Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation-Chapter 87 - 82: Returning Fully Loaded

The three of them moved quickly. In less than four hours, all their Storage Magical Artifacts were filled to the brim.

"Alright, let’s get out of here!"

Ling Changqing wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. The rate at which his Luck and Fortune were being depleted was accelerating. ’If I stay any longer, I won’t be able to hold on.’

Ling Qiyue nodded. She wrapped a jade-like arm around the handsome, purple-robed young man beside her and, along with Tang Qiu Yao, shot up toward the sea’s surface. In the blink of an eye, they were over a hundred zhang away.

Behind them, a giant, octopus-like Sea Beast suddenly appeared. As its long tentacles writhed, large chunks of mountain rock shattered and crumbled.

It stared coldly in the direction the trio had fled, letting out a series of deep, muffled roars from its massive maw. The sound terrified the other ferocious creatures in the surrounding waters, causing them to flee.

In just a few moments, the three had returned to a depth of about ten zhang from the surface.

Tang Qiu Yao once again released the Flying Ship disguised as a sea fish, and the three of them entered.

"Rest now, Little Junior Brother. We’re safe."

Inside the cabin, seeing Ling Changqing’s slightly pale face, Ling Qiyue took out an Elixir and personally fed it to him, her voice soft.

Ling Changqing nodded. After taking the Elixir, he lay in Ling Qiyue’s arms and began to quietly regulate his breathing.

The several large-capacity Storage Pouches he had prepared were all filled with Spirit Stone Raw Ore. This would be enough to last for a long time once he returned.

"...This guy is really getting more and more capable!"

Tang Qiu Yao said to Ling Qiyue with a beaming smile, all while piloting the Flying Ship.

"Mhm, we’ll let him work hard from now on!"

A radiant smile appeared on Ling Qiyue’s fair, jade-like face. The haul from this trip into the sea was greater than any they had ever had before.

With Ling Changqing around, whenever the family’s financial situation looked grim, they could just come down here to swoop in and grab a batch of Spirit Stones to get them through.

"Senior Sister, how are you planning to spend this haul?"

Tang Qiu Yao asked. The Ling Family was currently preparing to vigorously train its new members, a time when resources were desperately needed in all aspects.

Ling Qiyue pondered for a moment. "We can probably pay off a portion of our debts first. The rest will be used for the various expenses of training new members."

The Ling Family, of course, had outstanding debts, and the amount was not small.

Not to mention anything else, just the cost of the Third Grade Array that the Xingyun sun Commerce Association had recently helped them set up was enough to keep the Ling Family in debt for many years.

Of course, there was no rush to pay off this new debt, lest they arouse the suspicions of the Xingyun sun Commerce Association. Paying off a portion of their old debts first would effectively alleviate the family’s financial pressure.

As for the Spirit Stone Raw Ore that Ling Changqing had brought back, according to their prior agreement, it was all his private property. The two women certainly wouldn’t have any other ideas about it.

"I wonder what the Mu Family is up to right now,"

Tang Qiu Yao said with a faint, cold smile. "They’re probably waiting for us to take the bait. They might have even arranged for people to lie in wait in that sea region, ready to ambush us."

Ling Qiyue’s eyes were icy. "We don’t need to bother with them for now. When our family is strong enough in the future, the day will naturally come to settle the score."

Currently, the Mu Family was on roughly the same level as the Ling Family in terms of the number of Golden Core Masters and Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

However, the Mu Family still held a significant advantage in terms of territory, resources, and the number of Qi Refining Stage Cultivators.

That was why Ling Qiyue didn’t want to tear off all pretenses of peace too early. Instead, she planned to first cultivate the Ling Family’s new members while also distributing more Cultivation Resources to the existing Qi Refining Stage disciples, allowing them to grow up as quickly as possible.

When the Ling Family became strong enough in the future, they could choose to go to war and swallow the Mu Family’s entire foundation in one fell swoop.

Besides, at the Mu Family’s current rate of development, they would never be able to catch up to the Ling Family. Time was undoubtedly on Ling Qiyue’s side.

A few days later, Ling Qiyue and the other two returned to Longhuan Island on their Flying Ship without any trouble.

Since she had publicly claimed to be in seclusion for Alchemy, even the high-ranking Elders were kept in the dark, to say nothing of the hidden spies and informants.

After Ling Changqing woke up, he once again chose to enter Cultivation in Seclusion to recover his severely depleted Luck and Fortune.

Meanwhile, Ling Qiyue and Tang Qiu Yao continued to handle family affairs. With no shortage of resources, many matters became swift and smooth. It was unlike other Foundation Establishment powers, who had to budget carefully for everything and were constantly short on funds.

***

「Wilderness Islands, Mu Family Headquarters.」

In a magnificent and elegant Inner Study, bathed in a faint Spiritual Light, Patriarch Mu Yesheng leaned back in his chair, his expression calm as he listened to the Elders’ reports.

The Patriarch was in high spirits. Not long ago, with the help of the Xingyun sun Commerce Association, he had successfully broken through to the Core Formation Realm, becoming an enviable Golden Core Master.

Stepping into the Golden Core Realm meant one’s Lifespan could reach over five hundred years. Not only did one’s Divine Magical Power increase dramatically, but there was also the possibility of advancing further to the Nascent Soul Realm in the future.

More importantly, the Mu Family’s overall strength had undergone a qualitative change, and they now had a real hope of unifying the entire Feiyu Sea Region.

If the Ling Family’s Female Patriarch hadn’t beaten him to it and achieved the Golden Core Master Realm, the Mu Family would already consider the Feiyu Sea Region to be in the palm of their hand.

"...Mu Shun, is there still no movement over at Desolate Spirit Island?"

After a moment, Mu Yesheng suddenly asked.

The young, handsome Foundation Establishment Cultivator with ruby lips and pearly teeth, seated below, rose and responded:

"Father, according to the informant we left there, the sea around the undersea mineral deposit is very calm. There have been no signs of any Deep Sea beasts rampaging, so it seems the Ling Family still hasn’t made a move."

"..."

Mu Yesheng frowned slightly and snorted. "The Ling Family’s upper echelon is quite cunning. However, I refuse to believe they won’t be tempted by such a massive prize."

Elder Mu Qinning smiled. "Patriarch, please be patient. The Ling Family is biding their time because they are surely still hesitant and observing. Sooner or later, they will fall into our trap."

After that Jade Scroll was delivered to the Ling Family Patriarch, the Mu Family had already set up a secret base on Desolate Spirit Island—the area where the undersea mineral deposit was located—and arranged for elite personnel to monitor and wait day and night.

As soon as any Ling Family Cultivators were spotted investigating the undersea deposit, they were to report to the Mu Family’s upper echelon immediately. The subsequent ambush plan, personally overseen by Mu Yesheng, would then be activated.

If everything went according to plan, the Female Patriarch would be besieged by numerous ferocious beasts underwater. Even if she didn’t die, she would be severely injured.

When she finally managed to escape to the surface and tried to flee back to Longhuan Island, the Mu Family’s ambush force could seize the opportunity to finish her off.

After losing their only Golden Core Master, the Ling Family would become completely vulnerable and would soon be annihilated by the Mu Family.

At that point, no other power in the Feiyu Sea Region would be able to stand in the way of the Mu Family’s expansion.

Mu Yesheng pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Then we’ll wait a little longer. Let’s not provoke the Ling Family for now. We’ll act after this most crucial matter comes to a conclusion!"

As long as nothing happened to Ling Qiyue, the Mu Family’s upper echelon wouldn’t dare to act rashly.

Others might not know, but Mu Yesheng knew full well that his attainment of the Golden Core Realm was somewhat forced. Strictly speaking, he had only reached the relatively powerful True Pill Level.

Pseudo Core, True Pill, and Golden Core—the development potential of these three realms was completely different.

The Lifespan and combat power of the True Pill Level were close to that of a Golden Core Master, but the chances of breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm were not high, unless one had some other fortuitous encounter.

Mu Yesheng didn’t know the quality of the Golden Core Ling Qiyue had formed, but it was certainly much better than his own. After all, she was incredibly young—not even as old as his own daughters. Her future potential was easy to imagine.

Given a choice, he was truly unwilling to confront Ling Qiyue head-on, lest his ship capsize completely.