NOVEL NEXT Chapter 336: Request
The level of Biyou Fairy City typically caters to those between the Seventh Layer and Ninth Layer Golden Core.
The items sold and exchanged usually belong to this level.
Only during activities or the hosting of grand festivals are Hollow Void Level resources released.
Thus, in the short term, it was impossible to accumulate the various Dao Artifact level materials Alkaid needed.
However, the 816 million plus Pure Yang Great Pills exchanged for over 80 million Contribution Value were gathered in just a few hours.
With such a massive amount of Pure Yang Great Pills, Alkaid and Qi Sha directly returned to the Heavenly Casualty War Hall Warship waiting at the Skyport.
He immediately summoned all members of the Heavenly Casualty War Hall.
Under the somewhat expectant and eager gazes of everyone, he issued an order, "All Hollow Void War Immortals of the Heavenly Casualty War Hall, step forward."
Four Hollow Void War Immortals immediately stepped forward.
"During this period, the four of you have followed me through battles in the east and west, with outstanding merits. Each of you will be granted 500,000 Pure Yang Great Pills."
As Alkaid spoke, he handed over storage treasures that he had prepared earlier to them.
"500,000 Pure Yang Great Pills!?"
The four Hollow Void War Immortals widened their eyes in disbelief.
The usual annual income of a Hollow Void might slightly exceed a million, but they had only been with Alkaid for a few months?
And they hadn't encountered any danger.
This...
They had acquired 500,000 Pure Yang Great Pills?
"You should thank Hall Master Alkaid, you know in your hearts how much effort you've put into slaying the demons during this time. This gift from Hall Master Alkaid is an act of generosity," Qi Sha said from the side.
The four Hollow Void War Immortals looked at each other and bowed simultaneously, "Thank you, Hall Master."
One of the Hollow Void War Immortals felt a sense of guilt as he bowed.
Not long ago, during Alkaid's life-and-death struggle with the three Demon Kings, he had tried to tempt and confuse Qi Sha into taking action against Alkaid.
But now...
What does it mean to repay evil with kindness?
This was repaying evil with kindness.
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This Junior Sect Leader... truly was a man of high moral standing and integrity.
After receiving their bows, Alkaid turned his gaze to the others and continued, "All Golden Core Ninth Rank cultivators, step forward."
Instantly, twelve cultivators who had achieved Deep Blue Golden Cores excitedly stepped forward, their gazes towards Alkaid shining brightly.
Each of them was no longer young, with the oldest having cultivated for over 800 years and the youngest over 300 years, long past the age limit for True Disciples.
In their old age and declining vigor, their spirit, energy, and soul could no longer be compared to those of the young Deep Blue Golden Core cultivators.
But...
It was not necessarily impossible for them to attempt reaching the Hollow Void Realm in the future.
"For meritorious acts in slaying demons, each of you will be granted 100,000 Pure Yang Great Pills."
"Thank you, Hall Master!"
This time, without needing Qi Sha to speak, the twelve Golden Core Ninth Rank cultivators thanked him wholeheartedly.
"For everyone else, regardless of cultivation level, each will be given 10,000 Pure Yang Great Pills."
Alkaid gestured, and heaps of Pure Yang Great Pills were spread out.
10,000 Pure Yang Great Pills!
Some Golden Core Seventh Layer War Immortals had never in their life seen such wealth.
Upon receiving these Pure Yang Great Pills, each of them trembled with excitement.
"Additionally, sixteen individuals have repeatedly distinguished themselves and merit special commendation, each will receive another 100,000 Pure Yang Great Pills."
Alkaid announced, and the last batch of Pure Yang Great Pills fell into the hands of some cultivators who had discovered Ninth Rank Great Demons, detected the Red-scaled Demons, or mastered special secret techniques.
Suddenly, these individuals bowed in thanks again.
Altogether more than eight million Pure Yang Great Pills were scattered, and every member of the Heavenly Casualty War Hall felt grateful toward their Hall Master.
Watching all this, Qi Sha felt somewhat emotional.
Having acted as the Hall Master of the Heavenly Casualty War Hall these years, he only had the most basic "minimum guarantee" at his disposal, and all members following him lived in tight and impoverished conditions.
Now, just after a short time with Alkaid, they had each earned what might take them years, decades, or even more to accumulate...
Seeing their excitement and smiles, his heart was naturally filled with emotions.
Following such a Hall Master as Alkaid...
The Heavenly Casualty War Hall finally seemed to be seeing a way out.
However, after everyone had collected the numerous Pure Yang Great Pills, Qi Sha felt compelled to stand up and say a few words as the former Acting Hall Master.
"The actions of Hall Master Alkaid are impeccable. Given the current situation in the Northern Sea Star, I fear no other leader possesses such high standards of moral and integrity. He has shown utmost benevolence and righteousness to all of us. Under such flawless leadership from the Hall Master, should anyone be ungrateful or secretly harm the Hall Master or the Heavenly Casualty War Hall, no matter who, if found by me, none shall leave the Heavenly Casualty War Hall alive!"
His somewhat chilly Divine Sense swept across the crowd, "Regardless of which Peak Master, Vein Master, or even Vice Sect Leader, Sect Leader, or Supreme Elder you are connected with, there are no exceptions! Did you hear me!?"
"Heard it! I will not let the Hall Master and the Deputy Hall Master down."
"We came to the Heavenly Casualty War Hall precisely because we couldn't accept those sordid ways of conducting affairs. If I find anyone bringing such behavior to the Heavenly Casualty War Hall, I will deal with him myself before the Hall Master and Deputy Hall Master need to act!"
"The generosity and kindness of the Hall Master are unprecedented. I admire it. From now on, I will regard all the Hall Master's commands as paramount."
All members of the War Hall responded loudly, wishing they could lay down their lives for the cause.
But...
Alkaid knew, and Qi Sha knew too, that agreeing readily was one thing, but actual action was another.
There were inevitably members within the Heavenly Casualty War Hall who had connections with other Peak Masters, Vein Masters, Vice-Sect Leaders, and Sect Leaders. It remained to be seen whether they could be rooted out, or whether they would come forward and confess.
...
After the distribution of the Pure Yang Great Pill, the morale of the entire Heavenly Casualty War Hall reached an unprecedented level.
However, Alkaid did not disturb the War Hall members and others sharing their joy but went into his own resting room instead.
The fact that he was ambushed by three Hollow Void Demon Kings previously without any perception alerted him to a shortcoming.
That was his inadequacy in detection and perception.
Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.
In the Cangwu Great World, his success owed greatly to the advantages brought by his Dharma Phase Realm and Divine Sense.
Upon reaching the Hollow Void Realm, the distinctions between Essence, Qi, and Spirit were no longer apparent, but detection and perception-oriented Dao techniques were still indispensable.
However, choosing which specific Dao technique to learn gave him a bit of a headache.
"Theoretically, choosing a Void Exploration type of Dao technique is optimal. For instance, this Dao technique, 'Void Ripple,' allows any secrets or abnormalities in the space ahead to be detected as these ripples spread... The drawback is that its range is limited, its precision is low, and it can be easily countered by specific methods."
He pondered in his mind: "On the other hand, this Dao Technique called 'True Spirit's Light,' which focuses on the Soul Dao, starts from the soul. Anything with a 'spirit' cannot escape its perception... The drawback still exists, as it can only detect living beings and not inanimate objects. If the enemy has set up a formation, I can sense the living beings within it but not the formation itself."
He reviewed this Dao technique information, undecided.
In the end...
He had too many choices.
One thousand and eighty-eight Dao Techniques.
Examining one technique a day would take nearly three years.
For those without choices, these concerns wouldn't arise.
After a while, he finally set his sights on the "True Spirit's Light" Dao technique.
It is the True Spirit Force that illuminates the surroundings, not only able to perceive any living being but, when cultivated to the extreme, could also perceive the soul's origin, allowing one to discern the intentions and moral alignment deep within a person's soul.
The purpose of perception is to foresee.
With this alone, it could establish an unparalleled advantage over other Dao techniques for "True Spirit's Light."
Just as Alkaid decided to also cultivate this "True Spirit's Light" Dao technique, Luli's Escaping Light appeared outside the warship, seeking an audience.
When he was brought into the captain's resting room, this True Monarch of the Penglai Immortal Sect went straight to the point with a slight bow: "Alkaid, please isolate the surroundings first."
Alkaid did not know why, but confident in his own strength, he did not feel that Luli would harm him.
With a wave of his hand, he activated the resting room's formation and even casually set up an isolation formation himself.
"Could there be an issue with those artifact refining materials?"
Alkaid asked.
"Please rest assured, Alkaid. Assembling 10 billion level materials is not difficult for our Penglai Immortal Sect,"
Luli said, taking out a Jade Talisman: "I am here because the Deputy Sect Master has an important matter to discuss with you, Alkaid."
As he activated the talisman, a pulse of Divine Sense emerged from within the jade and quickly condensed into the figure of a woman, dressed in ancient robes, looking sophisticated and resolute from her attire.
"The Deputy Sect Master..."
Alkaid looked at her, piecing together Luli's reference, and immediately recognized her identity: "Penglai Immortal Sect's Deputy Sect Master, one of the three main disciples of Penglai Dao Lord, Leng Qingqiu?"
"Alkaid, to visit in this manner and disturb you is presumptuous,"
Leng Qingqiu spoke, getting straight to the point without much small talk: "I see no Daoist charm typical of Dao seeds on Junior Sect Leader, so you must not have planted any Dao seeds yet, correct?"
Alkaid did not understand, but as he did not cultivate any concealment-oriented Divine Skills, he could not hide his level of cultivation and thus replied honestly, "Not yet."
"That's perfect."
Leng Qingqiu quickly continued, "I would like to ask for your help, Alkaid. Please come with me to the border of the Deep Sea and Outer Sea to lure out a Demon King with a Kunpeng bloodline."
"What do you mean?"
Alkaid was slightly confused.
"In recent times, an extremely troublesome matter has arisen near the Outer Sea. Among the Demon Race, a Demon King with Kunpeng lineage has been using its talent for the Dao of the Void and its sophisticated lifebound Daoist art to traverse and raid the borders of the Deep Sea and Outer Sea non-stop."
The tone of the Deputy Sect Master was grave: "In less than ten years, this Demon King's troops have already killed three of our Penglai Immortal Sect's Hollow Void Elders and twelve True Disciples! The number of other disciples and stewards killed by their hands is countless, and yet they act extremely cautiously. Despite having at least six to eight Demon Kings, they never attack top-level Hollow Voids who have planted Dao seeds, instead targeting ordinary Hollow Voids and True Disciples with potential, and as soon as they kill their target, they immediately hide using their talents."
She looked at Alkaid: "Alkaid, you reached Hollow Void in less than a hundred years, and you may even reach Refining Void in the next hundred years. You've already made it onto the Hollow Void bounties list on the Demon side, especially since your recent killing of three Demon Kings has made your position on that list skyrocket to the top ten!"
"And then?"
"If you show up near the Outer Sea, the Heaven-Devouring Demon King will likely be drawn out and make a move against you. At that moment, with our forces inside and out, we will be able to eliminate this significant threat at once!"
Leng Qingqiu explained, looking at Alkaid: "I know this will put you in danger, but I assure you, I will bring people to stay close and ensure your safety. Additionally, our Penglai Immortal Sect is willing to offer a reward!"
She paused, then extended a finger and firmly added: "How about a Dao Artifact?"