Chapter 564 - 306: Contractual Spirit = Spirit of Abandonment

The former headquarters of the Qin Family.

Since there were still some loose ends to tie up, Shangguan Qingying had not returned immediately, remaining here with Ling Changqing.

Thus, the envoys from the various families found the person they were looking for without much trouble. However, they soon came to regret it, even wishing they had never come at all.

Inside the Council Hall.

At the center of the high platform, upon a large and magnificent Jade Chair, sat Shangguan Qingying. She was dressed in an elaborate, bright yellow palace gown with embroidered sun, moon, and phoenix motifs, complete with a phoenix crown and golden hairpins. Peerlessly beautiful, she sat with regal bearing, her aura majestic and powerful.

To her left sat a handsome young man with red lips and pearly teeth, dressed in luxurious purple robes. His jet-black eyes calmly swept over the envoys who had gathered.

Below on either side sat a dozen or so Nascent Soul True Monarchs. Their attire varied, and they included men and women of all ages, though none of them looked pleased.

They had originally planned to join forces and pressure her. But upon meeting the Female Patriarch, they discovered to their disbelief that Shangguan Qingying—who had always been low-key and unassuming—was already an expert in the Divinity Transformation Realm!

’How were they supposed to deal with this?’

At this point, forget about forcing the Zhao Family to abandon its annexation of the Qin Family; they couldn’t even guarantee the safety of their own clans and sects.

Before, everyone had kept to themselves. While there were occasional conflicts, disputes, and shifting alliances, life was, for the most part, peaceful.

But now, an unstoppable beast had suddenly appeared near their territories. They couldn’t fight it, nor could they simply pack up and leave. What else could they do?

"...Fellow Daoists,"

Shangguan Qingying’s vermilion lips parted, her melodious voice echoing through the hall.

"Our Zhao Family is merely eliminating traitors and reclaiming the territorial interests we lost long ago. We seek nothing more."

"As for the future, so long as none of you deliberately cause trouble, the Zhao Family has no designs on your territories. I hope you will not overthink the matter."

This was the Zhao Family’s stance. It no longer mattered what the surrounding powers thought; they could neither influence the will of the Zhao Family’s leadership nor stop them.

The Cultivation Realm was an era of great contention. Strength was the most valuable bargaining chip; everything else was useless.

The envoys below exchanged glances. Finally, a handsome, middle-aged man in a white robe stood up and spoke with a mild tone.

"We naturally believe what Patriarch Shangguan says. The Qin Family was a branch of traitors from the Zhao Family to begin with. It is only right and proper that everything has now been returned to its original owner."

"However, now that the Zhao Family is a new Divinity Transformation power, it should also bear greater responsibility for the stability and peace of the surrounding region. I wonder what the Patriarch thinks of this?"

Forcing the Zhao Family to make concessions was no longer possible, so the man wisely skirted the issue, turning instead to consider the safety of his own sect.

Ling Changqing glanced at him, recognizing the middle-aged man as Zhong Yan Tian, the Vice Sect Leader of Vast Cloud Peak. His current cultivation was at the Early stage Nascent Soul, and with little potential remaining, it was uncertain whether he could even reach the Middle stage Nascent Soul in his lifetime.

Vast Cloud Peak was currently overseen by two Nascent Soul True Monarchs, making its strength comparable to the former Qin Family. Moreover, its territory directly bordered that of the Qin Family, which was now the Zhao Family’s domain.

It was therefore easy to understand why Zhong Yan Tian was so nervous and wary of the Zhao Family. If the Zhao Family decided to expand in the future, Vast Cloud Peak would be the first in line, and it would be utterly powerless to resist.

Shangguan Qingying lowered her gaze slightly, her tone indifferent. "And what does Fellow Daoist Zhong suggest?"

"It’s simple,"

Zhong Yan Tian said in a low voice, "We are all willing to recognize the Zhao Family as our suzerain and become its vassal powers. I wonder if Patriarch Shangguan would agree to this?"

A glint flashed in Ling Changqing’s eyes as he instantly understood the man’s intention.

This was the envoys’ plan: to trade their autonomy for the safety of their respective powers by becoming vassals to the Zhao Family.

Although the title of a vassal power was unpleasant and meant losing some of their benefits and autonomy, it would at least guarantee the stable continuation of their sects and families. They would no longer have to worry about other major powers coveting their territory day and night.

As long as they could convince the Zhao Family to accept this arrangement, the new relationship would make it difficult for Shangguan Qingying to turn on them if the Zhao Family chose to expand in the future.

"Are you serious?"

After a moment of silence, Shangguan Qingying slowly asked, "Are you all prepared to accept the responsibilities, obligations, and resource tributes that a vassal power must provide to its suzerain?"

Beyond the title itself, the resource cost of being a vassal was no small sum. Furthermore, if the suzerain power went to war, its vassals were required to contribute both manpower and resources; they could not simply stand by and watch.

The annual amount of tribute was to be negotiated between the suzerain and the vassal, so the sum could vary and was not fixed.

Some tyrannical and greedy major powers were incredibly harsh in their exploitation of vassals, treating them little better than slaves.

In the Cultivation Realm, it was not uncommon for vassal powers, unable to bear the oppression, to band together and rebel against their suzerain.

However, if the suzerain was sufficiently magnanimous, or if the vassal power itself was strong enough, the resource tribute could be purely symbolic—an almost negligible amount.

"We..."

Zhong Yan Tian hesitated for a few moments before speaking in a low voice, "We have unanimously agreed to offer ten percent of our sects’ or families’ annual income to the Zhao Family as tribute."

"As for the other obligations, the specific terms can be discussed later. What does the Patriarch think?"