266: Chapter 266 The Li Family Alliance

In the main hall of the Ye Family.

Ye Xuan sat in the main seat, looking at a middle-aged man in fine silk robes with a sinister expression; this was the Head of the Li Family, Patriarch Li Xiuhe.

Behind him followed four Foundation Establishment Cultivators with longswords at their waists, each with a heavy Aura and steps that deliberately displayed their pressure.

This made Ye Xuan feel somewhat uneasy; previously, Ye Jing had participated in a chamber of commerce led by the Li Family and was pursued by them, and Ye Tianhui had also been injured during a disturbance led by the Li Family.

These various incidents made Ye Xuan annoyed, but he still maintained a respectful expression toward a Senior.

This Patriarch Li Xiuhe was forty years old and at the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, and he had brought two clansmen at the Early Stage Foundation Establishment; his background was quite formidable.

After Ye Jing arrived, he politely cupped his hands toward Patriarch Li Xiuhe and said, "Head of the Li Family, it has been a long time!"

Patriarch Li Xiuhe saw that this old man had actually reached the Early Stage Foundation Establishment after not seeing him for a few years; although he had heard rumors, seeing it in person was particularly surprising.

A Cultivator's Lifespan is limited; the older one gets, the stiffer the Meridians become, and the difficulty of Cultivation increases exponentially. It is already a stroke of luck for an ordinary old man to maintain his cultivation level without it dropping.

That Ye Jing could actually break through against the odds was truly beyond his expectations.

However, this surprise was fleeting. Patriarch Li Xiuhe walked forward slowly with his hands behind his back, and the pressure of his Mid-stage Foundation Establishment suddenly surged.

It bore down directly toward Ye Jing as he spoke in a sinister tone without the slightest politeness, "Old Patriarch Ye is quite fortunate; even with those old bones, you could strike it lucky and break through. It seems the Ye Family has hidden many good Opportunities these past few years."

Ye Jing's expression darkened slightly. He raised his hand to circulate his spiritual power to resist the pressure, straightened his back, and said, "The Head of the Li Family must be joking; it was merely a fluke. May I ask what brings you to our door?"

"What brings me?"

Patriarch Li Xiuhe sneered, his gaze sweeping over Ye Jing, who was sitting in the main seat, his eyes as sinister as a venomous snake.

"I, Li, have come naturally to demand an explanation. Five years ago, an Elder of my Li Family was tempering himself at Tiangong Market and was killed, vanishing without a trace. The one who did it was none other than the Patriarch of your Ye Family. Shouldn't the Ye Family give me an account for this debt?"

Ye Jing suddenly remembered the Li Family Cultivator who had pursued him at the end of the previous chamber of commerce meeting.

He smiled calmly, picked up his hot tea, and began to drink, looking at Patriarch Li Xiuhe without any fear. "The Head of the Li Family should have a limit to his jokes. When have I ever seen that Elder of yours? At that time, I was only at the Qi Refining stage; how could I have killed him?"

Patriarch Li Xiuhe sneered, "So, you had a helper... was it a Yao Beast?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Ye Jing's killing intent was fully aroused, and Ye Xuan's face also darkened. Could he be saying this because of the matter at Red Copper Mountain?

Patriarch Li Xiuhe was naturally no fool. After exposing their secret, he lowered his voice and waved his hand. "Patriarch Ye, why don't the two of us have a private chat? I have some confidential words to say."

Ye Jing glanced at the people around him and nodded to Ye Xuan. Although Ye Xuan was worried, he obediently withdrew.

The two Foundation Establishment Retainers of the Li Family also withdrew.

"If the Head of the Li Family has something to say, you might as well speak plainly."

Patriarch Li Xiuhe used his spiritual power to set a Restriction over the room, then relaxed slightly.

He said coldly, "Patriarch Ye, I know your capabilities, and I know the deep grudges between you and my Li Family. However, I am not a fool. I am speaking plainly now only to tell you that the Lingxiao Sect wants me and your Ye Family to fight over that Tiangong Market."

"But if this continues, it will only result in both sides suffering. Therefore, I want to reach a cooperation with you."

Ye Jing said guardedly, "Cooperation? Patriarch Li Xiuhe, the enmity between our two families is already deep. Do you think I would believe such nonsense?"

"The Lingxiao Sect's interference in Tiangong Market is nothing more than wanting to completely swallow this choice morsel, using our hands to wear each other down so they can reap the benefits. We both know this trick well!"

Patriarch Li Xiuhe sneered, "As expected of an old fox, you understand immediately. Those hypocrites of the Lingxiao Sect have long coveted the spirit mines, Shops, and Artifact Refining resources of Tiangong Market."

"It's only because Tiangong Market is a neutral territory jointly designated by the ancestors of the Qingyun Sect and the Lingxiao Sect, with a blood oath sworn not to seize it for themselves."

"That's why they don't dare to openly occupy it by force and can only instigate internal strife between our two families, waiting until we are both exhausted and our Origin Qi is severely damaged."

"They will then step forward in the name of 'mediating disputes and protecting the territory,' naturally grasping Tiangong Market in their hands."

At this point, Patriarch Li Xiuhe's tone suddenly became sharp, carrying a bone-chilling coldness. "At that time, do you think that weak and incompetent Sect Master Yun Ling will step in to save your Ye Family?"

"Previously, when the Xuanyou Sect slaughtered the affiliated families of the Qingyun Sect, killing so many Cultivators and destroying so many small households, Yun Ling didn't even dare to fart; he would only shrink back in his Sect to drag out a miserable existence!"

"If the Lingxiao Sect truly tears off its mask to seize it by force, he will likely continue to feign ignorance and sacrifice us small families to preserve himself!"

Previously, Patriarch Li Xiuhe was afraid that the next Family to be destroyed by the Xuanyou Sect would be his own, which was why he had no choice but to abandon his eldest daughter in the Qingyun Sect and accept the recruitment of the Lingxiao Sect.

As it turns out, in this world, the Qingyun Sect cannot be relied upon, and the Lingxiao Sect is even less reliable; they, these families, are all just chess pieces!

Patriarch Li Xiuhe had a proud and violent personality, but in his life, he feared nothing—except for the hundred or so members of the Li Family.

He did not want to see the foundation built by his ancestors destroyed in his hands, and even less did he want the children of the Li Family to become cannon fodder for the Lingxiao Sect.

"My Li Family occupies the Eastern District of Tiangong Market, and the Ye Family occupies the Western District. If a fight truly breaks out, according to your hidden cards, no matter how powerful they are, you will suffer losses."

"Even if we win, we will lose soldiers and generals. At that time, the Lingxiao Sect will only need to send a few Inner Sect Disciples to easily annex the entire Tiangong Market, and both our families will become homeless dogs."

Ye Jing's fingertips gripping the teacup tightened slightly. The scalding spiritual tea entered his throat, yet it could not suppress the crashing waves in his heart.

Patriarch Li Xiuhe's words hit every vital point and tore open the cruel truth of small families struggling for survival in the gaps of the cultivation world.

Sect games, families buried as sacrifices—this was an eternal rule.

He looked up at Patriarch Li Xiuhe, his cloudy old eyes flashing with a bit of sharpness. He did not rush to refute but spoke plainly: "The Head of the Li Family certainly sees the way out clearly, but a cooperation based on empty words is a bit too much of a joke."

"The blood feud between our two families is out in the open. Ye Tianhui was injured by your clansmen coming to cause trouble, and during the chamber of commerce, you intended to kill me. Can this debt be wiped clean with just a word of cooperation?"

As the words fell, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze.

Patriarch Li Xiuhe's expression darkened slightly, and most of the pressure around him faded, replaced by a kind of desolation that was almost exhaustion.

He walked slowly to a guest seat on one side and sat down, raising his hand to rub his brow. The usual sinister violence faded a bit, replaced by the helplessness of being a Family head.

"Patriarch Ye, let's write off the past grudges. I apologize to you and will compensate the Ye Family with one thousand Spirit Stones, how about that? I only want to cooperate with the Ye Family to fool the Lingxiao Sect; the two families will just pretend to be at odds, and other businesses will be conducted separately!"

"Write it off? The Head of the Li Family makes it sound so simple."

Ye Jing slowly set down his teacup with a hint of sarcasm. His voice grew cold, and the Late Foundation Establishment Stage pressure he emitted actually faintly suppressed Patriarch Li Xiuhe's previous Aura.

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze locking onto Patriarch Li Xiuhe like a hawk. "Patriarch Li Xiuhe, you and I are both Patriarchs who hold the rise and fall of our families. Don't try to fool me with these childish tricks."

"You fear the Lingxiao Sect's schemes and the destruction of the Li Family; is my Ye Family not also treading on thin ice? But cooperation is about sincerity and chips, not something that can be glossed over with an apology and a few Spirit Stones."