Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 1054 The Pressure from Authority

A gentle spring breeze carries fallen peach blossoms into the cup, staining the wine with a touch of crimson.

Yang Zhengshan didn't mind, picked up his wine glass, and took a sip of the wine.

The wine that Zhongli Yue brought out was naturally extraordinary. Although its effects might not be as good as the Longquan wine brewed by Yang Zhengshan himself, its taste far surpassed that of the Longquan wine, and it seemed to contain some kind of Taoist charm.

After a long silence, Zhongli Yue finally spoke: "You should have heard of the struggle for power!"

Yang Zhengshan nodded.

Zhongli Yue continued, "The so-called authority is actually the authority of heaven and earth, which you can understand as the orthodox tradition."

"It's a bit complicated to explain, so let me give you an example!"

"Why did the Taiyang Shinshu sect, which existed ten thousand years ago, disappear without a trace? Do you know?"

Yang Zhengshan shook his head.

He had also had such doubts.

Judging from the ancient ruins, it seems that a war took place there, causing the ancient ruins to be reduced to ruins. However, the ancient ruins did not disappear; they have remained there ever since.

However, judging from the Sun Cave, it doesn't seem like it has experienced a war, because Yang Zhengshan once found an intact cave in the Sun Cave, and there was a skeleton in the cave. Although the owner of the skeleton may have died from serious injuries, the fact that he was able to pass away peacefully in the cave indicates that the Sun Cave has not been occupied by the enemy.

Why would a cave that was not occupied by the enemy become ownerless?

Where have the people of the Sun True Sect gone?

It should be noted that the Sun True Sect left behind quite a few spiritual artifacts, and even a spiritual treasure.

Yang Zhengshan had also asked Jinwu and Fengling, but they both gave the same answer: their master left in a hurry and never came back.

This indicates that the people of the Sun True Sect left the Sun Cave Heaven voluntarily, and even left their spiritual artifacts inside.

Where did they go? And why did they leave on their own? Why didn't they take their magical artifacts with them?

“The True Sun Sect once held the power of the sun! The one who holds the power can obtain the supreme Dharma body and rule a world. Therefore, the True Sun Sect was the master of the Myriad Flower Domain back then!” Zhongli Yue looked at Yang Zhengshan solemnly.

Yang Zhengshan pondered, "So now the Heavenly Constitution Dao holds power?"

"Hehe, don't say these things outside, otherwise if the Dao Lord hears you, he'll teach you a lesson for your loose tongue!" Zhongli Yue chuckled.

Yang Zhengshan was initially taken aback, then his expression changed drastically, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

A terrifying pressure from the void suddenly descended upon the depths of his consciousness, like a towering mountain pressing down on his soul, causing it to tremble with fear.

"This~~"

Yang Zhengshan was shocked and looked at Zhong Liyue in fear, while Zhong Liyue continued to look at him with a smile.

Fortunately, this terrifying pressure came and went suddenly. Before Yang Zhengshan could do anything, the pressure vanished without a trace.

The terrifying pressure brought Yang Zhengshan boundless fear. The moment the pressure disappeared, he was drenched in sweat, breathing rapidly, as if he had just been pulled out of the water, even his Qingsong robe was soaked.

"It cannot be spoken of!" Zhongli Yue chuckled. "What you just experienced was the power of authority!"

Yang Zhengshan took a deep breath. "Senior, will there be any problem with this?"

Zhongli Yue shook his head. "Don't worry, this is the power of authority, not the power of the Dao Lord. Of course, if you don't know how to restrain yourself, the Dao Lord might take notice of you!"

He laughed heartily, probably mischievously after his prank succeeded.

"To get back to the point, those who gain power live for ten thousand years. But ten thousand years is long, but it has an end. After losing the power of the sun, the True Sun Sect will naturally no longer be the supreme sect!"

"So the Sun True Sect disappeared. They left their sect, hid their identities, and went to some unknown places."

As Yang Zhengshan listened to Zhong Liyue's words, his mind raced with thoughts.

The Taiyang Shinshu sect disappeared because it lost the power over the sun. So who gained the new power?
Tianxian Daozhu?

Now that ten thousand years have passed since the disappearance of the Sun True Sect, does that mean that the Heavenly Constitution Path will also lose its authority?

Will a new ruler emerge in the Wanhua Domain?
So the so-called struggle for power is a struggle for the position of the master of power?
If that's the case, then the fact that the Impermanent Ghost Sect wants to go to war with the Myriad Flower Demon Court can be explained.

They wanted to eliminate Wanhua Demon Court, their rival, or more precisely, Wanhua Demon Emperor!
But there is still a crucial question.

"What exactly is authority?" Yang Zhengshan asked again.

Zhongli Yue pondered for a moment, then said, "I don't know either!"

"Even you don't know?"

“Without sufficient cultivation, one cannot touch such an existence, nor can one understand such an existence! I only know that authority is related to the Dao, but what exactly it is, one can probably only understand after reaching the halfway point of the Dao!” Zhongli Yue said.

Is it related to the Dao?
Yang Zhengshan seemed to be deep in thought.

Was that imposing aura from the Dao?
It doesn't feel like the Dao, but more like the condescending gaze of a powerful being.

Since even Zhongli Yue couldn't understand it, Yang Zhengshan simply stopped wasting his brain cells, since he hadn't reached that level yet anyway.

He should focus his energy on the immediate crisis rather than on the elusive power he holds.

Of course, he still needs some intelligence to deal with the current crisis.

"Does the senior know about the Wanhua Seal?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

“I know, the Myriad Flower Seal is the weapon of authority of the Myriad Flower Dao Master, and it is currently in the Xiaxian Sect!” Zhongli Yue’s answer once again left Yang Zhengshan in astonishment.

He never expected that the Myriad Flower Seal actually existed, and that it was located within the Xiaxian Sect.

Qingyuan Fox Lord once said that the Xiaxian Sect worships the Lord of Ten Thousand Flowers. Could he be referring to the Ten Thousand Flowers Seal?
Seeing him in a daze, Zhongli Yue chuckled and said, "An artifact of authority is only a powerful spiritual treasure in the hands of its master. If it is in the hands of others, it is just a somewhat mystical spiritual treasure!"

Yang Zhengshan's expression shifted slightly, "A spiritual treasure, the True Yang Staff!"

“That’s right, the True Yang Staff is the weapon of authority of the Sun Dao Lord!” Zhongli Yue said.

Yang Zhengshan was even more puzzled. Both the Wanhua Seal and the Zhenyang Staff were spiritual treasures, and also instruments of authority, so why was no one fighting over them?

No, it's not that no one is competing for it, it's just that the intensity of the competition doesn't match its power.

"Why does no one covet the Wanhua Seal?" Yang Zhengshan asked, voicing his doubts.

Zhongli Yue replied, "Have you seen any other spiritual treasures?" Yang Zhengshan thought for a moment and shook his head, "Does the sacred tree of Qingyuan Cave count?"

In fact, he had seen the Spirit Treasure before. Not only had he seen it, he also possessed another one, namely the Immortal Palace of the Living Realm.

However, he certainly wouldn't reveal the existence of the Immortal Palace of the Living Realm, so he brought up the Amber Sacred Tree of the Azure Plains Grotto.

"No, the Amber Sacred Tree is only a half-finished product!"

"Spiritual treasures are far more powerful and mysterious than you imagine. It is true that the artifact of authority is a spiritual treasure, but it is the exclusive property of the master of authority. Others who want to control it will have to pay a great price!"

Zhongli Yuedao.

"What price?"

"At the cost of my lifespan!"

Yang Zhengshan fumbled with the celadon wine cup, then suddenly looked up at Zhongli Yue, "At the cost of lifespan?"

“That’s right. Every time you use a magical artifact, you lose decades or even hundreds of years of your lifespan. Do you think anyone would dare to use such a magical treasure?” Zhongli Yue said casually.

Yes!

I dare!
Yang Zhengshan almost blurted it out.

Others fear shortening their lifespan, but he doesn't. He can replenish his lifespan with the power of life force. As long as his lifespan isn't completely depleted at once, he only needs a few years to restore it to its peak state.

No wonder people aren't interested in instruments of power; apparently, these things shorten one's lifespan.

However, this thing is a perfect fit for Yang Zhengshan.

Yang Zhengshan was certain he could find a weapon of authority to practice with, but he didn't know how powerful such a weapon would be.

Zhongli Yue didn't notice Yang Zhengshan's unusual expression and continued, "Actually, it's not that no one covets the power of authority, but everyone is both greedy and wary of it, so very few people would actually try to take it!"

"As far as I know, the Impermanent Ghost Sect has its eye on the Myriad Flower Seal, and it may not be long before they make their move against the Xiaxian Sect!"

He then revealed another important piece of information to Yang Zhengshan, which made Yang Zhengshan's mind start to work.

Since the Impermanent Ghost Sect has its eye on the Myriad Flower Seal and wants to take action against the Xiaxian Sect, could he take advantage of the chaos and perhaps obtain the Myriad Flower Seal?

However, trying to snatch the Myriad Flower Seal from under the nose of the Impermanent Ghost Sect would be like snatching food from a tiger's mouth. Although Yang Zhengshan had such thoughts, he would never act rashly.

"Besides the Myriad Flower Seal and the True Yang Staff, are there any other instruments of authority in this world?"

"Of course there are. The Wanhua Domain has lasted for hundreds of thousands of years. Not to mention the rulers of power in ancient times, there were nine rulers of power in the ancient era alone. Each ruler of power had his own weapon of power."

"Moreover, there is more than just the Myriad Radiance Domain in this world. Beyond the Myriad Radiance Domain, there are countless stars and countless other domains!"

Upon hearing Zhongli Yue mention the realms, Yang Zhengshan couldn't contain his curiosity and asked, "How can one travel to other realms?"

Zhongli Yue laughed heartily upon hearing this, "It's very simple, just travel directly through the void!"

"Wouldn't that take a very long time, and it's easy to get lost in the void!"

Yang Zhengshan now has a very good understanding of the Great Void. Although Golden Core cultivators can travel through the Great Void, it is not without danger, the greatest of which is losing their way.

If the real world is an island, then the void is the island's coastline. It clings to the island, is very narrow, and serves as a buffer zone between the void and the real world, as well as part of the world's barrier.

The Great Void is like a vast ocean that envelops the real world. When a Golden Core cultivator travels through the Great Void, it's like walking along a coastline. The depths of the Great Void, which people often talk about, are actually still sea areas close to islands. They can clearly see the fluctuations of energy on the islands and thus pinpoint their location on the islands.

If you want to travel to other islands, you need to cross vast oceans. Once you can no longer sense the real world you are in, the empty void will make you lose your way.

Of course, the real world is not an island, and the Void is not as simple as the other side of the sea. The vastness and danger of the Void are far beyond what the sea can compare to.

Therefore, Zhongli Yue's claim that he could directly travel from the Great Void to other realms was simply a joke.

Perhaps some people can do it, but it's very difficult for a Golden Core cultivator to do.

"Hehe, there's another way, and that's the boundary teleportation array!" Zhong Liyue chuckled. "You want to know if the Wanhua Domain has a boundary teleportation array? Yes, it does, but it's best if you don't get curious about such a thing!"

Yang Zhengshan nodded, realizing he had asked a bit too many questions.

There are some things that are meaningless to know if you don't have the ability to do them; they will only cause you more trouble.

Afterwards, he chatted with Zhong Liyue for a long time, asking many questions. Zhong Liyue answered them almost without reservation, which gave him a deep understanding of the overall situation of Wanhua Domain.

……

One day later, Yang Zhengshan left Taoyuan Mountain.

After visiting the Qingyuan Fox Clan and Zhongli Yue, Yang Zhengshan gained a lot, even though he did not receive their support. Many of his doubts were resolved.

When he returned to the Tianyun Sword Sect, Que Lingyu had already returned. The alliance with True Monarch Chihua went very smoothly. The two sides were already allies on the matter of True Yang Immortal City. Now, facing the threat of the Impermanent Ghost Sect, the two sides simply discussed it and reached an alliance.

However, True Lord Baiyun has not returned yet, and no one knows where he went to visit friends.

In the small courtyard of the cave dwelling, Yang Zhengshan and Yunxiao sat together.

"How is your understanding of the Dao?" Yang Zhengshan poured Yunxiao a cup of tea and asked.

With a confident smile, Yunxiao said, "I've already entered the beginner level. I shouldn't be much weaker than a True Core cultivator now!"

Now he has not only comprehended the divine power, but also refined the spiritual weapon flying sword, the Dividing Light Sword. The only thing that is inferior to a True Core cultivator is that his natal magic weapon, the Azure-White Sword, has not been upgraded to a spiritual weapon.

However, with the Dividing Light Sword in hand, he does not have the disadvantage of not having a natal spiritual weapon.

"That's good. We'll be facing many formidable enemies soon, so be prepared to fight them at any time!" Yang Zhengshan said calmly.

Yunxiao nodded solemnly, "Don't worry, I've already made preparations!"

Over the years, Yunxiao had felt somewhat aggrieved. Although he had become a Golden Core cultivator, because it was a fake Golden Core, he had neither supernatural powers nor spiritual artifacts, and was at the very bottom of the Golden Core cultivator ranks.

Within the Tianyun Sword Sect, people treated him fairly well, but once he left, even Golden Core cultivators wouldn't give him a second glance.

If you are not as capable as others, it is inevitable that you will be looked down upon.

So he had been holding his breath, trying to comprehend the divine power and refine the spiritual weapon flying sword. Now he only needed one battle to prove himself.

I do not seek fame throughout the world, but only to no longer be looked down upon.

(End of this chapter)