Relic nodded.

Cornelius staggered a few steps back and slowly sank into his chair.

As powerful as he was, no one could stay still hearing they would die. A regular person would try to deny it, but under the effects of the contract crystal, Cornelius had no choice but to accept it.

He remained silent for a few moments as his thoughts began to wander.

“Are you planning to stay?” Relic suddenly asked.

“What do you mean? Of course I will be staying. If this town is going to be destroyed I will do everything I can to save its people!”

“Why?” Relic tilted his head in confusion. “I have never heard of a golden world realm cultivator acting as a mayor in such a remote and tiny town as this. Not only that, but to also set up a sovereign crystal in the center of this town…”

“Ha…” He let out a small laugh. “Indeed, it would be very strange to see such a scene. However, I love this town and its people.” Cornelius’s countenances suddenly soften as he began to reminisce of his past. “This town isn’t very old, perhaps only a few centuries. This town was founded by a small group of people who were forced to migrate after their village was destroyed by a rampaging spirit beast. They came upon this mountain and quickly realised it provided a natural barrier against the weaker land spirit beast. They quickly set up their homes on top of this mountain and called it Heaven’s Peak, seeing it as a heaven sent gift.

Relic nodded as he continued to listen to the story.

“The leader of that village soon had a child boy with his wife. That boy grew up with the care and love of every person living in that village. The boy loved them all so much he never wanted to leave them. However, that boy also showed tremendous talent in cultivation and under the guidance of everyone, he embarked on a journey to become a strong cultivator.”

Cornelius carried a soft smile and closed his eyes. “That boy has long since returned to his home but everyone he once knew have grown old and died. Now, only their children reside in this town but that boy has chosen to look after his home land until he too passes on.”

Relic felt this man sitting in front of him was a good man. He could feel the depth of Cornelius’ words and knew he was a genuine person.

“I believe I know a way to save this town as well as save your life. ” Relic suddenly spoke

.Cornelius instantly became ecstatic and leapt out of his chair towards Relic. “What is it?!”

This was his motherland and he would do anything it took in order to keep it safe. His eyes burned with great fervor which made even Relic a little lost for words.

“T-the Yan family, do you know why they are here?”

“That family?” Cornelius’ face suddenly grimaced. “They came to this town seeking to do trade with me in exchange for the abundance of spirit water this town can produce. However, I have noticed their men scurrying around every day and acting stealthily. I would be foolish if I didn’t understand they had some ulterior motives. However, they are from a venerable family and they care much of saving face. Although they have hurt my people, I can only take an inch in reprimanding them.” He sighed

Relic nodded. ”Actually, I believe I have already figured it out. At the base of this mountain, we are surrounded by hundreds of thousands of kilometers of Blackwood Oak trees. At the root of every Blackwood tree is a type of fungus known as truffles.”

“The truffles…you mean the same truffles they were serving at the moon lit dining hall?! That was you?!” He was shocked for a moment before calmly sighing. “Of course that would be you…” Cornelius began to feel silly for being surprised at what Relic was saying anymore.

“Yes, that was me. I was initially planning to sell those truffles as an income source for a little bit. However, I quickly ran into the Yan family’s people stalking the entrances of the restaurants.”

He looked at Cornelius straight in the eye.

“I believe the Yan family came here to prospect the land in order to determine if this land held a large supply of truffles. Based on the sheer area the Blackwood Oak trees cover, the total worth of this land could potentially be worth several thousand divine essence stones!” If they are a part of the Sun and Moon Trading group, they would definitely seize this land at whatever the cost.

A bulging vein popped onto Cornelius’s head the moment he heard Relic’s words. “They want to kill my people for some stupid mushrooms?!!!” He roared. Murderous intent radiated outwards which was felt by everyone, including the Yan Family.

….

At this moment, within the guest estate provided to the Yan family, a old bearded man was shouting at a green glowing crystal in his hand.

“What do you mean you won’t do it?! We have already giving you the deposit for the assassination!”

“We’re very sorry. The details of your job were not adequate at the time you posted it. Had we known our target was the mayor of Heaven’s Peak and not just ‘a golden world cultivator’, we would have declined the job immediately. Of course we will be issuing a refund back to you. If there are any other jobs you would like done, please do not hesitate to let me or my associates know.” A courteous female voice spoke through the green crystal.

“NO, I DO NOT HAVE ANY OTHER JOBS FOR YOUR CRUMMY ORGANIZATION! YOU HAVE PLENTY OF GOLDEN WORLD CULTIVATORS AND EVEN SEVERAL HALF STEPS TO THE IMMORTAL ASCENTION CULTIVATORS IN YOUR ORGANIZATION! HOW ARE YOU UNABLE TO HANDLE SUCH A SIMPLE TAKS AS KILLING ONE MAN IN THE GOLDEN WORLD REALM?! ” Yan Wen was practically spitting at the green crystal in his hand.

“We’re sorry, but we are not at liberty to release that information. That information is regarded as A rank classified information. We can release this information to you for 500 spirit stones.”

“T-that’s extortion! You guys are just a bunch of scammers! Your entire organization is made of cowards and scammers!”

“Mr. Yan, while we understand you are upset. We must ask you to be careful of what you say. We of the Shadow Behemoths do not take kindly to those who slander the organisation’s integrity.” The women spoke with an underlying murderous tone. It was enough to even make Yan Wen begin to perspire. “If there’s nothing else, we appreciate you for choosing Shadow Behemoths for your everyday needs. Good bye for now. ”

The green crystal in Yan Wen’s hands dimmed.

“F*ck it!” Yan Wen threw the green crystal on to the floor shattering it completely.

“Uncle?” Yan Mu entered into the room.

“We’re running out of time. If the person who is selling those truffles reveals the location of those truffles, then the Sun and Moon Trading group will step in. We will lose our lead and we won’t be able to profit from it!” Yan Wen gritted his teeth.

Just then a wave of murderous intent washed over them.

“Huh…is that the mayor?” Yan Wen was surprised. He assumed the Mayor to be a passive man who would choose not to go in to conflict if he didn’t need to. “I wonder who pissed him off.”

…

“Since they want to kill my people then I guess I should return the favor first!”

He waved his hand and a green crystal suddenly appeared in his hand. “I will unleash the full power my sect and destroy their entire family!” Cornelius was truly infuriated by Relic’s words.

As an elder of the Beast calamity Sect, he had a lot of authority over the sect. If he wanted to utilize the full power of the sect to destroy his enemies then all he had to do was make an announcement! The reason he had such sway over the sect was not merely because he was an elder, but also because he was sworn brothers with the current sect master of the Beast Calamity Sect!

He was just about to activate his communication crystal when Relic suddenly interrupted.

“Wait, that might not be the best idea.”

“What do you mean?” Cornelius asked, still seething with anger.

“The Yan family must know the value of these lands by now. While it is true the Beast Calamity Sect has more than enough power to destroy their family, they could just rely on the Sun and Moon Group to intervene by promising them the information. It would then be the Beast Calamity Sect who will be endangered.” Relic spoke solemnly.

Cornelius gritted his teeth. He knew what Relic said was the most obvious action the Yan family would take.

“One of reasons no one has come here yet is because they don’t want other people to know they found this gold mine. The other is that they are probably thinking of a way to deal with you.”

“Then what should we do?! Just wait for them to attack me while putting my people in danger?!”

“The only way to crush a monopoly… is by making it worthless.”

“What do you…”

“The three trading groups: The Jade Flower Trading groups: The Sun and Moon Trading group, and the Major Boulder Trading group, are all back by supreme powers. Their monopolies consist of the cold steel smithing method, the truffles, and the three flame pill condensation method, respectively. The secrets of these monopolies have stayed out of the hands of mortals and cultivators for thousands of years. ” Relic’s eyes suddenly sharpened and a grin appeared. “I think it’s about time these secrets were made available to everyone!”

Relic wrote down the methods and techniques of all three of the trading groups and handed them to Cornelius.

The cold steel smithing was a method used by the blacksmiths of the Jade Flower Trading group in order to create weapons and items of astounding quality. The result from using this method is a weapon with an increase in durability, strength, hardness, and overall quality compared to other weapons.

The three flame pill condensation method, on the other hand, was a method which significantly increased the success rate of pill making. It incorporated the idea of using three divine flames in order to regulate and keep the temperature at a constant rate with a marginal error of .01%.

Cornelius mind instantly reeled in shock. The paper in front of him crumbled in his hands as he read the instructions to the most well kept secrets in all of the lands.” However, what shocked him even more was the sheer simplicity behind each of these techniques. “W-who was he in the past? How could he possible know all of this?!?”

“What do you think?” Relic suddenly asked.

Cornelius eyes shined as he immediately knew what Relic was asking. “That could work!”

At that same moment the sound of a flickering flame sounded indicating the end of the contract crystal. Whatever they say at this point was no longer binding.

Cornelius no longer saw Relic as a threat. In fact, now that he knew Relic was truly one of his people, he thought of him as an equal.

“Let’s hope this works.” Cornelius extended a hand.

“Yea.” Relic also extended a hand. It could be seen these two now had great respect for one another