Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

"Below the North Wind Layer, the laws of thunder are barely perceptible. Is it really not enough to rely solely on the [Essence of Heaven and Earth]?"

Inside the secluded cultivation room, Song Changsheng slowly opened his eyes. During his last seclusion, he strengthened the [Yin Yang Law] and [Spatial Law], and with a large amount of resources for enlightenment as an aid, the process went very smoothly. However, he did not expect to encounter a bottleneck in the [Thunder Law].

There has been no progress for more than a month.

Recalling the Thunder Dao insights that True Lord Lei Xiang had given him before, he knew that in such situations, one would need to enter the depths of the thunderclouds to comprehend the laws of thunder and break through the bottleneck amidst the intertwining of destruction and life.

To put it simply, it's like being struck by lightning. If you're quick-witted, you'll get struck less often; if you're less quick-witted, you'll get struck more often. Eventually, you'll gain something from it.

However, ordinary thunderstorms won't work; only large-scale thunderstorms, such as lightning strikes or calamities, will. But both of these are rare and unpredictable.

"Looks like I'll have to go out and explore." Song Changsheng calculated with his fingers. The rainy season in Daqi hadn't arrived yet, and at this time of year, there was basically no chance of a major thunderstorm. If he wanted to break through the bottleneck, he would have to go out and try his luck.

Stepping out of the seclusion room, the entire Cangmang Peak remained peaceful.

"How come you've come out of seclusion so quickly?" Zhuang Yuechan asked as she approached.

"I've encountered a bottleneck in my cultivation. Has Xiruo not woken up yet?" Song Changsheng asked, glancing towards the courtyard.

"Not yet, but the activity level of her soul has increased significantly compared to before, so it shouldn't be long before she wakes up."

Song Changsheng reached out and pulled the beauty into his arms, saying softly, "You've worked hard these past few days. I should have been the one doing these things."

Hearing this, Zhuang Yuechan felt a warmth in her heart and leaned quietly against his broad chest, saying, "There is no distinction between husband and wife. She saved your life, which is the same as saving mine."
Besides, I was just keeping her company; I didn't need to do anything.

Song Changsheng didn't answer, but instead increased the pressure on his hand and said, "Has the Great Qi been peaceful lately? Has anything happened because of Xi Ruo?"

"The sudden appearance of the lightning tribulation in the past did indeed cause quite a stir within the Great Qi territory and aroused a lot of rumors."

However, the family and sect jointly issued a statement saying that the demon in the Fragrant Dew River had become powerful and had been killed. Both the Heavenly Vein Sect and the Golden Crow Sect tacitly accepted this statement, and the rumors soon dissipated.

"That's good. Is the story of the mermaid still circulating in the streets?" Song Changsheng was still quite concerned about this.

It's not just about Kong Sang Xi Ruo's safety, but also about whether the Song family will be in the eye of the storm.

Everything in the world is preordained. The Song family of Wangyue rose to prominence because of Song Changsheng, and they will inevitably share the risks he brings.

However, he was not without a backup plan. After the Daoist essence of the Chengyuan Sword was completed, its connection with the collective fortune of the Song Clan became even closer. As the sword wielder, he was able to feel the immense power contained within it more clearly.

On the day that [Cheng Yuan] is unsheathed, the cries and resentment of the people of the former Immortal Dynasty will all erupt forth. This sword, suppressed for tens of thousands of years, is so powerful that even Song Changsheng, the swordsman, does not know how much power it can unleash.

Even so, he did not want the day when [Cheng Yuan] would be unsheathed. He had already heard the decadent music of a fallen kingdom once before in the memories carried by [Cheng Yuan], and he did not want to hear it a second time.

Zhuang Yuechan could clearly sense the worry in Song Changsheng's tone.

"It hasn't completely dissipated yet, but after searching for so long without any results, most people's patience has been exhausted, and they will gradually give up."

Furthermore, since we have captured the person who spread the rumors and blocked the source, the rumors will naturally disappear and become a topic of conversation among the people.

If the family were to deliberately intervene at this time, it would be easy for others to discover clues, which would not be good.

"My wife is so thoughtful." Song Changsheng shamelessly licked a mouthful of rouge off Zhuang Yuechan's face.

A blush suddenly rose on Zhuang Yuechan's face, and she lightly punched his chest, saying, "What if the younger members of the clan see us outside?"

Song Changsheng deliberately put on an exaggerated expression and said, "I remember you were my wife, whom I married in a grand wedding procession in front of heaven, earth, and all my relatives and friends. You were my lawfully wedded wife. Why are you hiding this from everyone?"

"Get lost." Zhuang Yuechan rolled her eyes playfully and broke free from his embrace.

"Anything new happening in the clan lately?" Song Changsheng asked, leading her by the hand to sit down at the stone table in the courtyard.

"Nothing new, but one disaster has occurred."

"I've only been in seclusion for less than two months, how come trouble has already arisen?" Song Changsheng frowned slightly, then, as if he had thought of something, suddenly said, "Could it be from the East Sea?"

“That’s right, the Dharma Protector Elder sent back a few days ago…” Zhuang Yuechan briefly recounted what had happened.

After listening, Song Changsheng's tightly furrowed brows immediately relaxed. Judging from the information reported by Song Qingxing, the strength of the Sea Yaksha clan was not yet invincible. As long as the preparations and deployments were made properly, they might be able to put up a fight.

To be honest, he wasn't surprised by the news. The Twin Islands are strategically located, and as long as both sides continue to expand, they will inevitably collide sooner or later.

The current situation is not too bad; the East China Sea Alliance has at least managed to establish a foothold in the East China Sea and is not at its most vulnerable point.

In addition, the previous battle resulted in the elimination of three top-tier level three combatants and several level three demons, which weakened the opponent's strength in advance, so the pressure they face now is not too great.

What surprised him most was that the Twin Islands did not request assistance, which was somewhat unexpected.

"It seems Xing'er hasn't been idle all these years."

"Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"

"The Twin Islands were designed from the beginning as a fallback plan for the family. If they don't even have the ability to withstand risks, how can they become a safe haven for the family in the future?" Zhuang Yuechan said with a light smile.

"Since it was an expectation, I never thought it could be achieved so quickly. Qing Xing gave me a pleasant surprise. He is not an arrogant person. Since he did not take the initiative to ask the family for help, it means that he is already quite confident that he can win this battle."

"What, you're planning to go there yourself?" Zhuang Yuechan saw through Song Changsheng's thoughts at a glance.

"I'm still a little worried."

However, I'm just going over to take a look; I won't take action unless absolutely necessary.

"And while I'm at it, let's see if there's a chance to break through this bottleneck. The chances of encountering thunderstorms in the East Sea are much higher than in the Great Qi cultivation world."

“We should go and see. The Sea Yaksha clan is quite powerful. If they really come out in full force, the Twin Islands won’t be able to withstand them.” Zhuang Yuechan naturally understood his worries, after all, this was the first test facing the East Sea Alliance.

"Would you like to come with me to take a look?"

Zhuang Yuechan hesitated for a moment and said, "You and Grandpa have both gone to the East Sea. Someone of us has to stay in the family, and besides, Fairy Kongsang can't do without someone either."

This was a completely unfamiliar environment for her. If no one comforted her after she awoke, things would go wrong; the power of the Demon King was not something an ordinary person could withstand. "Alright, then the family is in your hands." Song Changsheng gently embraced Zhuang Yuechan, then yin and yang energies emanated from beneath his feet, transforming into a wisp of green smoke and dissipating…

Having just suffered a crushing defeat, if they were in each other's shoes, the Sea Yaksha clan would most likely make the following choices.

First, abandon all subordinate races and make a comeback as quickly as possible. If so, they could reach the Twin Islands in a few days to a month.

Of course, this is the most extreme case, meaning that the Sea Demon Clan would launch a direct attack without any prior preparation.

After careful deduction, the elders of the East China Sea Alliance felt that this possibility was very small.

The Sea Demons are brutal, not mindless. Having already suffered a major setback in the Twin Islands, they are unlikely to attempt another attack without proper preparation.

Even if they have a strong foundation, if a demon king falls, they will be severely weakened and may not be able to continue to stand in this sea area, and will have to continue to flee.

This leads to the second possibility: the Sea Yaksha clan would gather relevant intelligence, summon its subordinate races and sea monsters, and then launch a large-scale attack on the Twin Islands after careful preparation.

This naturally reduces the risk, but it requires a longer preparation time.

They had killed so many sea monsters in the previous battle, and it would take time for them to regroup.

To make thorough preparations, it would take at least six months, and possibly as long as a year or more. This gives the East China Sea Alliance more time to prepare and a greater chance of success in the future.

With the shadow of war looming, the entire Twin Islands were in a tense atmosphere of preparation for war. Most of the production in the outer areas was forced to stop, and underground caves were dug for shelter, as suggested by Song Yuqing.

The Wanlong Chamber of Commerce also provided strong support, using all its surplus production capacity to produce war supplies, mainly sensory magical artifacts based on the blueprints provided by Song Yuqing.

With a major battle imminent, the importance of gaining the upper hand is beyond doubt.

The cruiser fleet is also on standby around the clock.

"I never imagined that you would develop the Twin Islands to this extent in just a few years." Song Xianming stood atop the mountain, overlooking the entire Twin Islands, and spoke with deep emotion.

It was truly unexpected that things could develop so rapidly before Song Qingxia and the others even arrived.

Both main islands have constructed fourth-order protective arrays based on the fourth-order water spirit veins beneath the archipelago. In addition, seven spirit islands in the surrounding area have been selected and third-order protective arrays have been set up to form a joint protective array, which is sufficient to cover the core area of ​​the Twin Islands.

"This is all thanks to Master Chengming of the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce. It was only later that I learned that he was actually a fourth-grade high-level array master. He personally set up the fourth-grade arrays on both main islands."

"It was only recently completed; the surrounding third-tier arrays were built later," Song Changxuan explained to Song Xianming with a smile.

"Two fourth-tier grand formations, it seems the family didn't allocate any resources. They couldn't have been given away for free, could they?"

"Of course not, but it was thanks to the clan leader that we were able to get Master Chengming to come."

These two fourth-order grand formations have mortgaged five years of the family's and Luoxia City's future, but it was all worth it. Fortunately, the Dharma Protector Elder and Youlin had the foresight to build these two grand formations despite all objections.

"If we start construction now, it will be too late," Song Changxuan said, still slightly shaken.

The initial conclusion reached by the Alliance Elders was that building a few Tier 3 top-grade formations would be sufficient, since the Alliance could not remain trapped in the Twin Islands forever, and there was no need to make such a large investment in the early stages.

Fortunately, there are always some visionary people in any group.

The construction of these two fourth-tier protective arrays couldn't have been more timely.

This is the source of their confidence in resisting the Sea Demon Clan.

"Overspending five years to get two fourth-tier protective arrays is a deal that's never a loss."

"There's a saying that goes, 'Save where you should, spend where you should, but absolutely don't skimp on things you can't afford to save.'" Song Xianming shook his head slightly.

"Grandpa's words are wise." Song Changxuan agreed wholeheartedly, then pointed to several spirit islands on the edge of the Twin Islands and the outer island chain, saying, "Grandpa, you see, these spirit islands are currently undergoing transformation."

We have set up a large number of [Demon-Hunting Crossbows] and [Crystal Cannons] on it, turning it into a sea fortress. Once the war starts, these fortresses will give the attacking sea monsters a hard time.

Furthermore, at the entrance to the main sea route into the archipelago, we plan to construct several more locks and defensive formations, layer upon layer of interception and defense, even if it means wearing them down in the sea!

The East China Sea Alliance has truly spared no expense for this battle, even taking out loans from the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce.

However, the premise of overdrawing the future is having the future. If this battle is lost, then there will be nothing left.

Song Xianming carefully examined the defenses of the Twin Islands and gradually discovered some clues: "The defense system is so comprehensive, who was in charge of its construction?"

If he were in his shoes, he would never have been able to achieve such precision and comprehensiveness.

"It is Song Yuqing, Grandfather," Song Changxuan replied respectfully.

Song Xianming raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, "Song Yuqing, that guardian elder of the [Splendid Banner]?"

"That's right. Although I don't know what he was thinking, he has indeed been very dedicated during this period."

"Hehe, that's quite interesting. Go and make the arrangements; I'd like to meet him."

"Yes, ma'am, I will make the arrangements immediately."

……

In order not to alert the Twin Islands, Song Changsheng stopped after arriving in Linhai City via the space teleportation array and did not continue to advance. Instead, he went to the branch of his family's Wind Whisper Hall established in Linhai City.

The Sea Yaksha clan's counterattack wouldn't come so quickly, so he planned to have Song Jingxiu search the nearby seas to see if any thunderstorms had formed recently, and that breaking through the current bottleneck was the priority.

This is also an opportunity to test Song Jingxiu's achievements over the past few years.

“Chief, a thunderstorm with an extremely wide coverage area was formed yesterday, 30,000 miles east of Yongzhou Island. It is incredibly powerful and should meet your requirements.”

...(End of chapter)