368: Chapter 368 Taixu Fortress, Guard Commander!

"It is precisely these two long-standing Immortal Sects."

Shui Changdong nodded, his brow furrowed deeply into the shape of the character ' river', his tone carrying deep helplessness and anger.

"Over the past century, these two great Immortal Sects have gone mad for some reason, breaking out into a full-scale war to fight for a newly discovered Top-grade Immortal Spiritual Vein located at their border."

"Originally, as the two hegemons, their fighting to the death over resources was their own business."

"The Jiuding Chamber of Commerce's business philosophy has always been that harmony breeds wealth; we remain neutral and uninvolved, and can even take the opportunity to make some profit from the war."

"But in recent years, the flames of war have continuously escalated, and both sides have become truly enraged. To cut off each other's supply lines, they have continuously expanded the combat zone. In the end, they even unreasonably and forcibly blockaded several of the most core main trade routes connecting our Jiuding Chamber of Commerce to the outside world!"

Shui Changdong waved his hand, and a giant Formation map emitting spiritual light appeared in the air in the center of the hall.

He pointed at several key nodes marked in red on the map, his voice low:

"Worthy Nephew, please look. Especially this mandatory path to the Guanghan Domain branch—Taixu Fortress! This fortress is not only a transportation hub but also the vital throat of our Jiuding Chamber of Commerce connecting to dozens of great domains in the north, holding the lifeblood of nearly thirty percent of our chamber's profits!"

"Now, Taixu Fortress is jointly controlled by the heavy forces of the Taiyi and Taixuan Sects, who have declared a state of highest-level wartime emergency."

"They have strictly forbidden all merchant caravans, Loose Cultivators, and even our Jiuding Chamber of Commerce's official flying ships from passing! Any aircraft that dares to approach will be killed without mercy!"

"For a chamber of commerce, having its trade routes cut off is no different from being strangled by the neck."

"Currently, all sorts of backlogged materials in Nine Cauldrons Immortal City are piled up like mountains; the warehouses are about to burst, yet they cannot be shipped out. Meanwhile, the life-saving Medicinal Pills and strategic materials urgently needed by the Guanghan Domain branch cannot be brought in."

"The major partner forces are full of complaints, prices are skyrocketing, and people are in a state of panic."

Shui Changdong sighed deeply, his tone carrying a sense of powerlessness: "If these trade routes remain blockaded for a few more months and we are unable to fulfill our previous order contracts, the reputation of my Jiuding Chamber of Commerce will surely plummet and suffer a devastating blow."

"Even more terrifying is that this will trigger a wave of bank runs, leading to a complete breakdown of the capital chain! At that time, even without them lifting a finger, my Jiuding Chamber of Commerce will collapse on its own and face a crisis of life and death!"

Lu Yuan listened quietly to Shui Changdong's narration, his fingers rhythmically tapping on the sandalwood tabletop, lost in thought.

"Since this Taixu Fortress concerns the survival of the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce, and Senior is a Golden Immortal level powerhouse with profound strength..."

Lu Yuan stopped tapping and looked directly at Shui Changdong, raising his doubt, "Why not personally make a trip? With the strength of a Golden Immortal, even in a chaotic fortress where two armies are fighting, it shouldn't be difficult for you to forcibly escort a core merchant caravan and break through the blockade, right? Would those two Sects really dare to fight to the death with a Golden Immortal just to intercept a merchant caravan?"

Hearing this, Shui Changdong gave a bitter smile and shook his head, a smile filled with the frustration and helplessness that even great figures possess.

"Worthy Nephew, you have just arrived and are unaware; the Daluo Heaven has its own ironclad laws, and these waters run very deep."

Shui Changdong picked up the now slightly cool immortal tea but did not drink it, merely using it to hide the turmoil in his heart. "In the Immortal Realm, Golden Immortal level powerhouses have already initially mastered the Laws of Immortality, and can destroy a world with a mere gesture."

"Combat power of this level is regarded by major forces as strategic nuclear weapons; their primary role is deterrence, rather than easily entering the fray to kill."

"Millions of years ago, several Supreme Daluo Immortal Kings of the Daluo Heaven, in order to prevent the Immortal Realm from being completely shattered by civil wars, joined forces to establish an insurmountable ironclad law: no Golden Immortal powerhouse may easily participate in wars between Sects and forces at the Profound Immortal level or below, and they are absolutely not permitted to personally intervene in mundane affairs or commercial interest disputes!"

"Otherwise, it would be a violation of the hard-won rules of balance in the Immortal Realm."

"They will surely face the thunderous punishment descended by the Immortal King; at best, their cultivation will be stripped, and at worst, their Divine Souls will be extinguished!"

Shui Changdong put down his teacup and looked deeply at Taixu Fortress on the map. "Therefore, this struggle over the trade routes may appear on the surface to be a material blockade caused by war, but in reality, is it not the Taiyi and Taixuan Sects tacitly working together to suppress my Jiuding Chamber of Commerce, wanting to carve up this piece of fat?"

"This is also both sides competing with their underlying Profound Immortal combat reserves. If I cannot keep my composure and forcibly take action to break the rules for the sake of the caravan, those Golden Immortal Old Ancestors from the Taiyi and Taixuan Sects, who have been eyeing my chamber like tigers, will surely use this as an excuse to cause trouble and attack in a group."

"When that time comes, the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce, having lost the protection of the Immortal King's laws, would probably vanish in a puff of smoke under the siege of several Golden Immortals in an instant!"

Having said this, Shui Changdong's gaze suddenly shifted, looking intently at Lu Yuan.

In that gaze, there was no longer the affection of a father-in-law looking at a son-in-law, but the fervor and expectation of a helmsman of a chamber of commerce on the brink of ruin seeing his last saving straw.

"Therefore, this matter can only be resolved by a Profound Immortal below the Golden Immortal level with exceptional combat power."

"As for the several top-tier Profound Immortals cultivated within my chamber, they have long been closely watched by the opposition; any slight movement would lead to them being intercepted and killed, making it impossible for them to break through."

"Worthy Nephew, your strength is unfathomable; you could even defeat the Clone of the Taiyi True Immortal, with combat power far exceeding those of the same rank."

"The most crucial point is that you have just arrived in the Daluo Heaven and are an absolute fresh face, not someone recorded within our chamber's internal files."

"The opposition knows nothing about you, so their guard will be at its weakest."

Shui Changdong suddenly stood up and bowed deeply to Lu Yuan.

His tone was more solemn than ever before, even carrying a hint of a Senior's plea to a Junior: "I would like to shamelessly entrust you to serve as the Specially Appointed Guard Commander of my Jiuding Chamber of Commerce for this mission."

"To escort a batch of extremely important strategic materials concerning the survival of the chamber, forcibly break through Taixu Fortress, and head to the Guanghan Domain branch."

"And from there, safely bring back another batch of life-saving recovered funds and materials to Nine Cauldrons Immortal City."

"This escort mission is extremely dangerous, a narrow escape from death. But as long as Worthy Nephew can accept this commission, and after it is successful..."

Shui Changdong straightened up and suddenly gritted his teeth, as if he had made a huge decision, throwing out a Heaven-Defying stake that was extremely tempting and enough to make any force in the Daluo Heaven go wild.

"I swear to the Heavenly Dao in the name of the President of the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce! I promise to grant Worthy Nephew a top-tier Famous Mountain Dao Arena located in the heart of the Daluo Heaven, possessing a Top-grade Immortal Spiritual Vein!"

"As the supreme Foundation for you and the Qingyun Dao Sect behind you to officially establish your Sect and remain unshakable for ten thousand generations in this Daluo Heaven!"

A Top-grade Immortal Spiritual Vein!

As soon as these words were spoken, even Gu Qingxue and the others standing behind Lu Yuan couldn't help but gasp.