“This—”
Upon hearing this, Ye Qin Chu’s expression changed slightly.
The Azure Crane Immortal Sect possessed immense influence and resources. Even a single outer sect Elder was someone the Ye Clan absolutely could not afford to offend.
Moreover, the Ye Clan had no one within the Azure Crane Immortal Sect. If the Azure Crane Immortal Sect personally came to collect the taxes, the slightest mistake could bring immense trouble upon them.
With this thought, Ye Qin Chu was about to say something, but Old Man Ye blocked him.
Old Man Ye took a deep breath, then cupped his hands toward Lin Shengyang and said, “Brother, to be frank, I lack sufficient Spirit Stones this year. I have only a few hundred jin of Spirit Ear Rice left.”
“Insufficient Spirit Stones?”
Lin Shengyang seemed to have expected this. He looked up at Ye Linyuan, then smiled at Old Man Ye and said, “The Ye Clan has gained another Immortal Seedling. I have yet to congratulate you, Fellow Daoist.”
“I presume these Broken Spirit Stones were used for this Little Friend Ye’s breakthrough?”
As he said this, Lin Shengyang spoke again to ask.
Old Man Ye nodded, then said, “This is my eldest grandson, Ye Linyuan. He has just turned fifteen this year and managed to break through into the Qi Refining Realm in one attempt. His luck is quite good.”
Lin Shengyang nodded, but did not say much more on this topic. Instead, he said, “The matter of the taxes is not too troublesome.”
“As long as you agree to one condition from our Lin Family, we will settle this year’s taxes for you.”
Old Man Ye did not answer immediately. He slightly furrowed his brow, and after a moment asked, “What is it?”
“Demon Hunting.”
Lin Shengyang suddenly spoke, immediately causing the expressions of several members of the Ye Clan Immortal Clan to change slightly.
Ye Linyuan listened quietly, unable to keep from slightly furrowing his brow as well. In this Vast Sea, Demon Hunting was no small matter.
Whether human or demon, everyone had only one life.
Humans could hunt demons, and demons could naturally hunt humans as well. It could be said that the risks on both sides were considerable.
As for ordinary First-order Early and Mid-stage minor demons, the Lin Clan Immortal Clan could deal with them itself. Naturally, it would not ask Old Man Ye to help.
The Demonic Beasts that would require the assistance of a Sixth Level of Qi Refining cultivator like Old Man Ye were most likely Powerful Demonic Beasts at the Late Qi Refining stage, and might even be exceptionally ferocious Demonic Beasts.
Such Demonic Beasts possessed extraordinary strength. The Lin Clan alone had no confidence in taking them down, or might suffer heavy losses, leaving it no choice but to request Old Man Ye’s assistance.
Of course, the harvest from Demon Hunting was also tremendous. A Complete Demonic Beast corpse was enough to make a cultivator at the Same Cultivation Level suddenly wealthy, not to mention that the lands occupied by Demonic Beasts often contained Precious Treasures.
In his Previous Life, Ye Linyuan had been able to make Rapid progress mainly by relying on his Combat Power, which made him difficult to match at the Same Cultivation Level. He had continuously killed powerful enemies and Demonic Beasts at the Same Realm, ultimately obtaining Large Quantities of Resources and cultivating to Golden Core Great Perfection.
If Not For that, in his Previous Life he could have advanced no further than the Early-stage Core Formation Realm.
With this thought, Ye Linyuan could not help looking at Old Man Ye, a trace of worry appearing in his eyes.
Old Man Ye also wore a deeply furrowed brow, but after a moment he still said, “Please inform me, Fellow Daoist. Just how Powerful are the Demonic Beasts you intend to hunt?”
“One Late-stage Qi Refining, two Mid-stage Qi Refining, and seven or eight Early-stage Qi Refining ones. All of them belong to the Purple Scaled Demonic Snake Clan.”
Lin Shengyang did not conceal anything. Instead, he spoke with a Solemn expression.
Upon hearing this, Old Man Ye’s expression changed drastically in shock. The Purple Scaled Demonic Snake was an extremely vicious Demonic Beast.
In terms of demonic power alone, it might be merely ordinary among those of the Same Realm. However, it possessed an extremely bizarre Snake Venom that was sufficient to poison a Late Stage Qi Refining cultivator to death.
With this thought, Old Man Ye hurriedly refused, “Demon Hunting is no small matter. You should seek someone more capable, Fellow Daoist.”
Seeing Old Man Ye refuse, Lin Shengyang slightly furrowed his brow, understanding that a mere ten Broken Spirit Stones were not worth Old Man Ye risking his life.
Thus, he pondered briefly. After a moment, he said, “If you are willing to Make a move, our Lin Clan can pay one Spirit Stone as compensation.”
“Furthermore, rest assured, Fellow Daoist. You will absolutely not be the only Mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator invited by the Lin Clan for this expedition. All the Mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators from the Star Lake Seven Islands are among those we have invited.”
“One Spirit Stone?”
Upon hearing this, Old Man Ye fell into deep thought.
The Value of a Spirit Stone was extraordinary. Even if the Ye Clan Immortal Clan neither ate nor drank, it would still take several years to accumulate one.
He was extremely tempted, but participating in this battle was truly too dangerous.
Thus, he looked back at Everyone, and finally at Ye Linyuan, before replying hesitantly, “This expedition is dangerous. Please allow me some time to consider it, Fellow Daoist.”
“Good.”
Lin Shengyang nodded, then said, “If you Agree, Fellow Daoist, simply come to Red Star Island three days from now.”
Having said this, Lin Shengyang cupped his hands and led Everyone away by boat.
After Everyone had departed, Old Man Ye led Everyone back to the Clan’s main hall.
After several people had taken their seats, Ye Qinyang could not help advising, “Father, the Purple Scaled Demonic Snakes are dangerous. This expedition absolutely cannot be undertaken.”
“What do you understand?”
Old Man Ye slapped the table, then said with a resolute expression, “The Path of Cultivation has been dangerous since ancient times. If Not For this one Spirit Stone, when could our Ye Clan ever Promote a second Mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator?”
Everyone present fell silent. For a Third Level of Qi Refining cultivator to Breakthrough into Mid-stage Qi Refining, it was not enough to simply accumulate True Qi. They needed to Absorb Large Quantities of Spiritual Energy in one go and Pierce Through the Bottleneck,
but the Spiritual Energy consumed to Breakthrough the Bottleneck was far too immense. Relying Solely On the Ye Clan Immortal Clan’s Low-grade Spirit Eye was certainly far from enough.
The best method was to rent a High-grade Spirit Eye and use its vast Spiritual Energy to Impact Mid-stage Qi Refining directly. Only then would there be a certain possibility of success.
Renting a High-grade Spirit Eye once required consuming At Least one Spirit Stone, and the success rate of the Breakthrough was often no more than Thirty Percent.
Regardless, for the Ye Clan Immortal Clan, obtaining one Spirit Stone would mean that the Clan might very likely gain another Mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.
Perhaps in the Cultivation World, Mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators were as insignificant as Ants, but to the Ye Clan Immortal Clan, a Mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator could be called the foundation upon which the Clan was established.
As long as another Mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator could be born, Old Man Ye would be able to Pass away with peace of mind in the Future. If a Late-stage Qi Refining cultivator emerged, Old Man Ye would be able to die smiling.
Having Understood this point, Everyone no longer tried to dissuade him.
Ye Qin Chu Pondered briefly, then said, “Father, why don’t we accompany you?”
“Impossible.”
Old Man Ye hurriedly waved his hands, then said with an extremely Solemn expression, “The Purple Scaled Demonic Snakes are far too dangerous. Even if This Old Man goes, there is a danger of death. What difference would it make if you went? Wouldn’t that be no different from seeking death?”
“Stay obediently within the Clan and wait for This Old Man to return.”
Having said this, Old Man Ye swept his Long sleeves and immediately turned to leave.
Ye Linyuan calmly watched everything from the sidelines. After remaining silent for a long while, he eventually left the main hall without making a sound.