Chapter 286: 232 Zhangg Treasure Mountain, Suddenly Rich! 【3rd Update!】
"One after another, they truly can’t stay idle."
The surrounding Demon Kings and Evil Gods watched Wuling Mountain, and Chen Jichuan also observed their movements.
Seeing various forces sending envoys and secretly dispatching people to gather intelligence around Wuling Mountain, Chen Jichuan remained vigilant but showed little anxiety.
With a single move, he suppressed the Fuling Demon King and forcefully seized Wuling Mountain.
His strength was fully revealed in this battle.
The ones who should be trembling in fear were the neighbors. For them, it was already fortunate if this new neighbor didn’t attack them directly; taking proactive action was something they likely wouldn’t dare to consider.
Of course,
there might still be some reckless fools who, sensing Chen Jichuan has yet to solidify his footing, might come forward to provoke him.
Therefore, preparations were necessary.
"Time to set up a formation," he said.
Chen Jichuan stepped forward and ascended to the peak of Wuling Mountain’s central summit.
Having resided there for several days, he had already grasped the mountain’s layout and decided to enshroud Wuling Mountain in an array formation to fend off opportunistic invaders.
Standing in mid-air,
he gazed down at the surroundings.
With a wave of his grand sleeve, twenty-four beams of green light burst forth, positioning themselves in eight directions. Upon closer inspection, they were twenty-four miniature stone bridges. Once exposed to the wind, they expanded, linking the peaks of various mountains. The green stone bridges emitted a faint glow, shimmering gloriously.
...
Wuling Mountain, North Peak.
Ding Xuan was drilling the demons, including Hou Qi, and suddenly noticed a bridge extending southward. The group of demons instantly became restless.
"What’s that?"
"Where did this bridge come from?"
"What a large bridge!"
The demons were inexperienced and had never witnessed such a creation before. Seeing a green stone bridge extending from the central peak, traversing clouds and mist for dozens of miles, they couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.
Hou Qi, quick-witted, stared at the green stone bridge and scurried over to Ding Xuan, ingratiatingly asking, "My lord, is this bridge constructed by the king?"
"Indeed."
Ding Xuan was studying the green stone bridge. Upon hearing Hou Qi’s question, he smiled and replied, "This is called ’Ming Yue Bridge.’ There are twenty-four in total, forming an array known as the ’Twenty-four Bridge Moonlit Night.’ Connecting various peaks, they allow swift passage far faster than typical flight."
Twenty-four Bridge Moonlit Night!
With this array in place, traveling between Wuling Mountain’s peaks became significantly easier.
In this subterranean world, movement was restricted for all. Spread across over two hundred miles, Wuling Mountain’s vastness meant it took regular Qi Refinement disciples three to five days to traverse end-to-end, factoring in rugged terrain.
Without this formation, countless tasks would be delayed.
Thus, whenever Chen Jichuan and other Dharma Protecting Elders ventured into the caves, they carried this formation.
Moreover, the ’Twenty-four Bridge Moonlit Night’ wasn’t just for connecting peaks; it had additional functions.
It could trap, suppress, confuse, and more. Arrays within arrays could remotely sense one another, and in emergencies, activating the formation allowed a green stone bridge to span thousands of miles, linking forward bases to support each other.
Adding another layer of security.
"This subterranean world is mysterious and unsuitable for setting up transmission formations; hence, reliance on this formation will grow in the future."
Chen Jichuan watched as the twenty-four Ming Yue Bridges were installed, leaving him eager for the formation’s subsequent optimizations.
However, his understanding of array formations was limited; even with pre-designed array foundations, he could only set up basic formations. The remaining intricacies awaited the expertise of Master Jiulong.
"Until the foundation stabilizes, we’ll hold our ground in Wuling Mountain and avoid rash offensives."
Chen Jichuan instructed each deacon to fulfill their duties without idleness.
He himself continued to traverse Wuling Mountain, carefully probing every inch to ensure his base was secure, leaving no vulnerabilities.
Time passed day by day.
Chen Jichuan’s control over Wuling Mountain deepened steadily. Some of the disciples accompanying him stayed to garrison and patrol the mountain, while others led the surrendered Great Demons and Little Demons to investigate neighboring forces.
Though he didn’t intend to act externally for now, gathering detailed intelligence on the surroundings could ensure future strikes would achieve definitive success without requiring further preparation.
...
Over ten days passed.
Chen Jichuan neared the end of his exploration of Wuling Mountain, with its resources largely accounted for.
"Hundred-mile Peach Forest and the Ten-mile Jade Smoke Immortal Peach Forest hold a total of three hundred Jade Smoke Immortal Peach Trees. They bloom once every twenty years, fruit every twenty years, and mature every twenty years, yielding thirty thousand peaches per cycle."
"Each ’Jade Smoke Immortal Peach’ is highly valuable, fetching a thousand Spirit Stones apiece."
"Thirty thousand peaches command a staggering sum."
This peach forest rivals a Spirit Crystal vein, generating wealth of up to fifteen thousand Spirit Crystals every sixty years. This equates to an annual yield of roughly two thousand five hundred Spirit Crystals, equivalent to fifty thousand Spirit Stones.
This peach forest alone was unquestionably Treasure Mountain.
Moreover, Wuling Mountain contained mineral veins and spiritual herbs of similarly astonishing value.
"According to sect regulations, only seventy percent of outpost gains need to be submitted. Hence, thirty percent of the thirty thousand Jade Smoke Immortal Peaches would be mine."
"Luo Pu’s generosity this time is remarkable."
Chen Jichuan’s heart surged.
The Heaven Mending Sect’s large-scale venture into these caves ensured the bounty wouldn’t solely belong to pioneers like Chen Jichuan. Seventy percent had to be submitted.
This might seem steep, but it was fair.
After all, being backed by Heaven Mending Sect brought considerable advantages, including formations like the ’Twenty-four Bridge Moonlit Night,’ provided by the sect.
Not to mention the presence of outstanding formation masters like Jiulong True Person to set up the arrays.
Sect-established strongholds inside and outside the cave offered a fallback option. In cases of danger, sect powerhouses like Luo Pu could be summoned for aid.
Then securing thirty percent of the profits already felt generous.
Moreover, the seventy-thirds proportion only applied to fixed outputs like Wuling Mountain; other gains weren’t part of this equation. For instance, the riches of the captured Fuling Demon King belonged entirely to Chen Jichuan and didn’t require sharing with the sect.
If capable, one could indeed pursue fortuitous encounters.
The sect prioritized sustained gains.
"Fortuitous encounters are rare and fleeting."
"Landmarks like Wuling Mountain with steady yields are true stability."
Wuling Mountain promised lucrative returns.
Even with his thirty-percent share, it was enough to inspire envy in others.
Luo Pu’s decision to allocate Wuling Mountain to him represented major favoritism. Chen Jichuan gained substantially from it and knew repaying this favor in the future was inevitable.
"With just Wuling Mountain alone, my annual profit exceeds three thousand Spirit Crystals. If I can conquer more territories, within a century, I will surely become exceptionally wealthy!"
Chen Jichuan mused to himself but couldn’t help grinning.
Originally occupied by the Fuling Demon King with ’Cloud Snake’ lineage and formidable strength, Wuling Mountain naturally required equivalent power for its defense.
Landmarks like Wuling Mountain couldn’t stand without a Second-order True Person or Demon King in residence.
Though Chen Jichuan had yet to solidify his hold on Wuling Mountain, any thoughts of further moves remained premature.
Future plans might materialize once the Fuling Demon King was fully subdued.
For now, no need to think too far ahead.
Clearing his mind, Chen Jichuan stopped wandering the mountain and merely instructed disciples to tend to the Ten-mile Peach Forest while he returned to Fuling Cave.
...
"Thirty years ago, I forcibly enlightened ’Daluo Heavenly Sleeve’ and suffered injuries to my Primordial Qi."
"I have yet to recover, making cultivation arduous."
Chen Jichuan entered Fuling Cave and advanced deeper into its depths, contemplating his depleted Primordial Qi.
At the time,
to earn meritorious achievements enabling access to the sect’s third Absolute Skill, he subjected himself to fifteen consecutive enlightening sessions within a year, significantly damaging his Primordial Qi.
Three decades later, barely half of his Qi had recovered. Complete recovery would demand another twenty to thirty years. Progress in cultivation had been slow during these years.
Thankfully, the setback didn’t impede magical or alchemical advancement, though further attempts at enlightenment were temporarily off the table.
"Priority must go toward recovering Primordial Qi."
"Secondly, I must diligently study and advance the ’Three-in-One Indestructible Golden Light Body Protection Technique’ to its super-level stage for reliable defense in the future."
"Additionally, the complex dynamics in the cave make trusting the Demon Kings unwise, though they’re not unified either. I possess strong proficiency in alchemy and artifact refinement, potentially leveraging pills and magical treasures for influence, while simultaneously honing my skills and amassing wealth."
No need to elaborate on his personal plan.
Regarding the subterranean caves, though many Demon Kings lacked alchemical or artifact refinement expertise, their demand for such was exceptionally high.
This made the caves a tremendous untapped market.
Each Demon King occupied resource-rich lands, accumulating unimaginable wealth. Their riches presented lucrative opportunities ripe for exploitation.
"These Demon Kings are well-heeled misers!"
Chen Jichuan calmly paced deeper into Fuling Cave toward the mountain’s interior.
...
Golden light engulfed the skies and earth, Fuling Demon King reverted to its original form, crouched submissively within. Its head bore the imprint of the ’Taiyang Flame Banner,’ sporadically releasing tendrils of Taiyang Flame to keep the Demon King in check.
"Fuling."
"You’ve occupied Wuling Mountain for centuries. Where are your hoarded treasures?"
Chen Jichuan walked up to the Fuling Demon King and directly broached the topic with a bold inquiry.
The Fuling Demon King proved straightforward, seemingly anticipating Chen Jichuan’s motives. Before he even finished asking, the Demon King spat forth a snakeskin bag.
Chen Jichuan accepted the bag and inspected its contents.
Inside were over thirty thousand Jade Smoke Immortal Peaches amassed through countless cycles, alongside over a thousand Spirit Crystals and various rare refining materials and treasure medicines, with an estimated total value exceeding a thousand Spirit Crystals.
Lastly, there was a refined ’Peach Blossom Miasma.’
Painstakingly crafted by the Fuling Demon King, this was originally intended to enhance the ’Peach Blossom Seven Evil Soul-destroying Net,’ all of which fell into Chen Jichuan’s lap.
"Indeed a miser’s treasure trove."
Chen Jichuan held the snakeskin bag with immense joy.
Just taking down the Fuling Demon King had granted him a windfall surpassing fifteen thousand Spirit Crystals, exceeding expectations.
Unlike the fixed yields from Wuling Mountain, defeating the Demon King yielded spoils entirely belonging to Chen Jichuan, free from submission requirements.
Each item—the Jade Smoke Immortal Peaches, Spirit Crystals, refining materials, and treasure medicines—was his to keep.
Suddenly attaining wealth beyond imagination, he couldn’t help but marvel.
"It’s fortuitous timing."
"The Jade Smoke Immortal Peach forest evidently bore fruit less than a season ago, with flowers blooming now for just seven or eight years. It appears the Fuling Demon King recently harvested an entire cycle, leaving behind such abundant reserves. Another fifty years would find him with barely three to five thousand peaches remaining."
...