Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation-Chapter 206 - 159: Fishing in Troubled Waters (Part 2)

'It isn't just about my own safety, but the safety of those female cultivators as well.'

His mind made up, Ling Changqing controlled his Flying Sword, ascended into the sky, and, after getting his bearings, sped off into the distance.

...

「Outside Dragon Soul Valley.」

In the camps of the Nine Great Families and the Dragon Race, the Cultivators left on guard, for reasons unknown, began to simultaneously reinforce their camp's Array Restrictions.

An eerie tranquility descended over the entire desolate island.

"...What are they up to?"

The vibrant and peerlessly beautiful Luo Qingxuan stood at the entrance to her camp, her jet-black brows furrowed slightly as she stared at the distant, circular Light Gate.

Supreme Elder Luo Cangli's expression grew more solemn, and he said in a low voice, 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"The higher-ups of those nine families have probably all found out about your young man by now..."

"So what?"

Luo Qingxuan's gaze turned cold. "If they want to drop all pretenses and snatch him, have they asked for the opinion of our Deep Sea Dragon Race?"

Luo Cangli frowned. "No matter how powerful our Dragon Race is, I'm afraid it will be difficult to face the combined forces of these Nine Great Families. Unless we wage all-out war!"

Of course, initiating an all-out war wasn't so simple. There were far too many factors involved, and it would be incredibly difficult to get the Dragon Race's leadership to make such a decision.

"In any case, I don't care,"

Luo Qingxuan huffed, her eyes like ice. "No matter who it is, if they dare to have designs on Ling Changqing, I'll kill them with my own hands!"

With a flick of her skirt, the Dragon Princess turned and strode away, returning to her quarters.

She planned to send a message to her mother, Bai Qingyi, to ask her to arrange for more capable reinforcements.

It would be best if Bai Qingyi herself could come to take charge. That would be enough to quell the ambitions of every other power and provide the utmost guarantee for Ling Changqing's safety.

「Meanwhile, in the Liu Ying Clan's camp.」

"...What? The Child of Destiny was snatched away by the Tang Family? Those bastards!"

In a lavish tent, a noble and stunningly beautiful woman in a green dress, her eyes full of authority, shot to her feet, her gorgeous face covered in frost.

A Female Cultivator who had returned early from Dragon Soul Valley, her face pale, cautiously recounted what had transpired.

Originally, upon learning that Ling Changqing had been found by one of her clan's own female cultivators, the beautiful Elder had been overjoyed. She had even planned to have Liuying Bingchan end her trial and return early.

After all, with the ultimate prize—the Child of Destiny—within their grasp, all the other opportunities in Dragon Soul Valley paled in comparison.

But now, Ling Changqing had been intercepted by the Tang Family's Cultivators. The prize had been snatched from right under her nose, and the beautiful Elder was absolutely furious.

"I'm going to find those old bastards from the Tang Family and ask them what gives them the nerve to cross our Liuying Family! Do they want their clan to be annihilated?"

the beautiful Elder fumed.

Another woman, graceful and elegantly beautiful in her Daoist robes, quickly interjected,

"Sister Ling Ji, we should proceed with caution. We should discuss this with the Patriarch first!"

Elder Liuying Lingji took a deep breath, struggling to suppress her fury.

"Notify our clan's female cultivators in Dragon Soul Valley. From now on, if they encounter anyone from the Tang Family, they are to kill them on sight. It's time we showed them our true colors!"

The Tang Family was significantly weaker than the Liuying Family; under normal circumstances, they would never dare to offend them.

However, when it came to vying for the Child of Destiny, even if the Tang Family's leadership was completely incompetent, they couldn't possibly stand by and watch such a prize fall into the hands of another Noble Family.

Otherwise, hundreds or thousands of years from now, would the Tang Family have any hope of survival?

Thus, the conflict between the two sides was irreconcilable from the very beginning.

Of course, the same was true for the other Noble Families.

There was only one Ling Changqing, and all the Nine Great Families wanted him. A brutal fight was the only way to settle the matter, wasn't it?

...

「Dragon Soul Valley.」

Riding his Flying Sword through the sky, Ling Changqing looked down from his high vantage point. The landscape of mountains, rivers, forests, and plains spread out clearly before his eyes.

From time to time, he could see flashes of light from Spiritual Artifacts and Divine Techniques in certain areas. He figured it was Cultivators from different Noble Families fighting.

The sky was no more peaceful. Occasionally, he would see Cultivators streaking by on Escape Lights, and scenes of pursuit and slaughter were not uncommon.

It wasn't that no one noticed him passing by. Some called out from afar, asking which family's Cultivator he was, but he paid them no mind, silently accelerating away.

Half a day passed in the blink of an eye. The Flying Sword was incredibly fast, carrying Ling Changqing over several great rivers, a vast plain that resembled a floral tapestry, and treacherous marshlands where danger lurked.

When his Magical Power was nearly depleted, Ling Changqing finally descended, choosing a river several yards wide as a place to rest.

This was naturally because of the Water Element Technique he cultivated, which gave him an affinity for watery environments. It would accelerate his recovery and also allow him to more easily unleash his full combat potential.

After landing, Ling Changqing found a large rock to sit on and set up a perimeter of Array Banners. As they gave off a faint golden glow, his figure and aura were silently concealed.

Ling Changqing closed his eyes to meditate. After an hour of regulating his breathing, he had smoothly recovered seventy to eighty percent of his Magical Power.

He had plenty of recovery Elixirs on him, of course, but they were quite expensive. Cultivators were typically only willing to use them during intense battles and wouldn't waste them casually.

After a moment's thought, Ling Changqing took the Communication Jade Talisman from his robes. He infused it with Magical Power and was surprised to find a string of saved messages.

They were mostly from Liuying Bingchan and her companions, anxiously asking where he was, if he had been trapped by Cultivators from other Noble Families, and so on.

Finally, Liu Ying Meng Luan added that more of their clan's female cultivators had gathered. If Ling Changqing managed to escape, he should contact her as soon as possible so she could send people to meet him.