Free Web NovelChapter 377: Chapter 295: The Situation (Part 2)
"They’re stronger than before, yes. But compared to us, there’s still a gap," the Spirit Destruction Hall Master replied. He was better informed on this matter.
"It seems the Celestial Cloud Sect has become much stronger. And yet, our losses are still this severe."
"You may not be aware of our losses among the disciples. The truth is, it’s even more severe than you think..."
Speaking of losses, the Spirit Destruction Hall Master proceeded to share everything he knew.
"...Our disciples at the late and peak stages of Qi Refining are at a great disadvantage against the Celestial Cloud Sect’s Spirit Refiners. These days, more and more of Celestial Cloud Sect’s Spirit Refiners at the Qi Refining stage possess special Upper-Grade Magical Artifacts. This is a primary reason our strength falls short of theirs."
The disciples sent to operate in the Celestial Cloud Sect’s territory were almost all at the late or peak stage of Qi Refining. Very few were below the late stage.
Disciples below the late Qi Refining stage have a hard time operating in Celestial Cloud Sect territory anyway. If they were sent, their mortality rate would probably be even higher.
"That Fang Yun from the Celestial Cloud Sect is such a nuisance!" the elder responsible for guarding the Demon Jar couldn’t help but say after listening.
"Fang Yun is manageable. The one who really worries me is the mysterious Spirit Refiner. To this day, we have next to no information about him."
"In my view, they’re about the same."
’One is powerful on his own, while the other makes others powerful.’
The elder guarding the Demon Jar initially thought so, but then he felt that wasn’t quite right.
"No, I still believe Fang Yun from the Celestial Cloud Sect has a greater impact. Hall Master, you said that in the past twenty-some years, the number of Spirit Refiners in the Foundation Establishment Stage has increased significantly, both in the Celestial Cloud Sect and its vassal Foundation Establishment Influences. This must be related to Fang Yun. He’s not just talented in Artifact Refining; he’s gifted in Alchemy too."
"Fang Yun only has Five Spirit Roots; his influence will ultimately be limited in the later stages. If we allow the mysterious Spirit Refiner to successfully achieve Core Formation, we won’t be able to destroy the Celestial Cloud Sect for the next two to three hundred years."
As their opinions differed, the two continued to debate at length about Fang Yun and the mysterious Spirit Refiner.
Each tried to convince the other, but ultimately, neither succeeded.
...
...
「Celestial Cloud Sect Territory.」
The headquarters of the Celestial Water Sect, one of the vassal Foundation Establishment Influences.
By now, more than four years had passed since the Celestial Demon Sect and the Demon Spirit Sect had last joined forces to launch an assault on the Celestial Cloud Sect.
Today was the 200th birthday of Ke Huairen, Sect Leader of the Celestial Water Sect.
He had invited the Guardian Elder from the Celestial Cloud Sect to celebrate.
The Celestial Water Sect was fairly strong on its own. They were situated closer to the Demon Spirit Sect, not the Celestial Demon Sect, so they did not require significant support from the Celestial Cloud Sect.
Thus, the Celestial Cloud Sect had only sent a single elder to serve as Guardian, and he was only in the early Foundation Establishment Stage.
"Elder Lu, please."
"I’m sorry to trouble you, Sect Leader Ke."
"Not at all, it’s my duty," Sect Leader Ke Huairen of the Celestial Water Sect said with a smile. He then asked, "I’ve heard you have a very good relationship with Elder Fang."
"It’s decent," Lu Zefeng replied with a nod. "I was fortunate. Elder Fang and I were disciples from the same generation, and we managed to build a good relationship."
Thinking back on the events of forty or fifty years ago, Lu Zefeng felt he had been incredibly lucky.
"I was only able to achieve Foundation Establishment thanks to Elder Fang."
"Elder Fang’s impact on our Celestial Water Sect has been immense as well. If it weren’t for him, we would certainly have two fewer cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage."
While Lu Zefeng spoke of his own breakthrough, Ke Huairen also began to talk about the new Foundation Establishment cultivators in his Celestial Water Sect.
He recalled when he had gone to the Celestial Cloud Sect to request their help in refining Foundation Establishment Pills. He had three sets of the required Spirit Medicine, but their quality was low. At the time, his hope was that the Celestial Cloud Sect could refine two Lower-Grade Foundation Establishment Pills for them; he would have been extremely satisfied with that result.
As it turned out, the Spirit Medicine was given to Fang Yun to refine.
And from them, he received three Middle-Grade Foundation Establishment Pills!
After nearly thirty years of growth, those three Middle-Grade Foundation Establishment Pills had taken the Celestial Water Sect’s overall strength to a new height.
Thirty years ago, the Celestial Water Sect’s current overall strength would have easily ranked them first among the Celestial Cloud Sect’s vassal Foundation Establishment Influences.
Now, however, they were ranked third.
Ke Huairen understood that it wasn’t just his sect; the other vassal Foundation Establishment Influences of the Celestial Cloud Sect had also been affected by Fang Yun to varying degrees.
Their overall strength had also increased rapidly.
’It’s a shame Elder Fang is only one person and can only spare so much time for Alchemy each year. Otherwise, besides Foundation Establishment Pills, we might have been able to ask him to refine other Second-Tier Spirit Medicines.’
"Sect Leader Ke, we should be careful during your birthday celebration. The Demons might launch a surprise attack at this very moment," Lu Zefeng cautioned.
"Rest assured, Elder Lu. I’ve already made the proper arrangements."
If his sect’s overall strength hadn’t been great enough, and their position stable enough amid the war, the two-hundred-year-old Ke Huairen would not be hosting a grand banquet.
Now that the conditions were right, his 200th birthday was well worth a grand celebration.
"The offensive from the Demon Spirit Sect and their vassal Foundation Establishment Influences isn’t as intense as the one from the Celestial Demon Sect’s side. To be frank, the likelihood of them striking now is not high."
They hadn’t been under much pressure during these years of resistance to begin with. Now that the Celestial Cloud Sect had also sent an elder, they felt even less pressure.
If the pressure were truly great, the Celestial Cloud Sect wouldn’t have sent only Lu Zefeng, an early Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, on this Guardian mission.
"It would be best if the Demons from the Demon Spirit Sect didn’t appear at a time like this," Lu Zefeng agreed mildly.
Throughout his entire Guardian mission so far, Lu Zefeng had not once had to take action.
As the Guardian, his mission was to intervene if Demons attacked the Celestial Water Sect’s main location.
To this day, he had not even seen a Foundation Establishment Demon; all related intelligence came from the Celestial Water Sect’s own Foundation Establishment cultivators. He spent most of his time here in cultivation.
If anything of major significance occurred, he was to contact the sect immediately and inform them of the situation.
He still had not used a single one of the Sound Transmission Talismans he had in his possession.
As the grand banquet celebrating Sect Leader Ke Huairen’s 200th birthday began...
Meanwhile.
Back at the Celestial Cloud Sect.
Good fortune had just come knocking for Elder Fang Yun, the very man they had been discussing.
At that moment, Fang Yun was still deep in cultivation.
In the two years since he had last killed a Demon at the Peak of Foundation Establishment, two more Foundation Establishment Demons had fallen to him.
One was at the early Foundation Establishment Stage, the other at the middle stage.
He had long since arranged with Battle Peak to be given priority for all support missions. The request would be sent to him first, and only if he failed to respond within three breaths’ time would it be passed on to another elder from Battle Peak.
With all three of his Life Talents having reached eight stars, he had started to work on his Combat Talent. The early-stage and mid-stage Foundation Establishment Demons had contributed some progress towards upgrading his Combat Talent to seven stars.
At his normal rate of accumulating Talent Points, it would take him about forty years to upgrade his Combat Talent from six to seven stars.
During the war, however, with just a bit of decent luck like he’d had these past two years, he could expect to level up his Combat Talent in under thirty years.
A knock sounded from outside his immortal cave.
As Fang Yun emerged from his Cultivation Room, the stone door of the cave slowly slid open.
"Elder Fang."
"Ah, Elder Zhao. Please, have a seat over here."
The visitor was Zhao Weiwen.
This was the first time Zhao Weiwen had come looking for him.
"Elder Fang, I imagine you can guess why I’ve come to see you," Zhao Weiwen said with a smile after taking a seat.
"It’s about the Third-Tier, Lower-Grade Earth Yellow Stone."
It was the first thing that came to Fang Yun’s mind.
"Exactly!"
Zhao Weiwen nodded, then pushed a Storage Pouch across the table to Fang Yun.
Inside the Storage Pouch lay the primary Spiritual Material Fang Yun had been eagerly anticipating for the refining of his Magical Treasure, the Earth Yellow Sword.
"Thank you for making the trip, Elder Zhao." Fang Yun knew the elders from the Spirit Ore Institute didn’t spend much time within the sect each year; they were usually out in the field.
’He probably didn’t come just to deliver the Earth Yellow Stone,’ Fang Yun thought. ’Zhao Weiwen must need my help with something else.’
"You’re too kind, Elder Fang," Zhao Weiwen said with a persistent smile.
’The item was here, but they still had to follow procedure.’
But as they continued to chat, Zhao Weiwen’s behavior turned out to be somewhat different from what Fang Yun had anticipated.
