229: Chapter 229 A Living Saint Emerges Among the Demon Race!

...

The first three months of constructing the branch Sect were extremely bitter.

The quality of the Spiritual Vein was poor, and the Spiritual Qi was thin. The efficiency of the Cultivators' Cultivation was only about thirty percent of that in Ming Prefecture, making every step incredibly difficult.

The residual Devilish Qi was even more of a hassle.

Three groups of Disciples cleared it day and night, yet the progress was agonizingly slow.

The Devilish Qi in Hua Prefecture was completely different from that in Ming Prefecture; the Devilish Qi here had seeped deep into the earth veins, deeply rooted and interconnected, where pulling a single hair would affect the whole body.

Once you cleared the surface layer, the Devilish Qi from below would seep back up a few days later.

The term "wasteland" was proven all too vividly at this moment.

"At this rate, it will take at least another two years to completely clear the Devilish Qi from the entire branch Sect area," an Elder reported to Branch Master Yun Ci, looking dejected and feeling it wasn't worth the effort.

Two years.

For two years, the Disciples of the branch Sect would have to Cultivate in such a harsh environment. Not only would their efficiency be low, but being soaked in Devilish Qi for a long time also carried the risk of eroding their Foundations...

Branch Master Yun Ci's face was grim, but he did not back down.

His Grand Martial Uncle had handed him this task, which was never going to be an easy job to begin with.

If it were easy, would it have ever fallen to him?

"Speed things up. Starting today, double the manpower for purifying the Devilish Qi. Other matters can be put on hold; focus first on clearing the residual Devilish Qi."

"But we don't have enough manpower."

"Then draft manpower from our various vassals. I don't care how they survive, but we must at least stabilize this piece of land beneath our feet first!"

"Let the people below suffer a bit first. Only when they eat less can we eat more and live better."

The Elder opened his mouth but ultimately said no more.

Although this approach was somewhat extreme, it was ultimately for the grand blueprint of the Sect, and he had no right to deny it...

...

As the days passed, the branch Sect gradually improved.

Under Branch Master Yun Ci's iron-fisted methods, the dozens of vassal forces, though constantly complaining and even losing quite a few men because of it, did not rebel...

Although Branch Master Yun Ci's methods were somewhat cold and ruthless,

in essence, it was also helping them. If they could first concentrate all their energy to carve out a stable dwelling place,

then in the future, these vassal forces could also use this place as a Foundation to gradually expand outward and ease their pressure.

Ultimately, sacrifice was unavoidable.

At least they were not consumables to be discarded after use; by contributing manpower and effort now, they could at least reap some benefits in the future.

Completing one place as soon as possible was far better than having nothing succeed at all.

...

Meanwhile—

Atop Zixiao Peak, the thunder rumbled as before.

Shi Jian's aura grew deeper and deeper. The violent lightning, like liquid, constantly surged through the Void Realm. Heavenly thunder rolled, accompanied by ten thousand bolts of lightning.

A divine light shone from Shi Jian's eyes as he transformed his Divine Sense to condense a chessboard.

On the chessboard, every single piece was a hidden move he had continuously placed over the past century. Now that so many years had passed...

he had finally achieved some results.

For instance, with the branch Sect established in Hua Prefecture, the White Fox Lineage had followed them there, and two young bear demons of the Primitive Lineage had also been sent over.

The next step was to manage Hua Prefecture into a stable territory just like Ming Prefecture, carving out another hiding place for the Yao Race.

And in Ming Prefecture: at the main White Cloud Temple, he personally held the fort. The Foundations of the Five Lineages of Bear Demons, the Wind Rat Lineage, the Black Dog Clan, and Mushou Mountain were all here.

In Di Prefecture: there was the Yinfeng Valley Secret Realm, with Rat Three holding the fort. The Yin Rat Lineage was growing stronger day by day, and a new blessed land had begun to take shape.

In Yuan Prefecture: Zhao Yanchuan had separated from the Zhao Clan. After managing it for several years, the Zhao Family's Foundation had expanded, the beast park was built, and trade routes were running smoothly.

Furthermore, it had carved out a new living space for the Black Dog and Rat clans.

Within the Liang Kingdom: Bi Luo led the Holy Blood Sect, vigorously expanding its followers. Their numbers had reached over five thousand, quietly gathering strength.

Moreover, the Green Ape Clan's Ancestor Cang Ya managed the Lin Family, a Cultivator Family in the Liang Kingdom, secretly providing cover for the Holy Blood Sect.

One in the light and one in the dark, they cooperated seamlessly.

There was also the lineage master of the Frost-Snow Lineage, Shi Yin, whom he had personally enlightened back then. Shi Yin was now lurking in the Shangqing Sect, controlling his master.

Though he did not know what stage of development they had reached now,

Shi Yin could still occasionally send out secret information, allowing them to take precautions.

Five strongholds were scattered in all directions. The territory had expanded, but each front remained weak.

None of the strongholds were particularly strong. If something happened to one, the others would be too far away to help. This was like a stretched spiderweb; though it looked large, every single thread was thin.

"We still lack a bit of Foundation," Shi Jian muttered to himself.

Zixiao's voice resounded in his Sea of Consciousness: "You have already done enough over the years. But in the final analysis, what the Yao Race lacks is not territory, but Golden Cores."

"Supporting five strongholds all by yourself is stretching you too thin. If Shi Pan could form his core, and Kuang Dou and Elder Rat could achieve Core Formation, even just one more Golden Core great demon would make the situation much more manageable."

Shi Jian closed his eyes.

Shi Pan had been in secluded cultivation for many years and still showed no signs of breakthrough, while Kuang Dou, although his Bloodline had evolved, was still far from achieving Core Formation in terms of cultivation.

"It cannot be rushed."

"I know."

Shi Jian sank to the bottom of the lightning pool, the purple-gold lightning liquid submerging his entire body.

Lightning surged beneath the surface, tempering his bones, muscles, and Meridians. His Mid-stage Golden Core cultivation climbed upward bit by bit.

He needed greater strength.

Not just for himself, but also for the tens of thousands of Yao Race creatures behind him who depended on him...

Looking at it this way, he truly had a bit of the air of a Yao Race Saint.

And countless Yao Race creatures also needed a sufficiently powerful backer to survive in this human-dominated world.

Shi Jian had carried this burden for two hundred years.

But even if he had to carry it for another two hundred years, he would not mind. As long as he lived, there would come a day when he would run rampant across the world...

And reshape all living souls of the Yao Race!

...