Chapter 908: Wang Tianfu

Wang Mingren walked over, a sincere smile on his face, and asked, "Senior Sister Lu, why don't I see Senior Brother Chen?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuhuan's eyes immediately reddened, and she said sadly, "My husband died at the hands of our enemies while trying to save me."

During the attack on Baisha Island, Wang Qingshan fought his way out of the siege. Lu Yuhuan and Chen Yang also managed to break free, but two powerful enemies pursued them. During their magical combat, Chen Yang sacrificed himself to save Lu Yuhuan, dying at the hands of the strong enemy.

Wang Mingren was slightly taken aback, his expression turning a little strange.

First Ximen Feng, and now Chen Yang — both disregarded their cultivation paths for love. Ximen Feng was fortunate enough to survive, but Chen Yang perished completely.

Wang Mingren honestly questioned himself; he knew he couldn't do the same.

The actions of Ximen Feng and Chen Yang struck Wang Mingren as incredible. Was this typical for everyone? Or were they isolated cases? Or perhaps, what he had always believed in was wrong.

"Senior Sister Lu," Wang Mingren began to comfort her, "the dead cannot be brought back to life. Try to be philosophical. If the opportunity arises, we will avenge Senior Brother Chen." He added that once a war starts, even Core Formation cultivators from the Taiyi Immortal Sect can fall.

Lu Yuhuan nodded with a bitter smile. "I hope so! Junior Brother Wang, I have matters to attend to. Let's talk another day."

With that, she and two fellow disciples quickly departed.

Wang Mingren sighed deeply and muttered to himself, "Years of arduous cultivation, achieving Core Formation by sheer luck, only to perish for love! What has this world come to?"

He gave a self-deprecating smile, shook his head, and quickened his pace.

Leaving the market, Wang Mingren transformed into a streak of light and flew towards Baisha Island.

***

Yellow Dragon Island, a secret chamber.

Huang Yuxu lay on the bed, his face pale and his aura weak. True Man Huang Long stood by the bed, his face full of worry.

Huang Yuxu had escaped death by using an evasion talisman, but he had expended too much spiritual power, causing the poison to spread rapidly. He fainted as soon as he returned to Yellow Dragon Island.

"You are too deeply poisoned," True Man Huang Long sighed lightly, "it almost damaged your foundation. Rest and recuperate for a while; focus on getting your body healthy. Don't worry about other matters."

"Understood, Grandfather," Huang Yuxu asked with some concern, "can we repel the attacks from the Taiyi Immortal Sect and the Cold Flame Sect?"

True Man Huang Long nodded. "We should be able to. The Sun and Moon Palace has already sent people to negotiate with the Taiyi Immortal Sect. The Sun and Moon Palace won't stand by and watch Yellow Dragon Island be destroyed. However, this time, I'm afraid we'll have to give up some territory. Otherwise, the Taiyi Immortal Sect won't withdraw their troops easily."

"Give up some territory? Even with the Sun and Moon Palace intervening, can't we reclaim all of our land?"

"Foolish," True Man Huang Long admonished, "do you think the Taiyi Immortal Sect, after making such a big move, will spit out the meat they've already eaten? When the Coral Sea Region began fighting, other forces also took the opportunity to expand their territories. If it weren't for the mediation of the Ten Major Sects of the South Sea, the South Sea cultivation world would probably be in great chaos, giving the demon race an opportunity to exploit. One's arm cannot twist a thigh; when our strength is inferior, we can only endure."

Huang Yuxu nodded. He suddenly thought of Wang Qingshan and said with a gloomy expression, "Wang Qingshan's strength is too great. It's not that I haven't killed sword cultivators before, but this person cannot be left alive. He will absolutely be a major threat to our Yellow Dragon Island in the future."

"He is a disciple of the Carefree Sword Venerable, so it's not easy to openly attack him. We'll have to see. If the opportunity arises, I will personally eliminate him."

As True Man Huang Long spoke these last words, a cold glint flickered in his eyes.

***

Red Moon Sea Region, Azure Carp Market.

Come Immortal Pavilion is a relatively famous and expensive restaurant in Azure Carp Market. Most of its patrons are cultivators of extraordinary background.

In a private room on the third floor, seven men and women dressed in luxurious brocade robes were sipping tea and chatting.

A soft knock suddenly sounded on the door, followed by a robust male voice: "Fellow Daoist Li, I have arrived."

"Fellow Daoist Wang, you are too kind. Please come in quickly."

The door was pushed open, and an elderly man in his early fifties, wearing a green robe adorned with a silver snake emblem, walked in. Two beautiful young women followed behind him.

"Fellow Daoist Sun, Fellow Daoist Chen, you are here too!" the green-robed elder said with an apologetic tone. "I apologize for being late; I had some matters to attend to."

This was Wang Tianfu, a descendant of Wang Changhao. He was a five-spirit root cultivator with extremely poor aptitude. He was born in the Coral Sea Region but grew up in the Red Moon Sea Region.

When Sea Cucumber Island was attacked, he was not on the island and fortunately escaped harm. Later, he was transferred to the Intelligence Hall, but he was lackadaisical in his work, indulged in pleasure, and often idled away his time. After numerous ineffective reprimands, Wang Tianqi transferred him to the Red Moon Sea Region.

When the Wang family first arrived in the Red Moon Sea Region, life was not easy. Wang Tianfu spent his time farming on the island. He was lazy and fond of eating and doing nothing. Relying on the monthly stipend from the family, he didn't starve. Many clan members disliked interacting with him. Wang Qiuhong encouraged clan members to have more children, offering rewards to parents who produced offspring with spiritual roots.

Wang Tianfu and his wives and concubines diligently tried to conceive, and thanks to the annual rewards from the family, they lived a comfortable life.

After the Wang family seized Silver Snake Island, they greatly expanded their influence and significantly increased their strength. The stipends issued to clan members grew, and Wang Tianfu's life improved steadily.

Leveraging the family's influence, Wang Tianfu married several beautiful women. He currently had three wives and fifteen concubines, seventeen sons, and nine daughters – these were only the children with spiritual roots; he had hundreds of children without spiritual roots.

For every child born with spiritual roots, the family would provide a one-time reward of one thousand spirit stones, and then two hundred spirit stones annually to the biological parents. If a child advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage, the biological parents would receive an additional five hundred spirit stones annually. This policy was designed to encourage clan members to have more children and to diligently cultivate their descendants.

Wang Tianfu had four sons and two daughters who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, allowing him to receive an annual stipend of seven thousand spirit stones. Moreover, his twenty-six children would annually offer him a sum of spirit stones as filial piety, along with contributions from his grandchildren. Wang Tianfu didn't have to do anything and had an annual income of at least ten thousand spirit stones.

With his numerous children, Wang Tianfu could collect substantial gifts whenever one married. Given his senior status and the large number of Wang clan members, he would receive so many congratulatory gifts that his hands would ache each time.

Beyond weddings, Wang Tianfu would also grandly celebrate his own birthday, his wives' and concubines' birthdays, and his grandchildren's full-moon ceremonies every year, using these as convenient opportunities to accumulate wealth. Out of consideration for his six Foundation Establishment children, other clan members felt obliged to attend, and naturally, they would bring gifts.

Of course, some clan members privately called Wang Tianfu a good-for-nothing, but Wang Tianfu didn't care. He continued to live as he pleased, accepting gifts without hesitation.

Wang Tianfu understood very well that his comfortable life was primarily due to being born into the Wang family; the stronger the family, the better his treatment.

Tianfu, Tianfu (meaning 'heavenly fortune'), he believed he was born to enjoy good fortune. It was his good destiny to be born into a powerful cultivation family.

Even in his fifties, he was still diligently trying to conceive more children. Having one more child with spiritual roots meant an additional annual stipend, and the family would pay for the child's upbringing anyway.

Once a Wang clan member's spiritual roots were detected, they would be sent to the Lecture Hall to learn basic cultivation knowledge. From that point on, the family would issue a stipend to them and their parents. Upon reaching adulthood, they would be dispatched according to their mastered skills or personal wishes. If they wished to travel, they could apply to the family, which would decide based on the circumstances.

The higher one's cultivation level, the more stipend they received annually, and the greater the responsibilities they had to bear.

Wang Tianfu, who earned ten thousand spirit stones annually without doing anything, was an exception among the Wang clan. Most clan members still had to work for the family to earn their stipends.