Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 942 Negotiation
After leaving the Fang family's affairs to Hong Fuxiu and Kou Ta, Yang Zhengshan continued to stay on Lingquan Mountain to refine the Soul-Suppressing Lock, while Yang Mingzhi and Yang Minghao were in charge of Wuxiang City.

After conquering Xianling City, the Northern Xuanqing Sect and the aristocratic armies marched eastward along the edge of the Yunxiao Mountains, conquering cities and seizing territory. Meanwhile, the Southern Huanyue Sect, along with three thousand Yujing Guards, marched south along the Yi River, causing widespread panic in the southern region of Youyumen.

In just over ten days, the two armies had already entered the heart of Youyumen, especially the northern army, which was less than a thousand miles away from Youyumen's camp.

The army attacked as if entering an empty field, a situation that surprised many people.

The reason for this was twofold. First, the Youyu Sect suffered a major defeat in the Battle of Wuxiang City. After the news spread, the aristocratic families affiliated with the Youyu Sect were all filled with fear and dared not face the army of Lingxiu Sea. As a result, the two armies encountered almost no decent resistance.

Secondly, the time was too short, and the Netherworld Sect itself hadn't even had time to react. They hadn't accepted the fact that Wuxiang City had suffered a major defeat, and they hadn't expected that the army of the Spirit Sea would dare to penetrate deep into their territory.

Furthermore, the crushing defeat led to a host of dissenting voices within the Netherworld Sect, preventing its higher-ups from reaching a consensus and ultimately causing the situation to deteriorate to this extent.

However, at this point, the Netherworld Sect has no other choice but to seek peace.

Keep fighting!
Both Wang Henglie and Sheng Youhuang were afraid of being killed by the Azure Gold Sword.

Therefore, when Yunxiao led the northern army into the heart of Youyumen, Youyumen made a request for mediation to Qingli Immortal City.

Yun Ge was naturally willing to act as a peacemaker, so he sent someone to Wuxiang City to find Jian Changhe and express his intentions.

Another few days passed.

A magnificent flying ship crossed the Cloud Mountain Range and arrived at Wuxiang City.

Soon after, Wang Henglie and Sheng Youhuang also arrived in Wuxiang City.

The three parties met, and negotiations began.

Inside the Four Directions Hall, Jian Changhe and Yun Ge sat at the tea table, leisurely enjoying their tea.

"Has the True Lord recently gone into seclusion?" Jian Changhe asked.

"No, things have been rather unsettled in the east lately, and Master has been having a headache over it!" Yun Ge said.

"I see!" Jian Changhe thought for a moment and then said, "I will pay my respects to the True Lord in a few days. Please inform him in advance, Senior Brother Yunge."

“No problem!” Yun Ge said with a smile.

The relationship between Baiyun Immortal City and Cangjian Mountain is very complicated; they are neither enemies nor allies.

This story begins before True Monarch Baiyun formed his Golden Core. At that time, True Monarch Tianjian was the only Golden Core cultivator in the Cloud Mountain Range, while True Monarch Baiyun was just an insignificant Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Before Baiyun Zhenjun formed his core, he visited Tianjian Zhenjun, who generously shared his knowledge and pointed out many important points about the core formation process.

Later, when True Monarch Baiyun successfully formed his core, he visited True Monarch Tianjian at Hidden Sword Mountain again. True Monarch Tianjian warmly received him, and thus the two formed a friendship.

The fact that True Monarch Baiyun chose Baiyun Immortal City as his training ground was also approved by True Monarch Tianjian.

At that time, Baiyun Immortal City was actually the territory of Cangjian Mountain, but Tianjian Zhenjun did not value Baiyun Immortal City, so he gave it to Baiyun Zhenjun.

Later, a demon lord emerged from the Skylark clan of Cangyu Mountain, which established the tripartite balance of power in the Yunxiao Mountain Range.

Hidden Sword Mountain, Azure Feather Mountain, and White Cloud Immortal City are all located in Cloud Sky Immortal City. Among the three Golden Core level experts, Heavenly Sword True Monarch is the strongest. Therefore, before Heavenly Sword True Monarch ascended to immortality, White Cloud Immortal City and Azure Feather Mountain followed Heavenly Sword True Monarch's lead.

Thus, these three forces formed a small team to jointly resist the hostility from the Wanhua Mountains.

The relationship between Cangjian Mountain, Cangyu Mountain, and Baiyun Immortal City back then was similar to that of the three Lingxiu sects before. However, the three Lingxiu sects shared the same origin and had a closer relationship, while Cangjian Mountain, Cangyu Mountain, and Baiyun Immortal City banded together for warmth because they needed to face the hostility from the Wanhua Mountain Range together.

Therefore, the three forces were allies at that time.

It wasn't until the Heavenly Sword True Monarch passed away that the alliance between the three forces was broken. Without the Heavenly Sword True Monarch, Hidden Sword Mountain lost its qualification to stand on equal footing with Azure Feather Mountain and White Cloud Immortal City, and naturally could no longer maintain the tripartite balance of power.

Hidden Sword Mountain feared that True Monarch Baiyun would covet its heritage and foundation, so it closed its gates and isolated itself from the secular world. This is why Hidden Sword Mountain was not well-known before, and also why it allowed the Lingxiu and other sects to break away.

Because Hidden Sword Mountain and White Cloud Immortal City lack a foundation of trust, their relationship has become much more complicated over the past few hundred years.

They were neither allies nor enemies.

True Lord Baiyun still cherishes the incense offerings from True Lord Tianjian, but many of True Lord Baiyun's disciples covet Hidden Sword Mountain.

Therefore, Hidden Sword Mountain's concerns are not without reason.

As for why Hidden Sword Mountain suddenly changed its strategy and stopped closing its gates, one reason is that the threat from the Netherworld Sect forced Jian Changhe to step in and protect the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty. Hidden Sword Mountain could tolerate the three sects of Spiritual Beauty breaking away from its control, but it could not tolerate the Netherworld Sect occupying the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty.

Secondly, Jian Changhe knew that Baiyun Zhenjun had no designs on Cangjian Mountain, so he no longer harbored such great suspicion towards Baiyun Zhenjun.

Jian Changhe and Yun Ge sat at the tea table, chatting casually. The atmosphere between them was relaxed and pleasant.

Meanwhile, Yang Zhengshan and Jian Guyun were negotiating with Wang Henglie and Sheng Youhuang in a tense and solemn atmosphere.

Wang Henglie was a burly man with a bald head, a deep purple burn scar on his left cheek, and reddish-gold pupils. He wore a sleeveless black robe that revealed flame-shaped markings on his arms.

The first time I saw him, I felt that he was a fierce and powerful man.

But in reality, he was a cunning and shrewd old fox.

When Yang Zhengshan proposed peace talks, Wang Henglie jumped up and glared fiercely at Yang Zhengshan, shouting, "Impossible!"

"Ten million spirit stones! You really dare to ask for such an exorbitant amount!"

Do you really think I'm afraid of you?

The intense aura swept over him like a whirlwind, putting considerable pressure on Yang Zhengshan.

However, Yang Zhengshan's expression remained unchanged.

Is 10 million spirit stones a lot?
Ok!

This is a considerable sum for any power. Even White Cloud Immortal City cannot easily produce so many spirit stones, let alone the Netherworld Prison Sect.

"We are not afraid of you, seniors, but we are not afraid of you either!"

Yang Zhengshan's eyes gleamed with golden light, and the fist-sized Bagua Furnace spun rapidly in front of him.

"The war was started by your Netherworld Sect, and now you have been defeated. Whether you are afraid or not, you must take responsibility for this war!"

"Compensation for our losses is the most basic condition for negotiation; you should understand that, senior!"

Wang Henglie's face turned pale and then red. He glared at Yang Zhengshan fiercely, as if he were about to tear Yang Zhengshan to pieces at any moment.

"That doesn't need to be ten million spirit stones! Your losses aren't that great!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhengshan jumped to his feet, his previous calm vanishing, and roared angrily, "Stop talking nonsense!"

"Thousands of my Yang family members have died. I'll make you pay with your lives. Can you afford to pay for it?"

Enraged, Yang Zhengshan slammed his fist on the table, smashing it to pieces.

His sudden outburst stunned everyone.

They all stared at him blankly. Jian Guyun raised his head in bewilderment, seemingly not understanding why Yang Zhengshan was angry!
Wang Henglie stared at him blankly, seemingly wondering how this guy could be even more arrogant than him!
Jian Changhe and Yun Ge, who were drinking tea nearby, also looked completely bewildered.

Yang Zhengshan looked at Wang Henglie coldly and said, "You can act all you want, but I'll act too!"
Was Wang Henglie a reckless brute?

Obviously not!

But why was he so fierce just now?
It was naturally to scare Yang Zhengshan!

Yang Zhengshan wasn't buying it.

Why are you trying to scare me? If you're so capable, go scare Jian Changhe.

"Since you're unwilling to talk, then let's continue fighting! I also want to learn from the prowess of a Divine Soul Realm expert!"

Yang Zhengshan's eyes widened, his imposing manner no less than Wang Henglie's.

Gaga~~
The Golden Crow slowly emerged above the Eight Trigrams Furnace, and instantly the scorching heat filled the hall, turning the shattered long table into ashes.

Although Divine Soul Realm warriors are strong, Yang Zhengshan, who wields a spiritual weapon, is qualified to compete with them.

Yang Zhengshan may not be a match for Wang Henglie, but he is not someone Wang Henglie can easily manipulate.

Feeling the intense heat, Wang Henglie's mood instantly soured.

His anger before was feigned, but now it's real.

In this battle, the Netherworld Sect suffered the greatest losses.

Not only did they lose 50,000 elite disciples, but they also lost a martial artist at the Divine Soul Realm.

Such a great loss is something that the Netherworld Sect has never experienced in nearly a thousand years.

He was angry, he was frustrated, and he wanted to destroy Hidden Sword Mountain.

But he knew in his heart that he could not destroy Hidden Sword Mountain.

Everyone says that Hidden Sword Mountain has a profound foundation. Before the war, he had also anticipated that Hidden Sword Mountain had some unknown trump cards, but he did not expect that Hidden Sword Mountain would have a spiritual sword that could instantly kill a Divine Soul Realm expert.

Beneath the anger lay a deep-seated regret.

If I had known this, why bother in the first place!
Just as tensions were running high, Yun Ge, the peacemaker, coughed lightly and interjected, "Ahem, Master Yang, please calm down. Let's talk things out and prioritize peace!"

"Um, Fellow Daoist Wang, you might not know, but Master Yang is an eighth-rank guest elder of Wanbao Trading Company, hehe~~"

His meaning was clear: Master Yang is a member of Wanbaohang, and your Youyumen cannot touch him. If you do, your Youyumen will perish even faster.

Although Wanbaohang does not protect every guest, if anyone persecutes a guest of Wanbaohang, Wanbaohang will seek justice for that guest.

Upon hearing this, Wang Henglie's face darkened even further.

Yang Zhengshan is a guest advisor of Wanbaohang!

He really didn't know that!

If he had known, he wouldn't have attacked the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty so rashly; at the very least, he would have talked to Yang Zhengshan beforehand.

"Very well, for the sake of Master Yang, I agree to the compensation of ten million spirit stones," Wang Henglie said in a deep voice.

"And Xianling City, from now on, Xianling City belongs to the Lingxiu Sea!" Yang Zhengshan said.

"can!"

Wang Henglie did not hesitate this time. Although Xianling City had special strategic significance, their Youyu Sect could no longer afford to worry about it.

“However, your army must withdraw from the territory of my Netherworld Gate as soon as possible!” he added.

"No problem!" Yang Zhengshan also put away his imposing manner, his tone returning to calm. "Once the compensation arrives, we will withdraw immediately!"

"Since that's the case, then it's settled!"

Wang Henglie looked at Yun Ge, "Master Yun Ge, please bear witness to this matter!"

"Hehe~~" Yun Ge smiled kindly and said, "Don't worry, now that both sides have reached an agreement, I will naturally supervise both sides to fulfill their agreement!"

"Thank you very much, Master Yunge!"

Wang Henglie clasped his hands in a salute, then took his leave with a gloomy face.

……

After the negotiations concluded, both sides quickly fulfilled their agreement: Youyumen paid ten million low-grade spirit stones in compensation, and Lingxiuhai withdrew its troops from Youyumen.

Now that things have come to this point, everyone understands that the war between the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty and the Netherworld Gate should come to an end.

The Netherworld Gate no longer has enough power to retaliate against the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty, and the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty also does not have enough power to swallow the Netherworld Gate.

However, this only deepened the grudge between the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty and the Netherworld Gate.

Not to mention others, even Yang Zhengshan wanted to destroy the Youyu Sect. If it weren't for the circumstances, he would have completely eradicated the Youyu Sect.

Unlike the Fang family of Cuihu, the Youyu Sect caused significant damage to the Yang family, even though the Fang family of Cuihu also provoked them. However, the Youyu Sect caused nearly two thousand people to die in the Lingyuan Land.

Yang Zhengshan naturally wanted to hold Youyumen responsible for this.

A few days later, the two armies withdrew, and everyone began to divide the spoils—or rather, distribute the compensation.

The Netherworld Sect paid out 10 million spirit stones in compensation. Hidden Sword Mountain naturally took the lion's share, receiving 5 million. Then, the Xuanqing Sect, the Huanyue Sect, and the Yang Family each received 1 million, and the remaining 2 million were distributed among the seven aristocratic families according to their contributions.

This distribution method is a win-win situation for everyone.

Besides Hidden Sword Mountain, the Yang family contributed the most to this battle, but they also benefited the most. The Wuxiang Sect and Wuxiang City, and the spoils of the Battle of Wuxiang City, not to mention the four kinds of third-tier spiritual materials alone, are worth far more than a few million spirit stones.

If Jian Changhe knew that Li Xuanxiao's storage bag contained four kinds of third-tier spiritual materials, he would definitely regret not taking the storage bag with him back then.

For the Land of Spiritual Origin, one million spirit stones is merely an extra.

As for the Xuanqing Sect, Huanyue Sect, and other aristocratic families, they didn't contribute much this time, nor did they suffer significant losses.

Despite their recent campaigns of conquering cities and fortresses and advancing all the way to the heart of the Netherworld, they have actually been winning battles with minimal casualties, and of course, they have killed very few enemies.

In the end, everyone benefited, and they were all smiles, showing no signs of pain from the war.

After this battle, Hidden Sword Mountain's prestige within the Netherworld Gate was established.

Although the Yang family stole the show this time, it was Hidden Sword Mountain that truly intimidated all sides.

With a single sword strike, Li Xuanxiao was killed. All the forces around the Lingxiu Sea, as well as the sects and families within the Lingxiu Sea, understood that Cangjian Mountain was qualified to occupy the Lingxiu Sea.

(End of this chapter)