Chapter 33: An Agreement Reached

Over the course of a year, the eighteen cultivation peaks of Tongzhou Hall recruited new disciples in various cities across the True Flame Continent. In the previous ten years, Tongzhou Hall had only recruited around fifty people. This year, the number of new disciples increased by a thousand—thanks to Hall Master Yun Zhouzi, who decided to use the hall’s accumulated wealth to fully support the cultivation of its disciples, resulting in such a significant expansion.
Juehuo Peak gained two hundred new disciples.
At that moment, Huozun and Zhen Nantian were happily talking inside the Peak Master’s Pavilion.
“Huozun, this year, Juehuo Peak’s wealth has greatly increased, and we have the most new disciples among all eighteen peaks. It’s all because of the array preset method you developed that made the Hall Master value us so highly,” Zhen Nantian said, patting his extremely fat belly.
Huozun smiled in response before saying calmly, “Fatty, you’ve already said many things that made me happy. I’ve heard them all. Now, it’s my turn to explain why I came to the Peak Master’s Pavilion.”
It turned out that Huozun had spent a whole year cultivating at Tingfeng Residence and had finally come out to discuss going to Fangyang Star with Zhen Nantian. Zhen Nantian was well aware of Huozun’s plans but couldn’t bear to let him leave, so after bringing him to the Peak Master’s Pavilion, he kept talking about Juehuo Peak’s bright future in an attempt to dissuade Huozun.
When Zhen Nantian heard Huozun’s words, he realized he had wasted half a day. No matter how much he described Juehuo Peak’s prospects, it couldn’t stop Huozun’s plans.
“Huozun, what’s your goal?” Zhen Nantian asked, smiling and pretending not to know.
Huozun stared at Zhen Nantian until the latter felt embarrassed, after which Huozun smiled and said, “Fatty, give me six people. I’m going to set off for Fangyang Star. Oh, and hand me Lin Po, the one who fought me once.”
Sure enough, Zhen Nantian’s face twitched.
“Huozun, are you really going to Fangyang Star? You’re now our Tongzhou Hall’s greatest hope. The future of our hall depends on you. You can’t just go and take risks like this,” Zhen Nantian cried out, looking pitiful.
Of course, after enjoying the honor brought by Huozun, Zhen Nantian certainly didn’t want him to leave and take risks alone on Fangyang Star.
“Fatty, no need to talk. If you don’t bring me six people by tomorrow, I’ll go to Fangyang Star by myself,” Huozun said firmly, with no room for negotiation.
Zhen Nantian’s face turned dark.
The two fell into silence for a while.

“Fire Lord, let’s just do this. I’ll go to Fangyang Star with you. I’m not at ease letting you go alone as a Soul Immortal; as a higher-ranked Soul Immortal, I can help shield you from many risks.”
Suddenly, Zhen Nantian raised his head abruptly, his eyes gleaming, and said firmly.
Zhen Nantian had always felt that following Fire Lord would bring endless benefits in the future. Ever since Fire Lord arrived at Juehuo Peak, this luck had accompanied him, so he wanted to join Fire Lord on the adventure to Fangyang Star.
Hearing this, Fire Lord was indeed surprised. He stared at Zhen Nantian, as if his reaction exceeded Fire Lord’s expectations.
“Fat guy, I really didn’t expect you to have such determination. Great, with you as a higher-ranked Soul Immortal, you can help me avoid a lot of trouble. I agree,” Fire Lord said happily.
Zhen Nantian laughed heartily, but inwardly cursed, blaming Fire Lord for forcing him into this.
Fire Lord stood up, smiled faintly, and said, “Fat guy, I’ll come to the Peak Master’s Pavilion again tomorrow. Let’s go to Fangyang Star together.”
Without giving Zhen Nantian a chance to respond, Fire Lord flew away.
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The Inch Realm Ball, now reduced to dust, remained in one of the cultivation rooms of the Yuanxing Sect.
After Qu Yi released the Inch Realm Ball to that tall disciple of the Yuanxing Sect, the disciple never dared to reveal it. Because inside the Inch Realm Ball, he was trapped in a confined space. He had no idea it was an Inch Realm Ball, and even if he had tried to tell others, no one would have believed him, and it would have only brought him trouble. So he continued to cultivate quietly.
At that moment, the Inch Realm Ball flew out of the cultivation room and arrived above the Jade Beast Tianlin.
On a tall tree covered in transparent berries, the Inch Realm Ball landed on a leaf, and then Zhu Bao was sent out of it by Qu Yi.
“Huh? How did I end up on this tree?” Zhu Bao exclaimed in surprise as soon as he emerged.
Qu Yi never revealed the secret of the Inch Realm Ball to Zhu Bao. Zhu Bao had only been in a valley and didn’t know that the space he was hiding in was actually a spatial treasure.
Instantly, a voice rang in Zhu Bao’s soul: “Zhu Bao, this is the Jade Beast Tianlin. You can now head to the Yuanxing Sect.”
It was Qu Yi’s voice.
Zhu Bao was stunned for a moment before understanding. He then determined his direction and flew straight toward the headquarters of the Yuanxing Sect.
※※※
Over the past year, the Yuanxing Sect had been busy selling various powerful monsters they had trained over the years and establishing connections with many factions.

It was all because the Yuanxing Sect had lost the protection of the Jade Snake King, a monstrous beast, forcing them to seek alliances with other forces. However, the greatest concern for the Yuanxing Sect now was that even if an alliance were formed, without the aid of Earth Immortals, such an alliance would be fragile and easily dismantled or absorbed by the three major forces on the Xiyang Continent. At that moment, the sect leader, Yulinzi, was worried in the headquarters of the Yuanxing Sect.

“Fellow cultivators of the Yuanxing Sect, I am Zhu Bao, from the Zhu family of Zhu Yan Star,” a voice suddenly rang out in the air above the headquarters.

Zhu Bao had arrived. As the leader of the Yuanxing Sect, Yulinzi was familiar with Zhu Yan Star near Fangyang Star and knew that the Zhu family was one of the three major forces there. Instantly, Yulinzi realized that the Earth Immortal behind the Zhu family was precisely the one he had been desperately seeking. Moreover, since the Zhu family’s headquarters was on Zhu Yan Star, their influence in Fangyang Star was merely a branch. If the Yuanxing Sect allied itself with the Zhu family, it could rely on their Earth Immortals for support, and there would be no need to fear being completely absorbed by them.

Realizing this, Yulinzi immediately flew into the air and went to greet Zhu Bao himself, without waiting for the sect’s disciples to ask him questions. Zhu Bao and Yulinzi met above the lake next to the Yuanxing Sect’s headquarters.

“Fellow cultivator Zhu Bao, I am Yulinzi, the leader of the Yuanxing Sect,” Yulinzi said cheerfully, crossing his arms.

“Leader, I am Zhu Bao. I’ve come here specifically to discuss important matters with your sect,” Zhu Bao stated his purpose directly.

Hearing this, Yulinzi grew even happier, though his face retained its usual smile.

“Fellow cultivator Zhu Bao, since you’ve come to discuss important matters with my Yuanxing Sect, let’s go to our headquarters where we can talk in detail,” Yulinzi said with a smile.

After that, Yulinzi took Zhu Bao to the Jade Snake Hall, the headquarters of the Yuanxing Sect. The Jade Snake Hall had always been the most important place in the sect, used to receive powerful forces, serving as a reminder that the Yuanxing Sect was protected by the Jade Snake King. Although the Jade Snake King was now dead, the sect still needed to rely on the fact that others were unaware of his death to continue intimidating other forces.

The two sat down.

Zhu Bao nodded at Yu Linzi and said with a smile, “Master, to be honest with you, our Zhu family has already established a stronghold in the Hai Feng Mountain Range. We also plan to set up a family branch on Fang Yang Star to do business with various forces there. I’ve learned that the Yuan Xing Sect is the only beast-taming sect on Fang Yang Star, with its own unique training techniques. Our Zhu family is eager to establish contact with the Yuan Xing Sect so that we can sell their magical beasts to other planets in the future.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Li Zi was overjoyed. It was exactly as she had hoped—Zhu family was taking the initiative to reach out to her Yuan Xing Sect.

“Brother Zhu Bao, I know your Zhu family is the most powerful force on Zhu Yan Star, and you even have a Earth Immortal within your family. With such strength, of course, our Yuan Xing Sect won’t refuse. As for business matters, everything is easy to discuss. We certainly won’t turn away any clients,” Yu Linzi said with a smile.

Once there was trade, there would be interests at stake. In the future, it would be much easier for the Yuan Xing Sect to discuss forming an alliance with the Zhu family. That was what Yu Linzi was thinking at that moment.

Hearing Yu Linzi’s words, Zhu Bao indeed showed signs of joy and immediately said, “Master, you’re truly generous. I’ve already reaped benefits just by coming here. To be honest, when our Zhu family comes from Zhu Yan Star, we’ll surely face jealousy from the existing forces on Fang Yang Star. But that’s fine. Our ancestor is an Earth Immortal, so those forces wouldn’t dare confront us head-on. However, to facilitate business on Fang Yang Star in the future, our ancestor instructed us to establish an alliance on the Xi Yang Continent, connecting with various smaller forces to form a commercial alliance and become the fourth most powerful force there. In that way, the three current major forces on the Xi Yang Continent won’t be able to look down on us anymore.”

Hearing this, Yu Linzi pretended to look surprised on the surface, but inwardly she was ecstatic. This was exactly what the Yuan Xing Sect needed most at the moment.

An Earth Immortal expert had finally been found.

Yet, Yu Linzi didn’t agree right away. He couldn’t let Zhu Bao see the current difficulties of the Yuan Xing Sect, so that he could maintain an advantage in future negotiations.

“Brother Zhu Bao, I need to discuss your proposal with the elders of our Yuanxing Sect before I can give you a formal reply. How about this, Brother Zhu Bao? Leave your soul imprint on my communication card so we can stay in touch. As for the business deal, I can agree to it now—once any demonic beasts grow up, I’ll inform you, and as long as the price is reasonable, I’ll give priority to selling them to your Zhu family,” said Yulinzi with a faint smile.

After hearing this, Zhu Bao nodded in understanding, filled with joy—finally, they had secured the Yuanxing Sect. Of course, at this moment, he also admired Qu Yi even more. If it weren’t for Qu Yi killing the Jade Snake King first, the Yuanxing Sect would never have agreed to do business with the Zhu family. Although the alliance hadn’t been approved yet, Yulinzi had already shown his willingness, so the alliance would likely be established soon.

After discussing happily for a long time, Zhu Bao left his soul imprint on Yulinzi’s communication card and left the Yuanxing Sect. Soon after, he returned directly from the Yuanxing Sect to the Hai Feng Mountain Range, to his family’s stronghold.