Chapter 2423: Silver Gang Stone Vein

The Sun-Drenched Sect, established less than three millennia ago, is developing rapidly, backed by a Void Refinement cultivator.

The Peng family also used to have the backing of a Void Refinement cultivator, but they perished during the Great Heavenly Tribulation. This is the primary reason the Peng family sought a marital alliance with the Wang family.

"Yes, Ancestor."

Peng Qingfeng acknowledged and departed.

After a moment, Peng Qingfeng returned, followed by Wang Lihe.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, thank you for traveling so far to attend my birthday celebration and for bringing such a generous gift," Peng Tianyu said courteously.

"You are too kind, Fellow Daoist Peng. It's merely a fifth-order puppet beast. Yuanzheng has admired your great-granddaughter for a long time. I have come here to propose on his behalf. Would you be willing to fulfill their wish?" Wang Lihe stated earnestly. Political marriages are an unavoidable aspect of life for disciples of cultivation families.

"Yuanzheng? Was he sitting behind you earlier? He is indeed a remarkable young man. It would be a beautiful story for Yu'er to become a dual cultivation partner with young Fellow Daoist Wang. I agree," Peng Tianyu readily consented. He didn't care whether his great-granddaughter liked the Wang family cultivator or not; sacrificing one great-granddaughter could protect over 70,000 members of their family. If there were any other option, he would not have wanted to sacrifice his great-granddaughter.

"Excellent, it's a done deal." Wang Lihe's face lit up with joy, and he began discussing the wedding date with Peng Tianhua.

Peng Tianyu naturally had no objections, leaving the decision entirely to Wang Lihe.

"Then it's settled, in-law." Wang Lihe was overjoyed, even changing his form of address.

Peng Tianyu nodded, a troubled expression appearing on his face. After a moment of contemplation, he sighed and said, "In-law, forgive my frankness, but our Peng family is currently facing a major problem."

"What trouble? Please speak freely, Fellow Daoist Peng. We will help if we can," Wang Lihe said politely. As long as it didn't involve a force backed by an Integration Stage cultivator, there shouldn't be an issue.

Peng Tianyu did not hide anything, recounting the entire incident, including the background of Elder Wufeng, the backer of the Sun-Drenched Sect.

"The Sun-Drenched Sect? Fellow Daoist Peng, if I recall correctly, hasn't your family pledged allegiance to the Profound Essence Sect? The Profound Essence Sect has Void Refinement cultivators!" Wang Lihe questioned, puzzled why the Peng family would seek help from the Wang family instead of the Profound Essence Sect.

"Elder Xuansu has already died during the Great Heavenly Tribulation, but the Profound Essence Sect is simply concealing the news," Peng Tianyu sighed. The survival of high-level cultivators is a top secret for any force. Whether they are killed or die during the Great Heavenly Tribulation, without concrete external evidence, no force will admit it.

The Peng family had encountered trouble several times, requiring a Void Refinement cultivator to intervene. On multiple occasions, they had requested Elder Xuansu's assistance, but the Profound Essence Sect's sect master always claimed Elder Xuansu was in a life-and-death seclusion, causing the Peng family to suffer significant losses and lose considerable territory to rival forces.

After much effort, the Peng family finally learned that Elder Xuansu had died during the Great Heavenly Tribulation. As this concerned the Peng family's interests, they did not spread the news. He informed Wang Lihe of this matter, treating him as one of their own.

"A medium-sized Silver Adamantite Vein!" Wang Lihe's eyes narrowed. If he remembered correctly, medium-sized or larger Silver Adamantite Veins could potentially yield Silver Adamantite Crystals, which are materials for condensing sword and blade phantoms, and also materials Wang Qingshan needed to collect.

"First, release the news of our two families' marriage. Fellow Daoist Peng, take me to the Silver Adamantite Vein. I will send someone to notify our clan," Wang Lihe ordered. With a three-pronged approach, the interests involved in this matter were significant, and he had to reclaim that Silver Adamantite Vein.

"No problem, I will personally accompany Fellow Daoist Wang!" Peng Tianyu agreed.

He gave a few instructions, telling Peng Qingfeng to activate the clan protection array, then followed Wang Lihe and a team of cultivators, leaving the area. Ten Wang family disciples rushed back to their clan's outpost to report.

Purple Bamboo Ridge stretches for millions of miles, with sparse spiritual energy and scarce beast resources, rarely visited by high-level cultivators.

Deep within Purple Bamboo Ridge, in a vast, interconnected mountain valley, the ground was uneven, strewn with numerous corpses, mostly Peng family disciples judging by their attire.

A team of cultivators in uniform gold robes was clearing the battlefield. A hawk-faced, high-nosed old man in a gold robe and a voluptuous young woman in a gold dress were conversing.

"It's actually a Silver Adamantite Vein. I hope we can excavate Silver Adamantite Crystals," the gold-robed old man said somewhat excitedly.

"It's a pity about Junior Brother Li, who died at the hands of the Peng family cultivators. The Peng family has a long heritage, so they must have a lot of wealth. Why don't we report this and suggest wiping out the Peng family entirely? After all, we have Elder Wufeng backing us," the young woman in the gold dress suggested, her face filled with murderous intent.

The gold-robed old man shook his head. "It's not easy to invite Elder Wufeng. If we can excavate Silver Adamantite Crystals, there might be a chance. But speaking of which, the Peng family is truly pathetic. It's hard to imagine that this family once produced eighteen Void Refinement cultivators."

"Ups and downs are normal. As the Peng family declines, our Sun-Drenched Sect rises. If we can excavate Silver Adamantite Crystals, we can destroy the Peng family and expand our influence," the young woman in the gold dress said, her eyes burning with ambition.

Just then, an extremely cold male voice echoed from the horizon. "Destroy our Peng family? Your Sun-Drenched Sect doesn't have such sharp teeth."

"The Peng family's reinforcements have arrived? Good, we can take care of them all at once," the young woman in the gold dress said, radiating murderous intent.

A golden light appeared in the distant sky, rapidly flying towards them. Before long, the golden light stopped, revealing a shimmering golden flying boat with Wang Lihe and other cultivators standing on it.

The young woman in the gold dress and the gold-robed old man's gaze fell upon Wang Lihe. The azure lotus pattern on Wang Lihe's clothes was exceptionally conspicuous—it was the symbol of the Azure Lotus Wang family. Their eyes simultaneously showed caution, and they dared not act rashly.

"I am Wang Lihe of the Azure Lotus Sect. You have killed our in-laws. You must give me an explanation!" Wang Lihe's face was filled with a stern, killing aura.

People are bullied if they are kind, and horses are ridden if they are docile.

"In-laws? Fellow Daoist Wang, are you joking? We have never heard of this!" the gold-robed old man said, full of suspicion.

"We just formed a marital alliance, and the news hasn't been released yet. How do you account for killing our in-laws? Do you truly believe your Sun-Drenched Sect can act with impunity? Our family is already aware of this. If you are wise, sever an arm and immediately leave this place," Wang Lihe said gravely. He informed them that the Wang family was aware of the situation, warning them not to attempt to silence witnesses. Forcing them to sever an arm was a minor punishment and a way to stand up for the Peng family.

If he were to directly kill them, it might alarm Elder Wufeng. Wang Lihe was not afraid of trouble but sought to avoid it. If a Void Refinement cultivator became involved, it would be difficult to handle. This humiliation could only be endured. The Peng family was too weak. The Wang family could not assign a Soul Transformation cultivator to guard the Peng family, much less destroy the Sun-Drenched Sect. That would escalate the situation, and if Elder Wufeng intervened, the situation would become uncontrollable. The great enemy of humanity is the alien races; most forces maintain rationality, and cultivators above the Void Refinement stage rarely engage in death duels.