Choice

The Qi Household Old Ancestor Qi Sijie, led his clan members to escape in Flying Boat, something that Mister Shuijing and the others never expected.

They all thought the Qi Household would hold Xuankong Valley and wait for reinforcements from Leishi Peak, but who knew Qi Sijie would be so decisive.

"How about we also take our Third-Tier Flying Boats and catch up?" True Person Wanshi suggested.

Mister Shuijing shook his head and pointed to the Clan-Guarding Formation ahead, "We can't catch up."

Following his gaze, one could see that the Clan-Guarding Formation set up in Xuankong Valley had changed its shape the instant Qi Sijie piloted the Flying Boat out, transforming from a hemispherical shield into a vast iron wall.

As the light patterns shifted, they firmly blocked Mister Shuijing and the others, buying the Flying Boat a dozen or so breaths to escape.

Furthermore, the Qi Household's Flying Boat is a wind-attribute Flying Boat that excels in speed, making it even more difficult to catch up.

"Alright, let them go. Actually, it's not necessarily a bad thing. A desperate counterattack from a Middle Golden Core cultivator is something neither of us can easily withstand."

"Besides, we've already occupied the southern part of Konggu County in this battle, and the mission is more than half complete. White Cloud Sect won't hold it against us." Mister Shuijing stroked his beard and smiled faintly.

Upon hearing this, True Person Wanshi nodded. "Then let's occupy Xuankong Valley. The Qi Household left in a hurry; they probably didn't take many resources with them."

On the other side, Yang Danglong and Madam Gui, along with other cultivators who were preparing to ambush the Qi Household reinforcements at Leishi Peak, suddenly discovered that the Qi Household cultivators on Leishi Peak were actually flying north in Flying Boat.

"Are the Qi Household on this Leishi Peak planning to retreat? Aren't they even going to care about their own Old Ancestor?" Madam Gui's eyes widened in confusion.

Yang Danglong pondered for a moment, just as he was about to say something, when he received a message from Mister Shuijing.

"Heh, as expected of a force that survived the invasion of the Demon Sea. Such cunning and ruthless tactics are truly astounding." Yang Danglong chuckled and relayed Mister Shuijing's message to Madam Gui.

The latter's face showed a hint of apprehension. "This Qi Household Old Ancestor is truly cunning. It's good that he escaped. Who knows if a real fight had broken out, or if this old fox still had some terrifying trump cards up his sleeve?"

"Hmm, Daoist Friends is right. It's best not to fight. Anyway, occupying two Third-Tier Spirit Veins is enough to explain to the White Cloud Sect." Yang Danglong laughed and took the lead in flying towards the direction of Leishi Peak.

Unlike Xuankong Valley, which was attacked and forced to abandon its Clan-Guarding Array and flee, the Qi Household on Leishi Peak moved with much more ease.

Under the command of two Golden Core Cultivators, they even dismantled the Clan-Guarding Formation, leaving no other resources on the mountain behind.

Yang Tianxue and Yang Qiongchuan walked side by side. Along the way, they saw that the Spirit Fields were full of the roots and stems of spirit medicine and Spirit Grains. Even half of the Spirit Fields of the Tier 2 and above had been dug up by Spirit Soil Qi Household, leaving them pitted and abandoned.

"Indeed, no one's Wisdom should be underestimated. This Qi Household Old Ancestor Qi Sijie, is truly decisive. He actually abandoned two Third-Tier Spirit Veins and ten thousand Mortals. If you and I were in his shoes, could we do the same?" Yang Tianxue said with emotion as she looked at the mess in front of her.

Yang Qiongchuan shook his head. "I can't. If it were me, I would definitely defend those two Third-Tier Spirit Veins to the death."

"That's it. The Qi Household Old Ancestor Qi Sijie, was a man of great foresight. Not only did he secretly hide a Third-Tier Flying Boat without revealing any information, but more importantly, he understood a crucial principle."

"What's the reasoning behind that?" Yang Qiongchuan asked curiously.

"If we preserve the land but lose the people, we will lose both. If we preserve the people but lose the land, we will gain both." Yang Tianxue eyes gleaming.

Upon hearing this, Yang Qiongchuan suddenly understood and nodded involuntarily in agreement.

"I've often heard the clan elders mention this phrase before, but I've never understood it so profoundly as I do now."

"This is our first major achievement since arriving in Mo Province. This place is rife with war; if we can lead our Lineage to establish a stable foundation, it will be a Bloodline Metamorphosis and transformative experience for both of us."

A day later, on the top of the Leishi Peak, an earthen-yellow Formation Shield rose up, its flowing Array Mark exuding an imposing aura as immovable as a mountain.

Yang Danglong stood atop the mountain peak, his fingers constantly forming hand Mudra, his Law Power surging forth to continuously reinforce and perfect the newly erected Mountain-Guarding Formation.

Several hours later, he stopped moving, looked around, and after checking the Formation, nodded in satisfaction.

This Third-Tier Lower-Grade Defensive Formation, named the Ji Earth Kun Origin Formation, is a powerful Formation that combines array and artifact.

Besides the defensive power of the Formation itself, the item used to reinforce the formation is a Third-Tier Lower-Grade Earth Attribute Law Treasure, the Yuanfeng Shield.

This treasure is perfectly combined with the Ji Earth Kun Origin Formation. By absorbing the power of the Third-Tier Spirit Veins, it can create an extremely strong Earth Attribute shield, which is more than 30% stronger than the Formation set up by the Qi Household on Leishi Peak.

"Youlong Daoist Friends's mastery of Formations is truly superb. A Third Tier Defensive Formation is something you can create with ease. I am truly impressed." Madam Gui swayed her hips as she walked over gracefully.

"I dare not Daoist Friends," Yang Danglong replied, then looked southeast, "The people from the White Cloud Sect are here."

A quarter of an hour later, in the main hall on the Leishi Peak, Yang Danglong and Madam Gui sat on the left, while on the right sat a handsome young man wearing a white Daoist robe with golden cloud patterns.

"Daoist Friends, you have worked hard and made great contributions by successfully occupying Xuankong Valley and Leishi Peak, which has made a great contribution to my White Cloud Sect. The sect has sent me here to reward you for your merits." True Person Yanfeng sat upright, his expression quite serious.

"Daoist Friends Yanfeng, you flatter us. It is our honor to serve the Upper Sect," Yang Danglong said with a smile.

"Well, based on your contributions, the sect will give you three options: first, to guard this peak; second, once the war ends, this peak will be directly bestowed upon you."

"Secondly, you can collect Merits, which can be exchanged for the Spirit Items resources you need on the sect's exchange list."

Thirdly, since the sect is located within Canglan Commandery, we will assign you a Second-Tier Upper-Grade Spirit Mountain.

"Three choices, choose for yourselves." True Person Yanfeng said calmly, looking at the two of them.

Yang Danglong lowered his head in deep thought.

Each of these three options has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The first option carries the greatest risk, as it is located on the front lines of the war and is vulnerable to attacks from other forces should war break out.

The second option carries less risk but offers greater flexibility, making it more suitable for Rogue Cultivator.

The third option is the safest and most secure, but it may hinder one's development speed.

"I choose Merit!" said Madam Gui first.

Yang Danglong glanced at her and was basically certain that Madam Gui did not have any powerful backing. It was highly likely that she joined the White Cloud Sect simply for Cultivation Resources.

"Alright, this is your Merit Token. You can use this token to exchange for supplies at the Merit Hall set up by the sect in the Market." True Person Yanfeng said, handing over a white token with a cloud pattern engraved on its surface.

After doing all this, he looked at Yang Danglong and asked, "Where is Youlong Daoist Friends?"

"I choose the first option!" Yang Danglong said softly.

He has the support of his Lineage and various trump cards in his Storage Ring, so he is confident that he can defend Leishi Peak.

Moreover, even if he couldn't hold out, he could just slip away like the Qi Household Old Ancestor. In any case, he didn't bring many clansmen this time, and with the Third Tier small-to-medium-sized Flying Shuttle in his Storage Ring, he could come and go as he pleased.