noveltune Chapter 261 A Clever Retreat from the Ji Family, Encirclement by the Black Serpent
Chapter 261 A Clever Retreat from the Ji Family, Encirclement by the Black Serpent
Chapter 261 A Clever Retreat from the Ji Family, Encirclement by the Black Serpent
Yue Qingqiu braced herself and stepped forward to greet him, but Ji Wuxin merely glanced at her indifferently, his tone carrying a hint of nonchalance yet also a superior's scrutiny: "Not bad, this small sect in the outskirts of the land does have some highlights."
The sect's environment is serene and elegant, surrounded by the twin peaks of Star and Moon, truly a place of outstanding people and abundant resources. No wonder it could produce a beauty like you and nurture a genius who can refine near-fourth-tier thunder brew.
She abruptly changed the subject, stating her purpose directly: "Bring that Mr. Chen who makes Thunder Brew to see me. Tell him that his Thunder Brew recipe was passed down from Benzhenjun."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Wuxin stepped into the Star Moon Sect's protective formation with a nonchalant air, showing no sign of nervousness.
She walked to a hillside outside Xingfeng Peak, sat down casually, her posture relaxed yet exuding confidence.
She came alone this time, and was not afraid of being surrounded and attacked after entering the formation of other sects. Not to mention that her identity as a successor of the Ji family brought her a deterrent effect, her own strength and trump cards alone were not afraid of a small sect like the Star Moon Sect, which only had one Nascent Soul cultivator.
Yue Qingqiu stood aside, thinking to herself: The heirs of such top-tier powerful forces are the most difficult to serve.
Those who can be listed as family heirs have a chance to enter the late Nascent Soul stage in the future.
Even if he fails to win the position of successor, he still has the potential to reach the peak of the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and becoming a powerful elder in the family in the future will not be a problem.
She dared not offend him, and had no choice but to send a message to Chen Yi first.
Inside the cave, Chen Yi, who was in seclusion cultivating, received a message on a jade talisman. After reading the contents, he sighed softly: "Fine, I'll go see what Ji Wuchen's cousin is up to."
The other party has already blocked the door; there's no way he can hide now.
Moreover, Ji Wuchen has been missing for several years and his whereabouts are unknown, so there is no way to count on his help at this time.
Chen Yi removed his lightning armor and changed into a simple blue robe. He then used the Starry Sky Escape Technique, and his figure transformed into a light blue streak of light as he flew out.
During this time, he didn't idle in his spare time. He also practiced the "Star Escape" and "Star Radiance Strike" techniques in the Star-Moon Fusion. With the Star-Moon Essence stored in his body, he used the system to absorb it and transform it into cultivation comprehension. He made rapid progress in these two skills and has now reached the level where he can perform the Star-Moon Fusion together with Moon Technique cultivators.
Chen Yi had already made his plans: if the eldest daughter of the Ji family really wanted to make a move, even without using his body-refining and soul-refining methods, he could still put up a fight by relying solely on his magic power and Yue Qingqiu's combined divine power.
A moment later, a pale blue starlight shot out from the top of Star Peak, streaking across the sky like a meteor, and slowly came to a stop on a green hillside more than ten miles away.
As the starlight faded, the figure of a young man in a green robe was revealed. Chen Yi had a handsome face, a gentle temperament, and a calm and composed demeanor.
"Greetings, Senior Wuxin."
Chen Yi bowed slightly and spoke politely, "I have long heard Brother Wuchen praise your exceptional talent, and seeing you today, I can confirm that you are indeed extraordinary and stunningly beautiful."
He knew that one shouldn't hit a smiling face, so he first treated the other person politely to gauge their attitude.
"Hmph, he looks respectable, but he never speaks the truth; it's all hypocrisy and empty politeness."
Ji Wuxin glanced at Chen Yi, but remained seated on the grass, her legs casually crossed, revealing a glimpse of her snow-white calves. Her relaxed demeanor exuded undisguised arrogance.
She changed the subject and went straight to the point: "The Thunder Brew of Escape Technique, the Thunder Brew of Enlightenment, and the Thunder Brew Essence of Quasi-Rank 4 that you refined are of good quality, and they are somewhat comparable to the level of the craftsmen of my Ji family."
I'm not going to waste my breath on you. That kid Ji Wuchen is in dire straits right now, so there's no future for you following him.
I'm giving you a choice: come back to the Ji family with me and work in my household.
Whatever benefits Ji Wuchen gave you before, I'll give you back double.
As she spoke, she casually waved her hand, her tone carrying an unquestionable confidence, as if she was certain that Chen Yi would agree.
"Double?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi feigned hesitation and muttered under his breath, "That's not entirely impossible."
"If Senior Wuxin thinks this is acceptable, then I, Chen, may tell you about the benefits and treatment Brother Wuchen has given me over the years?"
Chen Yi asked tentatively.
"Sure thing! My Ji family may lack everything, but we certainly don't lack cultivation resources."
Ji Wuxin waved his hand dismissively, showing no concern whatsoever.
"Then I, Chen, will not stand on ceremony."
Then, he stretched out his hand and began to count off one finger at a time: "First, Brother Wuchen gave me two high-level recipes: [Azure Thunder Brew] and [Thunder Brew Spirit Essence]."
Upon hearing this, Ji Wuxin nodded slightly, her face expressionless. These were merely common spiritual food recipes found in the Ji family's storeroom. Let alone doubling the amount, or even giving her a few more varieties, it wouldn't matter to her; she didn't care at all.
"Secondly, Brother Wuchen helped me find a fourth-tier immortal martial arts inheritance and also invited Fairy Kongling to personally guide my cultivation once."
Chen Yi continued, his tone calm, yet carrying a subtle hint of probing.
Upon hearing this, Ji Wuxin finally showed some surprise and glanced at Chen Yi again: "I didn't expect you to also cultivate the body path."
After a moment's thought, she replied, "That's not difficult either."
Yuan Lingling and I are acquainted. If you really want her to guide you, I can have her stay by your side for ten days without any problem, provided you are a promising talent and don't waste this opportunity.
"Third, Brother Wuchen once took me to retrieve an ancient opportunity from ten thousand years ago, which allowed me to obtain the true meaning of the ten-thousand-year-old Thunder Spirit."
Chen Yi paused, then added calmly, "In order to protect me during the process of obtaining the opportunity, Brother Wuchen withstood the Nascent Soul demon cultivator Xuan Shui Zhenjun for a full quarter of an hour. During that time, several of the mid-grade magic treasures he carried with him were broken, and he himself was also seriously injured."
Chen Yi's words seemed to be stating the facts, but in reality, he included the benefits he received while helping Ji Wuchen back then in the "favor" the other party had given him. Anyway, he wasn't lying; he had indeed gained a great opportunity in his cooperation with Ji Wuchen that time.
Upon hearing this, Ji Wuxin nodded slightly; she had heard about this matter before.
It is said that Ji Wuchen suffered a great loss that time. After returning, he went to see the patriarch of his family. The patriarch even specially sent his mount to the Monster Beast Mountain Range to question Xuan Shui Zhenjun, which helped Ji Wuchen regain some face.
She was just curious about what kind of words Ji Wuchen had used to persuade the patriarch, who usually didn't care about the disputes among the younger generation, to take action.
"Okay, I can find a way to help you with this."
"It's just two ancient secret realms or something like that. My Ji family has a thousand-year-old heritage; we have that much foundation."
After thinking for a while, Ji Wuxin nodded in agreement. The opportunities from the two ancient secret realms were not easy for her either.
Chen Yi caught the fleeting hint of reluctance in her eyes, and his gaze turned slightly strange. He could clearly sense that Ji Wuxin was making a reluctant promise, and that these "two ancient opportunities" were not as easily obtained as she claimed.
Before Ji Wuxin could recover, Chen Yi extended his fourth finger: "Fourth, Brother Wuchen also passed on to me a spiritual eye technique, along with the fifth-tier demon beast eyeballs needed for cultivation."
"What?!" Ji Wuxin's eyes widened suddenly, and her voice rose sharply. "He even passed on that incredibly precious supernatural ability, the Spirit Eye, to you?"
And you even got the eyeball of a Void Beast, a key material for cultivating the Spirit Eye of Insight?!
What exactly is your relationship?
I've never heard of him having a penchant for men!
Shocked, she sat up abruptly from the grass, her gaze filled with inquiry and suspicion, unconsciously sweeping over Chen Yi's buttocks as if trying to find evidence of an unusual relationship between the two.
"Senior Wuxin, please don't speak recklessly without evidence."
Chen Yi's tone turned serious. He turned around so that Ji Wuxin wouldn't see his backside. "Brother Wuchen and I only met in times of trouble. Our friendship is that of gentlemen."
Furthermore, I am only interested in female cultivators and have no homosexual tendencies. I urge you to respect yourself, senior.
Ji Wuxin took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slightly, clearly still recovering from the shock.
She stared at Chen Yi for a long time, her eyes still filled with doubt: "Did he really pass on the Eye of Insight to you? Can you swear to God that what he said is true?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi smiled faintly and did not offer any further explanation. However, a golden light suddenly flashed in his eyes—his Insightful Eyes activated instantly.
He looked at Ji Wuxin, but since the situation was not as good as hers, he did not rashly look at her upper body, but only focused his gaze on the part below her knees.
"Senior Wuxin, there is a blue ice heart hidden on the second toe of your left foot."
Chen Yi did not say these words in public, but instead transmitted them to Ji Wuxin through his soul.
After all, Yue Qingqiu was still there, and he was unwilling to directly expose Ji Wuxin's secret and cause trouble for himself.
The pure, icy essence contained within that icy blue object even startled Chen Yi, clearly indicating it was one of the opponent's extremely powerful hidden techniques.
As a prodigy of the Ji family, Ji Wuxin naturally knew the terrifying power of the Insightful Eye, a divine ability that could see through a cultivator's hidden trump cards and weaknesses.
Her expression changed slightly, and she subconsciously took two steps back, quickly pulling her feet back up, even gripping her toes tightly inside her boots, as if afraid of revealing more secrets.
"Stop! Stop! Stop! If you look again, I'll gouge your eyes out!"
Ji Wuxin's tone suddenly turned impatient. She raised her hand and cast a protective shield at the Nascent Soul level, a pale blue light enveloping her. "I know you've really learned this divine ability, alright!"
Seeing her intense reaction, Chen Yi also withdrew his Insightful Eyes and regained his calm expression.
Ji Wuxin stared at Chen Yi, her eyes full of confusion: "I really didn't expect that kid Wuchen would even pass on the family's secret Spirit Insight Eye to you. What is it about you that makes him trust you so much?"
"Chen is nothing special; perhaps he just shares the same temperament as Brother Wuchen and they've taken a liking to each other."
Chen Yi said calmly, "The friendship between gentlemen is as light as water. What may be extremely precious in the eyes of the senior may be far less important to Brother Wuchen than the trust between friends."
He changed the subject and threw the question back to Ji Wuxin: "I wonder if Senior Wuxin has any way to provide a supernatural ability of the level of the Spirit Eye of Insight, as well as the corresponding fifth-order special treasure materials?"
After all, my senior had promised to double my benefits.
Ji Wuxin's brows furrowed instantly, and her expression turned serious. She did possess the corresponding supernatural abilities and materials, but those were her trump cards.
Passing on supernatural powers to outsiders and making them stronger is a minor issue; the key problem is that it exposes the weaknesses one has when cultivating those powers.
Moreover, to double her earnings, she would need to use two divine abilities of the same level, along with two fifth-tier treasure materials.
Fifth-tier treasure materials—those are materials that can only be produced from the bodies of Nascent Soul level demonic beasts!
How many such treasures does the entire Ji family have?
Ji Wuchen actually gave up something so precious to Chen Yi. Just how much trust must he have in Chen Yi to do that?
Ji Wuxin's mind was in turmoil. He became increasingly suspicious of the relationship between Chen Yi and Ji Wuchen, and he also began to feel troubled by his previous promise of "double the benefits".
After struggling internally for a long time, Ji Wuxin finally gritted her teeth and looked up at Chen Yi: "These are the conditions, right? Do you have any other requests?"
She decided to take a gamble. She might not understand Chen Yi, but she knew Ji Wuchen all too well.
He was by no means a reckless person; since he dared to place such a large bet on Chen Yi, there must be a reason for it.
The two are now rivals for the family inheritance, and recently there have been rumors that Ji Wuchen has obtained a great opportunity and has the chance to catch up with her cultivation level.
At this time, she had to do everything she could to destroy Ji Wuchen's right-hand men and cut off his support.
Isn't it just two kinds of divine abilities of the same level, plus two fifth-tier treasures?
She possessed the supernatural powers herself, and as for the materials, she could grit her teeth and find a way to gather them, even if it meant expending some of her own accumulated resources.
At worst, after passing it on to Chen Yi, we can have him swear an oath to Heaven, promising not to use these supernatural powers lightly and never to be her enemy. This will reduce the risk.
However, just as Ji Wuxin had mentally prepared herself and was ready to painfully use her resources to sever the connection between Ji Wuchen and Chen Yi, Chen Yi slowly spoke up again: "By the way, there are a few more things I haven't mentioned."
Brother Wuchen also promised to give me two top-grade magic treasures, which are wind and thunder attributes that are compatible with my cultivation technique;
In addition, he promised to help Chen secure a spot in the Ji family's Enlightenment Pool, or to find a way to have a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator personally guide my cultivation.
"What?!" Ji Wuxin stood up abruptly, her voice trembling slightly. "Two top-grade magic treasures? A spot in the Enlightenment Pool? And personal guidance from a late-stage Nascent Soul body cultivator?"
How could Ji Wuchen possibly possess such things? What gives him the right to make such a promise?!
It should be noted that the number of places in the Ji family's Enlightenment Pool is extremely limited. Even as a core successor, she can only enter once every hundred years, and each time she needs to consume a large amount of family contribution.
Ji Wuchen was actually willing to give up such a precious spot to Chen Yi?
She also received guidance from a late-stage Nascent Soul body cultivator. In her memory, there were only two or three body cultivators in the entire Central Continent who could reach this level, and each of them was a great figure who could shake the Central Continent with a stomp of his foot.
How dare Ji Wuchen, a mere junior, make such a boast?
Under Ji Wuxin's incredulous gaze, Chen Yi calmly raised his hand and swore an oath to the sky: "All of the above are conditions that Brother Wuchen personally gave me or promised to me."
If Chen has uttered even half a lie, may he be struck by lightning!
Anyway, he will have to go through a tribulation of lightning when he forms his nascent soul.
Moreover, Chen Yi did not lie; he simply cleverly attributed both the "gains from the cooperation" and the "promise" to "given by Ji Wuchen" in his statement, using a harmless linguistic technique.
Ji Wuxin's chubby face stared intently at Chen Yi with her big eyes, and the two remained locked in a stalemate for a long while.
Finally, like a deflated balloon, she struggled for a moment, then waved her hand dejectedly: "Fine, you win."
Since you're determined to follow him, then so be it.
"I'd like to see what you'll use to compete with me for the position of family heir after he's given you so many treasures and opportunities!"
Her tone was full of resentment, yet also carried a hint of helplessness: "You're just a lowly Thunder Brewmaster. Even if you advance to the fourth rank in the future, so what?"
My second branch of the Ji family is not without artisans capable of crafting high-grade thunder brew.
At this point, Ji Wuxin changed the subject, her eyes suddenly sharpening as she warned Chen Yi, "By the way, there's something else I need to remind you of."
Although the recipe for the fourth-tier Thunder Brew Spirit Essence was passed down by that brat Wuchen, my Ji family has never had a precedent of letting outsiders refine the fourth-tier Thunder Brew.
Kid, if you can't refine it, that's fine;
But if you ever manage to refine it successfully, you'd better not let me find out that your fourth-tier lightning brew is circulating in the market.
"Otherwise, unless Ji Wuchen becomes the head of the family in the future and you officially join the Ji family, you will definitely be hunted down by the second branch of the Ji family, and no one will be able to protect you then!"
That's all I have to say. Farewell!
Ji Wuxin snorted coldly, and his body shone with dazzling Nascent Soul escape light. He transformed into a stream of light and soared into the sky, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
I'm not going to argue with that idiot anymore.
Hmph, to pay such a high price just to win over a cook, they're practically insane!
"I'm going back right now to tell the Ancestor. I want to see how you, Ji Wuchen, explain these things to the family!"
Chen Yi watched her departing figure, his lips twitching slightly, silently apologizing to Ji Wuchen in his heart:
I'm sorry, Brother Wuchen. You said before that if any problems arise with the Ji family, we'll share the burden.
But now that trouble has come knocking, and you're nowhere to be found, don't blame Mr. Chen for bringing up all the conditions you promised.
This includes things that were originally traded between us, as well as opportunities I obtained by chance when you asked me for help to go to the secret realm. Even if you knew, you wouldn't blame me, right?
For now, you've managed to fool Ji Wuxin. As for the trouble with the Ji family, with your abilities, you should be able to handle it, right?
After Ji Wuxin left, Yue Qingqiu quickly walked to Chen Yi's side, her eyes filled with emotion as she looked at him.
She never imagined that a young master from a top-tier power like the Ji family would value Chen Yi so much, offering treasures and opportunities that even the Star Moon Sect had never encountered in its thousands of years of history.
Even so, Chen Yi still did not choose to leave the Star Moon Sect, and this affection filled her heart with warmth.
"Junior brother, thank you for your unwavering support. What merit does our Star Moon Sect possess to deserve your presence?!"
Overwhelmed with emotion, Yue Qingqiu took a step forward, about to throw herself into Chen Yi's arms. She was so moved that she had forgotten that they were on an open hillside outside Xingfeng, with sect disciples coming and going around them.
Unexpectedly, a faint aura of magical power suddenly emanated from Chen Yi's body, and with a gentle flick, he shielded her in front of him. At the same time, he used his divine sense to remind her, "Senior Sister, you mustn't. There are too many people watching outside; you need to be mindful of your demeanor."
Yue Qingqiu paused, stopping less than half a foot away from Chen Yi.
Her starry eyes glistened with tears, her gaze fixed on Chen Yi's face, filled with emotion, unwilling to look away.
"Junior brother, I want to cultivate with you now and serve you well!"
Her voice trembled slightly, "Besides this token of my appreciation, I really don't know how else I can thank you."
This genuine outpouring of emotion, even though Chen Yi deliberately kept his distance, was noticed by several sect disciples passing by in the distance, who silently remembered it.
Before long, a rumor spread throughout and outside the Star Moon Sect:
It seems that Qingyue Zhenjun is actively pursuing Elder Chen Yi, but Elder Chen Yi pushes her away and refuses to accept her.
"Ugh, I'm so angry! Why is it that Chen Yi gets the True Lord's favor?!"
"Kill Chen the dog, seize Qingyue!"
"Kill Chen the dog, seize Qingyue!"
Some disciples who harbored feelings of affection for Yue Qingqiu couldn't help but vent their dissatisfaction in private, and this slogan quietly spread.
After returning to her fourth-tier spiritual vein cave that day, Yue Qingqiu immediately nestled into Chen Yi's bed and did not come out for seven days and seven nights.
When she stepped out of the cave again, her aura was more refined, and her skin seemed to be covered with a faint, luminous glow, indicating that her cultivation had improved again.
This time, during their dual cultivation, the two attempted for the first time to use the Star Moon Essence within their bodies as a foundation to unleash the Star Moon Fusion Divine Power.
In terms of results, it is far more effective than cultivating alone, and the compatibility of the magical power circulation also far exceeds expectations.
Afterwards, Yue Qingqiu, drawing on her own experience, gave Chen Yi many tips on cultivating lightning-based techniques.
Finally, she and Chen Yi engaged in dual cultivation twice more, completely refining and transferring the Moon Spirit Essence accumulated in her body before reluctantly leaving.
The following days were a period of stable cultivation.
Chen Yi's magical cultivation and body refinement realm steadily improved under the dual blessing of the Star Moon Fusion and Thunder Spirit Body Tempering, making his foundation increasingly solid.
This calm lasted for a year.
On this day, the Star Moon Sect suddenly sensed an inexplicable pressure. First, a large number of spirit fish in the sect's third-tier spirit fish farm were poisoned to death overnight, with the initial estimate of the loss being at least several hundred thousand spirit stones.
Immediately afterwards, a celestial city under the sect's jurisdiction was ravaged by bandits, and many shops in the city were looted.
The outer sect elder in the mid-stage of the Core Formation realm, who was in charge of guarding the Immortal City, did not go out to investigate the traces of the calamity cultivator after receiving Yue Qingqiu's order. Instead, he chose to keep the city gates tightly closed and defend the city.
After this calamity, the once bustling streets of the Immortal City have become much quieter, shops are deserted, and the number of cultivators who used to throng the streets is now very small. The normal source of income from spirit stones has been reduced again, and the financial pressure on the sect has increased sharply.
Coincidentally, Medicine King Valley, which had long cooperated with Star Moon Sect on puppet business, suddenly sent Chen Yi a brief message stating that it would no longer conduct puppet transactions in the short term.
When Chen Yi pressed for an explanation, the other party remained silent, only offering the excuse of "an irresistible force," clearly showing a distant attitude.
Even more alarming was that a Core Formation stage deacon from the Thundercloud Sect had just traded [Enlightenment Thunder Brew] from the Starmoon Sect.
Upon leaving, they noticed traces of evil cultivators secretly following them.
Fortunately, the Thundercloud Sect has a deep foundation and keen early warning system. It sensed the danger in advance and immediately dispatched cultivators to provide assistance, allowing the steward to return safely.
Qiu Li specifically sent a message to Chen Yi after the steward returned to Lei Yun Sect, her words filled with worry.
In an instant, the Star Moon Sect seemed to be enveloped by an invisible net, with a suffocating atmosphere emanating from all directions, and everyone in the sect felt insecure.
However, these clues did not escape Chen Yi's perception.
He used his Xuan Tian Qi to enhance his ability to perceive the world and quickly pieced together the clues. This time, the Star Moon Sect was being suppressed by a combination of forces.
The one who played a key role in this crackdown was none other than the Black Serpent True Monarch, who had secretly advanced to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm and become a powerful figure in his own right.
According to Chen Yi's perception, the Black Serpent True Lord first contacted the Grand Elder of Law Enforcement of Qingyun Cave in private to reach a cooperation agreement on some kind of benefit;
Then he personally went to Medicine King Valley and displayed his mid-Nascent Soul cultivation in front of two Nascent Soul early stage cultivators in the valley. Upon seeing this, the other party immediately backed down and agreed to sever cooperation with Star Moon Sect on the spot.
Afterwards, he secretly contacted a heretical cultivator at the peak of the Core Formation stage, known as "Ghost-Faced Evil Lord." He not only provided the route of the cultivators trading with the Star Moon Sect, but also detailed the contents of the items being traded. Ghost-Faced Evil Lord was naturally happy to find an opportunity to strike, kill, and plunder.
As a result of these actions, the Star Moon Sect was forced to completely shrink its defenses, and its external business income almost came to a standstill. Even the beast pill trading and puppet sales projects that Chen Yi was in charge of were 90% halted. Furthermore, the area around the immortal city and fishing grounds controlled by the Star Moon Sect was frequently visited by Core Formation cultivators from Eagle Bear Immortal City. They took the opportunity to aggressively buy up shops in the immortal city and fishing boats in the fishing grounds at low prices, thus eroding the Star Moon Sect's peripheral industries.
Only Lei Yun Sect's Lei Brew still maintains a fixed quantity every year, but for this, Lei Yun Sect has to send a Nascent Soul True Monarch to personally lead the team back and forth for the transaction, which greatly increases the cost of the journey. As the instigator of the incident, Chen Yi of Xingyue Sect has to bear most of these costs.
This time, Black Serpent True Monarch no longer relied solely on brute force. He not only had the strength to crush Yue Qingqiu head-on, but also used his brain to completely cut off the Star Moon Sect's sources of income from the outside, gradually eroding the sect's foundation like a frog being slowly boiled in water.
His plan was clear: first, trap the entire Star Moon Sect inside the mountain gate, preventing them from venturing out;
In less than ten years, the Star Moon Sect will be exhausted and destitute due to the depletion of its resources. At that time, there will be no need to take action; the sect will collapse on its own.
This is an open strategy, and only hard power can break it.
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