Fantasy, starting with a treasure bowl

"Brother Beichen, isn't that a bit harsh of you to say?"

Faced with Bei Chenlie's rebuke, Xie Lingyun stroked his long beard and said quietly, "Whether it is Yunxia Mountain or Lianyun Eighteen Fortresses, they are all the common ancestral lands of the four great families in the past, and not the personal territory of your Bei Chen clan..."

"As for the Four Tribes Meeting, it is an internal conference held only once every five years. This is a rule established by the ancestors of the four tribes in the past, how can it be easily changed?"

Xie Lingyun's tone was pointed, and he seemed to disapprove of Bei Chenlie's domineering and autocratic "one-man show" behavior.

After all, the meeting of the four clans was not a simple internal meeting, nor was it a casual chat among the high-ranking members of the four major families. Rather, it was a major event that would determine which clan would become the leader of the Lianyun Eighteen Fortresses in the future.

In addition, the Beichen clan, led by Beichen Lie, has held the position of the leading clan for decades and has suppressed the other three major families for many years, thus enjoying all kinds of benefits!

Therefore, Xie Lingyun, the head of the Xie family, publicly opposed Bei Chenlie's plan to postpone the four-clan meeting, and his words were somewhat sarcastic.

"Hehe, Brother Lingyun, you are mistaken."

Faced with Xie Lingyun's questioning, Bei Chenlie laughed instead of getting angry, and then said, "Our Bei Chen clan has always abided by the rules established by the ancestors of the four clans. As for deliberately delaying the four clans' talks, that's utter nonsense...!"

"The reason I have summoned you all to the Cloud Hall and to discuss postponing the four-clan meeting is simply because my daughter's marriage has delayed things, causing our Beichen clan to temporarily lack the time and manpower..."

"Oh, really?"

Before Xie Lingyun could speak upon hearing the other party's words, Niu Baizun, the head of the Niu family who had been watching the show, stepped forward and probed, "If I remember correctly, Brother Beichen, your explanation for postponing the four-clan meeting last time was the same, without any change..."

"Brother Beichen, if that's really the case, then it's not very meaningful..."

Niu Baizun gently waved his folding fan while speaking cryptically, clearly siding with Xie Lingyun and disbelieving Bei Chenlie's explanation.

"Old Niu is right!"

As soon as the other party finished speaking, Song Qiannan, the head of the Song family who had been silent for a long time, also said coldly, "Brother Beichen, although your individual strength is slightly better than the three of us, to become the leader of the Lianyun Eighteen Fortresses, it's not just about individual strength, but also about the overall strength and foundation of the clan...!"

"If Brother Beichen insists on postponing the four-clan meeting and refuses to relinquish his position as the leading clan, then our Song family has no need to continue abiding by the rules established by our ancestors..."

After saying that, Song Qiannan also stood up with a flick of his sleeve, his eyes sharp as knives, clearly no longer pretending.

"Regarding what Old Song said, our Niu family has no objection..."

On one side of the hall, Niu Baizun, though not completely turning hostile, slowly sipped his tea, his tone unyielding: "The four-clan meeting must proceed as scheduled, otherwise our Niu family will have to consider withdrawing from the Eighteen Fortresses of Lianyun. From now on, we will all go our separate ways and have nothing to do with each other..."

"That's exactly what I think too!"

Seeing that Song Qiannan and Niu Baizun had both expressed their opinions, Xie Lingyun, who was standing to the side, also chimed in, and his attitude was very firm, clearly joining the ranks of those forcing the emperor to abdicate.

"Hmph, these old fogies really are planning to force the emperor to abdicate and rebel...!"

Faced with the pressure from the three families, Bei Chenlie was also burning with rage. His withered hands clenched tightly beneath his sleeves, but he did not lash out immediately. Instead, he forcibly suppressed his anger.

"Since you gentlemen insist on this, then I will not say any more. We will proceed as you wish, and the four-clan meeting will be held as scheduled in five days..."

Bei Chenlie's face gradually returned to calm, and he sat down again, without confronting the other three major families' leaders.

Because his plan has not yet been fully successful, and now is not the time to completely break off relations!

"Hmph, once Wan'er returns victorious and has fully absorbed that brat Mu Yuan's desire essence, that will be the end for you old bastards...!"

Bei Chenlie glanced at everyone in the hall again, his eyes flashing with a barely perceptible murderous intent, as if he were plotting some kind of conspiracy.

...

Meanwhile, in a secluded courtyard in Lianyungang's Eighteen Forts...

Swish!

A wisp of silvery-white mist slowly rose from inside the house, then enveloped the entire courtyard, lingering around the beams for a while without dissipating, as if forming its own ocean of primordial energy, and faintly filled with a fluctuation of qi, which was quite strange.

"It's finally done...!"

The next moment, a slightly thin figure in a gray robe burst out of the door; it was none other than Lu Feng, who had been in seclusion for many days.

"Phew! As expected of the Spirit-Grade Six-Star Pill 'Soul-Awakening Pill,' its effects are truly remarkable...!"

Lu Feng slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, his face full of joy.

After several days of secluded cultivation and the consumption of four or five "Energy-Boosting and Soul-Awakening Pills", his personal cultivation has not only advanced further, leaping into the half-step Profound Gang Realm, but his soul power has also increased significantly, officially breaking through to the late stage of the Lesser Grandmaster!

Therefore, in the end, they only managed to obtain four or five "Qi-Boosting and Soul-Awakening Pills".

According to Lu Feng's original estimate, with the current treasure-gathering ability of the Treasure Basin, if it took more than a month, he could get at least ten "Essence-Boosting and Soul-Awakening Pills"!

"Half-step Profound Realm!"

Feeling the continuous surge of pure Yuan energy within his body, Lu Feng clenched his fists. "Although I haven't officially broken through to the Xuan Gang Realm during this seclusion, I've only awakened a wisp of Gang Qi seed..."

"But my overall strength is at least twice as strong as before, and I'll have a better chance of winning against that old bastard Bei Chenlie...!"