Chapter 445 ·Disposal of Captives
Chapter 445: Disposal of Captives
It took Chen Beiwu three days and three nights to lead the Mirror Moon Army back to Blackstone Gorge，and their marching speed was relatively slow。
There was no other reason，the Mirror Moon Army needed to escort and guard the cultivator captives from the Three-Sect Allied Army，lest these enemy-sect cultivators escape，while also transporting the large amount of cultivation resources and several batches of standardized Spiritual Artifacts seized from the treasury of Severed Dragon Cliff。
There was no need for Chen Beiwu to divide his attention to tally these postwar gains，instead，he handed the inventory and transportation work over to Shu You、Ink Vaidurya under his command。
But Snow Bridle still felt uneasy，afraid that Shu You might embezzle hidden treasures，so he volunteered to supervise。
Chen Beiwu naturally had no objection to this。
Most of the high-level resources stored within the treasury of Severed Dragon Cliff Main Pass had already been taken into his possession，but it was inevitable that some high-level resources might have been overlooked。
With Snow Bridle，this great thief，supervising and inspecting everything，Chen Beiwu felt very reassured。
Thinking of this，Chen Beiwu moved his finger，and a brand-new Storage Ring appeared between his fingers。
It had to be said，True Monarch Crimson Dragon and True Monarch Blood Origin truly had tremendous nerve，the military supplies allocated by the three sects amounted to roughly six hundred thousand Middle-Grade Spirit Stones。
Yet these two possessed enormous appetites，directly filling their own pockets and embezzling a full five hundred and seventy thousand Middle-Grade Spirit Stones，leaving only forty thousand Middle-Grade Spirit Stones as military supplies for the three armies。
‘These two didn’t die unjustly，they embezzled a full ninety-five percent of the military supplies，in the end，I’ve actually helped the Three-Sect Allied Army by eliminating two enormous corrupt rats for them。’ Chen Beiwu chuckled。
For the time being，he did not intend to hand these five hundred and seventy thousand Middle-Grade Spirit Stones over to the sect，instead，he planned to use them to cultivate the forces of the Beast Taming Lineage。
The reason was very simple，although his feat of seizing the pass alone appeared infinitely glorious，the actual expenditure had not been small，the High-Grade Spirit Stones alone had cost five thousand five hundred。
One had to know，when High-Grade Spirit Stones were exchanged for Middle-Grade Spirit Stones，they could generally command a premium。
The Earth-Aspect Origin-Returning Pearl Chen Beiwu had purchased for five thousand five hundred Spirit Stones had an actual value almost equivalent to six hundred thousand Middle-Grade Spirit Stones。
If there had not been quite a few High-Grade Spirit Stones and Fourth-Tier resources within the Storage Rings of True Monarch Blood Origin and True Monarch Crimson Dragon，then purely in terms of Spirit Stone value，Chen Beiwu’s assault on the pass could even be called a loss-making transaction。
‘A small loss is still a gain！’
Chen Beiwu looked toward the long black line below，those were the cultivator captives of the three sects gathered together in one long procession，their auras listless and dispirited。
Aside from Spirit Stones and cultivation resources，his greatest gain from this battle was four thousand allied cultivators！
Blackstone Gorge，outside the fortified pass。
Seeing the long procession in the distance with no visible beginning or end，the scout responsible for investigating the battle situation had his pupils contract，and instinctively activated his mana，preparing to strike the bronze bell。
But the Mirror Moon banner fluttering against the wind caused one Foundation Establishment cultivator’s movements to freeze，so stunned that he did not even notice the azure mallet in his hand falling to the ground。
‘Could the news actually be true？Did the Dao Child wipe out the entirety of Severed Dragon Cliff？’
The Golden Core Elder temporarily stationed at Blackstone Gorge in Chen Beiwu’s place revealed a hesitant expression。
There was no helping it，the news transmitted from the front had been far too shocking，so shocking that even he，a Golden Core True Person，found it inconceivable and difficult to believe。
To put it unpleasantly，if another Golden Core True Person had been guarding Blackstone Gorge and suddenly heard of such a ferocious battle record，they too would instinctively question it and suspect that the frontline battle report might have been replaced by enemy-sect cultivators。
‘It really is true！’
When his Divine Sense detected the figures of the Dao Child and the many Mirror Moon cultivators，this Golden Core Elder immediately ordered the gates opened，then transformed into a streak of rainbow light and went forward to welcome them。
“Quickly look，those are the bastards from the Red Sun Sect！”
“Not just the Red Sun Sect，there are also bastards from the Blood Fate Sect and Azure Spirit Sect！”
“What a long procession of cultivators，how many cultivators from the three sects did the Dao Child capture in this battle？”
“Hehe，looks like after some time，Dream Pavilion and Cloud-Rain Pavilion will have quite a few new male cultivators and female cultivators。”
In an instant，sounds of discussion、exclamations and sharp intakes of breath mixed together，forming a noisy wave of sound。
But as they looked toward that leading figure at the very front of the Mirror Moon Army，the Mirror Moon cultivators present gradually closed their mouths，their eyes revealing awe，and even gazes of nearly fanatical worship。
Cultivators of the Southern Wastes already revered strength！
Seeing this，the middle and upper-level cultivators of Blackstone Gorge exchanged glances，their expressions complicated。
The younger generation was truly formidable！
At this moment，without any words，and without even needing to use Divine Sense to investigate，the terrifying prestige brought by the Dao Child’s great victory was enough to overwhelm all sect cultivators。
“There is no need to welcome me，open the side valley of Blackstone Gorge and settle the allied cultivators there。”
Too lazy to listen to the cultivators under his command flatter him，the moment Chen Beiwu’s words fell，his figure immediately disappeared。
……
Blackstone Gorge，Supreme Residence。
“How is it，are there any high-level resources suitable for you？” Chen Beiwu asked。
Previously，he had focused all his attention on the growth of his Fate and tallying the Spirit Stones，and only now did he begin distributing the high-level resources within the Storage Rings。
The resources required for the daily cultivation of Fourth-Realm Beast Kings were completely different from those required by Third-Realm Beast Generals。
Upon reaching the Fourth-Realm Beast King realm，the increase in Cultivation Years of a cultivator’s Companion Beast became extremely slow，they either had to spend time slowly accumulating Cultivation Years and raising their realm，or consume heavenly materials and earthly treasures to rapidly increase their Cultivation Years。
Compared with the former，Chen Beiwu was more inclined toward the latter。
An ordinary Immortal Alliance True Monarch might be unable to support four Fourth-Realm Beast Kings，but that did not mean he，who possessed the resources of the Southern Wastes，could not。
The faster Golden Egg、Iron Egg、Snow Bridle and Zhi Ling increased their Cultivation Years，the more benefits he could receive through the backfeeding of the Companion Contract。
“Woof。”
Iron Egg barked softly，indicating that he would not participate in the subsequent distribution。
The Crimson Flame Jade Shedding and the Heaven-and-Earth Exotic Flames in Chen Beiwu’s possession alone were enough for him to refine for several decades，or even a hundred years。
By then，it would not be a problem for his Cultivation Years to surge beyond four thousand years，so there was simply no need for him to compete with his companions for resources。
“I’m not picky，let Zhi Ling choose first。” Golden Egg said generously。
With the Three-Aspect Smelting Furnace Mystical Ability，he could eat any kind of resource，so it was better to yield a little and leave a good impression of unity and care for the younger ones in front of his master。
Chen Beiwu glanced at Golden Egg，somewhat surprised by his magnanimity。
“Ying！”
Zhi Ling chose very quickly，immediately taking a liking to a token at first glance。
“？？？”
Golden Egg and Iron Egg both revealed curiosity in their eyes。
Within the perception of their Divine Sense，this token was truly ordinary！
“Can you let me take a look？”
Chen Beiwu also became curious，his fingertip gently rubbing the token。
The inscription patterns and craftsmanship of this token were extremely special，somewhat similar to the Tai Void Formation Sect Inner Disciple Token Chen Beiwu had previously obtained，only the material was clearly better。
At this thought，Chen Beiwu decisively took out the Formation Sect Inner Disciple Token from his Storage Ring and compared the two。
“Ying！”
Zhi Ling raised her little head，indicating that this token in Chen Beiwu’s hand contained spatial power and could produce a fixed-point teleportation effect in specific places。
“You mean，this token can travel to the depths of the Tai Void Formation Sect ruins、the inheritance treasury within the ruins，or perhaps a place where traps are buried？” Chen Beiwu raised an eyebrow，his gaze becoming playful。
Too coincidental！
This Formation Sect token had arrived far too timely，could it be connected to the Formation Sect ruins that had appeared at First-Line Heaven，or even connected to the Divine Transformation fortuitous encounter he had triggered？
“Ying。”
Zhi Ling disdainfully pushed away the other Inner Disciple Token，indicating that there was no spatial power within it and that it was not worth paying attention to。
“You’ve worked hard，this token is extremely important and cannot be given to you to refine for the time being，I’ll compensate you with three Fourth-Tier Mystic Medicines later。”
Chen Beiwu rubbed and kneaded Zhi Ling’s head。
The latter narrowed her eyes comfortably，causing all three pairs of Golden Egg’s dragon eyes to reveal envy。
“Knock！”
“Knock！”
“Knock！”
At this moment，knocking sounded from the door。
“This servant Shu You，requests an audience with Master。”
“Come in。”
The cave dwelling’s Restriction Array was released，the door opened，and Shu You walked in before bowing。
“You are now a Golden Core Elder of the sect and Deputy Lineage Master of the Beast Taming Lineage，from now on，just call me Dao Child or Lineage Master。” Chen Beiwu corrected her。
Unexpectedly，Shu You dropped to her knees with a thud，revealing a frightened expression：“In this servant’s heart，Master will always be Master。”
“I have no intention of beating you down，if you continue maintaining this servant mentality，it will be very difficult for you to prove the Dao as a True Monarch in the future。” Chen Beiwu offered a word of guidance。
For Golden Core True Persons lacking ambition，the inner and outer Heart Demon Tribulations were undoubtedly Heavenly Tribulations difficult to overcome。
Shu You froze slightly，then hurriedly changed her form of address：“This disciple understands，Lineage Master，the captives from the three sects have already been temporarily settled in the side valley of Blackstone Gorge according to your decree。”
“But this disciple does not understand one thing and wishes to ask the Lineage Master，how should those four thousand allied captives be handled？” Shu You asked the doubt in her heart。
“How did the sect usually deal with enemy-sect captives in the past？” Chen Beiwu tested her。
“Reporting to the Lineage Master，according to sect convention，after a war，enemy-sect captives are handled separately according to their injuries、background、cultivation、skills and other circumstances，so that everything can be put to its fullest use。”
“Explain in detail。”
“Those who are gravely wounded beyond recovery，whose Dao Foundations have collapsed，and whose cultivation paths are severed，are of no benefit if kept alive and merely consume Spirit Stones and medicinal materials，the usual practice is to grant them a swift death，then send their corpses to the sect’s Spirit Plant Garden to feed back the Heaven-and-Earth Spiritual Mechanism。”
At this point，Shu You noticed the Lineage Master frown slightly，causing her heart to skip a beat and her voice to grow softer。
“Continue。” Chen Beiwu glanced at Shu You。
He understood very clearly that war was cruel and easily accumulated hatred between the two factions。
Within the Southern Wastes，allowing enemy-sect captives to avoid torture and granting them a dignified，swift death could already be considered the conduct of righteous-path cultivators。
If they were replaced by demonic sect cultivators of the Southern Wastes，not only would they torture the enemy-sect captives to vent their anger，they might even extract their souls and refine their spirits，squeezing every last bit of value out of them into Spirit Stones。
But everything became different when compared，and compared with the Immortal Alliance’s system，the way cultivators of the Southern Wastes acted was truly somewhat brutal。
Hearing this，Shu You pursed her lips and continued speaking：“Those with special identities，whose parents、elders or masters belong to the middle or upper echelons of enemy sects，are imprisoned separately，their backgrounds investigated and value estimated，then ransom is demanded，or they are exchanged for secret intelligence，they can also be kept for future bargaining，to be used for threats and transactions。”
“Those with light injuries，acceptable cultivation，and skills in alchemy、artifact refining、talismans、formations and the like，can sign contracts and have Restriction Arrays placed upon them，half imprisoned and half employed as laborers，serving the sect with their lives。
Those with sufficiently outstanding skills might perhaps earn the status of an Outer Elder，but if they show any abnormal movement，they must be immediately suppressed and killed。”
“Those with outstanding appearances，special physiques，and intact primal yin or primal yang，are specially nurtured by sect cultivators，used as cultivation furnaces，and divided into grades。
Those of higher grade are given to the sect’s upper echelons，or presented to the sect’s guest elders and Subordinate Families；
Those of lower grade are directly sent to markets for auction，going to the highest bidder，or sent into Maiden Pavilion to earn Spirit Stones。”
“Those without any special skills and with shallow cultivation are directly incorporated into forced-labor camps，then dispatched to various mineral veins、dangerous regions and construction sites，where they mine for the sect、explore dangerous places and construct fortified passes and markets，this type of captive is the most numerous，and is also consumed the fastest。”
At this point，Shu You slightly raised her head and looked toward Chen Beiwu，asking cautiously：“Lineage Master，how do you think they should be handled？”
Only the weak needed to obey convention。
In Shu You’s view，since Master had been able to seize the pass alone，the ownership of these captives belonged entirely to Master，and even the sect’s upper echelons had no right to interfere。
“How do you think they should be handled？” Chen Beiwu tested her。
“The daily upkeep of four thousand captives is an enormous expenditure，if we want to maximize benefits，the best method is to select a group of cultivators with the best cultivation、aptitude and skills，then incorporate all remaining cultivators into forced-labor camps。” Shu You stated her thoughts。
Although selling captives as cultivation furnaces was indeed enormously profitable，based on her understanding of Master，the probability of him approving it was minuscule，and it would instead lower his impression of her，so it was best not to touch upon it。
Chen Beiwu continued asking：“What do you think of the current strength of the Beast Taming Lineage？”
Shu You lowered her head：“It cannot compare with the Mirror Moon Main Lineage，is slightly inferior to the Illusory Sea Lineage，and far surpasses the Cold Marrow、Deep Abyss、Floating Cup and Hollow Spring Lineages。”
“Not enough。” Chen Beiwu shook his head。
“It is this disciple’s incompetence！” Shu You hurriedly bowed。
“It is not your problem，cultivating cultivators requires time。The six lineages of Mirror Moon possess more than ten thousand years of foundation，for you to bring the Beast Taming Lineage to this level within only a few decades already makes you a capable talent，otherwise I would not have bestowed a Golden Palace Pill upon you back then。”
“This disciple does not dare claim credit，without the Lineage Master presiding over us，with this disciple’s ability，even if I exhausted a lifetime of effort，I would still be unable to make the Beast Taming Lineage surpass the Hollow Spring Lineage。” Shu You said sincerely。
Even though Hollow Spring was the weakest of the six lineages of Mirror Moon，it still had a sect Nascent Soul True Monarch，a Supreme Elder，presiding behind it。
Without the slightest exaggeration，in her heart，the Beast Taming Lineage could currently rank third among the seven lineages of Mirror Moon，and leaving everything else aside，the Lineage Master alone was enough to equal the combined strength of the Deep Abyss、Floating Cup and Hollow Spring Lineages。
“Among these four thousand allied-sect captives，how many cultivators do you think are qualified to become disciples of the Beast Taming Lineage？”
Chen Beiwu smiled indifferently and spoke words that caused Shu You’s pupils to abruptly contract in disbelief。
What was happening！！！
Although the Beast Taming Lineage lacked powerful experts and prodigies，it was not yet so desperate that it needed to accept enemy-sect captives。
Once this news spread，not only would the sect’s upper echelons be shaken，even the seven lineages of Mirror Moon，including the disciples of the Beast Taming Lineage itself，would raise objections and dissatisfaction，perhaps even resentment。
Moreover，these allied cultivator captives were not easy people to deal with，and all of them had family forces influencing them from behind。Even if they joined the Beast Taming Lineage and Restriction Arrays were placed upon them，they could still betray the sect at any moment，becoming enemy-sect agents and stabbing the sect in the back。
If such a muddleheaded idea of making wedding clothes for the enemy sect had not come from Master’s mouth，Shu You would definitely have thought the person proposing it had gone mad。
But Master was different！
Thinking of this，Shu You forcibly suppressed the distracting thoughts in her heart and answered：“Among the allied-sect captives there are four Golden Core True Persons from the three sects，three Red Sun Generals，five Azure Spirit Generals，and two Blood Resentment Generals。”
“Golden Core Dao Generals are restricted by Secret Arts，a single thought from the upper echelons of the three sects can kill them，so the probability of them submitting to our sect is minuscule，but if the Lineage Master is willing to personally step forward，taking in those four Golden Core True Persons should not be a problem。”
Hearing this，Chen Beiwu smiled：“Just four Golden Core True Persons cannot satisfy my appetite，of the four thousand allied cultivator captives，I want at least half of them incorporated into the Beast Taming Lineage to work for me。”
Shu You froze，then nodded in agreement。
Although she did not understand why，given Master’s current identity and status，he would waste energy and time subduing those captives as insignificant as ants，if this was Master’s goal，she would exhaust all her strength to accomplish it。
RelatedRelatedRelated