Chapter 498: Chapter 436: 20000 Merit Points

"Why are you the only ones back? Where is everyone else?"

Zhuxia rushed back, but when he saw only five cultivators on the returning ship, his heart sank.

"Senior Zhuxia, it’s just us."

"The others... they all died in battle."

The cultivator on the ship lowered his head, his expression grim.

"What about Ji Zhang, Chunying, and Matsuo?"

Zhuxia asked after a stunned moment.

"The three seniors... also died for the Sect."

Hearing this, Zhuxia stared blankly for a long moment before asking, "Hong Er, tell me, how did they die?"

Hong Er looked up and answered, "Lord Ji Zhang and Lady Chunying were both acting alone. We didn’t witness their fights, so we’re not sure about the specifics. Senior Matsuo was killed by a mechanism he accidentally triggered while pursuing Zhao Lin."

Zhuxia staggered back two steps and glanced at the Chenghua Sect’s magnificent vessel. A sense of powerlessness washed over him. Without another word, he waved for the guards to set sail.

After exchanging a few words with Chu Hongtian, Zhao Lin tactfully stepped aside, letting others have the spotlight.

Chu Hongtian met with Chao Duan, Du Zhen, and the others one by one, offering them words of encouragement. In his high spirits, he ordered his subordinates to bring out Spirit Wine and set up tables, inviting everyone to drink with him.

Unable to refuse, they all joined him for a few cups.

Chu Hongtian drank more than half a jar of wine but was still not satisfied.

Buoyed by the alcohol, he ordered the guards to sail the ship into the waters controlled by the Earth Dark Sect. They paraded about ostentatiously and even began beating the war drums.

DRUM DRUM DRUM...

The sound of the war drums carried far. The guards on the Earth Dark Sect’s island thought the Chenghua Sect was launching an attack. They scrambled to pull back their ships and rushed to report the news to Island Master Jing Shigen.

Before long, a ship from the Earth Dark Sect sped over.

A cultivator in a purple robe stood at its prow. Before he was even close, he bellowed angrily, "Island Master Chu, what is the meaning of this? Trespassing in our sect’s waters without cause—are you looking to start a war?"

Normally, if the Chenghua Sect crossed the border occasionally, Jing Shigen would have likely tolerated it.

But he had just learned moments ago that in this latest mission, his sect had lost three pearl shoals, and all of his Boundary-Crossing Cultivators had been killed. He was already seething with rage—how could he possibly endure this?

Chu Hongtian ignored Jing Shigen, looking around and asking, "Where are we?"

Gan Xingquan stepped forward. "Reporting to the Island Master, this is twenty li east of Red Tail Island."

"How did we end up all the way out here?"

Chu Hongtian said with a hint of reproach in his voice, then turned to Jing Shigen. "Apologies, we got lost."

Jing Shigen’s face twitched. "Lost? You got lost and started beating war drums?"

Chu Hongtian raised his cup, drained it in one gulp, and said with a drunken slur, "War drums? I’m in a good mood today, just drinking and drumming for a bit of fun. Island Master Jing, you must be overthinking things."

Jing Shigen took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "In that case," he said in a low voice, "I must ask Island Master Chu to leave at once, to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings."

As he spoke, his gaze swept across the crowd and finally landed on Zhao Lin’s face.

Zhao Lin met his gaze and deliberately raised his arm, showing off the several eyebrow daggers he had seized.

This move was like adding fuel to the fire. Jing Shigen’s eyebrows shot up, and his face became terrifyingly dark.

Zhao Lin paid it no mind. ’I’ve already offended the Earth Dark Sect to the core,’ he thought. ’What’s one more Purple Mansion Realm cultivator who already hates my guts?’

"Alright, let’s head back."

Chu Hongtian yawned and gave the order. The ship responded immediately, parting the waters as it sailed west, back toward Red Tail Island.

Before long, everyone had returned to the island.

Chu Hongtian assigned two scribes to speak with each of the cultivators who had gone on the mission, recording the details of its execution.

If it were just a matter of gathering Spirit Pearls, it wouldn’t be this troublesome; a simple count would suffice.

However, reclaiming the pearl shoals was a major event. Detailed records had to be kept, and merit points had to be distributed based on contribution.

After giving his report, Zhao Lin handed over the Spirit Pearls, eyebrow daggers, storage pouches, and other items.

He kept three things for himself: Ji Zhang’s Black Robe Pouch, Chunying’s Silver Flood Dragon Whip, and Matsuo’s octagonal ancient mirror.

All three magical treasures had belonged to Foundation Establishment cultivators; Zhao Lin couldn’t bear to trade them for Spirit Stones.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, until we meet again!"

"Brother Zhao, we’ll see you around."

Du Zhen, Chang Jianqiu, and the others left the island one by one. Before departing, they all came over to say their goodbyes to Zhao Lin and exchange a few pleasantries.

They knew full well that with Zhao Lin’s combat prowess, even if he never broke through to Foundation Establishment, he would become a figure like Miao Kefa. Naturally, they hoped to build a connection with him.

After seeing everyone off, a guard came to inform Zhao Lin that the Island Master had summoned him.

Zhao Lin had been planning to discuss the exclusive rights to sell Spirit Pearls with Chu Hongtian anyway, so he followed the guard to the Island Master’s Mansion.

"Young friend Zhao, you’ve truly made me see you in a new light."

Chu Hongtian said, his tone one of admiration and surprise as he carefully sized up Zhao Lin.

He wasn’t shocked that the Earth Dark Sect had found a loophole and sent three Boundary-Crossing Cultivators on the mission. He was shocked that Zhao Lin had actually managed to kill all of them.

’Just what kind of combat strength is this?’

If not for the fact that every cultivator on the mission had told the same story, he would have thought it was all fabricated.

"Of the three Boundary-Crossing Cultivators you killed, I recognize the one named Matsuo. I fought him back when I was still in the Foundation Establishment Realm. He was an extremely difficult opponent."

Chu Hongtian’s expression turned serious. "In terms of pure combat power, even with his realm suppressed, he was stronger than most early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. For you to be able to kill him is truly remarkable!"

"You praise me too much, Island Master."

Zhao Lin said humbly, "Truthfully, in a direct confrontation, I would have been no match for him. I only succeeded by a stroke of luck, with the help of a mechanism."

"Luck again."

Chu Hongtian didn’t dwell on the issue. His expression became formal as he said, "I’ve called you here for two matters. First, regarding the recovery of the pearl shoals. Your contribution was the greatest. By rights, you could take half the merit points and it wouldn’t be too much."

"However, there were over a dozen people on this mission, and too large a disparity in rewards would be unfair. There were also the four Array Masters, whose contributions were not small either."

"How does this sound? The four Array Masters will each receive two thousand merit points. The other eight will each get a half-share, which comes to one thousand five hundred merit points."

"And you, young friend, will receive ten thousand merit points alone. What do you say?"

"I will defer to the Island Master’s arrangements!"

Zhao Lin agreed readily. "Ten thousand merit points is enough to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill. How could I possibly be dissatisfied?"

Chu Hongtian laughed at his reply. "Then I am relieved. There is also the matter of the thirteen Earth Dark Sect cultivators you killed. I previously promised you a triple reward, which is six hundred merit points per kill. That comes to a total of seven thousand eight hundred merit points."

"However, three of them were Boundary-Crossing Cultivators. It would be unfair to count them the same as ordinary cultivators. So, how about this: I’ll round it up to a nice, even number for you—another ten thousand merit points."

Zhao Lin hurriedly bowed. "Thank you, Island Master!"

’I used to think that saving up the ten thousand merit points needed for a Foundation Establishment Pill was an impossible dream,’ he thought with a surge of emotion. ’Who would have thought I’d earn twenty thousand from a single mission? It feels like I’m dreaming.’

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