Sect Master’s Immortal Journey

Chapter 594: Return

Jin LiTrue Monarch led Meng Zhang on a journey, driving away and killing cloud beasts, and collecting Nine Heavens Refined Essence along the way. Due to Meng Zhang's limited Cultivation Base, his contributions were limited. Even if Jin LiTrue Monarch was generous, he couldn't give him too much advantage.

Meng Zhang calculated that he had been in Nine Heavens for almost half a month, and his gains were not substantial. If he had entered this place alone, the situation might have been even worse. It seemed that collecting Nine Heavens Refined Essence was indeed not an easy task.

Cultivators from prominent sects and families had strong elders to take care of them, which made things easier. However, for cultivators like Meng Zhang, who came from smaller sects or had a loose cultivator background, it was much more challenging.

Jin LiTrue Monarch couldn't bring Meng Zhang with him every time, so Meng Zhang would have to find new ways to proceed on his own. Generally, for Gold Core stage cultivators, it was best not to linger inside Nine Heavens too long during their first few visits. Staying for about half a month was enough before leaving.

The rules of heaven and earth within Nine Heavens were special and placed immense pressure on cultivators. Even with Meng Zhang's exceptional talent, he didn't want to stay here for too long.

Jin LiTrue Monarch understood this, but the gains this time were exceptional. It was a rare opportunity, and she didn't want to leave just yet, fearing that the next time might not be as fortunate.

Seeing Jin LiTrue Monarch's dilemma, Meng Zhang proactively suggested that he would return alone. Throughout the journey, Meng Zhang performed admirably, showcasing his strength and cleverness.

After hesitating for a moment, Jin LiTrue Monarch agreed. Before parting, she specifically warned Meng Zhang not to get into any trouble on the way back and to leave Nine Heavens directly, avoiding unnecessary complications.

Meng Zhang naturally accepted Jin LiTrue Monarch's goodwill and promised to follow the advice. After bidding farewell to Jin LiTrue Monarch, Meng Zhang felt that his condition was good enough, and he might be able to stay a few more days.

The terrain within Nine Heavens was incredibly complex and frequently changed. Cultivators' Divine Sense and exploration spells were suppressed, making it difficult to explore distant places. In such circumstances, even with an excellent memory, cultivators might get lost.

At this point, Meng Zhang decided to abandon the search for the route and directly followed the direction indicated by his Spiritual Awareness.

Meng Zhang's return route was not the same as the one he came from, but it was relatively safe. He encountered no dangers and even gained some rewards. He collected two clusters of Nine Heavens Refined Essence and captured several cloud beast cubs.

Within the Taiyi Sect, there was a specialized Beast Controlling Hall responsible for breeding and taming various spirit beasts for the sect's use. The elder in charge of the hall, Hu Jing, practiced a unique technique that allowed him to strengthen his combat power using the spirit pets he raised.

Cloud beasts within Nine Heavens generally had stronger combat capabilities than the demonic beasts in the Grand Dust World and showed more potential. Their intelligence was higher than that of ordinary beasts, making them likely candidates for taming.

The only concern was whether these cloud beasts could adapt to the new environment outside Nine Heavens and survive to continue growing.

Following the route guided by his Spiritual Awareness, Meng Zhang flew for about ten days before reaching the boundary of Nine Heavens.

Meng Zhang exerted force and leaped, jumping out of Nine Heavens and returning to the outside world. At first, he felt dizzy and disoriented, but quickly recovered and sensed a relieving relaxation throughout his body. The invisible pressure that had enveloped him inside Nine Heavens completely vanished.

Leaving Nine Heavens, any adverse effects on the body caused by Nine Heavens naturally dissipated rapidly. At that moment, Meng Zhang suddenly remembered the cloud beast cubs he had captured. He checked his spirit pet bag and found that the once lively cubs had become weak and listless. One of them was in a critical condition, barely hanging on.

Not daring to delay any further, Meng Zhang immediately accelerated his descent and swiftly flew towards the Hundred Grass Slope, the sect's mountain gate. He handed over the cloud beast cubs to Elder Hu Jing and briefly explained their origins.

At that time, the cub in the worst condition had already begun to transform into clouds, about to disappear. Hu Jing was much more proficient in the art of beast taming than Meng Zhang. She took the cubs and started to figure out how to care for them.

Shortly after returning to the sect, many matters sought Meng Zhang's attention. First, the senior disciple Niu Dawei requested an audience to report various recent affairs in the sect. Although Meng Zhang had delegated most of the sect's affairs to Niu Dawei, he still periodically listened to his reports and provided guidance.

Since the return to peace, Taiyi Sect had rapidly regained its vitality. The extensive development of Demon Wind Gobi and the increasingly frequent business dealings with Great Wind City had brought the sect increasing wealth. The number of awakened spirit roots among the mortal disciples of Taiyi Sect was also growing, even with the raised entry threshold.

Meng Zhang sat in his seat with half-opened eyes, quietly listening to Niu Dawei's report on these trivial daily affairs, which Niu Dawei handled well.

After Jin LiTrue Monarch agreed to join the Jiuqu League, Taiyi Sect naturally became one of the forces under Jin LiTrue Monarch's command and a member of the Jiuqu League. The relationship between Taiyi Sect and Great Wind City and Gu Yue Family became increasingly close as they integrated into the Jiuqu League.

Soon, Niu Dawei mentioned the issues with the Yellow Lotus Sect's East River Branch and the Fire Cloud Sect. Meng Zhang and Taiyi Sect were currently unable to participate in the struggles between Primordial Spirit True Monarchs. Their current target was the forces under the True Monarch Mountain Peak.

Taiyi Sect was directly confronting the Yellow Lotus Sect's East River Branch power. Meng Zhang naturally didn't want them to unite; instead, he sought to divide and weaken them. Taiyi Sect tempted the Fire Cloud Sect, which was not a direct subordinate of True Monarch Mountain Peak, with benefits to engage in smuggling with Taiyi Sect.

Driven by interests, Fire Cloud Sect readily took the bait. They even started stealing various unique resources produced in the Endless Sea of Sand, which were under the control of the Yellow Lotus Sect's East River Branch. In truth, the higher-ups in the East River Branch were not oblivious to the Fire Cloud Sect's clandestine activities.

However, they were also unhappy with the exploitation by True Monarch Mountain Peak and pretended not to know about the Fire Cloud Sect's actions, allowing them to act as they pleased. In some cases, they intentionally or unintentionally sold more resources to the Fire Cloud Sect.

After all, according to True Monarch Mountain Peak's orders, all resources from the Endless Sea of Sand were sent to Mountain Branch for sale, causing significant harm to the interests of the East River Branch.

Taiyi Sect secretly orchestrated this matter, causing internal problems for the other party and gaining significant benefits for themselves. Fire Cloud Sect sold various resources to Taiyi Sect's territory. While Taiyi Sect kept a portion for its own use, it mostly sent the resources to Great Wind City for sale, earning substantial profits. Taiyi Sect had been secretly maintaining this smuggling route not only for the benefits but also for a larger goal.

After listening to Niu Dawei's report for a while, Meng Zhang carefully provided guidance before allowing him to leave. Shortly after Niu Dawei's departure, Delicate Water Spirit General came to find him.

Despite appearing prosperous and having a large income, Taiyi Sect's increasing number of cultivators, especially those in the Gold Core stage, made it inevitable for them to expand and acquire more resources. Naturally, Taiyi Sect couldn't expand towards the Jiuqu League's direction, and Endless Sea of Sand had a new owner, making it inaccessible as well. The northern Deadly Sea of Sand was desolate, with no signs of life. While it produced some mineral resources and special spirit medicines, it was uninhabitable for ordinary humans, and its value was not high.

Taiyi Sect currently only arranged for some cultivators to go to Deadly Sea of Sand to obtain resources and did not have any plans for large-scale expansion there. The only possible direction for expansion was to the west, further into the Demon Wind Gobi.

In recent years, Taiyi Sect had strengthened its surveillance of the deep areas of Demon Wind Gobi. Delicate Water Spirit General had made multiple undercover investigations to explore the situation there. Unfortunately, she brought Meng Zhang bad news.

Facing the invasion of the Sea Clan, the demon beasts of Demon Wind Gobi were retreating and were on the verge of collapse. If these demon beasts couldn't withstand the Sea Clan's attack and were completely defeated, their only escape route would be towards Taiyi Sect's current territory.

By then, Taiyi Sect would be the first to face a large wave of demon beast army's assault. After that, if the Sea Clan continued to expand, Taiyi Sect would directly confront this formidable enemy.

Having just ended a major war about twenty years ago, Taiyi Sect had not fully recovered its elite forces and vitality. If another major war were to break out, it would not bode well for Taiyi Sect.

Although Taiyi Sect currently had the protection of Jin LiTrue Monarch, she wasn't Taiyi Sect's caretaker or enforcer. Taiyi Sect couldn't rely on Jin LiTrue Monarch to solve every problem. If a large-scale war happened, Taiyi Sect cultivators would still be the main force in combat.

After hearing Delicate Water Spirit General's report, Meng Zhang had no perfect solution. He could only order to strengthen the surveillance of Demon Wind Gobi and be prepared to respond at any time. Meanwhile, Taiyi Sect had to start slowly preparing for the next major war.

After dealing with numerous sect affairs, Meng Zhang began his cultivation. This time, he started trying to absorb Nine Heavens Refined Essence. After the first absorption, Meng Zhang finally understood why Nine Heavens Refined Essence was something that Gold Core stage cultivators diligently pursued. Compared to absorbing spiritual energy from a Third Rank spirit vein, Nine Heavens Refined Essence provided comprehensive enhancements to cultivators.

Each time he refined Nine Heavens Refined Essence, Meng Zhang entered a special state, feeling that his entire body and mind had been elevated, bringing him closer to the Grand Dao. Absorbing and refining Nine Heavens Refined Essence was also a test for Gold Core stage cultivators. Only those in the Gold Core stage could successfully absorb and refine it, and the stronger their foundation, the more benefits they gained from it.

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