Chapter 586: The Ten-Thousand-Year Pact

"Cleaning up?"

Jiang Ding gave no answer.

He fell silent, gazing at the clouds on the horizon, at the spiritual energy gradually coalescing into a funnel shape, at the dark clouds slowly spreading over, wondering what he was thinking.

The maids around him felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave, their bodies trembling.

After several decades, many Foundation Establishment cultivators remembered the name of the Master Tushan Sword Cultivators again; an entire Master Tushan Demon Kingdom had been annihilated by them, not a single piece of armor left.

The entire Demon Cultivator race vanished from Master Tushan, becoming history in ancient texts.

Now, would they meet the same fate?

Several days later, rolling dark clouds gathered, blocking out the sky and sun; accompanied by the boom of thunder, a lightning bolt struck down, the dark clouds dispersed, and a powerful aura rose slowly, spreading in all directions.

"A Jin Dan of superior quality... that counts as not bad."

Jiang Ding nodded slightly.

The Heavenly Spirit Root naturally had a success rate of over eighty percent for forming a Jin Dan; plus some auxiliary spiritual items, and cultivating a Classic-grade Gong Fa, forming a Jin Dan could be said to be a sure thing; it was only a matter of the Jin Dan's quality.

A superior-quality Jin Dan was considered not bad even among Heavenly Spirit Root cultivators, ranking among the top tier.

Where the thunder clouds had dispersed, a woman in a green skirt flew over; the newly formed Jin Dan aura was conspicuous. She arrived before him, her long skirt sweeping the ground, and bowed deeply: "Greetings, Master."

Chun Zhi's first maid, Chun Chun Jian.

After several decades of not seeing her, she was still bright-eyed and white-toothed, radiant and captivating, and had become a Jin Dan Chu Qi cultivator.

"Congratulations."

Jiang Ding nodded, continuing to look toward the horizon.

The thunder clouds gathered once more, dark clouds covered the sky, and Lei Ting fell.

After Chun Chun Jian, Xia Zhi's first maid Shang Yun and Qiu Zhi's first maid Shang Gong also completed their Tribulation Crossing one after another, forming superior-quality Jin Dan.

After slightly stabilizing their cultivation, the two biological sisters, both born as abandoned infants from the Shang clan's collateral line, returned hand in hand, wearing pink and golden palace skirts respectively, and bowed gracefully.

"Greetings, Master."

"Congratulations."

Jiang Ding spoke concisely.

The three maids all stood up, looking at their master with bright starry eyes; seeing he made no further move, they could not help but feel disappointed.

They were all Jin Dan cultivators; they should have been worthy...

"From now on, continue to lie low."

Jiang Ding said indifferently: "Without orders, gathering is not allowed. If you need to form a Jin Dan, submit an application in advance; only upon approval may you seek a place to form a Jin Dan."

"Furthermore, regarding mortals, if you have the ability, do not kill; merely conceal them."

"This situation must not happen a second time."

A faint killing intent sprouted in his heart, then slowly faded away.

The maid group,

this was his close guard and extension of rule in another world; regardless of their capability, they must, according to the agreement, obey orders.

Otherwise, there would be no need for their existence.

"Yes!"

"This time, we were too eager to form a Jin Dan and acted rashly; please forgive us, Master!"

Chun Chun Jian and the other three Jin Dan cultivators said solemnly, bowing to accept the order, and together with the one hundred and eight Foundation Establishment female cultivators around them, they all bowed down.

A long time passed.

"Master, may we speed up the search for female infants in the Northern Plains and expand the scale of the Master Tushan maid group?"

Chun Chun Jian asked softly: "After forming a Jin Dan, we can control larger military formations; we could serve the Master better, but we are constrained by insufficient numbers, and I fear we will be unable to bear the Master's great affairs in the future."

After forming a Jin Dan, those slight thoughts of expansion vanished instantly without a trace.

The Master Tushan Sword Cultivators' reputation resounded throughout the Northern Plains; their deeds were passed from mouth to mouth among scattered Jin Dan cultivators; countless hearts longed for them, wishing they could serve under their banner.

Subordinates were not indispensable to him.

Without loyalty, they would have no value; at any time, a large group of Jin Dan cultivators willing to serve could be gathered on the Northern Plains; an army could be formed with a single utterance.

"Not allowed. Continue to take concealment and lying low as the highest objective."

Jiang Ding said indifferently.

The tall Foundation Establishment female cultivator closed her eyes, then opened them again, returning to a state of blankness, looking around.

"... Yes!"

Chun Chun Jian and the other three Jin Dan cultivators remained silent for a long time, then bowed again to the tall woman whose will had already departed.

Jin Dan cultivators need territory; a third-grade spiritual land.

Otherwise, their cultivation can at most stabilize, making further progress nearly impossible.

In this prime time for cultivation, having just advanced to Jin Dan, the time when they should be full of spirit and ambition, forcing them to humbly sink into silence and lie low made their hearts unwilling.

Yet, what could be done?

On the other side, Jiang Ding opened his eyes.

"Before growing strong, is developing power a mistake?"

Jiang Ding murmured to himself.

He was re-examining the decisions he made in his youth.

The unwillingness of Chun Chun Jian and others, he could clearly feel through the Heavenly Light Glorious Sun Dao Soldier Flying Sword; this was normal; newly formed Jin Dan cultivators have their own needs and desires.

But it did not fit his strategy.

If, like Master Tushan Xiancheng, after becoming invincible in one place, they then developed subordinates fitting their needs, would that not be better?

In total, it only delayed a little over a hundred or two hundred years.

Moreover, loose-cultivation Golden Cores like Bai Mei True Person can also use them; both sides take what they need. It's not that if you don't cultivate them yourself, no one will use them.

"We'll talk about it later."

Jiang Ding shook his head, turned, and flew toward the Wei family's direction.

This was the proper duty of his clone.

The delay of over a year had already been too long; it could not remain blank any longer. Master Tushan Xiancheng must maintain twenty-four-hour surveillance.

Concealing his figure, he flew for a long time, passed through the Wei family's formation, and once again entered the ancestral land for quiet cultivation.

His appearance changed, becoming the look of a simple and honest middle-aged cultivator — exactly the appearance of the Wei family's Old Ancestor.

"Old Ancestor."

Not long after, Wei Wei Qingqing came to pay her respects. After performing a salute, she said: "A great upheaval has occurred in Master Tushan Xiancheng. The majority of the General Heishi main-line Golden Cores have died. He Hei Louxi and other General Heishi branch-line members hold an overwhelming advantage, have already begun to take control of Master Tushan Xiancheng, and the distribution of various heaven materials and earthly treasures is heavily tilted toward branch-line cultivators — Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core alike."

"I heard that He Hei Louxi and her mother He Chenghong and others recently subdued General Heishi main-line clan head He Hei Chengwu, who had returned together from a remote Xiu Xian Di Gao Jie, and obtained the formal acknowledgment of the Nascent Soul Old Ancestor. In a few days, they will begin to receive the General Heishi's Nascent Soul inheritance and officially become the General Heishi's young clan head."

"If all goes smoothly, He Hei Louxi will become the General Heishi's young master, form the Black Wang Army, and follow the Six Paths Holy Son Yin Dao to participate in the Wang Ting battle."

"He Chenghong, General Heishi clan head He Hei Chengwu?"

Jiang Ding was slightly taken aback.

These two, back then in Tushan Xiancheng, seemed to have been inflicted by him with simulated Grand Yin Sword Qi; within twenty or thirty years they would suffer qi deviation.

Now estimating the time, it's only about five or six years before the time arrives.

However, they are of no consequence; if they die, they die.

"In other words, with Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun's acknowledgment, the General Heishi main-line era has ended, the reform is complete, and it will enter an era ruled by the General Heishi branch line?"

Jiang Ding asked.

"This should be a bolt from the blue for the Northern Plains families, right? After all, an institution that has lasted for ten thousand years has undergone a great change."

In this kind of political struggle, the Wei family's actual family Old Ancestor Wei Wei Qingqing could be considered a professional; he was willing to hear her judgment.

"Indeed so."

Wei Wei Qingqing bowed with a salute, her expression solemn: "But whether it truly succeeds still depends on the attitude of the Guishan Tie family. I heard they have already dispatched a Nascent Soul Old Ancestor to Master Tushan Xiancheng."

"The Guishan Tie family?"

Jiang Ding contemplated.

The Guishan Tie family,

the leading family of the Northern Plains' orthodox path, the family that upholds propriety!

For ten thousand years, regardless of orthodox or demonic, the tributes from the main lines of every Northern Plains family to them have never ceased. For any Qi Refining and above marriages, funerals, succession of young masters, succession of clan heads, advancement of Old Ancestors to Nascent Soul, and so on, there must be a witness from the Tie family to ensure the pure main-line bloodline of the ancestors rules the mortal world.

Once branch-line or outside-surname Nascent Souls appear, or outside-surname Golden Cores cause chaos and threaten the rule of the Northern Plains' twenty-eight families, it is also the Guishan Tie family that handles it.

When matters cannot be handled, it is also the Guishan Tie family's cultivators who summon the major families' reinforcements to join forces — for example, slaying and expelling newly advanced outside-surname Nascent Souls.

Every year, the main lines of the Northern Plains' twenty-eight families offer massive amounts of heaven materials and earthly treasures — for what purpose?

It is to ensure the pure rule of main-line blood!

The Dari Sect is one thing — they truly cannot be defeated.

Now the General Heishi clan head He Hei Chengwu, invoking the ten-thousand-year covenant, has requested the Guishan Tie family to uphold justice.

How will the Tie family respond?

Will they Lei Ting-slay He Hei Louxi and other branch-line Golden Cores who offended their superiors, and butcher the General Heishi's remaining few Golden Core cultivators to a man?

What about Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun — what will he do?

These things, perhaps, will be very interesting.

(End of chapter)