Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

"If there are any unfinished matters here, please take care of them first. The Palace Master is discussing the Dao with the Supreme Elder, so it's alright if it's a little later."

"How can we be negligent when the Palace Master summons us? Please come inside and sit for a while, my fellow Daoists. I will give a few words of advice to the elders of my clan before I set off."

After saying that, he turned to Zhuang Yuechan and said, "You should be familiar with Fellow Daoist Lingxiao and Fellow Daoist Yunxuan. When you lost contact with someone in the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty, the two of you helped a lot."

"Yuechan greets you two fellow Daoists. Please have a seat and a cup of hot tea."

"It has been many years since we last met. Fellow Daoist Zhuang has already passed the Lesser Heavenly Tribulation and stepped into the Golden Core stage. At the Golden Core Ceremony on the seventh day of the eighth month, my fellow disciple and I will definitely go to Cangmang to discuss the Great Dao with you."

Upon hearing this, all the cultivators present were astonished.

As the leading figure of the Wanxiang Palace in the contemporary era, Ling Xiao had already begun to show his talent in his youth. If it weren't for Song Changsheng, he would be the number one genius in the border region.

His words and actions, to some extent, represent the attitude of Wanxiang Palace.

Given Song Changsheng's prestige earned in the Five Academies Grand Competition, it's perfectly normal for the Myriad Manifestations Palace to send someone to make an appearance at his wife's Golden Elixir Ceremony; it's a matter of courtesy.

However, Ling Xiao and Liu Yunxuan's statements this time were based on their personal relationship.

Elders of the Myriad Manifestations Palace rarely descend the mountain, and even when they do, they conceal their identities, making it not so easy to build a relationship with them.

They had initially thought Ling Xiao and his group had come to demand an explanation, but now it seemed that wasn't the case at all; the current situation was more like old friends catching up.

Everyone was forced to reassess the relationship between Song Changsheng and Wanxiang Palace.

This is exactly the effect that Song Changsheng wanted to achieve.

Although he conquered the Embroidered Banner, compared to other forces in the Great Qian cultivation world, he was still an "outsider" and would naturally face resistance.

To gain a foothold, it's best to have the support of the Vientiane Palace.

Everyone knows that the relationship between Wanxiang Palace and him is extraordinary, which is also the main reason why other forces dare not easily intervene in the conflict between him and the [Jinxiu Banner], and are all observing the reaction of Wanxiang Palace.

Now, Song Changsheng wants to further deepen and solidify this impression.

Returning to the General Affairs Hall, he summoned Song Luzhou, Song Youfu, and others, and personally instructed them: "Yuechan and I are going to the Myriad Phenomena Palace to pay our respects to the Celestial Phenomena True Lord."

Continue with your work, but be careful, this is not Cangmang Peak after all.

I will invite the Second City Lord to personally oversee the situation. If anyone takes advantage of the chaos, whoever they are, they will be executed on the spot, and their blood relatives will be punished as well.

"We will obey the clan chief's orders."

After making the arrangements, the couple accompanied Ling Xiao and Liu Yunxuan to the Wanxiang Palace.

"It seems Fellow Daoist Ling Xiao has made good progress in this seclusion and has already broken through to the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Realm?"

On the way to the Palace of Myriad Phenomena, Song Changsheng suddenly realized that he could not see through Ling Xiao's cultivation level.

"We had only recently emerged from seclusion when the Palace Master happened to have a mission, and Uncle-Master Jianxin was currently in seclusion to break through. So Yunxuan and I took on this task."

"Fellow Daoist, there's no need to worry too much. Inviting you this time will definitely not be a bad thing. Just put your mind at ease. Those words just now were only for outsiders to hear."

The [Jinxiuqi] family is, after all, an old family with a history of tens of thousands of years in the Great Qian cultivation world, and they are allies in the united front when facing the sea race.

You've caused such a commotion this time, almost alarming the entire Great Qian Dynasty. It would be quite inexcusable for our palace not to step in and inquire about it.

Of course, as you said before, this is ultimately a private matter of your Song clan. As long as it doesn't cause too much turmoil in the Great Qian Dynasty, the Palace Master will naturally not be too harsh on you.

"The main reason the Palace Master and the Supreme Elder sent us here this time is that they want to see you." Liu Yunxuan revealed the true purpose of their trip.

"Us?" Song Changsheng couldn't help but glance at Zhuang Yuechan beside him.

Ling Xiao smiled slightly and said, "You'll know when we get there. It won't be a bad thing."

"The Palace Master and the Supreme Elder are both inside the hall. You two can go there on your own."

After this is over, you can come find me at Pine Forest Cottage. Fellow Daoist Gu, Junior Brother Baili, and Cai Die will all be there. It's been many years since we last met, so let's take this opportunity to get together."

Watching the two leave, Song Changsheng looked at the ancient and solemn palace in front of him, took a deep breath and said, "Let's go and see the two True Lords."

Before he could speak, the hall doors opened by themselves, and the two entered the hall. Through the thick, swirling mist, they could see two figures sitting opposite each other around an incense burner.

Behind one person, various natural phenomena such as wind, rain, thunder, lightning, frost, snow, and scorching sun are constantly evolving; behind another person, there are thunder phenomena of five different colors, each belonging to one of the five elements: blue, red, indigo, white, and black.

They seemed to be engaged in a fierce battle in a world beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, and Song Changsheng could clearly feel the fluctuations of the laws between them.

Seeing this, the two of them obediently waited in place without making a sound.

Before long, the strange phenomena behind them began to dissipate, and they then bowed and said, "Song Changsheng of the Wangyue Song Clan, along with his wife Zhuang Yuechan, pay their respects to the Celestial Phenomenon True Lord and the Thunder Phenomenon True Lord."

"You've arrived. No need for formalities, please take a seat."

Yi Tianzheng nodded kindly, then gestured for the two to sit on the two empty cushions directly in front of the incense burner.

"Have you finished everything?"

"It's mostly resolved. I wonder what instructions the Palace Master has for my wife and me?"

"I wouldn't call it giving orders, but I just want to remind you again to be careful and not cause any further disturbances."

Although the sea creatures suffered heavy losses in the last battle, their strength remains, and they might return at any time. I don't want the [Splendid Banner] to become that breakthrough point.

"Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will handle this properly and it will not affect the defense of the sea."

"I have faith in your abilities. This time, you chose a very good entry point, winning people's hearts to the greatest extent and reducing the cultivators' resistance."

"But don't you think this opportunity came a little too coincidental?" Yi Tianzheng said meaningfully.

"It is indeed illogical. The main enemy that the [Brocade Banner] faces should be the [Colorful Scale Clan]. The [Black Scale Clan]'s activity range is still in a more distant sea area, and with the Han Hai Chamber of Commerce and Thousand Blade City guarding it closely, it is impossible for such a large sea clan army to silently invade the heart of the [Brocade Banner]."

It may be irresponsible of me to say this, but I still believe that the Hanhai Chamber of Commerce and Qianren City were the masterminds behind this attack.

On the surface, our clan is the biggest beneficiary of this, but if it hadn't ended in such a peaceful way, they would have been the ones making a fortune in silence. Song Changsheng spoke his suspicions without any reservations.

They acted too hastily and too obviously; any normal person could have guessed it.

The only commendable thing is that they did not leave any evidence of collusion with the enemy. At most, it can only be considered negligence. Even the Myriad Manifestations Palace cannot punish them for this reason. At most, they can only give them a warning, since they still need to rely on their strength to resist the sea tribe.

"No need to be so subtle, the mastermind behind this is Thousand Blade City and the Vast Ocean Chamber of Commerce. The reason I summoned you here is largely because of this matter."

Colluding with the enemy is not a new thing in Daqian. Most of the magical artifacts and elixirs in the hands of the sea race came from Daqian.

Ghost King Valley has done it, Zhenhai Pavilion has done it, Brocade Banner has done it, and of course, your East Sea Alliance has done it too.

I do not advocate these behaviors, but I have never stepped in to stop them either.

After all, it's better to guide than to block. It's difficult to stay true to oneself in the face of interests, as long as one doesn't cross the bottom line.

During peacetime, the two races traded goods, exchanging low-level materials from the cultivation world for their rare resources. This was a beneficial arrangement, and the Myriad Manifestations Palace could turn a blind eye to it.

But now, with the bloodshed between the two races still fresh, they have committed such an atrocity. Do you know what this means?

"The pace of outward expansion has been hampered, and external pressure has turned into internal contradictions, giving rise to more new problems."

Are you worried that this scheme is just the beginning, and that even more radical measures will follow? Song Changsheng saw this clearly.

Yi Tianzheng said calmly, "In recent years, the situation has been turbulent and the secrets of heaven are obscure. We must prepare for the worst."

In the previous battle, the sea creatures showed signs of cooperating with the Thunder King's Palace. Once they recover their strength, they will likely launch a more ferocious attack.

Do you know what the Thunder King Palace obtained in the Heavenly Lyre Cultivation World?

"Could it be some powerful secret treasure?"

"Almost all of them have been taken away. The Imperial Seal of the State from Thousand Sound Valley and the King of Men Sword from Wonderful Sound Pavilion."

Moreover, based on our investigations over the years, Qian Sheng Gu should have been under control at the time of the incident.

They first gained the trust of Tianyao Zhenren and obtained the Imperial Seal of the Tianqin Immortal Dynasty. Then, they used the Imperial Seal to fight against the Human King Sword in the hands of Miaoyin Pavilion, and finally broke through it in one fell swoop.

The truth is somewhat shocking. More than half of the Golden Core cultivators in Thousand Voices Valley had been controlled or possessed; otherwise, Thousand Voices Valley wouldn't have fallen so quickly.

Song Changsheng was shocked.

When the Human Emperor first divided the land, he enfeoffed 365 meritorious officials and gathered the essence of humanity to forge the Imperial Seal and the Sword of the Human King.

Each of these treasures of human destiny possesses extraordinary power.

However, because they were closely linked to the fortune of the Celestial Dynasty, most of them were destroyed when the Celestial Dynasty collapsed, and very few were preserved intact.

Unexpectedly, the Heavenly Lyre Cultivation World preserved both of them, but it's a pity that they've now been used as wedding gowns by the Thunder King Palace.

He also possessed the [King of Men Sword], and he was well aware of the terrifying power it contained.

It is currently known that the Thunder King in the Thunder King Palace is a Nascent Soul True Monarch, but his strength is inferior to that of Thunder Elephant True Monarch.

However, if he were to refine and master the two treasures of human destiny in his possession, and then join forces with the sea race to invade, the situation of the Myriad Manifestations Palace would be in grave danger.

In this situation, one wrong step could lead to utter ruin.

Furthermore, what is most unsettling is that the Thunder King Palace has actually mastered the method to perfectly control Golden Core cultivators.

Golden Core cultivators have reached a very high level in terms of magical power, spiritual power, and willpower. Ordinary secret techniques and insects simply cannot completely control them.

It was truly unbelievable that Thousand Sound Valley had fallen so silently; he had never heard of such a secret technique.

If this news hadn't come from Yi Tianzheng, he would never have believed such an absurd claim.

Seemingly sensing what Song Changsheng was thinking, Lei Xiang Zhenjun, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up: "Ordinary secret techniques cannot do it, but there is one thing that can, and that is the soul from beyond the realm."

"You mean, the Soul Clan?" Song Changsheng's pupils suddenly dilated several times.

A soul from beyond the realm, parasitizing and possessing another's body.

The Purple Imperial Realm has faced many calamities, but the most dangerous one was the invasion of the Fated Soul Clan. (See Chapter Two of this volume for details)
These strange extraterrestrial beings can silently parasitize living beings, gradually taking control of everything about them, and eventually becoming "him" completely.

Even close friends and family members would find it difficult to detect anything unusual.

Song Changsheng had refined the essence blood of the Soul Clan Emperor before, so he was no stranger to this strange race.

He has always suspected that the invading Soul Clan members were not completely eradicated, because there is still no way to identify them with 100% accuracy.

If the Thunder King Palace has truly colluded with the remnants of the Soul Clan, then things are going to get quite scary.

If they can control Thousand Sound Valley, they can naturally control other forces. No one knows where their tentacles have secretly extended.

"To be honest, the Myriad Manifestations Palace also possesses a treasure of human destiny, namely the Imperial Seal of the Great Qian Dynasty."

However, the Imperial Seal is mainly used for suppressing and passing on the nation's destiny, not for killing, and is definitely no match for the Sword of the Human King.

Therefore, we need to find another [King of Men Sword].

According to celestial deductions, the human destiny of the former Great Qi Immortal Dynasty still has a sliver of life remaining, most likely the missing [Human King Sword] Cheng Yuan.

This is the only thing we can be certain of at the moment.

The [One Finger Dust] technique you cultivate was once the national treasure of the Great Qi Immortal Dynasty. It seems you must have obtained some of the Great Qi Immortal Dynasty's legacy.

"Do you know the whereabouts of [Cheng Yuan]?" Yi Tianzheng's gaze was incredibly profound, as if he could see through everything.

Song Changsheng's heart tightened, but he remained outwardly calm and said, "I have heard of it, but I do not know where it is."

It's not that he lacks a spirit of dedication; the Song family's fortune is now completely tied to Chengyuan, making it impossible to hand it over to Wanxiang Palace. Rather than that, it's better to keep it a secret.

Not saying anything is actually a form of decency.

His explanation was naturally unbelievable to the two old foxes, but Yi Tianzheng did not delve into it. Instead, he turned his attention to Zhuang Yuechan, who had not spoken a word.

Lei Xiang Zhenjun said calmly, "Back then, Yu Shu Zhenjun, who roamed the southwest region, had a sword called [Yu Shu], which was said to be reforged from the [Sword of the Human King].

This sword should be in the hands of young friend Zhuang now, I wonder if I may have a look at it?

...(End of chapter)