Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 212 Deception

After passing through the Void Harmony Corridor Formation, Jiang Xiuqi's expression instantly turned solemn.

He knew very well that the invitation from the six Golden Core cultivators of the Southern Frontier was merely a test.

If I show the slightest weakness in my attitude, the entire Yunzhong County will probably be divided up by them in an instant.

However, the six people, each with their own ulterior motives, were temporarily frightened by themselves.

But this does not mean that Yunzhong County is safe and sound.

With a thoughtful look in his eyes, Jiang Xiuqi immediately transformed into a streak of light and flew towards Yunshui City.

The guardian cultivators of Yunshui City respectfully led him to the residence.

The brothers Shen Chongming and Shen Chongxuan respectfully greeted them at the entrance of the residence.

"Greetings, senior."

The two brothers bowed with their hands clasped in greeting.

Jiang Xiuqi nodded and looked around, seemingly wondering where the rest of the Shen family had gone.

Upon seeing this, Shen Chongming quickly cupped his hands and explained, "Senior, please forgive us. The enemy in the Southern Frontier is like a sword hanging over our necks. Our elders have all gone into seclusion to improve their strength."

"My third aunt was just over a month away from giving birth, and my third uncle has been staying with her during this time."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiuqi looked somewhat enlightened, then smiled faintly.

"I forgot, by the way, their child should indeed be born by now."

Shen Chongming cupped his hands again and said, "Please come in, senior."

The two brothers respectfully led Jiang Xiuqi to the side room in the courtyard.

The three sat down, and a servant brought them the finest spiritual tea.

Jiang Xiuqi took a small sip and said, "I just returned from the Southern Frontier."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming paused slightly in his teacup, then put it down again, asking somewhat anxiously, "What brings you to the Southern Frontier, Senior?"

"What are those cultivators from the southern border planning to do next?"

The strength of the Southern Frontier is too great. In just six months since the invasion, there have been more than a dozen Golden Core cultivators who have appeared on the surface.

On this side of Yangnao Land, there are three Golden Core cultivators on the surface.

But in reality, it was only Jiang Xiuqi himself.

As for the other two, we still have to thank the Heavenly Fox Demon King for spreading the news.

"Ugh!"

Jiang Xiuqi also felt helpless when the matter was mentioned.

I thought that achieving the Golden Core Dao would allow me to break free from worldly constraints and shackles, and live a more carefree and happy life.

I never expected to encounter this kind of thing.

In fact, according to his original intention, he had also thought of persuading the Shen family to give up their foundation in Yangnao and follow Luoxia Mountain to Danzhou.

But then I thought, these Southern Border cultivators are not so easy to satisfy.

Once they have firmly established themselves in Yangnao, the next step will be to invade Danzhou.

The Qishan Mountains are the first stop when entering Danzhou from Yangnao.

After becoming a Golden Core Immortal Sect, Luoxia Mountain has regarded the entire Qishan Mountain Range as its own private domain, and has not yet made a move.

In the future, they will inevitably gradually encroach upon and control the entire Qishan mountain range.

If we give up this Yangnao land, will we have to give it up again when cultivators from the Southern Frontier invade Danzhou in the future?
It was with these concerns in mind that Jiang Xiuqi decided to hold Yunzhong for the time being and deal with these Southern Border cultivators.

"They are still coveting the land in the clouds."

Jiang Xiuqi took another sip of tea and said in a deep voice, "This time, six forces have tried to coerce and entice me."

"Fortunately, those six people were not entirely of one mind; each of them harbored their own ulterior motives, which is why they were frightened by this old man."

"but……"

Gently stroking the teacup in his hand, Jiang Xiuqi's eyes deepened, and he said in a solemn voice, "They will definitely not let this go..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a soft knock came from outside the room.

Shen Chongxuan glanced at his elder brother, stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to Jiang Xiuqi, and then opened the door.

Outside the room, a Shen family cultivator respectfully held up a scroll made of animal hide and said, "Young master, this was sent by someone from the Southern Frontier."

Southern Xinjiang?

Shen Chongxuan took the scroll and nodded, saying, "Go down first."

After closing the door, he approached Shen Chongming with the scroll in his hand and said, "Brother."

As Shen Chongming took the scroll and was about to open it, a warning suddenly flashed through his mind.

Lei Xiu had a keen sense of danger; he could feel a hidden yet powerful force contained within the scroll in his hand!

"senior."

Without rashly opening the scroll, Shen Chongming looked at Jiang Xiuqi with a solemn expression.

Jiang Xiuqi put down his teacup and gently waved.

The scroll floated into his hand. Sensing the power hidden within it, he couldn't help but sneer, "Golden Core Decree, what an insidious method."

"It's that little bald monk Huihong's trick; it's a test."

As he spoke, the surging spiritual energy in his hand flowed and slowly seeped into the scroll.

With his other hand, he made a hand seal, and in the blink of an eye, he added another layer of array patterns to the surface of the animal skin scroll, forming a small isolation array.

A moment later, a golden light suddenly burst forth from the scroll, slowly dissipating into the air.

"Okay, open it and take a look."

Meanwhile, among the six people high above the vast mountains of southern Xinjiang, the bald-headed child suddenly grinned.

"There really are Golden Core cultivators in Yunshui City. Even my Karmic Connection Technique couldn't detect any of their presence..."

"He really is a cunning and cautious old monster."

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Fox Demon King coldly snorted, "Fellow Daoist Huihong, do you not trust me?"

“If it weren’t for that cunning old man, I would have already plundered Yunshui City long ago.”

A bald child revealed an innocent smile.

"It's always good to be certain."

"Now it's up to them to decide..."

……

Inside the room, Shen Chongming carefully opened the animal hide scroll. A halo flashed across it, and golden characters suddenly appeared.

After looking at it for a while, the scroll turned into ashes and slowly dissipated into the world.

What does the scroll say?

Seeing that Shen Chongming's expression was not good, Jiang Xiuqi asked.

Shen Chongming cupped his hands slightly and replied, "The other party has proposed that neither we nor the Golden Core cultivators from the Southern Frontier will take action next."

"Only cultivators below the Golden Core stage compete in the Yangnao Land, where life, death, victory, and defeat are all left to fate."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiuqi's gaze deepened.

"I knew those people wouldn't let this go. Their move is likely a strategy of gradually eroding the strength of Luoxia Mountain and the Shen family."

"They don't take their subordinate cultivators seriously, but the disciples of Luoxia Mountain and the Shen family members will have to pay with their lives..."

Shen Chongming's expression was somber, with a hint of ruthlessness in it.

He knew that this so-called "competition" was naturally not the same as the previous minor skirmishes.

Given the ferocity of the cultivators from the Southern Frontier, the Yangnao Land will become a true purgatory in the future.

However, at this point, the Shen family didn't even have the right to refuse.

An invasion of southern Xinjiang has become an inevitable trend.

Even if the Shen family had two Golden Core Realm experts, let alone the fact that they currently lacked a Golden Core Realm expert, they still wouldn't be able to withstand this overwhelming force.

Jiang Xiuqi pondered for a moment and said:

"Southern Xinjiang's move is intended to use the entire Yangnao land as a pasture, treating the common people and cultivators of Yangnao land as livestock, planning to raise and graze them for a long time."

“Herding livestock?” Shen Chongming suddenly sneered: “If they really do that, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

He slowly turned his head to look at Jiang Xiuqi, his eyes sharp, and said, "This junior believes this is an opportunity."

"For my Shen family, it has only been seventy years since the Immortal Sect descended. What we lack most now is time."

"The same is true of Luoxia Mountain."

"Our predecessors achieved the Golden Core Dao, and Luoxia Mountain has just become a Golden Core Immortal Sect. We still need a lot of time to replenish and accumulate our foundation."

"They intend to graze their livestock and harvest us for a long time, but little do they know that this gives us ample time to develop."

"On the contrary, I think this is a good thing."

Jiang Xiuqi was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.

The pressure from the Southern Frontier was overwhelming even for a Golden Core cultivator like him who had lived for hundreds of years.

I thought that Shen Chongming, that greenhorn, would be even more bewildered.

Unexpectedly, he was able to remain so calm. Judging from the implication in his words, he meant that he wanted to wait until he had the strength to fight those forces in the Southern Frontier.

Jiang Xiuqi was quite moved when he caught a glimpse of Shen Chongming's deep eyes.

The Shen family is truly blessed with incredible fortune; generation after generation of its members have produced powerful and influential figures.

When Luoxia Mountain first came into contact with the Shen family, Shen Yuan was still in charge of the family.

An ordinary small landlord managed to survive by skillfully maneuvering among various immortal sects, while also gradually accumulating considerable strength.

Then came the previous head of the family, Shen Wenxing.

He continued his father's philosophy of being able to please everyone, but instead of compromising as before, he tried every means to elevate the Shen family to a position on par with the major immortal sects.

Now it's the little guy's turn to be in charge.

Jiang Xiuqi suddenly saw a hint of ambition and wolfishness in him.

time……

If the Shen family were truly given over a hundred years, this small aristocratic family might actually become a hidden dragon, capable of soaring straight to the heavens when the winds and clouds surge.

Qiu Ling has good taste...

"senior?"

But seeing Jiang Xiuqi looking at him with a smile, Shen Chongming thought he had said something wrong.

He then respectfully cupped his hands and said, "Senior, do you think I'm being presumptuous?"

Jiang Xiuqi smiled and shook his head.

"We cultivators need this kind of overconfidence."

"Since you see this as an opportunity, then send a message back to those old monsters, lest things change if you delay."

"However... this agreement has neither an oath nor any deterrent, so it cannot be entirely trusted."

"You must always be vigilant, lest you fall into the trap of those old monsters."

When Shen Chongming nodded, he seemed to be in a dilemma.

The scroll sent by the other party was actually a Golden Core decree. If the Shen family replied with an ordinary letter, it would not only weaken their momentum, but also arouse suspicion.
However, the Golden Core decree contained the aura of a cultivator. Jiang Xiuqi had just been to the Southern Frontier, and those Golden Core cultivators from the Southern Frontier should be very familiar with his aura, so they could not be asked to reply on his behalf.

After some thought, he could only consider whether he should make a trip to Danzhou and ask his aunt, Huang Lingshan, to draft a decree on his behalf.

"Since the cultivators from the Southern Frontier sent a decree to Yunshui City, there should be another one from Yunzhong."

"I must go back and take a look now."

Jiang Xiuqi slowly stood up and spoke.

Inside the side room, the Shen brothers quickly got up and escorted him to the courtyard gate.

But as his figure disappeared outside the great formation, the two brothers turned and walked into the courtyard, when they suddenly saw their grandfather, Shen Yuan, slowly walking in from the backyard.

"Was that Senior Jiang who just arrived?"

Upon seeing the two brothers, Shen Yuan spoke with his hands behind his back.

Shen Chongming cupped his hands slightly and said, "It is indeed you, senior."

Shen Yuan nodded, and after a moment's thought, he said, "At this critical juncture of life and death, if there are any uncertainties, you can speak with me."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming was taken aback at first, then a smile appeared on his face.

It has become a tacit rule for the head of the Shen family not to disturb the older generation unless it is a major matter.

This was the reason why he didn't send anyone to inform his grandfather, even though he knew his grandfather had just come out of seclusion.

But now that Shen Yuan had spoken up, Shen Chongming was naturally very happy.

After all, the events in southern Xinjiang had been overwhelming him lately.

"Grandson has something to tell Grandpa."

Shen Chongming cupped his hands slightly and then briefly explained the matter of the Golden Elixir decree sent from the Southern Frontier.

"I wish to make a trip to Danzhou and ask Senior Sword Immortal Lingshan to draft a decree on my behalf, so as not to arouse suspicion in the Southern Frontier."

The Golden Elixir Manual?

After a moment's thought, Shen Yuan smiled and said, "There's no need to go to such trouble."

"You shall come with me to the Blackwater Pavilion."

The three members of the family went directly to the second floor of the Blackwater Pavilion.

"You two stand guard at the door," Shen Yuan instructed after opening the door.

The two brothers were somewhat puzzled, but they didn't ask any further questions and simply stood respectfully guarding the entrance on the second floor.

After closing the door, Shen Yuan sat cross-legged on the futon, his consciousness slowly sinking into his sea of ​​consciousness.

After glancing at the slowly rotating red and white vortex, he hesitated for a moment before pouring all his divine sense into it.

The next moment, his divine sense rapidly rose, soaring straight into the sky!

As if his soul had left his body, Shen Yuan surveyed the entire Yunshui City, then with a slight thought, he flew directly south towards the vast Hidden Dragon Mountain!

His divine sense crossed the wide Laishui River and flew over the dense forest, quickly appearing before the sky of the Void Harmony Corridor Formation.

Upon seeing the enormous gap in the sky, Shen Yuan hesitated slightly before manipulating his divine sense to directly cross the gap and appear in the Southern Frontier.

On this side of the Void Harmony Corridor Formation, above the desolate mountains, the six people, including the ruler of Fushan Kingdom, Wu Shi Kui, still stood in the clouds.

Suddenly, a strange vortex appeared in the void in front of the six people.

This sudden change caused the Heavenly Fox Demon King, who was closest to the vortex, to bristle and hurriedly dodge away!

The remaining people also tensed up instantly, circulating their spiritual power in preparation for attack.

"Fellow Daoists of the Southern Frontier, please do not be alarmed."

Shen Yuan was slightly startled, fearing that if the others really made a move, his divine sense, which was only at the early stage of the embryonic breathing realm, would be no match for them.

I could only force myself to remain calm and speak.

"It's you!?"

After dodging, the Heavenly Fox Demon King stared at the red and white vortex in the void and asked in confusion.

"Fellow Daoist Tianhu, do you know this person?"

King Wu Shikui of Fushan frowned and spoke.

He could sense that the suddenly appearing vortex was strange. Although its aura was not very strong, it had the aura of an extremely pure and condensed Golden Core cultivator.

and……

This person seems to have cultivated quite a variety of styles; he possesses the blood and qi of a body cultivator, and one can even sense a trace of a sword cultivator's sword intent...

The Heavenly Fox Demon King also looked at the vortex with a strange expression.

Back then, in the sky above Yunshui City, this vortex appeared beside her suddenly, without any warning.

"This is the method of that fellow Daoist from Yunshui City."

When the Heavenly Fox Demon King spoke, he was essentially introducing Shen Yuan's identity to everyone.

Shen Yuan seized the opportunity to speak.

"I agree to your proposal."

"I hope you can all maintain the dignity of the strong and refrain from engaging in any underhanded schemes behind the scenes."

After calmly finishing these two sentences, Shen Yuan manipulated the red and white vortex to slowly dissipate.

Once he was sure the surroundings had returned to normal, the bald child in the clouds revealed a deep and cunning expression that was completely out of character for his body.

"This person is actually a master of the Great Evolution Dao..."

"I also sensed that he was also practicing physical cultivation and swordsmanship."

King Wu Shikui of Fushan immediately echoed this sentiment.

Upon hearing this, the remaining people all looked at each other in bewilderment.

As Golden Core cultivators, they all knew that although there was not much conflict between various cultivation systems, a person's energy was limited.

Throughout history, countless exceptionally talented geniuses have devoted their entire lives to cultivating a single path, yet none have necessarily achieved great success.

That person just now achieved the Golden Core through the Xuanmen Immortal Path, and also cultivated body refinement and sword cultivation, and even studied the Great Evolution Path!
Such people either have absolute confidence in their talents, or they have other opportunities, or... they have fought and killed some Golden Core cultivators of the Great Evolution Path and the Sword Path, devouring their life's cultivation!

Thinking of this, a chill ran down their spines!

Although they treated the common people as food and used cultivators to refine human pills, they devoured them without any scruples.

However, to this day, no one has ever fought against a Golden Core expert of the same realm or devoured a cultivator's Golden Core.

If the auras of various cultivation systems on that person were genuine, then it would prove that the person had devoured at least one cultivator's golden core.

That's a truly ruthless person!

"That's enough, things have come to this. Everyone, go back and make your preparations."

King Wu Shi Kui of Fushan Kingdom sighed and spoke.

He was now somewhat glad that when he arrived at Yangnao Land with Ou Chang and the Heavenly Fox Demon King, he hadn't chosen the Heavenly Fox Demon King's direction.

Otherwise, I might not be able to refrain from taking action like the Heavenly Fox Demon King.

The group remained silent as their figures slowly dissipated from the clouds.

……

Blackwater Pavilion.

Shen Yuan had no idea that those people from the Southern Frontier would imagine so much.

The reason why his consciousness contains the aura of the Great Evolution Dao, the Sword Dao, and Body Cultivation is simply because after breaking through to the Fetal Breath stage, he absorbed the insights that Shen Wen'an and Shen Wenxing had when they broke through to the Fetal Breath stage.

Now, only a bolt of lightning remains on the white jade tortoise shell, a result of Shen Chongming's breakthrough.

He had tried to absorb it, but the electric light was strange, as if it was somewhat repelling his consciousness.

After several failed attempts, it was left to float on the white jade tortoise shell.

call--

With his consciousness returning, Shen Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and opened his eyes.

Although his face was somewhat pale, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes.

Last time, when he forcibly activated the white jade tortoise shell at the ninth level of Qi Refining to imitate Bai Ze's aura, it almost cost him his life.

Having achieved the fetal breathing technique using the Five Elements Immortal Foundation, he attempted to activate the red and white vortexes to imitate Bai Ze's aura. However, this only consumed a large amount of his divine soul power and did not shorten his lifespan.

This was already an acceptable price. After taking a short breath and stabilizing his breathing, he said towards the door, "Come in."

Hearing the noise, Shen Chongming and Shen Chongxuan, who were outside the door, pushed the door open and came in.

"Grandpa, are you alright?"

Seeing that Shen Yuan's face was somewhat pale, Shen Chongxuan asked with concern.

Shen Yuan shook his head slightly, his gaze turning to Shen Chongming.

"Grandpa has already taken care of things in southern Xinjiang."

"The fate of the Shen family now rests in the hands of you younger generation."

After a moment's hesitation, he said earnestly, "Grandpa knows you are a man of principle and dislike pretense."

"However, feigning compliance is also a kind of wisdom."

"The best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans; the next best is to disrupt their alliances; and the worst is to attack their cities."

"If we can avoid fighting, or eliminate the enemy through the hands of others, it is far better than letting our people fight to the death."

Do you understand?

Shen Chongming silently recited these words in his mind, and nodded after thinking about them.

"Grandson will remember his grandfather's teachings."

After nodding, Shen Yuan looked at Shen Chongxuan and said, "You are thoughtful and meticulous. You should assist your elder brother more and offer him advice and strategies."

"Whether the Shen family can overcome this crisis is by no means something that can be accomplished by one person alone."

Shen Chongxuan respectfully cupped his hands and said, "Grandson understands."

"Okay, let's go."

Shen Yuan waved his hand.

The two brothers immediately bowed and left Blackwater Pavilion.

……

The devastation in southern Xinjiang was so severe that nearly two-thirds of the population of Yangnao were abducted, leaving nine out of ten cities and villages empty.

It was instead taken over by the wild animals and livestock that were usually hunted and raised by the common people, and became a paradise.

The fields are overgrown with weeds.

Two cultivators flew past on the wind, holding a huge map in their hands, marking something on it.

"Brother, we can't go any further."

"My father instructed us to find out the location of the spirit fields a hundred miles outside Xingyang City. Any further away, we cannot take care of them."

Above the desolate and dilapidated village, two figures arrived one after the other. The girl in the white dress, with her delicate pink cheeks, who was lagging behind, suddenly called out.

The purple-robed youth carrying a large sword in front of him quickly changed his hand gestures and stopped in mid-air.

His gaze drifted into the distance, and he sighed.
There are only seven spirit fields.

"I heard that the Zhao family in Anyang has found eleven spirit fields and a purple cloud stone mine in the area where Yingchuan Fencheng and Anyang City meet in the past few days."

"The Wang family of Hejian and the Liu family of Chungui also had a better harvest than us."

As he landed on the ground, the purple-robed youth angrily unleashed a burst of spiritual energy, blasting a wild dog that was gnawing on rotting flesh in the distance into a bloody pulp.

The girl in the white dress landed beside him. Seeing the stray dog's miserable state, she frowned slightly and said, "Brother, your older brother has been telling you to curb your killing instincts, why don't you listen?"

A hint of displeasure flashed in the purple-robed youth's eyes, and he snorted coldly in dissatisfaction:
"Murderousness?"

"The world is in chaos now, and the major affiliated families are eager to make a name for themselves and are all making moves."

"If my Liu family wants to secure its position as the head of the main branch, we cannot be too conservative."

"That Liu Wenzhi is a good-for-nothing, and you expect your elder brother to be like him?"

Upon hearing this, the girl in the white dress's expression changed slightly. She glanced around cautiously and whispered a word of advice: "Brother, be careful what you say!"

"My eldest brother is the eldest son and the future head of the family."

"If these words reach his or our father's ears today, we siblings will not only fail to fight for Mother's right to live, but we will also likely face family punishment!"

A flash of resentment crossed the purple-robed youth's face. He clenched his fist and said, "In terms of cultivation talent and wisdom, how am I, Liu Qingfeng, not better than him?"

"Just because he is the legitimate son, does that mean he should be the head of the Liu family?"

"He's a coward. If he were to take control of the Liu family, their position as a major clan would be lost sooner or later!"

"elder brother……"

The girl in the white dress was about to speak to persuade her when her eyes glanced over and she was instantly horrified as she looked at the rooftops of the distant village!
A gigantic, dark green mantis monster had appeared there out of nowhere!
Liu Yiran immediately drew her long sword, her spiritual power surging, and looked at the demonic beast with fear.

Seeing his sister like this, Liu Qingfeng slowly drew his broadsword from his back and suddenly turned around to look into the distance.

"It's a demonic beast at least at the sixth level of Qi Refining!"

Sensing the slightly oppressive aura emanating from the mantis demon, Liu Qingfeng's expression turned somewhat solemn.

Both he and his sister were only at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

Judging from the fact that this mantis demon is an extremely skilled fighting beast, the two of them are definitely no match for it!
Upon hearing this, Liu Yiran hesitated only slightly before immediately forming a hand seal and sending a distress spell directly towards the sky!
Less than a hundred miles from here, there is a campsite with the Shen family flag flying.

A monk hurriedly pushed open the door in front of him and respectfully bowed.

"Reporting to the young master, there is a member of the Shen family seventy miles to the south who requests our assistance."

Inside the wooden house, the figure who was lying sprawled on the bed, fast asleep, sat up slightly upon hearing this and reached for the long iron staff on the desk in front of him.

"Come with me and let's take a look."

A hoarse voice sounded.

Shen Chongxu walked out of the wooden house, stretched, and then waved his hand to summon a breeze that flew away into the distance.

Behind them, a group of Shen family cultivators immediately followed on the wind. After flying for a while, they arrived not far from the abandoned village.

"Young master, he's downstairs."

"It's a praying mantis!"

In the void, some sharp-eyed cultivators noticed the Liu siblings below, who were being chased and looked quite disheveled, and immediately rushed over to help them.

"Just keep an eye on it."

Shen Chongxu, carrying a heavy black iron staff, slightly changed the hand seals and swooped down from the void!

While in mid-air, he raised the black iron staff in his hand high. With the support of spiritual power, the black iron staff suddenly grew several feet long and smashed fiercely towards the mantis demon's body!

Although the mantis demon was only at the sixth level of Qi Refining, its combat experience was clearly very rich.

But then the black iron staff above his head slammed down with tremendous force, and the wings on his back suddenly spread open. With just a slight flap, he rushed out at an extremely fast speed!
boom!
The black iron staff slammed down on the spot where the mantis demon had been standing, creating a large crater in the ground and sending dust billowing up.

"Squeak, squeak!"

The mantis, having dodged the attack, seemed to know that the two-legged beast descending from the sky was the greatest threat.

After its sharp blade plowed deep pits into the ground, it suddenly turned around and stared at the thick smoke and dust!

Suddenly!

The tip of a long, black iron staff emerged from the smoke and dust!

Immediately afterwards, a figure shot out from behind the long iron staff, grabbing the other end!

A savage glint flashed in the mantis demon's cold compound eyes. After slightly lowering its body to gather strength, it suddenly leaped up and charged towards the figure with its two terrifying forelimbs!
Shen Chongxu was in mid-air, his hands forming a hand seal!

A beam of earthy yellow light suddenly struck the ground in front of the mantis demon!
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"

Seeing that his spiritual power had not hit him, the mantis demon let out a strange cry that seemed to be mocking him, and directly poured all the demonic energy in its body into its forelimbs, which were like two sharp blades, preparing to cut Shen Chongxu in two!
However, its simple intelligence failed to realize that Shen Chongxu's attack was deliberately aimed at the ground.

They didn't even notice that a strange vortex had silently appeared on the ground struck by the earthen-yellow spiritual energy.

Just as its figure swept over the vortex, it suddenly felt the demonic energy within its body sink!
His body plummeted rapidly!
"Squeak, squeak!"

The mantis monster cried out and frantically channeled its demonic energy, trying to flap its wings and escape the strange vortex.

But a long iron staff gleaming with an earthy yellow light suddenly magnified in its eyes the moment its wings opened!

puff!
The black iron staff, carrying immense force, slammed into the mantis demon's head, smashing its head and half its body to pieces!
This all happened extremely quickly.

From the moment Shen Chongxu leaped from the sky to the moment the mantis demon was killed, only a few breaths had passed.

Not far away, the Liu siblings stared in astonishment at Shen Chongxu, whose hair was somewhat disheveled and whose clothes were not very neat.

If it weren't for the jade seal hanging at his waist, the two would never have been able to connect the disheveled young man before them with a direct descendant of the main family.

"elder brother……"

Liu Yiran reacted, gently tugging at her brother Liu Qingfeng's clothes. The two hurriedly stepped forward and respectfully bowed.
“Liu Qingfeng/Liu Yiran from the Liu family of Xingyang pay their respects to the young master.”

Although the two had never met Shen Chongxu, they recognized the jade seal.

At this moment, the other Shen family cultivators who had accompanied them from the void also gracefully descended.

Two people approached the corpse of the mantis monster and skillfully dissected it to extract its core and gather useful materials.

"Are you disciples of the Liu family?"

Beside Shen Chongxu, a middle-aged man with a cultivation level of seven Qi Refining frowned and spoke after looking at the insignia on the two men's bodies.

Liu Yiran quickly cupped her hands in greeting: "Your Excellency, we two are indeed disciples of the Liu family, sent to investigate the spirit fields."

The middle-aged man didn't say anything more, and turned to look at Shen Chongxu.

He carried a long staff of black iron, glanced at Liu Yiran with interest, and then turned away indifferently, saying, "Let's go."

The middle-aged man cupped his hands in greeting and then instructed the two men, "You two should not risk going any further. If it weren't for Young Master Chongxu leading his men to clear this place a few days ago, you two would probably have been hunted down and killed by those demonic beasts or cultivators from the Southern Frontier long ago."

Upon hearing this, Liu Qingfeng's expression changed. Gazing at Shen Chongxu's retreating figure, he suddenly pulled his younger sister to kneel on one knee and bow, saying, "Young Master Chongxu!"

Shen Chongxu paused slightly and slowly turned around.

Liu Qingfeng respectfully said, "My siblings and I wish to join the clan's army and follow you, young master!"

The brother and sister were in a very awkward position in the Liu family.

Especially since last year, after the two of them broke through to the fourth level of Qi Refining, his elder brother, who was the eldest son of the legitimate wife, has been targeting him at every turn.

Whenever the two brothers met, he would be subjected to numerous admonitions.

Shen Chongxu looked him over expressionlessly.

After a long silence, he sneered and said, "I have no power or influence in the Shen family and cannot give you what you want."

As a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining, how could he not see the ambition hidden in Liu Qingfeng's eyes?
Unfortunately, he was in a daze all day long, and apart from leading his men to patrol and guard the border of Xingyang City, he was too lazy to care about these messy things.

"My siblings and I ask for nothing more than to follow you, young master!"

Liu Qingfeng spoke again.

Given their status, if it weren't for this coincidence, they probably would never have met the direct descendants of the main family in their entire lives.

Now that he had seen it, he didn't want to give up this rare opportunity.

Seeing Shen Chongxu hesitate, the middle-aged cultivator beside him quickly stepped forward to remind him, "Young master, this matter requires caution..."

He also realized that Liu Qingfeng wanted to curry favor with Shen Chongxu, the master's disciple, to gain influence.

After a moment's thought, Shen Chongxu smiled faintly and said, "Have you thought it through?"

"Think it through and then come with me."

After saying this, he immediately rode the wind and flew towards the enemy in the distance.

Liu Qingfeng, beaming with excitement, pulled up his sister beside him and said, "Ran, our chance has come!"

Liu Yiran asked with some concern, "Brother, should we go back and tell Father about this?"

"otherwise……"

"No need!" Liu Qingfeng said in a deep voice, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Do you know the young master's identity?

Liu Yiran recalled briefly and said, "I heard from that official earlier that he is Young Master Chongxu..."

Liu Qingfeng nodded, a strange light flashing in his eyes as he murmured, "The Chong generation, that's the young master of the same generation as the current head of the main family."

"It is our honor to follow him."

"Moreover... judging from Young Master Chongxu's age, he is not yet married..."

He suddenly turned to his sister and said seriously, "Aran, this is your chance!"

Liu Yiran was slightly taken aback, then said shyly, "Brother, what are you saying?"

"How could my young master possibly be interested in me?"

"Aran, listen to your brother." Liu Qingfeng gripped his sister's shoulders tightly, his expression maniacal, and said, "That is the brother of the current head of the family."

"Even if we don't marry him as his wife or concubine, or even if we don't have any official status, as long as we can conceive a child with the Shen family's bloodline, the status of you and me, brother and sister, will immediately rise!"

An incredulous look appeared on the girl's face; she couldn't believe her brother could say such a thing.

"Brother, why...why did you become like this?"

Liu Yiran spoke with a wronged tone, her voice mournful and sorrowful.

Seeing his sister's expression, Liu Qingfeng released her shoulder, clenched his fist, and said angrily, "Brother knows that saying this is a bit mean!"

"But my mother wanted a proper status until her death, and she wanted her token to be placed in the Liu family's ancestral hall!"

"Over the years, my brother and I have cultivated desperately and risked our lives for the family, yet we are still secretly called 'bastards' by them, do you know that?"

When her mother was mentioned, tears welled up in Liu Yiran's eyes.

Their mother was originally a beautiful actress in a theatrical troupe in Xingyang City.

When the patriarch of the Liu family celebrated his birthday, an opera troupe was invited to perform at his residence.

As a result, they were tricked into having sex by their father, Liu Jing, the current head of the Liu family, with sweet words.

After the brother and sister were born one after the other, their mother waited a long time for the official title that their father had promised, and she was even unwilling to reveal their identities, for fear of being punished by the clan head.

After their mother passed away in sorrow, the brother and sister were also found to possess spiritual roots during a spiritual root screening.

Finally, her father secretly sent someone to bring her to his residence.

To the outside world, they only said that he was born to a concubine who had passed away years ago.

The brother and sister have been cultivating diligently all these years, hoping to make a contribution so that their father will acknowledge their birth mother's identity.

However, as the brother and sister displayed their talent for cultivation, their elder brother grew increasingly disgusted with them. This time, he assigned them a task to go out of the city to find abandoned spiritual fields, hoping to take the opportunity to get rid of them.

"Let's go. If you're not willing, then pretend I never said anything."

"Now that Young Master Chongxu has agreed to take us siblings in, perhaps he won't need to resort to such despicable means."

Seeing his sister's tears streaming down her face, Liu Qingfeng felt a pang of sorrow and sighed.

The brother and sister immediately rode the wind and flew in the direction where Shen Chongxu and the others had left.

……

Tianyin Mountain is located in the northern part of Danzhou.

This is the location of the Yinhe Sect, one of the three major sects in Danzhou.

The towering mountain peaks are covered in snow, and the cold wind howls.

A woman in a pink palace dress, exuding a noble air, stood quietly atop the mountain. Her stunning beauty, set against the backdrop of white snow, possessed an even more serene and elegant charm, truly embodying the saying, "To be admired from afar, not to be touched."

Beside the woman, Wei Chengyu, dressed in a dark red cloak of the Fire Sect and with a handsome face, quietly gazed at the surging sea of ​​clouds in the distance.

"Your plan doesn't seem to be perfect."

The woman's voice was soft and gentle, giving one a feeling of being caressed by a breeze.

Wei Chengyu chuckled and shook his head.

"There was indeed some miscalculation."

"That demonic dragon really doesn't care about the descendants of the Great Ying Immortal Mansion."

The woman turned slightly to look at him and said with a faint smile, "I feel that the pressure from the Southern Frontier is not enough."

"If the descendants of the Great Ying Immortal Mansion are about to be slaughtered, then the demon dragon should not sit idly by."

"After all, Ye Mengxuan, the ancestor of the Dragon Tamer Clan, always regarded him as a brother."

"In the end, in order to save him, they did not hesitate to use celestial crystals to set up a great array for him, allowing him to survive within it and draw on the essence of Yangnao Land to prolong his life."

After pondering for a long time, Wei Chengyu murmured in a deep voice.

"maybe."

"However, I have already sent people to the Southern Frontier, but they encountered some minor accidents. It seems that a mysterious entity made contact with those four Nascent Soul Realm old guys in the Southern Frontier ahead of time."

"Not only are the four of them unwilling to show their faces now, but they are also secretly restricting other forces in the Southern Frontier from going to Yangnao."

"Oh?" The woman in palace attire looked somewhat surprised.

"Given that rumor, the fact that those four old geezers were able to hold back suggests that your so-called mysterious being has brought out something even more tempting..."

"Could it be that besides that demonic dragon, True Lord Daying left behind other contingency plans back then?"

Wei Chengyu shook his head slightly, his eyes deep, and said, "No, it won't happen."

"If this demonic dragon hadn't possessed a celestial crystal from beyond the heavens, it would have been impossible for it to escape this calamity."

"I personally witnessed the killing of the remaining Seven Sons of Yangnao."

"Even if some of them reincarnate with the gold element and start cultivating again, they will definitely not be able to reach the Nascent Soul Realm without experiencing three lifetimes."

The woman in palace attire slowly strolled to a flat area at the summit and swept away the snow with a wave of her hand.

With a flash of light, he took out a five-foot jade table, followed by spirit wine and a spirit fruit platter.

Upon seeing this, Wei Chengyu paused slightly, then slowly walked over and sat down opposite him.

Taking the spirit wine handed to him by the woman in palace attire, he said slowly, "Have you found out anything about that old man from Tianjun Mountain?"

"If we can confirm that the old man passed away peacefully rather than through a breakthrough, you can spare some of your energy to help me."

The woman in palace attire poured herself a full cup of wine, raised it, and drank it.

"How can it be so easy?"

"That old man used the Great Evolution Dao to combine metal elements and created a 'Deceive the Heavens Secret'."

"As long as he doesn't make a move, even if he's standing right in front of us, neither of us would notice him."

Wei Chengyu sighed softly.

"Jiang Xiuqi of Luoxia Mountain is also of alloy nature."

"Given his talent and the resources of Luoxia Mountain, he shouldn't have had any chance of achieving the Golden Core Dao. It's truly strange..."

The woman in palace attire showed some displeasure when the matter was mentioned.

Luoxia Mountain is the troublemaker in Yangnao Land. If it weren't for Jiang Xiuqi's existence, the Southern Frontier would probably have already slaughtered all the common people and cultivators in Yangnao Land.

If that demonic dragon in the Central Plains had even a shred of nostalgia, it would not have stood idly by and watched the bloodline of the Great Ying Immortal Mansion and the Dragon-Hunting Clan be completely wiped out.

"That underworld official is really useless. Knowing in advance that Jiang Xiuqi was going to break through, he still failed to steal his metal element."

"Now we have gained another formidable enemy for nothing."

Wei Chengyu downed the spirit wine in his hand in one gulp and said, "Don't mention them anymore. What we need to do now is find a way to lure that demonic dragon away."

"We also need to find the immortal abode of the Great Ying True Lord from back then."

The woman in palace attire nodded, then changed the subject, asking, "How is the Shen family in Yangnao now?"

When the Shen family was mentioned, Wei Chengyu's expression suddenly became somewhat strange.

After a moment's thought, he smiled slightly: "They are quite an interesting family, but there's no need to worry about them now."

"If we plan it out properly, it might be useful to our sect in the future."

Wei Chengyu spoke confidently, his gaze fixed on the direction of Yangnao.

(End of this chapter)