Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation-Chapter 58 - 56: Conspiracy

Before long, Ling Qiyue and Tang Qiu Yao came to an agreement.

Ling Changqing didn’t know much about the upper echelons of the Ling Family, so he didn’t join the discussion. Of course, he didn’t much care for it either.

It was only then that Ling Changqing learned that the last batch of Foundation Establishment Pills Ling Qiyue had refined yielded a total of three proper pills.

Only one of them had been put up for auction—the very one Ling Yulu had purchased at a high price.

Tang Qiu Yao had received one but had yet to consume it, and the last one had been used by Ling Qiyue to cultivate another of her trusted subordinates.

Therefore, as long as this new batch of Foundation Establishment Pills was distributed properly, the Ling Family would soon have several more Foundation Establishment Cultivators, effectively doubling their overall strength.

However, for the sake of secrecy, it was obvious they couldn’t hold another internal family auction this time.

Tang Qiu Yao’s suggestion was to summon the chosen Elders for private meetings one by one. After they paid a corresponding price, they could receive a Foundation Establishment Pill and enter seclusion to attempt their breakthrough.

Of course, ascending to the Foundation Establishment Realm required the support of a Second Grade Spirit Vein, and certain other auxiliary resources had to be prepared as well to ensure a high success rate.

Thus, the matter had to be handled with absolute secrecy. Not a single word could be revealed, not even to their closest wives, concubines, or children.

Since their entire future on the path of cultivation was at stake, these chosen Elders would naturally not take the matter lightly. They would surely take every possible measure to maintain secrecy.

"To be on the safe side, why don’t you go and inform them, Junior Brother?" Tang Qiu Yao finally said gently to Ling Changqing.

She hoped that by doing this, she could get Ling Changqing more involved in family affairs and, through subtle influence, increase his sense of belonging to the family.

After all, considering Ling Changqing’s past, he had practically no connection to the inner workings of the Ling Family. Not only had he received no benefits, but he had also lived a rather harsh and difficult life.

Later, thanks to Ling Qiyue’s patronage, an exception was made to make him a member of the family’s Direct Lineage, drastically improving his status and treatment. But that had been a short time ago.

"Alright."

Ling Changqing nodded in agreement. He could more or less guess Tang Qiu Yao’s intentions. Since the matter had no real impact on him, he naturally wouldn’t object.

...

Hundreds of miles away, on Longhuan Island.

Inside the Council Hall, Wu Canglang, the Patriarch of the Wu Family, sat in the main seat. The Cultivators present included the family’s Elders, as well as a few new faces.

They were the leaders of several smaller nearby powers: Zhu Qingfeng, Patriarch of the Zhu Family; Yang Yuan, Patriarch of the Yang Family; Mu Canglong, Patriarch of the Mu Family; and Xiao Yunshan, Sect Leader of the Chiyang Sect. All of them possessed Foundation Establishment Cultivation.

The Zhu and Yang Families each had only one Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the Mu Family had two, and the Chiyang Sect had three.

The Wu Family now had six Foundation Establishment Cultivators, giving them an absolute advantage in strength and making them the natural leader of this small circle.

The territories of these powers were all located in the sea region surrounding Zenxin Island. Thus, it was obvious who the target of this small circle was.

"...Fellow Daoists, I have already told you everything about the Ling Family’s recent situation," Wu Cangyuan said with a warm smile and a soft voice. "They may only have four Foundation Establishment cultivators for now, but their potential for growth is quite terrifying."

"Therefore, for the long-term interests of our families, we must take measures to stop the Ling Family’s continued growth and expansion. Otherwise, they will jeopardize the stability of this sea region. What do you think, Fellow Daoists?"

A silence fell over the hall.

Everyone understood the meaning behind Wu Canglang’s words. The Ling Family had an exceptionally talented Second Rank High grade Alchemist who was also the family’s Clan Patriarch. This was simply too disruptive to the balance of power.

As long as she was around, the difficulty and cost for the Ling Family to acquire high-quality Elixirs would be significantly lower than that of the surrounding powers, which in turn would guarantee the growth rate of their Cultivation.

Over time, the average Cultivation level of the Ling Family’s Cultivators would become significantly higher than that of the powers in the surrounding region.

This was especially true for the collection of materials for and the Refining of Foundation Establishment Pills, where the Ling Family also held an advantage. In a few years, who knew how many Foundation Establishment Cultivators the family would produce?

An even more serious problem was that Ling Qiyue was still quite young. Her potential was far from exhausted, and there was a high probability she would advance even further in the future.

’If a Pseudo Core master—or even a genuine Golden Core Great Cultivator—were to truly emerge in this sea region, all the powers present might as well give up. They could just surrender directly!’

Zhu Qingfeng, the slightly plump Patriarch of the Zhu Family who was dressed in long green robes, glanced at the expressions of the others and spoke up:

"Fellow Daoist Wu is right. That woman from the Ling Family... is indeed a huge problem. As long as she’s around, none of us will be able to sleep soundly at night!"

The cost and time required to train a Second Rank Alchemist were so high that, among these powers, there wasn’t a single Pill Master whose skill could compare to Ling Qiyue’s. They didn’t even have an Early second rank Alchemist.

Xiao Yunshan, the Sect Leader of the Chiyang Sect, was a man in his thirties dressed in scholarly robes. He gently stroked the shimmering Jade Bone Fan in his hand and said leisurely,

"Fellow Daoist Wu, are you suggesting that we combine our forces to pressure the Ling Family into submission? Or even to destroy their entire foundation?"

"That’s right,"

Wu Canglang’s expression was grave. "The Ling Family will sooner or later become a grave threat to all our families. We must destroy them now while we still can. In thirty to fifty years at most, we will all become stepping stones for Zenxin Island’s rise!"

The Cultivators present weren’t particularly surprised by this conclusion. The role a high-level Alchemist could play was, one might say, strategic.

Under normal circumstances, it is incredibly difficult for a mere Foundation Establishment power, with its limited resources, to nurture a Second Rank Alchemist.