Chapter 1271: Golden Stone Alliance's Guanhu

The sudden appearance of a third party broke the tense atmosphere in the sky above the Golden Stone Valley. Li Jinpan and Zhao Jiao turned their heads towards the numerous people floating in the distant sky.

An elderly man in yellow robes stood in front of the group as their leader. He appeared skinny and short, but a huge bow that struck fear into all who saw it hung on his back. It emanated golden energy that shook the air around it, sending chills up one's spine.

Seven Duke Bergfrieds materialized above his head, continuously devouring worldly natural energy from the surroundings, and a terrifying pressure swept across the field.

There was no doubt about it—this newcomer also had a formidable foundation of his own. His strength was on par with Li Jinpan and Zhao Jiao, both seventh-grade Dukes.

"I was just wondering who had spoken up. So it turns out it was the Alliance Master of the Golden Stone Alliance, Guanhu," Zhao Jiao said nonchalantly. He squinted slightly as he looked over at the elderly man.

The so-called Golden Stone Alliance was an alliance formed by the rogue cultivators in the Golden Stone Valley. Although they were largely disorganized, it was necessary that they teamed up to protect their own interests. Many strong Dukes were part of the alliance.

Guanhu, the old man in front of them, was an upper seventh-grade Duke. He was considered one of the stronger and more reputable rogue cultivators in the World's End River Region.

Over the years, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had been trying to claim this high grade hunting ground for their own. However, the Golden Stone Alliance had thwarted their plans time and time again. Of course, the mighty Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao wasn't afraid of Guanhu. He was simply an upper seventh-grade Duke, nothing worth mentioning in the eyes of a Heavenly Emperor power.

However, the Golden Stone Alliance contained many unruly rogue cultivators, and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao did not want things to get too ugly. If these rogue cultivators became their enemies, it would bring a lot of unnecessary trouble for them.

That said, over the last few years, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had been slowly encroaching over this territory. However, they did not push too hard for it either.

The old man with the bow took a glance at Li Jinpan and Zhao Jiao. He cupped his fists together and greeted them respectfully. "Greetings. The tide will be rising soon in the Golden Stone Valley. We should avoid creating any unnecessary energy undulations at this moment in case we scare off the Golden Stone Spirit Clams. I believe everyone is here for the Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearls as well? If we frighten them, they will not dare to appear. This will affect our harvest. I'm sure you don't want that to happen either, right?"

Hearing this, the energy waves coming from Li Jinpan subsided. "Alliance Master Guanhu, the Golden Stone Valley hunting ground doesn't belong to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao, does it?"

"The Golden Stone Valley does not belong to anyone," Guanhu replied.

Li Jinpan revealed a smile. "Zhao Jiao has been barking at us like a wild dog guarding his food. For a moment, I thought the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had staked a claim over it."

Zhao Jiao's eyes darkened when he heard this. Truth be told, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao treated the Golden Stone Valley as their private hunting ground. They were simply doing it gradually and not using any extreme methods to chase out all the rogue cultivators. It was not announced explicitly in order to prevent further troubles with other rogue cultivators in the World's End River Region from cropping up.

After all, they were a Heavenly Emperor lineage, and they had to uphold their reputation.

At this point, Guanhu added helplessly, "Sir, the Golden Stone Alliance is just a group that banded together to ensure our survival. You are all from Heavenly Emperor lineages, and the Golden Stone Valley is just an insignificant place in your eyes. However, this is an essential source of cultivation resources for us. It is critical for our survival. Hence, I kindly beseech the two of you to give us, rogue cultivators, a way out. If there is anything you need, we can all sit down and talk about it. There is no need to fight and wreck the harvest."

Li Jinpan nodded. "That's reasonable. We've only visited today to get a share of the harvest."

Guanhu replied, "The Golden Stone Valley belongs to no one. It all depends on everyone's individual capabilities. If the respective lineages are here for a share, we naturally have no objection."

When he finished speaking, his eyes lit up a little. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had been slowly pushing the Golden Stone Alliance out of this area for a few years. They were afraid of the Heavenly Emperor powers and felt very troubled over this change. If the Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearls from this valley weren't so valuable, the Golden Stone Alliance might have fallen apart under the pressure and disbanded long ago. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li coming in for a slice of the pie wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for the alliance.

The two great powers would now have to compete for the harvest. This would mean a little more breathing room for the Golden Stone Alliance.

Zhao Jiao shouted, "Li Jinpan, the Golden Stone Valley is closer to the base of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. Are you trying to make a ruckus over here with such a small group? Do you think this is Heavenly Dragon Peak?!"

Li Jinpan rolled up his sleeves and shouted back, "Oh? Do you want me to call more people over? Don't speak as if the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li can’t request backup. How many reinforcements are you calling over? I'll get the same number to assist us immediately! Don't forget, our Respected Elder is also at Heavenly Dragon Peak right now. Do you want to call the Divine Tiger King over too? Our Respected Elder is a Quasi-Triple Crown King now; I'm sure he'll be glad to catch up with some old friends!"

This left Zhao Jiao completely speechless. The news that Li Jingzhe was a Quasi-Triple Crown King and had gone alone to Abyssal City had already been made known to every major power. He had even injured Qin Jiujie during the incident. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao knew this better than everyone else.

The news caused a very big commotion in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao, much larger than what outsiders were aware of. It was said that Divine Tiger King Zhao Zong was spending less time traveling the world as a result.

After all, the Divine Tiger King was just a Single Crowned King. If he went up against Li Jingzhe alone, he would be completely suppressed. Zhao Jiao's face turned extremely dark and uneasy. In his heart, he knew very well that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li had the advantage here. If things really escalated and Li Jingzhe came knocking, the Divine Tiger King would be left in an awkward position.

If he fought, he would not be Li Jingzhe's match. If he didn't fight, it would bring shame to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao.

When push came to shove and the Divine Tiger King became infuriated, he could even lash out at Zhao Jiao instead.

If it was going to be a losing fight, why would he call him over? Couldn't he put himself in the shoes of his leader? Fool!

While Zhao Jiao felt frustrated over this, Alliance Master Guanhu chimed in to persuade him. "Brother Zhao, now is not the time to fight. The Golden Stone Spirit Clams will be scared away and our harvest will be affected. We have waited patiently for an entire year; please don’t ruin it for everyone."

Zhao Jiao snorted coldly in his heart. Guan Hu was really an old and sly fox. He clearly hoped that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li would intervene in this situation. That way, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao wouldn't be able to swallow up the Golden Stone Valley so easily.

However, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was now on the rise. It was truly unwise to challenge them at the moment.

His topmost priority was also the harvest of the Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearls.

With that in mind, the resonant power around him gradually subsided. The seven Duke Bergfrieds above his head turned back into beams of light and flew back into him.

He landed from the sky, back atop the mountain where the others from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had gathered.

The Divine Tiger Envoy Zhao Jiyun took another look at Jiang Qing'e. Then he grinned and ordered his men to retreat.

The tense confrontation had finally been resolved with the intervention of Guanhu.

Guanhu heaved out a sigh of relief in his heart as he watched the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao retreat. He turned over to Li Jinpan and cupped his hands together respectfully. "Hall Master Jinpan, the tide in the Golden Stone Valley should rise within half a month's time. As this is your first time visiting, I'll arrange for the relevant information to be sent over to you later."

Li Jinpan accepted his kind intentions with a smile. Although he had an impulsive nature, he could see that this old man was trying to get the two Heavenly Emperor powers to engage in conflict with each other. It didn't really matter though. If he could establish a foothold in the Golden Stone Valley, he could end up helping the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li gain yet another hunting ground in the future.

Seeing this, Guanhu turned around and departed.

Li Jinpan turned back in satisfaction. He walked over to Ox Biaobiao and Li Rouyun and said with a smile, "Those people from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao really deserve a beating. If we try to talk to them nicely, they'll only take advantage of us. We have to show them that we're stronger and force them to back off."

"It's too bad we didn't get to fight," Ox Biaobiao replied in agreement. He held onto the vicious-looking butchering knife by his waist, and his wrinkled face appeared really fierce.

Li Rouyun shrugged helplessly at the side. Clearly, these two guys were not made of the stuff that would allow one to negotiate peacefully. They would resort to violence upon any hint of disagreement and fight to the death even if they couldn't win.

Nonetheless, everything had worked out. It seemed like an unyielding personality was most suitable here. She finally understood why the Lineage Chief had sent over the impulsive Li Jinpan rather than the amiable Li Qingpeng.

Regardless, they had finally gotten themselves a spot in the Golden Stone Valley.

Next, they would wait for the tide to rise and join the harvest.