The aftermath of the great battle between the two sects had ultimately spilled over into Lingzhou.
Looking at the intelligence gathered by Song Luyao, both Song Changsheng and Song Xianyun wore extremely grim expressions.
"Because of the battle between the two sects, the entire North has descended into chaos. Some have taken advantage of the situation to stir up conflict, while rogue cultivators are looting and plundering at will. Many clans and sects have already been wiped out. Even the Liu clan, which once did business with our family, has been destroyed by their enemies.
And the turmoil is still spreading. The scouts of the Wind Whisper Hall stationed in Yangzhou have reported that a group of desperate fugitives has crossed over from Qingzhou into Yangzhou, leaving a trail of burning, killing, and looting in their wake.
The elite forces of the Lieyang Sect are fully deployed and have sealed off their mountain gates. There is no one left who can stop these marauders.
Now, it seems they're heading for Lingzhou to stir up trouble."
Song Luyao calmly laid the intelligence reports in front of the two elders as she spoke.
"Fugitives?" Song Xianyun was slightly surprised by her choice of words.
Song Luyao nodded and explained, "These people are remnants from the destroyed clans and sects. Many of them are Foundation Establishment cultivators with considerable strength."
Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng's expression changed dramatically. He immediately understood why Song Luyao called them fugitives; they had lost everything and no longer had anything to lose. That made them incredibly dangerous.
"Locusts invade the land, and not even a blade of grass survives..." Song Xianyun sighed heavily, his heart filled with worry. Lingzhou was already a barren region. If these people were to come and wreak havoc, it would be nothing short of a catastrophe.
"I'm afraid they're not just here to pillage resources," Song Changsheng said coldly. "They might be planning to take over our land entirely."
Song Xianyun sharply turned to him. "You mean...?"
"These people have lost their foothold in the North. If they don't want to live the rest of their lives as wandering rogue cultivators, they'll have to find a new territory to settle in. But the Qi Empire's cultivation world is already fully claimed. They wouldn't dare venture into the Ten-Thousand Mountains to carve out new land, so their only option is to seize it by force.
In the entire southwest region of seven provinces, Yuanzhou and Longzhou are under the protection of the Golden Crow Sect, Linzhou is guarded by the Washing Silk Sect, Bianzhou has the Sunset Glow City, Yangzhou is covered by the Lieyang Sect, and Xiangzhou has the Rong Clan.
Only Lingzhou lacks the presence of a Purple Mansion cultivator.
They'll naturally choose the weakest target. If we fail to respond properly, their fate today will be ours tomorrow."
It might've sounded a bit alarmist, but Song Changsheng had never underestimated the darker side of human nature. In his eyes, this scenario was not only possible, but it was inevitable.
Song Xianyun sighed. Based on his own experience and knowledge, he had to agree that it was very likely. After all, wasn't that how their clan had gained ground back in the day?
The only difference was that they had seized territory from spirit beasts, not from other humans.
"Lingzhou's strength isn't weak overall," Song Xianyun added. "But there's no one capable of uniting all that power. Against those desperate fugitives, we might be defeated one by one. That would be a disaster."
And truth be told, the blame lay with the Lieyang Sect. Originally, every province in the southwest had the backing of a Purple Mansion-level power. But thanks to the failure of Song Xianming's breakthrough, Lingzhou had lost that chance.
Had it not been for that, the Song Clan wouldn't even be considering these scattered dogs a threat.
Song Changsheng nodded in agreement. "Right now, the only viable path is for Lingzhou to unite once again, just like before, and face the enemy together.
Besides, this might be an opportunity for us. These people may have lost their roots, but they still possess their heritage, and after all the looting they've done, their resources must have grown even more.
If we manage to eliminate them, it could bring enormous wealth to the family."
"That's a good idea in theory," Song Xianyun said, shaking his head. "But how do we convince the Earthfire Sect and the Qiu Clan to cooperate? We don't have much strength to spare at the moment."
Song Changsheng smiled slightly. "Why should we convince them?"
"Oh?" Song Xianyun looked puzzled, and even Song Luyao turned her attention to him.
"If we've received this information, then surely the Earthfire Sect and the others have as well. They're the ones who should be worried, not us.
Our family has been steadily recovering its strength over the years. With the strongest protective array in all of Lingzhou, as long as no Purple Mansion cultivators get involved, our defenses are virtually impenetrable.
But look at the Li Clan and Qiu Clan, how many Foundation Establishment cultivators do they even have? Not more than a handful. Their defensive arrays are second-grade at best, and their heritage is shallow. They can't possibly withstand these desperate attackers.
Once they realize this, they'll come running to us. And we won't need to plead, we'll be the ones negotiating the terms."
Song Changsheng spoke calmly, but his words were sharp with clarity.
Stroking his white beard, Song Xianyun smiled approvingly. "We didn't misjudge you. Alright, we'll follow your plan, let them come to us."
"But we can't just sit around and do nothing in the meantime. The Wangyue Mountains are our home base; we absolutely cannot afford to lose them. We must keep close tabs on the enemy's movements and stop them before they cause any damage."
"Leave that to Luyao. Send all your Wind Whisper Hall scouts out across the region," Song Xianyun instructed, turning to her.
"They're already on the move," Song Luyao replied. "But so far, it doesn't look like those people are heading for the Wangyue Mountains. From what we've seen, their target is more likely the Flowing Cloud Range."
Song Changsheng's eyes flickered with a hint of regret.
If he weren't worried that these desperate strays would wreak havoc on Lingzhou, he truly would have liked to announce the mountain's closure and just sit back and watch them tear each other apart like wild dogs. No matter who won or lost, it'd be an outcome he'd enjoy.
After all, the Liuyun Mountains weren't just home to the Earthfire Sect and the Qiu Clan; there was also the treacherous Li Clan. All of them were enemies of the Song Clan. Song Changsheng wished they would all just drop dead.
"Right, Uncle Twelve is still stationed at Liuyun Trade Market. For safety's sake, we should call him back," he suddenly remembered that Song Luhuai was still there. He couldn't risk losing him.
"Indeed. According to intelligence from the Wind Whisper Hall, those fugitives like to loot trade markets along their route. Even if their goal is to seize territory, we can't afford to let our guard down. Let's have Luhuai return for now. Also, shut down all our shops in that area and bring back the goods. We can reopen after this crisis has passed."
The shops at the market were one of the Song Clan's main sources of income. Shutting them all down would be a huge financial blow.
But it was a necessary sacrifice. As long as the goods were safe, there would be ways to turn them into profit later. Worst case, they could sell them at a discount in Luoxia City, better to make less than lose everything.
If the fugitives got to the goods first, it would truly be a total loss.
"Alright, no time to waste. I'll send a message to Uncle Twelve right away."
...
Liuyun Trade Market – Song Clan's Garrison
According to custom, each of the six families rotated their stationed cultivators every ten years. Time flew, and Song Luhuai had already been here for two years.
In terms of cultivation environment, the Liuyun Trade Market only had a few second-grade spiritual veins, not even close to the third-grade vein under Cangmang Peak.
But Song Luhuai didn't mind at all. A man knows his limitations; his aptitude wasn't anything special. After many years at the Foundation Establishment stage, he had only recently broken through to the mid-stage thanks to a Rising Dragon Pill.
He had long since stopped dreaming of reaching the Purple Mansion realm. What mattered now was gathering cultivation resources for his descendants so they could go further than he ever could.
Just a few days ago, he'd received news from the clan that his son, Song Chang'an, had taken first place in the recent competition and was now in seclusion, preparing to break through to Foundation Establishment.
The news left him feeling both proud and anxious. He was thrilled his son had such an opportunity before even turning forty, but at the same time, he knew the risks. A failed breakthrough could mean eternal separation.
He still vividly remembered what had happened to Song Changquan when he failed.
But as a father, of course, he hoped and firmly believed his son would succeed.
So, in recent days, he had been devoting himself to talisman crafting, even setting aside his cultivation. His goal: to stockpile as many resources as possible for Song Chang'an.
As one of only two second-grade high-tier talisman masters in Lingzhou, Song Luhuai's talismans were in high demand at the Liuyun Trade Market, each selling for a hefty amount of spirit stones.
But the higher the tier, the harder they were to make and the fewer he could produce.
That day, after spending three days and two nights on a talisman that ultimately failed, he felt frustrated and decided to take a break and get some air.
Just as he stepped out of his room, his youngest daughter, Song Changyan, came rushing over.
"Father, a message from the clan," she said, handing him a short jade sword.
Song Luhuai's expression tightened. Communication flying swords varied in quality based on material, and jade was the most expensive and only used in urgent situations.
"Has something happened in the clan?"
With a sinking feeling, he grabbed the short sword and crushed it. The message from Song Changsheng instantly poured into his mind.
As he absorbed the contents, his expression darkened.
Seeing this, Song Changyan couldn't help but worry. She asked hesitantly, "Is it about Brother…?"
"Stop jumping to conclusions. Your brother is fine. This message is from the Young Clan Leader. Quickly send word to gather the managers of all our shops here at the garrison. It's urgent. I want everyone here within the next half-hour."
Song Changyan was stunned. In the two years her father had been stationed here, this was the first time he had ever called for such a meeting.
She dared not delay and immediately dispatched messengers.
Within thirty minutes, the managers of over a dozen Song Clan shops stationed in the Liuyun Trade Market had all arrived and were seated in the meeting hall, casting puzzled glances at each other.
Song Luhuai didn't waste time. Taking a deep breath, he announced, "The clan just sent word. A certain group of… fugitives has recently begun moving. After discussions between the Young Clan Leader and the Great Elder, the decision has been made: we are temporarily withdrawing from the Liuyun Trade Market. All goods are to be taken with us, and all personnel are to return immediately."
"What?!"
"You can't be serious!"
As expected, the room exploded the moment he finished. Even Song Changyan stared at her father in shock; she knew just how heavy that order was.
One of the shop managers stood up, visibly agitated. "Elder, the Liuyun Trade Market is one of the clan's economic lifelines! This is like cutting off one of our arms!"
"He's right! They're just a bunch of strays! If we stay alert, there's no reason we can't make them back off!"
As soon as those words were spoken, they immediately resonated with the crowd. They weren't blindly confident, though Liuyun Market was normally guarded by only three Foundation Establishment cultivators; it wasn't without defenses.
When the market was first established, the six major clans had pooled their resources to hire a third-rank formation master, who set up a lower-grade third-rank protective formation. While it couldn't operate at full power, it was still more than enough to fend off an average Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"Silence."
Seeing that Song Luhuai had spoken, the crowd quickly quieted down.
Sweeping his gaze over those present, Song Luhuai said in a deep voice, "This is not up for discussion. This is an order jointly issued by the Young Patriarch and the Grand Elder!
Don't underestimate these people. They've been rampaging from the north to the southwest, leaving nothing but devastation in their wake. Could they have done all that without considerable strength?
If you have any questions, raise them after we return to the clan. For now, your only task is to go back and inventory our resources. I'm giving you five hours; every person and every piece of equipment must be evacuated."
With that, Song Luhuai swept his sleeve and left without another word.
The attending stewards looked at each other, helpless but resigned to reality.
Naturally, the Song Clan's drastic move didn't go unnoticed by the other five families.
Their first reaction upon hearing the news was: "Has Song Luhuai gone mad?"
But soon, they each sent people to feel out Song Luhuai's intentions and try to figure out what was going on.
At that point, Song Luhuai had no interest in meeting anyone. He only revealed limited information to the Wang Clan, and he refused to see the others.
The Wang Clan wasn't scheduled for this round of rotation, so there were no Foundation Establishment cultivators stationed in the market. The acting steward was unsure what to do and had to urgently request instructions from the main family.
Before the others could fully react, the Song Clan had already packed up and left. After all, they only had a dozen or so shops in the market.
When the rest of the cultivators in Liuyun Market saw the complete withdrawal of the Song Clan, confusion spread, and no one really understood what was going on.
Song Changyan looked at her father with a puzzled expression and asked, "Father, why don't we make this information public so everyone can evacuate? If those desperados attack the market, won't everyone here be in danger?"
Song Luhuai shook his head and replied, "This is only a suspicion; it hasn't been confirmed. If we announce it rashly, it'll cause panic. And if it turns out those people aren't targeting Liuyun Market, do you know what kind of consequences that panic would bring?"
"I see… your daughter didn't think it through."
Although most people still didn't understand what was going on, those with sharper instincts sensed that something big was about to happen.
As a result, many cultivators decided to leave the market. After all, nothing was more important than their lives; they could always come back if things settled down.
By the end of the day, Liuyun Market was almost empty. Only staff from the shops and a few stubborn cultivators who didn't believe the rumors remained.
The other five clans weren't fools. It didn't take long before they realized the implications of the Song Clan's actions.
But understanding is one thing, having the same level of resolve and decisiveness as the Song Clan was another. After all, their investments in the market were much greater than the Song Clan's.
Besides, they subconsciously believed that the third-rank formation was impregnable and would hold.
That moment of hesitation cost them the best chance to evacuate.
On the third night after the Song Clan's departure, the market was suddenly attacked. The Foundation Establishment cultivators on duty immediately activated the protective formation.
But as the saying goes, the strongest fortress often falls from within.
By dawn the next day, Liuyun Market had fallen.
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