Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 211 Eighth-Rank Bloodline

Zhao Tuan adjusted his wide sleeves, chuckled softly, then raised his head and looked at the crowd with a piercing gaze.

"Do you all think the patriarch's actions are too cruel?"

The people present looked at each other in bewilderment, and then someone spoke up: "Those commoners and cultivators have come to rely on our Shen family with sincerity. If we turn them away and let those beasts from the southern border hunt and kill them... we cannot bear it."

"Yes, if my Shen family does this, I'm afraid we'll be remembered with a bad name by the common people and cultivators in the future."

The remaining few nodded in agreement, clearly indicating that they agreed with this viewpoint.

Zhao Tuan straightened his sleeves and continued, "The patriarch is a man of great vision and strategy; he certainly couldn't have been unaware of this."

"I have another question..."

"Senior Liu, do you know how many commoners and cultivators from my Yangnao Land have been hunted down and killed by the Southern Frontier during this period?"

Liu Fang, standing in the crowd, was already in his eighties, with white hair and beard, but his eyes held a hint of wisdom from his long-term pampered life.

"I heard that when those three Golden Core cultivators from the Southern Frontier arrived, they abducted one-tenth of the common people and cultivators of Yangnao Land in a single day."

"During this period, other powerful demons and evil cultivators in the southern borderlands have been rampaging, and they have probably kidnapped two or three tenths of them."

Upon hearing this, everyone else nodded solemnly.

Although there were many conflicts between the various families and other powerful families in Yangnao in the past, now there is still a sense of desolation, like the fox mourning the death of its rabbit.

Zhao Tuan sighed slightly and said, "If one-tenth is gone, and then two or three-tenths are gone, can you seniors tell me whether those cultivators in the Southern Frontier are satisfied?"

Everyone was silent.

Zhao Tuan continued, "They will not be satisfied. On the contrary, they will become even more frantic because there are fewer and fewer commoners and cultivators in my Yangnao Land."

"My Shen family's four cities can still accommodate more commoners and cultivators."

"But seniors, think about it: when there aren't enough people and cultivators outside the clouds to go around, what will happen to the cultivators in the Southern Frontier?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people around him instantly turned serious.

After a moment's thought, an elderly man with a weathered appearance cupped his hands and said, "I hope what Nephew Zhao is worried about won't happen?"

"After all, there's still a Golden Core Realm senior from Luoxia Mountain guarding the Cloud Realm; those beasts from the Southern Frontier will have to give them some face..."

Zhao Tuan shook his head with a wry smile and cupped his hands, saying, "Uncle Liu, do you know that the 'favor' given by the cultivators of the Southern Frontier is that they tacitly allow Luoxia Mountain to protect this small piece of land in Yunzhong?"

"Right now, whether it's Luoxia Mountain or the Shen family, if they take the opportunity to gather up those commoners and cultivators from outside Yunzhong, they're pushing their luck."

With a slight sigh and his hands hanging down, Zhao Tuan said with a heavy expression, "When there are no more commoners and cultivators outside of Yunzhong to plunder, the entire Yunzhong will become the most tempting fat sheep in Yangnao Land."

"The more we eat now, the greater the temptation will be later."

"Senior Jiang is only one person, but there are more than one or two Golden Core cultivators in the Southern Frontier. What do you all think? If one or two Golden Core cultivators are unwilling to offend a strong person of the same realm, then the rest of the Golden Core cultivators must also think the same way?"

"If three or five Golden Core cultivators reach a consensus and want to divide up Yunzhong, can Senior Jiang stop them?"

His words struck them like a heavy boulder, leaving them shocked and breathless.

The old stewards' expressions shifted, and their faces all became solemn.

"Does my nephew mean that it won't be long before those demons from the Southern Frontier still make a move against Yunzhong?"

Liu Fang asked in a deep voice.

Zhao Tuan clenched his fist hidden in his sleeve and replied in a deep voice, "The patriarch made this decision in order to delay the entry of my Shen family and Yunzhong County into the sight of those cultivators from the Southern Frontier."

"This disaster... surely no one will just watch the Yangnao land be wiped out?"

With a deep gaze fixed on the sky outside the ancestral hall, which was dyed red by the sunset, Zhao Tuan shook his head slightly and slowly walked out of the ancestral hall. Occasionally, terrifying figures would sweep across the sky above Yunshui City.

With only the seventh level of Qi Refining cultivation, he is utterly ineffective in this disaster that has swept across the entire Danzhou.

They could only hope that their master had other plans, or that divine intervention would intervene and stop the massacre.

The stewards, having received his explanation, understood Shen Chongming's thoughts.

They immediately returned to their respective cities and villages, and dispatched a large number of family warriors and cultivators to guard the borders, prohibiting any commoners or cultivators from outside from escaping into their cities.

This action was exactly as Liu Fang had said before. After crying and shouting to no avail, the cultivators and commoners who were stopped and refused resorted to endless cursing.

They cursed the Shen family for being heartless and for refusing to help someone in distress.

Some even say that the Shen family and Luoxia Mountain had already secretly made a deal with those Southern Frontier demons, and that those Southern Frontier demons were released by Luoxia Mountain and the Shen family.

Various rumors and gossip spread throughout the chaotic Yangnao land.

Knowing they had no way out, many cultivators desperately attacked the defenses of the Shen family and Yunzhong County.

As a result, small conflicts often break out on the outskirts of Yunzhong County.

Meanwhile, the cultivators and demons from the Southern Frontier who were guarding the outskirts of Yunzhong County were all delighted with the situation, watching the farce as if it were a spectacle.

More than a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

With the influx of a large number of cultivators from the Southern Frontier, the population of the entire Yangnao Land has been reduced by two-thirds.

Those cultivators and demons who couldn't plunder any blood offerings became restless and began to take risks, secretly attacking villages and towns on the outskirts of Yunzhong County.

Therefore, Luoxia Mountain and the Shen family had to send a large number of disciples and cultivators to patrol their territory.

……

The side rooms of the manor.

Shen Chongming's expression was solemn as he paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.

At present, the father of the Shen family has gone into seclusion, and the grandfather has not appeared in the Blackwater Pavilion since the appearance of the cultivators from the Southern Border.

Faced with numerous thorny issues, he could only consult with his third uncle and third aunt.

However, since his third aunt, Wei Qiuling, was about to give birth, Shen Chongming didn't want to trouble them any further.

"Squeak-"

The door to the side room was pushed open.

Shen Wen'an helped Wei Qiuling in.

Shen Chongming turned around and hurriedly bowed, saying, "Third Aunt, you're not feeling well, so please don't overwork yourself."

Wei Qiuling, with her large pregnant belly, sat down with a smile and said, "In times of crisis, we cannot let all the burdens fall on your shoulders alone."

Shen Chongming gratefully cupped his hands in greeting, then turned to Shen Wen'an and cupped his hands in greeting as well, saying, "I heard that Third Uncle broke through a barrier a few days ago?"

This may be the only good news that has come to the family since the Void Corridor Formation was broken.

Shen Wen'an's cultivation successfully broke through to the late stage of the Fetal Breathing realm, bringing him one step closer to the Sword Immortal realm.

Shen Wen'an smiled faintly and nodded: "This breakthrough will provide the Shen family with more security."

"As long as it's not someone at the Golden Core stage who makes a move in the future, Third Uncle should have enough confidence to withstand it."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming's face lit up with joy, and he then sighed with emotion.

"If it weren't for the events in the Southern Frontier, with my uncle, nephew, and father around, the Shen family would still be a carefree and prosperous family, holding a prestigious position in this Yangnao region. Even if they went to Danzhou, with my third aunt and Luoxia Mountain behind them, the Shen family would still have a place to stand."

"But the situation in southern Xinjiang is too chaotic now."

"In just two months, the entire Yangnao land was littered with corpses, and human life was as cheap as grass, being hunted and killed at will."

“Those beasts from the southern border call the common people of Yangnao ‘talents,’ ‘food,’ and ‘two-legged sheep’!”

Shen Chongming was somewhat indignant.

But deep down, I felt utterly helpless.

My grandfather, Shen Yuan, once taught me that when you are poor, you should cultivate your own virtue; when you are successful, you should help others.

Nowadays, the Shen family can hardly even protect themselves, let alone care about the lives and deaths of other common people.

"Have those cultivators from the Southern Frontier been harassing the villages within my Shen family's sphere of influence lately?"

Wei Qiuling leaned back slightly in her chair, stroking her protruding belly as she asked.

Shen Chongming nodded: "Nephew has already dispatched a large number of cultivators, sending Chonghong and You'er to various border areas."

"Now, only Li'er remains of my Shen family disciples, cultivating in the Blackwater Pavilion."

"Grandpa's side..."

Mentioning Blackwater Pavilion reminded him of his grandfather.

The message Shen Li conveyed back then revealed a piece of information.

Grandpa seemed to have paid a heavy price to deal with this crisis.

Now, everyone is forbidden from going to Blackwater Pavilion to disturb them, and only Shen Li is allowed to deliver the message, probably to prevent them from worrying.

"Don't worry about your grandfather's matter for now."

"If we don't have enough manpower, we can go to Chongxuan and ask him to send some literary cultivators to help."

After pondering for a moment, Shen Wen'an spoke.

Before the invasion from the southern border, the Shen family had already withdrawn all their forces.

In Yunshui City today, there are three thousand literary cultivators alone.

These three thousand literary cultivators should have been an extremely powerful force.

However, the demons of the Southern Frontier slaughtered and plundered in the Yangnao Land, causing the cultural energy that this land had painstakingly gathered to diminish once again.

The strength of the literary cultivators was also greatly affected.

Fortunately, the two brothers had the foresight to have those literary cultivators supplement their training with swordsmanship in advance, which is why they have retained some of their combat strength.

"My nephew knows."

"Third Uncle, I have an idea and would like to ask Third Uncle and Third Aunt for their guidance."

After some hesitation, Shen Chongming finally decided to speak out about what he had been thinking about for a long time.

"Tell me about it."

Wei Qiuling spoke softly.

Shen Chongming sorted out his thoughts and said in a deep voice, "I want to pass on the first volume of the body cultivation technique 'Azure Dragon Strength', some immortal cultivation methods, and even the sword techniques that my third uncle created for the literary cultivators some time ago to the people under my jurisdiction."

Upon hearing this, Shen Wen'an turned to look at Wei Qiuling.

Both of them looked puzzled.

The principle that the Dharma should not be lightly transmitted has always been a tacit rule in the cultivation world.

All resources for cultivation in this world are limited, and even the spiritual energy between heaven and earth can be depleted.

Teaching the Dharma to ordinary people and having them practice it inevitably leads to a waste of spiritual resources and food.

At that time, a lot of resources will be wasted. Even if a thousand or ten thousand cultivators at the early stage of Qi Refining are created, they will be far less useful than a cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage.

After all, no matter how powerful cannon fodder is, it's still just cannon fodder.

Both of them knew that Shen Chongming had always been very concerned about the difference between immortals and mortals, so why would he suddenly have this idea now?

Seeing the confusion on their faces, Shen Chongming cupped his hands and explained.

"Recently, rumors have been circulating among the common people that if the demons in the southern border wipe out all the common people outside Yunzhong County, they will attack Yunzhong and the Shen family."

"Although the four cities under the Shen family's rule have not been greatly disturbed, the common people and many cultivators live in constant fear."

“My nephew is worried that if this goes on for too long, they won’t be able to hold on any longer, even before the demons from the southern border come to kill them.”

“Physical cultivation cultivates the body, swordsmanship cultivates the mind, and immortal arts cultivate the spirit. I want to find something for them to do, as a way to give them a glimmer of hope.”

"As far as cultivators are concerned, even if they know that those commoners, even if they cultivate, have absolutely no chance of resisting those demons from the southern border."

"But isn't that just human nature?"

A glint of light flashed in Shen Chongming's eyes.

During this time, he obtained some confidential information from the disciples of the clan's main academy.

Many of the common people under Shen's rule secretly felt that immortals were high above and cultivators were omnipotent. They believed that the Shen family's rejection of those outsiders and cultivators was cold-blooded, heartless, and ungrateful.

Some people even naively believe that if they have a destiny to become immortals and possess powerful skills, they will surely become heroes of the world and save the common people from suffering.

His move can be seen as a response to these rumors and slanders.

The point was to show them that, faced with such a calamity, cultivators were more desperate than ordinary people.

"What my nephew plans to spread are mostly things that don't require spiritual roots or talents, so naturally he won't provide them with the resources for cultivation."

After some thought, Wei Qiuling looked at Shen Wen'an and said, "I think Chongming's move is really good."

"If the common people all have a basic level of cultivation, it will be a good thing for their future generations."

After a moment's thought, Shen Wen'an nodded and said, "Since you've already decided, then go ahead and do it."

He has never really been involved in matters of family planning or grand schemes.

On the contrary, Shen Chongming was raised from childhood to be the head of the family, and his strategic vision and wisdom are impeccable.

Shen Wen'an naturally wouldn't interfere too much.

His role is to be a sword for the family, to slay all external enemies and eliminate all hidden dangers that hinder the family's development.

"Thank you, uncle."

Shen Chongming cupped his hands slightly, about to say something, when he noticed that Wei Qiuling in front of him had her brows furrowed and her expression was slightly pained.

Shen Wen'an also noticed her situation at this time.

"Sister, what's wrong with you?"

Wei Qiuling forced herself to endure the discomfort and said, "I think I'm about to give birth."

Upon hearing this, Shen Wen'an appeared somewhat nervous and flustered.

"Third...Third Uncle, please take good care of Third Aunt. I'll go call Mother and Grandma!"

Shen Chongming also got up somewhat nervously and ran towards the backyard.

……

A loud cry rang out from the backyard of the manor.

Everyone in the courtyard was immersed in joy.

"Mother, you have gained another grandson."

Beside Hu Yufen, Huang Lingxiu spoke with a smile.

Since receiving a wisp of elixir energy and cultivating the "Azure Emperor's Longevity Technique," Hu Yufen is now radiant and looks like a sister to Huang Lingxiu.

"Hehe... Okay, okay."

Hu Yufen couldn't stop smiling.

Shen Chongming, who was standing nearby, joked, "Grandma, you were very reluctant to start cultivating back then."

"If you didn't cultivate, how would you ever have the chance to see your third uncle's child?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Yufen pretended to be angry and glared at him, while the family smiled warmly.

despair!
despair!
despair!
Light footsteps accompanied by a subtle rustling sound drifted by.

A figure in a moon-white dress, her hair casually tied back with a white jade hairpin, walked slowly, followed by a large centipede with a silver sheen.

Shen Li entered the courtyard and bowed slightly.

"Li'er greets Grandma and Auntie."

“Brother Chongming”.

When Hu Yufen saw her, she smiled and stepped forward to take her hand, saying, "Girl, you've come at the right time. You're not the youngest of the seventh generation of the Shen family."

Shen Li nodded with a gentle smile, then turned to Shen Wen'an and said:
"Third Uncle, Grandpa asked Li'er to bring this over."

As she spoke, she handed over a piece of yellow paper.

Shen Wen'an took the note, opened it, and glanced at it. There were only three words on the yellow paper.

Shen Chongzhen.

"Is this the name your grandfather gave you?"

Shen Wen'an closed the note, a rare smile appearing on his face.

Seeing this, Shen Chongming, who was standing beside him, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Grandpa has already foreseen that Third Uncle will have a child, so he should be out of danger, right?"

Meeting his gaze, Shen Li simply smiled slightly.

But I feel a little bitter in my heart.

This note was actually left by Shen Yuan a long time ago.

For months, she had been cultivating in the Blackwater Pavilion, and could only determine that her grandfather was not in mortal danger by the faint aura emanating from the third floor.

However, with so many things to do at home, he couldn't offer any help, so he didn't reveal the truth about his grandfather, Shen Yuan.

"Third Uncle, Li'er is going back first."

"Grandma, Auntie, please take care."

After Shen Li finished speaking, she bowed and slowly walked out of the courtyard.

Shen Wen'an glanced at the note in his hand again, then quickly walked into the room.

Wei Qiuling was holding her newborn son, with servants and the manor's physician attending to him.

"The father gave the child a name."

He handed the note to Wei Qiuling.

Wei Qiuling glanced at the note, smiled with satisfaction, and nodded, saying, "'Truth' means origin and non-falsehood. Father has given us a good name."

Shen Wen'an looked down at the quiet little one in his wife's arms, and a gentle smile appeared on his usually stern face.

"Then let's call him Shen Chongzhen."

……

In the center of Blackwater Pool, the solemn Blackwater Pavilion stands quietly.

Shen Li, carrying the silver-threaded centipede, returned from the courtyard to the edge of the Blackwater Pool. Just as she was about to step onto the floating bridge, she suddenly felt a strange fluctuation coming from the third floor of the Blackwater Pavilion.

His eyes, which were like deep pools, suddenly narrowed, and then a hint of joy appeared on his face.

"Little Silver, guard this place well, don't let anyone get close."

The silver-threaded centipede raised its head and looked at her, then immediately coiled up its body, completely blocking the pontoon bridge.

Shen Li, holding the hem of her long dress with both hands, quickly walked to the Blackwater Pavilion and sat down cross-legged.

On the third floor, in a dimly lit room, Shen Yuan, dressed in a black brocade robe, had long, snow-white hair that was disheveled, and his face was full of wrinkles, making him look so old that he was no longer recognizable as a human.

This was the price he paid for forcibly activating the white jade tortoise shell and using the red and white vortex to impersonate Bai Ze.

As the white jade tortoise shell was continuously refined, he gradually realized that when the white jade tortoise shell descended upon Danzhou with his divine consciousness, it witnessed Bai Ze's passing away under the moonlight. In the chaos, the white jade tortoise shell stole from the female Yuan Hui Pearl what was precisely the blessing that Bai Ze had cultivated as an auspicious beast. It could also be called "the power of destiny".

This wisp of fortune contains Bai Ze's purest essence.

When he deduced the calamity of the invasion of southern Xinjiang, he used the "Xiaobo Suangua Yaojing" to calculate some things.

However, he did not say it outright so as not to worry his children and grandchildren.

When the Heavenly Fox Demon King arrived in Yunshui City, he sacrificed a hundred years of his lifespan to forcibly activate the White Jade Tortoise Shell, using the Bai Ze aura on its fortune as a vessel to imitate a Golden Core Realm expert.

Bai Ze himself was at the peak of the Golden Core stage, and the white jade tortoise shell was no ordinary object either.

The combination of these two factors meant that even the Heavenly Fox Demon King, a demon cultivator at the Golden Core Realm, couldn't discern anything amiss, only believing that a true Golden Core Realm cultivator was hiding in Cloud Water City.

In fact, even if Shen Chongming hadn't taken the Green Bamboo Sword with him, given the suspicious and distrustful nature of the Heavenly Fox Demon King, he ultimately wouldn't have attacked Yunshui City.

The third floor of Blackwater Pavilion.

Shen Yuan, who was originally old and frail, now exuded an extremely powerful aura.

As his breath surged, a mysterious power spontaneously arose from the acupoints throughout his body.

In an instant, he vaguely sensed that many deeply hidden secrets of his body had been suddenly activated!

Deep within the sea of ​​consciousness, the white jade tortoise shell was also filled with a large amount of spiritual energy.

One by one, large, golden characters slowly emerged.

[Your family's direct bloodline has increased, elevating it to an eighth-rank family.]

As the founder of the family, you directly inherit an eighth-grade bloodline.

As these large golden characters appeared, the aura on the white jade tortoise shell slowly surged, eventually forming a milky white sphere of light, within which a strange, almost transparent energy flowed gently.

Shen Yuan looked at the milky-white orb with some curiosity, and with a slight thought, he obtained a large amount of information.

[Eighth-Rank Family]: Existing family members can receive a bloodline baptism once. Newly born family members have a 20% chance of obtaining an eighth-rank bloodline and a 40% chance of obtaining a ninth-rank bloodline.

For each new direct descendant added to the family, one can obtain a wisp of low-grade innate immortal spiritual energy.

[Eighth-Rank Bloodline]: Greatly enhances one's affinity with the power of heaven and earth. Family members who possess the eighth-rank bloodline have a certain chance of comprehending a unique talent from their bloodline. If the talent they comprehend is flawless, it can be imprinted in their bloodline and has a certain chance of being directly passed on to future generations of family members.

After digesting this information, he understood that the milky white light contained what was called "innate immortal spiritual energy".

When he focused his gaze on the milky-white sphere of light, he indeed obtained more specific information.

[Low-grade Innate Immortal Spiritual Energy]: It can perfectly replace the innate spiritual energy needed for cultivators to break through to the embryonic breathing stage. It is of low grade and can only be bestowed upon clansmen who possess the family bloodline.

Seeing this, Shen Yuan felt slightly disappointed.

This low-grade innate immortal spiritual energy seems to be a perfect match for the bloodline of the Shen family's descendants, but its grade is only low-grade.

Therefore, it seems somewhat useless for descendants with better talents.

After all, even if a celestial embryo is perfectly suited to a person, it will still have a significant impact on their future breakthrough to the Golden Core stage.

but……

For those mediocre family members, this is actually a great benefit.

As the number of family members increases, the resources needed for cultivation will also increase.

Even low-grade innate spiritual energy is ridiculously expensive; you might spend spirit crystals and still not find a perfect match.

This innate immortal spiritual energy can be considered a good backup plan.

With this, it can be guaranteed that when a member of the Shen family breaks through to the embryonic breathing stage in the future, there will be at least a wisp of innate spiritual energy that perfectly matches their spiritual root and cultivation method to help them achieve the embryonic breathing stage.

Even if they have no hope of breaking through to the Golden Core stage, they can still maintain a certain advantage in the Fetal Breathing Realm.

Thoughts surged within him, and the hidden secrets within his body were constantly being activated.

The spiritual energy in his lower abdomen dantian had reached its peak.

He could even feel a slight swelling sensation.

Shen Yuan had some doubts.

"Could it be that our previous guess was wrong?"

"Without innate spiritual energy as a carrier, is there really no way for me to form an immortal embryo?"

Somewhat skeptical, he focused his consciousness into his dantian, observing the situation within while pondering how to break free from his current predicament.

Lacking any spiritual roots, it needs the innate spiritual energy of the five elements of the same quality to forge the foundation of its immortal embryo...

Is this move intended to maintain a certain balance of the five elements within a cultivator's body?

Breaking through the embryonic breathing stage through self-cultivation is equivalent to a kind of sublimation.

A good horse needs a good saddle; it seems the original balance of the five elements could no longer support a higher level of power...

Five Elements... Five Internal Organs...

The lungs correspond to metal, the liver to wood, the kidneys to water, the heart to fire, and the spleen to earth...

As his thought arose, the corresponding five elements of internal organs appeared in his body.

As Shen Yuan focused his consciousness upwards, he quietly observed the five elements of internal energy circulating and interacting within his abdominal cavity. Suddenly, he recalled the Five Elements Breathing Technique that Xu Xiu had given to the Shen family years ago.

After obtaining the "Mist Dragon Nourishing Pulse Technique" and the "Moonlit Pine Mountain Technique" from the Dragon Tamer's residence, he did not study the Five Elements Breathing Method again.

Upon closer reflection, it suddenly becomes clear that the cultivator who created the Five Elements Breathing Method actually intended to use his own strength to create a cultivation method for all those in the world who lack spiritual roots.

Unfortunately, whether that person did not understand the relationship between the "Five Elements," "Five Qi," and "Five Organs," or encountered other difficulties, he did not create a matching method for fetal breathing.

Now, Shen Yuan mobilized the five elements within his five internal organs and suddenly realized that this thing was the perfect vessel for the foundation of an immortal embryo.

The five internal organs are naturally formed and exist from the moment a cultivator is born.

The five elements are inherently present from birth.

Although it cannot compare to those rare and precious treasures, it is ultimately the one that best suits me.

After some deliberation, Shen Yuan immediately began to use the five internal organs and five energies as a foundation to try to condense the foundation of the immortal embryo.

With a slight thought, a large amount of spiritual energy was mobilized from within his dantian, merging with the mysterious power generated from various parts of his body, and slowly enveloping the five elements of his internal organs.

Time passed indefinitely, and Shen Yuan remained immersed in the process of creating this technique, forgetting everything else.

On this day, he suddenly realized that his spiritual energy-rich dantian had become completely empty.

Instead, there was a foundation of a celestial embryo that radiated multicolored light and flowed slowly!

And on that celestial foundation, a sphere resembling an unformed egg floats quietly.

"Fetal breathing...has it worked?"

Looking at everything inside his dantian with some surprise, and feeling the changes happening in his body, Shen Yuan felt it was all absurd.

Those exceptionally talented individuals in the cultivation world who wish to break through to the embryonic breathing stage need to undergo a period of consolidation at the Qi Refining Perfection Realm, and they also need to painstakingly search for innate spiritual energy that suits them, and carefully undergo seclusion to break through.

As for myself... breaking through the embryonic breathing stage doesn't seem to be too difficult...

Suppressing his thoughts, he slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze fell upon the white hair that reached his shoulders, and then upon his withered hands. With a slight thought, his appearance began to change.

A moment later, he transformed back into the appearance of an elderly man in his sixties.

It's not that he can't become younger, it's just that at this age, his great-grandson is already several years old, and it would look a bit strange to make him look like a young man.

He prefers his current appearance to that one.

After doing all this, Shen Yuan slowly stood up, dusted off his clothes, and walked slowly downstairs.

The southern border was like a sword hanging over his head, and he didn't intend to ignore it as usual, leaving all the problems to his children and grandchildren.

In the face of this difficult time, we must work together with our children and grandchildren to get through it.

Upon arriving at the first floor of the Blackwater Pavilion, Shen Yuan had just pushed open the door when he saw Shen Li sitting cross-legged at the entrance.

Seeing that his aura was fluctuating, as if he had entered a state of enlightenment, Shen Yuan did not disturb him.

The improvement in family bloodline must have brought certain benefits to this girl.

If he can use this to comprehend his own talent, coupled with the Gu Spirit Holy Body, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.

"squeak!"

Shen Yuan slowly walked to the head of the pontoon bridge. When the silver-threaded centipede saw him, it raised its head obsequiously and let out a soft call.

"Guard your master well and do not let anyone disturb her."

Shen Yuan gave a brief instruction and then walked past the silver centipede toward the manor.

When he arrived at the manor, he saw Huang Lingxiu pacing anxiously in the front yard.

The servants around him were also bustling about in the courtyard, unaware of what had happened.

Huang Lingxiu was caught off guard when she suddenly saw Shen Yuan approaching.

A moment later, she suddenly turned around in surprise, her face beaming with delight, and said, "Father?"

"You've emerged from seclusion!?"

Shen Yuan nodded with a smile, then looked at the servants and asked, "What happened?"

Huang Lingxiu suppressed her joy, and said with some anxiety and grievance, "Father, you've come at the right time, daughter-in-law... daughter-in-law..."

"Don't be anxious, speak slowly."

Huang Lingxiu calmed herself down and said:

"Just now, for some reason, Chongming and Wen'an suddenly closed their eyes and sat down cross-legged. Their daughter-in-law dared not disturb them."

"Later, You Ran and Ling Xun also sent people to report that Xiu Zhuo and Xiu Chan were also like they were sick and unconscious."

"Shi Tou is in seclusion, and his daughter-in-law doesn't know what to do."

Although Huang Lingxiu had been the matriarch of the Shen family for decades, she mostly handled household chores.

The strange phenomenon occurring among the family members threw her into a panic.

"They're all fine, don't worry."

"Let these people go about their own business and don't bother them."

Shen Yuan gave a soft reassurance and then walked straight to the backyard.

Watching his retreating figure, Huang Lingxiu still had some doubts, but she was more convinced of her father-in-law's authority. She immediately called out to the servants, telling them not to panic and rush around anymore.

……

Southern Xinjiang.

Above the vast mountains, seven terrifying figures gathered in the clouds.

“We have attained the Golden Elixir Dao, and ordinary mortals are nothing but ants. It is their honor to be treated as food and refined into human pills. Why should you confront us here for the sake of a few ants?”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiuqi, with his otherworldly demeanor, smiled calmly.

"I cannot agree with what this fellow Daoist has to say."

"I joined the Immortal Sect at a young age, and received care from my fellow disciples, guidance from the elders of the sect, and support from the younger generation. Only then have I achieved what I have today."

"The people of Yunzhong are one of the foundations of my Luoxia Mountain. I would never allow you to destroy the foundation of Luoxia Mountain."

“The common people of Yangnao, except for those of Yunzhong County, have been almost completely hunted down by you cultivators from the Southern Frontier.”

"The Great Dao governs cause and effect, and karma follows. Why don't you all stop here and reduce the amount of killing you commit?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ou Chang, shrouded in deathly aura, suddenly sneered from the clouds to his left: "Slaughter?"

"My cultivation is based on the karma of killing. Are you suggesting that you intend to sever my cultivation?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiuqi frowned and looked at him.

On the other side, the rather alluring Heavenly Fox Demon King spoke in a charming voice, unhurriedly: "Fellow Daoist, do you really think that joining forces with those two Golden Core Realm cultivators from Cloud Water City will be enough to scare away the six of us?"

"The reason I am still willing to speak with you here today is to give you face."

"If you allow us to go to Yunzhong County to harvest blood offerings, we will not harm your Luoxia Mountain disciples or the Shen family members."

"Otherwise, if we really start fighting, then this courtesy will be gone..."

“Exactly, exactly…” As soon as the Heavenly Fox Demon King’s voice fell, a bald child of about five or six years old appeared in the clouds beside him and chimed in with a grin, “Why is Fellow Daoist so inflexible?”

"This time, we will not slaughter everyone."

“Those ants in the secular world have no other skills but the ability to reproduce.”

“If you give them a few decades or a hundred years in between, they will be able to have an endless number of offspring.”

"When the time comes, you, Luoxia Mountain, can choose your disciples, and the rest we can use to refine human pills and serve as blood offerings..."

"Isn't it great that they can grow one generation after another without interfering with each other?"

Jiang Xiuqi's expression turned somewhat unpleasant upon hearing this.

Although he didn't care much about ordinary people, he wouldn't actively slaughter them, much less like these people before him who had completely lost their humanity and treated ordinary people as food for alchemy.

He could understand the presence of six cultivators from the Southern Frontier, including two Golden Core Realm Demon Kings.

After all, humans eat demons, and demons eat humans; it's a cycle of cause and effect.

The remaining four, however, were all ordinary mortals who had cultivated themselves, and now they were also comfortably engaging in the act of devouring their own kind.

But he remained silent.

High above, King Wu Shikui of the Fushan Kingdom, dressed in a dark gold embroidered robe and wearing a gilded crown, narrowed his eyes and said with a smile, "Since this fellow Daoist is so ungrateful, why don't we join forces to keep him here?"

"I'll take the loss then. This person's Golden Core will belong to me, and the other two Golden Core cultivators mentioned by Fellow Daoist Tianhu, along with the five fellow Daoists who will provide the blood sacrifice for the entire Yunzhong County, can divide it among themselves, how about that?"

As Wu Shi Kui spoke, a flash of light appeared in his hand, and he had already taken out the Imperial Cauldron.

Seeing this, Jiang Xiuqi narrowed his eyes slightly and said calmly, "Does Your Excellency really intend to make a move?"

"Although I have just entered the Golden Core stage, if I were to truly risk all my cultivation, I fear that some of you would suffer the same fate as me."

"To have hundreds of years of cultivation go to waste... that would be no good..."

As soon as he said this, the expressions of the people on the cloud all changed.

The fundamental reason why Golden Core cultivators don't want to antagonize other Golden Core cultivators is that, without overwhelming strength, it's impossible to quickly kill another Golden Core cultivator.

If they cannot be killed quickly, a desperate Golden Core cultivator, whether by self-destructing their Golden Core or by engaging in other desperate counterattacks that risk damage to their cultivation, is extremely terrifying.

The six of them appear to be on the same side this time.

But once they start fighting, if someone is seriously injured, the others will not hesitate at all and will kill without hesitation.

This is also why some Golden Core cultivators, once injured, will try their best to conceal the news and hide in some secluded caves to slowly heal their wounds.

After all, an injured Golden Core cultivator is essentially a walking, human-shaped medicine.

Seeing that the others were hesitant, fearing they would be dragged down with them, Jiang Xiuqi smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Gentlemen, let's end it here for now."

"You may consider my suggestion."

After saying this, he transformed into a streak of light and headed towards Yangnao.

"Just let him go like that?"

The bald-headed child on the cloud suddenly stood up, completely unconcerned that he was still naked, his eyes like those of a venomous snake as he stared at Jiang Xiuqi, who had disappeared into the sky of the Void Harmony Corridor Formation.

Ou Chang glanced at him and sneered, "If Fellow Daoist Hui Hong didn't want to let him leave, why didn't you make the first move?"

"If you make a move, we will certainly not stand idly by."

The child pursed his lips, gave an awkward laugh, and said, "Well, they're gone now..."

"However, what do you all think of that old man's suggestion?"

"I also think it's about time..."

“If we cut it any further, we’ll damage the root system. It might take a hundred years for it to grow back.”

Upon hearing this, King Wu Shikui of Fushan frowned and said, "Are we just going to let it go like this?"

"The human pills made from the blood and food of Yangnao Land are much more delicious than those made from the filthy goods of the Southern Frontier."

"Moreover, I can sense that the rumors are true. The blood food from Yangnao Land truly has endless uses for us."

The Heavenly Fox Demon King swayed his snow-white fox tail and said slowly, "Even so, we cannot exhaust the resources of the land."

"We can't touch the blood food in Yunzhong County for now. If we hunt them all in the remaining areas, where will we find such delicious blood food in the future?"

The group looked reluctantly toward the direction of the Void Harmony Corridor Formation, clearly not wanting to give up so easily.

"This matter isn't that difficult to decide."

After a moment of silence, King Wu Shikui of Fushan Kingdom suddenly laughed and said, "Do you fellow Daoists know how I have been doing things in Fushan Kingdom all these years?"

Hearing his words, Yun Duan and the others were all a little curious.

Only the Fox Demon King, who had known him for hundreds of years and knew of his treacherous nature, looked somewhat suspicious.

"Fellow Daoist Wu, do you mean... herding?"

Wu Shi Kui did not agree, but continued with a smile: "I propose that the six of us establish a rule with that old man and the two Golden Core cultivators from Yunshui City, to govern each other by drawing a line in the sand, and that the Golden Core cultivators from both sides shall not take action under any circumstances."

"Only those below the Golden Core Realm are allowed to make a move."

“We will send out some people, on the one hand to keep the common people in captivity, and on the other hand to plunder the blood and food of Yunzhong County.”

"Very good, very good!"

Upon hearing this, the bald child clapped and cheered excitedly.

"The King of Wu's actions will also motivate those blood-eating creatures to do everything they can to become stronger in order to survive."

"Like wild beasts in the mountains and domesticated livestock, their tastes are quite different."

"What do you think, Fellow Daoist Ou?"

The child turned to look at Ouchang.

Ou Chang's eyes flickered, and he suddenly smiled faintly, "I agree."

"I agree as well."

"can."

In an instant, the six people reached a consensus.

"If that's the case, let's send someone over there to deliver a message to that old man and Yunshui City."

"If the other party does not agree, you may not want to fight to the death with a Golden Core cultivator, but destroying the entire Yunzhong County should not be difficult, right?"

Wu Shi Kui spoke with a gloomy smile on his face.

(End of this chapter)