I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

However, Chen Mingfei changed his tone, his words becoming unquestionable:

"However, there are conditions for releasing them. If you want to exchange them for your people and your freedom, you must sign a 'covenant' with my Chen family."

He reached out and beckoned, and the prepared Chen family cultivators immediately presented three scrolls made from special spirit beast hides, shimmering with a faint golden light of contracts.

The scroll unfurled automatically and hovered in front of the three clan leaders.

"From this day forward, my Chen family is the only Golden Core family in the territory of Chuyang City!"

"And you three families, along with all families aspiring to develop this area in the future, will automatically become vassal families of the Chen family!"

The three clan leaders immediately focused their attention on the so-called "covenant".

The content is not complicated; it boils down to just two points:

I. The Contract Between Master and Subordinate: As the master family, the Chen family has the highest command authority over the subordinate families.

The vassal families must obey the Chen family's reasonable orders and conscription, especially in major events such as dealing with beast tides and resisting foreign enemies, and must obey unconditionally.

II. Annual Tribute Agreement: The vassal families are required to pay a fixed "annual tribute" to the Chen family every year.

This includes a certain number of spirit stones, specific grades of spiritual materials, elixirs, or talismans, with the specific amount depending on the family size and industry.

"Just as I expected..."

Zhou Wanfu sighed deeply, his heart filled with bitterness.

This was almost exactly what he had guessed.

The Chen family did not intend to exterminate them. The territory of Chuyang City was facing the threat of demonic beasts and needed a sufficient population and cultivators to maintain stability and development.

Bringing these families under one's control would eliminate competitors and provide a stable supply of resources and loyal henchmen, making it far more worthwhile than complete annihilation.

The will of a Golden Core cultivator cannot be defied.

Refuse to sign?

Looking at the Chen and Zhao family cultivators eyeing them menacingly, and thinking of that Golden Core Ancestor who could descend again at any moment...

If they sign, the family can still survive, but they will lose their autonomy and become vassals.

If we don't sign, today could very well be the day our entire clan is wiped out.

His expression changed several times, and Zhou Wanfu finally seemed to have all his strength drained away.

With difficulty, he raised his hand, a faint spiritual energy gathering at his fingertips, and slowly engraved his name and family mark at the end of the floating contract scroll.

In a flash of inspiration, the contract was established, and an invisible sense of constraint quietly enveloped his soul.

Upon seeing this, the Li family patriarch and the Sun family patriarch exchanged a glance, both seeing the deep helplessness and sorrow in each other's eyes.

Struggling was pointless. The two of them then extended their trembling hands and left their marks on the contract.

Just as the Sun family patriarch finished writing the last stroke—

"Buzz..."

A beam of silvery-white light, gentle as water yet dazzling as the stars and moon, shot out from the depths of the Shadowmoon Wolf's den without warning, heading straight for the sky above, which was obscured by the tree canopy!

Although most of the light was blocked by the trees, the pure moonlight power that burst forth in an instant still made all the cultivators on the open ground feel a jolt in their hearts!

At the same time, a faint, strange, cool fragrance suddenly became clear and strong!

The fragrance is cool and refreshing, as if it can cleanse the dust from one's soul and invigorate one's spirit!

"The Moon Essence Crystal Fruit...is ripe?!" A knowledgeable cultivator immediately realized what was happening and exclaimed in surprise.

However, before anyone could show any expression of greed or regret,

A roar filled with extreme rage, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, suddenly exploded from the depths of the lair!

"roar--!!!"

The roar contained all of the Shadow Moon Wolf King's demonic power and fury, causing the entire Moonlight Rock to tremble slightly and the trees to rustle.

Immediately afterwards, all the remaining Shadowmoon Wolves outside the lair seemed to receive some kind of crazy command.

They all roared to the sky, and their previously contracted formation became chaotic and aggressive once again.

A pair of wolf eyes turned blood red, staring intently at the human cultivator in the center of the open space!

Chen Mingfei's expression suddenly changed. Ignoring the contract he had just signed, he shouted sharply:

"Everyone on high alert! Deal with these rabid beasts first!"

Under Chen Mingfei's command and with the cooperation of the Zhao family, the cultivators once again engaged in battle with the remaining Shadowmoon Wolf pack.

This time, the wolf pack seemed to have completely lost their minds, attacking without defending, resulting in exceptionally fierce fighting, which also hastened their defeat.

Soon, due to their overwhelming numbers and superior strength, the Shadowmoon Wolf Pack suffered heavy casualties.

Once they regained their senses and saw that things were going badly, the Shadowmoon Wolf King, along with the remaining members of its tribe, howled and fled into the depths of the forest.

After quickly clearing the battlefield, the group immediately headed towards the entrance to the wolf king's den beneath Moonlight Rock.

A moment later, when they saw the shrub with silvery-gray leaves and the bare branches with only a faint silvery-white ring at the top, everyone's expressions became extremely interesting.

The Moon Essence Crystal Fruit, the rare spiritual object that caused all the turmoil today, led to the defeat of several forces, and even changed the landscape of Chuyang City, has vanished without a trace right before everyone's eyes!

"What happened?! Where's the spirit fruit?"

"Could it have already been devoured by that Shadowmoon Wolf King?"

"Absolutely impossible! If the Wolf King had consumed such a spiritual fruit in an attempt to break through, there should be a violent fluctuation of demonic energy, or even a celestial phenomenon, at this moment!"

"And listen to that roar just now; it was clearly filled with the rage and resentment of having one's treasure taken away!"

Discussions arose, and surprised, speculative, and scrutinizing gazes swept back and forth among the few surviving cultivators.

How could someone steal the spirit fruit right under the wolf king's nose and while everyone was fighting?

The next moment, almost instinctively, everyone present turned their scrutiny and suspicion toward the Zhou family.

The Zhou family members had just experienced the blow of being forced to sign a humiliating contract, and they were filled with resentment with nowhere to vent it.

Suddenly being focused on by so many suspicious, distrustful, and even subtly "it's you again" gazes, the stifling feeling instantly transformed into an extreme sense of absurdity and raging anger.

Zhou Wanhai felt a metallic, sweet taste rush to his throat, his lips trembled violently, his face turned purplish-red, and finally, unable to bear it any longer, he erupted in a near-collapse-like roar:

"No—that's not it!!!"

His eyes were bloodshot, as if they were about to bleed, and his voice was distorted by extreme anger and injustice.

"Why are you doing this again?! When will this ever end?! Is there no justice in this world?!"

……

"Alright! We will investigate this matter thoroughly!"

Chen Mingfei snorted coldly, suppressing his irritation and a trace of unease.

The disappearance of the spirit fruit is a foregone conclusion. The more important thing now is to consolidate the gains we have just made and deal with the affairs of the vassal families.

And then there's the Lin family, who weren't there.

If they know what's good for them, that's fine, but if they don't, it's a good opportunity to establish our authority!