Chapter 272: Chapter 270: A Territory Starting from Zero
’Brother Ge doesn’t seem to be using a Magical Treasure. Is it because he thinks the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon King isn’t worth it, or is there another reason...?’
This task of providing support from the periphery was far too easy for Bai Zichen.
Wei Dao still needed to focus completely, lest the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon King use Thunder Escape and break through their encirclement in a moment of carelessness.
But Bai Zichen had already summoned his Moon Xuan Sword. Bathed in its moonlight, he could have completed this task all by himself.
He even had the leisure to appreciate Master Ge Cang’s combat style and noticed something very interesting.
When the Qiantian Primordial Yang Divine Thunder Net was activated, Master Ge Cang’s control over the Divine Thunder had reached the Transformation Realm. He confined the Thunder Sea to a hundred-zhang radius, not letting a single sliver of power leak out.
Facing the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc’s counterattacks, he used his hands, feet, shoulders, and legs—every part of his body was a weapon. With a simple block and push, he could send the Tier Three Demon Beast flying.
’That’s not right. Even during the arena battle in Burial Immortal Valley last time, Brother Ge didn’t use a Magical Treasure either. He fought entirely with his physical body...’
One could argue that a Tier Three Top-Grade Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon King was simply beneath Master Ge Cang’s notice.
But last time, in the arena, he had faced an expert from Beiyuan at the Perfect Core Formation Realm whose Cultivation surpassed his own. It was impossible that he had been holding back then.
This could only mean it was Master Ge Cang’s preferred Combat style: pairing Divine Thunder with a powerful physical body was enough to dominate the world.
Of course, a bigger reason was that he didn’t have a Magical Treasure worthy of him.
Even for someone like Bai Zichen, only Top-Grade Magical Treasures were worth his consideration now. Anything of a lower grade was a waste of time to undergo Refinement and wouldn’t be very useful in battle.
This was even more true for an expert of Master Ge Cang’s caliber.
An ordinary Magical Treasure couldn’t even compare to the physical might granted by his Fourth Layer Five Crystal Glaze Body. His physique alone was comparable to a Top-Grade Defense Magical Treasure.
And as for common offensive Magical Treasures, he could match their power with a casual bolt of Divine Thunder or a single punch.
With his standards, he would surely only want to refine a Top-Grade Magical Treasure that had the potential to be upgraded into a Spiritual Treasure.
It seemed, however, that Master Ge Cang’s fortune with Magical Treasures was far inferior to Bai Zichen’s. He had yet to find a single Treasure that could significantly boost his combat strength.
’This damn bird’s life force is tenacious. It’s been beaten to a pulp and it’s still not dead. It might be related to some kind of immunity to Thunder Skills... Its Thunder Escape is being restricted by Brother Ge, and the terrifying destructive power of the Qiantian Primordial Yang Divine Thunder Net is also several tenths weaker against it.’
Nearly half an hour had passed. Although the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon King’s injuries were worsening, it remained full of life.
Bai Zichen, who already considered Celestial Thunder Cliff his own territory, grew increasingly annoyed looking at the feathered beast.
The next time the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc spat out a Thunderball, forcibly blasting a path through the Divine Thunder Net in an attempt to use Thunder Escape and flee Celestial Thunder Cliff, a beam of Sword Light shot through the sky, making the heavens hum. The white clouds above only reformed long after it had passed. The Moon Xuan Sword had struck with a heavy blow.
The Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon King shrieked in pain. One of its wings drooped, nearly severed from its body, and blood sprayed out uncontrollably.
Only then did it realize that the Cultivator waiting at the side was just as terrifying as the Spirit Binder wielding the Thunder Skill.
Master Ge Cang let out a soft cry, and the Thunder Sea condensed into a Thunder Spear.
A flash of silver light pierced through the body of the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon King. The once-imperious Flying Demon Beast lowered its proud head and plummeted toward the cliff’s peak.
With the Tier Three Top-Grade Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon King slain, even if the other Golden-Winged Thunder Rocs escaped, they would only cause temporary chaos and not affect the overall situation.
On the tail of this Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon King was a special feather that looked as if it were condensed from pure Thunderbolt, still flashing with lightning even after the beast’s death. ’This Essence Feather is the crystallization of all its Thunder Power. It’s what allowed it to use Thunder Escape...’
"I am somewhat interested in that Thunder Escape. I’ll take this True Feather as my share, and you two can divide the rest of the materials."
Master Ge Cang was undoubtedly the main force in slaying the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon King, giving him the primary right to distribute the Demon Beast Materials.
Taking only the True Feather was clearly less than his rightful share.
However, he obviously no longer cared for Tier Three Top-Grade Demon Beast Materials.
At his stage, aside from Tier Four Spiritual Objects and Treasures that could aid in reaching the Nascent Soul realm, almost nothing else could move Master Ge Cang.
"Junior Brother Bai, you go first."
Wei Dao knew his contribution was less than Bai Zichen’s, so he was naturally too courteous to take the first pick.
They could use these Tier Three Demon Beast Materials themselves or place them in the Secret Vault, and the Sect would then award a large number of Contribution Points to the Core Formation Ancestor’s account.
For instance, with the Kui Ox Demon King’s Inner Core from last time, Wei Dao ultimately gave it to the Sect, and Han Qing refined it into a batch of Demon Beast Core Foundation Establishment Pills.
Following past practice, the Sect transferred fifty thousand Sect Contribution points to him.
Therefore, after becoming a Core Formation Ancestor, it was impossible to be short on Sect Contribution Points over time; they would only accumulate more and more.
This was because the Sect could provide fewer and fewer of the items a Core Formation True Man required.
Over time, it became a situation of only income and no expenditure.
"I’ll have to trouble Senior Brother Wei to handle it, then. Just have the Contribution Points allocated to my name... Oh, and keep the flesh and blood. My Spirit Beast is in the middle of advancing and might still need the flesh of a Tier Three Demon Beast."
From a Tier Three Top-Grade Golden-Winged Thunder Roc came its Essence, flesh, blood, feathers, bones, and its most valuable part—the Demon Beast Core. Each of these was worth a considerable amount of Spirit Stones.
However, Bai Zichen had no time to spend on such matters and didn’t care about the gains or losses of a few Demon Beast Materials.
"Very well. I’m the one who benefits today," Wei Dao said with a smile as he stored away the corpse of the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon Beast.
"Celestial Thunder Cliff is a bit on the small side, but it is a Tier Three Top-Grade Spirit Vein after all. We’ll have the Array Hall take a look, set up a Spirit Gathering Array for you first, and focus on upgrading the spot with the densest Spiritual Qi to Tier Three Top-Grade."
Master Ge Cang pointed towards the former nest of the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon King on the cliff’s peak, which was the area with the most abundant Spiritual Qi on all of Celestial Thunder Cliff.
And on the back of the cliff’s peak was the renowned Celestial Thunder Wall.
Because the cliff face was often struck by Celestial Thunder, almost no Spirit Plants grew there, leaving it completely barren.
The terrain was also unsuitable for creating Spirit Fields. The cliff descended in a series of terraces, which would require extra thought when constructing Cave Mansions.
"It’s not that small. The peak alone is several hundred mu. Once the entire Celestial Thunder Cliff is developed, it could easily accommodate two or three thousand Cultivators."
Bai Zichen already had a rough plan in mind, but the specifics would have to wait for professionals to execute.
In just half a day, Celestial Thunder Cliff had fallen into the hands of the Qingfeng Sect.
The short duration made it feel nothing like a war of reclamation; it was truly the most easily conquered Tier Three Spirit Vein in history.
Only one unlucky Elder was seriously injured; the rest suffered only minor wounds.
The Sect’s logistical and supply expenditure was practically zero. The happiest person was probably Gu Xisheng, back at the Mountain Gate.
One-third of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators were left behind, while the rest retreated to the Mountain Gate. Soon after, a thousand Qi Refining Disciples, who had long been ready, would be transported over by warship.
These were primarily disciples from the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall and the Array Hall.
"Master, are we going to move here from Feiyue Lake from now on?"
Tong Huan asked, a trace of excitement in his voice.
"Naturally. The Spiritual Qi here is better, and it’s a blank slate that I can shape as I wish..."
Bai Zichen saw Lu Songx behind him and called him over.
"Go to the Bai Family and give this letter to the Bai Clan Leader. He will naturally understand what to do. You just need to bring the people back."
"I will obey your command, Martial Uncle."
Lu Songx, on the other hand, felt relieved. Now that Bai Zichen was out of seclusion and handling affairs, there was no longer a rush.
A Construction Steward from the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, who specialized in building, created a complete design blueprint for Celestial Thunder Cliff in three days based on Master Bai’s ideas. It was approved.
But the project was immense. With the current manpower, it would take nearly a year just to see the initial form take shape.
Full completion would likely take around three years.
Bai Zichen, of course, couldn’t wait that long. On one hand, he sent a letter to Gu Xisheng requesting more manpower; on the other, he personally funded the purchase of a large number of Construction Warrior Talismans.
These Tier Two Construction Warriors knew no Divine Power Magical Techniques, but once summoned, they could last for six hours.
They could clear land, dig earth, chisel caves, shatter stone, and carry heavy objects...
A single Construction Warrior was as effective as a hundred Qi Refining Disciples, greatly increasing efficiency.
Meanwhile, the Array Hall had already selected a location and set up a Gathering Spirit Array. By lowering the Spiritual Qi on the cliff’s peak to Tier Two Top-Grade, they successfully elevated a ten-zhang-radius core area to a Tier Three Top-Grade spiritual land.
Future construction would naturally be centered around this core.
As for the Grand Array for the entire Celestial Thunder Cliff, it had not yet been deployed. They had to wait for the Sect’s current number one Array Master, Zhou Suqing, to arrive to be confident in its success.
However, it was said that over at Feiyue Lake, the Dragon Turtle’s advancement had reached its final moments, stirring up violent winds and colossal waves across the entire lake that nearly submerged most of the buildings.
They had to rely on Zhou Suqing to oversee the Grand Array, using the Array’s power to mitigate the various destructive effects caused by the Dragon Turtle.
Three months later, the buildings on the clifftop began to take shape.
A magnificent, resplendent grand hall stood with an imposing air, its interior draped in embroidered gold curtains, constructed mainly from brass and jade.
Extending from the grand hall was a row of corridors, pavilions, and terraces with glazed yellow tiles, upturned eaves, and bronze bells.
Like stars surrounding the moon, they made the central grand hall look like a celestial palace.
"True Man, according to the blueprints, we are also supposed to transplant thirty-six towering, evergreen ancient trees... but, but the Sect can’t find so many old and hardy Spirit Trees at once, so the planting might be slightly delayed."
The Construction Steward from the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall was prostrated on the ground, his voice trembling and stuttering.
A Steward like him held some status among the Qi Refining Disciples, but he was a nobody in front of a Sect Elder.
Now, facing a Core Formation Ancestor directly, the fact that he could even speak a complete sentence was a testament to his mental fortitude.
"There’s no need. I have my own plans for the empty space..."
Bai Zichen turned slightly to the side and said to Tong Huan, "You manage the people from the Bai Family and have them plant the Spiritual Bamboo as soon as possible... I want to see more than ten thousand stalks of Spiritual Bamboo on Celestial Thunder Cliff before the end of the year."
The Ink Bamboo Bai Family, led by a Qi Refining Ninth Layer Elder, had sent about seventy clan members, bringing nearly a third of the clan’s Cultivators.
"Yes, I’ll see to it at once."
Tong Huan had been running around handling many miscellaneous tasks these past few days.
He was Master Bai’s Inner Chamber Disciple, so for many matters, having Tong Huan handle them was more effective than having other Elders do it.
Bai Zichen was mostly satisfied with the construction on the clifftop. The next step was to gradually expand downwards, building various structures and Cultivation Cave Mansions.
The disciples from the Array Hall had already calculated that while Celestial Thunder Cliff was much smaller than Feiyue Lake, it could support the creation of seven Tier Three Low-Grade Spiritual Lands and two Tier Three Mid-Grade Spiritual Lands.
Within the grand hall, besides the main council hall, reception hall, side halls, and guest rooms, there were also three specially designated Quiet Chambers and rooms fully equipped for practicing the Hundred Skills of Cultivation.
"Just build according to the plan I’ve set. If anything comes up that you can’t resolve, send a message to me..."
Bai Zichen tossed all the hard and tedious work onto his disciple and slipped into a Quiet Chamber, preparing to experience for the first time the effects of Cultivation in a Tier Three Top-Grade spiritual land.
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