Chapter 750: Li Ci Arrives at the Dao Palace! The Saintess Signs

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~9~8~7~6~5~4~3~2~1~

While the Wang Clan's "international trade" was flourishing, on the other side, Wang Lici, who had followed her master to the Absolute Beginning Dao Palace, was finally nearing the end of her long journey.

On the deck at the top of the Heavenly Saint Cloud Ark, Wang Lici was happily grilling the leg of a Void Floating Dragon that her master had caught for her last month while passing through the void.

As the dragon leg gradually cooked, a strong aroma filled the deck.

Si Wuchou and Scum Rat crouched on either side of Wang Lici, skillfully and diligently controlling the heat for her, their eyes fixed on the huge dragon leg on the grill, their mouths watering.

After following Wang Lici for a while, Si Wuchou had long lost his initial reluctance.

There was no other way; following Wang Lici, when it came to food, was absolutely a treat. Whenever Wang Lici got something good, he would always get a taste. Although it wasn't much, the quality was high.

He didn't have such good treatment when he was in the Si Clan.

Not to mention whether the elders of the Si Clan would spoil their disciples so shamelessly, feeding them all sorts of precious spirit food ingredients, even if the Si Clan obtained valuable spirit food ingredients, they would definitely prioritize their family's Saint Seed. As a True Immortal seed, he would have to stand at the back.

In addition, Wang Lici always took care of people she truly approved of, and she had an aura that turned danger into safety. Si Wuchou followed her without encountering danger, but he never lacked for good things.

Over time, he gradually grew to like this simple, worry-free life without schemes.

Thinking about it this way, his name, Si Wuchou (meaning 'no worries'), was indeed not wrong. Following Li Ci as an attendant meant he had nothing to worry about.

In a trance, Si Wuchou thought of his distant cousin, Si Wuyou. Si Wuyou, also a True Immortal seed, seemed to have been traveling for a long time, and the family was currently searching for his whereabouts.

He hoped his cousin, like himself, would also turn danger into safety and be worry-free.

Soon, the Void Floating Dragon leg was grilled. Si Wuchou quickly pushed his worry-free cousin to the back of his mind and eagerly watched Li Ci distribute the meat.

Wang Lici divided the entire leg into several pieces, handed a piece to Si Wuchou and Scum Rat, and then picked up one for herself, devouring it with gusto.

While they were eating, Lan Wan'er excitedly ran over: "We're here, we're here! I just asked the senior brother piloting the ship. After this floating cloud mountain range, we'll reach the East Heaven Gate of the Grotto-Heaven world where the Absolute Beginning Dao Palace is located."

With that, Lan Wan'er plopped down next to Scum Rat. Wang Lici casually handed her a piece of leg meat, her face filled with joy.

"Finally here!"

Although she had passed through many Immortal Dynasties and even two or three Saint Dynasties along the way, and occasionally disembarked for some sightseeing, most of her time was spent on the Heavenly Saint Cloud Ark. After a long time, it was inevitably a bit boring.

Before setting off, she really hadn't expected the Absolute Beginning Dao Palace to be so far away, ridiculously far.

Fortunately, they were finally about to arrive.

Indeed, before they could even finish gnawing on their leg meat, the Heavenly Saint Cloud Ark, which had been rapidly flying through the high-altitude Gangfeng layer (a layer of strong winds in the upper atmosphere), began to slow down.

In the sky ahead.

A spatial portal seemed to sense the approach of the Heavenly Saint Cloud Ark and appeared out of thin air.

It was a huge jade-white gate tower.

It floated in the sky like a phantom, faintly visible, and one could even vaguely see the intricate and exquisite patterns on its thick gate columns.

Golden spiritual light flowed through the patterns, and a faint halo emanated from the center of the gate tower, radiating ripples of space like water waves.

The Heavenly Saint Cloud Ark passed through the gate tower and instantly arrived in another space.

"Hiss! This is the Absolute Beginning Dao Palace..."

Wang Lici and the others widened their eyes.

What appeared before them was a place filled with immortal energy, like a paradise on earth.

Throughout the Grotto-Heaven world, there were countless floating immortal islands, arranged in a staggered and well-proportioned manner.

Although they were far away and not clearly visible, it was clear that these immortal islands were not small in size; each one was as huge as a real island.

Some floating immortal islands were even connected by covered walkways and bridges, appearing from a distance like a single continuous continent.

Some immortal islands stood alone, self-contained.

But without exception, every immortal island was filled with spiritual charm and ethereal clouds. Immortal beasts roamed on them, immortal cranes cried, and spiritual flowers and exotic plants were everywhere.

On most floating immortal islands, there were exquisite and magnificent palaces. From afar, they were truly beautiful, like residences of immortals.

If there truly was a fairyland in this world, it would probably be like this.

"This, isn't this the Heavenly Court from Journey to the West?" Wang Lici's eyes widened, and she almost blurted it out. When Fourth Uncle, Yaoyao, and An'an used to tell stories from Journey to the West, she had listened in.

She felt that the Absolute Beginning Dao Palace bore a striking resemblance to the Heavenly Court Fourth Uncle described, which made her a little dazed. Could it be that Fourth Uncle had actually been to the Absolute Beginning Dao Palace?

...

At the same time.

Tianrui Saint Dynasty.

In recent days, the Tianrui Saint Dynasty and the already somewhat disharmonious Tianxing Saint Dynasty had experienced a series of conflicts and frictions, with the situation even escalating.

The reason was simple.

The Tianrui Immortal Clan's Jiang Family, which was on the verge of decline, made a deal with the Tianrui Si Clan. They offered the key to a secret small Grotto-Heaven in exchange for the Si Clan's future protection of the Jiang Family. The resources of a small Grotto-Heaven were quite attractive to the Saint Clan's Si Clan. It could contain Immortal Scriptures, Immortal Artifacts, and even a series of Treasure Codex resources.

Furthermore, the long-closed small Grotto-Heaven might also contain numerous spirit medicines and could serve as a future planting base for spirit fields and spirit medicines. In short, it was a considerable fortune.

The only small problem was that the Tianxing Saint Dynasty's Wu Immortal Clan was also eyeing this small Grotto-Heaven.

However, the Tianrui Si Clan didn't pay any attention to the Tianxing Wu Clan. Although the Wu Clan had two True Immortals, they were merely two True Immortals. Several elders of the Si Clan, working together, easily took over the small Grotto-Heaven ruins.

But the expelled Wu Clan wasn't having it and immediately contacted the Tianxing Saint Clan's Gui Clan. The Gui Clan was partly after the interests of the small Grotto-Heaven and partly unwilling to sit idly by while their old rival, the Tianrui Si Clan, grew stronger.

The two sides engaged in a series of struggles over the small Grotto-Heaven ruins, escalating from verbal disputes to skirmishes. In a recent major conflict, several Transcendent Realm elders from both sides died.

As a result, the conflict flared up like adding fuel to fire, directly alarming the Grand Overarching Saint Venerable Ancestors of both sides. The two sides even had a remote confrontation, which naturally ended in a draw.

With the small Grotto-Heaven dispute as the fuse, the accumulated contradictions between the Tianrui and Tianxing Saint Dynasties gradually spiraled out of control. The situation became increasingly tense, and war between the two sides seemed imminent.

At the same time.

The Tianrui Jiang Family, which had been the fuse, also received a piece of bad news.

Their desperate plan to cultivate Jiang Yunxuan had failed.

The eleventh-grade Saint Manifestation Pill not only failed to assist Jiang Yunxuan in breaking through his Bloodline but also caused him to suffer a backlash, leaving him severely injured and half-dead in bed.

The Tianrui Holy Emperor expressed his helplessness. He had long advised the Jiang Family not to take such risks, but they insisted. The Tianrui Holy Emperor had also incurred considerable costs to repay an old favor owed by his ancestors.

Moreover, the Tianrui Holy Emperor was quite dissatisfied with the Jiang Family.

The current conflicts and frictions between the two Saint Dynasties were, after all, caused by the Jiang Family.

From this point on, the Tianrui Holy Emperor's lineage no longer owed the Jiang Family anything. In the future, whether the Jiang Family lived or died, flourished or declined, it would all be up to them.

All these changes in the situation were not necessarily bad for the Wang Clan. At least, due to the increasing pressure of war, prices in the Tianrui and Tianxing Dynasties, as well as the surrounding Immortal Dynasties, were constantly rising, especially for strategic resources like grain and weapons, whose prices soared even more.

Just from the rise in Spirit Rice prices alone, the Sacred Domain Development General Directorate made a fortune. In addition, the Sacred Domain Development General Directorate also opened up a new source of income: selling low-grade Black Tortoise and weapons.

Various mineral resources in the Silla Immortal Dynasty were very cheap, with the price of crude Xuan Iron ingots being less than 40% of that in the Shenwu World. After these ingots were transported back to the Shenwu World, undergoing a series of blast furnace forging and precise assembly line production, the total production cost of a set of the latest Black Tortoise improved model was only 260 Immortal Crystals.

However, these Black Tortoises, when sold to the Yajiao Immortal Dynasty near the Tianxing Saint Dynasty, fetched a price of 1,400 Immortal Crystals per set. This was certainly due to the constantly rising war pressure, but it also proved that the Wang Clan Artifact Refining General Division had very strong craftsmanship and mass production capabilities for low-grade equipment.

Therefore, the Sacred Domain Development General Directorate decided to sell 70% of the output of the "Black Tortoise Improved Model" produced by the Wang Clan Artifact Refining General Division to the Sacred Domain to recoup funds, and use the remaining 30% to upgrade the equipment of the Divine Martial Army.

However, the Wang Clan Artifact Refining General Division was an independently accounted unit, separate from the Sacred Domain Development General Directorate. It was impossible for them to do unprofitable business or work for free.

As for the price, it had to be negotiated, and profits still had to be made.

...

At the same time.

Silla Immortal Dynasty.

Inside the Divine Treasure Hall's Silla Branch.

The Divine Treasure Hall traded a wide variety of items, including extremely valuable ones. Therefore, for security reasons, each branch of the Divine Treasure Hall had many secret storerooms, and apart from the branch head, ordinary people had no access.

At this moment.

In the deep corridor beneath the Divine Treasure Hall's Silla Branch, the Pavilion Master, Yao Yumei, was moving through numerous restrictions.

The dim light shone on her, casting a halo over her light purple gauze dress, making the atmosphere in the corridor seem mysterious.

Before long, she stopped at the door of a secret vault at the end of the corridor.

The sign on the door of this secret vault had the character "Heaven" engraved on it, making it the highest-security secret vault in the branch. The vault's walls could block the prying of Saint Venerable-level grand elders, and its defense was extremely high, capable of withstanding a Saint Venerable for one or two hours.

She skillfully pushed the door open and walked in.

Under the bright lights of the secret vault, Water Moon Saintess lay on the bed with her hair disheveled.

Compared to her former vibrant self in red robes, she now appeared dim and lifeless, as if she had lost everything. She showed no reaction when Yao Yumei entered.

"Ancestor Anqing!"

Seeing her like this, Yao Yumei's face showed helplessness.

She tidied the table and casually took out a large pile of various delicious foods from her storage ring, including a large box of fragrant sixth-grade Spirit Rice.

"This is the meal I ordered for you from Yikang Food Palace. You should at least eat a little. Here, this is the latest sixth-grade Clear Yuan Spirit Rice. It's fragrant and delicious, and it can help you recover."

For an ordinary True Immortal, having sixth-grade Spirit Rice was already very happy. Some poor True Immortals could only eat fifth-grade Spirit Rice most of the time and would only sparingly eat sixth-grade Spirit Rice to improve their meals during festivals.

But Water Moon Saintess was different. When she was in Water Moon Grotto-Heaven, all her resource supplies were of the highest grade. Her usual Spirit Rice allowance was 60% sixth-grade Spirit Rice and 40% seventh-grade Spirit Rice.

"Yumei..." Water Moon Saintess said weakly, her eyes dull, "I have no appetite, you eat it yourself. I feel like I've failed terribly as a Saintess. I owe a mountain of debt, and I don't even dare to go back to the Grotto-Heaven."

"You did fail a bit," Yao Yumei said, readily agreeing, as she picked up a bowl and started eating the sixth-grade Spirit Rice. "Saint Venerable sent word that someone is holding banners outside Water Moon Grotto-Heaven to collect debts. But this time, Saint Venerable said that every wrong has its perpetrator, and you are not allowed to step back into Water Moon Grotto-Heaven until you pay off your debts. Ancestor Anqing, you...sigh~"

Water Moon Saintess's real name was Yao Anqing, and she hailed from the Tianrui Immortal Clan's Yao Clan. Because of her exceptional talent from a young age, she was taken in as a disciple by Water Moon Saint Venerable and eventually became a generation's Saintess.

The Tianrui Yao Clan was naturally proud of her, but now...

Because she had not shown herself, people were now blocking the gates of the Tianrui Yao Clan. While several elders of the family tried their best to cope, they sighed all day long.

"Yumei, you're not even comforting me? You're actually eating so deliciously..." Water Moon Saintess looked at Yao Yumei in disbelief, then simply sat up and joined the eating frenzy, pouting, "Don't worry, I'll pay off my own debts!"

"With what? You owe a total of over eighty Immortal Spirit Stones this time!" Yao Yumei said, supporting her forehead in exasperation. "Even if the family could immediately come up with that much liquid capital to pay off the debt, the family's financial situation would become very tight afterwards."

The total assets of a powerful Immortal Clan were certainly far more than eighty Immortal Spirit Stones. But assets were assets, and liquid funds were liquid funds. Most families had a natural resistance to selling off family assets, considering it selling off ancestral property, which would betray their ancestors and be seen as a symbol of the family's decline.

"Uh... I actually still owe Young Master Shoujie twenty Immortal Spirit Stones as principal..." Water Moon Saintess blushed.

"Twenty more?" Yao Yumei rubbed her temples, exasperated. "No wonder Young Master Shoujie sent a message saying he wanted to see you."

"Young Master Shoujie wants to see me?" Water Moon Saintess instantly became extremely nervous upon hearing this. "You, you, you didn't let him come over, did you?"

"Yes~" Yao Yumei nodded with a matter-of-fact expression. "How could I refuse Young Master Shoujie's request?"

"It's over, it's over." Water Moon Saintess's face instantly drooped, and she looked like she was about to cry. "When I borrowed money before, I vowed to give him dividends, but now I'm in such a miserable state. Won't he laugh me to death? If he sees me in such a disheveled state, won't it be utterly humiliating?"

"Ancestor Anqing, don't worry." Yao Yumei said, "Actually, Young Master Shoujie is a good person. After he heard about your situation, he said he could help you take on and pay off the debts first."

What?!

Water Moon Saintess was dumbfounded, her beautiful eyes almost popping out of their sockets: "Young Master Shoujie is willing to help me pay off my debts?"

In an instant, she was so excited that tears almost fell.

"There are probably some conditions," Yao Yumei said seriously. "After all, the total debt you owe is one Primordial Chaos Spirit Stone."

"Conditions? What conditions?" Water Moon Saintess quickly pressed.

"I'm not sure, but thinking from Young Master's perspective, Ancestor Anqing, there's really nothing he could possibly want from you." Yao Yumei frowned.

"What do you mean there's nothing?" Water Moon Saintess immediately became unhappy. She raised her head, puffed out her chest, and pointed at herself, saying, "I'm still a Saintess, after all. There's some beauty to be desired."

"..." Yao Yumei looked at her disheveled hair and dull appearance, and couldn't help but shake her head. "Young Master is only over four hundred years old... you are already three thousand years old."

"What's wrong with three thousand years old?" Water Moon Saintess said self-righteously, "Is a Saintess who is about to advance to Mid-stage True Immortal very old at three thousand? It's just beauty, you tell him to come, I'll give it to him."

"Alright, then Ancestor Anqing, please wash and dress yourself well." Yao Yumei sighed, got up and walked out. "I will arrange for Young Master to meet you as soon as possible."

"Yumei, you're serious?" Water Moon Saintess was a little flustered.

"Otherwise?" Yao Yumei also said helplessly, "Your master is unwilling to pay, and the family is under great pressure. This matter cannot be dragged out... Besides, Young Master Shoujie is so handsome and has a high Bloodline, you won't be at a disadvantage. I'd wish for this opportunity myself~~"

With that, Yao Yumei gracefully left the secret vault, leaving Water Moon Saintess sitting there, her eyes blank.

...

Half a month later.

In the suburbs of Silla Immortal City, an immortal villa under the Divine Treasure Hall.

This villa was one of the many properties under the Divine Treasure Hall. Due to the presence of a hot spring Spirit Spring in the villa, the entire villa was filled with abundant spiritual energy, perpetually like spring, making it an excellent place for leisure and recuperation.

The Divine Treasure Hall had renovated this villa specifically to host distinguished guests.

Being located in the suburbs, and not usually receiving guests, the villa was quite private, with almost no one present except for the villa manager and servants.

Under Yao Yumei's arrangement, Wang Shoujie and Water Moon Saintess secretly met at this villa.

To prevent the leakage of Water Moon Saintess's whereabouts, the staff in the villa had been withdrawn early, so there was no one else in the entire villa except Wang Shoujie and Water Moon Saintess.

Out of a certain psychological need, Water Moon Saintess had indeed made preparations in advance, washing herself clean and tender with Immortal Spring and meticulously dressing up.

One had to admit that when Water Moon Saintess was properly dressed up, as long as she didn't speak, she could indeed be described as a Celestial Immortal-like figure.

Especially at this moment, the sun was just right in the villa garden. Golden sunlight sprinkled on her red dress, making her appear even more like a vibrant peony flower, radiant and captivating.

"I've heard about the Saintess's situation," Wang Shoujie said calmly. "I believe Yumei has already discussed it with you, so I won't waste any more words. I can take on all the debts, but there's a condition."

"Fourth Uncle, I understand!" Half a month had passed, and Water Moon Saintess had also prepared herself mentally. She immediately nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice. "There's no free lunch in this world. I agree to all your conditions."

"Very good, the Saintess is a smart person." Wang Shoujie nodded. "Then let's begin."

With that, he prepared to take out the already drafted contract.

Unexpectedly.

As soon as he had the contract in his hand, Water Moon Saintess had already begun to unbutton her clothes, saying shyly as she did so, "Fourth Uncle, this matter must be kept a secret! My master and the others must never know, especially Li Ci..."

Wang Shoujie's expression froze, then his face instantly darkened, and he angrily said, "What are you doing?"

"Isn't it to pay off the debt..." Water Moon Saintess also widened her beautiful eyes, slightly stunned. "Could it be that you have some special fetish? Don't worry, seeing as you're so handsome and elegant, I can..."

"Who wants you to pay off debt like that?" Wang Shoujie slapped his forehead, completely speechless. "What's wrong with your head?"

He was too lazy to waste any more words with her, so he directly pulled out the "Long-term Labor Bond" and slapped it in front of her: "Read the terms yourself. If there's no problem, sign it."

"Contract terms?" Water Moon Saintess tremblingly picked up the "bond" and examined it carefully.

The terms seemed complicated, but in reality, Wang Shoujie would undertake 100 Immortal Spirit Stones of her debt, and in return, she would work for Wang Shoujie for five hundred years.

During these five hundred years, Wang Shoujie would provide her with a normal salary, currently at a rate of thirty Top-grade Spirit Stones per year, increasing to forty Top-grade Spirit Stones in the middle stage.

However, to prevent her from gambling, these Top-grade Spirit Stones would not be given directly to her but would be exchanged for resources such as sixth-grade Spirit Rice, spirit food, and Spirit Elixir.

This treatment was already very good.

Under normal circumstances, Water Moon Saintess also enjoyed resources of this level in Water Moon Grotto-Heaven, which was naturally incomparable to ordinary True Immortals. Moreover, she would soon reach the middle stage, and coupled with her own semi-Saint artifact, her combat power was by no means ordinary.

One couldn't say she would definitely defeat the Nine Hells Demon God in a one-on-one fight, but she could at least serve as an absolute main force. After all, the Nine Hells Demon God was also a pervert, a True Demon attempting to ascend to Demon Lord, so how could his Bloodline be simple?

In addition, if she performed extra meritorious deeds, there would be additional contribution point rewards.

"This, this, this..." Water Moon Saintess looked at Wang Shoujie, dumbfounded. "Fourth Uncle, are you planning to keep me? The resources you're giving are the same as what the Grotto-Heaven gave me... and it doesn't even deduct from the total debt owed."

"I can't possibly delay your future, can I?" Wang Shoujie said. "The next one or two thousand years are the most crucial time for you to impact Saint Venerable. The sooner, the better."

"Fourth Uncle... I just realized who treats me best." Water Moon Saintess looked at Wang Shoujie with earnest eyes, saying sincerely, "But this way, I always feel bad, like I owe you too much. How about, from today on, I call you Daddy!"

"I don't have a daughter like you," Wang Shoujie said angrily. "Sign, or not sign?"

"Sign, I'll sign!"

Water Moon Saintess dared not play around anymore and immediately quickly signed the contract and swore an oath to the contract's contents, leaving her Divine Soul imprint on the contract, as if fearing Wang Shoujie would go back on his word.

After completing these steps, she blinked and asked, "Fourth Uncle, what do we do next?"

Seeing the series of procedures completed, a weight was lifted from Wang Shoujie's heart.

With the formidable helper of Water Moon Saintess signed, many tasks in the subsequent plan could be put on the agenda.

[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! You support is really important! SlaySaga]

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Chapter 751: Innate Saintess Wang Lici! Meeting the Dao Lord