Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 579 Changning City

Luo Wanlin only provided eight Fire-Scaled Steeds, and even then, he was only offering them as a loan to the alliance, which naturally displeased Li Xiangming.

However, he did not use this as an excuse to make a fuss.

After all, what he wanted was one or two hundred, or even more, Fire-Scaled Steeds.

It would be impossible for Luo Wanlin to agree to this amount without real money.

The alliance is currently short of funds, and his mention of the Fire Kirin Steed was more of a test of the Luo family's attitude.

The matriarch of the Xu family was even more dissatisfied than Li Xiangming!
Even with the message from the Fire-Scaled Steed, she still insisted on setting up the alliance headquarters at Gushe Ridge.

But her opinion alone doesn't count!

Luo Wanlin and Xie Jun took a hard line.

Qiu Changzhang, who was on good terms with the Xu family, remained silent at this moment.

The old woman stared intently at the three men, especially at Qiu Changzhang, for a moment before finally letting out a long sigh and agreeing to relocate the Alliance headquarters and the Demon Suppression Camp.

"Changning City?"

But to everyone's surprise, Li Xiangming did not set up his headquarters in Danggui Mountain, but instead chose Changning City, which was completely unknown to anyone present.

"May I ask, Alliance Leader, what kind of place is Changning City, and what advantages does it have?"

Xie Jun immediately asked.

Li Xiangming unfolded a map of Pudong and replied, "Changning City is a city built by my Li family south of Dangui Mountain, nestled among the mountains, so few people have heard of it. Fellow Daoist Xie just mentioned that Dangui Mountain is located in the center of Pudong and can quickly support allies in all directions. But if we ignore Dai Mountain, Changning City is the center of Pudong! There is also a second-tier defensive formation set up by my Li family here, so safety is not a problem."

Upon hearing this, everyone hurriedly gathered around to see what was happening.

However, the picture only shows a simple city marker, which doesn't reveal anything.

Xie Jun and Luo Wanlin exchanged a glance, their expressions somewhat hesitant.

Compared to Danggui Mountain, Changning City is several hundred miles away from Lingwu Gate and the Luo family.

Moreover, no matter how good the defensive formation of Changning City is, can it be as safe as Danggui Mountain?

Just as the two were about to raise their objections, Qiu Changzhang spoke up first: "Since the Alliance Leader thinks Changning City is suitable, then let's go and take a look. I think the fellow practitioners will not refuse."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jun and Luo Wanlin had no choice but to remain silent.

Li Xiangming then looked at Madam Xu.

The old woman closed her eyes slightly, clearly still angry.

Li Xiangming decided not to ask any questions and made a decision: "Then we will meet in Changning City. If everyone thinks it is suitable, we will set up the headquarters in Changning City."

The alliance meeting thus came to a close.

After everyone parted ways, Luo Wanlin and Xie Jun needed to return to the Luo family and Lingwu Sect to report the situation. Madam Xu, on the other hand, needed some time to comfort the Xu family members who had just fought fiercely against the beast tide.

In the end, only Qiu Changzhang went to Changning City with Li Xiangming.

The two traveled in the Green Cloud Flying Boat, which was quite convenient.

They arrived in just two hours.

Pudong covers a vast area, stretching over 5,000 li from the northern part of Daishan to the southern end of Meiling.

However, the locations of Daishan and Meiling are somewhat delicate.

When the Li family discussed Pudong, they often classified Daishan as northeast of Puxian County, while placing Meiling in the southeast. In this way, the Li family was the undisputed hegemon of Pudong.

In the new definition of Pudong, Qianmu Ridge is located right in the center.

Unfortunately, the two spiritual veins, Danggui Mountain and Meiling, seem to have divided up all of Pudong's fortune. Qianmu Ridge not only lacks a spiritual vein, but also lacks secondary spiritual sites such as spiritual pools and springs.

Even so, Qianmu Ridge is still very valuable!
According to Li Xiangming's "three lines of defense theory", the Li family regarded the Geng family of Meiling as the first line of defense against the Qin family's invasion.

They regarded the Huang family of Jinqianling, the Chen family of Baolong Valley, and the Chi family of Xiaolang Valley, among other vassal forces in the south, as the second line of defense.

The location of Qianmu Ridge precisely cuts Danggui Mountain and Xiaolang Valley in two.

Therefore, the Li family regarded Qianmu Ridge as the core hub of the third line of defense and appointed Li Chengkang to oversee the construction of Changning City within the ridge. Once completed, this city would not only extend the third line of defense horizontally but also allow Danggui Mountain to connect all the defense lines at the fastest speed, achieving the goal of rapid support to the front lines.

But plans can't keep up with changes!

The Qin family's sudden attack led to the Li family being drawn into the war prematurely.

As a senior member of the family, Li Chengkang, along with Li Chenggeng who was stationed at the second line of defense, rushed to the Yunhuang Mine to fight against the Qin family cultivators.

The construction progress of Changning City inevitably fell behind schedule.

Standing on the hillside, Li Xiangming gazed at the city shrouded in mist below, feeling a surge of emotion.

His plan for Monkey Valley was also very comprehensive.

However, the sudden beast tide crisis destroyed his empire, which he had spent ten years building, overnight.

In Puxian County, maintaining the status quo is not an option. We must be proactive and, more importantly, know how to assess the situation and adapt accordingly.

Otherwise, they will only be constantly squeezed by external factors and will eventually be unable to escape the fate of decline.

Who is lingering here?

Suddenly, a loud shout came from afar.

Li Xiangming glanced sideways. The newcomer was in his early thirties, tall and thin, looking frail but with a strong voice. Seeing that he did not move, he continued to shout, "Qianmu Ridge is private property. I hope you two fellow Daoists will leave quickly."

Li Xiangming noticed that the style of the other person's robes looked somewhat familiar, and quickly asked, "Are you a fellow Daoist from Pangjiabao?"

"You know about our Pangjiabao?"

The tall, thin man was startled and was about to reply.

A voice came from afar, tinged with impatience: "Hey, Little Jiang, can you stop holding me back? I'm busy repairing the formation in the north of the city."

The voice grew louder as it approached, and a young girl in a pale yellow dress emerged quickly from the woods, annoyed. "This mere outer formation has already wasted half a year! How long will it take for the inner formation to finish? Can't you be a little more attentive?"

She stopped mid-sentence and stared blankly at Li Xiangming.

The tall, thin man, oblivious to what was happening, immediately stepped in front of her, his gaze cautiously fixed on Li Xiangming and the other man. He then whispered, "Miss Ding, you should return to the city first. I'll find you after I've dealt with things here."

"Step aside!"

Ding Xia shoved him aside, strode up to Li Xiangming, circled him twice, and clicked her tongue, saying, "Oh, isn't this the elusive Master Li? He's been faking his death and then coming back to life, and finally he's deigned to show himself?"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Li Xiangming's face.

During his disappearance, rumors inevitably circulated within the Li family.

Unexpectedly, these rumors reached Changning City and even reached Ding Xia's ears.

"Miss Ding, it's been a long time."

Li Xiangming bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

"how long?"

Ding Xia suddenly asked.

Li Xiangming was taken aback, unsure how to respond.

It seems that the two haven't seen each other since he last went to Changyang Valley to ask Ding Xia to set up a formation for the Li family.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Ding Xia pushed him away with both hands.

Caught off guard, Li Xiangming staggered back a few steps, nearly falling.

Once he regained his balance, all he could see was Ding Xia's receding figure.

"Miss Ding, wait!"

The tall, thin man immediately became anxious and quickly chased after him.

Qiu Changzhang stroked his beard and said meaningfully, "Alliance Leader Li is indeed a handsome and dashing young man! But the beauty is angry, why don't you hurry up and go after her to apologize?"

(End of this chapter)