Bao Gu returned to her room in a daze.
Yu Mi’s courtyard was quite empty.
Probably because it was newly built, Yu Mi hadn’t had time to move in or furnish it.
There was only a set of table and chairs in the living room and a bed in the bedroom.
The outside courtyard was even emptier, with nothing in it, not even the reserved medicinal field, which was still a piece of barren land without any special soil.
Feeling upset, Bao Gu decided to tidy up Yu Mi’s courtyard.
She had collected some high-quality medicinal soil from the Jiao Long, so she wasn’t worried about not having enough to fill the medicinal field.
Bao Gu called on Duobao Spirit Monkey to help, and together they quickly leveled the soil in the field.
She then transplanted many spiritual herbs and precious medicines from her oversized storage bag into the field.
Considering Yu Mi’s current strength was at the late Golden Core stage, with the potential to break through to the Nascent Soul stage at any time, Bao Gu transplanted the herbs according to Nascent Soul standards.
She even prepared many rare spiritual herbs necessary for refining the Huashen Pill, which were almost extinct in the current cultivation world.
The recipe for the Huashen Pill wasn’t hard to find; Xuantian Sect even included it in the alchemy compendium given to every disciple.
The challenge was gathering the necessary ingredients.
Even with Bao Gu’s abundant resources, she could only gather about sixty to seventy percent of the required materials.
Bao Gu transplanted all the spiritual herbs she could gather for the Huashen Pill into the courtyard, along with many other rare spiritual herbs and even a dozen precious medicines.
The spiritual energy in Liangjie Mountain was much denser than in Xuantian Sect, and with the spirit-gathering array guiding the energy into the courtyard, the place was filled with rich spiritual energy.
Now, with the courtyard full of spiritual herbs, it was like a paradise on earth, vibrant and full of life.
Worried that the newly transplanted herbs might not survive, Bao Gu took out all her spirit stones and had Duobao Spirit Monkey dissolve them into water to irrigate each herb.
By the time she finished with the medicinal field, it was already daylight.
She sat cross-legged in the courtyard filled with various spiritual herbs, took two healing pills, drank a few sips of second-grade monkey wine, and began channeling the spiritual energy in her dantian to heal her injuries.
For ordinary people, injuries to the internal organs and meridians were often fatal, but for Bao Gu, whose cultivation level was at the second stage of Foundation Establishment and who regularly consumed monkey wine and various spiritual pills, the injuries were not severe.
Having been in the cultivation world for so long and having survived many life-and-death situations, she was used to getting injured and was adept at healing herself.
With the help of healing pills and monkey wine, her injuries were healed by evening.
She took two Foundation Establishment pills and some monkey wine and continued to practice in the courtyard.
Bao Gu’s cultivation level had been stuck at the second stage of Foundation Establishment for a long time, but she noticed that her strength had not stagnated.
At least her dantian and meridians were more solid, able to hold more spiritual energy and power.
She realized that her difficult cultivation was not only due to her five-element spiritual roots but also because the Xuantian Sword within her absorbed a large amount of spiritual energy she gathered.
Without enough spiritual energy to convert into spiritual power to open her acupoints, her cultivation level couldn’t advance.
To reach the ninth stage of Foundation Establishment, she needed to open all the meridians and acupoints in her body, and she hadn’t even opened the Ren and Du meridians yet!
Bao Gu felt it was necessary to study the Xuantian Sword more.
She could now sense the aura of the Xuantian Sword and had previously tried using its energy to break through her cultivation level without causing any harm, which seemed feasible.
She decided to try cultivating with the help of the Xuantian Sword.
Bao Gu touched the wisp of Xuantian Sword aura in her dantian and slowly injected her spiritual power into it.
As she expected, the wisp of sword aura could absorb the spiritual power from her dantian.
She continued to inject her spiritual power into the sword aura, and soon her dantian was depleted, yet the sword aura showed no change.
She took out second-grade monkey wine, drank it, and continued to inject the spiritual power converted from the wine into the sword aura, carefully guiding it into her acupoints according to the path required for Foundation Establishment cultivation.
This step was extremely risky.
After all, she was using the spiritual power of the Xuantian Sword, which was incredibly powerful and sharp.
Any mistake could damage her acupoints or meridians, potentially crippling her.
However, after consuming an entire gourd of fourth-grade monkey wine, she hadn’t advanced a single stage, which made Bao Gu genuinely worried about her cultivation prospects.
She had to find another way.
She didn’t like tedious cultivation but didn’t want her senior sister to think she had no future in cultivation.
With so many cultivation resources at her disposal, she should be able to advance, not remain stagnant.
Soon, a gourd of second-grade monkey wine was depleted, and all the spiritual power it converted entered the wisp of Xuantian Sword aura.
The sword aura finally became clearer and more solid, allowing Bao Gu to “see” its true form—a wisp of extremely pure five-element spiritual power perfectly fused from metal, wood, water, fire, and earth!
The five-element spiritual power formed from an entire gourd of monkey wine didn’t even fill one-fifth of a single acupoint.
In other words, to open this acupoint, she would need at least five to six gourds of second-grade monkey wine.
The human body has over a thousand acupoints, and if one acupoint requires five to six gourds, how much would the major acupoints require?
Just thinking about the quantity made Bao Gu’s scalp tingle!
Even with Duobao Spirit Monkey, she couldn’t sustain such a large consumption.
She had to find another way to absorb spiritual energy for cultivation, even if it was slower.
She could trade monkey wine for spirit stones and rely on absorbing spirit stones for cultivation.
She had so many spiritual herbs that she could refine them into pills for consumption.
With Xuantian Sect now located in a place rich in spiritual energy, she could also rely on absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for cultivation.
Bao Gu told herself to take it slow and not rush.
Although this method of cultivation was slow, it showed visible progress, unlike her previous cultivation method, which only made her feel like she had a little more spiritual power in her body but no progress in her cultivation level.
Vaguely, she seemed to hear Feng Yi’s voice coming from outside the courtyard.
Bao Gu released her divine sense to explore outside, but the courtyard was too large, and her divine sense range was too narrow, so she couldn’t detect anything outside the gate.
She had to stop her cultivation, get up, and walk towards the gate.
When she was about two zhang away from the gate, her divine sense detected Feng Yi standing outside.
She opened the gate and cupped her fists, saying, “Greetings, Martial Uncle Feng!”
Feng Yi responded with a nod, and when he caught a glimpse of the full courtyard of spiritual herbs, his eyes widened in shock!
The courtyard full of spiritual herbs was one thing, but each herb was a rare item on the market, and there were even thousand-year-old spiritual herbs among them.
What surprised him the most was seeing a dozen ten-thousand-year-old precious medicines clustered together in a corner of the medicinal field!
Looking at their roots, stems, and leaves, and the divine aura flowing from them, Feng Yi almost wanted to leave his eyeballs on the precious medicines!
He really wanted to shamelessly say to Bao Gu, “Bao Gu, how about I trade my elder’s courtyard for this place you’re living in?”
But he knew that although Bao Gu was living here, it belonged to Yu Mi.
Judging by Bao Gu’s attitude towards Yu Mi, she would never agree to such a trade.
Being a person of experience and insight, Feng Yi only lost his composure for a moment before regaining it, and he said earnestly, “Bao Gu, your courtyard is missing a shadow wall.”
Bao Gu understood from Feng Yi’s expression that he was suggesting she build a shadow wall to hide the spiritual herbs in the courtyard.
Otherwise, when the gate was opened, the full courtyard of spiritual herbs would be too tempting for others.
She said to Feng Yi, “Please, Martial Uncle,” and invited him into the courtyard.
Feng Yi had originally come to deliver a message, but seeing the full courtyard of spiritual herbs, he didn’t stand on ceremony when Bao Gu invited him in.
Bao Gu led Feng Yi to the jade table and stools in the courtyard and said, “I just moved in, and I haven’t had time to set up anything. It’s quite shabby, please forgive me, Martial Uncle.”
Feng Yi thought to himself, “You’re calling this shabby with a courtyard full of spiritual herbs? Are you trying to make me feel bad?”
Bao Gu took out some wine utensils from her storage bag, poured a gourd of fifth-grade monkey wine into a wine pot, and offered it to Feng Yi, saying, “Martial Uncle, I don’t have tea here, but I know you don’t mind wine.”
Feng Yi unceremoniously picked up the wine and drank it.
He said, “Just say what you need to say.”
Bao Gu said, “It’s nothing much. Since Martial Uncle came in person, I couldn’t be rude. But if Martial Uncle has some free time, you could help me with a small favor.”
Feng Yi glanced at Bao Gu and said, “I knew you had something to ask. What is it?”
Bao Gu said, “I’ve run out of spirit stones and have no spirit stones to practice with. I’d like to exchange some for spirit stones. We’re far from the cultivation world now, and my cultivation level is low, so it’s inconvenient for me to go out. I can only trouble Martial Uncle to help me exchange some when you have time.”
Feng Yi nodded and said, “Alright.”
Bao Gu took out some first to fifth-grade monkey wine and gave it to Feng Yi, saying, “Exchange half of the wine for spirit stones and the other half for spiritual herbs. The type and grade of the herbs don’t matter, but it’s best if they have complete roots and can be planted.”
Feng Yi accepted the monkey wine Bao Gu gave him and took out a storage bag filled with spirit stones, handing it to Bao Gu, saying, “It’s rare for you to be so focused on cultivation. Take these spirit stones and use them first.”
With that, he stood up and said, “The Sun Dilong you wanted has been found and is now in the side hall of Xuantian Palace.”
Bao Gu said, “Then I’ll go meet him now. Martial Uncle Feng, is there any movement from the demon alliance?”
Feng Yi said, “They’re restless and making a lot of noise. There are spies from the demon alliance constantly watching Xuantian Sect’s movements. The sect master has already issued strict orders for disciples to be on high alert and not to step out of Xuantian Sect without the sect master’s permission. Violators will be expelled from Xuantian Sect.”
Bao Gu: “…”
She immediately understood that the situation must be quite severe, and any slight disturbance could trigger a life-and-death battle between Xuantian Sect and the demon alliance.
Xuantian Sect was trying to avoid conflict as much as possible.
Soon, Bao Gu followed Feng Yi to Xuantian Square.
She saw her fellow disciples listening to Grandmaster’s lecture, and as she and Feng Yi flew past, many senior brothers turned to look at her.
Some exchanged glances, and she even vaguely heard someone whispering, “Bao Gu is different from everyone else. Try not attending morning classes and see what happens?”
“The ancestor personally chose her as the successor, of course she’s different.”
“Stop gossiping. You haven’t benefited any less from her.”
Bao Gu floated past Xuantian Square and landed in the side hall.
In the side hall, only Sun Dilong stood, looking around.
Because there was a formation restriction in the hall, and outside the hall, Zi Tianjun, a God Transformation Stage cultivator, was lecturing, and in the protective mountain formation above, a dragon of unfathomable strength lingered, Sun Dilong didn’t dare to move around freely, even without anyone guarding him.
He obediently stood in place, waiting.
When he saw Feng Yi and Bao Gu enter together, he quickly cupped his fists and bowed, saying, “To what do I owe the honor of being captured and brought here? I haven’t offended either of you.”
Bao Gu slightly raised her head and gestured to the nearby futon, saying, “Sit down. I asked Martial Uncle Feng to bring you here.”
Sun Dilong quickly said, “I wouldn’t dare. Standing is fine. Please, tell me what you need.”
Bao Gu glanced at Sun Dilong and said slowly, “You’re the jack-of-all-trades in Liangjie Mountain, so you should be well aware of the current situation of the demon alliance. Tell me in detail.”
Sun Dilong looked troubled and said, “Well, you know the demon alliance is not to be trifled with.”
Bao Gu said, “I think it’s impossible to hide the fact that you were captured by Martial Uncle Feng and brought to Xuantian Sect. The demon alliance will definitely ask you to find out about Xuantian Sect. You can tell them what you see and earn some money from selling the information.”
She took out the storage bag of spirit stones given to her by Feng Yi, took out a hundred mid-grade spirit stones, and said, “This is the money I’m paying for the information.”
With a wave of her hand, she pushed the spirit stones in front of Sun Dilong.
Seeing the spirit stones, Sun Dilong unceremoniously accepted them and said, “The demon alliance is composed of all the demon cultivators and evil paths near Liangjie Mountain, including the thirteen caves of Nu Yao River, the eighteen caves on Liangjie Mountain, and the three gatherings and seventeen ridges, totaling over a thousand. There are more than thirty Nascent Soul stage cultivators and nearly two hundred God Transformation Stage demons. The demon alliance leader, Jade Stone Qilin, is kind-hearted and dislikes killing. He has been in seclusion for years, and this time he came out because the demon alliance feared Xuantian Sect’s Void Tearing stage expert and begged him to protect everyone.”
Bao Gu asked, “What is the demon alliance’s attitude towards Xuantian Sect?”
Sun Dilong said, “The leaders of the demon alliance want to destroy Xuantian Sect, but the alliance leader’s attitude is unclear. Without his order, the demon alliance is wary of Xuantian Sect’s Void Tearing stage expert and doesn’t dare to act rashly.”
Bao Gu understood that it was a standoff where both sides were afraid of each other.
She asked, “How many God Transformation Stage experts does the demon alliance have?”
Sun Dilong said, “It’s extremely difficult to reach the God Transformation Stage. Many cultivators are stuck at the late Nascent Soul stage and can’t break through. The cultivators in Liangjie Mountain don’t have any God Transformation Stage experts. Demon cultivators who can’t find a breakthrough at the late Nascent Soul stage often venture deep into the demon domain to seek opportunities. Whether they break through to the God Transformation Stage or not, they never return. Ah, it’s really hard to progress in cultivation after reaching the Nascent Soul stage. Advancing half a stage in a hundred years is already quite difficult.”
Bao Gu couldn’t confirm if what Sun Dilong said was true, so she looked at Feng Yi and asked, “Martial Uncle Feng, is that the case?”
Feng Yi nodded slightly.
He looked at Bao Gu, puzzled, and transmitted his voice, “If it’s just to gather information, why go through the trouble of capturing Sun Dilong? Do you have other plans?”
Bao Gu nodded slightly.
She asked, “What about the Evil Demon Gathering? Is it deserted now?”
Sun Dilong said, “Evil Demon Gathering is the largest market in Liangjie Mountain, with many people coming and going. When some leave, others come. The Hundred Demons Cave, with over a hundred members, has joined forces with the thirteen caves of Demon Gathering River to take over Evil Demon Gathering market. Every night, they auction off female cultivators from orthodox sects to provoke and lure Xuantian Sect into action, so they can ask Jade Stone Qilin to destroy Xuantian Sect.”
Bao Gu frowned and asked, “Where do these female cultivators come from?”
Sun Dilong said, “They’re kidnapped.”
Bao Gu thought to herself, “That’s obvious!”
She said, “I mean, where are they kidnapped from? Aren’t they afraid of those sects coming after them?”
Sun Dilong said, “They kidnap them secretly, and this place is far from where cultivators usually operate, near the demon domain’s border. Few orthodox sects would search for people here. Those female cultivators’ fellow disciples don’t even know they’ve been kidnapped here. Even if they do, it’s too dangerous with all the demon cultivators and evil paths around, and there are too many auctions and transactions in Liangjie Mountain, making it hard to find them.”
Bao Gu thought for a moment and asked, “What happens to those female cultivators after they’re auctioned off?”
Sun Dilong said, “What else? In the hands of these demon cultivators and evil paths, they’re either played with until they’re dead or, if they’re lucky, they’re just played with until they’re crippled and then killed. If they fall into the hands of those who eat people, they’re cooked in all sorts of ways, or even eaten alive, piece by piece.”
Feng Yi frowned deeply.
Bao Gu felt nauseated and frowned, asking, “Isn’t Jade Stone Qilin a benevolent beast? Doesn’t it care?”
Sun Dilong said, “Jade Stone Qilin is kind-hearted and doesn’t like to cause trouble. As long as it doesn’t happen on its territory or affect it directly, it usually doesn’t intervene. This time, it came out because it feared Xuantian Sect might drive it away along with the others.”
Bao Gu pondered over what Sun Dilong said, remaining silent.
Sun Dilong said, “Fairy Bao Gu, I’ve told you everything I can. Can I leave now?”
Bao Gu said, “Wait a moment.”
Sun Dilong asked anxiously, “What else?”
The young girl in front of him, though young and not very imposing, was beautiful and lively.
But seeing her serious demeanor and remembering how she tricked the Jiao Long demon king, he was genuinely afraid.
Having witnessed her actions at the inn at the Evil Demon Gathering and the devastation of Hundred Demons Cave, he found this seemingly gentle young girl far more terrifying than the cold-faced God Transformation Stage expert beside her.
Bao Gu made up her mind and looked at Sun Dilong, saying, “I won’t hide or deceive you. I’ll tell you the truth. Xuantian Sect, being an orthodox sect, can’t tolerate the actions of many demon cultivators and evil paths in Liangjie Mountain. I once considered recruiting demon cultivators and evil paths from Liangjie Mountain as outer disciples to reform them, but the incident with the Jiao Long made me realize my thoughts and actions were too naive. Humans and demons can coexist peacefully, but good and evil cannot coexist. It’s a fundamental conflict in principles and a difference in core values that cannot be reconciled.”
Sun Dilong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, “Are you planning to attack the demon alliance?”
Bao Gu said, “Jade Stone Qilin is a benevolent beast, and Xuantian Sect has no conflict with it. Its Qilin Ridge will be a forbidden area for Xuantian Sect. Any disciple who steps into Qilin Ridge without its permission will be punished according to sect rules.”
Sun Dilong didn’t dare to respond.
Bao Gu said, “To be honest, when I first arrived at Evil Demon Gathering and saw so many Nascent Soul stage cultivators and God Transformation Stage demon cultivators, I estimated the strength of Liangjie Mountain’s cultivators to be at least a thousand in the Nascent Soul realm. I was indeed a bit apprehensive, but given the current situation, without Jade Stone Qilin’s protection, they can’t compete with Xuantian Sect. Even with Jade Stone Qilin’s protection, Xuantian Sect has the strength to eliminate them.”
After saying this, she silently stared at Sun Dilong, her face expressionless.
Feng Yi looked at Bao Gu with a blank expression, unable to understand what Bao Gu meant by saying these things to Sun Dilong.
Sun Dilong raised his eyes to look at Bao Gu, thought for a moment, and finally slapped his thigh, cupping his fists, “From now on, I am willing to follow Xuantian Sect’s orders.”
Bao Gu lightly pursed her lips and said, “I don’t expect you to be very loyal, just don’t drag Xuantian Sect down behind our backs.”
Feng Yi: “…”
Sun Dilong: “…”
He looked at Bao Gu speechlessly, thinking, “You’re really young! Even if you think that, you don’t have to say it out loud.”
Bao Gu said, “I need you to find someone to build a house for me in the Evil Demon Gathering market, for business purposes. It should have a storefront and a courtyard for rest, with enough open space around the courtyard and house. Calculate how many spirit stones are needed and give me a number.”
Sun Dilong asked Bao Gu some details and said, “Two hundred mid-grade spirit stones.”
Bao Gu immediately counted out two hundred mid-grade spirit stones for Sun Dilong, then cupped her fists to Feng Yi and said, “Please, Martial Uncle Feng, take Sun Dilong away.”
Feng Yi gave Bao Gu a deep look, led Sun Dilong out of the side hall, and left.
Bao Gu then left the side hall and found a spot on the square to listen to her Grandmaster’s lecture.
Today’s lesson was on formations.
Bao Gu had missed a lot of formation knowledge and listened with only a half-understanding, feeling quite confused.
After Zi Tianjun finished the lecture, she stepped forward, cupped her fists, and apologized for her previous rashness and rudeness, then said she had an important matter to discuss.
Zi Tianjun led Bao Gu to Xuantian Hall and asked what the matter was.
Bao Gu relayed the information she had just gathered from Sun Dilong about Jade Stone Qilin and her idea of designating Qilin Ridge as a forbidden area.
She wanted Zi Tianjun and Nanshan Yijian to personally visit and discuss it with Jade Stone Qilin.
Zi Tianjun said, “This matter needs further investigation, and we need to first gauge Jade Stone Qilin’s attitude.”
Bao Gu said, “There’s another matter I need to consult with Grandmaster.”
Zi Tianjun said, “Speak.”
Bao Gu said, “I asked Sun Dilong to build a courtyard for me in Nu Yao Gathering today.”
Zi Tianjun asked, “To sell monkey wine?”
Bao Gu shook her head and said expressionlessly, “To buy various demon beast materials at high prices and sell spiritual pills and treasures at high prices!”
Zi Tianjun was so surprised that he turned his head to stare at Bao Gu, his expression a mix of amazement and disbelief!
Should he say Bao Gu was decisive in killing demons without bloodshed, or should he praise her for her quick thinking?
Bao Gu pursed her lips and muttered softly, “Anyway, those demon cultivators and evil paths in the demon alliance must have had many conflicts living together in Liangjie Mountain. Killing their enemies and rivals to exchange for the spiritual pills and treasures they need for cultivation is quite cost-effective, isn’t it? Maybe they can even make further progress.”
Zi Tianjun turned his head to look at Bao Gu and asked, “At this critical moment, do you think they can turn on each other?”
Bao Gu said, “If they had the awareness to put aside personal interests for the greater good, would they still be demons and evil paths? The cultivation strength gained from consuming spiritual pills and treasures is their own. What does someone else’s life or death have to do with them? If they get enough spiritual pills and treasures and their strength increases, even if they can’t stay in Liangjie Mountain, where can’t they go?”
She paused and said, “I’m having Sun Dilong handle this, and Xuantian Sect won’t be involved. The demon beast materials we acquire can be used to refine treasures, pills, and as formation materials.”
Zi Tianjun was completely speechless, nodding expressionlessly and waving his hand, indicating that Bao Gu could do as she pleased.
Bao Gu said, “Grandmaster, this is my investment, and I’m the one arranging it. Can I keep the profits?”
Zi Tianjun looked up, staring at Bao Gu, silently asking: What do you think?
Bao Gu asked, “Grandmaster, what do you think is a fair split?”
Zi Tianjun waved his hand and said, “You handle it yourself!”
Bao Gu thought for a moment and said, “The shop in Evil Demon Gathering will sell various spiritual herbs to the sect and buy various pills at high prices. Grandmaster, what do you think? This way, the senior brothers can exchange the extra pills they make while practicing alchemy for the materials they need. Treasures and formation materials can be handled the same way. I’ll give the sect thirty percent of the net profit from all my shops every quarter.”
She looked pitifully at Zi Tianjun and said, “Grandmaster, I have no choice. I’m a five-element spiritual root, and cultivation is already very costly. Plus, I have a Xuantian Sword in my body that drains the spiritual power I absorb. Even opening one acupoint requires more than twenty gourds of second-grade monkey wine. I really… If I don’t find a way to earn spirit stones, I can’t cultivate.”
Zi Tianjun listened to Bao Gu’s explanation and thought of the lost secret techniques left by the Xuantian ancestor that were still in Bao Gu’s dantian, waiting to be retrieved when she reached the Nascent Soul stage.
His heart almost broke!
At Bao Gu’s current cultivation speed, when would she ever reach the Nascent Soul stage?
He sighed earnestly, “Put more effort into breaking through your cultivation level. Although haste makes waste, your slow progress means you need to work even harder than others.”
Bao Gu replied, “Yes!”
She cupped her fists and took her leave.
As she left Xuantian Hall, she saw her fellow disciples practicing spells and competing on the square, with some practicing the formations they had just learned.
Bao Gu flew on her flying sword, skimming the ground as she passed through the square.
A senior brother saw Bao Gu approaching and quickly stepped in front of her to block her path, wanting to invite her to spar.
Bao Gu looked at his seventh-stage Foundation Establishment strength and saw the slight mockery in his expression, then said, “I was injured a few days ago and can’t fight.”
She bypassed the senior brother, urged her flying sword to draw a long rainbow in the air, and landed back at the courtyard gate.
She pushed open the gate, entered the courtyard, and called out Duobao Spirit Monkey to help her build a shadow wall to block outsiders’ view, placing it near the gate inside the courtyard.
She also had Duobao Spirit Monkey teach her how to set up a restriction on the shadow wall to prevent people from peeking.
Building the wall was easy, but the formation and restriction were the hardest parts.
Even with Duobao Spirit Monkey’s meticulous, almost hands-on teaching, Bao Gu still took seven or eight days to complete it.
Building this wall, with Duobao Spirit Monkey’s guidance, slightly improved her formation skills.
