Chapter 594: Return

Chapter 594: Return

Jin LiTrue Monarch led Meng Zhang on a journey, driving away and killing cloud beasts, and collecting Nine Heavens Refined Essence along the way. Due to Meng Zhang's limited Cultivation Base, his contributions were limited. Even if Jin LiTrue Monarch was generous, he couldn't give him too much advantage.

Meng Zhang calculated that he had been in Nine Heavens for almost half a month, and his gains were not substantial. If he had entered this place alone, the situation might have been even worse. It seemed that collecting Nine Heavens Refined Essence was indeed not an easy task.

Cultivators from prominent sects and families had strong elders to take care of them, which made things easier. However, for cultivators like Meng Zhang, who came from smaller sects or had a loose cultivator background, it was much more challenging.

Jin LiTrue Monarch couldn't bring Meng Zhang with him every time, so Meng Zhang would have to find new ways to proceed on his own. Generally, for Gold Core stage cultivators, it was best not to linger inside Nine Heavens too long during their first few visits. Staying for about half a month was enough before leaving.

The rules of heaven and earth within Nine Heavens were special and placed immense pressure on cultivators. Even with Meng Zhang's exceptional talent, he didn't want to stay here for too long.

Jin LiTrue Monarch understood this, but the gains this time were exceptional. It was a rare opportunity, and she didn't want to leave just yet, fearing that the next time might not be as fortunate.

Seeing Jin LiTrue Monarch's dilemma, Meng Zhang proactively suggested that he would return alone. Throughout the journey, Meng Zhang performed admirably, showcasing his strength and cleverness.

After hesitating for a moment, Jin LiTrue Monarch agreed. Before parting, she specifically warned Meng Zhang not to get into any trouble on the way back and to leave Nine Heavens directly, avoiding unnecessary complications.

Meng Zhang naturally accepted Jin LiTrue Monarch's goodwill and promised to follow the advice. After bidding farewell to Jin LiTrue Monarch, Meng Zhang felt that his condition was good enough, and he might be able to stay a few more days.

The terrain within Nine Heavens was incredibly complex and frequently changed. Cultivators' Divine Sense and exploration spells were suppressed, making it difficult to explore distant places. In such circumstances, even with an excellent memory, cultivators might get lost.

At this point, Meng Zhang decided to abandon the search for the route and directly followed the direction indicated by his Spiritual Awareness.

Meng Zhang's return route was not the same as the one he came from, but it was relatively safe. He encountered no dangers and even gained some rewards. He collected two clusters of Nine Heavens Refined Essence and captured several cloud beast cubs.

Within the Taiyi Sect, there was a specialized Beast Controlling Hall responsible for breeding and taming various spirit beasts for the sect's use. The elder in charge of the hall, Hu Jing, practiced a unique technique that allowed him to strengthen his combat power using the spirit pets he raised.

Cloud beasts within Nine Heavens generally had stronger combat capabilities than the demonic beasts in the Grand Dust World and showed more potential. Their intelligence was higher than that of ordinary beasts, making them likely candidates for taming.

After all, according to True Monarch Mountain Peak's orders, all resources from the Endless Sea of Sand were sent to Mountain Branch for sale, causing significant harm to the interests of the East River Branch.

Taiyi Sect secretly orchestrated this matter, causing internal problems for the other party and gaining significant benefits for themselves. Fire Cloud Sect sold various resources to Taiyi Sect's territory. While Taiyi Sect kept a portion for its own use, it mostly sent the resources to Great Wind City for sale, earning substantial profits. Taiyi Sect had been secretly maintaining this smuggling route not only for the benefits but also for a larger goal.

After listening to Niu Dawei's report for a while, Meng Zhang carefully provided guidance before allowing him to leave. Shortly after Niu Dawei's departure, Delicate Water Spirit General came to find him.

Despite appearing prosperous and having a large income, Taiyi Sect's increasing number of cultivators, especially those in the Gold Core stage, made it inevitable for them to expand and acquire more resources. Naturally, Taiyi Sect couldn't expand towards the Jiuqu League's direction, and Endless Sea of Sand had a new owner, making it inaccessible as well. The northern Deadly Sea of Sand was desolate, with no signs of life. While it produced some mineral resources and special spirit medicines, it was uninhabitable for ordinary humans, and its value was not high.

Taiyi Sect currently only arranged for some cultivators to go to Deadly Sea of Sand to obtain resources and did not have any plans for large-scale expansion there. The only possible direction for expansion was to the west, further into the Demon Wind Gobi.

In recent years, Taiyi Sect had strengthened its surveillance of the deep areas of Demon Wind Gobi. Delicate Water Spirit General had made multiple undercover investigations to explore the situation there. Unfortunately, she brought Meng Zhang bad news.

Facing the invasion of the Sea Clan, the demon beasts of Demon Wind Gobi were retreating and were on the verge of collapse. If these demon beasts couldn't withstand the Sea Clan's attack and were completely defeated, their only escape route would be towards Taiyi Sect's current territory.

By then, Taiyi Sect would be the first to face a large wave of demon beast army's assault. After that, if the Sea Clan continued to expand, Taiyi Sect would directly confront this formidable enemy.

Having just ended a major war about twenty years ago, Taiyi Sect had not fully recovered its elite forces and vitality. If another major war were to break out, it would not bode well for Taiyi Sect.

Although Taiyi Sect currently had the protection of Jin LiTrue Monarch, she wasn't Taiyi Sect's caretaker or enforcer. Taiyi Sect couldn't rely on Jin LiTrue Monarch to solve every problem. If a large-scale war happened, Taiyi Sect cultivators would still be the main force in combat.

After hearing Delicate Water Spirit General's report, Meng Zhang had no perfect solution. He could only order to strengthen the surveillance of Demon Wind Gobi and be prepared to respond at any time. Meanwhile, Taiyi Sect had to start slowly preparing for the next major war.

After dealing with numerous sect affairs, Meng Zhang began his cultivation. This time, he started trying to absorb Nine Heavens Refined Essence. After the first absorption, Meng Zhang finally understood why Nine Heavens Refined Essence was something that Gold Core stage cultivators diligently pursued. Compared to absorbing spiritual energy from a Third Rank spirit vein, Nine Heavens Refined Essence provided comprehensive enhancements to cultivators.

Each time he refined Nine Heavens Refined Essence, Meng Zhang entered a special state, feeling that his entire body and mind had been elevated, bringing him closer to the Grand Dao. Absorbing and refining Nine Heavens Refined Essence was also a test for Gold Core stage cultivators. Only those in the Gold Core stage could successfully absorb and refine it, and the stronger their foundation, the more benefits they gained from it.

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