Chapter 242
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 242: The Empress’s Strategy Manual
Xu Fan habitually cast a divination for Li Xingci.
Following the karmic threads, Xu Fan saw far into the future.
“Well, even without my intervention, you two would still be tangled up like this,” Xu Fan thought, feeling a slight sense of guilt ease within him.
Just then, Xu Yuexian ran into Xu Fan on her way back to the sect.
“Why are you back so soon?” Xu Fan asked.
“Zheng Feng stole my space ring again the day before yesterday. I was about to reach the sect when I got a message from Master,” Xu Yuexian replied.
“This is the eighth time already. Is that plan of yours even reliable?” Xu Yuexian questioned.
“When has your Master ever lied? This time, when you take your brother and Little Xi out, bring the Demon Suppressing Star with you,” Xu Fan said.
“Place it wherever you go. Let’s aim to catch Zheng Feng this time,” he added lightly.
“Got it.”
After saying goodbye to Xu Fan, Xu Yuexian headed toward the Hidden Spirit Sect.
Xu Fan lay on the spiritual boat, gazing at the blue sky above the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake.
“In a few more years, once I finish refining those Dao artifacts, the sect should be secure,” he mused.
“Should I go into seclusion and break through to the Nascent Soul Stage before coming out?” Xu Fan wondered aloud.
After a moment of thought, he shook his head. “Nah, I’ll just keep living the lazy life. Seclusion is too boring.”
He had tried seclusion before, and cutting himself off from the myriad realms made it unbearably dull. With his peerless talent, cultivating anything felt lackluster.
Suddenly, Grape reported an issue in the demon race.
Xu Fan quickly returned to the underground space.
“What’s going on with the beast race?” Xu Fan asked.
“The holy city of the dominant beast race in the Thick-Shell Honey Badger clan’s territory has been destroyed,” Grape explained.
“The power dynamics in the area are shifting. Number One Thick-Shell Honey Badger intends to wipe out that clan and take their place,” Grape added.
“Take their place? They don’t even have a Great Ascension Master. How do they plan to do that?” Xu Fan frowned.
“There are many scattered, unaffiliated demon races in the Demon Spirit Realm. The Thick-Shell Honey Badger clan has maintained a good relationship with a Great Ascension stage mountain Spirit Companion,” Grape said.
“So, they want to offer their entire clan’s strength to that mountain Spirit Companion in exchange for its support,” Grape explained.
“This could work, but what’s in it for us if they become a second-rate race?” Xu Fan asked.
“The territory they’d control is about the size of Lin Sen Fairy City,” Grape replied.
“Let’s do it. What do I need to do?” Xu Fan clapped his hands.
“Three earth-attribute Dao artifacts,” Grape said.
“After all that talk, it comes back to me,” Xu Fan sighed.
“One artifact per century, paid in installments,” Xu Fan declared. Overtime was out of the question.
“Understood. I’ll relay your orders to the master,” Grape said.
In the Demon Spirit Realm, the Thick-Shell Honey Badger clan, led by Number One Thick-Shell Honey Badger, was eagerly awaiting news from Grape. A tool puppet approached and informed him, "The master has approved your plan. The three earth attribute Dao artifacts will be delivered in installments—one every hundred years."
"Master agreed? That’s fantastic!" Number One Thick-Shell Honey Badger exclaimed with joy. With a beast king now leading their clan, the Thick-Shell Honey Badgers’ potential was beginning to shine.
"As for the payment of one Dao artifact every hundred years, I’m sure the mountain Spirit Companion won’t mind," the puppet added.
By now, Number One Thick-Shell Honey Badger had risen to become the most influential figure in the clan, second only to the leader, Thick-Shell Honey Badger.
Over the past year, the Thick-Shell Honey Badger clan had seen a significant transformation in their strength. Thanks to Xu Fan’s precious artifacts and spirit pills, they were on the verge of dominating the surrounding beast race territories.
"Good, we’ll prepare some treasures for you to take to the mountain Spirit Companion and stabilize the situation," the puppet said.
"Thank you, messenger," Number One Thick-Shell Honey Badger replied, as a storage bag filled with top-grade spirit stones appeared in his hands.
"Here are ten million top-grade spirit stones for your use. You can expect a similar amount each year from now on," Grape’s clone explained.
This was from a medium-sized vein of top-grade spirit stones that Grape’s clone had recently discovered, which was now being put to good use.
Hearing about the transaction in the underground space, Xu Fan felt a pang of regret. They hadn’t even started yet, and already a medium-sized vein of top-grade spirit stones had been given away.
"Once Number One Thick-Shell Honey Badger’s plan is successful, the returns will be a hundredfold," Grape assured.
"I know you’re concerned about the spirit stones, giving away so many," Xu Fan said with a smirk.
"Only with this amount can we persuade the Great Ascension Beast Sovereign. Past favors alone wouldn’t be enough to convince the mountain Spirit Companion," Grape explained.
"Alright, while I’m busy with artifact crafting, has anything noteworthy been found in the Demon Spirit Realm?" Xu Fan asked, treating the realm like an idle game where he could check back later for rewards.
"We’ve uncovered three types of artifact-level materials, three large spirit stone veins, three medium-quality spirit stone veins, and one medium-sized top-grade spirit stone vein," Grape reported.
"Additionally, we’ve found nine ordinary spirit ore veins and a ten-thousand-year-old cave, collecting about 60 liters of ten-thousand-year-old stalactites."
Listening to Grape’s report, Xu Fan couldn’t help but smile. The longer he waited, the more rewards he seemed to accumulate.
"Good. Have all these been stored?" Xu Fan inquired.
"Seventy percent are already stored; the rest are in the warehouses in the Demon Spirit Realm," Grape replied.
"Alright, keep digging and don’t stop," Xu Fan instructed.
Currently, in the Wan Chong Mountain Range of the Demon Spirit Realm, nearly one-fifth of the underground area, over ten thousand meters deep, was occupied by the puppet base. Defensive formations against divine senses were also set up on the upper layer.
"By the way, send some samples of all the spirit ores mined from the demon race to my Brother Sha. There might be some surprises," Xu Fan added.
"Understood."
"It’s been over a year, and still no word from Brother Sha. Maybe I’m pointing them in the wrong direction," Xu Fan mused.
"Never mind, these things take time. I’ll just have to be patient," Xu Fan concluded.
He also hoped that Brother Sha could develop an artifact-level alloy; that would be truly remarkable.
After dealing with this matter, Xu Fan found himself with some free time and decided to check on the progress of Feng Chang Ning’s endeavors.
At this point, the once barren giant island began to flourish.
After establishing her sect, Feng Chang Ning started recruiting disciples and used puppets to guard the island’s coastline against sea beasts.
Within the island, under the watchful eye of Little Spirit, the small cultivation families that had previously caused trouble and oppressed the common folk were systematically removed by the puppets. In their place, a few secular powers were established to ensure the peaceful lives of the island’s inhabitants.
Soon, the common people, who had lived in chaos, began to experience peace and tranquility, and they all remembered the name Jiufeng Pavilion.
Once Jiufeng Pavilion had full control of the giant island, Feng Chang Ning met with the Elder Council and received a batch of spirit ore and pills as support from the council.
“As expected, anything connected to the central continent, even on the fringes, can’t escape its influence,” Xu Fan commented as he reviewed the intelligence from Jiufeng Pavilion.
“Little Spirit also sent a special message saying that the Elder Council tried to recruit Feng Chang Ning, but she turned them down,” Grape reported.
“People like her aren’t easily recruited. It won’t be long before she becomes a rival,” Xu Fan said with a smile.
Xu Fan continued to read through the intelligence.
After taking control of Gathering Giant Island, Feng Chang Ning didn’t use Xu Fan’s puppets to exploit the island’s resources. Instead, she had Linger operate the puppets and take the spiritual boats to secure nearby islands with similar environments, searching for more common people.
Jiufeng Pavilion’s recruitment method mirrored that of Hidden Spirit Island; they only accepted children between the ages of six and fifteen. If a child under six with spirit roots was found, they were moved to Jiufeng Pavilion’s newly constructed city to wait until they turned six and could join the sect.
As Feng Chang Ning gathered the common people from several surrounding islands onto one island, Jiufeng Pavilion entered a period of steady development.
After all, disciples couldn’t attain immortality overnight.
“She’s truly the Empress. Her strategy is flawless. In just over a year, she’s accomplished everything that benefits Jiufeng Pavilion,” Xu Fan said in admiration.
It was like a construction game, and Feng Chang Ning was the master strategist who considered every detail.
While some players were still figuring out how to capture a second gold mine, Feng Chang Ning had already established multiple branch bases.
At that moment, Grape received a message.
“Master, Feng Chang Ning just sent word. She’s requesting the sect’s support with 100,000 Nascent Soul Stage puppets and accompanying spiritual boats,” Grape said.
“Did she explain why she needs these puppets?” Xu Fan asked.
“One reason is for the safety of Jiufeng Pavilion and Gathering Island, and the other is to cut down development time by a century,” Grape replied.
“There are 500,000 idle Nascent Soul Stage puppets in the treasury. Take out 200,000 and send them to her.”
“Once everything’s ready, give the items to Shi Zhan and have him deliver them. It’ll be a good chance to catch up with an old friend,” Xu Fan said with a smile.
Xu Fan was aware of Shi Zhan’s unfortunate experiences and couldn’t help but sigh. Once a woman’s heart hardens, it’s unbreakable.
A man like Shi Zhan, who had worked tirelessly by her side, dedicating all his efforts, only wanted her for who she was.
But after achieving success, she turned her back on him and, to make matters worse, gave him the dreaded “good person” card.
All of this left Xu Fan feeling uneasy, but after some thought, he decided it wasn’t his problem and let it go.
“Maybe I should give Shi Zhan a little push, just in case there’s an opportunity.”
On Outer Sect Island at the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake, after finishing his tasks, Shi Zhan flew toward Hidden Spirit Island with a hint of excitement. He was finally going to enter the inner sect of the Hidden Spirit Sect.
“I wonder what the Grand Elder wants to discuss with me,” Shi Zhan thought to himself.
As he approached Hidden Spirit Island, the sect’s grand formation opened a passage, guiding him inside.
‘Weng~~’
As Shi Zhan stepped into the sect’s grand formation, he felt a bit dizzy, almost losing his balance in mid-air.
"Is this what the inner sect looks like? I thought it would be more impressive."
"Are those dragons real?" Shi Zhan asked, gazing at the nine dragons circling above the grand formation.
"Follow me," a guardian puppet said, flying up beside Shi Zhan.
Inside the main peak’s dojo, Xu Fan handed Shi Zhan five space rings.
"These are the items your fellow townsman requested. It’s quite a distance, so you’ll need to deliver them yourself."
"You know where the giant island your fellow townsman is on, right?" Xu Fan asked.
"Yes, it’s near the coast where Tianqi Prefecture meets the Endless Sea," Shi Zhan replied.
"Good, as expected of a fellow townsman. Go ahead," Xu Fan said with a smile.
Shi Zhan stored the space rings and asked, "Does the Grand Elder have anything else for me?"
He always felt Xu Fan had more to say.
"There’s a small thing I want to ask you."
"Please, go ahead, Grand Elder," Shi Zhan said.
"Do you like your fellow townsman?"
"I used to, but now it’s more like the affection you’d have for family," Shi Zhan said with a hint of sadness.
"Like siblings?" Xu Fan asked.
"Yes."
"Are you sure you don’t love her anymore?" Xu Fan looked directly into Shi Zhan’s eyes.
"………" Shi Zhan felt the question was unnecessary.
"If there’s nothing else, Grand Elder, I’ll be on my way," Shi Zhan said.
Xu Fan handed Shi Zhan a book.
"Go ahead; sometimes you have to fight for your own happiness," Xu Fan said.
"Thank you, Grand Elder." Shi Zhan didn’t look at the book and walked out.
Over the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake, Shi Zhan leisurely flew towards Lin Sen Fairy City on his spiritual boat.
"The ‘Empress Strategy Handbook’?"
"Is there really such a dull book in the world? Who would read it?" Shi Zhan frowned as he tucked the book into his space ring.
Soon, Shi Zhan couldn’t resist and took the book out again, opening the first page.
Instantly, Shi Zhan felt a surge of excitement, even overshadowing his anticipation to meet Feng Chang Ning.
…………
In Jian Wujie’s small courtyard in Celestial Sword Fairy City.
Wang Xiangchi was settling the points for the outer disciple.
As the outer female cultivator was about to leave.
"Senior, wait a moment."
Jian Wujie presented a fifth-grade precious artifact spiritual sword and three bottles of spirit pills beneficial for the Nascent Soul Stage to the outer female cultivator.
"Thank you, Senior, for taking care of my mother all this time," Jian Wujie said, bowing.
"There’s no need; I was here on a sect mission and have already been compensated. You don’t need to give me anything," the outer female cultivator said softly, though she desired the sword and pills.
But she wanted to make a good impression in front of Wang Xiangchi even more; sometimes, these intangible things could be more beneficial for her future.
"Senior, please accept this. It’s my sincere gesture," Jian Wujie insisted, placing the spiritual sword and pills into her hands.
The outer female cultivator glanced at Wang Xiangchi. The boy had offered the items directly, clearly sincere.
"Take it; it won’t affect your sect points," Wang Xiangchi said.
"Alright, thank you, Peak Master Wang," the outer female cultivator said happily.
After she left, only Wang Xiangchi and Jian Wujie remained in the courtyard, as Jian Wujie’s mother had gone to buy groceries.
"The kindness of a teacher, Wujie will never forget," Jian Wujie said, bowing deeply.
"Get up; a man should not kneel so easily. This is what a teacher should do."
A gentle force helped Jian Wujie to his feet.
