Chapter 57: The Deal

Huai Qing swung his jade sword four times in a row before swiftly drawing it back into his body.
All members of the Fire Moon Sect were killed!
The people of the Immortal Cloud Sect stared at Huai Qing in shock, unable to believe their sect leader possessed such power—even Han Yue Shang, the greatest figure of the Emerald Wood Planet, couldn’t withstand a single strike from him.
The scene froze for a long time before the Immortal Cloud Sect members finally moved.
“Sect Leader, how did the sword in your hand possess such power just now?” Huai Jin asked cautiously.
Huai Qing shook his head gently and said solemnly to everyone in the Immortal Cloud Sect, “Listen carefully. Do not speak about what just happened. The deaths of the Fire Moon Sect members were caused by sea monsters. Do you understand?”
After thinking for a while, Huai Qing still couldn’t bring himself to kill the people of the Immortal Cloud Sect, as that would ensure the secrecy of the jade sword. Among these nine people were his brothers Huai Jin and Huai You, as well as disciples Li Ji, Wang Mo, and Qu Yi. He simply couldn’t bear to be heartless enough to kill them.
“Yes, Sect Leader. The members of the Fire Moon Sect were ambushed by sea monsters and all died,” the people of the Immortal Cloud Sect said in unison.
Only then did Huai Qing relax. He circulated his vital energy to stabilize his internal injuries before beginning to examine Han Yue Shang’s storage bracelet.
After Han Yue Shang died, Huai Qing took possession of his bracelet.
“Ah, this is the Heart-Cooling Cold Mushroom!” Huai Qing’s spiritual sense scanned the bracelet and, aside from various important pills and spirit stones, discovered a precious medicinal herb.
Instantly, he took out the Heart-Cooling Cold Mushroom and examined it happily.
The Heart-Cooling Cold Mushroom was hollow inside, emitting a cold aura, with a pink exterior shaped like branched branches.
Seeing this, Huai Jin’s face lit up with joy, and he immediately cried out, “Sect Leader, please give me this Heart-Cooling Cold Mushroom. With it, Qingfeng’s cultivation level can be restored.”
It turned out that this herb had extremely potent medicinal effects and was of the wood attribute. It was effective for those at the Yuan Ying stage and could even help those at the Golden Dan stage advance in cultivation.
Huai Jin knew the effects of this herb and understood that if Liu Qingfeng took it, he could quickly regain his Golden Dan cultivation level.
Upon hearing this, Huai Qing frowned and said slowly, “Brother Huai Jin, it’s not that I don’t want to give it to you. But this Heart-Cooling Cold Mushroom is also extremely important to me. I plan to use it to refine the Spirit Infant Pill, so that I can advance to the middle stage of Yuan Ying.”

Reaching the middle stage of the Yuan Ying realm not only multiplies one’s vital energy but also extends lifespan by hundreds of years. With that, Huai Qing has a chance to advance to the later stage of Yuan Ying. Naturally, by saying this, Huai Qing also indicated his intention to use the Tong Xin Han Zhi himself.

Upon hearing this, Huai Jin’s expression froze, followed by a bitter smile, after which he stopped speaking. In his heart, however, his resentment toward Huai Qing grew even stronger.

“Alright, after a fierce battle, everyone has expended a lot of vital energy. Now, take the Cloud-Piercing Boat to the island ahead to rest. I’ll follow soon,” said Huai Qing cheerfully after putting away the Tong Xin Han Zhi.

Huai You and the others calmed down, stopped wondering about the sword that Huai Qing used to turn the situation around, and followed his instructions, boarding the Cloud-Piercing Boat to return to their sect.

……

Seeing everyone leave, Huai Qing immediately took out a porcelain bottle from Han Yue Shang Ren’s storage bracelet, retrieved a red pill from it, and swallowed it.

After taking the pill, Huai Qing sat in the Cloud-Piercing Boat, quietly allowing the medicinal power to work its magic and restore his vital energy.

“The Hui Ying Dan is truly amazing—it restored my vital energy so quickly and healed my wounds as well,” said Huai Qing joyfully as he opened his eyes.

Reinvigorated, Huai Qing promptly stowed away the Cloud-Piercing Boat and dived back into the sea, heading toward the seabed where the Sea Eye Xuan Crystal was located.

“How is this possible? Where has the Sea Eye Xuan Crystal gone? Could someone have hidden underwater and stolen it? Unlikely—no one on Cui Mu Xing can withstand such extreme cold, let alone obtain the Sea Eye Xuan Crystal. Could it have escaped on its own?” Huai Qing arrived at the seabed and was shocked to find the crystal missing, guessing wildly.

Standing where the crystal used to be, Huai Qing racked his brains but couldn’t figure out how it had disappeared. After standing there for a long time, he really didn’t want to leave!

He had come to the Wu Xi Sea area specifically to find the Sea Eye Xuan Crystal and had even revealed the secret of possessing one of the eight jade swords. Now that the crystal had vanished mysteriously, how could he just leave willingly?

Still, Huai Qing sighed and flew back toward the sea.

Soon, he arrived at an island where he saw the people from the Xian Yun Sect resting. He immediately landed.

“Master!” Qu Yi and the others stood up at once and called out in unison.

Huai Qing nodded slightly and smiled, “Alright, everyone. Let’s return to the Xian Yun Sect now.”

Thus, his journey to the Wu Xi Sea area came to an end.

The incident in the Misty West Seas caused a huge stir among the four major sects of Green Wood Planet. Within the Fire Moon Sect, there was widespread grief—Han Shangren, the most powerful figure in the sect, had gone to the Misty West Seas and passed away there. According to spies from the Fire Moon Sect in the Immortal Cloud Sect, Xuan Yang Temple, and Jade Constellation Sect, Han Shangren died after being attacked by sea monsters. With Han Shangren’s death, the Fire Moon Sect was left only with Yong Shan, who was still in the early Yuan Ying stage. What was once the strongest sect suddenly became the weakest among the four. Naturally, the once arrogant disciples of the Fire Moon Sect now had to be more cautious, otherwise they would be bullied by the disciples of the other three sects, and Yong Shan wouldn’t dare to step in to protect them. In the Xuan Yang Temple and Jade Constellation Sect, there was also deep sorrow. Although their sect leaders, Cheng Chang and Qiu Yu, returned safely, all the disciples at the Golden Core and Foundation Establishment stages who had gone with them died, dealing a severe blow to both sects. It seemed that among the four sects of Green Wood Planet, the Immortal Cloud Sect was now the strongest. After the Incident in the Abyss of Ten Thousand Monsters and the events in the Misty West Seas, the Fire Moon Sect, Xuan Yang Temple, and Jade Constellation Sect all lost their Golden Core stage disciples and many Foundation Establishment stage disciples. With the loss of their elite forces, not only was there no one to take their place, but the mess left behind by those who died also had to be dealt with by the remaining disciples, adding to their troubles. However, the atmosphere in the Immortal Cloud Sect was not one of joy but surprisingly calm. The disciples who returned from the Misty West Seas avoided talking to others unless they were close friends, fearing they might reveal some information. This unusual behavior immediately sparked speculation among the other disciples, and like an infection, everyone fell silent. Meanwhile, on Long Yao Peak of the Immortal Cloud Sect, Huai Jin and Liu Qingfeng were having a secret conversation. “Grandpa, what did you just say? The sect leader got a Heart-Connecting Cold Ganoderma? Why didn’t you bring it to me?” Liu Qingfeng demanded angrily. It seemed Liu Qingfeng was aware of the effects of the Heart-Connecting Cold Ganoderma, indicating that he had indeed put in a lot of effort searching for a medicine to cure his illness. Huai Jin remained silent for a while, looking pained, before saying, “Qingfeng, I asked for it, but Huai Qing wants to use it himself. He refuses to give it to me.” After saying this, Huai Jin’s eyes were filled with cruelty—ordinary people who met his gaze might be killed by that look alone.

Liu Qingfeng immediately understood that this Tongxin Hanzhi was also useful for Huaiqing, but he was still dissatisfied. “Huaiqing, it’s him again. Doesn’t he know that it was his disciple Qu Yi who damaged my body and my cultivation? Why must Grandpa and I both be suppressed by those two?” By this point, Liu Qingfeng had forgotten that it was he who had tried to kill Qu Yi by relying on his own cultivation, which led to such retribution.

Upon hearing this, Huaijin’s eyes filled with hatred, and he said coldly, “If that’s the case, I’ll go join the Huoyue Sect and tell Yongshan everything about Master Hanshang’s death. I’ll ask Yongshan to bring help from other planets to destroy the Xianyun Sect. All I want is that Tongxin Hanzhi to help you restore your cultivation.”

For a long time, Huaijin had been dissatisfied with Huaiqing, and over time, he had developed deep resentment toward both the Xianyun Sect and Huaiqing. But no one expected that Huaijin would go so far as to betray the Xianyun Sect and even destroy it, all for the sake of obtaining a Tongxin Hanzhi to help his grandson, Liu Qingfeng.

Hearing this, Liu Qingfeng’s expression changed several times before he also said coldly, “Fine, Grandpa. I’ll do as you say.”

Clearly, Liu Qingfeng no longer cared at all about the Xianyun Sect.

……

A month later, one of Huaijin’s disciples returned and reported that a mineral deposit had been discovered in the Zuiwu Mountains. So, Huaijin voluntarily asked the Xianyun Sect to allow him to go and inspect it personally. After getting approval, Huaijin left the Xianyun Sect alone.

Flying south along the Zuiwu Mountains, Huaijin sped along by himself. At a certain mountain peak, he suddenly turned and flew southeast.

Southeast was the Lanyue Mountains, where the Huoyue Sect was located. The main peak of the Huoyue Sect was the Lifire Peak, and the sect leader, Yongshan, lived in the Huoyue Hall atop the peak.

In the pitch-dark night, a gentle breeze blew as a figure quickly entered Lifire Peak.

Yongshan suddenly sensed it and immediately sent a mental message to warn the newcomer. After receiving the reply, his face was filled with smiles as he welcomed the visitor inside the Huoyue Hall.

“Brother Huaijin, welcome to my Huoyue Sect!” Yongshan said amiably.

Soon, the visitor landed in the Huoyue Hall and stood across from Yongshan—it was none other than Huaijin, an elder of the Xianyun Sect.

“Sect Leader Yongshan, I’ve come secretly this time because I have a deal to discuss with you,” Huaijin said calmly.

Yongshan’s eyes narrowed, then he smiled immediately. “A deal? Great. I, Yongshan, love making deals the most.”