603: Chapter 603 Too Dark

Liu Xuan did not go through so much trouble to subdue demons like Han Jing and Zhu Pan because he was greedy for their Spirit Stones, nor did he want to use them against Demon Saint Xuanyu. His main goal was to select suitable spirit pets for his descendants.

The Liu Family was now a Beast Taming Sect Family and needed to Cultivate a batch of high-quality Yao Beasts to serve as spirit pets for the Family's younger generation.

For example, his father-in-law An Haoran had cultivated the Mountain Shaking Sacred Bear clan; Da Shan, Big Stone, Pang Zi, and An Haoran's natal spirit beast, Yue Chen, all came from that same clan.

There were also Yun Xu and Yun Yao, who came from the Crane Clan of the Beast Taming Sect Main Mountain.

High-tier Spirit Beast cubs were extremely expensive, so many great families within the Beast Taming Sect would Cultivate one or more Yao Races as part of their Family's power.

The Liu Family also had Yao forces under its command, primarily the remaining Flower Demon clan under Peach Blossom, the Snake Demon clan where Bai Jie belonged, and some scattered Yao Beasts rewarded by the System.

Taken as a whole, the Yao forces under the Liu Family were not weak; they were at least several times stronger than those of his father-in-law An Haoran's An Family.

But it was still not enough!

The Liu Family was different from ordinary Beast Taming Sect families; they required a far greater number of Spirit Beasts.

Because the cultivation of Liu Family descendants improved too quickly, Yao Beasts with Tier 1 or Tier 2 Bloodlines were meaningless; they needed a large number of Tier 3 and higher Yao Beasts.

For some descendants who had already reached Foundation Establishment, it was best to directly contract a Golden Core Great Demon to maximize the cultivation boost provided by the Spirit Beast.

Solitary Golden Core Great Demons without a tribe tended to have strong personalities; even when threatened with death, not many were willing to submit, and they were prone to backlash.

It was different for the fellow Golden Core Great Demons under Nascent Soul Demon Lords like Han Jing and Zhu Pan. With their leaders keeping them in check, their resistance would be much lower, as would the chance of backlash.

Once they completed the contract with the Liu Family descendants, Liu Xuan would raise their status within the tribe and provide them with plenty of resources and benefits, quickly binding them to the Liu Family's interest System.

To the Liu Family, the Endless Demon Court was not an enemy but a treasure trove; as long as they were sensible, he was willing to give them a chance.

Since the submission of Han Jing and the other Demon Lords, more Demon Lords had come forward, either openly or covertly, expressing their desire to defect to the Beast Taming Sect and the Liu Family.

However, as the number of defecting Demon Lords increased, Liu Xuan also raised his conditions. If a tribe did not have a suitable high-tier Bloodline or a Golden Core Great Demon willing to submit and serve as a spirit pet for a Liu Family descendant, then there was nothing to discuss.

So many Yao tribes wanted to surrender that Liu Xuan worried Demon Saint Xuanyu wouldn't be able to take it. He even personally sent him a secret letter, promising to suppress the war sentiment within the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect and telling him not to be afraid.

Worried that Demon Saint Xuanyu wouldn't believe him or would become even more afraid after receiving the secret letter, Liu Xuan specifically asked Ghost King Lianyue to step forward and act as his guarantor.

Liu Xuan didn't know if Demon Saint Xuanyu believed him, but the demon saint indeed made no unusual moves.

In the six months that followed, the front-line battlefield advanced at a steady and slow pace. The Liu Family simultaneously controlled the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect and many tribes of the Demon Court; everything was proceeding within their control.

At first, the Cultivators in Biyou Immortal City thought the war situation was strange, but as time passed, some clever people slowly began to figure it out.

Most of the Cultivators in the victorious armies at the front who were reaping merit points and benefits were members of the Liu Clan Merchant Alliance who had cultivated True Qi.

The Liu Family was blatantly showing favoritism; if one did not join the Liu Clan Merchant Alliance and Cultivate True Qi, they didn't even have the qualification to go to the battlefield.

Even if they managed to get onto the battlefield, they couldn't earn merit points, and even if they luckily did, they wouldn't get promotions or be able to exchange them for benefits.

"This Liu Family is just too shady!"

"Isn't this forcing us to Cultivate that... Heaven-Seizing One Qi Secret Art?"

Inside a border immortal city, an elderly Cultivator couldn't help but complain.

"Brother Wang, you are mistaken!" A young Cultivator traveling with him shook his head and said, "If you can't beat them, join them. As long as you Cultivate True Qi, you can easily join the Liu Clan Merchant Alliance. Whether you become a guard, join a Merchant Alliance adventure team, or directly join the Liu Family's Cultivator army, it's an Opportunity for Cultivators like us with no background!"

The Cultivator called Brother Wang's face immediately darkened. It was fine if he didn't mention it, but hearing this made him even angrier.

He was originally the captain of a front-line adventure team with a Late Qi Refining Stage cultivation. He had dozens of subordinates at the early stage of Qi Refining and seven trusted aides at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining.

He also wanted to Cultivate True Qi, but he was already over eighty years old. Once he cultivated True Qi, if he failed to reach Foundation Establishment, his remaining thirty-odd years of Lifespan would be reduced to only a dozen or so.

"Brother Wang, I understand your concerns." The young Cultivator's eyes darted around as he suggested, "How about this? Once I Cultivate True Qi, our team will join the Liu Clan Merchant Alliance in my name. When we get the benefits, we'll distribute them properly."

"Of course! You'll still be the captain, and I will still follow your lead."

Brother Wang looked at the young man for a moment, then picked up a cup of Spirit Wine and nodded slightly, though he cursed in his heart: 'Once you join the Liu Family, would you still let me lead? Do you really think I'm a fool?'

His expression remained unchanged, but he had already made a secret decision. "Isn't it just losing a dozen years of life? I'll Cultivate it too!"

The risks for a front-line adventure team were already high. One could die any day if luck was bad. Instead of living a wretched life, it was better to take a gamble.

By cultivating True Qi and joining the Liu Clan Merchant Alliance, his cultivation speed would double, and he would gain the support of the Liu Family's power. With a bit of luck, he might actually dare to dream of the Foundation Establishment Ancestor realm.

Brother Wang was not the only one with such thoughts. Once involution begins, the Cultivators caught in it have no choice but to participate.

If you join the involution, you might be crushed by others in the future, but if you don't join, you will be eliminated right now.

At the root of it, the Liu Family was just too shady!

...

Biyou City.

Liu Family Artifact Refining Workshop.

After enjoying himself for nearly a year, Liu Xuan finally ran into trouble. Not long ago, Shen Yunshu, who was in charge of the Merchant Alliance's business, reported some bad news.

The profits of the Artifact Refining Workshop were plummeting. If things continued this way, the profits would soon be unable to support the workshop's expansion speed, and they might even incur losses.

How could the Artifact Refining Workshop lose money? When Liu Xuan heard this news, he thought Shen Yunshu had made a mistake.

The Liu Family Artifact Refining Workshop operated on an assembly line, keeping costs to a minimum. It had always been the most profitable business in the Merchant Alliance; how could it lose money?

"Husband, you didn't hear wrong. If not for the thousand star flying swords, our Artifact Refining Workshop's profits would have already hit rock bottom. After deducting expansion costs, we're basically not earning many Spirit Stones."

Shen Yunshu explained, "Currently, the war in the Southern Border is slow, so the demand for Magical Artifacts and large Flying Boats is not high, and the selling prices have been decreasing."

"Furthermore, with the development of the Southern Border, the prices of various spiritual materials have begun to rise, and the costs for the Artifact Refining Workshop have risen accordingly."

Liu Xuan nodded slightly. It was normal for profits to drop if selling prices decreased and costs increased.

But something was wrong! Magical Artifacts and Flying Boats were high-profit industries. Even if profits dropped, there should be a limit; it shouldn't reach the point where they weren't making money or were even losing it.

Shen Yunshu guessed Liu Xuan's thoughts and continued to explain, "Neither of those points is the key. The biggest problem is that the market in the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect is already saturated. Continuing to increase production will only lead to lower and lower selling prices."

"If the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect market is saturated, then sell to other places!" Liu Xuan said instinctively.

Shen Yunshu sighed. "The problem is that we can't sell them!"