Chapter 787: You Are Not Even Willing to Call Me CEO Chu (II)
Chu Liang's acquisition of Starhold Island wasn't something that could be settled in a single day. Chu Liang and Hong Jufeng discussed a rough framework, then Hong Jufeng was sent back to Starhold Island to make the preparations for the acquisition.
As for the rest of his men, most of them remained behind as miners on the quarrying archipelago, serving as both laborers and hostages. If Hong Jufeng were to suddenly have a change of heart and run to the Penglai Supreme Sect to get help in seeking revenge, then his sect would be doomed, regardless of whether he could capture Grand Ancestor Fuyou.
As per their negotiations, it would be announced to the public that Starhold Island had reclaimed the spirit mines of the quarrying archipelago and was intensifying its mining operations. The Fuyao Kingdom had no objections to that. After all, Chu Liang was paying both sides. They were all just putting on a show for the Penglai Supreme Sect.
Moving forward, Starhold Island would secretly collaborate with Red Cotton Peak, all while maintaining its relationship with the Penglai Supreme Sect. As for whether Hong Jufeng could successfully play out this balancing act, that remained to be seen.
Nevertheless, even if his acting was poor, it didn't really matter. After all, Chu Liang was acquiring Starhold Island mainly for its spirit mines that were filled with Mountain-Suppressing Rock. As long as there was a steady flow of spirit ore, the Mount Shu Sect's Hall of Construction could operate at full capacity, taking on even the grandest construction projects without hesitation.
Upon returning to Red Cotton Peak, Chu Liang wanted to arrange for someone to handle those matters. However, before he could do that, he heard some major pieces of news.
The first piece of news was that the Ice Soul Sword Sect had nearly wiped out the Xuantian Monastery. The Ice Soul Sword Sect had gone over to the Xuantian Monastery and claimed one of their female disciples, Ling Xingzhu, had eloped with a young monk from the Xuantian Monastery, Tongwen. The Xuantian Monastery's abbot used his skill Searching the Heavens and Earth to search for the pair, only to find that the female disciple in question was actually inside the monastery.
Without a word more, Han Qinglin, the sect leader of the Ice Soul Sword Sect, led her people straight into the hidden realm, wreaking havoc in the sanctuary the Xuantian Monastery had painstakingly safeguarded for years.
If someone were to carefully analyze this situation, they would realize there was something rather odd about it. If Ling Xingzhu's disappearance was indeed the work of the Xuantian Monastery and that Abbot Chiyue had indeed known about it, then why did he search his own hidden realm?
If he hadn't known, then that meant it had simply been the actions of Tongwen alone. In that case, the normal course of action would have been for the Xuantian Monastery to punish that offending disciple and offer the Ice Soul Sword Sect some form of compensation as an apology.
No matter what, it shouldn't have escalated into an all-out battle. The Ice Soul Sword Sect's extreme reaction likely had something to do with the upcoming Terrestrial Ten's Sect Selection.