Chapter 526: Dividing the Spoils

A month passed quickly.

In a secret chamber in Pingmo City, Wang Changsheng sat cross-legged on a futon. A small blue umbrella floated before him, enveloped in a blue glow. The Xuanyue Umbrella, a high-grade magic artifact, was Wang Changsheng's first step in his plan to refine it into a prototype magic treasure.

A voice transmission talisman flew in. Wang Changsheng tapped it with a magic art, and the talisman ignited, revealing Wang Ruyan's voice: "Husband, Senior Chen has sent for you to attend a meeting."

Wang Changsheng put away the Xuanyue Umbrella and stepped out.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, Wang Changsheng arrived at the deliberation hall. All the dispatched Core Formation cultivators had returned, each with a different expression, but Chen Yuhua had not yet arrived.

"Fellow Daoist Li, what happened?" Wang Changsheng sent a voice transmission to Li Qingshan.

"The four sects of Qin have withdrawn from the Qin Country, relinquishing their territories. This is a spoils distribution meeting. Fellow Daoist Wang, you assisted Fairy Zhao in slaying the leader of the Hundred Ghosts Sect and conquering their stronghold; your contributions are significant. We must secure a larger share of the territory."

Qin Country, with its vast area of twenty-three states, was divided among six major groups, which in turn consisted of multiple smaller factions. Tong Tianqi's death in battle, along with Wang Changsheng and three other Core Formation cultivators conquering the Hundred Ghosts Sect's main stronghold, constituted an undeniable achievement.

Soon after, Chen Yuhua entered, a faint smile on her face.

"Greetings, Senior Chen." Wang Changsheng and the others rose to their feet and bowed.

Chen Yuhua waved a hand and smiled, "Thanks to everyone's concerted efforts, we have finally secured the Qin Country. As I stated before the war, those who excelled would be granted a larger share of territory. Now, we shall distribute rewards according to merits."

Everyone present readily agreed with Chen Yuhua's words. After such prolonged effort, it was finally time to divide the spoils, and naturally, everyone hoped to receive a larger share.

Chen Yuhua proved to be fair in her dealings. The five, including Wang Changsheng, attacked the Hundred Ghosts Sect. Although Tong Tianqi fell in battle, they successfully captured the sect, earning great merit. Wang Changsheng and Zhao Yunrong, in particular, distinguished themselves by slaying Chen Yifeng, thereby indirectly assisting Zhao Yunxiao and Liu Ping in breaking the array.

Zhao Yunrong represented the Sword Palace, which, with its three Core Formation cultivators, was granted two states. The Wang Family, having only one Core Formation cultivator, saw Wang Changsheng awarded four counties. The Beast Taming Sect, represented by Tong Tianqi, received three counties. Other sects also acquired substantial territory, with a minimum of two counties each. However, the Hundred Flowers Sect gained the most, securing four states along with three small metal mines.

With their shares secured, broad smiles spread across everyone's faces.

"Qin Country is merely the first target. Their withdrawal does not signify the end of the war. We will continue our assault on the devil cultivators. As I said before, those who accrue greater merit will receive greater rewards."

Li Qingshan frowned, then, after a slight hesitation, cautiously stated, "Senior Chen, six Core Formation cultivators have already fallen. If we continue the fighting, and the Seven Great Immortal Sects hold us accountable, it would be difficult to explain." In the righteous-demonic war decades ago, the Seven Great Immortal Sects intervened and called a halt after only five Core Formation cultivators had been killed or injured.

"Indeed. The upcoming battles will primarily involve Foundation Establishment cultivators. Core Formation cultivators should refrain from dealing fatal blows, stopping short of killing. With our current military might, the surrounding nations are no match for us. Moreover, we are acting on behalf of justice."

Chen Yuhua's words garnered approval from many Core Formation cultivators. Wang Changsheng was quite content with the four counties he had been awarded and had no desire to continue fighting. However, seeing the high morale of the others, he naturally chose not to dampen their spirits.

After securing the Qin Country, their existing forces proved insufficient. All factions would need to dispatch additional personnel, a task that could not be accomplished quickly.

After the meeting concluded, Wang Changsheng invited Li Qingshan to his residence. Following a brief exchange of pleasantries, Wang Changsheng explained the purpose of his invitation.

"Fellow Daoist Li, I wish to exchange spiritual lands with your Huangsheng Palace. What do you think?"

The Huangsheng Palace boasted three Core Formation cultivators, with Li Haifeng already at the ninth layer. Although Li Qingshan did not participate in the recent battle, he still secured a state's worth of territory, demonstrating the advantage of sheer power. With the Chu Country situated between Qin and Wei, the distance was too vast. Even with the establishment of a medium-sized teleportation array, the Wang Family's current strength was insufficient to control such extensive territory. Spreading military forces too thinly would leave them vulnerable to being divided and annihilated. Guangdong Ren had not yet emerged from his seclusion; otherwise, Wang Changsheng could have pursued an exchange with the Hundred Spirits Sect.

Li Qingshan narrowed his eyes and asked, "How do you propose to exchange, Fellow Daoist Wang? Tell me your terms."

"In this recent conflict, our Wang Family was allotted four counties. What if we exchanged them for four counties in Yunzhou?"

Li Qingshan shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. "The resources have been thoroughly plundered, and it's uncertain if Qin Country will reclaim them in a few years. The risk is too high. We can only exchange for two counties." He had cornered Wang Changsheng. The territories they had been granted still contained numerous cultivators, and the Wang Family's limited strength meant they could barely defend one county, let alone four. With Qin Country in disarray, and killings and plundering common, controlling newly acquired territory without substantial power was impossible. It was fortunate that Guangdong Ren was unavailable; otherwise, the Huangsheng Palace wouldn't have been able to secure such a favorable deal.

Even if a single county possessed only one second-order spirit vein, four counties would mean eight. Deploying eight second-order formations, with each spirit vein requiring at least two Foundation Establishment cultivators for guardianship, still wouldn't guarantee security. While establishing teleportation arrays would facilitate support, the cost would be prohibitive. The Wang Family needed to assign personnel to guard Qinglian Mountain Villa while also participating in the ongoing conflict, leaving them with insufficient manpower.

Wang Changsheng had prepared himself for a loss, but Li Qingshan's aggressive bargaining was unacceptable. After a round of negotiations, the Huangsheng Palace exchanged two and a half counties for the four counties the Wang Family had acquired, securing a significant advantage. Those four counties were not far from the Chu Country. Even if the demonic path launched a counterattack in the future, those four counties would remain under the Huangsheng Palace's control unless the entire Qin Country was reclaimed.

The Wang Family incurred a considerable loss, receiving two and a half counties in Yunzhou. Since Ningzhou bordered Yunzhou, a small teleportation array could be established to connect their territories into a contiguous line.

After reaching an agreement, Li Qingshan personally drafted a written acknowledgment for Wang Changsheng, who then urged him to arrange for his disciples to manage the handover as soon as possible.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, rest assured. I will immediately send a message to my disciples. Please also send your people to Yunzhou to coordinate the handover with our Huangsheng Palace disciples."

"Very well, it's a deal."

After seeing off Li Qingshan, Wang Changsheng summoned Wang Ruyan and briefly explained the details of the spiritual land exchange.

"Wife, please take a few people and return to Wei Country. Have Qingjun oversee the spiritual land exchange. Since we don't know when this war will end, I want you to remain within the clan for secluded cultivation; there's no need for you to return to the front lines." Had the Wang Family possessed two Core Formation cultivators, they could have secured greater gains this time and wouldn't have needed to trade four counties for two and a half.

"Alright, Husband. Qingjing's combat experience isn't extensive, so please look after her carefully."

"Of course. Wife, please depart as soon as possible!"

Wang Ruyan agreed, then rose and departed.