The Heavens: Man Covers the Heavens, Refines Treasures to Become an Emperor

Looking at the broken cups and overturned tables and chairs scattered on the floor, and smelling the lingering scent of alcohol and perfume in the air, he frowned slightly.

Jiang Zhong hurriedly started to tidy up, but Jiang Xuan stopped him.

"Uncle Zhong, don't worry about that now. Sit down, I have something to ask you."

Jiang Zhong sat down as instructed, looking at Jiang Xuan respectfully.

A brief silence fell over the hall.

Jiang Xuan rubbed his temples. The days of running around, fighting, and the heavy news of his past had left him feeling mentally exhausted.

The immense pressure weighed on my heart like a mountain.

The blood feud of his parents, the decline and fall of his family, the covetous eyes of various forces in the Forbidden City...

Each one of them is enough to make one breathless.

He had an extremely clear understanding of the perilous nature of his current situation, which was fraught with danger at every turn.

But then he remembered the words in the letter from that mysterious royal figure—"Make a complete upheaval."

I also recalled the old man's parting words and the hidden protection he provided.

"Uncle Zhong, tell me everything you know about the Jiang family and the past. Especially the situation within the Jiang family after that incident fifteen years ago."

Seeing that Jiang Xuan's expression had returned to calm, Jiang Zhong felt somewhat relieved. He gathered his thoughts and slowly began to speak.

"Young Master, our Jiang family was one of the most prestigious aristocratic families in the Forbidden City five hundred years ago!"

At that time, the family boasted a king-level expert in the Life and Death Realm—Ancestor Jiang Daochen—who commanded respect and intimidated the empire! Unfortunately, Ancestor Daochen later perished in a great battle concerning the fate of the empire, causing a gap in the family's top combat power. This led to their fall from a top-tier aristocratic family to a mid-tier one.

His tone was filled with reminiscence and pride, which then turned to sadness.

"However, even as a mid-tier aristocratic family, fifteen years ago, our Jiang family was still a top-tier power in the Forbidden City, second only to the seven superior aristocratic families! We had a deep foundation, and our industries were spread throughout the empire. Until... until that bloody night..."

Jiang Zhong's voice lowered, filled with suppressed grief.

"After that night, the entire lineage of the patriarch was almost wiped out, and the family's top power suffered heavy losses. When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; when the wall collapses, everyone pushes it down! Other top clans, especially the Chi family and a few other families, took the opportunity to join forces and frantically divide up most of the Jiang family's industries and resources."

The Jiang family of today… alas, they are long gone from their former glory. In the hierarchy of powerful clans within the Forbidden City, they can barely be considered a lower-class clan, existing in name only.

Jiang Xuan listened silently, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the back of the chair.

Jiang Zhong continued.

“Our Jiang family originally had five branches. Young Master, your grandfather, Lord Jiang Feiting, was the direct descendant and the head of the family at the time, holding great power in the family. There were also four collateral branches, each managed by one of the four elders.”

After that tragedy, Lord Feiting and Young Master Wenjing perished, and the direct bloodline was almost wiped out. The remaining four collateral branches of the clan, instead of uniting to revive the family, actually…”

The old man's face showed resentment.

"They quickly moved out of Xixin Peak, purchased properties in other areas of the Forbidden City, and settled down. On the surface, they still called themselves members of the Jiang family. But in reality, they had long since split into four independent forces, each secretly vying for power and acting independently!"
This Cleansing Heart Peak, this "mountain of noble lineage" symbolizing the glory of the Jiang family, has been abandoned by them like trash, leaving only this old servant to guard it.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xuan keenly noticed a highly illogical point!

He interrupted Jiang Zhong and asked in a deep voice.

"Uncle Zhong, you said that those four collateral branches of the clan moved away from Xixin Peak very quickly after the incident?"

"Yes, young master."

Jiang Zhong nodded affirmatively.

"They moved away one after another less than six months after the incident."

Jiang Xuan leaned forward slightly.

“This is illogical! Xixin Peak is the ‘mountain of powerful families,’ a symbol of status and position, and a place where the family’s fortune is concentrated! Even if the family suffers a great calamity, as long as this mountain still exists, it means that the Jiang family has not completely fallen and still has the foundation to make a comeback!”

Since those four collateral branches of the clan have already divided up the remaining resources of the family, why would they willingly give up this mountain of extraordinary significance? Why leave you, their direct descendant and old servant, to guard it? Aren't they afraid that other forces will take the opportunity to seize the mountain and completely sever the Jiang family's roots?

Jiang Zhong was taken aback by the question; he had never thought about it in depth before.

They felt that those collateral relatives were ungrateful and only cared about their own enjoyment.

Now that Jiang Xuan had brought it up, he also felt that there was something strange about the matter.

Yes, how important are the powerful clans?

Those elders from the collateral branches are all shrewd people; how could they give up so easily?
“Young Master, I haven’t thought about this question in detail before. However, it seems that the ownership of Xixin Peak is not entirely up to our Jiang family.”

Jiang Xuan's gaze sharpened.

"Oh? How do you say this?"

Jiang Zhong explained.

"This old servant remembers that when the Daoist Ancestor was alive, he made an agreement with the Imperial Family. The ownership of each of these seventy-two 'mountains of powerful clans' must ultimately be approved by the Imperial Family."

Especially peaks like Xixin Peak, which are explicitly designated as belonging to the direct descendants of the Founding Ancestor. According to the rules, only the direct descendants of the Daoist Ancestor are qualified to inherit and reside there.

He looked at Jiang Xuan.

"Young Master, you are the great-grandson of Ancestor Dao Chen, the grandson of Lord Jiang Feiting, and the only son of Young Master Wenjing! In terms of bloodline, you are the rightful and only legitimate holder of Xixin Peak!"
Perhaps… perhaps it is for this reason that, although the royal family has known for many years that Xinxin Peak has been vacant, they have never reclaimed it or bestowed it upon anyone else. They… seem to have long anticipated that you would one day return?”

Jiang Xuan was shocked upon hearing this.

The royal family...it's the royal family again!
That mysterious big shot not only gave him the opportunity to return, but also seemed to have preserved this last foothold for him in some way?

The deeper meaning behind this made him feel even more that the Forbidden City was unfathomable.

He temporarily suppressed these chaotic thoughts, his gaze hardened again, and he looked at Jiang Zhong, asking solemnly.

"Uncle Zhong, in your opinion, if I want to revitalize the Jiang family and restore the clan, where should I begin?"

Looking at Jiang Xuan's young yet resolute face, Jiang Zhong felt both gratified and worried.

He sighed and said frankly.

"Young Master, to be honest, it's difficult, extremely difficult! The Jiang family is now falling apart, surrounded by powerful external enemies, and internally demoralized. Although you have the rightful claim to the family line, you are weak and isolated... However!"

He changed the subject.

"As long as you, young master, have this determination, this old servant will definitely help you with my life! In my humble opinion, the most urgent task is not to immediately start a war with external enemies, but to solve the internal problems and gather strength!"
You need to first understand the true situation of the four collateral branches within the Jiang family, their attitudes, and their plans. Only when the internal situation is initially stable and they are united as one will they have the confidence to compete externally!

Jiang Xuan nodded; Jiang Zhong's thoughts coincided with his own.

To pacify external enemies, one must first secure internal stability; this is an age-old truth.

“Uncle Zhong, you’re right. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Before we make contact with those four collateral branches, I need to understand what our Jiang family has left now.”

Jiang Xuan stood up.

"Take me to the family's library." The library is the foundation of a family's heritage, housing the most important intellectual treasures such as cultivation manuals, combat techniques, and spirit rune diagrams.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhong's face showed sadness and heartache. He opened his mouth, hesitated, and finally let out a long sigh.

"Young master... please follow this old servant."

The two left the chaotic Xixin Hall and walked along a quiet path towards the back of Xixin Peak.

Before long, a magnificent seven-story tower built against the mountain came into view.

The tower is entirely constructed of a dark blue-green boulder, with a simple and ancient style.

Above the main gate hangs a plaque with three powerful characters: "Scripture Repository".

However, the plaque was covered with a thick layer of dust, and there were signs of damage on the edges.

Jiang Zhong took out an ancient token, infused it with a faint spiritual energy, and opened the heavy, dust-covered stone door.

"Squeak-"

The door hinges turned with a harsh grinding sound, and a musty, stale smell wafted out.

When Jiang Xuan stepped into the first floor of the Sutra Repository, the scene before him made his heart clench!
What came into view was a scene of desolation and ruin!

The huge bookshelves that should have been neatly arranged were now leaning to one side and mostly empty.

The few remaining shelves only have a few tattered, worthless ordinary books left.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of dust, and cobwebs were everywhere.

In some places, you can even see dark red, dried bloodstains, as well as charred marks and cracks left by the collision of spiritual energy!

Where is there even a trace of the family's important territory here?

It was clearly a ransacked ruin!

Jiang Zhong's voice trembled as he pointed to the empty hall.

"Young Master...this place...this place originally housed over 37,000 volumes of cultivation manuals and secret techniques of the Human and Yellow Ranks collected by the family, as well as various miscellaneous notes and geographical anecdotes...now, they're all gone..."

Jiang Xuan remained silent as he walked up the dilapidated stairs.

The second floor was also in a mess, with bookshelves overturned and all the books gone.

Jiang Zhong said with a heavy heart.

"This place was once home to 12,000 volumes of profound-level cultivation techniques, introductory texts on spirit runes, and basic manuals on alchemy and weapon crafting..."

The higher the level of the third and fourth layers, the higher the rank of the collectibles, and the more precious they become.

But at this moment, without exception, everything was looted!
All that remained were collapsed bookshelves, thick layers of dust, and the scars left by the battle.

On the fifth floor, Jiang Zhong was overcome with tears.

"This place...this place used to be the core storage place for the family's Earth-rank cultivation techniques and advanced secret skills! Three thousand scrolls! A full three thousand scrolls! It's the accumulation of the family over hundreds of years!"

The sixth floor is much smaller.

But the damage was even more severe, with huge claw marks and sword marks on the walls.

"This is where the Heavenly Rank cultivation techniques and clan-protecting secret manuals are stored... Although there are fewer than a hundred volumes, each one is priceless..."

The seventh floor, which is also the highest floor, is the smallest in size but the most spacious, with only a broken jade platform in the center, which is completely empty.

Jiang Zhong knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Here...here were the [Jiang Clan General Outline] left behind by the Daoist Ancestor and...and the original [Qinglu Secret Manual] that Young Master Wenjing brought back from Qinglu Academy! They're all gone! All gone!"

Looking at the devastated and completely emptied Sutra Pavilion, Jiang Xuan felt a surge of anger in his chest, like a volcano!
He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force, and his nails dug deep into his palms, causing a stinging pain, but it was nothing compared to the pain and anger in his heart!
This is the root of the Jiang family! It is the lifeblood of the family's legacy!
Now, however, it has been uprooted and looted!
He forcefully suppressed his surging murderous intent.

"Uncle Zhong, do you remember who participated in the looting of the Sutra Pavilion back then? Write down all the names you can think of."

Jiang Zhong wiped away his tears and nodded quickly.

"This old servant...this old servant remembers some! Mainly people sent by the Chi family, the Zhao family, and the Li family..."

Jiang Xuan interrupted him, his gaze sharp as a knife, piercing Jiang Zhong's heart, and asked a crucial question.

"Among the four collateral branches of our Jiang family... were any members involved at the time? Or... were any members... tacitly approved of, or even guided, this looting?"

Jiang Zhong's body trembled violently, his face turned deathly pale, his lips trembled, and his eyes darted around, as if he had something difficult to say.

He opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't utter a single word; he simply lowered his head deeply.

Although Jiang Zhong did not give a clear answer.

But his dramatic reaction and silence said it all!
Jiang Xuan, seeing Jiang Zhong's reaction, already knew the answer in his heart.

After leaving the looted Scripture Pavilion, Jiang Zhong led Jiang Xuan to inspect several other core forbidden areas on Xixin Peak.

The Spirit Treasure Vault was originally a key place for the Jiang family to store various spiritual artifacts and magical treasures, and it is said to have been at its peak.

The total number of spiritual artifacts, ranging from human-grade, yellow-grade, and black-grade to earth-grade and heaven-grade, and even some powerful weapons of war, exceeds ten thousand!

However, at this moment, the huge warehouse was completely empty.

All that remained were some rusty, broken iron frames and scattered empty boxes; not even a decent magical artifact was left.

The Danzanglou Pavilion was once filled with the fragrance of elixirs, housing various rare elixirs and prescriptions accumulated by the Jiang family over hundreds of years.

Now all that remains are the overturned fragments of the alchemy furnace and the mess of medicinal dregs scattered all over the ground.

The Beast Taming Pool, which once housed many rare spirit beasts with ancient bloodlines, has now dried up.

Only a few broken chains and withered bones remained.

The Spirit Herb Garden was once filled with medicinal herbs, rare flowers and exotic plants vying for beauty, and a place brimming with spiritual energy.

Now it is a desolate place, overgrown with weeds, with only a few ordinary, worthless wild grasses swaying in the wind.

As Jiang Xuan walked around the circle, his heart sank deeper and deeper.

The Jiang family's centuries of accumulation have culminated in Xixin Peak, a symbol of their prestigious clan's glory.

Apart from the empty mountainside and a few dilapidated buildings, it was almost completely looted!
This is not just a loss of resources, but also a trampling and destruction of the Jiang family's dignity!

Returning to the empty and chaotic Cleansing Heart Hall, Jiang Xuan sat silently in the only chair, remaining silent for a long time.

Only he and Jiang Zhong remained in the hall, the atmosphere so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

Looking at Jiang Xuan's furrowed brows and cold face, Jiang Zhong was filled with worry and guilt, and said in a trembling voice. (End of this chapter)