Chapter 745 - 691: Mess to Clean Up

Chapter 745: Chapter 691: Mess to Clean Up

Yunping Mountain stretches for thousands of miles, with peaks upon peaks layered, and the mountain is shrouded in dense spiritual mist, obscuring vision in a foggy haze.

The place where Zhao Fuyi received everyone was still some distance from the current mountain gate of the Heavenly Interence Sect. After calming the tearful Hee Wangchen, she scanned the entire ship and the surrounding cultivators, oddly feeling that this was ’normal’.

Perhaps she knew Jiang Yuebai well enough to know that Jiang Yuebai would absolutely exploit every loophole possible, never suffering any losses.

After speaking to her disciples, Zhao Fuyi and Lii Jiuchuan returned to the cabin.

Lii Jiuchuan didn’t even have time to pour a cup of tea for Zhao Fuyi before she took out piles and piles of account books, registers, and documents from her Storage Bracelet, filling an entire tea table.

Lii Jiuchuan, holding the teapot in mid-air, froze, having a momentary illusion that Zhao Fuyi might have been possessed by Jiang Yuebai to make such a scene.

"Ahem~" Zhao Fuyi lowered her eyes and coughed lightly, "Well... you were the Sect Master elected by the Elder Council before, and now that you’re here in the Upper Realm, I should naturally hand over all sect affairs to you as soon as possible."

Lii Jiuchuan put down the teapot, laughing and crying, "Your ’as soon as possible’ is a bit too soon; I haven’t even seen the mountain gate yet."

Though Zhao Fuyi felt guilty, her expression remained unchanged. The sect was newly established, and affairs were both busy and complex. Besides the newly recruited disciples, the rest were originally from the Yuquan Sect, making them difficult to manage.

Despite the large amount of Spirit Stones and materials given by Xie Jingshan, it’s still nowhere near enough to restore an entire sect.

The original Yuquan Sect had a lot of debts and gaps to fill. Aside from the mine, there were no other income sources, making ends barely meet.

The elders responsible for Alchemy and Artifact Refining in the sect have had their salaries delayed for nearly a century. None of them said they wanted to leave the current Heavenly Interence Sect but also refused to work, always claiming they asked ’shamefully’, but their capacities are beyond ’salary’.

They even said they could ’die for salary’s sake’, but it depended on whether the Heavenly Interence Sect’s treatment could make them ’enjoy their salary happily’.

Over these four years, Zhao Fuyi was truly in a bind. If she were adept at management, she wouldn’t have put her disciples in such a money-grubbing position back then, and she herself wouldn’t owe the Heavenly Interence Sect 177 years of debt, still unpaid.

Thus, when Zhao Fuyi noticed Lii Jiuchuan and the others returning, she couldn’t wait to come ahead to unload her burden and catch a breath.

"Sigh..."

Lii Jiuchuan let out a heavy sigh, put down his tea, lifted his garment, sat down, and picked up the topmost account book, flipping through it casually, then called out to Qii Ming outside.

"Qii Ming, go ask Tang Weimian and Shi Xiaowu over, and call Yuebai too."

Zhao Fuyi asked in confusion, "Why ask for Weimian?"

Lii Jiuchuan, frowning as he glanced over the deficit-ridden account books, said, "Back when Weimian managed the Heavenly Gang Peak’s accounts, she was a master at controlling the purse strings, knowing best how to maximize income and minimize spending. Naturally, such a large number of account books should be reviewed by her to think of a way."

"Ahem~"

Zhao Fuyi awkwardly picked up the teacup, only to realize it was empty when brought to her lips, and then awkwardly put it down.

Lii Jiuchuan secretly glanced at her, a soft smile forming without saying much. He focused on reviewing the account books and registers, feeling increasingly overwhelmed.

The Heavenly Interence Sect benefited from the Yuquan Sect, but there was a corresponding price to pay.

The Heavenly Interence Sect in the Nine Rivers Realm is several times larger in sect size compared to the Earth Spiritual Realm, with industries several times more, but most are in a deficit status.

It is difficult even to balance these accounts.

Plus, there are strong enemies outside, eyeing covetously...

Fortunately, Jiang Yuebai brought these five thousand cultivators; otherwise, it would be hard to manage.

Before long, Qii Ming returned with Tang Weimian and Shi Xiaowu, but Jiang Yuebai was not seen, causing Lii Jiuchuan to furrow his brow; he was still counting on Jiang Yuebai to bring out her clones to help with account checking and planning.

"Where is Yuebai?"

Qii Ming chuckled bitterly, "True Monarch Wangshu took the other cultivators on the ship for a mountain tour."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fuyi laughed, "She must have guessed you were looking for her, so she slipped away early."

Lii Jiuchuan’s fingers tightened; such a troublesome disciple!

However, her sudden grandiose mountain tour with so many people... she must have other intentions.

Lii Jiuchuan smiled, "Forget it, let her be. Weimian, please sort out these account books."

"Alright, leave it to me."

Tang Weimian nodded, immediately moving all the account books to the side and classifying them by categories.

"Xiaowu, you verify all the numbers!"

Shi Xiaowu took out his abacus magic treasure and shook it, "Got it, piece of cake."

"Qii Ming, I’ll dictate while you write: start by using the sect rules from the Heavenly Interence Sect in the Earth Spiritual Realm as a framework to establish our new set of rules. Also, the family rules from the Zhuge Family that Yuebai gave me have many examples to draw from..."

Qii Ming procured pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, sat beside Lii Jiuchuan, and began to write attentively.

The group busied themselves, and Zhao Fuyi was also nearby, offering insights and clarifications to Lii Jiuchuan based on her experiences over the years.

*

Yunping Mountain, within Yuquan Peak.

Two men and a woman, the three unashamed original Nascent Soul elders of the Yuquan Sect, sat around a pavilion, drinking tea and chatting leisurely.

"Everyone, what do you make of the Heavenly Interence Sect having eight Divinity Transformations and two Refining Voids? Without strong intermediate forces, there’s a power gap, and yet they are still suppressed by the Heavenly Star Sect across the Seven Stars River."

"True, our Yuquan Sect didn’t have many disciples to begin with. Though we’ve recently recruited a lot, they’re all in Qi Cultivation, so what good does that do?"

"The Yuquan Sect still has so many debts to clear. If the Heavenly Interence Sect doesn’t have people or a way to make money, patching problems won’t sustain them for long."

"Then why are we staying here? Perhaps it’s time to seek other opportunities?"

"That’s not possible. We need to reclaim the salaries we’re owed; otherwise... hmm? What’s that over there?"

Roar~~~

A thunderous dragon roar resounded in the sky, and the three were startled, standing up from their chairs to look toward the distant horizon.

A massive, fiery-red dragon was coiling in mid-air, followed by thousands of Tunneling Lights speeding through the sky, stretching over dozens of miles.

Like a grand meteor shower streaking across the sky, its aura was overwhelming.

"Is the Heavenly Star Sect coming to attack us?" someone shouted in horror.

"Wait, is that... True Monarch Wangshu leading them?"

Upon closer inspection, they identified the leader as none other than True Monarch Wangshu, whose fame spread widely in the Dragon Group Gathering in the Nine Rivers Realm and was favored by Immortal Monarch Chongmin. Beside her was an unfamiliar elder, exuding Early-Stage Divinity Transformation cultivation.

However, it was the sight of the thousands of cultivators amassed behind them that was truly intimidating.

A group seemed to deliberately roam the territories of Yunping Mountain, surrounding the area of the Heavenly Interence Sect, flaunting their power and intimidating all around.

"Are these... people from the Heavenly Interence Sect?!"

The elders exchanged looks of disbelief.

In mid-air, Jiang Yuebai instructed Hongye to clear the way, and the dragon’s roar sent all the beasts in the mountain fleeing, its sound echoing across the world.

"Uncle Tianbao, look, this is the territory of Yunping Mountain where our Heavenly Interence Sect resides. What do you think of it?"

Xie Tianbao stroked his beard, nodding in approval, "It’s much grander than that Ninefold Mountain Range in the Earth Spiritual Realm, and the Spiritual Energy is much denser... hmm, and there are a lot of mineral veins too. It’s a good place."

Xie Tianbao’s eyes glimmered slightly; he had cultivated a special Pupil Skill, allowing him to survey underground mineral veins from high above.

Xie Jingshan spoke with Shen Huaxi and Song Zhi’ang behind him, then caught up using Sword Control.

"Grandfather, I think you should stay here temporarily, stabilize your cultivation, and solidify your foundation before adventuring outside again. I will find a way to inquire about the matter with Fang Ruyan at the Fang Family."

Xie Tianbao squinted at Xie Jingshan, "You sly kid, plotting against your grandfather, are you? Don’t think I don’t know; with the establishment of the Heavenly Interence Sect here, there are bound to be messy affairs, especially financial shortages. What do you want, to have your grandfather make a loss?"

Xie Jingshan laughed flatteringly, "Well, this is just to repay the Heavenly Interence Sect for their nurturing, and I hoped maybe Grandfather could help me repay some of that kindness."

Xie Tianbao chuckled, "For those unaware, they might think you were born in the Heavenly Interence Sect. How deep is this kindness? You’re throwing in a disciple for gratitude, and that’s not enough—you want to throw in your grandfather too?"

Xie Jingshan smiled ingratiatingly; Xie Tianbao didn’t directly agree nor deny.

After reaching Divinity Transformation, he indeed needed a place to stabilize his cultivation, and following Xie Jingshan to the True Martial Immortal Sect would certainly not be suitable.

Moreover, the newly established Heavenly Interence Sect is bound to have many business opportunities, and rather than let others benefit, it would be better to make some money for himself, benefitting both parties.

He could also start from the Nine Rivers Realm and expand the Mountain and Sea Building’s footprint.

"Take me to see those mineral veins of yours."

Xie Tianbao soared into the sky, with Xie Jingshan and Jiang Yuebai exchanging a smile and following closely.

Meanwhile, outside Yunping Mountain, spies from the Heavenly Star Sect and the Xiong Family suddenly witnessed so many Nascent Souls, Golden Cores, and Foundation Establishment Cultivators appearing at the Heavenly Interence Sect, all of whom were utterly shocked and hurried back to report.

Upon learning the news, the people from the Heavenly Star Sect were equally dumbfounded, perplexed at how the Heavenly Interence Sect managed to gather so many people.