Chapter 333 - 325: Celebration and Harvest

Chapter 333: Chapter 325: Celebration and Harvest

"It’s said that at its peak, our Sect was even comparable to the Hundred Flowers Palace. After all, the Beichen Sect only has a Pseudo-Spirit Treasure, not a true Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure," the Canglan City Lord continued.

These matters weren’t a secret to the Sect’s upper echelon, so there was no harm in telling Zhang Chi.

"Then how did it decline?" Zhang Chi asked, puzzled.

From what he understood, the Canglan Sect had occupied this medium-sized Oasis for several thousand years. If it truly possessed a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure before that, then its decline must have happened over a short period of time.

"It was all because of an attack by the Heaven-defying Alliance. They not only caused immense damage to our Sect but also stole our Spiritual Treasure. Left with no choice, the remaining Disciples could only migrate to this Oasis," the Canglan City Lord sighed.

As a mere Nascent Soul Cultivator, he hadn’t experienced the events of that era. But as a Cultivator of the Canglan Sect, having joined in his teens and spent the better part of several hundred years there, he clearly had a strong sense of belonging.

"So it was the Heaven-defying Alliance," Zhang Chi realized.

Although the Endless Desert Sea was controlled by the Desert Divine Palace, there was an Immortal Cultivation Influence that resisted it: the Heaven-defying Alliance.

The meaning of "heaven-defying" was simple. The Desert Divine Palace was the "heaven" of the Endless Desert Sea, so opposing them was, naturally, to defy heaven.

However, the Heaven-defying Alliance was a clandestine, underground force. Its lair was rumored to be in the far north, in territory occupied by Demon Beasts.

Therefore, even though the Heaven-defying Alliance frequently caused trouble and posed a great threat, the Desert Divine Palace was unable to completely eradicate it.

Sometimes, other Immortal Cultivation Influences would secretly join the Heaven-defying Alliance for various reasons, or collude with it.

Of course, once such an Immortal Cultivation Influence was discovered, the Desert Divine Palace would show no mercy and execute them all.

And while the Heaven-defying Alliance was a taboo topic in the Endless Desert Sea, Cultivators still mentioned it in private.

Zhang Chi had also performed a Soul Search on a Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Hundred Flowers Palace, so he was aware of the Heaven-defying Alliance’s existence.

Furthermore, Zhang Chi knew that in the Endless Desert Sea, despite the abundance of powerful individuals and the prevalence of true Major Sects and great families, Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures were a rare sight.

Only a super-power on the Level of the Hundred Flowers Palace could possibly possess one.

A Sect on the Level of the Beichen Sect would typically only have a replica of a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure, also known as a Pseudo-Spirit Treasure.

From this perspective, some Sects in the Great Abyss were rather special.

After all, from what Zhang Chi understood, it wasn’t just the Cangwu Sect that had a Spiritual Treasure in the Great Abyss; certain other Sects seemed to have them as well.

This was enough to show that the Great Abyss Immortal Cultivation Realm had once been quite prosperous and powerful during the Ancient Era.

***

"Yes. Junior Brother, you must remember to guard against the Heaven-defying Alliance in the future, for they are everywhere. If we Nascent Soul True Monarchs are even the slightest bit careless, we’ll become their targets," said the Canglan City Lord.

"Understood, Senior Brother. I’ll be careful," Zhang Chi nodded.

The Heaven-defying Alliance did indeed recruit Nascent Soul True Monarchs, and sometimes, if recruitment failed, they would even launch sneak attacks.

Loose Cultivators, in particular, were easier targets.

After all, Nascent Soul Cultivators from Sects were generally less likely to betray their own, and they were also stronger.

Of course, there were also cases where Nascent Soul Cultivators from Sects were gradually and secretly infiltrated and bought over.

"Enough of this unpleasant talk. The celebration will officially begin in ten days. All the Nascent Soul True Monarchs from the Sect who could make it back have returned. I’ll take you to meet them now."

The Canglan City Lord composed himself and immediately resumed flying with Zhang Chi. Soon, they arrived at a Floating Hall deep within the Sect’s grounds.

Along the way, any Sect Cultivators they encountered would bow respectfully to the two of them and step aside to let them pass.

In the Floating Hall, Zhang Chi saw over a hundred Nascent Soul True Monarchs. Among them were familiar faces from last time, as well as many unfamiliar fellow Sect members.

These members were both male and female. Some were white-haired old men, while others appeared quite young and full of vigor. However, without exception, they were all at the Nascent Soul Early Stage.

As for the two at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, they were both Supreme Elders. It was said they were in secluded Cultivation and had been for several decades.

This time, they clearly hadn’t emerged.

However, Zhang Chi didn’t mind. In fact, he was glad.

After all, Nascent Soul Middle Stage Cultivators would put some pressure on him.

Facing these Nascent Soul Early Stage Cultivators was different. Even if they outnumbered him, as long as he wasn’t ambushed and surrounded, he could retreat unscathed.

"Junior Brother Chen, quick, come and meet everyone," the Sect Leader and the others greeted Zhang Chi enthusiastically upon seeing him.

"So you’re Junior Brother Chen? Truly a man of distinguished talent!"

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Chen. I am..."

The Nascent Soul True Monarchs who hadn’t met Zhang Chi before all came forward to offer their congratulations and introduce themselves.

Fortunately, as a High Tier Cultivator, Zhang Chi had a photographic memory. Otherwise, with so many fellow Sect members approaching at once, an ordinary person would have trouble remembering and telling them all apart.

Zhang Chi didn’t give these new acquaintances the cold shoulder.

Especially since they had all brought congratulatory gifts, which undoubtedly allowed him to take the opportunity to acquire a good deal of Cultivation Materials.

Some of them knew Zhang Chi was an Artifact Refiner and even gave him some Artifact Refining Materials.

The only regret was that there was no Star Divine Iron among them.

But this was to be expected. According to the memories of the Hundred Flowers Palace Cultivator, even in the Endless Desert Sea, Star Divine Iron was an extremely rare material.

After the introductions were over, most of the Nascent Soul True Monarchs didn’t leave, but instead began to mingle on the spot.

Some chatted idly, some sparred, some discussed Cultivation problems, and some even traded with one another.

Evidently, even with their long Lifespans, these Nascent Soul Cultivators were usually busy with their own Cultivation and various other matters. It was rare for so many of them to gather in one place.

Zhang Chi quite liked this atmosphere and immediately joined in, learning a great deal of Cultivation Knowledge and trading for many needed materials.

Time continued to pass. As the date of the celebration drew nearer, the Canglan Sect grew more and more lively.

More Canglan Sect Cultivators rushed back, and a large number of Cultivators from subordinate factions arrived one after another.

The Loose Cultivator Honored Guest Elders were also given the opportunity to return.

In addition, the other allied medium-sized Oases in the vicinity also sent High Tier Cultivators.

Then, the celebration officially began.

The Canglan Sect’s Sect Leader personally announced Zhang Chi’s status as an Elder, and Zhang Chi made a public appearance to accept the congratulations of the other Cultivators.

In the process, Zhang Chi met even more Nascent Soul True Monarchs and received even more congratulatory gifts.

Finally, Zhang Chi also gave a public lecture on the Dao.

Of course, this was aimed at Cultivators below the Nascent Soul Realm. It was a benefit for these Low Tier Cultivators and also a way for Zhang Chi to foster more goodwill.

Zhang Chi had been notified in advance, so he was mentally prepared. Coupled with his powerful Divine Soul, his Comprehension was extremely high, and he had profound and unique experiences and insights into Cultivation at every Realm.

Therefore, giving this lecture was no trouble at all. Even the various Nascent Soul True Monarchs who listened in nodded repeatedly.

This also raised their estimation of Zhang Chi even higher.

But what they didn’t know was that Zhang Chi was actually just speaking casually.

Otherwise, whether it was experience related to Magic, Swordsmanship, Body Refining, Refining God, or even Alchemy and Artifact Refining, Zhang Chi could have spoken for a very long time.

Of course, when facing these guests, a casual talk was more than enough.

After all, these people weren’t his juniors or disciples.

Even so, the Low Tier Cultivators benefited immensely and all expressed their gratitude profusely in the end.

Next, the Canglan Sect held a grand banquet and even invited some professional Female Cultivators to perform songs and dances for entertainment.

For a period of time after that, there was a banquet every night, along with performances like songs and dances.

And every morning, a Nascent Soul True Monarch would give a lecture on the Dao.

However, the speakers were arranged by the Canglan Sect’s Sect Leader and others, so Zhang Chi didn’t need to take the stage again.

During this time, many Cultivators would also interact, spar, and even conduct various trades.

For example, several trade fairs of various sizes were held among the Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

In the blink of an eye, a whole month passed, and the celebration finally came to an end.

There were no complications during this period, nor did any Cultivator cause trouble for Zhang Chi or the Canglan Sect for no reason.

On the contrary, quite a few Nascent Soul True Monarchs exchanged contact information with Zhang Chi, so they could ask him to refine Magical Treasures for them in the future.

Afterward, the visiting Cultivators left one by one. Some Canglan Sect Cultivators also went back to their own business, and the Canglan Sect’s grounds returned to their usual order.

As for Zhang Chi, he had reaped a bountiful harvest.

Not only had Zhang Chi received all sorts of congratulatory gifts, met more Nascent Soul True Monarchs, broadened his horizons, and grasped more Cultivation Knowledge, but he had also traded for many precious materials.

Among them was, to his surprise, a small amount of Star Divine Iron.

It wasn’t much in total, but it was enough for him to refine another twelve Star Swords according to his original ratio.

Adding this to his existing Furnace Carbon, his six Star Swords, and the small piece he had obtained from killing the Hundred Flowers Palace’s Nascent Soul Cultivator and others, he would have enough to increase the number of his Lifebound Flying Swords to twenty-one.

This would undoubtedly allow his Sword Control Technique to unleash even greater killing power. His Star Sword Array, in particular, would see its Mighty Power surge dramatically.

Moreover, he had also obtained some other Artifact Refining Materials, enough to upgrade his Array Map and some other equipment.

Of course, this was also because the guests had made inquiries beforehand, so they knew Zhang Chi was an Artifact Refiner. Thus, their gifts were skewed towards various Artifact Refining Materials; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so easy.

In addition, besides items like Star Iron, Zhang Chi also unexpectedly obtained a Tier Four Spiritual Object needed to cultivate the Heaven-Reaching Tree Seed, called Spirit-Lowering Frost.

It was a blue crystal that exuded astonishing Spiritual Qi and an icy-cold aura. It was generally used as an Alchemy Material to enhance one’s Cultivation, but because it was very rare, the Elixir made from it was quite obscure.

At this point, Zhang Chi had already acquired four and a half of the Tier Four Spiritual Objects he needed. The "half" was the Eye of the Spirit Spring, which was still awaiting an upgrade.

***

"Junior Brother, all the available Tier Four Cave Mansions are listed here. You can choose freely."

"Of course, if you set your sights on a Cave Mansion that’s already occupied, it’s not entirely out of the question to negotiate, but success is highly unlikely."

By this time, the various Nascent Soul True Monarchs had dispersed, and City Lord Wu had also taken his leave and returned to Canglan City.

In the Floating Hall, however, Zhang Chi had remained behind. He accepted a Scroll made from the hide of an unknown Tier Four Beast from the Sect Leader’s hands.

He unrolled the Scroll, revealing a topographical map. On it were specially marked several Spirit Vein Cave Mansions.

Its scope covered the entire Canglan Oasis, as well as a large area surrounding the Oasis.

And these places were all clearly under the jurisdiction of the Canglan Sect.