Chapter Fifteen: Conflict

"Go back? Senior Qin must know how to get back, right?" The two itinerant immortals were both stunned; arriving here, they were no different from the Kuyan people—like country folk entering a vast city for the first time.

"I say, with Senior Qin here, we don’t need to worry about the way back. We should focus on finding good spots and rare materials. But let me be clear—any place I find, the Yin-Yang Sect gets first dibs!"

Yang Qingtian was still immersed in the wonders of this new environment, not thinking at all of returning. In their minds, as long as they stayed with Qin Shuang, there was no need to concern themselves with getting back.

The thirteen cultivators, as Qin Shuang instructed, didn’t venture far. They had no idea just how formidable the beasts Qin Shuang mentioned could be, but since she had specifically warned them, they must not be weak. The thirteen kept in touch with each other, only collecting a few precious materials in the vicinity.

The Kuyan people did not move. Those coveted treasures, which the cultivators dreamed of, were to them as ordinary as grass and stones, of no value. The six of them sat quietly, awaiting Qin Shuang’s return.

Soon, all thirteen cultivators flew back, each wearing a blissful smile. The items they’d each collected were enough to rival half the wealth of their entire sect. Some of the itinerant immortals had even found legendary materials said to be capable of forging celestial artifacts.

After a brief discussion, the thirteen decided to expand their search area and formed an alliance: should any of them encounter danger, all would come to their aid. The unimaginable wealth before them was enough to make them risk everything, and for the moment, they forgot Qin Shuang's warnings.

Lin Yufei was nearly delirious with joy. As a sect leader, he knew many things that ordinary cultivators did not, including descriptions of high-grade materials for artifact forging and alchemy, all handed down by seniors of old.

Those things had always seemed mere legends to Lin Yufei; on the barren Su Yu Star, such treasures were simply impossible to find, and he had once doubted their existence.

But today felt like a dream—items he’d only ever read about were now appearing before his very eyes. According to the records, he’d already gathered enough materials to forge a top-grade spiritual weapon. Using the artifact-forging methods handed down by the Wu Ling Sect, Lin Yufei had a fifty percent chance of successfully crafting one.

Fifty percent might not seem high, but Lin Yufei had only been collecting for a short time and had already secured one set of materials. If given more time and a bit more luck, gathering ten sets or so and forging a top-grade spiritual weapon would not be out of reach.

A top-grade spiritual weapon was the stuff of legend on Su Yu Star. With one, Lin Yufei’s strength would leap to a whole new level, and his standing there would be vastly enhanced.

Lin Yufei was so overjoyed that he inadvertently wandered away from the others, even losing sight of his own Wu Ling Sect companions.

"Who are you, and why are you harvesting our red sandalwood?"

A sharp voice snapped Lin Yufei out of his euphoria, and he suddenly realized that eleven cultivators had appeared not far ahead, arriving at some point unnoticed. At their head was a young woman at the late stage of the Void Fusion realm, clearly the strongest among them, and it was she who had spoken.

"And you are?" The appearance of unfamiliar cultivators put Lin Yufei on alert; his hope that this was an unclaimed paradise now seemed wishful thinking.

"I asked you, why are you destroying our immature red sandalwood?" the young woman said sternly, her eyes flashing with anger.

"Yours?" Lin Yufei was taken aback. This was not what he expected; not only were there other cultivators here, but judging by their attitude, everything here seemed to belong to them.

"That’s right. This is the designated cultivation base for the cultivators of Lotus City. Everything here is cultivated by us. Who exactly are you?"

The young woman sounded impatient. A young man at the middle stage of the Void Fusion realm stepped forward and then shot off into the distance, while the others fanned out, encircling Lin Yufei.

"Sorry, I didn’t know these belonged to you. I'll leave right away," Lin Yufei managed, remembering his position as a sect leader. Caught red-handed taking someone else's property, he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

"Senior Sister, I just checked—many of our cultivated materials have either been ruined or stolen!" The young man who had flown off now returned, having gone to inspect their belongings.

"You thief!" The young woman was furious. If she could have discerned Lin Yufei’s cultivation, she would have ordered him seized already.

"Miss, I think there’s some misunderstanding here!" Lin Yufei’s face was awkward and aggrieved. He wasn’t the only one collecting materials; some had been taken by his companions, but now he was bearing all the blame.

"What misunderstanding? Senior Sister, let me take this thief down for you!" A late Nascent Soul cultivator to Lin Yufei’s left shouted. Without waiting for the young woman’s response, he spat out a mid-grade spiritual weapon, hurling it straight at Lin Yufei’s head.

"Damn!" The young woman cursed inwardly; she had just sent a message to their seniors in the city and couldn’t discern this man’s strength—he was surely stronger than any of them. Her junior brother was no match for him.

Sure enough, before the flying sword could reach him, Lin Yufei’s own sword knocked it aside. In a flash, he was at the Nascent Soul cultivator’s side, pressing a hand to his shoulder and sealing his spiritual energy.

Now Lin Yufei was also angry. He was a dignified sect leader, yet this junior, without even giving him a chance to explain, had attacked him directly with a flying sword—this was beyond what he could tolerate.

"You... Let me go, or my uncle-master will kill you!" The Nascent Soul cultivator, realizing his spiritual energy was sealed, knew he was in trouble. Though afraid, he refused to back down.

"Hmph! Today, I’ll teach you a lesson on behalf of your uncle-master, you arrogant brat!" Lin Yufei snorted coldly, his spiritual energy surging as he completely sealed the youth’s Nascent Soul within his dantian. Without strength surpassing Lin Yufei’s own, it would be impossible to break free. At Lin Yufei’s late-stage Tribulation Crossing level, only itinerant or true immortals could undo such a seal.