Steady Mortal Path: Starting from Obtaining the Golden Core Inheritance

Chapter 357 Resource Dispute

Willow Oriole City, Han Family.

A short, stocky middle-aged man descended from the sky.

The aura of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator was unmistakably revealed.

Led by Han Feng, the Golden Core Elder of the Han family, a group of high-ranking members of the Han family waited respectfully outside the clan's territory.

"I am Han Feng from the Han family of Willow Oriole Immortal City. I have come to greet Elder Nie."

Upon seeing this short, stocky middle-aged man, Han Feng greeted him with a smile and great enthusiasm.

Although both are Golden Core cultivators, Han Feng is far inferior to this late-stage Golden Core cultivator in terms of both cultivation level and social status.

"Hmph, I am very busy, yet your Han family has invited me time and time again. Do you know how much time it takes for me to make this trip?"

Elder Nie's expression was somewhat arrogant. His gaze swept over the group of Han family executives in the room, revealing a hint of disdain in his eyes. Finally, his gaze landed on Han Feng in front of him, and he said with a slightly displeased expression.

"Elder Nie is the newly appointed elder of the Willow Smoke Sect. He is in charge of the industries of the surrounding immortal cities and is usually very busy with sect affairs. I have naturally heard about him."

Han Feng seemed to have anticipated Elder Nie's less-than-friendly attitude. He immediately took out a bulging storage bag, stepped forward, and handed it to Elder Nie, then said with a fawning smile:

"Elder Nie, you have taken the time out of your busy schedule to visit my Han family. I am extremely grateful. Please accept this small token of my appreciation for your long journey."

Seeing this, the other senior members of the Han family who were waiting beside him all showed dissatisfaction in their eyes, but due to the other party's status, none of them stood up to say anything.

"Um……"

Elder Nie accepted the storage bag without any hesitation, lazily uttered a nasal sound, then tapped his ear with his little finger and said casually:

"Why have you invited this elder here?"

"Elder Nie, a while ago, a strange mid-stage Golden Core cultivator frequently appeared in the vicinity, threatening the safety of our local families. Moreover, this person also forced several families, including my Han family, to sell low-level resources to several neighboring forces."

Han Feng didn't care about Master Nie's attitude, and instead went on to talk about the difficulties he had recently encountered.

Under normal circumstances, Master Nie is responsible for guarding the immortal city under the Liuyan Sect. When encountering wandering cultivators who pose a threat to the merchants and forces in the area, the elders of the Liuyan Sect guarding the immortal city have an obligation to help the local forces drive them away in order to maintain a healthy local business market.

Before this, Liu Yanzong was another older Golden Core cultivator, old but shrewd and tactful. He had been stationed here for many years and had many connections with families of all sizes.

The Han family was naturally included.

As for this newly appointed 'Elder Nie', this was their first time interacting with him.

Before this, I had heard that this person was a rogue cultivator, arrogant and difficult to get along with, and extremely greedy. He often took advantage of his position as an elder of the Willow Smoke Sect to extort money and goods from others, and even blackmailed some small and medium-sized families.

This caused many families near Willow Oriole Immortal City to complain bitterly.

The previous Elder Liu Yanzong, while also engaging in embezzlement, had served as an elder for many years, amassed considerable wealth, and was adept at interpersonal relationships, mindful of appearances, and focused on long-term sustainability. The newly appointed Elder Nie, however, has an even greater appetite, is bolder, and more ruthless.

It was because of the harassment from the treacherous cultivators that Han Feng was injured by them due to his inferior skills. In order to avoid the loss of family resources, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and seek the protection of this 'Elder Nie'.

To everyone's surprise, the latter's reaction was rather strange.

"Wandering cultivators?"

Elder Nie raised an eyebrow and asked in a stiff tone:

"Since you say they are itinerant cultivators, have they plundered any resources from your clan?"

His words were filled with impatience.

"No, that was not the case. That thief only threatened and intimidated us, ordering us to sell our clan's resources at a low price. Although this did not involve direct looting, it was still against the rules. If it is not controlled, it could even lead to a large outflow of resources from the Yan Kingdom."

"We were willing to resist, but this person's methods were extraordinary. I am only at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, and my supernatural abilities are far inferior to his. I was even injured by him not long ago..."

Han Feng initially thought Elder Nie was unaware of the situation, so he began to explain in detail.

"Hmph, since there was no forced plundering of resources, it doesn't count as a robbery."

"This move, which involves going long, is a normal trading activity between you, and this elder is not in a position to interfere."

Elder Nie's eyes flashed with an inscrutable meaning. He shook his head and snorted coldly.

Judging from this statement, it's clear that they have no intention of offering any help.

Hearing this, Han Feng became anxious and was about to speak again, but Elder Nie snorted coldly, his tone becoming slightly harsher:

"Fellow Daoist Han, please don't bring these things again in the future. These trivial matters waste my time, hmph..."

After saying that, he made a move to leave.

"Elder Nie, my Han family has some connections with Elder Lin of your sect. I hope that you can step in to resolve this matter for Elder Lin's sake. In return, I, Han, will certainly offer you a token of my appreciation."

Seeing that Elder Nie had accepted the benefits but was making excuses and refusing to help, Han Feng hesitated for a moment before mentioning Lin Changsheng's name.

Unexpectedly, Elder Nie, who had already turned around, suddenly stopped after saying this.

"Elder Lin?"

"Fellow Daoist Han, have you been deceived? Although I have not been a member of the Willow Smoke Sect for long, I am quite familiar with the sect's personnel. Moreover, the other elders in the Willow Smoke Sect have some dealings with Nie Du, and there does not seem to be the 'Elder Lin' you mentioned."

Turning around, Elder Nie looked at Han Feng with a half-smile, pretending to be indifferent.

"This... Elder Nie misunderstands. The Elder Lin I am referring to is not one of your sect's executive elders, but rather the guest elder who is skilled in puppetry, Lin San Gou... Elder Lin."

For some reason, looking at Elder Nie's smile, Han Feng felt that the other party seemed to have some ill intentions, and a strange feeling arose in his heart.

"So he was just a guest elder of our sect who was skilled in puppetry. I don't remember him at all."

"They're just some cats and dogs, not worth mentioning."

Elder Nie glanced at Han Feng and the others, his words laced with disdain.

Watching the other person walk away, Han Feng frowned deeply behind him.

"I never expected that Liu Yanzong's newly appointed elder would be so incompetent."

"It seems we'll have to trouble Master Lin again."

Han Feng sighed inwardly.

……

A few days later, Lin Changsheng secretly left Qingxia Peak and arrived at the Han family's territory.

Since the Han family produced a Golden Core cultivator, they have transformed from a pseudo-Golden Core level power into a Golden Core family.

Although its foundation is still shallow and it cannot compare with those Golden Core families that have been developing for many years, its size is several times larger than before.

Even their clan's territory was relocated to the vicinity of a third-tier spiritual vein, expanding in size by nearly ten times.

The cultivators and young disciples in the clan have significantly improved their spirit and energy compared to before.

Clearly, as the first generation of descendants after the family's expansion and growth, they personally enjoyed the benefits brought about by the family's rapid development.

Various resources, farmland, shops, and mineral veins are readily available, and can be passed down through generations.

This is an advantage that future generations cannot match.

"Master Lin is usually focused on his cultivation, yet he still managed to take the time to visit my Han family. I am extremely grateful. The journey must have been tiring, so this is just a small token of my appreciation."

Han Feng followed suit, taking out another bulging storage bag and respectfully handing it over with the courtesy due to a junior.

He was not able to get along with Lin Changsheng as an equal just because he had advanced to the Golden Core stage.

Compared to the awe felt in front of Elder Nie, the respect felt more heartfelt when facing Master Lin.

It can be said that the rise of the Han family and Han Feng's advancement to the Golden Core stage were inseparable from the help of Master Lin.

"You have a heart."

Lin Changsheng was very pleased and did not refuse Han Feng's kind offer.

Next, Han Feng took the initiative to invite Lin Changsheng to the Han family's reception hall to host a welcome banquet for him.

Lin Changsheng refused outright, citing his desire to avoid attracting attention, and only requested a quiet courtyard as a temporary residence.

After settling down, he kept a low profile, rarely going out and avoiding contact with anyone from the Han family.

Communication between them relied entirely on Han Xinlan as the intermediary.

This inevitably disappointed the Han family's higher-ups who were eager to get closer to Lin Changsheng.

On this day, several elders of the Han family called Han Xinlan to their side and talked about the roaming robbers who were threatening the Han family.

Although this person is only in the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, his fighting skills are ruthless and mature. He also possesses a 'natal magic treasure' that has been nurtured for over a hundred years and has mastered extremely fast flight techniques, making him no weaker than a late-stage Golden Core cultivator.

"If we can use our status as an elder of the Liuyan Sect to intimidate and scare this person away, that would be the safest course of action."

"Otherwise, with Elder Nie remaining indifferent, relying solely on Master Lin to deal with this person might be risky."

While giving earnest advice, Han Feng also inquired about Lin Changsheng's strength through Han Xinlan, hoping to use this as a basis for his judgment.

Unfortunately, Han Xinlan kept silent about Lin Changsheng's methods.

He only said vaguely:

"As long as Master Lin is willing to take action, our Han family's crisis can be resolved."

There seemed to be a kind of blind worship in his words.

……

Half a month later.

Lin Changsheng moved into the Han family quietly.

During this time, he also learned a general understanding of the matter of the wandering cultivators from Han Xinlan.

This also includes the attitude of the newly appointed 'Elder Nie' towards this matter.

In Lin Changsheng's view, the threat posed by the strange wandering cultivators to the vicinity of Willow Oriole Immortal City was not limited to one force. The lower-level cultivators were selling some local mineral products, and the beneficiaries were actually several forces from neighboring countries.

This is clearly unusual and suspicious.

Elder Nie's attitude toward this matter is even more intriguing.

Doesn't he know that if such behavior is allowed to continue, it will not only cause losses to some small and medium-sized forces in the surrounding area?

If this continues, it could easily lead to a significant loss of cultivation resources in the Yan Kingdom.

Or was it that Elder Nie knew this all along, yet deliberately turned a blind eye and did it on purpose?

A few more days passed.

The Han family sent out many people to spread the word in the surrounding towns and markets.

The wandering thieves reappeared.

Last time, they gave the surrounding small and medium-sized forces time to consider their options, but this time, they've resorted to violence against families that don't cooperate.

Unlike last time, this time there were three Golden Core cultivators accompanying them.

One is in the middle stage of the Golden Core realm, and the other two are in the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

The three were highly targeted, primarily focusing on families below the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, and never harassing forces with late-stage Golden Core cultivators.

For some pseudo-Dan-level forces, they even directly and rudely used force to buy large amounts of land and resources from them.

These small families, which rely on resources and industries, are less able to withstand risks. Now that the core of the family has been uprooted, they have lost the foundation for their continued development.

Elder Nie, who should have handled the matter, instead played dumb, often engaging in guerrilla warfare with those cultivators, but never having a direct confrontation.

"What exactly is this 'Elder Nie' up to?"

After observing for a period of time, Lin Changsheng was certain that this 'Elder Nie' had serious problems.

However, Lin Changsheng, who was focused on guarding the Han family's territory, did not interfere.

Until this day, two powerful figures approached the Han family's territory.

"Clan Chief Han, have you reached a conclusion regarding the matter I entrusted to you last time?"

The two who arrived were both at the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

One of them was dressed in splendid clothes, with a ruddy complexion, and looked to be about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old.

The other man was quite old, dressed in a gray cloth shirt with Chinese knot buttons, around forty or fifty years old, with a fierce look between his brows.

In the Han family's territory, Han Feng's aura was far inferior to that of either of the two, but he still gritted his teeth and flew up to meet them.

"I apologize, but the conditions offered by you fellow Daoists were too harsh. They were essentially taking advantage of the Han family's resources and enslaving the Han family members to work for others. I cannot agree to that."

Despite his seemingly firm tone, Han Feng was extremely uneasy and used his divine sense to constantly search for something in his surroundings.

He knew that behind these two early-stage Golden Core cultivators, there was another mid-stage Golden Core cultivator.

Three Golden Core cultivators, what should we do?

At the same time, Han Feng urgently activated the third-tier defensive array that the Han family had only recently established.

In an instant, a thick, luminous screen, like an inverted giant bowl, enveloped the core area of ​​the Han family's territory.

"Hehe, it seems that Chief Han intends to lead the entire clan in a last-ditch resistance."

The man in brocade robes chuckled, eager to try, and then turned to the middle-aged man beside him and said:

"Senior brother, this formation can barely be considered a third-order beginner formation. Let me, your junior brother, take a look and see how many attacks it can withstand."

As he spoke, the man in the brocade robes leaped into the air, and with a series of hand gestures, he activated a deep blue flying sword shrouded in precious energy.

A sharp aura of magical artifact emanated from the sword, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, and transformed into a blue light that pierced towards the Han family's formation below.

"Another magic weapon!"

Upon seeing the azure blue flying sword, Han Feng's face instantly paled, turning as white as paper.

Having a magic weapon and not having one are completely different concepts and cannot be compared.

For a moment, Han Feng felt utterly hopeless. He thought about how he had finally advanced to the Golden Core realm and had not yet fully strengthened himself when he encountered powerful enemies one after another, which made him extremely unwilling.

At the same time, a rich wood-attribute aura burst forth, and countless vines radiating lush greenery stretched out, then coalesced together, weaving into layers of fine 'wooden net'.

'Rustling sound.'

As the rustling sound rang out, the azure magic sword was repeatedly wrapped up layer upon layer, as if it were wrapped into a rice dumpling. Gradually, the force was released, and it became stuck in the many vines, unable to break free.