Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

"After I go into seclusion, the clan will be entirely under your management. In recent years, all the major forces in the cultivation world of Daqi have been doing their best to expand their strength, so the situation is relatively stable and there shouldn't be any major changes in the short term."

"The centennial deadline is approaching. Although the Canglan Water Lord's flooding of the Demon Kingdom has precedent, the demon race possesses profound strength and should not be underestimated. We must remain vigilant. We can learn from the successful experience of the battle at the Twin Islands and build more fortresses along the Jiangzhou riverbank to alleviate the defensive pressure on Qixia County."

Under the sycamore tree in the courtyard, Song Changsheng said this to Song Qingxi.

"Although our Great Qi has been in a standoff with the Demon Realm for a long time, we know far too little about the actual situation in the Demon Realm, while the Demon Race knows everything about us."

The information held by both sides is unequal, putting us in a completely passive position every time. We must find a way to break this stalemate.

This is a very real problem. When facing the Demon Realm, they are always the weaker party. If it weren't for the restrictions of the ancient covenant, they wouldn't even be qualified to form a defensive line.

When the Canglan Water Lord flooded the Demon Kingdom, the Mountain Lord only showed his sharpness for a moment before retreating. However, the power he released still made Song Changsheng and the others present tremble in their hearts.

The casual strike by the Canglan Water Lord may have resulted in more damage than several major battles of the Great Qi combined, but the extent of this loss had no idea how much impact it had on the vast number of demons.

Whether the next beast tide will be smaller or larger remains to be seen.

They desperately need intelligence.

And it was accurate intelligence.

Song Changsheng thought for a moment and said, "Has Jin Xuan's cultivation stagnated for many years?"

"Does Uncle mean...?" Song Qingxi's eyes lit up slightly...

In the middle of a primeval, dense jungle, a magnificent pavilion stands out abruptly. Even more abruptly, the owner of this pavilion is a huge golden tortoise.

At the entrance to the attic, a red-maned lion was dozing with its head bowed.

At that moment, the golden tortoise, who was sleeping, suddenly felt a chill on its shell and couldn't help but sneeze.

"Ah"

The loud noise startled the red-maned lion that was dozing outside the attic. It looked up with a puzzled expression, and only after confirming that it was not an earthquake did it close its eyes with relief.

But the golden tortoise in the attic could no longer sleep peacefully.

"Why do I always have this ominous feeling?" Jin Xuan couldn't help but mutter to himself. Since the day he hatched, this feeling had only appeared a handful of times. The strongest time was when he secretly followed Song Qingyun down the mountain and was kicked by Song Changsheng to live the life of a "wild turtle" in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

Unexpectedly, nearly a century later, he experienced this intense sense of crisis again.

"Could it be that some blind fool is plotting against me again?" Jin Xuan raised his head and looked through the bamboo window of the pavilion at the vast primeval forest in the distance.

After the [Mist-Hidden Insects] in the Cangmang Small World were completely eliminated, the Song Clan moved most of their mortal clansmen there.

Most of the threats within the small world were eliminated in advance by Song Changsheng and Song Xianming. However, in order to maintain the ecological environment within the small world, they did not exterminate the demonic beasts in the small world, but instead restricted their activity range to the east of the Tianqian Mountains.

It's like keeping these monsters in captivity.

West of the Tianqian Mountains, the vast plains that were originally occupied by the [Mist-Hidden Insects] have become a paradise for the Song clan's mortal people.

Since they are raised in captivity, they naturally need managers.

As the chief spirit beast, Jin Xuan, possessing the noble bloodline of the Golden Tortoise, naturally became the most suitable manager.

His task was very simple: just eat and drink, and occasionally patrol to ensure that there would be no large-scale gatherings among the beasts.

After the cleansing, he was the only third-tier great demon among the entire beast horde. Coupled with his noble bloodline, all the demon beasts treated him with utmost respect. He was the local emperor, whose word was law and whose authority was absolute.

Of course, this process was not without its challenges, with some short-sighted individuals attempting to challenge his authority.

Faced with this situation, he had no interest in taking action himself; the [Red-Maned Lion] could handle it.

In such an environment, he lived an incredibly comfortable life, one that even the gods would envy.

He even felt that his life would be worth living like this.

However, this came at a price; over the decades, his cultivation level had barely improved.

He wasn't too concerned about this. The Golden Tortoise clan has a long lifespan. Once they cultivate to the level of a Great Demon, they can almost have a lifespan comparable to that of a Golden Core cultivator in the human race.

It's normal for a person's cultivation level to not make significant progress for decades or even centuries. He's not even two hundred years old yet, but he already possesses the cultivation level of a mid-grade third rank. Even among the Golden Tortoise clan, he's considered a top genius.

Just as he was about to drift back to sleep, a familiar figure appeared.

"Why are you here?" Jin Xuan asked, raising his eyelids slightly.

Song Qingxi smiled slightly and said, "It's naturally a good thing that I'm here."

As she spoke, she took out the Blood Tempering Pill and the Thousand Beast Pill one by one, as well as a drop of essence blood sealed in a specially made crystal, which looked like a sparkling blood diamond at first glance.

Jin Xuan, who had been somewhat absent-minded, suddenly perked up and immediately moved closer to Song Qingxi, looking at the drop of essence blood and asking, "What kind of treasure is this?"

"This is a drop of alligator blood that almost survived the [Dragon Transformation Tribulation]. I heard it would be beneficial to your cultivation, so I brought it to you."

Upon hearing this, Jin Xuan's eyes lit up immediately: "You guys can get your hands on such a treasure? Where did you get it?"

"One drop of essence blood is enough? These are no less than that." Song Qingxi pointed to the jade bottles.

Jin Xuan popped the bottle stopper, and after just one sniff, he knew that the pills inside would greatly benefit his cultivation. He drooled and said, "Wow, have you guys struck it rich? So many treasures."

"My uncle saw that your cultivation was stagnant, so he specially sought out these treasures and instructed me to bring them to you and Yan Li."

"You've indeed been a bit lax in your cultivation lately. Don't let that happen again, or you'll disappoint your uncle's good intentions," Song Qingxi said meaningfully.

"The boss is still the best to me. With these treasures, my cultivation will definitely improve by leaps and bounds. You can rest assured."

"I heard that when you were training outside, you sent a group of loyal demon beasts to the demon realm. Have you missed them all these years?"

"Of course I miss them. I wonder how they've been doing in the Demon Realm all these years," Jin Xuan said with a touch of melancholy.

The period of being "free-range" outside was tough, but I must say it's something I really miss. The vast little world was peaceful, but ultimately a bit too mundane.

"If that's the case, then I'm relieved."

"What do you mean?" Jin Xuan, who had been lost in his memories, suddenly became alert, and the sense of crisis in his heart resurfaced at this moment.

"The centennial is approaching, and the demon race may make a comeback at any time, but the family lacks intelligence on the demon realm."

"Therefore, the family has decided to send you to the Demon Realm to gather intelligence for the family," Song Qingxi said solemnly.

"What?" Jin Xuan almost jumped up from the spot. The Demon Realm was not like the Hundred Thousand Mountains. His cultivation level was not enough to deal with it. If things were exposed, he would definitely die a terrible death.

Even if they weren't discovered, what in the Demon Realm could compare to being a local tyrant here?

"Can I refuse?" Jin Xuan asked weakly. "This is a family decision."

"No, no, I won't go, I'd rather die than go."

"Take me to see the boss. He definitely won't have the heart to let me go to such a dangerous place." Jin Xuan shook his head so hard it was like a rattle drum.

"This is your uncle's decision. Actually, gathering information is just a side effect. The main reason is that you have been too lax in your cultivation recently, so we are letting you go out to train for a while."

"Have you forgotten how you went to the Ten Thousand Mountains last time?" Song Qingxi shook her head slightly.

Song Changsheng arranged an easy job for him because he saw how hard he was living in the Ten Thousand Mountains, but he didn't expect him to show his true colors so quickly.

"I don't believe you. Take me to see the boss."

"Uncle has already gone into seclusion. Pack your things and prepare to set off in the next few days."

The family will assist Yanli in his breakthrough, and then he will take over your tasks here.

Having said that, he ignored Jin Xuan's agonizing screams and turned to leave...

Sending Jin Xuan into the demon realm to gather information was a decision made after careful consideration by Song Changsheng.

The Golden Tortoise is a major clan in the Demon Realm. His identity provides him with a natural layer of protection, and his cultivation also gives him a certain degree of self-defense ability.

If Jin Xuan had put in just a little more effort, he would have been able to thrive in the Demon Realm.

Of course, the world of the demon race is cruel, and he will inevitably face all kinds of dangers. Dangers are motivation and whetstones, and he hopes that these forces can be transformed into the driving force for his progress.

Jin Xuan was nominally his spirit beast, but he always regarded Jin Xuan as his little brother.

As his cultivation improved, his loneliness deepened, and he cherished everything around him.

He knew very well that most of the people and things around him would not be able to accompany him to the end.

Immortality is his wish, but he does not want the price of immortality to be becoming a lonely person.

The Golden Tortoise clan has a long lifespan, so he hopes that Jin Xuan can keep up with him as much as possible. As long as he can reach the Demon King realm, his lifespan will increase dramatically.

He is the most likely candidate to stay with Song Changsheng and even send him away.

Furthermore, in this world, without powerful cultivation, even a long lifespan is nothing but a mirage.

He hoped that Jin Xuan would realize this soon, because only in this way could he survive in this cruel world.

This is also the main reason why he supported Zhuang Yuechan going down the mountain to gain experience.

"I also need to improve myself."

Inside the secluded cultivation room, Song Changsheng took out the Enlightenment Pill. A faint golden light shone on his face, and a unique fragrance entered his nostrils, instantly invigorating him.

"I hope it won't disappoint me too much."

The pill was placed in the mouth and instantly turned into a warm medicinal liquid that flowed to the limbs and bones.

A strange power spread through Song Changsheng's body, and his soul became clearer than ever before.

He remained in that position, sitting cross-legged without moving.

Gradually, he seemed to lose his sense of time, his mind went completely blank, and he didn't know how much time had passed. He seemed to be completely enveloped by a strange force.

The feeling was like being in your mother's arms as an infant, incredibly warm.

Then, a faint sound suddenly came from the originally quiet meditation room, as if someone was chanting something.

Song Changsheng listened carefully, but still couldn't quite hear some of it clearly.

He remained calm and showed no impatience, but listened attentively.

Gradually, the faint sound grew louder and louder.

At that moment, he finally heard it clearly: it was a voice of indistinguishable gender, reciting unique scriptures to him in a very calm tone.

He couldn't understand a single word of these scriptures, but he could vaguely grasp their meaning. They were the most direct explanations of the Three Thousand Great Daos, and each word contained a vast amount of information, which was extremely obscure and difficult to understand.

He tried to memorize these scriptures, but he eventually found that he could not. These scriptures could not be memorized, much less described. Everything could only be understood by oneself, and even with Song Changsheng's comprehension, the efficiency was very low.

Moreover, these scriptures are disordered, encompassing all three thousand Great Daos, essentially revealing the essence of the laws directly to him. In layman's terms, they are all solid content, without any fluff.

It is extremely difficult for ordinary cultivators to adapt to it in a short period of time, let alone comprehend it.

Fortunately, there is no time limit; as long as his soul can handle it, he can maintain this state indefinitely.

Several months have passed, and Song Changsheng has only been able to comprehend a very small portion of it, all of which are laws of the Great Dao that he has never encountered before.

It didn't really matter to him, because he was following Feng Changqing's teachings and taking the path of entering the Dao through all methods. The more methods he had, the better.

Not everyone takes such an extreme path like him; the Enlightenment Pill shouldn't be like this.

"If that were all there was to it, then the Enlightenment Pill wouldn't be so highly regarded by the world. Perhaps my approach is wrong."

I should try to understand this in a more intuitive way. Suddenly, a realization dawned on Song Changsheng.

"The laws represent the fundamental principles governing the operation of the world, and are also the operating principles of the Way of Heaven."

In theory, as long as these rules are mastered, one can understand the laws governing the operation of the Heavenly Dao, which is also the master's lifelong pursuit.

To understand these patterns, the first step is to gain a deep understanding of them.

The best way to understand it is to imitate it, and eventually become it.

But... how am I supposed to imitate that...?

Song Changsheng fell into a brief period of confusion and contemplation.

"Yes, that's right, that's how it should be."

Create, evolve!

Song Changsheng was shaken. He had a vague feeling that he had found the right way.

He made up his mind: he would create a world from nothing and evolve the three thousand great paths based on these scriptures!
...(End of chapter)