Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 783 A Farewell Gift

Chaoyang Peak, Wuji Palace.

Ji An came here immediately after returning from Yuanhe Mountain and summoned all the Golden Core cultivators.

Da Huang and Hu Yujie stayed outside the main hall. The celestial fox was currently in its beast form, and its demonic power was sealed by the spirit-sealing technique, preventing it from causing any trouble.

He sat in the head seat, his tone tinged with joy:

"All the Nascent Soul level members of the True Demon Clan have been annihilated, and the rate at which demonic energy surges in the Demon Cave is gradually decreasing. It is estimated that the True Demon Calamity will last for at most another ten years."

He gained a deeper understanding of the wars in the cultivation world; without defensive formations, only powerful individuals could influence the course of the war.

However, unless you are absolutely certain of victory, you should never use secret techniques that consume a great deal of resources in battle.

But is there any situation in the world where victory is assured? The late-stage Nascent Soul True Demon lying quietly in the Void Stone gave Ji An profound enlightenment.

It's better to give up some benefits than to weaken yourself. You must have a very quick way to escape. Running away is not shameful; losing your life is what makes you a fool.

Laughter echoed through the main hall. The great calamity was over, and the sect's spiritual veins were about to be upgraded to the fourth rank—good things come in pairs.

In this way, eligible disciples will travel together and return to the sect one after another twenty years later to prepare for breaking through to the Golden Core stage.

Lin Jiuxiao felt a sense of exhilaration, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the moon, and said in a deep voice:

"True Lord, may we send our disciples to expand the patrol area?"
The condition of the spiritual veins within a thousand miles needs to be assessed. If there are still survivors, we can begin rebuilding their homes.

If there are no survivors, these spiritual veins can serve as resource points for the sect.

The sect is accumulating more and more resources, but no one complains about having too many.

Ji An nodded. "I think it's feasible. Two armies of true demons have passed through the area, so there shouldn't be any more true demons coming."

However, just to be on the safe side, it would be best to wait another two or three years. I will then investigate the situation in the Yuanhe Mountain Demon Cave.

He understood the other party's thoughts, but seizing resources was not something to rush into; the safety of his disciples was more important.

Lin Jiuxiao scratched his head. "I understand."

He was also aware that the proposal carried some risks.

Zhang Zeye's expression was rather solemn. He sighed and said:
"The attacks from the Nascent Soul level True Demons were too powerful, severely impacting the progress of our spiritual vein upgrades and delaying us by at least a decade."

Qin Yan comforted him, saying, "It's just how things are, so there's no need to worry too much. Besides, these true demons all paid the price with their lives."

He turned his head and asked:
"True Lord, may I exchange for some purified Nascent Soul level bone materials?"

Using spiritual bones as materials to forge bone artifacts is also an important branch of weapon crafting, and he is quite interested in it.

Ji An frowned slightly and refused:

"These bones, after being fully calcined, become the best fertilizer, perfect for accelerating the cultivation of high-grade spirit trees."

The ashes of Nascent Soul level cultivators are a strategic resource for him, serving as a substitute for Daoist essence in cultivating spiritual plants; keeping them in his possession is more useful.

"So that's how it is," Qin Yan said with great regret. Refining magical artifacts was more important to him, but it was not the same for others.

At this moment, Lin Qiubai sighed:
"I wonder what the True Demon Tribulation in Central Continent will look like, and what Hao Ran's cultivation level will be now."

Li Haoran is his prized disciple, whose understanding of sword cultivation far surpasses that of his master, and has now become his spiritual sustenance.

He is now over five hundred years old, and his cultivation level is still stuck at the third level of the Golden Core stage. The closer he gets to the end, the slower his cultivation progresses.

His fellow disciples cultivate the Five Elements Reincarnation Scripture and have the Five Qi Pills to quickly accumulate magical power, but he can only take other pills to improve himself, which greatly reduces the speed of his cultivation.

For a swordsman to make rapid progress, the most important thing is to understand the intent of the sword.

To advance to the Nascent Soul level, they need to use sword intent to condense the mana within their bodies into sword essence. With sword intent as the seed and sword essence as the soil, they can condense a Nascent Soul that is different from other cultivators.

To know exactly how to do it, you need to purchase cultivation techniques. Although the Five Elements Sect has sword cultivation techniques, they are not enough to advance to the Nascent Soul stage. This is a different path from traditional magic cultivation.

Deep down, Lin Qiubai envied this disciple. Sword cultivators can grow faster in battle. The sect closed the mountain in advance for safety reasons. Although he was still responsible for patrolling the Law Enforcement Hall, there were far fewer intense battles.

Later, when the Nascent Soul level True Demon attacked the patrol team, he never stepped out of the mountain-protecting formation again.

Liu Yu said, "Senior Brother Li is at least at the late Golden Core stage, right?"

Li Haoran possesses a Heavenly Spiritual Root and a Metal Elemental Body, giving him an advantage in both enhancing his magical power and comprehending sword intent. Although the gap in aptitude between individuals gradually narrows after the Golden Core stage, it still exists.

Lin Lan and her junior brother exchanged a glance. They didn't have much of an impression of Li Haoran and had almost forgotten that they had such a fellow disciple.

Lin Jiuxiao sighed and said:
"Junior Brother Qin and Junior Brother Li are the most promising people to achieve the Nascent Soul stage in the future, and the future of the sect is infinitely bright."

Once trade between the Western Continent and the Central Continent resumes, we will definitely prioritize purchasing sword cultivation techniques at the Nascent Soul level for Junior Brother Li.

Back then, the sect made a deal with the Central Continent Cloud Sea Merchant Alliance and purchased the Heavenly River Sword Technique. However, this technique stopped at the Golden Core Perfection realm and did not break through to the Nascent Soul realm.

The Heavenly River Sword Technique is the inherited method of the Heavenly River Sword Sect in the Central Continent. This sect was once very powerful, but like the Five Elements Sect, it was destroyed in the last True Demon Calamity.

He changed the subject and continued:
"I think we should discuss the migration of mortals after the great calamity ends in advance, and make good use of these human resources to establish a very stable external environment."

Ji An stood up and said:
"You can discuss this matter yourselves. I'm going back to Crimson Flame Peak to cultivate in seclusion."

Please notify me only if there are any major issues; do not disturb me at other times.

"Respectfully seeing off the True Lord."

Ji An returned to Crimson Flame Peak, rode a cloud carrying Hu Yujie to the edge of the Cold Pool, and said:
"You can stay in any of these rooms down the mountain that are not sealed by magic arrays. Just tell me what you need."

If your request is reasonable, I can accommodate it.

He's having a bit of a headache right now, not knowing what to do with this celestial fox.

In fact, maximizing the benefits involves treating it as a consumable when disciples break through to the Golden Core level, thus obtaining the Daoist essence of the Ten Thousand Palaces.

However, thanks to the other party's help, he was able to hunt down six Nascent Soul level True Demons, which made him somewhat resistant to this idea.

He sighed inwardly, 'I'm still not thick-skinned or ruthless enough.'

Hu Yujie transformed back into human form from her white fox appearance and nodded slightly, "Thank you, True Lord."

She really wanted to ask the other person how they planned to handle her situation, but she didn't know how to bring it up.

She paused for a moment, then continued:

"True Lord, the spiritual power within my body is imprisoned, and the injuries I sustained in recent years are healing very slowly. I wonder if you could be so kind as to lift the seal first?"

After being captured by the true demon, she was put in shackles that could seal her spiritual power, which greatly hindered her self-healing ability.

Morag used his own spiritual power as a switch, and it was only after his death and the weakening of the binding force of his shackles that Hu Yujie had a chance to escape. Ji An said cautiously, "I need to think about it some more."

He had to ask for something in return for saving the other party. Although he had indirectly received a lot, it was all earned through his own abilities.

Hu Yujie roughly understood what the other person was thinking, and said softly:

"I was saved by the True Lord Meng. When I return to Qingqiu in the future, I will surely send him a generous gift."

Alternatively, the True Lord could send someone into the Ten Thousand Mountains with my token to encounter any Golden Core level demon king, thus establishing contact with Qingqiu and having them send a congratulatory gift in advance.

"Let me think about it some more and I'll give you an answer in a few days."

Ji An understood that this matter could not be delayed, otherwise it would only cause the other party to harbor resentment. He either had to harden his heart and use this demon as a sacrifice to gain Dao essence, or let it leave as soon as possible.

What he needs to consider is what specific benefits he can gain, and also Qingqiu's attitude.

"Big Yellow, you stay here and await further instructions. I will send another puppet over for your use later."

The rock-armored bear growled, indicating that it understood.

Ji An cupped his hands to the Heavenly Fox and rode away on auspicious five-colored clouds.

Hu Yujie breathed a sigh of relief. She had witnessed the battle between the other party and the True Demon. Encountering a True Demon in the early stage of Nascent Soul was like cutting melons and vegetables, and the battle was resolved cleanly and decisively, which was unimaginable to her.

Finally, the fact that the opponent, with only the cultivation level of the early Nascent Soul stage, killed a true demon in the late Nascent Soul stage completely overturned her worldview.

She felt a lot of psychological pressure when she was with him.

Ji An flew to a cave halfway up the mountain and entered a small world.

After he left, Ayun stayed near the Gathering Yuan Tree forever, and immediately came to greet him when he returned.

“I will send someone down the mountain to take care of things; you can choose one for me.”

The puppets are becoming increasingly intelligent, and calling them 'human' makes them very happy.

Ayun nodded slightly and steered the flying shuttle to find a suitable puppet.

Ji An let out a long howl, summoning his tamed beasts over, and said:
“I will be in seclusion here from now on. You will still be on guard duty outside. As for the order of duty, you can discuss it yourselves. Big Yellow will be on duty last.”

The beasts immediately began to communicate, with Golden Fur volunteering to be the first on duty, while Bluebeard had no choice but to be the second at the suggestion of the Golden-feathered Eagle.

Ayun brought over a puppet. After giving Ji An a few instructions, he took the puppet away from the small world and escorted it out of the cave.

The puppet can descend the mountain on its own; it no longer needs to be escorted.

Ji An returned to the small world and began to take stock of his spoils; this was the happiest time of his life.

He obtained seven more Void Stones this time, bringing his total to twenty-two. Although they are all resources from the True Demon Realm, he can still use many of them.

He summoned the corpse of a Nascent Soul stage True Demon, activated the Azure Lotus Burning Heart Flame to purify and burn it, and at the same time he was thinking about how to deal with Hu Yujie.

The next day, Ji An left the small world and flew to the mountain peak, facing east and forming the Meridian Seal with both hands.

At this moment, indigo, lilac, ochre, gold and other colors are like a palette, painting the sky in a colorful hue.

A moment later, the sun rose. As the sunlight shone on the mountaintop, he activated his secret technique for absorbing the essence of the sun. As he moved his mouth, the purple aura of the rising sun fell from the sky, condensing into wisps of purple spiritual light that entered his mouth.

The Fire Element Divine Palace veins lit up, and the Bing-Ding Fire Dao Seeds emitted radiance, refining the spiritual light into the Morning Sun Purple Dew. Finally, it entered the middle dantian along the immortal veins, hovering around the 'Qi and Blood Golden Core' like a satellite.

A warm feeling emanated from the room, making the body feel as if it were soaking in a perfectly warm hot spring, which was very pleasant and comfortable.

As his cultivation level improved, Ji An's efficiency in refining the essence of the sun and moon also increased by about 20%.

When the rising sun ceased to emit its purple aura, he rode a cloud to the edge of the icy pool, found the celestial fox, and said:
"Fellow Daoist, if you are allowed to leave, are you capable of returning to Qingqiu?"

After much deliberation yesterday, he decided to let the other party leave, partly hoping to receive some reward, but that wasn't his main purpose.

The main reason is to show goodwill to Qingqiu. As the sect becomes a Nascent Soul sect, it will inevitably have interactions with Qingqiu in the future, so leaving a good relationship is a good thing.

We still need to maintain good relations with this group of demon beasts with tens of thousands of top-tier bloodlines.

Putting aside other matters, if we could establish trade relations with Qingqiu and exchange goods, our sect would receive tangible benefits.

If a conflict arises between Qingqiu and Qingqiu in the future, having the other side mediate can prevent the situation from escalating.

He wasn't too afraid of Qingqiu, but he couldn't be sure what would happen to the sect after he left.

Therefore, he gave up tens of thousands of Daoist principles and chose to let the other party leave.

Another important factor influenced his decision: the ashes of the Nascent Soul True Demons could indirectly play a role in the Dao, which is why he showed compassion.

Hu Yujie's eyes suddenly lit up, and she nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice:
"OK."

Although her injuries prevented her from engaging in intense combat, she knew that the True Demon Army had already withdrawn. As a transformed Great Demon of the Celestial Fox Clan, she would not encounter any danger while traveling through the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

Ji An said in a deep voice:
"The effects of the Spirit Sealing Technique will dissipate in two more days, at which time I will bid you farewell."

The other party should be treated to a good meal and made to leave in style.

"Your Excellency is truly virtuous. If I return to Qingqiu, I will surely repay you handsomely."

Two days later, Ji An held a grand banquet by the cold pool, serving guests a golden carp of the Golden Core level, top-grade pine nut wine of the third rank, top-grade honey osmanthus cake of the third rank, and other spiritual items.

Hu Yujie's movements were somewhat rough, and she ate very quickly. For the past few years, she had been in a state of spiritual energy deficiency, and now that she finally had the opportunity to replenish her spiritual energy, she no longer cared about being elegant.

It's not that she hasn't eaten better spiritual food, but she's suffered too much in recent years. After being captured, she's no longer the little princess of the Heavenly Fox Clan she was before the Great Calamity.

Ji An repeatedly urged Hu Yujie to drink, and Hu Yujie accepted every drink offered, making everyone happy.

After a short rest following the meal, Ji An stood up and took out a fist-sized object from the white jade jar.
"Here are some spiritual teas to offer to you, fellow Daoist. Our sect hopes to live in harmony with Qingqiu in the future."

There is a small amount of Grade 4 Thunderstruck Jade Dew Golden Bud Tea inside, which is quite valuable. I believe the recipient will like it.

Hu Yujie blushed slightly and said gently:

"I am deeply grateful for your kindness and hospitality, but I have nothing to offer in return. How could I possibly accept any more gifts?"

"Haha, fellow Daoist, you flatter me."

He placed the jade jar in the other person's hand, rode auspicious five-colored clouds to send them away, and when they reached the mountain-protecting formation, he took the other person's hand and released a golden light that shot through the formation, demonstrating another aspect of his power.

"Fellow Daoist, take care."

Hu Yujie bowed respectfully, "Fellow Daoist, farewell!"

(End of this chapter)