Chapter 972: Remember This!

"Between two hundred and three hundred years, the seal on the Ties of Guishan should yield some result."

"The same goes for Xi Ping'an."

Jiang Ding calculated for a moment, muttering to himself.

Xi Ping'an should have escaped this Minor Thousand World, but this Minor Thousand World is a dead end—at most a few hundred years later he must return; that is the longest time a Soul Transformation cultivator can survive outside the world.

As an incense-spirit deity, he lost all his incense faith, suffered backlash, and his endurance might be even shorter.

This is beyond doubt.

Jiang Ding kept constant watch over the world, confirming that today, more than sixty years later, Xi Ping'an's faithful no longer existed in this world—the temples had been smashed, the fanatic believers executed, and the shallow believers had gradually forgotten, or been made to forget with the help of spells; cultivators had plenty of means for that.

At this very moment, no power of incense faith was being transmitted.

"This period isn't that long; perhaps when I reach the peak of Nascent Soul, I can resolve it."

Jiang Ding thought silently.

He closed his eyes, and while cultivating, his divine sense surged into the core of the Da Ri Ding Gao Jie formation, constantly monitoring the world's development and changes.

From the world's perspective, in the direction of the East Sea, many vigorous yet chaotic auras of life had appeared, affecting the cycle of the Xian Dao Shi Gao Jie's ecosystem; in other places there were some disasters—earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons, and the like.

These were natural disasters of the Xian Dao Shi Gao Jie; if one fell deep into them, even Nascent Soul cultivators would be in danger.

Through the Da Ri Ding Gao Jie formation, Jiang Ding could see the changes in the world's Xian Dao ecosystem.

How to correct them, how to sort them out, or whether to let them be and ignore them—each was different.

This was a systematic discipline.

Handling these matters greatly benefited Jiang Ding's understanding and knowledge of the world.

"What's wrong with the East Sea?"

"What happened?"

Jiang Ding used the Primordial Spirit treasure Wanli Beacon Tower of the Master Tushan Master Tushan Zhongting administration to pull up the latest administrative intelligence on the East Sea, read it with his divine sense, calculated, and quickly gained an understanding of the matter.

"The East Sea fisheries raise all manner of spirit fish, aquatic exotic beasts, and the like."

"Under the orders of Master Tushan Master Tushan Zhongting, many aquatic demon races established sects—things like the Thousand Fish Sect, Hundred Shark Gate, Venomous Serpent Sect, and so on. Their sect business is fish farming, providing Master Tushan Master Tushan Zhongting with various spirit fish taxes and sea spirit medicine taxes."

"In the last thirty years, the highest annual tax revenue growth rate of the Agricultural Sect has been in the East Sea every year, earning multiple commendations."

"That's the problem."

Jiang Ding reviewed a great deal of documents and finally reached a conclusion.

"These fisheries, big and small, are too many; they've already affected the development of the East Sea's Xian Dao ecological environment and caused damage to it."

"Of course, the ill effects haven't appeared yet—at least

three hundred-plus years of sustained damage would be needed before continuous ill effects emerge, causing the terrible consequence of a collective drop in the surrounding spiritual energy concentration and the grade of undersea spirit veins."

"The Agricultural Sect needs to change: clear out a batch of high-pollution, low-output fisheries; no more new fisheries or ranches may be added."

Jiang Ding, standing from the perspective of the entire world, issued his directive.

This was part of the immortal sect's education.

Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong's power, enduring over the long term, was not a bandit or mountain king who grabbed a haul and ran—it valued sustainable development.

Cultivators and the Xian Dao environment should promote each other, grow together; one must not drain the pond to fish, and must leave behind a sufficiently flourishing world for future generations.

This was not a matter of morality.

Mortals were, but cultivators were not.

Many high-level cultivators lived long enough to see the ill effects of Xian Dao ecological deterioration appear.

High-level cultivators bore those ill effects, and naturally would not allow anyone to destroy the Xian Dao natural environment for short-term, immediate profit.

That would be digging up their own roots.

Jiang Ding estimated that his own lifespan should also be several thousand years, and naturally could not tolerate such things.

Those Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Jin Dan cultivators who wrecked the environment, drained the pond to fish, dusted off their backs and left, reaping great wealth and abundant rewards—nothing but benefits, not a single drawback.

Because they wouldn't live to see that time, they naturally didn't care.

Jiang Ding was different; he would inevitably have to face all kinds of messes in the end, and could not tolerate such things.

Matters of the East Sea, the Southern Border, the Western Desert.

While cultivating, he refined his flying swords and handled various administrative affairs.

Unconsciously, three years of time slowly slipped away.

"Nothing happened."

"Self-isolation ends."

Jiang Ding murmured, his figure gradually fading from sight.

Everything had gone smoothly: the broken sword tip had not issued a warning, there were no unfamiliar people or unfamiliar wills around, and that unknown piece of withered flesh had not watched—or had no ability to watch—this side.

……

The thirty-third Heavenly Stem orbit.

Dayang Dayang Tianchi revolved around the mother star's orbit, one cycle every three years.

In the Sun Abyss, Jiang Ding opened his eyes.

"Request a full-body examination, highest standard."

Jiang Ding said in a deep voice.

That piece of withered flesh was too bizarre, beyond his understanding; he could only confirm it was a power above Soul Transformation—anything more was beyond the scope of his comprehension, his Xian Dao foundation insufficient.

"Ding!"

"Library points deducted; examination in progress, please wait…"

The voice of the central formation spirit computer came through.

Suddenly, a fine azure-colored web appeared between heaven and earth

The net spread toward Jiang Ding, containing unknown power capable of crushing a Soul Transformation cultivator.

No matter how talented a genius, without wielding equivalent power, they could not resist and would surely die.

Jiang Ding waited silently.

It was also unknown power, yet this power made him feel at ease, filled with a sense of relaxation.

The examination was meticulous, involving the soul and spirit, every cell, the sea of consciousness, karma, and so on, continuing for three years.

"Detected residual foreign Refining Void power, Blood Path factors..."

"... Clearing now..."

"Detected unknown karma power entanglement..."

"Detected..."

"Detected..."

The Central Array Spirit Computer kept sounding alarms, lines of data refreshing, making Jiang Ding break out in cold sweat.

It was merely a brief contact, not even a single breath's time, yet he had been subjected to so many schemes without noticing, knowing nothing of his own state, blind as a bat.

This was under the protection of the Mo Facheng Yin safeguarding his body.

One can only say that when the realm is high, looking down on lower-realm cultivators is no different from looking at ants; life and death, giving and taking, are all at their discretion.

"Ding!"

"Clearing complete."

Another year later, the Central Array Spirit Computer reported, and the power slowly withdrew.

Jiang Ding felt a weight lift from his heart.

"Refining Void power, is it?"

"Blood Path, is it?"

"You are looking for Immortal Art fragments, is it?"

Jiang Ding ground his teeth, and intense emotion erupted instantly: "Just you wait! This is the first time I've been caught, almost died!"

"Almost died!"

"You damn bastard! I never offended you, never provoked you, yet the moment we met you wanted to kill me! Without a single word, you wanted to kill me!"

"How pitiful I am."

"Remember this, damn it, I've remembered you."

"No matter where you are or where you come from, I will beat you to death, grind your bones to dust, and make you apologize for today's rudeness!"

He was so angry his nose went crooked, and he even started cursing.