Chapter 560 - 303: Shangguan Qingying: I Knew You Wouldn’t Refuse...

After clearing out the Tianzhou Skyboat’s interior, all of its contents—including the vessel itself—became the Ling Family’s spoils of war.

The most precious spoils, of course, were the large cache of Soul Crystals found on Elder Mo Xuan. They were a strategic resource that no amount of Spirit Stones could buy.

"Alright, shall we go hunt down the next squad?"

Ling Changqing said.

’First, we’ll annihilate these three squads of Demon Cultivators, then we’ll mop up the Foreign Warriors that have already been deployed. In short, we can’t let a single one escape.’

The women had no objections, so everyone set off once more.

Over the next few days, Ling Changqing and his party tracked down and killed all three squads of Demon Cultivators roaming the coastal regions of Yuzhou. After that, they turned their attention to the Foreign Warriors scattered among the various islands.

One month later, once the last batch of Foreign Warriors had been eliminated, peace finally returned to Yuzhou’s offshore regions.

However, during that time, a great number of islands had been ravaged by them. Casualties among the mortal population exceeded ten billion, and tens of thousands of Low Grade Cultivators had also perished.

It would take these devastated places several decades to recover.

Fortunately, the five sea regions under the Ling Family’s control hadn’t suffered much damage. The devastation was mainly concentrated in the dozen or so surrounding regions, where the local powers lacked any formidable experts and were thus left to be wantonly slaughtered.

"Husband, should we take over all these places? We could incorporate them into the family’s territory."

Qin Yun asked.

Meng Feiyu furrowed her brow and said, "I don’t think this is the right time. The family’s manpower has only just become sufficient. If we add more territory now, I’m afraid we’ll be stretched too thin to manage it all."

Although these sea regions also produced a fair amount of local resources, they weren’t essential for the current Ling Family. At best, acquiring them would be a nice bonus, but nothing more.

Of course, on the other hand, if the Ling Family didn’t claim them, these places might be occupied by other external powers in the future, which would put the Ling Family in a reactive position.

"There’s no rush. We can discuss it after we return."

Ling Changqing said. ’In any case, with more and more Nascent Soul and Golden Core Cultivators in the family, expanding our territory a bit more wouldn’t be a problem.’

Looking at the small mountain of Soul Crystals before him, Ling Changqing thought for a moment. He kept half for himself and gave the rest to the women, letting them decide how to divide it amongst themselves.

He then sacrificed his entire half of the Soul Crystals. A moment later, he discovered that his Divine Soul Origin had doubled in strength. His thoughts were quicker, his control over powerful Divine Techniques and Magic grew more effortless, and even his Lifespan had increased by over five hundred years.

At the same time, news began to trickle in from all over the Yuzhou Continent. The Primordial Demon Palace had dispatched several hundred squads of Demon Cultivators in total, and they were wreaking havoc in the territories of small and mid-sized factions.

Fortunately, the upper echelons of the Yuzhou Cultivation Realm were quick to notice. They immediately dispatched elite hunter-killer squads to intercept them. Coupled with the fact that the number of High Rank Cultivators inland was far greater than in the coastal regions, many of the Demon Cultivator squads were discovered and eliminated before they could cause much of a disturbance.

"These Foreign Warriors even brought us a good deal of Heaven and Earth Merits. That’s a pleasant surprise."

Ling Changqing said with satisfaction. He could clearly sense a faint layer of golden-purple light now surrounding his Divine Soul Origin, gradually merging with his Divine Soul.

It wasn’t just him; Qin Mengxuan and the others had experienced the same. They had all received varying amounts of Heaven and Earth Merits based on their contributions.

This showed just how much the Celestial Dao of this realm detested these foreign invaders. Therefore, any Cultivator who killed them would receive the Celestial Dao’s rewards and boons.

The benefits of Heaven and Earth Merits for Cultivators were innumerable. They could heal latent injuries, enhance Spirit Root Talent, extend lifespan, restore youth, and even help break the shackles of a cultivation Realm, among other things.

Therefore, for Cultivators, it was a precious and rare resource of which they could never have enough.

"Should we go check out some other places? We might be able to earn another windfall."

Fu Yin Xue suggested. They, too, wanted more Heaven and Earth Merits.

This stuff was like Ling Changqing’s Spiritual Mechanism Dao Rhyme; as long as they acquired enough of it, it was entirely possible for them to one day reach the Divinity Transformation Realm, or even the Void Refining Realm.

"Hmm? Alright, then let’s go take a look inland."

Ling Changqing said. He planned on taking a trip to the Zhao sisters’ family territory; after all, it had been a while since he’d seen Shangguan Qingying.

And so, all the women entered the Era Star Palace Grotto Heaven Blessed Land. Ling Changqing then activated the immense power of the Bian Wujian Gate, and after several long-distance teleports, the Zhao Family’s territory was already in sight.

As Ling Changqing had expected, there were also signs of Foreign Warrior activity here, though not in large numbers.

So, Ling Changqing and the women took action together. After killing every Foreign Warrior they could find, they finally headed to the family headquarters to see Shangguan Qingying.

The Zhao sisters had returned to their family a while ago to help Shangguan Qingying manage its affairs. Now that Ling Changqing was here, it was the perfect opportunity to take them back with him to the Linsha Sea Region.

At the family headquarters, magnificent and exquisitely crafted palaces and pavilions stretched out in a continuous expanse.

Upon learning of Ling Changqing’s arrival, the twin sisters immediately came out to greet him with a large retinue of maids, their faces filled with boundless joy.

"Husband, you’re finally here!"

Zhao Wanyi and Zhao Wanqing stepped forward gracefully, unconcealed longing shining in their beautiful, lustrous eyes.

"Let’s go inside to talk."

Ling Changqing said gently, steadying the two of them.

He had already sent Meng Feiyu and the other women into the Era Star Palace Grotto Heaven Blessed Land, so to any onlookers, it appeared as if he had arrived alone.