Farewell to Zhongli Xiayi

"Turns out Uncle still remembers Father. I wonder how he's doing now?" Zhongli Jue let out a soft sigh.

Yang Zhengshan smiled. "Brother Zhongli is doing well. Before I came to Wanbao Immortal City, I visited Taoyuan Mountain. Hehe, it was Brother Zhongli who sent me to Wanbao Immortal City!"

"So that's how it is. I never expected Senior to have such a deep friendship with my uncle!" Zhongli Jue cupped his hands again in salute.

Yang Zhengshan waved his hand. "Don't call me Senior anymore. I'm an old friend of Brother Zhongli and Fellow Daoist Xia Yi. Just call me Uncle!"

Zhongli Jue hesitated for a moment before rising and bowing. "Nephew pays his respects to Uncle Yang!"

Yang Zhengshan's face revealed a kindly expression, and he nodded in satisfaction. "Since you've called me Uncle, I should give you a meeting gift!"

He flipped his hand and took out a Zhenyue Seal. "This Zhenyue Seal should suit you very well. Take it and use it!"

This Zhenyue Seal was the one he had just obtained. He had been reluctant to take out the previous one, because that one was a high-grade Spirit Artifact, while this one was only a low-grade Spirit Artifact.

Even so, such a low-grade Spirit Artifact was still a rare treasure to Zhongli Jue.

Yang Zhengshan's words had been quite right. This Zhenyue Seal was very suitable for Zhongli Jue.

First, their attributes matched. Second, this Zhenyue Seal had just been refined by Chiyuan, and its Spirit of Artifact had not yet grown up. It would be easy for Zhongli Jue to make it acknowledge him as its master.

Although Zhongli Jue came from the Zhongli family and was also a disciple of Wanbao Sect, he did not have a Spirit Artifact at his side.

Looking at the Zhenyue Seal Yang Zhengshan held out, Zhongli Jue was both surprised and delighted, but he still felt embarrassed about accepting it.

"Uncle Yang, this..."

"Haha, a gift from an elder cannot be refused. Take it!" Yang Zhengshan laughed.

He had not given Zhongli Jue the Zhenyue Seal to curry favor with the Zhongli family. Even if he had wanted to win over Zhongli Jue, there was no need to put effort into Zhongli Jue. Although Zhongli Jue's talent was quite good, he still had no say in the Zhongli family.

It was simply because Zhongli Jue suited his eye, and because he was the nephew of Zhongli Yue and Zhongli Xiayi, that Yang Zhengshan was willing to acknowledge this nephew.

Zhongli Jue hesitated for a moment before bowing and saying, "Nephew thanks Uncle Yang for your gracious gift!"

"Sit. Sit down and talk!"

Yang Zhengshan beckoned him to sit, and only then did Zhongli Jue sit down with utmost respect.

"Is Fellow Daoist Xia Yi in seclusion?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

"Yes. Aunt is in seclusion and won't be able to come out for a while. Nephew received Uncle Yang's message, so I came in Aunt's place to tell you." Zhongli Jue replied.

"Mm, then let her remain in seclusion. I don't have anything urgent to discuss with her." Yang Zhengshan said.

Indeed, there was nothing urgent. He merely wanted to use the Zhongli family's influence to do business in Wanbao Immortal City.

After learning more about Wanbao Immortal City, he realized that he did not necessarily need to rely on the Zhongli family's influence.

Wanbao Immortal City was an open immortal city that rejected no outsiders. Anyone could come here to do business.

Of course, if the business became too large, people would still take notice. Yang Zhengshan had no intention of doing a big job in Wanbao Immortal City. He only wanted to open another trade route for the Spirit Source Land.

"If Uncle Yang needs anything, Nephew can also help." Zhongli Jue said.

Yang Zhengshan looked at him, thought for a moment, and said, "Very well. I really do have something I need your help with! I want to purchase a residence and two shops in the city!"

"That won't be difficult. May I ask what requirements Uncle Yang has for the residence and shops?" Zhongli Jue asked.

"The larger the residence, the better. As for the shops, they should naturally be in a good location, but they shouldn't stand out too much. I've only just arrived, after all, and don't want to attract too much attention." Yang Zhengshan said.

"No problem. Leave this matter to Nephew!" Zhongli Jue said confidently.

"Haha, good!" Yang Zhengshan laughed.

Zhongli Jue acted quickly. The following afternoon, he returned to the small courtyard where Yang Zhengshan was staying and said that he had already found the residence and shops Yang Zhengshan needed.

Yang Zhengshan followed him to look at the residence and shops.

The residence he found was a very large compound. It was said to have once been the Tribal Land of an Immortal Cultivation Family within the city. After the family declined, they moved outside the city and sold the compound to a Brokerage Agency.

The compound had front, middle, and rear courtyards, three pavilions, and more than forty rooms. Although it could not be considered a high-end compound in all of Wanbao Immortal City, it was more than enough to house a small family.

There were also two shops, both in South City, and both on the second street after entering the city.

Their locations were not remote, but neither were they the best. They could only be described as ordinary.

One of the two shops had three rooms and had previously been a Spirit Material Shop that mainly sold various materials for talisman crafting. The other was a three-story pavilion that had previously been a restaurant.

Yang Zhengshan looked around and felt that both sets of shops were quite good. The compound was also excellent, so he bought them without hesitation.

Now that he had a residence and shops, the rest of the matters were simple.

Opening shops and running a business was the Spirit Source Land's specialty. There were plenty of professional talents available.

In a little over half a month, the Yang Family's two shops opened for business: one Pill Shop and one Spirit Material Shop.

The Pill Shop mainly sold first- and second-tier Spirit Pills, while the Spirit Material Shop bought and sold all kinds of Spiritual Items. From Great Void Spiritual Items down to Spiritual Medicine and Fruit below any tier, the Spirit Material Shop purchased and sold them all.

The Pill Shop could earn Spirit Stones for the Spirit Source Land, while the Spirit Material Shop was meant to help the Spirit Source Land exchange Spiritual Items—trading away surplus Spiritual Items for those it needed. Through the circulation of Spiritual Items, it could ensure the Spirit Source Land's demand for all kinds of Spiritual Items.

Yang Zhengshan handed all the matters in Wanbao Immortal City over to the two sisters, Li Jianning and Li Jianan, while also having Luo Zhen and Zhen Tao assist them.

After the Spirit Source Land withdrew from Qingli Immortal City, Luo Zhen and Zhen Tao had fallen into a state of having nothing to do. Now that they were conducting business in an immortal city again, they could finally display their abilities once more.

The Yang Family's shops opened with great secrecy. There was no ceremony; they simply opened in the most ordinary manner.

Naturally, business was not good at first. However, as time passed, many people discovered that the pills and Spiritual Items provided by the Yang Family were both high-quality and inexpensive.

A year later, the Yang Family's Pill Shop and Spirit Material Shop had become bustling places, and many Immortal Cultivation Families and lineages had become regular customers.

Yang Zhengshan, however, did not pay much attention to this. He had not left Wanbao Immortal City, but had remained in the newly purchased Yang Family Mansion, studying the bamboo staff he had just obtained in seclusion.

Because this bamboo staff had no Spirit of Artifact, Yang Zhengshan gave it a name: the Evergreen Bamboo Staff.

As for the origin of this bamboo staff, Yang Zhengshan had also asked Pei Lun, but Pei Lun did not know either. He only knew that his ancestors had obtained it by chance.

Yang Zhengshan searched through many archivists in Wanbao Immortal City, but still could not find the specific origin of the bamboo staff.

The Myriad Flower Domain had a history of several million years. There had once been hundreds of Lords of Authority, and thus hundreds of Authority Artifacts. Many Lords of Authority could no longer be verified. Those who could be investigated now were only the Lords of Authority after the Ancient Era. As for the Dao Masters of the Ancient Era and Far Ancient Period, at most, only a few scattered words had been left behind, making them impossible to verify.

Since he could not find the answer, Yang Zhengshan simply studied it himself.

He studied how to wield the bamboo staff, the Divine Path Intent of Life Control, and the coordination between the bamboo staff and the Wither and Flourish Divine Ability, among other things.

In this way, Yang Zhengshan spent three years studying it. He finally grasped a tiny bit of the knack behind Life Control. Although he had not yet reached Entry Level, he was only one step away.

On this day, Zhongli Xiayi finally emerged from seclusion.

When he saw Zhongli Xiayi again, Yang Zhengshan sensed that something about her was different.

The last time he had seen Zhongli Xiayi was when she had just formed her core. At that time, her aura had not yet stabilized.

Now, Zhongli Xiayi's cultivation had stabilized, and Yang Zhengshan could also sense an extremely peculiar aura from her.

On the third floor's terrace of the Yang Family Mansion.

Yang Zhengshan looked at Zhongli Xiayi, a trace of astonishment in his eyes.

"What's this?"

"You noticed?" Zhongli Xiayi's face was like flowers in bloom, radiant beyond compare.

Yang Zhengshan gave a slight nod, then gently shook his head. "I noticed something, but I can't see it clearly."

"The Way of Sunset Glow!" Zhongli Xiayi flipped her hand, and a streak of crimson radiance danced in her palm.

Yang Zhengshan looked at her palm, then at the sunset-colored robes she wore, and suddenly understood. "A Spirit Treasure!"

"As expected, I can't hide it from you!"

"Your Zhongli family is truly wealthy. You can actually give you a Spirit Treasure!" Yang Zhengshan laughed.

Zhongli Xiayi smiled but did not say more about it. Instead, she asked, "Why did you come to Wanbao Immortal City? Did something happen in the Western Regions?"

Yang Zhengshan waved his hand and said helplessly, "Don't mention it. The Wuchang Ghost Sect has made a complete mess of the Western Regions. I was forced to come seek refuge with you!"

"Seek refuge?" Zhongli Xiayi blinked.

"That's right, I came to seek refuge with you. Now that I'm on your territory, you can look after me a little more!" Yang Zhengshan said jokingly.

Zhongli Xiayi covered her mouth and laughed. "Of course I'll look after you!"

"But what exactly did the Wuchang Ghost Sect do in the Western Regions?"

Yang Zhengshan said, "What else could they do? Nothing more than erecting Giant Bone Pillars, drawing the Yin Energy of the Earth Veins upward, and changing the spiritual energy environment. Over the past few years, they've turned most of the Yunxiao Mountain Range into a Ghost Domain filled with gloomy Yin Energy!"

Although he had left the Western Regions, that did not mean he had stopped paying attention to the development of the situation there.

After he left, the Wuchang Ghost Sect wantonly altered the spiritual energy environment in the Western Regions. They had turned the central and eastern parts of the Yunxiao Mountain Range into gloomy Ghost Domains.

However, their expansion had stopped east of Cangyu Mountain. Neither the Lingxiu Sea nor the Yang Family Blessed Land had suffered their poison.

They had not sought revenge against the Yang Family or Hidden Sword Mountain either. Instead, they acted as if nothing had happened and directly ignored Hidden Sword Mountain and the Yang Family.

The reason was the death of Old Ghost Huangquan and the downfall of An Wusheng. The one now presiding over the Wuchang Ghost Sect's affairs in the northern part of the Wanhua Mountain Range was Li Shanghun. Li Shanghun would not avenge An Wusheng and Old Ghost Huangquan, nor was he willing to continue struggling with Hidden Sword Mountain and the Yang Family over that tiny bit of spirit land.

To him, rather than waste time and energy on Hidden Sword Mountain and the Yang Family, it was better to focus on the Wanhua Demon Court.

After all, the Wanhua Demon Court was their primary enemy. Hidden Sword Mountain and the Yang Family merely occupied a corner of the world and had little impact on their overall situation.

Thus, after occupying most of the Yunxiao Mountain Range, they once again went to war with the Wanhua Demon Court.

At this moment, the Wuchang Ghost Sect was locked in a war of attrition with the Wanhua Demon Court in the Wanhua Mountain Range.

One side had countless Yin Soldier Blood Puppets, while the other had powerful Exquisite Treants. When the two sides fought, they were evenly matched and yielded not an inch.

However, none of this had anything to do with Yang Zhengshan anymore. He had no desire to get involved in the Wuchang Ghost Sect's affairs.

"I see. That really is troublesome!" Zhongli Xiayi said.

"Mm, I just didn't want to invite trouble, so I ran to Wanbao Immortal City!" Yang Zhengshan replied.

Zhongli Xiayi shook her head with a smile upon hearing this.

"What is it?" Yang Zhengshan felt that her smile held a deeper meaning and asked.

"You came to Wanbao Immortal City to avoid trouble, but you don't know that Wanbao Immortal City is also facing plenty of trouble now!" Zhongli Xiayi said with some worry.

Yang Zhengshan's expression turned solemn. "What trouble?"

"Before long, my Wanbao Sect will probably go to war with Tianji Pavilion!" Zhongli Xiayi said.

"What?" Yang Zhengshan was greatly shocked. "Hasn't your Wanbao Sect always remained neutral?"

"But someone doesn't want to see Wanbao Sect remain neutral."

"Someone?" Yang Zhengshan furrowed his brows. "Who?"

Zhongli Xiayi raised a hand and pointed upward.

Yang Zhengshan froze. "Tianxian Dao!"

"That's right! They'll enter the fray sooner or later!"

Yang Zhengshan's brows furrowed even more deeply. With even Tianxian Dao entering the fray, the Myriad Flower Domain probably no longer had a single place of peace.

"The North Sea Demon Court has also entered the fray. Half a year ago, they occupied the coast of the Northern Region and are now expanding toward the Northern Region!"

"The Southern Region has Hengshan Sect blocking the South Sea Demon Court, but no one is blocking the North Sea Demon Court in the Northern Region!"

Zhongli Xiayi took a deep breath. "Before long, the Struggle for Authority will enter its most intense period. When that happens, every faction will bring out its hidden foundations."

"I've read some records regarding the Struggle for Authority. Every time it occurs, many factions perish, and many Golden Core cultivators die."

"If you only want to keep yourself safe, I suggest you seal the Cave Heaven Portal and avoid the world for two hundred years!"

Her eyes were filled with concern as she looked at Yang Zhengshan.

Yang Zhengshan lowered his head in thought. According to Zhongli Xiayi, this meant that the Myriad Flower Domain would be plunged into a full-scale war for the next two hundred years.

Every faction would enter the fray, and many unknown existences would also emerge to stir up trouble.

If this is really the case, how should White Jade Capital choose?

Avoid it or take the initiative to attack?

Neither option was actually viable.

Avoiding it would require sealing the Spirit Source Land, but without Spiritual Items from the outside world to support it, the Spirit Source Land would be unable to operate normally for two hundred years.

Taking the initiative to attack was even worse. White Jade Capital's current strength was still insufficient for it to become a player moving the pieces. If it took the initiative to attack, it would very likely become someone else's pawn and cannon fodder.

After considering it from every angle, Yang Zhengshan felt that he still had to lie low.

As long as he did not take the initiative to reveal White Jade Capital's strength, the various factions would overlook its existence. As for the wars between those factions, White Jade Capital did not need to participate actively either.

White Jade Capital should simply hide behind the scenes and do business.

It could use the opportunity presented by the war to earn more Spiritual Items.

As long as Yang Zhengshan could endure, White Jade Capital would be able to remain undefeated.

However, Yang Zhengshan's thinking was clearly too idealistic. Sometimes people were unable to control their own fate. Some things could not be avoided simply because one did not want to do them, and some people could not be ignored simply because one wished not to see them.

He could endure for a while, but enduring for two hundred years would be difficult.