6: Chapter 6: Support! Manipulating People's Hearts!

Night, at the back mountain.

Moonlight, like flowing water, spilled over the massive boulder at the entrance of the Spiritual Vein, illuminating the prostrate black bear until it resembled a small mountain.

Sun Boan knelt thirty meters away, his body soaked in cold sweat, not even daring to breathe loudly.

He had already been kneeling for half an hour.

Since Shi Jian had not spoken, he did not dare to move.

The mountain-like Demonic Qi weighed on him until he could barely breathe; the aura of a Foundation Establishment great demon was a hundred times more terrifying than he had imagined.

"Speak."

Finally, a low, lazy voice rang out. It seemed to possess a certain magic, instantly dispelling the pressure on Sun Boan's body.

Sun Boan jolted and hurriedly kowtowed. "Junior Sun Boan, a Clan Elder of the Sun Clan's Third Branch, on behalf of the Third Branch's disciples, pays respects to Ancestor Shi!"

"I know who you are, and I know why you've come." Shi Jian's voice betrayed no emotion. "That old thing Sun Hangchun is biased. You are dissatisfied and want me to stand up for you."

"Say what you have to say. Your little schemes cannot be hidden from this seat."

Sun Boan's whole body shook as waves of shock surged in his heart.

How... how could he know?

"The Old Ancestor is wise!" He didn't have time to overthink and kowtowed again. "Junior does not ask Senior to uphold justice for us, but only begs Senior to give our Third Branch a way to survive!"

"A way to survive?" Shi Jian chuckled softly. "On what basis should I give you a way to survive?"

"What does your human infighting have to do with me? I only recognize Spirit Stones. Whoever provides the most tribute is my friend."

"Furthermore, as far as this seat is concerned..."

"You are Sun Clan disciples, and they are also Sun Clan disciples. I, the Old Ancestor, only ensure the survival of the Sun Clan; everything else is none of my concern."

Sun Boan's face turned pale, and his heart sank to the bottom.

He gritted his teeth and took out a Storage Pouch from his robes, offering it with both hands. "This is the entirety of the assets our Third Branch managed to scrape together—a total of one hundred and twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and several Spiritual Plants that haven't quite matured..."

"I beg the Old Ancestor for mercy!"

Shi Jian glanced at the shriveled Storage Pouch, not even interested in lifting a paw.

"One hundred and twenty Spirit Stones? You want to buy the future of your Third Branch with that?"

His voice suddenly turned cold.

"Sun Boan, are you treating me like a beggar, or do you think the price for this seat to take action is so cheap?"

A cold killing intent descended, making Sun Boan feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar; his teeth were chattering.

"Junior wouldn't dare! Junior..."

"Wouldn't dare?" Shi Jian slowly sat up, his massive shadow completely enveloping Sun Boan. "I will give you one chance to offer a new price."

"I don't want your Spirit Stones."

A playful expression appeared on Shi Jian's bear face.

"This seat wants you, and the Third Branch behind you, to work for me."

Sun Boan snapped his head up, his eyes filled with astonishment.

"From today on, I don't care how Sun Hangchun divides those three hundred acres of spiritual fields," Shi Jian said leisurely. "I only want the entire output of what your Third Branch Cultivates..."

"All the output. You don't need to hand it over to the Sun Clan, nor do you need to pay any mind to Sun Hangchun."

"You only need to listen to me."

Sun Boan's breathing grew rapid, and his heart pounded wildly.

This was... asking him to betray the Family?

"Of course, I won't make you work for nothing." Shi Jian seemed to see through his thoughts and threw out a bait he couldn't refuse.

"Half of the output belongs to me. The remaining half belongs entirely to your Third Branch."

"In addition..." Shi Jian raised a bear paw, and a Jade Slip flew from his palm, landing in front of Sun Boan.

"This is a Cultivation Technique called the 'Thick Earth Essence Cultivation Art.' It is a technique of the Lin Clan, and it is far more suitable for Cultivators like you who specialize in farming than your Sun Clan's 'Azure Wood Eternal Spring Art.'"

"It is also a Legacy that leads directly to the Foundation Establishment Stage."

"From now on, I will properly protect your lineage, and the future of the Sun Clan will be controlled by your branch..."

"As for Sun Hangchun, or the First and Second Branches—those people will all become things of the past."

"And you, Sun Boan, will become the new successor of the Sun Clan, the new Clan Chief. All you need to pay is half of the clan's income."

"How about it?"

"Whether you become a patriarch in your own right or spend generations slaving away for the First and Second Branches—the choice is yours. Do not choose wrongly."

Shi Jian's bear face showed a beaming expression. At that moment, he didn't look like a bear at all; he looked like the most treacherous of merchants.

But these conditions were truly tempting!

"Old Ancestor... I am willing!"

"I am willing to do anything!"

Sun Boan no longer cared about anything else. He prostrated himself on the ground, holding the Legacy Jade Slip above his head with both hands, striking his head against the ground in the most humble posture.

"Sun Boan, on behalf of everyone in the Third Branch, is willing to serve the Old Ancestor unto death!"

"From now on, my lineage will follow the Old Ancestor's every command and follow your lead implicitly!"

Sun Boan had no cultivation talent, nor did he possess supreme wisdom, but none of that mattered anymore as long as he could stand up and ensure the survival of his branch!

Everything else was irrelevant!

Even if it meant betraying the Family and the death of everyone else—as long as the Third Branch survived, the Sun Clan would still exist.

The Sun Clan would not have perished!

They would continue to pass down the Sun Clan's Bloodline!

For this, Sun Boan was willing to pay any price. He would not hesitate; it was all for the Family, all for the Sun Clan.

Everything he did today would be absolutely right!

He was the one truly shouldering and bearing the weight of everything for the Sun Clan!