Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

"boom--"

"Boom——"

Powerful lightning bolts struck the defensive array of Tianlong Peak, causing the lightning to surge and the light to spread.

To the cultivators of the Brocade Banner on Tianlong Peak, the scene before them was truly terrifying, like the end of the world. Everywhere they looked, there was the raging power of lightning, and the ferocious lightning snakes seemed ready to devour them at any moment.

Their proud defensive array trembled and shattered under Song Changsheng's attack. The array flags spontaneously combusted, and endless array runes spread from the ground and surged into the sky, desperately resisting the raging power of thunder.

Large swaths of runes were obliterated by the lightning, but soon more runes surged forth, one after another, endlessly regenerating.

Although the forces appeared evenly matched, the array masters in charge of controlling the array knew in their hearts that this power was a temporary gain at the cost of the array's foundation, and could only sustain the formation for a short time, not for an extended period.

Song Changsheng seemed to see through the flaws in their formation at a glance. This attack was a direct hit to the vitals. Without a fourth-level formation master to guard the [Splendid Banner], and with Song Tianyuan, Song Daoling, and Song Minghuang, all three Golden Core cultivators, in seclusion, they simply could not hold out for long.

"scoff"

When the lightning dissipated, Tianlong Peak was in complete disarray, with traces left behind by the raging thunder everywhere. Although the mountain-protecting formation was operating beyond its capacity, it still stood firm after the lightning faded.

Conversely, several third-tier array masters responsible for maintaining the array's core simultaneously coughed up blood and fainted.

Seeing this, Song Jiyuan's face turned ashen.

Despite having overestimated Song Changsheng's strength as much as possible, people were still shocked by the formidable power he displayed when he actually revealed it.

This is a defensive formation that has been continuously improved over thousands of years by the [Jinxiu Banner], and its grade is almost at the fifth level.

Last time, Song Changsheng's attempt to visit the mountain was thwarted. After much reflection, they spent a fortune to hire several top-tier fourth-order array masters to fix the loopholes in the array.

They thought the past would never repeat itself, but they never expected to be proven wrong so quickly. Song Changsheng didn't even use any magic artifacts, yet he shook their carefully crafted formation with the power of the [Thunder Law]. Is he really human?
Little did he know that although Song Changsheng was only a fourth-tier high-grade array master, he had a natural advantage in breaking arrays.

Even a fifth-order grand formation, given enough time, he can use his [Insightful Eye] to find the easiest flaw to break through. Unless the formation he sets up far surpasses Song Changsheng's mastery of formations or is flawless, they are all about the same in front of him.

The idea that Song Jiyuan could stop Song Changsheng with the mountain-protecting formation was simply too naive, and he hadn't learned his lesson.

"Clan leader, the enemy is fierce and powerful. We cannot stop them without the personal intervention of the two Grand Elders. Please order the two Grand Elders to be awakened. If we fight with all our might, we might be able to hold this beast off for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn," a highly respected third-tier array master said pessimistically.

Song Jiyuan was momentarily stunned. Could it be that their proud formation could only last for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn in front of Song Changsheng?

Seeing that he was still standing there in a daze, the old man spoke again: "The situation is critical, please make a decision quickly, clan leader."

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Changsheng in the air slowly raised his right hand. The [Hundred Fiends Qiongqi Cauldron] beneath his feet was filled with murderous aura and transformed into a streak of blood-red light, which then crashed into the defensive formation that covered the entire Tianlong Peak below.

The defensive array, which had just suffered heavy damage and had not yet fully recovered, was struck by this attack, and a shocking crack immediately appeared on the protective shield, making it vulnerable to being breached at any moment.

Upon seeing this, all the [Splendid Banner] formation masters simultaneously raised their hands and patted their chests, pouring their still-warm blood onto the formation flags in front of them.

In an instant, the protective shield was shrouded in an eerie crimson color, and then a crimson dragon thousands of feet long soared into the sky from Tianlong Peak, roaring as it charged toward Song Changsheng in the air.

Given the power of Song Changsheng's supernatural abilities, passively taking a beating would be a luxury he couldn't even sustain for a quarter of an hour, let alone the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. It would be better to adopt an offensive strategy instead of a defensive one.

Looking at the blood-red dragon with its gaping maw open towards him, Song Changsheng remained calm as a still pool, simply reaching out his hand and making a grasping motion in front of him.

In an instant, the space within a thousand feet directly in front of him was folded and twisted dozens of times by the power of space. The blood-red dragon rushed into this area as if it had plunged into a maze. It could not cross the short distance of less than a thousand feet, and its body seemed to be getting longer and longer.

This is what Song Changsheng learned from his battle with Lingmou. Essentially, it is the utilization of the characteristics of spatial power, which he calls "Spatial Folding," which can continuously distort and fold small-scale spatial barriers.

For cultivators who are proficient in the laws of space, it is easy to break through, but for those who are not, entering this place is like entering a labyrinth of endless loops, from which they can never escape.

"Great Divine Power [One Finger to Dust]"

With a flick of his finger, the folded space was instantly frozen, and with a simple clench of his fist, the frozen space shattered inch by inch.

The powerful attack, formed from the blood and sweat of all the array masters, was so easily neutralized by him.

If they hadn't witnessed it firsthand, they would hardly have been able to imagine how it all happened.

The protective array was activated simultaneously by hundreds of array masters, who refined it with their own blood. Although it still couldn't unleash the full power of the array, it still had about 70-80% of its potential. Even a Golden Core cultivator at the Great Perfection stage would have to temporarily avoid its power, but he resolved it so easily, barely moving a step throughout the entire process.

"It's just a turtle shell; it can protect you for a while, but not forever."

Song Changsheng's voice was like thunder, and his magical power surged like a giant wave.

Besides retaliating against Song Jiyuan's actions and bringing back Yu Xinchou's wife, the most important purpose of his trip was to take advantage of this rare opportunity to further suppress the prestige of the [Jinxiu Banner] while also winning over those who were wavering between the two clans.

These opportunists may be useless individually, but when they unite as one, they become a formidable force.

To demonstrate his strength directly, he decided to break through the protective formation of the [Splendid Banner] in the most violent and brutal way.

"Great Divine Power [Mountain-Turning Seal]"

Endless magical power gathered in his palm to form a large, pitch-black seal. Beautiful landscapes appeared around him in alternating patterns. With a single strike, the entire Tianlong Peak trembled.

Amidst the shocked or terrified gazes of the [Splendid Banner] cultivators, the protective shield formed by the mountain-protecting formation was shattered into pieces like glass.

The entire Tianlong Peak was exposed to Song Changsheng without any obstruction. In an instant, panic spread within the [Jinxiu Banner], causing considerable commotion.

At this moment, Song Daoling and Song Tianyuan, who had not appeared for a long time, took action together to eliminate the aftershocks left by Song Changsheng's supernatural powers without leaving a trace.

"Song Changsheng, don't push your luck. Do you really think there's no one in the Great Qian cultivation world who can control you?" Song Daoling glared angrily.

As the saying goes, enemies are especially hateful when they meet. In that battle at sea, he used all his skills, but Song Changsheng still shattered half of his body and forced him to flee in a sorry state. Over the years, he has paid a huge price to barely rebuild his damaged body.

Before his injuries had even fully healed, Song Changsheng had already come to his door again; it was simply outrageous.

Even Song Tianyuan, who always advocated peaceful coexistence, couldn't help but feel truly enraged upon seeing the mess on Tianlong Peak. Song Changsheng, standing atop the [Hundred Fiends Qiongqi Cauldron], looked down at the two with his hands behind his back and said disdainfully, "This is going too far!"
Is it really going too far for me to just make a slight move?
Compared to you clandestine sorcerers who curse and kill my juniors, it's understandable that I would disregard my status and wreak havoc today!

Having said that, he waved his sleeve and conjured a portrait of Yu Xinchou in front of him, saying, "As an honorific of your [Jinxiu Banner], you should all be familiar with this person, right?"

Song Daoling and Song Tianyuan were both urgently awakened by Song Jiyuan. Apart from knowing that Song Changsheng had come to their door, they had not had a chance to learn anything else. However, they were indeed familiar with Yu Xinchou, the enchanter who cultivated incantations.

Based on Song Changsheng's narration and their own knowledge, they quickly pieced together a fairly complete picture of what had happened.

For a moment, they all looked down at Song Jiyuan, who was standing with his head bowed and eyes downcast, and they were all somewhat disappointed in him.

It is normal to assassinate talented cultivators from opposing forces. As the clan leader, Song Jiyuan did nothing wrong in eliminating enemies for the clan in advance. However, his mistake was leaving a handle on the situation and being caught red-handed.

There are some things that are agreed upon by custom, and everyone does them in the same way in secret. But doing them is one thing, and putting them on the table is another.

Song Jiyuan's actions have undoubtedly put the "Jinxiu Banner" in a very difficult position.

Song Tianyuan could only patiently explain, "Fellow Daoist, there must be some misunderstanding here."

Yu Xinchou is indeed a guest retainer of our clan, but I have never allowed him to harm anyone with his sorcery.

“Our clan’s former guardian elder saved his life, so this must have been his own decision and has nothing to do with our clan. It’s ridiculous to make such a big deal out of it.” Song Daoling dismissed everything in just a few words.

"The dignified ancestor of your clan speaks in such a laughable way. Since you refuse to acknowledge it, then let's fight."

"At worst, we'll raze Tianlong Peak to the ground!" Song Changsheng's eyes flashed with murderous intent. Facing an entire clan alone, his aura was in no way inferior, and perhaps even stronger.

"You dare!"

"【Five Thunder Technique】"

Song Changsheng responded to them with his actions. He made a hand seal, and dark clouds instantly filled the sky, with silvery lightning snakes crisscrossing and surging within them.

Tianlong Peak is currently at its most vulnerable point, as it is not protected by any defensive formation. With his strength, he could easily raze it to the ground within a quarter of an hour.

The cultivators on Tianlong Peak immediately felt themselves locked onto by an extremely dangerous aura, which came from the depths of the dark clouds and was extremely violent.

Song Daoling's face was grim. Song Changsheng was clearly about to unleash a massacre. The area covered by the thunderclouds was simply too vast. Even he couldn't possibly block all the lightning at the same time. Below the Golden Core stage, almost no one could withstand this lightning. At that time, the [Brocade Banner] would surely suffer heavy casualties.

“Fellow Daoist Zixu, you are the leader of the Five Academies. It would be beneath your dignity to attack a junior.”

This matter was indeed due to the [Jinxiu Banner]'s lax management, but fortunately, no irreparable mistakes have been made. We are willing to provide sufficient compensation and severely punish those responsible. We urge you, fellow Daoist, to temporarily quell your anger.

As the great battle was about to break out, Song Tianyuan stepped forward and spoke sincerely.

Song Changsheng's original intention for this trip was not to really go on a killing spree. Seeing that he had achieved his goal, he said indifferently, "Since we want to talk, then let Elder Zhexuan talk to me. I don't trust anyone else."

Don't even think about stalling for time. My divine sense is enough to cover the entire Tianlong Peak. During the negotiations, if even one person dares to leave Tianlong Peak, I will unleash a massacre. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Despite feeling humiliated, Song Daoling gritted his teeth and agreed under Song Tianyuan's prompting gaze.

People are knives and servants, and I am fish and meat.

If you don't want to risk your life, this is the only path you can take.

"Where is Zhe Xuan now?" Song Tianyuan scanned the area with his divine sense and couldn't help but frown.

Song Jiyuan stepped forward with a stiff upper lip and said, "Reporting to the Supreme Elder, Song Zhexuan is suspected of colluding with the enemy and betraying his clan. He has been placed under house arrest and is currently being investigated by the Law Enforcement Hall."

"Zhe Xuan betrayed the clan?" Song Tianyuan's sword-like eyebrows shot up, and his heavy aura almost made Song Jiyuan lose his composure on the spot, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "Yes."

"What a joke! Zhe Xuan is utterly loyal to the family. If he were to betray the family, then the family would have no loyal subjects."

Release him immediately, reinstate him to his original position, and put him in charge of negotiating with the Song family of Wangyue! Song Tianyuan was furious. He knew Song Zhexuan all too well what kind of person he was.

He was straightforward, but not stupid. How could he not realize the despicable nature of the situation? If it weren't for the inappropriate occasion, he would have loved to slap Song Jiyuan away.

"As ordered."

……

When Song Zhexuan, who had been under house arrest for many years, finally saw the light of day again, he was greeted by terrified faces and a scene of utter chaos. His feelings were indescribably complex.

Thinking of what Song Jiyuan had said to him, he wanted to laugh even more, but he couldn't manage to.

Over the years, he has been labeled a traitor and placed under house arrest. Which enemy was he colluding with? Naturally, it was the Song family of Wangyue.

He was truly speechless, not even given a chance to defend himself.

Now, the first thing he did after being released was to negotiate with the Song family of Mochizuki, which seems absurd.

To have someone who is "colluding with the enemy" negotiate with the enemy.

Even vernacular novels wouldn't dare to write something like this, yet it has truly happened to him.

He walked heavily, step by step toward the towering figure standing in the air. Apart from him, there was no one in front of him, but on both sides were his clansmen with terrified faces.

They were already terrified by the thunder that filled the sky.

He stood in the appropriate position, bowed respectfully, and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, "Song Zhexuan, representing the modern family, is negotiating with the True Man."

...(End of chapter)