Chapter 488

Yang Li sighed deeply.

You should know that during those years.

Over these years, numerous Sun Wheel-level factions, even Ten Thousand Phenomena-level factions, sought to recruit the three brothers.

But the eldest brother cherished a life of boundless freedom.

Rather than live under another's roof, he preferred to be a mountain king—and rejected them all.

Yet now, he had betrayed his original ideals and, for the first time ever, joined the Cangwu Jiang Clan.

Originally, Yang Li found this utterly incomprehensible and unbelievable.

But after seeing his master choose to teach Gu Zheng a lesson just to avenge the eldest brother, he began to understand.

"My master treats me with sincerity; I must repay him with sincerity."

"With such a family, I, Yang Li, will go nowhere else—I will devote every ounce of strength to protect this clan!"

At this moment, Yang Li felt his entire body brimming with energy and drive!

His pupils glowed with deep longing.

Meanwhile.

On the other side.

Jiang Daoxuan looked down coldly and glanced at Gu Zheng.

Then he said: "Hu Li, take our esteemed Lord Gu down the mountain..."

His words instantly pulled Hu Li back from his emotional reverie.

By now, all the resentment he had stored in his chest had vanished—how could he dare defy an order?

So he bowed respectfully and replied: "Yes, Master!"

Saying this, he stepped forward and approached Gu Zheng.

He lowered his head slightly, seized Gu Zheng's collar with his mouth, dragged his body across the ground, leaving a trail of shocking blood.

Once Hu Li had left the clan's grand hall.

Jiang Daoxuan pulled out the Demon Heaven Token and tossed it before Jiang Xiaobai.

"Take Wang Tong and absorb the Demon Heaven Cult; open the Demon Heaven Treasury and transfer all its resources into the Cangwu Token..."

Time is precious.

All members of the Demon Heaven Cult must be brought under control as swiftly as possible and merged into the Cangwu Merchant Guild.

And across Cangwu Mountain,

the only person besides himself capable of shouldering this task and suppressing Wang Tong was Jiang Xiaobai.

Upon hearing he had another chance to leave, Jiang Xiaobai was overjoyed: "Master, I understand!"

These words instantly caused Wang Tong to glance at him several times.

At this moment, he finally realized that the Jiang Clan Chief was far more terrifying than he had ever imagined.

He had thought the two of them were equals in strength.

Yet this true dragon had lowered his pride.

Chosen to serve a human as master.

Such a thing was truly unbelievable.

Yet, remembering that Jiang Xiaobai would accompany him the whole way,

Wang Tong sighed helplessly, abandoned all improper thoughts, and began guiding the way obediently.

The hall soon held only Jiang Daoxuan and Yang Li.

After Jiang Daoxuan granted Yang Li a unique Cangwu Token and told him to go out and wander,

Silence finally returned to the surroundings.

Seeing this, Jiang Daoxuan returned to his cushion, closed his eyes, and sank into cultivation.

Compared to all other things,

one's own strength is always the most important!

Not long after.

Cangwu City, Central District.

This was the most prosperous region of Cangwu City.

At its very center stood a magnificent, opulent building!

This was the headquarters of the Cangwu Merchant Guild!

At this moment,

inside a certain room,

Jiang Shan sat cross-legged on a cushion, steadily inhaling and exhaling the surrounding spiritual energy!

During these days,

he helped the Cangwu Merchant Guild grow stronger, seized more market share, and accumulated vast resources.

He also used trade channels to spend his own funds purchasing numerous cultivation resources.

With the aid of these cultivation resources,

he had now reached the ninth layer of the Primordial Realm!

Just one step away from breaking through to the Purple Mansion.

"Breaking through to the Purple Mansion—what a distant word..."

Jiang Shan's eyes gleamed as he muttered under his breath.

In the past, he had never dared to dream of breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm.

He had even already made peace with the idea that he would never break through to the Purple Mansion realm.

Yet now, it had become within easy reach.

"All of this is thanks to the clan chief..."

He thought of the Tongxuan Jin Dan that had given him hope and turned his fate around.

Jiang Shan's reverence for his clan chief soared to its peak!

In the past, his soul had been filled with endless darkness and despair.

He could only watch himself grow old and decay, his life ebbing toward death, waiting for the day it would end.

But now, in the depths of his soul, the clan chief was that eternal, blazing sun, towering above all, inviolable, radiating boundless hope and dispelling every shadow and gloom!

Jiang Shan clenched his fists: "This time, I must break through successfully, or I will betray the clan chief's great expectations!"

Even with his current cultivation base, he could manage the merchant guild normally.

But his heart still burned with resentment!

He longed to grow strong himself, not rely on these external things!

"External things are but fleeting clouds and smoke; only one's own strength is the foundation!"

Jiang Shan deeply agreed with this saying from the Cangwu Token: 【Clan Chief's Sayings】.

Then, when he swallowed the precious elixir he had gathered.

The elixir entered his abdomen and swiftly transformed into medicinal fluid.

In an instant, powerful medicinal energy flowed through his limbs and bones.

Leveraging this medicinal energy, Jiang Shan pushed forward with full force and successfully opened the Purple Mansion space!

"Purple Mansion realm—achieved!"

Jiang Shan's face lit up with joy.

He felt the surging, immense power flooding his entire body.

He had never felt this strong before!

This power was truly captivating.

No wonder so many heroes and great men yearned for it!

Jiang Shan sighed deeply.

At the same time, due to breaking through to a higher realm and gaining more lifespan.

The vital energy that had previously drained from his body was swiftly replenished and restored.

Now, he could choose whether to maintain his current state or become younger.