“A legitimate treasure!!” Bai Xiaochun could immediately tell that this spiritjade statue… was the true reserve power of the Cai Clan. The deathly grim countenances of the clan chief and the grand elder immediately got him feeling very excited.
“I hit it big this time….” he thought. Waving his sleeve, he collected the spiritjade statue into his bag of holding. As soon as it was inside, the spiritual energy in the area vanished. All sorts of expressions appeared on the faces of the Cai Clan cultivators.
None of them could remain calm. Although they had never been aware that a precious treasure such as the spiritjade statue had existed in their clan, they could immediately see how important it was. Except, that statute didn’t belong to the Cai Clan any longer….
And yet, when it came to the survival of their clan as a whole, there was really no question that it was best to part with it….
With that, he turned to gaze at the pile of other items which had built up earlier. Then he sighed and looked at the clan chief.
“Ai, your Cai Clan really is full of treasures,” Bai Xiaochun said. “I really can’t study them all in a short period of time.”
The clan chief was cursing up a storm in his heart. He could see that, not only was this Bai Hao robbing the Cai Clan dry, but he was also waiting for the Cai Clan to give him their blessing!!
Of course, the clan chief didn’t dare to point that out. Plastering a smile onto his face that looked worse than the worst grimace, he forced himself to say, “Oh, don’t worry, Majordomo Bai. Please take your time studying all of these treasures. Our Cai Clan would be honored if you would be willing to take them home with you for further study. We don’t need them at--”
A broad smile immediately appeared on Bai Xiaochun’s face. Swishing his sleeve, he loudly said, “Well, since you insist, Clan Chief Cai, I won’t refuse your gracious offer. I’ll definitely take my time judging the quality of all of these items. Men! Take this stuff away!”
The soul cultivators who had accompanied Bai Xiaochun in as bodyguards exchanged quizzical glances before hurrying forward to collect the items up.
As the clan chief watched all of his clan’s reserve savings being taken away, he forced his rage back down into his throat and smiled bitterly.
Laughing heartily, Bai Xiaochun clasped hands to the clan chief. “Very well then, I’ll be off now. No need to see me out!”
Beaming, he then turned and swaggered off.
Of course, although he had explicitly stated that he didn’t expect them to see him off, the clan chief sighed and begrudgingly hurried forward to accompany him as he left.
As for the Nascent Soul bodyguards, they clustered around him closely as he left through the main gate. Back outside, Chen Hai was waiting for him, looking like the picture of loyalty. As soon as he caught sight of Bai Xiaochun safe and sound, he hurried forward, simultaneously glaring coldly at the Cai Clan cultivators. Obviously, he was ready to destroy the entire clan at a single word from Bai Xiaochun.
Although it all seemed a bit melodramatic, Bai Xiaochun was very pleased by the performance. At this point, he turned and clasped the clan chief warmly on the shoulder. Smiling, he said, “Clan Chief Cai, you’ve been far too kind. There’s really no need to see me off. If I have time in the future, I’ll definitely come back to chat with you a bit.”
Feeling more proud of himself than ever, he turned and flew up into the air, followed by Chen Hai and the other soul cultivators. Under the anxious watch of the Cai Clan, the entire group then flew off into the distance.
After they left, the clan chief finally took all the anger that had been building up in him and released it in a maddened howl. The other clan members who had come out with him all stood there silently.
The grand elder sighed and seemed to age visibly. “Just forget about it,” he said. “They took our reserve savings, but by capitulating, we avoided being completely wiped out.”
Of course, the events which had played out could not be kept secret. Word spread almost immediately to the other organizations in Giant Ghost City, leading to widespread shock and fear. Furthermore, many people began to look in the direction of the other two great clans.
Clearly, things weren’t over yet. The Cai Clan had been viciously cut down a notch, and next… would come the Chen and Bai Clans. Perhaps the Chen Clan might get off lightly, but when it came to the Bai Clan….
“I'm afraid the Bai Clan is finished!” That was what most of the in-the-know people in the city were thinking.
Meanwhile, Bai Xiaochun brimmed with righteousness as he led the 20,000 soul cultivators along toward the Chen Clan. Along the way, his transmission jade slip buzzed several times, prompting him to pull it out and return messages.
When Chen Hai saw that, he considered asking what was going on, but then decided that he needed to be circumspect. “Majordomo Bai, news about the Cai Clan is already spreading. Presumably the Chen Clan will be prepared. Do you think we should pick up the pace?”
“Oh, no, it doesn’t matter. I've long since planned things out. In fact, why don't we slow down a bit.” Bai Xiaochun didn’t offer any other explanation than that. Taking his transmission jade slip out again, he sent another message, then continued slowly on his way to the Chen Clan.
Of course, the Chen Clan really had made advance preparations. In fact, the Chen Clan patriarch had formed an emergency backup plan before the rebellion even began. Those orders had been followed, and the Chen Clan’s valuable resources had already been moved out of the clan by various means and dispersed all over the map to random tribes of savage giants. Many members of the clan had gone along with the goods to keep them safe.
Although those tribes weren’t openly connected to the Chen Clan, their loyalty had been earned secretly over the course of many years.
After hearing about what had gone on at the Cai Clan, the members of the Chen Clan were all extremely nervous. In the Chen Clan’s ancestral palace, the clan chief was meeting with all the clan elders, and the entire group was grim-faced and anxious.
“Things shouldn’t get too bad. After finding out that the patriarch is in custody and not dead, we immediately began to disperse the clan and hide all of our reserve savings….”
“Yes. The clan members who left covered their tracks well, making it impossible to track them down after the fact…. By now, they should all have reached the various savage tribes that were their destinations….”
“Although, don’t you think we might be shooting ourselves in the foot…? The fact that the giant ghost king didn’t exterminate us shows that he has plans for us. He might just want to weaken us a bit by taking away our reserve savings…. If he finds out we've sent them away….”
It was through gritted teeth that the clan chief responded, “Hmph! Our patriarch is alive and in custody, which puts us in a completely different position than the Cai Clan. We're not going to just sit around and wait to be executed!”
It was the clan chief who had been the staunchest supporter of the plan of dispersing the clan’s reserve savings. Although he had also questioned the wisdom of the tactic, he had felt there was no other option than to go through with the original plan.
It was even as the clan chief and clan elders discussed the matter nervously that a whistling sound pierced through the air. Faces flickering with various emotions, the group rushed out of the hall and looked up into the sky to see something that looked like a black cloud. It was… an army of 20,000 soul cultivators.