NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 377: The Value of Lying Low
Chapter 377: The Value of Lying Low
The Time Supreme remained calm. She was already accustomed to the repeated requests from the three Supremes to launch an attack. “I think the time is not right yet. Let’s wait a little longer.”
Meng Hao grew impatient and dropped the respectful title of “Nine Heavens Supreme”. “Junior sister, the world is in chaos – this is the perfect time to strike against the Divine Thunder Sect! What are we waiting for?”
Time Supreme replied, “We’re waiting for Nine Heavens Divine Son Xu Lian’s cultivation to catch up. Only then can we ensure absolute success when we make a move against the Divine Thunder Sect,”
Bai Luohe’s expression turned stern as he adopted the authoritative demeanor of a senior uncle. “Oh? Are you underestimating our own strength while overestimating theirs? We already have four Supremes in the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands. Why do we have to wait for the Nine Heavens Divine Son?
“With your strength, handling several Supremes at once wouldn’t be a problem. At the very least, you could hold off the Supremes from the Fuyao Sect and the Dark Moon Holy Land.
“The three of us will focus on attacking the Divine Thunder Sect’s Supreme. Three against one – I refuse to believe that we can’t win, right?
“Moreover, we’ve already contacted the Supremes of the Divine Flower Palace and the Blazing Flame Sect. They’ll assist us by preventing other factions’ Supremes from interfering.
“This plan is foolproof. Having one more Nine Heavens Divine Son doesn’t add much, and having one less doesn’t take away much. So what are we waiting for?”
Xu Lian couldn’t help but imagine the scene of Bai Luohe, He Changfeng, and Meng Hao ganging up on the Divine Thunder Sect’s Supreme – a three-on-one battle.
He Changfeng added, “The advantage is clearly on our side, and it’s a significant one!”
Seeing Time Supreme remain silent, Bai Luohe pounded his chest in frustration. “O! In times of prosperity, a faction must aggressively expand; in times of weakness, it must consolidate its defenses. This has always been the guiding principle of the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands since ancient times!”
Meng Hao chimed in, “Junior sister, strike while the iron is hot!
“The Yin Dynasty royal family has already seized two exclusive cultivation resource zones from the Yu Dynasty.
“The Blood Sea took advantage of the Fire God Mountain Supreme’s old age and frailty to steal several Fire God Flowers.
“The Heavenly Demon Sacred Land is also embroiled in fierce battles, with their sights set on the Demon Sealing Cave.
“The mysterious red-robed woman from the Corpse Driving Sect has risen again and is rapidly building her own Corpse Driving Dynasty.
“In this chaotic era, the fast get the spoils and the slow get nothing.
“Our Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands with Four Supremes rising together may not dominate the entire world, but we are undoubtedly the strongest power in our vicinity. If we don’t use this opportunity to plunder cultivation resources, how can we justify the prestige of our ancestors?”
Xu Lian wondered inwardly. If we don’t seize something, it feels like we’re losing out… The logic of this era is truly different.
Time Supreme responded, “If we’re only dealing with the Divine Thunder Sect, it wouldn’t be a problem. However, our Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands controls numerous exclusive cultivation resource zones and ancient ruins. We may not have the most cultivation resources in the world, but we’re certainly among the best.
There is no shortage of major powers that are eyeing our resources. If we commit all our forces to fight the Divine Thunder Sect and fail to crush them quickly, leaving ourselves bogged down, how will we defend our numerous exclusive cultivation resource zones and ancient ruins?”
Bai Luohe countered, “Besides Meng Hao, aren’t there over a dozen Quasi-Supreme disciples? Let them stay behind to guard it. As long as they stay within the exclusive cultivation resource zones and fully maintain the protective barriers, even a Supreme-level attacker wouldn’t be able to break through in a short period of time.”
The Time Supreme replied, “An ordinary Supreme might not be able to break through, but what about a high-ranking Supreme? They could break through our defenses in no time and plunder all of our exclusive cultivation resources and ancient ruins. Can you bear the consequences of such a catastrophe?”
Xu Lian understood that Time Supreme was merely using this as an excuse. Her real intention was to maintain a stable environment for his growth and give him more time to cultivate.
Seeing that the three Supremes were still trying to argue, the Time Supreme cut them off. “You need say no more. My decision is final. This is an order.”
The expressions of Bai Luohe, He Changfeng, and Meng Hao darkened. In the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands, the commands of the Nine Heavenly Supreme were absolute. This was precisely why they had fought so fiercely for the position of Nine Heavens Supreme. Otherwise, they would find themselves in this very situation – overruled by a single word.
Though dissatisfied, the three of them had no choice but to obey. With a flick of their sleeves, they left.
Xu Lian spoke up, “O, I’ve rented ten alchemists capable of refining Metamorphosis Elixirs from the Yin Dynasty Royal Family and the Ten Thousand Peaks Stone Sea. Combined with the thirty-six alchemists here in the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands, and assuming that it takes two alchemists thirty years to refine one Metamorphosis Elixir, we can produce one elixir every year and three months on average.”
“I need a total of 405 Metamorphosis Elixirs. At this rate, it will take at least another 570 years to refine all of them.
“That timeline is far too long. You can’t suppress them indefinitely, and the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands can’t afford to miss out on the opportunity to plunder cultivation resources just for my sake. Here’s what we’ll do: once I reach Sage Rank 7 and achieve the second milestone in mastering my Divine Bone and Divine Body, raising my strength to the Supreme Realm Second Stage, we can launch an attack on the Divine Thunder Sect.”
Time Supreme considered this for a moment and replied, “That works. When we attack the Divine Thunder Sect, we won’t just seize their cultivation resources, we’ll also capture their alchemists. We’ll lock them up in the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands and force them to refine Metamorphosis Elixirs day and night.”
Even capitalists would shed tears at such ruthlessness… Xu Lian smiled and said, “This plan is excellent.”
Having finalized the overall strategy with Time Supreme, he departed.
Crossing through space, he returned to the ancestral grounds of the Divine Race.
His gaze swept over his diligently cultivating wives and concubines before finally settling on Pei Zhaoxi, the fiery-tempered one. Without hesitation, he walked over, scooped her up by the waist, and carried her into the wooden cabin where they spent intimate time together.
Pei Zhaoxi was delighted. Xu Lian always sought her out first whenever he returned – this was her status.
As usual, Xu Lian asked, “How are things at home?”
Pei Zhaoxi replied, “Things are fine, although some of the younger generation are unruly troublemakers.
“What kind of trouble have they caused?” As an ancestor level figure, Xu Lian naturally had to inquire in order to stay informed and not accidentally offend anyone. With so many descendants, it was impossible for all of them to be as well-behaved as he was.
Pei Zhaoxi explained, “Fights, brawls, love triangles – all kinds of trouble.”
“For example?” Xu Lian pressed.
Pei Zhaoxi began counting off on her fingers, “For instance, one of our great-great-grandsons took a fancy to the descendant of an elder from the Heavenly Pivot Sacred Land. When the elder refused, our descendant simply kidnapped the person.”
“…” Xu Lian’s expression changed. “Why haven’t I received any complaints or complaints from the elder of Heavenly Pivot Sacred Land?”
Pei Zhaoxi smiled, “Once they realized the connection to our family, the elder not only agreed, but was secretly thrilled.”
Xu Lian frowned. “Even if the elder agreed, it’s still unacceptable unless the person involved consents as well… Unless it’s a special case like ours, then it’s a different matter.”
Pei Zhaoxi waved her hand dismissively. “I don’t see the problem. The elder agreed, and the kidnapped youth resisted at first, but later came around and even grew fond of our great-great-granddaughter.”
The kidnapped person was a youth? Xu Lian now understood – the culprit was one of his great-great-granddaughters. “Ah, well, when a woman pursues a man, it’s only a thin veil of resistance. It’s no big deal.”
Pei Zhaoxi giggled. “Actually, when a man pursues a woman, it’s also just a thin veil. Take you and me back then – our relationship has remained strong all these years.”
Xu Lian raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Which branch does this great-great-granddaughter who kidnapped the youth belong to?”
Pei Zhaoxi proudly pointed to herself. “Of course, she’s from my line.”
Xu Lian nodded in understanding.
Next, he made sure not to neglect his other wives and concubines, spending time with each of them in turn. His main focus was companionship.
Though they were all over three hundred years old, they remained youthful and vibrant, with long life spans thanks to the precious medicines they had consumed, including the millennium-extending Black Lotus Seeds. In addition, Xu Lian had planted divine herbs in the heart of the Divine Race’s ancestral grounds. The medicinal aura emanating from these herbs alone greatly prolonged their lives.
Xu Lian crossed through space, transformed into Qin Feng, and returned to the vast, empty exclusive cultivation resource zone of the Qian Dynasty. He continued to refine Metamorphosis Elixirs for the Qian Dynasty.
“It’s a bit frustrating – I need Metamorphosis Elixirs for myself, yet here I am refining them for the Qian Dynasty. The kicker is that I can make two elixirs from a single batch of ingredients. If only the alchemists of the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands were as talented as me… with my innate abilities, I could gather enough Metamorphosis Elixirs much sooner.”
Xu Lian sighed in resignation. As a high-ranking member of the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands, he still had to “work” for the Qian Dynasty… Thankfully, he held shares in the Qian Dynasty; otherwise, he would have quit long ago.
The Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands now had ample raw materials for refining Metamorphosis Elixirs. Xu Lian had considered staying there to refine elixirs for himself, but upon reflection, he realized that it wouldn’t make much difference. Although he could produce two elixirs from a single batch of ingredients, the refining process still took about thirty years-similar to other alchemists. Even if he stayed to refine elixirs for himself, the output wouldn’t be significant.
Instead, he decided to continue lying low within the Qian Dynasty, deepening his cover as Qin Feng and embedding himself firmly within their ranks. In this way, he could position himself to reap greater benefits in the future.
“You must have a broad mind and a long-term vision. Don’t sacrifice future opportunities for small gains in the present.”
As Xu Lian refined the Metamorphosis Elixirs, he reflected deeply.
He had already looted all of the Qian Dynasty’s raw materials for Metamorphosis Elixirs. To compensate for their losses, the two Supremes of the Qian Dynasty had launched a surprise attack on the neighboring Liang Dynasty, fighting while consuming pills. They gained the upper hand and seized some of the Liang Dynasty’s raw materials for Metamorphosis Elixirs.
Although the Qian Dynasty had somewhat recovered its losses by raiding the “neighbors,” the supply of raw materials for Metamorphosis Elixirs remained tight.
Now was the time when the Qian Dynasty needed him most as their “little alchemy prodigy”. As long as he diligently refined Metamorphosis Elixirs for them, the Qian Dynasty would increasingly value him. In the future, he would undoubtedly find opportunities to extract even greater benefits from the Qian Dynasty. This was the value of keeping a low profile.