131: Chapter 131 Large Spirit Stone Vein

Yue Country, Spirit Sword Sect, Suspended Main Peak.

In that grand hall suspended ten thousand zhang high in the sky, the dome was covered with flowing star charts, and beneath their feet were layers of cloud seas.

There were no lamps in the hall, but daylight seeping in from somewhere illuminated the entire hall as bright as day.

Spirit Sword Sect Master Xiao Yunluan sat upright in the main northern seat, wearing a spotless cyan Taoist robe. He looked to be only in his thirties or forties, with sword-like eyebrows extending into his temples and eyes sharp as lightning.

Although he did not deliberately release his pressure, the faint Sword Intent around his body had already stirred the Spiritual Qi within a radius of three zhang around him into a faint hum.

In the due west direction, Baihua Sect Master Hua Nongying sat on a spirit vine chair woven from hundreds of flowers.

She looked even younger than Xiao Yunluan, appearing to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. A long skirt woven from hundreds of flowers trailed three zhang on the ground, and every flower on the hem continuously cycled between slowly blooming and withering, never stopping.

Her appearance was extremely beautiful, so beautiful that people dared not look directly at her, and so beautiful that people almost forgot how many Cultivators of the same rank had been slain by the Baihua Sword in her hand that never left her side.

In the due east direction, Lingdan Sect Master Danyangzi had white hair and a white beard, a thin face, and looked the oldest, yet was the most unfathomable.

He did not sit in a chair, but instead sat cross-legged on a palm-sized Pill Furnace. That Pill Furnace floated in the air three zhang off the ground, its lid slightly opening and closing. Every time it opened and closed, a wisp of exotic fragrance overflowed, refreshing anyone who smelled it.

Three Golden Core Immortal Masters were present at the same time. Even though they deliberately restrained their surrounding pressure, the air in the grand hall was still as heavy as if it could be wrung out of water.

"As for the news coming from Great Xia, I suppose both of you have already looked it over."

Xiao Yunluan spoke first, his voice echoing in the grand hall with a clear resonance like sword ringing.

"At the border between Great Xia and Yue Country, the reserves of that Spirit Stone vein have been explored."

"Just the Spirit Stone reserves in the outer area are worth half of the total existing veins in our Yue Country."

"If it is fully mined, it will be enough to double the Foundation of our three Sects."

"The news is good news."

Hua Nongying gently stroked a half-opened peony on her cuff, her voice lazy and soft, carrying a kind of casual charm.

"However, what about the source of the news? The Wang Family—that Core Formation Family driven to a dead end by the Hehuan Sect in Great Xia?"

"If it were just such a down-and-out Family coming to seek refuge, this Immortal Master wouldn't care for it, but the reserves of this vein really make one's heart itch."

Danyangzi sat cross-legged on the Pill Furnace, its lid gently opening and closing, and every opening and closing exhaled a wisp of purple smoke.

He stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, his voice old and distant, as if telling of an extremely remote matter.

"The old man knows of the Wang Family. Two hundred years ago, they even produced a Nascent Soul seed. Unfortunately, breaking through to the Nascent Soul failed, and after his fall, no one in the Wang Family could hold up the situation anymore."

"Now that they are targeted by the Hehuan Sect, it is a crime to harbor a jade ring, but—"

His words took a turn, and a sharp glint flashed in his cloudy old eyes.

"The token of allegiance they brought is indeed of sufficient weight."

The three Immortal Masters repeatedly looked at the conjured vein map several times.

Let alone a hundred years, the Spirit Stone reserves marked on the map would be inexhaustible even if the three Sects joined forces to mine them for three hundred years.

Once the news is confirmed, the status of the three Sects of Yue Country in the Wanshou Mountain Range will leap upward in one stroke, and they even have hopes of ranking among the second-rate factions of the continent.

"Seize it."

Xiao Yunluan's voice was resolute and decisive.

"The Hehuan Sect is merely the lowest of the first-rate in Great Xia. In terms of strength, they will definitely not be stronger than any of our Sects, let alone the fact that the three Sects are now joining forces."

"If this vein is swallowed exclusively by the Hehuan Sect, it will be no different from adding wings to a tiger. At that time, how can others be allowed to snore beside our beds?"

"Rather than waiting for them to gain a foothold before making a move, it is better to strike first while the news has not yet spread."

"As for the reputation of the Hehuan Sect, this Immortal Master has long heard of it."

Hua Nongying gently tossed the peony in her hand. The peony turned into thousands of petals in the air, then fluttered back into her palm, condensing into a flower once more.

"The tolerance of the Great Xia cultivation world toward them has reached its limit. If we make a move to take down this vein, Great Xia might not necessarily come to rescue with all their might, but the problem is—after taking it down, how shall it be divided?"

She slightly tilted her head, her gaze sweeping across Xiao Yunluan and then falling on Danyangzi's face. As her eyes shifted, her charm was natural-born, yet her words were as sharp as a knife.

"The vein will definitely be fought down by the three families together at that time; it's impossible for a single Family to monopolize it. Furthermore, the Wang Family has defected over, and their asking price is not low—they want ten percent of the vein's revenue."

"Ten percent it is," Xiao Yunluan said calmly. "My Spirit Sword Sect will send twenty percent of the combat troops and take thirty-five percent of the mining rights. The vein is within the territory of Yue Country, so our Sect will not shy away from the first battle."

Hua Nongying chuckled lightly, inserting the peony back into her hair bun, and gently pointed in the Void Realm with her slender jade fingers, turning a petal into a dense troop deployment map.

"Senior Brother Xiao really knows how to calculate. Your Spirit Sword Sect has many Sword Cultivators, so frontal assaults are naturally the main force, but after the vein is mined, deployment, Formations, and logistics—which of these is not a persistent, long-term effort?"

"My Baihua Sect will contribute thirty percent of Formation Cultivators and thirty percent of spirit planters, and we also want thirty-five percent of the mining rights."

"As for that ten percent of the Wang Family—in this Immortal Master's opinion, it would be better to discount it for them into cash."

"Every year, ten percent of the revenue will be converted into Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills. The mining rights will not be divided; since they are not a Sect of our Yue Country, why should they share mining rights?"

"Inappropriate."

Danyangzi slowly shook his head, gently waving the horsetail whisk in his hand.

"Although the Wang Family has fallen on hard times, they are still a Core Formation Family. They risk defecting to Yue Country not for tens of thousands of Spirit Stones a year, but for a long-term Foundation."

"Giving only Spirit Stones without mining rights is no different from tearing down the bridge after crossing it. This old man does have an idea—the mining rights can be given, but they don't have to be given right now."

"Let the Wang Family continue to stay in Great Xia as our inside agents. When the Hehuan Sect attacks, their counterattack from the rear will be more useful than having an extra battalion of combat power on the front line."

"As for the division of the mine—the Lingdan Sect does not want thirty-five percent, thirty percent will suffice. However, if any associated Spirit Medicine is discovered in the vein, it shall be exclusively mined by our Sect."

"Senior Brother Danyang is even more shrewd than this Immortal Master." Hua Nongying covered her mouth and chuckled lightly, but as her eyes shifted, she had already overturned her previous proposal in her heart.

With the Lingdan Sect taking a step back, it would not look good for the Baihua Sect to continue pressing aggressively.

After a slight ponder, she readjusted her proposal and slowly stated it.

"Since that is the case, my Baihua Sect won't want thirty-five percent either. Thirty-two percent—but the market town taxes on the periphery of the vein must be forty percent for the Baihua Sect."

"Also, the female Cultivator camps stationed at the vein must be uniformly managed by the Baihua Sect, and male Cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect are not allowed to enter without authorization."

Just at this moment, a voice suddenly passed into the grand hall where the isolation Formation had been set up.

"The three of you are in high spirits. Are you making decisions on behalf of Great Yue and starting a war with the Great Xia cultivation world?!"