Longevity starts with dual cultivation

Chapter 187 The Dilemma of Haoyue Sect
Under Ling Qiyue's order, the entire Ling family acted quickly and entered a state of preparation for war.

The large formation of the family headquarters, the large formation of the market town, and the protective formations of several other important areas were all activated, and double the number of monks were arranged to be on duty.

The family's war resource warehouse was opened, and large quantities of elixirs, talismans, magical weapons and spiritual tools were distributed. Thousands of monks, under the command of the elders, entered various strongholds and stood by.

Xue Qingtan also opened the warehouse of the Chamber of Commerce branch and sold several sets of third-level formations and a large amount of cultivation resources to the Ling family at a reasonable price.

As for the settlement of the payment for the goods, it won't be too late to talk about it after the battle is over. Anyway, with Ling Changqing here, there is no need to worry about losing all the money.

"...We need to send someone to monitor that team now, but if the cultivation level is low, it won't work. It will be easy for the other party to notice us!"

Tang Qiuyao said with a frown.

Ling Zhiqing, who was standing next to her, was about to ask for help, but was stopped by Ling Yulu. She was only at the middle stage of foundation building and was obviously not qualified for the job.

Fu Yinxue stood up silently and said to the girls, "If that's the case, let me go!"

"Then I'll have to trouble you, sister!"

Ling Qiyue nodded and said that it was indeed enough to have a Jindan Zhenren in charge of the surveillance mission.

Ling Changqing pondered and said, "At present, we can confirm that there is no Yuanying Zhenjun in the other party's fleet. Even if there is, they can't take action. Otherwise, they would not be so easy to talk to."

The women had no objection to this. It was precisely because they were not at an advantage in strength and had no assurance of winning that the other party needed to sit down and negotiate.

Moreover, even if there are cultivators at the Jindan and Zhendan levels, there should not be many of them in the opposing team, making it difficult for them to gain much of an advantage over the Ling family.

Since it is a showdown between forces at the same Jindan level, the Ling family has nothing to worry about. With the advantage of geographical location, they are not afraid of the other side at all.

"Husband, you stay here and take charge..."

Ling Qiyue finished her deployment and finally spoke to Ling Changqing.

Because Ling Changqing's cultivation was limited in the past and he played an indispensable special role, Ling Qiyue had always made arrangements like this.

But this time, Ling Changqing refused to do it: "I'd better go out to fight with you. Now my strength is not inferior to that of a True Dan cultivator. I don't need to hide behind and enjoy the good life anymore!"

He has now practiced many medium-grade earth-level skills, and has more than one top-grade spiritual weapon at his disposal, as well as special means of confrontation. If he still doesn't dare to fight, then what's the point of practicing to become an immortal?

Ling Qiyue couldn't help but frowned when she heard this, but after thinking about it, she didn't object after all, but said:

"Okay then, husband, just stay with me."

As long as I am here, it will not be difficult to protect Ling Changqing.

……

In the Tianzhou fleet.

With a gloomy face, Master Li returned to his own ship and rushed into the interior cabin. The anger that had been suppressed for a long time finally erupted.

"Oh!"

He threw a set of exquisite Lingyu tea set to the ground, smashing it to pieces.

"Humph! You are a bunch of shameless bitches. If it weren't for the fact that my ancestor's injuries have not healed, would I need to speak to you in such a nice way?
After all, my Haoyue Sect is a great Nascent Soul Sect. If we ask you for an island to live on, it means we respect you country girls and bumpkins!

Dare you be so ignorant? Then don't blame us Haoyue Sect for killing you and eradicating your Ling family's foundation in Changqingzhou! By then, all male cultivators will be reduced to slaves, and all female cultivators will be sold to brothels..."

He cursed viciously for a full quarter of an hour, and the maids and servants around him were all silent, not daring to make a sound.

After he had finally finished venting his anger, a cunning middle-aged fake alchemy monk came in and asked in a low voice:

"Deputy Sect Leader, what should we do next? Should we invite all the elders to come over and discuss this?"

Master Li frowned and weighed the options, then shook his head:

"Wait a moment, I will make a decision after I report to the Sect Master and the Ancestor!"

"Yes."

The fake Dan monk saluted and stepped aside.

Master Li gave some more instructions before getting up and leaving.

His target was naturally the flagship of the Tianzhou fleet, a huge ship nearly two hundred feet long and beautifully decorated.

On the wide front deck, groups of guards stood in line with swords in hand. All of them had sharp eyes and a strong aura, and wore soft armor that glowed with spiritual light under their dark Taoist robes.

The aura they exuded was at the foundation-building level, and the guards leading them were two fake Dan Zhenren.

After all, it was once a Nascent Soul-level force. Even though it has fallen, it still has this bit of pomp and ceremony.

Zhenren Xili landed on the front deck and showed his token to the leader of the guards before he was allowed to enter the cabin.

In the long and spacious corridor, there was a Foundation Establishment cultivator with cold eyes standing every twenty steps, and their gazes were looking back and forth at Master Xili without any hesitation.

Zhenren Xili's face was tense. He did not react at all to this extremely disrespectful behavior. He just strode towards the sect master's cabin.

These people are all members of the Law Enforcement Hall of Haoyue Sect. They usually disobey anyone's orders except those from the Sect Master, so Master Li can only endure it.

At the heavily guarded door, Master Li once again presented the token representing his identity as the deputy sect leader. The guards went in to report and he was allowed to enter only after obtaining permission.

In a hall that was as luxurious and gorgeous as a palace, a tall and thin middle-aged man in a brocade robe with a horse face sat on a wide throne, with a fierce light flashing in his triangular eyes.

This person is Ma Deqing, the current leader of Haoyue Sect. He has reached the late Jindan stage and is the strongest fighter in the sect.

"Li, what's going on?"

Ma Deqing looked at the dark-faced Master Li and asked in a deep voice:

"Didn't you go to negotiate with the head of the Ling family in Changqingzhou? Did they agree?"

"I'm sorry, Master, the talks have fallen through!"

Master Li spoke in a low voice, giving a brief account of the visit.

Ma Deqing frowned, his face darkened, and the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became cold and solemn.

"That female patriarch is also in the late Jindan stage?"

He frowned and said, "Besides her, are there any other Jindan or Zhendan level cultivators in the Ling family of Changqingzhou?"

"According to what I witnessed with my own eyes, there were two other female cultivators in the early stage of the Golden Core stage present at the time. As for whether there are more powerful Golden Core cultivators hiding, I am not sure."

Master Li reported that what he saw was Xue Qingtan and Meng Feiyu who had just been promoted.

As for Fu Yinxue, she was teaching the female students, so she did not show up.

Ma Deqing narrowed his eyes and said doubtfully:

"There are actually three Jindan Zhenren present? And they are all female? Could it be that the Ling family in Changqingzhou is headed by female cultivators?"

In the vast world of immortal cultivation, this situation is not uncommon. If the family's core skills and manuals are more suitable for female cultivators, the decline of yin is inevitable in the long run.

The male cultivators in the family can only serve as foils and tools for passing on the family line, just like the Liuying family in Yuzhou.

"That should be the case. My subordinates did not see any male Jindan cultivators. Maybe they were not in the family at that time." Master Li said cautiously.

The reason why he went to meet Ling Qiyue in person was not only for negotiation, but also to spy on the strength of this family in order to decide the next response strategy.

If the other party is strong enough, then sit down and talk, and deal with them in a friendly manner in the future.

If one is weak, then naturally one will become the host, occupy the other party's nest, and directly swallow up the other party's foundation.

Ma Deqing hesitated for a moment before slowly saying:
“If the Ling family really only has three or five Jindan Zhenren in charge, we can still deal with them.

But if we really fight, we will also suffer a lot of casualties. The sect has suffered disasters one after another and can no longer afford more losses!"

Master Li pursed his lips and said nothing.

The sect is indeed in an unprecedented period of weakness now. Every living Jindan Zhenren is an invaluable fighting force and we really cannot afford to lose them.

If they really were to go to war, even if they could eventually defeat the Ling family, the losses to the Haoyue Sect would be unbearable, and it would not be worth it no matter how you looked at it.

Outsiders don't know, but Master Li knows it very well. In the Tianzhou fleet, there are eleven True Dan and Golden Dan cultivators who are seriously injured and have not yet recovered, and there are nearly a hundred False Dan and Foundation Establishment cultivators.

They no longer have the ability to take action, and urgently need to find a spiritual cave to live in, and then practice in seclusion for a long time before they have any hope of recovering.

The original plan agreed upon by Ma Deqing and Zhenren Xili was to persuade the top leaders of the Ling family to agree to lease them one or two islands so that the disciples of Haoyue Sect would have a place to stay temporarily.

Once they have gained a firm foothold and these injured elders and disciples have recovered, they will naturally be able to swallow up the Ling family of Changqingzhou in one gulp.

However, the Ling family patriarch's firm refusal left no room for negotiation, leaving Master Xili helpless.

"What do you think we should do?"

After a long while, Ma Deqing asked.

Master Li thought for a moment before speaking softly, "There are two choices. One is to go to war directly, and the other is to give up this place and find a suitable place to settle down and recuperate."

Ma Deqing sighed: "I would like to do that, but it's too late. The injuries of those elders and disciples can't be delayed any longer."

If you can’t find a suitable spiritual vein cave or temple, you won’t be able to recover.

These forces are the last vitality of the sect. Once they are lost, the sect’s revival will be a distant prospect.

Therefore, there is actually only one choice before the Haoyue Sect, but this decision is indeed not easy to make.

After a moment of silence, Ma Deqing finally said:

"You go down and rest first. I will make a decision after I report this matter to the ancestor!"

"Yes, Sect Master."

After paying his respects, Master Li quietly retreated.

After he left, Ma Deqing waved his sleeves, walked towards the black jade screen behind the throne, and disappeared quietly in the hall.

When he appeared again, he was already in a secret hall.

The furnishings in the secret hall were quite simple. There was nothing else except a cyan-gold alchemy furnace with an ancient shape and shrouded in golden light and purple air, standing in the center of the hall.

In front of the alchemy furnace sat a handsome young monk in his early twenties.

However, the aura he emitted was sometimes strong and sometimes weak. Sometimes it was close to the Yuanying Zhenjun realm, and sometimes it was only at the foundation building level. It was extremely unstable.

The young monk's face was distorted, as if he was crying and laughing. Sometimes he seemed extremely angry, but helpless.

"Ancestor?"

Ma Deqing observed for a moment and couldn't help frowning.

It seems that the ancestor who was reborn into another body still cannot control this new body.

But there was nothing that could be done about it. The ancestor's Nascent Soul had been severely damaged during the fight, and his strength had been greatly reduced, so he had been unable to suppress the original owner's soul.

Neither devouring nor expelling can do it.

Moreover, this guy has a bad temper and is stubborn, and no threats or inducements will work.

It’s not that Ma Deqing didn’t think about helping the ancestor, but that guy directly said that if any outsider dared to interfere, he would immediately drag the ancestor’s Nascent Soul and self-destruct, and everyone would be doomed!
"...Liu Chengbin, you are also a senior elder of the sect and have been deeply cultivated by the sect. Can't you sacrifice yourself for the ancestor now?"

After looking for a long time, Ma Deqing finally spoke.

The young monk's face twisted and changed, and a voice full of resentment came out faintly:
"Why don't you choose someone else? Why do you have to sacrifice me? Isn't it because I have an earth-grade spiritual root and I have the hope of becoming a Yuanying Zhenjun in the future?
I am not this old man's direct disciple, and I don't get along with your faction. You don't want to see me flourish, so you set up this trap to plot against me!"

"This is for the overall interests of the sect!"

Ma Deqing said angrily: "As long as the ancestor recovers smoothly, our Haoyue Sect can be revitalized. Since you are a member of the sect, you should..."

"Bullshit situation!"

The voice cursed with gnashing teeth: "You want to take my body and destroy my path? I will fight you to the death!"

Ma Deqing had a sinister look in his eyes. He couldn't help but want to take action several times, but he forced himself to hold back.

Reincarnation by taking over another's body is not as easy as one might imagine.

The main reason is that it is really difficult to find a suitable body. One must have good spiritual roots, the skills practiced cannot conflict with the person who takes over the body, and the original owner of the body must cooperate.

If you don't want to start practicing from scratch, then the other party had better have a certain level of cultivation.

So Liu Chengbin, who had just been promoted to the Golden Core True Person not long ago and had not been very popular, became the target of the seriously injured Yuanying ancestor.

As long as he devours Liu Chengbin's golden elixir and soul as a tonic and successfully integrates it with his body, it will not be a problem for the ancestor to restore 20% to 30% of his strength. Then he can slowly recuperate.

Since the ancestor has given the order, Ma Deqing and other few remaining Jindan Zhenren naturally have to cooperate and set up an elaborate trap to trap Liu Chengbin.

Due to the urgency of time and the need to protect their bodies, they did not dare to use heavy-handed tactics. Therefore, when the old ancestor's broken Nascent Soul escaped into his body, Liu Chengbin's soul still did not lose its ability to resist.

So the next scene happened. Liu Chengbin refused to obey no matter how the old ancestor scolded him or how much promises he made.

Once the ancestor became anxious, Liu Chengbin would threaten to self-destruct his golden elixir soul, leaving the old guy with nothing.

The two sides have been in a stalemate until now. The ancestor's Nascent Soul is on the verge of exhaustion, and he is unable to find a suitable target again.

At this moment, Liu Chengbin's face distorted and changed again, and then an old and tired voice sounded:

"Deqing, is there anything going on outside?"

It seems that the ancestor has temporarily gained the upper hand and suppressed Liu Chengbin's soul.

"Ancestor, it is like this..."

Ma Deqing looked slightly delighted and quickly explained the whole matter.

The old ancestor was silent for a few breaths, and finally said:

"Then let's go to war with them. I am in a dilemma right now! If I can find a suitable body in Changqing Island, it would be the best of both worlds."

(End of this chapter)