng Fa and the others naturally had no questions.
But Old Han craned his neck, squinted at the Divine Firmament Mining Ship, and looked on with curiosity.
"Mineral exploration?"
"Um."
Madam Xuanhua explained, "We've tested it. The Divine Firmament Mining Ship's sensitivity to underground minerals even surpasses that of ordinary Golden Core cultivators and rivals that of slightly weaker Nascent Soul."
Old Han didn't know what to say for a moment, but his expression showed some disbelief.
But looking at Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang, who remained silent, he didn't say anything either.
"Drill!"
At Madam Xuanhua's command, the Divine Firmament Mining Ship slowly descended, hovering in the low sky. The two doors at the bottom of the ship slowly opened, revealing a drill bit.
"Previously, we had roughly figured out the distribution of underground minerals."
"This drill bit also has Spiritual-Energy Scanner; once it goes deeper underground, the data becomes even more detailed."
Looking at the drill bit that had penetrated to an unknown depth, Old Han's doubts gradually subsided—no matter how powerful an ordinary Golden Core was, they couldn't use their Divine Sense to penetrate that deep underground.
Madam Xuanhua's claim that the Divine Firmament Mining Ship is more powerful in mineral exploration than ordinary Golden Core cultivators seems to be true.
But the experiments on the Divine Firmament Mining Ship did not stop.
The robotic arm, carrying an excavator bucket, precisely cut through the rocks, scooping up large chunks of rock mixed with Spirit Ore and sending them into the mining vessel through the two doors at the bottom of the ship.
"Next is ore separation. Shall we board the ship and take a look?"
Seeing that the experiment went smoothly, Madam Xuanhua couldn't help but smile.
Old Han became increasingly curious and followed the others onto the ship, entering a cabin.
"Besides the storage room, this is the ore refining and separation room on this Divine Firmament Mining Ship."
Old Han was somewhat confused.
He looked at a rock that had just been dug up and was fixed in the separation chamber. There was a mechanical arm with a metal nozzle, from which flames suddenly shot out.
Old Han was shocked and exclaimed, "This Heavenly-Thunder Darksteel is extremely violent! Unless one is skilled in weapon forging, it's easy for it to explode when forged!"
What puzzled him was that everyone from the Nine Mountains Sect seemed not to care much. Even Zhao Jingfan, who came to watch the spectacle, was just clinging to the window, seemingly unafraid of being blown up.
Even more embarrassingly, the rocks slowly melted, leaving only a bluish liquid.
Once the flames died down, the purplish-blue droplets gradually solidified, turning into round lumps of black iron.
"..."
Old Han stood by the window, speechless, unsure of what to say.
Madam Xuanhua explained, "Actually, Old Han, you're right. This calcination Method Formula was designed by me..."
Old Han was stunned for a moment, then his heart sank even further, and he exclaimed:
"You mean, this Divine Firmament Mining Ship not only has the prospecting capabilities of a typical Nascent Soul, but it even possesses the refining techniques of Nascent Soul Cultivator?"
Madam Xuanhua nodded gently and smiled, "But we need to design all the parameters in advance."
After a moment of silence, Old Han probed with his Divine Sense and discovered the true nature of the ship. "Five Foundation Establishment and ten Qi Refinement Realm... and they can operate a ship like this?"
"More or less."
"Similarly means..."
"Actually, at the absolute limit, three Foundation Establishment are enough..." Madam Xuanhua explained, "Adding a few more people is to prevent any unforeseen circumstances."
Old Han immediately fell silent.
He secretly calculated the efficiency of the mining ship. "So... your single ship is equivalent to a Nascent Soul Cultivator mining?"
"Um... I don't know either."
"Um?"
Madam Xuanhua said helplessly, " Nascent Soul Cultivator don't mine..."
Yes...
Who would be willing to use Nascent Soul Cultivator for mining?
Old Han remained silent, his face blank. Then he heard Zheng Fa instruct Madam Xuanhua, "Keep some of this Heavenly-Thunder Darksteel in reserve, and try to convert the rest into other spiritual materials..."
Transformation...
He understood those two words, but... he also felt like he didn't understand them.
Can spiritual materials be transformed into one another?
Given the efficiency of this Divine Firmament Mining Ship, coupled with its conversion method, will the Nine Mountains Sect's spiritual materials really be restricted?
Vast Sun Mountain spent so many Spirit Stone and won over so many cultivators who opposed Zheng Fa, but what exactly did they blockade?
Old Han suddenly looked up and met Xie Qingxue's gaze...
With this method, do Little Wushuang Association's smuggling channels still matter?
He stared blankly at the Divine Firmament Mining Ship, feeling as if this cold, steel behemoth had utterly crushed Vast Sun Mountain's schemes and his own petty thoughts into dog shit.
(End of this chapter)