novelraw Chapter 235 - 170: The Deed Done, Walking Away
Chapter 235 - 170: The Deed Done, Walking Away
Outside Dragon Soul Valley.
News of what the younger generation from the various families experienced at Meteor Fall Abyss quickly spread throughout the camps.
The story of how the Child of Destiny had disguised himself to stay with the Yu Family Cultivators, only to have his identity exposed before mysteriously vanishing, shocked the upper echelons of the great families. They immediately began using all sorts of methods to get to the bottom of it.
Most of them were inclined to believe that some power had used underhanded means to abduct the Child of Destiny, and that the culprit had to be found.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard those old-timers tried, and despite using every overt and covert trick in the book, they couldn’t find a single valuable clue.
Finally, the ancestors of the Nine Great Families communicated privately. After cross-referencing their intelligence, they confirmed that none of them had captured the Child of Destiny.
Thus, these old-timers unanimously turned their suspicions toward the Dragon Race and decided to jointly dispatch an Envoy to inquire.
Luo Cangli and Bai Qingyi, who were already seething with anger, naturally did not give the Envoys a warm welcome. They gave them a harsh tongue-lashing.
"Ling Changqing is the Prince Consort of our Deep Sea Dragon Race! Not only did you bastards openly try to poach him, but you also used tricks to abduct him. And now that you can’t find him, you have the audacity to come to our doorstep and demand answers?"
"You’ve got some nerve, haven’t you?"
Seeing that things had reached this point, the upper echelons of the Nine Great Families dropped the pretense. They jointly pressured the Dragon Race, demanding negotiations to discuss the matter of the Child of Destiny’s ownership.
Thus, outside the camps of the ten powers, the Elders from each family worked together to carve out a new campsite, setting up an Array Restriction to serve as a temporary meeting place.
A day later, the heavyweights from all sides arrived one after another.
Inside the main hall of the camp, representatives from the ten powers sat upright and proper around a massive sand table projected by Magical Power. They all wore inscrutable, expressionless faces.
The projection was a Terrain Map of the Dragon Soul Valley’s interior, but with much higher clarity. It even revealed, to some extent, certain mysterious and dangerous areas.
This was because the sand table had been formed by compiling the map data collected by all ten powers.
On the projection, mountains and great marshes, lakes and forests, rivers and plains were all clearly visible. From time to time, one could see red dots of light scattered about in small groups—those were the Cultivators who had entered the valley to train.
Occasionally, a dot of light would quietly dim and disappear, which most likely meant a Cultivator had met with disaster and perished.
After a long silence, the Yu Family’s Supreme Elder, Yuqing Lake—a scholar in green robes with handsome features, shrouded in a spiritual glow—gave a light cough and spoke.
"Alright, now that all you Fellow Daoists are present, let’s begin our discussion."
"First, I must declare one thing: the legendary Child of Destiny is of monumental importance. He concerns the rise and fall of Yuzhou, and indeed the survival of the entire Cultivation Realm of the Qingyao Continent!"
"Therefore, he should be shared among all our powers, not monopolized by a single family. What do you think, Fellow Daoists?"
"Well said, Fellow Daoist!"
The Mu Family’s Supreme Elder, a dashing and high-spirited man in white robes who carried a sword, immediately agreed.
"Therefore, Ling Changqing should not only be the Prince Consort of the Deep Sea Dragon Race. He should also marry women from our Nine Great Families. In the future, his favors should be distributed evenly and the benefits shared. Only then would it be fair!"
Unsurprisingly, his words drew a chorus of agreement—from everyone except the upper echelons of the Dragon Race.
The icy-faced Bai Qingyi scoffed and said sarcastically, "You Fellow Daoists have certainly planned this well, trying to lure away our Dragon Race’s Prince Consort with nothing but empty words!"
"I’m just curious, where exactly is he now? You haven’t even found him, yet you dare to sit here and discuss how to divvy up the benefits he offers?"
Ling Changqing’s whereabouts were currently unknown. The Cultivators from every family were searching for a needle in a haystack inside Dragon Soul Valley, and no one could say when they might find him.
Bai Qingyi had finally come to understand. Given the united front put up by the Nine Great Families, she knew the Dragon Race alone would likely be unable to resist them head-on.
For the sake of the Dragon Race’s safety, she could no longer refuse even if she wanted to. She could only choose to accept.
From the Yu Family’s seats, an old man in gray robes with white hair and a ruddy complexion chuckled.
"There’s no need to worry too much about Ling Changqing’s whereabouts. When Dragon Soul Valley closes, he will have to come out!"
"For now, let’s first discuss a detailed plan. It will make it easier for our families to cooperate in the future!"
The implication was that as long as the forces of each family guarded the exit, cornering Ling Changqing was just a matter of time.
The more pressing issue was how the families would cooperate regarding the Child of Destiny in the future—how to divide the opportunities, and how to share the responsibilities and obligations.
Luo Cangli wore an expression of resignation. He knew the situation was beyond their control; no matter what, the Nine Great Families were determined to get a slice of the pie.
He now only hoped that Ling Changqing was safe and wouldn’t be found by some Noble Family’s Cultivators ahead of time. If he could return safely to the Dragon Race’s camp, they might still be able to seize some initiative.
The Patriarch of the Liu Ying Clan had personally attended this time. She was a stunningly beautiful woman in magnificent crimson palace robes, her demeanor poised and graceful. A dazzling Phoenix Wing Golden Hairpin shone in her cloud-like chignon. Her name was Liu Ying Ziyi.
At this moment, Patriarch Liu Ying’s beautiful eyes, brimming with a smile, swept across the room. Her red lips parted slightly, and her voice was as crisp and melodious as pearls falling onto a jade plate.
"I must first make one thing clear," she began. "Ling Changqing personally wrote a marriage contract. Our clan’s Bingchan, Meng Luan, and a group of other girls have already become his betrothed Dao Companions!"
"Therefore, in the Child of Destiny’s future harem, the women of my Liu Ying Clan must occupy more positions. I trust none of you Fellow Daoists have any objections?"