The news Li Tiancheng brought back was like a drop of cold water hitting a pot of boiling oil; it instantly set off a storm.
"Is he crazy? Dragonblood Ginseng is one of the most important spiritual herbs of our clan! How could we possibly give it to him? No way, I won't agree!" Li Siyang's eyes widened with anger as he shouted in agitation.
The Foundation Establishment Pill required three main ingredients: Dragonblood Ginseng, Foundation Fruit, and Star-Quenching Fruit. Each of them was extremely rare and nearly impossible to find on the open market, as they were all monopolized by powerful sects and factions.
The only reason the Li Clan even had a Dragonblood Ginseng was due to a stroke of luck and an inheritance from their former clan leader, who stumbled upon it during an exploration of an ancient cave dwelling and brought it back.
Unfortunately, after so many years, the other two ingredients had never been found, leaving the Dragonblood Ginseng useless and precious, but ultimately a wasted asset.
Even so, Li Siyang had no intention of handing it over. He might still have been clinging to some unrealistic hope in his heart, but at the same time, this was his way of expressing discontent: among the four allied clans, why was only theirs being asked to provide extra?
"Fellow Daoist Li," said Yu Chengshan, rising without courtesy, "the Dragonblood Ginseng might be one of the three key ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill, but it's only one part of the formula. Your Li Clan has been hoarding it for years. Have you ever been able to gather the full set?"
"You know nothing!" Li Siyang retorted. "The Song Clan already has the Star-Quenching Fruit. If they get the Dragonblood Ginseng too, they'll only be one step away!
With the Song Clan's resources and background, within a hundred years, they'll be able to start a self-sustaining cycle. When that happens, what do you think will become of us? You know better than I do!"
"You're overthinking it. The Foundation Fruit is the rarest of the three; it's not something you can just find if you want it. Besides, if we can't get through this current crisis, do you think we'll even have a hundred years left?"
"It's easy for you to talk big when it's not your loss!"
"Enough!"
Seeing that the argument was heating up again, Du Huating slammed the table with a bang, drawing everyone's attention back.
He turned to Li Siyang, his voice sharp: "Fellow Daoist Li, I hope you understand the situation we're facing. If the Dragonblood Ginseng ends up in the hands of the Song Clan, at most, it'll just enhance their foundation a bit.
But if it convinces them to join the fight, then it's worth it!
You think you're the only one making sacrifices? The Song and Wang clans are demanding 60% of the spirit stone mine shares. My Earthfire Sect is bearing the brunt of it. Have you heard me complain even once?
Here's what we'll do: for the 200,000 spirit stones' worth of supplies, your Li Clan and my Earthfire Sect will each cover 20%, Fellow Daoist Yu will contribute 15%, and Fellow Daoist Qiu will provide 45%. How about that?"
The group exchanged glances, and eventually, they all agreed to Du Huating's allocation.
Both the Earthfire Sect and the Li Clan were already contributing extra, so their financial burden was lightened slightly. The Yu Clan, whose stronghold wasn't even in the Liuyun Mountains, was participating only as a symbolic gesture of alliance.
Even they had to admit Du Huating's division was fair. The Earthfire Sect was still taking a loss, strictly speaking.
"Alright then, since no one objects, let's each send people back to gather the supplies. We can't afford to delay any longer," Du Huating said, waving his hand tiredly to dismiss the meeting.
Though Li Siyang was still reluctant, he had no choice but to comply. After all, compared to a potentially useless Dragonblood Ginseng, solid supplies were far more valuable right now.
But what the four-clan alliance failed to realize was this: it wouldn't be long before they regretted today's decision.
After all, the Song Clan didn't just have the Star-Quenching Fruit.
...
The four-clan alliance acted swiftly. From organizing to delivering the supplies to the Song Clan, it took just three days, which was pressing, after all.
Li Tiancheng personally escorted the shipment, suggesting just how dire things were on their side; they simply didn't have the manpower to spare anyone else.
"There are 100,000 spirit stones in here, along with other goods worth another 100,000. Please check them over," Li Tiancheng said, handing several spatial pouches to Song Changsheng, though he felt like his heart was bleeding.
Out of the 200,000 spirit stones' worth of goods, the Earthfire Sect only had to cover 20% 40,000 stones.
That might not sound like much. Considering the Earthfire Sect's size, their annual income exceeded 30,000 spirit stones, so 40,000 would be less than a year and a half's earnings.
But the reality was very different.
No family operated on pure profit. An annual income of 30,000 meant that, after all expenses, having 5,000 left over was already doing well. In most years, ending with 1,000 or 2,000 in surplus was more common.
And in times of unexpected crises, they might even have to dip into reserves.
Their previous Grand Elder, Cheng Yufei, had once taken tens of thousands of spirit stones to attend an auction in Luoxia City, only to die at the hands of Song Changsheng. All that wealth was lost in an instant.
That sum had represented nearly a decade's worth of the Earthfire Sect's accumulated savings.
Some time ago, to help their top disciple Li Guangzong break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, the Earthfire Sect spent 40,000 spirit stones to purchase a single Foundation Establishment Pill from an outside source. That purchase nearly emptied the sect's entire treasury.
To gather the full 40,000 spirit stones' worth of resources, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the Earthfire Sect had to "sell everything but the kitchen sink." For the next several years, everyone in the sect would have to tighten their belts just to get by.
And if even the Earthfire Sect was in such dire straits, the other sects weren't doing much better, except for the Yu Clan, who seemed to be faring slightly easier.
Song Changsheng took the spatial pouch and, after confirming everything was in order, couldn't help but smile. Even for the Song Clan, amassing 200,000 spirit stones' worth of resources would take at least ten years!
What made his heart beat faster was spotting the fiery red ginseng root resembling a red dragon. That was one of the three main ingredients for crafting a Foundation Establishment Pill, and with this, all three were finally gathered.
Without revealing any emotion, Song Changsheng carefully stored away the Dragonblood Ginseng. Smiling, he said,
"Elder Li, rest assured. We've already made contact with the Wang Clan during this time. Clan Chief Wang and Senior Wang Wanzhou are already en route. We can depart at any time. Has your side finalized your strategy?"
Hearing this, Li Tiancheng looked visibly relieved. He nodded and asked,
"How many people is your young clan leader bringing this time?"
Song Changsheng chuckled and replied confidently,
"The Song and Wang Clans are dispatching a total of eight Foundation Establishment cultivators, personally led by our Grand Elder. Elder Li, does that satisfy you?"
"Eight?"
Li Tiancheng was startled. Ever since their last defeat, the four-sect alliance had only seven Foundation Establishment cultivators left at their Duanya Peak base.
And yet the Song and Wang Clans alone could field eight?
He glanced at Song Changsheng in surprise. Had the Song Clan grown this powerful?
"Elder Li, do you find our numbers excessive?" Song Changsheng asked with a faint smile, tinged with irony.
"No, no, not at all! I was just surprised," Li Tiancheng quickly replied. "Before I came, our Grand Elder instructed me: once your side is in position, we'll take the initiative to launch an assault. With both our forces combined, we should be able to wipe them out."
"Then let's not waste time. Let's move out," Song Changsheng said decisively.
Li Tiancheng was taken aback by his straightforwardness. He had expected Song Changsheng to make excuses and delay, and he had even mentally prepared for it. Yet things were going much smoothly than anticipated.
This gave him a sense of relief. It seemed the 200,000 spirit stones had not been spent in vain.
What he didn't know was that Song Changsheng had indeed planned to delay things. But he feared that if they waited too long, the fragile four-sect alliance might collapse on its own, making the battle far more difficult.
To minimize casualties for his clan, Song Changsheng had no choice but to abandon his tempting plan and act now.
With a single command, everyone immediately assembled.
But Li Tiancheng quickly grew uneasy, noticing two unfamiliar faces in the Song Clan's ranks: a man and a woman. One was in the mid-stage Foundation Establishment, the other in the early stage.
"Why are there no records of these two within the sect?" he thought, frowning. "Could they be secret cultivators the Song Clan raised in private? It seems we've all underestimated them."
Watching him closely, Song Changsheng caught every nuance of Li Tiancheng's expression and couldn't help but smile to himself.
Exactly as planned.
This time, the Song Clan had sent six people into battle. Aside from Song Changsheng and Song Xianyun, the others were Song Luhuai, Xia Wanyun, Song Yulong, and Song Yushi.
Meanwhile, Song Luzhou and Song Luyao were staying behind to protect those in secluded cultivation, and Song Lutong remained behind to guard the family's affairs in the mortal world.
As for Song Yulong and Song Yushi, they had volunteered to join the battle, saying,
"We're all family. If there's hardship, we share it."
This led to Li Tiancheng's misunderstanding.
Unbeknownst to him, Song Yulong and Song Yushi were set to leave the sect soon. But because he didn't know that, he assumed they were hidden assets the Song Clan had been secretly grooming. His sense of caution toward them soared.
For the Song Clan, this was undoubtedly a good thing right now; what they needed most was stability.
"Fellow Daoist Li, let's set off."
With those words, the group turned into streaks of light, heading straight toward the Liuyun Mountain Range…
Li Tiancheng could never have imagined how quickly things had changed in just the short time he'd been away.
First, Duanya Peak had fallen. Fortunately, Du Huating had made a swift decision and led the survivors to retreat and hold their ground at the Li Clan's main base.
But the enemy was determined to end things in one decisive strike. Their attacks came wave after wave, and they soon breached the Li Clan's protective formation.
The Li Clan was overrun. Of the 300-plus members, over half were killed. Only Li Siyang managed to escape with a group of elite disciples, alongside Du Huating and a few others.
What happened to the Li Clan served as a brutal warning.
Seeing their fate, the Qiu Clan realized that their protective formation would never hold.
Qiu Tianyang, the clan chief, decisively ordered a full-scale evacuation. The entire clan relocated to Baiyun Peak, under the Earthfire Sect's protection.
Thanks to Qiu Tianyang's decisive actions, the losses suffered by the Qiu clan were kept to a minimum. Even so, the damage was substantial after all; they had lost their main base.
By the time Song Changsheng and the others arrived, the battle had already reached a fever pitch. The alliance of the four families had gathered all their strength at Duanya Peak, relying on the formation there to hold the line.
The enemy had surrounded the peak and launched wave after wave of relentless attacks against the formation. For the time being, the two sides were locked in a stalemate.
Li Tiancheng was growing increasingly anxious. As soon as they reached the Liuyun Mountain Range, he immediately sent a message to Du Huating.
Upon learning that reinforcements had arrived, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. And when they heard that eight Foundation Establishment cultivators had joined them, their spirits soared.
Du Huating looked around at the group, visibly excited. "Everyone, the enemy no longer holds the advantage in numbers. All we need to do now is launch a full assault to entangle them. Once the Song clan surrounds them from the rear, we'll be able to wipe them out completely!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, silence fell over the crowd. Everyone instinctively avoided his gaze. Their expressions made it clear they had no intention of cooperating.
Du Huating frowned and first looked to Li Siyang. In his mind, the Li clan had suffered the heaviest losses and should be the most eager to fight.
But to his surprise, Li Siyang simply closed his eyes, pretending not to have heard anything at all.
Indeed, the Li clan had taken severe damage, but it was precisely because of that loss that Li Siyang now sought to preserve what remained of their strength.
Yu Chengshan also lowered his head. The Yu clan had suffered the least in this conflict, and now that the immediate threat had passed, they had no interest in risking further losses, especially since their foundation didn't lie in the Liuyun Mountains anyway.
Seeing everyone's reaction, Du Huating felt a surge of silent fury. Even at a time like this, they were still thinking only of preserving their strength!
Just then, Qu Jinsheng, still gravely injured, spoke up to advise: "Senior Brother Du, with Brother Li and the Song and Wang clans combined, there are already nine of them. We've already shed so much blood. It's time for them to do their part. Let's wait until they've worn each other out, and then we'll clean up the mess."
His words were immediately met with murmurs of agreement from the others.
But to Du Huating, it felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over his heart. Even faced with such a golden opportunity, these people were still playing games and scheming against each other. What was wrong with their heads?
In his eyes, whatever grudges they held against the Song clan should be set aside for now; they were allies. They should be united, working together to annihilate the enemy.
Twenty years ago, when the Song clan asked them to fight, they stood at the front lines without ever taking a step back.
Twenty years later, when it was their turn to ask the Song clan for help, all they could think about was letting them exhaust themselves so they could reap the rewards.
The contrast couldn't be clearer.
A bitter smile spread across Du Huating's face. No wonder they could never defeat the Song clan clearly, the difference wasn't just about resources or background...
...
"A fellow Daoist Li, this doesn't quite match what you promised me," Song Changsheng said coldly, eyes narrowing as he watched Du Huating and the others fail to follow through on the plan. He stood a hundred li outside of Duanya Peak.
Li Tiancheng hadn't expected things to play out this way either. Faced with Song Changsheng's pointed question, he forced himself to respond: "Well… Young Patriarch Song, perhaps they haven't received my message yet.
How about this? Let's circle in directly. As long as we engage the enemy and tie them down, the elders will surely realize what's happening and join us in the fight."
Song Changsheng gave him a long, searching look and responded with a smile that revealed nothing. "Very well. We'll do it your way."
At that moment, the aura of nine Foundation Establishment cultivators exploded outward, instantly drawing the attention of everyone outside Duanya Peak.
"It's the Song clan! Liu Clan Leader, didn't you say they wouldn't get involved?" a burly, long-bearded man snapped at the white-haired elder beside him, his face dark as he watched the streaks of light rush in their direction.
Liu Clan Leader looked equally grim. He hadn't expected the Song clan to send so much force to aid their old rivals. But he still had his wits about him and replied frankly, "Clan Leader Chen, this is beyond our control. We must retreat to the market city immediately."
The long-bearded man looked longingly at the nearly shattered formation. If they could take this place, they would finally have the foothold they needed again. But fate had other plans.
"Fight your way out!"
In an instant, twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators clashed. The sky was lit up in dazzling, multicolored brilliance…
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