Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery
Chapter 997 - 968: Heavenly Monarch Jiang Became a Slave to the Mortgage

"I understand clearly!"

"I voluntarily apply for the loan..."

"I have carefully read and seriously understood the terms above..."

Jiang Ding signed document after document, occasionally having to make specific gestures in front of the camera and utter particular phrases. After signing a stack as tall as a person, another stack, equally high, was brought over.

This had been going on for a month.

There were too many documents to sign!

And Divine Sense could only be used to read the documents, not to answer on behalf of the borrower. After doing it over and over, he had become numb to the process.

But he had to examine each document. These were potentially deadly things; signing his name carelessly was out of the question.

Thankfully, the pile in front of him was the last.

After spending several hours, Jiang Ding signed the last document.

"Okay, that will do."

Goldflow Celestial Monarch gathered up the documents and said with satisfaction, "You can go back and wait for the notification. It will go through many procedures and be repeatedly confirmed by hundreds of departments. It will take at least ten years for the loan to be credited to your account."

"The interest calculation will start from the time the loan is credited."

"However, do note that this is a special loan. As soon as it is deposited in your account, it will be allocated to Yun Kong Port Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Group for the construction of the Super Mothership. You will not be able to withdraw it for personal use."

He advised.

"I understand."

"Thank you, Senior Jin Liu!"

Jiang Ding took the receipt, his expression dazed as he walked out of the Central Bank of Immortal Sect. His eyes were unfocused as he wandered aimlessly through the streets, feeling like he was in a dream.

"It feels weird."

"It's as if someone else has taken on a mortgage."

Jiang Ding came back to his senses and quickly calculated, "Five hundred trillion low-grade Spirit Stones with an interest rate of 0.1% per annum, that means I need to pay... fifty billion low-grade Spirit Stones every year."

"Oh my!"

"The annual tax revenue of the Northern Plains isn't even one-fifth of the interest!"

Just thinking about it made Jiang Ding's scalp tingle.

For a minor Thousand Worlds, hundreds of billions of mortals and cultivators taking on such a debt, they could never repay it in cycles of eternal reincarnation.

And this was the most favorable interest rate, just 0.1%. No one could say the interest was high.

"Don't panic, don't panic."

"I am very wealthy. With the spoils of war and income, I now have a hundred trillion low-grade Spirit Stones, enough to cover many years of interest."

Jiang Ding comforted himself, "The industry development of Great Sun Heavenly Pond is strong. In a few decades, an annual income of twenty billion low-grade Spirit Stones is not a problem. After the unification of the Northern Plains and the complete industrial development, an annual tax revenue of a hundred billion low-grade Spirit Stones should be achievable."

"Plus the donations from good Samaritans, my part-time work, involvement in various projects, and the bonuses... I should be able to earn enough to cover the interest."

"It's just enough for the interest."

Jiang Ding said somewhat despondently.

Ever since he started cultivating, his wealth had been growing constantly. This was the first time he experienced a state where he was continuously losing money.

For the foreseeable future, he would have to live on the hundred trillion low-grade Spirit Stones he had saved. Refining the Taiqing Flying Sword and others also required money.

"Within two hundred years, there shouldn't be any issues; I won't go bankrupt."

Jiang Ding did some calculations and felt a bit more settled, "During this period, I need to pay more attention to the development of Great Sun Ore Industrial. The only path to escape this predicament is probably here."

"The Immortal Gate Sword Cultivators have also begun to develop; the annual demand for industry related to the Sword Dao is growing. The Immortal Capital Great Sun Refining Gold Factory No. 1, aside from what I need, also has an annual turnover of over ten billion low-grade Spirit Stones with a profit of several billion... not much, but it's a good sign."

"As the number and realm of Immortal Gate Sword Cultivators grow, their potential consumption will further increase."

After taking a long time to adjust himself, Jiang Ding recovered and left the streets of Xiandu to fly toward the sky.

But he did not fly toward his home in the Great Sun Heavenly Pond on the thirty-third Tianguard Orbit; instead, he flew toward the dormitory where Jin Lingfeng, An Siyan, and others lived.

The two women had prepared for many years and finally reached the limit of the Golden Pill. The Nascent Soul tribulation was imminent.

When Jiang Ding arrived at the Tribulation Ground, dark clouds stretched over hundreds of miles, and thousands of Golden Pill Monks were watching the tribulation. Aside from that, there were not many people around.

Not a single Immortal of Nascent Soul.

An Siyan's parents, being merely Foundation-building cultivators, had passed away many years ago, leaving behind nothing but memories.

Jin Lingfeng's mother, Immortal Yueling, like Immortal Dinghai, Zhang Junsheng, Immortal Luling, and others, had entered a Sleeping Hidden Realm in search of an Opportunity to Transform into a Deity.

Those who slept were in deep slumber; those who died, died.

The scene was quite desolate.

Jiang Ding stood in the sky, watching the group of Golden Pill Monks from afar without stepping forward to disturb them or join their ranks.

Among these thousands of Golden Pill Monks, he only recognized a dozen or so. It seemed they had met during the wars in the Domain, but he was not familiar with them, sharing no common memories of life, merely acquaintances by sight.

Approaching now would only be awkward, causing unnecessary mental disturbance for these Monks watching the tribulation and drawing lessons from it.

"Is this... Why high-level cultivators always seem lonely and isolated..."

Jiang Ding let out a low sigh.

In the past, when he went through tribulations and watched others do the same, the Spirit Transformation Heavenly Monarchs only watched from afar, which he did not take to heart.

Now, he understood the taste of it.

The rumble of thunder rolled!

Months later, two clouds of tribulation, separated by thousands of kilometers, almost simultaneously unleashed thunderbolts, and the tribulations of the two women began.

Jiang Ding felt a bit nervous in his heart, silently watching.

With time elapsing, Dan Breaking into Nascent Soul, the birth of Nascent Soul, the Internal Demon Tribulation, and then the Heavenly Tribulation arrived one after the other. There were occasional moments of peril, but in the end, everything settled down.

The women passed the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation without any mishap.

Their qualifications and talents were strong enough; after several Domain wars and numerous Nascent Soul opportunities, their foundations constantly thickened. The possibility of any issues actually occurring was quite small.

Jiang Ding carefully examined their Nascent Souls and was pleased with what he saw.

Undoubtedly, they had Superior Nascent Souls, and because they had once ingested the Heavenly Treasure, Great Sun Soul Flame, from the Great Sun Sword Pavilion, their foundations were further strengthened, a phantom-like Divine Ring appearing around their Nascent Souls.

This wasn't a Heavenly Earth Divine Ring but bore some resemblance, with some of its functions.

Nevertheless, it was a tremendous accomplishment, bringing much hope for Divinity Transformation.

After all, the Great Sun Soul Flame was the treasure of the Domain Ruler of Great Sun Sword Pavilion; the Great Sun Heavenly Pond could condense such a rare Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure only once every three hundred years. Generations of Dari Swordsmen cultivated their top subordinates and future Spirit Transformation Heavenly Monarchs with this substance.

After the women emerged from seclusion, they excitedly lectured the Golden Pill Monks, sharing their experiences.

Jiang Ding listened intently and emerged only after they were done with their busy schedule to congratulate them, sharing his own Nascent Soul experiences.

After a long chat,

"Jiang Ding," An Siyan spoke up, pulling herself out of the joy of advancing to Nascent Soul with a sigh, "I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I always feel, as your Realm increases, you seem to be getting further and further away from me."

"I feel the same way."

Jin Lingfeng also said.