Dual Cultivation God Returns Chapter 1049: The territory of an eagle

The following morning, Wu Long made his way to Wei Yuanjie’s residence.

"I suppose it’s time I provided you with an answer, wouldn’t you agree?" the 9th prince offered a faint smile as Wu Long entered the chamber. He had received word the previous evening that Wu Long intended to visit him before his departure to the Wei Dynasty, and thus anticipated a continuation of their prior discussion. However, his thoughts were interrupted as Shen Min emerged from behind Wu Long, appearing at the doorway.

"There is still ample time. I merely wished to ascertain if you had formulated your thoughts at this juncture. For the present, I shall commence an inquiry into the veracity of the circumstances. And rest assured, I harbor no secrets from Min’er. You may confide in her with the same level of trust you place in me," Wu Long remarked with a lighthearted chuckle, his tone relaxed as he motioned for the prince to ease his apprehension. He then took a seat on the sofa beside the prince, rather than the customary armchair, allowing his companion to sit close by.

"Not at all, I believe I have had sufficient time for contemplation, perhaps even an excess," Wei Yuanjie replied with a nervous laugh, feeling a touch uneasy under the gaze of the beauty’s heterochromatic eyes.

Yet, he had come to understand the depth of Wu Long’s relationships with his women, and thus knew he could place his trust in Shen Min as implicitly as he would Wu Long himself. He quickly adjusted his demeanor, adding, "I believe I have devised a fundamental strategy for our course of action."

"Excellent. Let us hear it," Wu Long stated with a nod, gently drawing Shen Min closer by wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"The initial phase involves securing a period of delay. My intention is to engage in a candid and direct dialogue with Changsun Yong. By now, he should have come to terms with the revelations concerning his Master contained within that letter. Therefore, I am confident that a conversation with him will underscore the critical importance of preventing that letter from reaching Imperial Father. I shall also endeavor to assure him that a postponement does not signify its ultimate non-delivery," the 9th prince elaborated.

"A judicious choice," Wu Long affirmed with a nod. "I am certain he will comprehend."

Shen Min concurred, adding, "Unless he possesses absolutely no capacity for reason, he ought to recognize that you possessed the ability to silence him without difficulty. Why would you resort to persuasion otherwise? The very fact that you implore him for a delay, rather than having him disappear along with the letter, indicates your intention to eventually deliver it to your Father, albeit after attending to your own affairs first."

"I—I am relieved to hear such counsel, hahaha..." Wei Yuanjie emitted a somewhat strained chuckle, a bead of perspiration tracing a path down his temple, taken aback by the unvarnished directness of the beauty’s words. Essentially, her statement implied: ’If he presents difficulties or harbors suspicions regarding this matter, he is an irredeemable simpleton, rendering any attempts at kindness and consideration futile from the outset.’

Nevertheless, he could not dispute the logic of her assertion.

Wu Long continued, "The discourse shall fall to you. However, we shall observe the proceedings. Furthermore, I will extend an offer of assistance in his preparations for retribution against the other Righteous Path Sects that betrayed his own. This will occupy his attention during the period of the letter’s delay, diverting his anxieties and providing a focus for his thoughts. It is important to note that I do not intend to grant him an easy path; he must exert his own efforts for his vengeance."

"Wonderful!" Wei Yuanjie’s eyes lit up. He realized that while Wu Long entrusted him with the crucial conversation, thereby allowing him agency and opportunities for experience, he had not simply abandoned him to face the challenge alone. Instead, he remained to offer support and assistance. He also recognized that Shen Min’s presence alone would serve as a significant deterrent to Changsun Yong, a fact he felt confident about, given her intimidating aura even to himself.

He then resumed speaking, his tone turning more serious, "My contemplation also extends to forging an accord with Sister Zhenhui. I shall actively endeavor to bolster her influence, or rather, I must ensure her power surpasses that of the Imperial Father. While I will require your guidance and assistance in this endeavor, she, in return, will aid me in managing the situation concerning Mother once she assumes the throne. I do not believe Sister Zhenhui harbors significant interest in the fate of the older generation of our family once she ascends to power, thus she will likely readily delegate this responsibility to me..."

His gaze shifted to Wu Long, attempting to gauge his reaction, uncertain if such a straightforward notion could even be considered a plan. To his relief, Wu Long responded with an approving nod. "That is a sound strategy. Placing an individual in a position of authority who can grant you the mandate to make decisions is both feasible, given your current standing as one of the Princess’ most valuable allies, and practical, as it demands no intricate stratagems but rather a reinforcement of efforts to secure her ascension."

"However, you are Sister Zhenhui’s most valuable ally," Wei Yuanjie remarked with a wry smile, feeling his own value pale in comparison to Wu Long's.

"You are in luck then, since that valuable ally is also your friend", Wu Long laughed, and reached out to encouragingly tap Wei Yuanjie on the shoulder.

They decided not to beat around the bush and had the conversation with Changsun Yong right away, as Wu Long asked Butler Bang to send someone for him.

Wei Yuanjie’s prediction was right, since Shen Min’s mere presence along with her naturally sharp gaze even when she was in a neutral mood, made Changsun Yong think twice before saying anything aloud.

Especially since Shen Min was a lot more wary of a complete stranger like Changsun Yong than Wei Yuanjie, who she treated better because he was Wu Long’s friend and had been around for some time. Her gaze contained more scrutiny and suspicion, and coupled with her current appearance, looked far more intimidating.

This forced Changsun Yong to think more about every word before speaking and thus internally reach the conclusions that she talked about before, without making a scene or misunderstanding even if Wei Yuanjie’s conversation skills were not on par with Wu Long’s yet.

Changsun Yong was also excited to hear about receiving Wu Long’s help so soon, and right after the conversation was over, he went out with a small escort of War God Palace members to leave the Silver Wing City, toward the Oak Fortress where he would be undergoing his training, armed with the first set of jade slips given by Wu Long to start him on the path.

The next few hours Wu Long spent in meetings, accompanied by Shen Min. Even if he would be unavailable for 2 days maximum, the whole culmination of the auction plan was only in 5 days time including this day, so he had to make sure everything was on track while he was away before departing.

After that, came the moment for Song Lingfei to create a Spatial Node in the Branch of the Soaring Feather Trading Company within the Silver Wing City, before Wu Long left, since the only operating one was currently in the Crow King’s Nest, which wasn’t ideal while Wu Long was away for everyone to move around.

In the most secure part of the Protective Formation, Wu Long stood along with the entire Dao Family, who came out since they were curious about the process of the Spatial Node creation, and because Wu Long would be departing for the Emerald Falls City right after so it was also a little send-off.

Song Lingfei stood in front of a large stone monument around 3 meters tall and 1 meter wide in radius around the base, although it became narrower near the top.

It was specially prepared by the Soaring Feather Trading Company craftsmen, carved out of a regular rock.

"D-does the shape have any meaning?", Gong Cui whispered to Wu Mengqi standing next to her.

"Of course it does", the latter nodded with a very serious and confident look, and then added, "I mean... Big Sister Ye Ling can explain why"

Ye Ling chuckled, shaking her head, "I don’t know either, I’ve never even knew something like that was possible"

"The shape doesn’t have any particular meaning, but we are testing something out with this one", Wu Long nodded.

Song Lingfei seemingly finished adjusting her condition, and her wings appeared behind her, unfolding wide with audible admiration from some of the beauties at the beautiful sight.

Her eyes with silver irises glowed, the black slightly uneven lines that went through them not far around the black pupils moving a bit as if showing some kind of waves.

The crystallic-looking feathers of her wings began to shine with profound patterns as she raised both hands forward, with open relaxed palms, as if gently holding something round before her and offering it.

Everyone present felt like they heard a piercing cry of an eagle, as if warning that it was marking its territory, and a single feather just like on Song Lingfei’s wings appeared to fall from somewhere toward the stone monument.

As soon as it touched the stone, it sank into it, and the stone itself underwent some kind of transformation as a formless ripple spread from it.

"Fuu~", Song Lingfei exhaled, slightly pale and visibly tired as it seemed that it took a lot of mental strain and depleted a lot of her Spiritual Qi to channel her Mythical Beast bloodline power with a human body, supported by Wu Long who appeared behind her.

"Hehe, success", she chuckled, turning to Wu Long, tired but happy she did it successfully again.

"Mm, though it seems the size of the Spatial Node does matter", Wu Long nodded, "It took a lot more from you than the previous one"

"Hehe, well that one was a tiny stone", she chuckled, "And the area around it that I can keep track of also widens as we suspected with a bigger Spatial Node, so even if it is a bit more difficult, we should still opt for this size or bigger"

"Hmm, as long as it’s not overly taxing, this dimension will be our current maximum," Wu Long nodded, acknowledging the wisdom in her words while also cherishing his beloved who offered a slightly weak, blushing smile.

"Hehe, it’s not as if I’ll be engaging in this too frequently; I’ll regain my strength after a period of rest," she chuckled, not entirely resistant to the attentiveness shown by her man.

At this precise moment, the beautiful women began to gather around the stone monument, examining it with evident curiosity.

"Wu Long… isn’t this…", Ye Ling remarked, her gaze fixed upon the Spatial Node stone, which appeared to be nearing the completion of its transformation, evoking an incredibly familiar sensation.

"It has the feel of a World Stone, doesn’t it? Hehe, I had the same thought," Wu Long chuckled. "Although, it does possess certain differences. It lacks the absolute indestructibility of a World Stone, yet it remains remarkably resilient. Furthermore, it isn't automatically tethered to any existing link, meaning proximity alone won't permit travel to another Spatial Node stone, and naturally, there’s no flow of Spiritual Qi between them."

"However, based on its similarities, its immobility is comparable to a World Stone; it will simply hover in the air if the ground beneath it is removed. It also exerts an area of influence, much like a World Stone. As we’ve just verified, the extent of this influence varies with the size of the stone we utilize. Thus, Wu Long can amplify Sister Baihu’s reach by employing a larger stone," Song Lingfei elaborated. "The modest stone we positioned within the Crow King’s Nest is sufficient to cover Sister Zhiqiu’s chamber, along with a room below and the rooftop above. Yet, this newly formed stone encompasses a portion of the territory belonging to the Trading Company branch in this vicinity, spanning approximately 300 meters in every direction."

"Do you perceive any limitations on the number you can fabricate?", Nie Xiwang inquired.

"Indeed, there are limits, but I also ascertain that these are intrinsically linked to my cultivation. At the Essence Awakening Realm, I can manage roughly 100 stones of this magnitude in total, perhaps a few more if they are smaller. However, the capacity escalates exponentially, so I don’t foresee this becoming a significant obstacle," Song Lingfei affirmed with a nod. "Should we decide to vacate a location where a stone has been established, or if we reach our maximum quota and require a stone for a more critical area, I possess the ability to remove the existing ones."

Following a further discussion regarding the Spatial Node, they bid farewell to Wu Long. He bestowed a kiss upon each of them before vanishing in a swirl of dark mist. Emerging beyond the city limits, he then dissolved from his current position with a single forward step, commencing his journey towards Emerald Falls City, accompanied by a small white fox perched upon his shoulder.