Translator: CinderTL
"Sect Leader, three days ago, Ye Gang was recalled to the Nine Palaces Sect. He also took two Golden Core cultivators with him. Currently, Jie Mountain is managed by Kong Ji, and only three Golden Core cultivators remain stationed there," Yu Wen reported.
Ye Gang had managed the Jie Mountain Spirit Stone Mine for nearly sixty years without a single lapse, earning the Nine Palaces Sect's complete trust. Kong Ji, his deputy, was only at the Golden Core Stage.
Song Wen's lips curled into a faint smile upon hearing this.
Clearly, after Xi Ling and Tai He's deaths, the Nine Palaces Sect was left with only Tong Hua and Hao Kong, both Nascent Soul Stage cultivators. Sensing the crisis, they had been forced to contract their territory.
However, the profits from Jie Mountain were too substantial for them to abandon it easily.
"Gather our forces and prepare to attack Jie Mountain," Song Wen ordered.
"Attack Jie Mountain?" Yu Wen hesitated. "Sect Leader, with all due respect, even if we capture Jie Mountain, we may not be able to hold it. The Nine Palaces Sect will surely retaliate."
Song Wen gave a cold smile. "Rest assured. Xi Ling and Tai He are dead. The Nine Palaces Sect no longer has the strength to interfere in Yishi Ridge."
"Xi Ling and Tai He are dead!" Yu Wen's eyes widened in disbelief.
Song Wen nodded slightly. "Chief Yu, quickly gather the disciples before someone else seizes Jie Mountain first."
"Yes!"
Yu Wen bowed and quickly exited the Great Hall.
The assault on Jie Mountain went smoothly, without a single soldier being deployed.
Song Wen had made no attempt to conceal his movements. He had openly led his disciples in a Giant Flying Ship, making a grand display as they approached Jie Mountain. As a result, Kong Ji had received advance warning and fled with his Nine Palaces Sect disciples long before their arrival.
Perhaps to curry favor with Song Wen, Kong Ji had taken only the already mined Spirit Stones when he fled, leaving everything else on Jie Mountain intact, including the Mountain Protection Array, mine shafts, and other facilities. Even the mortal mine slaves were left unharmed.
Repay kindness with kindness.
Song Wen thus refrained from ordering his men to pursue Kong Ji and the Nine Palaces Sect disciples.
Just an hour later, the mine shafts deep within Jie Mountain were bustling with activity.
The mine workers, clad in tattered clothes and emaciated from malnutrition, were covered in dust from head to toe. Bent over with their picks and shovels, they toiled tirelessly, chipping away at the rock.
The air inside the mine shafts was thick with dust and pollution, making each breath a struggle.
Witnessing this scene, Song Wen turned to Yu Wen, who stood beside him.
"Chief Yu, these mortal mine slaves are utterly useless. Their mining speed is far too slow. Why not capture some rogue cultivators to do the work?"
Yu Wen replied, "Sect Leader, the mortality rate among the mortal mine slaves is extremely high. If we were to use rogue cultivators as mine slaves, it would likely cause panic among the rogue cultivators of Yishi Ridge, driving them to flee."
Though rogue cultivators were mostly weak and at the bottom of the Immortal Cultivation World's hierarchy, they were an indispensable part of it.
A large-scale loss of rogue cultivators would lead to a shortage of basic cultivation resources, ultimately affecting the overall operation of the Asura Sect.
This was why, when Song Wen founded the Asura Sect, he only targeted Foundation Establishment and Golden Core rogue cultivators in Yishi Ridge, rather than exploiting the vast majority of Qi Refining rogue cultivators.
Of course, this also had a lot to do with the fact that Qi Refining rogue cultivators offered little profit.
"Secretly capture a batch for now to temporarily increase mining speed. Also, quickly send people to the mortal realm to capture mortal martial artists under the pretense of holding a Martial Arts Assembly or publicly selecting an heir for a Peerless Expert. Martial artists' physiques are far stronger than ordinary mortals, allowing them to mine much faster," Song Wen instructed.
"Yes!" Yu Wen replied.
After parting ways with Yu Wen, Song Wen returned to Qingluo Mountain.
"Junior Brother, you're back?" Zhou Siyi's voice, tinged with surprise, reached him.
Seeing Zhou Siyi, Song Wen's eyes lit up. "Senior Sister, when did you return?"
"A month ago. My two-decade agreement with the He Huan Sect had expired, so I returned to Qingluo Mountain."
After speaking, Zhou Siyi continued with a mysterious air.
"Junior Brother, guess what level the Shadow Gu has reached now?"
"The Shadow Gu has advanced to the mid-stage of the third rank?" Song Wen asked.
Zhou Siyi shook her head.
"Could it be that it's already reached the late stage of the third rank?" Song Wen's voice held a hint of surprise.
Zhou Siyi's face lit up with a proud smile. "Junior Brother, aren't I amazing?"
"Senior Sister, how did you do it?" Song Wen immediately asked.
Zhou Siyi replied, "While I was at the He Huan Sect's Human Serpent Workshop, I received over a dozen Spirit-Devouring Grass plants each year. When combined with Dragon Strength Pills, this herb rapidly boosts the Shadow Gu's power."
"Spirit-Devouring Grass?" Song Wen looked puzzled, as he had never heard of this Spirit Herb before. "Senior Sister, now that you've left the He Huan Sect's Human Serpent Workshop, can you still obtain Spirit-Devouring Grass?"
Zhou Siyi shook her head slightly. "I doubt it. The He Huan Sect doesn't cultivate Spirit-Devouring Grass themselves; they purchase it from the Beastmaster Sect. The He Huan Sect's annual supply is extremely limited. If I hadn't taught the He Huan Sect disciples everything I knew about breeding and raising Human Serpents, earning me great merit, they wouldn't have bestowed this herb upon me."
"So Spirit-Devouring Grass has such remarkable effects?" Before Zhou Siyi could answer, Song Wen continued, "Senior Sister, how many Spirit-Devouring Grass plants do you have left?"
Zhou Siyi replied, "I feed the Shadow Gu one Spirit-Devouring Grass plant each month, so I don't have many left. Right now, I have eight plants remaining."
After a moment's thought, Song Wen replied, "Senior Sister, you don't need to worry about this. I'll have Yu Wen try to purchase some directly from the Beastmaster Sect. If that doesn't work, we'll consider other options."
The two chatted for a while longer before returning to their respective cultivation caves.
For the next few months, Song Wen spent most of his time in quiet cultivation, only occasionally handling matters related to the Asura Sect.
During the first two months, he focused on regulating his breathing to restore his Spiritual Power and heal the minor internal injuries he had sustained in the Divine Blood Hall.
After that, Song Wen began to study the Nascent Soul stage cultivation techniques of the Corpse King's Rebirth Art.
Three months later, he began refining Blood Demon Pills.
The first few batches were unsuccessful, with only a 30% success rate, yielding a maximum of two pills per batch.
As he refined more batches, practice made perfect, and Song Wen gradually grasped some key techniques.
His success rate improved to 70%, and the number of pills produced per batch increased to three.
After refining thirty Blood Demon Pills, Song Wen stopped. He took out one pill, opened his mouth, and swallowed it.
Instantly, a surge of violent poison erupted within him, sending waves of excruciating pain through his abdomen.
Simultaneously, the Blood Qi in his body was rapidly consumed, transforming into pure Spiritual Qi.
Clenching his teeth, Song Wen immediately activated the Ten Thousand Poisons Body, absorbing the toxins in his abdomen to strengthen his physical form.
As for the Spiritual Qi, it flowed through Song Wen's meridians, driven by his circulating Spiritual Power, slowly merging into it before finally returning to his Dantian.
Time slipped away slowly during his cultivation.
Song Wen worried that Gui Ni or Gou Jun might lead an assault on the Asura Sect.
However, instead of the armies of the Corpse Demon Sect and the Profound Yin Sect, a rumor about Song Wen spread throughout the Immortal Cultivation World.
"Yin Shuo, the Sect Leader of the Asura Sect, practices Dual Cultivation of Righteous and Demonic Paths. He can transform into a three-zhang-tall Giant Corpse and also wield Thunder Magic."
This news quickly swept through the Immortal Cultivation World, becoming common knowledge.
"Gui Ni must be behind this, deliberately spreading the rumor," Song Wen thought after learning of it.
The exposure of his Dual Cultivation of Righteous and Demonic Paths had no immediate impact on Song Wen.
While many might have been curious about how he achieved such a feat, his Nascent Soul realm strength deterred anyone from directly confronting the Asura Sect to demand an explanation.
Moreover, the revelation of his Dual Cultivation also hinted that "Yin Shuo" and "Cui Huo" were the same person.
However, the only person "Cui Huo" had truly offended was Hao Kong of the Nine Palaces Sect.
Now, the Nine Palaces Sect was struggling to survive, even failing to react when the Asura Sect seized the Jie Mountain Spirit Stone Mine. How could they possibly bother Song Wen over a minor incident from years ago?
(End of the Chapter)
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