Immortality starts from the liver proficiency

Chapter 454 Taking Over Cold Crow Pass

The moment Xu Yunfan stepped into the council hall, more than ten guards inside bowed in unison.

He glanced around the hall and saw the guards from Cold Crow Pass, all looking at the new garrison commander with slightly tense expressions.

The pale moonlight reflected off the bluestone ground, casting long, distorted shadows of everyone onto the mottled walls.

The Qi Refining stage disciples in the front row didn't even dare to look directly at the Foundation Establishment True Person. Their necks were bent so low they almost broke, and the backs of their blue Daoist robes were already soaked with cold sweat.

"Everyone, get up."

Xu Yunfan raised his hand slightly, his gaze sweeping over the trembling young cultivator in the corner.

The first time facing a Foundation Establishment True Person, especially in the Yuanshi Sect, and particularly in the face of this power transition between the old and new, it's hard to avoid losing two people to demonstrate the True Person's majesty.

The hall was filled with the smell of cheap, calming incense mixed with the stench of old blood, making one's temples throb.

Xu Yunfan frowned slightly and remained silent, a heavy sense of oppression spreading throughout the hall as if it were a tangible force.

Although the Foundation Establishment cultivator did not intentionally release his spiritual pressure, it made the Qi Refining cultivators present feel uneasy, and they even had to be careful when breathing.

In the corner, a young monk had beads of sweat on his forehead, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he didn't even dare to swallow.

He stared intently at the ground, as if the patterns on the blue bricks could save his life.

The fellow disciples beside him were even paler than before, their fingertips unconsciously digging into their palms, yet they felt no pain whatsoever.

Zhou Lu, sitting in the front row, pressed his forehead against the cold floor tiles, his gray beard trembling slightly.

The silence of the Foundation Establishment cultivator was more chilling than any reprimand. He felt a tightness in his chest, as if a huge rock was pressing on his heart, and even his heartbeat became sluggish.

Inside the hall, you could hear a pin drop; only the smoke from cheap, calming incense rose in wisps, twisting into bizarre shapes under the sunlight outside.

Everyone kept their eyes down, not daring to meet Xu Yunfan's gaze, for fear that they might inadvertently become the sacrificial lambs for the new official to establish his authority.

The air seemed to freeze, and even the sound of the wind from the River Styx seemed to be shut out.

Only when Xu Yunfan gently tapped the jade slip did everyone breathe a sigh of relief, as if granted a pardon. But they immediately tensed up again, waiting for the new garrison commander's next words.

Xu Yunfan naturally ignored the anxiety in the hearts of the cultivators in the hall.

For disciples of the Demonic Sect, especially those in lower ranks, the key to survival when facing those in higher ranks is to be extremely cautious.

It's not surprising that he looks like this. If there were someone standing tall and looking him in the eye, he would definitely take a second look at them.

If there's a problem, you'll naturally want to see where the other party's confidence comes from; there might even be some unexpected surprises.

On the table lay a jade slip gleaming with a bluish light, its edges radiating a warm glow, clearly freshly branded.

As Xu Yunfan finished reading the jade slip, his expression turning enigmatic, the gray-robed elder kneeling at the front suddenly crawled two steps forward: "Reporting, reporting to the True Immortal, Commander Li said three days ago that he was going to inspect the array's core, but what happened?"

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his cloudy eyes kept glancing at the River Styx outside the hall. "Only this jade slip containing his image was sent back upon our return."

"what's your name?"

Xu Yunfan interrupted, noticing three dark patterns embroidered on the old man's cuffs, which was the mark of the guard of Han Ya Pass.

As the most important border fortress of the Yuanshi Sect, Hanya Pass not only guards the vital passage to the three states, but is also the largest black market distribution center on the border within the territory of the Demon Sect.

Elixirs from righteous sects, ritual implements from Buddhism, and secret medicines from demonic sects are all openly priced and circulated here day and night.

The monthly stall tax alone is equivalent to half a year's offerings from an ordinary sect.

The potential profits involved are certainly not to be underestimated.

Besides the annual tribute to Emperor Yuanshi, there was a considerable surplus, enough for him to eat and drink his fill inside. Indeed, he had been brought to Hanya Pass as some kind of garrison commander, so naturally he needed to line his own pockets and amass wealth to justify his actions.

Li Wei acted decisively and efficiently. Before leaving, he clearly recorded the accounts in the jade slip. He actually took away more than 70% of the spirit stones, pills, and magic artifacts in the Cold Crow Pass warehouse.

The glaring deficit on the books today is like the severed arms floating on the River Styx, a sight that would shock anyone who sees it.

If he fails to make up for it, he will not die, but he will suffer some hardship.

Thinking of this, Xu Yunfan felt a slight gloom in his heart.

These demonic sect masters are truly all self-destructive and harmful individuals, each with a twisted mentality.

"I am Zhou Lu, at the seventh level of Qi Refining."

The old man suddenly kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the blue bricks with a dull thud. "There are currently seventeen cultivators on duty at Cold Crow Pass, including three in the late Qi Refining stage and nine in the mid-stage."

He spoke faster and faster, as if he had recited it a thousand times: "Three sections of the battle formation on the east arrow tower are damaged, and on the west..."

"Weekly duty."

Xu Yunfan tapped the table lightly with the jade slip, the crisp sound silencing the old man. "Let's talk about the market first."

He didn't care about the arrow tower formations on Hanya Pass at all. They were just for show during the Qi Refining stage. These arrow tower defenses were practically useless in the battles at the Foundation Establishment level. The only things that could truly determine the survival of Hanya Pass, besides the mountain-protecting formation inherited from the Yuanshi Sect, were the strength differences between Foundation Establishment cultivators.

If he were attacked by the forces of Bodhi Zen Pure Land and Wancheng Sword Sect, Xu Yunfan would fight if he could, and if he couldn't, he would abandon Hanya Pass and flee without hesitation.

What Xu Yunfan was most concerned about was naturally the market with the best commission.

He stroked the edge of the jade slip, his divine sense sweeping over the shocking deficit on the accounts.

The market revenue collected on the first and fifteenth nights of each month, the transaction taxes from righteous pills and demonic medicines, is the key to making up for this 70% deficit.

To make up for the deficit, the market is of paramount importance.

A series of gasps immediately filled the hall.

A young cultivator with a topknot in the back row suddenly collapsed to the ground, his legs giving way.

Xu Yunfan glanced at them and immediately understood that every single one of these people was a scumbag who was good at embezzling.

However, he didn't care. If the people working below weren't well-fed, how could they be expected to do their best?

As long as it's not excessive, he doesn't mind these people picking up some scraps and eating them.

Zhou Lu's Adam's apple bobbed violently twice, and his gray beard trembled with his rapid breathing. Facing Xu Yunfan's indifferent eyes, he dared not hide anything.

"Reporting to the Master, the daily transaction volume of the market is approximately 30,000 spirit stones, of which 20% is taken as commission."

He suddenly fell silent at the crucial point, his cloudy eyes glancing at the young monk slumped on the ground.

"continue."

Xu Yunfan tapped the table lightly with the jade slip, the crisp sound startling the young cultivator.

He glanced at him, and the young cultivator immediately broke out in a cold sweat, falling silent as if trembling in fear.

Looks like someone with connections?
Xu Yunfan thought to himself casually.

"Yes Yes."

Zhou Lu's forehead was beaded with cold sweat. "On the first and fifteenth of each month, the transaction volume more than triples. Just last month, on the fifteenth, the transaction of Buddhist esoteric ritual implements alone yielded eight hundred spirit stones."

(End of this chapter)