Chapter 1179: Wan Yun Mountain Range

"Immortal Li, you flatter me," Wang Qingshan said humbly. "I merely did what I could. I don't deserve such high praise." He added that these were just empty titles, and he didn't care about them.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Wang, you are too modest," Li Qinghuan said with a laugh, full of regret. "We've all heard about your exploits in the Eastern Barrens. You severely wounded Cheng Xiaotian, but it's a pity you couldn't kill him."

"It's already impressive that Fellow Daoist Wang could gravely injure him," Murong Yuyao said with a smile. "Cheng Xiaotian's divine abilities are quite formidable; he has killed many Core Formation cultivators." She, too, had heard about this matter and knew Cheng Xiaotian was strong.

Li Qingqian nodded and said, "That's true. We've heard that the Azure Lotus Immortals possess great divine abilities. If the Azure Lotus Immortals ever visit the Central Plains Cultivation World, you are always welcome to be guests at our Zhenman Prince's Mansion. Our father often praises the Azure Lotus Immortals and has always wished to befriend them, but he is currently tied up with mundane affairs and cannot easily leave."

"Indeed! Our Zhenman Prince's Mansion holds considerable sway in the Great Yan Dynasty. If you ever encounter any trouble, we can help resolve it." Wang Qiuming's expression was a little strange as he said, "Fellow Daoist Li, we won't hide it from you. Our family's Azure Lotus Chamber of Commerce has recently run into some minor trouble. The Sky Treasure Chamber of Commerce wants to acquire our chamber. Do you happen to know anything about this?"

Li Qinghuan's face showed an astonished expression. "What? This actually happened? This is truly a case of 'the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple'! The Sky Treasure Chamber of Commerce was founded by me. So, the Azure Lotus Chamber of Commerce belongs to your Wang family? This must be the doing of subordinates acting improperly. I will issue orders immediately to ensure they no longer trouble the Azure Lotus Chamber of Commerce."

Wang Qingshan naturally didn't believe this. The Azure Lotus Chamber of Commerce primarily dealt in puppet beasts, had "Azure Lotus" in its name, and its manager's surname was Wang. With a careful investigation, one could always find clues. To say Li Qinghuan was completely unaware, Wang Qingshan simply didn't believe it. Was Li Qinghuan intentionally trying to attract the Wang family's attention? What was his objective?

"Fellow Daoist Wang, this is a case of 'getting to know each other through conflict.' I toast to you with this cup of spirit wine." Li Qinghuan raised his cup and drained the spirit wine. Wang Qingshan did not delay and returned the toast.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, since the Azure Lotus Chamber of Commerce is a business established by your Wang family, that's excellent. Our Sky Treasure Chamber of Commerce would like to cooperate with you. We can sell you spirit wood for crafting puppet beasts, and you can sell us monster beast materials. How does that sound?" Li Qinghuan's gaze was fixed on Wang Qingshan. The Great Yan Dynasty's situation was stable with no ongoing wars, and the consumption of cultivation resources was not high. The territory controlled by the Zhenman Prince was rich in various spirit woods. The Zhenman Prince's main business involved selling weapons and crafting materials. When the South Sea was in chaos, the Zhenman Prince's Mansion lost its partners in the great battle. For this reason, the Zhenman Prince's Mansion needed to find new partners, and the Wang family was an excellent candidate.

Wang Qingshan pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "No problem. This matter is very important, and we should discuss it in detail." After the Wang family developed complete sets of puppet beasts, they needed a large quantity of materials for their creation. Ironwood was a common material for crafting puppet beasts, and the demand was too great. The Wang family had long been looking for a larger supplier, and they hadn't expected Li Qinghuan to come to them. With so many potential partners, the Wang family would need more high-level cultivators to gather sufficient monster beast materials.

"Good, no problem," Li Qinghuan said with a joyful expression, agreeing to the terms.

Li Qinghuan inquired about the customs and traditions of the South Sea Cultivation World, and Wang Qingshan answered truthfully. When Wang Qingshan asked about the customs and traditions of the Central Plains Cultivation World, Li Qinghuan also answered truthfully. Both sides gained insights and deepened their understanding.

After the time it takes to steep a cup of tea, Murong Yuyao and two Core Formation cultivators bade farewell and left, leaving Li Qinghuan and the other five to chat. They conversed for over half an hour, finalizing an order worth five million spirit stones. The Wang family had many other partners, and gathering the cultivation resources Li Qinghuan requested would take considerable time. Wang Qingshan proposed a thirty-year timeframe, which Li Qinghuan did not refuse and readily accepted.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, it's rare for you to visit the Central Plains Cultivation World. Do stay and explore for a while longer; I would be happy to accompany you," Li Qinghuan said enthusiastically. Their first collaboration alone was worth five million spirit stones, and future dealings would only increase.

"If the opportunity arises, I will certainly trouble you," Wang Qingshan replied. He agreed to the offer, and after a brief chat, they bid farewell and left.

Upon returning to their dwelling, Wang Qingshan dispatched ten clan members to relay the news back, instructing Wang Mengfen to intensify efforts to gather monster beast materials and assemble the goods Li Qinghuan required as soon as possible. Considering the situation in the Great Qin Dynasty, they decided to return to the Eastern Barrens first, then proceed from there to the South Sea.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Wang Qingshan, Wang Qiuming, and Wang Tianwen appeared at the market's exit. Soon after, Murong Yuyao and three Core Formation cultivators approached them. After exchanging a few polite words, they all walked out of the market together.

Outside the market, Murong Yuyao and her three companions each released a third-tier Lion-Peng Beast, each creature five zhang in size. "Come on up, Fellow Daoist Wang! Traveling by Lion-Peng Beast will be quicker," Murong Yuyao called out, jumping onto the back of her Lion-Peng Beast first, followed by Wang Tianwen.

Wang Qingshan and Wang Qiuming jumped onto the backs of the other two Lion-Peng Beasts, eager to see how fast these creatures could fly. Roar, roar! The four Lion-Peng Beasts let out strange roars almost simultaneously. Their golden-yellow wings spread wide, then powerfully flapped, lifting them into the air. A fierce gale swept up, dispersing a large amount of dust. The four Lion-Peng Beasts soared higher, covering a hundred zhang in an instant.

As one of the seven non-imperial princely families, the Murong Royal Family had its ancestral residence in the Myriad Cloud Mountain Range in Chongzhou. The Myriad Cloud Mountain Range was located in the northwestern part of Chongzhou, stretching for a hundred thousand li, with countless perilous peaks and wondrous formations.

Four streaks of yellow light appeared in the distant sky. After a few flashes, they stopped above a lush green peak. "Immortal Murong, is this your family's residence?" Wang Tianwen asked curiously, gazing at the verdant mountain range below.

He didn't notice anything peculiar. The scenery here was indeed pleasant, but the spiritual energy was faint, indicating the presence of a powerful restriction array. Murong Yuyao smiled sweetly and said, "This is just an illusion. You'll understand once we go inside." With a flick of her delicate hand, a white light flashed, and a round white token appeared in her palm. The front bore a small mountain pattern, and the back had the characters "Murong." The white token emitted a dazzling white light, and a white beam shot out, disappearing instantly into the void. The void churned violently as if boiling, and a ten-zhang long crack appeared out of thin air. The crack blurred, transforming into a two-zhang high azure light gate, from which a torrent of rich spiritual energy surged forth. A massive castle could be faintly seen within. Roar, roar! The four Lion-Peng Beasts all let out strange roars, flapped their wings fiercely, and flew through the azure light gate one after another.