Qin Renhuang just became an immortal, and you told me this is the prehistoric time

A grand plan, based on the resource disparities between the two worlds, quickly took shape in Ying Shaoyang's mind. The unfinished top-tier magical artifact before him, in his eyes, had already opened a door to a completely new model of resource utilization.

Ying Shaoyang carefully accepted the radiant 'Cloud and Rainbow Robe' and the jade slip containing the refining method, a perfectly timed, gentle smile appearing on his face.

The smile wasn't entirely fake; there was genuine warmth in it.

His divine sense quickly swept through the jade slip. Although his Great Qin world did not have certain specific auxiliary materials needed to refine the "Morning Cloud Silk", which world did not have the core material - the first pure cloud before the sunrise every day?
The key point was that this idea of ​​relying on a large group of low-level cultivators to carry out refined and standardized "production" of magic weapon components caught his eye!
This was practically a tailor-made strategy for him! The tens of thousands of "quasi-cultivators" in the Great Qin World who had broken through to the first level of life and were worried about not having suitable cultivation methods and development directions seemed to have found the perfect use for them in an instant!
If we can collect more magical artifacts or resources that require a large workforce to efficiently refine, and combine the strength of the entire Qin Dynasty, its development speed will surely usher in a terrifying period of explosive growth!
Seeing the smile on Ying Shaoyang's face, the headmaster of Shangqing Palace shook his head and let out a long sigh, his tone filled with the vicissitudes of life and the changes of time.

"Fellow Daoist, do you find this method exquisite? Alas, it is merely a somewhat insignificant weapon-refining technique from the golden age of the ancient cultivation world. Its true glory dates back thousands of years, and even my late master never witnessed its splendor."

He raised his eyes, his gaze seemingly piercing through the dome of the main hall, looking towards the ethereal immortal realm, his voice carrying a complex and unfathomable emotion.

"It is precisely because those who ascend to immortality in the mortal realm are becoming increasingly rare that everyone who can successfully ascend in such harsh conditions is a person of extraordinary talent and boundless fortune. Once they enter the immortal realm and grow up, they often become great figures in their own right."

Unfortunately... they have been ascended for too long, high above, and have probably long forgotten the suffering of mortals, which is why they acquiesced to, and even promoted, the decision to sever the energy of heaven and earth..."

These words contained both a recollection of past glories and a subtle sense of dissatisfaction and helplessness towards the decision-makers in the immortal realm.

After expressing his feelings, the sect leader's expression turned solemn, and he carefully took out an item.

It was a strange, spherical magical artifact, about the size of a fist, dark silver in color, with countless tiny holes on its surface, and flickering slightly as if breathing.

The interior of this sphere is not a solid entity, but contains countless tiny points of light, like miniature stars, slowly rotating, appearing and disappearing, forming a small starry universe of its own.

The moment this item appeared, Ying Shaoyang felt the core of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Array at his waist tremble slightly, transmitting a clear sense of longing and excitement! It was as if he had encountered an extremely suitable tonic!

And the dark silver sphere seemed to sense something as well, and the speed at which the stars inside rotated suddenly increased!

The sect leader's expression changed slightly. He quickly formed a hand seal, and a gentle yet powerful spiritual energy enveloped the sphere, forcefully suppressing its unusual movement. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and explain.

"Fellow Daoist Ying, please don't be offended, this thing is sensitive."

This is the other precious treasure the old Taoist priest mentioned earlier; its origin... is even more extraordinary, and also far more dangerous.

He held the sphere of stars in his hands, his tone solemn.

"The core of this object is a fragment of a 'star core' that the ancient sect 'Tianxing Sect' obtained by chance! The Tianxing Sect mobilized the entire sect and gathered hundreds of disciples who were proficient in the Dao of Stars to condense the light of the stars in the sky day and night. It took hundreds of years of hard work to forcibly engrave a massive amount of star energy and special runes into this star core."

The sect leader's voice carried a hint of coldness as he continued.

"The method of crafting this treasure is absolutely domineering. The 'Starry Talisman' that has been crafted must be extracted and implanted into the body of a demon. After that, whenever the demon absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cultivate, a portion of it will be silently absorbed by this talisman and transformed into the purest star essence, which will then nourish the core of this treasure."

When the demon's true essence is drained and it is completely exhausted, its remaining essence will be absorbed by the talisman and integrated into the star core, enhancing its power.

He paused, then uttered a chilling number.

"According to the jade slip, the Heavenly Star Sect condensed hundreds of thousands of such 'Star Talismans' back then! This means that to completely refine this treasure, it would be necessary to capture hundreds of thousands of demon race members who have achieved cultivation and feed them into this Star Core Furnace like nutrients!"

"Back then, the Tianxing Sect went to extremes because of this, focusing solely on hunting down the demon race. In the end, they angered a terrifying being deep within the demon race, drawing out powerful demons. Overnight, the entire sect was wiped out!"
Only one elder risked his life to smuggle this unfinished treasure out and deliver it to my Shangqing Palace for protection. Even now, the demon race is probably still secretly searching for its whereabouts.

Ying Shaoyang was astonished. Hundreds of thousands of demons who had achieved cultivation? This was an astronomical number! Compared to his own Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Array, although it also required stellar power and resources, it was a completely righteous way of nurturing them. It was worlds apart from this cruel and almost demonic method of refining!

He subconsciously glanced at the maid beside him and the group of Qingqiu fox girls in the distance.

Most of the maids he took in had shallow backgrounds and probably didn't even qualify to be "chosen" by this magical artifact and talisman.

Of the hundreds of beauties from Qingqiu, according to his divine sense, only a few dozen had spiritual power pure and abundant enough to qualify for the talisman to absorb.

This further highlights how difficult it is to gather hundreds of thousands of "nutrients," making it an almost impossible task.

But after the initial shock, an even more fervent thought arose in his mind.

He carefully, almost with a reverent attitude, received the heavy star-shaped magical artifact from the sect leader's hands. The moment his fingertips touched it, he could feel the vast, cold, and destructive power contained within it.

"This treasure... is truly domineering."

Ying Shaoyang muttered to himself, then without hesitation, with a thought, he directly stored the spherical magic artifact into the mysterious stone gate space within his body. Only there could he completely isolate himself from all external influences and prevent outside detection.

He had made up his mind: he must forge this magical artifact! The Heavenly Star Sect couldn't forge it because they lacked the strength and resources! But he, Ying Shaoyang, possessed the ability to travel between different worlds and had a powerful empire as his backing. He might be able to find an alternative energy source for the "demon race," or even gather that staggering quantity in another world! He was extremely curious about the world-destroying power this artifact, which required hundreds of thousands of "nutrients" to fully succeed, would possess once it was forged!
Seeing that Ying Shaoyang actually possessed a storage treasure that could completely isolate the aura of the star sphere, making it impossible for even himself to sense it, the sect leader's eyes flashed with surprise again, which then turned into admiration.

"Fellow Daoist is indeed blessed with great fortune, possessing such a high-level immortal artifact. Your master must have high hopes for you. I have even greater expectations for your future status in the immortal realm."

He abruptly changed the subject, his expression becoming extremely serious, carrying a warning tone.

"However, Fellow Daoist Ying, this old Daoist must remind you again."

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth has plummeted, and the mortal realm has been abandoned by the immortals, leading to an imbalance of Yin and Yang, the proliferation of evil spirits and ghosts, and a blurring of the boundaries between Yin and Yang. The tribulations faced by cultivators who cultivate their divine souls are more than ten times more powerful than those faced by ordinary primordial spirit cultivators! It can be said that you, fellow Daoist, are now the only cultivator in the mortal realm with both hope and the ability to ascend, carrying the hopes of humanity in this world!

He pointed to the direction where Ying Shaoyang entered the stone gate and said solemnly.

"You may take this treasure to play with and refer to its crafting techniques, but you must never actually attempt to craft it! Otherwise, the immense karma of slaughtering hundreds of thousands of demons will surely invite their ruthless and insane revenge. At that time, even you will likely not escape your fate! Remember this, remember this!"

Ying Shaoyang immediately adopted a receptive expression and assured him firmly, "Sect Leader, rest assured, this junior understands the importance of this matter."

Such a dangerous thing is something I would never dare to try.

Even if we were to conduct research, we would wait until we have sufficient strength in the future, or until we find a world where one side can hold an absolute advantage, before considering it.

Seeing that Ying Shaoyang's attitude was sincere and not feigned, the sect leader nodded in satisfaction.

He handed over a seemingly simple Qiankun bag at the end, his tone becoming more relaxed.

"There are over eight hundred magical treasures of decent quality here. With Fellow Daoist Ying's wealth, ordinary magical treasures are probably no longer of interest to you, but they are quite suitable for rewarding your subordinates and maids."

Although the Qingqiu Fox Clan is a demon race, it has deep historical ties with our human race, with numerous intermarriages. Their collections are among the most abundant in the human world. If you befriend them, you will surely not lack such gifts in the future.”

Although the sect leader felt a pang of regret at having to give up more than 800 magical treasures at once, the thought that he could exchange these "stockpiles" and two unfinished, troublesome items for dozens of precious divine positions from Ying Shaoyang, which would immediately add dozens of powerful deities to the mortal realm for the currently declining Daoist sect, expanding its influence and sources of faith, made that reluctance vanish instantly.

This deal was absolutely worthwhile for the Shangqing Palace.

The deal between Ying Shaoyang and the head of the Shangqing Palace has been struck, and both sides feel they have gained a great deal. The head of the palace has obtained a much-needed divine position, which can immediately enhance the influence of Taoism in the human world;
Ying Shaoyang obtained a vast amount of magical treasures, two unfinished treasures with immense potential, and most importantly—a completely new approach to resource utilization suitable for the development of the Qin world.

At this seemingly pleasant moment, Ying Shaoyang did not immediately take his leave. Instead, as if suddenly remembering something, he cupped his hands to the sect leader and said in a calm tone.

"Master, there is one more thing I need to explain to you. Ten of the divine positions in this transaction need to be given to Maoshan."

He paused, then explained.

"This is a promise I made to Maoshan earlier. I hope you will do me a favor."

Upon hearing this, the headmaster of Shangqing Palace showed no displeasure, but rather a knowing and benevolent smile. He stroked his beard and nodded.

"I am aware of this matter, fellow Daoist. Rest assured, all ten divine positions will be offered to Maoshan."

He knew perfectly well that although Ying Shaoyang was nominally a disciple of Maoshan, he had never actually spent more than a few days in Maoshan, and his cultivation level was mysterious and unpredictable.

Even so, now that his strength has become extraordinary and he can even trade on equal footing with behemoths like the Shangqing Palace, he still remembers a promise he made to Maoshan and actively fights for their interests.

This kind of temperament is truly remarkable in the eyes of the sect leader, and it also shows that this young man still harbors a deep affection for Maoshan.

This is not a bad thing for the entire Taoist community.

After dealing with the matter of the divine positions, Ying Shaoyang changed the subject and made another request. His expression was calm, with just the right amount of "curiosity".

"Master, to be honest, although I have had some fortuitous encounters and my cultivation is barely passable, my knowledge of the various techniques and supernatural abilities in the cultivation world today is truly limited, and my understanding is shallow. I have long heard that the Shangqing Palace Library is all-encompassing and a wellspring of Daoist knowledge. I wonder if I would have the honor of entering and taking a look to broaden my horizons?"

"Hahahahaha!"

Upon hearing this, the sect leader burst into hearty laughter, his laughter filled with pleasure and a sense of "it should be this way".

His eyes were sharp, and he had already seen that Ying Shaoyang was emanating the purest and most refined aura of the Shangqing martial arts, a purity that even far surpassed that of many elders in the palace who had cultivated diligently for many years.

When he heard Ying Shaoyang ask to browse the library, he didn't find it abrupt at all; on the contrary, he felt it was only natural.

In his mind, this "true immortal disciple" must have been cultivating in seclusion with his master in some secret realm. Although he was taught the supreme Dao, he lacked a systematic understanding of the various cultivation methods and supernatural powers circulating in the mortal world. Now that he has come down the mountain to travel, it is only natural that he wants to make up for this shortcoming.

"Fellow Daoist Ying, you are mistaken!"

The sect leader smiled and waved his hand.

"You possess the pure Shangqing Dharma, which is the true lineage of my Shangqing! It is only natural for disciples of our sect to read our own cultivation methods and supernatural powers to broaden their knowledge and make connections! Moreover, with your ability, fellow Daoist, observing various methods and verifying them with each other will greatly benefit your own cultivation."

This is also good for the other disciples in the sect, as many ingenious minor skills and new ideas are born from this process of learning from others!

The more he talked, the more he felt that this matter was beneficial and harmless. Moreover, the person making the request was someone of Ying Shaoyang's status and strength, so there was no reason to refuse, both morally and logically.

The sect leader immediately clapped his hands, and a handsome and respectful young Taoist boy entered.

"Qingfeng, take Uncle Ying to the library. Pass on my decree that Uncle Ying may freely view all the cultivation manuals and books in the library."

After instructing the young Taoist, the sect leader turned to Ying Shaoyang and solemnly gave him further instructions.

"Fellow Daoist Ying, the cultivation methods in the library are numerous and varied, each with its own origins and paths. When you are reading them, remember to grasp their essence and broaden your horizons. Under no circumstances should you practice multiple methods at the same time, lest the methods conflict and damage your own foundation and path."

His advice was indeed well-intentioned, as he worried that Ying Shaoyang might try to do too much at once and end up damaging his own pure Shangqing foundation.

Ying Shaoyang readily agreed and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Thank you for the reminder, Master. I will keep it in mind and will only broaden my knowledge and never be distracted by cultivation."

Having said that, he left the main hall with the young Taoist boy, leaving Lianxiang, Qingfeng, and the other maids behind to wait. (End of Chapter)