"Qiang Li, what happened?"

Ma Deqing looked at Master Pangli's darkened expression and asked in a deep voice:

"Didn't you go to negotiate with the Patriarch of the Ling Family from the Changqing Continent? Did they agree?"

"I'm sorry, Sect Leader, the negotiations fell through!"

Master Pangli said in a low voice, then briefly recounted what had happened during his visit.

Ma Deqing frowned, his expression turning grim. The atmosphere in the hall instantly became cold and murderous.

"That Female Patriarch also has a Late Stage Golden Core Cultivation?"

He frowned and said, "Besides her, does this Ling Family of the Changqing Continent have any other Cultivators at the Golden Core or True Pill Level?"

"From what I saw with my own eyes, there were two other early-stage Golden Core Female Cultivators present. As for whether there are more Golden Core Powerhouses in hiding, I cannot be certain."

Master Pangli reported that he had seen Xue Qingtan and the recently promoted Meng Feiyu.

As for Fu Yin Xue, she was teaching the female students, so she did not appear.

Ma Deqing's eyes narrowed slightly as he said in confusion:

"There were actually three Golden Core Masters present? And all of them female? Could it be that the Ling Family of the Changqing Continent is run by Female Cultivators?"

In the vast Cultivation Realm, such situations were not uncommon. If a family's core Cultivation Method Scriptures were more suitable for Female Cultivators, it was inevitable that the women would grow strong while the men weakened over time.

The Male Cultivators of the family would mostly be relegated to supporting roles, little more than tools for continuing the bloodline, just like the Liu Ying Clan of Yuzhou.

"That should be the case. I did not see any Golden Core Male Cultivators. Perhaps they weren't in the family estate at the time."

Master Pangli said cautiously.

The reason he had gone to meet Ling Qiyue in person was not only to negotiate but also to probe the family's strength to decide on their next course of action.

If the other party was strong enough, they would sit down and talk, dealing with them amicably in the future.

If they were weak, then it would naturally be a case of the guest becoming the host, the cuckoo occupying the magpie's nest—they would directly swallow the other party's foundation.

Ma Deqing pondered for a moment before speaking slowly:

"If this Ling Family truly only has three, or perhaps five, Golden Core Masters holding the fort, we can still deal with them.

But if a real fight breaks out, our casualties will not be light, either. The Sect has suffered one disaster after another and can no longer afford any more losses!"

Master Pangli pressed his lips together and said nothing.

The Sect was indeed in an unprecedented period of weakness. Every living Golden Core Master was an incredibly precious combat asset, and they truly could not afford to lose any.

If they truly turned hostile and went to war, even if they could take down the Ling Family in the end, the Haoyue Sect's losses would be unbearable. No matter how you looked at it, the gains wouldn't be worth the losses.

Outsiders didn't know, but Master Pangli was well aware that within the Tianzhou Skyboat fleet, there were eleven True Pill and Golden Core Cultivators with severe, unhealed injuries, and nearly a hundred Pseudo Core and Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

None of them were in any condition to fight. They urgently needed to find a Spirit Vein Cave Mansion to settle in for a long period of Cultivation in Seclusion to have any hope of recovery.

The original plan Ma Deqing and Master Pangli had agreed upon was to persuade the Ling Family's upper echelons to lease them one or two islands, giving the Disciples of the Haoyue Sect a temporary place to stay.

Once they had established a foothold and these injured Elder Disciples had recovered, they could then naturally swallow the Changqing Continent's Ling Family whole.

But the Ling Family Patriarch's firm refusal left no room for negotiation, leaving Master Pangli at a complete loss.

"What do you think we should do?"

After a long silence, Ma Deqing finally asked.

Master Pangli thought for a moment before saying softly, "There are two options. The first is to go to war immediately. The second is to give up on this place and find another suitable location to put down roots and recuperate."

Ma Deqing sighed. "I want to as well, but we're out of time. The injuries of those Elder Disciples cannot be delayed any longer."

Without a suitable Spirit Vein Cave Mansion Hall, they cannot recover.

These forces are the Sect's last vestiges of Primordial Qi. If they fall, the grand plan for the Sect's future revival will be a distant, unattainable dream.

Thus, there was really only one choice before the Haoyue Sect, but it was a difficult decision to make.

After some deliberation, Ma Deqing finally said:

"You may go and rest for now. I will report this matter to the Ancestor before making a decision!"

"Yes, Sect Leader."

After bowing, Master Pangli silently withdrew.

After he left, Ma Deqing waved his large sleeve and walked toward the Moyu Screen behind the throne, his figure quietly vanishing from the hall.

When he reappeared, he was already inside a Secret Hall.

The furnishings in the Secret Hall were quite simple. Aside from an ancient-looking Azure Gold Pill Furnace shrouded in golden light and purple mist standing in the center of the hall, there was nothing else.

Before the Pill Furnace sat a handsome young Cultivator in his early twenties with a face as fair as jade.

However, the aura he emitted fluctuated, sometimes approaching the Nascent Soul True Monarch Realm, and at other times only at the Foundation Establishment Level, making it extremely unstable.

The young Cultivator's expression was contorted, as if he were crying and laughing at the same time. At times he seemed extremely furious, yet also helpless.

"Ancestor?"

Ma Deqing observed for a moment and couldn't help but frown to himself.

'It seems the Ancestor, who was reborn through possession, has still not managed to control this new body.'

'But it can't be helped. The Ancestor's Nascent Soul was severely damaged during a battle, greatly reducing his power, which is why he's been unable to suppress the original owner's Divine Soul.'

'He can't devour it or expel it.'

'And this guy is stubborn and has a foul temper; no amount of threats or promises works on him.'

'It's not that I haven't thought of helping the Ancestor, but that guy made it clear: if any outsider dares to interfere, he'll immediately self-destruct, taking the Ancestor's Nascent Soul with him, and everyone will perish together!'

After watching for a long time, Ma Deqing finally spoke.

"...Liu Chengbin, you are also a high-ranking Elder of the Sect. You've received so much from the Sect's nurturing. Can't you make a small sacrifice for the Ancestor now?"

The young Cultivator's face twisted, and a voice full of venomous resentment drifted out:

"Couldn't you have picked anyone else? Why did you have to pick me to sacrifice? Isn't it just because I possess an Earth Grade Spirit Root and had the potential to become a Nascent Soul True Monarch in the future?

I'm not this old geezer's Direct Disciple, and I don't get along with your faction. You didn't want to see me succeed, so you set up this whole scheme to plot against me!"

"This is for the good of the Sect!"

Ma Deqing said angrily, "As long as the Ancestor recovers smoothly, our Haoyue Sect can be revived! Since you are a member of the Sect, you should...!"

"To hell with the 'good of the Sect'!"

The voice cursed through gritted teeth, "You want to steal my body and destroy my path in cultivation? I will fight you to the death!"

Ma Deqing's eyes turned sinister. Several times, he fought the urge to strike, but he forced himself to hold back.

Possession and rebirth were not as easy as one might imagine.

The main problem was that a suitable body was incredibly difficult to find. It had to have good Spirit Root Talent, the Cultivation Technique it trained in couldn't conflict with the possessor's, and the body's original owner had to cooperate.

If one didn't want to start Cultivation from scratch, it was best if the target already possessed a certain level of Cultivation.

Thus, Liu Chengbin, who had only recently advanced to Golden Core Master and wasn't very well-liked, became the possession target for the severely injured Nascent Soul Ancestor.

As long as the Ancestor devoured Liu Chengbin's Golden Core and Divine Soul as a tonic and successfully merged with his body, it would be no problem for him to recover twenty to thirty percent of his strength. After that, he could slowly recuperate and recover fully.

The Ancestor had given the order, so Ma Deqing and the few remaining Golden Core Masters naturally had to cooperate, meticulously setting a trap to ensnare Liu Chengbin.

Due to the urgency and their desire to protect the body, they didn't dare to use heavy-handed tactics. As a result, when the Ancestor's shattered Nascent Soul entered the body, Liu Chengbin's Divine Soul had not yet lost its ability to resist.

This led to the current scene: Liu Chengbin refused to submit, even to the death. No matter how harshly the Ancestor berated him or what promises he made, Liu Chengbin would not yield.

Whenever the Ancestor pushed him too hard, Liu Chengbin would threaten to self-destruct his Golden Core and Divine Soul, ensuring the old geezer would get nothing.

The two had been locked in a stalemate ever since. The Ancestor's Nascent Soul was now on the verge of burning out, and he no longer had the strength to find another suitable target.

Just then, Liu Chengbin's face twisted again, and a weary, ancient voice spoke:

"Deqing, is something happening outside?"

It seemed the Ancestor had temporarily gained the upper hand and suppressed Liu Chengbin's Divine Soul.

"Ancestor, it's like this..."

A hint of joy appeared on Ma Deqing's face, and he quickly explained the situation.

The Ancestor was silent for a few breaths before finally speaking:

"Then let's go to war with them. In my current state, I'm truly caught between a rock and a hard place! If we can find a suitable body on this Changqing Continent, it might be a way to solve both problems."