Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

"You can talk?"

Jiang Ding was taken aback.

He had thought it was a naive and cute little child.

"Bullshit!"

The Nine Elements Spiritual Ginseng cursed loudly, "I'm already over a thousand years old, do you think I can talk? Our ginseng kind talks by yiyayiyahing."

"But that doesn't mean I'm young!"

Jiang Ding was at a loss for words.

"The rent."

After a long while, he said gloomily.

"Fine, anything is fine."

The Nine Elements Spiritual Ginseng said listlessly, "I saw in the Luoxu Clan's Book Pavilion that you humans are always so hypocritical and overbearing. I thought it was an exaggeration, but I didn't expect it to be worse than described in the books. Meeting you is just my bad luck."

"Actually, it's not like that…"

This made Jiang Ding feel a bit embarrassed.

"You work for me for five hundred years, um, you don't need to actually work, just give me some ginseng whiskers every hundred years, five times will be enough to pay off the Luoxu Clan's rent, and then you'll be free."

He emphasized, "I'm an upright and kind cultivator, I won't hurt your ginseng safety over debt issues."

"Heh."

The Nine Elements Spiritual Ginseng snorted disdainfully.

Clang!

Drawing the sword.

"Your integrity,"

"Your kindness,"

"From the Luoxu Clan all the way to Liudao Sect, even far as the East Sea, everyone knows, no one is unaware."

The Nine Elements Spiritual Ginseng had a sycophantic smile on its face and flattered, "To serve you for five hundred years is the great fortune I've accumulated over two thousand years of cultivation. If the word gets out, I don't know how many of my kind would be green with envy."

"I always said, you are a ginseng of high moral character."

Jiang Ding sheathed his sword and exclaimed, "You'd definitely not run out on your debts, you know, I detest people who don't pay their debts the most, I could just chop them into pieces."

"After all, those who lend you money trust you, they are your good brothers, your good friends, such people cannot be let down."

"You're not the kind of ginseng that would run out on your debts, right?"

"Absolutely not!"

The Nine Elements Spiritual Ginseng raised its chubby little hand and swore a solemn oath.

"That's good."

Jiang Ding's expression softened even more and pointed to Han Lin, who was beside him, "This is another landlord. After Luoxu Clan cultivators die, Sect debts are handled by both of us, he owns thirty percent."

"This Han Lin Taoist, um, is quite poor; he might need some cash money."

Jiang Ding gave a suggestive look, glancing in another direction.

He himself was just too upright and kind,

Couldn't stand to see these things.

Understanding the hint, Han Lin grabbed the chubby Nine Elements Spiritual Ginseng child and went into a secluded grove to calmly discuss for a good while before returning the Nine Elements Spiritual Ginseng child.

Jiang Ding glanced at the child.

This fellow's skin was dull, listless, his vitality had decreased by a large margin; he'd need at least a hundred years to recover. However, his vital foundation remained unharmed, precisely taken to the critical point.

"Here, take this."

Jiang Ding threw out a big bag of Spiritual Fertilizer.

Produced by Xianmen Sect, he had prepared it in case he felt the need to gather herbs.

For Xianmen cultivators, replenishing water and fertilizer after gathering herbs was common knowledge; there was no need to be specifically taught, as that's what everyone did since childhood.

"What the hell is this?"

The Nine Elements Spiritual Ginseng child pushed it away contemptuously, "Get me into the white cream soil, bury me there, for at least twenty years, otherwise my cultivation base will decline."

"You try it."

"Try what, are you the ginseng or am I the ginseng? Do you understand or do I?"

"Nine Elements Spiritual Ginseng wailed angrily."

Han Lin watched the jade bottle in his hands with sheer delight. In front of him, the Nine Elements Spiritual Ginseng had become quite docile; there wasn't all that fuss, and a little scare was enough to yield spirit liquid for him to initiate the Infant Formation twice over."

"Yes, you're a ginseng," Jiang Ding said dismissively and then grabbed a handful of Spiritual Fertilizer to gag it."

"Even though you know it's me... wuwuwu..."

"Ah?"

The mouth of the Nine Elements Spiritual Ginseng was stuffed with Spiritual Fertilizer, and at first, it struggled fiercely, but soon after, it began gobbling down the Spiritual Fertilizer, filling its mouth to the brim and its eyes shining brightly: "What is this? Why have I never eaten this before?"

"Spiritual Fertilizer. If you want more, you can work for me in the future, taking care of the Spiritual Plants to earn some."

Jiang Ding casually replied and then took out a storage bag that could hold living things, stuffing the Nine Elements Spiritual Ginseng inside."

He would not bring any sentient being into the Xianmen Sect."

However, even in this world, there were vast expanses of Spirit Fields suitable for cultivation, and if a sapient ginseng were willing to look after them, it wasn't hard to see a significant increase in yield."

Months later, when the two returned, they attracted the attention of a large number of Golden Pill Monks."

Including the Six Dao Saint, nobody had left this place. Some cultivated, others engaged in Alchemy and refining treasures; two months had easily passed by."

"Greetings to Lord Tushan!"

The numerous Golden Pill Monks stood up and saluted without asking where the two had been."

"According to the message on the Luoxu Order, the gates of the Luoxu Clan will close in six months. At that time, we can choose to leave."

"Now," Jiang Ding said indifferently, "follow me to find Blood Cloud, and ask him to join us in attacking the Ancestor Temple of the Luoxu Clan; if there are any Cultivation Methods or similar opportunities, they will be divided according to the rules of the Sutra Pavilion."

"Yes!"

Immortal Baimei and the others, reminded of the Cultivation Methods they had acquired, were greatly heartened."

"Zhen Department one, Kun Department one, Zhen Department one... step forward."

Following Jiang Ding's order, the small Army Formation composed of more than a hundred Golden Pill Monks once again took shape."

The only difference was that after the inclusion of the Six Dao Saint, a Nascent Soul Stage Elite, the difficulty of controlling the Formation decreased further, and their speed increased once more."

The Image of the Eight Trigrams shone all around, unfolding its grave pressure, and moved slowly towards the distance."

...

An Army Formation of Blood Cloud,

An Eight Diagrams Formation."

The two forces, one in front of the other and separated by over two thousand kilometers, were steadily drawing closer, unstoppable."

A sense of despair and pessimism enveloped all of the Blood Cloud Eighteen Knights."

"How long before we collide?" asked Blood Cloud in a deep voice."

No one, from beginning to end, suggested disbanding the Army Formation to scatter and flee."

Once they scattered, the Tushan Swordsman could kill each of them effortlessly."

"Nineteen days," answered Hei Loucheng, the spear bearer, with a grave voice."

A silence as heavy as death followed."

Many of the Golden Pill Monks' eyes flickered."

Clearly, they had no intention of fighting to the death alongside the Blood Cloud Eighteen Knights; they were simply monitored so closely that they couldn't leave on their own."

After a long time,

in the midst of this calm, sighs were heard."

"Big brother, let's surrender,"

after taking a long time to recover to his full adult size—though still appearing weak, with a breath lesser than that of a mere Qi Practitioner, and after a long fit of coughing, Li Tu, the Blood Hand Demon, said, "The Six Dao Saint and the Scorching Sun have been defeated... we... might not fare any better. If we keep delaying, the only thing we'll do is continue to provoke the Tushan Swordsman, without any chance of a different outcome."

"Although the man is sinister and ruthless, he might still keep his word; I've heard most Sword Cultivators take their promises quite seriously."

"And he didn't kill Immortal Baimei or the Six Dao Saint either."

"Second brother..."

Blood Cloud's face was filled with gloom."

To surrender, placing his fate in the hands of a Cultivator he had never met, was unimaginable in his life thus far; there was only standing to live or standing to die, no other choices."