Chapter 484 Wanqing Garden

"Catch the thief first and capture the king first!"

Xin Zhen said decisively.

Huo Guang frowned and said, "You mean to gather a group of Jindan masters, or even Yuanying old monsters, to attack together and kill the four great monsters that lead the beast tide. Then the hundreds of thousands of monsters will be leaderless and may soon collapse. Then the cultivators in the world can capture these monsters at ease?"

Xin Zhen nodded and said, "Yes, that's exactly the truth."

Huo Guang shook his head and said, "Master Xin, there are many problems here."

Xin Zhen nodded and said, "The four great monsters have been rampant across the country for thirty years. Most of the most sensational events in the world in the past thirty years were caused by them. They are still safe and sound, so they are naturally very difficult to kill.

But they are difficult to kill, not because of their strength, but because they have always been in the dark, so if you can't find them, you naturally can't kill them. Now it's different. In order to restrain hundreds of thousands of monsters, they will inevitably find it difficult to leave Jiangyin City. But with the help of several Yuanying ancestors, the four great monsters will definitely not be able to escape with their lives!"

Huo Guang frowned and said, "You once said that they might have joined forces with the Qingqiu Fox and the Dragon Clan. If the Nine-tailed Fox is lurking among them, then the former Nascent Soul Ancestor might be in danger. Also, although the Four Seas Dragon King is not among the four supreme masters, his strength is definitely higher than the four supreme masters. If these two are lurking around, then things will be bad."

Xin Zhen nodded and said, "There is this risk. It depends on whether the benefits are big enough and whether they are willing to take the risk."

Huo Guang nodded and said, "There is one more question."

Xin Zhen asked, "General, are you afraid that hundreds of thousands of monsters will be scattered and flee in all directions, and then they will flee into various human towns and cause heavy casualties?"

Huo Guang looked worried and said, "Hundreds of thousands of monsters, if they were to scatter, Jiangnan would become a hell on earth. If possible, we must not let this happen."

Xin Zhen laughed and said, "You are afraid of wolves in front and tigers behind. You are afraid of the tools even if you want to kill a rat. You can't accomplish anything. You want to eliminate the threat of the monsters, but you also have to be afraid of the bottles and jars in Jiangnan. How can you fight? Can you pray to the gods and ask the gods in the sky to come down and clean up the mess?"

Huo Guang smiled bitterly and said, "If the gods in heaven could come down to earth, the world would not be as corrupt as it is today."

Xin Zhen said: "I am curious, why can't the celestial beings come down to earth?"

Huo Guang also looked bewildered and said, "I don't know either. Suddenly, the gods in heaven could not be contacted, and the passage to heaven was also closed. No one knows why."

Xin Zhen's mind was moved and he said, "When I went to the capital to take the imperial examination, there were gods in the sky riding dragons and making snow fall. Aren't they from heaven?"

Huo Guang shook his head and said, "They are under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court, but they are not in the real Heavenly Court. They are just some gods who do odd jobs. They live in Kunlun Mountain and just follow orders."

Xin Zhen's eyes lit up and he said, "If they want it to rain or snow, they must get a command from heaven, right?"

Huo Guang came to his senses and asked, "You mean, they can still receive news from the Heavenly Court?"

Xin Zhen nodded and said, "That's possible, but there's another possibility. They have a plan. The rain and snow for one year, ten years, or even a hundred years have already been recorded. We just need to follow the record."

Huo Guang shook his head and said, "That shouldn't happen. As far as I know, the amount of rain and snow is determined based on the virtues of the people in each place, their offerings, and whether they have violated the will of heaven. This is done to reward or punish people and warn them. So it's set once a year. If someone goes too far, they may be given special rewards or punishments. So one year is fine, but ten or a hundred years is definitely not possible."

Xin Zhen nodded and said, "There is another possibility. The gods who make it rain and snow act on their own. Although they cannot receive orders from the heavens and they don't know why, they can't just let the world go to waste. So they make it rain and snow as usual. These gods also need faith and incense, otherwise the monks on earth may come looking for them."

Huo Guang thought it made sense.

But this was just a digression. The two of them said a few words and then brought the topic back to discuss the feasibility of the matter. However, they didn't talk for long because Chen Liyan came back in a hurry.

Chen Liyan asked, "Can you two go with me to Wanqing Garden?"

Xin Zhen and Huo Guang looked at each other.

Wanqing Garden is the base camp of the Chen family. Most of the important figures of the Chen family live here. It seems that the head of the Chen family has invited us.

Huo Guang said: "Of course."

Xin Zhen took a look at the auction outside and saw that it was already in full swing.

The monsters in Guanhai Realm are very popular. Not only can they be used as warriors, but it doesn't matter if they can't be tamed. The monsters are full of treasures. All you have to do is peel off their skin and disassemble their bones. The skin and bones have their own wonderful uses.

You can even raise it, and when it becomes a golden elixir, you can directly harvest it, which will be more efficient.

Of course, there are even more extravagant ways of doing things, which is to directly use the meat and send it to high-end restaurants. The meat of the monsters in Guanhai Realm is frighteningly expensive, but there is never a problem of not being able to sell it.

Chen Liyan said: "These are all small businesses, just let them take care of it. If they make a loss, my Chen family will make up for it for you!"

Xin Zhen smiled and said, "That's not the reason. I plan to use this auction to promote it and get everyone involved in hunting."

Chen Liyan smiled and said, "Don't worry. Once our Chen family is willing to take part in this matter, we will naturally have no problem finding someone willing to participate."

Chen Liyan's words were naturally well-founded. The Chen family's influence was unimaginable. There was no telling how many of the Chen family's descendants had served as officials in the Hua Dynasty throughout the generations. There were dozens of prime ministers alone, and their influence was jaw-dropping.

Once Chen is willing to participate in this matter, with Chen's influence, he will soon spread the matter to the point where everyone knows about it.

"Does Chen want to eat alone?"

A long voice came.

Chen Liyan's face changed immediately, and he sneered, "Why, Xu Bangzhang, do I have to report to you, Xu, for anything I want to do?"

Xu Bangzhang shook his head and said, "The Xu and Chen families are both in Gusu, and both are extremely large families. Although they don't need to report anything they do, they still need to inform each other, otherwise it will cause misunderstandings and a fight between the two families, which will be too noisy. For thousands of years, the two families have been like this. Why do you want to break the rules when it comes to you, Chen Liyan?"

Chen Liyan frowned when he heard this. There really was such a tacit understanding between the Xu and Chen families. In fact, it was impossible to really leave out the Xu family when it came to the matter of trafficking in monsters. It was just that they were unwilling to let the Xu family get involved too early, otherwise they would have to give up too much benefit. If they could wait until things were basically settled and then let the Xu family in, the price they would pay would be much smaller.

But Xu Bangzhang was too perceptive. He noticed it immediately when I was not on the stage for a while, and he came to me so quickly that I couldn't hide it any longer.

But Chen Liyan still didn't give Xu Bangzhang a good look, and snorted, "My family's head thinks that Master Xin is a rising star in Jiangnan, and he wants to get to know him. It's nothing."

Xu Bangzhang laughed and said, "I'm afraid it's not to explain to Sect Leader Xin, but for the business of selling monsters. Chen Liyan, I don't know you yet, but I said that you are too narrow-minded. You want to eat alone, but you can't get around my Xu family. If you really want to eat alone, my Xu family will simply set up a new business, and then we can each do what we want."

Xu Bangzhang was about to leave when he finished speaking, but Chen Liyan softened his attitude and sighed, "Brother Xu, why do you have to do this? No matter what, you can't avoid your Xu family when doing things in Jiangnan. Today, it is indeed the head of my Chen family who wants to meet a young talent. Never mind, since Brother Xu doesn't believe it, why don't we go to Wanqing Garden together?"

Xu Bangzhang laughed and said, "That's fine, but I'm not going alone. The head of the Xu family has already gone to Wanqing Garden first."

Chen Liyan's eyes flashed with anger, but he swallowed it immediately and sighed, "Xu Bangzhang, you only gave me a wrong name, not a wrong nickname. I really admire you."

Xin Zhen looked at Xu and Chen who were scheming against each other and shook his head secretly. These people were scheming too much and he must not be tricked by them.

But Xin Zhen had nothing to fear. As for scheming, Xin Tanhua had never been afraid of anyone. So it would depend on what he did.

The four of them set out together, each using their own methods to transform into various rainbow lights and headed towards Wanqing Garden.

Wanqing Garden is not located in Gusu City, but in the suburbs dozens of miles outside the city. However, for those who can fly, it only takes a few moments to reach the destination.

Xin Zhen saw an extremely large manor from afar in the air. Before they got close, a huge aura rose from the manor. It was the aura of the mountain guarding formation.

Chen Liyan made a spell from afar, and a gap opened in the formation to allow several people to enter. Chen Liyan led them to land on an open space, and then led them through several courtyards before arriving at a pavilion.

Chen Liyan ordered someone to go in and report. After a while, someone came out and led them inside for about a few miles, through seven or eight courtyards, before they arrived at the meeting place.

Xin Zhen was not surprised, but a little puzzled. The Chen family was too powerful. He and Xu Bangchang were juniors, so this was fine. However, Huo Guang was the greatest city god in the world, and in terms of cultivation, he was also one of the few top masters in the world, and yet he was treated like this.

But looking at Huo Guang's expression, he seemed somewhat accustomed to it.

Xin Zhen suddenly remembered that Huo Guang relied on the faith of the masses, while the faith of Jiangsu and Zhejiang relied on these wealthy families.

If a noble family wanted to depose Huo Guang, they could just issue a memorial to the emperor and have Huo Guang's City God Temple be demoted to a wild shrine for lewd sacrifices. Huo Guang would then become an evil god and be stripped of his golden body in an instant.

When life and death are in the hands of others, it is natural that one cannot be tough.

The Chen family had been nobles for generations, and before the fall of the Hua Dynasty, their power was so powerful that Huo Guang could not afford to offend. Now that the Hua Dynasty has become a thing of the past, although the Chen and Xu families cannot be called kings of Jiangnan, they have become local emperors and are merely restraining each other.

Therefore, this kind of behavior seemed very natural, and even Xu Bangchang took it for granted. It seemed that the Xu family also had such a show.

Xin Zhen sneered in his heart. The thoughts of these aristocratic families were still based on the times of peace and prosperity. Now it was already a chaotic time, and they were still entangled in petty profits and showing off everywhere. They didn't know that when chaos broke out, all the prosperity would be nothing but a passing cloud.

The Nether Well, the Beast Tide, the Northern Bandits, any one of them suddenly erupted, and this thousand-year prosperity would be reduced to ruins in an instant. There is really nothing to show off.

He, Xin Zhen, has been an emperor for several generations. Has he ever shown off?
These were just Xin Zhen's inner complaints, but he appeared to be nonchalant on the surface. However, it was this nonchalant attitude that made the other three look at him with higher regard.

Even after several trips, they still couldn't see the head of the Chen family immediately. They waited in the side room for a long time before being led into the hall.

There are already guests in the hall.

In the middle of the hall, facing south, sat an old man in gorgeous clothes, and there was another old man in gorgeous clothes sitting below him. Although one of them was the host and the other was the guest, their aura was equally great.

Chen Liyan and Xu Bangchang both bowed and greeted at the same time, but the people they bowed to were different. Chen Liyan bowed to the old man in gorgeous clothes at the main seat. Xin Zhen knew that this man was Chen Shengshen, the head of the Chen family, while the person Xu Bangchang bowed to was Xu Rongsheng, the head of the Xu family.

When Chen Shiing-Shen saw Chen Liyan bowing to him first, he snorted and said, "How rude! Can't you see we have guests?"

Chen Liyan quickly apologized to Xu Rongsheng, who smiled and said, "Is Patriarch Chen teaching Xu Bangchang a lesson for being rude?"

Chen Xingshen laughed and said, "How dare I? I am just teaching my nephew a lesson."

At this time, Huo Guang and Chen Shengshen saluted first, and then saluted Xu Rongsheng. The two were quite polite on their faces and responded to Huo Guang.

Then the two of them looked at Xin Zhen together, with scrutiny in their eyes, and a bit of... disdain?
Xin Zhen could naturally see the meaning in the eyes of Chen Shengshen and Xu Rongsheng. He was originally going to greet them, but when he saw the two of them acting like that, he immediately stood still and looked at them with a scrutinizing look.

Both Chen Xingshen and Xu Rongsheng frowned.

Chen Liyan said quickly, "Master, this is Xin Zhen, the head of Huashan Sect. He was the one who captured dozens of Guanhai Realm monsters this time, and even tamed four Jindan monsters. He is an incredible rising star!"

Chen Xingshen hummed and said to Xin Zhen: "Young people do have some skills, but they don't know much about etiquette. How can you be so rude to your elders?"

Xin Zhen smiled slightly and said, "Where are the elders?"

Chen Xingshen suddenly became angry and said, "Although I am not your elder, I am much older than you. Am I not considered an elder?"

Xin Zhen smiled again and said, "You are the head of the Chen family, and I am also the head of a sect. We are both powerful people, but you are using age as a useless thing to suppress me. This is a bit shallow. If you are such a shallow person, then our cooperation today can end."

(End of this chapter)