Along the northern boundary of Taichu Sanctuary Valley, twenty flying swords and five ornate cloud-carriages hovered thirty feet above the boundary stones.
Grand Elder Kunwu stood on the tip of his flying sword, his bandaged forehead glistening with sweat, his eyes bulging with manic, feverish greed.
In his trembling hands, Kunwu held a four-foot wide, carved white-jade basin.
Beside him, Elder Zhao of the Iron-Sword Sect hoisted a heavy bronze cauldron, while Elder Sun of the Pill-Cauldron Clan uncorked an ancient purple-gold spirit gourd.
“Mine! It is all mine!” Kunwu cackled hysterically, his voice carrying on the mountain wind. “With three basinfuls of this celestial dew, my lifespan will extend by three centuries! The Heavenly Dao made a mistake showering it on Lin Mo’s mortals, but Mount Kunlun will correct Heaven’s error!”
Elder Zhao stroked his grey beard, chuckling greedily. “Our Iron-Sword Sect will use this heavenly nectar to temper three hundred flying blades! Once our swords are quenched in merit dew, no mortal weapon will ever scratch us!”
“And our Pill-Cauldron Clan will distill it into Nine-Turn Immortality Elixirs!” Elder Sun chimed in, brandishing his golden gourd. “We can sell single drops to the royal court in Yanjing for ten million spirit stones each!”
