Before the Pill Furnace, Ling Changqing, clad in a magnificent purple robe, sat upright. With a focused expression, he ford a series of Spirit Techniques, skillfully controlling the heat of the Spirit Fla.
Half an hour later, as the heavy furnace lid slowly rose, a billow of milky-white vapor surged out, gathering on the ceiling into a cloud shaped like a Lingzhi mushroom.
Ling Qiyue, standing nearby, nodded in satisfaction. ’Another successful batch,’ she thought. ’Junior Brother’s skills are getting more and more outstanding.’
After Tang Qiu Yao collected each of the finished pills, Ling Changqing expertly extinguished the Spirit Fla and deactivated the Array.
"You’ve worked hard, Junior Brother!"
Tang Qiu Yao said softly, handing him an Essence Replenishing Pill.
Ling Changqing didn’t refuse. He took the Elixir and swallowed it, and the Magical Power he had expended began to recover rapidly.
"Senior Sister, what’s the situation outside?"
"It’s still the sa old story."
Ling Qiyue frowned and said, "The last few tis I’ve gone out, I’ve patrolled a large area and found no intruding Cultivators. I have no idea what wicked sche those three families are cooking up."
Ling Changqing mused, "I, on the other hand, think they don’t want to drag this out any longer. After all, the cost is just too great."
Waging a war requires sufficient returns. If the returns are small, or even non-existent, those in power will never let the war continue. They will inevitably find a way to cut their losses and withdraw.
This was the case for the Bai Family, the Yuan Family, and Yu Long Island. Since they couldn’t gain any advantage from the Ling Family and have suffered heavy losses themselves, what was the point of continuing to fight?
Tang Qiu Yao said calmly, "They certainly don’t want to fight anymore, but they’re not willing to just give up like this. So, there will be more dithering to co."
Ling Qiyue smiled. "Then let’s keep dragging it out. I’d like to see how much longer they can hold on."
Although the burden on the Ling Family was also great, with the resources loaned from the Xingyun sun Comrce Association, coupled with their own more substantial foundation, holding out for a few more years was not a problem.
And so, in the sixth month after the harassing attacks had ceased, the upper echelons of the three families finally stopped their endless internal squabbling and sent a ssage to the Ling Family, requesting to restart negotiations.
Ling Qiyue agreed and set the location for the negotiations: aboard a massive Sea Boat in the waters off Longhuan Island.
After all, having learned their lesson from last ti, the Envoys from the three families would absolutely not dare to visit the Ling Family’s main headquarters again.
Moreover, this ti, Ling Qiyue had given her guarantee: as long as the three families did not verbally provoke her, she would not resort to violence.
「Two days later, inside a ticulously arranged hall on the Sea Boat, the leaders of the two sides sat down together once again.」
Yuan Wuya, the Patriarch of the Yuan Family, was the first to speak. He proposed that the Ling Family could occupy half of Changqing Continent’s territory and have the right of first choice over the lands.
The remaining half of the territory would be divided among their three families, and they would nominally recognize the Ling Family as their overlord.
Compared to their previous demand of dividing Changqing Continent equally among the four families, this proposal seed like a significant concession, but it still fell short of Ling Qiyue’s expectations.
So she rejected it without hesitation. The Ling Family already had de facto control over the entire Changqing Continent; on what grounds should they give half of it away?
So, the Bai Family Patriarch, Bai Yunsong, made a new proposal: the Ling Family could occupy two-thirds of the territory, with the remaining third of Changqing Continent divided among their three families. In return, the three families would pledge their allegiance.
"...Fellow Daoists, Changqing Continent is already under the de facto control of the Ling Family. Therefore, every inch of land, including the surrounding vassal islands, belongs to us. This is not up for debate!"
Ling Qiyue, seated at the head, said with a solemn expression.
This was a matter of principle, with no room for even the slightest concession, even if it ant war broke out again.
She Mu sneered slightly. "Your family’s resources must be nearly depleted, no? Can you really afford to keep fighting?"
Tang Qiu Yao’s tone was indifferent. "Absolutely. I won’t say much more, but dragging this on for another eight or ten years is no problem at all!"
The three Patriarchs looked at each other, speechless for a long mont.
Ling Changqing, sitting beside Tang Qiu Yao, considered for a mont before speaking in a gentle tone:
"We know that you’ve managed to cultivate another batch of Foundation Establishnt Cultivators during this ti. Perhaps there are even so Pseudo Core masters among them?
But it’s aningless. If we continue this war of attrition, you will accomplish nothing before you’ve exhausted the very last of your resources."
The new spokespersons for the three families had grim expressions, not saying a word for a long ti.
The words were indeed harsh, but they were the truth.
No matter how unwilling the three families were to accept it, they truly could not hold on any longer.
"If the entire Changqing Continent belongs to your Ling Family, it won’t be long before your family is powerful enough to swallow our foundations and unify the entire Feiyu Sea Region, will it?"
Bai Yunsong said in a low voice.
’If they couldn’t stop the Ling Family’s rise, then for their three families, it was only a matter of dying sooner or later.’
Ling Changqing exchanged a look with his Senior Sister and said calmly:
"If your three families are truly so unwilling to accept this, then how about this: our two sides will have a temporary truce, and the Ling Family will govern Changqing Continent for thirty years.
Thirty years from now, we will fight another battle. As long as you can win, the territory of Changqing Continent will be yours!
Even if it’s just a stalemate, you can still receive a portion of Changqing Continent’s territory and resources. Surely these terms are acceptable?"
"..."
As soon as Ling Changqing spoke, the expressions of the three families’ spokespersons changed slightly. They frowned and fell into silent contemplation.
The condition was simple. It didn’t determine the permanent ownership of Changqing Continent; the Ling Family would only be its temporary custodian.
For Cultivators Above Foundation Establishnt, thirty years wasn’t a long ti at all. At most, they could advance by one minor Realm.
’If they had thirty years to rest, recuperate, and restore their strength, perhaps they would have a chance to take back the treasured land of Changqing Continent then?’
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