"If we were to kill Yu Chengbo and Mao Wuwei, how much do you think the Rong Clan’s odds of victory would improve?"

Song Changsheng’s words hung in the air. Rong Shaoyuan’s brow furrowed for a moment before relaxing. He calmly raised his wine cup and said, "Both Yu Chengbo and Mao Wuwei are veteran Foundation Establishment Cultivators with endless tricks up their sleeves. Killing them isn’t something one can accomplish with mere words."

Seeing his attitude, Song Changsheng felt reassured. A slight smile touched his lips as he said, "Fellow Daoist Rong, you are an intelligent man. The Lieyang Sect’s greatest advantage on the battlefield is none other than the Little Four Symbols Battle Formation."

"But now, the Lieyang Sect’s forces in Bian Province have suffered a devastating blow. Only those three old timers remain, which means they can no longer form the Little Four Symbols Formation. It’s as if one of their arms has been cut off."

"With proper preparations, ambushing them won’t be difficult. After all, where there’s a will, there’s a way. For each one of them you kill, your side will gain a twenty percent greater chance of victory in a direct confrontation."

"Heh. Fellow Daoist Song, do you think we haven’t considered this? It’s not that we don’t want to do it—it’s that we can’t."

"Two at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection and one at the late-stage Foundation Establishment. To ambush them, we’d need at least double their numbers in strength. The Rong Clan simply can’t spare that many people right now."

Rong Shaoyuan drained his cup, a bitter feeling in his heart. It wasn’t that the Rong Clan hadn’t considered ambushing Yu Chengbo and his cohorts. But they had already committed too many forces to the main front and another secret battleground. They were essentially fighting on two fronts and simply couldn’t spare the manpower, so they had to abandon the idea.

’If you had enough strength, I wouldn’t be here,’ Song Changsheng thought with a silent snort. Outwardly, however, his expression was impassive as he said pointedly, "Fellow Daoist Rong, you’re missing something. The Lieyang Sect has made more than just one enemy over the years."

As an exceptional figure of the Rong Clan, Rong Shaoyuan was no fool. He understood in an instant. Toying with his wine cup, he asked, "Does this mean your Song Clan wishes to participate, Fellow Daoist Song?"

Song Changsheng refilled his cup, a smile on his face, but he said nothing. ’The one who speaks first loses. Besides, I’m not the one who’s desperate here.’

When he didn’t speak, Rong Shaoyuan said coolly, "Fellow Daoist Song, it’s not that I look down on the Song Clan, but you already have your hands full with the Earth Fire Sect. Do you really have the spare capacity to get involved in this?"

But Song Changsheng acted as if he hadn’t heard him, continuing as if talking to himself, "Two cultivators at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, one at the late-stage, and one of them is even a Tier Two top-grade Array Master. A force like that is enough to determine the outcome of a small-scale battle."

"Once they return, the skirmishes over the Spirit Stone Vein will erupt into a full-blown conflict. When that happens, the vein will become a black hole, endlessly devouring the manpower of both sides. How many losses can your clan afford to sustain?"

He, Song Changsheng, was still being considerate of the Rong Clan’s pride, so he hadn’t spelled it out. The truth was, with the forces the Rong Clan could currently mobilize, their defeat was certain unless a Purple Mansion Cultivator personally took action.

Besides, did they think that just because they had a Purple Mansion Cultivator, the Lieyang Sect didn’t?

Therefore, if the Rong Clan wanted to seize that Spirit Stone Vein, they had to either abandon their other front and crush the Lieyang Sect with overwhelming force, or... they had to cooperate with the Song Clan to ambush Yu Chengbo’s group.

Those were the only two options!

Rong Shaoyuan’s expression darkened. The Rong Clan had already lost many of its people fighting for this Spirit Stone Vein. Although most were only in the Qi Cultivation Stage, they were the very foundation of the clan’s future growth.

Giving up the Spirit Stone Vein was out of the question. But the other front was just as important and could not be abandoned either.

That left only one path for the Rong Clan: finding an ally. The Song Clan was undoubtedly the best choice, and Song Changsheng had clearly come to him for this exact purpose.

But the point of his hesitation was that Song Changsheng refused to make the offer directly. He only analyzed the situation, and the unspoken message was perfectly clear:

’It makes no difference to the Song Clan. The Lieyang Sect can’t be bothered with us for now anyway. But if *you* were to ask for help, we might consider lending a hand to get you through this.’

After a long moment of silence, Rong Shaoyuan sighed. He looked at Song Changsheng with a wry smile and said, "I see now why you came to me first, Fellow Daoist Song, and not to the Elder leading my clan’s forces."

"If our Elder heard what you just said, he’d likely storm off in a huff. The clan would never bow its head to a mere Foundation Establishment Influence."

"But I’m different. I place more importance on practical benefits. I admit, you’ve convinced me. If we can kill even one of them, the clan’s chances of winning the Spirit Stone Vein will increase by twenty percent."

"So, Fellow Daoist Song, be straight with me. How much force can you commit to helping us with the ambush?"

A small smile played on Song Changsheng’s lips. He held up two fingers. "Two cultivators at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection," he said, "one of whom is a Tier Three Array Master."

Rong Shaoyuan’s eyes shot wide in astonishment. "Clan Leader Song is taking action personally?"

"That’s right."

"I agree. I’ll go back and persuade the clan." Rong Shaoyuan agreed without a moment’s hesitation. The name Song Xianming was its own guarantee of success. Whether in terms of his mastery of arrays or his personal might, he had few rivals among Foundation Establishment Cultivators. With him involved, their chances of success would increase by at least thirty percent!

"Wait, Fellow Daoist Rong," Song Changsheng said quickly. "Let me be clear. We’re not doing this for free."

Hearing this, Rong Shaoyuan’s expression soured slightly. But the demand was reasonable. After all, they were "requesting" their help, so of course, there would be a price.