Chapter 979: Going Out to the Sea

A month later, Mo Yue Trading Company appeared in Pei Hai City. It wasn't the largest merchant association, but it was the most impressive. Its buildings, constructed from deep-sea blue rock, were protected by layered defense formations, giving the entire complex the appearance of an ocean from afar.

Ye Mo spared no expense this time, establishing multiple defensive and offensive formations. His mastery of formations, coupled with a generous investment in spirit stones, resulted in level-four attack formations. Even nascent soul cultivators would struggle to escape, and with a nascent soul cultivator managing the formations, even those above the nascent soul stage would be vulnerable. This was a stark contrast to the break-in at China Pharmaceuticals, where Ye Mo's limited resources prevented him from deploying such high-level defenses. His philosophy was simple: the best defense is a good offense.

Mo Yue quickly established dominance in Pei Hai, though much of its initial success stemmed from Ning Hai Pills. However, the swift and decisive retribution against those who previously defrauded customers—their dantians destroyed by a seventh-level Golden Core cultivator—silenced any potential opposition. Mo Yue's meteoric rise further deterred any challenges.

Mo Yue primarily traded formation disks and pills, while also acquiring various materials, including beast cores. Customers were consistently surprised by the abundance of top-grade and special-grade pills at prices comparable to competitors. The availability of Condense Red pills, a rare commodity for Golden Core cultivators, quickly propelled Mo Yue to fame throughout Pei Hai, attracting a growing clientele. The scarcity of formation disks in other Pei Hai shops also contributed to Mo Yue's success.

Ye Mo devoted his time to training Yu Qiyang in formation disk creation and instructing Su Yue and Sheng Yizhong in pill concoction. He entrusted the management of Mo Yue entirely to Li Jingwen. His current heavy workload was expected to ease once Zhen Xiaoshan regained her Golden Core cultivation. Su Jingwen, Ye Ling, and Song Yangzhu, being less powerful, focused primarily on cultivation, assisting at the shop only occasionally.

A month later, Mo Yue was thriving, and Zhen Xiaoshan had successfully returned to the Golden Core stage. While she celebrated, Ye Mo remained unfazed, attributing her progress to her talent and the ample supply of pills he provided. However, Su Jingwen's ascent to the ninth level of the Golden Core stage within three years astonished him. Her exceptional cultivation speed prompted him to seek out water weed, recognizing that his cultivation required vastly more resources than ordinary spirit gathering formations could provide.

Mo Yue's expansion prompted Ye Mo to invest all his remaining spirit stones and recruit two level-six spirit pill masters. His impending sea voyage left him unable to dedicate time to pill concoction, and Su Yue and Sheng Yizhong were still in their early stages of training.

Three months later, Ye Mo established another teleportation formation, entrusted his mid-grade spirit artifact flying ship to Li Yuqian, and departed Pei Hai City. The incident in River State had heightened his security concerns, reinforcing the need for readily available teleportation formations. His enhanced formation skills allowed him to set the destination of this new formation 200,000 kilometers away.

Pei Hai bordered the Heartless Sea, where countless cultivators ventured daily to hunt beasts and gather spirit herbs and ores. Lower-level cultivators remained near the coast, while those seeking higher-grade resources ventured further into the sea. Access involved either a personal flying boat or a magic artifact, or using a teleportation formation to Pei Qi Island, a convenient hub located approximately 100,000 kilometers from the city. This location, amidst dangerous waters, was a vital resupply point for hunters and offered immediate communication channels for beast wave warnings.

Ye Mo, possessing his own flying boat, bypassed Pei Qi Island, heading for Duo Horn Island, 100,000 kilometers further, known for its abundance of water weed. He chose to travel alone, confident in his ability to escape using the Golden Page World.

…

Upon reaching Duo Horn Island, shocking news from Pei Hai City—the establishment of intercontinental teleportation formations connecting South Peace State, North Far State, and East Black State—rippled across North Far State. Multiple Truth Realization Stage cultivators, accompanied by thirty Disaster Transformation and Cauldron Filling Stage cultivators, planned to complete the project within a year.

The rationale behind this unprecedented initiative remained unclear, but the news served as a stark reminder of the Luo Yue continent's vastness and the existence of multiple states beyond their immediate region. Even more startling was the selection of Pei Hai City as the site for this crucial teleportation formation.

Manager Wang, among many, deeply regretted his past decisions. The dramatic increase in Pei Hai City’s land value, exceeding tenfold, left him lamenting the millions of spirit stones he had lost. In contrast, Li Jingwen was overjoyed at the prospect of Mo Yue's increased value, even though Ye Mo's absence prevented them from celebrating together. He found ironic humor in Ye Mo’s philosophy, “losing is winning.”

Meanwhile, the news prompted Manager Wang to reconsider his options concerning Mo Yue, whose only known powerful member was a nascent soul cultivator. However, before he could act, a Disaster Transformation stage formation master arrived at Mo Yue, causing Wang to reconsider his actions.

Li Yuqian greeted the master, visibly uneasy at the presence of such a powerful cultivator. The master, however, proved surprisingly approachable, praising the quality of Mo Yue’s defensive and offensive formations and expressing a desire to meet their creator. He was fascinated by the unique aspects of the formations, which deviated from conventional approaches.

Li Yuqian explained that Ye Mo, the creator of the formations, had recently ventured out to sea. The master, a little disappointed, left a jade card for Li Yuqian to deliver to Ye Mo upon his return. He introduced himself as Ji Lin.

Simultaneously, Ye Mo encountered unexpected difficulties on Duo Horn Island.