Chapter 430:
Zhong State, Tianxian City
Xia Qingshan’s divination failure didn’t damage his reputation much, as he had already stated that his divine calculations only worked well on those of lower cultivation levels. For cultivators of the same level, the effect would be halved, and for those higher than him, it would be ineffective.
A few days later, Xia Qingshan announced that due to leaking too many celestial secrets, he had been struck by a backlash from the heavens and could not perform divinations for a while.
Despite this, Xia Qingshan continued to receive numerous requests for divinations daily, even though he was unable to do them. People were more focused on achieving their goals than worrying about Xia Qingshan’s well-being.
Xia Qingshan paid no attention to these requests. His origins were extremely mysterious, he had no family or disciples, and no vulnerabilities. He remained unmoved by any attempts to pressure or entice him.
Half a month later, Lin Jiang received the Soul Melting Pill from Gu Cheng and went to visit Xia Qingshan.
"It’s you."
Xia Qingshan came out to meet someone because Lin Jiang sent the jade slip in. Xia Qingshan thought it was Lin Ying coming to collect a debt.
"It’s me, repay the money, lower-grade spiritual treasure flying sword."
"Taoist friend, do I look like I can repay you with a flying sword in my current state?"
Xia Qingshan pointed at himself, the current Xia Qingshan looked miserable, floating like on cotton, with a face like a consumptive ghost.
"Come in and talk."
"Okay, Taoist friend, please come in."
Xia Qingshan nodded and invited Lin Jiang in.
"How should I address you, Taoist friend?"
"Li Xian."
"Li Xian, my Taoist friend, I, Xia Qingshan, am not a bad person. If I accidentally damage your precious spiritual treasure, I will definitely compensate you, but not right now."
"I believe in you."
"Would Taoist Friend be willing to postpone it for a while?"
"Ah, with interest."
"Ah...!"
"Taoist Friend Xia doesn’t believe in getting lucky breaks, right?"
"No, how can you do this?"
"One plus one equals five, my request isn’t high. I’ll pay the same price for a low-grade spiritual treasure flying sword at the auction. I will also give you a fair interest rate of five percent per year."
Xia Qingshan was speechless and thought this was not fair, maybe it was a dishonest merchant.
"Don’t resist, if it was someone else, losing money wouldn’t be enough to settle things, they would definitely want you dead."
"I admit defeat."
"Alright, then tell me, what happened to your injury?"
"The person you were trying to predict is in the hands of a terrifying being. When I tried to predict their existence forcefully, they found out and attacked me."
"How terrifying is this being, Tao Achieving?"
Lin Jiang said, it’s not that he’s powerful, but he has been through a lot.
"At least Tao Achieving level, maybe even surpassing Tao Achieving."
"Is there such a powerful being in North State?"
Lin Jiang said that he is familiar with North State. He wondered if there is really such a powerful presence there.
"I don’t know, but the fact that they could harm me using secret techniques means that their strength is at least two levels higher than mine."
"Can you do another calculation after you’ve healed?"
"Big brother, please spare me. I have already been seriously injured this time. If it happens again, I won’t survive."
"The iron-mouthed fortune teller speaks the truth..."
"Big brother, do you still believe in this? It’s all rumors from outside."
Xia Qingshan was about to cry. Those independent cultivators outside are spreading rumors, like when he said "city gate tower," they turned it into "hip bone spindle." Can we trust such things?
Lin Jiang, seeing that he didn’t seem to be lying, stopped pressing him. However, he still needed to investigate this North State. Since Third Sister was still alive and there was a bit of a lead, he had to go find out.
In the Wangxian Sect, Lin Jiang gave the jade slip given by Xia Qingshan to Li Qing. He asked Li Qing to send elite disciples to search in North State. Since Xia Qingshan mentioned there was a terrifying presence in North State, Lin Jiang decided not to go himself. Better safe than sorry.
"Master, it’s time for the Wangxian Sect to expand."
"You arrange this matter. Here is the Soul Melting Pill, it’s time for you to break through."
"Thank you, Master."
Li Qing was delighted to see the Soul Melting Pill. She was no longer a newcomer to the cultivation world and understood how precious this item was.
"Go and take care of it."
Lin Jiang waved his hand, letting Li Qing handle things. She was quite busy now with the Wangxian Sect’s increasing size and responsibilities, and now they needed to expand further.
The Wangxian Sect, established less than three hundred years ago, had already gone through several rounds of expansion, though not on a large scale. They mainly incorporated nearby small powers. It wasn’t that the Wangxian Sect lacked strength, but they had to consider the Pure Jade Sect’s stance.
The Pure Jade Sect ruled over Bing State, and the Wangxian Sect was still a vassal of the Pure Jade Sect. The sect’s expansion had to be approved by the Pure Jade Sect. If they expanded too quickly, they would draw the Pure Jade Sect’s ire.
So, the Wangxian Sect expanded slowly, little by little. They had to rely on the Pure Jade Sect for support, use money to pave the way, and have the big shots in the Pure Jade Sect cover up for them.
Lin Jiang didn’t pay much attention to these things. Since he had so many people under his care, the gods naturally helped him solve troubles. If Lin Jiang had to handle everything, then what’s the point of having disciples?
Lin Jiang’s focus now was on cultivation and talisman making, especially on the talisman array technique. In the battle of Qing State, the forces of the Holy Heavenly Sect were much fewer compared to the Qingyun region, but before Lin Jiang joined, the Holy Heavenly Sect had the upper hand, all thanks to the talisman array.
After Yang Luo’s death, the secret techniques of the Holy Heavenly Sect were plundered, and the lower-ranked talisman array masters of the Holy Heavenly Sect were divided among various powers. Quite a bit of information ended up being leaked. Similarly, the Wangxian Sect also bought a copy at a high price, like other sects, actively improving their talisman array techniques.
Another year passed, and the Wangxian Sect had completed a new round of expansion, eliminating a few very small powerhouses. Li Qing had also arranged things properly for the Wangxian Sect and went out alone to find a place for a breakthrough in seclusion.
When the agreed time with Small Shadiao arrived, Lin Jiang got up and headed towards the Wilderness.
"Brother, you finally came. I can’t hold them off any longer!"
"What’s going on?"
"When you’re not here, I have to guide them all. You know, I don’t have much knowledge, they’re draining me dry in just a few years. What if they find out that their beloved father is a fake? It’s a blow to my dignity as a father, you know."
Small Shadiao spoke firmly, boasting about his greatness. He was highly admired by Lin Wanli and others. But if Lin Wanli found out that his father was a fraud, then Shadiao would lose his status at home.
"Your children don’t know yet that you are a fraud, which is fortunate."
"Brother, talking like this isn’t fun. Give me some face, I have my reputation to uphold."
"Alright, understood. How are your children now?"
"Among the monsters at the Demon God Temple, your children are considered average. Brother, if you have any plans, you should act on them quickly. I feel that the monster race is becoming more and more sinister."
Small Shadiao said that the atmosphere in the monster race was getting worse, more enclosed, and as they became more enclosed, the monster race’s expansion desires grew louder.
"Are there any monsters suggesting expansion and war?"
"Yes, some monsters are saying that the Demon Emperor didn’t rise from the Demon God Temple but through battle. The hostility is not yet directed towards humans, but it seems inevitable."
"It seems inevitable, and that’s troubling."
Lin Jiang said that the defeat in the Qing State battle was a huge loss for the human tribe, which may take thousands of years to recover from. He mentioned that the human tribe is currently weak, and if the demon tribe launches a major war, it would be very bad for the humans.
"Yes, brother, so you should also be careful and prepared as early as possible."
"Okay, I understand."
Lin Jiang nodded and stopped talking. He realized that he was only at the beginning stage of Soul Changing. Even if he went to Zhong State or other regions now to warn about the possible invasion of the human tribe by the demon tribe, no one would listen to him.
Right now, Lin Jiang’s best course of action was to improve his strength as much as possible and recruit reliable followers. If a war broke out, he would fight if he could win or hide if he couldn’t. There was always somewhere to hide on earth.
For example, the extreme northern region of the North State was freezing cold, and neither the human nor the demon tribe liked to go there. It was an undisputed neutral territory.

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