Chapter 616 - 423: Sect Affairs

Inside the Qingyuan Sect, after giving Tu Dai’Er a bit of a reality check, Fang Qingyuan immediately granted an audience to the envoys from the various powers who had been waiting for a long time.

Ever since the Qingyuan Sect had rallied the various sects to establish the Qingyuan Alliance, it had become a force to be reckoned with in this corner of the Far East, occupying a territory of over ten thousand square kilometers.

Nothing exists in a vacuum, especially not a collective of several thousand Cultivators bound by common interests. Even though the Qingyuan Alliance, at Fang Qingyuan’s direction, had no immediate plans to expand, its very existence and stability made interaction—and friction—with neighboring powers inevitable.

The closest major power to the Qingyuan Alliance’s territory was the Li Huo Alliance. They had sent envoys with several objectives: first, to request that the Qingyuan Alliance dispatch troops, and second, to have the Alliance serve as a logistical support base, producing various urgently needed supplies for the front lines.

At present, across the vast White Mountain Territory, most powers had been dragged into the great war that was currently roiling the region. The only exceptions were the newly formed Qingyuan Alliance, the Lianshui Alliance—which had not participated in warfare for many years—the perpetually chaotic Loose Cultivator Land, and the nine vassal Golden Core Sects.

The Spirit Wood Alliance and the Li Huo Alliance had joined forces to attack the Pill Alliance. Meanwhile, the Hehuan Sect, caught in the middle, was engaging the more than twenty thousand Cultivators from the Spirit Wood and Li Huo alliances as they attempted to march south to support the Sharp Metal and Thick Earth alliances.

And in the Thick Earth Desert, the White Mountain Sword Sect and the Illusion Sword Alliance were launching a furious assault on the defensive lines established by the Sharp Metal and Thick Earth alliances. Of the nine major powers in the White Mountain Territory possessing Nascent Soul Battle Power, eight had been instantly dragged into the conflict. All were now at war, save for the Star-Picking Pavilion, whose sect was situated on White Mountain itself and had not entered the fray.

’If I had to pinpoint the ultimate cause of this war,’ Fang Qingyuan mused, ’it would trace back to centuries of accumulated grievances among the various powers. But the true catalyst came down to two events.’

’First was the War of Expansion sixty years ago. The Spirit Wood Alliance lost its territory bordering the Barbaric Wilderness, halting its expansion. Then, the Pill Alliance, with the tacit approval of the Great Zhou Academy, snatched the fruits of the Spirit Wood Alliance’s victory. This greatly exacerbated the tensions between the two, leading to their first major conflict.’

’The second point, and the primary cause of the current war, was the fall of the Master of White Mountain. His death left the powers on the mountain without a leader. Unrestrained, they immediately plunged into civil war. The sects below the mountain are merely extensions of the wills of those Nascent Soul Cultivators, so their own conflicts became exceptionally brutal as well.’

’This is a reshuffling of the deck, a raw struggle for power.’ From his current vantage point, Fang Qingyuan could see this with perfect clarity.

That was why Fang Qingyuan had wisely restrained the entire Qingyuan Alliance, forbidding it from taking any part in the war.

But trying to stay out of trouble depended on whether the other powers would allow it. And so, as their battle lines expanded, the Li Huo and Spirit Wood alliances had come knocking.

In the grand assembly hall, the envoys from the Spirit Wood and Li Huo alliances waited respectfully for Fang Qingyuan to speak.

Fang Qingyuan was now a Golden Core Cultivator who presided over an entire alliance’s territory. No matter how powerful the Spirit Wood and Li Huo alliances were, they had to show him the respect he was due.

Furthermore, the envoys they had sent were merely Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators—the sort who had no hope of ever reaching Core Formation in their lifetime. In Fang Qingyuan’s presence, they wouldn’t dare put on the airs typical of a Major Sect Disciple.

True prodigies would never be sent out to act as emissaries. They were kept under strict protection within their Sect Secret Realms, left to cultivate in peace. Why would they ever be sent out to do something as mundane as diplomacy?

Nor would any Golden Core Cultivators be sent personally. With all fronts currently locked in a stalemate, the presence of a single Golden Core Cultivator could determine a front’s stability. They certainly wouldn’t be pulled away from the fighting to venture out alone and risk their lives on a diplomatic mission.

"I am aware of why you are both here," Fang Qingyuan began. "However, I have issued strict orders throughout the alliance. The Qingyuan Alliance does not wish to get involved in the war between your factions, nor can we afford to. The perils of war are great. Our alliance has only just been consolidated and is not yet internally stable. We have no interest in external territories. Therefore, do not raise the matter of dispatching troops again."

Upon hearing Fang Qingyuan’s reply, looks of disappointment appeared on the faces of the two envoys, who had been residing near the Qingyuan Sect for several months.

Although they had suspected the Qingyuan Alliance would not dispatch troops before they arrived, hearing Fang Qingyuan confirm it was still disheartening.

But Fang Qingyuan couldn’t care less what the two envoys thought. As for whether the Spirit Wood Li Fire alliances would seek retribution later for his refusal, Fang Qingyuan wasn’t the least bit worried.

’Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Bear Wind and his contingent will be able to relocate to the Qingyuan Sect within the next two years. That’s a massive force with Nascent Soul Battle Power and four Golden Core Spirit Beasts. Once the Qingyuan Sect possesses that kind of strength, why would I need to care what the Spirit Wood and Li Huo alliances think?’

’Besides, based on the reports from White Mountain, this massive, chaotic war down here probably won’t end within the next five years.’

"However, the other matter you mentioned is doable," he continued. "I will permit you to purchase various war supplies within the Qingyuan Alliance without further restriction. As for how much you can acquire, that will depend on your own means."

After saying this, Fang Qingyuan had the two envoys escorted out and then began to receive the envoy from the Pill Alliance.

In stark contrast to the composure of the envoys from the Spirit Wood and Li Huo alliances, the envoy from the Pill Alliance seemed to have no shame at all. The moment this elderly Foundation Establishment cultivator saw Fang Qingyuan, he dropped to his knees and began to wail uncontrollably.

"Sect Leader Fang, I beg you, show mercy and save the Pill Alliance! Our sect has been under siege for a long time. Our reserves are dwindling, and we are in desperate need of all kinds of resources! Please, Sect Leader Fang, just as you did before, send one more shipment of supplies to the Pill Alliance!"

Despite the envoy’s wailing, Fang Qingyuan’s expression remained perfectly calm. ’The Pill Alliance, a coalition of cultivators who built their fortunes on Alchemy and Artifact Refining, is certainly no match for veteran powers like the Spirit Wood and Li Huo alliances,’ he thought. ’But to say they’re at the end of their rope is an exaggeration.’

’At most, they’ve lost a large swath of territory and are pinned down within their Fourth-rank Spiritual Land headquarters, unable to make a move. They’re still a long way from having their defenses breached and their people slaughtered.’

’So, no matter how miserably this old man is crying, it’s just a performance. He’s deliberately playing the victim to win my sympathy.’

"These are not the same times. The situation then was nothing like it is now. Organizing another caravan to deliver supplies is simply impossible. To be frank, I have already promised the Spirit Wood and Li Huo alliances that I will not interfere in your war. However, my supplies here are open to you all. As for how much you can manage to take back with you, that will depend on your own ingenuity."

With that said, Fang Qingyuan had the reluctant old man from the Pill Alliance escorted out and then received the envoy from the Hehuan Sect.

This envoy, however, made no requests. His sect held the advantage on the main battlefield. His purpose here was mainly to probe indirectly, to find out if Fang Qingyuan had any intention of interfering in the war.

After learning of Fang Qingyuan’s stance, the Hehuan Sect’s envoy departed, satisfied. Next were the envoys from the White Mountain Sword Sect and the Illusion Sword Alliance.

Fang Qingyuan was even less familiar with these two, so he gave them the same response.

After them came envoys from the Sharp Metal and Thick Earth alliances, followed by several of the vassal Golden Core Sects. They were here to discuss the matter of smuggling supplies.

By the time he had met with a dozen or so envoys from one power after another, the entire day had been consumed by these trivialities.

But refusing to meet them wasn’t an option. They wanted to see Fang Qingyuan in person and hear his stance from the man himself. His Vice Sect Leader, Liu Xun, simply didn’t hold enough sway to be recognized by these powers.

But even after seeing all these envoys, his duties were not yet done. There were two other parties that Fang Qingyuan needed to visit in person, rather than having them wait for him at the Qingyuan Sect.

These two were, of course, the Great Zhou Academy and the Beast Taming Sect. His business with both of them concerned Bear Wind.

The only difference was that one had been paid to help, while the other wanted to forcibly evict Bear Wind from his territory without any compensation.

Nearly a year had passed since Fang Qingyuan had used his connection with Tu Wuzhao to ensure Bear Wind’s safety. Naturally, the Beast Taming Sect wouldn’t wait forever.

The Beast Taming Sect had sent a messenger to the Qingyuan Sect, requesting that Fang Qingyuan travel to the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect for negotiations as soon as possible following his return.

Thanks to his connection with Tu Wuzhao, the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect’s tone was relatively amicable; their message contained no demanding language.

After meeting with all the envoys, Fang Qingyuan turned to handling internal sect affairs. First, he needed to retrieve the supplies he had accumulated in his Immortal Mansion. Various beasts, Spirit Wines, and batches of Spirit Rice were all moved into different storehouses on the mountain.

These tasks had to be kept secret, which meant Fang Qingyuan had to do everything himself. As a result, it was an incredibly time-consuming process for him.

By the time he finished, another two days had passed. Seeing his precious time consumed by such tasks, Fang Qingyuan couldn’t help but sigh internally. ’If only there were a way for the disciples of the sect to plausibly manage the resources from the Immortal Mansion.’

’Think of all the time and energy that would save me.’

As the Immortal Mansion continued to expand, Fang Qingyuan resignedly realized that sooner or later, a day would come when he would be completely overwhelmed, unable to manage it all with his own strength and energy.

At his current Fifth-Layer Golden Core realm, the Land Realm already had a radius of seventy li. If his cultivation were to reach the Golden Core Perfection Realm, how much more vast would the Immortal Mansion become?

Besides, Fang Qingyuan believed that using the Immortal Mansion just to grow Spirit Rice was far too wasteful.

After all, wasn’t the deepest cause of the great war now raging across White Mountain a fight for resources?

And what were cultivation resources, really? A plot of Spiritual Land suitable for cultivation was one. Compared to the pitiful few hundred acres of Spirit Fields within the Qingyuan Sect capable of growing Spirit Rice, the Immortal Mansion had such land in abundance.

Why did he primarily grow Spirit Rice in the Immortal Mansion? Because he couldn’t be everywhere at once. The cultivation techniques for Spirit Rice were well-established and supported by various puppets. For such vast Spirit Fields, he was simply too busy to manage any other type of Spirit Plant.

The Long-armed Ape Tribe and the Spirit Field Puppets were merely the next-best option. When it came to agriculture, nothing was more effective than a Cultivator’s personal touch.

’So, what method could I possibly use,’ he wondered, ’to perfectly and thoroughly develop the lands of the Immortal Mansion?’