Three days later.
Fangzhou, deep in the Cangjiang Water Palace.
The door of the cave, which had been closed for many years, slowly opened, and Zhang Yao stepped out wearing a Taoist robe.
"Guild Master!"
"Meet the leader!"
Zhang Yao wandered around the water palace for a while. Along the way, many Qi Refining disciples he encountered were stunned and bowed to avoid him.
Soon, the news of Zhang Yao's release spread throughout the Cangjiang Water Mansion.
When he wandered to the main hall, it didn't take long for Peng Yuexian to lead a group of foundation-building masters and hurried over.
"President."
After Peng Yue greeted everyone, he looked at Zhang Yao and said in surprise:
"Have you consolidated your realm?"
"good."
Zhang Yao nodded slightly and showed a faint smile:
"I occasionally gained something during the retreat, and the refining speed has been accelerated a bit."
When Peng Yuexian and others heard this, they couldn't help but look at each other a few times, their eyes a bit complicated.
Despite their suspicions, they were still very surprised when they realized that Zhang Yao's aura was steady and deep, with no sign of frivolity.
While others would need at least ten years of retreat, Zhang Yao only spent just over five years. Combined with his previous achievements and training speed, everyone doubted whether this guild leader was really a Tianlinggen monk.
"Nothing major happened during the few years I was in seclusion..."
After Zhang Yao exchanged a few pleasantries, he began to routinely inquire about GCC affairs.
Peng Yuexian also responded fluently to this question. Apparently, Zhang Yao had been worrying about this a lot during his time in seclusion.
"Um……"
After Zhang Yao listened to his answer, he nodded and said:
"Generally speaking, the situation in Dali has become much more stable now that the Five Elements Secret Realm is about to reopen."
"right."
Peng Yuexian also said:
"In recent years, there have been fewer private fights with Master Ji Zhu, and the major forces have been very restrained."
"Thanks to this, our industries in the GCC have become much more stable."
Zhang Yao nodded again when he heard this.
In the Dali Immortal Cultivation World, there are only a handful of scattered Foundation-Building monks. The addition of more than a dozen major forces and the four major golden elixir forces already includes most of the Foundation-Building monks.
If these dozen major forces are stabilized, it will mean that the entire Dali cultivating world is stabilized. And because of Tianbao Tower's operating model, these dozen major forces are basically minority shareholders of Tianbao Tower.
This is also the real reason why Yu Wentai deliberately planned to reopen the Five Elements Secret Realm with Tianbao Tower as the leading factor.
After all, the amount of soul energy needed to build the 'Ten Thousand Souls' Formation' is not a small amount.
To collect soul energy from mortals, it requires covering more than a million mortals, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the effect is also the worst.
To collect it from Qi Refining monks, at least tens of thousands of Qi Refining monks were needed. The four major golden elixir forces had scattered many soul beads to meet the conditions.
If collected from foundation-building monks, it would only cost a few hundred, and the quality would be very high, which would be very beneficial to future practice. The most important thing is that all processes can be carried out in the secret realm without fear of suspicion and interference.
If it hadn't been for the sudden outbreak of the Five Sects War and the refusal of the four golden elixir forces to directly open the secret realm after the war, Yu Wentai would have returned to the golden elixir realm a hundred years ago.
"By the way, Master."
Peng Yue spoke first and then added:
"In the past few years, while you have been in seclusion, I have taken the initiative to recruit a new breakthrough Foundation Establishment Master."
"oh?"
Hearing this, Zhang Yao immediately smiled and said:
"This is not like making the decision without authorization. I told you before the retreat that you can take care of the matters on your own during the meeting."
"Besides, it would be a great thing if our GCC can absorb new blood and grow stronger."
Speaking of this, he asked:
"Where is the Master of Foundation Establishment?"
Peng Yuexian replied:
"Two years ago, I arranged for him to go to Suiyu Mountain to take charge. He is currently in the mining area."
"Really……"
Zhang Yao smiled and said:
"Then just send someone to summon him and ask him to come back when he has time."
"OK."
Peng Yue nodded first and agreed.
After the two exchanged some more matters during the meeting, Zhang Yao sent them away and wandered back to his cave.
“Instead of being passive, it’s better to be proactive.”
After Zhang Yao returned to the cave, he made himself a pot of spiritual tea, picked up the teacup and took a sip, thinking to himself:
"I just don't know how Fuhaizong and the other families will deal with Tianbao Tower..."
Yu Wentai's disappearance cannot be concealed for long. Even though his death cannot be confirmed, his disappearance is real.
The disappearance of the master of Tianbao Tower will inevitably cause an uproar, shake the entire Dali cultivation world, and even bring further turmoil.
The interests of Tianbao Tower are too great. Not to mention the internal high-level officials who want to fight for control, even several Jindan ancestors may be tempted. Even if they don't end up personally, they will never let go.
Zhang Yao could have pretended to be in seclusion to avoid the storm, but after thinking about it for a while, he decided to leave the seclusion in advance and be prepared to deal with the storm.
"Crack!"
He took out another piece of Taibai Fine Gold, chewed it clean in a few mouthfuls, mixed it with the spirit tea and swallowed it:
"Well, the taste of home-made black jade is indeed pretty good, a bit stronger than the finished black jade."
While he was devouring and refining the spiritual gold, he was still thinking about the impact of this matter.
To be honest, he didn't really want to care about the disputes in Tianbao Tower. After all, Yuwentai's secret vault had been plundered by him, and it would be difficult for him to get more benefits.
However, when we are living on the same lake, there are some storms and waves that we cannot avoid even if we want to.
With his current status, if the Fuhai Sect really makes any moves, they will definitely find him. If he hides, the GCC will not be able to hide either.
At this stage, until the Five Elements Secret Realm is really opened, the GCC is still very useful to him. He does not want his subordinates to suffer heavy losses due to the lack of him. If his plan is delayed, that is a small gain.
"We can only take one step at a time."
After Zhang Yao thought for a while, he made up his mind:
"The current goal is to survive this crisis as smoothly as possible without exposing the true strength, and to hold on until the Five Elements Secret Realm is opened."
"Next, let's see when the thunder in Tianbao Tower explodes..."
…………
The impact of Zhang Yao's departure was limited to the GCC and did not cause much disturbance to the outside world.
The next day, the newly promoted foundation-builder 'Hongdu Zhenren' who was stationed at Suiyu Mountain hurried back to Shuifu after receiving the summons and paid a respectful visit to Zhang Yao.
Zhang Yao encouraged him, gave him some benefits, and sent him back.
In the days that followed, Zhang Yao sat in the Water Mansion, practicing exercises, swallowing spiritual gold and precious materials, and understanding Taoist secrets every day. He lived a very leisurely life.
On one side, the years are quiet and peaceful, but on the other side, there is an undercurrent.
After just ten days passed, there were some rumors in Tianbao Tower, mainly about the owner of the building, Yu Wentai.
Everyone in the Dali cultivating world knows:
Yu Wen, the master of the building, was a genius. He had reached the perfect state of foundation building a hundred years ago and had invincible strength under the golden elixir. Therefore, there was no need for him to live in seclusion and practice hard.
Over the years, Yuwentai has occasionally retreated, but it only lasted for ten days and a half at most. This time, Yuwentai did not show up for nearly a month, which made people speculate a lot.
After all, his status and power are high, second only to several Jindan ancestors, and every move he makes will attract the attention of countless people.
Moreover, several Jindan Patriarchs are aloof and semi-hidden within their sects and clans all year round. Very few people can see them, but Yu Wentai is active in the public and has to preside over all matters of Tianbao Tower, so the attention is naturally higher. many.
But after all, it's only been less than a month, and so far it's just some rumors, and no one takes it to heart - maybe Yu Wentai has a temporary inspiration and is practicing some new Taoism?
But as time continues to pass:
One day, two days...seven days, half a month...
Until a full month later, Yu Wentai never showed up, and the wind direction inside Tianbao Tower gradually changed.
As more people began to discuss and speculate, several senior executives of Tianbao Tower could not sit still. They did not dare to disturb Yuwentai's retreat, so they went to the top floor to inquire.
Li Shuixian was annoyed by their disturbance, but she didn't know why Yu Wentai suddenly extended the retreat time, and she didn't dare to disturb them, so she could only deal with it reluctantly.
After another month of dragging and bumping like this, the situation is completely different.
The senior management in the building, the foundation-building monks, the middle-level supervisors, the lower-level monks... everyone became impetuous and began to speculate whether something unexpected had happened to Yuwentai.
After all, Yu Wentai was silent and didn't say hello in advance. It was a bit abnormal to suddenly stay in seclusion for three months without showing up.
Even if there is a wonderful epiphany, it should be possible with a spiritual message, right?
But for such a long time, no one had received a summons from Yuwentai, which caused many people to have little thoughts.
Against this background, the entire interior of Tianbao Building became undercurrents. The top floor of the headquarters, which few people had ever set foot on, had almost become a living room where people came and went.
On this day:
After Li Shuixian sent away several visitors, he slumped on the ground with a look of exhaustion on his face.
As time goes by, the impact of Yu Wentai's never showing up is no longer limited to the interior of Tianbao Tower.
In addition to the major internal factions, many small shareholders of Tianbao Tower, and even several major shareholders such as Fuhai Sect and Dugu Family, have expressed their close concern and exploration.
As these days passed, she had to deal with waves of people and deal with all the major forces. She was really exhausted.
And what worries her the most is:
It had been three whole months, and she had not received any information. The quiet room had always been closed, and there was no sign of it being opened.
"Even Ancestor Zhenyang of Lingyang Sect has personally sent people here. I'm afraid they won't be able to hold themselves back anymore..."
Li Shuixian's face was gloomy, and he couldn't help but feel worried.
What she fears most now is that something unexpected happens to Yu Wentai, and her life, which has just gotten better, will suddenly fall into hell again.
Regardless of her status now, many foundation-building experts who come and go are very well-behaved. Even the envoys of the Golden Elixir Ancestor have to be polite to her, but all this is based on Yuwentai's treatment of her. On top of love and trust.
Everyone was giving Yuwentai face and didn't really take her seriously, which she also knew very well.
But the problem is:
Even the ancestor of Jindan has expressed concern about the current situation and even sent someone to inquire in person. So what's the next step? What else are they going to do?
Inside Tianbao Tower, there was originally a mixture of fish and dragons, with personnel from various forces deployed there, as well as a large number of casual cultivators and foundation-building cultivators from declining sect families. The situation was very complicated.
Yuwentai was able to suppress people and even keep his word. That was because of his strength, methods and the prestige accumulated over the past century.
Once he is gone, no one of the major factions will obey the other, and with the help of large and small shareholders, Tianbao Tower will immediately fall into chaos.
All the major forces are very aware of this, so many visitors come in droves, eager to find out some inside information, lest they fall behind others and be at a disadvantage in the competition that may arise next.
"No, we can't wait any longer!"
Li Shuixian gritted his teeth and stood up suddenly.
She is also a decisive person. After making up her mind, she stopped delaying and immediately walked towards the quiet room.
Under normal circumstances, if something unexpected happened while Yuwentai was in seclusion, she would trigger the formation to send a message to the quiet room, but she tried many times without any response.
For the current plan, the only way to go is to forcefully open the formation from the outside.
"I hope Master will forgive me!"
Li Shuixian apologized, raised his hand and fired more than a dozen spells, gradually unlocking the protective formation in the quiet room on the top floor.
This is also due to Yuwentai's trust in her and teaching her this set of techniques. Otherwise, she would really just stare at it now.
"boom……"
After the formation dissipated, the thick metal door of the quiet room slowly opened.
Li Shuixian only glanced inward, and suddenly his whole body froze, his hands and feet were cold, and his mind went blank, leaving only one thought:
"It's over!!"
The quiet room was completely empty, with not even a single person in sight!
There is no doubt that her cheap master Yu Wentai must have had an accident. He either died, ran away, or was hiding somewhere.
But one thing can be confirmed - he gave up Tianbao Tower and his only disciple.
"How could this happen? Master would suddenly disappear..."
Li Shuixian came back to her senses and forced herself to calm down, but she was still trembling all over and felt bitter:
"What should I do now?"
No matter what accident happens to Yu Wentai, since he has not shown up for such a long time, it is probably unrealistic to expect him to suddenly perform the drama of the return of the king.
Now she has lost her only support and must find a way out for herself.
"How about... going to join the GCC again?"
The first thought in her mind was to run to her old sweetheart.
After all, the relationship between the two parties was quite close, and the wanted order was later cancelled. Yuwentai even rewarded him with some benefits. She thought that at least the two parties could talk.
With the strength of the GCC and the reputation of Qingxu Zhenren, if you really want to protect her, it can definitely be done.
But in the next moment, she overturned this idea, her face looking gloomy and scary.
"I still can't see through Master Qingxu, but I'm afraid he doesn't have much affection for me in his heart... If you really put your hopes on him, the end will probably be worrying!"
She has always been reluctant to leave her destiny in the hands of others. She would rather make her own decisions and bear everything by herself - even if this decision will put her in an irreversible situation.
"It's definitely too late to escape now."
In Li Shuixian's mind, thoughts floated up and down:
"A month or two ago, it would have been possible to get through, take away part of the money and escape from Dali."
"But now, even the ancestor of Jindan is paying attention to this matter, and countless people inside and outside Tianbao Tower are staring at me. If I want to escape, it is a fantasy!"
After thinking about this, she took a deep breath, with a trace of determination in her eyes:
"Then there's only one way left..."
(End of chapter)
