Chapter 731 - 367: Stirring Things Up; The Package Deal Is Out!

Chapter 731: Chapter 367: Stirring Things Up; The Package Deal Is Out!

What surprised him was that Lady Qin, from such a prominent family, would actually run off to this small County Town to open a Spring House. The contrast... was truly astonishing.

But this also explained why so many people in this County Town showed her respect. It also explained how she was able to get so much done.

"That’s right," Li Yihuo said. "Eight years ago, Lady Qin was originally in a marriage alliance with the Tang Family of Qian City. But the Tang Family later backed out, and the alliance was canceled. In her resentment, Lady Qin left the Tan Family, came here, and opened the Spring Pavilion. She has been living a reclusive life, almost as if she’s deliberately tarnishing her own reputation..."

Cheng Zongyang listened as Li Yihuo slowly recounted the story of Lady Qin.

Gradually, the full picture began to emerge.

To put it simply, she was a young woman of average talent whose marriage could only be dictated by her family, so she had to resign herself to a marriage alliance. But unexpectedly, the Tang Family unilaterally broke off the engagement. This was not only a huge embarrassment for the Tan Family, but it also made it impossible for Tan Wanxue to remain in Li City, so she fled her family. Then, as if to avoid another arranged marriage, she took over a brothel.

When the Tan Family found out, the result was predictable: they cut off all ties with her.

For Cheng Zongyang, who had seen countless TV dramas and read numerous novels, this plot was all too familiar.

"Then why did she go back to the Tan Family?" Cheng Zongyang asked after hearing the story.

"Her only sister, Tan Wanyue, is getting married. She went back at her sister’s invitation." As Li Yihuo spoke, a playful smile appeared on his face. "Boss, take a guess who Tan Wanyue’s husband is."

Seeing Li Yihuo’s expression, Cheng Zongyang said wryly, "You’ve practically got the answer written all over your face. Someone from the Tang Family?"

Li Yihuo smiled. "Correct. This Tan Wanyue has excellent talent. She has Five Spirit Roots and has already successfully reached Foundation Establishment."

Cheng Zongyang was surprised. "The Tan Family must have a lot of resources to be able to push someone with Five Spirit Roots to Foundation Establishment. But aren’t the Tan Family and Tang Family enemies? Why would they agree to a marriage alliance?"

"That’s thanks to the Realm of Ten Thousand Races. Over the past year, the Tan Family used their resources to trade for a large quantity of Elixirs. Many in the family have broken through to new realms one after another. As for why they agreed to the marriage, I learned through the Cyan Dragon Commerce Association that it was because of a Divine Statue Head."

"A Divine Statue Head?" Cheng Zongyang’s expression froze. "Tell me everything."

"Yes," Li Yihuo said. "It’s said that the Tan Family possesses a Divine Statue Head, an artifact from the Realm of Ten Thousand Races. The Tang Family has been collecting them, and when they found out the Tan Family had one, they took the initiative to pay them a visit. No one knows what they discussed afterward. The result was that the eldest grandson of the Tang Family’s main branch is marrying Tan Wanyue, and one of the dowry items is that very Divine Statue Head. As for the betrothal gifts from the Tang Family, the Tan Family has not made them public."

’There are only permanent interests, no permanent enemies,’ Cheng Zongyang understood as soon as he heard the explanation.

But after all this time, the Altar Space had still only received the same four Soul Crystals from that very first time. No one had made any sacrifices since.

And he still owed the Ring Spirit three Soul Crystals.

Cheng Zongyang leaned back in his chair, his five fingers tapping a light, steady rhythm on the tabletop.

After a moment, he said to Li Yihuo, "Do you have any information on the Tang Family?"

As if he had anticipated the question, Li Yihuo immediately produced a new file and said:

"I gathered this information on the Tang Family separately. I also received assistance from the Cyan Dragon Commerce Association in obtaining this file."

Cheng Zongyang was very pleased with Li Yihuo’s thoroughness. This wasn’t the first time he’d been impressed by it.

It was safe to say that any boss would love an employee like this—someone who considered everything for them, whether the boss would end up needing it or not.

Cheng Zongyang took the file and began to read. After a moment, he said to Li Yihuo, "We don’t need to worry about Lady Qin. That’s just her family’s problem; there’s no need for us to interfere.

"This Tang Family, however, is interesting. They’ve collected four Divine Statue Heads. Are they trying to exchange them for some kind of Elixir?"

Li Yihuo replied, "By now, everyone knows the purpose of the Divine Statue Heads—they can be exchanged for many precious and incredibly valuable Elixirs. It’s not just the Tang Family collecting them; the Nine-Star Influences and the Five Major Sects are all doing the same. It’s just that some factions are very good at hiding it. The Tang Family is one of the few whose activities have been figured out.

"But the fact that the Five Major Sects and other families haven’t tried to demand or seize the heads from them is rather intriguing. The Tang Family must have some powerful backing or connections."

Cheng Zongyang nodded in agreement with Li Yihuo. "That’s a given. They’re a Six-Star Family, same as the Tan Family, yet they’re holding four such precious items and remain completely unscathed. It’s obvious."

With that, he concluded the matter, saying, "Let’s leave it at that. Pay it no mind. What’s the word from the Cyan Dragon Commerce Association lately?"

Li Yihuo knew what Cheng Zongyang was referring to and shook his head. "They’ve come several times to see you, but you weren’t here. The attitude from their higher-ups is the same as before. I’ve done a comparison; in the time you’ve been away, the price of goods has risen again slightly. It’s even more impossible now."

Cheng Zongyang nodded. It was just as he’d expected. With prices so high, no one would be willing to give up such high profits to sell to him. After all, they hadn’t signed any kind of contract.

"Then forget it," Cheng Zongyang said.

After that, Cheng Zongyang didn’t linger. He still needed to continue harvesting Spirit Veins.

「Realm of Ten Thousand Races, Territory No. 2.」

With the appearance of the new ranking list in the Realm of Ten Thousand Races, everyone in Territory No. 2 fell into a strange state of calm.

The rewards for Spirit Veins were simply too generous!

Anyone who saw them couldn’t help but be green with envy. However, in the Cultivation Immortality Realm, Spirit Veins are the very foundation of any power.

Accepting the quest meant you had to go to war with the local power to obtain one.

But another problem arose. If people on the outside fought to the death to seize a Spirit Vein, would they really trust an outsider to bring it in and exchange it for the reward?

There was no need to test human nature with a reward like this, because it would never withstand the test.

Unless it was a family—an exceptionally united family!

Only such a tightly-knit family would have that kind of clan-centric thinking.

Even a Sect might not be able to trust a mere Qi Cultivation Disciple to come in and make the exchange.

Thus, as many people came to understand this, the news spread. In every Main City, every region, every mountain stronghold—every single one of them—people immediately dispatched men to strengthen the defenses of their Spirit Veins. Their eyes were bloodshot and their hearts pounded with excitement, but they were all held back by a thread of reason.

The people present didn’t have the individual Power to succeed. And those on the outside who could succeed would not necessarily entrust the task of exchange to a Qi Cultivator.

This created a paradox, and as a result, hardly anyone made a move.

This situation, of course, was all part of Cheng Zongyang’s calculations. What he wanted was to first stir up the hearts of everyone in the Cultivation Immortality Realm.

’If the water isn’t murky, how can I fish in troubled waters?’

He was also certain that the first to act would definitely be family-based powers, specifically those extremely united, clan-based powers!

Only when they made a move would the defenses around Spirit Veins weaken. He had an Array Entry Order that could ignore Arrays, Secret Techniques and Magical Treasures to conceal his presence, and a Mole Beast to dig tunnels underground.

Sneaking underground while two sides were at war, fighting to the death over a Spirit Vein, was far safer than trying to get past constant defenses during peacetime.

And so, in the time that followed, Cheng Zongyang once again started with First Grade Spiritual Veins, collecting every accessible Spirit Vein, one by one, into his Spirit Storage Dharma Pearl.

As news of the disappearing Spirit Veins spread, an atmosphere like the calm before a storm descended upon the entire Cultivation Immortality Realm.

This led to defenses being further strengthened and the price of Arrays continuously soaring.

But the factions that had lost their Spirit Veins, in their anger, shifted their targets—they began to eye the factions whose Spirit Veins were still intact.

The hatred was instantly redirected.

As a large number of families and gang-like powers went to war, the entire Cultivation Immortality Realm gradually descended into turmoil.

「Infinite Daoist Sect, within the Great Hall.」

At this moment, the leaders of the Five Major Sects were all gathered here. They stared at the compiled intelligence reports from various regions, every one of them frowning.