Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 840 The Relic Array Activated, the Northern Normal Family

Ming Shuzi, the Foundation Establishment Elder of the Netherworld Sect, stood on the hillside, gazing intently at the profound ancient formation.

He wore a dark purple Taoist robe with cloud patterns, the cuffs were embroidered with silver chain patterns, and a black iron belt around his waist, adorned with nine bronze lock-shaped jade pendants.

His pupils were grayish-white and swirling, and when he stared at them, faint shadows could be seen flowing around them. Ordinary cultivators would feel their souls tremble when they looked at him.

Ming Shuzi possesses the cultivation level of the late Foundation Establishment stage and is one of the important high-ranking members of the Netherworld Prison Sect.

The fact that the Netherworld Sect sent him personally to oversee this matter demonstrates the importance the Netherworld Sect attaches to the ancient remnant array.

In fact, the Netherworld Sect had long coveted the ancient remnant array. The resources and cultivation techniques within the array were irresistible temptations for them.

"Elder, they're about to break the formation!" a tall man beside him warned.

He is Liu Changfeng, a martial arts master of the Netherworld Sect, and also an elder, but his status in the Netherworld Sect is far inferior to that of Ming Shuzi.

The Netherworld Sect is also a sect that primarily focuses on martial artists, but it places far greater emphasis on immortal cultivation than the Three Spiritual Sects. Although the Three Spiritual Sects have always wanted to cultivate Golden Core cultivators, their actual investment in immortal cultivation is far from sufficient, as can be seen from the case of True Person Mirror Water of the Illusion Moon Sect.

If the Illusion Moon Sect could provide True Person Mirror Water with more resources, True Person Mirror Water might not be able to reach the Golden Core Realm, but would still have a great chance to enter the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Compared to the three Lingxiu sects, the Youyu Sect invests much more in immortal cultivators, and the immortal cultivators have a very high status in the Youyu Sect. For example, Ming Shuzi's status in the Youyu Sect is second only to a few martial immortal experts.

Upon hearing Liu Changfeng's reminder, Ming Shuzi, who was observing the ancient remnant array, turned his head to look towards the Lingxiu Three Sects.

Duan Qingyun was once again in charge of activating the formation for the three Lingxiu sects, while the old monk Shanyuan came from the Wuxiang sect and Yue Su came from the Huanyue sect.

Besides these, there were also Shi Yuqian from the Beishi family, Sun Bugu from the Sun family, Nong Yutian from the Nong family, and Lu Fusheng also came, but he could only be considered a junior among these martial arts masters.

Duan Qingyun glanced at the Youyumen members, then exchanged a look with Shanyuan and Yuesu. The three of them stepped forward, preparing to open the gap in the ancient formation.

Ming Shuzi watched this scene quietly from a short distance away.

Duan Qingyun and the other two unleashed a burst of true energy almost simultaneously, piercing straight into the ancient formation.

"So it was about breaking a node in the formation, but where is that node located?"

A grayish-white light flashed in Ming Shuzi's eyes as he gazed thoughtfully at the broken ruins.

It's not easy to break through an ancient formation like this, even if its power is only a small fraction of what it once was. It's still beyond the capabilities of an ordinary formation master.

Ming Shuzi was a second-tier array master, and his expertise in array formations was extremely high.

However, he was also helpless in the face of the ancient formation.

Now, watching Duan Qingyun and the other two break the formation, he could discern some of the tricks, but he still couldn't see the full picture of the ancient formation.

The group entered the ancient formation one by one. The whole process was quiet and eerie, but there was no disturbance. It seemed that both sides were restraining themselves to avoid any unnecessary conflict.

The personnel sent into the ancient formation this time are different from those in the past. In the past, the three sects and twelve families would send a group of old people who were about to die to risk their lives, but this time they sent in elite warriors.

The reason for this was that the people sent by the Netherworld Sect were the elite of the elite. The three sects of Lingxiu could not be outdone, so they sent a group of elite warriors. At the same time, they also wanted to prevent the people of the Netherworld Sect from going on a killing spree in the ruins.

As everyone entered the ancient formation, the gaps in the formation slowly closed up again.

Just as they activated the ancient array, Yang Zhengshan was standing under a tree on a distant mountaintop, watching them.

This time, he was relatively close to the place where the ancient array was activated, less than ten miles away. Standing on high ground, he could have a clear view of the situation inside the mountain valley.

Once the ancient formation was activated, everyone entered it. Yang Zhengshan stroked his beard and thought for a moment, "It seems that nothing should happen here in the short term!"

Once the gap in the ancient array is closed, it will be a month before it can be opened again. Even if there is a problem inside the ancient array, those outside will have to wait a month to find out.

As for the situation inside the ancient formation, Yang Zhengshan really wanted to go in and take a look, but unfortunately he could no longer enter the formation.

Golden Body Realm warriors cannot enter the ancient ruins formation, nor can Foundation Establishment cultivators. Once Yang Zhengshan enters the ancient ruins formation, he will be attacked by the protective formation.

Yang Zhengshan glanced at the location of the mountain hollow and was about to leave when he suddenly felt a spiritual sense sweeping towards him.

Yang Zhengshan narrowed his eyes slightly and turned to look at the mountain valley again.

In the mountain valley, Ming Shuzi was looking towards the mountain where Yang Zhengshan was, and their gazes and spiritual senses collided almost simultaneously.

"Such powerful spiritual awareness!"

Both of them thought the same thing to themselves.

In terms of spiritual power alone, Yang Zhengshan is comparable to a cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage, and is almost no less capable than Ming Shuzi, who is in the late Foundation Establishment stage.

As Yang Zhengshan watched Ming Shuzi's figure, his own figure, shrouded in a black robe, slowly disappeared from the spot.

Ming Shuzi's pupils suddenly contracted. "Who is this person? Such bizarre methods!"

Yang Zhengshan's method of disappearing into thin air was extremely strange in his eyes. Just now, he was using his spiritual sense to detect Yang Zhengshan, but after Yang Zhengshan disappeared, his spiritual sense also disappeared. When his spiritual sense swept over, only an empty mountaintop remained.

He frowned and thought for a while, but ultimately couldn't figure it out, so he could only suppress his doubts for the time being.

Meanwhile, Yang Zhengshan returned to the Land of Spiritual Origin. The ancient remnant array was just a setup for him, and whether it succeeded or not didn't really affect him much.

His targeting of the Impermanent Ghost Sect was merely to vent Xuanzhen's anger; as for the rest, if the sky were to fall, the tall ones would hold it up.

The current Lingxiu Sea is supported by three major sects. Even if the three major sects are no longer able to hold on, isn't there still Cangjian Mountain?

All he needs to do is fish in troubled waters and incidentally make some profit for the Spirit Source Land.

Therefore, he only went to take a look and then returned to the Spirit Source Land to continue his cultivation and alchemy as usual.

……

In the legacy formation, in the Gong Chuan Hall.

A hazy gray mist completely enveloped the ghost woman's figure. The gray mist seemed to absorb light, making the entire Transmission Hall much dimmer.

After more than ten days of cultivation, the ghost woman had transformed one-third of her magical power into Xuan Yin magical power.

Although she has not yet completed the transformation of her cultivation technique, she can now use a portion of the Xuan Yin magic power.

Just as the demon woman was immersed in her cultivation, her subordinate outside the hall suddenly reported, "Demon Woman, someone is here?"

The ghost woman's pale face showed an angry expression. "Who is it?"

"I don't know, but it seems like a lot of people are coming this way!" the subordinate replied.

"A lot of people!" The ghost woman stood up, somewhat surprised and uncertain.

At this point, she already knew that she was in a great formation. Of course, she didn't know that this was the famous ancient formation; she just thought that she was trapped here.

She suspected that the black-robed man who brought her here had some ulterior motive. In any case, she imagined many conspiracies and schemes, but she never considered the possibility of an ancient remnant array.

The ancient remnant array is no secret in the Soul-Severing Blade Sect. Even Mo Xuanyu wanted to get his hands on it. However, their main focus was on building the Myriad Ghost Blood Pool, and they hadn't taken any action for the ancient remnant array.

The ghost woman only knew that there were many rare and precious materials in the ancient ruins, but she did not know the specific details of the ancient ruins, so she would never forget to think about this aspect.

Hearing that many people were coming this way, the ghost woman flashed out of the main hall and arrived at the stone steps.

She looked towards the distant jungle and, sure enough, saw figures approaching at an extremely fast speed.

"Who are they?"

Filled with doubt, the ghost woman turned to look at the Transmission Hall, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Withdraw!"

By this time, she had figured out the function of the Transmission Hall and knew that she could no longer gain any other benefits from it, so she retreated without any regrets.

Of course, this doesn't mean she's going to abandon the Hall of Transmission; she just wants to see what those people are here for.

We can't make contact with a group of people of unknown origin without careful observation first.

And so they quickly retreated into the surrounding mountains and forests. The sparse forests could not conceal their figures, but they were the Soul-Severing Blades, and their greatest skill was concealment.

A day later, the ghost woman looked at the martial artist in front of her, who had been tortured beyond recognition, her face grim and uncertain.

"The Netherworld Gate? An ancient remnant formation?"

"How could this be an ancient remnant formation?"

She looked around blankly at the uneven ground, the sparse vegetation, and the lifeless forest. She simply couldn't connect this place with the legendary ancient ruins.

Who doesn't know that there are countless rare and precious materials in the ancient ruins? But where are these rare and precious materials?

Why can't we see even a single plant or tree with spiritual energy?
"Damn it, what the hell is going on?"

The ghost woman felt her mind was about to explode. She had too many questions in her mind, one after another, making her feel as if she were trapped in a mystery.

Why did the ancient formation turn out like this?
Who is that person? Why did they send me here?
"Don't let me find out who you are, or I'll definitely use your soul to light the soul lamp!"

The ghost woman growled through gritted teeth.

"Sir, it's terrible! They've discovered us!"

"Damn it, let's go!"

Although the Ghost Woman and her group tried their best to hide their tracks, those who entered the ruins this time were all elites from the Netherworld Sect and the Three Sects and Twelve Families. No matter how good they were at concealing themselves, they would still leave clues. In just one day, someone discovered their existence.

Then a chaotic battle broke out within the ancient ruins.

The Netherworld Sect and the Lingxiu Sect could not trust each other. Initially, they did not know that there were ghost women and others in the ruins, so when they discovered that there was a problem with their own people, they immediately suspected the other side.

Over the course of several days, they engaged in several battles, resulting in more than twenty deaths and injuries.

But they soon discovered that the ghost woman and others were not part of the plan.

Then they began to besiege the ghost woman and her companions.

And so, a series of epic battles of hunting and counter-attack unfolded within the ancient ruins.

……

The ancestral home of the Beishi family is located in Yunyuan Valley on the southern slope of the Yunxiao Mountains. The valley is deep and reaches into the clouds, with clouds and mist swirling around it like an abyss.

At the valley entrance, two peaks stand facing each other like a gate, with clouds and mist surging like waves all year round. In the morning light, rainbows often pierce through them, making it seem like the entrance to a fairyland.

Upon entering the valley, the most striking sight is the Azure Dragon Waterfall cascading down from the mountaintop, like a silver ribbon suspended in the air. The splashing water mist condenses into tiny rainbows under the sunlight, and a clear pool gathers at the bottom of the waterfall, shimmering in the light. The pool is surrounded by lush vegetation, with vines entwining the ancient rocks, exuding vitality.

The buildings in the valley are built according to the terrain, with wooden pavilions scattered on both sides of the stream. Bronze wind chimes hang between the upturned eaves, and when a breeze blows, the tinkling sound echoes the babbling of the water.

The outlines of palaces and pavilions appear and disappear in the clouds and mist. The mountain wind sweeps by, bringing up waves of clouds. The entire valley is like a golden dream that has been crushed. The beauty of nature and the simplicity of architecture intertwine here, outlining a tranquil and magnificent landscape scroll.

Such a meaningful landscape showcases the profound heritage and strength of Beijing Normal University.

The Bei Shi family has three martial god powerhouses: Shi Yuqian, known as the number one person below the martial immortal; Shi Pingshan, a master of martial arts weapon forging; and Shi Shengyuan, a young prodigy. The three martial gods represent three generations: old, middle-aged, and young. The youngest, Shi Pingshan, is only 120 years old now, and he achieved the status of martial god by forging his golden body when he was over 80 years old.

With these three martial gods in charge, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Bei Shi family can be guaranteed to prosper for two hundred years.

Shi Shengyuan's residence is Lingyun Residence, which is perched on Eagle Beak Cliff in Lingyun Stream. The wooden pavilion is embedded in the cliff face, and the copper bells on the eaves sway gently.

Inside the wooden pavilion, Shi Shengyuan lay sprawled on a bamboo couch, his black hair held back with a bamboo chopstick, looking particularly disheveled. His Taoist robe was wrinkled and looked rather slovenly.

Beside it, wine jars were piled up haphazardly on the ground, a chessboard on the table was half-broken with pieces, and some scrolls were scattered everywhere.

A mountain breeze drifted in through the window, swept across the chessboard, and opened a book. Shi Shengyuan, lying on the bamboo couch, tugged at his cloak to cover his unkempt face.

"Cough cough~~"

Just then, a cough sounded outside the wooden pavilion, "Shengyuan, Shengyuan~"

A slightly hoarse voice came from outside the door. Shi Shengyuan peeked out from under his cloak, looking somewhat listless. "Uncle, what is it?"

With a creak, the wooden door opened, and Shi Pingshan stepped into the wooden pavilion.

He looked at the messy room, smelled the strong smell of alcohol, and a look of dissatisfaction flashed across his face.

"Without our ancestors around, can't you be a little more vigilant!"

Shi Shengyuan sat up and looked at the wine jar next to him with blurry, drunken eyes.

"This Drunken Immortal Brew is truly excellent; even I've been intoxicated by it!"

"Haha, Uncle, I was caught off guard and fell for the trick of this Drunken Immortal Wine!"

Shi Shengyuan chuckled awkwardly.

The Drunken Immortal Brew naturally comes from the land of spiritual origins. After cooperating with the Illusion Moon Sect, the Drunken Immortal Brew was sold to various places in the land of spiritual beauty.

Shi Shengyuan was a connoisseur of fine wine. After hearing that the Huan Yue Sect's shops sold good wine, he sent someone to buy some.

Then he became the most loyal supporter of this Drunken Immortal Wine, drinking a jar every day, and sometimes even getting completely drunk.

Shi Pingshan sighed helplessly; he had no way to deal with his nephew.

Shi Shengyuan is good in every way, except that his personality is a bit unreliable. Despite being a Martial God, he doesn't have the demeanor and aura that a Martial God should have. Instead, he acts like a carefree playboy.

(End of this chapter)