Chapter 264
In an instant, he blurted out.
“Disciple, sweat drips into the soil beneath the rice, every grain is hard-earned!”
“When I was just a small cultivator, I had no sect, no friends, and certainly no resources. The resources I had were scavenged from piles of corpses.”
Chen Huai'an rummaged through the bottles and jars on Luo Yun, stuffing them into his spatial gear. He stood up, turned his back to Li Qingran, and sighed, “Time flies, and the years weave swiftly. Now things are getting better; I can even provide resources for the younger generation. I can’t help but think, if I had a senior like this back in the day, tsk tsk…”
“Disciple understands her mistake.” Li Qingran’s eyes reddened, her expression moved—she could almost imagine how much hardship her master had endured to reach this level, how many disdainful glances he had faced.
Yet she had failed to understand, to reflect deeply.
Instead, she thought her master’s scavenging from corpses was beneath him.
It was merely a habit formed from years of enduring a life without resources.
“From today on, I will learn from my master, becoming a diligent scavenger, never letting any resource slip away!”
Li Qingran’s expression was serious, her tone resolute.
Chen Huai'an felt a sense of relief wash over him, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth: “A child worth teaching!”
Little did he know that this very lesson would lead to the emergence of one of the three wonders of the Cangyun Realm—the renowned Qingran, the first female sword immortal, who had a peculiar quirk.
No matter what enemy she defeated, even if it was just an ant, she would scour the corpse for every usable resource.
It was truly…
Hard to bear!
…
…
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Chapter 282: The Lake Surface
“I heard the governor of the Demon-Slaying Division in C Province has gone north to attend the Demon-Hunting Conference!”
“Is the news reliable?”
“Absolutely reliable, Da Liang Jun!”
Dechuan Da Liang squinted, the corners of his lips curling up beneath his beard: “Yoshi! What a heavenly opportunity!”
They had already planned to release a large number of monsters in the Tianfu District and its surroundings.
Initially, they were worried that the monsters they released wouldn’t be strong enough and would be quickly cleared out by the Demon-Slaying Division, or that they wouldn’t be able to lure the strongest demon slayer in C Province—the governor—away from the containment center. Now, it was perfect; the governor had left on his own. It was as if the sun goddess had blessed them.
What was once a 60-70% success rate had now increased by another 30%.
Dechuan Da Liang could almost envision his men subduing the porcelain-skinned female general and refining her into a shikigami, reaping great rewards.
“Notify everyone, let’s get moving!” Dechuan Da Liang commanded, “The Demon-Hunting Conference lasts three days. The governor of the C Province Demon-Slaying Division might return on the fourth day, so we must infiltrate the division and capture the porcelain-skinned female general before he comes back!”
“Yes—!”
…
C Province Demon-Slaying Division.
“I wonder how the governor and Lin Lingling are doing…”
Zhao Ying sat at her computer desk, her eyes reflecting the screen beneath her glasses.
After reviewing data all night, she was starting to feel a bit drowsy.
In the past, the Demon-Slaying Division was overwhelmed.
One moment, they were registering new demons and evil spirits; the next, they were dealing with personnel shortages and calling for reinforcements, busy to the point of chaos.
Now, under the governor’s leadership, the resources and configurations of the C Province Demon-Slaying Division had completely caught up.
Moreover, with so many members in the division, basic tasks could be resolved in less than half a day after being posted. There were so many tasks that demon slayers were teaming up to take them on, so there was no longer a shortage of manpower needing support. Zhao Ying and Xiang Xiaoyuan’s workload had been cut in half.
She was almost unaccustomed to such leisurely days; it felt strange…
Just as Zhao Ying was about to open Penguin Video to find a show to relax with, suddenly, the task system of the Demon-Slaying Division flashed with dozens of task reports.
【In Tongsen Jinyue Community, a suspected soldier-level evil spirit has appeared; situation to be confirmed.】
【At Wandan Shopping Mall, a master-level evil spirit has been confirmed; number to be confirmed.】
…
In addition to core members, the C Province Demon-Slaying Division had developed a group of observers who only received salaries.
These observers were spread across various industries, generally being revivers who could sense or see demons and evil spirits. However, their powers were relatively weak, insufficient to combat the evil spirits, so they could only report information as external personnel.
In the past, handling this information was a life-or-death struggle.
Now, though…
“Ying Jie, is there a task?!”
Xiang Xiaoyuan burst through the door, her face brimming with excitement.
“Yes, many! An average of over ten reports a minute,” Zhao Ying adjusted her glasses, a smile creeping onto her lips. “Such a sudden surge of demons and evil spirits isn’t normal, but no matter who or what is causing trouble, with the strength of our C Province Demon-Slaying Division now, we have nothing to fear!”
In the past, no matter how confident Zhao Ying was, she wouldn’t have dared to say such a thing.
But now, with the resources provided by the governor, she could say it without breaking a sweat.
“Notify everyone, prepare for battle.”
Zhao Ying stood up, grabbing the Tang Dao lying horizontally on the table, her eyes glinting with cold light.
“Our Demon-Slaying Division… has work to do!”
…
Mount Longshan—
Chen Huai'an followed Zhu Yu’s guidance deeper into the mountains.
The monsters they encountered were becoming more numerous, while the ascenders were becoming fewer, but their strength was increasing.
So far, he had encountered ascenders at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.
These ascenders were easy to identify.
They had a unique aura.
It was hard to describe, but it was like a nouveau riche who suddenly came into money; whatever they did, they made a big noise, and when they killed a demon, the explosion could be heard for miles, accompanied by dazzling special effects.
“Master, the cultivators in this world use spiritual energy extravagantly and ineffectively; it’s such a waste…” As they passed by an ascender engaged in battle, Li Qingran couldn’t help but complain, then curiously asked, “Master, why did you come to this world? Why not return to the Cangyun Realm? The spiritual energy here is thin; it seems unfavorable for cultivation.”
Another critical question.
Chen Huai'an appeared calm on the surface, but inside, he was in a panic.
His super brain quickly whirred, and in less than half a second, he had a strategy.
“Disciple, you may not know, but the resources in the Cangyun Realm are becoming increasingly scarce; it’s only a matter of time before they run dry. I cannot just stand by and watch; I must consider the future.” Chen Huai'an shook his head and sighed, lamenting:
“Don’t be fooled by the thin spiritual energy in this world; ten years ago, there was no spiritual energy here at all.”
“Are you saying this world is experiencing a revival of spiritual energy?” Li Qingran’s eyes widened.
The issues in the Cangyun Realm were evident to all cultivators.
But currently, the spiritual energy had not completely run out.
Most cultivators thought that the sky would not fall as long as there were tall people to hold it up.
Besides, why should they worry?
The ones who should be concerned were definitely the top-tier experts in the Great Ascension and Void Realm.
“Exactly.” Chen Huai'an looked up at the night sky with his hands behind his back, speaking solemnly: “The reason I left the Sword Pavilion to travel through the myriad worlds is to seek a way out for myself and for the Sword Pavilion…
If the Cangyun Realm truly faces a depletion of spiritual energy and a collapse of resources in the future, then I can still lead the Sword Pavilion to develop in this world.
So even though this world rejects me and I risk being killed by its cultivators, I must do my best to establish a foothold here.”
“I see.” Li Qingran’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, her heart trembling, her nose tinged with a sourness as she spoke in a choked voice, “So Master has thought so far ahead, always considering the Sword Pavilion and the disciples… But I always wanted Master to return to the Cangyun Realm; I was being selfish.”
Hearing this, Chen Huai'an felt a wave of relief.
Fortunately, Li Qingran was quite innocent; she believed whatever he said.
Unlike that mischievous girl, Lin Lingling.
What he said was half true and half false.
The resources in the Cangyun Realm were indeed running low.
And this world was indeed experiencing a revival of spiritual energy.
As for moving the Sword Pavilion here?
That was just empty talk.
To put it bluntly, a Great Ascension cultivator still couldn’t travel through the myriad worlds.
There were only a handful of Great Ascension cultivators in the Cangyun Realm, and you could count them on two hands, which was why he could speak so casually.
If they could truly travel through the myriad worlds, then Yu Yao Zhenren and Master Fen Ye would have left long ago.
…
The call of the Dragon Soul grew ever closer.
Amidst the towering mountains, a sudden clarity emerged.
The two burst out of the forest, entering a place surrounded by cliffs.
Under the night sky, a lake came into view.
A wild wind swept past Chen Huai'an and Li Qingran’s faces.
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