by Dragon King
While Duan Ye listed the items and their quantities, the cultivators around Ethereal Summit were astonished.
Although Sky Mountain Sect wasn’t the most powerful one on Sixth Heaven, it had the most abundant resources. As a sect with the best brain for management on Sixth Heaven, Sky mountain Sect was not only self-sufficient on spiritual herbs and spirit beasts but traded them for other resources with other sects, especially some sects on Seventh Heaven.
Now hearing the list, the other sects finally knew that it was the real wealthy one among them. Sky Mountain Sect had lots of stuff they had only heard about but had never seen!
Especially the 100,000 top-tier spirit stones… The other sects on Sixth Heaven doubted that they could match this offer.
However, the 100,000 spirit stones were the total production of Sky Mountain Sect’s mines for dozens of years! Sky Mountain Sect must hurt very much from it.
This compensation was several times more than what Lingwu Master had proposed!
In the past couple of days, the sects began to increase their bottom prices silently while Ethereal Summit kept quiet
While Herb King Master didn’t show up, they got more and more anxious, especially Sky Mountain Sect which messed with Ethereal Summit in the first place. It had held secret meetings for days. The core of the recent upheaval on Sixth Heaven pointed to Ethereal Summit. In short, this Herb King Master who was on Fifth Heaven determined the future of Sixth Heaven!
This was why Duan Ye immediately came to Fifth Heaven when he heard that Herb King Master had shown up, hoping to gain the forgiveness.
In the valley, Hao Ren thought for a while and said with his slight nature essence, “Leave the 300 flying swords and the black jade elixir furnace and nothing else!”
His voice was not loud, but Duan Ye heard it clearly with an embarrassed expression.
The words of the disciple represented Herb King Master, but Duan Ye didn’t know if it meant Sky Mountain Sect had been forgiven.
Knowing that Sky Mountain Sect excelled in elixir making, Hao Ren was sure that this black jade elixir furnace was better than the furnace from White Sand Sect. Besides, he thought that the nearby three sects could use the 300 flying swords
After a moment of consideration, he continued, “If you want to ask for forgiveness, you must bring Duan Yao here!”
Duan Ye froze at Hao Ren’s words while the cultivators from the other sects looked at each other.
“Herb King Master wants Duan Yao to apologize in person. Is he trying to get Duan Yao as a cauldron for dual-cultivation? This request is vicious!” the cultivators around the area wondered how Sky Mountain Sect would react and turned their gazes toward Duan Ye.
Duan Ye shared their thoughts. Since Herb King Master almost didn’t accept the things offered by Sky Mountain Sect, he probably wanted Duan Yao who had angered him to apologize in person.
With her excellent talent, Duan Yao could reach the Nascent Soul Realm if she cultivated hard. If she became a dual-cultivation partner of a male cultivator, she would help him increase his cultivation strength greatly.
Duan Ye’s face turned from ashen to red. Seeing the gazes of the nearby cultivators, he gritted his teeth and said, “Since Senior asked, I’ll bring my unruly daughter here!”
Hearing his words, the other cultivators around him were stunned.
Even vicious tigers didn’t eat their cubs, but the Sect Master of Sky Mountain Sect was going to sacrifice his daughter to gain forgiveness of Herb King Master!
Leaving the two big carts that were containing the 300 flying swords and the elixir furnace at the entrance of the valley, Duan Ye left with resentment while stepping on his flying sword.
He was angry at his daughter Duan Yao who constantly caused trouble, and she put Sky Mountain Sect into the danger of destruction this time!
A master from Qingcheng Sect had recovered his realm. If the Nascent Soul Realm masters from other sects did the same while Sky Mountain Sect had no Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, the consequences were obvious!
“Ay! I’ll just act like I don’t have a daughter!” Duan Ye thought as he rushed toward Sixth Heaven at a speed close to Nascent Soul Realm.
Once Sky Mountain Sect survived this disaster, he would drop all businesses and try to reach the Nascent Soul Realm in hundreds of years of seclusion cultivation.
He would be too ashamed to come out until all his peers died!
Meanwhile, Suyang Master had returned to the temporary camp of Qingcheng Sect with a shining face full of pleasure. He summoned the other four masters and the senior disciple Liu Heng to the tent.
After removing the lock on the Nascent Soul Realm with the dharma note that they got at the price of three 10,000-year-old Iron Essence Flowers, Qingcheng Sect, a sect with its own dharma note master, wanted to study it in secret.
It was hard for them to find more top-tier spiritual herbs that Herb King Master of Ethereal Summit had requested. Qingcheng Sect was lucky that they had three Iron Essence Flowers to trade for a dharma note.
If they could copy Herb King Master’s essence-unlocking note, they could remove the locks on the other four masters of Qingcheng Sect. Then, as the only sect with this skill, they could conquer the entire Sixth Heaven!
About a dozen top-tier golden notepapers and five top-tier ink brushes were placed on a long table. The vermillion paint was made from the best material, the bone powder of level 4 demon beasts.
“All of you give it a try!” Suyang master looked at them and said heavily.
The four masters and the senior disciple Liu Heng picked up their ink brushes and began to draw carefully. They had studied and memorized the essence-unlocking note of Herb King Master, and there was no mistake about it.
Before his realm dropped, Luyan Master had been a dharma note master. With a slightly shaking right hand, he drew the essence-unlocking note little by little.
He had spent more than 400 years studying dharma notes and could draw some top-tier dharma notes. Although he was less knowledgeable than the dharma note masters on Seventh Heaven, his skills in dharma note drawing were great.
After one dharma note was finished, Luyan Master had sweat all over his body. Meanwhile, the other three masters and the senior disciple Liu Heng had completed only two-thirds of the dharma note.
Not daring to stop, Luyan Master picked up the ink brush again and began drawing the second dharma note with full nature essence.
Except for some low-leveled dharma notes, most of the dharma notes had a certain percentage of failure, especially when drawing new dharma notes. Even Luyan Master, a dharma note master, wasn’t sure that he could succeed on his first try.
In the blink of an eye, Luyan Master finished dozens of dharma notes while the other three masters and Liu Heng had drawn nearly 100 of them.
Placed on the long table, the dharma notes looked magnificent with their golden glitter. These notepapers were specially made, and each of them cost a top-tier spirit stone. Even the senior disciple Liu Heng hadn’t touched so many top-tier notepapers.
On the surface, each dharma note was perfectly drawn, resembling the dharma note from Herb King Master.
“Have a try,” Suyang master said.
Liu Heng picked up one dharma note and transferred his nature essence into it. The dharma note burned up and shot out a light.
The light struck the forehead of one master, and he stumbled backward, almost bumping into the tent.
The master felt a slight loosening of the essence-locking note in his body. Before he could be happy about it, he felt the power of the essence-locking note increase suddenly and clamping his meridians!
The self-made essence-unlocking note couldn’t break the essence-locking note. Instead, the essence-locking note absorbed the energy from the self-made dharma note!
“Try again!” Suyang Master ordered sternly.
Liu Heng shot out another dharma note, but the result was the same. After shooting about a dozen dharma notes, th
e master being experimented on almost wept since he had fallen from mid-tier Core Formation Realm to low-tier.
Seeing the failures, Suyang Master finally stopped Liu Heng.
Picking up an ink brush, he drew ten dharma notes with great care. Although he wasn’t an expert on dharma notes, he had recovered his Nascent Soul Realm strength and thus could make more powerful dharma notes.
Top-grade ink brush, top-tier vermillion paint, and top-tier dharma notepaper. The dharma note drawn by Suyang Master looked radiant.
Out of the ten dharma notes, only one was circulating nature essence and can be used.
Bang!
He shot this dharma note toward one of the masters.
This master shook all over, and his nature essence of the Nascent Soul Realm almost erupted.
But very soon, he dropped from top-tier Core Formation Realm to mid-tier!
Qingcheng Sect excelled in dharma notes, but they didn’t know that the dharma note they got prior was a unique one. It had to be created by balanced five-elemental nature essences that were guided by the Life-Death Notes!
The masters looked at each other with ashen faces in the tent.
“Why are you still standing here! Hurry up and find more spiritual herbs!”
The Qingcheng Sect disciples outside the tent heard the roar of Suyang Master that was coming from the inside.
633 Cut off from the Family!
-The Repentance Cliff at Sky Mountain Sect-
With her hands locked in the colorful Ice Fire Shackle, Duan Yao was staring at the wall in the cave when she felt fluctuations in the array formation at the entrance of the cave.
“Mom!” Duan Yao stood up immediately.
In the past few days, her mom had sneaked food to her. Otherwise, she would have fainted long ago due to starvation.
However, it wasn’t her mom but her dad, the Sect Master of the Sky Mountain Sect, who entered the cave.
A bit surprised, Duan Yao curled her lips and sat back on the stone bed.
“Humph, Dad still loves me…” She thought as she lowered her head and put on a wronged look without speaking.
The severe damage that the Sky Mountain Sect received gave her a big lesson, making her realize that powerful people had the final say.
She had thought carefully in the past few days and wanted to pursue absolute power.
Of course, her hatred for Hao Ren didn’t decrease a bit. If she had the chance to kill him, she probably wouldn’t show mercy.
“Come out with me.” With a dark face, Duan Ye walked closer and said coldly.
“Ugh?” Duan Yao looked at Duan Ye, astonished.
Taking out a white jade key, Duan Ye touched it on the shackle, unlocking Duan Yao’s arms.
This Ice Fire Shackle was a dharma treasure used on people who were being punished, and Duan Ye kept the key. Even Duan Yao’s mom didn’t dare to steal it out.
Regaining her freedom, Duan Yao was happy inside, but she didn’t dare to show it.
“Dad can’t bear to lock me for too long…” Duan Yao thought as she rubbed her arms and followed Duan Ye out of the cave.
Duan Ye released the flying sword and pulled Duan Yao onto it.
After a few days of imprisonment, Duan Yao was shaky with weakness. She fixed her clothes, thinking that she would be brought to the Law Execution Palace for other punishments.
After all, it wasn’t her dad’s style to release her after a few days of imprisonment. However, the other punishments would be better than the Ice Fire Shackle.
Gritting her teeth, she was prepared to receive more punishments.
Below the flying sword, the once prosperous Sky Mountain Sect was in a bad state. Although the main structures were intact, the many buildings were destroyed and had become ruins.
“I’ll never forgive them for destroying our sect!” Seeing this, Duan Yao felt heavy.
She gathered her thoughts and realized that the flying sword wasn’t flying toward the center of Sky Mountain Sect but outside of the sect.
“Dad, where are you taking me?” Duan Yao asked in alarm.
She knew that she must receive punishment for the mistakes that she made, but she didn’t expect that she would be kicked out of the sect.
“Ethereal Summit on Fifth Heaven,” Duan Ye said.
Duan Yao widened her eyes and asked, “Dad, you are handing me to…”
Duan Ye didn’t speak with a cold face
“Dad… I want to see Mom! I want to see Grand Uncle-Master!” Duan Yao tried to resist.
With a wave of his hand, a white rope-shaped dharma treasure bound her hands.
“Grand Uncle-Master agreed already,” Duan Ye said in a low voice.
Before he went to the back mountain for Duan Yao, Duan Ye had told Lingwu Master the demand of Ethereal Summit. Having dropped to Foundation Establishment Realm, Lingwu Master just waved his hand with a sad face, giving no opinion.
Sky Mountain Sect had reached a life-death moment, and they couldn’t even struggle in front of their rivals who were 100 times stronger than them. No matter how much Lingwu Master loved Duan Yao, she had to be sacrificed.
For Lingwu Master and Duan Ye, the 1,000-year-old Sky Mountain Sect was more important.
Duan Ye didn’t tell Duan Yao’s mom about this since he knew that she would go crazy with this news.
“This…” Duan Yao widened her eyes, not expecting that Lingwu Master who loved her the most would agree to give her away.
When her grand uncle-master was in danger, she had blocked for him with her own body, but…
Duan Yao turned to look at Duan Ye’s cold face.
Despite her complaints about her dad, she had always thought that her dad would protect her.
However, it seemed that his daughter’s life and fate were far less important than Sky Mountain Sect. There was only one Sky Mountain Sect, but he could have more daughters…
Standing on the flying sword in silence, Duan Yao stopped yelling, and her white teeth bit her lip hard.
If not for her status as the only daughter of the Sky Mountain Sect Master, she would have been the cauldron of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator long ago due to her great talent. But now she was without protection…
When Duan Ye remained silent without offering a word of comfort, Duan Yao felt so depressed that she began to cry.
A Core Formation Realm cultivator swept toward them stepping on a green longsword.
“Senior Brother! Senior Brother!” Duan Yao called out suddenly.
This cultivator was Ye Yan, the cultivator who had taken Duan Yao to Fifth Heaven to investigate the situation at White Sand Sect.
This Senior Brother was very handsome, and his cultivation talent was great. As Duan Ye’s first disciple, he was the most senior brother in Duan Ye’s branch.
Ye Yan liked Duan Yao a lot and always did favors for her, claiming that he would protect her all his life.
Seeing Ye Yan, Duan Yao thought that he was here to rescue her and called out to him with all her force.
Although she felt nothing for Ye Yan, she was touched to see him come and rescue her at the risk of his own life.
“I’d rather marry Senior Brother Ye Yan than entering Ethereal Summit and be insulted!
“Master, Chuxiong Sect got one dharma note from Herb King Master after finding one piece of 10,000-year-old Green Wood and two pieces of Soul Grass. Another grand cultivator in the Nascent Soul Realm recovered his realm!”
Ye Yan said respectfully after dashing over.
Duan Ye’s face darkened at the news, knowing that time wasn’t on Sky Mountain Sect’s side.
Now that almost all the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators on Sixth Heaven lost their realm, their strengths were the same. However, if more Nascent Soul Realm cultivators from other sects recover their realm, Sky Mountain Sect would be in real danger.
If they couldn’t quench the anger of Herb King Master, this master didn’t have to move a finger himself. Instead, he only needed to
announce that anyone who destroyed Sky Mountain Sect would get more essence-unlocking notes, and Sky Mountain Sect would be totally destroyed!
“Find all the spiritual herbs over 10,000-year-old!” Duan Ye ordered.
“Yes, Master!” Ye Yan nodded and looked toward Duan Yao who was behind Duan Ye.
Duan Yao begged Ye Yan with her eyes, but her senior brother immediately looked away.
Instantly, Duan Yao felt cold inside.
With the best talent and greatest strength among the younger generation, Ye Yan would probably become the next sect master of Sky Mountain Sect hundreds of years later as the most senior disciple of the current sect master, Duan Ye.
Only Mo Lianshan, the favorite disciple of the First Elder, could compete with him.
However, in the disaster on Fifth Heaven, Mo Lianshan dropped to the Foundation Establishment Realm and couldn’t compete with Ye Yan anymore.
Due to his responsibility for the sect’s business, Ye Yan didn’t receive the mission of investigating on Fifth Heaven; he had remained in the sect and maintained his mid-tier Core Formation Realm!
Under this situation, Ye Yan would progress steadily, and it would be unwise of him to anger Duan Ye.
He had indeed liked Duan Yao, but his future was more important! Besides, Duan Yao would soon become a cauldron of a grand cultivator, and he wouldn’t have his eyes on such a woman!
That was why he offered no word of comfort to Duan Yao, afraid that Duan Ye would suspect that he had an intimate relationship with Duan Yao.
Stepping on his flying sword, Duan Ye rushed toward Fifth Heaven through the clouds.
Looking back on Sky Mountain Sect which became smaller and smaller in her eyes, Duan Yao remained silent.
She had had an easy life, but now that had changed entirely. She had thought that she would be happy forever, but now she understood that her happiness was built on Sky Mountain Sect’s advantage over the other sects.
When they encountered a force that was above Sky Mountain Sect, she, the daughter of the dignified Sect Master, was inferior to merchandise.