Chapter 275: "Alright, Alright, Alright."

Chapter 275: "Alright, Alright, Alright."

"Dragon Father?"

The Dragon Clan Leader from the Vast Continent was momentarily taken aback by the term, and just as he was about to ask about it, a hearty laughter from the horizon interrupted the conversation.

Everyone instinctively looked towards the direction of the laughter.

They saw an elderly man dressed in a white robe with golden embroidery, accompanied by a young lady who seemed to be from a noble family, both floating in the air. The man spoke before even touching the ground.

"I've long heard of Chen's peerless talent and his innate connection with the Dao. Now that I've finally met you, I can see that..."

The voice suddenly stopped.

".

The elderly man, who had just landed, stared at the scene before him, his face freezing as he looked at the black robes and the white flower wreaths around him. After a moment of silence, he rasped, "May I ask which elder has passed away?"

He had come to deliver a gift, but it was clear that he had arrived at an inopportune time. From a distance, he had scanned the area with his Divine Sense and thought it was a celebration feast.

Beside him, a gift was suspended in mid-air by spiritual energy, wrapped in red paper to appear festive. However, it now seemed out of place.

"No problem."

Chen Qiu, surrounded by the crowd, looked up at the two visitors and their gift, raising an eyebrow. "So, you're here to deliver a gift?"

"Um, yes."

"How much is it?"

"5 million middle-grade Spirit Stones."

"Please, take a seat."

Chen Qiu waved his hand casually. He didn't recognize who these people were, nor did he know their background, but that didn't matter. Anyone who brought such a substantial amount of Spirit Stones as a gift was a good friend of his.

However, he was slightly puzzled.

Was the Mystic Heaven State really this poor? Among all the forces in the Mystic Heaven State, the Dao Sect was the wealthiest, yet they had barely managed to scrape together less than a million Spirit Stones. How was it that these forces from other continents were so generous?

First, a native Dragon Clan member had donated 3 million Spirit Stones, and now this unknown pair, a grandfather and grandchild, had brought 5 million more. It seemed that ever since he had emerged from the Mock Heaven Sect's Mystic Realm in that little world, his luck had been on a roll.

Before entering that place, he had been so poor that he didn't even have a single Spirit Stone to his name, not even enough to cultivate.

But after retrieving over 10 million Spirit Stones from there, he no longer lacked them.

He still had over 7 million Spirit Stones left unspent, and with the addition of these gifts, he now had a total of 15 million Spirit Stones.

Excellent.

As Chen Qiu thought about this, his smile grew even brighter. He turned to the Dragon Clan Leader beside him and said politely, "Please, make some room for this grandfather and grandchild to sit here."

"Huh?"

The Dragon Clan Leader was slightly startled. Was this really how it worked? Whoever gave more Spirit Stones got the better seat? He turned to look at the pair approaching his seat, clenching his teeth with the thought of adding more Spirit Stones, but the Dragon Clan simply couldn't afford it.

They had truly reached their limit.

In fact, they had initially prepared 200,000 Spirit Stones, which was already a substantial amount. In the entire Mystic Heaven State, there hadn't been a single force that had visited with such a gift, and this amount was more than enough to show their respect for Chen Qiu.

However, as Chen Qiu's name repeatedly appeared in the Heavenly Dao Edict, his strength and status continued to rise, and the gifts he received became more substantial. 3 million Spirit Stones were already the limit for both him and the Dragon Clan. To offer more would mean reducing expenses elsewhere.

Despite their reluctance, they stood up and made way for the pair.

"Friend Chen."

Perhaps it was the money that gave him confidence, but the elderly man with the golden-embroidered sleeves smiled broadly, subtly revealing his Great Dharmic Cultivation. He looked at Chen Qiu with respect.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am from the Third Rank Continent, the Heaven-reaching Continent, and I belong to the White Family. Perhaps you haven't heard of the White Family, but they are one of the top forces on the Heaven-reaching Continent, and..."

"I've heard of them, and I've even met your family leader."

Chen Qiu casually glanced at the old man and smiled. "So, you're from the White Family. It's a bit embarrassing to come with gifts, but your family leader helped me greatly last time. I was planning to find an opportunity to thank him, but it seems you've brought gifts instead."

"However, it seems your family leader hasn't been communicating much with you lately."

He could clearly understand the implication of the old man's behavior. By revealing his Great Dharmic Cultivation, he was telling everyone that he had the power to lead this entire gathering, and despite his strength, he still showed respect to Chen Qiu, who was only at the Body Fusion Cultivation stage. This was a show of both face and sincerity.

His words carried a tone of respect, but also a hint of restraint.

It wasn't that he had seen through the old man's thoughts, but it was rare for anyone to be so restrained in his presence. Even the White Family Leader trembled before him, so it was odd for this Great Dharmic Cultivation initial stage elder, who didn't have much time left to live, to be so restrained.

The only explanation was that the White Family Leader hadn't told this old man about recent events.

"Um..."

The white-robed elder paused for a moment, having understood Chen Qiu's implication. Chen Qiu's words placed him on the same level as the White Family Leader, perhaps even slightly higher. He was treating the White Family Leader as if he were a junior, but was this a bit too presumptuous?

Admittedly, Chen Qiu's strength and potential were impressive, but comparing him to the leader of a top-tier force on a Third Rank Continent was simply unrealistic!

He had spoken too boldly.

But he didn't expose or refute it, he just smiled and brushed it off: "That's not a big deal. The family head is always eager to help others. Although I don't know what favor he did for you, you shouldn't worry too much. The family head won't mind such a small matter."

"Hehe."

Chen Qiu picked up a peanut and tossed it into his mouth, smiling without saying a word.

"By the way."

The white-robed elder suddenly remembered something and laughed, saying: "But if you want to repay the favor, there is indeed something that the Bai family is currently lacking. It's called 'Shadow Emperor's Fortune', composed of 'Soul of Shadows' Fortune'. You may not have heard of it, but it's one of the heavenly treasures produced in the Yin Realm. If you have any information about it, you can contact me, and it will be considered a repayment for the family head's favor."

". . ."

Chen Qiu's expression didn't change; he just smiled lightly: "I don't have any information. If I find out, I'll contact the Bai family immediately."

The white-robed elder didn't pursue the topic further and continued their conversation.

The white-robed elder and his granddaughter soon bid farewell after a brief chat. After all, it was inappropriate to stay too long at someone else's funeral. They decided to choose a more suitable day to visit again.

The white-robed elder turned his head slightly, perplexed, and sighed as he looked at the Bai family's young mistress: "Miss, you clearly have a higher status than me. You should be the one in charge. Why do you always stay behind me?"

"What are you talking about?"

The Bai family's young mistress coldly hummed: "It's fine to talk about it before, but now I don't have many years left to live. It's not appropriate to bring this up at this time."

"Is it wrong for me to not want to be in charge? I just like sitting on the side and listening to you talk. Is that not okay?"

"Fine, fine, fine."

The white-robed elder sighed helplessly: "Alright, the gift has been delivered. I'll report this to the family head."

"Hmm."

After the Ling Pavilion's funeral, the head of the Bai family from the Heaven-reaching Continent returned home and took a deep breath. He sat in the family's ancestral hall and drank a large cup of iced tea before wiping his mouth and leaning back comfortably in his chair.

"What's wrong, Patriarch?"

The second room consort by his side walked up and began massaging his shoulders, puzzled: "Weren't you attending someone else's funeral? Why do you look like you barely escaped with your life?"

"Don't mention it."

The head of the Bai family waved his hand, sighing: "Before I went, I wasn't thinking straight and didn't consider the consequences. I almost didn't make it back."

He then proceeded to explain the whole situation.

His first wife was an immortal maiden who bore him a son and a daughter before passing away. This second wife was his second marriage, and in his entire life, he only had these two women and only shared a bed with them.

It wasn't that he was particularly virtuous.

He just didn't like sharing a bed with women he had no feelings for. Cultivators rarely developed emotional attachments with women, mainly because it was impossible to do so. If their cultivation was lower than his, by the time they finished a closed-door cultivation, their partners would have aged and withered, or even passed away.

If their cultivation was similar, they would both be in closed-door cultivation all the time, hardly seeing each other's faces, let alone develop any emotions. Moreover, high-cultivation female cultivators were rare, and there was even less choice in terms of looks and figure. On top of that, high-cultivation female cultivators often had strong personalities.

In such circumstances, most high-cultivation cultivators' families were primarily for the continuation of the family line, with little room for emotional attachment.

Those like him, who had a proper relationship and emotional attachment with their wives, were extremely rare, and even rarer were those who would share such family secrets with their wives.

"Patriarch."

This second room consort, her face filled with concern, whispered: "Fortunately, you were quick-witted, or you might not have made it back. But I only knew that the Bai family's intelligence network was powerful. I didn't know that the Bai family had collected so much intelligence from other continents."

The head of the Bai family sighed, shaking his head: "Actually, I have a goal that I've never shared with anyone. It's to lead the Bai family all the way to the Ninth Rank Continent, and naturally, we need to gather more information. Knowing oneself and the enemy is the key to winning a hundred battles."

"My belief has always been that any piece of information in this world holds immense value, and it's all about when you choose to use it."

"And it's not like I completely escaped. My actions were basically like showing my hand, telling the Ling Pavilion's master that I was the one who leaked the information. They just haven't dealt with me yet."

"But it's not a big problem. With me here, the sky won't fall."

Although the woman didn't fully understand, she couldn't grasp the intricacies of men's schemes, but she could still sense his prowess from his words, and she looked at her man with admiration: "You're truly amazing, Patriarch."

"Hmph."

The head of the Bai family smiled triumphantly: "I'm just joking. I've been leading the Bai family step by step to become the strongest force in the Heaven-reaching Continent. Without these abilities, how could we have gained a foothold?"

Just then—

A servant by his side suddenly strode over and handed him a jade slip, then quickly retreated.

". . ."

His divine sense scanned the jade slip, and after gathering all the information within, the head of the Bai family's eyes gradually narrowed. His intelligence network spanned several continents, and it was through this that the Bai family had risen to prominence.

Different items had vastly different values across different continents.

Ordinary people didn't have the ability to travel between continents, not even some top-tier powers. The Bai family possessed this ability, and by trading between continents, they had accumulated significant wealth. Although saying they were as wealthy as a nation might be an exaggeration, their financial strength was undoubtedly formidable. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had so many spirit stones to give as gifts over all these years.

And this jade slip was delivered by one of his servants.

The jade slip contained only one message: "Chen Qiu visited the Yin Realm during his time in the Profound Heaven Continent."

An extremely simple piece of information.

The Yin Realm was a place unknown to ordinary people, and commoners rarely had the opportunity to enter it. However, in the First Rank Continent, with the right opportunity, one could gain access. After all, the Yin Realm in the Inferior Stage Continent occasionally collapsed, and if ordinary people entered, it wouldn't be a problem. But Chen Qiu was no ordinary person.

Since Chen Qiu had ventured into the Yin Realm, he would undoubtedly trigger the Heavenly Dao Edict and acquire the Soul of Shadows' Fortune.

This was a sign of his trust in Chen Qiu. He had personally met Chen Qiu and held an extremely high opinion of his strength and abilities. If this was the case...

A glint of light flashed in Bai Jia Jiuzhu's eyes.

Perhaps he could collect the first thread of the Soul of Shadows' Fortune. Although he knew that Chen Qiu might possess it, the question was how to negotiate a trade for it.

But one had to admit—

This was already a piece of incredible news. It was the biggest breakthrough he had made in recent years and the closest he felt to obtaining the first thread of the Soul of Shadows' Fortune.

Before he could ponder further, the sound transmission talisman in his embrace suddenly rang. It was from his daughter, the Guardian.

After a few breaths, Bai Jia Jiuzhu's eyes narrowed slightly. He suddenly thought of a great idea. Through the detailed report of his old friend, he realized that his friend's attitude towards Chen Qiu wasn't as respectful as it should have been because he hadn't informed him about the events in the Heaven-reaching Continent.

Instead, his friend maintained a sense of equality with Chen Qiu.

This was a minor issue.

But he could use it to his advantage. He could use this as a reason to personally visit Chen Qiu, seeking forgiveness, and offering even more valuable gifts. This might also pave the way for their upcoming transaction.

As far as he knew, the Soul of Shadows' Fortune was useless in the mortal realm. However, even the most useless things belonged to someone else. After death, they could still be of use. Useless in life, but valuable in death.

This was a good pretext.

Otherwise, he had no other reason to suddenly pay a visit. If there weren't festivals in the mortal world, what other pretext could he use to suddenly show up? It would be awkward.

"W-what's wrong?"

The woman's voice was filled with panic: "It's not about Qiu'er, is it?"

"No, she's still alive," Bai Jia Jiuzhu shook his head. "Wait for me at home. I have some business to attend to. There's progress on Qiu'er's matter, and I might be able to obtain the first thread of the Soul of Shadows' Fortune. I'll go and try."

Without further ado, he set off.

His deep concern for his daughter left no room for hesitation. He immediately rose and headed towards the ancestral hall outside the family estate.

In the Second Rank Continent, the Vast Continent.

In the wilderness of the Mystic Heaven State, Bai Jia Jiuzhu followed the aura of the sound transmission talisman and appeared beside his daughter. The first thing he saw was his long-unseen daughter and Bai Yisheng, whose ears had turned red from drinking.

Bai Yisheng, the Guardian he had personally chosen for his daughter.

"Patriarch."

"Hmm." Bai Jia Jiuzhu narrowed his eyes slightly. "You've already reported most of it. Tell me, when you asked Chen Qiu about the Soul of Shadows' Fortune, what was his reaction?"

"Er, he didn't show much reaction. He just nodded and said he would inform me if there was any news."

Bai Jia Jiuzhu shook his head without speaking.

In truth, he could understand his old friend. After years of being a Guardian, he had developed a bond with his daughter like a grandfather and granddaughter. This was common among Guardians. Initially, all Guardians were bound by duty to protect their young masters, but over time, they would form an emotional connection and willingly protect their charges.

After all, being a Guardian often meant centuries or even millennia of service.

Only emotions could sustain such a long commitment, not just duty.

However, his friend seemed overly concerned about Qiu'er, leading to a sense of desperation. Asking about the Soul of Shadows' Fortune right at their first meeting might have been fine if Chen Qiu was unaware, but Chen Qiu likely possessed it. Bringing it up so soon could make Chen Qiu feel like his kindness was being taken advantage of.

But this was precisely why he had a reason to visit.

"I'll pay him another visit."

After a moment of contemplation, Bai Jia Jiuzhu made a decision. "I just received news that Chen Qiu visited the Yin Realm during his time in the Profound Heaven Continent. This visit is primarily to discuss collaboration. Firstly, to exchange for the Soul of Shadows' Fortune, and secondly..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

He wanted to find a new powerful ally. It was clear that the Ling Pavilion couldn't support him anymore, so he was considering Chen Qiu.

The Bai family didn't lack Spirit Stones; they truly had an abundance of them.

A massive two-star cultivator like him wouldn't be short of Spirit Stones.

The effect of "Free Travel to Lower-ranked Continents" could bring tremendous benefits, but the challenge was maximizing the impact of these Spirit Stones. After all, no matter how many Spirit Stones one had, they couldn't directly boost one's cultivation to the Immortal Emperor realm.

These were entirely different matters.

This was the reason he sent so many gifts. He didn't need everyone to remember him and help him; as long as a third of them returned the favor, he would be ahead.

However, many Spirit Stones were tied up in goods, and a substantial amount was required for business operations. Additionally, he had spent a significant number of Spirit Stones on Qiu'er's matter in recent days, leaving the family with fewer readily available resources. Otherwise, they wouldn't have prepared only 5 million.

PS: Due to feedback from some readers, this chapter has been rewritten, resulting in the loss of all comments. That's all~

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end