Chapter 667 - 452: Two or Three Unlucky Matters (Part 2)

"I recommend that Master quantify the level of Spiritual Qi in the Immortal Mansion. Otherwise, it will be difficult to track in the future. To prevent this kind of sudden change from happening again, I suggest we establish a baseline standard and maintain a buffer. That way, we won’t affect normal production inside the Immortal Mansion..."

On the booklets spread out beside the Bee Queen, Fang Ruoxi, most were automatically recording various data. Nanli watched from the side, a shiver running down her spine. ’How come Sister Ruoxi seems so... unapproachable ever since she reached the Golden Core stage?’

Unable to figure it out, Nanli unconsciously recoiled. A pang of bitterness welled up inside her. ’It was expected that the Bee Queen would reach the Golden Core stage, but Yinbao has formed a core too. And there’s no doubt that Jinbao will be next. Now, I’m the only one left.’

As she thought about this, a wave of loneliness washed over her. ’Ever since Master killed Hao Shi, I’ve even lost my motivation for revenge.’

’Emptiness, pain, joy... that’s all for them. I’m always alone.’ In that instant, she felt as if the entire world had abandoned her.

"Hey, Nanli, what are you doing? Get over here and transplant this stalk of Jade Sound Bamboo to the East Third District. We need to compare it with the Sword Heart Bamboo next to it."

The Bee Queen’s command broke Nanli out of her self-pity. She snapped to attention, her face lighting up with a smile as she strode off excitedly on her long legs to get to work.

In another part of the Immortal Mansion, inside a heavily guarded, high-level Array where no living creature was permitted, Jinbao was fast asleep on his back. His four paws pointed toward the sky, his stomach rising and falling with each rhythmic breath.

With every one of Jinbao’s breaths, all objects with a metal attribute in the vicinity began to resonate. The concentration of metal-attribute Spiritual Power here had been raised to the level of low-grade Tier Four.

Although the metal-attribute Spiritual Power hadn’t yet reached the point of liquefaction, it was incredibly dense. For Jinbao to enjoy it all by himself... his treatment was even better than Bear Wind’s.

Metal-attribute top-grade Spirit Stones lay scattered across the floor in a corner. Many of them had already gone dim, their power spent. A quick count suggested there were at least a thousand of them.

A constant stream of metal-attribute Spiritual Power was drawn into his nostrils with each breath, merging with his body before vanishing completely.

Whenever the concentration of metal-attribute Spiritual Power in the area dropped to a certain point, the metal-attribute top-grade Spirit Stones would automatically release more Spiritual Qi to replenish it.

And so, nourished by the dense metal-attribute Spiritual Power, Jinbao slept sweetly. Out in the world, however, Fang Qingyuan was nursing a headache.

「Three years later.」

The Beast Taming Sect had already occupied Bear Wind’s territory. Adding that to the Cloud-Clawed Lizard’s former Spiritual Land, the Beast Taming Sect forces under Yue’e’s command now controlled over one hundred thousand square kilometers of land.

Such a vast territory would have constituted a decent-sized country in Fang Qingyuan’s past life. To the Beast Taming Sect, however, it was practically nothing.

Their ultimate goal was Awakening Lion Valley, a Tier Six Spiritual Land. It was like a carrot dangling before a donkey, constantly tempting Yue’e’s faction into action. And now, even though the war in White Mountain wasn’t over, the Beast Taming Sect had brazenly launched an offensive into the borderlands of Awakening Lion Valley.

The reason Fang Qingyuan was so distressed was that Lechuan had been conscripted. The White Mountain Beast Taming Sect, that local power, had been forcibly strapped to the war chariot.

Even though he’d had a falling out with Lechuan, Fang Qingyuan’s feelings for the man hadn’t faded. He didn’t agree with Lechuan’s choice to betray an ally, but from Lechuan’s perspective... ’What else could he have done back then?’

After all, Lechuan didn’t have the same solid foundation that Fang Qingyuan did. Four or five years had passed, and the resentment Fang Qingyuan had once felt was now almost entirely gone.

Besides, Fang Qingyuan had later discussed the matter with Bear Wind, who expressed no resentment toward Lechuan. At his level of existence, he could see through such things. When faced with tangible benefits, promises were truly worthless.

However, Bear Wind said he was very moved that Fang Qingyuan was so principled.

At Bear Wind’s words, Fang Qingyuan just smiled. He couldn’t change Lechuan’s way of thinking; he could only be true to himself and, through his actions, influence everyone in the Qingyuan Sect. As a result, the Qingyuan Sect had an excellent reputation in White Mountain. They were like a breath of fresh air.

They didn’t swindle people in business or deceive them in trade. There was no strong-arming customers, no passing off shoddy goods as high-quality ones. Crucially, they paid upon delivery and never defaulted on their debts. That such normal business practices had earned them the best reputation in all of White Mountain was rather telling.

Now that Lechuan had been dragged into the war, Fang Qingyuan felt powerless. All he could do was fume in private. ’I don’t understand why Yue’e would make her move now. Did she get outside help?’

A single whim from someone in power could affect the livelihoods of millions. Fang Qingyuan hadn’t felt the truth of that statement so keenly before. He had always found Yue’e to be quite reasonable.

But now that the Beast Taming Sect’s war machine was in motion, her previous warmth and affability had been torn away, revealing only the raw, bloody muscle underneath.

At this point, all Fang Qingyuan could do was try to reassure himself. ’Lechuan is only a Golden Core Cultivator. There are four or five Nascent Soul Cultivators in front of him. It won’t be his turn to lead the charge.’

After reassuring himself for a moment, Fang Qingyuan still felt restless. He thought it over and over, and finally couldn’t stop himself from sending a letter to Chunyu Hua to discreetly inquire about the reasons behind this sudden turn of events.

Only after dispatching someone to deliver the letter personally did Fang Qingyuan have the peace of mind to attend to other matters. But bad news often comes in waves, one after another.

Fang Qingyuan had not yet received a reply from Chunyu Hua when a cultivator arrived at the sect’s main gate. After a disciple made the report, Fang Qingyuan learned it was Yan Muyun of the Yan Gui Sect.

The Guest Officer led Yan Muyun and his entourage into the reception hall. It was only then that Fang Qingyuan noticed everyone from the Yan Gui Sect was wearing sashes of white hemp, their faces etched with grief.

"Muyun, what is all this?"

Fang Qingyuan was shocked. ’For the Yan Gui Sect to be dressed in mourning... could something have happened to Yan Nanxing on White Mountain?’

His worst fears were realized. Yan Muyun cried out in anguish:

"Please, Uncle Fang, you must seek justice for us! A few days ago, word came from the Star-Picking Pavilion. They said my father failed to overcome the Celestial Tribulation during his Nascent Soul Formation and has perished, body and soul. I despise that I didn’t even get to see him one last time! What’s worse, the Golden Core Cultivator from the Star-Picking Pavilion just gave us a simple message! They didn’t even send down any of my father’s belongings! They’ve gone too far!

"My father had a great stroke of fortune years ago. His Magical Power was exceptionally pure, and he even had a Tribulation-Crossing Secret Treasure from the Nanchu Sect! His chances of success weren’t small. How could he have just died like that? There was definitely foul play involved!"

Seeing Yan Muyun’s resolute tone, Fang Qingyuan felt conflicted. He recalled Yan Nanxing’s prowess from back in the day. ’Logically, while there was always a chance of failure, it shouldn’t have been so catastrophic as to lead directly to his death, should it?’

’With the protection of the Tribulation-Crossing Secret Treasure from the Nanchu Sect, he should have at least been able to cling to life, even in the worst-case scenario. How could he just... die?’

But dead was dead, and Fang Qingyuan didn’t know what to say. Yan Muyun’s judgment was clouded by grief, after all. Yan Nanxing was his father; it was only natural that he couldn’t accept it.

"My condolences. Brother Yan had already come to terms with the risks when he went up the mountain. You should try to accept it as well. Hmm, wait. You just said you want me to help you seek justice... are you planning to demand an explanation from the Star-Picking Pavilion?"

Fang Qingyuan finally understood. ’He wants me to act on behalf of the Yan Gui Sect and demand an explanation from the Star-Picking Pavilion. He probably figures that with Bear Wind, a Nascent Soul Bear Beast, backing me, my words will carry more weight than his Golden Core Sect’s. That’s why he came to me.’

However, Fang Qingyuan had underestimated Yan Muyun’s audacity. He listened as the young man continued:

"During the pioneering war, our sect acquired a Heaven-Reaching Order. It was meant for a time just like this. But my father lent that Order to you, and now our sect has suffered a terrible injustice with no way to appeal! Uncle Fang, you can’t just wash your hands of this matter!"

Fang Qingyuan frowned. ’I did use that Heaven-Reaching Order, but it was to rescue Chu Hongshang. Then again, the reason she was in trouble in the first place was because of Lechuan’s pioneering efforts.’

’What a tangled mess,’ Fang Qingyuan thought, patiently trying to reason with him.

"The Star-Picking Pavilion has operated this way for thousands of years. It’s best we don’t burn our bridges with them. You yourself might need to go up that mountain one day to face your own tribulation. How about this: I will go with you to inquire about the matter. But don’t mention ’demanding an explanation’ again."

But Yan Muyun’s next words made Fang Qingyuan’s vision go dark.

"It’s too late for that. To be honest with you, Uncle Fang... we’re detaining the Golden Core Envoy from the Star-Picking Pavilion at our sect right now!"