Chapter 251

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Main Character:

Shen Yao

Accompanying the temple abbot were also the Daoist temple master and the sect masters of Jiang Guo's various factions.

All these big shots shared the same purpose: to personally see off these few heavyweights whose mere stomp could make the whole world tremble.

An earth-yellow light halo slowly lit up, spreading out the not-too-large transmission array; the five people entered the formation in succession and vanished in an instant.

The wind in the woods blew gently, lightly brushing past everyone's cheeks.

Were it not for the jade buckle still pinched in the abbot's hand, one would surely doubt the scene before one's eyes.

This... they just left?

Unexpectedly smooth, yet with an indescribable emptiness.

"This jade buckle, fellow daoists, perhaps can be preserved for a time."

Someone unknown spoke up, and the transmission array that should have been destroyed was kept.

Humans are forever so contradictory, both greedy and afraid.

……

Canglan Continent, Southern Country border

After a bout of dizziness, the family of five finally steadied their footing, opened their eyes to survey their surroundings, and discovered they were at the foot of a mountain.

Before them lay a winding little path leading to the mountain top. Dense forests flanked both sides of the path, exuding a mysterious, deep aura from within.

"So this is the legendary cultivation world? The spiritual energy in the air is very strong," Ren Yangzuo, with the highest cultivation realm, felt it most directly.

Compared to the mortal world, the spiritual energy density in the cultivation world is terrifyingly high.

If he could cultivate in seclusion here, the time to reach Golden Core could be advanced by several years.

"Your feeling is correct; the spiritual energy here is rich, even more suitable for cultivation than our original world," Ren Chengzhou echoed in supplement.

As someone who had already learned part of the truth from the World Consciousness, facing a cultivation world different from the mortal world, his greatest worry was the integration issue.

Fortunately, after they finished speaking, Shen Yao mentioned wanting to find a secluded place to rest as soon as possible.

Newly arrived, and the landing point wasn't a place Shen Yao knew. They had to settle themselves properly first before inquiring about the cultivation world's situation.

Thus, the group walked up the mountain along the little path. Along the way they encountered all sorts of strange flora and fauna, some never seen in the mortal world.

When they finally reached the mountain top, what met their eyes was an abandoned temple.

The temple walls were mottled, as if bearing the vicissitudes of time. The door was ajar; they pushed it open and carefully stepped inside the temple interior.

Good news: no one was here, not even a demon beast that had birthed spiritual wisdom.

Bad news: this abandoned temple belongs to the Wanfo Sect, and in Shen Yao's limited memories, the Wanfo Sect is a very troublesome Southern Country sect.

Could this be the Southern Country?!

Tsk, rather terrible!

The Southern Country, as its name indicates, is the collective term for the southern region of the Canglan Continent.

The Southern Country here does not refer to a single country, but many countries grouped together called the Southern Country; and the most famous sect in the Southern Country is the Wanfo Sect.

In territories where the imperial family exists, the Daoist and Buddhist schools have always had foundations.

Like the many royal families of the Southern Country, some have connections, some believe in Buddhism, some practice both Buddhism and Daoism; this leads to a chaotic mix of faith orthodoxies within the Southern Country, with the Daoist and Buddhist schools both hostile and coexisting.

Shen Yao grew up in the Northern Border and doesn't know much about the Southern Country.

But she once heard elders in the family assert that the Southern Country would one day erupt in chaotic war over orthodoxy issues, warning the younger generation not to go to the Southern Country lightly.

As it turned out, by a twist of fate, Shen Yao's final landing point was most likely still the Southern Country, leaving one to sigh at the workings of time and fate.

In the end, the five did not rest in the abandoned temple; they all knew the Wanfo Temple was not an easy sect to get along with, and sticking to them would be too ungrateful.

After leaving the temple, they continued forward along the little path and eventually found a secluded mountain valley.

The valley interior had abundant spiritual energy, and even some spiritual objects and spiritual plants survived there.

Using the formation flags in hand they set up a simple defensive array, and around it laid layer upon layer of spirit gathering arrays; the five chose to temporarily settle here, waiting until their cultivation realms stabilized before going down the mountain to ask about the situation.

Arriving in the cultivation world, cultivation must be the priority; if possible, joining a sect is a good choice.

Compared to powerless loose cultivators, huddling together for warmth is the normal logic.

Shen Yao took the opportunity to lay out fully her earlier experiences living in the cultivation world, and incidentally reminded Ren Chengzhou and his three sons that once they entered a sect, while enjoying the sect's benefits they must also shoulder equivalent responsibilities.

Not limited to participating in some dao battles and secret realm explorations; the reason she went to the mortal world back then was because of a secret realm — outmatched in skill, she could only accept defeat.

"Mother, are there any good sects in the Northern Border?" Ren Yangyao considered his birth mother's birthplace first; her relatives were there too, and seeking refuge there would at least get some help.

"The Northern Border's spiritual energy is inferior to the other three regions, and the Northern Border's cultivation world resources are barren.

Outstanding sects number only three: the Xuantian Sword Sect, the Fengxia Sect, and the Shen Nong Valley."

From the names you can tell: one sword cultivator sect, one medical cultivator sect, one female sect.

Compared to the Southern Country's Wanfo Sect and Xuandao Gate, plus other large and small sects, the Northern Border is like a miserable poor backwater with not a shred of investment value.

"If possible, the Eastern region's sects are good," excluding the Northern Border, the West has many demon races, on par with the Southern Country's chaos.

Eastern region?

Ren Yangyao did not answer immediately, but went back to discuss with his two younger brothers.

Compared to their older parents, the ones who can still be focusedly nurtured upon entering a sect are naturally youths or children with excellent spiritual roots and not too old.

The three Ren Yangyao brothers are just over twenty, and with their extremely high cultivation realms, even at a top-tier sect they would be revered.

Shen Yao was not worried at all that no one would want them; the most urgent matter now was still to stabilize their cultivation realms, understand the surrounding situation, then find out the disciple-recruitment timing, and rush to the destination before recruitment began.

The five stayed in the valley for three months, mastering their own spiritual power proficiently, then picked a clear, bright day and rode a flying sword magic artifact out of the valley.

Only after soaring through clouds and mist did Shen Yao clearly see where the valley they had lived in for three months was actually located.

It turned out to be amid encircling mountains, surrounded on all sides by dense forests that stretched beyond sight.

They flew for a good long while before finally spotting curling cooking smoke rising in the distance.

Feet touching ground, she stowed the flying sword she had been standing on, and Shen Yao kindly questioned an elderly granny.

Learning that this place was already the Southern Country's border, and they would have to fly further ahead to see a city, Shen Yao and the others immediately wasted no time, hurriedly summoning their flying swords and rushing on their way at full speed.

The granny: ……

"An immortal! It's an immortal!" That stone the immortal had placed in her hand — wasn't it the legendary immortal stone!

The granny immediately no longer felt dizzy and blurred; she hurried home with nimble steps.

As for the immortal stone in her hand? She would definitely have her son take it to the city to sell.

Aiya, this is a treasure worth a great deal of silver; those old masters in the city like it best.

Shen Yao, already flown far away, did not know that a mere spirit pearl she had given — one not worth much — could still excite the cultivation world's common folk so greatly.

It was also Shen Yao herself being too presumptuous; having lived in the mortal world too long, yet being a cultivator's identity, it led to a common-sense error in her conversion between spirit stones, spirit pearls, and gold and silver.

Until they reached the city formation and discovered everyone's purchases still relied on gold and silver, only then did Shen Yao suddenly realize she had given too many spirit pearls before.

But too many is fine; her space lacks these spirit pearls and spirit stones the least.

Including during her time in the mortal world, some jade mineral veins containing spiritual energy also held spirit stones and spirit pearls.

Shen Yao's many years in the mortal world were not simply spent as Qingyun Sect's Sect Master. Occasionally she would go out on patrol, and any good items she came across she collected entirely.

Like that spirit pearl given away — it originated from a mortal world jade mineral vein.

Not only did Shen Yao have them; Ren Chengzhou and his three sons also received some. Shen Yao even took out storage bags; although the storage bags she refined herself were not large, they were at least usable.

The place where the five settled was called Yunmo Town, a city of Yong Kingdom.

Among the Southern Country's many nations, Yong Kingdom ranked nowhere; Yunmo Town was even more nameless — the five did not even discover any cultivator's existence in Yunmo Town.

Wow

It seems the Canglan Continent's situation is not as simple as she had imagined.

She asked the inn's Little Two, and also inquired with the Tooth Firm's steward about cultivator news.

As expected, the several people still had to continue rushing on their way; at minimum they must reach a more prosperous town to have any harvest.

"Why not go directly to Yong Kingdom's capital? There, no matter what, there will be news."

If even the place where a nation's political power is most concentrated still has no clues, one can only say this nation has no necessity to continue existing.

You must know the Canglan Continent's essence is the cultivation world; this place's common folk not knowing cultivators' awe-inspiring reputation is simply even more terrifying than the true mortal world.

Without lingering overlong in Yunmo Town, Shen Yao and the others did not even take out spirit pearls and such; they came quietly and left quietly, relying on flying swords to arrive directly at the capital.

Yong Kingdom's capital's prosperity far surpassed Jiang Guo's capital; the people here all had a general understanding of cultivators, including but not limited to knowing the cultivation world's sects' disciple-recruitment times, locations, and a series of arrangements.

But equally speechless-making: because Yong Kingdom was too small it lacked recruitment qualifications; to participate in the cultivation world's disciple-recruitment ceremony, one must go to other nations' cities.

And the nearest to Yong Kingdom was Kang Kingdom; departing from the capital would take three to five months on foot, but Shen Yao's group riding flying swords would take only half a month.

They found a merchant house and bought a map to Kang Kingdom; Shen Yao pointed out the marked points on it one by one, confirming the route they needed to take: bypass Kang Kingdom, then continue forward to leave the Southern Country, finally turning toward the eastern region bordering it.

In her mind there was no thought of participating in the Southern Country cultivation sects' disciple-recruitment ceremony; after all, the people here, once their aptitude was tested, the vast majority would enter the Taoist and Buddhist schools.

And joining either one meant the enmity with the other side would unconsciously stick to them.

If they did not want to enter these two sects, other sects were a choice, but other sects also had to depend on the Taoist and Buddhist schools to survive as subordinate sects.

Going around in circles still could not escape involvement with them; why bother insisting on cultivating in this Southern Country place.

Shen Yao's idea received nods of agreement from Ren Chengzhou and his three sons.

The five conferred, and finally decided to first fly along the route to Kang Kingdom; if they could catch the Southern Country cultivation world's sects' disciple-recruitment ceremony in Kang Kingdom, they might also borrow the opportunity to earn some treasures.

Don't forget their storage bags — inside were quite a few things that could be used for exchange.

Kang Kingdom's capital, Jianping City

The five-person group this time chose a place with no people to descend from their flying swords.

They straightened their clothes, then released Treading Cloud Horses from their Spirit Beast Bags.

The several people simply vaulted onto them and entered Jianping City in high-profile fashion all the way.

The Treading Cloud Horses' special nature earned them extra preferential treatment when lodging at inns.

Especially with the disciple-recruitment time approaching, many people rushed from all directions, all for this one cultivation opportunity.

……

"Wonder if this madam would sell the Treading Cloud Horse?"

This was already the fifth customer today to come inquire; Shen Yao had merely gone out once and was pestered.

Of course not only Shen Yao; Ren Chengzhou also did not escape, only the three children Ren Yangyao and the others cultivating in the room avoided verbal harassment.

"If selling, the price won't be cheap, and we only accept spirit stones."

Stating the rules in advance, Shen Yao did not feel she had done anything wrong.

She had crossed two worlds over thousands of miles bringing the Treading Cloud Horses from her Spirit Beast Bag, precisely to sell at a high price and create income.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man smiled and nodded, "Madam speaks truly; the Treading Cloud Horse is no ordinary horse," settling with spirit stones is only normal.

Kang Kingdom was several times stronger than Yong Kingdom; the high-ranking families here all had channels to obtain spirit stones, and compared to Yong Kingdom, they could produce far more.

Although Shen Yao said she only accepted spirit stones, when it came time for the actual transaction, the other party still brought other treasures.

Gold, silver, pearls, and jade could not attract Shen Yao, but some well-preserved spiritual objects — Shen Yao nodded in satisfaction, "Can offset some." The Treading Cloud Horse was merely a derivative of a mortal world demonic-transformed horse, not counted as a spirit beast, but compared to explosive demon beasts it was far more docile.

The price Shen Yao set was not high; with the first smooth transaction, other interested people would come calling with the same sincerity.

In the end all five Treading Cloud Horses were sold by Shen Yao, and the corresponding harvest was bag after bag of colorful spirit stones and several spiritual objects placed in jade boxes.

Having sold the horses, Shen Yao still had refined alchemy medicines, using medicinal materials produced in the mortal world; the users could also be non-cultivators.

Even more were used on ordinary people, with effects tending mostly toward health maintenance.

The price isn't cheap, but sales are unexpectedly good, even more popular than Treading Cloud Horses.

"This is human nature: holding a certain reverence for items high above, yet feeling one must obtain items usable on one's own body."

Treading Cloud Horses are more precious than alchemy pills, but Treading Cloud Horses are not necessary items; buying none causes no harm, unlike alchemy pills that bring positive feedback to the body, whose effects can be seen with the naked eye.

So once Shen Yao released her alchemy pills, everyone responded, the big shots all put on a buying spree, holding silver money and spirit stones in both hands and delivering them to Shen Yao.

Shen Yao:...

What could Shen Yao do? Naturally she accepted it all, and didn't forget to take out the alchemy pills she refined; there was no deceiving buyers' behavior—this was originally a business both parties willingly agreed to.