Chapter 211: Nine Peaks Lake
"You could stay, and he would accept your apology on my account, but it would definitely create a rift. Besides, once he grows stronger, he will destroy your Song Family all the same."
"Therefore, leaving is the best solution. It’s better for everyone this way," Lu Daoyi explained patiently, a slight frown on his face.
"I understand." Song Yuqian bowed her head, her voice laced with resignation. "But I wish to serve you one last time. Please, allow me."
"Very well."
Lu Daoyi nodded.
A long time later, their passions subsided. With a wave of his sleeve, Lu Daoyi took Song Yuqian and departed from the Cangwu Sect.
In less than an hour, he caught up to a Floating Airship soaring northward.
With another wave of his sleeve, he sent Song Yuqian aboard the vessel. None of the Cultivators on board noticed anything amiss, nor did the Defensive Array show the slightest ripple.
Lu Daoyi stood amidst the clouds, hands clasped behind his back, his gaze fixed on the distant Floating Airship. ’I was going to eliminate you all to avoid future trouble,’ he thought, ’but for the sake of the many years you’ve spent with me, I’ll spare you this once. I hope you all behave yourselves from now on.’
Then, he took a few casual steps toward the Cangwu Sect and vanished over the horizon.
"Daughter, you’re back! How did it go? What did the Supreme Elder say?"
Aboard the Floating Airship, inside a spacious cabin chartered by the Song Family, Song Yuqian suddenly appeared.
When the Song Family members saw her, they immediately knew she had been sent over personally by Lu Daoyi.
Only Lu Daoyi had such incredible means.
Thus, the Song Family Ancestor hurried forward to question her.
At this moment, his appearance was largely unchanged, but his hair was considerably whiter, and his face was deathly pale.
The shock of Zhang Chi’s Core Formation had made him cough up blood, and being forced to flee right after had dealt a massive blow to both his body and mind.
The other core members of the Song Family, like Song Youdao, had long since lost their former arrogance and were dejected and terrified. Their eyes only lit up when they saw Song Yuqian appear.
"Lu Daoyi seemed to want to kill us all, but he relented in the end because of... me. However, there’s no going back for us now."
"Unless, one day, our Song Family can produce a Nascent Soul Powerhouse, or we can secretly kill Zhang Chi."
"Besides, Zhang Chi is not a Demon Cultivator, nor is he the one who harmed Youdao, so the Cangwu Sect will never move against him. Leaving was indeed our best choice."
Song Yuqian shook her head, still looking shaken.
She knew Lu Daoyi very well, so she had sensed his killing intent early on.
It wasn’t that Lu Daoyi had a grudge against them; he simply didn’t want any loose ends.
Besides, for someone like Lu Daoyi, killing them would have been a trivial matter.
"He actually considered killing us?"
"The Supreme Elder is too heartless!"
"Damn it! It’s all Zhang Chi’s fault. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have been driven out like dogs, and we wouldn’t have lost our Spiritual Vein, our assets, and everything else. Just you wait! The Song Family will have its revenge on him sooner or later!"
"That’s right, and the Cangwu Sect and that Lu Daoyi too. When our Song Family is strong enough, we won’t let them off either."
The members of the Song Family were deeply disappointed and filled with resentment.
Of course, even in their anger, they spoke using voice transmission.
Otherwise, if by some chance Lu Daoyi hadn’t left yet and overheard their conversation, they would all be finished.
"Yes, but for now we should lie low. In the future, we must change our names and hide our identities. Fortunately, I know of a small, unexplored Secret Realm. If we go there to develop, our family can surely return to its peak quickly!"
The Song Family Ancestor nodded slightly. Unlike the other family members, who were consumed by anger, he seemed to have had a plan all along.
---
"Junior Brother Zhang, this is Nine Peaks Lake. What do you think?"
Three days later, the Sect Leader of the Cangwu Sect was personally accompanying Zhang Chi to inspect his new Cave Mansion.
This was a huge lake covering an area hundreds of miles in circumference, with vast expanses of Spirit Fields along its shores.
In the middle of the lake were nine elegant and towering mountain peaks, from which the Cave Mansion got its name.
Eight of the nine peaks formed a circle, with the ninth and tallest peak situated in the center, where the Spiritual Qi was also the most abundant.
"Excellent. This is the place."
Zhang Chi had already flown a circuit of the area with the Sect Leader. He was quite satisfied and made his decision on the spot.
The central peak of the Nine Peaks Lake Cave Mansion had a Tier Three Middle Grade Spiritual Vein, enough for him to pursue his Cultivation for a very long time.
Even the other eight peaks had Tier Two Peak Spiritual Veins. If he took on disciples in the future, it would be a great place for them to live.
Moreover, the Nine Peaks Lake Cave Mansion was located on the edge of the Sect’s territory. It was both safe and quiet, which suited him perfectly.
The vast Spirit Fields by the lake could be handed over to Qin Susu and her people to manage.
Of course, his properties weren’t limited to just these vast Spirit Fields. He also had a Tier Two Mine, two Tier Two Medicinal Gardens, a Tier Two Marketplace, three Tier Two Pastures, and a large expanse of forest.
Even the great lake where the Cave Mansion was located could be used to raise Spirit Fish and grow some Aquatic Spirit Plants.
Most of these properties were allocated by the Sect, while the rest came from the Song Family, a personal gift from Lu Daoyi.
That’s right. Although the Song Family had fled, their properties were taken by Lu Daoyi, who then turned around and gifted them to Zhang Chi.
After all, the Song Family was originally a vassal family under Lu Daoyi’s protection. When he spoke, no one in the Sect dared to object.
As for the Sect Leader, he had hoped to curry favor by bestowing a gift of his own, but he never got the chance. In the end, he could only act as a guide to foster a closer relationship with Zhang Chi.
And since there were too many properties and Qin Susu had no management experience, Zhang Chi handed them all over to the Sect to manage on his behalf.
Qin Susu, on the other hand, actively participated in the management of the Marketplace, wanting to learn how to run it so she could manage it directly for Zhang Chi in the future.
That way, she could definitely earn more Spirit Stones for Zhang Chi, and she would also benefit greatly.
Zhang Chi didn’t stop her, only reminding her not to put the cart before the horse and neglect her Cultivation.
In addition, the Song Family’s former residence also had a Spiritual Vein, but Zhang Chi didn’t choose it.
For one, it was a bit far from the Sect and not very safe.
For another, the level of the Spiritual Vein at that residence was actually about the same as Nine Peaks Lake’s, both being Tier Three Middle Grade.
Besides, Zhang Chi felt a bit repulsed by a place where the Song Family members had once lived and cultivated, so he naturally had little desire to go there.
"As long as Junior Brother is satisfied."
At this, the Sect Leader nodded slightly, chatted with Zhang Chi for a while longer, and then took his leave.
Zhang Chi immediately sent a message, asking Qin Susu and the others to come and help him clean up the cave mansions.
The Spirit Fields by the lake had never been neglected, but the cave mansions on the nine peaks had been vacant for some years.
Fortunately, this wasn’t a big problem. For one, with the help of Magic, Cultivators could clean up very quickly.
For another, the cave mansions had been sealed by an Array, so there wasn’t much dust inside. In fact, because they had been unused for so long, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi within was particularly abundant.
Soon, Qin Susu and the others all arrived. Even Shangguan Hui, Zhong Yu, and their group came along.
Apparently, because Zhang Chi had formed a Top Grade Golden Core, Lu Daoyi and the Sect had indeed rescinded their order.
Jian Jinfeng and her disciples no longer had to risk their lives in Yuan Bei.
The team sent to support Yuan Bei had already departed, but the leader had been replaced by another Golden Core Powerhouse.
The Chen siblings, however, still went with the team.
As friends of Zhang Chi, they could have easily asked for his help and chosen to stay in the Sect.
But they knew they were different from Zhang Chi and the others. If they wanted a chance at Core Formation, they had to fight for it themselves. Since they volunteered to go, Zhang Chi naturally chose to respect their decision.