Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 1488 - 932: Master Yun Ge’s Overture (Part 2)

"Why? The skyrocketing prices of spiritual materials will affect our transformation of the spiritual vein!" the middle-aged cultivator asked.

Over the years, Master Yun Ge had always been in Qingli Immortal City, and his main purpose there was to elevate the city’s spiritual vein to the third order.

Enhancing the grade of a spiritual vein is no easy task; it not only requires a significant amount of time but also consumes vast amounts of spiritual materials.

In simple terms, enhancing the grade of a spiritual vein involves piling various spiritual materials onto it until it becomes a third-order spiritual vein.

All these years, they had been gradually purchasing various spiritual materials in Qingli Immortal City, incrementally raising the grade of the spiritual vein.

If the prices of spiritual materials skyrocket, it will naturally affect their plan to enhance the spiritual vein’s grade.

"Yang Zhenshan, an eighth-grade Guest Elder of the Ten Thousand Treasures Store, this person can refine top-grade Demon Essence Pills!" Master Yun Ge stated.

"Top-grade Demon Essence Pills!" The middle-aged cultivator was taken aback and then exclaimed in surprise, "He can actually refine top-grade Demon Essence Pills?"

Master Yun Ge rubbed his temples with some frustration.

This was something he had just learned, and it was fortunate that he had his junior brother investigate Yang Zhenshan’s situation in White Cloud Immortal City; otherwise, he wouldn’t have known that Yang Zhenshan was an eighth-grade Guest Elder of the Ten Thousand Treasures Store.

The main issue was that he hadn’t returned to White Cloud Immortal City in years and wasn’t familiar with many matters there.

An alchemist capable of refining top-grade Demon Essence Pills represents something extraordinary.

Because such an alchemist might one day refine a top-grade Demon Yuan Pill.

Top-grade Demon Yuan Pills are elixirs that can increase the success chance of Core Formation; for any force, they are a highly scarce resource.

Even the Ten Thousand Treasures Store lacks enough top-grade Demon Yuan Pills, let alone White Cloud Immortal City.

"Not only should we not hinder him, but we should find a way to get closer to Yang Zhenshan!" Master Yun Ge said softly.

He was at the peak of Foundation Establishment, always preparing for Core Formation, continuously gathering elixirs and spiritual objects useful for Core Formation.

As a disciple of White Cloud True Monarch, he didn’t lack ordinary resources, but he lacked resources for Core Formation.

In terms of Core Formation, even Golden Core cultivators like White Cloud True Essence couldn’t provide him much help.

Master Yun Ge also desired top-grade Demon Yuan Pills.

"This!" The middle-aged cultivator quickly understood Master Yun Ge’s intention and said after some thought, "Sir, befriending Yang Zhenshan is easy, as long as you mediate the war between the Nether Prison Sect and the Sea of Spirit!"

Master Yun Ge shook his head, "We cannot mediate!"

"Why not?"

"Because someone wants the Sea of Spirit and the Nether Prison Sect to have a grand battle!"

The middle-aged cultivator was even more perplexed.

Who would want the Sea of Spirit and the Nether Prison Sect to have a grand battle?

And they could make my lord unable to intervene!

Master Yun Ge didn’t explain to him but instead said, "Make arrangements to sell our stored spiritual materials to the Yang family. Consider it a goodwill gesture on our part."

"But what about the spiritual vein side!" the middle-aged cultivator hesitated.

"It’s fine, at worst, it will delay us by a decade or so!" Master Yun Ge said.

...

Inside the Three Saints Tower in Wuxiang City.

Yang Zhenshan looked at the document sent from the Spirit Origin land.

"Master Yun Ge actually took the initiative to show goodwill towards me? What does this mean?"

"Could it be because I’m a Guest Elder of the Ten Thousand Treasures Store?"

"But why would he show goodwill in this manner? Shouldn’t he mediate directly?"

He was a bit unable to grasp Master Yun Ge’s intentions.

As for this Master Yun Ge, Yang Zhenshan didn’t know him well either.

Master Yun Ge was one of the more outstanding disciples among White Cloud True Monarch’s many pupils. He managed the White Cloud Commerce and was responsible for the construction of Qingli Immortal City, indicating his high position within the White Cloud Dao.

Master Yun Ge often moved among people and wasn’t the kind of reclusive cultivator. He always presented a cheerful demeanor to everyone, exemplifying the merchant’s philosophy of harmony brings wealth.

But he was a great cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment, and no one dared to treat him merely as a cordial merchant.

On the surface, everyone seemed to know a bit about this great cultivator, but in reality, very few truly understood him.

"Strange!"

"Forget it, whatever the reason, this goodwill must be remembered!"

"When a great cultivator proactively shows goodwill, I seem to have no grounds to refuse!"

Yang Zhenshan thought it over and then put this matter aside. The immediate priority wasn’t the heart of Master Yun Ge but the imminent arrival of the Nether Prison Sect’s army.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

The army of the Sea of Spirit had already completed its initial assembly.

Within the city, nine thousand Yujing Guards were stationed, and outside the city, the strength of three auxiliary armies also exceeded ten thousand.

The situation on the Nether Prison Sect’s side was much more complicated.

Yang Zhenshan arrived at the Four-direction Hall, which was already bustling with activity.

"Has there been any movement from the Nether Prison Sect?" Yang Zhenshan asked.

Qu Changkong stepped forward and said, "There hasn’t been any other movement for now, but their vanguard army has already reached a point three hundred miles east of Yu Mountain Town. At this pace, in two days, they should be outside Wuxiang City!"

"Have we accurately assessed their troop strength?" Yang Zhenshan continued to ask.

"The vanguard army consists of eight thousand elite martial artists, the main army numbers nearly thirty thousand, and there are several additional forces, likely armies formed by the Nether Prison Sect’s affiliated families, with numbers ranging from six or seven thousand to as few as one or two thousand," Qu Changkong replied.

It is different for a sect to gather an army compared to a royal court. The court can require a force to report to the assembly point by issuing a single command.

The army is ready-made and can be mobilized much more quickly.

With a sect, gathering an army is much more troublesome. If it’s just gathering disciples, that’s fine; they can just call them back to the sect. However, if it involves gathering martial artists from affiliated families, it becomes very troublesome.

The sect commands various families, who then relay orders to various martial arts families to recruit numbers, and then the martial arts families discuss who to send. This back and forth can take several months to complete.

Sometimes they are even recruiting while fighting, continuously sending martial artists to the front like trickling oil.

The previous war between the Sea of Spirit and the Nether Prison Sect was like this, with continuous recruitment and continuous deployments to the front, dragging the war longer and stretching the battle lines further.

"This is really dragging on!" Yang Zhenshan felt rather helpless about this trickle approach to warfare, "Let’s wait until their vanguard army arrives."

...

Three hundred miles east of Yu Mountain Town.

The vanguard army of the Nether Prison Sect was swiftly advancing toward the direction of the Sea of Spirit.

The speed at which martial artists march is, of course, beyond that of ordinary people, and they can store their provisions in storage bags without being slowed down by supplies.

At full speed, they can cover a thousand miles in a day with ease.

Of course, no fool would have the army march at full speed; even Innate Martial Artists can get tired. Marching at full speed is fast but would also exhaust the Innate Martial Artists.

Thus, while the march of martial artists is swift, it is not absurdly so; they typically cover two to three hundred miles a day.

In the army, Ming Shuzi, riding a black-horned Qing Niu, unhurriedly mingled among the many martial artists.

"Greetings, True Man!"

A burly man, clad in black armor with a long sword at his waist, approached the black-horned Qing Niu, cupping his fists in salute.

"Hmm, what is it?" Ming Shuzi asked with a calm expression, sitting cross-legged on the Qing Niu’s back, his eyes slightly closed.

"The sect has sent a confidential report!" The burly man handed a letter to Ming Shuzi.

Ming Shuzi opened his eyes, revealing deep-set pupils. He opened the letter and casually glanced at it.

"So, the Sea of Spirit intends to engage us in battle at Wuxiang City!"

The letter’s contents pertained to the military arrangements of the Sea of Spirit, not extraordinarily detailed, but adequately clear about the overall situation.

"The Yang family of Lingxiu; it’s unexpected to see another rise of the Lingxiu Yang family. The Sea of Spirit remains a land of treasures!"

Ming Shuzi said with a tone of indifference.