CH 1

Chapter 1: The Sacred Land is going bankrupt

“Senior Brother Zhang, have you heard? It seems that our Sacred Land’s finances are in trouble.”

“Indeed, I heard from a senior disciple that our Sacred Land’s Creek Secret Realm has become depleted of spiritual energy, and it has been downgraded from a blessed land to a mundane one. It’s no longer producing spiritual herbs.”

“Wow! The Creek Secret Realm has been downgraded from a blessed land? No wonder I heard the head of internal affairs say that this year, they might reduce the disciples’ benefits.”

“What?! Our Heavenly Origin Sacred Land already has the lowest benefits among the four Sacred Lands, and they’re going to reduce them further?”

“Well, what can we do? We’re the poorest among the four Sacred Lands and with the weakest foundation.”

Heavenly Origin Sacred Land.

One of the four great Sacred Lands in the Great Yan Province.

On the surface, it seemed no different from the past, but unrest could be felt among the people.

Many disciples gathered together, whispering in private.

It seemed the sect was running out of money.

This was a matter of great concern for everyone’s cultivation.

Wealth was the first priority, and its importance could not be understated.

Whether it was maintaining the sect’s grand array, nurturing disciples, or offering support to the elders, it all required money.

Without money, it was difficult to maintain such a powerful force.

However, all these were still just rumors.

So for the time being, it hadn’t caused much of an impact.

—

Heavenly Origin Sacred Land occupied thousands of immortal mountains, spanning tens of thousands of square kilometers.

At the center of the mountains, on the highest peak called the Sacred Master Peak, the atmosphere was filled with immortal energy. Immortal cranes and spiritual beasts flew together and spiritual energy permeated like water.

The Sacred Master Hall was grand and ancient, its walls engraved with countless arrays, divine light flowing like water, making it exceptionally magnificent.

Inside the Sacred Master Hall, more than a hundred core elders gathered.

Those who were qualified to attend today’s meeting were at least at the late-stage of the Golden Core Realm, with nearly twenty Nascent Soul experts.

In the Great Yan Province, where Deity Transformation experts were rare, such a number of Nascent Soul powerhouses demonstrated the formidable strength of Heavenly Origin Sacred Land.

It was truly worthy of the name of one of the four great Sacred Lands.

However, today, these elders were far from being as carefree as they used to be, with most of them showing anxiety and furrowed brows.

The rumors were true.

As the higher-ups, they were well aware of the Sacred Land’s current situation.

Heavenly Origin Sacred Land was on the verge of bankruptcy…

Every year, the Creek Secret Realm produced spiritual herbs worth nearly 50,000 high-grade spirit stones.

Now that it had been downgraded from a blessed land, it was no different from any mundane place in the outside world.

The production of spiritual herbs had plummeted to a fraction of what it used to be.

It was as if a major source of wealth had been cut off.

But this wasn’t the biggest blow to Heavenly Origin Sacred Land.

The sect’s Immortal Peach Tree was about to wither, and that was what truly terrified the elders.

The Immortal Peach Tree!

It was the immortal root found in Heavenly Origin Sacred Land’s secret realm.

Every year, it grew ten immortal peaches and tens of thousands of immortal peach leaves.

The leaves had naturally formed Dao patterns, and when brewed into tea, it could provide those who drank it with an opportunity for enlightenment.

It was a divine item.

As a result, the Immortal Peach Leaves were highly sought after.

In the outside world, a single Immortal Peach leaf could be sold for the price of ten top-grade spirit stones. The effect of the Immortal Peach was even more potent; even powerful cultivators at the Deity Transformation Realm could benefit from it, and it could nourish the soul. Such divine items were never sold to the public. Only Supreme Elders within the Sacred Land, the Saint Master, and meritorious elders were able to enjoy them.

The Immortal Peach tree could be considered the lifeline of Heavenly Origin Sacred Land. Every year, it brought in a full 100,000 top-grade spirit stones, allowing the Heavenly Origin Sacred Land to continue for nearly ten thousand years. But now, the Immortal Peach tree was on the verge of withering. This year, it bore only one fruit, and there were merely a hundred or so leaves. Furthermore, judging by the situation, perhaps in at most ten years, the Immortal Peach tree would reach its limit and completely wither.

The revenue sources from both Creek Secret Realm and the Immortal Peach tree were cut off simultaneously. It was a devastating blow to the Heavenly Origin Sacred Land. It was important to know that the total annual income of the Sacred Land was only 300,000 top-grade spirit stones. This meant losing half of it. And without enough money, they couldn’t provide enough resources to cultivate disciples.

Without attracting talented disciples, the sect would have no fresh blood, no successors, and no resources to recruit powerful foreign guests to serve the sect. If there weren’t enough foreign guests to handle affairs, the elders would have to intervene, leaving them no time to cultivate, not to mention the frustration that came with it. This would inevitably affect the elders’ strength, leading to the decline of the entire Sacred Land’s power.

As the power of the Sacred Land declined, so would its influence on the surrounding areas. Many dependent sects might switch their allegiance to other powerful Sacred Lands and no longer pay tribute. This would become a vicious cycle. If this continued for a hundred years, it wasn’t impossible for the Heavenly Origin Sacred Land to fall from its position among the four great Sacred Lands.

This issue affected the interests of everyone in the Heavenly Origin Sacred Land. Therefore, the elders present at the moment were extremely worried.

—

Their gazes were all focused on the young man sitting on the Saint Master’s throne. This young man was none other than the current Saint Master of the Heavenly Origin Sacred Land, Ye Chen. With a Nascent Soul cultivation level, he joined the sect at seventeen, cultivated for twenty years, and broke through to the Nascent Soul realm at the age of thirty-seven.

He completely overshadowed those Saint Sons and Saint Daughters with only the Golden Core realm within the Sacred Land. With his unrivaled strength, he ascended to the position of Saint Master without controversy after the previous Saint Master became a Supreme Elder. A thirty-seven-year-old Saint Master of the Sacred Land was extremely rare. His accession ceremony at the time shocked the entire Great Yan Province.

However, the current predicament faced by the sect couldn’t be resolved by strength alone. Moreover, other Sacred Lands would soon get wind of the news and possibly target them. After all, the four great Sacred Lands appeared harmonious on the surface but were constantly scheming against each other behind closed doors. There was only so much interest to go around, and everyone wanted fewer people to share the cake.

Saint Master Ye Chen was too young. Did he have the ability to solve the financial crisis faced by the Sacred Land?

—

Under the scrutiny of the many elders, the young Saint Master, whose talent had shaken the entire continent, gazed at the elders present with a calm expression. His handsome face looked exceptionally youthful. A divine light flowed over his body, and his aura was deep and vast, as if shrouded in mist.

It was hard for others to get a clear look at him. As for the crisis currently faced by the Sacred Land, the young Saint Master seemed to be completely unconcerned. He maintained his usual carefree demeanor.

This expression caused a stir in the hearts of the elders present…

The Saint Master seemed so indifferent.

Could it be…

Did he have a solution to the current predicament?

But could the gap of 150,000 top-grade spirit stones really be easily filled?