A leisurely life in the world of cultivation

Chapter 183 Evil
The Five Elements Sect is becoming increasingly lively.

Hou Haikun did indeed have a plan: he instructed the five rogue cultivators to widely publicize the brutality of the Sin Clan's revenge that night, and to mobilize three late-stage Spirit God Realm cultivators.

However, the Five Elements Sect not only remained unharmed, but also killed two of them.

In fact, what does the death or injury of two experts in the late stage of the Spirit God Realm mean in the tens of thousands of years of fighting against the Sin Clan?

As long as there are endless cultivators, there will be endless sinners.

Over countless years, the number of Immortal Realm experts who have died is unknown...

However, due to the effective promotion, almost everyone knows that there is such a peaceful and tranquil place in the Northern Spiritual Domain.

Even if it's just to hide for a few months and avoid this storm, it's still good.

Otherwise, if the criminal gang were to retaliate, the consequences would be unimaginable.

As a result, more and more wealthy people flocked to the area.

Along with that came a clatter of spirit stones.

When Tao Ling'er saw the arrogant Li Weizhou build himself a bed with mid-grade spirit stones, she laughed so hard she bent over...

What is the use of spirit stones?

In any world with a long history and well-established social systems, currency is one of the most important assets.

There's no need to go into detail about buying spiritual artifacts and pills. What Li Weizhou wanted to learn were the two large furnaces for burning gold—no, furnaces for burning spirit stones.

In addition, there are four wives, each of whom is a major consumer of resources. Oh, and there's the current pharmacy, the future forge, and so on...

Even though the output will definitely exceed the input in the future, we still have to invest first.

Although the Five Elements Sect left behind a substantial legacy, Li Weizhou still felt it was largely thanks to his strategic planning; such talent could probably rival that of the Two Mas...

But he remained calm. He knew that while one could make a quick buck by capitalizing on a trending topic, it couldn't last.
If criminals disappear for just one month, the currently booming rental business will decrease by 30%. If they stay quiet for three months, the business will likely decrease by 80%.

So we still need to find a way.

With such vast resources on Earth, it would be an absolute injustice not to utilize them...

The next day, Li Weizhou approached Bai Zhiwei and Granny Jinhua again and asked a crucial question: "How does the Sin Clan raise Ice Soul Insects? It doesn't make sense that the Sin Clan can raise them, but the righteous immortal sects can't?"

Granny Jin Hua laughed, "The Sin Clan can raise them because they found the Ice and Snow Secret Realm, a place truly blessed by nature. Perhaps there are other places, but not necessarily as suitable. It's not a problem that the Ice Soul Insects need to live in the snowy region, but they also need to be exposed to the cold wind all the time, without missing a single moment of the day. These insects are extremely strange; they are most afraid of heat..."

Li Weizhou asked, puzzled, "There must be quite a few places with ice and snow, right?"

Granny Jin Hua laughed and said, "There are quite a few, especially in our Northern Spirit Domain, so Ice Soul Insects are not uncommon. However, places where the wind blows continuously for twelve hours a day without stopping for a moment, and where the wind cannot be too strong or too weak, are extremely rare. Without such a world, Ice Soul Insects can survive, but they cannot form Ice Soul Pearls. Or they might form... inferior pearls that are not very good."

Seeing Li Weizhou's eyes growing brighter and brighter, Bai Zhiwei, though confused, added, "Besides this, although the Ice Soul Insect is very small, it likes to grow at high places, where it can see a world of ice and snow all around. That's why it likes to form Ice Soul Pearls..."

Li Weizhou asked in bewilderment, "Were you an Ice Soul Insect before?"

"what?!"

Bai Zhiwei was furious and said, "Sect Leader, you're bullying me! I'm going to complain to Madam Yue Niang!"

Li Weizhou chuckled and said, "I'm just curious, how did you know what the Ice Soul Insect was thinking?"

Granny Jin Hua laughed and said, "There have been quite a few people throughout history who have the same ideas as you, Sect Leader. Although few have succeeded, it's not that no one has ever succeeded. Medicine King Valley in Zhongzhou once raised some and left records, which were recorded in the medical classic. Later, due to some events, the medical classic was leaked, and many people learned about it. I just didn't expect that outside of Medicine King Valley, it would be the Sin Clan that accomplished it."

Li Weizhou hurriedly said, "Grandma, could we perhaps take a look at the medical text that records this part?"

"Of course it's possible. However, I still advise the sect leader that some things cannot be forced by human power. It's not that no one has thought of using illusions or magic to create an ice and snow world, but the Ice Soul Insect is extremely sensitive to changes in spiritual energy, and it cannot be fooled at all..."

Granny Jin Hua already considered herself a member of the Five Elements Sect, and she didn't want to see the young sect leader invest the limited resources into a vague and unrealistic dream.

Li Weizhou nodded happily and said, "I understand, I understand."

……

Is it expensive to build an ice and snow world?

high.

The costs of various cultural tourism and ice and snow worlds are already very high.

But can a typical snowy world meet the requirements of the Ice Soul Insect?

Of course not. Extremely low temperatures are required. Minus fifty or sixty degrees Celsius is extremely cold for ordinary humans, but it's nothing for cultivators, let alone Ice Soul Insects.

When he went to the Ice and Snow Secret Realm last time, he brought a thermometer with an air bag. The temperature he measured was -126 degrees Celsius, with the highest point being 168 degrees Celsius.

Many people have no concept of low temperature, including Li Weizhou himself.

It wasn't until the Earth's giants taught him a lesson that he realized the highest temperature ever created by humans had exceeded ten trillion degrees Celsius. Yes, you read that right, ten trillion.

But the lowest temperature can never reach -273.15 degrees Celsius...

Nobody knows why. But that's just how it is.

Perhaps, this is part of the rules of Heaven?

People in the spirit world can summon wind and rain, and their power is immense.

Whether or not he could break through absolute zero, Li Weizhou didn't know; perhaps he could, perhaps he couldn't.

But at least it's not that low in the Ice and Snow Secret Realm.

Oh, and there's another big difference: the icy air on Earth can be blocked by wearing a spacesuit, but not in the spirit world.

The icy aura has the effect of breaking through spiritual energy shields, or rather, it can penetrate them and cannot be defended against; one can only rely on one's own firepower to withstand it.

Li Weizhou survived thanks to the heat of the sun's essence fire...

This should also be part of the rules of Heaven.

As for whether an ice and snow environment is easy to create...

On Earth, the cost of building a cold storage facility at -80 degrees Celsius is as high as 10,000 yuan per square meter, while the cost of building one at -120 degrees Celsius is 40,000 yuan per square meter.

Building an ultra-low temperature cold storage facility at minus 200 degrees Celsius would double the cost.

Actually, using a formation would be the best solution; the Five Elements Formation could isolate it. But since Granny Jin Hua said that the Ice Soul Insect is extremely sensitive to spiritual energy, there's no need to take the risk.

But if a problem can be solved with RMB, is it still a problem?
This matter will be left to the University of Tokyo to figure out...

Inside the Five Elements Hall of Hunyuan Peak, after reviewing the "Ice Soul Insect" section of the medical classic, Li Weizhou said to Feng Biwu, "This ice cellar would be suitable for Cangshui Peak, what do you think?"

Feng Biwu, as always, remained languid, and chuckled, "Aren't these conditions a bit too harsh?"

Li Weizhou glanced at her again; this woman was truly becoming more and more of a femme fatale the more she cultivated herself, her beauty breathtaking.

Zhou Yueniang laughed and said, "Are you just putting on a show to get more stock, or do you really want to raise Ice Soul Insects?"

Li Weizhou said confidently, "Of course I want to raise insects... whether I make spirit stones or not is secondary, the main thing is to make some contributions to cultivators in the spirit realm."

"Pooh!"

All four women spat at him, but they also liked his reckless attitude.

Li Weizhou chuckled and said, "The Five Elements Sect must have something to support its sect."

After a long silence, Situ Qingyue suddenly said, "The Bai family of Baicaotang might have a problem."

Li Weizhou asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Qi Erniang, a seasoned veteran, chuckled and said, "I also felt something was off before, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It seems Lord Situ has figured it out."

She just got used to calling it that and was too lazy to change it.

Situ Qingyue's personal image has already been established.

Situ Qingyue's gaze swept over everyone before finally settling on Li Weizhou. She said, "The appearance of Ice Soul Pearls in the Ice and Snow Minor Secret Realm might not seem significant to others, and few would even consider the possibility of nurturing pearls. But how could the Hundred Herbs Hall not think of it?"

Li Weizhou laughed and said, "They think the Ice and Snow Secret Realm is naturally formed?"

Situ Qingyue shook her head and said, "Whether it's a natural occurrence or not, they know better than anyone else where the Ice Soul Pearl is. You said when you first met Bai Zhiwei, she was looking for herbs?"

Zhou Yueniang also realized what was happening and said, "The Sinners have all left, and now they're choosing to seek refuge with us? They've even abandoned the Hundred Herbs Hall... Their problems are far more serious than you think!"

Situ Qingyue asked Li Weizhou, "What kind of major problem do you think would make them make this choice?"

Li Weizhou chuckled and said, "Could it be that the Ice Soul Worms in the Sin Clan's Ice and Snow Secret Realm were raised by these two?"

Qi Erniang chuckled and said, "You know what... you really shouldn't have said that!"

Tsk, it's obvious that he's been nourished by someone's nonsensical literature.

Situ Qingyue asked Li Weizhou, "What are you planning to do?"

Li Weizhou chuckled and said, "That depends on their choices. They'll definitely be much more lenient with technical talents. The prerequisite is loyalty to the sect."

Situ Qingyue smiled and said, "Leave this matter to me."

Qi Erniang and Li Weizhou chuckled and said, "We're also worried about suddenly having another little sister."

Li Weizhou shook his head repeatedly, saying, "It makes no sense, it's absolutely impossible, it's inexplicable."

The four women, who had only been joking, all looked over at the same time: "?!"

Li Weizhou said matter-of-factly, "That's exactly right. Haven't you noticed how much these Tom, Dick, and Harry from the Spirit Realm look down on us lower-level beings? What are these things thinking? The lower realm may lack spiritual energy, but it doesn't mean we're uncultured or brainless. They look at us like we're idiots, it's outrageous! As if we're so ignorant..."

Zhou Yueniang smiled and said, "Then do you have any knowledge about the spirit world?"

Li Weizhou answered frankly, "No!!"

Zhou Yueniang patted him with a smile and said, "Why are you paying attention to them? It's not that I'm afraid you have something going on with the Bai family, it's just that women are sometimes too shrewd, and they might not be comfortable telling the truth in front of you. Anyway, let Sister Situ handle this matter."

Li Weizhou nodded in agreement, "Alright! I wouldn't dare let you eat the pills they refine if I didn't find out the truth."

……

The evening breeze in the herb garden carried the scent of medicinal herbs, refreshing and soothing. But Bai Zhiwei was squatting beside the Moon-Condensing Grass, repeatedly winding and unwinding the straw rope in her hands, not even noticing the red marks on her fingertips.

After a long while, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Grandma, did the sect leader ask about the Ice Soul Insect today on purpose?"

Granny Jin Hua was sprinkling insect-repellent powder on the medicinal herbs when her hand trembled, and too much powder was sprinkled, forming small white clumps on the tips of the leaves.

She quickly smoothed it with her fingertips, her throat tightening as she lowered her voice and said, "It shouldn't be. Very few people know about this, and many of those involved are no longer alive. It's impossible, absolutely impossible."

Bai Zhiwei said uneasily, "But he asked such detailed questions..."

Grandma Jin Hua smiled wryly and said, "You're too honest, child. You answer whatever people ask, even 'looking at the snow from a high place'... That's a personality that your grandfather personally tested over a hundred times before figuring out."

Bai Zhiwei's eyes were misty as she asked, "Grandma, does he know... does he know about how Grandfather was forced by the Sinner Clan to build that secret realm back then?"

"Shh!"

Granny Jin Hua was startled and hurriedly grabbed her, looking around. Only the rustling of spiritual herbs could be heard around her, so she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Don't talk nonsense! Back then, it was the Sinner Clan who kidnapped your parents. Your grandfather was forced to help them set up the formation in order to protect the Bai family members. He was forced to do it, not to collude with the enemy!"

Even so, her fingertips left marks on the leaves of the spirit herb.

These old stories should have been known to no one except the mistress and her servant, but Li Weizhou's gaze today made it impossible not to panic.

Did he also want to raise the Ice Soul Insect, or was he testing the waters...?

If they really have any doubts, aren't they just digging their own grave?

It shouldn't be like this, and it doesn't make sense...

But now that things have come to this, they have no choice.

The Ice and Snow Secret Realm has been destroyed, and the Sin Clan is searching for the person who leaked the information; they may very well find them.

Or perhaps the Sin Clan wants to rebuild the small secret realm, and they might also seek them out.

Besides the Sin Clan, sects such as the Xuanlei Sword Sect have also sent people to investigate the matter of the small secret realm, and they might find their way back to them.

Granny Jin Hua was indeed an old woman. She was convinced that the Five Elements Sect was short of people, so she gave important positions to even people like Hou Haikun, Wang Kui, Liu Zhe, and Lan Gu Na, who were not up to par. How much more so would the Bai family's Hundred Herbs Hall?
She didn't ask for much; she just wanted Bai Zhiwei to have a place to stay.

In a way, she did not fail the old master's kindness in raising her.

But to her surprise, the Five Elements Sect's waters seemed to run much deeper than she had imagined...

The evening breeze in the herb garden suddenly changed direction.

The wind, which had previously carried the warm fragrance of spiritual herbs, had somehow been swept up with some sharp, thunderous energy. When it swept over the leaves of the Ice-Freezing Grass, it didn't make a rustling sound, but rather a fine "clicking" sound, the sound of the grass leaves rapidly curling up at the edges.

The afterglow of the sunset in the west had not yet faded, and the wine-red light shone through the protective array, spreading out and casting shadows of varying lengths on the spirit field.

Bai Zhiwei was squatting on the edge of the field when she suddenly felt a stiffness in the back of her neck.

She looked up at the sky, but the light, which should have been fading, was dazzlingly bright. Even the scent of the spiritual herbs in the air seemed to be twisted into a rope, making it hard to breathe.

As Granny Jin Hua finished putting away the last jar of spirit powder and turned around, she suddenly held her breath.

The evening breeze has stopped.

All the spiritual herbs seemed to have been paused, their leaves frozen in mid-air, and even the most lively Linglong Flower closed its trembling petals.

The shadows in the rosy light suddenly lengthened, and a slender figure emerged from behind the herb rack at the entrance of the herb garden.

It is Situ Qingyue.

She walked very slowly, the hem of her plain skirt brushing against the spiritual herbs on the ground, but without stirring up a single fallen leaf.

He held nothing in his hands, just his hands hanging down with his fingertips naturally interlaced. But with each step he took, the air pressure in the herb garden dropped a little, as if an invisible hand was slowly tightening its grip on this place.

She didn't look at the grandfather and grandson who were getting up in a panic; her gaze first fell on the patch of Moon-Condensing Grass.

The moonlight on the grass blades had thickened, creating a beautiful effect.

“The spirit herbs grow very well in the spirit world, but they don’t exist in the mortal realm.”

When she spoke, her voice was soft, yet it was like a stone thrown into still water, creating ripples that spread across the herb garden. She said, "In the mortal realm, I govern the Imperial Punishment Bureau, investigating all the wicked and corrupt officials. There are few rare treasures in the mortal realm that I haven't seen, but I have never seen a single spiritual herb in the spirit realm. This shows that one should not be arrogant. But there is nothing new under the sun. Haven't I seen it today?"

Grandma Jin Hua's back was suddenly covered in cold sweat.

Bai Zhiwei gripped the straw rope tightly in her hand. The knot dug into her palm, making her fingertips go numb with pain, but she dared not utter a sound.

She finally understood that the people in the lower realms weren't all ignorant and pitiful creatures; some were even man-eating tigers...

Situ Qingyue then raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping over them calmly, without anger or probing. But the places she looked at felt like snow exposed to the sun, inexplicably tense...

……

On the moon.

Li Weizhou lay alone on a piece of basalt rock warmed by the sun, completely at ease.

There are several women managing the Five Elements Sect, and Xiao Rui is also managing it with a few other women on Earth.

Yes, they are all very capable.

He looked at the distant crater, which resembled a giant bowl, with traces of an ancient meteorite impact still visible at the bottom.

Curious, how far back is ancient times?

It's definitely not the ancient times in the mythical sense, otherwise how could a meteorite impact have caused such damage...

Hmm, was it caused by a meteorite impact?
Li Weizhou sat up and carefully observed the area for a moment. He poked the rock strata on the edge of the crater with his fingertip, and the texture seemed even harder than the black iron in the spirit world... Of course, this was just a feeling.

The rock strata have a texture like crumpled paper, layer upon layer, with fine traces of melting at the edges, which is speculated to be the result of cooling after a high-temperature impact.

He recalled a geological documentary he had seen on Earth, which said that most of the lunar craters were formed four billion years ago, when Earth was still being "bombed" by asteroids.

Four billion years...

I don't know if it's true or just bragging.

If this is true, it means that this universe has been dormant for over four billion years...

Li Weizhou bent down and grabbed a handful of lunar soil. The powder leaked through his fingers, carrying a metallic coolness.

That's good. After being dead for over four billion years, we've finally seen him.

A man chuckled and looked up at the universe.

There, the stars shine brightly. One day, he will break free from these shackles and go out to see what's left...

The pace of spiritual cultivation on Earth is not slow; the limitations depend on the improvement of one's spiritual realm.

As long as the Geng metal is unlimited and the corresponding wood spirit energy is maintained, the "Undying Sword Body" here can continuously strengthen the physical body with almost no limit.

Li Weizhou himself didn't know just how strong his body was, to the point that he hadn't even dared to cultivate in the Spirit Realm before, for fear of being seen through by a powerful figure at a glance...

Only after the Tai Chi diagram concealed his aura did he dare to begin cultivating little by little, and he made rapid progress.

I imagine that one day it will bring a big surprise to some people...

Of course, the resources consumed also increase exponentially.

Li Weizhou vaguely guessed that if he wanted to truly traverse the universe in his physical body, the amount of iron on Earth might not be enough.

Of course, he meant traveling throughout the entire universe.

Simply breaking out of the Earth-Moon barrier and the solar system shouldn't be a big problem.

Australia has so much iron, it's incomprehensible...

Wow, there's a whole world behind this, a technological civilization as a resource repository, how awesome!

After gazing at the endless starry sky one last time, Li Weizhou returned to Earth.

Xiao Rui and Xu Li invited him to have hot pot together...

……

"Boss, do you know that you're incredibly popular in the world of online literature, comics, and short dramas right now!"

Inside a hot pot restaurant in Naypyidaw, Song Jia's lips were half swollen from the spiciness, but she still couldn't resist teasing Li Weizhou.

Xiao Rui, Zhao Ling'er, and Xu Li all laughed heartily. Xu Li said, "Dongda even asked the boss for his opinion, saying that if you mind, you can clear out a bunch of websites as a sign of respect. The boss thinks it's unnecessary. Isn't it just being treated as a major villainous BOSS?"

Xiao Rui laughed and said, "Me too, I mostly play the role of an evil queen. It doesn't matter, it's just for everyone to have a laugh."

Li Weizhou chuckled and said, "Evil? The evil is yet to come... I plan to collect all the weapons in the world, starting with South Korea and North Korea. Then it'll be the Japanese, who knows how many shady weapons they've hidden. Then it'll be the Asian countries, Europe, and America. Except for a few used for maintaining peace and security, we can keep some of those giant ships, cannons, nuclear weapons, and fighter jets for peace of mind, but we'll confiscate the vast majority of the rest."

Xiao Rui's expression turned serious as she looked at Li Weizhou and said, "I'm afraid it won't be easy... What about Dongda University?"

The other three girls also became solemn; this was a momentous event.

After careful consideration, Li Weizhou shook his head and said, "Dongda will not act for now. The world needs an army to maintain peace. Besides, Dongda never interferes in the affairs of other countries, and no one can criticize that."

Xiao Rui shook her head repeatedly, saying, "The West will absolutely not agree to that."

Li Weizhou laughed and said, "I'm not asking for their opinions, I'm sending them a notice. With nuclear fusion breakthroughs imminent and sufficient energy available, if left unchecked, an arms race will erupt almost instantly. Such a race is meaningless for humanity as a whole. No matter how much we compete, it's just infighting on Earth. Instead of doing that, we should focus our energy on the right path of space exploration. Enough with the infighting and self-destruction; there's no need for it to continue."

Song Jia asked, "What about Dongda University..."

Li Weizhou said, "The world ultimately needs stability. I come from Dongda University, and I trust Dongda University. It's that simple. If any party disagrees, I will personally negotiate with them. A new era is about to begin. If we don't change our thinking, we will change the people."

After a moment's thought, Xiao Rui slowly said, "I'll go and communicate with them. Let's discuss with Dongda University how to minimize the impact..."

Li Weizhou smiled and casually said, "Don't think too hard about it. In the face of power and life, the compromises and concessions they can make are far less than you think."

Seeing that Zhao Ling'er was staring at him, he smiled at her.

……

(End of this chapter)