Chapter 376: 376. Chapter 372: Fired

376. Chapter 372: Fired

"Esteemed fellow cultivator, your method is excellent—could you help me set up one outside my array core as well?" A middle-aged array master approached Ding Huan, his face beaming with flattery.

The Dao-Thief Beetles ran rampant; like Lu Hai, they were all exhausted, drenched in sweat.

Since Ding Huan set up the Killing Formation, their pressure had sharply lessened, as most of the beetles were absorbed by his Killing Formation.

Now that they finally had a moment to breathe, they naturally came to consult Ding Huan—ideally, hoping he'd help them set up a Killing Formation too.

"Bi Qingjian, you want this man to set up an array for you?" Lu Hai asked in disbelief.

The middle-aged male cultivator replied coolly: "I'm not like you—you entrusted your guarded array core to a hired outsider. I wouldn't dare do that."

Lu Hai felt a chill—he knew Bi Qingjian's status wasn't lower than his own.

If Bi Qingjian spread rumors, it would be bad for him.

He forced a laugh: "You know he was hired by the Immortal Sect to repair arrays—I assigned him tasks here specifically."

Then Lu Hai stared coldly at Ding Huan: "You may leave now. I'm still in charge here."

Ding Huan stood up and looked at Lu Hai: "Are you certain you need me to leave? Do you think only you can record the Image Crystal Ball, and I cannot?"

He casually tossed out a crystal ball: "Three breaths. Leave—or don't."

Lu Hai's face darkened further—he felt humiliation for the first time.

He was a legitimate array master of Baihe Immortal Dao—yet a temporary worker had ordered him to leave.

Before he could speak, Bi Qingjian stepped forward: "May I ask your name, esteemed cultivator?"

"Ding Huan," Ding Huan replied.

This scheming, corrupt Immortal Sect—he'd long wanted out.

"Ding Daoist, my array skills are limited—I'd like you to help me set up a Killing Formation like yours." Bi Qingjian's tone was sincere, giving Lu Hai no chance to harass Ding Huan.

Ding Huan replied coolly: "Setting up a Killing Formation costs me a great deal—and drains immense energy."

"A hundred Immortal Crystals?" Bi Qingjian had intended to offer ten, but sensed Ding Huan wasn't easy to deal with.

Ding Huan closed his eyes again—was a hundred Immortal Crystals supposed to make him set up an array?

"Five hundred Immortal Crystals…" Bi Qingjian gritted his teeth and raised it fivefold.

Yet Ding Huan still didn't open his eyes.

Bi Qingjian finally understood Lu Hai's frustration—he was a legitimate disciple and array master of the Immortal Sect, yet begging a temporary hire for help was this hard.

Five hundred Immortal Crystals—he'd have to save for a long time to earn that.

"One thousand Immortal Crystals, Ding Daoist—this is all I have. If you still refuse, I'll give up." Bi Qingjian resolved to bleed heavily.

Ding Huan opened his eyes and said coolly: "Two thousand Immortal Crystals—or no deal. And consider this: look at the Dao-Thief Beetles' power—if they grow stronger, your array core will be in danger."

"Immortal Crystals are useless in death—you can always earn more. But if your array core is devoured by Dao-Thief Beetles, you won't even have a chance to earn again."

Perhaps influenced by Ding Huan's words, Bi Qingjian hesitated long before gritting his teeth: "Fine—two thousand Immortal Crystals."

He knew Ding Huan's final words were true.

Immortal Crystals could be regained—but if the array core was destroyed, it wasn't just about saving two thousand Immortal Crystals; it was about losing his life.

"That's right." Ding Huan kept his word: after receiving the Immortal Crystals, he swiftly set up a Killing Formation pattern and a Teleportation Array for Bi Qingjian.

Baihe Immortal Dao's protective array cores numbered eighteen.

Once word spread that the Immortal Sect had hired a powerful array master capable of setting up a permanent Killing Formation, nearly every array master responsible for a core came running.

Honestly, in any other department, gathering two thousand Immortal Crystals at once would be impossible.

But the Immortal Sect's wealthiest were the array masters.

Even so, Ding Huan took two thousand Immortal Crystals from each of them—leaving the array masters nearly destitute.

Ding Huan, however, struck it rich—amassing thirty to forty thousand Immortal Crystals alone.

Even low-grade Immortal Crystals were still Immortal Crystals.

"Ding Huan, you're an Immortal Sect array master—how dare you exploit this…"

Before Ding Huan could return to his post, Lu Hai stormed over.

Before Lu Hai could finish, Ding Huan snapped: "Shut up."

"You're fired. From this moment, you are no longer an array master hired by Baihe Immortal Dao. If you remain within Baihe Immortal Dao, I have the right to act against you."

Lu Hai didn't stop—he spoke even colder.

Ding Huan heard this and formed a suspicion.

In the Fourth Immortal Realm, even Immortal Sect disciples, stewards, or elders had no right to act against hired cultivators.

This suspicion had been verified repeatedly—from Cheng Cheng Keqi to Lu Hai before him.

No matter how much they disliked him, they only sabotaged him, suppressed him—never laid a hand on him.

Since such a law existed, it meant the sect disciples feared being reported.

Thinking this, Ding Huan reached out and seized a crystal ball: "Firing me is fine—but since I set up this Killing Formation to repel Dao-Thief Beetles, you must compensate me adequately.

Because I used more materials for your array core, I require three thousand Immortal Crystals. Agree, and I give you the crystal ball. Refuse, and I'll go straight to the Sect Master."

Going to the Sect Master was a lie—he'd never even seen the Sect Master.

But he knew Lu Hai wouldn't dare risk it.

Lu Hai's spiritual sense landed on the crystal ball in Ding Huan's hand—and he realized Ding Huan's recording was far more comprehensive than his own.

Sweat broke on Lu Hai's forehead—he was certain that if Ding Huan submitted this crystal ball, he was finished.

"Here." Lu Hai was blunt—he immediately pulled out three thousand Immortal Crystals and tossed them at Ding Huan the moment he realized things wouldn't go as planned.

Ding Huan tossed the crystal ball back to Lu Hai and said coolly: "Give me a formal dismissal jade slip—or I can't even leave the Immortal Sect."

Lu Hai hurled two jade slips at Ding Huan and Chang Chang Danyi as fast as he could—he wanted both of them gone, as quickly and as far away as possible.

…

Ding Huan and Chang Chang Danyi had just entered the Baihe Immortal Sect when they were expelled from the Baihe Immortal Sect once again.

"Sigh, it's too hard for loose cultivators to gain a foothold in an immortal sect." Stepping out of the Baihe Immortal Sect's protective formation, Chang Chang Danyi couldn't help but sigh.

Even someone as capable as Ding Huan couldn't gain a foothold in an immortal sect, let alone the rest of the people?

Ding Huan didn't care at all—he simply didn't want to stay in the Baihe Immortal Sect. If he wanted to stay, he had ten thousand ways to do it.

A sect like the Baihe Immortal Sect—he really couldn't be bothered to stay.

"Let's go, let's see if there's another sect we can join. If not, we'll figure something out."

Ding Huan summoned his flying magic treasure.

Chang Chang Danyi didn't summon her own flying magic treasure either, and simply landed on Ding Huan's flying magic treasure.

In fact, for True Immortal cultivators like them, getting into an immortal sect was still quite easy.

Although they couldn't enter a good immortal sect, joining an ordinary immortal sect wasn't much of a difficulty.

Since they had been expelled by the Baihe Immortal Sect, Ding Huan had no intention of staying near the Baihe Immortal Sect.

This place was full of all kinds of great rivers, and it looked somewhat visually fatiguing.

Ding Huan controlled the flying ship, and Chang Chang Danyi, not wanting to delay even a moment, stayed in the ship's cabin to stabilize her cultivation.

She was different from Ding Huan—Ding Huan finished his Tribulation Crossing at True Immortal Second Layer, while she hadn't even stabilized her True Immortal First Layer cultivation.

Ding Huan didn't cultivate; he was deducing where he should head next.

Previously, when he was in the Star Realm, deducing the Immortal World was too vague—almost a complete blank.

Now that he was in the True Immortal Realm, deducing was still vague, but he did have a slight sense of direction.

After clarifying the direction, Ding Huan began deducing the Dao of Formations.

He could repair formations in the Baihe Immortal Sect, but he couldn't set up the Baihe Immortal Sect's protective formation.

Those repaired formation flags weren't refined by him either, so he had to continue improving his own Dao of Formations level.

These Dao-Stealing Worms were very strange—the Fourth Immortal Domain was vast and boundless, and as long as one left the vicinity of an Immortal Spirit Source, it was hard to see these worms.

But near a Spirit Source, they simply couldn't be killed off. No matter how many you killed, more would only come.

Three months passed, and Ding Huan could now barely refine Grade One immortal formation flags.

Ding Huan knew very well in his heart that being able to refine immortal formation flags basically meant he could set up an immortal formation.

His Dao was the Great Cosmos Art, cultivating the fusion of the laws of all things and the billions of cosmic principles, constructing his own Great Dao Cosmos.

Once he got started, his progress was extremely fast.

Ding Huan stopped, deciding to first try setting up a Grade One defensive immortal formation.

Formation flag after formation flag was sent out by Ding Huan, and in just half a day, a Grade One defensive immortal formation was set up.

Just as he had expected, for him now, setting up a Grade One immortal formation was a piece of cake.

Just as Ding Huan raised his hand to collect all the formation flags and prepared to once again control the flying ship to continue forward, a streak of escape light rapidly landed in front of him.

It was also a flying ship, and in Ding Huan's eyes, this should be a low-grade immortal artifact.

Coming down from the flying immortal artifact were two men and one woman. The woman's cultivation was actually the highest—Ding Huan estimated that the woman's cultivation very likely exceeded the True Immortal Realm.

"Were you expelled by an immortal sect? What are you skilled at?" A man walked over, sized Ding Huan up and down, and spoke.

Just as Ding Huan was about to speak, Chang Chang Danyi walked out.

"Oh? True Immortal Realm?" The woman saw that Chang Chang Danyi was at the True Immortal Realm and exclaimed in surprise.

"What's your name?" The woman walked up to Chang Chang Danyi.

Chang Chang Danyi quickly bowed and saluted: "This junior is Chang Chang Danyi."

"Judging by your condition, you just advanced to the True Immortal Realm?" The woman's tone was somewhat eager.

For a non-immortal-sect disciple to advance to the True Immortal Realm, there was only one possibility—extraordinarily high aptitude.

Chang Chang Danyi didn't quite understand what was meant, and nodded: "Yes, this junior was fortunate enough to step into the True Immortal Realm."

"What pills did you use?" The woman immediately asked.

Pills? Chang Chang Danyi shook her head: "This junior didn't use any pills, just used some immortal crystals."

Ding Huan found it amusing in his heart—cultivating by his side to charge into the True Immortal Realm still needing pills? That would be underestimating his Great Cosmos Art far too much.

Hearing that Chang Chang Danyi had stepped into the True Immortal Realm without even using pills, the woman grew even more excited: "Were you expelled by an immortal sect?"

"Yes, this junior was just expelled by an immortal sect." Chang Chang Danyi told the truth.

Just as she had guessed—expelled by an immortal sect, without sufficient immortal spiritual energy, and stepping into True Immortal without using pills.

"My name is Yan Zhufang, a peak master of the Twin Purple Mountain Immortal Sect. Would you be willing to be my disciple? Join my Twin Purple Mountain Immortal Sect?" After the woman finished speaking, she looked at Chang Chang Danyi somewhat eagerly.