Chapter 700
"The people of the Bai Xian Alliance are unlikely to be so devout. They might harbor ulterior motives that could disrupt the atmosphere of the Jiu Shan Realm," Zheng Fa explained. "For the time being, I don't want to see a large-scale migration of them into our territory."
Sister Zhang nodded in agreement. "In that case, we need to quickly secure the resources needed to upgrade the Sun and Moon Bell from the Tai Shang Dao."
"Moreover, while large-scale transactions might provoke dissatisfaction from the Tai Shang Dao, the situation in Xuan Wei is unpredictable," Zheng Fa added.
At this, the expressions of everyone darkened. They all had to admit that even if Zheng Fa and the others wanted to take a slow and steady approach, the outside world might not allow it.
The chaos in the Tian He was far from over.
At Hao Ri Mountain, Lei Yin Temple was watching closely.
The Tai Shang Dao was also likely wary of the Jiu Shan Sect.
"Let’s produce quickly and earn quickly," Uncle Pang said slowly, nodding. "But it’s going to be tough on the disciples."
Even Sister Zhang showed a hint of sympathy on her face.
The reform of spirit weapon manufacturing in the Jiu Shan Realm still relied on cultivators. Currently, the limiting factor for the production of goods in the Jiu Shan Realm was the number of available disciples.
Despite having thousands of disciples, it was still not enough compared to the number of workers needed in various factories.
In recent years, many disciples had been working over six hours a day. If you added in their cultivation time, their daily meals and sleep were barely enough.
Now, with a large order from the Tai Shang Dao, the Jiu Shan Sect would have to go all out...
"No, I plan to make others suffer a bit," Zheng Fa said.
"Who?"
Zheng Fa looked towards the Rainbow Bridge, and everyone turned to see the head of the Chong Xuan Sect, Master Chong Xuan, hurrying over with Elder Bi Xia.
In an instant, everyone’s gaze turned sympathetic.
As Master Chong Xuan stepped off the Rainbow Bridge, he rubbed the back of his head, feeling a chill down his spine.
...
Once they entered the grand hall of Tian Gong Island, Master Chong Xuan still looked bewildered. He stole a glance at Elder Bi Xia, who also wore a puzzled expression, making him even more anxious.
He had rushed over after receiving a message from Zheng Fa, already confused, and the looks from this group only added to his worries.
"Please, have a seat," Zheng Fa gestured towards the wooden chairs in the hall. Master Chong Xuan sat stiffly, not daring to lean against the backrest.
"To let you both know, our Jiu Shan Sect is short on people, especially in the area of artifact refining."
Master Chong Xuan's eyes lit up, and he quickly replied, "Though my disciples at Chong Xuan Sect may not be the best, they do have some insights into artifact refining. I can send them as you command."
That's great! Being short on people means they have value.
Zheng Fa nodded. "I prefer to lay all the cards on the table. There are many disciples under Chong Xuan who harbor hostility towards our Jiu Shan Sect. Even those who don’t are unlikely to receive the same treatment as our Jiu Shan disciples or even those from Qing Mu Sect. In other words, they will earn less and work harder."
"Alliance Leader," Master Chong Xuan stood and cupped his hands, "we are already prepared for this."
At this point, he couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. "To them, the Alliance Leader is a lifesaver. How could they be greedy?"
Seeing his understanding, Zheng Fa felt a sense of satisfaction. He thought for a moment and suddenly pulled out a pile of communication talismans from his sleeve.
Like the others in the hall, Master Chong Xuan looked confused, unsure of what this meant.
"When I was acting as the head of the Chong Xuan Sect..." Zheng Fa began slowly, "many sects within the Bai Xian Alliance have secretly sent messages, wanting to ally with me."
Master Chong Xuan was taken aback, and upon looking at Zheng Fa, he felt a chill run down his spine.
The Chong Xuan Sect had been in turmoil, and yet these messages had been carefully preserved by Zheng Fa. What did that imply? Who could fail to understand?
"I have also given these sects plenty of opportunities," Zheng Fa's tone turned stern, making Master Chong Xuan even more anxious.
"These sects are obstinate and unyielding."
"I intend to cleanse the Bai Xian."
"Those rebellious sects, especially the cultivators coming from Hao Ri Mountain, must be eliminated one by one."
Master Chong Xuan swallowed hard, knowing that this day had finally come:
Zheng Fa's sword had cut through the immortals, and now Hao Ri Mountain would naturally not dare to provoke the Bai Xian Alliance again. Even if they wanted to do something, the destroyed spiritual veins would serve to isolate the two sects, making it difficult for them to reach out.
Within the Bai Xian Alliance, there was no longer any power to resist.
If one wanted to infiltrate the Bai Xian Alliance, this was the best time.
At this moment, looking at Zheng Fa, Master Chong Xuan felt an overwhelming sense of dread.
But Uncle Pang, who was listening, suddenly wore a strange expression and interjected, "How do you plan to deal with the cultivators from these sects?"
Master Chong Xuan was taken aback. How else could they be dealt with?
"Bring them in to work," Zheng Fa slammed his hand on the table, his tone resolute. "We’ve finally received an order from the Tai Shang Dao; we need to act quickly."
"The disciples of Jiu Shan can't be overworked, and the disciples of Chong Xuan..." Zheng Fa glanced at Master Chong Xuan, "also have some skills, so we can't be too harsh."
"But those sects lack skills and have opposing views; they can just do some simple tasks instead," Zheng Fa seemed to have thought this through. "Though these sects are small, their combined disciples number around two thousand, not to mention the Yuanying cultivators coming from Hao Ri Mountain. That’s quite a lot of people."
The hall fell into a dead silence.
Uncle Pang looked up at the sky, muttering, "This sounds oddly familiar."
Sister Zhang's expression turned grave. "Lin Bu Fan."
"Oh, right! Free labor!"
After listening for a while, Master Chong Xuan finally understood. This Bai Xian Alliance leader was probably not very interested in quelling the rebellion...
But he was very interested in workers who wouldn’t require spirit stones.
Not only was he interested, but Uncle Pang's eyes also lit up. "Leave this to me! I’ve done my homework on the Bai Xian Alliance! I have quite a few old acquaintances among those sects!"
Zheng Fa chuckled, raising the communication talismans. "The sects in here are naturally disloyal to our Bai Xian Alliance."
"However, we don’t know much about the internal situations of some of these sects."
He paused and continued, "Elder Han recently sent word that many sects within the Bai Xian Alliance have been secretly fleeing since my battle with Luo San Xian."
Uncle Pang huffed angrily, "At least they know when to retreat."
"These sects have scattered, and Elder Han doesn’t have enough manpower to track down many of their whereabouts," Zheng Fa looked at Master Chong Xuan, his expression gentle. "If we can’t find them all, we might not achieve complete success."
Master Chong Xuan's heart skipped a beat, finally understanding why Zheng Fa had specifically sought him out.
Aside from the arrangements for the disciples of Chong Xuan, it was probably for this!
Sure enough, Zheng Fa added, "The sects in here are likely those that have been friendly with the Chong Xuan Sect..."
Master Chong Xuan hesitated. He was naturally wary of Zheng Fa, but to simply sell out these sects that had been friendly with the Chong Xuan Sect for generations, especially since some of the cultivators had ties with him that spanned thousands of years...
He hesitated, pondering how much he should say.
"Oh, right," Zheng Fa added, "many of these messages seem to indicate that I have gained the favor of Shi Nan Dang..."
"Huh?"
"And some people refer to me as Master Li."
Master Chong Xuan stood up, cupping his hands, his face filled with righteous indignation. "In my life, I despise traitors the most!"
Zheng Fa glanced at him, chuckling lightly, knowing that the other party would eventually cooperate; he was merely looking for a way to ease the tension.
"This matter will be handled by Uncle Pang, and Elder Han will provide you with intelligence." He nodded at Uncle Pang and added, "If there is any resistance, we will need your help, Fairy Xie."
Xie Qingxue nodded.
Then Zheng Fa continued, "Sister Zhang, select a group of disciples on Le Tu Island to take over the territories of these sects."
Sister Zhang looked surprised and asked, "Is it decided?"
"This is the best opportunity."
Zheng Fa's expression was serious, and the others in the hall were even more puzzled.
Zheng Fa glanced at them and explained, "After this cleansing, our Jiu Shan Sect will control over eighty percent of the land in the Bai Xian Alliance."
Initially, when Tong Ming Mountain left, their territory was occupied by the Jiu Shan Sect, which accounted for nearly two states' worth of land.
Later, many sects ventured to develop the seas, and much of the land they occupied was exchanged for Jiu Shan Sect's elixirs and artifacts.
With the addition of sects like Qing Mu joining the guild, some of the spiritual mines of other sects had been invested in by the Jiu Shan Sect.
If they were to reclaim the last portion of these sects' lands...
The Jiu Shan Sect would indeed become the major landlord of the Bai Xian Alliance.
"So, Zheng Fa, you want to... redistribute the land?"
Uncle Pang also understood, having conducted investigations into the Bai Xian Alliance. He naturally knew who originally held these lands.
"Yes, redistribute the land." Zheng Fa paused, then suddenly added, "I plan to prohibit indentured servitude, evenly distribute the land, and even impose taxes based on the amount of land owned. The more land one has, the higher the tax."
"Huh?"
Uncle Pang was confused, not understanding why Zheng Fa would do this.
The others also showed signs of shock.
Land redistribution was not uncommon in the history of Xuan Wei; whenever a new sect rose, such scenes would inevitably occur.
But Zheng Fa's approach was rarely seen.
Because the purpose was clear: to suppress the families.
This was something unheard of for cultivators in the Xuan Wei Realm.
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