Ning Fa nodded:
"Since we've reached an agreement, as long as the seniors can gather the items listed in this jade slip, I will bring out the ancient star stone tablet.
Of course, it would be best if the seniors came in person.
If anyone else shows up, it will make me uneasy, and I might change my mind."
"This is excellent," Tian Yi Jushi said with a smile, stroking his beard.
Wen Yu Chen, Ling Hua Xian Zi, and Tian Sheng, the three Nascent Soul stage cultivators, exchanged glances and had no objections.
Ning Fa also breathed a sigh of relief. Resolving this crisis in such a manner was quite good.
About an hour after everyone left, a figure suddenly appeared at this location.
It was a young cultivator with a handsome appearance, Shen Ci Zhou of the Hui Yue Palace.
His expression was slightly gloomy, and he muttered to himself:
"This is a bit troublesome. I originally thought that notifying the Tian Shu Alliance and having the several Nascent Soul cultivators pursue him would be enough to force Zhu Yue to use his trump card.
But I didn't expect Ning Fa to be able to hire even the legendary Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant.
It seems I can't rush this matter. I should focus on recovering my Nascent Soul realm first..."
As he spoke, his figure gradually blurred until he disappeared.
Three months later.
Off the coast near Xing Yuan City, Ning Fa met these Nascent Soul cultivators again.
Seeing the ten top-tier storage rings before him, Ning Fa's face was full of smiles.
The forces these Nascent Soul cultivators belonged to were indeed wealthy. In a short period, they had gathered all the vast resources listed in the first jade slip.
Nine-tenths of the precious resources listed in the second jade slip had also been obtained.
Of course, Ning Fa was slightly disappointed that the key spiritual materials he needed to advance to the Innate stage with Water Divine Thunder, Wood Divine Thunder, and Earth Divine Thunder were missing, falling within that remaining one-tenth.
However, Ning Fa wasn't too discouraged, as he hadn't held out much hope to begin with.
The value of such treasures was immeasurable, and even if those Nascent Soul cultivators possessed them, they would never easily hand them over.
But this missing one-tenth of the spiritual materials was exchanged for two thousand high-grade spirit stones, a value even higher than thirty million low-grade spirit stones.
There was also a large batch of third-tier spiritual herbs and flowers with significant age, valued at over ten million spirit stones.
The remaining items were exactly the nine-tenths of the spiritual materials listed by Ning Fa, and in considerable quantities. Their value wasn't simply a matter of hundreds of millions of spirit stones.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that these resources could be used to cultivate several Great Cultivators.
Ning Fa was quite satisfied. Even without the spiritual materials needed to advance to Innate Divine Thunder, he had an agreement with Huangfu Zi Yue and others regarding the advancement of Wood Divine Thunder, so he wasn't in a hurry.
"Junior Ning, all these spiritual materials have been given to you, and the Tian Shu Alliance has also issued a decree throughout the Nine Dragon Sea allowing the Fu Ling Hall to operate openly. Are you satisfied now?" Wen Yu Chen said in a deep voice.
Ling Hua Xian Zi and Tian Sheng Lao Guai also looked intently at Ning Fa, while Tian Yi Jushi wore a faint smile.
Ning Fa didn't say much more. He directly took out the ancient star stone tablet, gently pushed it towards the several Nascent Soul cultivators, cupped his hands, and said, "This item has been delivered. I shall take my leave now."
With that, he, along with the Heavenly Treasure Immortal Merchant and Luo Fei Xuan, drifted away.
The several Nascent Soul cultivators withdrew their gazes, looking at the ancient star stone tablet before them, which had been exchanged at a great cost, with flickering eyes.
At this moment, Wen Yu Chen spoke, "Everyone, as agreed beforehand, this ancient star stone tablet will remain with our Tian Shu Alliance for ten years."
"This was our prior agreement, and I naturally have no objections," Tian Yi Jushi said with a smile, stroking his beard.
During these three months, they had not only gathered the resources listed by Ning Fa but had also engaged in heated debates on how to distribute the ancient star stone tablet.
Finally, a compromise was reached –
The ancient star stone tablet would be held by the major powers in rotation for ten years each, but other cultivation world factions would be allowed to send people to study it together.
Afterward, Wen Yu Chen solemnly put away the ancient star stone tablet and flew eastward, with Tian Sheng Lao Guai following closely.
Tian Yi Jushi looked up in the direction Ning Fa had departed, a thoughtful expression flashing in his eyes, before also flying away.
On the other side, Ning Fa also felt a lot more relaxed. The crisis at Ming Yuan Tian Chi had finally been resolved, alleviating a major concern.
Next, he would go into secluded cultivation. After all, he had obtained an extremely vast amount of cultivation resources, which could not only be used by himself but also benefit his loved ones.
But before that, he needed to meet with the former members of the Fu Ling Hall.
Twenty days later, Ning Fa and the other two arrived at an island on the southern edge of the Five Spirit Sea, named Ming An Island.
Although this island was quite large, spanning over a thousand li from east to west, it only had a few second-tier spirit veins, so it wasn't well-known in the Five Spirit Sea.
This island was a major stronghold of the Fu Ling Hall, and some of its high-ranking members were currently in a hidden manor on the island.
In one of the halls, Ning Fa occupied the main seat, with three cultivators standing to his left and right.
One was a cold and stunning female cultivator in a blue dress, Murong Zhao Xue, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
Another was a burly middle-aged cultivator in a purple robe, Liang Jun, the elder of the Xing Dian.
The last was a powerfully built man in black heavy armor and a wolf-head helmet, Tie Heng Ye, the Palace Master of the You Palace.
It was worth noting that Liang Jun was no longer in the appearance Ning Fa had last seen him. It was clear that his Nascent Soul had escaped previously, and he was now using a new body.
The three of them were all beaming with excitement, especially Murong Zhaoxue, whose cold and beautiful face was filled with exhilaration.
This was because Ning Fa had returned having advanced to the mid-stage Nascent Soul.
This meant that if the two of them cultivated together again, both would receive immense benefits, and it would be even more so for her, giving her a chance to advance her Violet Lightning Profound Phoenix body towards its complete form.
Ning Fa wore a thoughtful expression.
He had just finished listening to the introductions of the three remaining elders of the Fuling Hall and learned about the hall's situation during his absence.
It could be said that under Yan Jingchen's assault, the Fuling Hall had suffered greatly over the years.
Three other elders of the hall, Gu Huai and Feng Ru of the Xing Hall, had already died in battle, while the You Hall elder Tian Dechang had defected to Thunder Prison Mountain. Now, only these three remained.
The other Core Formation elders and Foundation Establishment cultivators had also suffered heavy losses, with only about thirty to forty percent of those present when Ning Fa left remaining. The Fuling Hall had been forced to fully retreat and barely survive in these remote sea areas.
At this moment, Murong Zhaoxue chuckled charmingly, "Hall Master, your divine abilities are truly vast. You actually managed to get the Heavenly Pivot Alliance to issue a decree, publicly allowing our Fuling Hall to exist and ordering Thunder Prison Mountain to cease targeting us. We can finally relax a bit from now on."
Liang Jun and Tie Hengye also wore joyful expressions; this change was beyond their expectations.
At first, they had suspected it was a conspiracy by the Heavenly Pivot Alliance, but upon further thought, the Fuling Hall's current precarious state simply wasn't worth such a scheme from the Heavenly Pivot Alliance.
It wasn't until they saw Ning Fa that they realized all of this was thanks to the Hall Master's efforts upon his sudden return.
"I merely made a deal with them," Ning Fa said with a faint smile, not elaborating further.
He carefully examined the three of them.
He saw that Murong Zhaoxue had advanced to the mid-stage Nascent Soul, Liang Jun was at the peak of the early-stage Nascent Soul, and Tie Hengye had even broken through to the late-stage Nascent Soul realm, becoming a great cultivator.
Coupled with his acquired lightning attribute spiritual body, he was likely not someone an ordinary great cultivator could contend with.
At this moment, Tie Hengye looked at Ning Fa with sincere admiration, cupped his hands, and said, "Hall Master, your return is perfectly timed. Our Fuling Hall is now in ruins and needs rebuilding; we are all waiting for you to take charge."
Although he had advanced to the late stage, he knew his strength was still inferior to Ning Fa's after his advancement to the mid-stage. Moreover, Ning Fa's ability to secure such concessions from the Heavenly Pivot Alliance upon his return had made him even more convinced of Ning Fa's capabilities.
Murong Zhaoxue and Liang Jun also looked at Ning Fa with anticipation.
Ning Fa nodded, "This is precisely what I wanted to discuss."
He flicked his finger, and a stream of spiritual light transformed into a spiritual light map about ten feet wide, depicting a general area of the Nine Dragon Sea.
As Ning Fa pointed again, the sea chart enlarged, focusing on the northwestern region.
This was the junction of the Vast Sky Sea Region and the Nightless Sea Region, where a chain of islands lay.
Seeing Ning Fa point to this location, the other three looked somewhat puzzled.
Ning Fa spoke, "You should be aware of this place. I need you to occupy these islands as quickly as possible and make them the foundation of our Fuling Hall."
Upon hearing this, the three were immediately startled.
This was because these islands were called the Black Star Islands, a notorious no-man's-land in the Nine Dragon Sea.
Although they were quite large and contained some fourth-tier spiritual veins, due to the harsh environment and their location at the border between the Heavenly Pivot Alliance and the Demon Sea Alliance, both major powers considered them to be of little value, thus becoming a buffer zone between the two.
Consequently, they had become a paradise for numerous rogue cultivators, bandits, and evil cultivators, a chaotic mix where some Nascent Soul powers also existed.
Such a place was naturally incomparable to the Five Spirit Sea.
Murong Zhaoxue tactfully said, "Hall Master, since the Heavenly Pivot Alliance has issued a decree, our Fuling Hall can also recuperate in the Five Spirit Sea.
We could even recruit some lightning-root disciples from the Thunder Roar Sea using our previous channels.
While the Black Star Islands are larger, in terms of cultivation environment and resources, they are still far inferior to the Five Spirit Sea."
"Elder Murong's words are precisely what I wished to convey. I implore the Hall Master to reconsider," Tie Hengye also said, cupping his hands.
Ning Fa, however, smiled. It was precisely because of this that Wen Yuchen had readily agreed to give him this place.
"I have my reasons for doing this. I can even reveal some of them to you.
I fear that in the near future, we will engage in a major war with the Sea Clan and the Monster Clan, and the intensity of the conflict will likely be even greater than before. The Five Spirit Sea and the Thunder Roar Sea will inevitably become the front lines.
Therefore, compared to that, the Black Star Islands, despite their harsher environment, will be better than being cannon fodder later."
Hearing this, shock appeared on the faces of Murong Zhaoxue and the other two. At their level, they naturally did not have access to such information.
At this moment, Murong Zhaoxue's eyes narrowed slightly, and she said thoughtfully, "Hall Master, have you also sensed something amiss with the Heavenly Origin Sect?
Over the years, the Heavenly Origin Sect's support for us has significantly decreased. If they had provided substantial assistance, we wouldn't have suffered so much."
Upon hearing this, Liang Jun and Tie Hengye also wore grim expressions, clearly sharing the same sentiment.
Ning Fa secretly thought, 'If Qing Hong and Yan Jingchen weren't secretly waiting for my return, the Fuling Hall might have ceased to exist long ago.'
As for the details, he could not reveal too much to these three for the time being.
"I am aware of this matter,"
Ning Fa said lightly. He then gave some instructions to the three and took out a storage ring, smiling, "This contains a considerable amount of resources, which will be used to rebuild the Fuling Hall."
The three swept their divine senses into the ring and were immediately filled with disbelief and joy, as it contained an immense amount of resources.
In fact, these resources were only about thirty to forty percent of the ordinary resources Ning Fa had requested from those Transformation God realm cultivators.
The reason Ning Fa requested these ordinary supplies was precisely for the Fuling Hall and his family sect. He had no intention of abandoning the Fuling Hall but rather wanted to see it regain its former glory.
As for the Black Star Islands, he wasn't worried at all.
From what he understood, there were no late-stage Great Cultivators there; Murong Zhaoxue and the other two were enough to sweep through the area.
Not long after, Ning Fa met with Murong Zhaoxue in private.
Murong Zhaoxue placed a storage ring into Ning Fa's hand and said with a hint of shame, "Chang Ning, you asked me to collect supplies before you left last time. The situation changed later, and over these years, I've only managed to collect about thirty percent of what was needed."
Ning Fa smiled upon hearing this, "It's fine, you've done very well."
When he had first asked Murong Zhaoxue to collect supplies, it was mainly to forge the complete Divine Firmament Thunder Armor.
As it turned out, through a fortunate coincidence, with the help of the Ling Shu Pavilion in Cang Yuan, he had managed to forge the complete Divine Firmament Thunder Armor.
Of course, these precious thunder attribute resources were still somewhat useful to him.
At this moment, Murong Zhaoxue licked her rosy lips, her beautiful eyes gazing at him with a seductive allure. Her delicate shoulders trembled slightly, and her outer robe slipped down, revealing a perfect physique.
"Chang Ning, it's been so long since we last met..."
Ning Fa smiled and picked her up.
A long while later, three streaks of light ascended from Ming An Island. After circling once, they sped off towards the north.
Tian Bao Xian Shang remained expressionless, standing with his hands behind his back at the front.
Ning Fa noticed that Luo Feixuan's expression was unusual, so he asked, "Fellow Daoist Luo, what's wrong?"
Luo Feixuan said softly, "Fellow Daoist Ning, I wish to relocate the Moon Gazing Sect to the Black Star Islands as well.
Although I have awakened my past life memories, Ming Guang Zhen Jun is my biological father, and there are many of my kin in the Moon Gazing Sect. Therefore, I want to help them as much as I can."
Ning Fa nodded after a brief thought, "If it's just relocating the Moon Gazing Sect, there shouldn't be a problem."
A graceful figure also appeared in Ning Fa's mind. This was a Core Formation elder from the Moon Gazing Sect named Su Yu.
After all these years, had the Soul Lotus in that woman's sea of consciousness matured?
This Soul Lotus was very mysterious. Ning Fa didn't know its origin, but he vaguely felt that the value of a mature Soul Lotus might not be inferior to the Soul Derivation Divine Spring.
Ning Fa valued it greatly because, based on his previous senses, this Soul Lotus seemed to have an extraordinary effect on his Moon God Heart.
With the help of these two miraculous items, he believed that cultivating his Moon God Heart to the Moon Soul Crystal Core stage would be a certainty, and he might even take a significant step forward.
Thinking of this, a smile couldn't help but appear on Ning Fa's face.
With the crisis successfully resolved this time, and a large amount of resources gained, after arranging these matters, he could finally cultivate peacefully in the spiritual mountains of the Profound Fire Sect.
Several days later, Ning Fa had returned to Tian Que City.
As he had expected, he did not see Qing Hong.
"Qing Hong has gone into seclusion again to attempt Nascent Soul?" Ning Fa's face showed a cold smile.
At this moment, he had once again arrived at the tall tower in the center of Tian Que City. This time, only Layman Wu Xin was present.
Layman Wu Xin saw Ning Fa's expression and couldn't help but twitch his brows, a bad feeling rising in his heart.
From the moment he saw Ning Fa this time, he felt that Ning Fa's demeanor was off. When Ning Fa spoke, he knew the situation was even more serious than he had imagined.
He asked in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoist Ning, can you tell this old man what exactly happened?"
Ning Fa also carefully observed Layman Wu Xin's expression. It seemed that he was unaware of anything.
Of course, it was difficult to discern any abnormalities from the facial expressions of such high-level cultivators.
"Fellow Daoist Wu Xin, you may not know this, but Qing Hong has likely colluded with Yan Jingchen.
When I went out this time, I almost lost my life at the hands of Yan Jingchen and a Nascent Soul cultivator. The reason they knew my whereabouts was all thanks to Qing Hong."
Ning Fa said coldly.
"What!?" Layman Wu Xin shot up in shock.
"Impossible! How could Senior Brother Qing Hong do such a thing!" He immediately shook his head, but his brows were tightly furrowed, and his eyes held an unreadable expression.
Ning Fa smiled and didn't intend to argue with Layman Wu Xin any further.
After all, they had been fellow disciples for hundreds of years. Such a bond couldn't be shaken by an outsider's few words.
Even if Layman Wu Xin truly knew that Qing Hong was responsible, it was still uncertain who he would side with.
Ning Fa also didn't intend to dig up Qing Hong right now to exact revenge. Not to mention that Qing Hong had clearly gone into hiding.
The key point was that the Tian Yan Sect was a member of the Tian Shu Alliance. Although it had always been independent, if he openly dealt with the Great Elder of the Tian Yan Sect, it was unlikely that the Tai Chu Sect and the Wu Gou Sword Sect would agree.
This revenge was not urgent; he would repay it personally in the future.
"I know it's hard for you to accept, Fellow Daoist Wu Xin, but that's the reality.
And I have decided to relocate the Fu Ling Hall to the Black Star Islands. I came here to bid you farewell."
Ning Fa said calmly.
Layman Wu Xin was startled again.
He glanced at Tian Bao Xian Shang hovering in the air not far away and said with a wry smile:
"I received a decree from the Tai Chu Sect earlier and found it strange. Now it seems that Fellow Daoist Ning has reached an agreement with the Tai Chu Sect."
Since your mind is made up, so be it.
Alas, speaking of which, these past few years, I have indeed been unworthy of the title of Hall Master of the Heart Hall of the Fuling Palace."
A hint of shame appeared in the eyes of Layman Wuxin.
Ning Fa chuckled, his gaze shifted, and he continued, "There is another matter, which I hope Fellow Daoist Wuxin can agree to.
The Wangyue Sect in Jinshuize has a deep connection with me. This time, I hope to relocate the Wangyue Sect to the Black Star Archipelago as well."
Layman Wuxin nodded without much hesitation, saying, "Agreed, but I hope that Fellow Daoist Ning will still let the other sects in Jinshuize remain. Otherwise, I fear it might cause unrest among the other sects in the Five Spirit Sea."
"Very well, it shall be so." Ning Fa cupped his hands and then ascended into the sky.
Layman Wuxin watched Ning Fa and his companions disappear into the distance, a wry smile appearing on his face as he shook his head and sighed:
"Alas, Senior Brother Qinghong, your actions might very well destroy the foundation of our Tianyan Sect."