vstars Chapter 240 - 184: An Unexpected Disaster
Chapter 240 - 184: An Unexpected Disaster
It was the spring equinox, and a warm, gentle breeze was blowing. A fiery red banner fluttered in the wind, inscribed with two large words: "Earth Fire."
The flagpole stood within a private estate of over ten acres on the outskirts of the Celestial Gate Mountain Marketplace. This estate boasted seven or eight exquisite courtyards, complete with flowing water and rockeries, offering a picturesque view at every turn.
In the largest of these courtyards, two Foundation Establishment Cultivators were waiting in silence.
A moment later, Situ Jingyu pushed open the door and gave a slight nod to the two Foundation Establishment Cultivators waiting outside. The three of them then set off for Celestial Gate Mountain together.
These two were Situ Jingyu’s junior brothers. They had followed her this time to lend a hand to the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect. They had fought tooth and nail against their fellow Foundation Establishment peers for this opportunity.
Compared to a place like the Earth Cave Fire Domain, the Southern Border was a paradise on earth. Though they had only been here for a little over half a month, their Spirit Stones were already flowing away like water. There was no helping it; the treasures of Celestial Gate Mountain were simply too numerous.
Situ Jingyu walked calmly at the front, but her mind was on the lottery draw in a few days. ’I wonder if one of these two tickets in my hand will win,’ she thought.
Ten thousand low-grade Spirit Stones was no longer a huge sum for a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator like Situ Jingyu. In the years she had spent adventuring with Fang Qingyuan, her standards had risen considerably. She was no longer the poor wretch who would willingly act as a guard for a mere five thousand Spirit Stones.
But Situ Jingyu was currently strapped for cash. The fifty top-grade Spirit Stones Fang Qingyuan had given her were almost all gone in less than a year. Thankfully, the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect provided food and lodging; otherwise, she would have had to go out and work for her meals.
’Body Refining really is expensive,’ she mused. A single spiritual medicine for Body Refining wasn’t terribly expensive, but she went through them in vast quantities. As long as there were enough herbs and their body could withstand it, a Body Refining Cultivator could cultivate nonstop. This was a huge advantage over ordinary cultivators who trained in Spiritual Power.
’However, in the end, it all comes down to money. No Spirit Stones means no Body Refining resources, and without resources, what’s the use of being able to absorb them so quickly?’
’Moreover, compared to cultivators who focused on magical arts, Body Cultivators have a severe lack of varied techniques. This is another disadvantage. Why on earth did I choose this path back then?’
Situ Jingyu glanced at her own brawny arms from the corner of her eye, then looked down at the cultivators passing by. She felt a strong urge to sigh.
"Senior Sister, we’re here."
Her junior brother’s voice broke Situ Jingyu from her reverie. She looked up and saw that the doors to the Grand Council Hall ahead were open, with the faint figures of many cultivators visible inside.
Today, the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect was hosting the cultivators from the five sub-sects and the Zongshan Huo Family. The other sub-sects had arrived one by one over the last half-month, and now that the cultivators from the Huo Family had come as well, Fang Qingyuan had arranged a grand banquet to welcome their reinforcements.
As the aroma of food wafted through the air, Situ Jingyu swallowed. ’It’s been a while since I’ve had a proper feast,’ she thought. ’Today, I can finally eat my fill.’
’Besides, the food at a banquet like this is all excellent nourishment. First-rank spiritual ingredients wouldn’t even make it to the table. Only second- and third-rank ingredients are worthy of the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect’s prestige. At this rate, my Body Refining cultivation will rise another notch!’
At this thought, Situ Jingyu turned to her two junior brothers and instructed,
"Hold back a little later. Mind the image of our Earth Fire Sect, and don’t let the others look down on us. Eating until you’re eighty percent full should be enough."
Upon hearing this, the faces of the two junior brothers behind Situ Jingyu fell. ’Eighty percent full? That’s the same as not eating at all! For us Body Refining Cultivators, if we don’t eat until we’re two hundred percent full, it doesn’t count as a good meal.’
After instructing her junior brothers, Situ Jingyu walked forward with a solemn expression. As they watched her retreating back, they were struck by a sense of heroic grandeur, as if she were marching onto a battlefield. It was a very strange feeling.
......
Inside the Grand Council Hall, Lechuan and two Golden Core Cultivators from the Huo Family were seated in the seats of honor, deep in pleasant conversation.
Fang Qingyuan sat right beside Lechuan. With his current status and position, he was more than qualified for such a seat—a stark contrast to the past, when he couldn’t even enter the Grand Council Hall before he had reached Foundation Establishment.
Numerous low tables were arranged in the hall. A Southern Border Foundation Establishment Cultivator was assigned to accompany the cultivators from each of the five sub-sects. Only the seven or eight Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Huo Family sat by themselves in a circle; Fang Qingyuan hadn’t arranged anyone to join them.
The Huo Family members were known for their short tempers. Coupled with the fact that they came from Zongshan and had high standards, any conflict would be a loss of face for everyone involved.
So, it was better to just let them form their own little circle and not disturb them.
The Huo Family members were perfectly happy with this arrangement. They drank fine wine and ate the Southern Border’s specialty Spiritual Food, seeming quite content.
When Situ Jingyu entered, her eyes were immediately drawn to the many delicacies on the tables. She promptly sat down with her two junior brothers, eagerly awaiting the order to start eating.
A short while later, seeing that everyone had arrived, Fang Qingyuan stood up and announced loudly,
"Welcome, everyone. The Southern Border Beast Taming Sect is endlessly grateful for your presence at this crucial time. Now, please join me in welcoming Sect Leader Le to say a few words."
Lechuan greeted everyone with a cheerful smile, offered some pleasantries, and then introduced the two Golden Core Cultivators from the Huo Family who were seated beside him.
The Huo Family boasted five Golden Core members, and the fact that two had come this time clearly showed their support for Lechuan.
However, the most powerful of the five, Huo Wu, had not come. In his place were two early-stage Golden Core members of the Huo Family. One was named Huo Bai; he looked young, with a fair, clean-shaven face that made him appear to be in his twenties.
The other was named Huo Cheng. He was slightly older and more composed; when Lechuan introduced him, he even stood up to return the courtesy to the crowd.
Lechuan had previously told Fang Qingyuan in private that this Huo Bai had only entered the Golden Core Stage about ten years ago and was not yet a hundred years old. Having reached Foundation Establishment in his thirties, he was a true prodigy.
Huo Bai possessed a Metal-attribute Celestial Spirit Root and had awakened a White Tiger Lifebound upon reaching Foundation Establishment. His combat prowess was astonishing, enough to rival a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, and he could even exchange a few blows with late-stage Golden Core cultivators.
Fang Qingyuan looked at the dignified Huo Bai and felt a twinge of jealousy. ’Even with a cheat like the Immortal Mansion,’ he thought, ’I can only be a supporting character next to someone like him.’
However, as powerful as Huo Bai was, his foundation was still lacking since he had only recently reached the Golden Core stage. This was evident in his Companion Beast; it was a late-stage Foundation Establishment White Tiger Demon Beast that had yet to reach the Golden Core stage.
Huo Cheng, on the other hand, was different. His aptitude wasn’t as exceptional as Huo Bai’s; he was a Golden Core Cultivator who had advanced step-by-step through methodical cultivation. At nearly three hundred years old, he was about the same age as Lechuan.
Furthermore, Huo Cheng’s Companion Beast was also a Golden Core Stage Tiger Demon. Together, they were a top-tier fighting force. The Huo Family had always been known for their combat prowess—taking Huo Hu as a reference, Huo Cheng and his beast could likely handle three Golden Core Cultivators from the Spirit Wood Alliance on their own.
In addition, the leader of one of the five sub-sect groups also had a Companion Beast at the Golden Core cultivation level. This brought the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect’s total fighting strength to five Golden Core experts.
If they could get Heiye back, that would make six Golden Cores. While still short of the Spirit Wood Alliance’s nine, it would be enough to put up a fight.
As long as they didn’t venture deep into the Spirit Wood Alliance’s heartland or get too close to White Mountain, the two Nascent Soul Ancestors within the alliance couldn’t easily project their consciousness to interfere at will.
After Lechuan finished introducing the two Golden Core Cultivators from the Huo Family, he praised each of the five sub-sect groups in turn. Once the lengthy introductions were finally over, Lechuan declared the banquet had begun.
Music started to play, and a group of beautiful young women began a lively dance to entertain the guests. Situ Jingyu, however, was completely uninterested. She tipped a plate of Spirit Plants into her mouth, then handed the empty dish to a nearby late-stage Qi Refining Cultivator and mumbled,
"This is delicious. Bring me five more plates."
"Senior Sister, mind your image!"
Hearing her junior brother’s quiet reminder, Situ Jingyu retorted impatiently,
"Face won’t put food on the table. Getting a few more bites is what really counts. Eat or don’t, I couldn’t care less."
With that, Situ Jingyu turned her attention to a roasted suckling pig on the table, devouring half of it in one bite. Her boisterous eating style drew quiet laughter from the Huo Family members in the distance.
Situ Jingyu shot them a glance before focusing all her energy on her meal. She had no time for a fight right now.
Ling Ziqing, the Head of Precepts Peak assigned to accompany them, raised his cup to Situ Jingyu, hoping to break the ice. He felt rather awkward; the other tables were buzzing with pleasant conversation, while the three cultivators from the Earth Fire sub-sect before him were just doggedly demolishing their food. He decided to speak:
"Junior Sister, welcome to Celestial Gate Mountain. On behalf of the Beast Taming Sect, I’d like to offer you a toast."
Situ Jingyu glanced at him, recognizing him as the ’pretty boy’ and ’two-faced tiger’ Fang Qingyuan had described. She immediately retorted,
"I’m eating. No time."
Ling Ziqing’s hand froze in mid-air for a few breaths before he smoothly lowered it and drained the cup himself. Then, he turned to a disciple beside him and said,
"The roasted suckling pig. Bring ten more for this Junior Sister."
.....
Fang Qingyuan remained by Lechuan’s side, silently listening to the conversation between the three Golden Core Cultivators. Huo Cheng and Huo Bai noticed Fang Qingyuan but paid him no mind.
As the Head of the Miscellaneous Affairs Peak, he was qualified to listen in on their private discussion. Although Fang Qingyuan’s cultivation was nothing compared to these three, his status was such that Huo Cheng and Huo Bai did not look down on him.
"Is there still no news on the whereabouts of your disciple’s Golden Core Companion Beast?"
"I received a message a few days ago. Heiye found a way to let me know that he’s currently in a ruin deep within the Black River. That day, in order to protect Liang De and the others, Heiye drew away their pursuers. He unexpectedly fell into a spatial fissure and got trapped."
"Oh? So, what you’re saying is?"
"I’d like to ask Senior Brother Huo to help search for him. I can’t get away myself, so I must trouble you."
"Say no more. There’s no time to waste, I’ll go now. However, I’m not familiar with the Black River. Junior Brother Le, you’ll need to assign me a guide."
Standing nearby, Fang Qingyuan suddenly had a bad feeling. Sure enough, as Lechuan’s gaze fell upon him, Fang Qingyuan spoke up,
"I recommend Ling Ziqing, the Head of Precepts Peak. Senior Brother Ling has been to the Black River before to explore the Secret Mansion. Other than Senior Brother Liang De, he’s the one most familiar with the area."
"Alright, he’ll do. You all carry on with the feast. I’m leaving now."
After speaking, Huo Cheng turned to leave. Down below, Ling Ziqing was still preparing to enjoy the spectacle of Situ Jingyu’s eating, but in the blink of an eye, he found himself outside the Grand Council Hall. Then, he looked up to see Huo Cheng staring right at him.