Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 1113 The Instrument of Power
Yang Zhengshan's eyes widened suddenly, revealing divine power that could also shorten the user's lifespan; this was an instrument of authority.

He could hardly believe the conclusion he had reached.

A small family of immortal cultivators, a Foundation Establishment cultivator with no hope of success, yet possesses a powerful artifact.

Yang Zhengshan felt that God was playing a joke on him.

But the facts were right in front of him, and he had no choice but to believe them.

The key point is that this instrument of power seems to suit him very well.

Seize the opportunity to survive and nurture yourself.

The power of withering and flourishing can convert vitality into lifespan, and can also reduce the lifespan of enemies.

The combination of the two is simply defying the heavens.

In the next instant, Yang Zhengshan flashed and suddenly appeared beside Pei Lun, placing one hand on the blue bamboo cane.

"Fellow Daoist, how about I receive this item?"

Yang Zhengshan held the top section of the bamboo cane, while Pei Lun gripped the dragon-head handle.

The moment Yang Zhengshan appeared, Pei Lun's cloudy eyes widened suddenly, and his wrinkled face was filled with horror.

"Golden Core True Monarch!"

In an instant, he knew Yang Zhengshan's cultivation level, because apart from those above the Golden Core True Monarch level, no one could appear beside him so silently.

Yang Zhengshan's sudden appearance brought the battle to a standstill. Both sides gathered together, one side trying to rescue Shi Yuansheng from the bamboo, while the other side gathered behind Pei Lun, watching Yang Zhengshan warily.

Yang Zhengshan looked at Pei Lun without speaking for a long time, and asked again, "Fellow Daoist, this item is destined for me, would you be willing to give it to me?"

Although directly asking for it like this might seem shameless, he was right about one thing: "This item is meant for me."

He was just passing by when he stumbled upon the battle between the Pei and Shi families. Moreover, Pei Lun even took out a weapon of authority. The key point was that this weapon of authority was perfectly compatible with the withering and flourishing divine power he cultivated. What else could this be but an opportunity?
What is opportunity?

It is when a lot of coincidences come together and bring great benefits to someone; this is opportunity.

Pei Lun came to his senses, his eyes filled with hesitation and struggle.

This precious artifact was passed down from their Pei family ancestors and is a sacred treasure worshipped by the family.

In fact, he didn't know how powerful this treasure was; he only knew that it was very powerful.

Of course, he didn't know that this was an instrument of power, so he referred to it as a precious artifact.

Now that he is facing a Golden Core cultivator asking for something, can he refuse?

"This old man is willing to present this treasure to the True Lord!"

After struggling for a moment, he finally chose to compromise.

He did it not for himself, but for his family.

"However, I have a request, and I hope that you, True Lord, will grant it for the sake of this precious artifact!"

He gripped the bamboo cane tightly, his eyes fixed intently on Yang Zhengshan.

"What request?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

"This old man wishes to ask the True Lord to protect my Pei family!" Pei Lun was very shrewd; in just a few breaths, he figured out what he wanted.

Although the treasure in his hand was of great significance to the Pei family, it was not something that just anyone could use, and using it would also shorten one's lifespan.

He was unwilling to use this treasure unless absolutely necessary.

Such a treasure would have limited use for the Pei family.

Now the Pei family is facing the threat of extermination, not only the Shi family, but also other immortal cultivation families in the surrounding area.

He knew that once his lifespan was exhausted, the Pei family would be wiped out by the surrounding immortal cultivation families.

If he wants to protect the Pei family, he needs a powerful backer.

In fact, he had wanted to find a powerful backer for the Pei family for a long time.

He considered marriage alliances to help the Pei family overcome their current difficulties, and he also considered using spiritual objects to hire a protector for the Pei family. He even considered using the treasures in his possession to exchange for the protection of a Golden Core power.

But all of this failed, and the Shi family came knocking on their door.

Although Yang Zhengshan's appearance was abrupt, it perfectly aligned with his desire to find a powerful backer.

So after a brief period of hesitation and struggle, he made this request to Yang Zhengshan.

"Protection! How about I wipe them out and you give me this item?"

Yang Zhengshan naturally had no time to protect an unfamiliar immortal cultivation family. As for the Shi family, although there was no enmity between them, wiping them out would be a trivial matter.

In this way, he can save himself a lot of trouble.

Wouldn't this be unfair to the Shi family?
What a joke! Talk about fairness in the world of immortal cultivation? What fairness is there to talk about in the world of immortal cultivation?
When the Impermanent Ghost Sect invaded the Wanhua Mountains, who did they talk about fairness with?

The Hengshan Sect and the South Sea Demon Court have turned the entire Southern Region into a battlefield. Who have they ever talked to about fairness?

There's a saying that's very true: What does it matter to you if I eliminate you?

Yang Zhengshan's desire to destroy the Shi family has nothing to do with the Shi family.

"Not enough! I am nearing my end, and the Pei family has no successor. We need the protection of the True Lord!"

"Hehe, you're quite clever, but I won't protect the Pei family forever!" Yang Zhengshan chuckled.

“Protecting them for a hundred years is enough. After a hundred years, my Pei family will have new Foundation Establishment cultivators. At that time, True Lord will no longer need to concern himself with my Pei family!” Pei Lun said.

Yang Zhengshan looked at him. He had long seen that Pei Lun was not long for this world, or rather, he would soon die of old age.

He just used the weapon of authority, which has left him with very little of his already limited lifespan.

It's estimated that he will die of old age in a few days.

Yang Zhengshan's mind raced, and he said, "Fine! I will protect the Pei family for a hundred years!"

Protecting a family of immortal cultivators was not a difficult task for Yang Zhengshan. At worst, he could simply relocate the Pei family to the Spirit Source Land.

Pei Lun slowly released his grip. Yang Zhengshan took the bamboo staff, immersed his spiritual sense into it, and immediately felt a powerful Daoist aura. Then, countless insights surged into his mind.

It is indeed a weapon of authority containing the Dao, but it is not a supernatural power specifically used to seize life force. Rather, it is a power to control life force, not just to seize, but also to seal, bestow, transform, and so on.

Sealing life force can temporarily sever a cultivator's life force, putting them into a state of suspended animation.

Granting life can restore a cultivator's vitality and heal their injuries.

Transforming vitality can convert vitality into magical power and soul power.

Life force is not lifespan. Yang Zhengshan can transform life force into lifespan because he has comprehended the divine power of withering and flourishing. In fact, Yang Zhengshan can also seize and bestow life force, but he is very crude in both aspects, simply seizing and bestowing it.

In contrast, the divine power and life force control contained in the bamboo staff are much more refined in seizing and bestowing life force, and can maximize the power of life force.

This bamboo staff is a perfect match for him. Although using the bamboo staff consumes his lifespan, Yang Zhengshan can convert his life force into lifespan, so this bamboo staff is essentially flawless.

Most importantly, it is an instrument of authority, whose power far surpasses that of spiritual artifacts, almost equivalent to a spiritual treasure.

In Yang Zhengshan's hands, it was a spiritual treasure, a spiritual treasure that could threaten even a Golden Core cultivator.

After realizing the truth, Yang Zhengshan was overjoyed.

This was truly an effortless acquisition; with this treasure, he was like a tiger with wings, his strength reaching a new level.

"What do you plan to do with these people?" Yang Zhengshan looked up at the Shi family members, who were already in a state of panic. Although they didn't know who Yang Zhengshan was, they had heard his conversation with Pei Lun.

The fact that a Golden Core cultivator wanted to protect the Pei family was a devastating blow to the Shi family.

"I beg Your Excellency to help this old man destroy them!" Pei Lun showed no intention of showing any mercy.

Yang Zhengshan didn't care. He gently waved his bamboo staff, and a cyan light poured out from the staff, falling on the Shi family like a curtain of light.

In the next instant, tiny bamboo shoots sprouted from the bodies of the Shi family members. However, unlike Pei Lun's bamboo staff before, these bamboo shoots did not grow into bamboo, but remained the size of a finger.

However, the bodies of the Shi family members shrank rapidly as if they had been drained of moisture, and in the blink of an eye, they turned into dried corpses.

Their life force, magical power, and spiritual power were completely drained, leaving only worthless corpses.

"What a domineering thing!" Yang Zhengshan paid no attention to the situation of the Shi family members. He stared at the bamboo staff in his hand, revealing a thoughtful expression.

The bamboo staff not only stole his life force, but also completely drained his magical power and soul power, leaving nothing behind. Moreover, it also absorbed thirty years of Yang Zhengshan's lifespan.

However, Yang Zhengshan also obtained a pure burst of life force.

Two Foundation Establishment cultivators and more than forty Qi Refining cultivators provided him with the equivalent of three drops of the Fountain of Life, which could restore his lifespan by about sixty years.

By this calculation, it seems he gained thirty years of lifespan, but that's not actually the case. Because his opponents were all Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators, Yang Zhengshan consumed relatively little lifespan when wielding the bamboo staff. If his opponents were Golden Core cultivators, he would have needed to consume much more lifespan.

In this way, he might lose money.

Moreover, the power of life force is not lifespan. Once lifespan is lost, it is difficult to replenish. However, once the power of life force is taken away, there are many ways to replenish it. For example, the Fountain of Life Force can quickly replenish life force.

If Yang Zhengshan were facing a Golden Core cultivator, the power of this life-stealing technique would not only be greatly reduced, but it might not even cause much damage to the opponent.

From this perspective, it seems that the power of decay and prosperity is far stronger than the power of life control, but this is not correct, because Yang Zhengshan did not master the divine power of life control; he could only use the power he held to control life.

If he can comprehend the divine power of controlling life force, he will not lose money, and he will not even lose his lifespan as a result.

This is a spiritual treasure belonging to the Lord of Authority, primarily designed to match the Lord of Authority's Dao intent and supernatural powers. It cannot achieve a perfect match with Yang Zhengshan. However, Yang Zhengshan can also improve his compatibility with this artifact by comprehending the Dao intent. As the compatibility increases, the power he wields in controlling life force will also become stronger.

In any case, this artifact of authority is of great benefit to him, at the very least allowing him to more easily unleash the power of decay and prosperity.

"But why doesn't this thing have a spirit?" Yang Zhengshan carefully examined the bamboo staff's spirituality but still couldn't find any spirit.

"Does that mean that instruments of power are devoid of spirits?"

Yang Zhengshan pondered for a long time, but still couldn't figure it out.

It's fine if there's no spirit; it's just that it makes it easier for him to control this bamboo staff. If there were a spirit, it might actually cause him trouble.

"Please, Your Majesty, move your carriage!" Pei Lun suddenly said.

Yang Zhengshan raised his head and nodded slightly, "Very well, let's see what your Pei family is like!"

The Pei family is a large clan with tens of thousands of members, including more than 300 immortal cultivators. Unfortunately, only a few of them have achieved success. Among the more than 300 immortal cultivators, only Pei Lun is a Foundation Establishment cultivator who is about to die.

This is the tragedy of the Pei family, but it is also a path that many immortal cultivation families will inevitably go through.

The vast majority of immortal cultivation families cannot avoid decline; the rise and fall of a family is inevitable.

However, some immortal cultivation families can rise again after being dormant for hundreds or even thousands of years.

The Pei family has already fallen to its lowest point. Once Pei Lun dies, the Pei family will surely perish.

Their spiritual fields will be seized by other families, their resources will become spoils of war, and everything they own will become someone else's spoils. They themselves will either die tragically at the hands of others or become stray dogs, wandering aimlessly.

The Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters is home to many immortal cultivation families. These families rise and fall, constantly struggling, but most of them stop at the level of aristocratic families, finding it difficult to cross the threshold of the immortal race.

The Pei family is very large, almost the size of a town. They have many spirit fields, and the town is surrounded by spirit fields where they grow many medicinal herbs and spirit trees, as well as a lot of spirit rice.

Led by Pei Lun, Yang Zhengshan arrived at the courtyard in the center of Peijia Town.

"Please, Your Excellency!"

In a beautifully decorated tea room on the third floor of the building, Yang Zhengshan sat by the window, overlooking most of Peijia Town and the lush orchards and rice paddies outside the town.

Sandalwood incense is lit, and tea is served.

Pei Lun, trembling slightly, poured Yang Zhengshan a bowl of tea.

Yang Zhengshan looked at his trembling hands and said, "Your lifespan is running out. If you don't want to die too soon, you'd better stabilize your foundation as soon as possible!"

"Dying a day earlier or a day later makes no difference to this old man!" Pei Lun said with a bitter smile.

"That's true!" Yang Zhengshan nodded slightly, agreeing with him.

For Pei Lun, his life was already on a countdown. A few days or months didn't really matter; what mattered was whether he could make proper arrangements for his funeral.

Therefore, he had to stay with Yang Zhengshan and wait for Yang Zhengshan's arrangements.

Yang Zhengshan knew what he was thinking, "If your Pei family wants to rise again, you need a life-or-death ordeal!"

"Throw yourself to death and survive!"

"If the Pei family continues to maintain the status quo, even if I protect them for a hundred years, I will still not be able to escape the fate of destruction!"

He said in a flat tone.

The decline of the Pei family was not due to a lack of geniuses or resources, but rather because the Pei family members lacked the courage and perseverance to forge ahead and keep climbing.

While the protection of a family is beneficial, it can also breed complacent and unambitious spoiled brats, which is a major reason for the decline of many families.

Not to mention the Pei family, even the Yang family has this situation.

Among Yang Zhengshan's many descendants, there were also some unambitious playboys. However, the Yang family had one advantage: they divided the family property. They divided the family property constantly. As soon as someone got married, they would divide the family property, and after that, they had to rely on themselves.

Although the Spirit Source Land provides a basic cultivation stipend, those who want more resources must rely on their own efforts.

Therefore, although there are some lazy and irresponsible people in Lingyuan Land, the vast majority of people are working hard for their future.

(End of this chapter)