PCJ – Chapter 776 The Crisis of the Meishan Sect

“Uncle Zhang, we need to report something to you. It’s about the Meishan Group. Since Jiaohua has been absent for a long time, there are a lot of rumors circulating. The interests of the Meishan Group are enormous—so huge that some people are tempted. I’ve heard that some at the top have proposed nationalizing the Meishan Group. There’s no definitive decision yet, but we must prepare for the possible consequences.” Ji Jiaxin was very worried about the current situation facing Meishan Group.

“Jiaxin, with Jiaohua gone it’s been hard on all of you. If things really go south, let them go their way. If Jiaohua can return, nobody can take what belongs to him; if he can’t, what use are all these things? Don’t let this distract you. Cultivate well and take care of yourselves. If you find someone trustworthy to spend your life with, don’t let that opportunity pass because of this. Aunt Liu and I don’t value these things so highly. You can’t take money with you when you’re born, and you can’t take it when you die. If the Meishan Sect can still stay united, these matters should be handled by the sect. If the sect falls apart, don’t stick your neck out. Understand? Protect yourselves above all.” Zhang Youping also had a clear view of the sect’s situation.

To the authorities, the Meishan Sect had become an unwieldy force. Nobody wanted forces they couldn’t control operating on their turf. But Meishan’s power was astonishing; they had even extended influence across the cosmos. Any state that acquired Meishan’s power would have the potential to dominate the world. The Meishan network was now woven into every corner of Earth. That was why the government dared not take direct action against them.

The problem was that Zhang Jiaohua had been away too long; Meishan’s influence was not what it used to be. If not for some core personnel working hard to keep the sect running, Meishan might already have collapsed and split apart.

“Uncle Zhang, Aunt Liu, don’t worry about us. We’re okay for now. The core cultivators of Meishan are united—we’re the only ones who truly believe Jiaohua will return someday. If he can use his own power to enter the Immortal Realm, he can surely use his own power to come back to Earth. I’m sure he’s working now to reopen the channel between Earth and the Immortal Realm, looking for a way out for Meishan’s cultivators. The ones making a fuss now are just small-time clowns. Elder Wei plans to deal with them at the appropriate time. Things in Meizi’ao are still relatively calm, right?” Mei Qing asked.

“It’s fine over there. Brother Chen is stationed at Meizi’ao; there won’t be any trouble. If Brother Chen weren’t safeguarding Meizi’ao, he could have broken through much earlier. He said he’ll wait two more years—if Jiaohua still hasn’t returned, he’ll go to the Immortal Realm to find him and give him a good talking-to.” Liu Qiaoye smiled.

Ji Jiaxin and the others couldn’t help laughing. Right now Elder Chen had the highest cultivation in the sect and was the most likely to cross into the Immortal Realm. But even if he went there and found Zhang Jiaohua, he might not be able to reprimand him—maybe Zhang would be the one to teach Chen a lesson.

Meishan’s biggest crisis was an insufficiency of spiritual energy. Although Zhang Jiaohua had prepared well before leaving—telling Ji Jiaxin and others about a dangerous secret realm deep in Meishan—even if they managed to conquer that realm, the sect’s supply of spiritual energy had already become problematic.

Mei Qing’s research center had made some progress: they’d built a spiritual-energy generator that could convert ordinary energy into spiritual energy through a special device. But the conversion efficiency was extremely low—nowhere near practical use. That problem hung over Meishan like a double-edged sword. If it wasn’t solved, disaster could strike at any time.

After leaving Meizi’ao, Mei Qing and the others returned to Meishan’s Blessed Land. Now only the sect’s core inner circle could enter the Blessed Land. It was Meishan’s most secret stronghold. A massive protective formation had trapped the spiritual energy inside, and the Blessed Land still retained very dense spiritual energy.

“I know many people worry the sect leader won’t return. But don’t forget—the leader broke through the barrier into the Immortal Realm by force of cultivation. Can’t he break back through from there? We should understand why he hasn’t returned quickly. Before he left he said he wouldn’t come back soon; at minimum he must find and open the passage there so Meishan cultivators can safely transfer to the Immortal Realm. That’s not an easy task, but I think it’s worth waiting for. No matter how chaotic things are outside, as long as we keep our order, Meishan won’t fall apart. If Meishan doesn’t fall apart, who would dare treat us like tender meat to be plucked? From now on, I declare Meishan is entering wartime readiness. For anyone who dares touch Meishan’s assets, we will show no mercy—we will cut that hand off!” Wei Chenguang, Meishan’s chief elder, sat beside the sect leader’s seat. The leader’s place remained empty—always Zhang Jiaohua’s.

“Elder Wei, as long as our core holds, those outside can’t make a mess. If anyone dares, my Law Hall will deal with them!” Zhang Yuanbao said.

Qi Xia also stood: “If the tiger doesn’t roar, people think we’re a sick cat. I say our Battle Hall should go out and beat those noisy little people down.”

Nie Tong said: “Our exploration team’s loyalty is fine. They can be recalled at any time to defend the sect.”

“You can forget about that. With us here, we don’t need you. You’d better find a clear path to the Immortal Realm. I think Jiaohua will be back soon. You lot haven’t made any progress all these years; you’ve almost ruined a perfectly good sect. When Jiaohua returns, we’ll see how he deals with you,” Zhang Yuanbao said.

“Dr. Mei, how’s your research progressing? If there’s no progress, our Blessed Land’s spiritual energy safeguard might fail. So you need to speed up. I know I’m asking a lot, but I have no other choice. If the spiritual-energy supply fails, can our core still stay united? I’m not absolutely sure. Without spiritual energy, we have far fewer advantages compared to ordinary people. So please hurry.” Wei Chenguang said.

Mei Qing nodded. “We’ve had some leads, but we’re still some distance from practical application. You must steady the situation—don’t wait until the energy generator succeeds and the sect has already fallen apart.”

“I can promise that. I’ll give you another half year. Is six months enough?” Wei Chenguang asked.

“Three months. Give me three months and I guarantee the spiritual-energy generator will be developed. But during that time you must ensure Meishan has no problems.” Mei Qing said.

“All right! I stake my life on it—unless I Wei Chenguang die, the Meishan Sect will remain the sect leader’s Meishan Sect!” Wei Chenguang slammed his palm on the table.