Chapter 1131: Qinglian Tower

Yellow Dragon Island, Coral Sea. Inside the Council Hall, Yellow Dragon True Person and two other Nascent Soul cultivators were in a solemn discussion.

"We didn't realize the Wang family of Green Lotus Island was the former Wang family of Sea Cucumber Island. This is troubling," Yellow Dragon True Person said, frowning.

This major conflict saw the emergence of many powerful high-level cultivators, with the Green Lotus Immortals prominent among them. Every major force maintains its own intelligence hall to gather information. After the Green Lotus Immortals rose to prominence in that battle, their origins were thoroughly investigated. It was discovered that they hailed from a cultivation family named Wang in the Eastern Wilderness, the same family from which Wang Qingshan, a registered disciple of the Carefree Sword Venerable, originated.

Truthfully, Yellow Dragon Island had eliminated so many forces over the years that its high-ranking members could no longer keep track. Decades prior, during a conflict in the Coral Sea, Huang Yuxu, a descendant of Yellow Dragon True Person, led a pursuit against Wang Qingshan and nearly died by his hand. This incident made Yellow Dragon Island pay particular attention to Wang Qingshan. When news spread that Wang Qingshan was the nephew of the Green Lotus Immortals, Yellow Dragon Island learned of it as well.

The leadership of Yellow Dragon Island never could have imagined that in just over a century, the Wang family would produce two Nascent Soul cultivators and secure the powerful backing of the Myriad Swords Sect.

"The Coral Sea and the Five Dragons Sea are vastly distant," one cultivator remarked. "They have the Myriad Swords Sect backing them, and we have the Sun Moon Palace. There's no need to fear them." While both the Wang family and Yellow Dragon Island had strong backers and were separated by billions of miles with no significant overlapping interests, Yellow Dragon Island's past killings of many Wang family members remained a lingering threat. Yellow Dragon Island needed to guard cautiously against the Wang family.

"Regardless," Yellow Dragon True Person cautioned with a solemn expression, "since a mortal enmity has been formed, we must be vigilant. Unless there's an opportunity for a decisive, fatal strike, avoid direct confrontation with the Wang family."

An unkilled snake brings endless trouble. The Wang family was no longer what it once was, so they couldn't afford to act recklessly.

"The Zhang family is related to the Wang family by marriage. Should we continue to cooperate with them?" Yellow Dragon Island had commercial dealings with the Zhang family. The relationship was intricate: while the Wang family and Yellow Dragon Island were rivals, the Wang family and Zhang family were kin through marriage.

"Who would turn away spirit stones?" Yellow Dragon True Person retorted. "Continue the business as usual. It's irrelevant whether the Zhang family knows about this, and even if they do, it's not a major concern. Should the Zhang family adopt the same stance as the Wang family's enemies? The Zhang family is not a vassal of the Wang family. Of course, we must also be cautious of them, given their familial ties. We should also seek out more allies and strengthen our collaborations."

With the Wang family now allied with the Myriad Swords Sect and enjoying promising development prospects, Yellow Dragon Island also needed to cultivate more alliances, expand its influence, and thereby check the Wang family's growing power.

An enemy's enemy is a friend, and the Lu family presented an excellent potential ally. The Lu family was also a subordinate force of the Sun Moon Palace. Yellow Dragon Island could cooperate with the Lu family for mutual benefit; a stronger Lu family could also help to balance the Wang family.

If Huang Yuxu successfully formed his Nascent Soul, Yellow Dragon Island would gain another Nascent Soul cultivator, making them even less concerned about the Wang family.

Green Lotus Island, Five Dragons Sea.

A vast square, spanning a hundred acres, dominated by an imposing, towering stone platform. The platform measured over a thousand zhang in both length and width and stood more than fifty zhang high. Upon it, a thirty-six-story cyan pavilion prominently displayed the three characters "Green Lotus Tower" on its plaque, rendered in a magnificent, soaring script.

Beside the Green Lotus Tower stood a cyan stone stele, over ten zhang tall. It chronicled the Wang family's history, from the establishment of the family by Ancestor Wang Gang to its current development, serving as a reminder for all family members.

The Green Lotus Tower housed the spirit tablets of family members who had made significant contributions, ensuring they would be remembered by future generations and fostering a stronger sense of family belonging.

To the left of the Green Lotus Tower was a black pavilion, housing the spirit tablets of those who had betrayed the family or severely harmed its interests, serving as a cautionary tale for future generations to scorn.

To the right, a golden pavilion contained the spirit tablets of cultivators from other families who had made significant contributions to the Wang family.

Next to the stone stele, a massive cyan incense burner held numerous lit sandalwood sticks.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan stood atop the platform, while thousands of Wang family cultivators, including Wang Qingjing, stood behind them, their expressions exceptionally solemn.

They bowed towards the Green Lotus Tower, lit two massive sandalwood sticks (each about a zhang long), and placed them into the cyan incense burner. Then, the two turned to face the crowd.

Wang Changsheng surveyed the cultivators below and stated solemnly, "Regardless of your origin—whether you were born into the Wang family or joined us later—we will treat everyone equally. As long as you serve the family diligently, the family will never mistreat its own. However, if you violate family rules or act in a way that severely harms the family's interests, you will be severely punished, regardless of who you are, once the facts are verified."

"Yes, Old Ancestor!" thousands of Wang family cultivators responded in unison, their voices thundering and echoing through the sky, their expressions filled with excitement.

Wang Mengfen stepped forward and declared loudly, "Since Ancestor Wang Gang first established our family in the Eastern Wilderness, it has been passed down for over eight hundred years. When the ancestor first founded the family, the Wang family numbered less than..." He then recounted the family's growth: how, over eight centuries since Ancestor Wang Gang's founding, the Wang family had finally produced Nascent Soul cultivators and expanded its territory to a million li.

Listening to Wang Mengfen's account, all the Wang family cultivators felt their blood stir, igniting their fighting spirit.

"Our family's progress is remarkable, yet this is merely the beginning, not the end. As long as we remain united, I believe our family can ascend to become a true cultivation family." Wang Changsheng's eyes gleamed with aspiration. He knew that the pinnacle of cultivation families was generally classified into two types: dynasties and cultivation families. Dynasties required immense, contiguous territories and were formed by the amalgamation of countless cultivation families. This model, however, was best suited for the Central Plains cultivation world; other regions favored the cultivation family structure. In the South Sea cultivation world, a cultivation family that reached its apex was considered a cultivation family, and Wang Changsheng himself favored this path.

"United as one, let us build Green Lotus!" Wang Mengfen shouted, and other family members echoed his call.

"United as one, let us build Green Lotus!" Thousands of Wang family cultivators roared, their faces alight with fervent excitement.

After delivering words of encouragement, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan departed. Wang Mengfen then dismissed the family members, allowing them to attend to their respective duties.

Upon returning to their residence, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan immediately entered secluded cultivation. They realized they had mastered too few spiritual arts; had they not possessed their joint attack techniques, they would likely have perished at the hands of the foreign races long ago.

Mastering additional spiritual arts would undoubtedly enhance their combat strength.

Simultaneously, a dazzling blue light enveloped Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan. Countless wisps of water vapor materialized within the room, and one by one, profound blue musical notes appeared out of thin air, encircling them.

They intended to cultivate in seclusion for a while before focusing on mastering spiritual arts.

The Peak of Green Lotus