Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation-Chapter 74 - 70: Digestion and Integration

Longhuan Island.

In the Inner Garden Flower Hall, a lavish banquet had been laid out. The table was laden with all sorts of Spirit Wine and delicacies, their fragrances filling the air.

Ling Changqing and Ling Qiyue sat facing each other, leisurely savoring the tender and delicious Second Rank Demon Beast Meat as they chatted in soft tones.

"...We arrived just in time," Ling Changqing said. "Most of the Wu Family’s important assets are intact, and their Spirit Vein Cave Mansion wasn’t destroyed. The takeover has been quite smooth."

Longhuan Island and its surrounding satellite islands were now under the effective control of the Ling Family’s Cultivators. Order had even been restored in the mortal cities and towns.

Of course, there were also the four minor powers: the Zhu Family, the Mu Family, the Yang Family, and the Chiyang Sect. Their Cultivators had been all but wiped out in the war, leaving them powerless to resist the Ling Family’s occupation.

Under Ling Qiyue’s arrangements, the Ling Family’s Foundation Establishment Cultivators had been dispatched to preside over the various territories, and the process of absorbing their assets proceeded without a hitch.

Ling Qiyue nodded slightly. "It’s just that the Wu Family’s Mansion Treasury is nearly empty, with very few Cultivation Resources left. It’s the same for the other families."

The war had exhausted what little reserves the Wu Family had left, and they had also accumulated a mountain of external debt, such as what they owed to Hanyue Gate.

"Senior Sister, do we need to bother with the Wu Family’s past debts?" Ling Changqing asked after a moment of thought.

According to past precedent, when one power destroys another, the vanquished party’s outstanding debts are not honored.

However, it depended on the situation. If the creditor was powerful enough, they could still force the new rulers to repay the debt.

The Wu Family had many creditors, but most were not particularly strong powers, with the exception of Hanyue Gate.

The safest approach would be to acknowledge the debt to Hanyue Gate and repay it slowly in installments. The debts to the other minor powers could be ignored.

Ling Qiyue’s tone was dismissive. "We will acknowledge none of it! That includes Hanyue Gate. If they’re not happy about it, they can come and fight us!"

Ling Changqing nodded. "That works too."

Setting aside whether Elder Tianyang would cause trouble, even the upper echelons of Hanyue Gate were likely unhappy to see the Ling Family so easily swallow the Wu Family’s territory. They would probably make a move.

But Ling Qiyue was now a Golden Core Master—or rather, she possessed the combat strength of one. Hanyue Gate only had two Golden Core Masters in total, so they were fundamentally incapable of threatening the Ling Family.

Besides, their main focus for expansion was on the Fuyue Continent. At this stage, it was impossible for them to have the spare capacity to interfere in the Feiyu Sea Region’s affairs.

"After some time, once the situation has completely stabilized, I’m considering moving the Ling Family’s foundation to Longhuan Island," Ling Qiyue continued, taking a small sip of the Spirit Wine Nectar.

Ling Changqing was thoughtful. "That’s a good idea. Zenxin Island’s location is a bit too remote, after all. Longhuan Island is much more suitable."

The Ling Family’s home, Zenxin Island, was located in a relatively remote part of the Feiyu Sea Region, which limited its future potential for growth.

In the past, their limited strength meant they couldn’t even consider it and simply had to make do. Now that they had the means, a change was definitely in order.

Longhuan Island was much larger than Zenxin Island, with a denser population, abundant mineral resources, richer Spiritual Qi, and proximity to the heartland of the Feiyu Sea Region. Its potential for development was clearly much higher.

With Longhuan Island as its new center, the future Ling Family could expand on multiple fronts or retreat to defend itself without worry. Its growth and prosperity were just a matter of time.

Ling Qiyue smiled faintly, her beautiful eyes, which seemed to hold the stars and moon, sizing up the handsome, purple-robed youth across from her as she spoke:

"We captured many members of the Wu Family’s Direct Lineage. Some of the women are quite good-looking. Do you want to pick a few to take back and serve you?"

Ling Changqing shook his head, his expression unchanged. "Not interested. Senior Sister Tang doesn’t need any more attendants."

There were hardly any Female Cultivators left in the Wu Family. Those women were ordinary people without Spirit Root Talent. In Ling Changqing’s eyes, they held no appeal and would only be a nuisance to have around.

Ling Qiyue nodded in satisfaction. She naturally understood his thoughts. ’Still, his Cultivation is limited right now. Some things can’t be rushed. We’ll have to wait until he reaches Foundation Establishment, at least.’

For the next several months, Ling Qiyue remained on Longhuan Island, personally handling all matters big and small in order to consolidate and integrate the newly acquired territory as quickly as possible.

First was the matter of the Wu Family’s Direct Lineage. Whether Cultivators or ordinary people, all were demoted to the status of slaves, with no exceptions.

Next came the inventory and management of their various assets, such as the Spirit Vein Cave Mansion, shops and businesses, Spirit Field Medicinal Gardens, and Pasture Mines.

These assets were the foundation upon which the family’s survival and development depended. Therefore, everything had to be registered and cataloged, and appropriate personnel assigned to get them operational again so they could continuously contribute resources to the family.

The Wu Family’s original Protective Array on Longhuan Island had been repaired, but Ling Qiyue looked down on this relatively ordinary Second Grade Array and was contemplating investing resources to upgrade it.

’Perhaps I could also consider taking another loan from the mysterious organization behind Fu Yin Xue to acquire a genuine Third Grade Array. That would guarantee Longhuan Island’s safety.’

’But such a strategic resource is no small matter; it’s enough to alter the balance of power in an entire region. Even if Fu Yin Xue herself agreed, the organization’s leaders might not be so willing to part with it.’

’So, this can’t be rushed. I’ll have to think about it long-term.’

Meanwhile, the fall of the Wu Family and its allies triggered a significant reaction in the surrounding sea regions.

No one had expected that the Wu Family, who had been highly favored to defeat the Ling Family, would instead be the ones to be annihilated—and so thoroughly that not a single important member managed to escape.

Whether they liked it or not, they now had to face a Ling Family whose power and prestige had soared.

The Female Patriarch, suspected of possessing the strength of a Golden Core Master, was a particular source of sleepless nights for the leaders of all the other powers.

But despite their dissatisfaction, no one dared to voice any objection to the Ling Family’s expansion, lest they be targeted by Ling Qiyue.

「One month later.」

Hanyue Gate sent an Envoy to demand that Ling Qiyue, on behalf of the Ling Family, repay the enormous debt previously owed by the Wu Family.

Furthermore, the Ling Family was required to submit to Hanyue Gate, recognize it as their overlord, and pay a sufficient amount of tribute every year.

Only by doing so would Hanyue Gate tacitly acknowledge the legitimacy of the Ling Family’s annexation of Longhuan Island and its surrounding territories.

These self-important and outrageously arrogant demands instantly enraged Ling Qiyue.

The result was predictable: she had the Hanyue Gate Envoy seized, given a sound beating, and then thrown out.

It was said that the Hanyue Gate leadership was furious and threatened to dispatch the Sect’s elite forces to destroy the Ling Family.

However, after making their harsh threats, they took no further action, much to the disappointment of the many small powers in the vicinity.

But this outcome was also expected. Hanyue Gate truly didn’t have the strength to fight a war on two fronts. If they forced a conflict with the Ling Family, they might find their home base ambushed by the forces on the Fuyue Continent.

「Three more months passed.」

After confirming that Hanyue Gate would not make a move, Ling Qiyue finally gave the order to relocate the Ling Family’s foundation to Longhuan Island and formally establish their roots there.

This time, not only did no one object, but after the relocation was complete, the various minor powers from the surrounding sea regions all sent Envoys with gifts to offer their congratulations.

Of course, their congratulations were just a pretense. The real reason was to sound out the Ling Family’s leadership and determine the clan’s future intentions.

If the Ling Family was not satisfied with its current gains and intended to expand further, these small powers would have no choice but to band together in an alliance for mutual protection.

Fortunately, Ling Qiyue did not make things difficult for them. At the banquet, she clearly announced that for the next several decades, the entire Ling Family would focus on recuperating and building up its strength, and would not threaten the security of the surrounding powers.

This allowed the anxious minor powers to breathe a sigh of relief. Regardless of whether her words could be trusted, at least a decade or so of peace seemed guaranteed.

"...Senior Sister, Hanyue Gate won’t let this go. Once the war on the Fuyue Continent is over, they’ll definitely come looking to save face," Ling Changqing said to the two women in the Alchemy Room.

Dressed in a Bright Yellow Embroidered Phoenix Skirt, the radiant and elegant Tang Qiu Yao smiled.

"What’s there to worry about? They have their hands full trying to deal with the powers on the Fuyue Continent. They won’t be able to spare any attention for at least twenty years."

"That’s true."

Ling Changqing’s view was more or less the same as hers. As long as the Ling Family had about twenty years of peace, Ling Qiyue would have the confidence to take on those two Golden Core Masters.

"Alright, in two more days, let’s head back out to sea and get to work," Ling Qiyue said softly. The Ling Family’s Mansion Treasury was running low on Medicinal Herbs, so they needed to go get some more.

Ling Changqing agreed. "No problem."