The marketplace's profits were substantial. Just the annual rent alone brought in a very impressive income. However, once that income was divided six ways, there wasn't much left.
The Song Clan was currently in a period of rapid expansion, and finances were extremely tight. Cost-cutting had reached its limit; there was no more room to save, so finding new sources of income had become necessary.
And the marketplace was undoubtedly one of the most viable options. In the past, due to a lack of manpower, the Song Clan had chosen to collaborate with several other families to jointly establish the Liuyun Market.
But after years of rest and recovery, the Song Clan's strength had been restored significantly enough to operate the market independently.
Now, they just needed Song Chang'an and the others to break through, and then the rebuilding of the marketplace could be put on the agenda.
"This matter is simple. Fifth Uncle will surely be able to handle it properly. However, what worries me is the Earthfire Sect," Song Changsheng said, hands clasped behind his back, eyes filled with concern as he gazed out at the Liuyun Mountains.
Song Xianyun frowned slightly. "You're worried about Chang Wudao?"
"Yes. Even after Liu Hongye and the others drove their forces to Duanya Peak, Chang Wudao still hasn't shown himself. That's not like him. I've got a bad feeling about this."
"Indeed. It's far too strange. Not long after you killed Cheng Yufei, Chang Wudao announced he was entering secluded cultivation. It's been two years now, and he hasn't appeared since.
Could he be attempting a breakthrough to the Purple Palace realm? That doesn't make sense either. You took the third-tier inheritance that matched him best, didn't you?
Trying to break through with a cultivation method that doesn't suit him would have an extremely low success rate. Given Chang Wudao's cautious nature, he wouldn't take such a risk unless it was a last resort."
Song Xianyun shook his head. He knew his longtime rival all too well. That just wasn't something he would do.
"I hope I'm just being paranoid," Song Changsheng nodded slightly, though the worry in his eyes lingered.
...
In the days that followed, everyone focused on licking their wounds from the recent battle. Lingzhou suddenly fell into an eerie calm.
But that calm was only on the surface.
Behind the scenes, every faction was on the move.
Take Liu Hongye, for instance. After repelling Du Huating and his group, he immediately began regrouping the surviving disciples. With the addition of some who had been returned by the Song Clan, he managed to gather over a hundred people.
Then they set their sights on one objective: seizing people.
Raiding and taking people by force.
They started by relocating large numbers of commonfolk originally belonging to the Qiu and Li Clans into the marketplace. Some smaller clans surviving within the Liuyun Mountains also fell victim, being completely absorbed.
Liu Hongye's actions weren't subtle, and it was impossible to hide them from Li Siyang and Qiu Tianyang. But to their despair, even though they saw what was happening, there was nothing they could do to stop it. They could only watch helplessly as their clansmen were taken away.
After a rough count, over half of the Li Clan's 200,000 commonfolk were abducted. The ones who remained were mostly the old, the sick, and the infirm. Upon learning of this, Li Siyang coughed up three pints of blood and collapsed amidst the ruins of his clan.
The Qiu Clan fared no better, losing more than 100,000 people. The smaller families that were absorbed only added to the scale of the loss.
In just a few short days, the Liuyun Market had gained nearly 300,000 commoners and over 200 Qi Refining cultivators.
As Liu Hongye looked at the terrified faces before him, a satisfied smile crept onto his lips. Commoners might be lowly, but they were the foundation of any power.
The Liu Clan had once had hundreds of thousands of commoners. But when he decided to flee, he had abandoned them all.
If he had chosen the life of a rogue cultivator, commoners would have been a burden. But he wasn't willing to live like that; he wanted to restore the Liu Clan's former glory.
Yet a very real problem stood in his way: the number of surviving Liu clan members was pitiful, barely thirty-some people. Relying on just them, it would take at least a hundred years to rebuild.
That was far too slow to meet Liu Hongye's ambitions. Not to mention, he had two Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators under his command, and he needed to consider their needs as well.
In the end, he decided to transform the family into a sect.
Hence, the mass abduction.
They say that a twisted melon won't be sweet, but it can still quench your thirst. Though these commoners were full of fear and resentment toward him, Liu Hongye didn't care.
To him, they were nothing more than breeding stock. Their attitude toward him didn't matter. What mattered was that their offspring would be loyal to him.
"Hongyan, what's the situation with those people?" Liu Hongye turned toward the clansman beside him.
Liu Hongyan smiled and replied, "Once they heard we were willing to take them in, most of them agreed without hesitation. Just a few stubborn old fools tried to resist, but I've already dealt with them."
"In this world, Qi Refining clans are constantly at risk. Being accepted by us is a blessing. If we weren't so short on manpower, I wouldn't even give them a second glance," Liu Hongye said with disdain.
"There are a few decent prospects among them," Liu Hongyan added.
"You handle it," Liu Hongye waved his hand dismissively. "Good seedlings can be considered for the inner sect, but make sure their loyalty is beyond question."
"Understood, Brother."
"Good. I trust your judgment. We can start planning the inauguration ceremony now. Go make the preparations."
Liu Hongyan's eyes lit up, and he cupped his fists with excitement. "Yes, sir!"
Before long, a piece of news spread throughout Lingzhou.
Its content was simple: Liu Hongye would establish the "Liuyun Sect" on the former site of the Liuyun Market. He would serve as its first sect master, and a grand ceremony would be held in a month, to which all factions across Lingzhou were invited.
The moment this news broke, it caused a huge stir in Lingzhou, with various factions responding differently.
The Song Clan welcomed the development; it was, after all, orchestrated by them from the beginning.
The Wang Clan had always followed the lead of the Song Clan and now stood firmly by their side once again.
But others were not so pleased. The atmosphere was tense as the heads of the four-clan alliance gathered together.
Li Siyang sat there, eyes bloodshot and spirit crushed, consumed with regret. Why hadn't he listened to Du Huating and joined forces with the Song Clan to eliminate those bastards when they had the chance?
Now even the foundation of his clan had been uprooted.
After a long silence, he slowly lifted his head and said, "Gentlemen, are you just going to sit back and watch this happen? The Liuyun Sect has! They're claiming the entire Liuyun Mountain Range as their own."
Qiu Tianyang and Yu Chengshan exchanged glances before both turned to look at Du Huating. After all, the Earthfire Sect had always claimed dominion over the Liuyun Mountains.
But Du Huating seemed oblivious, frowning deeply as if lost in thought.
Just as everyone was growing impatient, he finally opened his eyes. After organizing his thoughts, he spoke slowly, "Let's be honest, apart from the Song Clan, none of us could stand against them alone. Once they recover their strength, they'll pick us off one by one."
"Elder, did you call us here just to throw cold water on us?" Qiu Tianyang frowned slightly, clearly unhappy.
Du Huating shook his head. "Of course not. I only said this to make our current position clear to everyone."
"The Song Clan and this ambitious outsider have become the two most powerful forces in Lingzhou. And unfortunately for us, they're both our enemies, irreconcilable enemies."
At those words, everyone's expressions grew grim.
Seeing their reactions, Du Huating slowly stood and said, "At this point, if we want to survive, there's only one path left: complete unification!"
"What do you mean?" Yu Chengshan's brows furrowed, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.
Du Huating's face remained calm as he replied, "This isn't my idea. It's the sect master's. If we fully integrate, without distinctions between us, then we can resist both the Song Clan and the Liuyun Sect."
"What? You're trying to swallow us whole?" Qiu Tianyang nearly jumped to his feet, glaring dangerously at Du Huating.
Yu Chengshan's face also darkened. He said coldly, "Aren't you afraid you'll choke on it?"
The Earthfire Sect may have once been strong, but those days were long gone. After a series of devastating blows, they had only four Foundation Establishment cultivators left.
In contrast, the Yu Clan had suffered almost no losses in the recent conflict and still had three Foundation Establishment cultivators. What gave Earthfire Sect the right to take them over?
Du Huating's expression didn't change. He looked calmly at the two and said, "Please don't be hasty. This isn't a takeover, it's a merger.
I understand this might be hard to accept. That's fine. I have some news. Hear me out first before you make any decisions."
Qiu Tianyang and Yu Chengshan exchanged glances again, unsure what cards he was hiding. Reluctantly, they suppressed their anger and waited.
Du Huating smiled and said, "The sect master entered closed-door cultivation two years ago to attempt a breakthrough to the Purple Mansion stage. He's now at a critical juncture. Let me be frank, he won't fail. All he lacks is time and resources.
Once he emerges, whether it's the Song Clan or the Liuyun Sect, they'll be nothing but chickens and dogs. If you work with us, we'll be one family, indistinguishable from each other.
If you don't… well, you all know the sect master's temper."
"Hmph, what a joke! Never in history has anyone had a one-hundred-percent chance at breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm. If even Song Xianming couldn't do it, then Chang Wudao has even less of a chance!"
Du Huating's claim wasn't believed by anyone, and that was only natural. After all, what he said sounded downright outrageous. Even a cultivator with a Heavenly Spiritual Root wouldn't dare say they had a 100% chance of successfully advancing to the Purple Mansion stage.
Not to mention the Purple Mansion stage, there had even been Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivators who perished while trying to break through to Foundation Establishment.
So who did Chang Wudao think he was?
Faced with their skepticism, Du Huating simply smiled and said calmly, "Normally, that would be true. But our Sect Master uses a rather unique method. As long as the resources are sufficient, there's no chance of failure."
"If this method is so miraculous, how come I've never heard of it before? And even if it exists, what makes your Earthfire Sect worthy of it?" Yu Chengshan sneered, undisguised contempt in his eyes.
"You shouldn't be so absolute in your thinking. Have either of you ever heard of the Heavenly Demon Manuscript?"
"The Heavenly Demon Manuscript?" Qiu Tianyang and Yu Chengshan exchanged glances, both seeing the shock in the other's eyes.
Even Li Siyang, who had been keeping his head down all this time, now wore an expression of utter disbelief.
Du Huating rose to his feet and began speaking slowly, as if recalling a legend: "Two hundred years ago, a meteor fell from the sky and landed in the western region of Lingzhou.
By chance, a rogue cultivator in the Qi Refinement stage discovered it. After that, he vanished from the public eye. Fifty years later, he reappeared as a Purple Mansion cultivator.
He rampaged across Lingzhou, killing indiscriminately and bathing in blood. In the end, it was Song Yungui who stepped in and killed him.
Before he died, that man confessed that the secret to his rapid cultivation lay within a scroll he found inside that meteor, the Heavenly Demon Manuscript.
The entire Lingzhou was thrown into chaos. Countless people searched openly and in secret, but no one found anything. Everyone assumed Song Yungui had taken it. But in truth, the manuscript ended up in the hands of our Earthfire Sect's former Sect Master.
However, due to the manuscript's extremely demanding cultivation requirements, it was sealed away until now. Our current Sect Master meets those conditions and is currently at a critical point in his breakthrough.
If you are willing to cooperate and help us through this crucial period, you will also be allowed to read the manuscript. That is the Sect Master's promise.
So, what do you say? Give it some serious thought."
"Chang Wudao dares to cultivate demonic techniques? Is he not afraid the Demon-Slaying Hall will act in the name of justice?" Yu Chengshan roared harshly, though a hint of unease lingered beneath his fury.
"Who defines what's 'demonic'? And so what if it is? In this world, power is what truly matters. Besides, can you say you've never sought the manuscript yourselves? Can you say you've never been tempted?" Du Huating's voice turned cold as his gaze swept over them. A strange light gleamed in his sharp black-and-white eyes.
The two of them fell silent. Of course, they'd been tempted. Otherwise, they wouldn't know this much about the manuscript.
But the thought of submitting to the Earthfire Sect made them hesitate.
At that moment, Li Siyang quietly stood up. In a hoarse voice, he said, "The Li Clan agrees to join the Earthfire Sect."
"Fellow Daoist Li?" Qiu Tianyang exclaimed in shock.
A wild, manic look took over Li Siyang's face. "All I want now is revenge. All I want is strength! Whether it's the righteous path or the demonic path, what difference does it make?"
A look of approval spread across Du Huating's face. "Fellow Daoist Li, you won't regret the choice you made today. Once the Sect Master becomes the overlord of Lingzhou, you'll all be greatly rewarded."
He then turned his gaze to Yu Chengshan and Qiu Tianyang, a strange smile curling his lips. "So... what about you two? What's your decision?"
...
Meanwhile, atop Cangmang Peak
Song Changsheng was cultivating the Five Beast Body Refining Art. His only goal was to quickly master the Bi Fang and White Tiger illustrations, so he could begin cultivating the Azure Ape illustration next.
Suddenly, he sensed the spiritual energy around him being drawn away, as if something was pulling it all toward a single point.
He looked up and saw the spiritual energy rushing toward the mountain peak, slowly forming a vortex that continued to grow in size.
"That's the direction of the Cloudward Hall… could it be that Grandfather is finally coming out of seclusion?" A glimmer of joy flashed through Song Changsheng's eyes.
The phenomenon lasted for over an hour. When the vortex finally dissipated, a gentle and aged voice echoed beside his ear:
"Sheng'er, come to the Cloudward Hall and see me."
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