In the end times, many children bring more blessings. I pick up a goddess every day.

Li Qing led Liu Yang and Su Qingyao through the main street of Qingyang City. Along the way, they frequently witnessed confrontations between cultivators from the Li and Wang families—some arguing over territory in front of shops, others fiercely debating ownership of spirit mines at street corners, and in several places, physical fights had broken out, the spiritual energy fluctuations causing the spirit trees along the street to rustle. Su Qingyao lowered her voice, speaking in a volume only the three of them could hear, "It seems the conflict between the Li and Wang families is more intense than we anticipated, which actually increases our bargaining power for cooperation."

Liu Yang nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over a vandalized spiritual materials shop on the street corner—formerly owned by the Zhao family. Now, the shop's doors were torn down, and the four characters "Zhao Family Spiritual Materials" on the signboard were completely erased. The Wang family cultivators standing at the entrance were locked in a stalemate with the Li family cultivators, their magical artifacts drawn. He sneered inwardly. Once the balance of power among the three major families of Qingyang City was broken, greed and strife would only escalate, and this was precisely the opening he could exploit.

Before long, the three arrived at a magnificent mansion. A gilded plaque hung above the vermilion gate, bearing the words "Li Mansion." Two stone lions stood on either side of the gate, their eyes inlaid with low-grade spirit stones, exuding a hint of spiritual energy. The cultivators guarding the gate bowed respectfully upon seeing Li Qing, saying, "Young Master has returned."

Li Qing nodded and gestured to Liu Yang, "Brother Liu, please come in. My father is waiting in the front hall." He deliberately changed his form of address and his tone became more polite—after all, Liu Yang held the secrets of the Ice Thunder Token and the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Prison, and the current Liu Yang was no longer someone he could easily underestimate.

Liu Yang didn't stand on ceremony and strode straight into the Li residence. The residence was exquisitely laid out, with bluestone paths and many hundred-year-old spirit bamboos planted on both sides. Insect-repelling lamps hung among the bamboos, and the air was filled with a faint fragrance of spirit herbs. Passing through the front courtyard, he arrived at a carved and painted main hall. Sitting in the hall was a middle-aged cultivator dressed in a dark blue brocade robe. His face bore some resemblance to Li Qing, and his brows carried a hint of majesty. He was none other than Li Xiong, the patriarch of the Li family.

Hearing footsteps, Li Xiong looked up towards the door. When his gaze fell on Liu Yang, his pupils contracted slightly—although he had never met Liu Yang in person, he had seen his portrait on the wanted poster. The young man before him had the exact same features as the person on the wanted poster, only his clothes were different, and his demeanor was more composed. He suppressed his wariness, stood up, and cupped his hands, saying, "You must be Fellow Daoist Liu Yang, who trespassed into the Zhao family's forbidden area and obtained the Ice Thunder Token? I have long admired your name."

"Clan Chief Li, you're too kind." Liu Yang replied casually, without bowing, and went straight to the guest seat in the hall to sit down. Su Qingyao stood behind him, her eyes scanning the dark corners of the hall warily—she could sense that there were quite a few Li family cultivators hiding outside the hall, obviously a preparation made by Li Xiong to prevent any accidents.

Li Qing quickly stepped forward and sat down next to Li Xiong, quietly recounting Liu Yang's cooperation proposal. Li Xiong listened, his fingers lightly tapping the table, his eyes flickering—having lived for nearly a century and witnessed countless acts of deceit and treachery, he naturally wouldn't easily believe the promises of a foreign cultivator. But the five words "Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Prison" struck him like a boulder against his heart, impossible to ignore.

“Fellow Daoist Liu,” Li Xiong pondered for a moment, then looked up at Liu Yang, his tone probing, “You say you have the Ice Thunder Token and know the secret of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Prison. Would you be so kind as to let me see the Ice Thunder Token? After all, words are not enough. I can’t just gamble with the future of the entire Li family based on your words alone.”

Liu Yang had anticipated this question. He took the black box from his storage bag, placed it on the table, and gently opened it. A chilling aura of lightning instantly filled the air, causing the temperature in the hall to plummet, and a thin layer of frost even formed on the tabletop. Inside the box, the Ice Lightning Token lay quietly, its icy blue half gleaming with a cold light, while its dark purple half pulsed with tiny arcs of lightning. The lightning patterns on its surface moved as if alive, and the spiritual energy emanating from it made Li Xiong and Li Qing hold their breath.

"It really is the Ice Thunder Token!" A hint of excitement flashed in Li Xiong's eyes. He had seen records of the Ice Thunder Token in his family's ancient books, and it was exactly the same as the token before him. He suppressed his greed and continued to ask, "So, Fellow Daoist Liu, how do you intend to cooperate? What do you want our Li family to do, and what benefits can you offer us?"

“It’s very simple.” Liu Yang closed the box and put away the Ice Thunder Token. “First, your Li family will help me find the exact entrance to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Prison. I know there are several possible entrances near Qingyang City, but we need to check them one by one, which will require your Li family’s manpower and resources. Second, after entering the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Prison, your Li family will send ten Foundation Establishment cultivators to assist me in dealing with the crises inside. I will guarantee their safety.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Li Xiong and Li Qing, before continuing, "As for the benefits, firstly, I will help your Li family suppress the Wang family, allowing you to monopolize all of the Zhao family's assets, including spirit mines, spirit material shops, and markets. Secondly, the treasures within the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Prison, except for the one item I need, will all belong to your Li family—whether they are rare and precious materials or ancient cultivation techniques, as long as you can take them, you can take them."

The terms were too good to pass up, and Li Qing immediately stood up excitedly: "Father! This deal is too good to be true! We..."

"Shut up!" Li Xiong snapped at him, his eyes still wary. "Fellow Daoist Liu, what is that thing you want? Also, the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Prison is extremely dangerous. What makes you think you can guarantee the safety of my Li family cultivators?"

Liu Yang's lips curled into a cold smile: "What I want is useless to your Li family; it's just an ancient artifact related to my cultivation technique. As for safety, I can break through the restrictions of the Zhao family's forbidden area on my own and even break through their protective array. My strength is sufficient to handle most of the crises within the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Prison. If your Li family cultivators are obedient and don't act on their own, I can naturally protect them. On the contrary, if anyone tries to play tricks, they can't blame anyone else for losing their lives."

These words carried a hint of threat, yet they relieved Li Xiong—the more powerful a person is, the less they would stoop to lying; Liu Yang's straightforwardness actually made him more credible. He pondered for a moment, then finally made up his mind: "Alright! I agree to your cooperation proposal! However, we need to swear an oath of inner demons; neither of us can betray the agreement, otherwise, our inner demons will backfire, and our cultivation will be completely destroyed!"

The Oath of the Heart Demon is the most solemn vow among cultivators. Once broken, it will truly bring about a backlash from the heart demon, with extremely serious consequences. Liu Yang nodded without hesitation: "Okay."

The two immediately swore an oath against their inner demons. The oath was simple: Liu Yang would help the Li family suppress the Wang family and seize the Zhao family's assets; in return, the Li family would assist Liu Yang in finding the entrance to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Prison and send cultivators to help him enter the secret realm. Neither side would betray the other, or their inner demons would retaliate. Su Qingyao and Li Qing, as witnesses, also swore an oath of assistance.

After making the vow, Li Xiong's tense expression finally relaxed. He ordered people to serve spiritual tea and spiritual fruit, and his attitude became much warmer: "Fellow Daoist Liu, the Zhao family is currently leaderless, and the Wang family has begun to seize the Zhao family's spiritual mines. We must act quickly and take over the Zhao family's assets first."

"Hmm." Liu Yang picked up the spirit tea and took a small sip. "How many Foundation Establishment cultivators does the Wang family have now? What is the strength of their patriarch, Wang Hu?"

“The Wang family has six Foundation Establishment cultivators. Clan leader Wang Hu is in the late Foundation Establishment stage, and his strength is slightly stronger than mine,” Li Xiong said. “However, their family is not united. Wang Hu’s two younger brothers both want to compete for the position of clan leader. If we can seize this weakness, we may be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort.”

Su Qingyao suddenly spoke up: "Master, I have an idea. We can first send someone to provoke the Wang family cultivators near the Zhao family's spirit mine, to lure Wang Hu into making a move. Then, you can take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack and severely injure Wang Hu. Once Wang Hu is seriously injured, the Wang family will be leaderless and will definitely fall into chaos. At that time, it will be much easier for the Li family to seize the Zhao family's assets."

Li Xiong's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! Wang Hu is arrogant. If we send someone to provoke him, he'll definitely come out in person. Fellow Daoist Liu is very strong. If we can severely injure Wang Hu, the Wang family will be nothing to fear!"

Liu Yang nodded; Su Qingyao's idea suited him perfectly—he had wanted to test Wang Hu's strength and, incidentally, establish his authority, letting the Li family know his worth. "That's settled then." He put down his teacup. "Send men to the Zhao family's West Mountain spirit mine now to provoke the Wang family cultivators. Su Qingyao and I will follow shortly. Clan Chief Li, you lead the Li family cultivators to ambush nearby. Once I've severely injured Wang Hu, immediately launch an attack and seize the spirit mine."

"Alright!" Li Xiong immediately stood up and ordered someone to summon the Li family cultivators. He then said to Li Qing, "You go with Fellow Daoist Liu. Be careful to protect yourself and don't cause Fellow Daoist Liu any trouble."

Li Qing quickly agreed and left the Li residence with Liu Yang and Su Qingyao. As soon as the three of them stepped out of the Li residence gate, they saw several Wang family cultivators beating up a servant of the Zhao family at the street corner. A middle-aged cultivator in a gray brocade robe was standing nearby, giving orders with a cold smile—it was Wang Lie, the second elder of the Wang family.

Su Qingyao's eyes turned cold: "Master, that's Wang Lie, Wang Hu's younger brother. He's cruel and bloodthirsty, and often bullies the weak. Why don't we start by taking him down and give the Wang family a warning?"

Liu Yang glanced at Wang Lie and sensed the spiritual energy fluctuations of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage on his body. He said calmly, "No need. Our target is Wang Hu. Let's go to the West Mountain Spirit Mine first."

The three of them rounded the street corner and headed towards West Mountain. The West Mountain Spirit Mine was one of the Zhao family's main assets, abundant in low-grade spirit stones, and occasionally yielding mid-grade ones—a coveted prize for all the major powers in Qingyang City. At this moment, the area outside the West Mountain Spirit Mine was already surrounded by Wang family cultivators, led by Wang Feng, the third elder of the Wang family, who was directing the cultivators to attack the mine's defensive array.

"Stop! This is our Li family's territory. How dare your Wang family try to seize it?" Li Qing stepped forward and shouted sharply. He knew that according to the plan, he needed to provoke the Wang family cultivators first to lure Wang Hu over.

When Wang Feng saw Li Qing, he sneered, "Li Qing? You think your Li family can compete with our Wang family for a spirit mine? If you know what's good for you, get lost, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

"So what if we're impolite?" Su Qingyao stepped forward, a blade of ice forming at her fingertips. "You Wang family cultivators bully others with your power. Do you really think our Li family is afraid of you?"

Wang Feng's face darkened, and he raised his hand to unleash a burst of spiritual energy at Su Qingyao: "You reckless woman! Die!"

Su Qingyao was prepared and dodged to the side, the ice blade flying towards Wang Feng. Wang Feng didn't expect Su Qingyao to react so quickly and hurriedly raised his hand to block. The ice blade struck his spiritual energy shield, making a crisp "crack" sound, and the shield instantly cracked.

"Mid-Foundation Establishment stage?" A hint of surprise flashed in Wang Feng's eyes. He hadn't expected Su Qingyao to possess the strength of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Just as he was about to continue his attack, he heard footsteps behind him, followed by a gruff voice: "Who dares to be so bold as to run wild on my Wang family's territory?"

Everyone turned around and saw a burly middle-aged cultivator walking quickly towards them. He was wearing a black brocade robe, had a fierce face, and exuded spiritual energy fluctuations of the late Foundation Establishment stage—it was Wang Hu, the patriarch of the Wang family.

Wang Hu walked up to Wang Feng, saw Li Qing and Su Qingyao, and then glanced at Liu Yang standing behind them. He frowned and asked, "Li Qing, what are you trying to do by bringing two outsiders here?"

Just as Li Qing was about to speak, Liu Yang stepped forward, blocking his way, and looked directly at Wang Hu: "Clan Chief Wang, it's been a long time."

Wang Hu was stunned for a moment, then recognized Liu Yang: "You are... Liu Yang? The person on the Zhao family's wanted poster! You actually dare to show up in Qingyang City?" A hint of greed flashed in his eyes—the Zhao family's wanted poster offered a reward of five thousand low-grade spirit stones. If he could capture Liu Yang, he could not only get the reward, but also force him to reveal the whereabouts of the Ice Thunder Token.

"Not only do I dare to show up in Qingyang City, but I also dare to steal from your Wang family." Liu Yang sneered. "I want the Xishan Spirit Mine. If you know what's good for you, take your people and get out of here, or don't blame me for being impolite."

"Arrogant!" Wang Hu roared, raising his hand to unleash a burst of spiritual energy at Liu Yang. The energy, imbued with a rich earth elemental aura, hurtled towards Liu Yang like a boulder—this was the Wang family's renowned technique, "Thick Earth Technique," possessing extremely strong defensive capabilities and formidable offensive power.