Chapter 192: Chapter 191: A Triumphant and Bountiful Harvest

When Gu Zhao learned that the others hadn’t confronted the Ink Flood Dragon, he breathed a sigh of relief.

But when he learned the Ink Flood Dragon had devoured thirty to forty thousand people from Guangwu County, Gu Zhao fell silent.

Even though this wasn’t his world, the people here spoke the same language, had similar cultures, and even looked the same. He had lived here for more than half a year, becoming partially integrated into this new environment. It was impossible for him not to feel anything.

Taoist Yi Hong sighed. "This is the nature of the Extraordinary World. It’s the very reason we’re here."

Gu Zhao shook his head. "I know. In fact, it’s not just here. Even back in our world, wars are fought and tens of thousands die. It’s just that it’s all very far away from us."

Taoist Yi Hong nodded in satisfaction, then continued, "I went back for a look just now. Your apartment is almost completely full."

Whenever Gu Zhao brought a few Daoists back to the modern world to communicate, they did so in his three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment. However, the place was now piled high with scriptures from the Celestial Master’s Mansion and various spoils of war they couldn’t conveniently store over here.

Aside from Gu Zhao’s bedroom, even the living room was cluttered.

"As more and more of our people come over, it’ll become inconvenient to always use your apartment as the transit point," Taoist Yi Hong said.

"That’s true." Gu Zhao looked at Taoist Yi Hong. "Do you have an idea?"

"I can call the Taoist Association and arrange to have a new Taoist Temple built in Yangcheng, or apply to take over an existing one," Taoist Yi Hong said. "With my and Elder Ming Yu’s status and seniority, it’s as simple as making our wishes known."

"Great!" Gu Zhao nodded. He had no objections.

Taoist Yi Hong raised an eyebrow and said with a gentle laugh, "It seems our Sect Leader is no longer concerned about keeping a low profile?"

Gu Zhao smiled. "Even a sixth-generation fighter gets taken out for a spin once it’s ready. Now that we have the strength to protect ourselves and a solid foothold, there’s no need to fear covetous eyes from all sides."

Taoist Yi Hong laughed heartily. "Well said, well said! Cultivating the Dao is about cultivating the Dao Heart. If you’re constantly walking on eggshells, your spirit will be suppressed. How can one possibly cultivate under those conditions?"

Of course, having a tranquil Dao Heart wasn’t an excuse for recklessness, and revealing one’s abilities in public wasn’t about flaunting them. So they wouldn’t deliberately put on a display. It was best to let things unfold naturally.

...

「The next day.」

Everyone returned to Daluo Palace.

"Welcome, everyone, on your triumphant return!" Gu Zhao, along with Taoist Yi Hong and Taoist Ming Chong—who had stayed behind to compound medicines—came out from the mountain to greet them.

Taoist Yan Song walked at the very front, his face full of smiles. He immediately introduced a man to Gu Zhao. "This dignified gentleman is He Feng. He knows how to repay a kindness, and his Magical Power is immense."

Behind Gu Zhao, Daluo Palace stood magnificent and splendid upon the mountain. Gu Zhao himself appeared young, but He Feng had seen many cases of cultivators regaining their youth. More importantly, this was the master of Daluo Palace. Though he just stood there casually, he exuded an aura of serene confidence and an extraordinary air.

He Feng dared not be disrespectful and quickly bowed. The young men and women behind him went a step further, kneeling directly on the ground in obeisance.

Gu Zhao had no habit of letting people kowtow to him for no reason. With a supportive gesture of his hand, he lifted all of them back to their feet. "You have come from afar and are our guests. There’s no need for such ceremony. Please make yourselves at home here at Daluo Palace for the time being."

Then he turned to Yunyang and gave him a wink.

Yunyang glared, but still made the introduction. "Hu Yufei, from Guangwu County in Bai Shi Prefecture."

Since it was their first meeting, Hu Yufei naturally knew her place. Still, her lively eyes couldn’t help but sweep over Gu Zhao and the two old Daoists behind him. Then, her gaze landed on the palace in shock. "Daluo Palace really is enormous!" she said to Yunyang.

"And it’s not even finished yet," a crisp, clear voice chimed in from the side. Hu Yufei turned to see a young woman, also dressed in white, who had appeared next to her.

She pointed to the grand structure on the mountainside, her voice full of pride. "This is just the main courtyard of Daluo Palace. All sorts of other courtyards are being built all over the rest of the mountain behind it, stretching west to White Tiger Cliff and north to Xuanwu Pool."

Sensing the Demon Power coming from the girl, Hu Yufei asked in pleasant surprise, "You’re a fairy, too?"

Bai Ke lifted her chin haughtily. "What do you mean, fairy? I am of the Celestial Fox bloodline!"

Hu Yufei was entirely unimpressed. She sniffed, "That still makes you a fox fairy!"

Then she looked Bai Ke up and down a few times and nodded with an understanding expression. "You are indeed different from an ordinary fox fairy."

Bai Ke missed the nuance in Hu Yufei’s words. Instead, she beamed, feeling quite pleased with herself. "But of course! You’ve got a good eye. Later, I’ll treat you to some braised pork and five-spice roast chicken. It’s super delicious!"

Given Bai Ke’s enthusiasm, Hu Yufei returned the favor. She took a small pouch from her robes and poured out a few colorful, bean-sized candies. "These are sweet beans I made from a hundred fruits. Here, have some."

Bai Ke called the Silk Embroideress over to share them.

Meanwhile, Zhuo Qingyan beckoned to the few youths who had come along, and they joined the group.

...

After arranging temporary lodging for Hu Yufei, He Feng, and their party in the Taoist Houses, Gu Zhao led the other Daoists back into the main hall of Daluo Palace.

Communicating via Divine Sense was convenient, but it was never as comfortable as talking face-to-face.

Taoist Yan Song took out a Copper Pot and a Copper Bottle. "Deep beneath the Infinite Cave, there’s a source of toxic miasma. I collected some of it to continue refining the Earth Evil Pearl, then I sealed the passage."

The Earth Evil Pearl was a treasure they’d confiscated from the Master of the Immeasurable Cave. Filled with toxic subterranean miasma, it could form a single-target energy Attack or envelop a large area in a poisonous Domain. It was a versatile item, useful for both offense and defense.

Of course, they would never use such a malevolent treasure themselves. However, they couldn’t deny its intrinsic value. So, for now, they put it away, thinking they might even enhance its power if the right conditions presented themselves.

Yunyang patted the gourd at his waist and then produced several chests of gold, silver, and jewels. "That Flying Poison Corpse really knew how to enjoy life. The Infinite Cave was dazzling, and it had even more gold and jewels than the Stone King Cave."

After the gold, silver, and jewels came a collection of bizarrely shaped herbs.

"Because of the toxic miasma beneath the Infinite Cave, the surrounding environment is quite peculiar. A lot of poisonous herbs grow there. They don’t have any Spiritual Qi, but their medicinal properties are extremely potent."

Taoist Ming Yu said to Taoist Ming Chong, "I brought a good number of them back. You should study them and see if they can be used for medicine."

Taoist Ming Chong nodded with a smile, his eyes filled with keen interest as he looked at the pile of herbs. "Poisons... they are both poison and medicine. Whether they kill or save depends entirely on their preparation. The true art lies in the wielder’s intent."

Taoist Ming Yu sighed. "After all that, you’re just saying you can use them, right?"

Everyone burst into laughter. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The Infinite Cave was indeed more impressive than the factions in Changping Prefecture. In addition to the gold, silver, and poisonous herbs, they had even found two medicinal plants that radiated Spiritual Power, along with several materials that seemed to contain Spiritual Power as well.

"They both have several hundred years of potency, yet neither has gained sentience. It seems the conditions for plants in this world to become spirits are quite strict," Taoist Ming Chong mused.

They had all seen the Harmonious Orchid Demon contracted to Wang Yue, the head of Daluo Palace’s gardens, so they knew that plants could indeed become spirits.

Moreover, Xiaolan still couldn’t achieve Transformation and only had a few decades of Dao Practice. Strictly speaking, she had less Spiritual Power than these two Spirit Medicines, which just went to show how rare and precious both were.

Gu Zhao summed it up: "A massive haul!"