Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

”Scorching Sun Spirit Iron, Scorching Sun Spirit Iron...”

Jiang Ding muttered this somewhat familiar term, using his Divine Sense to search through his Sea of Consciousness, and sure enough, he quickly found the relevant information.

It was a memory of a Scorching Sun Swordsman from the Great Sun Sword Sect.

During the time at the Falling Void Sect’s secret realm, the Scorching Sun Swordsman was defeated by Jiang Ding, and as the price for his survival, he handed over his memories that did not involve the Sect’s taboo.

That included information related to the Scorching Sun Spirit Iron.

This was a treasure that circulated only among a few Immortals of Nascent Soul within the Great Sun Sword Sect and could promote the refining of the Nascent Treasure. One piece of Scorching Sun Spirit Iron could compensate for twenty years of hard labor.

As for the related secret refining technique, however, there was none.

The Great Sun Sword Sect followed the longstanding tradition of all major Sects, never allowing disciples to learn cultivation methods beyond their own cultivation base, to ensure the confidentiality of their heritage.

”Where to find the secret technique for refining Scorching Sun Spirit Iron?”

Jiang Ding rubbed his eyebrows.

”Find a reason, play the hero and kill an evil Immortal of Nascent Soul from the Great Sun Sword Sect?”

”That seems plausible.”

The Great Sun Sword Sect was neither of the Righteous Dao nor the Evil Dao; they didn’t care about these distinctions. It wasn’t hard to find someone with significant moral flaws, just as if the Great Sun Sword Pavilion proclaimed itself the enforcer of the Ancestor Masters’ will to cleanse the Sect.

Indeed, even the former Dari Swordsman fell within the scope for cleansing the Sect, all in the name of the Ancestor Masters of the Sword Pavilion through the ages.

”Of course, this should be done while ensuring absolute safety.”

”Scorching Sun Spirit Iron is just a catalyst; it’s not like I can’t go on without it. I can still refine to the peak slowly. It’s not a big deal.”

...

Black Snow Prairie.

Jiang Ding awoke amid a field and surfaced from underground, smoothed the slightly raised ground with mana, and his Elimination Method eradicated all traces, restoring this patch of the earth to a state as if no living being had passed by.

This wouldn’t be overly ’clean’ as to cause suspicion.

The world is in flux. After a while, air currents, wind, pollen, earthworms, and other things from different areas would pass by here again, bringing with them scents from other places, covering this pristine spot.

In terms of concealment, Jiang Ding scoffed at the so-called ’the lesser concealment hides in the wild, the moderate in the city, and the greatest in the royal court,’ considering it purely an attempt to stand out or a pleasant-sounding excuse for those unwilling to leave behind the prosperity of the human world.

The best way to conceal oneself was to find a place where no one else was and bury oneself there, out of sight and earshot. Wasn’t this much better than any lesser, moderate, or great concealment?

After briefly determining his direction,

Jiang Ding concealed his presence and flew towards the direction of the Great Sun Sword Sect.

His aim for this journey was to investigate everything about the Great Sun Sword Sect to prepare for the future.

He flew through the sky at a steady pace.

”Kill him!”

”This man is a direct descendant of the Hei Clan!”

”This treasure shall belong to me...”

Along the way, he occasionally encountered people fighting to the death, corpses and blood everywhere, total chaos – in some respects, even more chaotic and bloodier than when the Hei Clan ruled the prairie.

This was not uncommon.

”Blood Cloud... the organization lacks cohesive power.”

Jiang Ding silently evaluated the area.

At least at the several Third-tier Spiritual Veins he had passed, on the territories of the Golden Pill Monks, the Hei Clan’s order had retreated, yet the new order had not descended, taken root to restore production, or prepare for war.

Regardless of the reason or difficulty, such as the loyalty between brothers that is hard to betray, the lack of bureaucratic managers, or the innate desire for freedom and lack of discipline among Loose Cultivators, considering public sentiment... and so on.

In any case, the forthcoming Righteous-Devil Alliance army wouldn’t care for these reasons, only wanting to eradicate them.

”There was a miscalculation before, Blood Cloud might fail,”

said Jiang Ding indifferently.

Before, given the increasing number of Golden Pill and Foundation Establishment Cultivators joining from all sides, Blood Cloud’s forces had rapidly expanded. Coupled with the significant losses of the Righteous-Devil Alliance and the restraint by both the Great Sun Sect and the Great Sun Sword Sect, Jiang Ding believed that Blood Cloud had a high chance of success, or at least wouldn’t perish all at once.

But now it seemed not to be the case.

With the Righteous-Devil Alliance struggling both internally and externally, it appeared that Blood Cloud wasn’t as strong as it had seemed. At least the Righteous-Devil Alliance still possessed a core troop that was strong and capable of fighting, with a long and complete lineage, and various Army Formations and Treasures that had been refined and practiced over time, having withstood the test of a two hundred year blood battle against the Great Sun Sect.

After flying past more than ten Third-tier Spiritual Veins, indeed all were the same.

The Cultivators of the Golden Pill stage stationed at each were living in drunken stupor, taking hundreds or even thousands of concubines, allowing their disciples and relatives to harm Loose Cultivators without restraint, recklessly amassing wealth without considering the consequences, and some Golden Pill Monks were even so intoxicated by these indulgences that they neglected their own cultivation.

A picture of bandits and unruly armies, their true nature revealed.

”The experience in rebelling in the Northern Plains is immature...”

Jiang Ding shook his head.

After ten thousand years, the experience with rebellion had been long lost, and the many Golden Pill Cultivators lacked a consensus. Even if Blood Cloud issued orders, it was estimated that a large number would disobey in secret.

Months passed, and after traversing a vast prairie, he passed by Beast Spirit Immortal City.

The flag of the Hei Clan still flew here, but those who dominated were no longer from the Hei Clan, but the direct lineage Golden Pill Monks from various Northern Plains families, attracted by the Fourth-tier Spiritual Vein here.

Blood Cloud dared not to appear here.

The protection from the Dragon Qi of the Northern Plains would fail within a thousand miles radius of the Fourth-tier Spiritual Vein; if he were to be nearby, the Immortals of Nascent Soul would be more than happy to kill him outright. The chaos of this region would then come to an immediate halt, obviating the need to call troops from thousands of miles away to quell the rebellion.

However, this did not mean that the Northern Plains families’ direct lineage could now control this area.

While Blood Cloud feared the Immortals of Nascent Soul, it did not mean that he could not send subordinates over. Just by the number of Golden Pill, they could slaughter all these Northern Plains family direct lineages.

The consequence, naturally, would provoke retaliation from the Immortals of Nascent Soul, leaving no one in the city alive.

Gradually, a balance formed; the city was ostensibly controlled by various direct lineages of Northern Plains families, but in the shadows, they, at most, possessed twenty percent, while the remaining fifty percent were divided among the generals of the Blood King Army.

The last thirty percent belonged to Immortal Tushan!

While other Immortals might be possible or probable, this Immortal was definitely active in the region.

His maidens roamed nearby, and no one dared to overlook this fact; currently, this thirty percent was managed on behalf of Immortal Tushan by his maidens.

This was still under the circumstances of the Immortal himself not making an appearance.

If Immortal Tushan did appear, he wouldn’t need to remain stationed; merely by executing several active Golden Pill Cultivators, he could easily reclaim one hundred percent control, as no Golden Pill Monk would dare to resist.

With the disappearance of the oppressive forces above, Golden Pill Cultivators who had assumed power and control over the Spiritual Veins, Spirit Fields, and Spiritual Medicine Gardens originally belonging to the Hei Clan experienced substantial wealth circulation. Additionally, with the presence of the Fourth-tier Spiritual Vein, the locale had become a paradise for many Loose Cultivators.

Commerce thrived like never before.

In just over a decade, the population surged to nearly one million, with a huge amount of Spirit Stones and Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasures changing hands daily. This exceeded even the prosperity of the Hei Clan at its peak and was considered a rare spectacle in these turbulent times.

”Here, there’s an annual dividend of twenty million Low-grade Spirit Stones... these are the thirty percent spoken of by these Golden Pill Monks.”

”Without any deductions, it’s used directly as the expansion fund for Tushan’s maiden group.”

Jiang Ding calculated it.

He did not enter the city but concealed his presence and flew in the direction of the Great Sun Sword Sect. After about a year of flight, he crossed the border between the Black Snow Prairie and the Great Sun Sword Sect’s prairie, officially entering the territory of the Great Sun Sword Sect.