Chapter 325: Heaven-Devouring Bug

The Weapons Master pulled Chu Liang aside and said through Voice Transmission, "What are you talking about? Even if Peak Master Tantai and I use up our entire sect's budget and sell everything we own, we can only put together seven thousand Azure-Dragon coins! Are you going to cover the extra one thousand Azure-Dragon coins?!"

"Yes," Chu Liang replied, looking at him strangely.

I placed the bid, so of course I'll cover the extra cost. Even if I asked Junior Brother Wen for the money, he doesn't have that amount to give,

Chu Liang thought.

"You..." The Weapons Master was about to say more but suddenly paused. "What did you say?"

"I said I'll cover the extra cost."

"Where will you get the money to cover the extra cost?" the Weapons Master asked. "The sword coins of Mount Shu are all made by me..."

What he meant was that since he made all the sword coins of Mount Shu, he knew exactly how many Chu Liang could possibly have.

How are you going to gather one hundred thousand sword coins?

The Weapons Master thought.

Before he could finish speaking, Chu Liang handed over an enchanted storage tool and said through Voice Transmission, "I coincidentally bought some Spirit-Concentration Pills in Taotie City just as their prices were rising and made a small profit. Here are one hundred thousand Vermillion-Bird coins."

The Weapons Master took the tool and, after a quick scan with his divine sense, confirmed it to be true.

He was stunned for a long while before saying, "You made so much... How many Spirit-Concentration Pills did you happen to buy?"

"I coincidentally bought one hundred fifty thousand pills," Chu Liang answered seriously.

The Weapons Master: "..."

"The elders are all doing their best to raise funds for Mount Shu. Naturally, we juniors will not lag behind. I believe that any disciple of Mount Shu would give their entire fortune without any hesitation at a time like this," said Chu Liang.

The Weapons Master's gaze gradually softened. He patted Chu Liang on the shoulder, momentarily at a loss for words.

When Chu Liang made money from his fellow disciples in Mount Shu, causing a shortage of sword coins, the Weapons Master considered him a troublemaker. But now that he had earned money from outsiders and was giving it back to Mount Shu, the Weapons Master suddenly found this young man very pleasing to the eye.

If he were a hundred years younger, he would certainly want to become sworn brothers with Chu Liang.

Considering Chu Liang's feat of slaying Taowu with the Violet and Azure Twin Swords, the Weapons Master felt that he would even be willing to let Chu Liang be the elder brother.

After a while, the Weapons Master finally spoke. "Rest assured, Mount Shu will not let you down."

"The sect saved my life and gave me the opportunity to cultivate and change my destiny. It's a lifelong debt of gratitude," Chu Liang replied earnestly.

The Weapons Master also said seriously, "That was done by Di Nufeng. Her deeds must be counted separately from Mount Shu."

Alright.

Chu Liang grumbled inwardly.

The Weapons Master was so adamant about separating the Mount Shu Sect from Di Nufeng that he considered the good deeds of their esteemed teacher to be unaffiliated with the Mount Shu Sect.

While the two were whispering, the manager grew apprehensive, wondering if their prolonged discussion meant they didn't have enough money.

He would then be in a very difficult situation...

Just as the manager was worrying, the Weapons Master turned around and said, enunciating each word clearly, "We have the money; now hand over the goods."

The manager immediately broke into a smile and quickly responded, "Good!"

Though this old man looked quite strange and intimidating, he is surprisingly handsome when he acts so generously,

the Manager thought.

Not long after, the manager took the stage and announced loudly, "This young hero is from the Mount Shu Sect! Today, this Demon-Subduing Pestle has been auctioned off to the Mount Shu Sect for eight thousand Azure-Dragon coins. Congratulations to Mount Shu!"

"Wow—" A murmur of astonishment spread through the crowd.

The Mount Shu Sect was bidding from the second floor while secretly placing hidden bids from the first floor. This was truly unexpected.

Back in the private room, Tantai Jing was amazed at Chu Liang's performance. He had always been very proud of his own intelligence. Nevertheless, he found himself unable to figure out how Chu Liang, a disciple at the Golden Core Realm, could accumulate such great wealth.

Obviously, he couldn't ask much here, so he left with his doubts, and the three of them started heading back to Mount Shu.

As they exited, they saw the team from the Penglai Supreme Sect approaching from the corridor on the second floor.

Daoist Xuan Lu first glanced at Chu Liang, then at Tantai Jing before speaking. "First, you openly competed with us on the second floor, driving the price to an extremely high amount. Then, you placed hidden bids from the first floor, making it hard for us to gauge your strategy. People say that you, Tantai Jing, are smarter than most. Today, I witnessed it firsthand."

To him, it seemed impossible that Mount Shu would let a junior disciple like Chu Liang make such a significant decision.

Among these people, the one with such a keen mind had to be the renowned strategist, Tantai Jing.

"

Hmph.

" Tantai Jing gave a mysterious smile.

He wasn't sure how Chu Liang managed this or whether it was appropriate to reveal Chu Liang's role, so he remained silent.

But in Daoist Xuan Lu's eyes, the smile on Tantai Jing's face clearly meant:

Exactly, that's right!

...

When the Weapons Master arrived, he was riding an enchanted tool, a flying device he had spent most of his life modifying. It was an exceptionally luxurious and comfortable aerial loft.

When he left, he was riding on the back of a giant white bear.

Although Tantai Jing's giant white bear had a broad back, it was too cramped to comfortably carry four people, so they were squeezing together. However, for long-distance flights, having a mount was always better than relying on wind-manipulation techniques.

The two young disciples, Chu Liang and Wen Yulong, were still able to ride their swords.

However, the two elders had even sold their flying swords...

"Don't scooch in any more, or my wheelchair will fall off," Tantai Jing said with a smile to Wen Yulong.

"Sorry, Peak Master Tantai," Wen Yulong apologized quickly, moving closer to Chu Liang.

The Weapons Master was the most senior among them, so they left a large space at the front for him. The three of them sat behind him, occupying only about half of the available space. Aside from respect, another reason was the intimidating atmosphere surrounding the Weapons Master.

"My Mysterious Dragon-Phoenix Pendant..."

"My Pioneer Sword..."

"My Sword Formation Diagram: Slaying Eighteen Lives..."

"My seventy-two rare materials..."

For a man to suddenly lose all his wealth at such an old age, it was understandably quite depressing. The other three showed great understanding. After all, the Mount Shu Sect didn't provide any pension or retirement fund, so fending for himself in his old age would be difficult.

Although Tantai Jing also lost his fortune, he was younger and not as fond of collecting valuable items as the Weapons Master, so it was not as devastating for him.

Chu Liang was even less concerned, as he only drained his liquid assets; the business he had built remained intact.

Moreover, after this incident, Venerable Wen Yuan would surely meet with him to discuss compensation. His expenditure of one hundred thousand sword coins might not be a total loss after all.

Wen Yulong advised, "Esteemed teacher, don't be too sad. There's an old saying: wealth lost can always be regained."

When Wen Yulong was training in the Hall of Weapons, the Weapons Master was his teacher. So, strictly speaking, Wen Yulong would be considered a generation above Chu Liang[1]. However, in Mount Shu, they usually care more about the seniority within their own peak and pay less attention to the seniority of attendants within the chamber.

"Then go and persuade your grandfather to compensate me for all the valuable items I lost," said the Weapons Master.

But when Wen Yulong heard that this would involve him, he immediately shrank back and said, "I can't persuade him."

Chu Liang had heard some rumors about Wen Yulong's grandfather being Venerable Wen Yuan a while ago. Initially, he had some wild guesses, but he didn't expect them to be true.

This kid could be considered the top third-generation immortal in Mount Shu.

You wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at him...

Upon returning to Mount Shu, Chu Liang first went back to Silver Sword Peak.

He hadn't had time to rest when he saw a paper crane flying over from Senior Sister Jiang, inviting him to meet at their usual spot after his return.

Although they could now meet openly as the top two of the Mount Shu Summit, they still habitually met in private at the old place. Chu Liang quickly replied and then headed to the cave at Treasured Pagoda Peak.

Jiang Yuebai arrived soon after.

"What's wrong?" Chu Liang asked. Senior Sister Jiang rarely came to him in such a hurry, so he wondered what the big deal was.

"If you remember, I saw your little butterfly last time," Jiang Yuebai said. "It seemed familiar to me then. Later, I checked some ancient books and found out it's the same kind of creature recorded in them."

Little golden butterfly?

Chu Liang was also very curious about its origins, so he asked, "What is it?"

"Let me ask you," Jiang Yuebai said, "did it first transform from an egg into a white larva, resembling a maggot; then from a larva into a large green insect, resembling a silkworm; and now from a green large insect into a golden flying insect, resembling a butterfly? At every stage, did it have strong penetration abilities, able to almost devour anything?"

Hearing her describe it in such detail, Chu Liang nodded. "Yes, that's exactly it."

"That's it! It really is the legendary Heaven-Devouring Bug!" Jiang Yuebai exclaimed.

"Heaven-Devouring Bug?!" Chu Liang repeated. The name sounded very powerful.

"The Heaven-Devouring Bug has appeared very few times; from ancient times to the present, there have only been two recorded instances. However, each time, it caused quite a stir. It can undergo nine transformations, and after the ninth transformation, it gains the power of the Profound Realm. The Heaven-Devouring Bug that appeared last time was the..."

She paused before slowly uttering the last two words.

"Demon god!"

1. I think the Weapons Master is one generation higher than Di Nufeng. Since Wen Yulong was trained by the Weapons Master, he is on the same generational level as Di Nufeng's teacher, placing him one generation above Chu Liang, who is Di Nufeng's disciple. But Chu Liang calls Wen Yulong junior brother because in terms of cohort in their corresponding peaks, Wen Yulong is of a younger cohort. ☜