Chapter 183: Chapter 181: Astonishing Plan

"Supervisor Elder, huh..."

Wei Dao did not answer immediately. In the past, when the Law Enforcement Hall was at its most powerful, the position of Supervisor Elder was indeed one of great power and authority.

To oversee the constitution and enforce all prohibitions.

The scope of authority described in those eight words was vast, with much room for interpretation.

In the hands of a powerful figure, it meant he could interpret the laws and regulations of the Qingfeng Sect as he saw fit and scrutinize the words and actions of everyone from the Sect Leader down to the ordinary disciples.

Wei Dao suddenly laughed. ’Why am I still mulling over this stuff?’

He had advanced to Foundation Establishment Perfection, and with Ancestor Ge Cang’s help, used a Tier Three Demon Beast Inner Core to touch a sliver of Core Formation True Intent.

But he hadn’t actually become a Fake Pill Cultivator. He had merely gotten a taste of a Core Formation Cultivator’s Divine Sense intensity ahead of time.

For this, Ancestor Ge Cang had paid the price of a Tier Three Essence Soul Bead, ensuring that as long as he didn’t fight, the facade was convincing enough that even a typical Early-Stage Core Formation Cultivator would mistake him for a Fake Pill Cultivator.

Now that his path was clear, Wei Dao only needed to compress his Liquid Magical Power further before he could attempt Core Formation.

Once he crossed that threshold, he would become a Core Formation True Man, and his mindset would naturally be different from before.

Whether the appearance of a Supervisor Elder would disrupt the balance of the Five Halls was no longer his concern.

"Yes. Junior Brother Bai is fair and upright... and his combat prowess is outstanding. He has the means to protect the righteous and subdue demons. He is perfectly suited for this position!"

Although Wei Dao had stepped down as Sect Leader, his years of accumulated authority meant no one dared to take his words lightly.

Moreover, in everyone’s eyes, Wei Dao was already a Fake Pill Cultivator.

Though not as revered as a Core Formation True Man and unable to be called an Ancestor, the Core Formation-level combat power he possessed was the real deal.

And with no possibility of advancing his realm further, there was no need for him to engage in long years of closed-door cultivation.

With the Core Formation Ancestors rarely managing daily affairs, the future of the Qingfeng Sect would effectively be in Wei Dao’s hands.

Coupled with Liang Yu’s strong recommendation, even if other Elders had reservations, none would dare to openly object.

An attempt to block it was unlikely to succeed, and it would also mean offending Junior Brother Bai, whose prospects in the Sect were limitless. No one would undertake such a thankless task.

"Senior Brother Liang, please consider carefully what we discussed earlier. I’ll be waiting for your reply."

Wei Dao said in a deep voice, his hands clasped behind his back.

Bai Zichen followed Liang Yu into the Law Enforcement Hall. After taking a seat in the main hall, he asked, "Senior Brother Liang, didn’t we say I’d serve as an Inspector first and only be promoted to Supervisor Elder after a few years? Isn’t this immediate appointment a bit too hasty?"

"I didn’t expect the breakthrough you mentioned to be so astonishing either. To think you reached Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment in a single seclusion..."

Liang Yu said with a smile, stroking his beard.

"As it happened, Junior Brother Wei had something to discuss with me. I seized the opportunity to propose it, knowing he wouldn’t refuse, and finalized the matter on the spot."

"Senior Brother Wei had something to ask of you?"

Bai Zichen was a little curious. Logically speaking, Wei Dao should be at the height of his success and basking in its glory.

"Junior Brother Wei did not become a Fake Pill Cultivator..."

Liang Yu cautiously set up a sound-proofing seal before revealing this news.

Bai Zichen’s expression did not change. He had long suspected this, so he wasn’t too shocked.

"Ancestor Yang has already placed a drop of Clear Spirit Jade Marrow in the Secret Hall. Everyone knows it’s the Core Formation Spiritual Object prepared for Junior Brother Wei... but if he wants to redeem it, he still has to provide eighty thousand Sect Contribution."

"Of course, he’s allowed to pay in installments later."

"I heard that to ensure his success rate in Core Formation, Junior Brother Wei has already redeemed three Secret Treasures from the Secret Hall, which in total must cost over one hundred thousand Contribution."

"He also asked Ancestor Yang to personally survey a Spirit Land and prepare to set up a Celestial Spirit Gathering Array with thirty-six Top-Grade Spirit Stones, adding another layer of assurance for his breakthrough to Core Formation."

Bai Zichen raised an eyebrow. ’How much does all that cost? Is Wei Dao really that wealthy?’

All these things added up would be close to a million Spirit Stones.

Don’t be fooled by the tens of thousands of Spirit Stones Bai Zichen earned annually; that was all thanks to the hefty profits from Dragon Tooth Rice.

In a few more years, when his lease on the Spirit Fields expired, this source of income would be cut off.

Wei Dao had been the Sect Leader for many years, so his official stipend wasn’t low, and he also had private sources of income.

But he only had an Abnormal Spiritual Root, meaning he also needed the aid of elixirs for his cultivation and breakthroughs.

Plus his set of Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts, any single one of which would have cost several years of Wei Dao’s savings.

Moreover, Wei Dao had spent nearly thirty years as Sect Leader without any opportunity to travel and explore, so it was impossible for him to have had some heaven-defying fortuitous encounter.

"Of course he isn’t... Junior Brother Wei is extremely ambitious. He wants to achieve Core Formation in one go, so he’s preparing every method available to him." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Liang Yu sighed wistfully. Even if others wanted to risk it all, they first needed to be qualified for such an attempt.

"For the Core Formation treasures in the Secret Hall, he can pay half the Contribution up front... but the thirty-six Top-Grade Spirit Stones are a strategic resource of the Sect, only released by the Ancestor’s special approval. The corresponding seven hundred twenty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones must be handed over to the Sect as soon as possible."

The Celestial Spirit Gathering Array could be considered an upgraded version of a normal Gathering Spirit Array, but when an array requires thirty-six Top-Grade Spirit Stones to power it, it can hardly be called ’normal’.

It can raise the Spiritual Energy Concentration of a Tier Three Top Grade Spirit Land to that of a Tier Four Low Grade one for a short period, generating a ceaseless and vibrant vitality.

It possesses some of the miraculous properties of a Tier Four Spirit Land, and because the Top-Grade Spirit Stones are converting the Spiritual Power, it can be directly absorbed without need for refinement.

This provides a considerable boost for the magical power trial during Core Formation.

All told, the probability boost to Core Formation from the Celestial Spirit Gathering Array is about the same as from the Clear Spirit Jade Marrow—around ten percent.

Its advantage lies in being compatible with almost any Core Formation Spiritual Object, allowing their effects to stack.

But the setup cost is simply too high. Even for a Nascent Soul Major Inheritor, not everyone can afford to deploy one.

And this is with Ancestor Yang setting it up for free. If it were another cultivator, they would also have to pay the fee of a Tier Three Array Master.

"Senior Brother Wei plans to attempt his breakthrough to Core Formation in the next few years?"

Bai Zichen asked, sensing the implication in his words but not quite understanding.

"Given his age, why not take his time and plan things out slowly?"

"Ancestor Yang doesn’t have much time left..."

A sad look appeared in Liang Yu’s eyes. As Ancestor Yang’s grand-disciple, he had received much guidance from the Ancestor after his own master passed away, so his feelings for him were naturally deeper than others’.

"Last month, when I went to the island to pay my respects, the Ancestor’s brow was already dark, and an aura of death clung to him."

For a Core Formation True Man to lose control of his own body meant that his end was truly near.

"Has anyone gone to Zengguang Immortal City to purchase Life-Extending Spirit Pills to extend Ancestor Yang’s life?"

Bai Zichen was startled. It had always been said that Ancestor Yang did not have much of his lifespan left.

But for a Core Formation True Man with a five-hundred-year lifespan, even several decades could be considered "nearing the end of one’s life".

He truly hadn’t expected that he was already at death’s door.

"It’s useless. The Ancestor has long since taken most of the common Life-Extending Elixirs in the Cultivation Realm. The main ingredients of these elixirs are similar, and he has already developed a resistance..."

Liang Yu shook his head. ’How could we not have tried such a simple method?’

In his prime, Ancestor Yang single-handedly supported the Sect, which inevitably led to years of vicious battles with the Ghost Spirit Sect’s Core Formation Cultivators.

At that time, injuries had already accumulated in his body, damaging his Primordial Qi.

Later, he was ambushed by the White Bone True Man, and after a great battle, he barely managed to drag his heavily injured body back to the Mountain Gate.

The White Bone True Man’s Lifebound Magical Treasure, the White Bone Poison Fire Hammer, carried a deadly corpse qi. When he was struck by it, poison fire pierced his heart, clinging to his True Essence like a cancer on the bone, endlessly entangled and impossible to expel.

Ancestor Yang’s cultivation was inferior to his opponent’s, and he was ambushed first, suffering a severe blow before the fight even began.

He could only struggle to activate his Glazed Fire Divine Body, endure several heavy blows, and abandon two Treasures before he could escape.

From then on, with injuries piling on top of old ones, even after taking various Life-Extending Spirit Pills and using the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique, he couldn’t live to the normal lifespan limit of a Core Formation Cultivator.

"Once Ancestor Yang passes away, the fact that no one can set up the Celestial Spirit Gathering Spirit Array is a minor matter... The Ghost Spirit Sect will definitely make a move when they hear the news, and they might even bring in reinforcements from other Demon Path Sects."

"At that point, there will be no stable environment to make thorough preparations before attempting a breakthrough to Core Formation."

Bai Zichen nodded slightly. If they were caught in continuous warfare and endless struggle, the signs of Core Formation would definitely not escape the eyes and ears of the Ghost Spirit Sect.

As long as they gathered enough people, they could start a large-scale battle near the Mountain Gate.

Every strike from a Core Formation True Man contains terrifying might, and if intentionally spread, it can easily affect the distribution of Spiritual Qi in a radius of dozens of miles.

It would inevitably attract surrounding qi and cause Spiritual Power to fluctuate violently.

When advancing to Core Formation, the most dangerous step is entrusting one’s Divine Sense to the nascent Golden Core.

One wrong step would lead to a deranged Divine Sense and a severely damaged Sea of Consciousness.

At this critical juncture, because one must open their Divine Sense and connect it to the Golden Core, one becomes extremely sensitive to the outside world.

The slightest change could affect the outcome.

Moreover, if a war broke out, the person in seclusion would inevitably worry about the battle, making it difficult to stabilize their mind.

What was originally a fifty percent chance of success would, with external interference, drop to twenty or thirty percent at best.

"So, when Senior Brother Wei came to see you, he was discussing the matter of Spirit Stones..."

With external instability and no safe environment, the already sky-high difficulty of Core Formation would increase even further.

Bai Zichen sympathized. He couldn’t help but wonder if the Ghost Spirit Sect would still be a looming threat when his time came for Core Formation.

"That’s right. Junior Brother Wei has his eyes on a Spirit Stone ore vein belonging to the Ghost Spirit Sect..."

Liang Yu’s expression was grim as he revealed Wei Dao’s astonishing plan.

"He has a private intelligence source and knows the transport schedule for the ore vein’s Spirit Stones. As long as the surprise attack succeeds, the haul will be over three hundred thousand Spirit Stones..."

That Spirit Stone ore vein was only a thousand li from the border of Black Mountain County. It was a small-scale ore vein with a total reserve of around five to six million Spirit Stones.

It had been mined for several years and was one of the Ghost Spirit Sect’s important sources of Spirit Stones.

According to the intelligence, the place is guarded by five Ghost Spirit Sect Foundation Establishment Cultivators, plus several hundred Qi Refining Disciples, and protected by a Tier Two Array.

The two Core Formation Cultivators, the Corpse Stiff Elder and Daoist He, are stationed at the border between the two counties. As long as they receive a signal, one of them is guaranteed to arrive within half an hour.

"Isn’t the risk too great? If a Ghost Spirit Sect Core Formation Cultivator manages to block them, there’s a risk of being completely wiped out..."

Bai Zichen had thought Wei Dao’s plan was to explore the ruins of a predecessor’s cave mansion to find leftover treasures. He never expected the plan to be so audacious—to go straight into Ghost Spirit Sect territory and rob a Spirit Stone ore vein.

"For a long time now, in the confrontation between our two sects, we have always been on the defensive against the Ghost Spirit Sect’s attacks. Because of this, their defenses are weak, and they would never imagine that we would dare to invade Hejian County..."

Liang Yu said gravely, "Junior Brother Wei’s intelligence source informed him that something big seems to be happening within the Ghost Spirit Sect recently, and Daoist He has already returned to their sect. With only the Corpse Stiff Elder remaining, even if we run into him head-on, we’re confident we can retreat in one piece."

Back then, the four Core Formation Cultivators of the Ghost Spirit Sect ambushed Ancestor Ge Cang. The plan backfired spectacularly; they were soundly beaten and forced to flee in disarray.

The most miserable of them was this Corpse Stiff Elder. His painstakingly refined Flying Corpse Puppet was directly blasted into fragments by Ancestor Ge Cang’s Divine Thunder.

He himself was also heavily injured and nearly perished in Black Mountain County.