Chapter 636 Overnight Riches, Merit-Based Reform
“Grandmaster Pang…Grandmaster Pang!” A disciple of the Nine Mountains Sect walked over, his hand holding the spiritual energy detector trembling slightly, and he could barely speak. “We haven’t found anything here either.”
Uncle Pang's eyes gleamed with silver light. His face was covered in dust, his hands and feet were cold, and he was somewhat disappointed. As a member of the Supreme Elders Committee, he naturally knew that the Nine Mountains were in serious financial trouble, which was why he placed his hopes on the virgin land of the Underworld.
This survey of underworld resources was personally led by him, the Supreme Elder, along with hundreds of his disciples.
He was proficient in the Void-Seeing Eye and had experience in investigating the Hundred Immortals Alliance. He considered himself the most suitable person among the Supreme Elders to do this job.
But to be honest, this mission was more difficult than he had imagined.
"You've worked hard..." Uncle Pang took out a glass bottle, opened the mouth of the bottle, flicked his finger, and the spiritual water in the bottle turned into a fine rain, falling onto the faces of the exploration team disciples beside him.
"Thank you very much, Elder!"
"Qingyan and the others should be thanked." Uncle Pang shook his head, then cursed, "This wretched place, the Underworld!"
The first major problem in exploring the underworld is the environment:
Although they knew before that the underworld was a special place and not very suitable for cultivators, they only realized after staying there for a while that the underworld was not only unsuitable for cultivators, but also unsuitable for living people!
The underworld is filled with yin winds, which penetrate the cultivator's body through all the orifices and can even erode the cultivator's flesh and meridians.
Staying in the underworld for too long is harmful to a cultivator's physical body; even a Nascent Soul cultivator like him felt a chill within his body.
Fortunately, Mu Qingyan and her team worked urgently to extract a kind of spiritual water that could repair the damage caused by the Yin wind.
Uncle Pang also applied a drop of spiritual water to his forehead, and felt a warm sensation throughout his body. His hands and feet were no longer stiff. He then looked at the other disciples.
“The Underworld… is indeed very barren,” Sun Daoyu said in a low voice, seemingly not wanting others to hear. “Master Yan was not lying; the Underworld truly has no spiritual materials at all.”
Uncle Pang remained silent, feeling even more dejected.
If the environment of the underworld is not very friendly to them, that's fine—the problem is, the underworld is indeed a godforsaken place.
Spiritual energy exists, but to think you can find any spiritual materials, herbs, or beasts is just a pipe dream.
They've been here for so long, and haven't found anything of value.
That's the biggest problem.
"I think that in an environment like the underworld, no creature other than spirits could survive. It's normal that there are no spirit beasts or herbs," Sun Daoyu said softly. "I'm afraid the same goes for spiritual materials."
Uncle Pang had the same suspicion, but he didn't say much. He just shook his head and said, "Extract the Yin soil from this place and send it back to the sect for examination."
"yes!"
With a wave of his hand, Sun Daoyu sent two Shenxiao warships behind him to extend their mechanical arms and collect Yin soil, which was then transported onto the warships.
After the disciples had done some initial processing, they put it into the ship's warehouse.
Uncle Pang nodded, seeing that the disciples were not in good condition, he cleared his throat, exhaled a cold, eerie breath, and said loudly, "I know you are all suffering, and I also want to go back... but we can't leave anyone behind!"
"We must be extremely careful, especially in areas where something seems amiss!"
"Everyone, please be extra careful!"
The disciples looked at each other and then replied in unison, "Yes!"
Uncle Pang kept his word and truly relied on his own two legs to trek through the underworld for eight years. Every inch of the underworld, every corner, bore his footprints.
But still, nothing was gained.
"Grandmaster Pang." Yan Changge looked at Uncle Pang squatting by the River of Oblivion, her tone filled with admiration. "The Emperor said that in this Underworld, all the souls must reincarnate, and even spiritual power is blown away by the Yin wind. There is no environment for spiritual materials to be produced. So Grandmaster Pang, you don't need to bother."
When Uncle Pang turned around, Yan Changge was secretly shocked. This Elder Pang used to be a bit chubby, but now his face had become thinner.
It should be noted that this is a Nascent Soul cultivator; such a change would not occur unless one's mental energy has been greatly depleted.
Uncle-Master Pang remained silent. Yan Changge, as a confidant of the Nine Nether Emperor, also knew the situation of the Nine Mountains Sect: "Now that Haori Mountain has been cleared away, Elder Pang, you don't need to be in such a hurry..."
"Not enough."
Yan Changge was speechless for a moment before sighing, "But you, Grandmaster Pang, have already searched the entire underworld, and there's nothing there."
"We didn't search the entire area..."
Yan Changge was taken aback, somewhat puzzled: "You've even allowed the Emperor of Yinshan to see it, so what other places are there...?"
"Here! We haven't searched this area yet." Uncle Pang pointed to the River of Oblivion in front of him, his words resolute.
"Pang Taishang, please think twice! This is the River of Oblivion, filled with the Weak Water, so shallow that even a goose feather cannot float, and it is difficult for any living being to cross it." Yan Changge was terrified. "If we cultivators enter it, we will all lose our intelligence and forget our past lives. That is why this place is called the River of Oblivion. If we come into contact with the Weak Water, we will never be able to get out and will only drown in it."
Judging from Uncle Pang's expression, he was clearly very interested in the Weak Water and seemed to want to go in and take a look.
"I know."
"No, Grandmaster Pang, you don't know." Seeing that his face and eyes were still fixed on the Weak Water, Yan Changge quickly advised, "The Weak Water flows through all realms and is the dividing line between the Yin and Yang worlds. Entering it means death. Even the Emperor dares not easily set foot in this place."
Yan Changge was very anxious—although this Master Pang's cultivation was not high, he had countless disciples in the Nine Mountains Sect, was highly respected, and was deeply trusted by Zheng Fa.
If something happens in the underworld, although the Nine Mountains Sect might not blame them, it would still be a big deal.
Uncle Pang stared at the Weak Water, his eyes gleaming with silver light, and said, "So, this Weak Water is probably one of the most wondrous places in the Underworld."
No, why do you seem more interested the more I talk about it?
"Lord Pang, you mustn't act rashly! You mustn't enter the River of Oblivion!"
"Who said I was going in?" Uncle Pang was taken aback, looked at Yan Changge, and his face said one thing: Do you think I'm stupid?
"...So, Master, you said you wanted to explore this Weak Water?"
Uncle Pang smiled, waved his hand, and a small metal figure appeared in front of everyone.
"This is... a puppet?"
"Yes, as I mentioned before, Xie Taishang proposed the idea of an unmanned warship, and later the sect got the inspiration and created this exploration puppet."
Yan Changge rarely left the underworld, and upon hearing this, he became even more curious, examining the puppet in front of him.
"This puppet actually borrows some of the flying sword and weapon-refining techniques from the Tianhe Sect, oh, and Elder Han's Ten Directions Awareness, so its detection capabilities are very strong." Uncle Pang patted the puppet's head and said, "Although this thing is newly formed, it can still help me explore the Weak Water River."
As he spoke, Uncle Pang pointed his finger, and a screen of light appeared in front of him.
The person in the light screen was actually them.
"This is... what the puppet is seeing?"
Yan Changge suddenly realized.
Uncle Pang nodded and grinned, "We disciples of the Nine Mountains Sect have never admired reckless behavior..."
Yan Changge looked at the swaying little puppet and twitched his lips—he knew who the one who was risking his life was… his ancestor.
Uncle Pang waved his hand at the puppet, and the little thing took two steps, assumed a diving posture, and plunged into the Weak Water without hesitation.
The scenery in the light screen changed.
The dim, dark liquid surged within the light screen without a sound; the Weak Water River was utterly silent.
Next to the light screen, there are some numbers and patterns.
"This is……"
“These are all data. This is the temperature, the one on the right is the spiritual energy index, and this number is the depth. This puppet seems to be being pulled down by something, and it’s falling further down. This is…” Uncle Pang explained, then suddenly paused and frowned.
"What's wrong?"
"This is the condition of each part of the puppet..." Uncle Pang said, pointing to several beams of light that were visibly descending.
"What do you mean?" Yan Changge was taken aback, then suddenly understood. "This Weak Water also has a corrosive effect on puppets?"
Uncle Pang gritted his teeth: "This puppet is inscribed with eighteen sets of defensive spells, I didn't expect it to be so fast..."
Yan Changge shook his head and said, "The Weak Water is not only harmful to cultivators and spirit beasts, but it may also have a corrosive effect on magic treasures."
Uncle Pang's smile faded as he watched the puppet fall into the Weak Water.
The Weak Water may look like a river, but once you enter its depths, you realize it is boundless and unfathomably deep, even deeper than a vast ocean.
The puppet was suffering increasing damage, but the light screen remained a monotonous, dim yellow.
"What's this?"
Suddenly, a figure slowly slid across the light screen from left to right. The person's face was ulcerated and his eyes were snow-white, which startled everyone.
Yan Changge let out a soft sigh: "The Emperor said that all the dead in the myriad realms will lose their physical bodies in the Weak Water, and even Dao Fruit cultivators are no exception."
"You mean, that person just now was a Dao Fruit cultivator?"
Uncle Pang was startled.
“Exactly. The physical bodies of cultivators below the Dao Fruit level generally cannot exist in the Weak Water for so long,” Yan Changge said with a smile. “That’s why I dared not let you, Grandmaster Pang, come into contact with the Weak Water. This thing is a thousand times, ten thousand times more damaging to the physical body than to magic treasures.”
Uncle Pang nodded slightly, continuing to look at the puppet on the light screen, and said with a hint of helplessness, "I didn't expect that this puppet would be completely uncontrollable in the Weak Water, only sinking..."
"This is also one of the strangest things about the Weak Water. No spells are effective, and anyone who comes here will only drown at the bottom of the water."
Uncle Pang had no choice but to carefully observe the images transmitted by the puppet.
The deeper you go into the water, the more corpses you find. Besides cultivators, there are also all sorts of spirit beasts, all swaying back and forth at the bottom of the Weak Water River, a sight that sends chills down your spine.
After a while, Uncle Pang's eyes lit up and then dimmed.
Did you see that?
Yan Changge nodded repeatedly, clearly having also noticed the anomaly on the light screen.
After a while, the puppet gradually sank to the bottom of the Weak Water, and a bright light filled the light screen.
Uncle Pang and Yan Changge slowly turned their heads, looked at each other, and opened their mouths wide, as if they could not believe what they were seeing.
...
"Spirit stones?" The Nine Nether Emperor suddenly stood up from the palace. "Are there spirit stone mines in the Weak Water?"
"That's not all." Uncle Pang stood in the hall, his eyes shining. "The Weak Water is producing spirit stones!"
"Generate?" Emperor Jiuyou's eyes suddenly lit up.
"The sect has been exploring how spirit stones are produced. This thing is too mysterious to even be manufactured," Uncle Pang explained. "Therefore, we have been unable to find a solution. After seeing the situation at Weak Water, Zheng Fa proposed an idea."
"Tell me about it."
“Spirit stones are likely the product of the interaction between weak water and the cultivator’s physical body or spiritual power.”
"As for how it works, we don't know yet."
"But generally speaking, it must be because the Weak Water has special properties that wash away the cultivator's consciousness, leaving only a mixture of spiritual energy and soul—and that's why it can be used to inscribe runes."
Yan Changge asked in confusion, "Didn't Xuanwei also have spirit stone mines before the Underworld appeared?"
"Who said there wasn't a underworld before?"
The Nine Nether Emperor understood: "So, you mean that the spirit stones from before were remnants from ancient times, and only now that the Underworld has been re-established can the Weak Water produce spirit stones again?"
"That's our guess."
The Nine Netherworld Emperor's eyes shone with an alarming light. He turned to look at the empty palace, a look of bittersweet joy on his face.
Not to mention him, Yan Changge and the others were overjoyed—their hard times were over, and they were about to become rich overnight!
Emperor Jiuyou was silent for a moment, then suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "I said before that whatever is discovered, Jiushan Sect can use it."
Yan Changge was dumbfounded. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he didn't know what to say. Now they were also people of the Nine Mountains Sect.
"This is something that Junior Nephew Zhang would like to discuss with Your Majesty."
"Talk? Talk about what?" Emperor Jiuyou didn't quite understand.
Uncle Pang scratched his head, seemingly finding it a bit difficult: "Nephew Zhang and Zheng Fa discussed it—but Nephew Zhang is currently helping Zheng Fa break the formation and cannot spare the time, Your Majesty, please wait a little longer."
The Nine Netherworld Emperor was even more puzzled. In terms of status, Pang Taishang was no less than Zhang Wuyi, so why did he insist on waiting for Zhang Wuyi to come?
Uncle Pang laughed, looking a little embarrassed: "It's not anything else, it's just that I didn't understand what they were saying."
"..."
...
Two years later, Senior Sister Zhang personally went to the underworld.
Senior Sister Zhang bowed to Emperor Jiuyou and apologized, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Your Majesty."
"It's alright." The Nine Nether Emperor first inquired about something else, "How is Zheng Fa now?"
"For now, things are stable; you don't need my help anymore."
Senior Sister Zhang explained briefly, then said directly, "I came here because of the spirit stone in the Weak Water."
"I said, you can do whatever you want with me." Emperor Jiuyou waved his hand, as if he didn't care much.
"..."
Senior Sister Zhang looked at him with a hint of a smile in her eyes.
The Nine Nether Emperor smiled with a hint of smugness: "I suppose the Nine Mountains Sect wouldn't treat my Underworld unfairly."
Despite the Nine Nether Emperor's bold words, Senior Sister Zhang could still discern his true intentions—no matter what, the Weak Water was in the Underworld, under the control of the Nine Nether Emperor, a Taiyi Golden Immortal.
If the Nine Nether Emperor is truly dissatisfied and cuts off the supply of spirit stones, the Nine Mountains Sect will be unable to do anything about him in the future.
Senior Sister Zhang slowly shook her head and said helplessly, "We originally wanted to handle this matter according to the maritime model, but Junior Brother has another idea."
What are your thoughts?
The Nine Nether Emperor asked curiously.
"We are planning to establish a Heaven and Earth Bank."
"Heaven and earth what?"
The Nine Netherworld Emperor was dumbfounded. He finally understood why Uncle Pang said he couldn't understand.
"Heaven and Earth Bank".
“I know about money houses.” Emperor Jiuyou nodded slightly. “You mean, issue notes using spirit stones as capital?”
"No, we already have a currency."
"What?"
"Good deeds."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jiuyou was both somewhat enlightened and confused. Then, Senior Sister Zhang continued to explain, "We plan to expand the merit system of Jiushan and promote it outside the sect. In the future, merit will be renamed Jiushan Coin. The Heaven and Earth Bank will be the issuing institution of Jiushan Coin."
“In the future, the value of Nine Mountain Coins will be forcibly anchored to spirit stones. Junior Brother is even considering allowing cultivators to exchange Nine Mountain Coins for spirit stones at money shops.”
(End of this chapter)
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