His words sent a chill down her spine, and Ning Xiaoxian could only feign ignorance, "Is the Tracking Spell really so rare? Aren’t there many divine skills for finding people in this world?"

"This is a Tracking Spell, known by only a few even among the Barbarians of Ancient Times. It is nearly unaffected by time, place, or even space. The spell cast on this Jade Pendant is hidden extremely well, concealed by seven other mystical techniques. If I hadn’t been aware beforehand, even I would have hardly noticed it."

Playing with a strand of her hair, he said, "While I was on Divine Travel, you did get yourself into quite a bit of trouble." During her slumber, he had also seen through the Demon Eye how Huangfuming interacted with her. They were both men; he knew well what that boy’s intentions were. But in the past three years, Huangfuming had vanished without a trace, so he hadn’t sent anyone to give him a hard time.

Detecting the ominous tone in his voice, she stuck out her tongue, not daring to retort. After a while, she chuckled, "I told Yan Lingxue as much, and we’ve half-fallen out with Tianling Pavilion. We’ll still need to find a new supplier for Hidden Stream’s future mineral resources."

He snorted coldly, "Not buy? Do you really think I would approach her?"

He had indeed been eavesdropping on her conversation with Yan Lingxue. "Of course not." She righteously replied, "You are the Shaking Heaven God, a noble Ancient Divine Beast. Who else but me would dare approach you?" Her eyes carried a hint of charm as she pulled his neck down with a smile, her red lips drawing closer.

After the two of them had been intimate for a while, the heat faded from her face, and she spoke hesitantly, "What should we do about the Tianling Pavilion matter?"

He pinched her cheek with amusement, "Didn’t think about that during your jealous spat, did you?"

"Of course I did." She complained in discontent, "These past few days, I’ve been going through Tianling Pavilion’s... uh..." Oops, she let it slip.

Facing Changtian’s sly smile, she quickly moved on, "From what I can see, the goods supplied by Tianling Pavilion can roughly meet three to four-tenths of Hidden Stream’s needs. There are plenty of Immortal Sects rich in minerals, not just in the North but also in the South. We don’t necessarily have to tie ourselves to this one tree of Tianling Pavilion."

He rested his chin on the top of her head, his deep voice coming from above, "Do you know why Hidden Stream has dealings with Tianling Pavilion?"

She pondered for a moment and then replied, "Firstly, their materials are abundant. Secondly, the Northern region, plagued by constant war, harbors less hostility towards Hidden Stream than the Southern region?"

"Smart." He praised her, "In the whole Central region, there are very few willing to do business with Hidden Stream. It’s not entirely out of a united front against us, but because any Sect openly trading with us risks being attacked by other Immortal Sects."

She pouted; Hidden Stream had indeed become a target of blame. In truth, once Changtian accumulates enough soul power from ten thousand cultivators, he would likely stop, but who would believe it if he said so? And who would willingly become a dead soul under Hidden Stream’s blade? Since he came into the world, the storm of bloodshed he stirred has been terrifying, the number of people killed in two and a half years equaling the losses of human lives on the Northern Front over countless years. Although things have calmed down quite a bit in the past half year, the closer Immortal Sects are to Hidden Stream, the more alarmed they become.

War is like Pandora’s Box; once opened, it no longer follows people’s intentions and is beyond anyone’s control. The conflict sparked by Hidden Stream has swallowed many people like a Vortex, and it will never cease because of Hidden Stream’s wishes.

"There’s another reason; think about the situation in the North." He prompted her, "Do not forget, the alliance between Tianling Pavilion and Hidden Stream is only a few years old."

She pondered carefully, the archival data she had read flowing through her mind one by one. Before long, her eyes lit up, "The White Tiger! Tianling Pavilion is threatened by the White Tiger in the North."

"Correct again." He placed a kiss on her forehead as a reward, "Since the White Tiger escaped from Yuhu Peak, he has returned to the North to seize territory. Unlike me and Yin Jiu You, who originally had our own forces, rebuilding his army took considerable time, and he stirred up quite a storm in the North, roughly annexing a twenty-state area in size. However, due to the perennial chaos in the Northern region, the upheaval he caused has not had nearly the impact as the Hidden Stream’s actions in the Southwest of the Southern Continent."

Her charming eyes gleamed with light, and she smiled, "After annexing the last Sect, the White Tiger became Tianling Pavilion’s neighbor. With such a notorious neighbor, no wonder Tianling Pavilion can’t eat or sleep well, having to turn to other powers for an alliance."

Seeing her in such a state again was truly wonderful. He smiled, "Although Hidden Stream is quite distant, Tianling Pavilion believes that my relationship with the White Tiger is quite deep, and forming an alliance with Hidden Stream somewhat deters the White Tiger. Besides, the prices offered by Hidden Stream are already very favorable."