The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

Fang Chen won. Li Han died, body and soul extinguished.

Naturally, such an outcome meant joy for some and grief for others.

Of course, the ones grieving were the majority—many had already begun cursing aloud.

They were the ones who had bet on Li Han. Now that he'd lost, they were inwardly cursing him as a useless failure, unable to defeat a young man whose cultivation was a whole stage below his.

And the reason they only cursed inwardly instead of out loud was simple—Li Han's four companions were still nearby.

The sudden outcome left Tie Zhen and the other three struggling to accept it. Their faces were grim and twisted with fury, smoke practically rising from their heads.

They were itching to charge forward and kill Fang Chen on the spot!

While their relationship with Li Han wasn't particularly deep, there was some camaraderie.

More importantly, with Li Han defeated, they—who had been living in Yellow Maple Valley—would also have to move out.

Yellow Maple Valley was one of the best Blessed Grotto-Heavens in the inner city. Other than the personal residences of the Seven Kings, and the Heaven-grade and Earth-grade sanctuaries, Yellow Maple Valley was the best among the Human-grade ones.

Compared to that, most places in the city were dog kennels!

After living in such a "villa" for decades, to suddenly be driven out by someone new—it was infuriating.

"Brother Zhen..." the three Xie brothers looked at Tie Zhen.

Tie Zhen raised his hand slightly.

"No need to say anything. Let's find a place to stay for now. In one month, I'll challenge him and take Yellow Maple Valley back."

Seven Kings City had strict rules: someone like Fang Chen, who had just fought, could not be challenged again for one month.

So for now, they had no choice but to move out and find temporary lodging.

At the entrance to Yellow Maple Valley, Tie Zhen and his group ran into Fang Luo and the others.

Fang Luo's group immediately sensed the murderous glares full of killing intent.

Fang Chen transmitted a message telepathically: "Looks like their relationship with Li Han wasn't shallow. They're holding a grudge against us."

"Then we'll just send them to join Li Han sooner or later," Fang Qiufeng replied.

Fang Luo's group had never shown mercy to those who harbored killing intent toward them. Even if Tie Zhen didn't come looking for trouble, given the chance, the Fang trio would eliminate them eventually.

Under the broker's watchful eye, Tie Zhen's group began gathering their belongings without protest.

They might have acted lawlessly outside the city and disregarded others, but within Seven Kings City—especially when dealing with the city's officials—they were always obedient, not daring to slack off or play games.

Lose, and you move out without fuss. They weren't allowed to take anything from the grotto-heaven, and if there was any damage, they'd have to pay compensation.

They had only one hour to vacate. If they exceeded that, the city would forcibly eject them—along with all their belongings.

Fang Luo and the others waited at the entrance to Yellow Maple Valley. They had already paid the rent and completed all the paperwork. All that was left was for the previous occupants to move out so they could move in.

At that moment, a True Saint approached with several Body Integration Realm cultivators.

"Honored seniors, there are many residences inside this Blessed Grotto-Heaven. Might we rent one? The price is negotiable."

Each of the seventy-two Human-grade Blessed Grotto-Heavens in the inner city spanned about fifty miles in length and width. They were developed with various structures and scenic areas, able to accommodate many cultivators.

Naturally, such places came with steep rents. Even for Saint-level cultivators, long-term leasing could be a burden.

That's why most grotto-heaven owners would rent out unused spaces to ease the financial pressure.

But Fang Luo directly shook his head.

"We're not planning to rent."

The rent was indeed high—painfully so, even for Fang Luo's group.

But they were planning to stay in Seven Kings City long-term. In fact, they intended to use it as a training ground for the Fang family's Hidden Dragon Guards.

Once the guards reached Saint-level, they could come to the city and use this as a base. The Myriad Treasures Pavilion and Drunken Immortal Pavillion would also open branches here.

So no matter how high the cost or pressure, Fang Luo wouldn't allow outsiders to live in their grotto-heaven—not even entertaining offers.

"Sorry to bother you." The group offered awkward smiles and left.

They were only the first. In the next half hour, five more groups came—each one hoping to rent a residence.

Some among them were seductive female cultivators who offered themselves as maidservants or Dao companions in exchange for lodging in such a top-tier grotto-heaven.

Without exception, Fang Luo turned them all down.

At last, Tie Zhen's group finished packing and exited Yellow Maple Valley.

Besides the four of them, there were servants, maidens, and charming female cultivators trailing behind them.

These were people who had no money to pay rent but still wanted to live in a grotto-heaven. They relied on offering service instead.

But once the grotto-heaven's owner lost a challenge, they too had to leave.

Whether they could stay depended entirely on the new owner's will.

As soon as they came out, their first thought was to speak to the new owner.

But before they could approach, Fang Luo's group stepped forward and entered Yellow Maple Valley before their very eyes—ignoring the seething glares from Tie Zhen's group.

The entry barrier of the grotto-heaven sealed behind them, cutting off both sight and killing intent.

Inside the Blessed Grotto-Heaven of Yellow Maple Valley, many of the Hidden Dragon Guards who had never left Cangzhou were stunned.

"This spiritual energy is insane! It feels like standing right at the center of a Heaven-grade spirit vein!"

Fang Luo said in awe, "Even a single branch of a Saint-grade spirit vein produces results like this."

And this was only a Human-grade grotto-heaven. There were still Earth-grade and Heaven-grade sanctuaries above it.

"Just wait," Fang Chen said confidently. "Sooner or later, we'll move into a Heaven-grade grotto-heaven and feel the power of a full Saint-grade spirit vein."

Fang Qiufeng was even bolder.

"Heaven-grade? Why not just rob a few Saint-grade spirit veins and plant one in each of our courtyards!"

Everyone burst into laughter. The fatigue of their long journey and the homesickness in their hearts faded away in that moment.

The grotto-heaven was roughly fifty miles wide and long, with mountains, rivers, and beautiful landscapes. The environment was flawless—birds singing, fragrant flowers, lush greenery. It was like a paradise beyond the mortal world.

There were about fifty dwellings of varying sizes inside, each one well-equipped. Everyone picked one and moved in directly.

After some quick tidying up, they brought out wine and food and celebrated together.

And just like that, the Fang family—who had only arrived in Seven Kings City earlier that day—had already taken up residence in one of the finest Blessed Grotto-Heavens in the inner city.