Free Web NovelChapter 225: Golden Core
The upheaval caused by the battle in the East Sea sent shockwaves through the Great Cangwu World far beyond what anyone had imagined.
The Great Sun Sword Sect had always ranked among the stronger large sects. Although, due to population limits, it possessed only eight elite battle institutes, the term elite still depended on comparison.
Against a sect on the level of the Xuanming Sect, while claiming that a single elite battle institute of the Great Sun Sword Sect could defeat ten of theirs might have been exaggerated, defeating five would have posed no difficulty at all.
More importantly, the Great Sun Sword Sect had the ability to manufacture Sky Patrol Warships. It could even produce third-generation Sky Patrol Warships!
On this point alone, even the Golden Temple, one of the Six Great Immortal Sects, could not compare. Every Sky Patrol Warship owned by the Golden Temple had been purchased. Although this decision stemmed from the Golden Temple's philosophy that spending money on uncertain research was less efficient than buying directly, it still reflected the gap in conventional strength between the two sects.
But now, such a powerful sect had been defeated by the Nine Cauldrons Sect. Not long ago, it had already lost one elite battle institute and a Sky Patrol Warship.
This time, despite sending three elite battle institutes and its most advanced Vajra Sky Patrol Warship, the results didn't change. One of the three battle institutes was completely wiped out, and the Vajra Sky Patrol Warship met the same fate of the Spring Rain Sky Patrol Warship.
The speed at which it was handing over assets nearly rivaled that of a Child of Wealth. As news of the battle spread through the Heavenly Palace cultivators, it quickly circulated among the major sects of the Great Cangwu World. From there, it reached the mid-sized and small sects.[1]
Those located far away merely expressed astonishment at how the Nine Cauldrons Sect had grown so formidable. But those sects that were located closer, especially those with direct interests in the East Sea, such as the Ancient Immortal Sect, the Great Yue Dynasty, and the Star Sea Sect, immediately grew restless.
One by one, they contacted Li Qingshan to request permission to dispatch diplomatic envoys on formal visits.
The Great Yue Dynasty was the one that reacted the fastest. After convening an emergency meeting, it withdrew all its forces from the East Sea, leaving all buildings and facilities intact. It even notified the Nine Cauldrons Sect that they could come and take over. Its sincerity was so thorough that it nearly seemed ready to tidy the bedding and clean the grounds before leaving, just to demonstrate goodwill.
As for the Xuanming Sect, which had already quieted down for some time, it became even more subdued. It completely abandoned any intention of returning to the East Sea. The only stir came from Song You, the sect master whose authority had nearly been hollowed out, as he once again became active.
After all, even the mighty Great Sun Sword Sect had suffered repeated setbacks before the Nine Cauldrons Sect, losing two Sky Patrol Warships and two elite battle institutes. Compared to that, the Xuanming Sect’s loss of over three hundred great cultivators no longer seemed so severe.
Considering the actual disparity in strength between the Xuanming Sect and the Great Sun Sword Sect, their outcome could hardly be called a defeat! Rather, they had paid the smallest possible price to survive a crisis that could've destroyed the sect!
Under such circumstances, Song You naturally stepped forward, attempting to reclaim his authority as sect master. Of course, the commotion lasted only a few days. The newly appointed hall master of the Warfare Hall, Ma Hong, publicly announced that they had received an invitation from the Nine Cauldrons Sect and would formally visit in one month.
Over the next month, the Nine Cauldrons Sect engaged in continuous negotiations with the major powers of the East Sea, while at the same time also dispatching cultivators deep into the archipelago, reclaiming all the territories that had once belonged to the Artifact Sect.
Not every force proved as tactful as the Great Yue Dynasty. However, with the Great Sun Sword Sect, which had stood at the forefront, having already withdrawn, any power unwilling to fight the Nine Cauldrons Sect ultimately had only one option: retreat from the East Sea.
That became even clearer when the two lesser-known battle institutes, the Zhanlu Battle Institute and the Chunjun Battle Institute, revealed standards no less than those of the long-established Divine Might and Azure Edge Institutes; the remaining forces, however reluctantly, could only bow their heads.
The Divine Might and Azure Edge Institutes had already established their power in their battle against the Divine Wind, Divine Wood, and Divine Mountain Institutes of the Great Sun Sword Sect. With their strength, they could likely hold their own one-against-two against the elite battle institutes of ordinary major sects. Against mid-sized forces, even five battle institutes would not be enough to face them.
Now, in order to restore control over the East Sea, the Nine Cauldrons Sect had not only deployed two Sky Patrol Warships as backup, but it had also mobilized four elite battle institutes that coordinated with each other.
With such a lineup, unless one of the three neighboring great powers—the Great Sun Sword Sect, the First Yang Sect, or the Brahma Divine Kingdom—was willing to mobilize in full force, the mid-sized factions stood no chance.
After all, no mid-sized power could dispatch twenty or thirty elite battle institutes. Even the Black Feather Sect, a so-called mid-sized sect supported by numerous backers, could muster only a dozen or so battle institutes. And their quality did not necessarily meet elite standards.
***
After a month of bustle and clamor, Li Qingshan once again appeared at Sky Patrol Research Institute No. 3 in the Big Dipper Domain, personally bringing good news.
"The East Sea's islands have been fully reclaimed." The sect master of the Nine Cauldrons Sect beamed with genuine joy. "All the forces in the East Sea have reached agreements. Over the next six months, our people will enter the islands, take over the major arrays, and lay down our own arrays until we achieve full control of those islands, and then the entire East Sea."
"Good." Yaoguang smiled and nodded.
The East Sea's islands spanned one hundred fifty thousand kilometers. Reclaiming this sea region effectively expanded the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s territory by nearly forty percent. If they could later take back the Shiwan Mountains as well, the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s total territory would exceed five hundred thousand kilometers in radius.
With the improved spirit-gathering arrays, they could activate more than three hundred spiritual power nodes across that region! The annual spirit stone output would likely approach six hundred million. Of course, constructing spirit-gathering arrays in those areas would not be easy. It would take at least a decade.
"Now only the Shiwan Mountains remain, right?" Yaoguang asked.
Li Qingshan nodded, then added, "However, the matter of the East Sea may not be fully resolved yet. On one hand, the rise of our Nine Cauldrons Sect has made the First Yang Sect, which is in the midst of civil war, feel threatened. There are signs they may reconcile. On the other hand, the Great Sun Sword Sect will never accept its defeat in the East Sea. If given the opportunity, it will certainly return. We must still leave sufficient forces here to guard against any future attacks."
"I’ll watch over this side," Yaoguang said. "The Sea Guardian Institute was originally meant to anchor the East Sea. Once the handover is complete, we can get Hall Master Lou and Chief Shen to lead the Chunjun Institute and the Zhanlu Institute to the Shiwan Mountains. Coordinate with the Nine Dragons Institute. With five elite battle institutes combined, and with the addition of the Setting Sun warship, we should be able to force the Brahma Divine Kingdom to retreat."
"It’s not the same." Li Qingshan’s expression turned solemn. "The Brahma Divine Kingdom is a religious nation. Their cultivators are... stubborn! Some could even be called fanatical! Moreover, their internal propaganda is highly deceptive! In their narrative, the Brahma Divine Kingdom is second only to the Infinite Star Palace, capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the Thousand-Beast Sect and the Immortal Alliance, shaping the global balance of power! The Lunar Sect, Dharma Heaven Pavilion, and Golden Temple are, in their view, beneath them!"
"Second only to the Infinite Star Palace? On par with the Thousand-Beast Sect and Immortal Alliance?" A series of question marks rose in Yaoguang’s mind.
If I remember correctly, the Brahma Divine Kingdom could not even manufacture Sky Patrol Warships. The only two it possesses are first-generation vessels purchased from the Thousand-Beast Sect.
"That is their internal propaganda. And after constant indoctrination, the people of the Brahma Divine Kingdom genuinely believe it. They look down on other sects from a position of superiority. With that mindset, once war breaks out, it could easily escalate into a full-scale conflict," Li Qingshan said before concluding with a sigh. "The ignorant are fearless."
Yaoguang felt speechless. "They may deceive ordinary people, but can they deceive great cultivators as well?"
"Some great cultivators understand the Brahma Divine Kingdom’s true level," Li Qingshan replied. "But the one who ordered to deceive the entire nation is the supreme existence within the sect, the Brahma Divine Lord! With him giving the orders, even though many great cultivators know some of the information is wrong, they dare not disobey. With enough time, even those who know the truth might be brainwashed into believing."
"The Brahma Divine Lord," Yaoguang muttered.
In this world, the ultimate power was undoubtedly the Radiant Sun Golden Core. A Radiant Sun Golden Core could simulate a supernova explosion. The energy it released in an instant was said to be enough to overwhelm even the entire Great Cangwu World. In other words, it was a world-destroying power.
But even if weaker than a Radiant Sun Golden Core, a Crimson Golden Core was not to be underestimated. They might not destroy the Great Cangwu World, but reducing a continent spanning millions of kilometers to dust, or reshaping the planet’s terrain, was far from impossible. The Brahma Divine Kingdom was one of the forces that possessed a Crimson Golden Core.
Apart from it, the only other forces in the world with Crimson Golden Core cultivators were the Six Great Immortal Sects, the Brahma Cult, and the First Yang Sect.
The remaining major forces, such as the Great Sun Sword Sect, Taiyi Cult, the Sacred Blue Sea Land, the Sacred Flame Cult, and the Yatai Dynasty, possessed only star-god-level combat strength.
These forces were largely concentrated on the Heavenly Star Continent and the Black Flame Continent. The reason they were concentrated there was simple. Only those two continents lacked a supreme power that stood above all others. The Golden Temple of the Black Flame Continent did not count, as it only appeared strong outwardly, but was hollow within.
"So the time to reclaim the Shiwan Mountains has not yet come! At least not until we have absolute confidence in our ability to defeat the Brahma Divine Kingdom. For now, we should assist the Brahma Cult and let them continue fighting each other," Li Qingshan said. "In the next five, or perhaps the next ten years, we will focus entirely on strengthening our foundation, which means building spirit-gathering arrays and defensive arrays. The hundred fifty thousand kilometers of the East Sea await development. The workload is enormous."
Yaoguang nodded.
"Now, it is time to talk about the treasure which we will use to exchange with you for the Vajra warship," Li Qingshan said.
As he spoke, he took out a diamond-shaped device. The moment it appeared, it rapidly expanded, growing to a diameter of three meters. From its structure, it was clearly a heavily sealed array. At its very core was a Golden Core! A Golden Core that shone like a crimson blazing sun!
1. Child of Wealth, along with Longnü "Dragon Girl" are considered acolytes of the bodhisattva Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara) in Chinese Buddhism. ☜
