Chapter 1008: Consultation.

Meng Zhang's purpose for coming to the local region of Dali Dynasty this time had all been achieved.

He had completed the necessary procedures for the newly established sect to seek refuge, and had gained the status to refuse Governor Zhang Wei of the Jiuqu Province.

Of course, the public slaying of Ouyang Huajin and the enmity with Ouyang Jian were not part of his original plans; they were purely accidental.

Even until now, he found the situation at that time very perplexing. The other party had clearly been seeking his own death, yet he was burdened with this cause and effect.

Unfortunately, even if he were to voice his judgment, there probably wouldn't be anyone who believed him.

Given Ouyang Huajin's identity and status, why would he actively seek death? Was sacrificing his life the price to make Meng Zhang and Ouyang Jian bear a blood feud?

A mere Meng Zhang hadn't become so important as to make someone like Ouyang Jian, who was far more significant, sacrifice his own disciple to plot against him.

Meng Zhang couldn't make sense of it and could only temporarily let go of this matter.

Having done what needed to be done and surveyed the capital city, it seemed like Meng Zhang had no reason to stay here any longer.

He was different now. As a member of the Five Punishments Guard, leaving the capital city to return to the Jiuqu Province required him to seek approval from his immediate superior.

Ever since Han Yao saw Meng Zhang that day, he had been caught up in his own busyness and hadn't been seen all day.

Meng Zhang went to find Feng Baoshan, who was responsible for handling the daily affairs of the Five Punishments Guard.

After meeting with Feng Baoshan, he explained Han Yao's arrangements for Meng Zhang.

Jiuqu Province, as a territory recently incorporated into Dali Dynasty, didn't have a branch of the Five Punishments Guard yet.

Given the current strength and manpower of the Five Punishments Guard, they were unable to expand extensively and establish branch bases everywhere.

Meng Zhang, being the Sect Master of Taiyi Sect, had many capable subordinates.

Taiyi Sect was the unrivaled local power in the Jiuqu Province, possessing significant influence.

After Meng Zhang returned to the Jiuqu Province, he could take up the responsibilities of being a member of the Five Punishments Guard. Taiyi Sect could also serve as an extramural branch of the Five Punishments Guard and work under its command. ṝ𝒶ℕọВÊ𝒮

The duties of the Five Punishments Guard were numerous, including overseeing prisons, apprehending various fugitives...

Due to Han Yao's insistence, the most important duty of the Five Punishments Guard was hunting and eliminating Demonic Cultivators.

In places like the Jiuqu Province, a remote and impoverished area, Demonic Cultivators often sought refuge.

In the past, the Deadly Sea of Sand north of the Endless Sea of Sand had been a gathering place for Demonic Cultivators, ghostly cultivators, and other fugitives from the Cultivation World.However, after multiple thorough clean-ups, the situation gradually changed.

After Taiyi Sect gained control over the Endless Sea of Sand and the Demon Wind Gobi, they paid particular attention to this nearby region.

In the previous years, even Jiuqu Province had experienced Demonic Cultivation from the secret demonic lineage.

Among Demonic Cultivation, there were numerous factions and diverse types.

Dali Dynasty secretly harbored only a portion of them.

Due to historical reasons, the Demonic Cultivation of the secret demonic lineage was a mortal enemy of the Dali Dynasty.

If Jiuqu Province hadn't timely eradicated the Demonic Cultivation of the secret demonic lineage back then, Dali Dynasty might have even sent experts there.

Though it seemed like the Jiuqu Province was now peaceful, with no Demonic Cultivation appearing, Han Yao still intended to use Meng Zhang's power to conduct a thorough cleanup there.

Although Meng Zhang was aware of Han Yao's arrangement, Feng Baoshan advised him that before he left, it would be best to meet Han Yao in person and receive his guidance.

Thus, Meng Zhang decided to wait a few more days and see when Han Yao had the time to meet him.

After all, there was no urgency for Meng Zhang to return, and staying a few more days in the capital city wasn't a bad idea.

Of course, once he returned to Taiyi Sect, he might have to face various schemes from Swordmaster Ouyang Jian.

In any case, Meng Zhang had no shortage of enemies and didn't lack just this one.

As long as this Primordial Spirit late stage grand cultivator didn't personally take action, Meng Zhang didn't have much to fear.

During Meng Zhang's time in the capital city, apart from the clueless Ouyang Huajin, his old enemies from before, such as the Great Commerce Alliance, Wonderful Pill Union, and Tool and Talisman League, hadn't come to cause him trouble.

It was unclear whether they were cautious of his identity as a member of the Five Punishments Guard or were simply unwilling to stir up trouble in the capital city.

Since Sun Sheng had joined Meng Zhang, he had presented himself with a legitimate identity, completely displaying the demeanor of someone under Meng Zhang.

Being a cultivator native to Dali Dynasty, Sun Sheng had grown up here and reached the level of Primordial Spirit True Monarch.

He possessed in-depth understanding of the situation in Dali Dynasty's native territory.

For now, Meng Zhang considered him as an advisor and proactively sought his counsel on many matters.

However, Meng Zhang still had a great deal of apprehension towards the powerful merchant families: the Great Commerce Alliance, Wonderful Pill Union, and Tool and Talisman League.

Whenever he had the opportunity, he would try to gather as much information about them as possible.When Meng Zhang inquired Sun Sheng about information concerning these three big merchant families, to his surprise, Sun Sheng provided a wealth of information.

For cultivators native to Dali Dynasty, these three big merchant families were practically woven into every aspect of their lives. The vast majority of cultivators could hardly function without some interaction with these three big merchant families.

Considered the imperial merchants of Dali Dynasty, these three big merchant families monopolized the majority of the trading within the realm of Dali Dynasty.

The myriad smaller Shang Families were left to pick up the scraps they left behind.

Directly or indirectly, these three big merchant families controlled the flow of most cultivation resources within Dali Dynasty's borders.

Often, even Dali Dynasty's mighty armies relied on the aid of these three big merchant families to muster various resources for their campaigns.

These three big merchant families were also the vanguards in Dali Dynasty's external aggression and infiltration.

Originally, many forces around Dali Dynasty had been infiltrated by these three big merchant families.

However, in recent years, with the intervention of the Purple Yang Holy Sect, the influence of these three big merchant families was pushed back.

The three big merchant families were like colossal behemoths, far beyond the local cultivation forces such as Taiyi Sect or even Jiuqu Province, in terms of their power.

Their presence within Jiuqu Province was merely a minuscule fraction of their total strength.

Furthermore, each of these three big merchant families had their own internal factions, making the situation complex.

Often, their energies were expended more on internal struggles than on external expansion.

Taking the Great Commerce Alliance as an example, the expansion into Jiuqu Province was led by the Shang Family and supported by the Liao Family.

Among these, the Shang Family took the lead, with the Liao Family playing a secondary role.

Meng Zhang had slain a Primordial Spirit cultivator of the Liao Family and incurred significant enmity with the Shang Family.

Within the Great Commerce Alliance, the true antagonists against Taiyi Sect were primarily the Liao Family and the Shang Family.

The other major families merely watched from the sidelines, enjoying the spectacle between the Shang Family and the Liao Family, and they had no inclination to fight Taiyi Sect without substantial benefits involved.

When the Shang Family and the Liao Family plotted against Taiyi Sect, they not only refrained from hindering the situation but also emphasized the camaraderie among fellow daoists. Offering assistance was out of the question.

The rest of the families within the Great Commerce Alliance celebrated the setbacks and losses suffered by the Shang and Liao Families.

If the Shang Family and the Liao Family continuously failed to dominate local cultivation forces like Taiyi Sect, it would only demonstrate their inadequacy.

Other families within the Great Commerce Alliance would happily seize the chance to criticize and exclude them, hoping to replace them.

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