Chapter 124: Changes

The Wild Wolf Valley is filled with halls and pavilions, and a large number of rogue cultivators and mortal warriors have been recruited to handle reception, lodging, dining, trade, and other matters.

On the nearby mountain ridges, Daoist temples are also being built on a large scale; these temples are long-term residential sites planned by various Immortal Sects, and they are not under the jurisdiction of the Taiyuan Sect.

The Yuqing Hall is situated on the highest mountain ridge on the south side of the Wild Wolf Valley entrance, occupying the entire mountaintop, and a massive building complex covering no less than twenty mu has already been completed.

These buildings are all on the steep cliff mountaintops; if it were mortals, it might take thousands of people several years to complete, but for a group of Immortals who can fly and tunnel through the earth, it took no more than half a month or so to build them to this state.

On another mountaintop not far from the Yuqing Hall is the station of the Longmen Mountain, which is built even more magnificently and luxuriously; it is constructed entirely of white jade stone, and from a distance, it looks like an ice-sculpted palace, which is very eye-catching.

Once the Wild Wolf Valley and the Daoist temples of other Immortal Sects are all completed, this area within a hundred miles, with the Wild Wolf Valley as the center, will be filled with man-made structures, and the original appearance of the past will no longer be visible.

During the construction of the Wild Wolf Valley, although Xu Chen had been here two or three times, the feeling was completely different each time he came.

And when he came today, he felt the changes were even greater; apart from the large number of buildings already completed, the light and shadows of numerous auxiliary arrays were flickering everywhere.

Besides the Qingfeng Array, Jushui Array, Bichen Array, Zhaoguang Array, and other common arrays essential for daily living, there were also decorative and beautifying arrays like the Fushui Ningyun Array that he had seen at the Treasure Pavilion in Jingshi.

Therefore, the moment Xu Chen flew out of the black fog and arrived in the sky above the Wild Wolf Valley, he was stunned by the spirit light arrays flickering everywhere within a hundred miles.

It was not that he was ignorant, but rather that these things appearing suddenly before his eyes made one somewhat unable to adapt.

From the time he entered the Taiyuan Sect, he hadn't seen arrays more than a few times in over five years; not to mention that the Taiyuan Sect didn't have these most basic water-gathering, lighting, and ventilation arrays in their living quarters, even the main sect hall was bare, and the characters on the sect plaque didn't even carry a trace of Spirit Qi. If it weren't for the fact that everyone in the Taiyuan Sect could fly, at a glance, it would look worse than an ordinary Daoist temple or shrine among the common folk.

But in the end, it was all due to poverty.

Because the foundation that supports all these arrays is the Spirit Stone.

If one wants these arrays to remain in operation year-round, one needs to constantly ensure that the Spirit Qi of the Spirit Stones does not run dry.

Although the consumption of many arrays is not large, once they are truly kept on for a long time, the accumulation becomes terrifying.

For example, the simplest and smallest Zhaoguang Array only requires one Spirit Stone to provide lighting for a room for several months.

It seems like a small expense, but for the previous Xu Chen, he really couldn't afford it.

If the other types of auxiliary arrays were all turned on, it would require at least ten or more Spirit Stones a year, and as such, most people in the Taiyuan Sect would go bankrupt.

But this kind of consumption is nothing to large Immortal Sects like the Yuqing Hall and Longmen Mountain. Where the two sect gates are located, all buildings are reinforced with a large number of arrays, so among the high mountains and steep ridges of Cuihua Peak and Longmen Mountain, all the buildings flicker with spirit light, truly looking like immortal palaces and jade towers, making mortals bow down in worship.

However, the Taiyuan Sect is different today than it was in the past; there are plenty of Spirit Stones, and with the black fog constantly encroaching, all the buildings in this Wild Wolf Valley have been arranged with various arrays by hired hands to enhance the status of the sect.

And the buildings of the Yuqing Hall, Longmen Mountain, and other powerful Immortal Sects have even more luxurious array arrangements.

Thus, in this short month, the Wild Wolf Valley had already changed so much that Xu Chen could hardly recognize it; it was a scene of colorful immortal light rippling, flickering on and off, dazzling to the eyes.

Xu Chen landed directly in front of the largest building in the center of the Wild Wolf Valley, and soon Song Qingshi, Zhou Ding, and a group of cultivators wearing dark blue Daoist robes came to greet him with excitement on their faces.

"Song Qingshi pays respects to Elder Xu!" Song Qingshi bowed and saluted from far away.

"Haha, Deacon Song is too polite!" Xu Chen laughed, unable to keep his mouth shut.

"Zhou Ding pays respects to Elder Xu!" Zhou Ding also followed, bowing and saluting with excitement on his face.

"No need for formalities, we are all our own people, why be so polite!" Xu Chen waved his hand and then asked, "I wonder how Fairy Sikong is recovering now?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ding's face was full of joy as he said, "Ever since Elder Xu bestowed the Taiyuan Soul-Entering Pill, after Junior Sister took it, her damaged meridians have recovered very quickly. Recently, she has already begun to practice normally, and in at most another month, she will be able to fully recover her cultivation!"

Xu Chen nodded with a smile and said, "That is good. Since the Five Thunder Sect and the Wild Wolf Valley have both joined the Taiyuan Sect, in the future, when encountering such injuries or illnesses, the sect will naturally not stand idly by and will definitely do its utmost to eliminate any worries!"

"Yes, yes, thank you Elder Xu. We will definitely not let the sect down and guarantee to manage the Wild Wolf Valley's industries well!" A group of cultivators who were originally rogue cultivators all bowed together with gratitude on their faces.

The Taiyuan Sect had too few disciples, and Xu Chen, as a Personal Disciple of the Danyuan Realm Elder Xuanhe Zhenren, had a status that was different from the past; he was appointed as an Elder in charge of outer sect work. Of course, he was not the only one; all the senior brothers and sisters were Elders, but the content of their responsibilities was different.

As for the three Elders, the Great Elder Xuanchen Zhenjun had been promoted to Supreme Elder.

The Second Elder, Xuanhe Zhenren, was promoted to Sect Leader.

The Third Elder, Xuanfeng Zhenren, was promoted to Elder of the Danyuan.

The three Zhenyuan Realm disciples—Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Sister, and Third Senior Brother—were promoted to Great Elder, Second Elder, and Third Elder.

The group of senior brothers and sisters who were still in the Kaiyuan Realm all became outer sect Elders, temporarily responsible for various outer sect affairs.

Although the sparrow is small, it has all the internal organs; although the number of people in the Taiyuan Sect had not increased by one, their seniority had all risen by a notch, and they had already begun preparations to recruit fourth-generation disciples on a large scale.

Of course, to recruit disciples, one still had to wait until Foundation Establishment to enter the Zhenyuan Realm.

Xu Chen had no interest in recruiting disciples at the moment; unless it was a young and beautiful female disciple, he even occasionally thought of Lin Qiu Ya of the Ziyang Sect whom he had met in Jingshi.

To be honest, if she were not an enemy, Lin Qiu Ya was the most beautiful female cultivator he had ever seen in terms of both appearance and figure.

I wonder what will happen to that woman after she returns?

In fact, apart from being an enemy, Lin Qiu Ya had given him quite a few surprises; at least the news about the Soul Bead had benefited the entire Great Song Immortal World immensely, and would even cause the strength of the Great Song Immortal World to surge.

Although with the large-scale eruption of the Black Wind and the appearance of a large number of Soul Beasts, the secret of the Soul Bead would sooner or later be understood by the Great Song Immortal World, that process would definitely have been very cruel.

Because if Xu Chen had not known the secret of the Soul Bead, he would never have made a bet with Lan You and Xu Wen to enter the rift in the Black Wind Ridge, and then he would not have brought back the news of the Netherworld Passage and the Ancient Fierce Beast breaking free from its seal.

Of course, if he hadn't gone down, the time of the Black Wind leakage might have been pushed back for a long time, but the consequences would have been even more unpredictable. Perhaps after that Ancient Fierce Beast broke free from its seal, it would have entered the mortal realm directly from the rift passage, most likely appearing in the Black Wind Ridge. If that were truly the result, the Taiyuan Sect would have been the first to bear the brunt and would definitely have been reduced to dust in an instant.

Everything in the world, every drink and every peck, has its cause and effect; it seems unrelated, but in reality, pulling one hair affects the whole body.

Xu Chen sighed faintly in his heart, chatted a few words with Song Qingshi, Zhou Ding, and the others, and seeing that the sky was not early, he raised his hand and released a Transmission Jade Talisman, saying, "I am passing through here today, originally intending to go to the Yuqing Hall, you all go and get busy!"

Not long after, he saw an Escape Light whistling over from the mountaintop on the south side, landing in an instant; it was Lan You, dressed in a form-fitting black long dress and carrying a Sword Box on her back.

"Daoist Friend Xu, you are here!" Lan You arrived in a hurry, her face full of surprise.

Xu Chen said with an apologetic face, "I was busy with official business and caused Daoist Friend Lan to wait for more than a month. Today, having finally finished my work, I hurried over to meet with Daoist Friend Lan."

Lan You shook her head quickly, her cheeks slightly red, and said, "I dare not. Since Daoist Friend Xu is ready, let us set off now. Let me summon the Spirit Sparrow!"

Having said that, Lan You raised her hand and released a Jade Talisman, which turned into a green light and whistled toward the mountaintop. Not long after, accompanied by a crisp and long cry, a large, colorful bird wrapped in a gust of wind whistled over and soon hovered above the canyon.

This was not the Fourth-Tier Seven-Colored Spirit Sparrow he had seen when he went to Jingshi last time, but a Third-Tier Spirit Sparrow; its body size was much smaller, with a wingspan of only seven or eight zhang, but it was more than enough to carry two people.

Amidst the voices of Song Qingshi, Zhou Ding, and others respectfully seeing off Elder Xu and Fairy Lan, the two of them soared into the air and landed on the back of the Spirit Sparrow. The Spirit Sparrow flapped its wings and let out a long cry, then plunged into the rolling black fog and headed northwest.

The Spirit Sparrow flapped its wings effortlessly a few times, and in no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the scene before them suddenly brightened; the two people and one bird had already passed through the Black Wind range, and ahead was Nanyang City.

"Look, it's the Spirit Sparrow of the Yuqing Hall!"

There were many cultivators in Nanyang City, and someone recognized the large bird and immediately shouted.

Consequently, many cultivators soared into the air to watch, and there were also many Divine Senses sweeping across in all directions.

"Hmph~"

Lan You let out a cold snort, and a terrifying Divine Sense no less powerful than the early Danyuan Realm was released, causing many cultivators flying below to scream and plummet down.

Xu Chen:...

Women really are unfathomable in their thoughts.

Sometimes they are impossibly shy and gentle, but other times they are completely incomprehensible.

Lan You is one thing; after all, her personality is relatively cold, and it is said that she is always icy in Yuqing Hall, only showing a gentler side in front of him, her savior.

But recently, Xu Chen discovered that Thirteenth Senior Sister Zhao Xuan has also become somewhat strange; she used to speak to him very casually and naturally, and was quite gentle, but lately, he doesn't know what medicine she took, as she is always being sarcastic and cryptic.

When he went to bid her farewell today, she even gave him the back of her head in a huff, saying that if it's fun outside, he should play for a longer time, and that it would be fine if he didn't come back for a year or two, and that she would help take good care of Xiao Huli and the Medicine Garden, and so on.

Therefore, Xu Chen did not know how he had offended her, and could only leave in a state of utter confusion.

(End of this chapter)