Chapter 3982: Thirty Thousand Years

The Immortal Realm, Morning Sky Sea Area.

Blue Lotus Island, a manor filled with the singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers.

Wang Yongqian sat in a stone pavilion. Standing before her, with respectful expressions, were a handsome young man in a blue shirt and a buxom young woman in a green dress.

"Excellent, you have both advanced to the True Immortal stage. Go to the Deacon Hall to collect your rewards!" Wang Yongqian said.

Thirty thousand years had passed since the Grand Golden Immortal Ceremony concluded. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan were both in seclusion, and Chen Yueying and others had returned to Haoyang City. The Wang family was now undeniably the largest power in the White Deer Archipelago. The Bai family, the Water Charm Race, and the Xia family all deferred to the Wang family. As for the inspectors, they no longer came to patrol the White Deer Archipelago at all. The Wang family now held sway over the White Deer Archipelago, and they received the most profits from White Deer Market. The Wang family's focus was on Golden Crocodile Market, which was developing well, with foot traffic comparable to that of Nine Immortals Market. The Wang family had also revised some unreasonable policies: clan members who advanced to the True Immortal stage would receive rewards, and three True Immortal-stage rogue cultivators were recruited. Several smaller factions had pledged allegiance to the Wang family, becoming its subordinate forces.

The young man in the blue shirt was Wang Yunlang, a descendant of Wang Lihe. The young woman in the green dress was Zhang Yueru, who came from the Zhang family.

The Wang, Qi, and Zhang families frequently intermarried and collaborated significantly in business.

The Wang family specialized in artifact refining, the Qi family had many alchemists, and the Zhang family cultivated numerous immortal herbs and trees.

The Zhang family provided materials, which were given to the Wang family for refining artifacts and to the Qi family for crafting pills. The finished products were then sold, and profits were distributed according to a set ratio, with the Zhang family receiving a smaller share.

The Zhang family had a long history and many skilled individuals. It wasn't that they couldn't refine immortal pills or artifacts themselves, but with only one Golden Immortal cultivator in their family, their share of the profits was naturally smaller.

Before the three families intermarried, they used to sell their goods to the Nine Immortals Sect or the Nine Cauldrons Merchant Alliance in exchange for materials or cultivation resources. Now, things were different; they produced and sold their own goods, significantly increasing their profits. Although the Zhang family's share was still smaller, it was considerably more than what they received before.

"Yes, family head." Wang Yunlang and Zhang Yueru agreed and withdrew.

Wang Yongqian took out a golden Immortal Transmission Mirror and activated it with an incantation. Wang Changsheng's voice rang out, "Yongqian, do we still have any five-colored Chaos Beast corpses or materials?"

"No, we don't. There hasn't been a surge of Chaos Beasts, so five-colored Chaos Beasts are rarely encountered. Old Ancestor Qingshan is already keeping an eye out," Wang Yongqian replied.

"If you manage to obtain a five-colored Chaos Beast corpse, send it to Blue Lotus Peak immediately," Wang Changsheng instructed.

"Yes, Old Ancestor." Wang Yongqian agreed and put away the Immortal Transmission Mirror.

Wang Changming walked in and said, "Family Head, Senior Zhang is here and wishes to see the Old Ancestor."

Wang Yongqian took out the Immortal Transmission Mirror, activated it with an incantation, and said, "Old Ancestor, Senior Zhang is here and wishes to pay his respects to you."

"Is it Fellow Daoist Zhang Yilei? Please invite him to Blue Lotus Peak!" Wang Changsheng instructed.

"Yes, Old Ancestor." Wang Yongqian agreed, and Wang Changming departed to fulfill the order.

At Blue Lotus Peak, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan sat in a green stone pavilion, sipping tea and chatting. They used the essence blood, bones, and teeth of five-colored Chaos Beasts to refine Immortal Extermination Arrows. Working together, the couple successfully refined ten Immortal Extermination Arrows and two Immortal Extermination Crossbows. The Immortal Extermination Crossbows were also made from the remains of five-colored Chaos Beasts, which wasn't difficult; the real challenge lay in the Immortal Extermination Arrows. They were unsure of the value of the ten Immortal Extermination Arrows, mainly because such items were simply not found in the Morning Sky Sea Area.

The Wang family sold ten True Immortal-stage puppet beasts to the Qi family, who in return helped elevate Blue Lotus Island's immortal vein to Tier 2, supporting Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan's normal cultivation. After they had advanced to the Golden Immortal stage, a new challenge arose: acquiring cultivation resources and elixirs for further breakthroughs in the Golden Immortal realm.

Wang Changsheng could now refine mid-grade immortal artifacts, and Wang Ruyan could craft Tier 2 immortal talismans, so supporting themselves was not an issue. However, for the Wang family to truly grow and prosper, they needed a larger source of income, such as a Tier 2 immortal ore mine.

From what Wang Changsheng knew, in the past million years, the Nine Immortals Sect had lost no fewer than ten Golden Immortal cultivators. Given enough time, they could slowly recover their vitality. Besides their formidable reserve strength, this was also due to the Nine Immortals Sect possessing two Tier 2 immortal ore mines on the Chaos Continent.

The Morning Sky Sea Area had multiple Tier 2 immortal ore mines, but they were controlled by established powers, making it difficult to seize them.

The nine major powers in the Morning Sky Sea Area were primarily divided into three interest groups: the Nine Immortals Sect, Hundred Refinements Island, and the Snow Crystal Race formed one group; the Clear Moon Alliance, Beast Spirit Gate, Lin Family, and Azure Cloud Palace formed another; and the Murong family and Qian family formed the third.

Among these nine powers, the Qian family had the fewest Golden Immortal cultivators. However, the Qian family always advanced and retreated with the Murong family. Even before the Murong family's rise, the two families were connected by marriage. To deal with the Qian family, one would have to deal with the Murong family.

The Clear Moon Alliance and Beast Spirit Gate were wary of the Nine Immortals Sect, Hundred Refinements Island, and the Snow Crystal Race. The Lin family and Azure Cloud Palace, in turn, were wary of the Murong family and Qian family. This was determined by the geographical locations of their territories.

The Azure Cloud Palace had the longest heritage, but in recent years, it had been in decline, barely managing to maintain its standing.

The alliance of the Wang, Qi, and Zhang families was vaguely emerging as the fourth major interest group in the Morning Sky Sea Area. One could say they had the potential, but the three families did not yet possess the actual strength.

The nine major powers were constantly embroiled in disputes within the Morning Sky Sea Area, yet they maintained a relatively peaceful facade on the Chaos Continent. This was merely on the surface, as private skirmishes were frequent.

Wang Changsheng hoped to acquire a "Profound" city, which would significantly increase the family's income. However, Immortals rarely actively attacked Chaos Beasts, and previous major battles had not yielded significant gains.

Not long after, Wang Yongqian entered, accompanied by a short, stout elder in yellow robes.

"This old man is Zhang Yilei. Greetings, Fellow Daoist Wang, and Madam Wang." The yellow-robed elder clasped his fists and spoke with a smile.

"We are all family here, Fellow Daoist Zhang, there's no need to be so formal. Please, have a seat." Wang Changsheng invited Zhang Yilei to sit, and Wang Yongqian withdrew.

After a few cups of tea, Zhang Yilei brought up the main topic: "Fellow Daoist Wang, Madam Wang, are you interested in traveling to the Chaos Continent? At our stage, it's exceptionally difficult to make further progress. I plan to go to the Chaos Continent, and if you're interested, we could journey together." The Zhang family members constantly yearned to restore their ancestors' glory, and Zhang Yilei carried a heavy burden. He was not skilled in talisman crafting, alchemy, array formations, or artifact refining. To obtain cultivation resources, the simplest method for him was to go to the Chaos Continent and slay Chaos Beasts.

"We are indeed planning to go to the Chaos Continent. When do you intend to depart, Fellow Daoist Zhang?" Wang Changsheng asked.

They wished to acquire a "Profound" city on the Chaos Continent, preferably one with a Tier 2 mineral vein. This would allow the Wang family to cultivate several more Golden Immortal cultivators; otherwise, relying solely on their sales of mid-grade immortal artifacts and Tier 2 immortal talismans would put immense pressure on them.

"If there are no pressing matters, how about we depart in half a month?" Zhang Yilei inquired.

Wang Changsheng pondered for a moment, then agreed.

Blue Lotus Island was protected by a Tier 2 grand array. Even if Golden Immortal cultivators attacked, it would not be easy to breach the island's defenses. Wang clan members could also use the direct teleportation array to request support from the Qi family's Golden Immortals.

After a brief chat that lasted about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Zhang Yilei took his leave.