Chapter 779

Yan Buji left his residence and went to the Affairs Hall of the Sect Mining Area to hand over tasks that had piled up during his seclusion; however, as soon as he entered the Affairs Hall, he saw Zhou Wan'an rushing over anxiously.

"Hall Master, you've finally come out of seclusion!" Zhou Wan'an said anxiously, clearly having important matters to report.

Yan Buji frowned and asked, "What happened?"

Zhou Wan'an lowered his voice and said, "Hall Master, during your seclusion, some changes have occurred within the sect. The Fox Tribe seems to have taken new action; they have allied with several monster tribes and begun blockading and harassing our sect's trade routes. Elder Yuan has already gathered several elders to discuss countermeasures and is waiting for you to emerge."

Yan Buji's heart sank, knowing the Fox Tribe's retaliatory action had begun. He nodded and said, "I understand; I'll go see Elder Yuan right away."

After saying that, Yan Buji hurried to Elder Yuan's residence. Upon entering the council hall, he found several hall masters already assembled, with Elder Yuan seated in the chief position, his expression solemn.

"Hall Master, you've come at just the right time." Elder Yuan saw Yan Buji and gave a slight nod, indicating he should take a seat.

Yan Buji clasped his hands in salute, then took his seat. Elder Yuan looked around at everyone and said slowly, "Everyone, the Fox Tribe's actions are faster than we anticipated. They have allied with several monster tribes and have begun blockading and harassing our trade routes. If we cannot respond in time, the sect's trade network will suffer severe damage."

One hall master frowned and said, "Elder Yuan, the Fox Tribe's move is clearly aimed at us. They previously probed our reactions through the Fox Tribe, but now they are acting openly."

Another hall master nodded in agreement: "Indeed, the feud between the Fox Tribe and the Rabbit Tribe has lasted for centuries; they will not easily relent in suppressing us. We must act swiftly."

Elder Yuan nodded and looked at Yan Buji: "Hall Master, you've just returned from the Dinglong Mountains and have a better grasp of the monster tribes' situation. What do you suggest?"

Yan Buji pondered for a moment, then said slowly: "Elder Yuan, I believe that although the Fox Tribe's actions are formidable, their alliance is not solid. Those monster tribes cooperate with the Fox Tribe only due to coercion and inducement. We can break their alliance by dividing and weakening it, defeating them one by one."

A glimmer of approval flashed in Elder Yuan's eyes: "Good, continue."

Yan Buji continued: "We can win over those monster tribes not closely tied to the Fox Tribe through trade incentives and resource exchanges. At the same time, we can leverage the Rabbit Tribe's power to check the Fox Tribe. Once their alliance is broken, their blockade will naturally collapse."

Elder Yuan nodded satisfactorily: "Hall Master's words are spot on. This matter still requires Hall Master to devise plans; we must dismantle the Fox Tribe's alliance in the shortest possible time."

Yan Buji clasped his hands and said, "I will not disappoint your trust."

After leaving the council hall, Yan Buji immediately began acting.

He first contacted Tu Nuo Duo, explaining the sect's current predicament and requesting the Rabbit Tribe's support. Upon hearing this, Tu Nuo Duo agreed without hesitation, promising that the Rabbit Tribe would fully support the sect's actions.

"Fellow Daoist Yan, rest assured; although the Fox Tribe is strong, our Rabbit Tribe is not to be trifled with. We will swiftly dispatch elite cultivators to assist you against the Fox Tribe." Tu Nuo Duo's voice was filled with resolve.

Yan Buji said, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Tu Nuo Duo; with your support, our chances of victory increase."

Next, Yan Buji began contacting those monster tribes not closely allied with the Fox Tribe. He traveled to various places, negotiating with the tribes one after another, and through trade incentives and resource exchanges, successfully won over several tribes, gradually dismantling the Fox Tribe's alliance.

Ultimately, the Fox Tribe's targeting of the Great Sinful Sect stems from its enmity with the Rabbit Tribe; the exact reason no longer matters.

"Perhaps we should have Elder Yuan personally visit the Rabbit Tribe and have a proper talk with their chieftain. Regardless of whether the Fox Tribe seeks the Rabbit Tribe's secret to finding Time Sand or something else, it is still within monster territory, and it's best to let the monsters fight among themselves."

Although Yan Buji has established trade relations with many monster tribes on Luohuang Zhou, this is limited to trade alone; other matters, after all, involve us humans, and it would certainly be inappropriate to interfere.

Yet the Fox Tribe repeatedly meddles with them through small maneuvers, merely to let them know what they may and may not manage on monster territory.

Nevertheless, precisely because of this, the trade between the Great Sinful Sect and the Rabbit Tribe is considerable; even without counting myself, the profits Elder Wu Yuan and his fellow elders have gained from Rabbit Tribe goods are something Yan Buji could calculate with his eyes closed—surely a vast fortune.

For the same reason, Elder Yuan likewise collects dividends, naturally needing to maintain good relations with the Rabbit Tribe.

As for the Fox Tribe's hatred—

"Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes; wise beings ultimately exist only for the sake of profit." Yan Buji chuckled.

If there were no profit to be had, he wouldn't want to bother with these matters.

Although the Fox Tribe's petty maneuvers are numerous, they amount to little for the Great Sinful Sect as a whole; otherwise, Elder Yuan would not have felt comfortable delegating their handling to subordinates.

Soon, Yan Buji found Elder Wu.

"Elder Wu."

"Hall Master Yan? What's the matter?" Elder Wu asked with a smile.

Yan Buji clasped his hands and said, "Elder Wu, lately our trade with the various monster tribes has been growing larger; although many people participate in handling these trivial matters, few actually prove effective in practice."

"Huh?" Elder Wu looked curiously at Yan Buji: "What do you mean by that, Hall Master?"

"I'm not saying everyone is useless." Yan Buji smiled: "Many elders and hall masters in the sect are devoted to cultivation; they can handle ordinary affairs adequately. But commercial activities often hinge on seizing the initiative and require an extremely keen sense of smell. Therefore, many tasks cannot be handled solely by me; I plan to transfer a batch of personnel from the Wai Mao Tang. What do you think?"

"Oh, you mean to help us handle the trade liaison with the monster tribes? That's fine; just make it clear to the sect, and there should be no problem." Elder Wu laughed.

"Besides that, I also wish to purchase some Six-Transform Immortal Material from you, Elder Wu—would that be possible?" Yan Buji smiled.

"How much and which kinds?" Elder Wu asked.

Yan Buji gave him a list; Elder Wu glanced at it and immediately widened his eyes: "This.... isn't hard to obtain, but the price isn't cheap."

"Price is no problem." Yan Buji smiled.

Yan Buji now has three ways to make money.

One, a share of the proceeds from trading goods with the various monster tribes; two, under the business model promoted together with Xiong Ba Tian, he receives a share of the goods he himself purchases; three, by liaising with Ye Lin, he sells a portion of the monster tribe Spiritual Material transferred from the Paolong Sacred Land to the Heavenly Spirit Realm.

Though it sounds like a lot, it truly is a lot.

Yan Buji receives roughly a million Spiritual Stones in dividends each month, and after leaving seclusion there are no other places requiring expenditure of resources.

As for the Spiritual Stones Elder Wu lent him, that is also a simple matter.

However, Yan Buji never expected that Elder Wu, when lending him Spiritual Stones to survive the Nascent Soul tribulation lightning, would have set no conditions.

If it were me....

Hehe.

"Then there's no problem; I will promptly prepare all those Celestial Materials for you."

"Thank you, Elder Wu."