Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 200 Big Conspiracy

In the height of summer, the area where the Western Wilderness Grassland meets Yinlong Mountain is an endless expanse of rolling hills.

As spiritual energy revived, the vitality of all things became vigorous, and the rolling hills were covered with dense wild grass, like a green carpet covering the earth.

Suddenly a gentle breeze swept by, and the green grass undulated like waves surging forward.

Two figures riding fine horses slowly climbed the hill.

With a flame-shaped birthmark between his brows, He Chongyi, dressed in an indigo robe, slowly closed his eyes on horseback, feeling the scent of grass carried on the breeze.

Beside him, Mu Chang also gazed into the distance, his eyes filled with the joy of a long-awaited reunion, and took a deep breath—

The ruts of the cart crushed the setting sun.

A lone wolf on the horizon howls amidst the crescent moon's frost...

The wind of Chilei River blows over the old military camp, but it cannot dispel...

The sorrowful smoke rising from the top of the yurt was long…

The deep, resonant singing voice carried on the gentle breeze of the grassland to distant places.

He Chongyi reined in his horse and gazed into the distance, his expression tinged with a faint sadness.

Although he couldn't understand the meaning of the song Mu Chang was singing, he was moved by the emotion in the song.

"Young Master Chongyi, please forgive me. Upon seeing the grasslands again, I couldn't help myself for a moment."

The song abruptly stopped, and Mu Chang suddenly realized that he was no longer a free eagle soaring over the grasslands.

This isn't a time for herding and wandering; we still have a long way to go and important things to do.

"Mr. Mu, there's no need for that. I actually think this song is very nice."

Mu Chang gently shook the reins, chuckled, and sighed, "Every son of the Muhe tribe can sing this song, 'The Song of the Waterweeds'."

"What does Young Master Chongyi think 'Ode to Waterweeds' is about?"

Upon hearing this, He Chongyi pondered for a moment and said, "I only heard a short part, so I don't understand it very well."

"But Mr. Mu's singing made me feel somewhat sentimental, as if there was a faint sense of longing in it..."

Mu Chang nodded and smiled slightly.

"Sir, let's go."

He Chongyi spurred his horse to catch up, but seeing that Mu Chang showed no intention of singing anymore, he spoke up:

"Old Mu, you can continue."

"Does the young master enjoy listening to this?"

He Chongyi nodded: "It sounds very nice."

Upon hearing this, Mu Chang paused for a moment and said, "If you like it, young master, then I will make a fool of myself..."

"A man on horseback, with a gleaming curved knife at his waist."

"Watching the wild geese fly back over the Yaoshan Ridge."

"The aroma of the milk tea brewed by my mother always lingers in my dreams."

"The long song of Abu religion drifted towards Flame Lake Hill..."

Two figures galloped across the grassland on horseback, their melodious songs echoing in the vast expanse of heaven and earth.

……

Blackwater Pool, ancestral hall.

Shen Chongming sat upright in the head seat, his fingers gently scraping the tea foam from the teacup with the lid in hand.

Below him on the left, Zhao Jinhu, with graying temples, lowered his eyes and rubbed his aged hands.

The stewards of the remaining major clans were not as relaxed and at ease as he was; they all kept their heads down, seemingly lost in thought.

The atmosphere inside the ancestral hall was somewhat oppressive.

A moment later, an elderly man with white hair and beard sitting opposite Zhao Jinhu slowly raised his head and looked around.

Seeing that none of the people present intended to speak, he shook his head slightly, sighed silently, and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Young clan leader, everyone has arrived, shouldn't they..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming paused slightly in his work, then continued skimming the tea foam and said calmly, "Patriarch Lü, please don't be impatient, wait a little longer."

Upon hearing this, Lü Cong, the head of the Lü family, dared not say anything more and immediately lowered his hand.

Seeing this, the remaining people all looked up at the outside of the ancestral hall.

The stewards of several affiliated clans have arrived after receiving the news. They have been sitting here for half an hour, but the young clan leader, Shen Chongming, has not said a word.

No one knew what he was waiting for.

Another quarter of an hour passed quickly.

Just as everyone was looking out of the ancestral hall for what seemed like the umpteenth time, a figure dressed in black rushed in.

Upon seeing this figure, the stewards of all the affiliated clans present felt a chill run down their spines.

The black, close-fitting outfit was the attire of a disciple of the Clan's main academy.

Normally, in the cities governed by their various families, the presence of a clan head meant that the main family had definitely discovered something.

Therefore, members of the major affiliated clans would feel inexplicably nervous when they saw the disciples of the clan's main academy.

Shen Chongming raised an eyebrow slightly, taking in the changes in the expressions of the people present.

After the cultivator from the main courtyard of that clan hurriedly entered, he went straight to Shen Chongming and bowed.

"Young clan leader, everything is arranged."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming immediately placed the lid of his teacup on it and slowly sat up straight.

Apart from Zhao Jinhu, the others in front of him were all slightly shocked upon seeing this and couldn't help but hold their breath.

Has the gentleman arrived?

After glancing at the crowd, Shen Chongming turned to look at the cultivator from the main courtyard of the clan.

The monk bowed slightly: "Sir, you are on your way, so you should..."

Before he finished speaking, a figure stepped through the air in the distance from the ancestral hall.

There seemed to be an invisible staircase in the void, and Lu Zhiyuan, dressed in a wide Confucian robe, descended the steps as the wind blew.

His figure appeared directly at the entrance of the ancestral hall.

Upon seeing this, Shen Chongming slightly rose and cupped his hands in greeting.

The remaining people hurriedly stood up and bowed, but Zhao Jinhu remained unmoved, his head drooping.

"Old Zhao..."

Beside him, the equally elderly Liu Fang turned around and gently tugged at his clothes.

"Ok?"

Zhao Jinhu suddenly woke up, looked around, and then met Shen Chongming's ambiguous gaze.

"Young clan leader, please forgive me. I'm getting old... and I'm always feeling sleepy."

Shen Chongming shook his head slightly and said nothing.

Seeing this, Liu Fang, who was standing next to him, tugged at his sleeve again and said, "Old Zhao, over here..."

Zhao Jinhu belatedly turned around and noticed Lu Zhiyuan walking in slowly. He quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

Lu Zhiyuan walked to Shen Chongming's side with a blank expression and nodded slightly to him.

It seems to be saying that everything is ready.

Upon seeing this, Shen Chongming narrowed his eyes slightly and then said calmly, "Please sit down, everyone."

Everyone nervously returned to their seats.

Lu Zhiyuan sat down next to Shen Chongming.

"The Immortal Sect has been established for sixty-five years. Most of you here today have followed us since the rise of the Shen family."

"Over the past sixty-five years, my Shen family has grown from a humble villager into the renowned family we are today, thanks in no small part to the strong support of you all and your families."

Shen Chongming spoke slowly and softly.

But those present are all stewards who control a family; they are not fools.

Listen and listen.

Although Shen Chongming has only been in full control of the Shen family for a little over a year, his methods have instilled fear in all the affiliated clans.

The meeting today already seemed rather strange to them.

The arrival of Lu Zhiyuan, the head of the clan, has pushed the tense atmosphere to its peak.

Despite Shen Chongming's seemingly complimentary opening remarks, the people below felt no joy whatsoever.

Their minds raced, reviewing in their hearts all the recent events their respective families had undertaken, big or small.

Shen Chongming paused for only a few breaths after speaking, and two people among the crowd turned pale and began to tremble.

If the stools they were sitting on weren't made of fine sandalwood, making them sturdy enough, the two of them probably would have lost their balance and fallen to the ground.

Shen Chongming glanced at the two of them and sneered, "Chongming is young. Most of you here are of the same generation as my father, and some are even of a higher generation."

"Having lived for so many years, you must have all heard a saying."

"No matter how much you guard against it, it's hard to guard against a thief within your own family."

Upon hearing this, the temperature inside the main hall of the ancestral hall seemed to drop suddenly.

The managers present all trembled.

Zhao Jinhu glanced at everyone, then secretly looked at Shen Chongming, sighed silently, shook his head, and continued to rub his palms.

"Some of these old guys are probably going to be in trouble."

“Chongming is even more ruthless than his father.”

"If those old geezers really did something wrong..."

Zhao Jinhu gently touched a scar on his palm, and after a moment of thought, he understood.

This time, even Master Lu from the clan's main academy has intervened, so this matter is bound to be serious.

Unlike him, who could be so clear-headed and still have the mind to indulge in wild thoughts, the rest of them were on tenterhooks.

If they didn't possess cultivation or frequently consume rare and precious herbs, one of the six would probably have been scared to death.

"The Shen family must have treated you all and your families quite well, right?"

Shen Chongming suddenly asked a question, and none of them dared to speak.

"Young patriarch!"

"Your subordinate... Your subordinate was bewitched, please punish me, young clan leader!"

Finally, one of the six people couldn't hold back any longer.

On the left, a gaunt old man next to Liu Fang suddenly got up and knelt down in front of Shen Chongming, his voice trembling.

"Young clan leader, it was all my fault. The Shi family members were unaware of the situation."

"We hope that the young clan leader can consider the Shi family's diligent work over the years and give the Shi family members a way to survive."

Shen Chongming looked at Shi Chong, the head of the Shi family, kneeling on the ground and sighed, "If I remember correctly, the head of the Shi family is Shi Miao's paternal uncle, isn't he?"

Shi Chong nodded repeatedly, a sense of anticipation suddenly rising in his heart.

His direct descendant, Shi Miao, was selected as a Celestial Seed along with Chen Youran, the current wife of the young clan leader.

Later, he was even fortunate enough to live in the Shen family mansion and cultivate and live with the then young Shen Chongming.

Shi Miao's cultivation has now reached the seventh level of Qi Refining, and she is highly regarded.

Shi Chong thought that Shen Chongming would likely show some consideration and treat the Shi family leniently.

"gentlemen."

Shen Chongming turned to look at Lu Zhiyuan and cupped his hands in greeting.

Lu Zhiyuan nodded and then suddenly flicked his sleeve.

The next moment, an energy scroll appeared in the void in front of everyone.

The scroll was covered with dense writing.

Upon seeing this, everyone couldn't help but look up at the scroll.

"Master Shi, please take a look."

Shen Chongming sneered and said, "Let's see if the clan head has wronged the Shi family."

Upon hearing this, Shi Chong stood up shakily and turned to look at the text on the scroll.

The more you look at him, the paler his face becomes. By the end, he can no longer stand.

"They've all been discovered..."

"How can this be?"

Shi Chong murmured in a daze.

The scroll records all the things that the direct descendants of the Shi family did in violation of clan rules.

Although most of them were trivial matters, two things that Shi Chong considered the most secretive and least likely to be discovered by the clan's main court appeared on the list.

Unauthorized mining of spirit ore.

They secretly sent the mysterious immortal seedlings to Yunshui City as members of the Shi family.

Lingkuang was a strange stone that a hunter from Blackstone Village found after falling off a cliff while hunting in the mountains.

Upon returning, the hunter immediately delivered the strange stone to the Shi family mansion.

After obtaining the strange stone, he felt that it was no ordinary object, so he immediately showed it to Shi Miao for identification, and it was confirmed to be a kind of spirit ore.

The uncle and nephew originally intended to report the matter to the Shen family immediately.

But in the end, greed triumphed over reason.

After some planning, they secretly executed the hunter, and Shi Miao burned his body to ashes with magical fire.

Afterwards, Shi Miao personally went to the place where the hunter fell off the cliff and used the Pulse-Searching Technique to investigate. She discovered that there was indeed a hidden spiritual mineral vein under the cliff.

Shi Chong also understood that if the Shi family were to discover that they were illegally mining the spiritual vein, it would bring utter destruction to the Shi family.

But considering that the profits from a spiritual mineral vein far exceeded the annual salary given by the Shen family, he decided to take the risk and gamble.

They should mine the vein secretly for a few years first, make some profits, and then hand it over to the Shen family to earn a reward.

Who would have thought that less than a year later, the clan's chief court would find out about it.

As for those immortal seedlings of unknown origin, Shi Chong did not believe there was anything wrong with them.

The origins and backgrounds of these individuals were all strictly controlled. Not only the head of the clan, but even some members of the Shi family's branches did not notice anything wrong with their identities.

Moreover, so many years have passed, and he simply cannot understand how the clan's chief academy found out about it.

"Patriarch Shi?"

Shen Chongming looked at Shi Chong, who was slumped on the ground, and sneered, "Is what is written above true?"

Shi Chong looked dazed, and wanted to deny it.

However, it is clear that since the clan councilor knows about these two matters, they probably already have crucial evidence in their hands.

In fact, for the Shen family, dealing with the Shi family only required suspicion; no evidence was needed.

"Bring everyone up."

Seeing that he remained silent, Shen Chongming spoke in a deep voice.

Outside the main hall of the ancestral temple, a monk immediately bowed and ran out.

A moment later, disciples from various clan academies escorted more than a dozen men, women, and children into the hall.

These people are all cultivators from the Shi family.

As a minor clan within a subordinate family, the Shi family could not possibly provide enough cultivation resources each year to support so many cultivators.

This is a vulnerability in itself.

Moreover, seven of them were not even on the list of cultivators compiled by the Clan Court.

Shen Chongming's gaze swept over the dozen or so people, finally settling on a dark-skinned young man.

Meeting his gaze, the young man lowered his head in shame.

"Young clan leader...I..."

With a thousand words on the tip of her tongue, Shi Miao didn't know how to begin.

In fact, after choosing to take over that spiritual mine, he also tossed and turned at night.

He kept recalling the times he had spent with Shen Chongming, Zhao Tuan, and the other two on the front lines in the mountains, and felt that he shouldn't have had this greedy thought.

But the thought that by relying on that spirit mine, he could exchange for enough resources and quickly reach the Qi Refining Perfection Realm came to mind.

If the Shen family can bestow upon him a strand of innate spiritual energy, that would be best. If they cannot, he can exchange the spiritual mine for some spiritual crystals and try to purchase them himself.

"Back in the manor, Grandpa taught you the clan rules, didn't he?"

Shen Chongming looked at him and spoke slowly.

Shi Miao's expression changed slightly, and she nodded slightly.

He glanced at the clansmen beside him, then at Shi Chong, who was slumped on the ground.

His expression was sorrowful, and he gave a bitter smile.

"Young Clan Leader, I am so sorry to you and the Old Clan Head..."

"But... I really don't want to die because of clan rules."

He looked at Shen Chongming with hopeful eyes and said, "If the young clan leader can trust me, then let me lead these clansmen to the front line in the mountains to fight against the monsters."

"Dying at the hands of a demon beast would at least make my subordinates feel a little better."

Looking into his eyes, Shen Chongming pondered for a moment and then waved his hand: "Send them all to the mountains."

Upon hearing this, Shi Miao suddenly broke free from the two disciples of the clan's main academy and knelt down to kowtow!

"Thank you, Young Clan Chief!"

The two disciples from the main academy didn't hold back and roughly dragged him and more than ten Shi family cultivators out.

"Young clan leader, what should we do with this person?"

Lu Zhiyuan looked at Shi Chong and asked.

Shen Chongming waved his hand: "Follow the clan rules."

"In addition, all members of the Shi family within five degrees of kinship will be dealt with severely, permanently stripped of their qualifications to cultivate, and sent to the mines in the mountains."

Lu Zhiyuan nodded and then slowly raised his sleeve.

The spiritual energy in the void before him condensed into an ancient scroll. After writing two lines of text on the scroll from a distance, Lu Zhiyuan gently waved his hand.

The scroll transformed into a golden light and flew out of the ancestral hall, heading towards the main courtyard of the clan.

At the main courtyard, many disciples were already prepared. Once the scroll appeared, they headed directly towards the Shi family in Blackstone Village.

As for Shi Chong, he has already been taken away, and only death awaits him.

After dealing with the Shi family, Shen Chongming's gaze slowly turned to his right to see an elderly man in his sixties, whose body was trembling like a leaf and whose face was as white as paper.

Sensing Shen Chongming's gaze, Chen Changhai, the head of the Chen family, immediately slid off the sandalwood chair and crawled to his knees.

"Young clan leader, spare my life!"

"Young patriarch, my Chen family was also... was forced into this situation!"

"When that person suddenly appeared at the city lord's mansion in Xingyang City, my subordinates and a group of Chen family cultivators immediately took action, but... but they were all knocked away by that person with a flick of his sleeve."

"Then they threatened my subordinates with more than two hundred members of the Chen family, forcing them to reveal your whereabouts, young clan leader."

Shen Chongming narrowed his eyes slightly.

"So, you just told me?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Changhai could only kowtow repeatedly, not daring to speak.

"Ha... and you've always called yourself Youran's uncle."

Shen Chongming chuckled.

I still remember the first time we screened for spiritual roots and immortal seedlings. When Chen Youran's spiritual root was detected, Chen Changhai's father, Chen Sanxing, shamelessly tried to get close to Chen Youran, saying that in terms of seniority, Chen Youran should call him Seventh Grandfather.

Afterwards, Chen Youran moved into the Blackwater Pool residence.

After returning home, Chen Sanxing immediately went to Chen Youran's parents, going through various family genealogies and establishing ties, and insisted on making Chen Youran's family members members of his Chen family.

Chen Youran didn't know if it was true or not, so she could only tacitly accept the relationship.

Chen Youran's parents did indeed receive meticulous care from them, and even when they passed away peacefully a few years ago, it was Chen's descendants who helped arrange their funerals.

After marrying Chen Youran, Chen Changhai went around proclaiming that he was the cousin of the young patriarch's wife of the Shen family.

Although the clan head was aware of this matter, Chen Changhai was still quite law-abiding, only using this identity to satisfy his vanity and not acting recklessly.

However, when the clan leader later planned to eliminate the spies of other forces under the Shen family's control, he unexpectedly discovered that the fact that the three late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators of the Suihuo Sect were able to accurately locate the Hidden Dragon Mountain camp and carry out the assassination was actually related to the Chen family.

With this suspicion in mind, the disciples of the Clan Courtyard immediately seized a member of the Chen family.

After Lu Zhiyuan personally conducted the first trial, he understood everything clearly.

Looking at Chen Changhai, whose head was cracked from being knocked to the ground, Shen Chongming's killing intent did not diminish in the slightest.

The Chen family and the Shi family are different in nature.

The Shi family secretly entered the spirit mine, took bribes, and sent unidentified people to Yunshui City. In the end, it was greed that was at play.

This was a blatant betrayal by the Chen family. Chen Changhai clearly understood what revealing his whereabouts meant.

Shen Chongming flicked his sleeve and unleashed a bolt of lightning, sending Chen Changhai, who was repeatedly kowtowing, flying out of the hall.

Lu Zhiyuan glanced at Chen Changhai, who had been severely injured by Shen Chongming's attack, and said in a deep voice, "The Chen family members... what does the young patriarch intend to do with them?"

A murderous glint flashed in Shen Chongming's eyes as he calmly said, "Exterminate the three clans. The remaining nine clans will be stripped of their right to cultivate for eternity and sent to the mines in the mountains."

Upon hearing this, the stewards of the other four affiliated families all trembled!
The phrase "to exterminate three clans" means that all blood relatives within three clans must die!
From the very elderly to infants in swaddling clothes, none had a chance to survive!

The remaining members of the nine clans will all be reduced to slaves, and as long as the Shen family exists, they will have no chance to rise again.

Lu Zhiyuan nodded slightly and immediately wrote down the ruling again.

After receiving the imperial decree, the clan's chief court headed towards Xingyang City with murderous intent.

After dealing with the Shi and Chen families, Shen Chongming breathed a sigh of relief and sat back in his original seat.

Lu Zhiyuan nodded slightly and said, "There is nothing more for me to do here, young clan leader. I will take my leave."

Shen Chongming nodded.

The stewards of the four affiliated clans present, along with Zhao Jinhu, all breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Lu Zhiyuan leave.

The absence of the clan head meant that even if their families had problems, they wouldn't be too serious.

There was nothing wrong with the Zhao family, to which Zhao Jinhu belonged.

He breathed a sigh of relief because the bloody massacre was finally over.

Do you all think that my Shen family is too ruthless?

Shen Chongming composed himself and spoke calmly.

Upon hearing this, the group was taken aback at first, but then repeatedly said that both families deserved their punishment.

Shen Chongming smiled faintly.

He naturally wouldn't care about the opinions of those people.

He accepted the infamy even for the sake of his family's safety.

"Although your families are not as unforgivable as the Shi and Chen families, they still have many problems."

“The cultivators, relying on their status, bully men and women, and act with impunity.”

"Even worse, some frequently display their magical powers in front of ordinary people, disrupting the order."

Fortunately, no ordinary people were harmed.

"I do not wish to commit any more killings today, so I will not pursue this matter any further."

Upon hearing this, everyone finally felt relieved.

"but……"

Shen Chongming pondered for a moment and said, "But there will eventually be big problems if immortals and mortals live together."

"Today I want to tell you all that I intend to completely separate cultivators from ordinary people."

“Cultivators should focus on their spiritual practice. As for the management of secular cities, each race can select capable and intelligent individuals.”

"In the secular world, each race leaves two cultivators to guard the area, while the rest of the cultivators move to Hidden Dragon Mountain to live in seclusion and cultivate in seclusion."

Upon hearing this, the five people present looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Young clan leader, should we build a dwelling in the mountains?"

Zhao Jinhu asked in a deep voice.

At that moment, he was the only one who dared to speak. The other four, even if they had doubts, could only hold back and dared not ask.

Shen Chongming nodded and said, "Each ethnic group shall choose a place in Hidden Dragon Mountain to build their dwelling."

"If possible in the future, the Shen family will find someone to help you build a protective formation for your clan."

"Without special orders, cultivators in the clan are not allowed to enter the mortal world at will."

"But you still have questions?"

His gaze swept over everyone.

Meeting his gaze, they all shook their heads, cupped their hands, and said, "We will obey the young clan leader's order!"

Shen Chongming nodded: "That's enough for now."

……

Blackwater Pavilion.

Shen Yuan was focused on his cultivation when his tightly closed eyes suddenly twitched and slowly opened.

He looked toward the manor with a puzzled expression, then slowly stood up.

"Grandpa, what's wrong?"

Shen Li, who was standing next to him, put down the ancient book in her hand and looked at him.

A hint of joy appeared on Shen Yuan's face as he said, "Your uncle is about to emerge from seclusion."

"Uncle?" Shen Li jumped up and ran to the window.

Footsteps could be heard coming from the stairs.

Shen Wen'an slowly descended from the second floor, looked at Shen Yuan, and cupped his hands in greeting: "Father, is this my eldest brother?"

While he was cultivating upstairs, he also sensed a powerful aura flash by in the back mountain of the manor.

Shen Yuan nodded: "I had a feeling just now, so I made another deduction."

"Your older brother has successfully broken through."

There was a hint of relief in his words.

The eldest brother, Shen Wenxing, has been in seclusion for over a year to break through his cultivation.

Breaking through a major realm in body cultivation is extremely dangerous; it's no exaggeration to say that it's a matter of nine deaths and one life.

For more than a year, the Shen family members had been secretly worried.

"Let's go take a look."

Shen Yuan spoke, and Shen Wen'an and Shen Li nodded. The three of them left Blackwater Pavilion and headed towards the back mountain of the manor.

At the entrance of the mansion, Shen Chongming had just returned from the ancestral hall when he saw the three people walking from the direction of Blackwater Pool.

"Grandpa, Third Uncle."

After bowing with his hands clasped in greeting, he became somewhat curious.

The three of them usually cultivate in the Blackwater Pavilion, and only one of them occasionally comes out.

It's quite rare to see the three of them out together now.

"Big brother."

Shen Li called out sweetly and laughed, "Grandpa said that Uncle will be coming out of seclusion soon."

Upon hearing this, a look of joy flashed in Shen Chongming's eyes, and he looked at Shen Yuan with excitement.

Shen Yuan chuckled and nodded.

Seeing this, Shen Chongming clenched his fist and said with a smile, "I'll go tell Mother!"

……

In front of the cave in the backyard of the manor, several people anxiously looked at the tightly closed stone door.

"Father, Shi Tou, he..."

Huang Lingxiu nervously rubbed her hands, wanting to ask something, but fearing that her words might bring bad luck, she forced herself to remain silent.

"Mother, don't worry. Since Grandpa said Father has successfully broken through, he'll be fine."

Shen Chongming, who was standing nearby, offered words of comfort.

Huang Lingxiu nodded, but she was still very nervous.

Time passed slowly, and soon an hour had gone by.

Just as Huang Lingxiu was about to step forward for the umpteenth time, Shen Wen'an, who had been standing with his sword in his arms, suddenly dodged away.

"Sister-in-law be careful!"

His figure appeared in front of Huang Lingxiu, and a huge sword energy shield suddenly appeared in front of him.

The moment the sword energy shield was formed, the stone door of the cave shattered with a deafening roar!

A large number of stones shot out, causing ripples to spread across the sword energy shield.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, a figure emerged from the cave.

Upon seeing this, a smile flashed in Shen Yuan's eyes, followed by a cold snort: "Couldn't you just open the stone door properly instead of trying to show off?"

As Shen Wenxing emerged from the dust, the smile on his face, which had been beaming with pride at his successful breakthrough, froze upon hearing these words. He awkwardly cupped his hands and said, "Father, I was indeed a little excited."

Shen Yuan didn't really blame him.

After being secluded in his cave for over a year, he suddenly broke through to a higher level and must have wanted to vent his frustrations.

Moreover, body cultivators don't really cultivate their minds; the higher their cultivation level, the more fiery their temper.

This is also why the Vajra Sect cultivators were called madmen by other immortal sect cultivators in Qishan, Danzhou.

"father!"

Shen Chongming stepped forward excitedly.

"Husband."

Huang Lingxiu also hurriedly came to him.

The three of them gazed at each other, which made Shen Li, who had been somewhat excited, look a little gloomy.

Shen Yuan glanced sideways and noticed this. He then chuckled and came over to her, patting her head as he said, "Li'er, come with Grandpa to move out the cellar of spirit wine."

"Let's have a good drink today."

Upon hearing this, Shen Li's eyes instantly cleared of sadness, and she followed him with a hint of excitement, asking, "Is it the same kind of spiritual wine we drank last time?"

"It's even better than last time, but you can't drink too much."

"What?"

"Because there wasn't much wine, if you drank more, Grandpa would drink less..."

"what--?"

The grandfather and grandson walked away into the distance, chatting and laughing.

"Brother, let's go too."

Shen Wen'an spoke, and the four of them headed down the mountain.

That night, all the members of the Shen family who were at home gathered together, and even Shen Wenping, who was far away in Jinghefang, was personally brought back by Shen Chongming.

During the meal, everyone ate spiritual fruits and drank spiritual wine, chatting and laughing together, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere.

Even Shen Li's pets, the golden toad and the silver-threaded centipede at the Nascent Soul stage, received some spirit wine this time and drank it with great joy.

After a few rounds of drinks, the women gathered in the pavilion in the courtyard to chat.

Shen Yuan and the others also came to the long corridor in the courtyard, where Shen Chongming reported to them on recent events in the clan.

When Shen Wenxing heard about what the Chen and Shi families had done, a flash of anger crossed his eyes, followed by a slightly ashamed expression. "Father is also partly to blame for what happened."

"It's just that Father wasn't strict enough before, which made them feel lucky."

Let's leave the Chen family's affairs aside for now.

The reason why the Shi family dared to harbor greed, hoard spirit ore, and deceive the heavens and the sea by sending the seedlings of unknown origin to Yunshui City for some benefit, is ultimately because they lacked a sense of reverence.

If he had handled things the way Shen Chongming had done before, the Shi family would never have dared to do so.

Now, it has caused the clan to lose so many cultivators.

That Shi Miao was already at the seventh level of Qi Refining; it's a real pity to send him to his death like that.

"Have you investigated those immortal seedlings that the Shi family sent over?"

Shen Yuan pondered for a moment and then asked.

Shen Chongming nodded: "I've already had someone investigate, and they're all from Tingfeng Valley."

"However, before my grandson could investigate, those people left Yunshui City for various reasons. It seems that Tingfeng Valley summoned them all back in advance."

Mentioning this, Shen Chongming felt somewhat annoyed.

You should know that those cultivators had been cultivating in the Shen family for more than ten years. Putting aside everything else, they had wasted a lot of resources for cultivation.

Now look what's happened; it's like we've been nurtured by Listening Wind Valley for nothing.

"Let them go if they're gone..." Shen Wenxing sighed.

Shen Chongming's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this.

They just left?
He doesn't think so.

Right now, the Shen family shouldn't provoke Tingfeng Valley, but once they have the strength in the future, they will have to settle this matter with Tingfeng Valley.

"Are you close to reaching the peak of Qi Refining?" Shen Wenxing asked suddenly, looking at him.

Shen Chongming nodded and pondered for a moment, then said, "It will take at least half a year, or at most a year, before I can reach the perfect state."

He is now only one step away from the Qi Refining Perfection stage. In the past year or so, if it weren't for family matters keeping him busy, he would have neglected some of his cultivation.

This time, they may have refined their true qi and spiritual power into a perfect whole, achieving a state of perfection.

Now that his father has successfully broken through the seclusion, he has plenty of time to cultivate.

“Yes, one should not rush into cultivation.” Shen Wenxing nodded and said, “After reaching perfection, one should also take some time to settle down.”

"Those top disciples of immortal sects, like your third aunt, haven't they all spent several or even more than a decade accumulating experience in the Perfect Realm?"

"While this move also aims to wait for a wisp of high-quality innate spiritual energy, its primary purpose is to accumulate and enhance the chances of a breakthrough."

Although the process of immortal cultivators forming an immortal embryo and achieving the realm of embryonic breathing is not as extremely dangerous as the breakthrough of body cultivators.

However, there is still a possibility of failure.

Therefore, some disciples of immortal sects, if they are not very confident before breaking through, often choose to use the Fetal Breathing Pill to increase their success rate.

However, elixirs are bound to have side effects.

A level that is not achieved step by step through one's own efforts will ultimately leave hidden dangers.

"I understand."

Shen Chongming nodded in agreement, then suddenly changed the subject, saying, "Speaking of Third Aunt, there's something I forgot to tell Grandpa."

Looking at Shen Yuan, Shen Chongming felt somewhat annoyed.

Sure enough, even cultivators can become forgetful when they are busy with many things to do.

"What's the matter?"

Shen Wenxing asked curiously.

After the last battle at Hidden Dragon Mountain, Wei Qiuling rushed back to Yunzhong County. She had returned once before for Shen Chonghong's wedding.

Then he left in a hurry.

Shen Wenxing remembered asking her if there was anything the Shen family could help with.

Wei Qiuling did not specify, only saying that it was a matter concerning Luoxia Mountain, which she could handle.

"A few days ago, when the disciples of the Clan Academy were investigating the spies of Listening Wind Valley, they heard a piece of news in Lincang County."

"It is said that there are rumors in Danzhou that the senior Jiang Xiuqi of Luoxia Mountain has failed to break through to the Golden Core stage."

“Nowadays, some sects that originally had grudges against Luoxia Mountain are getting restless, wanting to take advantage of the situation once the news is confirmed.”

“I sent someone to He County to inquire about Uncle Yu Jinyu, but Uncle Yu said there was nothing wrong and told us not to worry.”

Upon hearing this, both Shen Yuan and Shen Wenxing frowned slightly.

Jiang Xiuqi's previous realm was the realm of perfect embryonic breathing.

Later, he obtained three jade carvings of the solar terms from the "True Seal of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Cycle of Heaven and Earth," intending to use the true methods on the solar term jade carvings to comprehend the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir.

Now, it seems that he has been in seclusion for at least four or five years, and it's time for the results to come.

News spread from Listening Valley that the people of Sunset Glow Mountain denied it...

Coupled with Wei Qiuling's unusual behavior, the three of them found it difficult to discern the truth of the news.

"What does Father think?" Shen Wenxing asked Shen Yuan.

He felt that this matter was probably not that simple.

"It's not that complicated," Shen Yuan said with a faint smile after a moment's thought. "I think this matter is most likely a conspiracy."

"A conspiracy?" Shen Chongming asked, somewhat puzzled. "Grandpa means that Senior Jiang did not fail to break through?"

"Then... how dare those immortal sects plot against Luoxia Mountain, which has a Golden Core cultivator in charge?"

Shen Yuan chuckled and looked at him, saying, "Grandpa said that Senior Jiang did not fail, but he didn't say that he succeeded."

Shen Chongming looked at his father with some confusion.

Shen Wenxing shook his head slightly, signaling him not to interrupt.

Shen Yuan sighed softly and said, "If I am not mistaken, the news of Senior Jiang's breakthrough in seclusion has probably been leaked."

"In fact, his seclusion has likely reached the most critical moment for a breakthrough, and people have already found out about it."

"Whether it's the major immortal sects of Qishan or the immortal sects and forces outside of Qishan, apart from some forces that are on good terms with Luoxia Mountain, no one should want to see Danzhou have another Golden Core cultivator."

Shen Yuan's expression was somewhat solemn as he continued in a deep voice:

"The cultivation world is a dog-eat-dog world."

"If a Golden Core Realm cultivator were to emerge from Mount Luoxia, he would certainly not be satisfied with the current resources and territory."

"Resources are fixed. If they want more, they will have to plunder them from other immortal sects and families."

Shen Chongming suddenly realized what he meant.

"Grandpa means that those immortal sects want to take advantage of Senior Jiang's critical moment of breakthrough to attack Luoxia Mountain."

"To use this to hinder Senior Jiang's breakthrough?"

"This is indeed a vicious move."

There has always been an unwritten rule in the cultivation world: bad people's opportunities are equivalent to deadly enmity.

These immortal sects actually planned to take advantage of Jiang Xiuqi's critical moment of breakthrough to besiege Luoxia Mountain, thereby disrupting his breakthrough and causing his death.

This scheme is quite ruthless.

They don't even need to actually conquer Luoxia Mountain; they just need to keep pressing forward and make Luoxia Mountain think that the other side has the intention of destroying their sect.

Once Luoxia Mountain senses this crisis, it is very likely that it will be unable to resist informing Jiang Xiuqi, who is currently in seclusion.

Even when Jiang Xiuqi was condensing his core and comprehending the Great Dao, he would probably be able to sense everything that happened on Luoxia Mountain.

Therefore, even the slightest fluctuation in their state of mind could lead to a failed breakthrough.

"Does Father think that Listening Wind Valley is behind this?" Shen Wenxing asked, frowning.

The news was released by Listening Valley.

After the destruction of Hundred Beasts Mountain, the only forces in Qishan that could rival Listening Wind Valley were Falling Cloud Mountain and Vajra Gate.

Now that Luoxia Mountain and Jingangmen are close friends, it's quite possible that they are.

"Hard to say," Shen Yuan shook his head.

He didn't know much about the grudges between Luoxia Mountain and the various forces in Danzhou, but he had a feeling about it.

This incident seems to conceal a larger conspiracy.

As the three generations of the family pondered in silence, Shen Wen'an walked over from the side.

I was instructing Shen Chongxuan on swordsmanship when I overheard my father and the other two talking.

"Father, let me go to Danzhou and take a look."

Luoxia Mountain has done the Shen family a great favor, and Wei Qiuling is his Daoist partner. The Shen family cannot sit idly by in this matter.

Shen Wenxing also felt that he should be asked to help, and looked at his father, Shen Yuan.

Just as Shen Yuan was about to speak, he suddenly felt a slight tremor coming from the white jade tortoise shell in his sea of ​​consciousness.

His brows furrowed slightly as he quietly sank his consciousness into his sea of ​​consciousness.

Suddenly, a blood-red mist appeared on the white jade tortoise shell, as if it were some bad omen.

Upon seeing this, Shen Yuan's heart sank, and he immediately activated the Great Evolution Dao to try to deduce the cause of this strange phenomenon from the white jade tortoise shell.

A pale white fluorescence slowly emerged from the white jade tortoise shell, dispelling the blood-red mist.

……

at the same time.

A mountain cave in Danzhou.

The figure, dressed in a black robe and sitting cross-legged, suddenly and slowly raised his head.

"Using the power of the Great Evolution to spy on me?"

"They're really overestimating themselves..."

As the hoarse voice rang out, the figure in black robes slowly raised his hand, which resembled white jade.

The space in front of him was like a mirror made of water; when he put his entire palm into it, ripples spread out.

(End of this chapter)