Vol. 1 - Ch. 333 - Trading Once More

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"Clan Leader, everything has been arranged properly. We can leave whenever you're ready."

"Mm, understood."

After hearing his clansman's report in the ancestral shrine, Chen Tianjing nodded in acknowledgment. He was now back at Chaotic Burial Mountain.

He then turned his gaze upward toward the Divine Tree and offered a reverent prayer.

Under normal circumstances, he was stationed in Yong'an City, tending to countless matters of clan business, and he was rarely able to break away.

This particular return to the clan's home, however, was in preparation for the trip to Yunmeng City, just a few days away. It was a long-planned meeting with the Cui and Zhao clans.

Having already completed a successful trade, the next exchange should go smoothly. The clan wouldn't need to send as many members as before and could bring some of the younger generation to give them valuable experience.

However, beyond the trades to be conducted with the other two great clans, the clan needed to attend to one other matter of considerable importance this time.

They needed to deal with the Shi Clan once and for all!

They needed to eliminate any threat the Shi Clan might pose.

Six months ago, the Zhao Clan informed them of the location of the remaining Shi Clan members. Yet, over these past six months, the clan had deliberately withheld any response from the Zhao Clan. Instead, they had quietly and thoroughly investigated the Shi Clan's current situation on their own.

After verifying the Zhao Clan's information, the clan seized the opportunity to strike.

Over the past six months, the clan had gained two additional Innate Realm martial artists: Chen Tianmo and Chen Tianling. The strength of their deceased relatives likewise improved significantly.

With these developments and the Shi Clan hiding in Yunmeng City, the Zhao Clan was confident in their chances of success.

This time, Chen Tianjing returned to Chaotic Burial Mountain to request assistance from the Divine Tree, as well as from Grand Uncle Changming and the others. Without their help, the martial artists currently available still wouldn't be enough to settle the matter.

After offering his prayer to the Divine Tree, however, Chen Tianjing received a response. The Divine Tree instructed him to wait just one more day.

Though he had no idea why, Chen Tianjing remained patient.

After all, the Divine Tree's guidance is never wrong!

While the group below waited, countless dark, shadowy silhouettes filled the space above their heads an endless multitude of soul bodies.

They stared out with vacant, unfocused eyes. The sheer number of them was staggering—the fruits of Ji Yang's saplings. For the past six months, they had drawn fragmented, wandering souls from all across Yong'an City and the rest of Chaotic Burial Mountain.

Though these souls were of low quality, their staggering numbers more than made up for that shortfall.

Even Ji Yang was taken aback by the scale of the gathering. If he were to release and guide all of the souls at once, it would likely take a considerable toll on his consciousness.

However, the resulting nourishment he would gain in return would surely be substantial perhaps enough to allow him to sprout another branch soon.

Just as Ji Yang prepared to release the souls, one soul in the fragmented multitude suddenly focused its vacant eyes. It swept its gaze across the surroundings, taking in the massive locust tree looming above and the martial artists gathered below within the shrine.

When its gaze fell upon the memorial tablets in the clan's ancestral shrine, a flicker of agitation stirred in its eyes.

Damn it! That was the burial coffin he'd hidden away so carefully.

But the soul only glanced at it briefly before moving on and continuing to survey its surroundings. After taking in the full scene, however, a look of confusion crept into its eyes.

Where were his flowers? Where had they all gone?

The soul's gaze snapped back toward the Innate Realm martial artists gathered below. A furious roar rose within its mind:

"Those damned grave robbers! He'll make them pay for this, mark my words."

Wait. What is that?

As the soul became caught up in this train of thought, a sudden flash of light streaked across its vision. Before it could attempt to resist, an overwhelming force of consciousness crashed down and crushed it entirely.

Above, Ji Yang, who had been using his divine ability to guide the souls, felt a faint flicker of confusion. While performing the release, he had sensed something oddly out of place for a brief moment.

Still, as he watched the Soul Qi of each soul being guided onward, one by one, Ji Yang set the thought aside without dwelling on it further. Perhaps it had simply been his imagination.

However, when his attention landed on one particular wisp of Yin Qi, which was noticeably more concentrated and potent than the rest after being released, he paused thoughtfully.

Meanwhile, the many clansmen waiting nearby could no longer contain themselves and once again threw themselves into the chaotic scramble, reminiscent of a procession of ghosts marching through the night.

Before long, every last trace of Yin Qi provided by these souls had been absorbed by the clansmen.

Having absorbed this pure Yin Qi, many of the clansmen advanced further in their cultivation realms. Among them, one soul's presence grew especially formidable. Upon its arm, a thick, dark gray hue slowly manifested, taking on an almost tangible, solid quality.

Witnessing this, the clansmen were overjoyed because turning the intangible into something solid meant that another clansman had broken through into the Qi Manipulation Realm.

This soul was none other than Chen Tianshun, who had previously shown exceptional promise.

As the clansmen rejoiced, Ji Yang found himself momentarily lost in thought. He quickly shook it off, though, and returned to the present.

The clan now had another martial artist in the Qi Manipulation Realm among their ranks, so this trip could proceed without further worry. It was just a shame that these soul bodies could never act as freely or constantly as ordinary clansmen could. In critical moments, he still needed to rely on his own Armor-Manifestation divine ability to intervene.

Still, once these souls advanced two more realms, perhaps that limitation would no longer apply.

The following day, Chen Tianjing set off from Chaotic Burial Mountain, accompanied by several martial artists from the clan, riding Azure Wolves.

Traveling with Chen Tianjing's group was a remarkably fresh branch of Locust tree wood, as dark as ink.

"Clan Leader, we'll be setting off now!"

"Very well!"

Once they reached Yong'an City, Chen Tianyu and the others said goodbye to Chen Tianjing. The group set off on their journey once more, riding their Azure Wolves.

This time, however, none of the younger clan members accompanied them. The traveling party numbered only about ten in total. Alongside Chen Tianquan and Chen Tianyu, who had made the trip before, they were also joined by Chen Tianmo, who had recently reached the Innate Realm.

The rest of the accompanying clansmen were also at the Blood Coagulation Realm. Paired with their dozen or so remarkably swift Azure Wolves, they reached Yunmeng City in just three days.

…

"Elder Chen! It's been quite some time. I trust you've been well?"

Zhao Kuangyi greeted them with a warm smile in Yunmeng City. His welcome was even more enthusiastic than last time.

The reason for this needed no explanation.

Following their previous trade, the Zhao Clan had acquired a substantial supply of Blood Rice and Blood Rice Fruits. More importantly, both had proven to be remarkably effective resources. Combined with the quantity they received, the clan gained several new martial artists in the Body Tempering and Blood Coagulation Realms in just six months.

At this rate, it seemed entirely possible that, within two more years, the clan's martial strength would reach a whole new level.

With a larger number of martial artists among their ranks, the clan's chances of producing Innate Realm martial artists would naturally accelerate as well. However, the Blood Rice from their previous trade was fully consumed in the past six months, so the clan needed a fresh supply.

This was precisely why Zhao Kuangyi, the clan head, had come to welcome them in person this time.

That said, Zhao Kuangyi had a few additional thoughts on this occasion.

Simply put, he didn't intend to part with the Bitter Lotus this time but still wanted more Blood Rice in return.

For this reason, the clan had convened several meetings beforehand to discuss the matter, yet they still failed to arrive at a satisfactory solution.

Considering the Chen Clan's genuine strength, the clan decided against taking too great a risk. Instead, they opted to pursue a compromise.

As luck would have it, an opportunity presented itself right on cue!