Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

Yangzhou, Tianyang Peak.

At this moment, the Tianyang Peak was filled with solemnity. Many monks in red robes and holding standard weapons were scattered everywhere, guarding closely and being alert to any disturbance.

In a secret room on the mountainside, Chi Ming, Song Lutong and a gentle middle-aged cultivator sat in front of the space teleportation array and waited quietly.

Suddenly, the space teleportation array emitted a dazzling light, and the figure of a middle-aged monk wearing a white robe, a tall crown, and an immortal look appeared.

The three people present immediately stood up and saluted: "Greetings to the uncle/Grand Elder."

Song Xianming nodded slightly to Song Lutong and Chi Ming, then cast his gaze on the slightly reserved middle-aged cultivator present, and said kindly: "This is the leader of the Fiery Hall, right?"

The middle-aged cultivator quickly bowed and responded, "My Lord, I am Shangguan Jian. I am trusted by the clan leader and am now temporarily serving as the head of the Fiery Flame Hall."

Speaking of Shangguan Jian, he has a bit of a background and is closely connected with the Song family.

During the time of Song Yungui, monsters were rampant in the Wangyue Mountains, especially around the mortal world, which was the hardest hit area. Vicious incidents of monsters attacking the mortal members of the Song family often occurred.

So, Song Yungui waved his hand and formed several monster hunting teams composed of independent cultivators. They were nominally affiliated forces of the Song family. The fur, flesh and blood obtained after hunting monsters could be exchanged for contribution points of the Song family.

At its largest, the Song family had more than a dozen monster hunting teams with numbers ranging from a dozen to dozens of people, two of which had foundation-building monks.

Later, the Song family fell into disgrace, and its affiliated forces rebelled and left one after another. These monster hunting teams were no exception. By the time Song Xianming became the patriarch, only two were left.

One of them was led by Shangguan Jian, and his father Shangguan Tieying was a foundation-building cultivator who was supported by the Song family to build his foundation. He was also the headhunter of the monster hunting team.

In the battle in which the Lieyang Sect attacked the Song family, they were the only two monster hunting teams that obeyed the Song family's orders and came to join the battle.

The battle was so brutal that Shangguan Tieying and an elder of the Lieyang Sect died together, leaving behind the infant Shangguan Jian.

After Shangguan Jian came of age, he inherited the position of headhunter of the monster hunting team. Over the years, he has been working hard for the Song family and has been loyal. He has never missed any major battles. Although he has always been in a marginal position, he still contributed to the protection of the Song family.

Later, the Song family refined several batches of [Foundation Building Pills] in succession, and under the instruction of Song Changsheng, they freely exchanged part of them with the affiliated forces below.

Shangguan Jian, who was already over fifty years old at the time, seized the opportunity, used the contribution points accumulated over the years to exchange for a [Foundation Building Pill], and successfully built his foundation.

This news also alarmed Song Changsheng at the time.

After hearing the name, I realized that he was an acquaintance. They had dealt with each other twice before. One was during Song Changsheng's adult combat trial, and the other was when Song Changsheng collected [Dragon Blood Orchid] in order to practice "Carving the Formation with the Body", and Shangguan Jian and Song Qinghong each presented one. (See Chapter 60 of Volume 1)

Since then, there has been no contact between the two parties.

Song Changsheng was moved by the dedication of two generations of the Shangguan family. It is easy to add icing on the cake, but difficult to provide timely assistance. Even when the Song family was at its lowest point, their loyalty to the Song family never wavered.

On the contrary, what the Song family gave them was far from enough.

In order to commend the loyalty of two generations of them, Song Changsheng appointed him as the leader of the Liehuo Hall, and even his monster hunting team was "incorporated", and transformed into the backbone of the Liehuo Hall.

Over the years, they have worked diligently and have never made any mistakes.

He was not at all dissatisfied with Song Changsheng's actions of taking back the industries under the name of Liehuotang and parachuting in Song Lutong and others. He had been actively cooperating with the reorganization of Chiyangwei for a year and a half. For this, Song Xianming even rewarded him with a [Shenglong Pill], which enabled him to successfully break through the middle stage of foundation building.

This was the first time the two met, but Song Xianming had once admired Shangguan Jian’s father, Shangguan Tieying, very much, otherwise he would not have supported him in building his foundation.

Decades have passed in a flash. Now seeing the slightly aged Shangguan Jian, he couldn't help but sigh: "Shangguan Jian, I know you, you really look like Tieying."

Shangguan Jian's eyes were filled with tears, and he said emotionally, "My mother always said that the Grand Elder had given my father a second life, and she told me to keep that in mind. Today, I am able to see the Grand Elder in person, and I have no regrets for the rest of my life."

"Alas, I am so sorry Tieying. I have been in seclusion all those years and have no time to take care of you and your son. Is your mother okay these years?"

"My mother failed to break through the foundation-building stage and passed away three years ago." Shangguan Jian said with a choked voice.

Song Xianming's eyes dimmed and he sighed softly.

After a brief silence, Song Lutong stepped forward and said, "Uncle, Elder Chihuo has already taken the [Barrier Breaking Pill] and has officially begun to break through. Look..."

"Whether it can be accomplished or not depends on Chihuo himself. I am only here to take care of him. You should behave as usual. No one can reveal my existence. Those who violate the rules will be severely punished!"

Song Xianming's sharp eyes swept over them one by one, and everyone's hearts trembled, and they all obeyed his orders...

In the fifth year of Song Changsheng's retreat, he had successfully refined two drops of [Essence of Heaven and Earth], and his comprehension of [The True Meaning of Yin and Yang] had reached a higher level, but he was still unable to break through to the Great Perfection of Purple Mansion.

Looking at the last drop of [Essence of Heaven and Earth] in his hand, he decided to try to use it to refine a magical weapon.

With a wave of his sleeves, the few remaining magic weapons on his body floated in front of him, namely [Ding Jiangshan], [Bai Sha Qiongqi Ding], [Five Elements Creation Seal], [Yin Yang Zhan Ling Gourd], and [Bin Yao Rope].

Among them, only the [Demon Binding Rope] has the lowest grade, which is only a third-rank top-grade magic weapon, not yet a magic weapon. However, this item is extraordinary, and after being nurtured by Song Changsheng for so many years, it is only a step away from becoming a magic weapon.

He decided to give it a push.

With a wave of his sleeves, the last drop of [Essence of Heaven and Earth] flew out of the jade bottle and landed on the emerald green [Demon Binding Rope]. It was absorbed by it in the blink of an eye, giving it a layer of dazzling colorful light.

"Refining!"

Song Changsheng pointed his sword into the distance, and the [Purple Void Divine Fire] surged out, instantly wrapping the [Demon Binding Rope] in it and quickly began to refine it.

In recent years, in addition to refining the [Essence of Heaven and Earth], he also did not forget to comprehend the inheritance of formations and weapons brought out from the Lost Pearl World. To be honest, he benefited a lot from it, and has already taken half a step into the threshold of becoming a third-level top-grade formation master and weapon refiner.

This time of tempering the [Demon Binding Rope] can only be said to be a small test.

At this moment, a golden light flew into the retreat room and hovered in front of him.

"Send a message to Feijian?"

Song Changsheng slowly opened his eyes, stretched out his hand to grasp the golden light and crushed it. A message immediately came into his ears, which was sent by Song Luyun.

"Su Ding's 1,300th birthday?"

After reading the message in the flying sword, Song Changsheng's eyes flashed with an ambiguous light.

Just now, the Jinwu Sect sent someone to deliver an invitation to him, inviting him to attend the 1,300th birthday celebration of Jinyang Zhenren Su Ding. The person who delivered the invitation was his old acquaintance Xia Qingxue.

Given Xia Qingxue's special status in the Jinwu Sect, if Song Changsheng continued to refuse, it would be too rude of him to come and invite her personally.

Moreover, the more he shirks responsibility, the more it proves that he has something to hide.
This might be a test from Su Ding. The older he gets, the crazier he becomes.

"It seems that I have to go this time. It's Su Ding's birthday, and the teacher should go there in person. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Su Ding should not dare to act rashly, right?"

"There is still half a year left, which should be enough for me to complete the ritual of refining the [Demon Binding Rope]. " Song Changsheng thought secretly, speeding up the refining process with his hands.

After a full month of tempering, the [Demon Binding Rope] completely absorbed that drop of [Essence of Heaven and Earth] and successfully advanced itself to a top-grade magic weapon, and the spirit of the weapon has also taken shape.

Although most of the credit here is the result of Song Changsheng's long-term cultivation, the role of [Essence of Heaven and Earth] cannot be denied. It at least saved Song Changsheng decades of cultivation time.

At this point, all three drops of [Essence of Heaven and Earth] have been consumed.

There are still more than five months until Su Ding's birthday, so there is still plenty of time. After coming out of seclusion, Song Changsheng first reviewed the family affairs during the years of seclusion.

Song Luyun handled all matters, big and small, just right. Compared with Song Luzhou, her approach was more gentle.

"Well, the family's population is increasing very quickly. How is the immigration going?"

"Over the past five years, the family has transferred 260,000 people to the Cangmang Small World and established 26 villages and towns. They also plan to build a section of the city wall, which is currently under construction."

"Two hundred and sixty thousand people..."

Song Changsheng pondered for a moment. The total population of the Song family was only 1.5 million. 200,000 people had been relocated to Zhangye County, and now another 260,000 people had been relocated to the Cangmang small world, which was close to one-third of the total.

"Development takes time, and we can't put all our eggs in one basket. We should stop once the population of the Cangmang Small World reaches 500,000. There's no need to rush."

"I understand." Song Luyun nodded slightly, and then asked, "Will you go to Jinwu Sect in person or let your uncle go there?"

The news that Song Xianming had left Cangmang Peak was top secret, and even Song Luyun was not informed.

"I'll go there myself. It just so happens that I haven't been to Jinwu Sect yet."

"Okay, I'll go prepare a birthday gift for you."

Soon Song Luyun returned with a large box made of agarwood in her hand.

"The Jinwu clan is a wealthy family, and they may not be interested in ordinary treasures. What's inside is a fragment of the history of the Great Qi Immortal Dynasty. They should be more interested in it."

"Auntie's birthday gift is just right."

Looking at the box handed over by Song Luyun, Song Changsheng smiled slightly. As for the volume of "A Brief History of the Great Qi Dynasty", the one that Song brought out was actually complete, but Song Luyun deliberately made it incomplete.

This would not only satisfy the Jinwu Sect, but also prevent them from wondering whether the Song family had gained anything.

The most important thing is that there is no cost, it is just a matter of making a rubbing.

He accepted it with a wave of his sleeve, and told her to always pay attention to the news from Yangzhou. Then Song Changsheng took the birthday gift and took the space teleportation array to Luoxia City.

It is still too dangerous to go to Jinwu Sect alone. It is safer to follow Mu Guibai...

"This is the Jinyang Mountains."

On the deck of the spirit ship, Song Changsheng looked at the majestic mountains stretching for thousands of miles below and gave a heartfelt exclamation of admiration.

Qingzhou is located in the center of the Da Qi cultivation world. It is rich in resources and its area is larger than the three Lingzhous combined. During the Da Qi Immortal Dynasty, Qingzhou and Quanzhou under the rule of the Tianmai Sect were the richest regions and were known as "Neishi".

After an era of development, this land has become much poorer than before, but it is still the most essential part of the entire Da Qi cultivation world.

The entire Jinyang Mountain Range is a huge fourth-order spiritual vein. The Jinwu Sect is built on the mountain. At a glance, there are thousands of palaces, one after another, covered in a layer of mist, like a fairyland.

Under the guidance of an elder of the Jinwu Sect, they arrived at Jinyang Peak, and someone took them to their residence.

On the way, Song Changsheng had been constantly sizing up this powerful force that had dominated the Da Qi cultivation world for more than five thousand years.

After looking around, all that can be seen is "foundation". They are not on the same level as these small sects. They were invited to this birthday party just to make up the numbers and serve as a background.

The only real guests were the Jindan Zhenren from the surrounding cultivation circles.

However, they were not looked down upon in terms of treatment. Both the elders who led the way and the disciples were polite and respectful to them, neither humble nor overbearing. There was no situation where the disciples from the big sects acted superior and bullied others by relying on their power.

"Master Zixu, this is where you live. If you want to find True Man Mingxia, just keep walking to the right." The disciple who led the way sent by the Jinwu Sect said respectfully.

"Thank you."

Song Changsheng nodded slightly.

Just then, he sensed a familiar breath.

"Song Changsheng!"

A slightly surprised voice came from not far away. Song Changsheng turned around and saw Peng Siying, who was wearing a sky blue fairy dress and surrounded by a group of young talents. She was standing there in the sun, with a pair of big watery eyes that seemed to be shining.

It was an expression as if one had seen a life-saving straw, which gave Song Changsheng goosebumps for no reason.

He walked up to him with gritted teeth and said, "Fellow Daoist Peng, it's been many years since we last met. I didn't expect to see you here again."

"The Chamber of Commerce and the Jinwu Sect have always had long-term large-scale trade. Naturally, we cannot be absent from Master Su Ding's birthday. It just so happens that I've been feeling a little bored at home recently, so I volunteered to come here.

I didn't expect the scenery in Daqi's cultivation world to be so beautiful. It surprised me a little bit, and it was also a little unexpected to meet you here." Peng Siying winked playfully.

"Siying, this fellow Taoist is..."

At this time, a dignified monk in purple robes stood up and looked at Song Changsheng with a slightly unfriendly look.

"What did I do again?"

Song Changsheng felt a little depressed. This was why he didn't want to deal with Peng Siying too much, because she would be a big trouble wherever she went...

……

(End of this chapter)