The Son Refuses

Ji Lingxuan stepped into the smithy, her gaze immediately drawn to the bronze cauldron hovering in the center of the room—it was the very God-Sealing Cauldron that had been troubling her!

The body of the cauldron glowed with a dark, lustrous bronze sheen. The cracks that had once covered its surface were gone without a trace. The patterns of dragon heads, turtle feet, and mountain rivers appeared even more profound than before, and a faint aura of Dao rhymes and spiritual light lingered around it. Although it hadn't fully returned to its peak state, there wasn't a single sign that it had ever been shattered.

"This..." She was slightly astonished. She walked over quickly and lightly touched the cauldron with her fingertips, sensing the stable fluctuations of spiritual energy within. Her heart was filled with curiosity.

"In just a few short days, Grandmaster has already repaired it to this degree?"

She had originally assumed the God-Sealing Cauldron was severely damaged; even if there was a chance to fix it, it would require months or even years. She hadn't expected the Grandmaster to possess such heaven-defying abilities.

Ye Chuan smiled and raised his hand, pushing the God-Sealing Cauldron toward Ji Lingxuan.

"It was merely a trivial effort. This rep... repaired cauldron, you should keep it safe." He almost let slip the word "replica" and quickly corrected himself.

Ji Lingxuan casually accepted the God-Sealing Cauldron. It felt cold to the touch, and the heavy sensation emanating from the cauldron put her mind at ease.

She handed the cauldron to an Elder standing beside her, then turned to look at Ye Chuan, her eyes holding a trace of probing inquiry.

"I came today simply to check on the progress of the God-Sealing Cauldron. However, seeing Grandmaster's demeanor, it seems you have something on your mind. Why not speak plainly?"

Recalling Ye Chuan's attitude from days prior, she didn't believe Ye Chuan would actively welcome guests and mention that he had brewed tea without a specific reason.

Ye Chuan didn't beat around the bush either. He picked up the map of the Tianxuan Continent from the table, pointed to the location of the Qingyun Sect, and got straight to the point.

"To tell you the truth, I need to borrow some manpower from you, Saint—cultivators at the Mahayana realm. I need them to accompany me to wipe out the Qingyun Sect."

"Oh?" A flicker of astonishment passed through Ji Lingxuan's phoenix eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.

"The Qingyun Sect is the premier sect of the East Hua Divine Continent. They even have dealings with my Taichu Holy Land. Though not allies, there is no deep-seated enmity. Why does Grandmaster wish to destroy them?"

She was somewhat surprised that there could be such a grudge between the Grandmaster and the Qingyun Sect.

To the point of exterminating the sect?

Hearing that the Holy Land actually had dealings with the Qingyun Sect, Ye Chuan leaned back in his rattan chair, pondering. His tone was flat but carried a hint of chilliness.

"For nothing other than helping a friend take revenge. The Qingyun Sect tried to drive her to extinction back then. It is time to settle this debt."

He did not go into detail about Qianshuang's identity; some things did not need to be said too clearly.

Ji Lingxuan fell silent. Her brows furrowed slightly as she muttered, "Grandmaster, I'm afraid I cannot agree to this. The Qingyun Sect has some friendship with the Holy Land and offers tribute in spiritual materials every year. If the Holy Land were to intervene and help destroy it, we would certainly face criticism from other sects. It would damage the Holy Land's reputation."

This was not a mere excuse. As a top-tier power in the Tianxuan Continent, the Taichu Holy Land had to consider its image and could not casually interfere in the grudges of other sects.

Ye Chuan had actually anticipated this after hearing what the Saint had just said. He wasn't angry, simply asking, "If you cannot lend people... then if I take action myself, will the Holy Land intervene to stop me?"

Ji Lingxuan raised her eyes to look at Ye Chuan.

She had experienced Ye Chuan's strength firsthand; he could easily suppress a million demons and casually block the Demon-Sealing Seal of ten Mahayana cultivators combined. Destroying a single Qingyun Sect would likely be effortless for him.

If she tried to stop him, given the Grandmaster's temper, he might turn against the Holy Land as well.

If she didn't stop him, it would be manageable.

To the Taichu Holy Land, the Qingyun Sect was unimportant.

It was merely a source of tribute—a 'blood bag'—not even an ally.

Ji Lingxuan said, "The Holy Land will not lend manpower, but neither will we obstruct you, Grandmaster."

She paused, then added, "The Qingyun Sect possesses three Mahayana cultivators. While strong to ordinary forces, they may not be a match for you, Grandmaster. If you personally destroy the Qingyun Sect, the Holy Land will only issue a superficial condemnation but will not pursue the matter."

This was the greatest concession she could make—not offending Ye Chuan, and as for the 'pursuit' (or lack thereof), she would consider it the return for the tributes Qingyun had offered over the years.

A mysterious, unfathomable mighty figure suspected to be from the Upper Realm versus a sect with only a few Mahayana cultivators.

Ji Lingxuan only needed to ensure the Holy Land's pristine reputation remained undamaged.

Hearing this, although Ye Chuan wasn't entirely satisfied, the corners of his mouth still curled into a smile.

"With those words from the Saint, I am relieved."

The Holy Land was an existence far superior to ordinary sects. If they wouldn't help, having them not stand as opponents was an outcome Ye Chuan was happy to see.

Seeing Ye Chuan like this, Ji Lingxuan didn't concern herself much with the fate of the Qingyun Sect.

It was just one sect; as long as she wished, she could support countless others to take its place at any time. This was the confidence of the Holy Land.

For the rest of the time, Ji Lingxuan intentionally and unintentionally steered the conversation toward topics concerning the Upper Realm, such as legends and those Ascension Realm mighty figures.

Yet, Ye Chuan avoided these topics.

The reason for avoiding them was simple—

Ye Chuan didn't understand them.

How could he know these things? He had even forgotten what realm came after Mahayana. Was it Tribulation Crossing?

To Ye Chuan, his reserve of knowledge was far inferior to a local like Qianshuang.

However, in Ji Lingxuan's eyes, this appeared as if he were deliberately being evasive and secretive.

Clearly, the person before him had deep ties to the Upper Realm.

Despite not getting what he wanted, Ji Lingxuan betrayed no emotion. He wore a faint smile, maintaining the air of a refined and elegant noble.

After finishing a cup of tea, she stood up and nodded slightly to Ye Chuan. "Now that the Divine Cauldron has been retrieved, this Saint Son shall not intrude any longer. However, I will remain in Xuanjing for the time being. You may send someone to the Jingxin Garden to find me at any time."

Having said that, Ji Lingxuan left behind over a hundred million spirit stones as payment and walked out of the shop.

"Alright." Ye Chuan nodded, watching Ji Lingxuan leave.

Hiss...

So rich.

Ye Chuan's gaze landed on the storage bag. As expected, the Holy Lands really were super-duper invincible cash cows.

"Countless City Lords put together couldn't scrape up this kind of money," Ye Chuan remarked.

After Ji Lingxuan left, Hu Li sidled up to Ye Chuan and asked curiously:

"Boss, isn't that pretty big brother going to help you?"

"I don't need his help." Ye Chuan rubbed Hu Li's head. "The Qingyun Sect can be destroyed with a flip of my hand."

If it was just three Mahayana realm cultivators, Ye Chuan truly wasn't worried. He even felt he could wipe out the Qingyun Sect single-handedly. However, considering this was Qianshuang's revenge, he would still take that girl along.

"It's a pity I couldn't borrow any manpower," Ye Chuan said. "But that's fine. Since the Saint Son said he wouldn't interfere, that's a good thing in itself."

He couldn't handle a situation where after beating a Sect, a Holy Land comes to fight; after beating a Holy Land, an Ancient Holy Land shows up; and then some Primordial Sect appears after that.

Start: Small wooden stick. Monster: Crayfish.

Ending: Small wooden stick MAX PRO Super Invincible Reinforced Star-Up Evolved Version. Monster: Super-Alloy Magic Grenade Seven-Colored Crayfish.

"It's about time to head out," Ye Chuan said. His preparations were mostly complete.