108: Chapter 108 Winning Over the Azure Light Sect, Sea Ape Beast!

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A few months later.

Qingzhou County, Qingguang Sect Main Peak.

Inside the Azure Wood Hall, century-old sandalwood incense rose in curls. Three purple copper Pill Furnaces were arranged in a triangular formation. Earth fire flickered at the base of the furnaces, making the temperature inside the hall extremely high, to the point that even the air shimmered with distorted ripples.

Perfected Qing Shan wore a set of green Daoist robes. His hair and beard were completely white, and he was rolling two jade orbs in his hand.

He sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, looking at Daoist Yun Du sitting opposite him, as well as the white-furred exotic bear demon...

This was the Thunder Bear, Shi Jian, who had been the subject of much discussion lately.

Shi Jian lay on his stomach nearby, his eyes closed as if dozing.

"The two of you coming together is quite a rare occurrence."

Perfected Qing Shan's voice was hoarse, and the jade orbs clicked against each other.

"I heard things haven't been peaceful lately. Yan Qiu of the Fenghe Sect was heavily injured, and his Foundation was damaged. I'm afraid he won't recover for several decades."

"Fellow Daoist Yun Xiao, you, as the Temple Master, are certainly quite formidable now!"

Daoist Yun Du smiled, holding his teacup and blowing on the steam:

"Fellow Daoist Qing Shan must be joking. If not for Fellow Daoist Shi's full support, this old man's bones would have been broken by Yan Qiu long ago."

Perfected Qing Shan turned his gaze toward Shi Jian.

"An exotic Thunder Bear of heaven and earth, able to heavily injure Yan Qiu just after reaching Core Formation. For Fellow Daoist Shi to be able to turn hostility into friendship and settle in White Cloud Temple is truly a blessing for Baiyun Prefecture."

Shi Jian grinned and slightly opened his eyes:

"You are too kind, Old Immortal Master. We haven't come today for pleasantries, but for a transaction."

Perfected Qing Shan's hand movements paused.

"Oh?"

"What kind of proposal?"

Shi Jian's tone remained unchanged. He shook his fur, his gaze turning slightly serious as he said:

"Let the Qingfeng Mountains and the Dafeng Mountains border each other, stretching for eight hundred miles. Over the years, Qingguang Sect has been subtly encroaching on the Qingfeng Mountains, wanting to include that territory in Qingzhou County."

Perfected Qing Shan's expression remained unchanged.

"A gathering place for Loose Cultivators. My Qingguang Sect only does some medicinal herb business there; how can you call it encroaching?"

"Let's not mince words."

Daoist Yun Du put down his teacup: "Fellow Daoist Shi and I plan to report to Perfected Luan Yuan to merge these two mountain ranges and designate them as the Mushou Mountain of the Shangqing Sect."

The hall fell into a dead silence.

Only the sound of the earth fire roaring inside the Pill Furnaces remained.

Perfected Qing Shan's eyelids lowered, and the speed at which he rotated the jade orbs increased.

The old fox was calculating.

Shi Jian sneered inwardly. This old geezer was as shrewd as a monkey. As soon as he heard the words 'Mushou Mountain', he knew the implications.

Once designated as a Mushou Mountain, Loose Cultivators and small-to-medium families would be completely cleared out.

The resources of the eight-hundred-mile mountain range would be monopolized by the controllers. The profits involved were imaginable; these were all cold, hard assets and Spirit Stones!

"An appetite too large can easily burst the belly."

Perfected Qing Shan looked up: "The rules of the Shangqing Sect cannot be changed. A Mushou Mountain must hand over thirty percent of its earnings every fifty years."

"The remaining seventy percent—can the two of you swallow that?"

"That is why we've come to ask you to join us, Old Immortal Master."

Shi Jian smiled: "After the tribute is paid, of the remaining seventy percent, I will take twenty, and White Cloud Temple will take thirty. The remaining twenty percent, plus the exclusive right for Qingguang Sect to purchase Spirit Medicines, will go to you."

Hearing this, Perfected Qing Shan gave a nearly imperceptible nod.

Twenty percent of the earnings sounded like little, but this was twenty percent of the net profit of an eight-hundred-mile mountain range. Combined with the exclusive purchasing rights, Qingguang Sect wouldn't need to expend manpower or effort to fight for territory; they could sit at home and monopolize the Spirit Medicines.

This was a windfall from the heavens!

But in the cultivation world, there were never any free Spirit Stones.

"The conditions?" Perfected Qing Shan pressed the jade orbs into his palm.

Daoist Yun Du spoke, finally revealing their true intent:

"Old Monster Mu of the Fenghe Sect is a hidden threat. If the Fenghe Sect retaliates, we need Qingguang Sect to stand on our side."

Perfected Qing Shan fell silent.

With Old Monster Mu overseeing the Fenghe Sect, its strength was formidable. To offend Old Monster Mu for these benefits carried no small risk.

He stood up, walked to a Pill Furnace, and patted the scorching furnace wall.

"This deal, I accept."

Perfected Qing Shan turned around, a smile tugging at his withered cheeks:

"However, I have a personal request. If you two agree, I will personally stand at the front against the Fenghe Sect."

Shi Jian raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

"Speak."

"The northern sea region, Black Wind Abyss."

Perfected Qing Shan uttered those few words, his expression showing a hint more wariness:

"A level 5 Sea Ape Beast is entrenched there. I am opening a furnace to refine the 'three-cycle longevity pill', and I am still missing one primary ingredient..."

"I need the third eye from the forehead of that Sea Ape Beast."

Daoist Yun Du's face darkened. A level 5 Sea Ape Beast, though only at the Early Stage of Golden Core...

But its Bloodline was extremely extraordinary!

Just a few hundred years ago, in the coastal waters of the Xuanling Continent, a level 9 Sea Ape Demon King appeared and launched a sea tide against the northern part of the Wei State.

At that time, the three major Sects of the Wei State joined forces, and it took five Nascent Soul True Monarchs acting together just to barely repel it...

Its strength was evidently remarkable!

Shi Jian pondered for a moment, thinking it over.

The three-cycle longevity pill was a longevity-extending Medicinal Pill. It was clear that this old fellow's Lifespan was nearing its end, and he wanted to use this pill to extend it.

No wonder he was willing to go up against Old Monster Mu for the benefits of the Mushou Mountain.

If your life is gone, what use is a Sect?!

Having understood the stakes involved, Shi Jian felt more confident:

"Hunting demons in the deep sea is too risky."

"The Sea Ape Beast has exceptional combat power, comparable to those of the dragon lineage. Once entangled, even a Middle Stage Golden Core Cultivator would lose a layer of skin."

"Fellow Daoist, if it's just for the benefits of the Mushou Mountain, asking us to risk our lives makes this deal a bit unworthy..."

Hearing this, Perfected Qing Shan's expression remained unchanged, as if he had expected it. He then turned his hand and produced a jade box, pushing it toward Shi Jian and Daoist Yun Du.

The jade box opened, revealing two fruits the size of a baby's fist.

They were purple-black all over, their surfaces entwined with fine thunder patterns.

"Tier 3 High Grade, lightning attraction fruit."

Perfected Qing Shan's voice was full of temptation: "This fruit grows at the top of lightning-struck wood. It takes a hundred years to flower, a hundred years to bear fruit, and another hundred years to ripen."

"It will be of great benefit to Fellow Daoist Shi's Way of Thunder cultivation. It is a rare treasure that can help you take a step further."

"Even for a Nascent Soul Cultivator, it is a rare and good thing."

"Consider it the payment I am giving you."

Shi Jian's gaze locked onto the lightning attraction fruits.

This thing was indeed of great use to him. If he could refine it, it would save him decades of bitter cultivation. This deal was worth doing!

Daoist Yun Du glanced at Shi Jian and knew the bear demon was tempted.

"You are being quite generous, brother." Daoist Yun Du sighed. "But the sea is treacherous..."

"I will also provide water-repelling beads, as well as various Medicinal Pills and Talismans."

"When everything is over, there will be another heavy gift to ensure Fellow Daoist Yun Xiao is satisfied. Please rest assured."

Perfected Qing Shan interrupted Daoist Yun Du and then spoke eloquently:

"The two of you only need to lure this demon to the surface and kill it."

"Take the eye and leave immediately, without any hesitation."

"Once it's done, I will not only form an alliance with you to resist the Fenghe Sect, but I will also cover the High Grade Medicinal Pills for White Cloud Temple for the next hundred years!"

With conditions like these, it would be impolite to refuse any further.

It was clear that this old fellow really didn't have much Lifespan left and was desperate for longevity-extending items to save his life. Who would be willing to die if they had a chance to live?

Wealth and treasures, in the end, could not compare to Lifespan.

Shi Jian opened his mouth and stored the lightning attraction fruits in his internal space.

"Deal."

Shi Jian stood up, his ten-foot-tall body exerting an extremely strong sense of pressure:

"In that case, once you are ready, we will set off immediately."

Seeing this, Daoist Yun Du could only nod in agreement.

Winning over a Tier 3 Alchemy Great Master was crucial for the future development of White Cloud Temple. Among the four cultivation arts, Tier 3 and Tier 5 were significant hurdles.

Tiers 1 and 2 were Masters, Tiers 3 and 4 were Great Masters, and Tier 5 was a Grandmaster.

Each hurdle was extremely difficult.

Under the jurisdiction of the Shangqing Sect, among the eighteen Golden Core forces in the Three Provinces and Eighteen Counties, only three people had reached Tier 3 in the Immortal Arts...

Counting the three Great Masters within the Shangqing Sect, there were only six in total.

This showed how high the difficulty was and how revered their status was!

With the matter settled, the three of them each made a Great Dao oath, and the plan to hunt the Sea Ape Beast was finalized...

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