Chapter 516: Chapter 509: Taking Stock of the Harvest

Besides the two bottles of elixirs, the most precious treasures from this haul were undoubtedly the complete Tier One to Tier Seven Alchemy Inheritance and the Cyan Emperor’s Scripture of Eternal Life.

Du Youqian could happily keep the Alchemy for himself. The Cyan Emperor’s Scripture of Eternal Life could be used to train future generations of disciples or be traded for things he needed.

Best of all, the Cyan Emperor’s Scripture of Eternal Life wasn’t the Foundation Technique of any current Major Sects, so even if someone cultivated it, he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone coming to cause trouble.

Therefore, if he put it up for a complete sale at an auction house, thirty to forty million Spiritual Jade would be a breeze, and even fifty or sixty million wouldn’t be out of the question.

What did fifty or sixty million Spiritual Jade even mean?

An average Divinity Transformation True Monarch could probably only muster twenty or thirty million Spiritual Jade if they sold off their entire net worth.

Then there was the Dragon Blood Crystal. Du Youqian would definitely use it for his own breakthrough to Divinity Transformation, so there was nothing more to be said about it.

As for the various Tier Four Treasures, materials, and Inheritances found within the confiscated Storage Treasure Pouches, all told, they were worth around ten million Spiritual Jade.

This time, it was all pure profit. His own expenditure had been minimal. He had originally thought he would have to destroy a few Treasures and use that special Treasure that could negate a single fatal attack, but in the end, he didn’t need to.

He hadn’t expected the trip to be so smooth. It was like something out of a power-fantasy novel, without even a single setback.

When he tallied up his total net worth, even Du Youqian felt a little horrified.

His current wealth was likely something that most Void Step True Monarchs could only look up to in envy.

’I absolutely cannot attract the attention of some Void Step True Monarch who decides to fleece me for all I’m worth!’

After taking stock of his spoils, Du Youqian began to think.

’What should I do next?’

He was already at the Nascent Soul Late Stage. He should continue using resources to push himself to Nascent Soul Perfection, then attempt to reach Divinity Transformation.

Before reaching Divinity Transformation, however, he ought to spend some time in the Zhao Kingdom. He had accepted their greeting gift and agreed to serve as a Court Tributor, but he still hadn’t made the trip.

As for the Four Principles Sect, Core Formation Masters had been emerging one after another in recent years, and Du Youqian had also bestowed Nascent Soul Pills upon them some time ago.

However, according to Li Fei’s reports, none of them had been able to achieve Nascent Soul Formation yet, so he only needed to keep a casual eye on them for now.

But once someone did manage to reach Nascent Soul Formation, he would have to show his support for the Four Principles Sect to prevent surrounding powers from suppressing them.

Then there was Kang Yinghe of the Shengxia Sect. Du Youqian had promised to support his attempt at Nascent Soul Formation, but looking at his current cultivation, it would be at least another hundred years before he was even on the cusp of it.

Things in Ruihan City could proceed as planned.

The only place that required special attention was Dali City, which he needed to both suppress and support.

He had to use it as a shell to lay his own eggs, leveraging Dali City’s platform to funnel resources back to Ruihan City.

But he couldn’t drain Dali City completely, because in the future, Ruihan City would need to form a Twin Cities Alliance with Dali City to gain a firm foothold among the A Level Immortal Cities.

Therefore, Du Youqian couldn’t just wash his hands of the matter. He had to stay informed and continue to steer the ship.

As for the trade route between Ruihan City and the Four Principles Sect, the number of trips could be reduced.

Some goods were already nearing market saturation, causing the profits from each trip to decline.

The Long-tailed Golden Chickens, on the other hand, had a bottomless appetite for Bi Fang Gravel and probably wouldn’t want to reduce the number of trips, but it wasn’t their place to have a say in the matter.

’Oh, right. I still have to check on the Southern Ghost Kindom. I wonder how Meng Xiao and Xi Mengran are adapting there, whether they’ve managed to gain any initial power, and if they’ve found any Thorny Insects...’

Du Youqian had specifically instructed the Binyin Sect to collect Thorny Insect Eggs, but unfortunately, most of the ones they found were dead. The few that showed faint signs of life would likely be very difficult to raise.

Fortunately, they had also found some folk methods for raising Thorny Insects. Of course, since there were very few historical cases of artificially breeding them, there was no way to be sure if these methods would actually work.

But if Meng Xiao and his partner couldn’t find any Thorny Insects, he would have to make a desperate attempt. He’d give them the eggs with faint signs of life and have them try to hatch and raise them using the folk methods.

If they actually succeeded, Du Youqian could then count the entire Long-tailed Golden Chicken clan as his allies.

He could even get a Tier Four Long-tailed Pheasant King as a mount or raise a batch of Long-tailed Golden Chicken Dao Soldiers without any issue.

As for the mount, Du Youqian was content to let fate decide; he wasn’t going to force it.

Raising Dao Soldiers, however, was now imperative.

After all, Elder He Gui of the Binyin Sect had once compensated Du Youqian with a Treasure that accelerated the growth of Dao Soldiers.

He previously lacked a suitable source of Dao Soldiers, but as long as he could secure a stable supply of Thorny Insects, he would have the Long-tailed Golden Chickens under his thumb, and that Treasure could finally be put to use.

After sorting through all these matters, Du Youqian knew what he had to do.

’First, I’ll go back to Ruihan City.’

As long as he wasn’t trading along the way, a non-stop trip back to Ruihan City on a Flying Boat wouldn’t take too long.

However, Du Youqian did make one stop midway, in Huailai City. Although he didn’t think Ye Rui Master would be foolish enough to return to Huailai City after her Possession and wait for him to come knocking on her door to kill her, he couldn’t resist going to have a look.

As it turned out, Ye Rui Master had indeed not returned. He guessed that after the Possession, she had found a place to recover her cultivation.

In any case, she definitely wouldn’t have returned to her Sect.

Given the culture of the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentments Sect, if she returned to the Sect after Possession without first recovering her strength, she would likely become a resource for someone else to consume.

While passing through the Chen Kingdom, Du Youqian also made a special point to take a look.

News of Chen Hongbo’s death had not yet reached the kingdom, but at this moment, the Chen Kingdom was already showing signs of chaos.

Or rather, it had been chaotic for a long time.

Du Youqian didn’t know what agreement Chen Hongbo and Ye Rui Master had reached, nor did he know if Master Su Quan had died long ago. Was that whole farce back then just an act? Or was it a move by Chen Hongbo to consolidate power?

In any case, after Chen Hongbo regained power, he paid no mind to the affairs of the state.

This led to a situation where various factions within the Chen Kingdom were all vying for power and influence, turning the court into a chaotic mess of ambition and greed.

Once the news of Chen Hongbo’s death arrived, the Chen Kingdom would likely plunge into immediate turmoil.

The country was located in a strategic yet vulnerable region, surrounded by powerful enemies. It was questionable whether it could even survive for another ten years.

A country without a Nascent Soul Cultivator to hold the line was nothing more than a juicy piece of meat ripe for the taking!

But Du Youqian couldn’t spare any time to feel sorry for the people of the Chen Kingdom.

Even if he wanted to help, he could only offer temporary aid, not a lifetime of support. He couldn’t possibly stay in the Chen Kingdom forever.

And if he were to divert forces from Ruihan City, it would be a case of his reach exceeding his grasp.

Besides, Ruihan City didn’t have any other Nascent Soul-level combatants.

However, the Chen Kingdom’s position in that contested region also made it a transportation hub for the Endless Desert Eastern Domain.

If he allowed the situation to deteriorate, or if the entire country was swallowed up by the surrounding Demon Race, it would not only be a tragedy but would also deal a devastating blow to Ruihan City’s trade routes.

So, Du Youqian began to ponder how he might control the situation in the Chen Kingdom.

A crazy idea surfaced in his mind, but he quickly shook his head.

’It’s too crazy. It won’t work.’

But the idea was extremely tempting, and Du Youqian couldn’t help but think about it more deeply...

By the time Du Youqian returned to Ruihan City, he was still mulling over the problem.

But all sorts of troubles came one after another, making it impossible for him to focus on his thoughts or cultivate in peace.

There were people trying to curry favor, people begging for his grace, and people sending him women—they had even prepared two Core Formation Kun Cultivators for him, both women of outstanding grace and hidden seductive charm.

Then there were the endless overt and covert struggles even within his own family, with everyone vying for the support of their great ancestor...

It was endlessly annoying.

Du Youqian had only been back for a few days, and he already wanted to run away again.

But then, an acquaintance arrived.

The Silent Master, Qin Yiming.

As the only Nascent Soul Master in the family, Du Youqian had to receive him out of courtesy.

Besides, he felt a bit guilty towards this man—although Qin Yiming never really had a chance to obtain the Divinity Transformation Spiritual Object, it was Du Youqian who had ultimately ruined his plans.

Without a word being said, the moment Qin Yiming saw Little Wukong standing on Du Youqian’s shoulder, he understood everything. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

He had just returned from a trip to the merchant guild’s headquarters, his heart filled with trepidation and prepared for the worst. In the end, Shami True Monarch had sent him only a single message: "No merits, no faults."

At the time, Qin Yiming had been baffled. ’What does "no merits, no faults" even mean?’

’Isn’t failing to complete the True Monarch’s task a fault?’

Now, he knew.

Sui Xiao must have disguised himself long ago and snatched the Dragon Blood Crystal.

This also indirectly confirmed one thing: the person Shami True Monarch had wanted him to help was indeed Sui Xiao.

But this raised a question: Shami True Monarch was said to have lived for over two thousand years. She was at least a Void Step cultivator, and some even speculated that she might have secretly advanced to Harmonization. Why would a Great Power like her have started paying attention to Sui Xiao and orchestrating things to help him when he was just a teenager?

He couldn’t figure it out.

After exchanging pleasantries with Sui Zhi, Qin Yiming playfully sent a telepathic message to Du Youqian: "Fellow Daoist Ximen, how do you plan to compensate me for my Divinity Transformation Spiritual Object?"

Du Youqian felt a bit awkward inwardly, but he maintained a dignified and polite smile on the surface as he transmitted back, "What compensation does Brother Yiming have in mind?"

Qin Yiming thought for a moment and said, "While I’m not fabulously wealthy, I don’t lack for resources, nor do I have any great ambitions. There’s just one thing. There’s a person I’m very afraid of, and I worry that if I ever make a mistake, she will punish me for it. If that day comes, I hope Junior Brother Xiao will put in a good word for me."

Du Youqian asked in surprise, "Who is it? Do I know them? And why would you think my words would have any effect?"

Qin Yiming just smiled and shook his head, keeping his lips sealed. He only said, "So, Junior Brother Xiao, do you agree or not?"

Du Youqian frowned and thought for a long time before slowly nodding. "To be honest, this is all rather baffling, and I have many questions. But Brother Yiming is a friend of the Sui Family. Since that’s the case, I won’t press the issue. I’ll agree to it. And with this, I’ll consider my debt to you repaid, Brother Yiming."

Qin Yiming beamed. "More than just repaying your debt! If you’ve truly agreed, then it’s I who owes you a favor."

Du Youqian said with a slight smile, "Brother Yiming seems quite certain that he will one day anger this... superior of yours."

The corners of Qin Yiming’s mouth twitched, and his smile turned a little bitter. "Women... Even when they reach Void Step or Harmonization, if they’re going to be unreasonable, they’re going to be unreasonable."

Du Youqian smiled faintly. "It is said that when one speaks of, or even thinks about, a Harmonization Great Power, they can sense it."

Qin Yiming: "..."

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