Above the central corpse pit, Corpse Mound World:
Chang Ming revealed a secret from ancient times.
Jiangchen killed the shamans? Everyone turned incredibly grave. However, feeling shocked was pointless. The ancient past was so long ago, the truth long buried.
As Gu Hai looked at the corpse pit, his expression suddenly changed. “Wait!”
“Your Reverence, what’s wrong?” the Mosquito Daoist asked in confusion.
“Essence Genesis mentioned the Unrestrained Heavenly Demon was one of the four animal spirit commanders. The White Tiger Prime? That means the White Tiger Prime is still alive? Then there is no white tiger resentful spirit in this Corpse Mound World?” Gu Hai looked at the Mosquito Daoist.
The Mosquito Daoist felt slightly startled, then nodded. “Yes, Your Reverence. The animal spirits had four commanders, but the Corpse Mound World only has the azure dragon’s resentful spirit, which is the ancestor dragon. Didn’t Your Reverence see it recently?”
“Right, the Huang Heavenly Dynasty took the ancestor dragon’s resentful spirit and corpse.” Gu Hai nodded.
“This official had always thought the White Tiger Prime had died a thorough death, with even his spiritual souls destroyed. That might be why it did not leave a resentful spirit,” the Mosquito Daoist said with a frown.
“There are no white tiger resentful spirits because the White Tiger Prime is still alive. The black tortoise progenitor had not died in the past, but he died because of Old Mister Guan Qi eight hundred thousand years ago. The azure dragon had died. What about the vermilion bird? There did not seem to be a vermilion bird among the six great resentful spirits the Huang Heavenly Dynasty took.” Gu Hai looked at the Mosquito Daoist.
“Yes. The Corpse Mound World does not have a vermilion bird resentful spirit. Back then, the leader of the avian-type resentful spirits was the Avian King Resentful Spirit, who gave its inheritance to Kong Xuan recently,” the Mosquito Daoist explained.
“Your Reverence, are you saying the Vermilion Bird Prime is still alive?” Chang Ming said in shock.
“I’m not sure. These ancient matters go too far back into the past. Furthermore, there are many secrets yet to be uncovered. We are already familiar with the various major factions in the land of the living. Chang Ming, expedite the Blood Uniform Guard’s investigation of the distribution of major factions in the nether realm,” Gu Hai instructed.
“Yes!” Chang Ming answered.
“Very well. Let’s go back!” Gu Hai ordered.
Gu Hai’s group returned to Borderless Heavenly Capital and held an assembly. This calmed the many officials.
As long as Gu Hai was around, there was nothing to fear.
After the imperial assembly, Gu Hai went to a heavily guarded valley with Mo Yike.
“Your Reverence, these are the storage bracelets the crown prince sent back with the flying ships. This official has checked them. Hah…they are impressive!” Mo Yike said with a wry smile.
Back then, flying ship after flying ship delivered these storage bracelets. Initially, Mo Yike had wondered about their contents, but he had not given them much importance, only sending people to guard them. However, one of the flying ships had been careless with the goods and accidentally broke a storage bracelet. When the storage bracelet broke, spirit stones came flooding out, nearly filling the valley. This had startled Mo Yike.
Spirit stones?! Why are there so many spirit stones?!
This storage bracelet contains spirit stones. What about the others?
So, Mo Yike had checked the others. Afterwards, his eyes opened as wide as saucers.
They all contain spirit stones?
Where did His Highness the Crown Prince go? Which nation’s treasury did he rob? No, is it the treasury of a heavenly dynasty? But even a heavenly dynasty’s treasury might not have such a ridiculous number of spirit stones.
Mo Yike had immediately gone on high alert. He not only hid them with ritual arrays but also stationed the Divine Demon Army to guard them, not daring to be careless.
“You checked them? How many?” Gu Hai asked.
“Two hundred billion superior-grade spirit stones. Your Reverence, did you earn this from the two thousand cities of the Spirit Mountain Holy Land?” Mo Yike asked, still in shock.
Previously, Mo Yike had seen how quickly Gu Hai could earn money from This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion, the imperial casino holiday villa, and his mundane business in Merchant City. However, the difference between then and what he saw now was like clouds and mud.
Gu Hai had earned two hundred billion superior-grade spirit stones in a few short months. How were those merchants who flaunted their skills to compare?
“This is just the first batch. Gu Qin will send a second and third batch soon,” Gu Hai said seriously.
“Yes! The crown prince is divine. This official cannot compare!” Mo Yike said with a wry smile.
Although Mo Yike was excellent in governance and had methods to earn money, he could not achieve such results.
“Oh! By the way, Your Reverence, besides these spirit stones, His Highness the Crown Prince also sent a request for as many large-capacity storage bracelets as possible.” Mo Yike looked at Gu Hai.
“We can store these spirit stones in our Gu’s Immortal Firmament.” Gu Hai waved his hand.
Whoosh!
Gu Hai immediately operated all these storage bracelets, pouring out the countless spirit stones like a heavenly river. Then he opened his Gu’s Immortal Firmament and sucked in the spirit stones.
Gu Hai took an entire day to empty the valley filled with storage bracelets.
“Send these empty storage bracelets to Gu Qin!” Gu Hai instructed.
“Yes!” Mo Yike answered.
After giving some more instructions, Gu Hai went into seclusion.
He entered a large hall and instructed that no one disturb him. Then he took out a zither puppet and talked to Gu Qin.
Far away, in a small courtyard in the Spirit Mountain City’s west, Gu Qin spoke respectfully to a zither puppet.
“Father, that is just the first batch. During this time, we have made great strides every day. The spirit stones pour into my financial management stores like floodwater. The accounting departments cannot keep up,” Gu Qin said in shock.
“Are you slowly moving our people out?” Gu Hai asked.
“Yes, Father. Besides the people who manage the flow of spirit stones, the others are gradually transferring their authority to people connected to the Spirit Mountain Holy Land,” Gu Qin said excitedly.
“Has the money spent buying mines been recouped?” Gu Hai asked.
“Haha! Father’s predictions were divine. Our financial management stores’ expenditures are practically zero. At most, we spent on decorations. Our interest rates are so high that when we pay out, they immediately deposit the money back with us, wanting to collect the interest. However, when they receive the interest, they always reinvest. So, the money remains with our financial management stores, only flowing in and not out,” Gu Qin said excitedly.
“These days will not last much longer. Make your preparations,” Gu Hai instructed.
“Yes, Father, rest assured. Our people should be able to leave safely,” Gu Qin said gravely.
“Alright.” Gu Hai nodded.
“That’s right. Father, there’s something worrying this child,” Gu Qin said with a frown.
“Oh?”
“Father told this child to hand authority over to the people connected to the Spirit Mountain Holy Land. However, the younger brother of the Eastern Forest Temple’s abbot was one of the Infinite Wealth managers in the Spirit Mountain City branch. He remained in Infinite Wealth for a month to figure out how my Infinite Wealth worked, then quit to start his own financial management store,” Gu Qin said with a smile.
“Oh?” Gu Hai’s expression changed.
“Initially, we monopolize the financial products market. However, his financial management store might be a start. He is not the only smart one; other financial management stores not under our control will appear after this, so this child feels uneasy,” Gu Qin said worriedly.
“This is a good thing,” Gu Hai said with a smile.
“Oh?”
“A financial management store is not very complicated. It only requires one to be capable and have strong backing. If they can open such a store, they definitely have a stronger backer than ours, which worked by producing something out of nothing.” Gu Hai smiled.
“Indeed. That’s what this child is worried about!”
“There’s no need to worry. As you said, we practically monopolized the financial product market in the Spirit Mountain Holy Land’s two thousand cities, with branches in all of them. The people will prefer our stores because of the reputation. Most of the money will end up in our financial management stores. The new financial management stores will not gain much traction and not earn much. By the time they gain traction, it will be time for us to leave,” Gu Hai said seriously.
“Yes!”
“Furthermore, we should thank them because all the pressure will fall on them when we leave. They contribute without taking anything, bearing blame for the trouble we cause. Haha! What should we call them?”
“Deceived benefactor?” Gu Qin laughed.
“No. Hot potato hero!” Gu Hai also laughed.
“Hahahaha! Father is right, hot potato hero, indeed,” Gu Qin guffawed.
Gu Hai continued chatting with Gu Qin for a while before putting the zither puppet away. Then he started a cultivation session.
First was the Gu’s Immortal Firmament.
Gu Hai sent his consciousness into the Gu’s Immortal Firmament.
Buzz!
An enormous eye immediately appeared in the Gu’s Immortal Firmament’s sky. This eye was golden, looking down on the world and seeing everything.
Gu Hai had laid a Go Dao ritual array to introduce Spiritual Energy from outside into the immortal firmament. Thus, the Gu’s Immortal Firmament flourished.
The Gu’s Immortal Firmament currently seemed to focus on sword cultivation.
Dongfang Bubai, Zhang Sanfeng, Ximen Chuixue, and Dugu Qiubai set up four powerful sword sects in the four directions, becoming four first-rate sects of the Gu’s Immortal Firmament.
Previously, Gu Hai brought over diverse cultivation techniques from Earth. He had recorded them on steles and scattered them throughout the Gu’s Immortal Firmament. The indigenous life forms cultivated according to those and naturally established countless second-rate sects, third-rate sects, and fourth-rate sects.
As for their overall strength, the strongest among the ambitious had already reached the Nascent Soul Realm. They constantly fought, relentlessly growing stronger.
However, all this was just the beginning.
When Gu Hai’s consciousness entered the Gu’s Immortal Firmament, a Heaven’s eye opened.
Boom!
A vast aura made all the life forms in the Gu’s Immortal Firmament tremble inwardly.
Whoosh!
Nearly all the life forms knelt instinctively.
“Why am I kneeling? What’s going on?”
“An eye in the sky? Heaven’s eye?”
“Heaven?”
Startled cries rang out continuously. The various ambitious characters knelt instinctively, unable to resist. They felt extremely curious about the unknown that was Heaven, finding Heaven extremely mysterious.
“Salutations, Your Reverence!” Dongfang Bubai, Zhang Sanfeng, Ximen Chuixue, and Dugu Qiubai saluted from their four sword sects.
“Cultivators, you have been diligent in cultivating. When you have grown sufficiently, we promise to give you a larger, vaster, and stronger world!” Gu Hai’s voice spread throughout the world.
“A larger, vaster, and stronger world? An immortal realm?” someone asked excitedly.
“Dongfang Bubai, Zhang Sanfeng, Ximen Chuixue, and Dugu Qiubai, you four cannot hoard your knowledge. You need to give lectures every decade and spread the Dao!” Gu Hai instructed.
“Yes!” the four powerful sword cultivators answered.
“The four sword gods? Heaven is getting the four sword gods to teach the Dao? That’s great! I can learn from the sword gods’ experiences!”
“Heaven knows the four sword gods? No wonder the four sword gods are so powerful!”
“Legend says the four sword gods come from the immortal realm. It is indeed true!”
