The Bee Queen had just finished refining a batch of Elixir Pills and was about to lie down for a rest when she noticed Fang Qingyuan’s arrival. She wriggled over to Fang Qingyuan’s feet, and a voice echoed in his mind:

"Master, you’ve advanced again! I can feel the spiritual pressure from your soul growing stronger and stronger when I’m near you."

A Cultivator’s advancement was a comprehensive improvement. Besides their cultivation base, the growth of their spiritual soul was of paramount importance. Fang Qingyuan’s current spiritual soul strength now far surpassed that of a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Fang Qingyuan was somewhat pleased by the Bee Queen’s flattery. He took out the single remaining Great Barrier Breaking Pill, handed it to the Bee Queen, and instructed:

"Take this Barrier-Breaking Pill and try to study it. If you can draw some inspiration from it, it will have been worth it."

For this last Great Barrier Breaking Pill, the best solution Fang Qingyuan could think of was to give it to the Bee Queen. One could learn from the works of others. It was far better for the Bee Queen to have the pill than for it to continue collecting dust in some corner of the Immortal Mansion.

After receiving the Great Barrier Breaking Pill, the Bee Queen felt she had been entrusted with an extremely important task. She immediately puffed out her small chest, signaling her intent to complete Fang Qingyuan’s assignment with all her might.

Seeing the Bee Queen act this way, Fang Qingyuan thought for a moment and decided against saying what he was about to. Ever since he had started making the Bee Queen submit a book report every month, she had become much more diligent with her Alchemy. ’Since she’s being so industrious right now,’ he thought, ’I’ll waive this month’s book report.’

After Fang Qingyuan left, the Bee Queen looked at the Great Barrier Breaking Pill before her, a look of lingering fear on her face. Then, she swallowed the Elixir Pill in one gulp. GULP. She rolled over and fell asleep.

...

After withdrawing his spiritual soul from the Immortal Mansion and stabilizing his realm, Fang Qingyuan took Jinbao and headed deep into the Barbaric Wilderness. He was going to capture that tribe of Long-armed Apes to plant Spirit Rice for him.

The capture process was rather uneventful. Faced with Fang Qingyuan’s current strength, the Long-armed Ape Tribe, whose strongest members were only at the Early-stage Foundation Establishment, was utterly incapable of resisting. Besides, Fang Qingyuan focused mainly on persuasion and enticement, so for the most part, he didn’t even need to act.

With the help of his All Things Heart Sound Divine Techniques, Fang Qingyuan directly engaged in a mental conversation with the ape leader. As Fang Qingyuan promised room and board, three meals a day, and protection from outside enemies, the Long-armed Ape leader was moved.

The Barbaric Wilderness was no place for idle apes. The leader struggled to provide for its entire tribe, young and old. The apes had many natural enemies, and every year, it had to sacrifice about twenty of its companions to ensure the survival of the rest.

Besides, in the current situation, it was not in a position to resist. According to the meaning Fang Qingyuan conveyed in its mind, if it refused, he would kill it on the spot. Then, he would simply pick another male ape from the tribe to be the next Monkey King. It made no difference whether the current leader was there or not.

「Half a month later.」

The expansion of the Black Land in the Immortal Mansion was complete. On the newly appeared black soil, Long-armed Apes were curiously sizing up their new surroundings.

In addition to these Long-armed Apes, Fang Qingyuan also transplanted over a hundred massive trees—so large they would take several people to encircle—to serve as the apes’ home. These trees were not Spirit Plants, just the most ordinary kind. But as long as they were living things, they could take root and survive in the Immortal Mansion.

Furthermore, the Water Spirit Xuanwu cast a technique to create a meandering stream. The Wood Spirit Fish Dragon absorbed and released Spiritual Qi to nourish the trees, causing their branches and leaves to grow according to Fang Qingyuan’s will, naturally forming treehouses in the canopies that could shelter them from wind and rain.

The Earth Spirit moved soil and tilled the land. The Gold Spirit condensed golden blades and iron axes to facilitate the apes’ future labor. Only the Fire Spirit Golden Crow above remained as it always was, silently shedding its brilliance, waiting for the day it would shine its light and heat upon a thousand acres of Spirit Rice Fields.

After being busy in the Barbaric Wilderness for more than half a month, Fang Qingyuan finally returned to his sect with a bountiful harvest. However, as soon as he arrived, a worried Mao Cheng came forward to report:

"The Far East Alliance requests that the Sect Leader make a trip to the Alliance headquarters. They say it’s to discuss the matter of mobilizing troops."

Fang Qingyuan’s brow furrowed slightly. ’Why would the Far East Alliance suddenly mobilize its troops? Who are they preparing to fight?’