Family Management Game In Immortal Continent Chapter 851: The Three Categories

"Rise to your feet, Kuangren."

Li Tianyue assisted her nephew in standing.

She stared at Dongfang Liancheng, his face brimming with remorse, and released a heavy sigh.

Ultimately, she had failed to conceal this matter from her fellow clansmen.

Of course, hiding it from the Old Ancestor was impossible for her anyway; what surprised her was how swiftly it had been uncovered.

"Old General Dongfang, my nephew can be quite hot-tempered. Please do not hold it against him." Li Tianyue's voice remained soft, but a hint of chill laced through it.

Dongfang Liancheng appeared ready to respond, yet he held his tongue.

Li Tianyue offered nothing further and guided Li Kuangren out.

Upon exiting the hall, Li Kuangren hung his head low.

As the new Prefecture Master of Azure Cloud Prefecture, he had assumed the role without realizing the harassment his aunt faced on the Duskwild Prefecture frontlines.

Noticing her nephew's dejected appearance, Li Tianyue murmured gently,

"Kuangren, this isn't your fault. I had intended to endure this for a few more years before requesting the Crown Prince to let me step down and transfer to Shadowfell Prefecture. I never anticipated your visit here."

"Aunt, will you truly keep endangering yourself for their sake?" Li Kuangren inquired, his teeth clenched tight.

"Even in Shadowfell Prefecture, folks like them remain unchanged.

Is there any true affection or allegiance among them?

They merely calculate gains and losses!

Our Azure Cloud Prefecture holds great strength these days, complete with its own forces."

"Enough of that. We won't discuss it further." Li Tianyue sidestepped his query.

With a smile, she inquired instead, "About your trip this time—I got the message too. You're here to convince the Fourth Prince to seek peace. Are your plans in order?"

"Yes." Observing that his aunt avoided elaborating, Li Kuangren chose not to press.

He answered, "I've crafted a solid case. Given how the Crown Prince approached us for aid, and with all the favors he's granted our family over time, I owe it to him to try my utmost."

"I'm afraid it won't go smoothly."

Encased in her battle armor, Li Tianyue embodied the third-ranked Peerless Fairy perfectly, each stride radiating a bold and heroic allure.

Soldiers they passed shot admiring looks her direction, only to bow their heads in self-doubt.

Yet Li Tianyue paid no mind to those stares, long grown used to them. In a serious voice, she questioned, "Have you mentioned to anyone that you're here for peace talks?"

"No. The Crown Prince visited our Merit Grotto-Heaven in person to meet Xinnian.

As it was a confidential chat, I wouldn't dream of leaking it to others," Li Kuangren responded, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"But why do you think it'll be tough, Aunt?"

"That's wise."

Li Tianyue glanced around them.

"What makes this task challenging is that the Crown Prince has dispatched messengers for peace negotiations repeatedly, but every attempt has only escalated the fighting.

Observe this encampment—how many strangers do you see? Certain powers desire the conflict to persist."

Li Kuangren's face shifted. "They desire it?"

"Yes." Li Tianyue went on, "Those arriving here divide into three groups. The first are ordinary conscripted cultivators."

"The second group includes cultivators cast aside by powerful sects and families.

When these fighters perish in combat, the Dynasty must provide compensation to their former affiliations."

"The third comprises disciples from elite clans and sects.

They arrive for battle experience, and surviving the front lines earns them prestige plus substantial rewards.

Moreover, their supporting groups have quietly set 'compensation rates' with the Ministry of War back in the Imperial Capital.

To muster sufficient forces against the Fourth Prince, the capital yielded to those demands."

"To fuel this war, territories across the land are desperately raising armies and mining ores.

These supplies reach the battlefield, get recovered, and disappear mysteriously, probably cycling back into the Dynasty through underground channels.

Numerous sects and clans quietly amass power, while some fade into decline."

Li Kuangren stared in shock. "What?!!"

"This conflict has strayed far from its original goal of safeguarding our lands.

In this realm, everyone scrambles like vermin after glory and wealth."

Li Tianyue let out a sigh.

"Now, the tangled network of vested interests has expanded beyond what the Dynasty or the Fourth Prince ever foresaw."

"The Fourth Prince rules the Twelve Prefectures, but he's trapped in the identical mess.

If one side tries to halt, it'll cost them dearly.

Consider: should the Fourth Prince push for a truce, his allied clans and sects would forfeit these gains, and their backing would evaporate.

We confront the very same issue.

The sole path left leads to total annihilation—either they perish, or we do."

"Each believes they can thrive and outlast everyone else."

Li Kuangren lingered in stunned silence.

His eyes seemed to pierce beyond this war-torn field—that had weathered over three centuries of strife and devoured endless souls—and glimpse lurking silhouettes in the shadows, chuckling with avarice.

One by one, they surfaced, poised to climb atop the heaps of the fallen and claim the grandest shadow for themselves.

This proved a war impossible to halt, concealed within which were puppeteers manipulating their puppets.

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