I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

A week later, in the conference room of the comprehensive area, a jade slip was transmitted back from the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox territory where Wan Yue was located.

When Lin Che received the jade slip from Lin Xuanqi, his fingertips touched the lingering warmth of the jade surface, and the spiritual light had not yet completely extinguished.

Unfold the jade slip, inject your divine sense, and Wan Yue's voice will immediately resound in your sea of ​​consciousness. It will still be that cool and steady tone, with her usual composure and sense of propriety.

"Lin Zhenjun, I have found out who owns the other two secret realms. The Fallen Soul Mountain Range is controlled by the Crimson Serpent Venerable, while the Iron Spine Mountain Range belongs to the Azure Phoenix Venerable."

Both Venerable Ones are aware that you sent people to investigate the secret realm.

In response, Venerable Chilian took a firm stance, believing that the legacy of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect should be inherited by the demon beasts, and that the human race should not interfere.

The Azure Phoenix Venerable's attitude was much gentler; she indicated a willingness to talk, but the conditions she offered would likely be quite high.

The jade slip was accompanied by a brief note at the end, which recorded the conduct of the two venerable ones.

After reading it, Lin Che did not speak immediately. He placed the jade slip on the table and lingered for a moment in the twilight outside the window.

Lin Xuanqi sat opposite him, holding a copy of the jade slip in his hand, reading it line by line.

After a moment, Lin Xuanqi put down the jade slip: "The attitude of Venerable Chilian is as expected. You can tell from the actions of the Burning Sky Crimson Ape back then. On the contrary, it is somewhat unexpected that Venerable Qingluan is willing to talk." He paused and added, "However, since she is willing to talk, it means that she has seen the value of cooperation. Offering even higher conditions is better than completely refusing to talk."

"Then let's talk about it first." Lin Che put the jade slip into his sleeve, stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the outline of the mountains in the west that were gradually sinking into the horizon in the twilight. "Let's put aside the matter of Venerable Chilian for now, and first establish contact with Venerable Qingluan to see what she wants. If her conditions are within the Lin family's tolerance, then we'll settle on them. As long as we can persuade Venerable Qingluan, Venerable Qingluan will handle things on Venerable Chilian's side."

Lin Xuanqi wrote it down on the paper, the pen tip making a continuous rustling sound as it moved across the paper: "The distance from the Iron Ridge Mountains to Chuyang City is about 14,000 li, and it involves crossing the territories of various demon emperors, which is too far and uncertain."

I suggest sending the preliminary plan via a communication jade slip first to test the other party's bottom line. If they agree to a face-to-face meeting, then we can consider sending someone over.

The initial proposed solutions could include how profits would be distributed upon entering the secret realm, the priority order for resource exploration, and the risk-sharing ratio for each party.

Lin Che nodded: "Let's go in this direction. Let's draft a plan first, without going into too much detail, leaving room for the other party to make adjustments."

Lin Xuanqi put down his pen. The words on the paper reflected a slightly damp light under the lamp. His gaze lingered on the words for a moment before he looked up again: "If the Azure Phoenix Venerable responds positively after the proposal is submitted, I suggest that Xin Qing go to the Iron Spine Mountains. He is most familiar with exploring unfamiliar territories and can make corresponding decisions on behalf of the Lin family."

"Alright, let Xinqing lead the team. Select a few clansmen familiar with the habits of demonic beasts to accompany them, and bring a few items that demonstrate the Lin family's sincerity. You can arrange the details." Lin Che turned around. "There's one more thing: where is the Fang family's force now?"

Lin Xuanqi opened another stack of documents, his finger tracing the route map on the paper: "The latest intelligence indicates that they have crossed a pass about three hundred miles west of Green Water Gorge, at a slightly slower pace than expected, seemingly intentionally slowing their march. If it were simply reinforcements, they should have passed through that area as quickly as possible. Judging from their current speed, it's more like a gesture of continuous presence."

Lin Che stood by the window for a while: "Then continue to keep an eye on them, stay alert, but don't take any concrete action. Since they're demonstrating their presence, let them do so. We just need to let them know that we've spotted them."

…………

Over the next few months, the Lin family's plans progressed simultaneously on three fronts.

On the naval front, Lin Xinyou returned to the coastal area with the personnel and supplies allocated by Lin Xuanqi.

The first batch of thirty-seven cultivators recruited from fishing villages on islands near the South China Sea were mostly at the early Foundation Establishment stage or the Qi Refining Perfection stage.

Their knowledge of the South China Sea and nearby islands far exceeds what is marked on any map.

The familiar routes, undercurrents, and tidal patterns—these details were recorded, organized, and incorporated into Lin Xinyou's nautical charts.

The blank space north of the original dark blue area is being slowly filled with new dotted lines, labels, and annotations.

Three medium-sized spirit boats departed from the port of Qingmen City and sailed south along the near-shore line, stopping at each marked island and reef to record data on seawater depth, current direction, and distribution of spirit plants, transforming those locations that were once just lines on paper into coordinates that had been surveyed on the ground.

Fang's troops eventually stopped in a valley about 500 miles west of Green Water Gorge, neither advancing further nor withdrawing.

Eight thousand men were stationed in the valley, maintaining the camp's operation and patrols at a fixed frequency, like a mark pinned to a map, neither advancing nor retreating.

After confirming the other party's intentions, the Lin family's scouts maintained continuous surveillance from three directions.

Lin Xinqing dispatched three hundred scouts from the South Camp, dividing them into groups of fifty, and set up six observation posts around the perimeter of the Fang family's garrison. They rotated every two hours to ensure that any movement by the enemy would be reported back to the South Camp immediately.

The Fang family troops did not interfere with the scouts' surveillance operations, and the two sides maintained a silent, non-interference stance during that standoff.

The most important progress came from the initial contact with Venerable Qingluan.

Lin Xuanqi's proposed plan received a reply from the other party in the second month after being relayed through Wan Yue.

The Azure Phoenix Venerable's attitude was more positive than expected. In her reply, she expressed "basic approval" of the cooperation framework proposed by the Lin family, but put forward two conditions.

First, they must have autonomy once they enter the secret realm;

Second, if there are items related to the fifth realm or above, they should be allocated according to demand.

"Is this some kind of dungeon raid? And they allocate loot based on demand?" Lin Che couldn't help but think to himself.

However, these two conditions are not too demanding and are within the Lin family's acceptable range.

After a moment's thought, he sent a message to Wanyue: "Both conditions are basically acceptable, but we need to negotiate what each of us needs. We also need her to negotiate with Venerable Chilian."

The reply arrived four days later, and Venerable Qingluan agreed to a meeting at a mountain platform called "Qingya Ping" on the southern slope of the Iron Ridge Mountains.

The platform was located in an open valley in the southern section of the Iron Ridge Mountains, surrounded by low hills, offering a wide field of vision that would facilitate vigilance and observation for both sides. The meeting was scheduled for two weeks later.

Upon receiving the news, Lin Xuanqi immediately arranged Lin Xinqing's departure itinerary.

The journey from Chuyang City to Qingyaping takes about ten days by the time the spirit beasts fly. He set off on the morning of the fifth day with three accompanying clansmen and a formation master.

Before setting off, Lin Xuanqi handed the jade slip containing the cooperation plan to Lin Xinqing and added, "If the conditions proposed by the other party exceed our expectations, you can make a decision on the spot, but the excess must be negotiated before it can be finalized."

Lin Xinqing nodded and took the jade slip, then climbed onto the back of the Azure Cloud Eagle. His figure quickly transformed into a distant blue dot in the morning light, merging with the clouds and disappearing at the edge of the southwest horizon.

…………

Qingya Ping is located in an open valley on the southern slope of the Tieji Mountain Range. It is surrounded by hills on three sides, and faces a gently sloping hill to the south. At the end of the hill is a shallow stream, whose water glistens like scattered silver in the morning light.

Lin Xinqing arrived half a day earlier than the agreed time.

When he arrived, the valley was deserted, with only the constant rustling of the wind through the low bushes on the hills.

Out of habit, he walked around the platform, taking in the surrounding terrain one by one.

The hills are about 30 to 50 zhang high, with gentle slopes and no prominent positions that could be used as ambush points. They offer a wide field of vision, from which one can see all the movements within a three-mile radius.

He sat down on a smooth stone in the center of the platform, placed the jade slip on his lap, and waited quietly without unfolding it.

Half a day later, a slender blue figure appeared on the southern horizon.

It was a blue phoenix with a wingspan of about six zhang. Its feathers shimmered in the sunlight with a luster between jade and glass. Each flap of its wings left a very faint blue light trail behind it, like an elongated brushstroke slowly dissipating in the air.

It circled once above Qingyaping, then calmly folded its wings and landed.

Upon landing, the layer of blue light faded from its body like water, transforming into a figure dressed in a blue-green robe.

This woman, who appeared to be in her early thirties after her transformation, had delicate features and a calm demeanor.

She stood at the edge of the platform, not in a hurry to move forward. She glanced at Lin Xinqing from about twenty paces away, then nodded slightly. The movement was small, but it carried a sense of self-restraint: "Are you from the Lin family?"

"Lin Xinqing has come for talks on the orders of the family head." He did not get up, but simply picked up the jade slip from his lap, placed his hands on his lap, and met her gaze steadily.

"Biyu." She gave her name, without any extra titles or embellishments, as if the name itself was enough to explain everything.

She took a few steps forward and sat down on a flat stone on the other side of the platform: "The Azure Phoenix Venerable asked me to convey a message that the cooperation will be led by your Lin family. The Venerable only needs the resources within that ultimate inheritance, the fifth-tier resources she can use, and nothing else."

Before Lin Xinqing could respond, a deep voice came from the hills on the other side of the platform.

"What, you're all already eagerly discussing how to divide it up?"

Lin Xinqing and Bi Yu turned their heads at the same time.

A crimson figure was walking down the southern slope of the hill, his pace unhurried and steady, each step making a uniform sound as his boots pressed against the gravel.

This was a tall man with a angular face and a thin, reddish line between his eyebrows, like an old scar left by a flame.

He wore a dark red, narrow-sleeved robe with fine scale patterns embroidered along the cuffs. As he moved his arms, the scale patterns briefly shimmered with a dark golden reflection in the light.

Clearly, although this person has taken human form, the transformation is incomplete, retaining many of the features of a demon beast.

He walked to the edge of the platform, but did not sit down. He just stood there, his gaze sweeping from Lin Xinqing to Bi Yu, and then back to Lin Xinqing. A faint smile played on his lips, a smile that was hard to tell whether it was a smile or a mockery.

"Red Scale." Bi Yu didn't get up, but just turned her head slightly to look at the figure. "I didn't say you would come before I came."

"Your Excellency, let me see the true quality of this cooperation." Chi Lin stood at the edge of the platform, arms crossed, his gaze fixed on Lin Xinqing with a scrutinizing look, as if he were examining an object.

"Biyu, you have the leisure to sit down and chat slowly, but I don't have that much patience."

His gaze fell on Lin Xinqing: "Your Lin family thinks you can get a Venerable to cooperate with you just because of a token? There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world!"

Bi Yu interrupted Chi Lin, saying, "Chi Lin, are you here today to represent Venerable Chi Lian, or to speak for yourself? If it's the latter, why are you still wasting your breath here? Go back now."

"Hmph, I'm just stating the facts. Your Azure Phoenix clan always likes to make your words sound nice."

Lin Xinqing, standing to the side, showed no emotional fluctuation despite Chi Lin's attitude: "The truth? What is the truth?"

"The truth is, that ultimate inheritance requires three tokens to open. Without our Lin family's token, your two tokens are just secret realm tokens. You can't get the inheritance, and neither can we. Continuing this stalemate will not benefit anyone."

"So we'll each get what we need," Bi Yu continued. "We want a portion of the inheritance, and your Lin family wants a portion too. As long as we clearly define our respective boundaries beforehand, there won't be any conflicts after we enter." Knowing Chi Lin well, she didn't waste any more words and asked directly, "Which parts of the inheritance does Venerable Chi Lian want?"

"Tsk, Venerable Chi Lian is very interested in the inherited spirit beast techniques, especially those that can enhance the bloodline of demon beasts."

"There is no conflict on this point," Lin Xinqing said. "What my Lin family needs are spirit beasts with high bloodlines and the resources to nurture them."

The Lin family possesses the legacy of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, which includes cultivation techniques and a complete guide to raising spirit beasts, making any potentially more complex inheritance unnecessary.

This can directly increase the Lin family's spiritual beast army's foundation and provide a large amount of spiritual beast breeding resources, which is what the Lin family needs most right now.

"Then there's nothing to argue about. What we need to determine next is the action plan after entering the field. Will the three companies explore separately, or will they be responsible for different parts according to the area? These all need to be discussed further."

Chi Lin did not refute this further.

He was silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Lin Xinqing and Bi Yu, then he turned slightly to look at the ridgeline in the distance that was gradually blurring in the twilight: "You two talk slowly, I'll go back first."

He turned and took a few steps toward the hills, then paused. Without looking back, his voice deepened slightly in the morning light: "If you can really come up with a solution that all three parties can accept, I will speak to Venerable Chilian." Without waiting for a response, he continued walking uphill along the path he had come from. His crimson figure quickly disappeared from sight after he crossed the top of the hill.

After watching the crimson figure disappear, Bi Yu turned her gaze to Lin Xinqing, her tone relaxed: "It seems the cooperation is basically settled. Let's discuss the details of opening and exploring the secret realm now." As she spoke, she took out a cyan jade slip from her sleeve and placed it in front of her knee, her fingertips lightly tracing the edge of the jade slip, indicating that she was ready to formally begin the discussion.

……