Ch 248: Camp Destroyed

Over several months, Li Qian successfully deployed the Heavenly Sword Manor’s Mountain Protecting Formation.

A genuine Twelve Base Formation.

Li Qian believed that even if the Heavenly Sword Manor was attacked again, even with twelve Formation Masters, it would be impossible for them to breach it so easily.

Due to the Heavenly Sword Manor’s upcoming reconstruction ceremony, a large number of forces from the Tianquan Gobi would be present. Li Qian planned to stay at the Heavenly Sword Manor for a while longer.

However, he definitely would not appear at the reconstruction ceremony.

Since he was helping Lin Qingping rebuild the Heavenly Sword Manor, Li Qian naturally wouldn’t give up halfway.

Anyway, his next Return to Void was still some time away.

Thus, when the day of the Heavenly Sword Manor’s reconstruction ceremony arrived, the manor was bustling with activity, with forces from all over the Tianquan Gobi arriving.

Almost every influential force was present.

Several top-tier forces that had once been on par with the Heavenly Sword Manor also came.

Only the Netherworld Hall had been destroyed.

These forces were naturally there to gauge the situation, wanting to know how the Netherworld Hall had been destroyed.

There were rumors circulating in the Tianquan Gobi that the Netherworld Hall had been annihilated by the Heavenly Sword Manor. But the Heavenly Sword Manor, along with its newly introduced Manor Lord Lin Qingping, only had three Longevity Realm cultivators, lacking the ability to destroy the Netherworld Hall.

Moreover, according to intelligence gathered from various forces, the Netherworld Hall’s destruction was incredibly swift, so fast that other forces hadn’t even reacted.

The Heavenly Sword Manor had suffered the same fate initially.

Lin Qingping, as the new Manor Lord, merely dealt with these forces’ inquiries perfunctorily.

After all, Fellow Daoist Qian Yuan had explicitly stated that he would not appear.

However, during the reconstruction ceremony, a surprising force arrived.

An envoy from the Golden Moon Territory of the Great Moon Empire.

It was Ditu, the Moon Race individual Li Qian had spared previously.

「Manor Lord Lin, congratulations on the Heavenly Sword Manor’s reconstruction. On behalf of the Golden Moon Territory, I offer a congratulatory gift.」

Ditu, the Moon Race individual, said with a smile.

It seemed as if the embarrassing retreat from the Netherworld Hall had never happened.

Lin Qingping was quite puzzled. Why would this Moon Race individual attend the Heavenly Sword Manor’s reconstruction ceremony?

Li Qian hadn’t told her about the Moon Race individual, so her surprise was quite normal.

Despite her confusion, Lin Qingping warmly welcomed him.

This Moon Race individual, Ditu, only represented the Golden Moon Territory, but the Golden Moon Territory was one of the five major territories of the Great Moon Empire. Its status was as high as that of the Four Pillar Kings in the Eternal Dynasty.

These Four Pillar Kings were not comparable to ordinary princely forces like the Spirit King Mansion.

The Golden Moon Territory sending an envoy was merely the beginning. The Eastern Pillar King Manor of the Eternal Dynasty also sent an envoy to the reconstruction ceremony.

Lin Qingping immediately felt overwhelmed.

Although she didn’t understand why the Heavenly Sword Manor’s reconstruction ceremony attracted the attention of these two major forces, it was definitely not a good thing.

Even at its peak, the Heavenly Sword Manor was just a small, insignificant force before the Eternal Dynasty and the Great Moon Empire.

After the reconstruction ceremony ended, other forces had left, but the envoys from the Golden Moon Territory and the Eternal Dynasty remained.

Their intentions were not simply to attend the Heavenly Sword Manor’s reconstruction ceremony; they had ulterior motives.

「Manor Lord Lin, we hope your manor will relinquish the Netherworld Hall. The Golden Moon Territory is willing to pay a high price to purchase it.」

Ditu of the Golden Moon Territory explained his intentions.

「Ditu, the value of the Netherworld Hall’s territory cannot be measured in money.」

The envoy from the Eternal Dynasty laughed, 「Manor Lord Lin, our Eastern Pillar King Manor is willing to pay a high price to rent the Netherworld Hall’s territory, returning it after a hundred years.」

Lin Qingping hadn’t expected that the Golden Moon Territory and the Eastern Pillar King Manor’s aims were both centered on the Netherworld Hall.

She hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and said: 「I’m sorry, I can’t make the decision.」

Whether it was the Golden Moon Territory or the Eastern Pillar King Manor, they represented the Great Moon Empire and the Eternal Dynasty respectively. The Heavenly Sword Manor was simply unable to choose between these two super powers.

Siding with one would inevitably offend the other.

Moreover, the Netherworld Hall was conquered by Fellow Daoist Qian Yuan; she didn’t have the authority to dispose of it.

「Since Manor Lord Lin can’t decide, then please invite the individual who can.」

The envoy from the Eastern Pillar King Manor immediately said.

His purpose in coming, besides obtaining the Netherworld Hall’s territory, was also to meet the individual behind the Heavenly Sword Manor.

Even with the Eastern Pillar King Manor’s intelligence capabilities, they still hadn’t ascertained the individual’s identity.

「Both of your houses desire the Netherworld Hall’s territory, that’s not impossible. The highest bidder wins.」

Just as Lin Qingping was at a loss, a refreshing voice rang out, and Li Qian walked in from the back hall.

Two gazes fell upon Li Qian.

Ditu of the Golden Moon Territory held a hint of apprehension.

After all, several Longevity Realm experts from the Netherworld Hall, including the Netherworld Hall Master, had been instantly killed right before his eyes.

However, he was currently acting as an envoy for the Golden Moon Territory, and he wasn’t afraid of Li Qian making a move.

The envoy from the Eastern Pillar King Manor sized up Li Qian, curiously asking, 「I haven’t yet learned the honored guest’s name?」

「An insignificant individual, it’s best not to mention it.」

Li Qian waved his hand, then with another wave, a map flew out, splitting into ten parts.

「This is the Netherworld Hall’s territory. I’ve divided it into ten parts according to area. The Golden Moon Territory and the Eastern Pillar King Manor will bid ten times. Ultimately, how much you can acquire depends on your strength.」

Li Qian said indifferently.

Ditu of the Golden Moon Territory and the envoy from the Eastern Pillar King Manor looked at each other, bewildered. Could it be done this way?

Lin Qingping was equally astonished.

「My Heavenly Sword Manor is merely a small force in the Tianquan Gobi. We are no match for major forces like your Golden Moon Territory and the Eastern Pillar King Manor. Regardless of who we sell it to, we’ll offend the other party, and my Heavenly Sword Manor couldn’t handle that. It’s better for you two sides to compete based on your strength. Do you both think this is fair and just?」

Li Qian stood with his hands behind his back, chuckling softly.

Ditu of the Golden Moon Territory had a dark expression, his emotions indecipherable.

But the envoy from the Eastern Pillar King Manor frowned, clearly baffled by Li Qian’s unconventional method.

「Alright, let’s decide ownership through bidding.」

Ditu of the Golden Moon Territory was the first to speak, 「I presume Fellow Daoist Tu Su has no objections?

1

「Naturally, I have no objections.」

Tu Su, the envoy from the Eastern Pillar King Manor, sneered, 「I’m just wondering if Fellow Daoist Ditu brought enough Essence Stones?」

In the Longevity World, the most important currency is Essence Stones.

Especially in transactions between large forces, Essence Stones are often used.

Even within the Eternal Dynasty, the Great Moon Empire, and the Golden Demon Court… for convenience, they issue their own Essence Notes.

However, these Essence Notes are worthless outside their respective spheres of influence.

In the Tianquan Gobi, due to its chaotic nature, it’s even less likely that Essence Notes would be issued.

However, the Essence Notes of these three major forces are privately circulated.

With the guarantee of three transcendent powers, Essence Notes are exchangeable…

However, Essence Stones are the most prevalent in the Tianquan Gobi.

「Heh heh, that’s exactly what I wanted to say… Your Eastern Pillar King Manor only wants to rent for a hundred years, right? My Golden Moon Territory intends to buy it permanently. Do you think I wouldn’t bring enough Essence Stones?」

Ditu of the Golden Moon Territory chuckled strangely.

「Hmph, that’s none of your concern.」

Tu Su, the envoy from the Eastern Pillar King Manor, sneered.

Between the envoys of the two major forces, the atmosphere was tense, with sharp antagonism.

A fierce bidding war was about to begin between them.

「Manor Lord Lin, you will preside over this auction.」

Li Qian sat down beside her and said to Lin Qingping,

With Li Qian as her backing, Lin Qingping immediately gained confidence.

And she knew that Fellow Daoist Qian Yuan’s method was the most perfect one. In this way, no one would be offended.

In any case, the Heavenly Sword Manor couldn’t handle such a large territory as the Netherworld Hall.

Half a day later.

The envoys from the Golden Moon Territory and the Eastern Pillar King Manor left the Heavenly Sword Manor.

Of the ten plots of land, the Golden Moon Territory acquired six, and the Eastern Pillar King Manor took four.

It wasn’t that the Eastern Pillar King Manor had lost out.

In reality, that wasn’t the case. Li Qian’s division of the ten plots of land had various advantages and disadvantages… so it was difficult to say who won or lost, it could only be said that both sides got what they needed.

「Fellow Daoist Qian Yuan, if it weren’t for your method, it would have been extremely difficult to avoid offending either side this time.」

After seeing off the envoys of the two major forces, Lin Qingping returned to the main hall and said to Li Qian.

「There will likely be more trouble to come…

Li Qian shook his head and said.

The sudden desire of these two major forces to acquire the Netherworld Hall’s territory was suspicious.

However, what surprised him was that these two major forces actually chose to buy… instead of directly seizing it.

It seemed that some unknown agreement had been reached between these three major forces in the Tianquan Gobi.

Otherwise, the Tianquan Gobi wouldn’t be in its current state. Whether it was the Heavenly Sword Manor, the Netherworld Hall, or any other force… compared to the three major super powers, they were insignificant, yet they managed to survive in the cracks.

「That’s settled here. I’ll be leaving now. If anything comes up, you can contact me immediately.」

Li Qian said.

「Fellow Daoist Qian Yuan, here are the Essence Stones paid by both sides.』

Lin Qingping hurriedly handed over a Storage Artifact.

Li Qian took the Storage Artifact and turned to leave, disappearing without a trace.

Such a large amount of Essence Stones remaining in the Heavenly Sword Manor wouldn’t be safe…

The Heavenly Sword Manor’s gains from destroying the Netherworld Hall were enormous, sufficient to meet its development needs for a long time to come.

Returning to the Taoist Temple in Yiling Town.

Li Qian sensed the mountains of Essence Stones piled within the Storage Artifact, feeling overwhelmed. A total of over 730 million Essence Stones.

This was the harvest from selling off the Netherworld Hall’s territory.

Although he didn’t currently use Essence Stones for cultivation, in the Longevity World, Essence Stones were the hard currency.

Many high-end cultivation resources could also be purchased with Essence Stones.

Moreover, with this massive amount of Essence Stones… the Divine Sword Sect’s development would no longer be a problem.

The main factor limiting the Divine Sword Sect’s development had always been Primal Qi resources.

However, he had previously given Yang Lian a large amount of Essence Stones, which should be enough for the Divine Sword Sect to use for a long time.

Li Qian didn’t pay much attention to the few personal disciples in Yiling Town, nor did he intend to establish a sect, allowing them to develop independently.

Of course, support in terms of cultivation resources was indispensable.

They had all basically developed, becoming Martial Dao Clans with considerable influence in Yiling Town.

Lin Xu, who possessed the highest talent, had already reached the Great Saint realm.

To achieve this level in just over one hundred and ten years, the cultivation resources bestowed by Li Qian were naturally crucial.

However, it was unknown when they would leave Yiling Town.

Originally, Li Qian had intended to cultivate disciples and develop his power, gradually extending his influence to the entire Tianquan Gobi and beyond.

But the growth rate of these disciples was too slow.

It couldn’t keep up with his own rapid advancement in strength….

But he didn’t mind these things now. Gradually cultivating disciples and watching them grow was actually quite interesting. Otherwise, constant solitary cultivation would become quite boring over time.

For the next year or so, Li Qian spent his time cultivating, never leaving the Taoist Temple.

No news came from the Heavenly Sword Manor, suggesting things were fine.

So he began his Return to Void on schedule.

Yellow Sand World.

Oasis Camp.

Before Li Qian opened his eyes, he heard cries of alarm and roars.

And his location was no longer within the wooden house.

It should be said that the wooden house had been destroyed.

The entire camp had been razed.

The Return to Void cultivators who had just returned were attacked.

Whoosh!

A shrill shriek suddenly came.

Li Qian rolled to evade, the sharp gust of wind brushing past him, causing a stinging pain on his face.

Bang!

The ground shook, and splintered wood flew everywhere.

Li Qian finally saw clearly.

It was a humanoid scorpion-like creature, with a long tail ending in an iron hammer.

The attack that had just targeted him was from this hammer-like tail.

Looking at the others, only three remained… one of them was Tuoba.

As for the previous group.

None were left.

Judging from the destroyed camp, it was highly likely that they had been killed by this creature.

Although Return to Void cultivators being killed wouldn’t result in actual death… if they hadn’t accumulated enough Spiritual Power, being killed would mean that their Return to Void was wasted.

More importantly, this powerful creature’s invasion of the camp… if it couldn’t be driven out or killed, the camp couldn’t be saved.

The loss of the camp for the Return to Void cultivators, coupled with the threat of this powerful creature… their future situation would be dire.

Most importantly, after being killed, the Return to Void cultivators’ next Return to Void time would be uncertain.

Pfft!

Tuoba wielded his Bone Knife to attack the Humanoid Scorpion Monster, but was knocked flying by a claw, spitting out blood profusely.

Immediately afterward, the Humanoid Scorpion Monster used another claw to rip open the abdomen of a Return to Void cultivator, leaving him clearly beyond saving.

Seeing this, another person abandoned the camp and fled.

But the Humanoid Scorpion Monster was faster, its long tail lashing out, the tail hammer whistling as it smashed the person to death. Then, the corpse gradually faded and disappeared.

In the blink of an eye, two more Return to Void cultivators were killed.

Only Li Qian and the seriously injured Tuoba remained.

The Humanoid Scorpion Monster set its sights on Li Qian, the only one unharmed.

「Fellow Daoist Qian Yuan, the camp is likely lost…\n·

Tuoba said bitterly.

Without the camp, it would be virtually impossible for the Return to Void cultivators to survive in the oasis.

This Humanoid Scorpion Monster would become a nightmare for all Return to Void cultivators.

「Not necessarily.」

Li Qian took a deep breath, cold light flashing in his eyes.

As he spoke, he connected with the Two Elements Spirit Sword within his body, infusing it with Nine Orifices Spirit God Power. Two sword qi, one red and one white, slowly emanated.

He would spare no effort to protect this Oasis Camp.

The reason his strength had increased so rapidly over the years was due to this Oasis Camp.

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