Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

Before Yu Shu Zhenjun disintegrated, she visited the Tianshan Mountains once and collected a fifth-tier top-grade [Tianshan Snow Lotus], in case she needed to reshape her physical body after rebirth.

Just in case, she also located four undeveloped Tianshan Snow Lotus plants and placed restrictions on them, all located deep within the Tianshan Mountains.

She had previously visited two places despite the wind and snow. One tree had withered, and the other had been picked by some lucky person. She even left a stone tablet to express her apology.

It looks like it happened many years ago; the stone tablet has been frozen and cracked.

Hopefully, this third place will bring her a surprise.

Upon descending into the depths of the snow valley, they discovered it was already shrouded in a thick layer of solid ice.

"I didn't expect that moving it from the mountaintop to the snow valley would still not prevent it from being frozen solid. I hope it hasn't frozen to death yet." Zhuang Yuechan frowned slightly.

Despite saying that, she had already given up much hope, as the ice formed in the Tianshan Mountains was harder than steel.

With a wave of his sleeve, he swept away the thick layer of snow covering the surface, revealing a solid ice surface. Frozen for thousands of years, the ice layer was almost unbelievably translucent, and the verdant green beneath was particularly eye-catching.

It was a spiritual plant with snow-white petals and emerald green roots and leaves, looking like a large lotus flower, beautiful and exquisite. Even being frozen in solid ice did not cause it any damage.

"I underestimated you." Zhuang Yuechan breathed a sigh of relief. Judging from the size and number of petals of this [Heavenly Snow Lotus], it must have reached the fifth level. It was already considered high-end for reshaping the bodies of Wu Jie and Song Changsheng's soul avatars.

Even with the help of the Jade Cleansing Sword, it took several hours to break through the ice. Just as the Heavenly Snow Lotus was picked, the Jade Cleansing Sword suddenly emitted a strong tremor.

Subsequently, the ice beneath Zhuang Yuechan's feet and the surrounding snow-capped peaks began to tremble violently, and large swaths of snow slid off, quickly forming an avalanche.

Zhuang Yuechan quickly flew out of the snow valley on her sword and asked urgently, "What happened?"

"There's a demonic aura here; the newcomer is quite powerful." Wuming's tone was slightly grave.

Zhuang Yuechan's heart sank upon hearing this: "Demon aura... Could it be that it was attracted by the aura of the snow lotus?"

The fragrance emitted by the flower stamen of the Tianshan Snow Lotus is said to be able to travel thousands of miles, and even further with the help of the north wind. This is why True Lord Yu Shu planted the restriction, to prevent the Tianshan Snow Lotus from being discovered by the monsters living in the Tianshan Mountains after it matures.

The monsters that can survive in the extreme environment of the Tianshan Mountains are not only exceptionally talented, but also quite powerful. There are very few of them in the entire Tianshan Mountains.

Sometimes you might not even encounter one even if you traverse the entire Tianshan mountain range.

Aside from the scent of the Tianshan Snow Lotus, she couldn't think of any other possibility.

"You're still injured, we probably can't beat this guy, let's run!" Even Wuming had lost the will to fight.

Zhuang Yuechan remained silent. After quickly determining the source of the sound and the demonic aura, she used the Jade Cleansing Sword to escape at top speed, disregarding the turbulent winds and storms.

A short while later, a deafening roar came from behind her.

Looking back, one could see a giant python, thousands of feet long, rampaging behind them, shattering any snow-capped peaks that stood in its way.

Its entire body is snow-white, with diamond-shaped black spots on its sides and back. The dense scales are enough to make one's scalp tingle, and its whole body is enveloped in a chilling aura.

The most striking feature is the single horn on its head, which is several meters long and as clear and bright as red jade. Clearly, this giant python has already passed through the "Dragon Transformation Tribulation" and is transforming into a true dragon.

And unsurprisingly, its cultivation level reached the level of a demon king.

However, its current state is somewhat strange. Its sapphire-like eyes reflect a hint of evil, and it looks very irritable, rampaging around everywhere.

Logically speaking, the larger the size, the easier it is to run into storms and turbulent winds, and it will seriously affect speed. After all, with its bulky size, the safest and fastest way for it to chase Zhuang Yuechan is to directly transform into human form.

In just that short time, a layer of flesh was torn off its back by the occasional biting north wind, leaving a bloody mess.

This situation is clearly not right.

Zhuang Yuechan didn't know what had happened to it, but its current confused state was clearly the most dangerous thing.

The Demon King was still able to communicate, and retained wisdom and reason, knowing when to retreat in the face of difficulty. But the giant python in front of him had clearly lost all reason.

This state is very similar to when a human cultivator goes into a state of demonic possession or when a demon enters their body; for any living being, this is the most dangerous state.

Despite Zhuang Yuechan's frantic sprint, the distance between them was closing, and it was only a matter of time before she was caught up.

At this moment, her mind raced, searching for a way to escape.

If it were in another place, diverting the trouble would be a good option, or you could set up a formation in advance to trap it. There are many ways to solve this problem, after all, it has now lost its mind, and while dangerous, it is also more likely to make mistakes.

However, these methods are clearly not applicable in the icy and snowy Tianshan Mountains.

"Things are getting worse..."

……

"Why have I been feeling so restless lately?"

Inside the secluded cultivation room, Song Changsheng opened his eyes, a hint of doubt in them.

He reached out and tried to calculate, but couldn't get a result.

"Could it be that Yuechan has encountered some danger?"

Nowadays, there are not many people who can affect his mind. Xia Yunxue, Song Xianming and other relatives are all on Cangmang Peak, and the Twin Islands have been developing very steadily in recent years, so it is unlikely that there is a problem there.

Mu Guibai is even less likely to be involved; there is probably no one in the entire Great Qi cultivation world who can threaten him.

After much consideration, the only one who fits the bill is Zhuang Yuechan, who has gained experience outside the region.

But he and Zhuang Yuechan were of one mind, and if she were truly in mortal danger, he couldn't possibly not have noticed.

"Yuechan, oh Yuechan, what exactly happened to you..." Song Changsheng sighed softly, his words filled with endless worry.

Although he wanted to get to Zhuang Yuechan's side right now, it was unrealistic. In this vast world, after several years, he didn't even know where she was now. He could only pray to God for protection.

With something on his mind, he couldn't calm down. Fortunately, he had already finished refining the effects of the dragon's essence blood and the [Ten Absolute Body Refining Pill], so he decided to end his seclusion early.

But as soon as he opened the door to the secluded training room, he froze on the spot. Then, a look of surprise and joy appeared on his face, and he said with some excitement, "Brother Chang'an!"

Song Chang'an bowed slightly and said, "Greetings, Clan Chief. I have failed the clan's trust!"

"Your survival is the greatest contribution you can make to the family!" Song Changsheng patted Song Chang'an's shoulder forcefully, his tone tinged with emotion.

He was considered young among the "elder" generation cultivators in the family, but he was almost 160 years old. How many people in the family could live to his age?
Time is like a knife, and various reasons have led to the continuous decline of the "Chang" generation of cultivators. Now, there are less than 300 "Chang" generation cultivators left in the clan, while the number of Song clan cultivators has exceeded 7,000, accounting for only a very small proportion.

Only a few members of the Elder Council, such as Song Changxuan and Song Changxue, remain to shoulder the responsibilities. If Song Changsheng cannot break through to the Purple Mansion stage, he may face the same predicament as Song Xianming in a few decades.

In terms of blood relation, Song Chang'an was closer to him, and was the biological son of the late Song Luhuai.

Back when he was still a boy, Song Luhuai took special care of him, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he treated him like his own son.

Now that he has managed to pull Song Chang'an back from the brink of death, his feelings are beyond words.

"You've really suffered these past years."

Song Chang'an shook his head with a wry smile and said, "I only lay in an ice coffin for a few decades. What hardship is that? Everyone else is the one who has really worked hard, building the family to its current state in just a few decades."

This is clearly a very painful topic; over the years, the Song clan has paid a heavy price.

After a moment of hesitation, Song Changsheng changed the subject, saying, "Why did you take Song Youcheng's place and come to stand guard for me? Didn't Qingxi arrange a new position for you, or is there no suitable one?"

"Back in our day, there was no such thing as a suitable or unsuitable position. As long as the family needed us, we could go to any position."

I felt that I was falling behind the family's development, and it wouldn't be appropriate for me to rush into the management. Just then, Youcheng was preparing to go into seclusion to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, so I volunteered to come over to Qingxi.

"Let's take this opportunity to summarize our gains and losses, and then try to break through to the Purple Mansion stage again." Song Chang'an shook his head and said.

"I do need to calm down and summarize things properly, but it's really a waste of my talents to have you run errands for me."

What do you think of the East China Sea? How about you develop your career in the Twin Islands for a while? It'll be a good change of scenery.

Upon hearing this, Song Chang'an said solemnly, "The family's arrangements are fine. Chang'an will obey unconditionally and can set off at any time."

"There's no rush. I'll go to the East China Sea again within a year, and you can come with me then."

"For the time being, you should go to the Transmission Hall and keep an eye on things for a while, to help the old man out."

"Chang'an obeys."

Watching Song Chang'an leave, Song Changsheng sighed softly and slowly walked to the Hall of General Affairs.

After signaling to the stewards in the hall not to disturb Song Qingxi, he picked up the jade slip containing general affairs that had been processed and was ready to be sealed and stored away, and slowly began to read it.

Over the past few years, the Song family has undergone significant changes.

The most commendable achievement was Song Luzhou's successful breakthrough to become a third-tier low-grade alchemist.

Unfortunately, Song Qingyu's foundation was still lacking, and he did not break through along with her.

This can be considered a milestone in the 600-year history of the Song family.

"Oh, Youfu has also broken through to the Purple Mansion stage. It seems he hasn't been slacking off in his cultivation these past few years. Youlin's breakthrough to the Purple Mansion stage has brought him quite a bit of pressure."

Seeing his family prospering, Song Changsheng felt quite gratified.

"Just one more opportunity is needed for the family to reach new heights." Song Changsheng thought to himself as he put down the jade slip in his hand.

The opportunity he was referring to was naturally the second Golden Core cultivator.

The deterrent effect brought by one Golden Core cultivator is naturally different from that brought by two. When only one person is shouldering the main responsibility, he must guard the central hub. With one person operating inside and the other outside, the space for operation is much greater.

"I wonder if the Myriad Manifestations Palace has any spiritual materials that can reshape the physical body."

Breaking through to the Golden Core stage is not something that can be achieved overnight. Apart from Zhuang Yuechan and Song Qingxing, the most promising candidates at present are Wu Jie and his divine soul avatar.

The former was already at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage, while the latter, as his avatar, had long surpassed the realm of Purple Mansion cultivators in terms of understanding the laws, comparable to a Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage, making it much easier for him to break through to the Golden Core stage than for ordinary people.

All they lack is a suitable body to start over.

"Uncle Zhan has already broken through, I wonder if there's any news about Uncle Bai."

After thinking it over, Song Changsheng decided to visit Luoxia City. He had missed Zhan Tianxia's Golden Core Ceremony during his previous seclusion, and it would be inappropriate not to go now that he had come out of seclusion.

It would be perfect to use the remaining time to exchange ideas on thunder techniques with Zhan Tianxia and refine heavenly thunder for his own use, which would be extremely daring.

When he arrived in Luoxia City, Zhan Tianxia was preparing to set off for the East Sea. Upon seeing him, he disregarded his status and bowed to him.

"Oh dear, Uncle-Master, aren't you making me feel terrible?" Song Changsheng was shocked and took a step to cover hundreds of feet to help Zhan Tianxia up.

"This bow has nothing to do with status; it is a token of gratitude for your attainment of enlightenment, which you are certainly worthy of," Zhan Tianxia said solemnly.

"You mean [Thunder Essence]? I've taken advantage of the sect quite a bit on a regular basis, this is just some feedback, please don't take it to heart, Uncle-Master." Song Changsheng quickly waved his hand, but he also vaguely guessed that Zhan Tianxia's refining of heavenly lightning was related to [Thunder Essence], and couldn't help but start to think about it.

"You've broken through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm?"

At this moment, Mu Guibai looked Song Changsheng up and down and said.

Because Song Changsheng deliberately concealed his aura, his aura was somewhat obscure, which made Mu Guibai somewhat uncertain.

"Yes, I had a stroke of luck in the East China Sea a few years ago."

"At your age, you already possess the cultivation level of the mid-stage Golden Core realm, which truly allows you to compete with the prodigies of those great sects."

"It's a pity that I'm too busy with city affairs to personally go to the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty to cheer you on. However, I believe that with your strength, you will definitely achieve a good ranking." Mu Guibai said with a slight smile.

"This disciple will certainly not disappoint Master."

"One step behind leads to another, it seems I'll never catch up with you," Zhan Tianxia said with a sigh. Talent and opportunity are truly indispensable.

"Has there been any news about Uncle Bai lately?" Song Changsheng asked Bai Zhengchun.

"Not yet, but soon. After all, the next trial path will begin soon, and you should inform your nephew to prepare."

He's still young; waiting another sixty years wouldn't hurt.

Song Changsheng sighed and said, "That's what I think too, but my nephew isn't someone who can stop. Let nature take its course."

After saying that, he looked at Zhan Tianxia and said, "I have made great progress in thunder magic recently. Why don't you sit down and discuss the Dao with me, and then we can go to the East Sea together a year later?"

...(End of chapter)