noffsinger Chapter 116 The Jiang Family
Chapter 116 The Jiang Family
Chapter 116 The Jiang Family (A Congratulatory Celebration for the Alliance Leader of Haiyu)
Sanyuan Island.
The Jiang family's ancestral home.
Countless pavilions and towers stretch out, surrounding a lake in the middle of an island.
At the bottom of the lake, there seemed to be a colossal creature lying there, emanating a terrifying demonic aura comparable to that of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Inside the council chamber.
Jiang Ziyan, with her alluring gaze, sighed and looked at the people attending the clan gathering.
"Ancestor, are we really going to join the Extinction Alliance? The Azure Sea Sect now has two Core Formation cultivators, which clearly gives them a greater advantage—"
The Jiang family patriarch, a middle-aged scholar, earnestly advised, "Our family has sold everything we own to help Turtle Ancestor advance to the second-tier upper level, barely managing to maintain our independence—at this critical moment in the great war, we should be even more discreet."
The Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Jiang family is named Jiang Zidu. He is a young genius who is not good at worldly affairs. He achieved Foundation Establishment at the age of forty, but he has been stuck in the early stage of Foundation Establishment because of his family's constraints.
But at this moment, his attitude was very firm: "My mind is made up—precisely because the Sea Extinction Alliance is weak, they are willing to offer more benefits and sign more conditions—they not only paid for a Foundation Establishment Pill in advance, but also promised to give the Turtle Ancestor a Di Sha Yuan Crystal, which is a Core Formation spiritual item!"
Jiang Zidu didn't mention that the Extinction Sea Alliance had also promised to give him a elixir to break through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.
"A Core Formation Spiritual Object?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ziyan and the other family elders couldn't help but breathe heavily.
"This Earthly Fiend Essence Crystal seems to be only suitable for demon races to condense demon cores —"
An elderly man from the Jiang family, with white hair and beard, said, "And it will only be of slight help—but it is still quite rare. If the Turtle Ancestor can form a Core, we will be a Core Formation family—"
"A family that has reached the Core Formation stage —"
Many young members of the Jiang family were immediately filled with excitement, as this represented a completely different scene from today.
"If my family becomes a Core Formation family, this mere second-tier spiritual vein on Sanyuan Island will not be enough; at least a third-tier spiritual vein dojo will be needed to accommodate us—"
"Isn't that perfect? There's also Taibai Island, it's like a gift from heaven."
"If you don't take what Heaven offers, you'll only suffer the consequences."
Looking at her fanatical clansmen, Jiang Ziyan felt a sudden chill in her heart for some reason.
"not to mention----"
Jiang Zidu suddenly sneered: "I can't wait to get on the ship anymore. To be honest, I had already led Turtle Ancestor to attack a Bihaimen Five-Toothed Warship - not a single person survived."
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Upon hearing this, even the Jiang family patriarch was stunned. After a long while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Ancestor—you're gambling with the entire family! Success means soaring to the heavens, failure means certain death—"
"Very good, it seems you've made up your mind."
Jiang Zidu laughed instead: "In a few days, Wei Yuanfeng, the eldest disciple of Master Heiyuan, will personally come to sign an agreement with us and deliver the first batch of supplies—the family must be prepared."
"well----"
After the high-level meeting ended, Jiang Ziyan sighed deeply. Thinking about the restlessness in the clan caused by the advancement of the Turtle Ancestor, she felt inexplicably depressed.
Even dealing with many seasoned veterans at the auction didn't make her this mentally exhausted.
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"Elder Ziyan, the clan leader requests your presence."
Suddenly, a servant stopped Jiang Ziyan and led her to a secret room.
Standing in the secret chamber was a middle-aged scholar, none other than the clan chief!
"Chieftain—do you have any orders?"
Jiang Ziyan was somewhat puzzled.
Why didn't the clan meeting discuss this beforehand? Why do you need to discuss it privately with someone?
"Our ancestor is preparing to take a risky gamble, and we cannot object, so we have no choice but to follow him—" The Jiang family patriarch sighed, "But we must consider defeat before victory—go to the family academy and select a few disciples with outstanding aptitude and calm temperaments, take a portion of the family's resources, and go to the outer island to live in seclusion as independent cultivators—"
"The family... has it come to this?"
Jiang Ziyan felt a heat rising to her face, her eyes reddened, and she almost burst into tears.
"Yes, sir!"
After a moment, she solemnly bowed and said, "Please rest assured, clan leader, I will do my best in this matter."
In fact, both Jiang Ziyan and the clan leader knew that the true geniuses of the family never trained in the academy.
Her journey could be a feint or a trap.
In any case, it's better to divide the troops into multiple groups than to prepare only one.
Jiang Ziyan left the secret room and went to the auction house with a heavy heart. A manager greeted her: "Elder, I have something to report."
"What is it?"
Jiang Ziyan waved her hand impatiently. She was only thinking about how to preserve her family line and didn't want to bother with the auction house anymore.
"It's the Zhan family, grandfather and grandson, who bought our Longevity Turtle Eggs before—"
Manager Zhang respectfully said, "That grandfather and grandson, I don't know what method they used, have actually hatched the Longevity Turtle eggs, and are even buying mid-grade first-level turtle food—perhaps they've already raised the Longevity Turtle to mid-grade first-level!"
"Oh? Is that really true?"
Jiang Ziyan's expression shifted.
The Mandarin turtle is known for its slow growth, so this growth rate is quite astonishing.
If we could get our hands on the turtle-raising secrets of the Zhan family grandfather and grandson, wouldn't that accelerate the growth of our own turtle ancestor?
If one's own Turtle Ancestor becomes a third-tier Great Demon, then one will immediately become the overlord of the Small Universe. Why would one need to divide the eggs in one basket?
Although Jiang Ziyan also knew that some demonic methods could destroy the lifespan and potential of spirit pets, allowing them to grow rapidly in the early stages.
Even if such secret techniques are effective against first-tier spirit turtles, they may not be effective against second-tier demonic beasts.
But now she is like a drowning person, clinging to even the smallest straw.
If all else fails, a first-tier taming technique is still a valuable foundation.
Jiang Ziyan asked, "What's the whereabouts of that grandfather and grandson? Have you found out anything about them? They can't be from some Foundation Establishment family, or even high-ranking relatives of a sect—"
"Elder, rest assured, I have already inquired and found out. They are just a pair of independent cultivators. My grandfather was fortunate enough to inherit the legacy of his predecessors."
Previously, out of ignorance, I went to the auction and was chased by a bunch of bandit cultivators. I had no way to retaliate, so I could only hide in the market and rent a cave dwelling, avoiding any adventures.
The steward replied with a fawning smile, "Grandpa's name is Zhan Qinggen, at the sixth level of Qi Refining; his granddaughter's name is Zhan Hongxiu, who is only at the early stage of Qi Refining—but it is Zhan Hongxiu who has made a contract with that Longevity Turtle—"
"In the market?"
Jiang Ziyan frowned slightly: "This is not easy to do—it would damage my family's reputation."
Although Sancai Market is owned by the family, it would be easy for them to make a move. However, if they ruined the reputation and rules, causing all the independent cultivators to run away, Sancai Market would be left with nothing.
"Just fabricate a charge and have the law enforcement team take them away, won't that solve the problem?"
Steward Zhang offered another suggestion: "Just say they stole our family's property!"
"This is too blatant—"
Jiang Ziyan thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Let's lure them to a secluded spot in the market and I'll take them down myself—as long as we set up a concealment array, there won't be any battle fluctuations."
She didn't take the strongest cultivator, who was only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, seriously.
Even if there are some flaws, the Lu family will probably not pursue the matter for the sake of the Jiang family.
The cultivation world is inherently a dog-eat-dog world.
Who would care if a pair of rogue cultivators disappeared?
The next day.
"Little turtle—if we can buy that elixir today, you can grow a little bigger!"
Zhan Hongxiu had her hair tied in two buns, and wore a light blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with bright red sleeves. She was patting the small cloth bag hanging on her back.
The small cloth bag trembled, and a blue turtle head emerged.
Zhan Qinggen, standing beside him, puffed on a pipe, exhaling clouds of smoke: "You little girl, you still don't understand the wickedness of people's hearts—fortunately, the seller chose to conduct the transaction in the market this time, otherwise I would never have agreed."
The grandfather and grandson entered a large house in a secluded part of the market, one after the other.
"Fellow Daoist Zhang—"
Zhan Qinggen cupped his hands in greeting, about to exchange a few polite words, when suddenly his expression changed drastically.
A protective array had been erected around the mansion, isolating the energy between the inside and outside.
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"Fellow Daoist, why are you doing this?"
Zhan Qingliang moved extremely quickly, sticking a mid-grade first-level Golden Body Talisman on his body for defense, and then pulling his granddaughter behind him.
"Hehe—I just want to make a deal with you, fellow Daoist."
Jiang Ziyan appeared with graceful steps, her eyes alluring and her pupils gleaming with an unusual light.
Zhan Qinggen was instantly captivated by the bewitching spell, his expression momentarily dazed. Then he saw Jiang Ziyan unfold a fragrant handkerchief, a magical artifact.
A beam of light struck the golden talisman's defense.
As a late-stage cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining, it was common for him to break through the defense of a mid-grade talisman with a single strike using a magic weapon.
Zhan Hongxiu smelled a pleasant fragrance, and suddenly felt weak in her limbs and collapsed to the ground.
"Little sister—you've really taken excellent care of your longevity turtle."
Jiang Ziyan picked up the longevity tortoise from the cloth bag, stroked its head with her delicate hand, and examined it with a spell. She was somewhat surprised: "It hasn't lost its essence; on the contrary, it's full of vitality. It seems we've struck gold this time!"
Despite its superior bloodline, the Longevity Turtle was far too weak in cultivation level and had been poisoned by the magic weapon's mist. It could only weakly howl a few times and spit out a few water bubbles.
"Haha—hand over your turtle-raising secrets obediently, or else the fate of you and your grandson might be hard to predict!"
.
Jiang Ziyan's greed burned fiercely.
Just then, a cold laugh rang out: "Heh heh—what a Jiang family! They actually dared to attack their own customers in their own market!"
"Who is it?"
Jiang Ziyan was shocked to see a young swordsman standing in the courtyard.
With his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and a proud demeanor, he exuded a sharp and piercing aura, making it clear at a glance that he was a sword cultivator.
His magical power is unfathomable, and he has faintly reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage!
"Foundation Establishment major repair? You—you were a guest at the last auction?"
Jiang Ziyan is indeed a skilled social butterfly; she even remembered Fang Qing's disguised appearance.
Her expression changed, then she revealed a charming smile: "Senior, these two stole our family's secret technique, so I had no choice but to apprehend them—I beg you to show mercy, and I will certainly repay you afterward, making sure you are satisfied—"
Jiang Ziyan showed off her beautiful figure, which made Zhan Hongxiu, who was sitting on a washboard next to her, very annoyed.
She's not stupid; she understands the implications in the other person's words.
At this moment, she could only look at Fang Qing with pleading eyes, hoping that this celestial being who had saved her last time would save her again.
"Haha—what kind of person are you, daring to seduce me with your looks?"
Fang Qing laughed heartily, causing the expressions of everyone present to change.
In fact, he had deliberately disguised himself to cause trouble. He was looking for trouble in the market when he happened to see the grandfather and grandson step into a trap, so he came to check it out.
At this moment, they have just seized upon the Jiang family's weakness and are in a position of righteousness, so how could they possibly let go?
He immediately said sternly, "I am a swordsman. If the road is uneven, I must clear it—in broad daylight, under the clear sky, how can I allow your Jiang family to act so recklessly!"
Upon hearing this, Zhan Hongxiu was filled with admiration: "Indeed, this senior is a righteous person, embodying integrity."
call out!
As soon as Fang Qing finished speaking, he snapped his fingers.
Jiang Ziyan's hand, which she had been secretly trying to activate with a second-tier talisman, was severed from her wrist, and her dantian was simultaneously sealed by a sword aura.
Beside him, Manager Zhang clutched his throat and collapsed.
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