345: The root cause of war

An Yunmiao actually claimed she couldn't make the decision for just some demonic beast Essence Blood; Liu Xuan seriously suspected she was just brushing him off.

The Peach Blossom Sect battlefield was vast and boundless, with a large number of the Yao Race dying every day. Most of these spoils of war had to be surrendered to the Beast Taming Sect for distribution and sale.

Although high-level demonic beast Essence Blood was relatively scarce, Liu Xuan didn't want it all; he just wanted to purchase a bit more. With An Yunmiao's status and position, it should have been a simple matter of a single sentence.

"How much do you want? If it's not much, it shouldn't be a problem. If it's a lot, it will be very difficult!"

Seeing that An Yunmiao didn't seem to be brushing him off, Liu Xuan pondered for a moment and asked, "Are there other buyers for the demonic beast Essence Blood?"

If An Yunmiao wasn't brushing him off, then there were only two possibilities: either there were larger buyers who needed the demonic beast Essence Blood, or the Beast Taming Sect needed it themselves.

An Yunmiao nodded. "There have always been buyers for high-level demonic beast Essence Blood, and they offer relatively high prices."

"Who are they sold to? What is the price?" Liu Xuan asked.

An Yunmiao paused and sent a Divine Soul transmission: "The Peach Blossom Sect. The price is thirty percent higher than the market rate."

"The Peach Blossom Sect?!"

How could it be the Peach Blossom Sect?! Liu Xuan had considered the Heavenly Sword Sect, the Chongming Sect, the Cloud Top Sect, or even some big shot from the Azure Profound Sect, but he had never considered the Peach Blossom Sect.

"Eldest Senior Sister, are you sure you didn't misspeak? You mean we are at war with the Peach Blossom Sect, and yet your higher-ups are selling the obtained demonic beast Essence Blood back to the Peach Blossom Sect?"

An Yunmiao continued to nod and explained indifferently, "It's not just Essence Blood; the Peach Blossom Sect wants demonic beast carcasses, bones, and fur as well. The Peach Blossom Demon Lord needs to strengthen the Myriad Spirits Grand Array and offers even higher prices!"

No wonder! No wonder the price of monster beast flesh and blood Materials never dropped!

Liu Xuan had long felt it was strange. As the war expanded, the price of monster beast flesh and blood Materials should have decreased, but the market price never went down. It turned out the bulk was being bought up by the Peach Blossom Sect!

"Eldest Senior Sister, I've always had a question I don't quite understand. I'm not sure if I should ask." Liu Xuan also asked via transmission.

"Speak!"

Seeing Liu Xuan accept what she had just said so quickly, An Yunmiao stared at him curiously.

"The Beast Taming Sect campaigned tens of thousands of miles to the Demon Court. What is the fundamental reason for this war?"

Liu Xuan had inquired about this within the Beast Taming Sect; the standard answer was an expansion war to increase territory for the entire Human Race.

It wasn't that he didn't believe it, but he felt that beneath such a grand goal, there might be a more direct reason.

"The reason is simple. Decades ago, the Beast Taming Sect's main mountain produced a new Spirit Transformation Dao Lord. The Venerable needs a dojo for cultivation!"

A Soul Transformation Cultivator! The highest Realm in this world, comparable to an Earth Immortal. Mortals and low-level Cultivators call them 'Soul Transformation Immortals,' while those at the Golden Core True Person level and above call them 'Spirit Transformation Dao Lord' or 'Soul Transformation Venerable.'

A new Spirit Transformation Dao Lord had emerged in the Beast Taming Sect and wanted the endless Demon Court as a dojo for cultivation. In this light, everything made sense.

"Eldest Senior Sister, I have one more question."

"Since we know the Peach Blossom Demon Lord needs monster beast flesh and blood essence for the Myriad Spirits Grand Array, why aid the enemy? Is she friend or foe?"

"Neither friend nor foe!" An Yunmiao said indifferently. "She offers a higher price, and everyone gets what they need. At most, it's just a transaction; it doesn't count as aiding the enemy."

"But if the Peach Blossom Sect becomes stronger because of this demonic beast Essence Blood, won't more of our Beast Taming Sect people die?"

An Yunmiao paused. She looked at Liu Xuan for a long while before transmitting, "Cultivators seize Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence to Cultivate, but the Spiritual Qi in the world is limited. Too many Cultivators is not a good thing!"

Liu Xuan's heart skipped a beat!

Too many Cultivators is not a good thing! His guess was indeed correct; the Beast Taming Sect didn't care about the lives of low-level Cultivators at all and was intentionally squeezing every last bit of value from them.

Besides seizing a dojo for the new Spirit Transformation Dao Lord, this war was likely also meant to use the conflict to consume the local Cultivators of the Beast Taming Sect and alleviate the contradiction of having too many Cultivators.

"I am telling you these things today because I consider you one of us. What comes from my mouth enters your ears. This concerns a Spirit Transformation Dao Lord; if you spread this around, do you know the consequences?" An Yunmiao said seriously.

Liu Xuan bowed to show he understood. He said to An Yunxi nearby, "Senior Sister Yunxi, the newly built Liu Family Artifact Refining Workshop here already has its general framework. How about I give you a tour?"

"Great, great!"

An Yunxi had come to find Liu Xuan this time not only because she wanted to see him, but also because she wanted to continue researching those novel gadgets with him.

Liu Xuan took the lead, guiding the two sisters toward the Artifact Refining Workshop. While introducing the situation of the newly built workshop to An Yunxi, he continued to use Divine Sense transmission to ask An Yunmiao about the previous topic.

"Eldest Senior Sister, our South Courtyard sells demonic beast Essence Blood to the Peach Blossom Sect simply because we want to earn more Spirit Stones. If I offer the same price, or even a bit higher, could you step in and prioritize selling it to me?"

An Yunmiao had spoken at length, and she never expected Liu Xuan still hadn't given up. She asked with a hint of impatience via transmission, "Exactly how much do you want?"

"As much as you have, the more the better!"

"Initially, I can raise about thirty million Spirit Stones. Later, I can pay with large flying boats, nourishing pills, bone-strengthening beast pills, and other demonic beast Medicinal Pills."

Liu Xuan only had over ten million Spirit Stones on hand, but the Merchant Alliance and Red Pine Sect had nearly ten million on their books. Yue Li should also be able to draw a portion from her Revered Master Shen Yunshu's Feiyu City. Thirty million Spirit Stones was not a big problem.

If all else failed, Liu Xuan still had several Magic Treasures from the two Golden Core True Persons, Xiao Changfeng and Fan Yang, which were worth at least twenty to thirty million Spirit Stones.

Liu Xuan himself didn't need overly expensive cultivation Medicinal Pills, nor did he need to spend a massive price to nurture a Lifebound Treasure. He was more generous in spending Spirit Stones than many Mid Golden Core Stage True Persons.

Thirty million Spirit Stones!

An Yunmiao looked toward the Tier 3 sword shadow flowing light flying boat high above the city. "Is this a Liu Family business, or a Red Pine Sect business?"

Liu Xuan understood her meaning and smiled. "The Red Pine Sect's business is my Liu Family's business."

"Fine!"

"Thirty million Spirit Stones isn't that much. Since you are willing to buy at a high price, I'll ask around for you when I have time."

Thirty million Spirit Stones was a huge sum for a Golden Core True Person, but for the entire South Courtyard, it really wasn't much.

The value of Essence Blood from the entire battlefield for one month was estimated to be over a hundred million. It was only thirty million; Yunhe could satisfy Liu Xuan's appetite by setting aside a portion.

"Thank you, Eldest Senior Sister!"

"I've long heard that Eldest Senior Sister is beautiful, kind-hearted, and helpful. You truly live up to your name!"

"I, Liu Xuan, will be your steadfast supporter from now on, going through thick and thin without hesitation!"

Liu Xuan spoke with such sincerity that it seemed real, but in reality, based on what he had gathered from An Yunxi and other Beast Taming Sect Disciples, Eldest Senior Sister Yun Miao was a person with a violent temper who would strike at the slightest disagreement.

'Eldest Senior Sister is clearly reasonable and understanding; rumors really can't be trusted!'