Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

A quarter of an hour before 7 p.m., Hua Yan arrived at Wangyue Cliff as promised.

As its name suggests, this place is indeed an excellent spot for moon viewing. There are no obstructions in front of us, and the crescent moon hangs high in the sky, releasing its cool and clear light through the thick clouds.

Today is not a full moon, but the time when the moon's power is weakest. Back in the East Sea, the Dragon Elephant True Lord would never draw the moon's power to her on such a day. The breathing technique that Song Changsheng taught her is truly useful.

Such profound methods may indeed exist in the world, but she was somewhat skeptical that Song Changsheng, who came from a barren border region, could produce them.

Even if he truly had this opportunity, would he really teach her such a profound and precious method so easily?

As she was thinking, she noticed a woman standing in the square pavilion ahead, staring intently at the distant horizon, her back view appearing somewhat slender.

Song Qingxi sensed something, turned around, their eyes met, and she smiled slightly and said, "You are my uncle's newly accepted disciple, Fellow Daoist Huayan?"
"I am Song Qingxi, the deputy head of the Song clan. I am in charge of clan affairs on behalf of my uncle. My uncle is often in seclusion, so if you need anything, you can come to the General Affairs Hall to find me. I'm usually there."

Hua Yan returned the greeting, her attitude somewhat cold. It wasn't that she had any issues with Song Qingxi, but she simply felt there was no need for further communication.

Seeing this, Song Qingxi didn't take it to heart and asked with concern, "Fellow Daoist, is there something you're not used to about coming here so late at night?"

"Master gave the order."

Song Qingxi understood and nodded, saying, "I see. Then I won't disturb you any longer. Farewell."

Watching her leave, Hua Yan turned around and found that Song Changsheng had appeared behind her without her noticing at all.

This means that if Song Changsheng were to attack her, she would have no chance to resist.

"Disciple pays homage to Master."

"Have you mastered the breathing technique I taught you?" Song Changsheng asked after gesturing for her to dispense with formalities.

"The training is complete."

"Hmm, why don't you sit down on that rock?" Song Changsheng pointed to a smooth, rounded bluestone about the size of a millstone.

That was a "cushion" that he had casually picked up from the roadside on the first day of his cultivation. Over the years, its surface had become somewhat jade-like.

Hua Yan sat down as instructed, and then heard Song Changsheng say in her ear: "Hold your breath and concentrate, and practice your breathing technique. I will release the seals on your acupoints. Feel the power of the moonlight in the moonlight, and tell me when you feel it."

Following Song Changsheng's instructions, she closed her eyes, cleared her mind, and began to carefully perceive everything around her.

She felt the seal on her Baihui acupoint being broken, and she was bathed in the cool moonlight. She took off the hood covering her head and, with the special breathing technique she had learned, began to feel the subtle power of the moonlight.

She hadn't really had high hopes, but after using the breathing technique for less than fifteen minutes, she felt that familiar power.

Although faint, it truly exists.

Hua Yan was shocked. This extremely simple breathing method, which could be learned in one or two hours, could actually draw in and absorb the power of moonlight.

"Master... I sensed it."

"That's right. I will gradually remove the seals on the remaining acupoints and then draw the power of the moonlight to infuse your body. During this period, you must do your best to expel the remaining yin energy from your body and re-condense your extremely yin body."

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Changsheng also activated the Yin-Yang Profound Scripture, and the power of the moonlight quickly condensed into a fist-sized sphere in his palm.

"Concentrate your mind and guard your heart, and I will now perform the infusion on your body."

Having said that, he suddenly slammed the moonlight power in his palm onto Huayan's head.

Hua Yan couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, feeling an extremely powerful force surge through her Baihui acupoint like a tidal wave rushing into her meridians, which she found difficult to withstand for a moment.

Only then did Song Changsheng realize that Hua Yan still had a trace of tribulation energy left in her body, which should have been left over from when she underwent the Heavenly Tribulation.

If she had survived the nine tribulations of lightning normally, the rain after the tribulation would have washed away all the injuries and residual tribulation energy in her body. Unfortunately, she fell under the ninth tribulation of lightning.

Despite the meticulous treatment from Wanxiang Palace and Ghost King Valley, a trace of calamity energy inevitably remained in his dantian.

The survival rate of those who fail to break through to the Purple Mansion stage is often high under human intervention. However, it is very difficult to survive those who fail to overcome the tribulation of lightning. The main reason is that the existence of the tribulation energy will continuously damage the cultivator's body, and most people cannot withstand such damage.

Even if you persevere, some residual calamity energy will always remain in your body, posing a hidden danger for your future breakthroughs.

Song Changsheng hadn't noticed the calamity energy within Hua Yan's body at first, but it was unexpectedly exposed during the body infusion process.

Fortunately, he didn't use the most aggressive infusion method right away, otherwise it could have caused irreparable damage.

He quickly slowed down the injection, and the pain on Hua Yan's face lessened considerably.

As time went by, the power of the moonlight almost completely occupied Huayan's meridians and acupoints, forcing all the chaotic yin energy in her body into her dantian.

"out!"

Song Changsheng slapped Hua Yan on the back, and the Yin energy accumulated in her Dantian was released from her Shenque acupoint. In an instant, an extremely Yin energy swept across the area. Centered on Hua Yan, a layer of ice crystals covered the ground at a visible speed, and the vegetation was frozen before it could wither.

The air seemed to freeze, and even Song Changsheng's eyelashes and hair were covered with a layer of bright ice crystals...

Back in the courtyard, Song Qingxi sat on the bed. Looking at the empty room, a sense of loneliness welled up in her heart. Just as she was about to meditate and regulate her breathing, she inexplicably felt a little flustered.

"Why would I... Could it be that Qingxing has encountered some danger?"

Song Qingxi got up and went to the window, looking in the direction of the Wuliang Sword Sect, her panic intensified.

She was certain that Song Qingxing must have encountered some danger on the path of trials, which was why he felt so panicked. But even knowing this, there was nothing she could do since they were on opposite sides of the road.

You always make me worry.

"You must... come back alive." Song Qingxi clasped her hands together, sincerely praying to the waning moon, a single tear silently sliding down her cheek...

"Hahaha, that was exhilarating, exhilarating, truly exhilarating! It's been many years since I've had such a satisfying killing spree. It's just a pity that I only killed a bunch of cowardly rats, dirtying my blade!"

Inside the Trial Path, Shen Jingchuan stood on an unnamed sky island, holding a knife, his hair disheveled, looking like a madman. His body was covered in countless wounds, and his clothes were already soaked with blood. Yet, he seemed to feel no pain, still shouting and fighting with high spirits.

At his feet lay several mangled corpses, their blood forming streams.

In front of him lay a dozen or so corpses, almost none of them intact, with broken limbs scattered everywhere.

On another hilltop, Song Qingxing, dressed in black and wielding a sword, was also covered in blood, from both his enemies and his own. However, he only had one wound on his chest, a gaping hole larger than a copper coin, from which dark blood was continuously gushing out, undoubtedly a sign of poisoning.

There were even more corpses at his feet, more than a dozen in total, and in front of him, corpses lay strewn everywhere, and the aura of bloodlust soared to the sky.

"Hey, are you alright? You're not going to give up, are you?" Shen Jingchuan dragged his tired body to Song Qingxing's side, keeping a safe distance from him. His tone was slightly teasing, but his eyes revealed a hint of concern.

Although he and Song Qingxing were initially enemies, they are now in the same boat, chasing one wave after another. Without this strong teammate, he wouldn't have the confidence to deal with so many pursuers on his own.

Moreover, this whole affair was essentially caused by him, and Song Qingxing was implicated in it in a sense.

If he hadn't challenged Song Qingxing and caused such a commotion, they wouldn't have been attacked by this group of people.

Song Qingxing did not reply, but silently took out the pre-prepared healing powder and swallowed it, which slightly relieved his injuries. However, this powder could only treat internal injuries to the internal organs and had no detoxifying effect.

He was poisoned by a rare and potent toxin, and without a specific antidote, it would take a very long time to recover.

Time wasn't a particularly big problem for him; there were still over twenty years before the Trial Road closed. The key was that he had Shen Jingchuan by his side.

Although this person is now fighting alongside him and appears very kind, human hearts are unpredictable, especially on this "man-eating" trial path where everyone is an enemy.

Shen Jingchuan noticed his wariness and grinned, saying, "You don't want to fight me at this time, do you? The next wave of pursuers will be here soon. If we fight amongst ourselves in our current state, we'll only end up dead."

I suggest we take advantage of these people's traumatized state and find a place to heal our wounds as soon as possible.

Song Qingxing looked at him calmly, but his eyes were still full of vigilance.

Seeing this, Shen Jingchuan spread his hands with a slight sense of helplessness and said, "Alright, alright, I won't follow you. Let's part ways here, so you don't have to spare any energy to be wary of me."

However, considering our shared history of fighting side by side, I can point you in the right direction regarding the poison in your body.

The scene was a bit chaotic just now. Although I didn't see who attacked you, this [Ebony Cone] is the signature magic weapon of the Wu family of the Northern Desert. It is often coated with a strange poison, and no one but members of the Wu family knows how to cure it.

You might have some way to eliminate toxins from your body, but time is a big problem. The longer it takes, the weaker you will become. And if you encounter those people again during this time, the consequences could be unpredictable.

Before officially embarking on the path of trials, I happened to encounter a member of the Wu family, namely Wu Tiancheng, the ancestor of the Wu family, an old man who was nearly six hundred years old. The Wu family was not very powerful, and the only one who could participate in the trials was probably that old fellow.

This is his portrait. Try to find him; he's bound to have the antidote on him.

As he spoke, he used his magic to conjure a portrait.

After assuming that Song Qingxing had memorized it, he casually cupped his hands and said, "Your strength is not bad, but I do not wish to become your enemy on this trial path."

If we're destined to meet, let's wait until we get out of this hellish place before we fight again.

The green hills remain unchanged, the clear waters flow on; may we both take care. With those words, he transformed into a dazzling streak of light, leaving the floating island and soaring into the distance…

Song Qingxing looked down at the bloody hole in his chest. He could clearly feel the toxins spreading throughout his body along with the flow of his blood.

As Shen Jingchuan said, the longer it went on, the weaker he became.

It's simpler to find the culprit and detoxify directly than to try to detoxify yourself.

The opponent launched a sneak attack amidst the chaos, and immediately withdrew after the strike, showing great caution. As the saying goes, old people are shrewd, and a six-hundred-year-old fellow is not so easy to find.

However, with this [Ebony Awl] in hand, plus the portrait provided by Shen Jingchuan, finding the other party shouldn't be too difficult.

Just as Song Qingxing was about to set off, a point of light flashed across the colorful sky above his head, then fell like a shooting star, tracing an arc in this strange space. It seemed that its final landing point was near him.

Looking at the arc left in the air, Song Qingxing suddenly had a feeling and thought to himself, "Could this be the fate dice that opens the door to the trial?"

After thinking it over, he finally decided to go and find out what was going on.

Upon arriving at the spot where the light had landed, he immediately spotted a ball of light suspended in the boundless void.

After confirming that there was no danger around, he used his magic to draw the ball of light over.

The light emanating from the orb melted away like the first snowflakes as soon as it touched his hand, revealing a snow-white die that landed in his palm, heavy and giving him a sense of connection to fate.

"No wonder it's called the Dice of Fate, looks like they've killed enough." Song Qingxing murmured softly.

He had already figured out this underlying logic, which is why he went on a killing spree. During this period, he was attacked by the masses and many people died. He probably reached a certain critical point. It's just unknown whether he has any other [Dice of Fate] besides the one in his hand.

According to Li Yuxia, everyone on the Trial Path can sense the presence of the dice. He is currently suffering from a strange poison and is in a weak state. If there are multiple dice, the trial participants' attention will be diverted, and the pressure will be much less.

If there were only this one die, everyone else would be drawn to it, and no matter how arrogant he was, he didn't have the courage to be an enemy of all the trial participants at the same time.

However, he has not sensed the presence of the other dice yet, and he doesn't know if there is any distance or other limitation.

Therefore, the safest approach now is to use this as bait to lure others into competing for it first, while he goes to find Wu Tiancheng and remove the strange poison from his body.

With that thought in mind, he threw the dice into the distance without hesitation.

He was confident in sending it out, and naturally he was also confident in getting it back!

...(End of chapter)