Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

This was also an unwritten rule tacitly approved by the clan, but it obviously couldn't be discussed openly. It all depended on the style of the person in charge.

Song Changsheng had assigned Song Luyun to handle this matter precisely because she was worldly-wise and socially adept. If it had been Song Chang'an instead, he would have undoubtedly stirred up widespread resentment.

"Alright, I'll see to it right away." Song Luyun understood the unspoken implications and departed to carry out her orders.

Meanwhile, Song Xianming had arrived at the back of the mountain. His vast Divine Sense spread out, blanketing the area, and he soon discovered a hidden cave entrance in a forest on the mountainside. It was sealed by a heavy Bronze Gate, its surface mottled with the marks of time.

With a wave of his sleeve, Song Xianming broke the Array concealing the entrance. He then pushed open the Bronze Gate and stepped inside, traversing a deep, dark tunnel before arriving in a spacious stone chamber.

In the very center was a low, oval platform forged from white jade and some unknown alloy. Atop it stood a vortex shimmering with a seven-colored fluorescent light.

Song Xianming narrowed his eyes. He took a fresh Spirit Fruit from his Storage Bag and tossed it into the vortex.

The vortex suddenly twisted violently, like a stone dropped into a calm lake. Immediately after, the Spirit Fruit was torn to shreds by countless invisible blades.

'Is this the Spatial Gangfeng?' Song Xianming watched the scene, lost in thought.

The Dao of Space was exceedingly profound. A Golden Core Master could only begin to grasp it, while only a Nascent Soul Cultivator could achieve full mastery.

Therefore, constructing a Space Transmission Array was incredibly difficult, and very few people possessed the skill.

The Song Clan's own Space Transmission Array had been brought back from the Ancestral Vein by their ancestor, Song Taiyi.

'So, where did this Earth Fire Sect's Space Transmission Array come from, and where does it lead?'

Curiosity welled up in Song Xianming's heart.

But as he looked at the now-calm vortex, he had no intention of going to the other side to have a look. From his earlier test, he could tell that the Teleportation Array on the other end had been destroyed, and this Space Tunnel had collapsed.

If he entered now, even if he wasn't torn to pieces by the Spatial Gangfeng, he would be exiled into the endless void. With his Purple Mansion Stage Cultivation, he had no chance of survival.

"What a pity."

Song Xianming sighed softly.

It was unclear whether he was sighing over the failure to eradicate the enemy completely or over the destruction of a precious Space Transmission Array.

After some thought, Song Xianming decided to dismantle the Space Transmission Array. He had long wanted to do the same with his clan's Teleportation Array, but he had never acted on it because he wasn't confident he could put it back together.

This one, however, presented a perfect opportunity. If he could study it thoroughly, the Song Clan could connect their distant territories with Vast Mist Peak and even use it for communication. The implications were profound...

The Martial Spirit Sect's assets in various locations had already suffered devastating blows when the Song Clan besieged Baiyun Peak. Its members and disciples had either been killed or had fled.

With the capture of their Scripture Pavilion, this burgeoning Sect, established only a few years ago, was officially declared annihilated.

Sect Leader Chang Wudao suffered Annihilation of Body and Spirit. Grand Elder Du Huating took his own life, also resulting in the Annihilation of Body and Spirit.

The Foundation Establishment Cultivators under them—Qiu Tianyang, Qu Jinsheng, Li Tiancheng, Li Siyang, Li Hengzong, and Bai Yunfei—were all beheaded. Only Liuu Ruowei managed to escape with her life.

Of the sect's more than one thousand disciples, apart from a few who escaped, the rest became souls lost to the sword.

Even Yu Chengshan and Yu Chengzhou, who had backstabbed the Martial Spirit Sect, did not escape their fate; their bones were laid to rest on Baiyun Peak.

However, with their lives, they had earned their clan a chance at clemency from the Song Clan. In a way, their deaths were not in vain.

Thanks to the various factions' displays of loyalty, the Song Clan's casualties in this battle were minor. Twenty-six clansmen were killed or injured, and among the Foundation Establishment Cultivators, only Song Luzhou and Song Changxuan sustained light injuries.

The Yu Clan, Wang Clan, Liuyun Sect, and others suffered nearly three hundred casualties. The Liuyun Sect's Grand Elder, Xia Aii, fell in battle, while Liu Hongyan and Liu Hongye sustained light injuries. Aside from the Yu Clan, the Liuyun Sect was the faction that suffered the most severe losses.

With the great battle won, the next natural step was to distribute the spoils.

The Martial Spirit Sect's original Minor Affairs Hall had been damaged during the battle. After some simple repairs, the upper echelons of the various factions gathered together. Although the setting was somewhat crude, everyone wore a smile.

Harvest time was always a joyous occasion.

Song Xianming sat in the seat of honor, calmly observing the people in the hall, his heart filled with a thousand emotions. After more than one hundred and thirty years, the great feat of unifying Ling Province had finally been accomplished under his leadership.

From this day forward, there would be only one voice in Ling Province. The Song Clan was the master of this land!

He shot a glance at Song Changsheng, who was seated just below him. Song Changsheng immediately understood, cleared his throat, and addressed the crowd. "Thanks to everyone's joint efforts, the Martial Spirit Sect has finally been swept into the dustbin of history."

"Next is the matter of distributing the rewards. I wonder, what are your thoughts on this?"

Everyone couldn't help but look at one another. 'Isn't the distribution just a matter of what the Song Clan says? What opinion could we have, and what opinion would we dare to have?'

Just then, Clan Leader Wang Qingquan of the Wang Clan stood up. He cupped his fists toward Song Xianming above and said, "In my humble opinion, the greatest merit in this battle undoubtedly belongs to the Sect Leader. The Liuyun Sect fought bravely and suffered heavy losses, so they should be credited with the second-greatest contribution. The Yu Clan follows, and the Wang Clan's performance was average, so we should be last."

Hearing this, everyone present couldn't help but curse Wang Qingquan inwardly for his shamelessness.

For Wang Qingquan, the leader of a clan, to actually address Song Xianming as "Sect Leader" showed that the Wang Clan had already accepted the Song Clan's leadership and become their vassal, willing to act as their pawn.

'Absolutely shameless! He has no integrity whatsoever!'

Liu Hongye shot Wang Qingquan a disdainful look, then stood up and declared with an air of righteousness, "I believe Clan Leader Wang is mistaken. In this battle, we merely contributed our meager strength for the Sect Leader. How could we possibly speak of merit?"

Yu Xueqian, who was temporarily acting as Clan Leader, watched the performance of these two "seniors" and was left completely dumbfounded.

'One of them is clearly the Song Clan's most loyal ally, yet he placed himself at the very bottom. The other clearly made the greatest contribution besides the Song Clan, yet he's outright refusing any credit. Could they be any more competitive in their bootlicking?'

'It's easy for you to say, but the Yu Clan lost two Foundation Establishment Cultivators in this battle, including our current Clan Leader! Are we supposed to just gloss over such a devastating loss?'

'They've abandoned all sense of shame just to curry favor with the Song Clan!'

With a solemn expression, Yu Xueqian also rose and said, "The Yu Clan were offenders awaiting punishment. That the Sect Leader is willing to forgive us is already enough to make the entire Yu Clan weep with gratitude. We dare not speak of rewards for our insignificant contribution."

After listening to their statements, Song Changsheng couldn't help but blink. He really wanted to ask, 'Have you all misunderstood something?'

'I swear I'm being sincere.'

He truly had no ulterior motive in asking. He genuinely wanted to hear if anyone had good suggestions for the distribution. Who would have thought they would misinterpret his intentions and assume he was testing them?

Song Changsheng suddenly felt an urge to sigh. 'What do these people take me for?'

He coughed lightly, signaling for everyone to be seated. "You are all too modest. Everyone's contributions in this battle are undeniable, and merit must be rewarded. The Song Clan will never treat a meritorious subject unfairly."

"Since no one has any objections, how about I handle the distribution?"

"We will abide by the Young Clan Leader's decision!" everyone answered in unison.

"Then let's go with what Clan Leader Wang proposed. Of the spoils from this battle, how about the Wang Clan takes ten percent, the Yu Clan and the Liuyun Sect each take twenty percent, and my Song Clan takes fifty percent?"

"The Young Clan Leader is wise!"

"As for the various Cultivation Technique Manuals in the Scripture Pavilion, each family may make a copy. The remaining mines, Spiritual Veins, Spiritual Fields, shops, and so on will be assessed and then distributed as rewards."

"The Young Clan Leader is wise!"

Seeing their completely obedient demeanor, Song Changsheng felt a tinge of disappointment. 'It would have been great if some fool had jumped out to object. Then I would have had the perfect justification to make an example of them...'

Just as the factions were dividing the spoils in the main hall, a middle-aged man in a purple robe appeared at the foot of Baiyun Peak. His steps were light, and he made no sound as he moved.

He walked up to the mountainside as if taking a leisurely stroll, yet not a single one of the Cultivators cleaning up the battlefield noticed his presence.

The man crouched beside a large crater. He reached in with a hand that gleamed with a metallic luster and picked up a charred fragment. A slight curve appeared on his lips as he murmured to himself, "Celestial Shaking Thunder. Song Clan. Heh, interesting."

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