Chapter 990
Chief Guest
"There are four leaders in the power grab faction. The chief elder, Mao Dongxing, is a veteran of the Chamber of Commerce. He was recruited as a silver-level guest advisor to the Chamber of Commerce by chance."
Because of his outstanding achievements, the Chamber of Commerce made an exception and granted him the opportunity to break through to the Golden Core stage. After the breakthrough, he became the Chamber of Commerce's chief elder, and he was highly respected among the elders of different surnames. He was a Golden Core Great Perfection cultivator, and he was the one with the most unyielding attitude.
This person has been trying to seize the position of chairman for quite some time, but Father has always been firm in his strategy of having the Peng family dominate the Chamber of Commerce, so the position of chairman will never fall into his hands no matter what. This time, it was he who instigated it.
There was another alchemy master from the Chamber of Commerce, a rising star named Li Qinghe. At only four hundred years old, he had already reached the late stage of the Golden Core realm, making him a top-grade alchemy master of the fourth rank. He also had a very high reputation. He was also dissatisfied with his father's policies and chose to collude with Mao Dongxing and others.
The third person was a top-tier guest elder named Shen Xingyi, who was the Golden Core cultivator at the Great Perfection stage who was currently monitoring me outside. His stance was rather ambiguous; he must have been promised some benefits.
He is the only one among these people I have a chance to win over. I have been trying to communicate with him for some time, but with little success.
"As long as the other three can be dealt with, he definitely won't put up much resistance; at most, he'll just leave the Chamber of Commerce," Peng Siying calmly analyzed, taking the situation into account.
"Who is the other person?"
Peng Siying said with a slightly cold expression, "He is an uncle of one of my clans, named Peng Huaming. His branch is the most prosperous in the clan, and he has long coveted the position of president. In the past, when my father was not in seclusion, he could not cause any trouble at all."
After my father went into seclusion, my sixth and seventh uncles, who supported me, were protecting him. This allowed him to take advantage of the situation and, together with Shen Xingyi and others, win over and imprison other elders in the clan.
Mao Dongxing and others probably want to support him to take over. Under the current operating policy of the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce, they cannot control the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce without the help of our Peng family.
These people are all using each other. Mao Dongxing and others want Peng Huaming's identity, and Peng Huaming wants to use their power.
If you want to quell this situation, he is the best point of attack. However, with your strength, you are no match for them even if they all come at you together, so there is no need to be too careful.
"If only we could find a reason to bring the four of them together, that would be great. With those four dead, the others can't cause any trouble at all."
Song Changsheng nodded slightly and said, "The influence of the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce is too great. It is not easy for it to have reached its current scale. We still need to control it to avoid causing turmoil. You are right. We need to find a reason to gather them together and wipe them out in one fell swoop."
These people are surrounding you but not attacking, as if they're hesitant. There must be something they need about you, right?
"My father entrusted me with the keys to his secluded cultivation realm and the family treasury. In addition, I am the only one who knows the location of some of the merchant guild's treasury. If I don't reveal these things, no one will be able to find them."
Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng suddenly realized why the elders and guests of the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce had reacted so strongly; Peng Zhengxiong had truly taken the concept of "one-man rule" to the extreme.
No wonder he waited until Peng Siying broke through to the Golden Core stage before choosing to go into seclusion. It turns out he had anticipated this and was preparing to entrust his life to the person he was closest to and most trusted.
With these chips in hand, those people certainly dared not act rashly.
However, not daring to act rashly does not mean they will sit idly by and wait for their doom. If Peng Zhengxiong successfully overcomes the great inner demon tribulation and breaks through to the Nascent Soul stage, given their actions, they would not be satisfied even if they died a hundred times.
These people are not making any moves now; they must be plotting something in secret.
Although his divine sense can now cover the entire Four Directions City, it is still difficult to penetrate some areas that have been set up with special barriers or have activated special shielding formations.
To quell this matter without affecting the overall situation, strategy is crucial.
With Song Changsheng's current strength, he can indeed sweep through this city, a true sweep, and this magnificent city with a long history will be reduced to ruins.
This is something he doesn't want to see.
The fact that such a magnificent flower as Sifang City could bloom in the barren southwest is mostly due to luck. It's easy to destroy, but difficult to rebuild.
"Why not use your bargaining chips as bait to lure them over for negotiations, and then seize the opportunity to capture the four leaders? Ideally, this should be done outside the city, so that the battle can be ended in just fifteen minutes and won't cause any unrest."
Three Golden Core Great Perfection cultivators and one Golden Core Late Stage cultivator, yet Song Changsheng declared he would finish the battle in a quarter of an hour, while Peng Siying, standing to the side, didn't see anything wrong with what he said.
The fake infant cultivator certainly has the right to say that.
"I'll try my best to lure them out, and then... I'll leave it to you."
"I don't want to reveal my identity yet, so you need to come up with an explanation for me in advance."
Helping Peng Siying and concealing his identity were not contradictory in Song Changsheng's view. What identity he used to help Peng Siying was not important, but whether the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom knew his true strength was very important to him.
Peng Siying pondered for a moment, then reached out and took out a jade waist token as white as ivory, handing it to Song Changsheng. With her eyebrows curved, she said, "This is the first and only jade guest elder waist token in the Chamber of Commerce. It ranks above all other guest elders and is comparable to the Supreme Elder."
Before going into seclusion, my father entrusted it to me. The inner demon tribulation was dangerous, and he wasn't entirely confident. For the sake of the guild's future, he instructed me that if I could break through to the Nascent Soul stage, he would give me this only jade waist token.
He believes that, given your character, once you accept this badge, you will definitely protect the Bandung Chamber of Commerce.
Although you haven't truly broken through to the Nascent Soul stage yet, you've condensed a pseudo-infant, so breaking through is only a matter of time for you. Besides, you've already chosen to protect the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce, so it should rightfully be yours.
He's the only Chief Guest Elder since the Chamber of Commerce was established; they probably have no grounds for objection to that position.
Looking at the waist token handed to him, Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow. It seemed that Peng Zhengxiong had considered far more than he had imagined. What surprised him most was that the other party had actually placed his last bet on him.
Accepting this badge, as things stand, will only bring him benefits and almost no harm.
Moreover, he was already a top-tier guest advisor, so there was no need for him to take it a step further, which would also help him gain Wanlong's support.
He reached out and took the waist token, weighed it in his hand, and nodded, saying, "This identity is good. Let's arrange it this way."
……
"You should all have received our young lady's message, right? What are your thoughts?" In the secret room, after the four leaders gathered, Mao Dongxing looked around at everyone and said.
Peng Huaming smiled contemptuously upon hearing this: "Opinion? What opinion could she possibly have? She just couldn't handle the pressure. When has this pampered young lady ever received such treatment?"
Zhengxiong went into seclusion, with Zhengyan and Zhengying protecting her. Without the support of these doting elders, she would probably have lost her composure long ago. The only reason she has been able to hold on until now is because of the confidence that Quanchong has given her.
We've been trying to win over Quan Chong all this time. Even if his personal will doesn't waver, how can our young lady feel at ease? After all, Quan Chong is just an outsider.
In crucial moments, she still has to rely on us elders.
It's okay if young people can't grasp things right away; we, as elders, will just lend a hand.
"Fellow Daoist Peng is absolutely right. We elders shouldn't hold grudges against the younger generation. It's never too late to correct mistakes. As long as she obediently hands over the assets of the Chamber of Commerce, Miss will still be Miss, and we will continue to do our best to assist her," Mao Dongxing said with a forced smile.
Li Qinghe, dressed in a black robe, frowned and said, "It's fine to say high-sounding nonsense outside, but save it for us. After all, Miss is the president's daughter. How can a tiger father give birth to a dog daughter? We should not be careless. Maybe she has set some trap for us to fall into."
“Yesterday, a person entered the young lady’s pavilion. His identity is unknown, and his cultivation level appears to be only at the Purple Mansion stage. However, after my investigation, I do not know when he entered the city. Since he was able to enter the young lady’s pavilion, he must not be an ordinary person. At least he is not just a minor Purple Mansion stage cultivator.”
It is very likely that this is a trump card that Peng Zhengxiong left for Peng Siying.
The fact that the young lady compromised as soon as the other party arrived is too much of a coincidence.
Master Li's words make sense; we should be more cautious.
"Of course, we can't let this opportunity slip by. We can meet, but we have to decide where we meet. As long as we don't get ambushed, with three Golden Core cultivators at the Great Perfection stage and several other Golden Core cultivators attacking at the same time, unless that person is a Nascent Soul True Monarch, it will just be another dead soul." Shen Xingyi said calmly.
"Don't speak too confidently. Have you forgotten that person's existence?" From the shadows in the corner of the secret room, a fifth person, whose existence even Peng Siying was unaware of, suddenly spoke up, directly pointing out the oversight that everyone had not considered.
"That person...you mean Master Zixu?" Shen Xingyi frowned suddenly.
The relationship between Song Changsheng and Peng Siying is common knowledge. Over the years, Song Changsheng has not taken the initiative to intervene, nor have they provoked him. Over time, they have forgotten about him. No matter how strong he is, he is ultimately just a Golden Core cultivator, not a Nascent Soul True Monarch, so there is no need to be too afraid of him.
"According to the information I have investigated, Song Changsheng has never shown his face in the past twenty years. It is highly likely that he has been in seclusion to break through to the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage. With his talent, he has probably already broken through."
With his talent and combat prowess, if he were to really get involved, things would be very difficult.
I'm certainly no match for him. Is there anyone here confident they can take him down?
The people present looked at each other in bewilderment. There were differences even among Golden Core cultivators. Even if they hadn't heard of Song Changsheng's lecture, they had at least heard of it. His title as the champion of the Five Academies Grand Competition was known to everyone. They really didn't have the confidence to deal with him.
Peng Huaming said coldly, "We must decide the meeting place. As the saying goes, we should nip it in the bud. Let's take this opportunity to kill her directly. Once she's dead, Song Changsheng will have no reason to make a move."
Without Song Changsheng and his wife, the Song family would just be an insignificant, small family, still reliant on the Chamber of Commerce for supplies. They wouldn't dare stand up for Peng Siying unless Song Changsheng abandoned the Song family, which he didn't have the courage to do.
“Good, we’ll book the venue. If they dare to come, we’ll talk; if they don’t, we’ll continue to put pressure on them.” Mao Dongxing made the decision directly.
Then, he turned to the shadows in the corner and said, "Just in case, I'll have to trouble Master Zhang to make the arrangements in advance."
"It's just a full charge, there's no need to use my precious Gu worms."
“Full-scale attack is not a problem, my biggest concern is Song Changsheng. How long would it take you to set up a defense system capable of dealing with an opponent of Song Changsheng’s caliber?”
"To ensure everything goes perfectly, it will take at least a month. I will use my best Gu worms to set up the formation. You'd better be able to guarantee that Song Changsheng will come, otherwise you will waste my good Gu worms and you won't be able to afford to compensate for it."
As soon as he finished speaking, he vanished into the darkness...
"They chose the meeting place. Although it's outside the city, they must have made prior arrangements. They have a large and powerful force. I don't approve of this plan, and I certainly don't approve of the young lady taking this risk."
"Elder Quan, there's no need to worry. I'm confident."
"Is Miss's confidence derived from him?" Quan Chong looked at Song Changsheng beside Peng Siying, his gaze full of scrutiny.
"Elder Quan, thank you for your hard work these past few days. I have been entrusted by the Chairman to handle this matter entirely. Please leave the rest to me." The waist token of the chief guest elder in Song Changsheng's hand flashed in front of Quan Chong.
"Chief Guest Elder? Why have I never heard of you before, Miss?" Quan Chong turned his inquiring gaze to Peng Siying.
"This is indeed the chief guest elder personally appointed by Father. His strength is extraordinary. With him here, Mao Dongxing and the others won't be able to cause any trouble. You can rest assured. I will go to the appointment with him this time."
"The guild leader entrusted the young lady's safety to me. How could I trust others so easily? According to the guild's rules, the chief guest's badge can only be awarded to a Nascent Soul True Monarch who has contributed to the guild. This one seems to be a bit against the rules, doesn't he?" Quan Chong said meaningfully.
Song Changsheng smiled kindly and said, "I understand Fellow Daoist Quan's feelings, but the Guild Master is currently in seclusion, so proving my identity is indeed not easy."
Let's be direct and let our actions speak for themselves, shall we?
"That's exactly what I was thinking." Quan Chonghu's body trembled, and blazing flames roared, causing the surrounding temperature to soar.
Song Changsheng stood still, without making any move, yet the sweltering heat wave remained unable to get close to him.
He simply stretched out his right hand calmly. The Heavenly Tree within his body stretched to the heavens and the earth, and the infant spirit lying on its canopy emitted a hazy glow, connecting with the rules of heaven and earth. It seemed that he had the power of the laws of the world at his fingertips.
"Great Divine Power [World in the Palm of Your Hand]"
...(End of this chapter)