431: Chapter 431 Short of Money

Peach Blossom Sect.

Hall of General Affairs.

Peach Blossom Demon Lord sat regally at the head of the hall, with Bai Leng, Lüluo, and the White Tiger Saintess Shuang Xue standing by her side.

Throughout the hall were many Yao Race guards and attendants, all of whom were beautiful female demons.

Although the war was brutal, most of those who died were Yao Race reinforcements from the Demon Court; Peach Blossom Demon Lord's confidants had not suffered many losses, and there were still quite a few Yao Race members within the Sect.

However, the hall was filled entirely with female demons, while the male subordinates were assigned to tasks outside.

Peach Blossom Demon Lord had always preferred female demons, and after following Liu Xuan, she specifically arranged her confidants to cater to his tastes; the more beautiful the female demon, the closer she could serve.

Below the dais, two rows of seats and tables lined the sides, currently occupied entirely by Nascent Soul Stage True Lords and Demon Lords.

In the first seat on the upper left sat True Lord Haoran, and beside him was his natal spirit beast, the Mountain-Shaking Demon Lord, Yue Chen.

In the first seat on the upper right sat the South Courtyard's Grand Elder, Ye Gu, and beside him was his natal spirit beast, the Azure Wind Demon Lord, Ying Tiancheng.

Below them were the South Courtyard's other three True Lord Elders and their respective Nascent Soul Demon Lord natal spirit beasts.

At the end sat a masterless Demon Lord, the Late Golden Core Stage Immortal Master Yunhe and his natal spirit beast, the Cloud Crane Demon Lord, and even Senior Sister Yun Miao's fat black bear sat in the back corner in a shrunken form.

Almost all the major figures from the Southern Courtyard of the Beast Taming Sect had arrived to discuss the future distribution of the Peach Blossom Sect's territory.

"Fellow Daoists, the war is over, yet you still maintain an army surrounding my Sect's gates. Do you intend to defy Daoist Lord Lihuo's decree?"

Peach Blossom Demon Lord's tone was gentle, like an innocent young girl, but the edge in her words was extremely sharp.

With a Nascent Soul Peak cultivation and the blood fiend tree heart returned by Daoist Lord Lihuo in her hand, her Aura was powerful and terrifying.

"The army is not targeting the Peach Blossom Sect, but rather guarding against an attack from the Demon Court. You have misunderstood!"

True Lord Haoran cupped his hands and said, "Fellow Daoist Peach Blossom, you played the Demon Court, causing them to lose many Yao Beasts for nothing and even shaming Demon Saint Xuanyu on the spot. Are you not afraid of the Demon Court's retaliation?"

The smile on Peach Blossom's Face stiffened slightly; True Lord Haoran's last remark had hit the mark.

Previously, the Demon Court had continuously sent Yao Beasts as reinforcements because Demon Saint Xuanyu had tacitly allowed it, waiting to divide the benefits when she broke through to the Soul Transformation stage.

Because of Liu Xuan, she had given up on forcing a Breakthrough and had joined forces to repel Demon Saint Xuanyu's avatar to gain the trust of the Li Huo Demon Saint.

She had successfully joined the Beast Taming Sect, but she had also deeply offended Demon Saint Xuanyu and could be retaliated against at any time.

"What is there for this seat to fear?" A smile returned to Peach Blossom's Face. "We are in the same boat now. I am strong while you are weak; it is you who should be worried!"

"Hmph!" True Lord Haoran snorted coldly, showing no fear in his Aura. "It seems Fellow Daoist is not sincerely joining my Beast Taming Sect, otherwise you wouldn't say such things!"

Peach Blossom Demon Lord spread her hands with an innocent look and said weakly, "The Beast Taming Sect is the Beast Taming Sect, while your South Courtyard is merely a branch. Whether this seat is sincere or not, is it up to you to decide?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the Nascent Soul True Lords below changed; Peach Blossom Demon Lord really didn't intend to give them any Face!

"Enough!" Peach Blossom waved her hand impatiently. "I know why you've come. Just tell me what you want to do! Stop beating around the bush."

True Lord Haoran was silent for a moment before speaking, "All territory to the north of the Peach Blossom Sect shall belong to the South Courtyard, and half of the Rank Four High Grade Spiritual Vein beneath this mountain gate must also be allocated to us."

"Do I look like a fool to you?" Peach Blossom Demon Lord's smile vanished, and the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became oppressive.

True Lord Haoran seemingly only asked for half of the Peach Blossom Sect's territory, but the south was near the Demon Court; if the Demon Court counterattacked, Peach Blossom Demon Lord would be the first to suffer.

The Pioneering War had only just begun, and the southern part of the Peach Blossom Sect would be the battlefield in the early stages, requiring the intensive setup of Earth Vein Grand Arrays and the stationing of Cultivator armies. Peach Blossom Demon Lord lacked sufficient Yao Race manpower and would inevitably need their help, so in the end, the entire Peach Blossom Sect would still fall into the hands of the South Courtyard.

"Then how do you want to divide it?"

True Lord Haoran's Face was grim as he said bluntly, "My South Courtyard led this war and has awarded an enormous amount of battle merits. If we don't obtain enough territory to support us, we won't be able to give an account to the Main Mountain!"

True Lord Haoran was not lying; the battle for the Peach Blossom Sect had lasted over a decade. Although the soldiers received no pay, they earned battle merits, without which such a massive army could not have been organized.

The South Courtyard was short on money; they not only had to pay out the promised battle merits but also provide tribute to the Main Mountain in the future, and their own many Cultivators needed cultivation resources.

If they could not obtain enough territory from the Peach Blossom Sect to continuously generate resources, the South Courtyard's order would collapse.

Any power, no matter how strong the Cultivators presiding at the top are, requires a set of rules to maintain order, and that comes with a cost.

A Sect can exploit, but it must provide the promised benefits; otherwise, trust collapses, and order will eventually fall into chaos.

In the world of immortal cultivation, where great power is concentrated in individuals, chaos in the order doesn't affect the top figures much; they can restore it given some time.

But once order is disrupted, the Sect's interests suffer, and their own interests will follow suit, with even the possibility of others plotting to eliminate them.

In short, the South Courtyard needed money—it was a necessity—and even if Peach Blossom Demon Lord was powerful, they had to fight for it.

Peach Blossom Demon Lord's cultivation was strong enough, but she had few subordinates and could no longer control much territory. Furthermore, her Foundation in the Beast Taming Sect was unstable, so True Lord Haoran did not fear her in a real conflict.

"I can understand your words, Fellow Daoist Haoran, but if your South Courtyard is short on money, am I not as well?"

Peach Blossom Demon Lord pointed around. "Ten years of war have cost my Peach Blossom Sect dearly. The Myriad Spirits Grand Array consumed all my savings from a thousand years; there isn't even a single High Grade Spiritual Plant left in my Sect!"

A bloody light flashed in her hand, and the blood fiend tree heart appeared. "This is the blood fiend tree heart, a supreme treasure Daoist Lord Lihuo ordered me to help refine. Without resources, how am I to complete the task?"

After Peach Blossom finished speaking, she secretly glanced at Liu Xuan, who was standing behind True Lord Haoran.

She was indeed out of money. The Myriad Spirits Grand Array's consumption was already huge, and Liu Xuan had taken so much that he had drained her last bit of savings.

Liu Xuan's needs were too great; the reason Peach Blossom was fighting for interests at any cost was mostly for Liu Xuan's sake.

Standing behind True Lord Haoran was not just Liu Xuan, but also Senior Sister Yun Miao.

Others didn't notice Peach Blossom Demon Lord's glance, but because she was standing with Liu Xuan, she noticed it immediately.

'Something's not right!'

Yun Miao keenly sensed that the way Peach Blossom Demon Lord looked at Liu Xuan was off.

It wasn't the look one gives an ordinary person, but a strange gaze carrying an indescribable emotion.

It was just like... exactly like the way her younger sister, An Yunxi, sometimes looked at Liu Xuan.

'Why would Peach Blossom Demon Lord look at Liu Xuan with the same eyes as my sister??'

Yun Miao's willowy brows furrowed slightly, unable to figure out the connection.