Open and Hidden Struggles, Lips and Teeth Meet!

The merger of the Great Maple Mountain Range and the Clear Wind Mountain Range is now on the right track, although there were many obstacles at the beginning.

But under the leadership of the Zhao Clan Yanshan, everything went smoothly within the Zhao Yanshan.

At the current pace, the two mountain ranges will be completely merged into one within three years, and the Zhao Clan lineage will be able to regain its strength because of this!

Several months later, at Bo'an Peak, in the council chamber.

Sun Mao sat in the main seat, his fingers tapping lightly on the table in a dull rhythm. Sun Lin sat below him, flipping through a thick stack of account books.

"Brother, we've already used 30% of the available Spirit Stone."

Sun Lin rubbed his eyes, looking exhausted as he closed the ledger. "Except for the portion reserved for Chengzu's Foundation Establishment, the rest was all given away."

"Not enough."

"Far from enough..."

Sun Mao's complexion was also bad; he kept rubbing his face...

"This is the limit."

"If we keep drawing them, the clan's daily supply of pills and talismans will be cut off."

"It'll only be a few months; it won't kill anyone."

Sun Mao stood up and walked outside the hall. "What the Ancestor wants to see now is attitude. The Zhao Clan handled the matter of Beast Pasturing Mountain well; that's their ability."

"We, the Sun Clan, cannot steal this credit, much less try to trip us up."

Sun Lin nodded. "I understand. If we ruin the Ancestor's important plans because of jealousy and rivalry, that would be courting death."

"Therefore, we need to find another way."

Sun Mao turned around, his gaze intense. "Our ancestor is Demon Race, and he's not very interested in Human Race Law Treasure and talismans. Instead, he values flesh and blood, and exotic Demon Beast."

"Send a message to our vassal Lineage in various places, as well as to those guest elders, Rogue Cultivator, and outer disciples who have received our favors in the past."

"Send them to the deep mountains and forests, to those dangerous places rarely visited by humans."

"Search! Search for rare bear species, for demonic Demon Beast unusual bloodlines, for aged spiritual fruits and medicinal herbs—anything of value, the Sun Clan is willing to pay a hefty price for!"

Sun Lin felt a chill run down his spine; this meant going bankrupt to curry favor with the patriarch.

"Brother, isn't this making too much of a commotion? What about the Yun Clan...?"

"Yun Tianfan's eyesight is failing; he's only focused on the sect's rigid rules."

Sun Mao sneered, a hint of stubbornness in his voice. "We're using our own Spirit Stone to win the ancestor's favor, what business is it of his?"

"Rest assured, the Sun Clan has spent a fortune to curry favor with our own ancestor."

"The Yun Clan is no different; they expend enormous amounts of wealth to support the abbot's spiritual practice."

"What they did, though different from what we did, ultimately aimed to solidify the bond between ourselves and our protectors."

"The patriarch still harbors feelings for the Sun Clan."

"But we can't let this friendship continue to fizzle out..."

"Over time, feelings will eventually fade."

Several days later.

White Cloud Temple, General Affairs Hall.

Sun Mao, along with several members of his clan, was storing a batch of spiritual herbs that had just been transported from elsewhere.

These medicinal herbs were of extremely high quality, and the Sun Clan spent a great deal of money to acquire them.

A series of light footsteps could be heard outside the palace gate.

Zhao Yanshan, dressed in a blue silk Daoist robe, entered the main hall with a warm smile, surrounded by a group of disciples.

He is now a prominent figure within the sect.

He was in charge of the integration plan for Beast Pasturing Mountain, wielding great power and enjoying immense prestige.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

"Elder Sun, what a coincidence, we've run into each other today."

Zhao Yanshan proactively cupped his hands in greeting, his tone gentle.

Sun Mao returned the greeting with impeccable manners, his expression calm. "Peak Master, you are too kind. In the past, Peak Master was always busy with official duties, yet you still had time to come to the Hall of General Affairs?"

"A second-tier Spirit Vein has just been discovered over at Beast Pasturing Mountain, producing some associated spiritual minerals, which have been specially added to the sect's treasury."

Zhao Yanshan took two steps closer and glanced at the spiritual herbs that the Sun Clan was handing over:

"The quality of this batch of ' Purple Cloud Lingzhi ' from the Sun Clan is extremely high; they must have put in a lot of effort, right?"

"Serving the sect requires utmost dedication."

Sun Mao replied indifferently. Seeing this, Zhao Yanshan smiled, cupped his hands in a gesture of congratulations, and said:

Elder Sun, you are truly righteous!

"However, this Purple Cloud Lingzhi Mushroom is cold in nature and is mostly used to refine calming pills. Our ancestor cultivates a domineering Thunder Method, and such a cold and yin substance is probably not of interest to Purple Firmament Peak."

Sun Mao's eyes narrowed. This was a veiled criticism that Sun Clan's attempt to flatter had backfired.

He wasn't angry; instead, a slight smile curved his lips.

"Peak Master has a thorough understanding of the Ancestor's preferences, but the Ancestor is farsighted and his plans are grand."

"Some things can't be understood just because they're out in the open."

"Oh?" Zhao Yanshan raised an eyebrow.

"The Zhao Clan is skilled in planning; if they can share the burdens of the patriarch, it will be a blessing for White Cloud Temple."

Sun Mao looked at him, his tone steady. "But the Sun Clan are relatives of the patriarch, not some mere foot soldiers."

"Moreover, the Sun Clan is willing to give everything for the Ancestor. They are the sharpest blade in the Ancestor's hand. A blade doesn't need to be shown off every day. As long as it's fast and sharp enough to draw blood at crucial moments, that's enough."

Zhao Yanshan's smile remained unchanged, "If a knife rusts, it will be replaced."

"Then Peak Master, you'd better take a close look. Is this blade rusted, or is it concealed?"

Sun Mao flicked his sleeves, turned around, and called to his clansmen:

"Store it, and get out!"

Watching Sun Mao's departing figure, Zhao Yanshan's smile gradually faded.

"Peak Master, this Sun Mao is far too arrogant."

A member of the Zhao Clan clan nearby grumbled in hushed tones, but Zhao Yanshan shook his head and said calmly, "He's not arrogant."

"If he were to make a scene here and embarrass the ancestor, or secretly sabotage me, then he would be a fool."

"But he yielded, he exercised restraint."

"This shows that he understands his own position and has a good grasp of the patriarch's temperament."

"This Sun Clan is not easy to deal with."

Zhao Yanshan straightened his cuffs. "The matter of Beast Pasturing Mountain needs to be expedited; we can't give them a chance to catch their breath."

"Only if this matter is handled well will our Zhao Clan lineage be able to catch the eye of our ancestor..."