Within Jingdu City, Lin Tianzheng had sought out Wang Hou and told him about the True Habitant of Nine Dragons.
Wang Hou laughed icily after that, barking, “Those secluded immortal sects kept insisting that the timing wasn’t right for them to step up on every turn, and here they are, pouncing around the world. Do they really take us for fools?”
Pausing, he then added, “Don’t worry, I’ve more or less got the idea of how Jiang He’s personality works. He would never commit to anything he isn’t confident about and being aware of the how deep the pockets of those secluded immortal sects go, he wouldn’t attack the True Habitant of Nine Dragons.”
Lin Tianzheng, however, scowled and said, “I heard him fighting over the phone…”
Stunned, Wang Hou promptly dialed Jiang He’s number.
Having just finished dinner and was relaxing at the third-floor swimming pool, Jiang He answered the call and chuckled, “What’s with the sudden call, Minister Wang?”
“Cut the crap.”
Wang Hou cut straight to the point, asking, “Did the True Habitant of Nine Dragons reach you?”
“Remember, the secluded Immortal Sects all possess strong depth, and their slumbering elites possess inestimable power. Do not get into a conflict with their people at all costs.”
Jiang He was speechless.
Conflict?
He was just restraining them, intent on securing reimbursement. Did that count as a conflict?
It didn’t, did it?
Fine… if put seriously, what he was doing was basically kidnapping and ransoming…
“No, it’s kidnapping at worst. How does it count as ransoming?”
“They were being all smug and scornful in the first place, and I ended up breaking the walls around my yard and over a dozen other buildings in the village when I attacked. While I did cause the damage, would I have done it if not for them?”
“In the end, they are the cause of it all.”
With that line of thought, things became much clearer for Jiang He.
He had merely restrained them mostly to ensure his own rights so he could smoothly secure his ‘damages’. How would that count as kidnapping and ransoming?
As for conflict?
Hence, Jiang He answered sincerely, “Don’t worry, Minister Wang. I always have common sense in what I do.”
That was true.
Jiang He had always believed that he held common sense in what he did. For example, the Penglai Sect should be paying for the broken wall of his house, while the Ten Thousand Swords Sect should pay for the dozen other ruined houses.
Those two immortal sects should hence repay him with a handful soul items—he wouldn’t ask for more.
In response, Wang Hou breathed a sigh of relief.
Having common sense?
Well, that was good.
They had a little chat afterwards, after of which Wang Hou said, “By the way, Jiang He, weren’t you asking for me to keep an eye out for mutated rice? Someone over at Huanan spotted an entire field of those in the wildlands and I’ve already sent my people over to harvest it. When it’s done, I’ll dispatch a divine-tier elite to deliver it to you as soon as possible.”
“Furthermore, several mystic treasure fragments have also been found although there’s no way to appraise or confirm. All we got was someone from Wanshougong of Xishan contacting the local Martial Arts Department (MAD), claiming that they have a mystic treasure inherited from their founding master and that it’s kept within the temple. However, there is also a rank-nine floral spirit that is very powerful and that has actually occupied Wanshougong itself.”
“The disciples of Wanshougong, unable to reclaim their treasure, are all forced to stay at the city base now. So, I’m about to head there tomorrow personally to help you search for it.”
“Thank you very much,” Jiang He said. However, Wang Hou replied, “What are you thanking me for? Most of the Hua Nation would have fallen by now if not for you. I should be the one thanking you instead.”
After hanging up and finishing his bath, Jiang He returned to his bedroom and started cultivating.
However…
As he carefully felt around himself following half an hour of cultivation, he realized that his Yuan Spirit did not actually strengthen by much, just as his mystic energy did not improve much. Hence losing all motivation to cultivate, he complained, “When would I finally become a full-fledged Yuan Spirit if this continues?”
“It’s such a shame that neither rank-nine Origin Fluid nor the purple gold sunflower seeds would have any effect of him. Those stuff did improve spirit, but now that my spirit has improved to divine mind, they are too low level to keep up with me.”
Another thought occurred to Jiang He then…
Perhaps he could get his hands on some medicinal pellets that rapidly improved Yuan Spirit?
“That stuff would definitely be expensive, but I don’t need many, just a few dozen or maybe a hundred. I’ll then plant it and snack on them—I don’t believe I won’t improve my Yuan Spirt cultivation after that!”
Whipping out his phone, he contacted Elder Mo of the Superpower Research Department, but it appeared that there was no research on such pellet recipes on his end. Moreover, even if they had one such recipe, the Superpower Research Department would be unable to develop a medicinal pellet of such level with their current abilities.
“Very well.”
“By the way, I’ll catch the Feral King you need in two days. That said, my condition is for the Superpower Research Department to give me priority when you complete the production of any recent batches of initiation pellets.”
Elder Mo agreed to it without hesitation, chuckling, “We have now gathered enough materials to produce a thousand of those. If you could catch two Feral Kings alive for us, we’ll provide you with a thousand initiation pellets in ten days.”
Delighted, Jiang He promptly agreed as well.
For a thousand initiation pellets, he would catch up to five Feral Kings for the Superpower Research Department, let alone two.
After all, that would be a simple task for Jiang He as he was now, no to mention that he could earn ten million Farm Points from that one thousand initiation pellets, which was enough for him to improve his cultivation to about Convergence-tier.
After hanging up, Jiang He took out a jade charm with a turn of his hand, sighing as he said, “I wanted to visit the immortal sects after reaching Convergence and becoming stronger, so that I have leverage when I negotiate with them. Still, it seems that I must go right now.”
“The night is long and endless anyway, not to mention that I don’t feel drowsy at all. I’ll leave right now and help the Superpower Research Department catch Ferals after I return from the Taixu Sect.”
***
Among the Taixu Sect at Mount Kunlun, the entire temple beneath the cloudy mist was silent after Elder Mo had finished reporting what happened in detail. It was only after one whole minute passed that the True Habitant and leader of the Taixu Sect finally spoke in surprise, “Are you sure you saw it right, Elder Mo?”
“Jiang He had five flying swords, each of them premium-grade soul weapons, along with two sage items?”
“That’s right.”
Elder Mo spoke with confidence, saying, “Of those two sage items, one was another flying sword of the wood attribute and of a fine grade, and could be a superior-grade sage weapon at that. The other was a small bell that captured both Zhong Yue, the eldest disciple of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect’ chief disciple, as well as the True Habitant of Nine Dragons who hails from the Penglai Sect. I have a hunch that it might be a mediocre-grade sage item.”
“Interesting.”
Deep inside the temple, the Taixu Sect leader laughed lightly and said, “It seems that the providence and legacies Jiang He has obtained is far more powerful than what we imagined… condensing his Yuan Spirit despite his youth and armed with fighting ability that nears Convergence-tier? He most certainly is one of the main players of fate in this era… That said, you have done well in bestowing a jade charm upon him, Elder Mo. By getting on the good side of someone like him, our Taixu Sect would have a greater chance of regaining our former glory in the coming calamity.”
Puzzled, Elder Mo asked, “Leader, is the calamity definitely coming?”
The Taixu Sect’s leader’s voice became thin then, sighing, “There certainly would be… and I’m afraid it would be soon.”
“Chieftain, why would the hundred races from beyond invade Earth during the Qin dynasty?”
“I do not know.”
The chieftain of the Taixu Sect shook his head, though there was no telling whether he really did not know or could not reveal the truth.
A thousand questions appeared in Elder Mo’s head then, but he couldn’t press the chieftain if he was not telling, and so promptly asked, “Chieftain, about the Penglai Sect and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect?”
The Taixu Chieftain chuckled at that. “Since Jiang He had you relay his word, you could help him pass the word along. Take my jade charm tomorrow and visit the Penglai Sect and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.”
Having received his orders, Elder Mo retreated respectfully.
***
Jiang He had arrived at the Kunlun Mountains just then.
Standing upon thin air, he looked out towards the massive chain of mountains and charged his mystic energies. The light in his eyes shot forth as he looked out toward Mount Kunlun, only to find vague cloudy mists arising within his vision, covering all of the Kunlun Mountains.
“Gasp!”
Jiang He inhaled sharply, unable to hold back from exclaiming, “That mountain shielding array is so massive that it’s more than ten times larger than the Sky Demon Cult’s mountain array. It took me ten Doom Shrooms of the five hundred thousand-ton yield… and blowing the Taixu Sect’s array apart would take at least… five hundred!”
Five hundred Doom Shrooms was a number Jiang He had obtained through immaculate calculation.
Since the protective array was ten times stronger defensively, the energy needed to take it apart would increase linearly.
Moreover, this mountain array had yet to be charged.
It could be even more powerful once it was charged, which was it was no exaggeration that it would require at least five hundred Doom Shrooms.
After all, he was left with the three hundred thousand-ton-yield Doom Shrooms now. Five hundred of those blowing up together would only release a 150-million-ton yield…
“Hmmm…”
“A 150-million-ton yield?”
As he flew closer to Mount Kunlun, Jiang He charged the jade charm while thinking, ‘That should be enough to blow that mountain array open.’
Nonetheless, at the same instant that he infused his mystic energy into the jade charm, Elder Mo who had just returned to his room within the Taixu Sect, had a twitch in his gaze and exclaimed in surprise, “Jiang He?”
“He has come to visit the Taixu Sect this soon?”
