Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 196 Confusion
The giant toad was clever; it knew that the thick fog that could seal off a space was created by Luo Yao.

Now that the old wolf has been killed, he has lost his helper and he definitely can't win against two opponents alone.

He could hear the commotion outside the mist-shrouded peaks, and his current goal was to attack Luo Yao with all his might, preventing her from fully controlling the magic artifact's seal.

In this way, their own brothers outside the thick fog can break through the blockade and break in more quickly.

This is my only way to survive.

The glittering gold coins crashed towards Luo Yao like a mountain, their terrifying force causing Luo Yao's expression to change slightly.

Just as she hesitated whether to abandon her attack on the giant toad with the fog chains and instead defend herself against the attack, a figure suddenly appeared in front of her.

Shen Wen'an held his sword in one hand. When the huge coin crashed towards him, he remained calm and used the Dragon Slayer Sword to slash a sword beam at the void in front of him!
Wow!

The air was like a clear pool of water, but his sword strike stirred up large ripples.

These ripples surged and formed towering waves, crashing one after another against the golden coin!

Layer upon layer of tidal waves were smashed by the golden copper coin, seemingly unable to withstand the opponent's attack at all.

However, the giant toad that was controlling the golden coins was feeling so frustrated and upset that it felt like it was going to vomit blood.

Although Shen Wen'an's move did not seem to block the impact of the golden coin, the strange tidal force repeatedly impacted the demonic energy within his body through its connection with the golden coin.

At this moment, the giant toad felt its demonic energy being washed away by wave after wave of tidal forces, and it was being consumed very quickly.

Under such circumstances, if he continued to attack, it was uncertain whether he could seriously injure the two of them, but he would definitely consume most of his demonic energy.

The enormous golden copper coin in the air continued to crash towards them, getting closer and closer to Shen Wen'an and Luo Yao.

Upon seeing this, Shen Wen'an held the sword in his right hand and brought his left hand together with his sword fingers, then gently stroked the blade of the Dragon Slayer Sword. The originally crimson Dragon Slayer Sword suddenly emitted a dazzling light!

As the sword energy on the Dragon Slayer Sword grew stronger, the giant waves in the void in front of them, which had been shattered by the golden copper coins, suddenly stretched out, forming water swords in the blink of an eye!

Zheng!
The moment thousands of water swords took shape, a faint sword intent locked onto the giant toad's body!
"Sword intent!?"

"Damn it, how could this kid, at such a high level and such a young age, have already grasped the rudimentary form of sword intent?!"

"This is no food for the soul, it's a deadly harbinger of death!"

With its body locked by thousands of water swords, the giant toad immediately cried out in horror.

"Fellow Daoists of the human race, let me discuss something with you!"

"Let's treat this as a friendly spar and not let it damage our relationship."

The giant toad cried out urgently, "Fellow sword cultivator, please withdraw your supernatural powers, and fairy, please withdraw this thick fog and let me out."

"I swear that I will never again step across the Void Harmony Corridor Formation in my lifetime!"

At that moment, he was truly afraid.

A swordsman who has grasped the essence of swordsmanship is on a completely different level from one who has not.

Shen Wen'an's move of turning water into a sword had already made him feel the danger of death.

With his body locked in by the sword intent, he had no chance of escaping even if he wanted to.

After all, no matter how fast you are, you can't outrun a cultivator's divine sense.

"go with!"

Shen Wen'an ignored his pleas for mercy and immediately waved his sword, sending thousands of water swords blotting out the sky as they rushed toward the giant toad.

Things have developed to this point, it's a matter of life or death, there's absolutely no chance of reconciliation.

Time was of the essence, and he couldn't afford to argue with this beast; his only option was to deal with him as quickly as possible!

Seeing that there was no room for negotiation, the giant toad sighed and said:
"Cultivation is already difficult enough, why risk your life for it..."

"We're about to suffer huge losses."

Before the words were even finished, the giant toad opened its mouth wide, and its scarlet tongue shot out like lightning, pulling the golden coin in mid-air back and swallowing it.

Then, he closed his eyes, lowered his body, and a large amount of golden light instantly emanated from his body!

After these golden lights emanated from the body, they directly formed a huge, transparent phantom of a golden toad, protecting its body within!

The thousands of water swords in the sky had already attacked him. As soon as the golden cicada phantom appeared, a large number of water swords crashed into it one after another!
Bang!
Bang!
……

In an instant, the giant toad's figure was submerged by the water sword, and only the sharp whistling of the water sword cutting through the air and the deep drumming sound produced by the impact on the golden toad's phantom remained in this space!

However, the water sword had been used up by more than half, but it had failed to break through the golden toad phantom on the surface of the giant toad. Then, the golden dragon soul magic sword slowly appeared in front of Shen Wen'an.

"go with!"

With a flick of his sword finger, the Dragon Soul Sword vanished in a flash!
next moment!
Just as the giant toad was relying on the golden toad phantom to block the attack of thousands of water swords, it suddenly caught a glimpse of a golden light flying rapidly from among the water swords.

He hurriedly stirred up the demonic energy within his body, held his breath and concentrated, maximizing the effect of the golden cicada phantom.

However, this Dragon Soul Sword was originally the weapon of the swordsman in the past, and it was refined by Shen Wen'an into his natal sword. Its power is far beyond that of ordinary flying swords.

The three-inch Dragon Soul Sword pierced through numerous water swords and crashed heavily into the golden toad phantom!

A terrifying explosion rang out, and then, the golden toad phantom spread outwards in a series of winding cracks from the spot where the Dragon Soul Sword had pierced it.

Seeing this, Shen Wen'an slightly hooked his sword finger and pointed again!
The Dragon Soul Sword spun once in the air before swooping down again!

Click!

The two attacks landed in the same spot, and the golden toad phantom seemed unable to withstand it any longer, letting out a cracking sound like jade shattering, cracks spreading all over it!
The giant toad panicked.

This golden toad protection is his most powerful innate divine ability, which he did not use when he fought Luo Yao earlier.

If this attack is breached, there will be no other means to withstand the ferocious attack of a swordsman.

"Twenty breaths have passed..."

After estimating the time, a cold glint flashed in Shen Wen'an's eyes. The Dragon Soul Sword spun in the air and charged forward once more!

boom!
With this attack, the golden toad phantom shattered into countless fragments!
puff!
puff!
……

The water swords that followed immediately pierced the giant toad's body, each carrying a burst of sword energy.

The giant toad screamed and stirred up its demonic energy, causing its body to expand rapidly!

"Wen'an, be careful!"

Upon seeing this, Luo Yao immediately made a hand seal, causing two chains of mist to wrap around the rapidly expanding body of the giant toad!
boom!
Just as the two chains of mist wrapped around his body, the giant toad's body exploded with a bang!

A sword energy shield quickly formed in front of Shen Wen'an, but his body was blown away by the terrifying explosive force, knocking Luo Yao behind him back dozens of steps.

"Wen'an, are you alright?"

After regaining her balance, Luo Yao hurriedly flew to Shen Wen'an's side. Seeing that he was unharmed, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Did that beast self-destruct?"

Shen Wen'an frowned slightly as he looked at the smoke and dust rising from the explosion not far away.

Something feels wrong.

"Ok?"

Just as Luo Yao was about to say something, she suddenly felt a golden light quietly slip into the crack in the ground below, taking advantage of the smoke and dust kicked up by the explosion!

"Want to run?"

With a flick of his finger, two chains of mist flew out from the surrounding thick fog and precisely pierced into the crack!

"Why must you, fellow Daoist, be so ruthless as to exterminate them all?!"

The mist chains swiftly rose, revealing a golden toad, the size of a watermelon and seemingly cast entirely in gold, tightly bound by the mist chains and struggling violently.

Seeing this, Shen Wen'an flashed forward and arrived with his sword.

However, they discovered that the golden toad's aura was extremely weak, and its cultivation level seemed to have fallen to the early stage of the embryonic breathing stage.

"Is this your true form?"

Shen Wen'an said in a deep voice, and immediately swung his sword to kill him completely!

"Fellow Taoist, spare your life!"

"This little demon is willing to submit!"

The golden toad cried out in horror, "My little demon's first body has been destroyed, my cultivation level has plummeted, and I am now extremely weak."

"I pose no threat to you, fellow Daoist. I hope you will consider the hardships I have endured in my cultivation and grant me a way out."

Luo Yao flew over and examined the golden toad for a moment before saying in a deep voice, "This thing should contain a trace of the bloodline of an ancient demon. It would be a pity to kill it."

"Yeah!"

"The fairy is right, it would be a pity to kill her..."

The golden toad opened its mouth obsequiously.

Shen Wen'an hesitated before speaking, "These demons are cunning. Who knows if he's just playing along now, and once he recovers, he'll join forces with the demons outside again..."

Luo Yao smiled faintly upon hearing this, and with a flash of light in her hand, she took out a purple rope from her storage bag.

The rope was strung with a jade piece at intervals, and strange inscriptions were engraved on the jade pieces.

"This item was found in the storage bag of Lord He when we killed him."

"It has a remarkable effect against demonic beasts."

As Luo Yao spoke, she directly channeled her spiritual energy into the purple rope.

The purple rope emitted a faint glow, and then it tightly bound the golden toad!
In an instant, the demonic energy within the golden toad was suppressed and sealed by a peculiar power, making it resemble an ordinary toad.

The misty chains slowly dissipated, and the golden toad fell to the ground, struggling a few times but unable to even turn over.

"This thing is quite amazing..."

Shen Wen'an came up to the golden toad and kicked it, knocking it over several times before picking it up. After looking it over, he suddenly remembered that Shen Li had asked him to help find some toads, centipedes, and the like.

She'll probably like this golden toad in front of her.

“Senior Luo, there are some juniors in the clan who like this kind of monster. I would like to take this back to her to show her first.”

Luo Yao nodded.

Luoxia Mountain is not skilled in taming beasts, so if there is no way to tame this golden toad, it is not of much value to keep it.

"The crisis is not over yet, and we are still in a tough battle against those monsters outside."

"Wen'an, do you still want to recover?"

Luo Yao spoke in a deep voice.

After a series of battles, Shen Wen'an's sword energy should be running low.

"Need not."

Shen Wen'an carefully sensed the sword energy within his body and spoke.

This kind of exertion cannot be recovered from in a short time. More than forty breaths have already passed, so we can no longer let Luo Yao struggle alone to buy him time to recover.

Seven demonic beasts came from the Southern Frontier this time, and four of them have already left. With Luo Yao around, if they are not defeated, they should be able to retreat unscathed.

"Senior, please remove this fog that shrouds the thousand peaks."

Shen Wen'an spoke, and Luo Yao did not insist. She immediately made a hand seal and withdrew the Mist Locking Thousand Peaks.

The surrounding mist slowly dissipated, and the two figures gradually appeared before the three demons.

The green-faced snake demon glanced at the two of them, its gaze then falling on the golden toad that Shen Wen'an was holding in his hand.

"Fourth Brother, Ninth Brother has been killed by them."

Another late-stage Nascent Soul demon beast in front of the Green-Faced Snake Demon noticed the corpse of the Wolf Demon in the distance and spoke with a solemn expression.

All the demons belong to the Demon Cave of Mount Wu, and they are very familiar with each other's strength.

Although the wolf demon was not very strong, it was cautious and cunning, skilled in sneak attacks, and had many ways to protect itself.

Since he and the golden toad were trapped, less than half a quarter of an hour has passed, and one of the two demons has been killed and the other captured alive.

This scene shocked the remaining three monsters.

The green-faced snake demon's vertical pupils darted back and forth between Luo Yao and Shen Wen'an, as if hesitating whether to continue the fight.

Rumble!
Rumble!
Just then, a roar suddenly came from the distant jungle, and a large number of ancient trees were mercilessly knocked down, and a thick cloud of poisonous miasma quickly swept in.

"Third Uncle, the helpers have arrived!"

In the distance, Shen Chongming shouted.

Upon hearing this, the green-faced snake demon and the other two demonic beasts' expressions changed slightly.

"Fourth Brother, there are reinforcements on the other side..."

"Judging from this commotion, it must be another Nascent Soul Realm demon general skilled in using poison. Shall we... retreat?"

Upon hearing this, the green-faced snake demon's eyes flashed with a thoughtful expression.

"The enemy has sent reinforcements of unknown strength..."

"This time I have already swallowed that stupid ox and a late-stage Nascent Soul Immortal Embryo, and the harvest is quite plentiful."

"We don't have much of an advantage right now. It would be safest to go back and refine the immortal embryo and the stupid ox's cultivation first."

"Once my strength has increased, it won't be too late to collect these blood offerings..."

The green-faced snake demon thought for a moment, then suddenly waved his hand and shouted, "Retreat!"

Before he finished speaking, his figure suddenly transformed into a small green snake and vanished into the distance in an instant!

The other two monsters also used their own methods to quickly escape the battlefield!
Seeing this, Shen Wen'an and Luo Yao both breathed a sigh of relief.

Despite their previous success in slaying the wolf demon and capturing the golden toad, these two were not fooled by their ability to do so.

But this green-faced snake demon is stronger than the other demonic beasts!

As for the centipede leader who arrived, he had only recently broken through to the embryonic breathing stage and hadn't even reached the mid-stage yet, so this was nothing more than a bluff.

If a fight were to break out, they might not be a match for the three demons.

Fortunately, the Green-Faced Snake Demon was also a suspicious person and chose to retreat.

Just as the two of them breathed a sigh of relief, the centipede leader began to run wildly, spewing venomous miasma and twisting its body, stirring up dust and smashing down ancient trees to bolster its own power.

"All right."

"The enemy has left."

Seeing its appearance, Shen Wen'an shook his head helplessly and spoke.

Upon hearing this, the centipede leader immediately stopped what it was doing, raised its head to look around, and seeing that there was no trace of the enemy, it breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I'm exhausted..."

"How about that? Pretty imposing, huh?"

Shen Wen'an smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "Not bad, very intelligent."

The centipede leader was very pleased to receive the praise and said:
"The monsters at the camp have all been driven back, and this crisis is over."

Has it passed?

Shen Wen'an looked at the fox demon and wolf demon corpses that had manifested their true forms, and then at the golden toad in his hand.

The demon cave in the southern border region attacked with great force, but suffered heavy damage. This time, it will not let the matter rest.

And then there's the Flint Cult...

He had come in such a hurry that he hadn't bothered to investigate why the Firefly Sect had sent three experts at the late stage of the Nascent Soul Realm all the way to Hidden Dragon Mountain to assassinate Shen Chongming.

His gaze fell on Shen Chongming, who was walking from a distance, as he fell into deep thought.

"Wen'an, now that this matter is settled, I should return."

As Luo Yao spoke, a flash of light appeared in her hand, and she took out a communication stone and handed it over: "If you encounter a crisis again in the future, just send a message to me. Don't be reckless."

Interrupted from his thoughts, Shen Wen'an quickly cupped his hands and said, "Thank you very much for your help, Senior Luo."

After smiling and nodding, Luo Yao flew away.

"Third Uncle, are you alright?"

Shen Chongming came up to him and, seeing that his face was somewhat pale, asked with concern.

"It's nothing, just overexertion."

Shen Wen'an shook his head, then looked around and spread his divine sense.

They found the pair of bronze rings that the long-browed elder of the Flintfire Cult had previously offered up in the jungle.

Sure enough, the bronze ring had patterns similar to those on the previous bronze fragments, suggesting that the two were made from the same piece.

As he put the pair of exquisite copper rings into his storage bag, he thought of the two canine teeth he had seized from the wolf demon.

He then took it out and handed it to Shen Chongming, saying:

"You should like this."

Shen Chongming reached out and took it, frowning as he examined it, asking with great curiosity, "What is this?"

The two canine teeth were quite ordinary, without any special aura, just like the teeth of an ordinary wild animal.

With a smile, Shen Wen'an explained, "This item can penetrate a cultivator's spiritual energy shield, and it will be of great use to you."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming's eyes lit up instantly.

He really likes this!

Every time he planned a sneak attack, the cultivator's spiritual energy shield was a major headache for him. Now that he had this thing, the success rate of his sneak attacks would be greatly improved in the future.

The uncle and nephew carefully cleaned up the battlefield and found the longsword of the Fire Sect that did not require a man and the old woman's wooden staff. The only valuable spoils left were the corpses of two Nascent Soul Realm demon beasts.

After putting all these things into his storage bag, Shen Wen'an said in a deep voice, "The Flintfire Sect has been targeting you for some reason. You need to be extra careful in the mountains this time."

"If all else fails, go home first and come back when you break through to the fetal breathing stage."

Shen Chongming pondered for a moment and then shook his head: "Let Chonghong go back."

"After Uncle goes back, he should tell Father about Chonghong's marriage so that he can prepare in advance."

"The southern border region, having suffered this severe blow, should not be attacked again in the short term."

Shen Wen'an nodded and immediately flew away from the mountains on his sword.

……

Blackwater Pavilion.

But the white jade tortoise shell in the sea eventually returned to calm and stopped issuing warnings.

Shen Yuan's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled back into his stomach.

He slowly stood up, looked out the window, and couldn't help but sigh softly.

The enemy is getting stronger and stronger, while the Shen family currently only has Shen Wen'an as a capable fighter.

"Time..."

His eyes were deep as he gazed at the shimmering water and murmured something in a low voice.

The Shen family currently has no shortage of talent, and its resources are barely sufficient to meet its needs.

What we lack most is time.

If the Shen family had been given thirty years of stable development, they wouldn't be living in such constant fear.

As he stood there deep in thought, the array outside the Blackwater Pavilion rippled slightly, and then a sound came from the second floor.

Suppressing his thoughts, Shen Yuan slowly walked to the second floor of the Blackwater Pavilion.

Shen Wen'an was taking out all the spoils of the trip, with a golden toad tied up like a rice dumpling beside him.

Hearing the noise, he turned around, cupped his hands slightly, and said, "Father."

Shen Yuan nodded, and seeing his pale face, felt a pang of sadness.

"Is the enemy very strong in this battle?"

Shen Wen'an nodded and briefly recounted his encounter with the Suihuo Sect and the demon cultivators from the Southern Frontier.

"Why do you think the Firefly Sect hasn't suddenly attacked Chongming?"

He still hasn't figured this out.

After pondering for a long time, Shen Yuan said in a low voice, "It's hard to say about this."

“Chongming has great talent. The Flint Sect may have discovered this and is afraid that he will grow stronger.”

“But… just because of these things, it wouldn’t be enough for the other side to send three late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators to assassinate him…” “Have your older brother find someone to investigate this matter later.”

"I always felt that there was something wrong with the Flint Cult."

In the cultivation world, it is quite normal to assassinate promising juniors from opposing forces at all costs.

However, the way the Flint Cult operates is somewhat strange, and it would be best to figure it out as soon as possible.

Shen Wen'an nodded and then picked up the golden toad at his feet, saying:

"The harvest this time was not great. Apart from two magic artifacts, I also caught a golden toad at the Nascent Soul stage."

"This beast originally had the strength of the late stage of the Fetal Breathing Realm, but it was injured by its child, and now its realm has fallen to the early stage of the Fetal Breathing Realm."

"I wonder if the fox can subdue him."

Shen Yuan was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.

The purple rope suppressed the golden toad's demonic energy, so much so that he didn't immediately realize that this thing was actually a demonic beast at the Nascent Soul stage.

"You can try, but you need to follow along during the taming process and make sure he doesn't hurt the fox."

"I will take these things upstairs."

Shen Wen'an nodded and carried the golden toad downstairs.

Seeing that Shen Li was diligently cultivating, Shen Wen'an came up to her and called out softly.

"Li'er, look what your third uncle brought you!"

Shen Li slowly opened her eyes and looked at the golden toad in her hand. Her eyes lit up instantly!
"Where did Third Uncle catch him?"

Shen Wen'an smiled faintly and said, "Do you like it?"

"This thing is a demonic beast at the Nascent Soul stage. Are we confident we can subdue it?"

Shen Li did not answer. She got up and came over to the golden toad, gently stroking its head with joy in her eyes.

"Third Uncle, please let him go."

open?

Shen Wen'an glanced at the golden toad, hesitated slightly, and then said, "I'll release you now, but if you dare to make any rash moves, you'll know how fast my sword is."

After saying this, he released a burst of spiritual energy and untied the purple rope.

Without the suppression of the purple rope, the demonic energy on the golden toad instantly recovered, radiating the aura of the Fetal Breathing Realm.

His gaze swept over Shen Li, and he suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "This is..."

Clang!
Just as he was about to get closer, the crimson Dragon-Slaying Sword was placed in front of him.

"Immortal, please don't be agitated. This lowly demon is merely... merely curious about this little fairy's constitution..."

"I'm at their mercy," Jin Chan said timidly and obsequiously.

"Can you tell what kind of constitution Tanuki has?"

The golden toad cautiously examined the little girl in front of it. Although it had some guesses in its mind, it still felt that it was somewhat impossible.

"Immortal, this lowly demon...this lowly demon cannot determine it with the naked eye alone, unless..."

"Alright." Shen Wen'an interrupted coldly, then said, "If you submit to Li'er later and obediently let her subdue you, I will spare your life."

"If the fox can't subdue you, then keeping you around will only cause trouble."

Upon hearing this, the golden toad's heart skipped a beat.

"Rest assured, Immortal, this humble demon will cooperate fully!"

In order to survive, the golden toad had become extremely humble, nodding frantically as it made its promise.

Shen Wen'an ignored him and turned to Shen Li, saying, "Girl, give it a try, but don't force yourself."

Shen Li nodded, then extended a finger and touched the golden toad's forehead, before slowly closing her eyes and holding her breath.

Its fingers, emitting a gray glow, slowly moved above the toad's head.

The golden toad was already stunned!
"Gu Spirit Holy Body!"

"It really is the Innate Gu Spirit Saint Body!!"

"How could it be this kind of constitution!?"

"And this soul talisman..."

The golden toad was utterly shocked, but dared not make the slightest move!

"A blessing in disguise... This time, I've truly turned misfortune into a blessing!"

At that moment, the frustration of being about to be enslaved vanished instantly, replaced by relief and excitement!
Above her head, Shen Li's soul talisman had been drawn to its final stage.

As the last stroke was drawn, the soul talisman suddenly burst forth with a dazzling, eerie light above the golden toad's head, before instantly disappearing into its skull.

Seeing this, Shen Li smiled and looked up at Shen Wen'an, saying:

"Third Uncle, we did it!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Wen'an still looked at the golden toad with some suspicion.

She feared that this beast was cunning and had deceived Shen Li with some means, and would suddenly attack and harm her when she let her guard down.

"Don't worry, Uncle, I've already subdued him."

Seeing that Shen Wen'an still hadn't sheathed his sword, Shen Li smiled and spoke.

As she spoke, she subtly gave the golden toad a command.

The golden toad suddenly stuck out its tongue and gently licked the crimson Dragon-Slaying Sword in front of it.

"Look, he's very obedient."

Shen Li said with a smile.

Shen Wen'an put away his longsword with some skepticism.

Seeing this, the golden toad cautiously twisted its body and said in a deep voice, "Immortal, this humble demon has something to tell you."

Shen Wen'an looked down at him.

The golden toad continued, "Before Master reaches the Golden Core Realm, she must never be seen by cultivators or demonic beasts in the Southern Border... It's best not to let any unfamiliar cultivators know of her existence!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Wen'an glanced at Shen Li and asked in confusion, "What exactly is Li'er's constitution?"

After hesitating for a long time, the golden toad shook its head slightly and said, "As long as the immortal knows, once certain beings in the Southern Border find out about the master's physique, the immortal and the master's family will definitely be wiped out!"

"Even those who knew the truth could not escape death."

"Unless a celestial being above the Nascent Soul Realm intervenes..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Wen'an narrowed his eyes slightly, and his hand involuntarily tightened its grip on the Dragon Slayer Sword.

"Are there Nascent Soul Realm cultivators in the Southern Frontier?"

Jin Chan nodded: "On the surface, there are four True Lords who have attained the Nascent Soul stage."

Four Nascent Souls!

"The strength of the Southern Frontier is actually this great..."

Shen Wen'an looked lost and murmured to himself.

Upon seeing this, Jin Chan sighed and said, "Actually, the strength of the Yangnao Land is stronger than that of the Southern Frontier."

“There has always been a legend in the Southern Frontier that there were seven Nascent Soul Realm cultivators in the entire Yangnao Land, including the Southern Frontier. Those seven True Monarchs were called the ‘Seven Sons of Yangnao’, and the strongest of them was called ‘Great Ying True Monarch’.”

"It is said that the Great Ying True Monarch's realm has reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage."

"The Void Corridor Formation that separates the Southern Frontier from the present-day Yangnao Land was created by the Great Ying True Lord."

"The four Nascent Soul True Monarchs currently existing in the Southern Frontier all appeared long after the Void Harmony Corridor Formation was set up."

This golden toad's cultivation level wasn't very high in the Southern Border, and its status was merely that of a demon general in a demon cave.

Many of these things were just hearsay.

As soon as he finished speaking, a deep voice came from behind him:

"You shall stay in the Blackwater Pavilion during this time and tell me everything you know."

Shen Yuan came down the stairs, having heard everything the golden toad had said.

I plan to take this opportunity to learn as much basic information about Southern Xinjiang as possible from the golden toad, in preparation for future needs.

The golden toad shifted its position and turned to look at him.

“This is my grandfather.”

Shen Li spoke.

The golden toad immediately nodded obsequiously: "Rest assured, Immortal, this humble demon will tell you everything I know."

Shen Yuan approached with his hands behind his back, but seeing that Shen Wen'an looked somewhat lost, he smiled and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Don't think too much, just focus on your cultivation."

"If the sky were to truly collapse, it wouldn't just be the Shen family that would be crushed to death..."

Shen Wen'an was slightly taken aback, then cupped his hands and said, "I'll go cultivate now."

……

Lincang Prefecture, Tianzhang City.

At the top of the three-story building, a disciple of Listening Wind Valley stood respectfully in front of a screen.

Behind the screen, the white-haired woman, barefoot, slowly strolled along.

After a moment, he paused slightly and said, "So, Shen Wen'an must have the combat power of the late stage of the Fetal Breathing Realm, almost reaching the perfection of the Fetal Breathing Realm?"

The disciple opposite pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Sword cultivators are inherently stronger than immortal cultivators. There are reasons why the three elders of the late-stage Nascent Soul realm of the Fire Sect and four of the seven late-stage Nascent Soul realm demon generals of the Southern Border all perished."

"Elder Luo Yao of Luoxia Mountain also played a significant role later on."

The white-haired woman nodded and said, "That may be true, but this person should not be underestimated."

"Give the order to raise this person's rank within the sect by one level, to the same level as the sect leaders of the major immortal sects of Qishan."

"in addition……"

The white-haired woman hesitated for a moment and then said, "Let our people withdraw from the Shen family first."

Upon hearing this, the disciple's face stiffened, and he said, "Back then, it took us more than ten years to plant someone in there."

"Wouldn't it be a shame to withdraw them all?"

The white-haired woman smiled faintly, "It is a pity, but it is much better than them all dying and causing the Shen family to hate our Listening Wind Valley."

"Go do it."

"Yes." The disciple bowed slightly and then left.

After the door was closed, the white-haired woman slowly walked to one side of the room and stared into thought at a painting hanging on the wall in front of her.

The painting depicts a handsome young man standing by a window, gazing into the distance.

The young man held a jade flute, and his face bore a striking resemblance to Wei Chengyu, the chief disciple of the Suihuo Sect.

"Ugh!"

The white-haired woman sighed leisurely, then gently waved her hand, releasing a burst of spiritual energy.

The wall in front of it was struck by spiritual power, and after slowly emanating rings of light, it became somewhat illusory.

The white-haired woman lifted her long skirt with one hand, stepped out with her smooth, jade-like feet, and walked straight inside.

……

Blackwater Pond.

The construction of Yunshui City has taken three years, and the main structure has been completed.

Surrounded by city walls on all four sides, Blackwater Pool is located in the northwest corner of Yunshui City, occupying a quarter of the city's area.

However, the protective array for the city is still nowhere to be found.

Shen Wenxing had been worried about this matter for some time.

A city built at such great cost, without the protection of a powerful formation, is at best only slightly more fortified than an ordinary city.

However, it is certainly not enough to defend against attacks from demonic beasts and cultivators.

"Master of the house."

In the courtyard, a cultivator from the Shen family hurried over and bowed, saying, "Senior Xiao from Hundred Refinement Valley has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Shen Wenxing immediately put aside his thoughts and said, "Go and fetch Young Master Chonghong, and have him come to the front courtyard room."

The monk bowed and withdrew.

Shen Wenxing straightened his clothes and strode to the front yard.

But there stood Xiao Yin, the chief disciple of Hundred Refinement Valley, and his daughter Xiao Hongxiu, quietly at the entrance. From afar, he cupped his hands and said:

"I apologize for keeping you both waiting."

Xiao Yin quickly returned the greeting with a cupped hand.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, you're too kind. Xiao Mou and his daughter have just arrived as well, hehe..."

After exchanging pleasantries, the two went to a private room and sat down together.

After a servant served tea and left, Xiao Yin couldn't wait to say, "I must thank Fellow Daoist Shen and the Shen family for taking care of Hongxiu these past few months."

"My daughter is mischievous, did she offend Fellow Daoist Shen?"

Shen Wenxing took a sip of tea and quickly waved his hand, "I dare not thank you, I dare not thank you."

"On the contrary, my Shen family should thank Miss Xiao for helping us risk our lives in the mountains to defend against the monsters over the past few months. We are sorry to have troubled you, Fellow Daoist Xiao."

After exchanging pleasantries, the two began discussing the marriage of the two younger members of the family once Shen Chonghong arrived.

"When do you think it would be appropriate to set this date, Fellow Daoist Xiao?"

After the details were settled, Shen Wenxing smiled and asked.

Xiao Yin clenched his fist inwardly.

Right now, he thinks the sooner the better.

After Xiao Hongxiu returned to Xiang County, she told him about the great battle and the several attacks by monsters from the southern border.

Xiao Yin knew his own strength best; he understood that Hundred Refinement Valley could not withstand the same attack even once.

The only solution right now is to get my daughter married to the young master of the Shen family as soon as possible. Once they become in-laws, the Shen family will certainly not stand idly by if Hundred Refinement Valley is attacked.

However, he was also worried that setting the date too hastily would cause the Shen family to underestimate their daughter and the Hundred Refinement Valley.

For a moment, I didn't know what to do.

Seeing her father's dilemma, Xiao Hongxiu thought for a moment and said, "Father, the eighth day of the ninth month is my birthday. Why don't we set the wedding date on the eighth day of the ninth month?"

His sudden interruption caused a hint of displeasure to appear on Xiao Yin's face: "Nonsense!"

It's true that cultivators in Danzhou don't have many formalities, so Xiao Hongxiu's interjection was harmless.

But he had thoroughly investigated the Shen family.

Having risen from the mortal realm, they are now considered a family of practitioners of embryonic breathing, yet they still retain many worldly customs and etiquette.

Especially the former patriarch of the Shen family, who was said to be a person who paid particular attention to etiquette back then.

My daughter's actions were somewhat impolite.

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter."

Shen Wenxing, standing to the side, smoothed things over, saying, "Hongxiu has a forthright personality, which is quite similar to my wife's."

Seeing that Shen Wenxing didn't seem angry, Xiao Yin chuckled and said, "Then, in Fellow Daoist Shen's opinion, this date..."

"That's good." Shen Wenxing nodded with a smile.

It is already mid-July, and there are less than two months until the eighth day of the ninth lunar month.

He naturally wanted his daughter-in-law to marry into the family as soon as possible.

"Alright, alright, it's settled then."

Xiao Yin nodded in agreement, secretly relieved.

In less than two months, hopefully the demonic beasts of the southern border will not attack Xiang County again.

With the wedding date set, Xiao Hongxiu could no longer stay in the Shen family, so she returned to Xiang County with her father.

After watching them leave, Shen Wenxing turned around and said, "Have someone send a letter to your elder brother. If the situation in the mountains stabilizes, let him come back first."

He had been investigating for a long time the Fireball Cult had specifically sent people to assassinate Shen Chongming.

He even sent someone to Listening Wind Valley again, hoping to get some information from them.

However, Tingfeng Valley still did not give a reply, seemingly wary and unwilling to get involved in the affairs of the Suihuo Sect.

But it was precisely because of Tingfeng Valley's attitude that he realized the Fire Sect was not simple.

In the southern border region, it seems that the enemy suffered heavy losses in the last major battle and has recently ceased its activities and remained quiet.

After careful consideration, he decided to recall Shen Chongming first.

……

The second floor of Blackwater Pavilion.

After much deliberation, Shen Wenxing finally had no choice but to seek out Shen Wen'an.

Shen Wen'an woke up from his cultivation, and the two brothers sat facing each other.

"Wen'an, I didn't want to disturb your cultivation, but there are two things that are indeed quite troublesome right now," Shen Wenxing said with a hint of apology in his eyes.

Shen Wen'an smiled slightly: "Brother, we are brothers, why do we need to be so polite?"

Shen Wenxing sighed and nodded, saying, "There are still no clues about the Suihuo Sect's assassination attempt on Chongming. I always feel that there is a big problem with the Suihuo Sect."

"However, the major immortal sects of Qishan know very little about the Suihuo Sect. Tingfeng Valley may know some information, but they have repeatedly kept it a secret and refused to elaborate."

Shen Wen'an nodded and said, "Brother, do you want me to go to the Azure Vine Sword Pavilion to investigate?"

Shen Wenxing sighed and said with a wry smile, "This is the only method I can think of right now."

"The Flint Sect is now like a monster lurking in the shadows, baring its fangs, and eyeing Chongming."

"But we still have no way of seeing whether its true form is just a ferocious wolf or a terrifying dragon that can easily destroy my Shen family."

Shen Wen'an nodded in understanding.

He himself would not be able to cultivate in peace until he understood the situation of the Flint Sect.

"Besides the Flint Cult, is there anything else?"

Shen Wenxing replied, "The second matter concerns Yunshui City."

"The city has been built, but we have not yet found a master of array formations."

"Qiyun Valley is making exorbitant demands, and Elder Jiang of Luoxia Mountain is currently in seclusion."

"so……"

"So we still have no choice but to ask Qingluo Sword Pavilion for help, right?" Shen Wen'an rarely made a joke.

"Ha ha……"

Upon hearing this, Shen Wenxing chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "It's not easy being the head of this household, brother."

If it weren't for the appearance of Southern Xinjiang and the destruction of Hundred Beast Mountain, the Shen family would have had a very comfortable period of development.

But now that the Southern Frontier has emerged and the Fireball Cult has jumped out with malicious intentions, the peaceful development opportunity that the Shen family had been waiting for has vanished in an instant.

Shen Wen'an slowly stood up and said, "Big brother has done very well."

"I'm going to Danzhou right now."

Even if Shen Wenxing hadn't spoken up, he was planning to find an opportunity to visit Qingluo Sword Pavilion soon to ask Lingshan Sword Immortal for advice on sword intent.

Now is perfect, we can take care of both of these things at the same time.

(End of this chapter)