"These days just keep getting worse."
"If this goes on, we'll eat through our reserves. Sooner or later, something will go terribly wrong."
"Why won't the General Association think of something..."
In the Council Hall of the Branch Headquarters on Jade Lang Mountain in the West Sea, several elders of the West Sea Merchant Association emerged, all looking despondent.
Someone said, "What could the General Association do? There's simply no solution."
A Foundation Establishment steward said indignantly, "Does being a great cultivator mean you can do whatever you please? They won't leave us any face at all. Are we supposed to live on the northwest wind from now on?"
"Yes, great cultivators really can do whatever they please."
"..." The Foundation Establishment cultivator said weakly, "Damn it!"
Over the past several decades, the West Sea had suffered one blow after another: the Demon Calamity, a crisis in precious materials, and the upheaval of Immortal Long's death and the Sea King's move ashore. Their sources of income kept shrinking, while trade and circulation grew increasingly difficult.
Meanwhile, the Misty Wave Kingdom flourished, wealth pouring in and creating a siphoning effect that drew resources from every region.
As one side waned and the other waxed, the local situation underwent a major transformation. Even the economic center began shifting toward the Misty Wave Kingdom.
Originally, the various establishments on Jade Lang Mountain had relied on secret dealings with the Demonic Path for some additional income, which had kept them afloat for the time being. But Li Ling had turned the Sea King to his side and crushed the Sea Market Ward, cutting off those sources of revenue in just a few short years.
This left the West Sea's Grand Elders increasingly dissatisfied.
Recently, Yao Lingxian in the Misty Wave Kingdom had even sent