Gaining a Foothold
Back at Hidden Dragon Peak, many cultivators were cleaning up the battlefield, but True Person Qixia and True Person Wanshi had not yet returned.
Yang Danglong then landed and began to use the power of the Formation to gradually restore the shattered mountains.
An hour later, True Person Qixia returned, his aura weak, clearly indicating that he had suffered a serious injury, yet a broad smile graced his face.
"Did you kill that young man in blue, Daoist Friends?" Yang Danglong asked with a smile.
"After fighting for more than a hundred rounds, I finally slew him with my sword." True Person Qixia stroked his beard and chuckled, a hint of self-satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
Then, he glanced at Yang Danglong, whose clothes were still intact and whose aura was still strong, his eyes flashing, and asked, "Youlong Daoist Friends, did you kill that middle-aged woman?"
Yang Danglong said, "This woman was too badly injured. Before she could fly far, her Law Power became disordered, and I chased after her and easily killed her. It was as if I gained an advantage."
Upon hearing this, True Person Qixia felt a pang of regret. If only he had gone after the middle-aged woman.
However, he only thought these words to himself, and on the surface he congratulated him quite cheerfully. "Then congratulations to True Person Youlong, you have once again rendered meritorious service to the Upper Sect. The Merits you have gained this time must be considerable!"
"Not at all," Yang Danglong waved his hand, appearing quite modest.
The two continued chatting, and before long, the dejected True Person Wanshi flew back from the horizon.
Yang Danglong and True Person Qixia exchanged a glance, both guessing what was going on.
"How was it? Did Fellow Daoist Friends Wanshi succeed?" True Person Qixia asked.
"Alas, this person's Escape Technique Divine Ability have actually reached the Minor Achievement completion stage. I'm not good at speed, yet he still managed to escape." True Person Wanshi said with considerable helplessness.
He cultivated Earth-attribute Cultivation Method, which were good for both offense and defense, but his speed was his Achilles' heel. He was not good at chasing enemies, let alone encountering a Golden Core Cultivator was good at speed.
"Where are you two?" After his frustration subsided, the True Person Wanshi looked up and asked.
"Luckily, luckily!" Yang Danglong, the True Person Qixia, cupped his hands in greeting.
"Well... congratulations!"
The True Person Wanshi smirked, thinking to himself, "I should have known better than to ask."
The group didn't dwell on the topic; instead, they worked together to help Yang Danglong tidy up the chaotic Hidden Dragon Peak.
Then they began to distribute the spoils.
Other supplies are manageable, but the key issue is that Third Tier War Flying Vessels. Although it was broken in two, the remaining parts still have considerable value.
If we can add various materials, re-refine it, and complete the Array Mark and Artifact Mark, we can quickly restore this Flying Boat.
A low-grade, Third-Tier Lower-Grade War Flying Vessels is no less valuable than three or four Law Treasure of the same level.
In the end, Yang Danglong gave up all other spoils of war and paid the other two Golden Core Cultivators a sum of Spirit Stones, paying a 20% premium, to acquire the wreckage of the Flying Boat.
After dividing the spoils, True Person Qixia and True Person Wanshi did not leave, but waited there for the arrival of the White Cloud Sect envoy.
Half a day later, True Person Yanfeng descended again. After tallying the Merits of the three, he stayed at Hidden Dragon Peak for a while before leaving with the other two Golden Core.
Inside the bright and magnificent hall, Yang Danglong and several other Yang Household who had reached the Foundation Establishment discussed their future development plans.
Yang Tianxue said, "According to the news from True Person Yanfeng, the Fire Spirit Palace lost eight Golden Core cultivators in this Fire Spirit Palace, which has dealt a blow to their morale. Since they are unsure of the White Cloud Sect's true strength, they should not attack Konggu County again, but instead shift their focus to other areas. This period presents a golden opportunity for us to grow stronger."
Yang Qiongchuan nodded in agreement, "I think we can take this opportunity to recruit more soldiers and expand the sect's influence."
Wang Shan said, "The caravan can be set up now. With the chaos in Mo Province, there is a huge demand for war supplies such as Law Artifacts and Talisman. We can notify the Lineage to allocate more of these supplies. We can acquire them through trade and then sell them to earn resources."
Yang Xuanying continued, "Not only that, but that damaged Third-Tier Flying Boat also needs to be repaired as soon as possible. The Thirteenth Ancestor is Third-Tier Formation Master, and my husband is Second-Tier Upper-Grade Artifact Refining Master. Relying on their physical advantages, they can barely repair the Third-Tier Flying Boat."
Upon hearing this, Yang Danglong glanced at Wang Shan and said with a smile, "Are you confident?"
"Yes!" Wang Shan said succinctly, a confident smile on his face.
He is the personal disciple of the Master of the Artifact Refining Hall Myriad Forms Sect Manifestations Sect. He has exceptional talent in Artifact Refining and possesses both Fire Spirit Root and a wood Spirit Body. If he can cultivate to the peak of the Foundation Establishment Perfection stage, he may even be able to refine Third Tier- tier Law Treasure.
Wang Shan is currently at the peak of the Seventh Layer of Foundation Establishment. Crafting Second-Tier Upper-Grade and top-grade magic Law Artifact is a piece of cake for him. Repairing Third-Tier Flying Boat is not a difficult task for him.
"Alright, since you're confident, let's begin repairing this Third Tier War Flying Vessels tomorrow." Yang Danglong slapped the armrest and said with great enthusiasm.
The group continued discussing development plans, and after half an hour, they clarified and finalized the basic tasks currently facing the Hidden Dragon Sect.
First, recruit soldiers and expand the strength of the Hidden Dragon Sect;
Second, by purchasing people, the sect's foundation can be strengthened.
Third, build caravans to earn Spirit Stones, and at the same time establish stable ties with the Lineage;
Fourth, establish a comprehensive intelligence system with the Shadow Hall clansmen as its core.
At the same time, they need to find the whereabouts of the Dwarf Child, the Five Poisons Old Devil, and Old Devil Yan. The wounds they inflicted on the Yang Household are not only a source of resentment for Yang Tianyou, but also for the rest of the Yang Household Members.
Fifth, cultivate a good relationship with the Upper Sect White Cloud Sect. The breakthrough point should start with True Person Yanfeng. He is an upright man. When dealing with him, you should appeal to his emotions, and prioritize personal gain over personal interests.
Yang Danglong excels at this. As the head of the Shadow Hall, Yang Danglong's interpersonal skills are even better than those of the family head Yang Dangkai and the head of the External Affairs Hall Yang Qiongye.
The name of True Person Youlong is very well-known among the Foundation Establishment Rogue Cultivators north of Luochuan Commandery; he is considered a "timely rain" figure.
In terms of connections, besides the White Cloud Sect, one cannot neglect relationships with other Golden Core Cultivators who have fought alongside him, such as Mister Shuijing, Madam Gui, True Person Wanshi, and True Person Qixia.
It is essential to maintain regular contact with them, ideally establishing a stable alliance based on shared interests, cultivating both friendship and acquiring Spirit Stones to expand the influence of the Hidden Dragon Sect.
If these points can be accomplished and certain results achieved, the Hidden Dragon Sect will have firmly established itself in Mo Province.
After setting its development goals, the Hidden Dragon Sect, under the leadership of Yang Danglong, began a rapid expansion.
He first established a preliminary relationship with True Person Yanfeng in an extremely short time, and then, using huge profits as bait, he woven several familiar Golden Core Cultivators into the network of connections within the Hidden Dragon Sect.
In particular, Mister Shuijing and True Person Wanshi, whose Water Mirror Manor and Stubborn Stone Sect have established stable trade chains with the Hidden Dragon Sect.
Next comes the intelligence system. With decades of rich experience from the Shadow Hall, Yang Danglong's methods for building the intelligence system are quite sophisticated and swift.
In just one year, the intelligence network had been initially established.
During this process, thanks to its strong financial resources, the Hidden Dragon Sect's recruitment of soldiers and horses went very smoothly. In one year, it had recruited three hundred cultivators at the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining Realm.
At this point, Yang Danglong began to raise the entry standards and started to conduct targeted assessments of sect cultivators, selecting trustworthy and capable individuals.
Finally, there was the Third-Tier Flying Boat. Led by Yang Danglong and assisted by Wang Shan, along with more than a dozen hired Tier 2 Artifact Refining Master and Formation Masters, they spent Three-Month months repairing the Third Tier War Flying Vessels and restoring its combat power.
At this point, the Hidden Dragon Sect now openly possesses three Golden Core Combat Strength.
These are respectively the True Person Youlong, the Ox-Head Puppet, and the final Third Tier War Flying Vessels.
With this level of strength, they can already rank third among the six major Golden Core Forces in Konggu County.