Chapter 206: Chapter 106: Defying the Celestial Prison

Food and desire, such is nature.

Unrelated to gender, unrelated to the distinction between mortals and immortals.

To prove the Dao, one must seek one’s true heart.

Qi Yuan, being the True Core Master, indeed had the highest realm in Li Jizhou’s discourse across lifetimes.

Moreover, her maturity and voluptuousness, often spurred by storytelling,

This discourse was unprecedentedly exciting, leaving one craving for more.

However, both of them are seekers of the Dao with resolute hearts and understand restraint.

Three days later, Qi Yuan left satisfied, without any lingering attachments.

——

“Ye Jingyu actually succeeded!” After sending off Qi Yuan, Li Jizhou routinely checked the Red Dust Pavilion’s gazette, and the first thing that caught his eye was the headline news regarding the Southern Domain’s Spirit Vein having Golden Corpses.

Nonetheless, before he could celebrate, the next piece of news made Li Jizhou furrow his brows slightly.

[The Wuxiang Sect’s Evil Cult, audaciously colluding with the Yin Corpse Dao within the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp, has raised Golden Corpses in the Southern Domain. Their intentions are punishable, and every cultivator should slay them!]

[Ye Jingyu, formerly a renegade disciple of the Divine Intent Sect in Qi Kingdom, committed grave sins against his master and father, colluding with the Wuxiang Evil Cult, deserves heaven’s thunderous punishment, eternally condemned to the animal realm!]

“…” Li Jizhou sighed deeply.

His heart grew heavier, unsurprisingly, as those raising corpses around the Spirit Vein have a force too great, capable of distorting truth.

Furthermore, looking further, it claimed that all Southern Domain Golden Corpses have been dealt with by experts summoned by Celestial Secret Pavilion, so there was no need for further worry.

Additionally, to prevent further schemes by the Wuxiang Sect and Ye Jingyu, strict supervision has been enacted on the main spirit veins of the cultivation countries in the Southern Domain, prohibiting unauthorized personnel from approaching.

Clearly, the Golden Corpses must still remain!

“The only entity possibly dominating the Southern Domain, controlling public opinion, would be the business alliance!” Li Jizhou looked toward the City Lord’s Mansion in Liuyun City, suspicious and puzzled by their motives.

Are they a willing accomplice to the tiger, or the orchestrator of this affair? What is the purpose?

Temporarily setting this matter aside, Li Jizhou went to various major Ancient Books Workshops in the city, searching for materials related to the Golden Core Celestial Net and Nascent Soul True Monarch.

The higher the realm, the fewer the ancient texts and jade slips available; most of them were either speculative, imaginative, or even fabricated.

Li Jizhou spent half a month, almost combing through all relevant materials in Liuyun City’s stores, none were truly credible.

Upon preparing to search other Immortal Cities, a dusty jade slip in an old, small shop invigorated his spirit.

“In Ancient Times, many with deep fortune, even with lower-grade Spirit Root, were destined to break Core and form Nascent Soul, ultimately transcending tribulations to ascend.

However, since the descent of the red heavens, ascendant stream of Liu Huo,

those lacking sufficient talent, no matter how deep their fortune, ultimately failed to break Core and form Nascent Soul.

Should there be a contrarian opportunity to prove the Golden Core, it would invoke the Celestial Dao Cage.

Cage, the price of defying the heavens.

To defy heaven’s path means never breaking Core to form Nascent Soul…”

After reading this jade slip, Li Jizhou’s expression became gloomy.

Within it, numerous examples are cited,

In a Central State imperial family, a prince favored with imperial grace swore to break through his limitations, despite his lower-grade Spirit Root.

Resources amassed, aided by many high-tier cultivators.

Ultimately forming a Golden Core, yet bound by the Heaven and Earth Cage,

Even with the emperor’s overwhelming power ensuring his safe passage, accompanied by the protection of many experts.

Still, at the moment of forming Nascent Soul, he failed to defy the heavens and was struck down by Celestial Thunder.

…

Cases like these continued, prompting the imperial family of Central State, Sacred Land Immortal Sects, and Ancient Clans to stop futilely nurturing those lacking talent.

After reading the jade slip information, Li Jizhou’s face was already stern.

“As expected, this aligns with my predictions!” On the day the Celestial Heart Seal formed the Celestial Net, he sensed it, now confirmed.

After a while, he calmed his emotions, returning to the mansion with a neutral expression.

On this path,

Another thought surfaced in his heart.

“If this is true, then… is the Celestial Dao truly wrong?”

“If not for this, like the imperial family, even with poor aptitude, as long as resources are ample, seizing resources from countless across paths to supply an individual, they could ultimately be elevated to the pinnacle, is this correct?”

“At least, in this manner, a peasant boy, if born with exceptional talent, could receive diligent nurturing from great sects and factions; otherwise, irrespective of talent, they would be nurtured by connection, and those born indigent, would it not…”

Thinking thus, Li Jizhou’s mind gradually returned to tranquility.

“Know to do good deeds and ask not about their future!”

That day, he announced his retreat to solidify his Core Formation realm.

Unconcerned with right or wrong, with a steadfast Dao heart, perseverance shall not fail.

Although the Heaven and Earth Cage seems a vast net severing hope, he didn’t despair,

In subsequent days, besides focusing on cultivating Evergreen Skill, during free time, he continued to write, create talismans, engage in Alchemy, craft puppets, set up arrays, and perfect medical poison.

Moreover, he remotely directed Xiaoguo to systematically develop Taobao Pavilion.

A year later, nine other branches of Taobao Pavilion were established.

Not with notably grand publicity.

After all, the business environment here isn’t as promising seeming; it’s all founded on the business alliance’s character.

A character that is profit-driven and unreliable!

No one can guarantee the business alliance won’t fatten the pig only to butcher it.

For this reason, Li Jizhou refrained from engaging in Spirit Stone lending business.

Yet, as Taobao Pavilion expanded to ten branches,

A month’s payment cycle brought Li Jizhou a substantial flow of Spirit Stones.

For Li Jizhou, this was a double-edged sword, also a ticking time bomb.

Ultimately, Li Jizhou decided to shorten the payment cycle to seven days, striving for low visibility.

Additionally, as Taobao Pavilion’s influence grew, it inevitably threatened other stores dealing in sales and recovery, but fortunately other stores bore little difference in perspective from Taobao Pavilion in the business alliance’s view, not warranting suppression, though precautions are necessary.

Li Jizhou informed Xiaoguo that it was time to discuss cooperation with shops across the Immortal Cities, aiming for mutual benefit.

Currently, Taobao Pavilion in southern Yan Kingdom has an extensive customer base; just the daily consumption of Communication Talismans amounts to tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.

Monthly paid promotions yield vast profits, fully sustaining Li Jizhou’s Core Formation, Spirit Nurturing, and skill refinement.

Without absolute power, one must understand restraint, otherwise, however abundant the wealth, it cannot be retained.

This was Li Jizhou’s commercial principle.

Throughout the year, Ye Jingyu and Yu Ziyu never returned.

Nevertheless, information regarding Ye Jingyu and the Wuxiang Sect never disappeared from the gazette.

Within the year, Ye Jingyu slew several Core Formation elders of Celestial Secret Pavilion.

Three months ago, even returned to Yan Kingdom, slaughtered guardians in Fenghuo Immortal City, reportedly plundered tens of thousands of Middle Grade Spirit Stones.

Pursued by late-stage Core Formation elders dispatched by the business alliance, ultimately fled into the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp, his whereabouts unknown.

The Wuxiang Sect even launched several major operations, seized control of two business alliance-guarded Immortal Cities near the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp in western Yan Kingdom.

Clearly, both Ye Jingyu and the Wuxiang Sect have associated the Southern Domain corpse raising incident with the business alliance.

Predictably, the confrontation between both escalated,

Two years later, the business alliance assembled a large force, swearing to exterminate the Wuxiang Sect.

Even dispatched three Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

The army pressed in, forcing the Wuxiang Sect back into the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp.

Yet, only then did the true strength of the Wuxiang Sect reveal before the world.

Its sect harbors numerous masters, aided by other forces within the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp, surprisingly holding equal strength to the business alliance’s army.

Subsequently followed five years of alternating offensives and defenses.

Before long, Taobao Pavilion’s daily revenue surged dramatically.

On this day, Li Jizhou reached one hundred years of age.

When he examined the Reincarnation Treasure Mirror in his Sea of Consciousness,

The second life’s silhouette suddenly brightened.

Immediately, a line of information appeared beneath the second life’s silhouette.

This information stirred Li Jizhou’s heart for a long time.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep