Chapter 875
Return to the Vast Expanse
Come back alive.
These few simple words represent Song Changsheng's greatest expectation for Song Qingxing.
His nephew is stubborn, fearless, loves to challenge limits, and possesses an invincible heart that yearns for the Tao.
Such people are most likely to succeed, but they are also most likely to perish young.
People always have different ideas and pursuits. Even an elder cannot make decisions for them, much less change their ideas and pursuits.
All he could do was silently support him and do his best to increase his chances of survival.
The rise of a family should not only involve sacrifice and risk, but also support and protection.
He himself grew up step by step under the protection of his family, and now he has become the most flourishing tree in the Song family, so he naturally has to shoulder the responsibilities he should bear.
"I will come back alive and shoulder my responsibilities." Song Qingxing's voice was calm but powerful, and everyone present was unconsciously drawn to him.
Responsibility is a very subtle and difficult thing to define. He didn't understand it before, let alone have any awareness of it. But during this great battle with the sea creatures, he suddenly had an epiphany.
The trials of the Boundless Sword Sect will be the last time he acts recklessly in his life.
Looking at the determination in his eyes, Song Changsheng was speechless for a moment. He didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing for Song Qingxing. He only knew that the boy who had been sentenced to "death" from the beginning had long since completed his transformation.
He placed his hands on his shoulders, pondered for a moment, and said, "If there's a chance, bring my martial uncle back with you. I still owe him a favor." (See Chapter 29 of Volume 5 for details)
"I will."
Song Changsheng composed himself, then glanced at Song Youfu and the others, nodding slightly and saying, "Not bad, you've all made great progress. It seems you haven't been idle during this time."
War is always the best catalyst. Although the East Sea Alliance did not directly participate in the great war between the Great Qian cultivation world and the sea race, it was not completely uninvolved either. For example, Song Qingxing and other Purple Mansion cultivators formed a fire brigade to hunt down great sea monsters everywhere.
For example, Song Youping and other Foundation Establishment cultivators are also contributing their strength in various ways.
Everyone who put in the effort reaped significant rewards, and I've been mostly in seclusion during this period.
People like Song Youping, Song Changxuan, Song Youqing, and Song Changrong are making their final preparations for breaking through to the Purple Mansion stage.
For example, Song Yuqing, Xu Yunhe, Song Qingxia, and other Purple Mansion cultivators have all broken through some bottlenecks to varying degrees.
Besides them, the group of cultivators who had previously accompanied Song Changsheng to the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty also received considerable benefits.
After Xu Miaoyin and Song Jingxiao returned, they began to go into seclusion to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. Most of the others also made progress in their cultivation after going into seclusion, and even the few who had not yet gone into seclusion were close to it.
By observing a part, one can understand the whole picture. If the Song family is like this, then the forces of Luoxia City, Muyun City, and others are naturally not much different.
It is fair to say that the overall strength of the East China Sea Alliance will increase significantly over the next decade.
Song Changsheng handed the inner cores of the three demon kings of the Sea Yaksha to Song Youfu and said, "Everyone has performed well during this period and deserves to be rewarded."
Go to the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce and find a reliable alchemist to refine these inner elixirs into "Breakthrough Pills," then distribute them as encouragement based on everyone's performance during this period.
This time, there's no need to distinguish between Foundation Establishment cultivators and Purple Mansion cultivators. The [Breakthrough Pill] will be in oversupply for a long time to come, primarily for enhancing strength.
The Breakthrough Pill, due to its special effect of increasing the chances of Foundation Establishment cultivators breaking through to the Purple Mansion stage, was once positioned similarly to the Amethyst Jade and the Yin-Yang Purple Tree Heart. However, many people forgot that the Breakthrough Pill was originally developed to assist Purple Mansion cultivators in breaking through minor realm bottlenecks, hence the name "Breakthrough Pill".
In terms of assisting cultivators in breaking through to the Purple Mansion stage, its effectiveness is still quite different from that of [Amethyst Jade].
The Song family has now acquired a large amethyst mine, and the Yin-Yang Amethyst Tree is under cultivation. Its output is already sufficient to meet the Song family's current needs, and will gradually increase in the future.
In this situation, it's time to let the [Breakthrough Pill] return to its original purpose: in large-scale battles, cultivators of the Purple Mansion realm are the true main force.
"All three batches of [Breakthrough Pills] will be allocated to us?" Song Youfu was somewhat stunned upon hearing this. Even if we assume a minimum return of 50%, three batches of [Breakthrough Pills] would still yield at least fifteen pills.
In the past, that would have represented fifteen opportunities to break through to the Purple Mansion stage. The entire Song clan couldn't find so many Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivators in a short period of time, but now they have them all. Keep in mind that they are just a garrison town.
Only then did Song Changsheng realize that he hadn't told them about the gains from this trip.
"After the Five Academies Competition concluded, I unintentionally..."
After briefly recounting the whole story, a chorus of gasps filled the hall.
This is equivalent to directly inheriting part of the foundation of a Nascent Soul family!
"This harvest has been enormous. I still have several bottles of Breakthrough Pills on me, which I will take back to the family for distribution. As for the Garrison, you can make your own arrangements here. With three Inner Cores, how many Breakthrough Pills you get in the end depends entirely on your abilities."
Given that both my cousin Changxuan and Youlin are in seclusion, this arduous task will be entrusted to you. I will not interfere with the final allocation, but the process must be fair and just so that everyone can be convinced.
"If anyone complains to me in the future, you know what the consequences will be." Song Changsheng smiled, but it made Song Youfu shiver involuntarily, and he thought to himself, "Oh no."
This was practically equivalent to placing more than half of the naval base's affairs on his shoulders, which was no different from torture for someone who loved pleasure.
But Song Changsheng spoke up himself, leaving him no room for negotiation, so he could only agree with tears in his eyes.
His appearance made everyone secretly laugh, while also thinking that he didn't know how lucky he was.
As the Song family's most powerful garrison, its operation is no different from that of a clan, and sometimes the situation is even more complicated. Not just anyone can be in charge.
After this experience, as long as Song Youfu is transferred back to the clan's territory to take up a post, he will at least become a patriarch elder of a certain hall and directly enter the core decision-making level of the clan's elders council.
Not only do they wield real power, but according to the Song family's long-standing practice, once someone reaches the level of the head elder, they no longer need to worry about resources and will have the privilege of priority allocation of any resources in the future.
Even for someone who has no interest in power, this identity can bring him many conveniences in cultivation.
Song Changsheng's increasingly demanding training for Song Youfu was undoubtedly a deliberate attempt to develop him and pave the way for his future—something many people dream of. "Now that the Sea Clan has basically withdrawn its troops and the Sea Yaksha Clan has been wiped out, I will soon return to Cangmang Peak and will likely be in seclusion for a while. From now on, the family's affairs in the East Sea will be entirely in your hands."
While expansion is important, we cannot neglect consolidating our foundation. If necessary, we can even slow down the pace of expansion. The East China Sea is vast, and there are still many opportunities for us. There is no need to rush.
Maintaining balance within the alliance is of paramount importance; I do not want the alliance to fall apart due to conflicting interests at such a young age.
In addition, I have decided to bring in more members to the alliance, currently tentatively the Golden Crow Sect and the Heavenly Vein Sect. However, the timing is not yet right, and I have not yet negotiated with the two sects, so I did not announce it at the meeting just now.
You should also keep this from others, but you can start planning and preparing in advance. I have complete faith in your abilities.
"Ninth Grand Uncle, when shall we settle accounts with the Embroidered Banner?"
"The time is not yet ripe; all you need to do is be prepared."
Upon hearing this, Song Youfu couldn't help but reveal a hint of doubt in his eyes: "The great battle has just ended, Song Tianyuan and Song Daoling are still recovering from their old injuries, and Song Minghuang is in seclusion."
Right now, the [Brocade Banner] is at its weakest. If we continue to wait, won't we miss this golden opportunity?
Judging from the elders' performance at the previous conference, they were very willing to participate, and their strength was not an issue.
In his memory, Song Changsheng had always taken advantage of his illness to kill him. Why was he being so conservative this time?
Song Changsheng smiled slightly and said, "Now is indeed the weakest time for the [Jinxiu Banner], but there is one thing you have not considered. Having just experienced a great battle, their morale is at its highest. This is because the external pressure has diverted internal conflicts, prompting them to unite as one."
While we could certainly win if we act now, their entire tribe is united in their hatred of the enemy, and our losses will certainly be substantial. That's one point.
Secondly, our goal is not to destroy the Embroidered Banner, but to annex them. To achieve this, we cannot afford to shed too much blood.
Therefore, we must divide them, suppress some, and win over others, causing them to lose their composure. Only in this way can we maximize our interests.
Everyone suddenly realized that their initial thinking was too simplistic. They thought that as long as they were strong enough, they could just push through. However, this would inevitably expand the area of bloodshed, and it would be more difficult to integrate them after they were absorbed.
"So what do we need to do?"
“We don’t need to do anything. Given their usual style, once there is no external pressure, they will start to squeeze the internal forces. Isn’t Song Zhexuan, who is under house arrest, the best example?”
Despite his unwavering loyalty and dedication, he was still suppressed and ostracized, and after escaping from the Twin Islands, he was immediately placed under house arrest.
The luck of the [Brocade Banner] has run out. These people will amount to nothing. Just wait and see. Song Changsheng has completely seen through the [Brocade Banner]. To deal with such an enemy, there is no need for any special methods. They will destroy themselves. All you need to do is give them a push at the crucial moment.
Song Youfu looked thoughtful and cupped his hands, saying, "Grandson understands."
“If that’s the case, what about Elder Yuqing…” a steward suddenly said hesitantly.
Song Yuqing's performance in recent years has been quite good, and she has gained public recognition.
If they want to annex the Embroidered Banner in the future, Song Yuqing will be a very crucial link, so his emotions and thoughts are very important.
Song Changsheng said calmly, "Don't you have connections with those branches? In the future, no matter what information you find out, send a copy to him at the same time. You don't need to worry about anything else. He is a smart man and knows how to make a decision."
"As ordered."
After confirming that there were no further oversights, Song Changsheng led Chen Lingxiu and Song Qingxing back to Cangmang Peak.
Before that, Song Changsheng went to the Hanhai Chamber of Commerce. After all, he and Xuan Shui Zhenren had some prior acquaintance, and he should pay his respects before leaving the East Sea.
The senior members of the Hanhai Chamber of Commerce showed extraordinary enthusiasm for his sudden arrival.
Aside from Song Changsheng's outstanding performance in the Five Academies Competition, the main reason was that he wanted to get on the good side of the East China Sea Alliance.
Among the various Golden Core forces in the Great Qian cultivation world, the Han Hai Chamber of Commerce is a relatively young entity with a weak foundation and insufficient resources. One of its only two Golden Core cultivators has also perished. Faced with the external threat of the [Splendid Banner], their situation in the East Sea will undoubtedly become even more difficult in the future.
Aside from Thousand Blade City, the East Sea Alliance is the only ally they can win over, so they started communicating with the Song family through the line of Xuan Shui Zhenren a long time ago.
After Xuan Shui Zhenren's death, they thought the connection was broken and were thinking about how to reconnect it. Unexpectedly, Song Changsheng came to pay his respects, which was a pleasant surprise.
Song Changsheng also intended to win over this ally, and therefore responded very positively to their enthusiasm.
The Hanhai Chamber of Commerce is indeed somewhat lacking in combat strength. After the fall of Xuan Shui Zhenren, it directly became the bottom of the Great Qian cultivation world. However, as a chamber of commerce, it has a large number of maritime trade channels, which can make up for the shortcomings of the East Sea Alliance.
Although the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce is much larger than the Hanhai Chamber of Commerce, their advantage lies in land, while their maritime channels are still under development and are somewhat inferior to those of the Hanhai Chamber of Commerce.
The two sides had a very pleasant conversation and took the opportunity to finalize a number of channel orders.
He thought that if there was an opportunity in the future, he could have the Hanhai Chamber of Commerce and the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce cooperate more deeply. The two companies' channels covered nearly twenty cultivation circles at home and abroad. If they joined forces, they would be unstoppable.
After several days of delays, Song Changsheng and his group finally embarked on their return journey.
Fortunately, the Twin Islands are not a true enclave. Thanks to the continuous efforts of Twilight Cloud City, the spatial teleportation channel has been completed. After several transfers, we finally set foot on that familiar land again.
Even though he hadn't been gone for long, Song Changsheng felt as if he had been in another world.
"Finally home……"
He took a deep breath of fresh air, turned to Song Qingxing beside him and said, "Xing'er, take Lingxiu back to Cangmang Peak first and leave her with Yuechan. I'll go directly to Luoxia City."
...(End of chapter)