Chapter 345: Chapter 345: Taking Control of Black Stone City

Mo Chengtian knew very well. ’His Highness didn’t plant a Life-and-Death Soul Talisman in me, which was a sign of trust. But since I’m not under his direct control, he must still be wary and apprehensive of me.’

’Otherwise, His Highness wouldn’t have hesitated for so long to let Jin Lin intervene when the three major families attacked earlier.’

So when he saw that the Patriarchs of both the Xu and Li families were controlled by a Soul Seal while he himself was not, Mo Chengtian immediately felt that something was amiss.

"Your Highness, I also wish to receive your Life-and-Death Soul Talisman," Mo Chengtian said, suddenly dropping to one knee.

’Since I’ve decided to follow His Highness, I can’t be hesitant. Otherwise, I’ll be the one who suffers for it.’

Hearing Mo Chengtian’s words, Ye Xuan was momentarily stunned. ’Someone in this world actually wants to be controlled?’ However, after seeing the look in Mo Chengtian’s eyes, he instantly understood.

’Mo Chengtian is afraid I don’t trust him, so he’s decided to go all in.’

But he had to admit, Ye Xuan quite admired Mo Chengtian’s personality. The man was resolute and decisive. Once he made a decision, he never wavered. As long as his talent was up to par, he might achieve great things in the future.

Since Mo Chengtian had taken the initiative to make this request, Ye Xuan naturally wouldn’t refuse. He once again planted a Life-and-Death Soul Talisman in Mo Chengtian.

"Alright. From now on, the three of you are my subordinates. Your three families will be led by the Mo family. Tonight, your first task is to seize control of Black Stone City. Come and see me tomorrow after it’s done. And remember, do not speak of your allegiance to me for the time being," Ye Xuan instructed.

"Yes, Your Highness," the three Patriarchs said respectfully.

Mo Chengtian was ecstatic. ’My decision was the right one! His Highness’s words were crystal clear. He wants to make the Mo family the most powerful family in Black Stone City.’

At that moment, the elders of the Mo family were outside, keeping the experts from the other three major families subdued while they awaited Patriarch Mo Chengtian’s orders.

When they saw their own Patriarch emerge with the other two Patriarchs, appearing surprisingly amicable, all the members of the Mo family were stunned.

’They were just trying to kill each other moments ago. How are they suddenly on good terms again in the blink of an eye?’

"Release the people from the Li and Xu families. Take everyone from the Wei family into custody," Mo Chengtian commanded loudly. He then clasped his hands in a salute to the Li and Xu Patriarchs. "Sirs, since we all serve His Highness now, we must perform our duties well. Tonight, our three families will seize the Wei family’s assets. Tomorrow, we will return for His Highness’s instruction."

The Patriarchs of the Li and Xu families returned the salute, and the three of them walked out of the inn together.

Outside, Shopkeeper Wu surveyed the chaotic state of his inn, his expression so grim it looked like storm clouds had gathered on his face.

’The three major families actually dared to attack my Celestial One Inn. What audacious nerve! But even so,’ all he felt was helplessness.

Wukong Ridge was a chaotic region of the Dream Realm Plain, and it wasn’t valued by his family at all. Even if he reported this to the Murong family, they wouldn’t actually move against the three major families over such a trivial matter.

To the Murong family, Wukong Ridge was simply too insignificant.

What’s more, the major powers of the Dream Realm Plain had a consensus regarding Wukong Ridge: they were forbidden from interfering with its local factions. Any matters there were to be resolved by the local factions themselves.

Although the Murong family was a prominent house in the Sky Empire, they didn’t dare to casually intervene in the disputes between the great families of Wukong Ridge.

However, the three major families had dared to act so wantonly toward his Celestial One Inn. If they didn’t offer some kind of explanation afterward, he would absolutely not let the matter rest.

Although the family couldn’t interfere in Black Stone City’s affairs, it would be a simple matter for them to issue a warning to the three major families.

Just as Shopkeeper Wu was lost in his thoughts, he saw the Patriarchs of the Mo, Li, and Xu families walking out together.

He froze instantly. ’What’s going on? Weren’t the Li and Xu families here to cause trouble for those two? And the Mo family seemed to have reached some agreement with that young man, acting as his guards. They were just in a huge fight, so how could all their animosity vanish in the blink of an eye?’

’Just who are these two young men to be able to pull this off?’

It wasn’t just Shopkeeper Wu who was shocked; the Martial Artists who had been driven out of the inn because of the fight, as well as the surrounding onlookers, were all dumbfounded.

"Shopkeeper Wu, what happened earlier was our fault. Please forgive us. Tomorrow, our three families will pay a formal visit to apologize. As for the damages, our three families will provide full compensation."

The three Patriarchs saluted Shopkeeper Wu with clasped hands and departed the inn, leaving the stunned Shopkeeper Wu and his staff behind.

When news of what happened at the Celestial One Inn spread, all the Martial Artists in Black Stone City were stunned. They had no idea what had just transpired.

But what happened later that night gave all the Martial Artists food for thought.

That night, the experts of the three major families worked through the night to slay many of the Wei family’s Martial Artists and seize all their assets. From that day on, the four great families of Black Stone City became three.

People could only guess that something unknown had happened when the three major families attacked the Celestial One Inn. In the end, the Wei family’s Patriarch was killed, and the other three families reached an agreement to absorb the Wei family’s assets. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

But throughout the entire process, the two young men who had started it all remained completely unharmed, leaving the populace both puzzled and intensely curious, and adding another layer of mystery to Ye Xuan and his companion.

「Early the next morning」

Mo Chengtian and the other two came to the Celestial One Inn under the pretext of apologizing to Shopkeeper Wu.

"Your Highness, here are all the treasures from our three families and the Wei family. Please inspect them."

Mo Chengtian respectfully placed a Storage Ring before Ye Xuan.

After seeing its contents, Ye Xuan couldn’t help but marvel. ’Wukong Ridge is surprisingly rich.’

Inside were countless treasures: no fewer than a thousand mid-grade Profound Stones, nearly two hundred thousand Lower Grade Profound Stones, and a vast assortment of Spirit Medicines, Pills, and materials. It even contained the Cultivation Techniques of the great families. The collection was truly priceless.

Ye Xuan accepted the mid-grade and Lower Grade Profound Stones, along with some of the high-grade Spirit Medicines, without any hesitation.

In addition, Ye Xuan also discovered a piece of Tier Seven Star Profound Iron, and his heart leaped with joy...

’My Profound-Extinction Flying Daggers, forged from Soul-Profound Steel, are still highly effective, but only against Tier Five Martial Sects. Against a Tier Six Martial Venerable, they can barely break through the opponent’s protective Profound Power.’

’Moreover, my Dragon Pattern Sword is only a fourth-rank Profound Soldier; it’s quickly becoming inadequate for my current strength.’

’But this Tier Seven Star Profound Iron changes things. Once I refine it, I can definitely upgrade my Profound-Extinction Flying Daggers and Dragon Pattern Sword by several levels.’

After placing the Star Profound Iron into his Storage Ring, Ye Xuan noticed a black, imposing-looking token.

The token was triangular and emanated a very strange aura, one that even Ye Xuan found unsettling.

He asked Mo Chengtian and the other two about it, but they only knew that it had been found in the Wei family’s vault. They had no idea what it did.

Ye Xuan examined it closely, but after finding no apparent use for it, he tossed it into his Storage Ring. He then returned all the remaining items to Mo Chengtian and the others.

Afterward, Ye Xuan asked about the three men’s Cultivation Techniques. They truthfully described the techniques practiced by their respective families. After listening, Ye Xuan made some modifications to their techniques and also gave them a large number of Pills.

These were Pills that Ye Xuan had hastily refined the previous night, specifically to boost the strength of the three major families.

The three Patriarchs were so excited they trembled. Every Pill Ye Xuan gave them was plump and smooth, exuding a rich medicinal aura. There was a wide variety, and all of them were Fifth Grade Pills. They were far superior to the Pills they could purchase on the open market.

With these Pills, the strength of their three families would undoubtedly see an astonishing increase in the coming days.

"Do you know where to find Essence Soul Stones in Wukong Ridge?"

After taking care of everything, Ye Xuan then inquired about Essence Soul Stones.

A Nether Heart Seed had been planted in his body. Removing it required various special materials, and the Essence Soul Stone was the easiest of these materials to acquire.

’As long as the Nether Heart Seed remains, I won’t have a moment’s peace. The Profound Mystery Sect wouldn’t have given Elder Gale that jade tablet for the Nether Heart Seed just for show. I’m sure they’ll use the Seed’s aura to track me down soon.’

The thought of being constantly targeted and tracked by such a behemoth was extremely annoying to Ye Xuan.

"Essence Soul Stones?" The Xu family’s Patriarch, Xu Jing, frowned. He was the only Fourth Grade Alchemist among the three and had some knowledge of such materials. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Although Essence Soul Stones are only a Tier Six material, the conditions for their formation are extremely harsh, and their uses are very limited. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of them in Black Stone City. In fact, you probably won’t find them anywhere in Wukong Ridge."

"Your Highness, if you need Essence Soul Stones, I can send people to try and acquire them in Wukong Ridge, but there’s no guarantee we’ll find any. Alternatively, you could try major commerce associations like the Divine Walk Commerce Association or the Tianya Commerce Association. They might have some in stock."

Ye Xuan was a little disappointed to hear this. He waved his hand and said, "That won’t be necessary."

’I didn’t expect to find an Essence Soul Stone right away, but I didn’t think it would be this difficult, either. It seems removing this Nether Heart Seed is going to be a real pain.’

As for Xu Jing’s suggestion, Ye Xuan obviously had no intention of taking it.

’The Profound Mystery Sect is definitely watching me now. If I start buying up Essence Soul Stones in large quantities, any idiot will realize I’m the one who killed Elder Gale.’

’Besides, I can’t stay in Black Stone City forever. The Nether Heart Seed’s tracking ability is potent. If I stay in one place for even a few days, the Profound Mystery Sect has the means to track me down.’

"Then do the three of you know where one might be able to purchase an Essence Soul Stone directly?" Ye Xuan asked again.