Mount Xuchen had a fated connection with Luo Chen?
"What kind of joke is that!"
Inside Wei Family Manor, the words nearly burst from Wei Bofan's lips.
Yet once his anger flared, he quickly cooled down.
The underlying meaning was glaringly obvious.
If he refused to agree to those conditions, then what followed might not be as simple as an ordinary visit to their door.
When Luo Chen had wiped out the other sects and strongholds, their gates fell, but their land had at least remained. If Luo Chen truly took an interest in Mount Xuchen, the outcome might go far beyond mere extermination.
There was another, even crueler path.
He could conquer Mount Xuchen and enslave the Wei family cultivators to serve him.
Such things were not unheard of. As long as the justification held up on the surface, one had no need to fear being branded a demonic cultivator.
And now, Wei Tuo's intervention had handed Luo Chen that very justification.
He held the moral high ground!
Once calm returned, Wei Bofan gave careful thought to Luo Chen's three conditions.
Forbidding revenge was only to be expected.
He did not mind in the least; his relationship with Wei Tuo had never been harmonious anyway. Otherwise, Wei Tuo would never have excluded him when seizing the Li family's assets.
However, promising one combat favor in Wei Bofan's name required delicate deliberation.
What if the man demanded that he face an opponent in the mid or late Foundation Establishment stage?
Wouldn't that be sending him to his death!
As for the third condition, it was actually the easiest to accept.
"Second Elder, where did we previously purchase the cultivation pills for our junior clan members?"
Without hesitation, Wei Ping'an answered, "We have always bought Qi-Nourishing Pills from the Spirit Herb Pavilion. The price is quite steep."
Upon hearing this, Wei Bofan inquired closely into the current market prices for Tier 1 cultivation pills.
After a brief comparison, he made his decision.
"Aside from the second condition, I can agree to the other two."
"As for fighting on his behalf, make another trip and clarify the boundaries. I will not agree to anything that sends me to my death."
Wei Ping'an felt a touch of helplessness.
Yet this was an order from the Clan Head, and the very survival of the Wei family was at stake, leaving him no room to decline.
It was just that at the thought of facing that man's terrifying majesty once more, a chill ran through his bones.
The following day.
Wei Ping'an traveled once again to Danxia Peak.
In the end, he returned to Wei Bofan with conditions that were acceptable.
"He will only have me face opponents of an equivalent cultivation realm?"
Wei Bofan felt slightly relieved. If that was the case, the three conditions were not so intolerable after all.
"It seems this Fire Spirit Lord is not entirely unreasonable!"
When the family's survival was on the line, a bit of face could easily be cast aside.
Without the slightest delay, on the third day, the Wei family delivered an indemnity to the Luotian Association:
One hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones, along with five superior-grade magical artifacts.
To show goodwill in return, the Luotian Association immediately dispatched personnel to deliver the first batch of superior-grade Jade Marrow Pills.
***
Inside the Luotian Great Hall.
Looking at the spirit stones packed into ten large chests, a smile surfaced on Luo Chen's face.
Sometimes, one did not need endless slaughter to obtain what one desired.
In fact, preserving the Wei family was far more advantageous to him.
First, it demonstrated that the Luotian Association was willing to let bygones be bygones rather than ruthlessly exterminating every adversary.
Second, it secured a steady client for the pills they produced.
His three supplementary conditions had seemed like deliberate harassment on the surface, but in truth, they were not demanding at all.
They merely gave both sides an outcome they could accept.
The Luotian Association preserved its face.
The Wei family felt that since the other party had demanded so much, the matter truly could be laid to rest.
As for the deceased Wei Tuo?
Who cared?
Perhaps Wei Bofan had even wished for his early demise!
The resources a single family could provide were limited. With his mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, Wei Tuo had naturally required more resources, subtly encroaching upon Wei Bofan's interests as Clan Head.
With him dead, everyone was pleased with the result.
"In that case, only the Divine Craft Sect remains!"
Luo Chen stroked the chests, his gaze contemplative.
Throughout these recent events, Luo Chen had continually strived to grasp the proper measure of restraint.
When someone harbored ill intentions toward the Luotian Association, they had to be suppressed.
After suppressing them, retribution was indispensable.
People had to know that the Luotian Association was not to be trifled with.
If you dared provoke them, you had to be prepared to pay an adequate price—ruined clans and exterminated sects, nothing less.
Yet such deeds could neither be done too often nor pushed too far.
Otherwise, it would easily invite public condemnation.
One had to realize that the factions surrounding Tianlan Immortal City were not all small powers with only one or two early Foundation Establishment cultivators like Yuzhen Daoist Temple and the Geng family.
Stronger ones, like the Wei family of Mount Xuchen or the Li family of Qinhua River, possessed mid Foundation Establishment cultivators holding the fort.
And stronger still were top factions such as the Lianyun Merchant Alliance, Iron Sword Hall, and the Taibai Du family, which had late Foundation Establishment grand cultivators presiding over them!
The present Luotian Association had already grown to the level of a mid-tier faction in Tianlan. In particular, thanks to Luo Chen's formidable strength, it held a respectable reputation even among mid Foundation Establishment figures.
Yet if he truly provoked those top Foundation Establishment forces, he would still suffer terrible consequences.
Even if he could hire Chu Kui to assist him, the expense would be unsustainable.
Therefore, after moving against the Geng family, the Ying family, the Danyuan Sect, and Yuzhen Daoist Temple, he had deliberately reined himself in.
Toward the remaining two adversaries—the Wei family and the Divine Craft Sect—he had chosen to watch from the sidelines.
Not because he was forgiving their past offenses, but because he wanted to see what choice they would make in the face of the Luotian Association's immense might after destroying four factions in one fell swoop.
If they chose stubborn resistance, Luo Chen would not mind reorganizing his forces and fighting another campaign!
If they chose reconciliation, he would gladly accept it.
In this war, the Luotian Association had already gained more than enough.
Any more, and they would be unable to digest it in the short term.
As things stood, the Wei family of Mount Xuchen had chosen peace, and he had provided a step for them to walk down voluntarily.
Now, only the Divine Craft Sect remained.
"What choice will they make?"
***
While waiting for word from the Divine Craft Sect, Luo Chen kept busy digesting the spoils gathered from their strikes across multiple fronts.
Gains such as the ink mulberries, jade silkworms, and hunting eagles could not be realized immediately.
Not only could they not be cashed in right away, but they also required a massive investment of manpower and resources just to keep them alive.
However, other yields were immediately visible.
For instance—spirit stones!
Just as Luo Chen always maintained a sizable pool of liquid funds within the Luotian Association for emergencies, other factions largely did the same.
During this sweep of war spoils, the Gold Hall and Merit Hall had transported back a massive haul of spirit stones.
"Over at the Danyuan Sect, there were fifty thousand spirit stones, ninety percent of which were low-grade, with very few mid-grade stones."
"Yuzhen Daoist Temple was comparatively wealthier, yielding a full seventy thousand! It is said a portion of that was a hefty sum paid by the Ying family to recruit them against the Xing family of Tiandao Peak."
"The Ying family was poorer, yielding only thirty to forty thousand spirit stones."
These small clans and minor sects were even poorer than Luo Chen had imagined.
Back then, Mi Shuhua had been able to gather eighty thousand spirit stones all at once to purchase a magic treasure, and still had surplus remaining.
Yet these groups possessed only a few tens of thousands each.
It truly appeared rather dismal.
However, cultivating in an immortal city was simply like this. Although various resources seemed abundant, every single one required spirit stones to purchase.
Without real capability, it was exceedingly difficult to amass large fortunes.
"The wealthiest of all was still the Geng family. We hauled back a full one hundred and forty thousand from their treasury! It seems the Geng family made quite a fortune over the years taking advantage of Danxia Peak while it was masterless!"
Listening to Murong Qinglian's report, Luo Chen shook his head.
All of it added together came to merely three hundred-odd thousand.
Too little!
It was truly far too little!
Seeing Luo Chen's dissatisfaction, Murong Qinglian understood his thoughts.
She promptly said, "Some spirit stones were carried away by fleeing disciples, while others were distributed in the storage bags of the disciples belonging to those families. Most of the latter were pocketed by the cultivators who took part in the battles."
"President, should we collect everything as we did before, and then redistribute it?"
There was precedent for this.
Back when the Luotian Association was first getting off the ground, that had been their method.
This time, however, Luo Chen rejected the suggestion.
"Forget it. When we eat meat, we must let those below have some soup."
"A fitting harvest will keep their enthusiasm high."
Luo Chen considered this partly because the previous reform of the merit system had, to some degree, dampened the enthusiasm of certain cultivators.
Compensating them slightly on this occasion was not a bad idea.
Murong Qinglian naturally had no objections.
She casually brought up the matter of merit rewards and penalties moving forward.
Regarding the Qi Refining cultivators, Luo Chen did not intervene, as she was far more familiar with the procedures than he was.
When it came to the Foundation Establishment True Cultivators, however, Luo Chen waved his hand decisively.
"Store the various materials and resources in the treasury. Wang Yuan and the other two may select two items each of their own choosing."
"As for Min Longyu, give him the giant hammer magic treasure left behind by Geng Lie."
Min Longyu had played a vital role in this battle.
Not only had he single-handedly dispatched the Geng siblings, but he had also helped Duan Feng slay Fairy Miaoyu.
Furthermore, because he presided over the great formation, he had deterred many outside Foundation Establishment figures from acting rashly.
Rewarding him with merely Geng Shuzhen's storage bag before had indeed been a little sparse.
"Additionally, set aside one hundred thousand spirit stones. Once everything settles, we will issue the rewards."
Distributing one hundred thousand spirit stones in rewards all at once?
Murong Qinglian was startled. That was no small sum!
"The remaining two hundred thousand I will not touch. Keep it in the association's public ledger."
Luo Chen paused, then continued, "Developing those new enterprises will certainly require substantial capital. Consider this two hundred thousand as our startup fund."
Originally, the Luotian Association's ledger still held more than one hundred thousand.
With this addition, the entire organization's liquidity surged to an unimaginable height.
Rarely did a Foundation Establishment power command over three hundred thousand spirit stones in liquid funds.
"Of course, the exact allocation of this money must wait until Huiniang emerges from seclusion and makes the call."
"During this time, Sister-in-law, please keep an eye on things in her stead."
Murong Qinglian swallowed hard. Having to manage such an enormous quantity of spirit stones made her somewhat nervous.
Yet she did not decline.
This was Luo Chen's trust in her, as well as a test.
Having suffered a failed attempt at Foundation Establishment, she had almost given up all hope of pursuing the Grand Dao.
What she needed to do now was build a foundation of wealth for her son, Xiaohu.
One could foresee that the Luotian Association would have more and more Foundation Establishment True Cultivators in the future, and perhaps every hall master would one day be at the Foundation Establishment stage.
For a mere Qi Refining cultivator like her to maintain her current standing, she had to prove herself far more valuable than before!
After Murong Qinglian departed, Luo Chen took stock of his personal losses and gains.
His losses were minimal—just a slight expenditure of spiritual power, plus the one hundred thousand paid to Chu Kui.
His gains, on the other hand, were quite substantial.
Setting aside the Luotian Association's unpredictable long-term profits, he now held one hundred thousand spirit stones in liquid cash from the Wei family of Mount Xuchen.
That fully recouped his expense for Chu Kui.
Combined with his previous savings, the cash in his hands rebounded to two hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones.
In addition, he still had the storage bags of Dan Yuanzi, Geng Lie, and others, which he had not yet found time to unseal.
As sect masters and clan heads, their accumulated wealth was bound to be substantial.
Yet Luo Chen cared little about that.
What truly commanded his attention were the numerous books related to alchemy gathered during this chaotic war!
The Hu family practiced alchemy!
Yuan Dongsheng had brought back a vast trove of alchemy insights, two Tier 1 pill recipes, and one Tier 2 recipe.
The Danyuan Sect also practiced alchemy!
Although he had not yet unsealed the storage bag of Sect Master Dan Yuanzi, the books hauled back from Mount Yuanhe alone numbered five.
Among them were several pill recipes.
Furthermore, Yuzhen Daoist Temple had yielded one or two scrolls of alchemy insights.
*If I can digest what I gained this time, my alchemy attainments will surely advance by leaps and bounds!*
*Moreover, among these collected pill recipes, there might just be an answer to my shortage of cultivation pills in the mid Foundation Establishment stage!*
Luo Chen had only recently advanced to the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment.
Yet he had already noticed the "slowness" of his cultivation speed.
Even now, with all auxiliary and primary resources pushed to their absolute limits, and with relentless, unbroken daily cultivation, it would still take a full five to six years just to advance from the fourth layer to the fifth.
That span of time seemed short.
Yet extrapolating further, moving from the fifth to the sixth layer would require over a decade, and from the sixth to the seventh, several decades...
Once he reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, progress would be measured in centuries.
That was something Luo Chen could never accept!
Furthermore, he had to consider another issue:
Pill resistance.
The Soaring Dragon Pill was already the most potent mainstream cultivation pill he could currently acquire.
If he developed resistance to it, he could not even imagine how he would ever cross that terrifying chasm into late Foundation Establishment!
Luo Chen could not pin his hopes on the occasional high-grade pill auctioned off by outsiders.
Therefore, he could only rely on himself.
He had to diligently elevate his alchemy skills and gather various pill recipes in pursuit of self-sufficiency!
Just as Luo Chen was pondering how to arrange his time moving forward, Murong Qinglian hurried back.
"President, a visitor from Ice Fort has arrived!"
"Oh?" Luo Chen raised an eyebrow, a keen glint flickering in his eyes. "When I sought them earlier, they were nowhere to be found. Now that the dust has settled, they suddenly pop up—what is the meaning of this?"
A wave of suspicion crossed his mind, and he asked casually, "Who came?"
"Deacon Shi Boying of Ice Billow Palace!"
"Invite her in!"
Luo Chen felt a slight stir in his heart. Sending a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator directly meant the matter was no small affair!
Before long, the familiar figure of Shi Boying appeared in the Luotian Great Hall.
The moment she entered, a brilliant smile spread across her face.
"Fire Spirit Lord, this time you have truly displayed your grandeur and made quite a name for yourself!"
"Fire Spirit Lord?"
This was the first time Luo Chen had heard an outsider address him with such an honorific to his face.
A new Daoist title?
As Shi Boying explained, he finally understood the meaning behind it.
Exquisite fire arts and boundless spiritual power yielded the title "Fire Spirit."
Honoring promises and standing loyal through thick and thin earned him the designation of "Lord."
In the end, people had bestowed upon him the Daoist title "Fire Spirit Lord."
Listening to this, Luo Chen did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Yet deep inside, he felt a measure of pride.
His former Daoist title, Danchenzi, though fitting, had ultimately been an exaggeration coined by Mi Shuhua in the beginning to boost the fame of the Jade Marrow Pills.
This time, however, he had carved it out with his own two hands.
It was just like street thugs on Earth: those starting out bragged and coined their own nicknames, while the truly formidable earned their reputations through raw, bloody fights with a watermelon knife.
Drawing a comparison to street thugs cheapened Luo Chen's standing a bit, but the principle remained the same.
Under Shi Boying's flattery, Luo Chen could hardly maintain his composure.
Though he had never neglected his regular gifts of Jade Dew Pills, there was no need for her to be quite this effusive!
"Fellow Daoist Shi, speak your mind directly."
Shi Boying's expression turned grave. "Do you know that disaster is imminent for you?"
Luo Chen's brow furrowed.
"Fellow Daoist, are you trying to frighten me?"
"If you don't believe me, why not take a trip with me?"
Chapter 291