Chapter 66: Rescue!
Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Rescue!
The Pavilion Master had given the order, yet the hundreds of Spirit Plant Cultivators hesitated, unwilling to step forward. Right now, for those at or above the Qi Refining Third Layer, going meant certain death, but refusing meant absolute death. They were being driven into a dead end!
The atmosphere grew eerily tense.
Seeing this, Niu Youliang felt he was losing face. He snorted coldly to express his inner anger and shouted, "I don’t know what you are worried about! This is your only chance to join Purple Cloud Peak! Do you want to farm for the rest of your lives?"
When furious scolding failed, he switched to bribery with promises of profit. But who would joke around with their own life?
At that moment, Mo Junqing, standing nearby, spoke with obvious impatience. "You can’t even handle a few lowly Spirit Plant Cultivators! If you ask me, just force them all to sign. Not a single one escapes!"
Niu Youliang gritted his teeth and finally stepped forward himself! However, he wouldn’t adopt the other man’s suggestion. After all, even though these people were of low status, they were the foundation of the Marketplace. If he wiped them all out in one go, where would his future income come from?
His gaze swept across the crowd as his Spiritual Qi erupted. Soon, all the Cultivators in the group whose strength exceeded the Qi Refining Third Layer were weeded out. He walked up to a plainly dressed Female Cultivator and expressionlessly handed her the long scroll.
Seeing this, she immediately revealed a pleading look.
"Sign, or die!" Niu Youliang didn’t want to delay any further. If he couldn’t even handle such a trivial matter, and Mo Junqing went back to Purple Cloud Peak to gossip about it, he could kiss his position as Pavilion Master goodbye!
Suppressing the overwhelming pressure, the Female Cultivator shakily took the brush with her right hand and finally signed her name.
"Enter the Marketplace. You are not allowed to leave for three days!"
Soon, under Niu Youliang’s personal supervision, over thirty Spirit Plant Cultivators were forced to "volunteer" for the Secret Realm exploration.
Finally, he arrived in front of Chen Mo! Taking several deep breaths, Chen Mo didn’t ask questions or hesitate. Instead, he directly signed his name. This action surprised Niu Youliang slightly, but it put him in a great mood.
He patted Chen Mo’s shoulder and said, "Now this is what I call being sensible!"
Sensible? In his heart, Chen Mo had already cursed the man’s ancestors to the eighteenth generation! He just knew that any resistance was futile. He might as well be straightforward and quickly figure out a countermeasure!
Time passed in a flash. Under Niu Youliang’s coercion, a total of thirty-two Qi Refining Third Layer and nine Qi Refining Fourth Layer Cultivators from the Ancient Dust Marketplace had all entered the Marketplace proper. Among the remaining hundreds, there were actually some who considered themselves extraordinary, styling themselves as favored children of heaven, and voluntarily applied to participate in the Secret Realm exploration.
With that, the recruitment came to an end. Next was the departure!
***
Stepping into the familiar Ancient Dust Marketplace once more, Chen Mo felt a strange, unfamiliar atmosphere for the first time. The normally bustling bluestone Great Dao leading straight to the center now appeared desolate. All the peddlers hawking on the roadside had been driven away. Only a row of Market Guards remained, wearing long cyan robes with gloomy expressions.
These guards did not have high Cultivation, but on average, they were all at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer. As Loose Cultivators feeding on the official grain, they naturally didn’t share the helpless feeling of Spirit Plant Cultivators who constantly worried about their survival.
Soon, Chen Mo followed the crowd into the Master’s Mansion. They were arranged in a courtyard. There were no rooms, no beds, and not even a single chair. A total of forty-one people were forced to huddle together like a herd of livestock.
In the past, these people might have exchanged pleasantries, talked about their farming experiences, or just chatted casually for fun. But now, with crisis looming, who had the mood to socialize?
Mingling in the crowd, Chen Mo was equally clueless about what to do! Just as he began to adjust his mindset and tried to accept reality, a familiar figure actually entered the side courtyard under the guidance of a guard!
"Steward Cui, that’s him!" Song Yunxi’s footsteps were somewhat unsteady, and he appeared extremely anxious!
***
Song Yunxi had only received the news in the morning after the Spirit Plant Cultivators had entered the Marketplace.
What kind of place was a Secret Realm? How could he not know? Purple Cloud Peak had lost countless Cultivators in there. Even if they were only at the Qi Refining Third Layer, they were the elite of the elites! If the elites couldn’t handle it, what was the point of sending a group of Spirit Plant Cultivators who only knew Rainfall and the Flaming Palm? How was that any different from sending them to their deaths?
Therefore, upon getting the news, Song Yunxi’s first thought was of his brother. Putting aside the matter of Breeding, he believed Chen Mo was absolutely a friend worth having! Otherwise, he wouldn’t have actively taken the initiative to become sworn brothers with him! Now, his brother was in trouble. How could he just stand by and watch him die?
Song Yunxi took the initiative to come to the Master’s Mansion. After probing for information and learning that the order was personally issued by the Peak Master of Purple Cloud Peak, he was at a loss for what to do! Just when he was at his wit’s end, a flash of inspiration hit him.
Song Yunxi asked in return, "Does the Peak Master’s order state that all Spirit Plant Cultivators, including Spirit Nurturers and Spirit Fishermen, must head to the Secret Realm?"
"That’s right."
"Did it mention that Breeders have to go?"
"Hmm? Is there a Breeder in there? What’s the seeding rate?" Steward Cui suddenly became interested.
The threshold for becoming a Breeder wasn’t high. One only needed to spend one or two taels of Spiritual Sand to get a copy of the *Qi Crossing Technique*. But what use was a seeding rate of 100 to 1, or even 150 to 1?
"20 to 1!" Song Yunxi slightly understated the number.
"20 to 1?" The steward of the Master’s Mansion was immediately intrigued. He had heard that the Breeder at Niu’s Shop was only at this level.
"Yes!"
"What’s his name?"
"Chen Mo!"
Steward Cui unrolled the long scroll and, sure enough, saw the name on it. In that case, this Breeder was also locked up in the side courtyard right now.
Song Yunxi rejoiced inwardly. It seemed the rescue plan was viable!
"Steward Cui, what do you think..."
"This is a bit difficult to handle." Cui Ji put on a troubled expression. "The Peak Master didn’t specify, but his name has already been..."
Song Yunxi took a Low Grade Spirit Stone from his Storage Ring and handed it over. "Just a small token of my appreciation!"
This time, to rescue Chen Mo, Song Yunxi didn’t hesitate to pay a hefty price!
After taking it, Cui Ji’s brows instantly smoothed out. "It’s not entirely impossible to handle."
"Then please help remove his name..."
"No rush, no rush. I need to first see if he is truly a Breeder."
"Rest assu—"
"Let’s go."
Thus, led by a guard, the two quickly arrived at the side courtyard where the Spirit Plant Cultivators were detained. As soon as they approached, Song Yunxi locked eyes with Chen Mo. He saw astonishment in his friend’s gaze.
"Steward Cui, that’s him!"
A group of people stepped forward and blocked Chen Mo’s path. Song Yunxi smiled at him, and that smile warmed Chen Mo’s heart.
"You’re a Breeder?"
In an instant, thoughts raced through Chen Mo’s mind as he quickly assessed the current situation. He looked at Song Yunxi. The latter held his hand to his side and discreetly signaled the number "2" with his fingers. After a brief hesitation, Chen Mo understood and nodded.
"Yes."
"What’s your seeding rate?"
"20 to 1!"
"Here, this is ten catties of Spirit Rice. Breed it for me to see." Cui Ji pulled a sack of grain out of thin air and handed it over.