"That Qing Jun wants to be the strongest one! That way, he can oppress the weak without a care! Hmph, Master, you must work hard on your cultivation, or you’ll be bullied by Qing Jun!"
Such audacity!
No wonder she’s the most wicked little girl in the world!
Chen Ye unceremoniously raised his hand, curled his index finger, and flicked this little girl’s forehead with a "dong".
"Ouch!"
Qing Jun felt the pain, quickly covered her forehead with her small hand, and looked at Chen Ye with big, watery eyes, feeling wronged.
"Master is petty, can’t take a joke! Qing Jun is just kidding!"
Chen Ye certainly knew this little girl was just being talkative, so he purposely put on a stern face:
"Oh? But sometimes, the honest truth is hidden in a joke..."
The little girl was shocked: "Oh!"
"Still thinking of bullying your Master? Even if you become a True Dragon, this body is raised by your Master."
Chen Ye pinched Qing Jun’s nose,
"Dare to speak recklessly again, and Master won’t feed you anymore."
"No, no! Qing Jun was wrong! Master is the best, Qing Jun is the most obedient!"
Upon hearing Master’s threat, the little girl instantly relented, clinging to Chen Ye’s leg and started rubbing back and forth like crazy.
Zhiwei and Jin’er couldn’t help but chuckle watching from the side.
Thanks to this little girl’s interruption, the heavy atmosphere brought about by the oppressive environment in Qi Kingdom was somewhat lightened.
The four master and disciples continued their trek forward against the wind and sand.
After traveling for half a day.
The wind and sand gradually subsided, and at the end of the horizon, a city appeared in the eyes of the four.
This was Chouyun Pass, the major city at the border of Qi Kingdom.
As the strategic fortress guarding the outskirts of Celestial Abyss, the scale of Chouyun Pass was far from comparable to those small border markets like Yellow Lion District.
Outside the city gates, merchant caravans and loose cultivators came and went incessantly. Even the arrogant demon cultivators had to restrain their aura and queue to enter the city at the gate.
Upon entering the city, the atmosphere was entirely different.
On both sides of the street, disciples from the Duqing Sect fully armed were seen patrolling everywhere.
On the largest square in the city, two recruitment points were clearly separated.
On the left side, surrounded by barriers made from Profound Iron, inside were filled with raggedly dressed bottom-tier loose cultivators.
Disciples of the Duqing Sect were waving long whips, forcibly driving the loose cultivators inside, as if herding pigs and sheep.
These people were purely cannon fodder brought in to take the fall.
On the right side of the square, a grand recruitment platform was erected.
On the platform were not only boxes of spirit stones and pills, but even a few magical treasures emitting a treasure light.
A few Inner Sect stewards of the Duqing Sect sat behind the table, cordially receiving the cultivators who came to inquire.
"Master, it seems they aren’t all forcibly taken," Zhiwei keenly noticed.
Chen Ye chuckled softly:
"The most sophisticated driving in the world doesn’t entirely rely on whips but on desire."
"As the Peak Master of Lingyin Sect, I naturally know the devouring nature of Duqing Sect that doesn’t spit bones, but in the eyes of most loose cultivators in Qi Kingdom, Duqing Sect is a lofty Holy Sect."
"For these loose cultivators without complete inheritance, it is the only hope to transcend social strata. Like moths to the flame, nothing more."
Zhiwei heard this and suddenly understood.
Duqing Sect didn’t just forcibly capture them; in fact, most of these captured loose cultivators were from Yan Kingdom, East Sea Islands, and other places.
Whereas for the loose cultivators within Qi Kingdom, they were mostly tempted by profit.
No wonder.
There were still plenty of loose cultivators safe in Yellow Lion District, but Baodingtong went out of his way to emphasize that Master, being a Foundation Establishment cultivator, should be careful.
Because Baodingtong knew Master was from outside Qi Kingdom, precisely a tasty prey in the eyes of Duqing Sect — to be slaughtered at will, without causing everyone in Qi Kingdom to panic and shaking Duqing’s foundation.
Chen Ye casually tidied up his Taoist robe, with a thought, slightly raised the aura inside him, stabilizing at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, ensuring he wouldn’t attract suspicion from the sect’s higher-ups while receiving adequate attention.
Then, he hunched his back, leading his three disciples, directly toward that grand recruitment platform.
In front of the platform.
A steward of Duqing Sect, who was idly chewing on spirit melon seeds, noticed the Foundation Establishment spiritual pressure on Chen Ye.
He immediately spat out the seed skin, put on a cheerful face, and came up to greet.
"Greetings to this senior! By the look of the senior’s aura, seems you are not a Foundation Establishment cultivator from Chouyun Pass?"
The steward cupped his hands, his eyes scanning up and down Chen Ye, then glanced at the three girls behind him who looked like tagalongs.
"A mere loose cultivator, Dao name Qing Xuan, has been making a living in the East Sea Islands for years."
Chen Ye’s voice was dry and hoarse, pointing at Zhiwei and the other three behind him,
"I’m old and near my end, having heard that your sect is heavily recruiting good hands to enter Celestial Abyss, I thought I’d try my luck with these three useless disciples. If we can find one or two opportunities, I might extend my life a little, and also fight for a chance for my disciples to survive."
Upon hearing this, the steward immediately understood.
Turns out to be an old madman desperate to extend his life, bringing three burdensome disciples.
Ha, calling them disciples, they’re likely either consumables or furnaces.
He knew it well; otherwise, why would anyone bring disciples to a deathtrap like Celestial Abyss when they’re dying?
However, the Foundation Establishment’s cultivation is genuine, making them excellent exploratory consumables thrown into Celestial Abyss!
"Senior Qing Xuan truly understands! Accepting a task at our Holy Sect’s recruitment point is definitely the biggest opportunity of your lifetime!"
The steward laughed heartily, immediately took out a Jade Scroll listing generous rewards and handed it over,
"As long as the senior is willing to lead a team into Celestial Abyss, regardless of success, an initial settlement fee of fifty pieces of middle-grade spirit stones will be paid upfront! If you can bring back clues about Celestial Abyss’s anomaly, the Holy Sect will reward you with magical treasures and life-extending pills!"