Sect Master’s Immortal Journey

Chapter 528: Business

Between Taiyi Sect and Northern Desert Qi Family, even though there seems to be a faint alliance when facing Flying Swan Sect, they still maintain a high level of caution towards each other. To avoid provoking Flying Swan Sect, the two factions refrain from overt interactions on the surface. In the current state of the Endless Sea of Sand, the possibility of an internal war breaking out is small, so the alliance between Taiyi Sect and Northern Desert Qi Family is more of a precautionary measure.

However, Meng Zhang's primary focus has shifted beyond the Endless Sea of Sand. After the defeat of Fire Cloud Sect and the conclusion of the war, True Monarch Profound Wind, the mastermind behind Fire Cloud Sect, has remained inactive for the time being. Yet, trade between Great Wind City and Endless Sea of Sand has not immediately resumed, and this is certainly not the intention of Great Wind City.

Great Wind City became a major trading hub largely due to its strategic location, situated at the crossroads of the Northern Desert and the core region of Jiuqu League. It faces the vast sea to the west and boundless grasslands to the east. The various special resources produced in the Endless Sea of Sand are mainly exported to Great Wind City, while the city continually supplies a variety of cultivation resources to the Endless Sea of Sand.

Especially after Taiyi Sect took control of a large area in the Demon Wind Gobi, they began acquiring the resources from the region and selling them in Great Wind City. Losing this trade would result in a decline of at least thirty percent in the overall trading scale of Great Wind City. Naturally, Great Wind City is unwilling to permanently lose these benefits. While True Monarch Profound Wind is not someone to be trifled with, the interests at stake cannot be easily abandoned.

During the invasion of Fire Cloud Sect into the Endless Sea of Sand, Great Wind City, according to the will of True Monarch Profound Wind, cut off all trades with the region. Even though the war has now ended, they must still consider the face of Primordial Spirit True Monarch. Great Wind City has not publicly resumed trade with the Endless Sea of Sand, but a large number of smugglers have suddenly emerged in the border areas between the two regions, engaging in secret trade activities.

Between the Demon Wind Gobi and Great Wind City, where the border is not too long, there are also many smuggler caravans appearing. Last time, when Meng Zhang hired many loose cultivators from Great Wind City to participate in the war in the Endless Sea of Sand, they suffered heavy casualties. However, after the war, Meng Zhang honored his promises and generously rewarded those who survived and even distributed the promised rewards to the families and friends of the deceased cultivators as per their wishes.

Though this placed a heavy financial burden on Taiyi Sect, it also brought numerous benefits. Many of the surviving loose cultivators expressed their willingness to continue serving Taiyi Sect. Some of them who were familiar with the situation in Jiuqu League joined the smuggling caravans dispatched by Taiyi Sect.

The reputation of Taiyi Sect, known for keeping its promises, gradually spread in Jiuqu League. Reputation, though intangible, can have unexpected impacts at certain times. A sect known for its reliability and honesty in dealings with other forces and in commercial exchanges will enjoy many intangible conveniences.

Officially, Great Wind City has not restored its trade with Taiyi Sect, Flying Swan Sect, and others. However, through these smuggling caravans, trade has partially resumed. Gu Yue Family also secretly sent envoys to Grand Lion Ridge to visit Meng Zhang and express the family's apologies.

The envoy was Gu Yue Youlan, an acquaintance of Meng Zhang. She humbly explained the difficulties faced by the family in the past to express the family's remorse. As compensation, Gu Yue Family was willing to reduce a portion of the interest on the large amount of spirit stones borrowed from Taiyi Sect using the resources of the Demon Wind Gobi. They also extended the repayment period and offered more benefits in their business dealings.

When Gu Yue Family had previously decided to sever ties with Taiyi Sect, Meng Zhang understood but was somewhat unable to accept it. He had thought that Gu Yue Family, especially due to his friendship with Gu Yue Huaidie, would be a reliable friend of Taiyi Sect. Now, it seems he had set his expectations too high. In the face of the pressure from Primordial Spirit True Monarch, there were no truly reliable friends.

This incident served as a lesson for Meng Zhang, making him understand that in the Cultivation World, relationships between different factions cannot be sustained solely based on personal emotions. Gu Yue Youlan also pointed out that she and Gu Yue Huaidie strongly opposed the family's decision at that time, but their influence was limited, and they couldn't change the minds of the other elders or the clan leader.

With cultivators like Gu Yue Youlan, who came from major families, it was difficult for Meng Zhang, as a Gold Core Daoist Master with the Mind Reading Divine Ability, to read their thoughts. They either practiced Heart-Locking Secret Arts or carried magic tools that prevented others from reading their minds, making it hard for Meng Zhang to determine the truth of what they said.

Regardless of Gu Yue Huaidie's attitude, from now on, Meng Zhang will be more cautious and secretly strengthen Taiyi Sect's defenses against Gu Yue Family. As the lord of a sect, regardless of his thoughts, Meng Zhang must still prioritize Taiyi Sect's interests outwardly. He expressed magnanimity, indicating that he bears no grudges against Gu Yue Family for their past difficulties and showed full understanding. Gu Yue Youlan and he had a good relationship since he was a Foundation Building cultivator, and he would never blame an old friend like her. Gu Yue Huaidie, as his senior, had provided significant help, and Meng Zhang never forgot it. Regardless of any unpleasant past between Gu Yue Family and Taiyi Sect, Gu Yue Huaidie would always be Meng Zhang's closest friend.

In front of Gu Yue Youlan, Meng Zhang displayed no pride as a Gold Core Daoist Master and maintained a friendly and equal demeanor. Naturally, Meng Zhang hoped for a swift restoration of interactions between Taiyi Sect and Gu Yue Family. Gu Yue Youlan was satisfied with Meng Zhang's attitude and had achieved the purpose of her visit.

Despite being only a Foundation Building cultivator, Gu Yue Youlan was Gu Yue Huaidie's disciple and the next generation Diviner groomed by the family. Within Gu Yue Family, her status was just below that of Gold Core elders. A Gold Core sect like Taiyi Sect, which had only one Gold Core Daoist Master, would not have been given much attention by her if not for Meng Zhang's relationship.

For Meng Zhang, Gu Yue Family was vastly different from Taiyi Sect. Although they might not be dependable, he still had to strive to hold onto this valuable connection. With Taiyi Sect occupying a large area in the Demon Wind Gobi and having abundant resources, many families in Great Wind City saw Taiyi Sect as having significant development potential.

Jiuqu League had long been coveting the resources of the Demon Wind Gobi. However, in the past, no force dared to invade due to the association with True Monarch Tian Zhu, who was seen as controlling the Endless Sea of Sand, Demon Wind Gobi, and Deadly Sea of Sand.

The recent events proved that seemingly neutral trade hubs like Great Wind City could not be relied upon in crucial times. Taiyi Sect could not entrust its trade lifeline solely to Great Wind City. The next step for Taiyi Sect was to find ways to open new trade routes, but this task was easier said than done.

To the north was the Deadly Sea of Sand, which had no trade prospects. In the northeast was Northern Desert Qi Family. While they sought to repair their relations with Taiyi Sect, their territory was barren, and they lacked substantial production capacity to be of much help to Taiyi Sect. However, due to Taiyi Sect's strength and the resources of the Demon Wind Gobi, Northern Desert Qi Family still sought trade cooperation.

To the east was Flying Swan Sect, with overlapping resource production, but mutual exchange between the two was minimal. After experiencing significant changes, Flying Swan Sect's production capacity had greatly diminished. The trade with them did not provide much assistance to Taiyi Sect. Further east, there was a boundary with the vast grasslands. Trade with the grasslands was a forbidden area for Flying Swan Sect and not accessible to outsiders.

To the west was the remaining part of the Demon Wind Gobi, still dominated by demonic beasts, including Third Rank ones. Given Taiyi Sect's current strength, it was already challenging enough to defend against those demonic beasts, let alone expand in that direction. Moreover, the current discussion was about the sect's trade issues, not its next expansion direction. There could be no trade with those demonic beasts.

After much discussion, it became evident that Taiyi Sect had to find a way within Jiuqu League to open up new trade routes.

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