In front of the teahouse at Jingdu City, Jin Sidao nodded in acknowledgement and said, “Don’t worry, I will settle this well, I assure you. But…”
His tone then changed as he asked quietly, “There is no telling when the immortals would return for now, Jiang He… why don’t do you go into hiding for now?”
“Why hide?”
Jiang He was puzzled and Jin Sidao answered, “You don’t have to fight the returning immortals directly. With your talent and disposition, you could go on a journey across space and come back after you become immortal. After that, even the immortals of the various major sects would have to be careful if they want to attack you.”
“There’s no need.”
Jiang He smiled. “Running before a fight is not my style. Moreover, there are different levels of how powerful immortals could be. What if Golden Immortals exist among the sects that want me dead? Wouldn’t I have to hide for years before daring to come back?”
Jin Sidao was dumbstruck.
He gave Jiang He a weird look.
What the hell.
We were just having a nice conversation—why are you suddenly bragging again?
What do you mean, hide for years if those sects had a Golden Immortal? Does that mean you won’t fear them several years later?
“By the way, don’t leave in such a hurry. You could discuss further about promoting the immortal arts of your sect with Minister Wang,” Jiang He said then, and Wang Hou was just stepping out of the teahouse too.
“Minister Wang, Chieftain Jin, you two should talk. I need to go home to cultivate since I’m short on time.” Jiang He bade them farewell at that.
He was feeling some serious pressure after hearing news that the immortals would soon return.
“Chieftain Jin…” Wang Hou smiled at Jin Sidao. “Have you walked the streets of Jingdu City yet? How about I give you a tour?”
“Very well.”
Jin Sidao nodded and said, “I’ll be counting on you then, Minister Wang.”
Wang Hou had many questions about the Era of Qi Refinists, while Jin Sidao was interested in modern cities as well and could not help exclaiming in wonder, “To think that things have changed so drastically in the mortal realm…”
Jin Sidao only left at five in the afternoon, heading directly to the Blue Cloud Sect without returning to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.
The Blue Cloud Sect was located deep within the mountains of Sichuan, and was in the middle of mourning and an uproar just as Jin Sidao arrived.
However, just as he arrived beyond the mountain archways of the Blue Cloud Sect, a flash shot toward him and turned into a scowling old woman leaning on a crutch. “Brother Dragon Abyss,” she said unhappily, “please return. The Blue Cloud Sect does not welcome you.”
“Is that necessary?” Jin Sidao said with a smile, having expected this already.
The various sects would have set up chambers like the ‘soul palace’, keeping tabs on the disciples, executors, elders, and hierarchs of the sect.
The soul plate of the Blue Cloud Sect’s Mahayana cultivator would have shattered when Jiang He killed him, and the sect would naturally be aware of his death. Moreover, there were the other five Mahayana elites whom Jiang He had released… naturally, after asking around a little, the Blue Cloud Sect would have learned the specifics, and that Jin Sidao had stood by Jiang He’s side.
Whoosh!
That was when another figure flew toward them.
It was the third Mahayana cultivator of the Blue Cloud Sect.
There were three Mahayana cultivators in the sect, and their strength were naturally a little superior compared to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. However, their third Mahayana cultivator’s temper was a little fiery in comparison—his mystic treasure was invoked, and his aura was already erupting the moment he appeared.
“Jin Sidao,” he barked coldly. “Jiang He is oppressing the Ten Thousand Swords Sect too, and yet you would become a traitor for him. Aren’t you afraid that the immortal swordsman of your own sect would punish you when they return?”
Jin Sidao shook his head, unwilling to argue that question and instead said, “Brothers, listen to my advice—don’t seek meaningless death, it was not easy for the Blue Cloud Sect to last until now.”
“Jin Sidao!”
That Mahayana cultivated roared in rage and was about to attack when the old woman stopped her.
There was a cold flash in the old woman’s turbid eyes as she asked, “What do you mean?”
“I’ve come today to relay Jiang He’s words.”
Jin Sidao calmly said, “It is suicide even if the nine elites of the Unbounded Demon Sect, the Blood Demon Sect, the Thousand Cavern Mountain, and the Blue Cloud Sect would gang up on Jiang He. Right now, Jiang He is not willing to go on a slaughter and he is letting you live for better or worse.”
“However, even if capital crimes can be pardoned, punishment is inevitable—if your sect is willing to offer enough in compensation, I could ask Jiang He for mercy in your stead!”
“Dream on!”
The hot-tempered Mahayana could die from his frustration, and was hammering his chest as he wailed, “Is there even a god?”
“Jiang He has killed an elite of the Blue Cloud Sect, and still demands that we compensate him?”
“Isn’t he afraid that our immortals would come for him once they return?”
Jin Sidao sneered and said, “Brother, Sister. The cultivators before had the same idea, but Jiang He would remain unbeatable as long as the immortals do not return. He slays Mahayana elites like he would slaughter mongrels—I’ll just put it out there: he could make good on his promise in less than three moves. Anyway, I still have to visit the Unbounded Demon Sect, the Blood Demon Sect, and the Thousand Cavern Mountain, so fare thee well!”
Whoosh!
Before he left, he subtly captured the auras of the Blue Cloud Sect’s Mahayana elites.
Still, he felt uncertain inwardly. “It’s just a strand of aura… why would Jiang He need this?”
“Could Jiang He have learned some shaman assassination technique? Legend has it that those arts could kill even elites from long distances, but isn’t it a little ridiculous for something like that to kill a Mahayana elite from afar?”
Soon, Jin Sidao arrived at Thousand Cavern Mountain.
***
Meanwhile, Jiang He had long since returned to Lingzhou City.
After having a meal and taking a bath, as well as enjoying Sora’s oil massage, he quickly headed to his farm to pluck every spirit stone he had.
“I’ll plant all the spirit stones and initiation pellets I have in the wee hours of the next morning, and I could level up my farm then…”
Jiang he stared at his Farm Points which numbered over a billion but felt no delight at all…
What good was a billion anyway?
It would take him ten billion Farm Points to cultivate Three Thousand Calamites up to Eighth Fold.
“Ten billion…”
“Hmmm…”
“I’ve still have pile of things I did not plant. It would be easy to gather three or five billion if I add in the compensation from those sects, but when it comes to ten billion…”
Jiang He smiled bitterly.
He would only have a shot if the purple bamboo shoots that he chopped off Guanyin’s Bodhimanda earned him a good chunk of Farm Points.
“Oh, right.”
“I need more of these Violet Sky Thunder Talismans.”
“This stuff is useful… and I wonder how many more the Thunder Talisman Daoist has crafted now.”
Suddenly, Jiang He froze.
He remembered planting heavenly thunderbolts before… but where had they gone?
Back when he was weathering the retribution of his physique cultivation, he had captured every heavenly thunderbolt and given half of those to the Thunder Talisman Daoist to craft Violet Sky Thunder Talismans with. He had sealed the other half with mystic energies, stuffed them into small porcelain bottles which he planted under the ground, and then…
It did not grow!
Most importantly, Jiang He had forgotten about them.
“Whatever, I’ll leave them there since nothing grew out. Let them stay underground and who knows, something might take root and sprout when the farm levels up?”
“Oh, right!”
“Some stuff would happen when the farm levels up. Since I’ve hoarded quite a lot of good stuff, I need to plant them ahead of time!”
With a turn of his palm, a pile of fox corpses appeared on the ground, the most eye-catching being the corpse of the six-tailed daemon fox—which appeared quite alive despite being dead for over two thousand years.
“Six-tailed daemon fox…”
“When it comes to the Green Hill Foxes, it seems that the bloodline of a fox is nobler the more tails they have. The mythical Daji was said to be a nine-tailed fox herself.”
Jiang He hence called out to Dumbo, who distractedly used its Earth-type powers to dig dozens of holes.
“What is it?” Jiang He asked in concern.
Dumbo whinnied unhappily before diving towards Jiang He, sprawling over the ground as it wailed, “I’m suffering, Master. I’m really suffering…”
“The Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers and the eagles got their Buddha Sect legacies and cultivated golden bodies with ceramic glazes, but I… Master, your dearest Dumbie isn’t even a Feral King!”
Damn it!
Jiang He shuddered and kicked the dog away while scolding, “Are you blaming me when you’re not cultivating diligently, mongrel? Moreover, I’m putting you on the barbecue rack if you dare to call yourself Dumbie again!”
Dumbo hence ran off to a corner of the farm while sobbing.
At the same time, Jiang He pondered.
His pets’ abilities were certainly too weak and not catching up to him. In fact, even though the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers and the two golden eagles had received some legacies, their combat strength still did not reach full-fledged Convergance.
What use were these weaklings?
Still, since he had many treasures on hand, it might be time to draw up a plan to improve them so that they could reach Sufferance or Mahayana as soon as possible. Would they not gain respect even if they left the house on errands for him then?
Therefore…
As he watched the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers, two eagles, Trumbo, and the sobbing Dumbo cultivate, he said, “Stop cultivating like that. You would hardly reach Mahayana in a hundred years even if you all stick to this orthodox cultivation.”
“Anyway, I did manage to get my hands on a lot of stuff at Guanyin’s Bodhimanda, so let’s decorate the mansion here inside the farm for now.”
After all, he had the white jade bards that were sculpted with dragon and phoenix impressions, limestone floor plates that were at least thousands of years old, a subtle but stylish shed, as well as the purple bamboos that were harder than your average sage weapons…
“And the potted plants… I could make benches and stools out of the purple bamboo too, which I would put the potted plants on. It would definitely look gorgeous.”
