Chapter 756: I'm Fluent Too

At dawn, the fog over Holy Mountain had yet to disperse.

A group of black-robed people riding on horses hastily ascended the mountain. Against the backdrop of the snow-capped mountains that were thousands of years old, the group had a striking presence, looking stern and imposing.

"Honorable Chancellor, you're here early."

Dhyana Master Wu'e, who was quite bald, was standing at the mountain gate, awaiting the group's arrival with a smile.

"Since it was the Noble Dharma who summoned me, I dare not delay my arrival," the leader of the group replied nonchalantly. "As soon as His Majesty issued the decree, I set out overnight."

The leader of the group was Su Qian, the chancellor of the Yu Dynasty. He was accompanied by a group of elite guards from his Sixteen-Faction Alliance.

The entire group bore the marks of their hurried journey, proving Su Qian's words.

"His Majesty cares for the people of the nine provinces, and you, Chancellor, work tirelessly for the people as well," Dhyana Master Wu'e remarked as he led the group up the mountain. "The Noble Dharma has been in closed-door cultivation for years and rarely meets guests, so he won't be coming out to greet you."

Su Qian nodded, appearing not to mind at all. "I understand."

Upon reaching a secluded courtyard near the main hall of the temple, Dhyana Master Wu'e added, "The Noble Dharma wishes to convey that we, Holy Mountain, too hope for peace in the world. That is why we are acting as an intermediary. Whatever you discuss today has nothing to do with us. You need not base your decision out of respect for the Noble Dharma."

Su Qian nodded in acknowledgement.

Dhyana Master Wu'e then pushed open the courtyard door.

Su Qian's subordinates were about to follow Su Qian inside.

However, he turned back and told them, "Wait here."

Concerned, some of them hesitated to heed the order. "Honorable Chancellor…"

"This is the Northern Regions' Holy Mountain. What do you think will happen here?" Su Qian replied and then stepped inside alone.

Dhyana Master Wu'e, who also remained outside, was still smiling. "There is no need to worry about anyone's safety on Holy Mountain."

Inside the courtyard, the chancellor of the Yu Dynasty found himself face-to-face with an unexpected figure.

"City Lord Huyan?" Su Qian uttered, taken aback.

Since the fall of Taotie City, Huyan Dong and his son had vanished without a trace. The world had assumed they had met a grim fate. Yet, there they were, on this mountain.

Nevertheless, that alone wouldn't have shocked Su Qian.

He was at Holy Mountain because the imperial court had received an invitation from the Noble Dharma to have a peace talk with the rebels of Mount Mang. Consequently, Su Qian had expected to meet the rebels. Instead, the first person he saw was their victim. That was the real shocker.

The middle-aged man in the courtyard stood to greet Su Qian with a respectful bow. "I am Huyan Dong, but I am no longer a city lord. It's an honor to meet you, Honorable Chancellor."

"There's no need for such formalities between old acquaintances." Su Qian smiled as he took a seat. "I thought you had met an unfortunate fate. But seeing that you're safe and well, it seems the rebels of Mount Mang are genuinely sincere about this peace talk."

"Naturally." Huyan Dong nodded. "The rebels of Mount Mang were merely starving disaster victims on the brink of death. Fortunately, you managed to acquire the Immortals' Rice, saving the people from starvation. Now that the famine is ending, the rebels have had a change of heart and wish to turn over a new leaf."

He was referring to how Su Qian had purchased the Immortals' Rice at the Buddhist Cloud Monastery's charity auction. Su Qian had spearheaded the efforts to cultivate and distribute the crop. In fact, the reason he was able to arrive at Holy Mountain in such haste was that he had been in the Southern Regions the day before, overseeing the cultivation and distribution of the Immortals' Rice there.

It was thanks to the Immortals' Rice that the imperial court was able to eliminate the greatest threat to the nine provinces in the aftermath of the recent natural disasters, resolving the dire crisis.

"We can end the famine, but it is impossible to revive Taotie City," Su Qian remarked. "City Lord Huyan, are you truly speaking on behalf of the rebels of Mount Mang?"

"I am," Huyan Dong affirmed. "After they abducted my son and me, I managed to convince them to abandon their ways."

"In that case, you've done a great service to the world."

"I wouldn't dare claim such merit. I only did it for my survival." Huyan Dong smiled. "But let's get to the point. The rebels of Mount Mang cannot return to their barren homeland. They would like to settle in the Northern Regions and establish a city of their own. They hope for their city to be recognized by the imperial court as an official city."

"That's all?" Su Qian's gaze wandered around them. "As long as they do not rebel again, there's nothing difficult about granting them a city to live in."

Huyan Dong's smile deepened.

That tale of rebels killing and setting fires until the imperial court accepted them into its ranks had truly come to life. In the past, the rebels of Mount Mang struggled in the barren lands of the Southern Region for years and were never officially recognized by the imperial court. Now, after wreaking all that havoc, the imperial court's stance quickly softened.

"But if they waver and commit unjust acts again…" Su Qian's expression turned grim. "Even if the Noble Dharma vouches for them, the imperial court will show them no mercy."

"You can rest easy about that," Huyan Dong replied quickly. "These people have suffered enough. With a place to call home, why would they rebel again? But… they do have one more request."

"Speak," Su Qian said, not surprised in the slightest.

He had known from the start that it wouldn't be that simple.

After all, it wasn't as if the imperial court had cornered the Mount Mang rebels and forced them to surrender. The Mount Mang rebels had been traversing freely through the nine provinces; the imperial court had not even come close to capturing them. They had come forward on their own accord to have a peace talk.

That meant the imperial court was at a disadvantage in this negotiation. As long as the demands of the Mount Mang rebels weren't excessive, it would be best for the imperial court to grant them in the interest of maintaining peace.

Nonetheless, what Huyan Dong said next shocked Su Qian.

"They wish to establish their own immortal sect and hope that the imperial court can nominate them to compete in the selection for the Terrestrial Ten."

…

With the matter of the Terrestrial Ten's Sect Selection settled, Chu Liang finally had some time to relax.

It wouldn't be long until the Celestial Talismanic Wheel was completed. Then talismans could be produced as quickly as snowflakes falling from the sky. When that time came, Chu Liang would have yet another lucrative stream of income.

He hadn't deceived Huan Leisheng. The Talismanic Sect obviously had no chance of being a serious competitor for the vacant spot in the Terrestrial Ten. Nevertheless, simply getting nominated would get the sect's name out there, which would be very beneficial in promoting the talisman business.

Nominating the Talismanic Sect also helped the Mount Shu Sect resolve the nomination dilemma with the Great Astral Sect and the Celestial King Sect. Nevertheless, that was merely a secondary concern in comparison.

Originally, construction would have been a highly profitable venture for the Mount Shu Sect. However, Starhold Island had raised its price drastically for the Mountain-Suppressing Rock, essentially blocking off the Mount Shu Sect's access to an important material. That meant the Hall of Construction did not have the resources to start large-scale projects.

Chu Liang had yet to find a quick solution for that. After all, Starhold Island had the support of the Penglai Supreme Sect. The Mount Shu Sect had been busy expanding its network and forging new alliances, but its relationship with the Penglai Supreme Sect and its lackeys had only worsened.

Even with the Divine Nine pressuring Starhold Island, Starhold Island refused to budge on its decision. So, all Chu Liang could do was wait.

After all, it would not make sense for Starhold Island to raise its prices just for the Mount Shu Sect. The moment any immortal sect managed to purchase Mountain-Suppressing Rock at a lower price, Chu Liang could just buy it from that sect at a higher price.

The longer Starhold Island hoarded its stock, the more severe the shortage of Mountain-Suppressing Rock would become across the world of immortality cultivators. Eventually, immortal sects from all over the world would pressure Starhold Island to lower its price. Starhold Island wouldn't be able to hold out forever.

Even if the Penglai Supreme Sect treated them like a favored child, surely their devotion wouldn't extend to outright self-destruction, right?

That meant Chu Liang was locked in a battle of patience with them for now.

At this moment, Chu Liang arrived at the fruit garden on Silver Sword Peak.

For a long time, Golden Vein Berries had been one of his main sources of income, but Berry Wonderland's importance gradually waned in recent years as Red Cotton Peak flourished. Eventually, Berry Wonderland was shut down entirely to spare Silver Sword Peak from the trouble of having to entertain the many tourists.

Now, Golden Vein Berries were only sold in limited-edition gift boxes instead of in large quantities, turning them into a truly premium spirit fruit. During festivals, being able to present a box of Golden Vein Berries as a gift was considered a mark of wealth and prestige among immortal sects.

Much of the fruit garden had been repurposed for cultivating various treasures of nature, and they grew even better than the treasures of nature in the Hall of Alchemy's plantation. After all, the remains of two powerful Eminent Ones, both slain by a certain teacher-disciple duo, had been buried in the ground of the fruit garden.

Di Nufeng and Chu Liang had a strong sense of responsibility when it came to helping people "rest in peace". Even if the deceased were bad people, the teacher-disciple duo would still bring them back to Silver Sword Peak and bury them, scattering spirit plant seeds over their graves as an offering. A few days later, Di Nufeng and Chu Liang would return to tidy the area, pay their respects… and most importantly scatter more seeds, of course.

Now, with the flourishing treasures of nature, this fruit garden was one of the places on Mount Shu that had the densest spiritual qi.

For that reason, Chu Liang was there to test the strength of the Precious Phantom Spirit Embryo.

He had gotten it as a reward from the White Pagoda for slaying the Sea Master, but he had yet to actually use it. His first instinct had been to use it to replicate the White Pagoda, but when he tried, nothing happened. It was perhaps because the White Pagoda no longer had a corporeal form.

After being busy for quite some time, Chu Liang finally had some time to experiment with it.

He took out the Precious Phantom Spirit Embryo and carefully cradled it in his hands. It looked like a gorgeous, vividly colored stone. Aside from that, it seemed pretty ordinary.

Yet, as soon as Chu Liang injected his foundational qi into the stone, it transformed into a dense swirling cloud of seven-colored mist. Any enchanted tool that came into contact with this mist would be replicated. It was virtually impossible to prevent the replication.

Chu Liang took out the Demon-Revealing Brick. Then he controlled the mist and had it engulf the brick.

Whoosh!

The mist swept over the Demon-Revealing Brick, followed by a flash of light. The light faded to reveal that a replica of the half-brick had actually materialized right there.

Holding the half-brick in his hands, Chu Liang examined it closely. Even the patterns on the brick were identical; there wasn't the slightest flaw.

Chu Liang was delighted. "Not bad."

Both the quality and power of the replica seemed indistinguishable from the original. The only question was whether the Precious Phantom Spirit Embryo could replicate more powerful enchanted tools just as flawlessly.

With that thought, Chu Liang decided to test it on the Demon-Slaying Sword.

After about fifteen minutes, the Precious Phantom Spirit Embryo reverted to its original stone form. However, it was no longer vibrant and colorful; it was now a dull gray stone.

There seemed to be pulsing veins running across the stone's surface, spreading the colorful mist from before bit by bit across its body. Once the mist had spread all over the stone, it repeated this process again and again like it was breathing.

Chu Liang injected his foundational qi into it again, but there was no response.

"So, that's how it works…"

Chu Liang finally figured something out.

The item description had not specified a cooldown time, making him assume it could be used indefinitely. However, it turned out that the stone had to replenish its spiritual qi before it could be activated again.

Judging by its current absorption rate, it would take at least four to six hours to fully recharge. He wasn't sure whether the spiritual qi consumption rate was fixed per use or if it scaled based on the strength of the replicated enchanted tool.

If the stone needed four to six hours to recharge after only replicating the Demon-Revealing Brick, then wouldn't it need at least a few months to replicate a Demon-Slaying Sword?

And what about if he wanted to replicate a legendary artifact? Chu Liang didn't even want to imagine how long that would take…

While he waited for the stone to recharge, Chu Liang thought it was boring to just sit around idly. Then he suddenly recalled the Talisman of Life Restoration.

His cultivation level had been too low when he obtained that precious cultivation legacy of the Celestial Talisman Master. All he could do back then was awaken the consciousness of some fruits and mountain rocks to guard his fruit garden. However, their lifespans were quite short, and they withered away after about half a year. He didn't know whether it was due to their limited spiritual qi or that his cultivation level had been too low.

Nonetheless, Chu Liang had since advanced to the seventh realm, and he now had a much bigger Sea of Qi than before. So… he should be able to awaken the consciousness of enchanted tools, right?

Chu Liang's gaze shifted to the Demon-Revealing Brick in his hand.

Why not… give it a try?

Once the idea took root, he didn't hesitate. He promptly summoned the Talisman of Life Restoration and pressed it firmly onto the brick.

Whoosh!

The Demon-Revealing Brick emitted a dazzling burst of white light, and in the next instant, its aura became lively and dynamic, as though it now had a spirit.

An enchanted tool with a spirit was totally different from an enchanted tool without one.

Chu Liang was so excited that he didn't even bother replenishing his drained foundational qi.

He immediately asked, "Demon-Revealing Brick… do you have a spirit now?"

There was no response.

He tried again. "Can you not speak? Or did I fail?"

Again, there was no response.

"If you gained sentience, you should be able to hear me, right? Even that berry from back then could talk… and quite fluently at that."

Chu Liang waited for a response, but all he got was silence.

He let out a small sigh. "Looks like I failed… but why?"

The experiment had failed, and his foundational qi was depleted. Furthermore, the Precious Phantom Spirit Embryo still recharging. With nothing else he could do there, Chu Liang decided to return to his wooden cabin and meditate for a while.

It was no easy feat for a seventh-realm cultivator to use up all of their cultivation energy. Yet, using the Talisman of Life Restoration had consumed so much of his foundational qi that it was absolutely terrifying.

After cultivating for around three hours, Chu Liang suddenly sensed a disturbance in the White Pagoda's space. He extended his divine sense inside and saw the Demon-Revealing Brick on the ground, flickering with light.

A dull voice spoke slowly, with long pauses between each word.

"I… do…

"I… can… speak…

"I… am… flu…ent… too…"

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: LD