The next day, the Fire Ant Tribe's Grand Elder, Chen He, succumbed to his old back injury. The healing herbs were of no use, and before the tribe's healer could arrive, he passed away that very night.
Lie Yong received the news and fell into a long silence.
Lie Zhao spoke in a deep voice, "Father, why did you have to..."
After a long pause, Lie Yong finally spoke, his voice calm, "Someone must go first. If he left now, it won't affect your future path."
Hearing this, Lie Zhao fell silent as well.
Chen He had been his father's most trusted confidant. As a child, Lie Zhao had been saved from danger several times by Chen He. Now, it felt as though he had personally sent Chen He on his final journey.
"I'm going to sleep. Don't disturb me…" Lie Yong waved his hand and returned to his bed.
Another day passed.
Lie Yong, the 35th Clan Leader of the Fire Ant Tribe, suddenly passed away in his sleep. He was 121 years old.
As a top-tier Gold Insect Master, his lifespan was not considered long. It was clear that his battle with the leader of the Flying Sky Ant Tribe had severely damaged his vitality, shaving many years off his life.
The Fire Ant Tribe held an extravagant funeral for Lie Yong, placing his spirit tablet at the highest point of the ancestral hall.
Out of the previous 34 clan leaders, none had managed to elevate a small tribe to a medium-sized one. Lie Yong had done it. He had truly earned the honor.
Shortly after Lie Yong's passing, his eighth son, Lie Zhao, succeeded him as the 36th Clan Leader of the Fire Ant Tribe, following his father's will.
…
Chu Xuan looked at this new host and felt a sudden surge of emotion in his heart.
Lie Yong had died. Had he been granted a few more decades of life, perhaps he could have overthrown the Holy Ant Tribe. What a pity, what a pity.
"This Lie Zhao is somewhat indecisive. I wonder if he can live up to Lie Yong's legacy. And he's so young. The longevity method holds little allure for him."
Chu Xuan couldn't help but furrow his brows.
After observing Lie Zhao for a few days, he realized that Lie Zhao could not be compared to his father, Lie Yong. However, what he had discerned so far was merely his indecisiveness.
What if Lie Zhao was more of a ruler content with preserving the status quo? That would be even harder to deal with. What he needed was a host with a pioneering spirit.
Even if the host failed halfway, that would be fine. At least the mirror fragment would fall into the hands of the next host. It would be far better than being left to gather dust in the hands of a ruler who was merely content with maintaining the existing state.
"Now that Lie Zhao is the new clan leader, everything must be taken over anew. There will be no opportunity for external expansion. I probably won't need to bother with him for the next few years. Let's head back to Mystic Azure and see how things are there."
Chu Xuan withdrew his focus. With a single step, he returned to his retreat on Infinite Island.
...
On Infinite Island, by the shores of Flying Fish Lake, stood a small pavilion constructed from redwood and green bricks.
Inside, Chu Xuan and Shang Xingchen sat across from each other, sipping spirit tea.
Chu Xuan smiled, "Ku Mao Feng tea was personally cultivated by me—bitter yet sweet, with a lingering aftertaste."
Shang Xingchen glanced at the boiling tea and was about to take a sip when he gently furrowed his brows.
"The poison isn't in the tea, but rather on the rim of the cup," he remarked. "The Sect Leader's poison techniques have become even more inventive."
Chu Xuan chuckled. "Elder Shang, you are quite perceptive. Your toxic powder has diffused through the steam rising from my small red clay stove, spreading over a three-zhang radius."
He leaned closer and sniffed. "Curiously, it also has an aphrodisiac effect. Could it be, Elder Shang, that you intend to watch me make a fool of myself?"
Shang Xingchen smiled faintly. "I wouldn't dare. It's just a new poison I recently concocted, and I wanted to try it out. The Sect Leader's poison skills are unparalleled, so my humble trick has surely embarrassed me."
Both men chuckled lightly and took another sip from their cups.
After his recent cultivation in Blue Star, Chu Xuan's Qi Refining had reached the sixth level of Nascent Soul, and his body refining had reached the thirty-sixth stage.
He considered himself immensely powerful, capable of dealing with three or four cultivators of the same level with ease, and with the aid of the Ghost King and Corpse King, he could even face multiple Nascent Soul cultivators simultaneously.
Yet every time he faced Shang Xingchen, there was always a faint sense of danger. He knew better than to act rashly without absolute certainty. He could tell Shang Xingchen was the same type of person.
"With Elder Shang's vast network, do you know to what extent the war between the Sect and the Church has escalated?" Chu Xuan asked, taking a sip of the bitter tea.
Shang Xingchen replied calmly, "The Divine Sect has captured Mystic Azure Star, while the Church, through covert methods, has taken Heavenly Radiance Star. As for the extraterritorial battlefields, I don't know much about those. They're the domain of the Deity Transformation cultivators. However, I did notice that the Heavenly Blood Alliance lowered its flag to half-mast. It seems a Deity Transformation cultivator from their side has perished."
Chu Xuan nodded slightly.
A few members of the Heavenly Blood Alliance were stationed on Mystic Azure Star, and they would raise the Blood Dragon Flag every day. When the flag was lowered to half-mast, it naturally caught his attention.
He smiled, "I already knew about this, Elder Shang. Don't treat me like an outsider—are you unwilling to share things I don't already know?"
Shang Xingchen pondered for a moment before responding, "The war between the Heaven Shaking Divine Sect and the Reincarnation Church is at a critical juncture, and the resources consumed must be vast. Sect Master Luo mentioned that the Divine Sect will soon begin requisitioning various resources. Medicinal pills and talismans will be in high demand. This is an excellent opportunity to exchange for sect contributions."
Chu Xuan nodded thoughtfully.
That was certainly true. During times of war, medicinal pills and talismans were among the most sought-after consumables—no one could ever have enough.
"Just right, the formations I set up on Blue Star and Soul Star are starting to fall behind. This could be an opportunity to completely upgrade them to Nascent Soul-level formations."
Chu Xuan quietly made a note of this matter.
"Elder Shang, do you think Mystic Azure Star is in any danger of being affected by the ongoing war?" he suddenly asked.
Shang Xingchen nodded. "No cultivation star can remain unaffected. Unless the Divine Sect maintains a dominant position throughout. But from the current deadlock in the war, it's clear that sooner or later we will be drawn into it as well."
Chu Xuan furrowed his brow. "I've been walking around the sect lately and noticed the disciples' cultivation seems to have stagnated. This is not a good sign."
Shang Xingchen agreed. "Indeed. I think a rewards system could be set up. Those who advance their cultivation quickly should be rewarded. This will help stimulate their motivation to cultivate."
Chu Xuan nodded in agreement. "Elder Shang has a point."
Shang Xingchen continued, "I've already drafted a plan, though it's still in its preliminary stages. The Sect Leader might want to listen."
Chu Xuan smiled. "I'm all ears."
Shang Xingchen explained, "For Golden Core cultivators if they break through a minor realm within twenty years, they should be granted a Major Breakthrough Pill and a bottle of Blood Essence.
For Foundation Establishment cultivators, if they break through a minor realm within ten years, they should be granted a Minor Breakthrough Pill and a bottle of Great Blood Pearls. For Qi Refining cultivators, if they break through a minor realm within a year, they should be given a bottle of Blood Pearls. What do you think, Sect Leader?"
The Breakthrough Pills were precious medicines that allowed cultivators to forcibly break through bottlenecks, and they were expensive. They had to be combined with spiritual herbs rich in Spiritual Qi to be effective.
They were not easy to come by, and this kind of reward system would indeed encourage the disciples' ambition to improve.
However, it still wasn't quite enough.
Chu Xuan nodded thoughtfully. "Good strategy, but I'd like to make a few adjustments."