Gray, formless spiritual qi circulated around Wang Yulou's body like tiny snakes, slithering over his neck, arms, knees, shoulders, and every other inch of him. The Return to Origin, Return to Truth Minor Formless Art stemd from the Formless Art created by Patriarch Mangxiang.
It was considered the standard introductory version of a top-tier cultivation thod that pointed directly to the Great Dao of the Golden Core, yet its approach to cultivation was highly unique. Return to Origin was one stage, and Return to Truth was another.
The Return to Origin of this Minor Formless Art referred to cultivating Formless true essence, while Return to Truth referred to cultivating a Formless Dharma Body. However, the Formless Dharma Body wasn't a divine ability that manifested the five spirits like the Manifest Golden Aspect.
It was more akin to a special, permanent trait. Taking the Dharma Body a step further led to the Lesser Formless Manifestation divine ability that accompanied the Return to Origin, Return to Truth Minor Formless Art—this was the true counterpart to the manifestation of the five spirits.
Xuanzhuan had given Wang Yulou seventeen lineages of the artificing path, all of which were complete legacies up to the Foundation Establishnt stage. Although they lacked specific thods for infusing divine abilities into a spiritual artifact, they did not lack the corresponding artifact refining techniques.
In addition, the forr Patriarch of the Wang Clan, Wang Xianmao, had imparted all of the clan's divine ability cultivation thods to Wang Yulou—over forty varieties in total. Drawing parallels from these, Wang Yulou naturally understood the uniqueness of the Formless Art.
Compared to five-elent thods, the Formless Art possessed nurous adaptations and specializations, fully displaying Mangxiang's extraordinary brilliance. Wang Yulou's Ancestral Master had made it to the present while bearing the imnse pressure of Attaining Golden Core, despite the shadow of five previous failed attempts.
His strength was genuinely terrifying. The formidable power of the Formless Art lay not only in its unique, highly specialized attacks as an unconventional thod, but also in the nurous traits possessed by the Formless Dharma Body and its advanced Lesser Formless Manifestation.
Putting aside the ultimate damage immunity of absolute formlessness—which had many limitations anyway—what satisfied Wang Yulou the most was that the Formless true essence cultivated through the Return to Origin, Return to Truth Minor Formless Art could evolve into different forms.
In the Immortal Alliance, Foundation Establishnt cultivators were required to register their auras. This was the core thod the Immortal Alliance used to restrict their movents.
If soone committed a cri, an Immortal Alliance Emissary or an Immortal Alliance Steward only needed to check the aura left behind. As long as the culprit was still within the Immortal Alliance's territory, they could be hunted down.
However, once the Return to Origin, Return to Truth Minor Formless Art was cultivated to a profound level, the Formless true essence could be used to simulate different auras. For example, if Wang Yulou went out alone and ran into Lian Chengxian, he could simulate the aura of Yan Keyi or Guo Baichi and then slaughter Lian Chengxian.
When the Immortal Alliance investigated, the trail would lead straight back to Yan Keyi or Guo Baichi. If they were truly apprehended by the Immortal Alliance, Wang Yulou would effortlessly eliminate two of his competitors.
Was this too ruthless? Apologies, but the struggle for the Purple Palace had always been this way.
Mangxiang's pot was very large—large enough to bake a pie promising ten Purple Palace cultivators. Yet, it was also very small; it could not accommodate Wang Jingyi, Wang Xianmao, and Wang Yulou all breaking through to the Purple Palace realm together.
Ultimately, one couldn't treat the Ancestral Master like a fool. He had swept through Red Lantern Illumination for years wielding the trump card of 'three Purple Palaces in one lineage'; how could he not understand the implications of a single lineage holding three Purple Palace cultivators?
Therefore, as long as Mangxiang was alive, this concept of 'three Purple Palaces in one lineage' was sothing the Wang Clan could never attain. Let alone three, even two Purple Palace cultivators would be difficult.
Otherwise, why would Wang Yulou charge forward so fiercely? Did he not know that reforming the system would offend people?
Ruthlessness and danger were all relative. With a Purple Mansion opportunity being so precious, Wang Yulou had to seize it the mont he saw it.
If he wanted that Purple Mansion opportunity, shouldn't he rush to demonstrate his absolute loyalty? Was he supposed to just sit there and wait for the Ancestral Master to show rcy?
If he gave up because of petty scruples, then he truly would be a fool—even more of a fool than Lian Chengxian. After completing another circulation cycle of the Return to Origin, Return to Truth Minor Formless Art, Wang Yulou opened his eyes.
In just two days of cultivation, the formation array around him had already consud over ten top-grade spirit stones. However, the results of simply piling on resources were indeed excellent.
Wang Yulou had already broken through his second Foundation Establishnt acupoint. The Foundation Establishnt stage wasn't divided into nurical layers.
Opening twelve acupoints constituted a minor realm, and the stage was only divided into early, mid, and late phases. Currently, Wang Yulou had been in the Foundation Establishnt realm for less than three months, yet he had already opened two acupoints.
In terms of speed, he could be considered among the fastest in the Great Heaven. Of course, such cultivation speed was to be expected for him.
After all, he didn't lack resources. He carried the responsibility of the Special rit Hall on his shoulders.
Whether the reform of the Special rit Hall succeeded or failed was directly linked to the outco of the war between the two sects. Therefore, it could also be said that Wang Yulou carried the victory or defeat of the two-sect war on his shoulders.
This burden was incredibly heavy. As the weightlifting runner-up of Red Lantern Illumination—the champion, of course, being the great Patriarch Mangxiang—if Wang Yulou still had to worry about cultivation resources, then the sect truly deserved to lose.
However, precisely because he was Red Lantern Illumination's weightlifting runner-up, Wang Yulou often found himself unable to enter secluded cultivation for long periods. He could certainly delegate tasks to his subordinates, but many matters still required his personal attention.
He raised a hand to Absorb a sound transmission talisman from outside the quiet room's formation array. This talisman had been sent to him by Yan Kexin.
However, halfway through reading it, Wang Yulou's face turned ashen.
"Yi Zouri!"
Casually burning the sound transmission talisman to ashes, Wang Yulou furrowed his brows in deep thought. Not long after, he took out a piece of embroidered spiritual cloth.
Using his newly cultivated Return to Origin, Return to Truth Minor Formless spiritual qi as a brush, he began to write: "Sect Master, the war between the two sects is fiercely fought.
"During the all-out offensive by the Sky Serpent Sect, Wang Rongyuan of the Wang Clan unfortunately perished. Yet, the Wang Clan has enjoyed the protection of Red Lantern Illumination for generations.
"In this ti of life and death for the sect, how could we not fight with our lives?
"Today, Yulou learned that Senior Martial Brother Zouri intends to push the various vassal forces and families of Red Lantern Illumination to send Foundation Establishnt cultivators to the front lines, based on their total number of Foundation Establishnt mbers.
"This is crucial to the victory or defeat of Red Lantern Illumination's war. Since Senior Martial Brother Zouri has offered such an excellent strategy, it should be fully implented.
"Any delay might endanger the overall safety of the sect. I am certain the Sect Master will clearly understand the reasoning behind this.
"I only hope for our sect's swift victory, enduring longevity, and everlasting prosperity of the Dao!"
That dog Yi Zouri wanted the Wang Clan to continue sending people to the front lines right after Wang Rongyuan had just died in battle. This move was sickening. Choosing to block it would be reasonable, but it would make the Wang Clan appear disloyal. If they didn't block it, the Wang Clan would be the ones suffering the loss. Wang Yulou chose to counter this directly by escalating the situation. He had already touched so many people's interests; he wasn't afraid of making a few more enemies. In the end, this matter depended on whether Yi Zouri and the Illuminating Faction took the bait. If they did, then he and Wang Yulou would drag everyone down together, forcing Red Lantern Illumination's nurous Foundation Establishnt cultivators onto the battlefield. If they didn't take the bait, the Wang Clan wouldn't need to send a second Foundation Establishnt cultivator to fill the front lines in the short term. The complexity here lay in the fact that the war was initiated by Mangxiang. Winning or losing wasn't that important to the Red Lantern Illumination Sect as a whole, but it was incredibly important to the Behemoth Lineage. Red Lantern Illumination could afford to lose, but the Behemoth Lineage could not. Therefore, if more Foundation Establishnt cultivators under Red Lantern Illumination's rule could be brought to the front lines, it would benefit the Behemoth Lineage. If Yi Zouri and the Illuminating Faction rejected Wang Yulou's proposal, the Wang Clan could legitimately use Wang Rongyuan's recent death as an excuse to stall the conscription from that bastard Yi Zouri. After Wang Yulou beca Red Lantern Illumination's weightlifting runner-up, the responsibilities he shouldered and the conflicts of interest he faced made it impossible for him to resolve problems by simply playing nice.
This aligned perfectly with Danri's warning to the Wang Clan. The Wang Clan was cautious and steady, which was why their legacy had endured for a millennium.
But also because of this caution and steadiness, the Wang Clan hadn't produced a single Purple Palace cultivator in a thousand years. Whether those words were entirely true was another matter, but the underlying logic was grounded in reality.
People who feared both cause and effect had no right to sit at the table in this cultivation world.
"Husband, you want to go to the Northern Front?"
Lin Ying never expected Wang Yulou to make such an arrangent for her. Wang Yulou was now an illustrious Foundation Establishnt cultivator within Red Lantern Illumination.
She had thought that as an Inner Gate Disciple, she would cultivate in Red Lantern Illumination until she reached Foundation Establishnt. Caressing the beauty's pretty face, Yulou smiled and said, "Yes.
"Go serve in the Special rit Hall's branch on the Northern Front as an inspector. Of course, Senior Martial Brother Konggu is the town guard of the Northern Front, and the Northern Front belongs to Wondrous Peak Mountain.
"You're just going there to put on a show. You can just hide in the back and cultivate.
"But during this process, you can draw a stipend from the sect. At the sa ti, Konggu will likely send people to deliver so tokens of appreciation.
"Moreover, the Northern Front is actually the safest of the three battlefronts. Wondrous Peak Mountain has fought for so many years; they might not be able to win, but they definitely won't lose.
"They have already developed true animosity with the Valley Spirit Sect and the Sky Serpent Sect."
Treating everyone equally, but making exceptions—how absurd! Note that Wang Jingyi's admonition to Wang Yulou was not an empty statent.
By implenting equal treatnt for all, Wang Yulou was paying the price himself and bearing the pressure to toil for the benefit of others. If Mangxiang refused to acknowledge it, or if the situation took a bad turn in the future—if even one of these possibilities ca true, Wang Yulou would suffer a massive loss.
Therefore, the general direction of putting the public good first and treating everyone equally had to be maintained, so the cultivators on the front lines would be willing to put in the effort. But beyond that, Wang Yulou couldn't truly ignore the people close to him.
Red Lantern Illumination was a massive sect. Internal struggles within such sects involved deeply entrenched interests and were far more cruel.
Yi Zouri and Wang Yulou hadn't even known each other previously, but when Yi Zouri made a move against Wang Yulou, there had been no prior warning. His thods were frighteningly ruthless, carrying the clear intent to purge Wang Yulou completely.
Although Wang Yulou was soone who had skyrocketed from the bottom straight into the upper echelons of Red Lantern Illumination, he had always maintained a clear understanding of the intensity of the sect's internal strife. Otherwise, he wouldn't have pulled people from Wondrous Peak Mountain to help hold the line for him back then.
In this kind of environnt, where his surrounding opponents were fiercer than wolves and tigers, constantly glaring at him with predatory eyes, how could Wang Yulou dare to truly play the naive fool? Red Lantern Illumination had no ideals, only interests.
The sect was fundantally just a tool for the grand cultivators. Treating everyone equally and upholding the public good were very important, closely tied to Wang Yulou's personal interests and future developnt.
Taking good care of those close to him and those supporting him from behind was deeply tied to his personal interests and future developnt. This wasn't a matter of greedily wanting it all; it was a necessity to handle both flawlessly.
Right and wrong no longer mattered at this point. Continuing to walk forward—that was where true aning lay.
"What if Konggu acts too outrageously?"
Senior Martial Sister Lin, ever sensible, offered a gentle reminder.
"You've turned the Special rit Hall's presence on the Northern Front into a branch hall and entrusted its handling entirely to the people of Wondrous Peak Mountain. What if sothing goes wrong?"
Faced with the beauty's reminder, Wang Yulou gave a firm nod. The Lin family wasn't a major clan, but they were still considered a minor faction within Dripdrop Cave.
Having been grood by the Lin family, Senior Martial Sister Lin certainly possessed so capability.
"It's possible, but no major issues will arise. Our Wang Clan has interacted with Wondrous Peak Mountain for years, and our relationship is quite good."
Lin Ying imdiately grew anxious.
"Past relationships are past relationships, and current interests are current interests. You must look at them separately. Yulou, you cannot afford to be careless!"
She was right. "But what I an is, our Wang Clan, and even I personally, know many people on the Northern Front.
"It's fine if Konggu makes a small fuss, but if he takes it too far, I will definitely hear about it."
In truth, from Wang Yulou's perspective, if Konggu wanted to skim off the top, let him. As long as he didn't provoke mass outrage, it wouldn't be a big problem.
If you wanted a horse to run, you had to let it graze. Wondrous Peak Mountain was bearing the pressure of the Northern Front for Red Lantern Illumination; what did it matter if they were given a few more benefits?
As long as Wondrous Peak Mountain kept fighting, it would be very difficult for Yi Zouri or Wang Yulou's other opponents to truly affect him using problems on the Northern Front. Therefore, Senior Martial Sister Lin's concerns seed sowhat narrow-minded.
Although the grotto-heaven was safe, it restricted a person's vision. She needed to gain more experience on the grand stage of Red Lantern Illumination.
Thinking of this, Wang Yulou instructed, "Under no circumstances should you casually audit the Northern Front's books. Red Lantern Illumination isn't short on the bit of reward given to Wondrous Peak Mountain.
"Stabilizing Wondrous Peak Mountain and the Northern Front is the priority.
"When you get there, just cultivate properly. Whatever Konggu sends you, simply accept it—though you must ask for my instructions regarding anything too expensive."
Hearing her husband's instructions, Lin Ying only nodded and fell silent. She fiddled with the cuffs of Wang Yulou's Ten Thousand Nights Everbright Robe, seemingly trying to clearly see how the red threads were traced on it.
"What's wrong?" Wang Yulou asked gently.
Senior Martial Sister Lin hugged her newly reunited husband and whispered, "We've only seen each other for a few days, and you already have to leave again. Husband, I want you to accompany for a little longer."
——
Looking at the letter Wang Yulou had personally ordered a Foundation Establishnt cultivator to deliver to him, Old Huang felt numb. That battle-crazed kid Wang Yulou was always charging at the forefront of their internal strife—why was he involved in absolutely everything?
Old Huang was truly frustrated. He wanted to run away; he thought about it day and night.
But right now, he was still the sect master of Red Lantern Illumination, the sect master appointed by Mangxiang. Faced with a request from Wang Yulou, a core figure among the younger generation of the Behemoth Lineage, he still had to provide a response.
Red Lantern Illumination had experienced internal strife in the past, but it had never been this intense. However, it wouldn't be appropriate to place all the bla on Wang Yulou either.
The core reason was ultimately Mangxiang. Mangxiang had started a war, and Wang Yulou used the war as an excuse to consolidate power for him.
The whole affair had left everyone from top to bottom in Red Lantern Illumination dissatisfied. After reading the letter twice, Old Huang let out a long sigh and flew up to Mang Xiang Mountain.
"True Person, this matter is very difficult. There are no major problems on the battlefronts right now; we ought to maintain our strategic composure.
"The reserve Foundation Establishnt cultivators under the sect's jurisdiction who haven't gone to the front lines are the preparatory forces for the prolonged and normalized war between the two sects. Acting too early is too rash.
"Junior Martial Brother Yulou is young after all, and he acts with too much fire.
"Of course, Yi Zouri is no good either. The Wang Clan just lost Wang Rongyuan, yet he wants them to continue sending people to the front lines. Only a bastard like Yi Zouri could do sothing so cold and heartless."
Old Huang's words twisted and turned; it was hard to tell what he really ant. To Xuanzhuan's ears, it sounded entirely like an attempt to block off his decision-making space.
Of course, he wouldn't be influenced by these words, nor would he get angry at Old Huang. Xuanzhuan knew of Huang Qiusheng's difficulties.
But right now, no one could take Huang Qiusheng's place. Although Huang Qiusheng was appointed by Mangxiang, his true allegiance lay with the Huang Clan, which gave him sowhat of an 'outsider' status.
Under the current circumstances, if Old Huang left, the Behemoth Lineage definitely wouldn't be able to keep the position of sect master. "I know it hasn't been easy for you, but Yulou's response is actually quite decent.
"Do this: hand this letter over to Yi Zouri and let Jinxian deal with the headache!" Xuanzhuan commanded.
Old Huang experienced a sudden flash of insight.
Saying that 'the war will eventually stop' was pure bullshit. Not a single true word ca out of that bastard Xuanzhuan's mouth.
The Behemoth Lineage feared neither internal strife nor war. There was only one reason to explain this—the Ancestral Master's Golden Core was absolutely guaranteed to succeed!
Considering the alliance between Qingrui and Mangxiang, the Ancestral Master's objective in starting the war was even more open to debate. Could it truly be the prelude to a civil war within the Immortal Alliance?
Thinking of a civil war within the Immortal Alliance—a terrifying scenario where even Purple Palace cultivators had to risk their lives—Huang Qiusheng suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness. Vile beasts like Wang Yulou and Yi Zouri saw danger and thought of opportunity.
But Old Huang now understood; he saw things clearly. His innate talent was probably only suited for being a lapdog in tis of peace. When the ti for an Immortal Alliance upheaval and power reshuffling truly arrived, the entire Huang Clan might be wiped out, let alone a single Huang Qiusheng.
Should he tag along with Mangxiang? The weakest Immortal Venerable in the past was Shen Guang, and in the future, it would be Mangxiang.
By following Mangxiang, how much of a future could he possibly have in an Immortal Alliance civil war?
——
A month after Wang Yulou arrived at the two-sect front lines, Red Lantern Illumination's Special rit Hall was finally formally established.
Make no mistake, this wasn't slow; it was incomprehensibly fast. Put it this way: out of Red Lantern Illumination's directly governed Middle Front and Southern Front, the Middle Front alone had over eleven thousand cultivators, and the ratio of Foundation Establishnt to Qi Refining was roughly one to seven.
There were about one thousand four hundred Foundation Establishnt cultivators and nearly ten thousand Qi Refining ones. Among so many cultivators, there was no shortage of characters who wanted to turn their luck around or who firmly believed:
"My destiny is my own."
They were incredibly difficult to manage. So, strictly speaking, the Middle Front's town guard, Yan Keyi, was actually doing quite well.
The fact that he could maintain the front lines without them collapsing was already very impressive. And the Special rit Hall prepared by Wang Yulou served a combined total of nearly twenty thousand cultivators on the Middle and Southern Fronts, while also handling settlent issues with the Northern Front's branch hall.
Additionally, among these cultivators were Red Lantern Illumination Core Disciples and inner gate disciples with deep roots and backgrounds, as well as core disciples dispatched by the sect's local power factions.
Treating everyone equally and putting the public good first—these words were simple to say, but the difficulty of coordinating everyone was so high that many lesser Purple Palace cultivators wouldn't have been able to handle it.
Otherwise, Red Lantern Illumination's front lines wouldn't have been divided into the Northern, Middle, and Southern Fronts to disperse the managent pressure.
Building the entire system of the Special rit Hall—from the verification of military rit to internal inspections and exchange thods, to ensuring that no one could easily exploit loopholes (even though so exploitation was inevitable)—not a single one of these tasks was simple.
Every one of these complex tasks required imnse determination and perseverance to push forward. In this matter, capability alone was no longer the most important factor, because those without capability would definitely fail, while those with it would only find the task slightly easier.
Why had Wang Yulou applied extre pressure on the Southern Leaf Kingdom back then? If he didn't demonstrate his resolve, he wouldn't have been able to secure his position as the Steward of the Special rit Hall!
With half his body wrapped in white bandages, Cui Baihao descended from the sky trembling, landing outside Yuque Palace. There were many people in front of the palace gates; they were all here to exchange military rit for items.
The verification of military rit for the Special rit Hall could be done within the Defense Passes of the three battlefronts. The Northern Front was outsourced to Wondrous Peak Mountain, the Middle Front was managed by An Hening, and the Southern Front was managed by Gu Tongming.
However, the final military rit exchange could only be done at Yuque Palace.
Delegating the right to allocate rit, but ultimately requiring provisions to be collected right under Wang Yulou's nose—this design was Wang Yulou's way of yielding benefits to the town guardian cultivators of the three fronts, while also serving as a dual safeguard within the Special rit Hall.
It wasn't always best to grasp all the power in his own hands. With these levers in place, supplented by proper supervision rather than complete neglect, he could achieve twice the result with half the effort.
Cui Baihao didn't understand the intricacies of the Special rit Hall's system design. He only cared about how to shed his identity as a 'Shen Guang sympathizer' and whether he could exchange military rit for Foundation Establishnt resources.
In front of Yuque Palace stood many guiding cultivators, most of whom had been transferred from Dripdrop Cave, while the rest were from the Wang Clan. These people were all Wang Yulou's n.
The fact that he could stand at the center of Red Lantern Illumination's stage was not solely due to the Ancestral Master's high regard.
Seeing Cui Baihao's appearance—half his body wrapped in white bandages, looking as if he had just lost half his life for Red Lantern Illumination—a minor cultivator in the Qi Drawing realm hurriedly went up to welco him.
"Senior, are you here to exchange military rit?"
"Yes."
"Co this way. You must first register your identity here.
"There are four main points: which Defense Pass you belong to, your affiliated faction, your na and position on the front lines, and the mutually agreed-upon military rit.
"If you have objections to the mutually agreed-upon military rit, you can apply for the Special rit Hall to intervene and investigate. The investigation will yield preliminary results within fifteen days."
The 'mutually agreed-upon military rit' referred to the amount specified on the rit certification docunt jointly issued by the Defense Pass and the Special rit Hall's associate managers.
The struggle involved in this was also a way of yielding benefits, while simultaneously carrying the implication of risk-sharing. Of course, Wang Yulou also knew that even though he had already given the higher-ups on the two fronts the opportunity to skim off the top, they would inevitably try to bite off more than they could chew.
Therefore, he had established a special fast-track appeals channel, hoping to add a point of leverage to maintain fairness within the system's construction—Wang Yulou genuinely wanted Red Lantern Illumination to win the war.
"Fifteen days? What if I request an investigation, and end up being sent to the front lines to be killed during those fifteen days?"
A Qi Refining cultivator next to Cui Baihao, who was a firm believer that 'my destiny is my own,' heard the minor Qi Drawing cultivator's introduction and asked aloud.
"Once soone applies for an investigation, the affiliated battlefront for the applicant will be changed.
"For instance, if a cultivator from the Southern Front requests an investigation, they will be transferred to the Middle Front, and vice versa.
"Additionally, Senior Yuque, aside from being the Special rit Hall's Steward, also serves concurrently as the front lines' patrolling inspector. If anyone dares to secretly harm a cultivator who has contributed to the sect, Senior Yuque will not let them off."
In front of Yuque Palace, the eyes of the cultivators who had co to exchange military rit instantly lit up. Many cultivators belonging to the Southern Front unanimously expressed that they wanted to request an investigation and transfer to the Middle Front.
That bastard Town Guard of the Southern Front, Pi Lingxiu, feigned compliance while secretly rebelling. By actively initiating offensives, he deliberately increased Red Lantern Illumination's casualties on the Southern Front in a vain attempt to sabotage Mangxiang.
However, this ambition—no, it couldn't simply be called Pi Lingxiu's ambition anymore. When it ca to starting the war, assigning bla was no longer possible; the implications were far too complex.
If one were to solely bla Mangxiang, did that an the Immortal Alliance's bastardly system was without flaws? And if the Immortal Alliance was flawed, was the millennia of stability it maintained truly so valueless to ordinary mortals and bottom-tier cultivators?
Furthermore, with so many Foundation Establishnt cultivators within Red Lantern Illumination, if they weren't culled through war, a massive problem would arise for the sect's future developnt. From this perspective, Mangxiang forcing the sect to support his war wasn't so simple anymore.
In short, within this ssy web of debts, Pi Lingxiu had committed another massive sin against the low-level cultivators of Red Lantern Illumination's Southern Front. This was why the cultivators of the Southern Front all desperately wanted to flee to the Middle Front.
With so many people trying to flee, the area in front of Yuque Palace had devolved into a chaotic ss. Wang Yulou sighed, though he wasn't overly concerned.
The guiding Qi Drawing realm cultivator spoke again.
"Attention! Those cleared by the investigation will be required to pay an investigation fee of eight thousand spirit stones to Yuque Palace!"
Silence fell. Of those eight thousand spirit stones, Wang Yulou wouldn't take a single one.
Four thousand would be submitted to the public accounts, and four thousand would be distributed to the Defense Pass the transferred cultivator belonged to. He was avoiding suspicion; he had already amassed a terrifying amount of power.
The right to allocate and the right to inspect—beyond these two powers, the only stronger authority was the power of appointnt, but that was strictly reserved for the grand cultivators of Red Lantern Illumination.
With Red Lantern Illumination's front lines in the two-sect battlefield divided into three sections commanded by Defense Passes, it could be said that Wang Yulou had faintly stepped into the position of the front lines' actual controller. Under these circumstances, he didn't dare to take another step forward.
Any further, and he might truly die without a burial place. He couldn't afford to be greedy!
With his current standing, Wang Yulou still couldn't perform acts like pressing forward relentlessly to slaughter a fleeing enemy. Lao Cui had no thought of changing his assigned battlefront; he was purely here to exchange for items.
The Special rit Hall's exchange list ultimately failed to achieve complete equal treatnt. But Wang Yulou's efforts weren't without results.
The Special rit Hall's exchange privileges were divided into two tiers. The first tier was ant for ordinary bottom-tier loose cultivators.
They were naturally granted this tier and could exchange for the vast majority of resources. The second tier belonged to Red Lantern Illumination's Inner Gate Disciples and the core disciples of Red Lantern Illumination's vassal forces, allowing them to exchange for all resources.
As long as one could save up three hundred points of military rit, they could promote directly from the first tier to the second. Additionally, under Wang Yulou's steadfast insistence, and considering the overall interests of Red Lantern Illumination, the Special rit Hall created a separate listing for certain scarce resources.
Exchanging for items on this special list required special military rit—naly, enemy-killing military rit. This was a safeguard against people like Lin Ying, who took office as the inspector of the Special rit Hall on the Northern Front—people who were technically on the front lines but didn't actually fight on the front lines.
Lin Ying did nothing all day, yet she could still receive a hundred points of military rit a month. There were quite a few cultivators like her.
If left unchecked to continuously bleed resources, Red Lantern Illumination's wealth would be completely hollowed out. Why was it said that Wang Yulou's position was hard to hold, and his mission difficult?
The difficulty lay precisely here. With great power in hand, too many people were watching him, too many factions were interfering, and too many interests were weighing him down.
Beneath the glory of being the top figure on the front lines, only Wang Yulou knew how much pressure he was under. The difficulty of establishing the Special rit Hall could be clearly seen just from this convoluted exchange system.
On the other side, Cui Baihao was still not satisfied after finishing the list and read through it again carefully. This was the first ti in his life he had ever seen Red Lantern Illumination's treasured collection.
The imnse wealth of the great sect made Lao Cui feel a bit dizzy, but he still hadn't forgotten why he had co.
"Um, little Fellow Daoist, I ca here from the West Sea, that..." The Qi Drawing cultivator guiding Lao Cui imdiately caught the key detail and asked, "Special Outer Gate Disciples, inner gate points, right?"
"Right! Right!"
"It works like this: for every ten points of military rit you spend in the rit Hall, it can be converted into one inner gate point."
"Are you saying I don't need to consu my military rit to exchange for points, but rely spending military rit counts toward my points?"
He never expected things to be arranged like this. Cui Baihao couldn't hide his excitent; he could barely speak clearly.
"Senior's understanding is correct!"
Lao Cui imdiately burst into tears, weeping as if his tears cost nothing. He had been in the cultivation world for many years, cultivating all the way to the Peak Qi Condensation realm, and had walked the line between life and death countless tis.
Finally. Finally. The Qi Drawing cultivator was startled by him and asked cautiously,
"You are...?"
"I could never repay Senior Yuque's kindness in this lifeti!"
Wiping his tears, Lao Cui used his ager military rit to exchange for several basic talisman crafting materials.
"Aren't you going to exchange for so spirit pills to heal your injuries? The treatnt at the Defense Pass is only basic, after all."
The bastards in Red Lantern Illumination were everywhere, from top to bottom. When they needed you to fill the front lines, you were a great hero defending the sect.
But when you got injured, you shouldn't expect Red Lantern Illumination to cure you—protecting the sect was the responsibility of every cultivator under its jurisdiction!
"Ah, I healed a long ti ago. I just don't want to go to the front lines again anyti soon, hahaha. Don't tell anyone else."
Lao Cui chuckled. He had also t Wang Yuque once and witnessed Wang Rongyuan's death.
He belonged to the group of eyewitnesses that Wang Yuque needed. Therefore, the Defense Pass had no intention of sending him to fill the front lines again anyti soon.
Otherwise, wouldn't the Defense Pass know whether his injuries were healed or not? That was why Cui Baihao said he could never repay Senior Yuque's kindness in this lifeti.
Wang Yulou hadn't taken pity on anyone; after all, he was struggling himself. But the changes he brought had genuinely altered the fates of many people.
Cui Baihao wasn't the first, and he wouldn't be the last. For example, the Qi Drawing cultivator who had guided him to exchange his military rit was nad Li Changming, and he was also one of Wang Yulou's direct subordinates.
That Post-natal Realm mortal martial artist from Hewan Cun had now stepped into Qi Induction. He had originated from the very bottom of Dripdrop Cave, but had been pulled up by Wang Yulou into Yuque Palace, entering the very fringes of the Immortal Alliance's system.
The ups and downs of fate that Li Changming had experienced were completely incomparable to Cui Baihao's. Deep inside Yuque Palace, after a busy day, Li Changming t Wang Yulou.
"Ancestor, Changming has arrived."
This minor Qi Drawing cultivator, originally a martial artist with a five-elent spirit root, suppressed his excitent, knelt down, and imdiately began kowtowing with loud thuds. Wang Yulou raised a hand to stop his self-harming behavior.
For so unknown reason, this contagious habit of smashing one's head into the ground imdiately upon seeing Wang Yulou seed to be growing increasingly intense. "Changming, you've done well."
"However, leave the job of guiding cultivators to exchange their military rit to soone else."
"I need soone to follow and handle the tasks of passing on orders and relaying information."
Li Changming never expected to receive such an excellent assignnt. He was just about to agree when he thought of soone else.
"Ancestor, Senior Qin is at River Bend Fishing Port, waiting for you so anxiously that her eyes are practically piercing through the horizon... why don't you transfer her here to serve by your side?"
It was a bold suggestion, but it showed loyalty and affection. Li Changming had been recomnded to Wang Yulou by Qin Churan.
Back during Dripdrop Cave's child's-play power struggle, Wang Yulou had propped him up as the vanguard to overthrow Cui Dingyi. Therefore, his true benefactor was Qin Churan—the Little Qin who seed the most like a re extra among Wang Yulou's many Dao companions.
It had only been three years since he left Dripdrop Cave, but looking back at those events now, they seed like a joke. At that ti, Wang Yulou was just coming into contact with the internal strife of the cultivation world, still in the phase of not understanding the rules and gradually adapting.
But the situation had changed now. Little Qin...
"Alright, just do your job well. Once you reach Qi Refining, I won't order you around every day!"
—To the west of the West Sea was the Immortal Kingdom. Compared to the Immortal King's Palace built by Nan Ye Ke in the Southern Leaf Kingdom, the Immortal Kingdom's Immortal King's Palace was on a completely different level.
Seventh-grade Purple Heart Rock was used for the palace walls, sixth-grade Flowing Color Crimson Copper served as the paving stones, and fifth-grade Sky Bridge Wood acted as the pillars.
As a top-tier power in heaven and earth on the sa level as the Immortal Alliance, the grandeur of the Immortal Kingdom's Immortal King's Palace vastly outshone that of the Immortal Alliance's Azure Plains Immortal City. In this place, even Mangxiang didn't dare to use his divine abilities; he had to walk properly on his own two feet.
Of course, Mangxiang was a quasi-immortal venerable, after all. He couldn't truly just rely on his own legs to walk; that would be too much of a loss of face and even sowhat laughable—not low-profile, just laughable.
After all, he was an existence aiming to attain Golden Core. Wang Yulou rode a Black Dragon Steed, so Mangxiang's mount naturally couldn't be on the sa level as Wang Yulou's.
He rode a Chongming Bird—a Chongming Bird at the Demon General level. The Chongming Bird gently flapped its wings, carrying Mangxiang as he followed the royal guards of the Immortal King's Palace.
Soon, he entered the main hall of the Immortal King's Palace, the Immortal King's Hall.
"Immortal Venerable Mang traveling hundreds of thousands of miles to personally visit the Immortal Kingdom... I, Shunmu, have prepared so ager wine on behalf of His Majesty. I hope the Immortal Venerable won't take offense at our inadequate preparations."
A crisp, grand voice drifted from within the Immortal King's Hall. Erging alongside the voice to welco Mangxiang was the Pri Minister of the Immortal Kingdom, True Person Shunmu.
This True Person possessed a gray catfish head. His massive, sli-covered head was dotted with dozens of small eyes, each about the size of an egg.
Standing at the entrance to the Immortal King's Hall, his body actually managed to fill half of the ten-zhang-tall gates. He could truly be called an extre behemoth.
"Fellow Daoist Shunmu, please don't mock . How am I an Immortal Venerable?"
"In the thousands of years since the new laws, not a single Purple Palace cultivator has been able to attain Golden Core using them.
"Whether I can attain the Golden Core or not still depends on His Majesty's wishes, hahahaha."
Mangxiang leaped down from the Chongming Bird and returned Shunmu's greeting with a bow, continuously expressing his respect for the Immortal Kingdom and the Immortal King. Behind him, Danri also restored her figure and obediently followed her master into the Immortal King's Palace.
"Hahaha. Actually, I've prepared a surprise for you today. Very unusual, very unusual indeed."
Shunmu's tone was very natural; he truly wasn't intimidated by Mangxiang in the slightest. Calling Mangxiang 'Immortal Venerable Mang' was genuinely just pure politeness.
"Oh? What kind of surprise?" Mangxiang asked with a smile.
"A delicacy! A delicacy rarely seen even in the Great Heaven!"
However, upon seeing the banquet prepared in the center of the Immortal King's Palace, Mangxiang was actually stunned for a mont. In heaven and earth, the vast majority of cultivators didn't know—the Immortal Kingdom had 'Immortal' in its na, but was actually a domain of demons in reality.
It was actually a Demon Nation, the exact sa entity as the nurous Demon Gods of the West Sea. Yet in the center of the Immortal King's Hall, a Demon General was actually laid out as an ingredient.
Moreover, the Demon General's chest and abdon had already been sliced open, but it was still alive, its eyes even still moving. It seed they were preparing for Mangxiang to eat it alive, to savor the absolute freshest cuts.
'Cutting the auspicious deer at while eating it... this is indeed an unusual dining experience.'
Searching the entire Great Heaven, there might not be a second place like this.
"Fellow Daoist Shunmu, you have been very thoughtful."
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