107: Chapter 107 A Powerful Alliance, Time to Divide the Cake!

...

The summit of Zixiao Peak.

Thunderclouds never dissipated, and purple lightning wove through the layers like dragons.

Shi Jian had transformed into a size of about ten feet, lying lazily on a massive bluestone. Before him floated a jade casket covered in sealing Talismans.

With a flick of his claw tip.

The Talismans fell off, and the lid of the casket popped open.

A wisp of emerald-green airflow, brimming with endless vitality, slowly drifted out. This was the precious treasure seized from the Secret Realm: New Wood Thousand-Bloom Qi!

"Wood generates thunder, and thunder tempers wood."

"Once this thing is driven into the earth pulse, this mountain of yours will truly come into its own."

Zixiao's phantom appeared in mid-air and smacked its lips.

Shi Jian did not respond.

He opened his mouth and spat out a bolt of purple-gold lightning, enveloping the wisp of Azure Wood Qi and smashing it down toward the core of the earth pulse.

Boom!

The entire Zixiao Peak trembled violently.

From the crevices of the rocks that had been charred black by lightning, strange vines began to sprout at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The vines were purple and green, with faint arcs of electricity jumping between the leaves. A dense vitality and violent destructive power reached an eerie balance.

The water level of the Thunder Pond at the summit surged by three feet. The thunder liquid changed from deep purple to a profound purple-green, emitting a pressure several times more powerful than before...

Boundless vitality radiated from the entire mountain.

Countless thunder-attribute spiritual plants began to grow, gradually enveloping Zixiao Peak in greenery as vegetation grew wildly!

The once barren soil now seeped with traces of spiritual liquid, eventually converging into streams and rivers that flowed through the mountains...

"Still missing a little bit."

Shi Jian looked up toward the distant south.

In the Qingfeng Mountains, that strange Stone Forest perpetually shrouded in thunderclouds was the Thunder Badger's nest. Only by uprooting that place and filling it into Zixiao Peak would the Thunder Pond's foundation be truly perfected.

While he was lost in thought, ripples appeared in the Formation.

A white light pierced through the thunderclouds and landed steadily on the summit.

Immortal Master Daoist Yun Du flicked his horsetail whisk, his eyes sweeping over the mountain whose atmosphere had changed drastically, and his eyelids couldn't help but twitch...

He could clearly sense that the Spiritual Qi concentration of this peak was already approaching that of White Cloud Temple's Jianyun Main Peak. Although it fell slightly short, it was nearly reaching the third rank.

This bear demon truly had an endless supply of trump cards.

"I am ashamed to say that I cannot match Fellow Daoist Shi's methods."

"In time, I fear this Zixiao Peak will become another blessed land for my White Cloud Temple." Daoist Yun Du smiled as he walked forward.

Shi Jian straightened up and pointed to the stone stool opposite him.

"The Temple Master is too kind. Please, sit."

The two sat facing each other.

Daoist Yun Du picked up his teacup, skimmed off the froth, took a sip, and transitioned to the main topic:

"Now that you have settled in, Fellow Daoist, it is time to talk business."

"That old dog Yan Qiu was taken away by Old Monster Mu, and the Fenghe Sect is leaderless. They won't dare show their faces for a while. Baiyun Prefecture can be considered stable now."

"Stable?"

"Temple Master, after all the effort we've put in, did we do it just to retire in this tiny corner of Baiyun Prefecture?"

Shi Jian's sudden question made Daoist Yun Du pause and set down his teacup.

"What do you mean, Fellow Daoist?"

Shi Jian tapped his claw on the stone table. Arcs of lightning danced at his fingertips, etching a simple map onto the stone surface.

"The Fenghe Sect is protected by Old Monster Mu, so we can't touch them. But what about Qingzhou County?"

A glint of light flashed in Daoist Yun Du's eyes as he suddenly understood.

"Qingzhou County, Qingguang Sect."

"Exactly."

Shi Jian's voice was low as he hinted, "Qingguang Sect is best at management, and they are proficient in cultivation methods and various immortal arts."

Wait, Perfected Qing Shan of Qingguang Sect is a renowned third-rank Alchemy Great Master, but they have overextended their reach in recent years.

"The Qingfeng Mountains are located at the border of the two counties, yet they have always wanted to swallow them up and incorporate them into Qingzhou County's territory..."

Daoist Yun Du stroked his beard, falling into deep thought.

White Cloud Temple and Qingguang Sect had no grievances; in fact, they cooperated frequently.

But after all, Qingguang Sect only had one Early Stage Golden Core Cultivator, Perfected Qing Shan, while their White Cloud Temple now had two Golden Cores presiding over it.

Things were no longer the same as before.

With Shi Jian, this Golden Core Stage Thunder Bear, the balance of power had completely shifted. It was only natural for the stronger side to take a larger share.

"Qingfeng Mountains, Dafeng Mountains."

Shi Jian drew two large circles on the stone table with his claw and then heavily connected them:

"These two mountain ranges together span eight hundred miles. If they were thoroughly connected and turned into a single territory..."

"You want to merge the Qingfeng Mountains into the Dafeng Mountains and then swallow this territory in the name of the upper sect, Mushou Mountain?"

Daoist Yun Du picked up the thread of the conversation and gave Shi Jian a deep look.

"You have quite an appetite, Fellow Daoist."

"You want to cordone off the entire eight hundred miles of the mountain range?"

Shi Jian said calmly, "While Baiyun Prefecture can support the two of us, don't you have any thoughts of expanding, Fellow Daoist?"

"If we can swallow this eight-hundred-mile Mushou Mountain, it will be White Cloud Temple's private pocket in the future, and no one else will be allowed to set foot in it..."

He paused and threw out his bargaining chip.

"I only want thirty percent of the spiritual mines and medicine in the mountains."

"The remaining seventy percent will all go to White Cloud Temple. Furthermore, we will conduct a Mountain Clearing every fifty years, and seventy percent of the proceeds from that can also be conceded."

Daoist Yun Du was tempted.

Seventy percent of the resources from an eight-hundred-mile mountain range would be enough to double White Cloud Temple's foundation and perhaps even nurture another one or two Golden Core Cultivators!

As for sealing off the mountains and refusing entry to Loose Cultivators and other forces...

This kind of offensive business could be pinned entirely on the Shangqing Sect. Since Mushou Mountain was a task assigned by the Shangqing Sect, no one would dare criticize.

The upper sect's requirements were only natural.

If anyone was dissatisfied, they could go and reason with the Shangqing Sect themselves.

This was simply a highly profitable deal.

"The Old Ancestor of Qingguang Sect is no pushover."

Daoist Yun Du tapped his fingers on the table, making a final probe:

"That Perfected Qing Shan is an Alchemy Great Master with extensive connections. If we offend him, I fear our White Cloud Temple will have a hard time in the future."

"We are all Cultivators; there are no irreconcilable enmities, only insufficient interests..."

"If the benefits are sufficient, everyone can sit down and talk things through."

Shi Jian's tone was calm. Since the goal was to make the cake bigger, there was always a chance to negotiate. Cultivation was nothing more than the division of interests...

As long as the benefits were sufficient, everything could be discussed.

Daoist Yun Du smiled; he actually agreed with this proposal...

Whoever has the biggest fist gets the meat—that is the rule of the cultivation world. But if they could make a fortune together, there was indeed no need for open conflict.

The Qingfeng Mountains were not small, but they were not a Beast-taming land of the Shangqing Sect. Both Loose Cultivators and various forces could enter to collect resources.

If they could be integrated with the Dafeng Mountains and entirely designated as a Beast-taming land...

Then they could exclude Loose Cultivators and the shares taken by numerous other forces. Overall, the cake would become larger. When the Shangqing Sect received more tributes, they would naturally be pleased.

As for the rest, Shi Jian would take thirty percent, White Cloud Temple would take a portion, and finally, a share of the profits would be given to Qingguang Sect...

Overall, the two forces would take away the benefits from the low-level Cultivators, and then the three parties would divide the rest. Although the three parties might not earn a huge amount individually...

At least compared to before, they could gain an extra ten to twenty percent in benefits.

That was a good thing!

As merchants often say: a businessman only takes limited profits; if one goes too far, they will be pushed down by everyone when they fall.

Thus, Shi Jian and Daoist Yun Du reached an agreement.

...