Annihilating Zhao

Since the Artifact Cloud Sect had risen to participate in successive Tiandu Secret Realm gatherings, it had taken first place seven or eight times out of ten. Failing to bring back first place was somewhat embarrassing for him, but circumstances were stronger than any man. Things had already come to this—surely this was better than ranking lower and coming away with nothing?

This proposal did indeed move Han and Song Kingdoms. Though both kingdoms wanted first place, they had not held much hope of taking it. They had merely intended to do their utmost and let nature take its course.

By customary practice, Misty Pavilion's rewards for the top three places were respectively three hundred million gold coins, one hundred million gold coins, and fifty million gold coins.

Together, the top three prizes came to four hundred and fifty million. Split equally among the three families, each would receive one hundred and fifty million.

This way, though they would not receive the more than three hundred million awarded for first place, each would get more than the one hundred million for second place. The reward would fall short of first, but surpass second.

For Han and Song Kingdoms, receiving this reward already exceeded expectations, and would be enough for them to account for themselves upon returning.

For Taishu Shanyue, though returning this way meant not taking first place, it was still better than taking second, and would make it easier to account for himself when he went back.

Others did not know it, but he did. Jin was poor and was secretly preparing for war. Jin needed to build up its finances and had already reduced its financial support for the Artifact Cloud Sect. The Artifact Cloud Sect truly needed this money right now. The entire sect was counting on