For Mu Zhian, although Gu Buxing wasn’t a treasure-hunting mouse, he had, in a sense, replaced its role.

Last time, Gu Buxing, despite being severely injured, still summoned the Primordial Witch’s spiritual sense…

And this time… he seemed to be planning something big again.

“If it weren’t for the secret letter sent by Princess Yongning, I probably wouldn’t have imagined someone would set their sights on the Primordial Witch in the depths of the Southern Wilderness.”

Mu Zhian sighed inwardly.

The black mist of the Southern Wilderness was difficult to approach. Even he could only bypass it with the ‘black box’ and directly enter its depths.

And the Primordial Witch’s true body in the depths of the Southern Wilderness was sealed by the Heavenly Dao’s Origin Arrow. Even Mu Zhian couldn’t rescue her now.

Let alone rescuing her, even approaching her made Mu Zhian feel like he would be purified by the Origin Arrow at any moment.

If Gu Buxing could really use some technique to summon the Primordial Witch… that would be perfect.

Having harvested leeks like Ye Yu and Xiao Hua before, Mu Zhian naturally knew how to maximize the benefits from such rare leeks before harvesting them.

The only thing Mu Zhian was concerned about now was whether Gu Buxing could ignore the seal of the Heavenly Dao’s Origin Arrow and summon the Primordial Witch from the depths of the Southern Wilderness.

If he could really do it, the value of this treasure-hunting mouse would be truly immeasurable…

…

North of the Great Qian Dynasty was a mountain called Heart Refining Mountain.

Gu Buxing had sent people to build a Seven-Colored Altar on Heart Refining Mountain some time ago.

He claimed it was to pray for the nation, hoping for good weather and harvests in the Great Qian Dynasty, but he secretly had other plans.

And seven days later, at dawn, a grand celebration was held throughout the Great Qian Dynasty.

About ten days ago, Gu Buxing had already spread the news, saying he would go to Heart Refining Mountain to pray for the nation, hoping for good weather and harvests in the coming year.

Most commoners didn’t know the Imperial Advisor’s true nature and naturally praised him greatly.

However, they clearly didn’t know that the so-called prayer was fake, and using prayer as an excuse to refine the national fortune was the true purpose.

“Are everything prepared?”

Gu Buxing slowly opened his eyes and asked the Daoist boy beside him calmly.

“The Seven-Colored Altar has been set up on the summit of Heart Refining Mountain. Great powers from the Southern Wilderness, Western Regions, and other places have secretly set up formations on Heart Refining Mountain, waiting for Master’s good news about refining the national fortune,” the Daoist boy said.

“Very good.”

A satisfied smile appeared on Gu Buxing’s face, feeling the pent-up anger from the past few days dissipate.

He had been incredibly frustrated recently. His cauldron was sealed, the emperor’s trust in him wasn’t as strong as before, as the influential Imperial Advisor of the Great Qian Dynasty, had he ever imagined such humiliation?

He hadn’t even offended the Jade Empress, just wanted to take away the maid beside Mu Zhian!

That maid was a Calamity Body, which would affect the dynasty’s destiny. He wanted to confirm what the problem was.

And all of this was because of that little cultivator called Mu Zhian.

Even to the current him, Mu Zhian was just an ant. Even if Mu Zhian cultivated for another ten years, he might not be able to reach his current achievements.

Yet this ant actually had the Jade Empress backing him.

Even the Primordial Witch he summoned in the past seemed to have an ambiguous relationship with Mu Zhian.

A mere little cultivator at Core Formation Realm, why was he born at the peak of life?

Besides sweet-talking women, what else could he do?

Gu Buxing, usually calm and collected, couldn’t help but feel unbalanced, even angry, whenever he thought of Mu Zhian.

Most cultivators cultivated for longevity, and also to have a place in this dog-eat-dog world of the Nine Provinces.

And Mu Zhian was born with all of this. Mu Zhian’s strength wasn’t strong, but the women behind him could give him everything he wanted.

Although some cultivators in the Nine Provinces seemed to disdain eating soft rice, acting as if cultivators should be self-reliant, if there was an obedient Empress willing to be their wife, they would probably cling to her jade legs and never let go.

Gu Buxing was naturally the same.

Because of this, he felt especially unbalanced.

Moreover, his cauldron being sealed was also because of Mu Zhian.

Everything originated from Mu Zhian, so naturally it should end with Mu Zhian.

Refining the national fortune would definitely be noticed by the Jade Empress. Whether the several great powers of the Nine Provinces would be willing to help with all their might was still unknown… But at least, the formations they set up earlier could hold for a while.

And this time was enough for him to awaken that true ‘Immortal’.

“Mu Zhian, you brought this upon yourself, don’t blame me…”

Gu Buxing’s face turned cold.

Whether he could use the national fortune to break the seal of the World-Purifying Green Lotus was still unknown, and Mu Zhian had the Jade Empress’s protection, making revenge impossible.

So the only method he could think of was the Soul Summoning Technique!

He obtained this secret technique from the Primordial Witch’s inheritance in the World Sea. Using this technique would reduce the cauldron’s Spiritual Energy by twenty percent each time, and it would never recover.

This time, everyone, including the Great Qian Emperor, probably thought that Gu Buxing was merely trying to refine the national fortune and break the seal of the Jade Empress’s World-Purifying Green Lotus, hence resorting to such measures.

But who would have thought that, from the very beginning, his true purpose wasn’t for himself.

If he could rescue the quasi-immortal slumbering in the depths of the Southern Wilderness… Mu Zhian had great powers backing him, and so could he!

Although he might have to sacrifice more than just twenty percent of his Spiritual Energy this time, Gu Buxing didn’t care about this now.

His cauldron was already sealed. If this continued, his blood and Qi would decline. After he couldn’t even use the Soul Summoning Technique, he would truly be at his wit’s end.

Only by taking advantage of the current situation, while he could still use the faith of all beings to cast the technique, awaken that quasi-immortal, and break the seal on her, could he have a sliver of hope.

“With all the Spiritual Energy in my cauldron and the faith of all beings, borrowing the power of heaven and earth, awakening, even breaking the seal on her, shouldn’t be difficult…”

That afternoon, Gu Buxing set off for Heart Refining Mountain. Along the way, he attracted the attention of countless commoners and cultivators residing in the city, all discussing amongst themselves.

The masses were ignorant, but there were also smart people among them who knew that the Jade Empress sealed Gu Buxing’s cauldron when she settled the score with the dynasty earlier. This also led to many speculations.

After all, the Jade Pool Holy Land held a significant position in the Eastern Continent, and the Jade Empress had protected the Eastern Continent in the past, suppressing the First Generation Demon Emperor. That fairy was a symbol of holiness in the hearts of countless people in the Eastern Continent. They naturally believed the Jade Empress wouldn’t blame the Imperial Advisor without reason.

Presumably, this Imperial Advisor must have done something to be punished by the Jade Empress.

At this moment, Gu Buxing stood on the summit, his hands behind his back, looking up at the Seven-Colored Altar ahead, and said with slight satisfaction, “You’ve done well.”

“From now on, no one is allowed to enter without my orders.”

After he finished speaking, he had everyone on Heart Refining Mountain leave the summit. Then, following the Western Regions’ Buddhist technique he knew, he placed several precious medicinal herbs around the Seven-Colored Altar in precise locations.

Then, he sat cross-legged before the altar, chanting complex Buddhist scriptures.

These materials were very precious, but even more precious was the faith of all beings that Gu Buxing began drawing from his body.

This was a secret technique he learned by chance from a high monk in the Western Regions in the past. The cultivation methods of the Western Regions were very special. Some enlightened high monks were only at Nascent Soul Realm, but their combat power could rival those at Soul Transformation Realm, and the reason was the strengthening from this ‘faith of all beings’.

As long as the people in a certain region believed in a certain high monk, that high monk could gather the faith of all beings and strengthen themselves.

The more believers there were, the greater the faith.

According to Gu Buxing’s estimation, if he gathered the faith of all beings in the entire Western Regions, his combat power could at least double or triple.

Rumble…

The sky gradually darkened, and dark clouds in the distance slowly moved towards Heart Refining Mountain.

Soon, several bizarre runes appeared on the altar, and the faith of all beings on the summit of Heart Refining Mountain became incredibly dense.

If a cultivator rashly entered at this time, they would probably explode and die.

Because such vast faith couldn’t be directly absorbed, it even completely dispelled the surrounding Spiritual Energy.

Next, was to infuse the immense national fortune into the altar.

Cold sweat began to appear on Gu Buxing’s forehead. His cauldron was currently sealed. He was completely relying on the faith of all beings to cast this secret technique and refine the national fortune.

This method had huge side effects, and he had to conceal this technique as much as possible to avoid being discovered too early.

“As expected, this refining technique is still too difficult for the current me… But I have no other choice.”

Gu Buxing gritted his teeth, raised his hand, pierced his chest, and slowly took out a sphere emitting a purple light.

This sphere began to slowly expand, filling the entire world.

One-third of the Great Qian Dynasty’s national fortune!

Gu Buxing let out a sigh of relief, then slowly extended his hand, about to begin refining.

However, just then, he suddenly saw a green light flash past his eyes.

Immediately afterward, a green lotus bloomed silently in mid-air, emitting vast Spiritual Energy fluctuations, as if the sky itself was pressing down, causing the Spiritual Energy in the entire space to violently surge.

Gu Buxing’s expression changed slightly: “The Jade Empress!”

In mid-air, at some unknown time, a woman in a green gauze skirt walked towards him step by step, stepping on the void. Every step seemed to be accompanied by the humming of the Great Dao, like a Nine Heavens Goddess descending to the mortal realm.

She looked down at the man on the summit, her red lips parting slightly:

“Gu Buxing, I spared your life before, considering your past contributions in protecting the Great Qian Dynasty and nurturing its national fortune. However, it seems you’re still restless. The Great Qian Dynasty’s national fortune is related to the Eastern Continent’s destiny, it can’t be used for your own selfish gain.”

This immortal voice, like heavenly music, slowly echoed throughout the Great Qian Dynasty, like a stone causing a thousand ripples, making countless people’s expressions change.

The soldiers on Heart Refining Mountain were even more shocked. The moment they looked up, a deep sense of awe filled their eyes.

The Jade Empress!

In the darkness, the eyes of the great powers who were secretly watching this scene trembled slightly.

They had underestimated the difference between Transcendence Realm and Dao Integration Realm. When the Jade Empress killed a Buddha from the Western Regions last time, several great powers, including those from Cloud Province, thought that it was because the Jade Empress used some secret technique, and that Buddha didn’t have the strengthening of the faith of all beings, hence achieving that shocking one-hit kill.

But seeing the aura emanating from the Jade Empress as she descended now, they finally realized how huge the difference between Transcendence and Dao Integration was.

An ‘Dao Integration Realm expert’ unrestricted by the rules of heaven and earth was actually this terrifying.

“Why did the Jade Empress come to Heart Refining Mountain?”

On the mountain, the Great Qian soldiers watched this scene and couldn’t help asking in low voices.

“What did the Jade Empress mean just now…? The Imperial Advisor seeking personal gain?”

Soon, some people reacted and couldn’t help discussing the Jade Empress’s words in hushed tones.

At this moment, not only on Heart Refining Mountain, but throughout the entire Great Qian Dynasty, whispers spread.

All cultivators trembled with fear. Although that immortal voice was pleasant and captivating, every word she spoke contained Dao Rhyme, resonating with them, making their souls tremble.

“Jade Empress, you’ve come after all.”

Although Gu Buxing was shocked, it wasn’t unexpected. He remained seated cross-legged, because he had already reached the crucial moment of refining the national fortune and couldn’t stop midway.

“You’re much calmer than I imagined. You must have prepared some trump cards in advance.”

Yao Meng smiled faintly, her green eyes as clear as glass, her voice always soft and gentle. But in Gu Buxing’s ears, he clearly heard the killing intent in her words!

The Jade Empress held back last time because the national fortune was bound to him, and killing him would damage the national fortune, making it not worth it. But now that he had taken out the national fortune and infused it into the Seven-Colored Altar to refine it… The Jade Empress probably wouldn’t hold back this time.

However, not only was Gu Buxing not afraid, but a playful smile even appeared on his face.

“I bet you can’t kill me.”

After refining the national fortune, he could fulfill his promises to Cloud Province, the Southern Wilderness, the Western Regions, and other places, giving them part of the national fortune.

And during this time, he would also secretly awaken the quasi-immortal slumbering in the depths of the Southern Wilderness.

He had deduced destiny before and knew the location where the quasi-immortal was sealed.

Once he awakened her, he would naturally have a sliver of hope.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay