Chapter 867: Senior Sister Treats You to Candied Fruit

Chapter 867: Chapter 867: Senior Sister Treats You to Candied Fruit

Eastern Divine Continent. Chuan Dao Hai.

The five continents were vast and scattered. Even the most remote corners could hardly be called safe, and overland transport — with its feed costs and caravan expenses — represented an enormous overhead that could not be ignored.

Especially when the alternative was a massive ship capable of riding wind and wave.

Cultivator techniques were expensive, but against towering waves they proved devastatingly effective.

Compared to the uncertainty and danger of land routes, sea freight offered unbeatable value.

So maritime transport had always been an indispensable mode of shipment.

The great sects of each continent maintained several stable shipping lanes, sweeping sea-demon threats and suppressing cultivators who attempted to pillage at sea. In exchange, the great ships paid passage fees.

The price was typically one percent of the cargo value.

Though the percentage sounded negligible, the volume and value carried by those great ships were immense.

This was an extraordinarily lucrative revenue stream — one might even call it windfall profits. A single share of it was enough to live a lifetime on.

The Eighteen Immortal Sects naturally participated, each tacitly maintaining the shipping lanes assigned to their respective territories.

Chuan Dao Hai was one of Eastern Divine Continent’s most renowned and expansive maritime terminals.

A great ship’s protective glow blazed bright, and the churning sea instantly calmed.

With a thunderous boom, the vessel slammed directly into the dock, riding a cultivator’s formation array.

Chen Baiqing wore a plain dress, her dark hair gathered by a jade-green hairpin. She stood at a high vantage point, watching the porters streaming toward the docked ships with a calm gaze.

Not all of these porters were mortals. Some were Qi Refining cultivators with no sect backing or family resources, selling their labor for spirit stones to sustain their cultivation.

Naturally, those cultivators earned far more than mortals.

Ships were arriving in great numbers, and the cargo to be sorted and unloaded was equally abundant.

Lin Luoyu’s gaze followed Chen Baiqing’s.

Cui Hao had resolved the Yunmeng Pavilion matter, which in turn resolved the Evil Spirit Sect in Northern Julu Continent. With that Chapter closed, fewer matters required Shifu’s personal attention.

The Li Junzi matter in Southern Zhanbu Continent was being watched over by Lü Xuan.

Tianyan Sect’s outward stance was clear — Tianyan Sect would not participate in this matter, but it would not permit any other immortal sect’s cultivators to involve themselves either.

Lin Luoyu felt a swell of emotion.

Her teacher had actually set foot on the path to Sub-Sage.

Now the only remaining issue requiring attention was Xiaoyun Hall’s ambiguous posture in Eastern Divine Continent.

Chu Xingchen had taken his seat at the central hub, and after Yunxiao arrived, he wasted no time. He simply pulled Xiaoyun Hall’s core disciple Yunxiao right into working alongside him at the hub.

From this point forward, all affairs in Eastern Divine Continent would be handled jointly by Chu Xingchen and Yunxiao — with Yunxiao handling most of the actual work.

Chen Baiqing was therefore freed from the principal seat.

After stepping down, Chen Baiqing gave only brief instructions before departing for Chuan Dao Hai — the immortal-world’s shipping terminal. It appeared she had also quietly requisitioned a contingent of Xuanqing Heavenly Sect cultivators to operate in the shadows, likely at Shifu’s arrangement.

Lin Luoyu understood. Their Third Senior Sister had either received a mission from Shifu or had identified a problem here.

Along the way, Lin Luoyu did not ask questions. She was now accustomed to Third Senior Sister’s methods — knowing that when the time was right, she would explain everything in full.

Chen Baiqing watched the succession of ships waiting to dock and asked softly:

"Do you know which continent currently ships the most cargo to Eastern Divine Continent? I’ll let you guess."

Lin Luoyu considered. Northern Julu Continent was relatively closed off. Western Niu Continent was poor. Central Continent was the great consumer, mostly importing and rarely exporting — spending spirit stones on everything. By logic, there was only one possibility left.

"Southern Zhanbu Continent?" Lin Luoyu ventured.

"That used to be true," Chen Baiqing said with a light laugh. "But now it’s Western Niu Continent."

Lin Luoyu frowned, puzzled.

"What could Western Niu Continent possibly sell in such quantities?"

"Premium Buddha Statues." Chen Baiqing looked up at a ship that had just docked. "They’re extremely popular — and they’ve been popular for eight or nine years now. I stumbled on this while investigating something unrelated, searching through shipping records."

"Over these eight or nine years, import volumes have only increased. Based on the shipping tonnage and the relentless upward trend..."

Chen Baiqing smiled at Lin Luoyu:

"Compared to Western Niu Continent, Eastern Divine Continent is the real Buddhist holy land. Everyone’s got two exquisite Buddha statues — they’re more devout than anyone in Western Niu Continent."

Lin Luoyu understood what Chen Baiqing was implying. After a moment’s thought, the realization hit:

"So these Premium Buddha Statues are actually transporting wish-power?"

"That’s how it appears." Chen Baiqing nodded slightly. "I couldn’t trust Xiaoyun Hall, so I’ve been allowing these statues to circulate freely within my jurisdiction, turning a blind eye to keep them at ease — thinking I wasn’t investigating, that I didn’t know."

"Now that I’ve been relieved of my post, and Shifu has Xiaoyun Hall and all parties focused elsewhere, this is the perfect moment. A surprise move should yield plenty of pleasant discoveries."

"First, let’s figure out whose faith runs this deep. Then trace these statues back to their origin in Western Niu Continent."

"The Buddhist sect was never clean to begin with. Runan may or may not know about this. His silence likely amounts to choosing to preserve the Secular Buddhas."

Chen Baiqing gently smoothed her sleeve and continued:

"Shifu always refuses to use thunderous methods. He still wants to unite everyone first. But the Buddhist sect is tangled like a knot — it might be more effective to scatter them and start over."

"Radiant Buddha’s Mahayana Teachings could certainly win over the Karma Buddhas. Without roots, the Secular Buddhas would be scheming against each other. Even if they banded together for warmth and built a little Thunder Temple, it wouldn’t last."

"When that happens, the world will only offer them two paths."

"Either defect to the demons, or fall under Shifu’s banner."

"With Radiant Buddha rallying the Karma Buddhas in front, and Shifu suppressing the Secular Buddhas from behind — a sect that large, once scattered, would most likely fall entirely under Shifu’s control. And Shifu would command far more authority than Runan. They might even put Runan back in a position of his own — and Runan himself might end up under Shifu’s command as well."

"As for that spirit vein at the Buddhist sect’s Spirit Mountain..."

"What do you think about us taking it?"

"The justification would be temporary administration with future return to the Buddhist sect. But when that ’future’ arrives — well, that’s for us to decide."

Lin Luoyu felt her scalp tingle hearing this, but she had to admit it made a disturbing amount of sense.

Thankfully, this wasn’t the first time Third Senior Sister had made such thunderous suggestions.

Lin Luoyu had developed at least some resistance.

Still, if Third Senior Sister were truly allowed to run with her ideas... whether it would succeed, Lin Luoyu couldn’t say. But the world would certainly become far more entertaining — the kind of entertainment that came with fists flying.

Chen Baiqing sighed softly:

"A pity Shifu won’t agree."

Lin Luoyu thought for a moment and said: "I think what we’ve built at Wanhua Ridge is no less impressive than Spirit Mountain."

Chen Baiqing’s eyes brightened at this. She reached into her space ring, produced a large piece of candied fruit, and offered it to Lin Luoyu with a smile:

"Well said. Senior Sister treats you to candied fruit."