As it turns out, Deep EarthSpirit General is currently at the stage of completing Refining Qi, and his Cultivation Base has reached the great completion stage. By paying a huge price, he can temporarily unleash the combat power of the Foundation Building stage. However, after the outbreak, Deep EarthSpirit General has to enter a deep slumber, which can last for about a year and a half. But, if there is enough Stone Milk available for him to consume, he won't need to fall into a deep slumber after the outbreak. At most, he will be weakened for a period of time.
Meng Zhang is generous and directly gave Deep EarthSpirit General a considerable amount of Stone Milk. With the increase in combat power of Deep EarthSpirit General, it is highly beneficial for Taiyi Sect. At critical moments, he, with the combat power of the Foundation Building stage, can be an important card for Taiyi Sect.
Moreover, the Second Rank magic tool, Stonebreaker Hammer, was also handed over to Deep EarthSpirit General by Meng Zhang. Meng Zhang asked if there was a way to hide that cavern from others, and after Deep EarthSpirit General got the information from Meng Zhang, he promised to handle the matter and take care of the concealment of the cavern and the spirit vein.
When at his peak, Deep EarthSpirit General had the ability to move mountains and overturn seas. Although his strength has not fully recovered yet, he can still change the geological structure around the cavern and spirit vein to better hide them, as long as he is willing to put in the effort.
After Deep EarthSpirit General left, Meng Zhang finished sorting out the gains from this time and resumed cultivation. He made a pact with Luo Ye to achieve Foundation Building within 15 years. Despite being confident, Meng Zhang remains vigilant and doesn't dare to relax.
Half a month later, Deep EarthSpirit General returned, having completed the tasks assigned by Meng Zhang. The cultivator's cavern and the spirit vein have been well-hidden.
A month later, Jue Ying came to visit Meng Zhang at Taiyi Sect and brought back the jade slip that Meng Zhang had given her last time. The contents of the jade slip were roughly copied down, which was considerate since Taiyi Sect currently lacks a Foundation Building cultivator to access the information within the jade slip. The contents were rich, including some Cultivation practices from Purple Gold Sect and various cultivation arts, which could greatly enhance Taiyi Sect's foundation.
Meng Zhang stored the books in the Hidden Scripture Pavilion and kept the jade slip separately. Jue Ying also established a channel for exchanging information between the two factions. Every half month or so, a merchant caravan would arrive at Singing Sand City. They would deliver the latest information to Zhang Zhanlin, who manages a grocery store there, and Zhang Zhanlin would then relay this information back to Taiyi Sect.
Jue Ying also gave Meng Zhang a palm-sized mirror, which can be used for urgent communication between the two parties. The usage of the mirror is simple; after refining it, one needs to infuse true qi to activate it.
Luo Ye has fulfilled her promise, and now she waits for Meng Zhang to reach the Foundation Building stage so she can help him dispel the demonic aura.
Jue Ying also expressed that if Taiyi Sect needs help in the future, as long as it is within her capability, she will try her best to assist.
Meng Zhang thought of the pile of scarlet copper ore in the sect. Currently, both he and Tian Li lack the time to refine these ores. The selling channels provided by Zhang Zhanlin and Shi Weiming mainly involve selling already refined scarlet copper.
Meng Zhang mentioned this matter to Jue Ying, and she pondered for a moment before suggesting a solution.
Two months later, a merchant caravan arrived at the foot of a small mountain near Taiyi Sect. The interior of the small mountain had been hollowed out and turned into a massive storage room, holding a large amount of scarlet copper ore.
This merchant caravan was from Earthfire Sect, and through Jue Ying's connections, Taiyi Sect got involved in this business. Being an alchemy-focused sect, Earthfire Sect had a huge demand for various alchemical materials, especially common materials like scarlet copper. They would buy as much scarlet copper as they could get.
Meng Zhang had considered selling the scarlet copper ore to Earthfire Sect before, but they lacked trust due to no previous dealings. He couldn't guarantee that Earthfire Sect would keep it a secret if they found out about Taiyi Sect's large reserves of scarlet copper. With Jue Ying's mediation, Taiyi Sect and Earthfire Sect reached this secret agreement.
The Earthfire Sect merchant caravan secretly took away the scarlet copper ore on a regular basis, and the two factions settled their transactions periodically. Earthfire Sect would pay using their own alchemically crafted magic tools or with spirit stones.
As the number of Taiyi Sect disciples increased, the demand for magic tools also rose. Establishing a good relationship with Earthfire Sect allowed Taiyi Sect to obtain a large quantity of high-quality and affordable magic tools.
For Earthfire Sect, not only did they acquire scarlet copper ore, but they also gained a channel for buying and selling magic tools. Despite the trade being somewhat troublesome, it was still acceptable.
Earthfire Sect was well-known for producing fearless and mad cultivators, and even Twin Success Valley didn't want to provoke them easily. Earthfire Sect's merchant caravans could freely come and go through many places in the Endless Sea of Sand.
Jue Ying's mediation had indeed greatly benefited Taiyi Sect. It made Meng Zhang realize that building good relationships with Jue Ying and her forces was a crucial matter. Although neither Luo Ye nor Jue Ying had explicitly revealed their identities, Meng Zhang speculated that they must have extraordinary backgrounds and powerful support, far from being just loose cultivators.
After several exchanges with Jue Ying, Meng Zhang learned that the black market wasn't run by a single force. Many influential powers in the Cultivation World were involved in its operations, including some so-called righteous sects.
Luo Ye had close ties with the black market and could tap into a significant portion of its power. At least until Meng Zhang helps Luo Ye remove the demonic aura from her body, they can be considered allies.
From an external perspective, the situation in Taiyi Sect seemed to be thriving. They had various industries operating both publicly and secretly, leading to a substantial increase in sect income. Meng Zhang had already repaid the spirit stones he borrowed from Shi Weiming long ago. They also had a secret trade with Twin Success Valley, which became an important channel for Taiyi Sect to obtain white hidden earth ore. Although Taiyi Sect hadn't become their mainstay, it meant they were no longer oppressed by cultivation forces like Zhao Family.
Furthermore, with Luo Ye's assistance, they gained access to sources of information and expanded new trading channels.
Despite such a favorable situation, Meng Zhang always carried hidden concerns in his heart.
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