Dragon King's Son-In-Law
Page 383
“The fate of Sky Mountain Sect lies in your hands. Do whatever Herb King Master tells you, and maybe you can save the sect. If you don’t want Sky Mountain Sect to go down, if you still pity the hundreds of thousands of disciples, you…”
Duan Ye didn’t continue.
He had decided that after Duan Yao was sent into Ethereal Summit and had helped Sky Mountain Sect survive this disaster, he would live in seclusion. He would hand the sect to the elders or appoint a new sect master.
With the mysterious nature of Herb King Master, it probably was not a bad thing for Duan Yao to be taken into the valley. Even if Sky Mountain Sect were going to be destroyed by others, Duan Yao would still be alive.
Near Ethereal Summit, a red light shot into the sky.
Manniu Master of Chuxiong Sect had indeed recovered his Nascent Soul Realm, and he was releasing waves of suppression.
Loud cheers sounded in Chuxiong Sect’s camp on the East.
The cultivators of the other sects looked either jealous or anxious while the masters who hadn’t recovered their realms raged in their respective tents.
Since Ethereal Summit only wanted the specific kinds of spiritual herbs, the sects on Sixth Heaven were turning the ground up trying to find them.
Duan Ye landed at the valley entrance of Ethereal Summit with Duan Yao who was expressionless. He clenched his fists but didn’t know what to say.
Swoosh… Little White landed at the entrance and stared at Duan Yao, obviously coming out to take Duan Yao into the valley.
“I’m afraid we’ll never see each other again…” Looking at Duan Yao, Duan Ye tried to say something.
However, Duan Yao ignored him with a cold heart and sat on the back of Little White.
She untied the two jade pendants from her waist and tossed them at Duan Ye.
“Take these to my mom! I, Duan Yao, won’t go back, alive or dead!” she said.
Her sacrifice for Sky Mountain Sect was her payment to her parents for raising her. From now on, there was nothing between them!
Carrying Duan Yao, Little White flew into the valley protected by the red energy sphere.
Watching Duan Yao disappeared through the array formation, Duan Ye shook his head with a broken heart and left.
634 Joining Ethereal Summit?
While grabbing Little White’s fur, Duan Yao entered Ethereal Summit and saw a dozen well-fed snow lion cubs rolling around on the ground while the Babel Spiritual Treasure, the golden shield, was flying around the valley. Hao Ren and three beautiful girls were busy working in the spiritual fields barefooted.
When Little White put Duan Yao on the ground, the bored golden shield shot a golden light onto Little White’s rump.
Little White jumped and immediately flew over to fight with the golden shield.
Standing in the valley in confusion, Duan Yao didn’t see the legendary Herb King Master.
She looked at the three beautiful girls beside Hao Ren and realized that none of them was Zhao Yanzi. She felt baffled.
Flying on his black disk, Zhen Congming was moving across the corners of the valley, making marks.
Architecture and array formation were similar; both needed to create a structure first. Zhen Congming observed the terrain and the directions of the five elements before building a big array formation.
Seeing them working busily, Duan Yao who was ready for death looked around and didn’t know what to do.
“Come here!” Hao Ren stood up in the spiritual fields and beckoned at her.
Duan Yao walked over.
She wanted to die with Hao Ren, but her dagger had been confiscated before she was locked on Repentance Cliff at Sky Mountain Sect. Without any weapons, she was no match for Hao Ren with her fists.
Lu Linlin and Lu Lili looked at Duan Yao with caution.
However, Xie Yujia looked at her with some sympathy.
After the great battle, Ethereal Summit was in a mess, but it was getting orderly as Hao Ren, Xie Yujia, and the others worked on it.
Hao Ren looked at Duan Yao up and down and saw the tear tracks on her face, as well as the two purple bruises on her wrists where the skin had rotten so much that bones were exposed.
“Sky Mountain Sect is merciless,” Hao Ren thought.
“Yujia, give her two detox pills,” Hao Ren said.
“Ok!” Yujia had noticed the ugly wounds on Duan Yao’s wrists and ached at the thought that Duan Yao was almost as young as Zhao Yanzi.
She took out two pills from her ring and tossed them at Duan Yao.
However, Duan Yao slapped the two level 4 pills away with her right hand.
The valuable elixir pills dropped into the muddy fields.
Duan Yao puffed her cheeks and said, “I don’t want your pity!”
“Ungrateful brat…” The Lu sisters were about to lecture her, but Hao Ren raised a hand and stopped them.
Xie Yujia shook her head helplessly, thinking that this young girl’s temper was as hot as Zhao Yanzi’s.
“There is about half an acre of the field left. You can clean it.” After pulling the Lu sisters out of the water field, Hao Ren said to Duan Yao.
Duan Yao glared at Hao Ren, not able to suppress her fury.
“Yujia, come out and let her do it,” Hao Ren said to Xie Yujia.
After hesitating for half a second, Xie Yujia nodded and walked out of the field.
She needed to put away the spiritual herbs from the two sects, and she had to make more essence-unlocking notes since they were running out.
Out of the valley, the cultivators from different sects flew around Ethereal Summit.
After Suyang Master of Qingcheng Sect and Manniu Master of Chuxiong Sect recovered their realms, all the sects on Sixth Heaven were trying their best to search for the spiritual herbs that Xie Yujia mentioned.
While all the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators’ realms were locked, the ones who removed the lock first would have an absolute advantage over the other sects.
Gritting her teeth and with tears in her eyes, Duan Yao looked up at the cultivators outside the valley and then jumped into the water fields.
Due to the wounds inflicted by the Ice Fire Shackle, her hands were covered by purple bruises and rotten flesh, but she had no choice now after her Dad left her in Ethereal Summit.
She was no longer the daughter of Sky Mountain Sect Master nor the pearl of Sky Mountain Sect. All her arrogance was gone!
While crying, she searched for the rocks in the water field before moving them out. In the past dozen years, her only work was cultivation and didn’t need to do anything else.
In Sky Mountain Sect, the chores such as fixing the spiritual fields were the job of the lowest, and she had never imagined that she would do it.
Her bruised wrists hurt like they were on fire when she dipped them into the water.
Hao Ren stood by the fields and watched her work, flanked by silent Lu sisters.
At the thought that Sky Mountain Sect deserted her, Duan Yao cried harder. However, she swallowed her tears after meeting Hao Ren’s cold gaze.
“Wang Dong, the First Elder of Sky Mountain Sect, hopes to see Herb King Master!” A magnificent voice sounded outside of the valley.
Duan Yao straightened her sore back and looked toward the entrance of the valley.
“Dad can’t let me go after all. He must have sent the First Elder to take me back!
“With respect, Sky Mountain Sect offers three 10,000-year-old Golden Hammers for one dharma note from Master!” The voice of the First Elder of Sky Mountain Sect rose again.
“Sky Mountain Sect!” Hao Ren circulated his full nature essence. “Sky Mountain Sect must double the offer!”
“Well…” After a moment of hesitation, the First Elder answered immediately, “Ok! As long as the master forgives us, Sky Mountain Sect will try its best!”
Hearing the First Elder’s words, Duan Yao’s tears fell again.
He had mentioned no word about Duan Yao, which meant tha
t she was totally abandoned. What Sky Mountain Sect cared about was getting the dharma note instead of taking Duan Yao back!
“Three 10,000-year-old Golden Hammers and three 10,000-year-old Brass Drum Skins for one dharma note!” the First Elder of Sky Mountain Sect yelled with great sincerity and a bit of anxiety in his voice.
He was one of the elders of Sky Mountain Sect who surrounded Ethereal Summit. However, the time had changed, and he had to admit defeat. After all, the essence-unlocking notes had controlled all the sects on Sixth Heaven!
“Little White!” Hao Ren called out.
Little White who had been frolicking with the golden shield shot into Xie Yujia’s cave abode and flew out of the valley with a dharma note in its mouth. It then returned with the level 6 spiritual herbs from Sky Mountain Sect.
These spiritual herbs were still fresh; Sky Mountain Sect was indeed wealthy.
“Thank you for the dharma note, Master!” The First Elder of Sky Mountain Sect left with the note.
Hearing the First Elder’s voice getting distant, Duan Yao had a stiff expression on her face while her teeth almost broke her red lips.
No one cared about her, a small cultivator at low-tier Core Formation Realm. In front of the huge difference of powers, all Sky Mountain Sect wanted was to appease the anger of Herb King Master, so he would allow the sect to live.
Even at double the price, Sky Mountain Sect would try to recover the realms of its Nascent Soul Realm cultivators.
The moment that the First Elder of Sky Mountain Sect left, another voice sounded at the entrance of the valley, “The senior disciple of Qingcheng Sect, Liu Heng, offers three 10,000-year-old Daphne to Master!”
After turning its storage upside down, Qingcheng Sect had found three 10,000-year-old Daphne and hurried to offer them to Ethereal Summit.
Now all the sects were searching for the spiritual herbs like crazy, afraid that Herb King Master would increase the price suddenly. However, even if the price rose to six spiritual herbs, they still had to accept it just as Sky Mountain Sect did.
Ethereal Summit had the right of pricing, and they were under its control.
“Take them!” Hao Ren answered.
Little White who had just returned to the valley had to fly out again to bring back the three spiritual herbs. By this time, Xie Yujia had just finished drawing a new note, and Little White brought it out.
“Thank you for the note, Master!” Liu Heng’s voice shook with excitement.
Those cultivators from other sects were green with envy. If they were not on the territory of the Herb King Master, they would have taken the note by force.
A note which could recover the lost realm for the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators was enough to cause a bloody battle between sects!
This was why the masters who had lost their realms stayed close to Ethereal Summit instead of staying in their own sects on Sixth Heaven. If the notes left the territory of Ethereal Summit, they would certainly be robbed!
Due to the presence of Herb King Master in the valley, these sects hadn’t begun their fight. Besides, the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators who had recovered their realms dared not to fight here.
As to those masters who hadn’t recovered their realms, they dared not to leave Ethereal Summit. If they did, they would be killed by those Nascent Soul Realm cultivators who had recovered their realms!
When Liu Heng from Qingcheng Sect received the note, the cultivators from other sects quickly flew to their respective camps to report the news.
As some masters had recovered their realms, and others still stayed at the Core Formation Realm, the atmosphere around Ethereal Summit got more intense.
For a few notes that Xie Yujia drew, the sects on Sixth Heaven had turned their treasure palaces upside-down!
“Ok!” Zhen Congming finished his inspection and landed beside Hao Ren while stepping on his black disk.
“I’ve finished the marking. If you can find 15 Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, 150 Core Formation Realm cultivators, and 1,500 Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, I’ll help you rebuild the grand array formation!”
He had skipped classes to come here and was impatient to get back.
With a smile, Hao Ren circulated the small amount of nature essence in his body and yelled, “In the next two hours, four level 4 spiritual herbs can trade for one essence-unlocking note!”
Knowing that Xie Yujia spent nature essence on drawing the notes, Hao Ren increased the price without hesitation!
Hearing Hao Ren’s announcement, the cultivators outside were astonished. If the price continued to rise like this, the later they found the spiritual herbs, the higher price they would pay!
The atmosphere got even more intense. They had to search harder for the spiritual herbs and hand them to Ethereal Summit as soon as possible!
“The Nascent Soul Realm cultivators can trade 100-year-worth of cultivation strength for one note,” Hao Ren stated after a short pause.
635 Duan Yao! Form the Array Formation!
When Hao Ren’s new condition was announced, the dozens of cultivators lingering at the valley entrance immediately flew to their respective camps.
They had stood at the entrance to receive the instructions from Herb King Master and report back how many sects had got the essence-unlocking notes.
Turning to look at the stone-faced and disheveled Duan Yao, Hao Ren shook his head with a smile.
In the blink of an eye, all the masters who hadn’t recovered their realms rushed toward the valley.
Although they didn’t know what Herb King Master wanted them to do, and they were reluctant to lose 100-year-worth of cultivation strength, it was hard to find level 6 spiritual herbs.
They’d rather lose their 100-year-worth of cultivation strength to recover the Nascent Soul Realm, so they wouldn’t worry about the possible attacks from the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators who had regained their realms!
Xie Yujia came out of her cave after feeling that many cultivators gather at the entrance of Ethereal Summit
“Junior wants to work for Master!”
“Please take me, Master!”
These cultivators who were arrogant and at Nascent Soul Realm squeezed to the entrance, fighting for a spot in the front row in hope that Herb King Master would choose them.
This sight dumbfounded the Core Formation Realm disciples. In front of Herb King Master of Ethereal Summit, these Nascent Soul Realm cultivators had all lost their dignity!
Only the masters of Sky Mountain Sect were relatively cautious, not because they didn’t want to recommend themselves, but because they thought Herb King Master wouldn’t pick them.
Standing in the spiritual fields in the valley, Duan Yao looked at the crazy scene at the entrance of the valley and then at the cold-faced Hao Ren, surprised that one simple sentence from him had such great power.
These lofty Nascent Soul Realm masters were fighting to work for Ethereal Summit!
“The ones who were at top-tier Nascent Soul Ream stand in the front row, and I’ll choose carefully,” Hao Ren said.
The 12 masters who had been at top-tier Nascent Soul Realm stood in the front row, including Lieyang Master of New Sun Sect.
Through the red energy sphere, Hao Ren realized that he needed three more. He said, “I need three from Sky Mountain Sect.”
The three cultivators of Sky Mountain Sect who were at mid-tier Nascent Soul Realm looked at each other in surprise and immediately walked up.
The other sects were jealous when they saw Sky Mountain Sect taking up three spots.
Sky Mountain Sect had three mid-tier Nascent Soul Realm cultivators and five low-tier Nascent Soul Realm cultivators. The only cultivator who was above mid-tier was Lingwu Master, and he had been struck down to the Foundation Establishment Realm from peak Nascent Soul Realm, and he was still resting in the sect.
The other sects had thought that Sky Mountain Sect wouldn’t be picked and had prepared to split up Sky Mountain Sect’
s resources among them after recovering their realms. However, Herb King Master had picked three cultivators from Sky Mountain Sect in one breath to their surprise.
However, none of them dared to voice their complaints. If Herb King Master didn’t give them essence-unlocking notes, they would forever remain at the Core Formation Realm, which meant death both for themselves and their sects.
“Yujia, do you have 15 notes?” Hao Ren looked back and asked Xie Yujia in a gentle voice.
Xie Yujia nodded while standing at the entrance of her cave abode. When she was in the cave abode, she had been drawing notes and had successfully made over 20 notes.
Qingfeng Hermit’s Life-Death Notes contained a vast amount of five-elemental nature essence, and they were refined again before making the dharma notes. On the other hand, Xie Yujia had received a full mark on the Engineering Drawing Course in university.
“Be careful,” Xie Yujia reminded while she walked down the stairs and handed the 15 notes to Hao Ren.
With a smile, Hao Ren split the notes among Lu Linlin and Lu Lili.
Flicking with their fingers, the Lu sisters shot 15 notes into the foreheads of the masters.
Since the cultivators outside couldn’t see the interior of the valley, they were shot before they could dodge.
They were astonished by the skill of shooting notes.
Bang! The 15 Nascent Soul Realm masters recovered their realms instantly!
Not daring to show their delight, they cupped their hands and said, “Thank you for saving us, Master!”
When they fell from the Nascent Soul Realm to the Core Formation Realm, they felt like immortals turning into mortals. After returning to the Nascent Soul Realm, their sense of relief was almost as intense as their elation when they first reached the Nascent Soul Realm.
“It’s too early to celebrate. These essence-unlocking notes are only effective for 60 years. However, the remaining energy of the essence-locking note will dissolve if you don’t mess with Ethereal Summit in the future,” Hao Ren said.
After staring at Hao Ren in surprise for a few seconds, Xie Yujia realized that Hao Ren had made it up to frighten these Nascent Soul Realm cultivators so that they wouldn’t make trouble.