The Rise of a Family: Starting from Daily Intelligence - Chapter 408 (Patreon)

Chapter 408: Special Draw, Mountains-and-Rivers Clan Cauldron, Soaring to the Heavens

The instant the bronze coffin plunged into the Five Elements Space, the Spirit Mountain Immortal Spring changed drastically. The once limpid spiritual liquid churned into inky black; jade-like grasses and trees on the banks withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, and when their petals fell, they actually let out infant-like wails of misery. The myriad red threads coiling the coffin snapped inch by inch, each broken strand turning into an ashen corpse-worm!

“Dong—!”

The coffin lid suddenly lifted three inches, and a sky-filling stench of corpse qi erupted.

Such a sudden mutation.

Qiu Niang, who had once survived the collapse of the Five Elements Space, blanched. She repeatedly drove the power of space; with a boom, it transformed into a prison that sealed the entire coffin inside. “Master, what in the world is sealed in this coffin?!”

Fu Changsheng hadn’t expected the coffin to react so violently.

Bang, bang, bang! The lid thumped.

The Ancient Corpse King within seemed about to burst out at any moment.

At the same time, the dense swarm of ashen corpse-worms gnawed wildly at the prison woven from spatial power. What was outrageous was that these corpse-worms could actually devour that spatial power and make it their own; their bodies swelled visibly, and their auras climbed step by step. “Master, if this continues, I fear the power of space won’t hold!”

Qiu Niang’s face went paper-white.

It seemed to awaken a terrible memory.

Fu Changsheng, however, did not panic. Since he dared consign the coffin to the Five Elements Space, he naturally had countermeasures. With a thought—hum—the coffin vanished into thin air and, in the next instant, appeared within the Heavenly Dragon Temple of the Netherworld.

Another thought.

He followed the coffin into the Netherworld.

Autumn Cicada, who had been cultivating quietly in the temple’s main hall, was startled and soared up. She wore a plain white robe; her brows were like a painting. Though she was a ghost cultivator, a sacred, inviolable aura surrounded her. “Master!”

Seeing the coffin fall from the heavens, she was briefly stunned.

Before the Ancient Corpse King could react, Fu Changsheng urged her in quick succession: “Qiu Chan, quickly call upon the Heavenly Dragon Divine Power to suppress the Ancient Corpse King in the coffin and seal it with the Yellow Springs!”

“Yes, Master.”

Not daring to be careless at her master’s urgency, Qiu Chan answered. Golden light flashed in her eyes. Her right hand formed seals in a blur, threads of resplendent divine power gathering at her fingertips, like stars dropping from the Ninth Heaven.

She gave a soft shout: “Heavenly Dragon Divine Power, heed my command!”

In an instant, wind and cloud boiled over the temple. A vast phantom of a Heavenly Dragon coiled forth, its dragon’s chant shaking the sky, its pressure boundless as the sea. Its eyes shone like sun and moon as it looked down upon the bronze coffin; one claw reached out, plunging for the lid.

Compared to before—

After cultivating in the temple for decades, Qiu Chan was now one with its power, doing as heart willed.

Roar! Sensing the Heavenly Dragon’s might, the Ancient Corpse King within let out a heart-rending screech. The coffin lid shook violently, corpse qi surging like a tide, weaving into a corpse-web that shrouded the coffin.

Boom! The Heavenly Dragon’s claw descended, and the corpse qi was torn apart at once.

With a thud,

the claw pressed upon the lid; its previous jumping ceased, unable to lift even a hair’s breadth.

Seeing this, Qiu Chan brought her hands together. Divine power became a golden chain that wound around the coffin. Her lips moved, quietly chanting an unknown incantation.

In the next moment,

a thunderous rumble erupted.

The waters of the Yellow Springs River before the temple heaved; the river turned into a giant hand that gripped the coffin tight and slowly sank it into the depths of the Yellow Springs.

After a while,

the Yellow Springs grew calm again, as if nothing had happened.

Only that bronze coffin remained sealed beneath.

Fu Changsheng let out a breath.

At this time,

the Heavenly Dragon phantom in the air gradually faded, and the temple returned to normal.

A sub-temple of the Heavenly Dragon God among the living had been receiving incense for a hundred years; its divine power was no longer what it once had been.

Qiu Chan put away her seals and smiled. “Master, the Heavenly Dragon God can now reshape a second avatar.”

“Excellent!”

Fu Changsheng’s eyes lit up.

If the clan had a Heavenly Dragon God to guard it, that would be hundreds of times stronger than a Mountain-Guarding Array. But to reshape the idol required Totem Stone, a rare exotic rock. Even though he had posted a task within the clan over the years, they had not managed to find even a fragment. “I wonder if the Kunlun Minor World has such a thing?”

Shou ge’er was still in the ancient tomb.

He couldn’t linger long. After instructing Qiu Chan to keep watch over the Ancient Corpse King sealed beneath the Yellow Springs, he was just about to leave when a familiar mechanical voice sounded in his mind: “Ding.”

“For removing a potential calamity for the Fu Clan and Wuzhou, benefiting the region, you have received one Special Draw.”

Oh? There was such a good thing!

The corner of Fu Changsheng’s mouth quirked up. Without hesitation, he said, “Start the draw.”

Who knew what treasure would come this time?

Hum! The panel trembled.

A flood of yellow light surged.

The next instant,

he sensed that a white box engraved with dragon patterns had appeared inside his storage pouch.

With a turn of his right hand,

the box, inscribed with mountains-and-rivers sigils, appeared in his palm.

He sent in a hand seal, the box’s restriction unlocking. A square seal came into view.

At the moment of contact,

lines of text surged through his mind:

[Mountains-and-Rivers Clan Cauldron: This treasure takes clan bloodline as its root, refined with world spiritual veins, merit incense, and demon-beast soul-essences. It can advance as the clan’s power expands and the clansmen’s cultivation rises. It initially has five tiered forms.]

[Current form of the Mountains-and-Rivers Clan Cauldron: First Stage—Mountains and Rivers Spirit-Gathering.]

“Mountains and Rivers Spirit-Gathering?”

Fu Changsheng froze for a beat.

He quickly skimmed the rest. The more he read, the brighter his eyes became. Even in its first-stage form, this Mountains-and-Rivers Clan Cauldron had six major effects: First was Spiritual Vein Nurturing: inlay the spiritual vein within the clan’s territory into the seal, and the vein’s grade will automatically rise by half a rank.

As for the other five effects,

he needed to refine it and complete the first step—embedding the vein—before they would appear. “This treasure is far beyond ordinary magic tools!”

This time,

he had truly struck it rich!!

He suppressed the urge to begin the refinement now—after all, Shou ge’er was still waiting outside.

With a thought,

he exited the Heavenly Dragon Temple.

No sooner had he reappeared in the collapsing ancient tomb than he heard Shou ge’er’s anxious shout.

Warmth rose in Fu Changsheng’s heart. He stamped the ground; gravel flew as he shot skyward. Seeing his father safe and sound, Fu Yongshou’s taut nerves finally relaxed. “Father, what happened just now? I thought…”

As he spoke,

his voice caught slightly.

A moment ago he hadn’t found his father and had feared the worst. If something had truly happened, he would be the clan’s sinner.

Fortunately.

Fortunately, Father was unharmed.

Seeing this, Fu Changsheng was moved. “I resolved the Ancient Corpse King—there was a small incident along the way. It’s fine, you needn’t worry.”

“Father, y-you dealt with the Ancient Corpse King?!”

Fu Yongshou was shocked.

His face showed disbelief.

He had refined the corpse qi in the tomb and could vaguely sense how terrifying the Ancient Corpse King in the coffin was.

But to think—

in this short while,

his father had solved it.

Father’s abilities far exceeded his imagination.

Not quite used to his son’s worshipful gaze, Fu Changsheng waved a hand. A bottle of Forget-Worry Water floated over to Fu Yongshou. “Shou ge’er, you know too much about this Corpse King matter. It may be harmful to you later. Take this Forget-Worry Water and—”

Before he finished,

Fu Yongshou tilted his head back and gulped down the entire bottle.

After two such interactions with his father,

Fu Yongshou had developed a heartfelt reverence. He didn’t doubt Fu Changsheng in the least.

Seeing this, Fu Changsheng smiled.

When that batch of Heavenly-Soul Fruit matured, it would be time for Shou ge’er to shut himself in and charge for Purple Mansion.

Father and son left the cliff.

He glanced at the sky. It was tinged a dark red. In less than two days, the Blood Moon would descend; then all demon beasts in the Ten Thousand Phoenix Mountain Range would have their demonic power strengthened—that was the deadline for the tournament. “Go!”

Fu Changsheng mounted the Azure Flood Dragon.

Along the way they saw many scions of great families racing toward the exit.

When they looked up and saw the Azure Flood Dragon passing overhead—and Fu Yongshou upon it—many eyes filled with envy. Being escorted by a Purple Mansion cultivator was a tremendous honor.

When Fu Changsheng reached the entrance riding the Azure Flood Dragon, Yao Yao had already come out. She sent him a quick voice transmission: “Father, I’ve already handed my Demon Cores to Lord Cao.”

Not long after,

Gan Muwan and Fairy Tianyin appeared alongside three Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Cao Clan.

Upon questioning,

he learned that Gan Muwan and Fairy Tianyin had been besieged by Wu Clan cultivators. If not for three from the Cao Clan arriving, they would have been in dire straits.

Fu Changsheng’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Neither the Huang Clan nor the Wu Clan were simple.

As they were speaking,

a rainbow light streaked from the mountains: Cao Xiang’er.

Fu Changsheng instinctively glanced at her belly. If he wasn’t mistaken, Xiang’er should already be carrying his child; it was a time for peace and safety.

Upon landing, Cao Xiang’er naturally moved to stand on Fu Changsheng’s side.

Boom! At the same time,

a powerful aura rushed in from afar.

Fu Changsheng swept out his spiritual sense and found it was Ancestor Huang; besides him were many Huang Clan contestants.

He immediately grew vigilant.

By Shou ge’er’s account,

at Broken-Bone Cliff he had personally slain two elite Foundation Establishment disciples of the Huang Clan, and Fu Changsheng himself had snatched a fourth-rank Demon Core. Ancestor Huang was unlikely to let this go.

The Huang entourage arrived in an instant aboard a treasure ship.

On deck,

Huang Yunying saw that Fu Yongshou was still alive.

A strong look of surprise flashed in her eyes. She had confirmed repeatedly that he had fallen into Broken-Bone Cliff. How could that little beast cling to life—and even seem to have advanced? Fury surged in her chest, impossible to suppress. She turned and said to Ancestor Huang and the clan head: “Ancestor, Clan Head, Third Brother and Sixth Brother died by the hands of that beast Fu Yongshou. Please, Ancestor and Clan Head, kill that brat and avenge them!”

Ancestor Huang’s gaze was like lightning, but it fell upon Fu Changsheng.

Cao Xiang’er unobtrusively stepped forward to shield Fu Changsheng. “Once we’re out of the Ten Thousand Phoenix Mountain Range, striking again becomes a private feud.”

It would violate the tournament rules.

Huang Yunying hadn’t expected Cao Xiang’er to stand with the Fus. She urged anxiously in a low voice: “Ancestor!”

If they didn’t act now,

once he left the mountain range, that little beast Fu Yongshou would surely turtle up within his fief. Then finding a chance for revenge would be hard.

Ancestor Huang had paid a price to leave seclusion. He glanced westward; a beam of treasure light fell there—the Wu Clan had arrived. His lips moved quickly. “Old Wu, the fourth-rank Demon Core is in Fu Changsheng’s hands. Why don’t we join forces and take it back?”

A fourth-rank Demon Core was no trivial thing.

Ancestor Wu was tempted; his gaze fell on Fu Changsheng.

Just then,

Fu Changsheng let a trace of False Core aura leak out. “This is…”

Ancestor Wu thought he was mistaken and exchanged a quick glance with Ancestor Huang. Ancestor Huang snorted coldly. “That Fu brat is just using a secret art to temporarily raise himself to the False Core Realm. It won’t last. You and I are veteran False Cores—what’s there to fear from a youngster?”

At the same time,

Fu Changsheng drew his False Core aura back.

Ancestor Wu’s eyes flickered.

Thinking of Fu Changsheng’s powerful spiritual sense before, he suspected the other party wasn’t using a secret art at all but was a bona fide False Core.

The tournament was over.

Snatching the fourth-rank Demon Core now was pointless.

Besides,

he had never cooperated with Ancestor Huang. The man was untrustworthy. Better not to stir up trouble. He shook his head.

Ancestor Huang curled his lip. “Coward.”

Huang Yunying wanted to press further, but the Huang Clan Head stopped her with a look and sent a quiet transmission: “A gentleman’s revenge is never too late. The Fu Clan is neighbors with the Xuanxiao Sect. No matter how capable they are, they won’t hold out for years. Let’s sit back and watch. There’ll be chances to deal with that brat Fu Yongshou.”

A crisis dissipated invisibly.

Fu Changsheng exhaled slightly, murmuring in his heart: “I need to find a way to push one of my spirit pets into fourth rank as soon as possible. Failing that, at least quasi-fourth.”

Otherwise,

they were too passive in front of the Huang and Wu Clans.

He himself was only at the seventh layer of Purple Mansion; leaping in one bound was impossible.

By sunset,

almost all disciples who had entered the Ten Thousand Phoenix Mountain Range had returned. Those who hadn’t… were assumed dead within. Then the Ouyang Patriarch stepped forward and cupped his hands. “Everyone, there’s half an hour left before the tournament ends. Why don’t we first tally each clan’s harvest?”

Nods all around.

Fu Changsheng said, “Count the Foundation Establishment team first.”

The Ouyang Patriarch glanced at the Fu side and saw that two of the five Qi Refining disciples who had entered had yet to return. He took the chance for a small favor: “Will all Foundation Establishment disciples step forward and display your Shadow-Recording Pearls and the Demon Cores you harvested?”

Gan Muwan and the three stepped up.

Yao Yao shot a worried glance at the mountain gate. “Father, should I go back to look?”

Fu Yongjing and Fu Qingyun had not come out.

At first, Fu Changsheng wasn’t worried—those two looked like Qi Refining, but both were true Foundation Establishment.

He looked up at the sky,

now wholly blood-red.

Beastly roars echoed from the mountains.

With the Blood Moon risen,

the beasts’ combat power would be strengthened.

Fu Changsheng felt a twinge of worry.

But Fu Yongjing had the Void-Heaven Tower, and Fu Qingyun was always inscrutable. Even if they couldn’t return before the end, they shouldn’t run into a disaster. “It’s fine. We’ll wait a little longer.”

Before leaving,

he had given them Warning Talismans.

If something truly went wrong, they should send for aid.

At this moment,

the Ouyang Patriarch had finished tallying and declared in a carrying voice: “Foundation Establishment team: the Ouyang Clan hunted six peak second-rank beasts, thirty late second-rank, forty mid second-rank, and fifty early second-rank for a total of one hundred and thirty points, ranking first.”

Wu Clan second, Cao Clan third, Lei Clan fourth.

The Fu Clan ranked fifth.

Fu Changsheng’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The Ouyang Clan truly had held back some means within the mountain.

Their Foundation Establishment score led by a wide margin, thirty more than the Wu Clan.

Fu Yongshou felt guilty. “Father, it’s my fault the Fu Clan placed fifth.”

He had also lost two third-rank corpse puppets.

Fu Changsheng offered a few words of comfort.

Based on the overall ratio, the Fu Clan would receive five Foundation Establishment slots. He could accept that—there were only thirty such slots anyway.

“Qi Refining disciples, step forward.”

At the end,

the Ouyang Clan again led by a wide margin.

The nine great families all looked unpleasant, faintly regretting they had agreed to the Ouyang plan of hunting in the Ten Thousand Phoenix Range. The Ouyang Patriarch looked at the hourglass, then turned to Fu Changsheng. “Patriarch Fu, there is still—”

Before he could finish,

two figures staggered out of the mountains.

Everyone looked—and it was Fu Yongjing and Fu Qingyun.

Fu Changsheng relaxed, flashing to their side. A quick sweep showed they were uninjured; he eased.

Fu Yongjing was eager to speak with Fu Changsheng, but seeing the crowd, he forced himself to hold back.

Fu Qingyun, on the other hand, cupped his hands apologetically: “On the way back we ran into a colony of Tu Wolf Spiders. Fortunately, Uncle Yongshou was nearby. Otherwise I might not have made it in time. I ask the Patriarch’s pardon.”

“It’s fine. You’re back safe.”

They didn’t speak loudly,

but the Huang Clan heard every word—especially Huang Yunying, who was already nursing a grudge. She couldn’t help sneering: “Tu Wolf Spiders are second-rank, a swarm-type beast. Even an ordinary Foundation Establishment falling into them is nine deaths out of ten. You, a mere mid-stage Qi Refining, dare to brag so shamelessly?”

Others wore the same mocking look.

Fu Changsheng ignored them and said to the two, “Only your Demon Cores remain untallied. Go on.”

At present, the Ouyang Clan’s Qi Refining disciples had three hundred points. The Huang Clan followed with two hundred eighty-six, not far behind. The Wu Clan had two hundred eighty-five, biting at their heels. Based on ratios, their slot counts wouldn’t differ much.

In a sense,

the Huang Clan could claim first for the Qi Refining team.

By contrast, the Fu Clan’s Qi Refining score was only thirty points—barely enough for a single slot, maybe another half-slot by ratio.

That let Huang Yunying vent a breath and prod coldly: “People are still waiting to tally the Purple Mansion Demon Cores. You two arrived last—why are you still dawdling?”

As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, she couldn’t help putting on the airs of a senior toward Fu Yongjing, who appeared to be mere Qi Refining.

Fu Qingyun handed his storage pouch to Fu Yongjing. “Uncle Yongjing, submit mine along with yours.”

With that,

he slipped back into the Fu crowd like a transparent man.

Fu Yongjing said nothing more. He first handed over his own storage pouch. The Ouyang Patriarch accepted it, paused in surprise, and blurted, “T-These were all hunted by you?”

“Mm.”

Fu Yongjing nodded.

The Ouyang Patriarch had been calm from the start. Curiosity piqued, everyone craned their necks. With a flick of the Ouyang Patriarch’s sleeve,

a string of second-rank Demon Cores floated into the air.

Counting carefully,

there were sixty.

“H-How is this possible?! The Fu Clan must be cheating!”

Sixty second-rank Demon Cores—

how could a Qi Refining disciple manage that? Even Foundation Establishment would struggle to harvest so many in a single month.

Huang Yunying sneered, “Ouyang Senior, have the Fu brat hand over his Shadow-Recording Pearl. Then we’ll see the truth.”

She would never believe the Fu Clan had legitimately taken sixty second-rank Demon Cores.

Though surprised, the Ouyang Patriarch showed no intent to scold and kindly reminded, “Nephew Fu, did you perhaps bring the wrong pouch?”

He was trying to give the Fu Clan a way down.

Fu Yongjing shook his head.

He drew a Shadow-Recording Pearl from his sleeve and handed it over. “If Ouyang Senior doesn’t believe it, please check the Shadow-Recording Pearl.”

At these words,

the spectators’ faces changed in unison.

A Shadow-Recording Pearl couldn’t be faked.

Could it be

these sixty second-rank Demon Cores were truly harvested by this youth? It was unbelievable.

The Ouyang Patriarch clearly froze for a second. After a moment, he said, “Then I will proceed according to the rules.”

He sent a hand seal into the pearl.

Hum! The pearl vibrated slightly. Mists arose, and Fu Yongjing’s figure appeared. Facing him was a second-rank Cangling Wolf. The scene flickered—the Cangling Wolf collapsed dead, and Fu Yongjing stepped forward to collect its core.

Over and over,

not one fewer than sixty second-rank Demon Cores.

Moreover, each and every one came from beasts confirmed to have appeared during this tournament.

The crowd was stunned.

All eyes turned to Fu Yongjing.

Huang Yunying was the first to lose control: “Ouyang Senior, t-these second-rank beasts were never killed by that Fu brat. Those Demon Cores shouldn’t count! He obviously relied on a third party—cheating, yes, that’s it. Not a single one of those sixty should be counted!”

If they were,

the Fu Clan’s Qi Refining team would be first without dispute.

Huang Yunying raised her voice to keep arguing. Fu Changsheng’s gaze turned to a knife and slashed over. “The ten family heads are all present. Since when does a junior point and prattle here!”

A burst of False Core pressure erupted from him.

Boom!

It shot at Huang Yunying like lightning.

Thud! Catching her completely off guard and leaving no room to dodge, she was crushed to her knees before Fu Yongjing on the spot. If Ancestor Huang hadn’t caught her, she would have been driven into the ground. Even so, her face turned pale and flushed by turns—half from terror, half from injury under his pressure.

The other family heads exchanged glances, whispering through sound transmission:

“Brother Lei, did I see right? Was that a False Core aura from Patriarch Fu? Good heavens—c-could Fu Changsheng have been a False Core all along, playing the pig to eat the tiger?”

“Hard to say—maybe a secret art. Either way, the fact is he can fight with False Core strength. When we tally the Purple Mansion harvest, I fear…the Fu Clan may squeeze into the top four.”

Counting Fu Changsheng, there were exactly four False Cores present.

Murmurs rippled.

Regaining his composure, the Ouyang Patriarch looked deeply at Fu Yongjing and nodded. “According to the rules, once inside the Ten Thousand Phoenix Range, any means may be used. Before entry, the disciples’ spirit pets and such were verified as their own. Therefore, Nephew Yongjing’s Demon Cores will be counted toward the score.”

Just as he was about to announce the Fu Clan’s Qi Refining total,

Fu Yongjing said,

“Ouyang Senior, one moment—there’s still another storage pouch we haven’t submitted.”

What?!!

Everyone—save Fu Changsheng—stared blankly.

The Fu Clan’s share of the Qi Refining tally already exceeded half. If there was another pouch, wouldn’t that mean the majority of the fifty Qi Refining slots to the Kunlun Minor World would fall to the Fu Clan?

Though Purple Mansion slots mattered most,

Qi Refining disciples were the foundation.

Equally important.

The crowd held its breath. All eyes fixed on the pouch in Fu Yongjing’s hands, their gazes hot enough to bore holes.

The Ouyang Patriarch visibly swallowed, forced a smile, and accepted the pouch. He sent in a seal.

Hum! In the next instant,

Demon Cores cascaded like a river of stars.

In a blink,

a dense heap hung suspended. There were over four hundred first-rank Demon Cores and twenty of the second rank.

“This…”

The crowd went slack-jawed. If so,

the other clans’ share, compared to the Fu Clan’s, was negligible. All fifty Qi Refining slots would belong to the Fu Clan.

Even Ancestor Wu could not restrain himself and urged, “Ouyang Patriarch, open the Shadow-Recording Pearl at once.”

Everyone hoped it wasn’t true.

All eyes stared at the Ouyang Patriarch’s hands.

In contrast, the Fu clansmen’s faces glowed with excitement. By clan ranking, Fu Qingyun was second among Qi Refining—but this time he had overtaken Fu Yongjing. With these two among the younger generation, how could the Fu Clan not continue to rise?

In the Huang camp,

even the Clan Head lost his composure and sent to Ancestor Huang: “Ancestor, no matter whether those cores were hunted by these two brats or not, those two must not be allowed to live.”

He had scanned them again and again.

He had reconfirmed that Fu Yongjing and Fu Qingyun were truly at Qi Refining. To achieve so much so soon at that realm—if they grew up, it would be disastrous. Better safe than sorry.

A dark needle hidden in his sleeve leapt forth, unable to be restrained.

Clearly,

he meant to catch the Fus off guard.

Ancestor Huang shook his head.

“No.”

If they wanted to get rid of those two, there were ten thousand ways. They must not strike in public and hand the Fus a handle—and risk becoming targets of all thereafter.

“Hmph. When I was young, I saw prodigies better than me by the dozen. How many times have they reincarnated by now? Yet I, with middling gifts, lived on. The Fus showed off their treasures—without our lifting a hand, there will be plenty lined up to deal with them.”

Their closest neighbor was the Xuanxiao Sect.

If they spread the news,

surely

the Xuanxiao Sect would be even more eager to snuff out two Fu prodigies.

By now,

the Ouyang Patriarch had finished reviewing the Shadow-Recording Pearl. As with Fu Yongjing, he used the same method. He swallowed hard, clenched his teeth, and announced in a loud voice: “All fifty Qi Refining slots for the Kunlun Minor World go to the Fu Clan!”

Even their own Ouyang Clan, second place by ratio, wouldn’t receive a single slot next to the Fus’ total.

At these words,

the looks cast toward the Fu Clan were a tangle of envy, jealousy, and hate.

Fifty Qi Refining slots!

When the Fus returned from the Kunlun Minor World, their strength would leap by several tiers!

Cao Xiang’er smiled at Fu Changsheng. “Changsheng, congratulations!”

The Cao Clan Head could only force a smile and offer his felicitations as well.

The other clan heads couldn’t help prompting: “Ouyang Patriarch, hurry and tally the Purple Mansion hunt—that’s what truly matters.”

Everyone had staked their hopes on the Purple Mansion team. Only the Huang and Wu faces were ugly—because they knew the fourth-rank Demon Core was already in Fu Changsheng’s hands, and he had displayed the strength of the False Core Realm. If so, eight or nine out of ten of those Purple Mansion slots would also fall to the Fu Clan!

Thanks for reading! This chapter was a rush of power plays and payoffs—love it when the tables turn so hard. If you’re enjoying the ride, please consider supporting me on Patreon—your help keeps these daily chapters flowing and means the world. Also, if you can, drop a rating or review on NovelUpdates; your feedback helps more readers find this series.

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