Please, Young Master, Slay the Demon!
Chapter 699 - 57 Earth-Wood Hall 【Seeking monthly tickets!】_1

Chapter 699: Chapter 57 Earth-Wood Hall 【Seeking monthly tickets!】_1

Upon returning to Shu Mountain, Chu Liang came to Red Cotton Peak and stood there, in a daze, looking at the bustling array of buildings.

"What are you thinking?" Lin Bei asked.

He had heard that Chu Liang had come to Red Cotton Peak and came to greet him. He found Chu Liang gazing at the mountain peak as if he were planning the future of the entire Red Cotton Peak.

"I visited Yunhui Temple today. It’d recently been attacked by two demon kings, leaving many of their grand halls in ruins." Chu Liang answered. "I’m worried. These days, the world is becoming increasingly chaotic. What if Red Cotton Peak also ends up like that after a battle?"

"Impossible," Lin Bei replied.

"Why are you so confident?" Chu Liang asked.

"How can we compare the peaks of our Shu Mountain with Yunhui Temple? Apart from Tontian Peak, the other peaks here only have superficial array runes and never had any structural reinforcement. Their grand halls were reinforced with earth sand. Our buildings are common buildings. Once a fight breaks out, not to mention an eighth realm giant demon, even several seventh realm cultivators could obliterate our mountains, let alone our buildings," Lin Bei calmly stated. "So, we can’t possibly be on the same level as them. We’re far behind."

"..." Chu Liang was speechless at his analysis for a moment, then asked, "How come you know so much?"

"I have two friends at the Earth-Wood Hall," Lin Bei casually answered. "So, I know a bit."

"Then why were Yunhui Temple’s buildings reinforced, but ours weren’t?" Chu Liang asked perplexedly.

During the previous great battle at Shu Mountain, the Underworld King Sect had caused considerable damage. Although the rebuilding afterward was quick, that was because there weren’t many valuable items around.

Considering the present situation where every square inch of Red Cotton Peak is precious, if it were to be randomly destroyed, I dread to think how much loss would be incurred for its rebuilding.

Thinking about this, a sense of urgency suddenly arose within Chu Liang.

Moreover, Shu Mountain is different from Yunhui Temple. Yunhui Temple has a divine artifact to protect it; as long as the Law Lotus Platform doesn’t leave, no one would dare to cause trouble. However, Shu Mountain is different. If an eighth realm cultivator were to make a big fuss, it would be normal for several mountains to collapse, and a wave of buildings to topple.

Just imagining the Red Cotton Peak, which he had painstakingly managed, being tossed towards the demon king like a stone by Sect Master Wen Yuan, and yet not even hitting the target...

Chu Liang could already feel his blood pressure rising.

"No, I must find a way to reinforce this mountain. I don’t care about the other peaks, but Red Cotton Peak has to be more robust," he stated gravely.

"To reinforce the mountain..." Lin Bei stroked his chin. "I have two friends in the Western Regions. They can provide the construction materials we need. But for how to integrate them, we’d have to consult the people from the Earth-Wood Hall. You could ask them. They’re quite welcoming."

Just a few years ago, the disciples of Shu Mountain’s Earth-Wood Hall had a tough time.

They were only responsible for maintaining the mountain gate and constructing buildings on usual days, and even creating picturesque landscapes from rocks for the sect was voluntary work, so they earned barely anything. Despite needing to recruit new disciples, few peaks needed houses built. The work was also tedious and boring, and not many people were willing to come. At one time, only three to five deacon disciples were left.

However, ever since the rise of Red Cotton Peak, the demand for architecture significantly increased, and most of the clients were outsiders who could be charged a slightly higher price. The people who had been holding firm in the Earth-Wood Hall suddenly landed in springtime and made a fortune overnight.

It was one of the ways Red Cotton Peak had stimulated Shu Mountain as a whole.

For them, Chu Liang was naturally akin to the god of wealth.

Thus, the moment Chu Liang arrived at the entrance of the Earth-Wood Hall, he was received with great enthusiasm.

...

"Junior Brother Chu!"

"Oh, Junior Brother Chu! What brings you here?"

Two shabby, dusty brothers, who looked like middle-aged people but also somewhat youthful, revealed white teeth in their smiles as they warmly welcomed Chu Liang.

"Senior brothers..." Chu Liang smiled. "Did you just finish a project?"

"Yup." Answered one of the shorter dark-skinned fellows with a smile, "We go to the construction site every day. We are always covered in dust after work. Cleaning up would inevitably get dirty again, so we just stopped bothering."

"I’ve just been assisting the folks from Law Enforcement Hall with their inspections. They come to check every day. It’s so annoying," the taller dark-fellow remarked, "We don’t even bother to wash our faces when we see them."

"The brothers from the Law Enforcement Hall are also considering safety," Chu Liang chuckled. "I wish to have a talk with the Elder of the Earth-Wood Hall. Is that possible?"

"Certainly!" The short dark-skinned man laughed. "Elder Tu Mu would definitely be delighted to learn you’ve come."

Saying this, the two escorted him to the third floor, arriving outside the quiet room of Elder Tu Mu, and knocked on the door.

When Chu Liang entered, he was met by a man in his middle years. His skin was a little dark, and his stomach protruded slightly. Though called an elder, he didn’t look over forty-five or fifty. Even his actual age was likely not more significant than his master’s.

This man was the Elder Tu Mu of Shu Mountain, named Xu Heng.

"Elder Xu," Chu Liang greeted, "I have an idea that I wanted to discuss and get your opinion on."

"Oh?" Xu Heng poured a cup of tea for Chu Liang, "Go ahead."

"I want to reinforce Red Cotton Peak and renovate all the buildings on it, turning them into stronger defensive structures," said Chu Liang.

"Reinforce Red Cotton Peak?" Elder Xu’s smile grew brighter, "That’s a significant undertaking. How considerable of a degree do you want to reinforce it to?"

"At least enough to withstand the full-powered strike of a Seventh Realm cultivator, ideally holding its own for a while under an Eighth Realm cultivator’s area attack," said Chu Liang.

"That’s impossible," Elder Xu promptly shook his head.

"Is it challenging?" Asked Chu Liang, frowning.

"It’s not about it being difficult or not. Withstanding the full attack of a Seventh Realm cultivator or the area attack of an Eighth Realm cultivator..." Elder Xu laughed helplessly, "This would require magic artifacts at the level of Ten Thousand Treasures Record. Are you asking us to refine Red Cotton Peak into a massive artifact?"

"Indeed!" Chu Liang nodded, "Very accurate, Elder. That’s precisely it."

"I..." Elder Xu paused, doubting whether his tone was the issue that led to a miscommunication.

"I am not questioning you; I am stating that it’s impossible..." Xu Heng chose his words, "Even if you bring in people from Chuan Jian Hall, it would still be impossible."

"In fact, this should be simpler than refining a magic artifact. I can ask Array Immortal Dong Futu to design a comprehensive Mountain Protection Array, and you list whatever materials you need - I can buy..." Chu Liang tried to persuade.

"This isn’t about the limitations of formations; there’s a limit to their strength. No formation can be stronger than that of Tontian Peak, right? It’s just the surface, but you can’t change the inherent fragility of the mountain itself," Elder Xu tried to explain, "The same goes for the buildings. If subjected to a powerful blow, even if protected by a formation, things inside would still be destroyed if the Qi Force is too strong."

"I can handle that," Chu Liang reached out, presenting a handful of dingy crystalline sand.

"Is this...Earth Sand?" Elder Xu recognized and then asked in surprise, "How did you manage to granulate it?"

"If I can get a lot of this Earth Sand, could it be possible?" Chu Liang countered.

Of course, this was something he obtained from Yunque Temple. That small chunk of Earth Sand, after being cut back and forth, had turned into this fine grain.

"If we could mix this Earth Sand into the mountain and the buildings, the spirituality of the formation could seep in, and the effect would improve tenfold..." Elder Xu pondered, "Indeed, it does seem possible."

"That’s excellent." Chu Liang smiled, "That’s exactly what I want."

"But, this..." Elder Xu chuckled twice, "As you know, we’ve never attempted something like this before, so it’ll be challenging. To accomplish this project, the cost will certainly have to be higher."

"Money is not a problem," Chu Liang decisively replied. He paused and added, "I heard deacon disciples of Earth-Wood Hall receive a discount for the building, isn’t that right?"

"That’s true," Elder Xu nodded, "In the early years, we didn’t have many people, so we provided some incentives."

"Great." Suddenly, Chu Liang said something that left Elder Xu speechless, "Then I’ll join the Earth-Wood Hall."

"What?"

Elder Xu was startled and quickly waved his hands, "Absolutely not, aren’t you trying to take advantage of a loophole? Discounts are meant for building a house, not a mountain."

"Anyway, once I join the Earth-Wood Hall, we’ll be family, right? We can work things out," Chu Liang smiled.

"I disagree. As long as I’m in charge, there’s no room for negotiation," declared Elder Xu hurriedly.

He initially viewed this as a significant project that he could skim a bit off. But if Chu Liang joined, how would he maneuver in front of him?

"Well then..." Chu Liang feigned disappointment and stood up.

He left Earth-Wood Hall and headed for the neighboring Unbounded Palace.

"Sect Master, I have some important matter to report," he said.