Xuanxiao Mountain Was About to Fall

"This time, quite a few disciples have been killed or wounded again."

Zhou Yixiu, still manipulating the spirit fields on Wild Fox Mountain, held the battle report delivered by the Golden-Feathered Owl, which he had just obtained. His face was filled with sorrow. After sighing, he turned back to look at the Moon Fern that were about to ripen all over the mountain, and remained silent for a long time.

Zhou Xinran, who had specially taken leave to come over, took the memorial scroll from her father's hands, carefully read through it, then let out a long sigh and spoke up to comfort him:

"According to our sect leader, the Crimson Heart Cult of Fa Prefecture, a prestigious sect with a thousand-year history of Golden Core cultivation, has simply vanished. Even if our Chongming Sect loses some disciples, we are still much better off than other sects."

Zhou Yixiu stopped talking, left Zhou Xinran behind, picked up the spirit hoe that had been with him for over a hundred years, and strode into the spirit field.

He had cultivated for nearly a hundred years, and apart from his mastery of the art of farming, he had nothing else to boast about. Perhaps he was the only one among the many elders of the Chongming Sect who had not been tainted by bloodshed.

Now Zhou Yixiu is getting old and won't live much longer. She could be enjoying her grandchildren in peace, but she still can't let go of the crops she's tending.

According to his thinking, there should be a day of peace and prosperity in the future, and the Chongming Sect Emperor should have more stability and prosperity then.

Ultimately, how many respectable families in this world accumulate their wealth solely through conquest? Zhou Yixiu, having lived an honest life, felt more at ease knowing that Spirit Plant should grow bit by bit from their own spiritual fields.

The battle of Fa Prefecture was quite large-scale, Chongming Sect even sent several of its own farming masters, who were responsible for tending the sacred fields, to the battlefield.

At this time, the farmers in the middle of the spiritual field were mostly hired from outside. When they saw Zhou Yixiu arrive, they immediately stopped what they were doing, bowed, and showed their respect.

After all, apart from his fondness for strong liquor and beautiful women, this old cultivator had no other faults. Compared to the other elders in the Chongming Sect, he was indeed a very approachable person.

Perhaps because they were all from the same background as independent Rogue Cultivator, Zhou Yixiu took good care of them. He was even willing to generously teach them Higher Vehicle farming skills, as long as they worked honestly and sincerely sought instruction. Therefore, these people had no reason not to respect him.

In fact, not only did these farmers have a good impression of Zhou Yixiu, but even the more than four hundred families in Cold Crow Mountain had a very good opinion of this old cultivator.

It was indeed reasonable for Sect Leader Kang Da to place this old man in Wild Fox Mountain. With one being a Yuan Jin and the other a warrior, one strict and the other kind, the combination of kindness and authority was enough to win the respect of all the families, so that they could settle down and honestly contribute to the restoration of the Chongming Sect.

Now that Yuan Jin has slaughtered countless people in Wood Gen Mountain and is now extremely powerful, it is likely that the more than 400 families in Cold Crow Mountain will not be unafraid and disrespectful in the future. However, when Zhou Yixiu is no longer in charge, it is something that Sect Leader Kang Da should carefully consider when deciding who should take charge of the Huairou region.

Zhou Yixiu nodded slightly in return. Afterwards, the old man didn't say much, but simply explained the matters that needed to be handled:

"Feng Ma, Gou Shengyi, you two will take Team A to Yellow Stone Gorge today. There are 160 acres of Bone-Cold Flowers there that need pollination. Be careful, and make sure to calculate the time carefully when pollinating. Don't misjudge the wind direction."

The Chongming Sect's Beast Garden recently sent down a batch of First-Tier Lower-Grade gray geese, which were originally intended to be sent to Jia-Chou Military Stronghold for various families to rent. I, as the head of the Beast Garden, have sent them to Wild Fox Mountain. You can go and rent them later.

"Let me make this clear beforehand: if you do the job perfectly, I won't ask for the rent; but if you're half-hearted and do it carelessly, then don't wait for me to say anything, go and hand over the rent to the Chongming Small Pavilion yourself."

"Yes!" The two cultivators whose names were called immediately beamed with joy, admiring Elder Zhou's truly benevolent nature. Zhou Yixiu had no time to concern himself with their feelings; seeing them excitedly depart with a group of cultivator apprentices behind them, he turned back again:

"Ba Tang and Mao Gesong, you two take Team B to the West Slope to check out Tea-Colored Grain. The yellow heart grass there is overgrown. I've prepared a prescription. You two follow the prescription to make a batch first and test its effectiveness. If it doesn't work, report back immediately."

That batch of Tea-Colored Grain has already been ordered by the Zongnei Hundred Arts Pavilion brewery. Guest Elder Cai is waiting to make the wine and send it to the Chongming Small Pavilion. Afterwards, there is a grand feast after the victory, which also requires urgent supplies. Neither of these matters can be delayed. Don't let anything go wrong!

"Rest assured, Elder, we two would never dare to shirk our duty!"

Compared to the task assigned to Team A, the task assigned to Team B is indeed much more important. Of course, the Chongming Sect's reward and punishment system is always comprehensive, and entrusting such an important task is a sign of trust. The more you work, the more you will be rewarded, so you certainly won't lose out.

After the two men received their orders, they left satisfied. Zhou Yixiu, without rest, continued:

"Fang Yi and Feng Yuanban, you two will lead Team C."

"Liu Gu and Yang Jiufeng, leading Team Ding."

Now, the Chongming Sect's spiritual fields are quite large. Zhou Yixiu only gave a brief explanation, which took quite some time. Finally, after crossing over all the matters on the spiritual scroll in his hand, he turned to the farmer in the spiritual fields, who had very little land left, and instructed him:

"Do your job well. Following the advice of this elder and the sect leader, once the army has returned in triumph, the sect will consider granting leniency to take in innocent Rogue Cultivator with similar skills."

Upon hearing this, all the farmers became even more excited, and even the spirit hoes they held, which were originally very heavy, seemed to become lighter. The thick, hard-to-crack rock layers and the intricate weed roots also seemed to become somewhat obedient and cute.

Before these teachers could rejoice for long, Zhou Yixiu's voice turned stern. "Don't just be secretly happy. This examination is quite difficult. If you think you can enter easily, you are sorely mistaken."

In the Chongming Pavilion branch of Jia-Chou Military Stronghold, there are several copies of the Farming Master's Manual that I obtained from the sect for sale. If you are willing, you may buy one and read them together.

Those notes may be crude, but compared to you empty-headed people who only know how to hoe the ground, they contain genuine insights. Don't underestimate them.

Otherwise, if you miss this opportunity, you might remain a Rogue Cultivator until you die, and all your regrets will be in vain.

"Thank you, Elder!!"

Everyone present knew right from wrong. They Chongming Sect that if it weren't for Zhou Yixiu's intervention, those important figures from the Chongming Sect wouldn't have shown such compassion by coming to their aid as insignificant rogue Rogue Cultivator. Therefore, their gratitude was heartfelt and genuine.

After Zhou Yixiu finished speaking, he ignored the Rogue Cultivator and farmers in front of him.

Recruiting Rogue Cultivator with expertise in various arts into the sect is a major event that could change the sect's structure. In fact, the elders have not yet reached a consensus, but Zhou Yixiu felt that Sect Leader Kang Da was not as insistent as before.

If we follow Zhou Yixiu's advice, recruiting these relatively honest cultivators into the sect is only the first step. Later, we can also recruit Rogue Cultivator into other areas such as alchemy, weapon crafting, talisman crafting, array crafting, puppet crafting, and even the crucial Battle Hall.

However, this matter still needs to be considered carefully. Given the pragmatic and down-to-earth nature of Sect Leader Kang Da, it may be difficult to make it happen.

After tending to her for less than half an hour, Zhou Yixiu saw Mo Ku coming in from outside.

Although this former outer disciple of the Chongming Sect still dressed simply, he now had his own spiritual field. An old cultivator from Hu Household Dam in Cold Crow Mountain had used his connections to marry his daughter to Mo Ku as his principal wife.

The old man from the Hu Household practically emptied his coffers to provide a large dowry, Mo Ku immediately went from being all alone to becoming the head of a small household.

He has no shortage of spiritual fields, servants, retainers, and guest advisors, which is quite comfortable and would make many self-made people envious. He no longer needs to work hard like these Rogue Cultivators to earn a meager living.

"What brings you here today?!" Zhou Yixiu, engrossed in his activities, glanced impatiently at Mo Ku, who, however, smiled obsequiously, cupped his hands in greeting, and took the spirit hoe from Zhou Yixiu's hands. While handling it for him, he said, "Elder Zhou, I heard that our Chongming Sect achieved a great victory in Fa Prefecture, is that true?!"

"Where did you get this information, kid?!" Zhou Yixiu looked slightly suspicious, but seeing that Mo Ku was happy to take it easy for her.

The old man leaned back quite naturally, stretching out his hands. Mo Ku chuckled and quite consciously took out a jug of strong liquor from his Storage Bag to offer it to him.

"The Office of the Duke of Qin issued a proclamation to all sides. I saw the proclamation this morning when I went to Pingrong County to deliver my orders, so I hurriedly took the county carriage back to inquire with the elders."

"Oh, the news about the sect leader just reached me, and there's already a notice in Pingrong County this morning? Is the Office of the Duke of Qin's mansion issuing notices so quickly these days?"

As Zhou Yixiu's suspicions subsided, she couldn't help but sigh at the increasingly tight control the Office of the Duke of Qin had over its various regions.

Although his cultivation level was not high, his experience over the past century was considerable, and he was able to discern many things from these small details.

"Elder?!" Mo Ku asked again, his face showing some eagerness. Zhou Yixiu replied indifferently, "Since you already know everything from Pingrong County, why bother asking me?"

"I've heard that there's still much to be done in Fa Prefecture, so I..." Mo Ku hesitated, but Zhou Yixiu stopped him with a wave of his hand. "Don't even think about it. That's Five Old Mothers Mountain, not a place we can even dream of."

Apart from Three Ting Prefectures, which was reserved for the Hehuan Sect to station troops, the rest of the area will belong to Five Old Mothers Mountain after the pacification. At that time, not only will our Chongming Sect not be spared, but even the Ying Prefecture Fei Household will not be able to keep a single person or sword. They will still have to return Cloud Horn Prefecture."

A hint of disappointment flashed across Mo Ku's face. He had almost found a buyer for Ma Duo Ridge, First-Tier Lower-Grade spiritual land, but Zhou Yixiu's rejection was so decisive.

However, he was reasonable after all. When he heard what Zhou Yixiu said about the great importance of the Fa Prefecture region, he immediately gave up the idea of relocating his clan.

"The Hehuan Sect, just hearing its name makes it seem like an extraordinary sect." Mo Ku sighed, then thought to himself, "My sect leader is good at bullying women; I wonder if he'll be able to do anything about it in the future."

"Huh?" Mo Ku exclaimed softly again, looking at a beam of light in the sky and asking Zhou Yixiu in a questioning voice, "Elder, why has the Kui Star Shuttle returned? Isn't my family supposed to be involved in the war in Three Ting Prefectures?!"

"It's not that easy. It was only because our sect leader asked the Fei Household patriarch for a favor, allowing the injured disciples to return in batches to recuperate."

Mo Ku could not have learned about the matters concerning Chongming Sect mentioned by Zhou Yixiu from the notices in Pingrong County. After hearing this, the latter's doubts were completely resolved, and a look of envy flashed in his eyes. Seeing that the flames of the Kui Star Shuttle were gradually fading, he stopped focusing his gaze on it and buried himself in the spiritual field.

Zhou Yixiu downed the strong liquor in one gulp, then squinted at the patch of sky grazed by the Kui Star Shuttle, thinking to himself, "I wonder what the situation is like with my senior brother, the sect leader, right now?"

---- Three Ting Prefectures, Xuanxiao Mountain

Yuan Jin led the various factions of the Double Brightness Alliance to remain in Fa Prefecture to follow Chu Yanran in the Qingping region, while Sect Leader Kang Da and Jiang Qing led the Azure Jue Guard to Three Ting Prefectures to broaden their horizons.

It was really just a matter of seeing the world. In Kang Dabao's eyes, the Ying Mountain Army was very cunning when they came into battle. They either went through the motions without putting in any real effort, or after a brief contact, when they saw the enemy's strong troops surrounding them, they would immediately consolidate their lines and wait for reinforcements from all sides.

Indeed, they did not resemble a strong army at all, and seemed far from the rumored team capable of fighting against Golden Core cultivators. Even Fei Tianqin, the old bird, had toned down his ferocity considerably. Apart from killing two Upper Cultivators in the initial battle, he seemed to be at a disadvantage in other battles against the young master of the Li Valley Jin Household.

The news has slowly spread, and it is widely believed that the Heaven-Rending Sword Sect has a successor. After Jin Fengqing Nascent Soul stage, there may be another late-stage True Person like Songyangzi, allowing the Heaven-Rending Sword Sect to continue to remain a first-class force within the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty.

It is said that after reading the battle report, Duke Kuang Liuting of Duke of Qin was quite curious about this rising star of the Heaven-Rending Sword Sect. If they were not on opposing sides, he would have summoned him long ago.

However, although Sect Leader Kang Da didn't know why the Ying Mountain Army was rumored to be eager for battle, had lost much of its killing intent, he was happy to lead the sect's elite troops to reinforce this Nascent Soul battlefield.

It's true that the Ying Mountain Army dislikes fighting to the death, but if there are any fools who insist on charging in, the Fei Household won't let them pass up the opportunity. Only a month after they Xuanxiao Mountain, Sect Leader Kang Da had already led the Azure Jue Guard and the Ying Mountain Army to kill one upper cultivator and six Pill Masters. As for the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement, who are worthless, they were countless.

Back when he was barely scraping by in Pingrong County, Kang Dabao never imagined that the lives of these high-ranking cultivators would be so worthless. But as the empty spaces on his belt dwindled, his sense of urgency grew stronger.

This was because he knew that the Mountain South and Mountain North routes of the mountain had now become one of the vortex centers of the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty. This place, which seemed like a bottomless pit, would require countless more lives to fill. Moreover, it was clear that the Hehuan Sect and other Nascent Soul sects were gradually becoming dissatisfied with sending insignificant sects as eyes and were beginning to slowly enter the fray.

If even these Nascent Soul True Person cultivators disregard all decorum and fight to the death like Wenfengzi and True Person Moon Hidden, who knows what kind of calamity the Mountain South and Mountain North paths will suffer. Just look at how Shen Lingfeng led the Imperial Guards south to Cloud Horn Prefecture to pacify the barbarians back then, and you can get a glimpse of it.

At that time, although the Mountain Barbarians tribe was still very brave, they did not have True Person in charge. The two armies under the command of Golden Core cultivators were able to wreak havoc on the surrounding provinces for one or two hundred years, and they are still in a state of desolation. If the Nascent Soul battle had continued for ten or several decades, then...

When the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain intact?

Then the meager wealth that Sect Leader Kang Da painstakingly accumulated will likely vanish in the blink of an eye. As for that so-called dream of sect revival, it will also turn into nothing in the blink of an eye.

"Core Thesis seems to be imminent." Kang Dabao stopped his meditation posture in the military tent, frowned, and sighed.

He didn't have much attachment to Cloud Horn Prefecture and Pingrong County. If he could ask for a favor and take his entire clan to a peaceful place to cultivate themselves, abandoning the foundation he had just established wouldn't be out of the question.

However, he also knew that this matter was of great importance, and neither Kuang Liuting nor the Fei Household would be willing to agree. Therefore, the only way was to Golden Core Formation Pill as soon as possible.

Even if the Office of the Duke of Qin still couldn't bear to part with its horse bone after the Golden Core was obtained, and still wouldn't allow the Chongming Sect to relocate, it would still be much more respectable. Whether it was the Office of the Duke of Qin or the Ying Prefecture Fei Household, they would not be stingy in cultivating it.

There are many more secrets that the Office of the Duke of Qin will no longer hide. The appearance of a Golden Core cultivator is enough to earn the current Chongming Sect a place at the Office of the Duke of Qin.

Whether it's dominating a state Senior Cultivator Wufeng or being granted land and titles like the Ye Prefecture Yang Household, both situations would be much better than the current one. However, such things cannot be bestowed upon one by others out of kindness; one must first demonstrate one's value in any matter.

Kang Dabao pondered the Core Thesis extensively but to no avail. He sat alone in his military tent from dawn until daybreak the next day, still without any results. So he put it aside for the time being and decided to make a decision later.

The next day, when the troops were mustered, the Azure Jue Guard, as usual, followed behind the Ying Mountain Army. Even the latter did not have a hard time fighting, so the Azure Jue Guard had an even easier time.

After the other armies had finished their fierce fighting, they heard True Person Moon Hidden sound the gong from behind. The flag bearers then ordered each army to return to its camp according to military orders, and another day passed in this way.

Although it was said that they had been fighting fiercely all day, Sect Leader Kang Da still had the energy to seek Fei Tianqin's advice on how to perfect the theory of Core Thesis.

It was rare for him to be so diligent and eager to learn, but Fei Tianqin was not in the military tent, so Kang Dabao had no choice but to return empty-handed.

Little did he know that deep within the heavily guarded spiritual walls of Fei Tianqin's military tent, a gaunt and emaciated Daoist priest was respectfully presenting a pill radiating spiritual light and brimming with Blood Qi. He bowed deeply to Fei Tianqin, whose eyes gleamed with sharp light, and said, "This junior has not failed your trust, senior. Having expended countless spiritual materials, the pill is finally complete today."

The old bird impatiently summoned the pill to examine it, then remained silent for a long time. After a long while, he finally spoke in a low voice, "In that case, Jin Fengqing won't live much longer. Pack your things and prepare to return to Ying Prefecture with me, your ancestor."