Young Noble Be Monster Slaying

Taotie City, the Northern Regions.

Red Cotton Peak and the Immortals' Square rose to prominence one after the other in a very short time, and the resulting impact on Taotie City was obvious.

Though the Huyan Family had made numerous efforts to remedy the situation, there was still a visible decline in visitor traffic in Taotie City. Soon, the merchants started relocating their businesses elsewhere and the honored allies gradually started leaving as well.

A charity auction only added insult to injury for the already struggling Taotie City.

"Two and a half million Vermillion-Bird coins, for a mere broken Celestial Cosmic Ring…"

Huyan Dong's chest heaved, his eyes red with fury as he fixed his gaze on his kneeling son. His breath quickened and grew heavy.

Just two days ago, he had made a trip to the Eastern Regions and used the name of the Penglai Supreme Sect to secure support from various factions. But upon his return, he was greeted with this crushing news.

If this had been back when Taotie City stood alone at the top, he would have let it go. But now, with the fierce competition against the Red Cotton Peak and the Immortals' Square, drawing on such a large sum would mean forfeiting many opportunities to fight.

"Father, please calm down…" Huyan Bin knelt, lifting his eyes with a pleading expression. "Thankfully, both the court and Mount Shu paid substantial sums. In the end, this charity auction resulted in all three sides at a loss."

"They suffered losses but still walked away with something. What have you brought back?" Huyan Dong asked in an irritated tone.

"I got…" Huyan Bin hesitated for a moment before answering, "The friendship of the Penglai Supreme Sect."

"I—"

Huyan Dong raised his hand in anger, but remembering that this was his own flesh and blood, he lowered it without striking.

Huyan Dong gnashed his teeth as he lectured, "You should know that they only befriended you because you have money. Once they've drained you dry, will they still see you as a person? Do you even know what kind of people the Penglai members are?They are outlaws, bandits at their core! Do you really think there's any good in them?"

"Father, you know this too?" Huyan Bin murmured, his voice barely audible. "I didn't want to spend this money, but given the situation, if I had refused, Daoist Xuan Lu would've turned against us on the spot! I might not have even made it back to see you..."

Huyan Dong's veins bulged with fury. "Which do you think I would want to see—you or the two and a half million?"

Huyan Bin thought quickly, racking his brains to calm his father. He quickly added, "But the Penglai Supreme Sect isn't doing nothing for us. They made some promises."

"What promises?" Huyan Dong asked.

"Daoist Xuan Lu suggested we could use some unconventional methods, like attacking Red Cotton Peak's Four Extremities Hall to disrupt their deliveries…" Huyan Bin said. "Then over time, no one will go to Mount Shu to buy goods anymore. Even if Mount Shu finds evidence and decides to declare war on Taotie City, the Penglai Supreme Sect will step in to help us..."

Huyan Dong looked intently at his son, his vision momentarily darkening. He felt at a loss for words.

Huyan Bin tilted his head with innocence shining in his eyes and asked, "What do you think?"

Huyan Dong's hand trembled as he pointed at him. In the end, all he said was, "That brain of yours… it takes after your mother."

He then stood up and scolded angrily, "He promised he will help, but when we've made Mount Shu our enemy and war breaks out, do you honestly think he'll take a stand against a sect in the Divine Nine for us? The Mount Shu Sect may be weak, but they have very good connections with a huge number of sects. Wouldn't the Celestial King Sect take action? Would the Great Astral Sect just sit by and watch?

"Did you not see how the Thunderbolt Stronghold was crushed? And now, they don't even dare to breathe loudly. That is the ending of a force that relies entirely on the Penglai Supreme Sect! Asking for help is one thing, but expecting them to save your life? It's a pipe dream! And even if they do save us, we would end as their servants forever!"

Seeing his father in such a fury, Huyan Bin's lips trembled in fear.

After a long silence, he managed to speak in a soft voice, "Father, Daoist Xuan Lu made one more promise…"

"Speak!" Huyan Dong said with a flick of his sleeve.

Huyan Bin, trembling, finally said, "He promised that Penglai would pay us back whenever they have money."

"Fuck off!"

Huyan Dong could no longer hold back. Lifting his leg, he kicked Huyan Bin, sending him flying into a screen with a thunderous crash.

Bam!

After venting his anger, Huyan Dong let out a long sigh, "Haaaaaaaaaaa. At this point, we have no other option but to cut expenses and sell off assets to ride out this crisis. It cost us a fortune to feed that vicious beast, Taotie. Huang Hanshan has been offering me a generous price for it for years; we might as well sell it to him."

Huyan Bin struggled to get up as he said, "Father… But that is what represents Taotie City…"

"What choice do we have at this point?" Huyan Dong replied. "If Taotie City ceases to exist in the future, what's the point of keeping the symbol of the city? My decision is final; no need to try and persuade me."

Just as he was about to issue the order, urgent footsteps echoed from outside.

An honored ally burst in, ignoring the disorder, and cried out, "City Lord, something terrible has happened! We just received word from Beast-Barring Mountain. The vicious beast Taotie… has been killed!"

…

It had only been two days. When Chu Liang returned to the Buddhist Cloud Monastery, everything had been turned upside down.

Unlike the simple wooden huts at Mount Shu, which could be swiftly assembled by a handful of disciples from the Hall of Construction, the collapsed buildings of the Buddhist Cloud Monastery were ancient halls that had stood for centuries. Rebuilding them would be extremely challenging.

It wasn't merely a matter of erecting new structures. As the Buddhist Cloud Monastery was located on the highest sea of clouds, even clearing the ruins would demand a lot of effort, with large mounts needing to transport the debris over countless trips.

Of course, throwing the debris from above would be convenient, but should it strike an unfortunate passerby, it could kill them.

When Chu Liang arrived, he saw that half the site was still covered in uncleared ruins, while the other half had new halls under construction. For the past two days, the spirit beasts raised by the Buddhist Cloud Monastery had been tirelessly transporting debris down and carrying building materials up. Their heads hung low from the work, clearly exhausted.

"Life really is unpredictable," Pushan said with a shake of his head. "Just two days ago, we were focused on finding ways to help disaster victims. Who would have imagined we'd end up as victims ourselves?"

Hearing this, Chu Liang immediately became alert. "You'd better not spend that money on yourselves."

"Don't worry..." Pushan replied. "Feel free to supervise us anytime later on."

Chu Liang had come this time to personally deliver the enormous sum of money for the Demon-Slaying Sword. To ensure its safety, he even brought Wang Xuanling[1] along for protection.

The reason he chose Old Wang instead of his esteemed teacher was because Chu Liang feared that Di Nufeng would be tempted by the money and develop ill intentions.

Although the Buddhist Cloud Monastery was overwhelmed with work at the moment, this matter was still treated as the top priority. Dhyana Master Shenjie had personally stepped in to coordinate with various parties, striving to deliver the first batch of supplies to the Southern Regions as quickly as possible. The Whale Gang and the Mount Shu Sect had also contributed significantly to this effort.

"Haah!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

After delivering the money, Pushan escorted Chu Liang out, and they encountered a construction site ahead. A group of three to five monks stood in line, working together to lift a murky crystalline pillar.

Dhyana Master Shenyou stood at the front.

As the monks let out a series of synchronized shouts, Dhyana Master Shenyou brought his palms together like a saber, striking down with tremendous force and slicing the pillar into several segments.

"What are they doing?" Chu Liang asked.

"That's a crucial material for constructing the great hall," Pushan explained. "In our Buddhist sect, it's known as Sumeru Crystal, or Earth Mother Sand. This material can condense spiritual energy and be integrated into enchanted formations. Without it, the formation on the building would not be able to have any effect on the inside of the wall, and the buildings would become far less durable.

"However, the Sumeru Crystal is incredibly tough, and only those at the seventh realm could cut through it, though with great difficulty. These crystals naturally form in long prisms, and the smaller the fragments, the greater their effect. Unfortunately, even my teacher could only cut this crystal into a few segments, though that was sufficient for our needs.

"When embedded into the walls, this material fuses the great hall with the enchanted formations, rendering it indestructible for tens of thousands of years. Only fights between the Eminent Ones could cause any significant damage."

Chu Liang's simple question immediately prompted Pushan's detailed explanation.

Just as he said, even with Dhyana Master Shenyou's cultivation level, he could only cut the Sumeru Crystal into a few pieces before it became too difficult to cut further. The resulting smaller stone pillars could only be used as they were.

"Very hard?" Chu Liang asked, feeling intrigued.

He stepped forward, picked up a fragment of Sumeru Crystal about the thickness and length of a child's arm, and took out the Crimson Augmented Shears.

The monks looked on, confused, wondering what his next move would be. With a strong squeeze of the shears, Chu Liang cut down.

Snap.

The augmented qi surged, and the Sumeru Crystal broke cleanly into two pieces.

The monks, seeing this, felt a sudden chill run down their spines, and they instinctively pulled their head backward.

Chu Liang smirked and said, "It's not that hard…"

1. The way the Chinese phrased it made it sound like Wang Xuanling is a dog. ☜

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: GT

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