Chapter 627: A Nascent Soul Spiritual Object Nourished by Heart’s Blood

“Very well… The Qingfeng Sect disciples won’t arrive for several more days. I’ll have to trouble our friends from the Celestial Principle Sect for a bit.”

Bai Zichen acted as if he hadn’t noticed Shi Chengdong’s concern, gesturing toward Hong Xuan, who stood below him in a posture of utmost respect.

“This Fellow Daoist Hong has seen the light and is willing to draw a clear line with the Holy Lotus Sect. You can go with him to take inventory of the sect’s assets.”

“True Monarch Bai’s character is noble. I am truly humbled.”

Seeing that Bai Zichen had no intention of backing out or causing trouble, Shi Chengdong quickly began to flatter him.

With the power he had displayed, if he truly decided to shirk responsibility and renege on the deal, the Celestial Principle Sect really had no way to stop him.

Even their sect’s two Nascent Soul True Monarchs together were no match for him, to say nothing of the fact that the Celestial Principle Sect lacked the courage to completely sever ties.

The sect’s entire lineage rested on those two. If something happened to them, they wouldn’t even be able to hold onto their newly acquired Tier Four Spirit Vein.

“This junior will certainly do his best.”

Feeling the gaze of the True Monarch from the Celestial Principle Sect, Hong Xuan hurriedly agreed.

‘But he found it strange. He had already compiled a detailed register of all the Holy Lotus Sect’s assets and presented it. If they just delayed for a few days, they could have easily moved the majority of it.’

‘He didn’t know what True Monarch Bai was planning. He’d have to discreetly sound him out later to know how to proceed.’

They were both Nascent Soul True Monarchs, but Hong Xuan could still tell which thigh was thicker.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the Celestial Principle Sect’s efforts against Qu Yang had been utterly futile. They had only managed to demoralize the Holy Lotus Sect’s disciples and waste a batch of Spirit Stones.

But Bai Zichen, in his very first move, had killed Qu Yang.

The difference between them was so obvious that even a Core Formation Cultivator could see it clearly.

Combined with Hong Xuan’s relationship with the Qingfeng Sect, it was a no-brainer which side to choose.

“The remaining forces of the Holy Lotus Sect on Qii Mountain are all yours… For those willing to abandon the darkness and embrace the light, seal their Cultivation and hand them over to Fellow Daoist Hong’s custody. As for those who stubbornly resist to the bitter end, execute them on the spot.”

With Hong Xuan’s surrender, the importance of the other Holy Lotus Sect disciples had plummeted. Keeping too many of them around would just be a destabilizing factor.

Bai Zichen’s focus was still on the Medicine Garden Secret Realm. He paused for a moment before saying to Hong Xuan, “Do you have a way to open the Secret Realm? We need to prevent the Steward Elders from going mad and destroying the Spirit Medicines or defiling the Spirit Fields.”

“Rest assured, True Monarch. I have my Elder Token, which allows entry and exit. No one besides the Sect Leader can seal the Secret Realm.”

Hong Xuan led the group to a spot, raised a Jade Token, and cast several complex Magic Formulas. He then spat a mouthful of True Essence onto it, and a hexagonal ray of light pierced the sky.

A few breaths later, amidst a ripple in space, a doorway materialized out of thin air.

When the group stepped inside, they found that the Cultivators in the Medicine Garden Secret Realm were running around like headless chickens.

Black smoke rose from several places, and the faint sounds of Magic bombardments and enraged shouts from Cultivators could be heard.

Bai Zichen’s expression was grim. He had long considered the Medicine Garden Secret Realm to be in his pocket, so how could he tolerate any losses?

He extended his Divine Sense to its absolute limit. The Secret Realm wasn’t vast, and nearly all of it was reflected in his mind.

With a wave of his large sleeve, several streaks of Sword Light flickered out, each shooting off in a different direction.

“Are there five Medicine Gardens here?”

“Five and a half. In the westernmost corner, there’s another Medicine Garden. Three hundred and fifty years ago, a section of the Secret Realm collapsed, and half a Medicine Garden vanished directly into the void, taking more than ten disciples with it.”

Hong Xuan was stunned for a moment before he realized and quickly tried to recover.

“When Ancestor Jiulian was still around, he had someone inspect it. The Secret Realm can exist for at least another fifteen hundred years before it begins to decay… True Monarch, I have a few trusted subordinates serving as Stewards here. Why don’t I gather them to stabilize the situation?”

“Go. I don’t want to see a single Spirit Medicine destroyed. Not one stalk.”

The five streaks of Sword Light returned one after another, flying back into Bai Zichen’s sleeve and re-entering the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box to recuperate.

“You two, are you interested in seeing the place where the collapsing Secret Realm connects to the void? It’s beyond the range of my Divine Sense, so I can’t see the scene at that half-sized Medicine Garden.”

“Very well. I’ve never seen a Secret Realm of this type.”

The Celestial Principle Sect was getting half of the Spirit Medicines in the Medicine Garden Secret Realm. This was a one-time deal, so Shi Chengdong wasn’t overly concerned about the long-term state of the Secret Realm.

Whether it would affect future cultivation of Spirit Medicines was of no consequence to them.

Hong Xuan watched the three True Monarchs’ backs recede into the distance, then stomped his foot hard and charged toward the nearest Medicine Garden.

‘Damn it! I clearly told them a few days ago not to panic if something happened! I told them that as long as they protected the Spirit Medicines, I would definitely find a way out for them. They can’t even handle something this simple!’

There were ten Stewards in the Secret Realm, four of whom Hong Xuan could influence and command. Among the lower-ranking Stewards, even more had received favors from him and his master.

He wasn’t asking them to actively turn against the sect, just to stabilize the situation and keep the Medicine Garden Secret Realm from descending into chaos. That shouldn’t have been difficult to do.

The thought that the capable and proactive image he had built for himself in front of True Monarch Bai was being destroyed made him so angry that the fleshy growth on his head swelled and reddened, and he practically foamed at the mouth.

“What happened? Where is Sun Er? How did things get this chaotic?”

Hong Xuan arrived at the first Medicine Garden. Several Cultivators lay dead at the entrance, their bodies and heads separated. Their heads had rolled quite a distance away.

The other Cultivators were cowering and hiding. Two balls of fire were blazing furiously, devouring a five-leafed Wu Shen.

Anxious and furious, Hong Xuan threw out a Purple Bowl that covered the flames, preventing them from spreading further.

“Elder Hong, Elder Jin came to the Medicine Garden! He ordered us to uproot all the Spirit Medicines and pour Mercury Silver over the Spirit Fields, not sparing a single inch of soil. Steward Ding refused and ended up fighting the Cultivators who were trying to carry out Elder Jin’s orders.”

A disciple of the Holy Lotus Sect mustered his courage and explained what had happened.

“Then how did Ding Er and his men die?”

Hong Xuan felt his heart was about to shatter. That Elder Jin was Qu Yang’s most trusted subordinate, responsible for managing the Medicine Garden Secret Realm.

He hadn’t expected the man to be so ruthless and decisive, wanting to destroy the Medicine Garden the moment things went wrong. He must have received orders from Qu Yang long ago.