Chapter 336

The long, deep tolling of a bell rang out from every gate of the Grand Void Palace. The bell rang seven times in total, a sound that even the Dharma Form True Persons outside could hear.

This bell was an ancient one, an immortal artifact passed down for thousands of years. Its seven tolls signified that the Grand Void Palace was in danger of collapse.

True Person Chuhe heard the bell and hurried to the Hall of Merits, where he received the latest news: Master Fenhai had returned severely wounded and was on the verge of falling!

This news was like a bolt from the blue, shocking everyone.

The cultivators of the Grand Void Palace gathered together, but there was only silence; no one spoke. Finally, Zhang Sheng said, "For now, wait for further news. Do not panic. The enemy might take advantage of the chaos to attack, so let us focus on our defenses first. Do not worry; the sky will not fall. Even if something truly happens to the Tinghai Xianjun, we still have the Palace Master. Furthermore, the Master of the Haotian Temple and the Master of the Heavenly Mystery Hall are both expected to ascend to immortality in the near future, and Ancestor Xuanyue will reach the ultimate realm in a hundred years. For now, everyone return to your duties. Let us disperse."

Wei Yuan felt a sense of agitation in his heart. If he hadn't established the Azure Void back then and caused conflict with the Xu family, Master Fenhai would not have fought a decisive battle against Xu Wangu. With seven tolls of the bell, he feared the Tinghai Xianjun would pass away within ten years.

Wei Yuan suddenly recalled the illusion he had seen in the cave heaven fragment that day, where Xu Wangu held an infant aloft and laughed, "Truly a Heaven-Born Thousand Autumn Sword Body!"

Could this be the reason?

Wei Yuan strolled to the Hall of Merits. A long line had formed at the entrance. Besides disciples of the Grand Void Palace, there were many others who, while not disciples, also possessed merits. Everyone had only one thought at this moment: to use their merits quickly and convert them into personal strength.

Wei Yuan walked into the Hall of Merits. It was very quiet inside, and the page for the latest news in the jade register was blank, with no information at all. That such a major event had occurred yet there was no news was, in itself, highly abnormal.

Wei Yuan also noticed that the price for exchanging for sacrificial soil at the Grand Void Palace had increased again. This time, he did not hold back; he took out a chest containing a thousand catties of sacrificial soil and offered it directly on the altar table.

As the thousand catties of sacrificial soil vanished, the price of sacrificial soil in the exchange register plummeted, dropping to less than one-tenth of its original value, and the exchange of sacrificial soil for supplies was temporarily suspended, though the reverse remained unlimited.

Wei Yuan's mood finally improved slightly; it seemed the Grand Void Palace would not be short of sacrificial soil for the time being.

At this moment, a powerful spiritual sense swept across the entire core area—Seeing Ji Liuli had returned. Wei Yuan hurried back to the main peak; the Senior Sister must have the latest news.

Once everyone from the Grand Void Palace had gathered, Seeing Ji Liuli said, "According to the news I received from the Ancestor, Palace Master Pei had already secured a winning position in the battle against Xu Wangu, but Xu Wangu stole the heavens and changed the day, bathing in fire to be reborn as a youth. This was his weakest moment, but someone intervened in secret, boosting Xu Wangu's state to its peak. The Palace Master's cultivation was already inferior to Xu Wangu's, and after fighting for several months, her immortal power was nearly exhausted, leaving her no choice but to retreat."

"But as the Palace Master withdrew, she was ambushed and nearly fell. If it hadn't been for a slight mishap with Xu Wangu's sword body reincarnation, I fear the Palace Master would not have returned at all."

"Who was the one who ambushed her?" True Person Chuhe asked.

Seeing Ji Liuli shook her head: "The Ancestor did not say."

Wei Yuan asked, "Is there no limit to this kind of reincarnation and rebirth?"

Seeing Ji Liuli replied, "There must be extreme limitations, unless he discards his physical body to re-enter reincarnation and then cultivates again in this life. The Great Bao Hua Pure Land is very skilled at this. But regardless of Xu Wangu's hidden dangers, this is not a battle we can participate in."

Zhang Sheng mused, "After this battle, the Xu family will likely make a move, but they won't go too far. No one wants to see an Tinghai Xianjun who can reincarnate infinitely, and the other great families will not tolerate the Xu family dominating alone. If nothing else, the Lu family of Ganzhou and the Li clan of Zhao Guo might intervene to keep them in check."

Seeing Ji Liuli said, "I returned this time to let everyone know that the Ancestor is about to set off for the Northern Shanmen. The Heavenly Mystery Hall is short-handed, so I must return. In a while, I will also go north, preparing to seek an opportunity in battle to advance to the Dharma Form realm."

Zhang Sheng said, "Your Linglong True Intent has only just begun; shouldn't you continue to polish it? If you want to study it thoroughly, it would be better to stay. Besides, there is fighting here just the same."

Seeing Ji Liuli shook her head and said, "Born in an era of great contention, how can everything be perfect? If I advance to the Dharma Form realm, those in the late stage with weaker foundations will have to steer clear of me, which will still be very useful for the Palace. In such dangerous times, it is our turn to go to the battlefield; there is no more time for slow, grinding work."

Old Daoist Chuhe's expression was somewhat unnatural, and he coughed a few times.

"Alright! I'm leaving!" Seeing Ji Liuli hugged Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan in turn, but when she hugged Wei Yuan, she took the opportunity to pinch his bottom.

The Northern Border is treacherous; any genius could fall, let alone Seeing Ji Liuli, who is still only at the Dao Foundation realm.

After this, who knows when they will meet again. Perhaps, never again.

"I'll see you off," Feng Tingyu suddenly said.

"Fine."

The two left the main peak, flying northeast, and landed at the edge of the domain. Seeing Ji Liuli asked, "Is there something you want to say to me?"

Feng Tingyu said, "I heard you have a nickname, 'Two-Zhang-Five Senior Sister'? My bone structure and fortune combined are three feet less than yours, but my fortune isn't very good; it's only eight feet. Those of you in the Heavenly Mystery Hall should have very high fortune, right?"

Seeing Ji Liuli remained calm and asked, "What are you trying to say?"

Feng Tingyu began doing chest-expanding exercises again and said, "What I want to say is, once you leave, don't come back. This place isn't suitable for a flat-chested person with a thin figure."

"Ouch! So you're trying to steal my man, are you!" Seeing Ji Liuli stretched her body, cracking her finger joints, walked toward Feng Tingyu, and said, "You're a generation behind me; you probably don't know the origin of my nickname yet. No matter, I'll let you know right now!"

At the edge of the domain, the earth suddenly shook, and a small mountain peak slowly toppled over.

A giant crater appeared on the ground. In the center of the crater, Seeing Ji Liuli was pinching Feng Tingyu's slightly chubby cheeks, pulling them into various shapes. Seeing Ji Liuli laughed as she pulled: "Didn't expect that, did you? My fortune is actually even worse; it's only seven feet!"

After ravaging Feng Tingyu for a while, Seeing Ji Liuli exposed one of her little secrets. Feng Tingyu's figure looked magnificent, but in reality, because her physical body was powerful, her muscles were well-developed; after subtracting the underlying muscle, she was just average.

With that, Seeing Ji Liuli laughed three times, her thoughts clear, and strode away.

Western Jin Palace.

By the time several matters had been discussed, the sky was only just beginning to brighten.

A general said, "The Prince of England intends to train at least fifty thousand new troops in the Northern Border, requiring five million taels of immortal silver. But so far, only eight hundred thousand taels of military funds have been received, leaving a shortfall of four million two hundred thousand. Without these new troops, I fear the current front line will be difficult to maintain."

An old minister said, "There is truly no silver left in the national treasury. Where are we to raise those four million taels of immortal silver?"

The Prince of Jin had been looking at the documents and now said, "In the seven counties of western Ningzhou, why has the tax collection decreased again? It is almost the end of the year, and so far, the tax silver is only one million two hundred thousand taels. If I recall correctly, last year it was two million taels, was it not?"

Another civil official reported, "The seven counties of western Ningzhou suffered disasters last year and are still recuperating this year; they truly cannot pay any more silver. Moreover, the disaster relief silver for some places this year has not yet been distributed, and the common people are living in misery."

The Prince of Jin frowned slightly and said, "How is it that I heard many places in Ningzhou had a bumper harvest this year?"

!.

Chen Dao stepped out and reported, "Many counties in western Ningzhou did indeed have a bumper harvest, with yields thirty percent higher than in previous years. It is just that the good harvests were all on private fields owned by great families, while the public fields and water conservancy works are in disrepair, leading to poor harvests."

The Prince of Jin said, "Training the new army is imperative. With no silver in the treasury, let us all contribute. I will also take some immortal silver from my private treasury. Everyone, please contribute some silver!"

The officials looked at each other, then one after another pledged donations—some one thousand taels, some five hundred. In the end, the entire court of civil and military officials, gritting their teeth, pledged one hundred thousand taels.

The Prince of Jin silently noted down a few of them and did not discuss the matter further. Although the general was so anxious he was jumping, the high-ranking officials remained calm and unperturbed.

At this moment, the Right Prime Minister stepped out and reported, "Your Majesty, the decline in annual revenue and the empty treasury are due to the dereliction of duty by the Ministry of Revenue. I believe Xu Gong could serve as the Minister of Revenue and enter the Council of State."

After a moment, the Prince of Jin said, "Very well."

The former Minister of Revenue only looked at his own toes, showing no sign of opposition.

At nightfall, at the Vajra Zen Temple.

The Prince of Jin and the green-eyed woman sat opposite each other, each closing their eyes in cultivation. The green-eyed woman suddenly said, "Your heart is not at peace."

The Prince of Jin opened his eyes abruptly and said, "The Prince of England keeps asking for troops, but forming a new army costs immortal silver, and there is not a single tael left in the treasury. In the seven counties of western Ningzhou, except for one county where the Xu family's main branch resides and which pays no taxes as per custom, the actual annual revenue of the other six counties is ten million taels! And they only gave me one million two hundred thousand! I didn't even get twenty percent! If this continues, will they not intend to give me even ten percent next year?!"

He stood up, swung his fist hard, and roared, "I asked the officials to contribute silver, and the entire court only scraped together one hundred thousand taels! Do they take me for a beggar?! That Lu Jie, just the fields he has that can be traced amount to four hundred thousand mu; all the land in Songjiang Prefecture belongs to his family, and yet he only donated two thousand!"

"And today, the Xu family also came to force my hand, insisting on taking the Minister of Revenue position; this is to take control of my purse strings! Now there are nine people in the Council of State: three from the Xu family, four from the Lu family, and only two are my people! Who exactly is the ruler of this country?! How can this leave me at peace!"

The green-eyed woman said, "Xu Wangu returned in great triumph; the Xu family is certainly looking to expand now. This is to be expected."

The Prince of Jin suddenly changed his tone and asked, "Did that old ghost really reincarnate?! Can I use this method?"

The green-eyed woman said, "He did indeed succeed in reincarnating, but this method has extreme hidden dangers and is not tolerated by heaven and earth. Otherwise, wouldn't every immortal under heaven be able to live forever? How would it ever be his turn, being neither here nor there?"

"Even if there are hidden dangers, if I could return to a youthful body, I would be willing!"

The green-eyed woman smiled slightly and said, "Xu Wangu's method is extremely damaging to one's hidden virtue and requires a vast number of blood descendants. If you dared to do this, how could Lu Changhe let you off? No need to be anxious; we have a better method now."

The Prince of Jin touched his somewhat sagging skin and sighed, "It would be best if it could be soon; I am getting impatient."

"As soon as we find that Child of Fortune, we can begin immediately."

"Aren't there many Children of Fortune? Isn't it easy to find one? Not to mention anyone far away, isn't Wei Yuan one?"

"No, his fortune is harmful and of no benefit if taken. What we are looking for is fortune that does not belong to this world; it is hidden very deeply and can only manifest under certain conditions. Therefore, we need patience."

(End of chapter)