Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

With the two major scourges finally eradicated, Master Tian Sha held a celebratory banquet at the Rakshasa Hall, ostensibly to celebrate the military achievements of the past few days.

In reality, the victory celebration was just a smokescreen; the real purpose was for the two pillars of the cultivation world to gather and discuss how to deal with the large-scale invasion of the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom.

The cultivation worlds of Lu and Qi are separated only by a narrow strip of water, and the strategic goals of the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom determine the risks that both must bear.

If, as in the past, the purpose of launching a beast tide is simply to weaken the human race, then the Golden-Eyed Demon Lord will generally only choose one of the two targets to attack.

Due to its geographical location and power distribution, the cultivation world of the Great Qi is often considered the primary target for weakening.

This shows that they have seen through the "self-interest" nature of the human race. When the other party's vital interests are not threatened, they often choose to sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight.

After all, it's none of your business, just hang it high.

This has created a strange phenomenon: although the enemy is one that the cultivation worlds of both the Great Qi and the Lu Kingdom need to deal with together, most of the time the cultivation world of the Great Qi is fighting it alone.

This was done intentionally by the Golden-Eyed Demon Lord, firstly to sow discord and divide the two major cultivation worlds, creating a rift between them.

Secondly, the threat posed by the cultivation world of Lu is too low. Once the defense line of the cultivation world of Daqi is breached, it can be easily defeated.

This is a strategy that the Golden-Eyed Demon Lord has always adopted, so the cooperation between the two realms has always been quite tacit.

When the cultivation world of the Great Qi encountered the beast tide, the cultivation world of the Lu Kingdom remained stationary, partly to protect its flanks and partly to be ready to provide support at any time.

Everyone understands the principle of "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold".

However, the situation they face this time is somewhat different from the past. According to the intelligence they currently possess, the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom's power has entered a period of rapid development and is expanding extremely quickly.

This alliance with the Blood Demon Cult is intended to annihilate the cultivation world of the Great Qi in one fell swoop, demonstrating the Golden-Eyed Demon Lord's determination.

Even though the Blood Demon Cult has been destroyed, the Golden-Eyed Demon Lord's resolve may not be affected.

A powerful demon lord who has lived for over a thousand years makes every decision after careful consideration. The Blood Demon Sect is at most a patchwork, and could not be the decisive factor in his launching of the war to destroy the country.

Therefore, all the discussions at this victory celebration banquet were based on this situation.

The power of the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom has expanded too rapidly, far exceeding the combined strength of the two realms.

According to the confession of the Fiery Demon King, the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom has recently received support from the Demon Emperor behind it.

Currently, all the major demon kings and even most of the great demons are still in seclusion. Once this round of seclusion ends, their overall strength will reach a new level, and the pressure they will face at that time is unimaginable.

Therefore, they must allocate their limited resources precisely to jointly combat this crisis.

"Even so, we can't be completely foolproof. We might need help from the Great Yu cultivation world and the Suzhou cultivation world," sighed True Person Tian Sha.

Upon hearing this, Shi Potian calmly replied, "Do your best and leave the rest to fate. If it really comes to that, those people behind us won't just sit idly by and watch us perish. Without us holding the line, how can they have a good life?"

"That's right. We're prepared for both scenarios. If we're defeated, we'll retreat to the rear to preserve our strength. We'll just give up whatever land we have."

As a wise man once said, "If you save the land but lose the people, you will lose both the land and the people."

If people are saved but land is lost, both people and land can be regained.

Human resources are the foundation of everything; as long as we are alive, there is still hope for a counterattack.

Master Tian Sha praised, "Only by preserving people can we preserve the land. Very well, Fellow Daoist Zi Xu's words are very reasonable."

If those people behind us really stand by and watch, then they'll have to reap what they sow. They're dreaming if they think they can trap us with a few pieces of land!
This will allow those people to experience once again the trampling of the demon race's iron hooves.

Despite the relaxed demeanor of everyone at the banquet, it was clear to anyone with a discerning eye that these grand pronouncements were merely attempts to boost morale.

Several Golden Core cultivators had already prepared for the worst.

The saying "It's hard to leave one's homeland" is never just an empty phrase.

These few plots of land have indeed become shackles that imprison them.

Let alone cultivators from sects and families, even those who wander the world as their home, few can completely sever this emotional bond.

When their homeland faces a crisis, independent cultivators will also step forward and sacrifice themselves.

Having grown accustomed to a life of constant danger, they too will choose to return to their hometowns to enjoy their later years.

Even in the final moments of life, the desire to return to one's roots remains the deepest obsession.

No matter how great the difficulties they faced or how much they sacrificed, they never once said they would give up their homeland.

Because at that time they could still see hope.

But this time, no matter how they calculated, with the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom's strength greatly expanded, it would be almost impossible for the two realms alone to stop the demon race's advance.

Unless they receive support from the rear, which is precisely the most difficult thing to obtain, because the knife hasn't fallen on those people yet, and they don't know the pain.

The principle of "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold" applies to them. No matter how big their conflicts or disagreements are, they have never forgotten this principle.

But those behind them have forgotten who is bearing all of this for them.

This was most evident in the Golden Crow Sect, Luoxia City, and Tianmai Sect.

As everyone knows, they are all supported by powerful forces. The purpose of their support is to resist the beast tide and guard an invisible moat.

In the beginning, the aid was plentiful and timely.

Gradually, the aid cycle began to lengthen, and the total amount began to decrease.

Thousands of years later, resource assistance is scarce, and several external supply channels have been cut off.

The Wuliang Sword Sect behind Luoxia City is even worse. Apart from taking action once in the battle to eliminate the Black Dragon Demon King, their supply channels have been completely cut off.

Zhan Tianxia's breakthrough to the Golden Core stage was all thanks to the legacy of True Monarch Yu Shu.

Their strength was firmly imprisoned by an invisible shackle.

While this is partly due to the fact that major powers are allocating resources in a long-term manner in order to seek stability, the main reason is that external supply channels have been cut off, and their resource output and sources are limited.

Faced with the endless attrition of the demon race's beast tide tactics, they had no room for peaceful development.

Even this century of peace was achieved through their combined efforts, using the power of the entire cultivation world of the Great Qi Dynasty, and was not obtained out of thin air.

There was no direct assistance of any kind during this period; on the contrary, the Black Dragon Demon King received covert support from the Golden-Eyed Demon Lord.

Simply put, you want them to risk their lives, but you don't want their strength to increase too quickly, lest it get out of control.

Nobody is a fool. The people present understand the situation better than anyone else. It would be impossible for them not to feel resentment.

What Tian Sha Zhenren said was definitely not just something he said in anger.

If they are truly driven to the brink, they might as well fight to the death and give up resistance, allowing the demon race to advance unimpeded.

Use fresh blood to awaken some ancient memories! After the banquet, Song Changsheng and his two companions returned to the Great Qi cultivation world together.

Halfway there, Shi Potian suddenly spoke up: "What are your plans for the future, fellow Daoists?"

"Roughly calculated, I have at least several decades to prepare. I plan to go into seclusion and attempt to break through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm."

The strength of Luoxia City has increased rapidly in recent years, but it has now entered a stage of slow growth. Apart from Bai Zhengchun, two other cultivators of the grandmaster generation have failed to break through to the Golden Core stage.

In the short term, Mu Guibai can only rely on himself; otherwise, it will be difficult for Luoxia City to undergo any further qualitative changes.

"Like my master, I will also be focusing on seclusion for the next period of time."

Song Changsheng and Mu Guibai's answers seemed the same, but in reality they were quite different. Both he and the Song family were currently in a golden period of rapid growth, and had great potential for the next few decades.

In comparison, the Song family is actually the biggest variable in the cultivation world of the Great Qi.

"Fellow Daoist Zixu has won first place in the Five Academies. I imagine the Myriad Manifestations Palace will not treat the Song family unfairly. In the coming years, we must seize every second."

"That's natural. Who would willingly give up something unless absolutely necessary?"

Turbulent times have always been a time when risks and opportunities coexist.

In the past, if the Song family and Luoxia City's power had expanded so rapidly, the Golden Crow Sect and the Heavenly Vein Sect would have been unable to sit still and would have inevitably suppressed them. How could they have developed everything openly like they do now?

The threats and pressure from the demon race are growing, forcing them to abandon some of their self-serving ideas.

Now, they can't wait for these two rising stars to develop even faster, so they can share the pressure with them.

"It seems we've all thought of the same thing. I'm also going into seclusion to comprehend the laws."

"During this time, I hope everyone can get along peacefully and avoid causing trouble," Shi Potian said calmly.

“Of course,” Song Changsheng and Mu Guibai agreed in unison.

Now is certainly not the time for infighting.

The group parted ways midway and returned to their respective destinations.

After Song Changsheng returned to Cangmang Peak, he learned from Song Xianming that the Wanxiang Palace had sent word that the refining of that batch of pills was nearing completion and a relatively clear delivery time had been given. At that time, a special person would be dispatched to deliver them to the Twin Islands.

Nevertheless, he still decided to make the trip himself. Besides the fact that this batch of pills was quite important, there was another reason: Song Jingxiao and Xu Miaoyin were about to break through.

As a master, I naturally cannot be absent from such an important moment.

Upon arriving at the Twin Islands, Song Changsheng scanned the area with his divine sense and discovered that the proportion of cultivators in seclusion within the East Sea Alliance was also extremely high.

These are all chain reactions brought about by the great war.

"Disciple pays homage to Master!"

Song Changsheng carefully examined his disciple, then nodded in satisfaction and said, "Not bad, you've taken another step closer to the Purple Mansion stage."

Although Chi Li has always been in a "free-range" state, he is still very ambitious. He did not rush to achieve quick results in cultivation in order to prove himself. He took one step at a time and solidified his foundation very firmly.

If it were anyone else, they would have been unable to resist the generous resources offered by Song Changsheng long ago.

What he admired most was Chi Li's attitude towards cultivation.

He possesses pride but is not arrogant.

After expressing his approval of Chi Li, he turned his gaze to Song Yuqing, who was standing silently to the side.

"You're not bad either. This seclusion has increased your chances of breaking through to the Golden Core stage in the future. Have you been having any troubles lately? Feel free to bring them up in the next few days."

“Yuqing…I do have some doubts in my heart.” Song Yuqing raised her head, her eyes filled with determination.

Seeing this, Song Changsheng had already guessed what he wanted to say, and said with his hands behind his back, "Youfu should have already told you, right? Wanxiang Palace has made a promise that it will no longer interfere in the struggle between our clan and the [Jinxiu Banner] in the future."

Is this the root of your confusion?

"May I ask, Master, how will you treat our race in the future?"

Before I give you the answer, I also have a question for you.

If the two races were to go to war in the future, what would you choose?

Song Yuqing answered without hesitation: "Yuqing will naturally live and die with the family."

This answer was what Song Changsheng had expected, but he was not satisfied with it and asked again: "Will you live or die with your family, or live or die with the enemies of your clan?"

Upon hearing this, even the intelligent Song Yuqing was taken aback and couldn't quite process it.

Seeing this, Song Changsheng smiled slightly and said, "Sometimes, don't look at a problem too one-sidedly."

Do you think that the conflict between the two races must end with the annihilation of one side?
As the saying goes, every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor. The [Jinxiu Banner] has never been an enemy of our clan. The Song Daoling and Song Wuji lineage is the culprit behind all this. My target has always been them, not the entire [Jinxiu Banner].

Of course, if the [Brocade Banner] insists on protecting or standing with them, then I don't mind treating them as a whole.

I wonder if you understand what I'm saying?

A glint of light suddenly appeared in Song Yuqing's eyes.

After witnessing Song Changsheng's power and the Song family's development potential, he understood that the [Splendid Banner] could not be the final winner unless Song Minghuang could break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

But that's just too unrealistic.
He originally thought that with the Myriad Palaces above him, the Embroidered Banner shouldn't be on the verge of destruction.

But the deal between Song Changsheng and Wanxiang Palace dealt him a heavy blow.

During this time, he had been thinking about ways to preserve his assets, but to no avail.

After listening to Song Changsheng's account, he seemed to understand.

"This is my answer. Now, you can tell me your answer again."

"I have always been very disgusted and averse to Song Wuji's actions, so I have kept a low profile and rarely get involved in the management of the family."

They should indeed pay the price for what they've done. If they insist on dragging the entire family down with them, I will absolutely not agree!" Song Yuqing said resolutely. At this moment, he truly understood what he should do.

Upon hearing this, a relieved smile immediately appeared on Song Changsheng's face.

A smart person made a smart choice.

Severing ties with Song Daoling's faction is the best way to save the Embroidered Banner, and the key to all of this lies with Song Yuqing.

Song Changsheng was not a bloodthirsty person. Compared to destroying the Embroidered Banner, he wanted to bring this force under his own control!
...(End of chapter)