Yuzhou, Pan Yun Mountain Range.

This was one of the three great Dragon Veins of Yuzhou, and the location of the Yu Family's main headquarters.

The other two great Dragon Veins were the Divine Maiden Mountain Range and the Wentian Mountain Range, occupied by the Liu Ying Clan and Lu Hua Palace, respectively.

Ostensibly, the most powerful force in the Yuzhou Cultivation Realm was the Yu Family, with the Liu Ying Clan ranked second.

However, if one were to include the secretive intelligence organizations, super-merchant guilds, Hidden Sects, and the Immortal and Divine Dynasties, the most powerful faction was undoubtedly Lu Hua Palace.

In fact, for the last several tens of thousands of years, Lu Hua Palace had been the undisputed number one.

Before that, however, the title of the Yuzhou Cultivation Realm's most powerful force had belonged to the Saint Yu Immortal Dynasty, which occupied about twenty percent of Yuzhou's territory.

But due to certain unknown calamities, more than half of the Saint Yu Immortal Dynasty's most senior Royal Elders perished, causing a great loss in national strength and toppling it from its throne.

At this moment, atop the main peak of the Pan Yun Mountain Range.

Inside a grand, magnificent hall suffused with Spiritual Mist, Patriarch Yu—an old man with a white beard and hair, a ruddy complexion, and gray robes—was in a meeting with a group of high-ranking Elders.

As the most powerful Cultivation Family in Yuzhou on the surface, the Yu Family's resources were far more profound than any outsider could imagine, with countless overt and covert businesses spread throughout the entire province.

The Yu Family had secret strongholds and businesses in several neighboring provinces, in the Deep Sea Ocean, and even within some small Pocket Worlds in the Outer Heaven.

Managed continuously over generations, these secret enterprises brought the Yu Family incredibly bountiful returns.

Even some powerful factions from beyond their domain had various shady dealings with the Yu Family.

In recent years, as the family's strength grew day by day, their status as the number one Noble Family had become increasingly secure.

Certain high-ranking members of the Yu Family naturally began to harbor ambitions of unifying all of Yuzhou, paying little mind even to behemoths like Lu Hua Palace and the Liuying Family.

Yuzhou belongs to the Yu Family.

This was the view of many of the Yu Family's hardliners.

"...Patriarch, the Profound Celestial Palace in Shunzhou has sent a secret letter. They say they've had some setbacks, and nearly sixty percent of their Medicine Mountain Medicinal Gardens had a poor harvest this year."

"Therefore, they're afraid they won't be able to deliver the batch of medicinal resources they were contracted to sell to us on schedule. They hope we can be accommodating and show some flexibility!"

Elder Yu Qinghe, who was in charge of foreign trade, reported.

The Patriarch's face was stern. He said dismissively, "A poor harvest in their Medicinal Gardens is their problem. What does it have to do with us?"

"They want us to be accommodating? Then who will be accommodating to us? Reply to them that this is not up for discussion!"

"Tell them to figure out how to make up the shortfall themselves. Otherwise, the variety and quantity of the Third Grade and Grade Four Elixirs we sell them will also be cut by more than half!"

"Yes, Patriarch."

Yu Qinghe acknowledged.

The other Elders saw nothing wrong with this. As high-ranking members of the Yu Family, they naturally prioritized the family's interests in all matters.

Another Female Cultivator Elder spoke up to report, "Patriarch, the Mu Family has sent an Envoy. They hope we will reinstate the engagement between the Young Miss and the third young master of the Mu Family's main branch. What are your thoughts...?"

The Patriarch shook his head. "That matter is already settled. There is no need to bring it up again."

Previously, in an attempt to win over the Child of Destiny, the Yu Family's upper echelon had Yu Yalan break off her engagement with the Young Master Mu. The Mu Family had held a grudge about it ever since.

Although the Child of Destiny, Ling Changqing, was now missing, the Yu Family's leadership had not given up hope, so it was naturally not a good time to revisit the matter.

The Female Cultivator Elder acknowledged. She didn't feel they needed to entertain the Mu Family's request either.

Since the topic had been raised, the Patriarch's expression grew a little more solemn. He asked:

"It's been so long. Have you still not found any trace of the Child of Destiny?"

The Elders looked at each other, silent for a long moment.

Elder Yu Zhongning, who was in charge of intelligence, said in a low voice, "We have been investigating this matter continuously. We've found hundreds, even thousands, of suspected targets, but all of them were eventually proven to be false."

"Furthermore, the Child of Destiny's identity is too special to be calculated with the Secret Method of Celestial Secret Calculation, so... it's just been incredibly difficult!"

In truth, it wasn't just them; the other Noble Families and those mysterious major powers were all in the same situation.

After several years and the expenditure of immense manpower and resources, they still had nothing to show for it, as if the Child of Destiny had never appeared at all.

Even so, the upper echelons of these major powers were still unwilling to give up.

The Patriarch was silent for a few breaths, then sighed softly.

"Our Yu Family ancestors put down roots here over a hundred thousand years ago. Generations of our forebears have exhausted their minds and bodies, painstakingly building up the family to achieve the great prosperity we enjoy today!"

"But if we wish to leap the dragon gate and unify all of Yuzhou, it is still far from enough!"

"If we can obtain that Child of Destiny, with the help of his supreme Luck and Fortune, perhaps our Yu Family can take the next step within a few hundred years!"

The Elders fell silent. They all understood this principle, as did the leaders of the other Noble Families and the heads of the major powers.

That was why they were so fixated on Ling Changqing, who had appeared as briefly as a night-blooming cereus. The potential benefits he represented were simply too enormous.

In the long run, he was the key to dominating the rise and fall of a province's Destiny. No one could afford to ignore such an existence.

After a moment of contemplation, the Patriarch asked again, "Where are Yalan and the others now?"

A graceful and charming matron immediately reported:

"Those girls have gone to the outer seas of Yuzhou. They're conducting a discreet investigation in the territories of the smaller powers. With the family's Guardians protecting them in secret, perhaps there will be good news?"