Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 228 Battle Against the Underworld, Prey and Hunter

Blackwater Pavilion.

As soon as Wei Qiuling and Shen Chongzhen arrived at the floating bridge over the pool, they saw Shen Yuan and Shen Li walking slowly from the pavilion.

"Third Aunt, does that strange phenomenon mean Third Uncle is about to break through?"

Upon meeting, Shen Li looked at Wei Qiuling with excitement.

Shen Chongzhen, standing beside Wei Qiuling, obediently bowed to the two people in front of her.

"Grandpa, Sister Li'er."

Wei Qiuling also called out urgently, "Father, this is a letter Wen An left before he went into seclusion. Please take a look."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan felt a little curious.

Why would someone who's gone into seclusion leave behind any letters?
Shen Yuan took the letter, opened it, and glanced at it. His eyes suddenly turned serious.

"The underworld..."

He closed the letter and looked at Wei Qiuling.

Did Senior Jiang mention this matter when he broke through to the Golden Core stage?

Wei Qiuling shook her head slightly.

She had never heard of the "underworld" either.

During the years when Jiang Xiuqi was in seclusion to break through to the Golden Core stage, the disciples of Luoxia Mountain were only warned not to enter the back mountain where Jiang Xiuqi was in seclusion without permission, and even less to use their divine sense recklessly.

Wei Qiuling and many disciples of Luoxia Mountain only thought that this action would disturb Jiang Xiuqi's breakthrough, and they had no idea that there were any people from the underworld.

"Wen An would not joke about this."

"Go find your older brother immediately and have him pass on this information."

"No cultivator or commoner in Yunshui City is allowed to approach the place where Wen An is in seclusion, and they are even less allowed to use their divine sense."

Upon hearing this, Wei Qiuling quickly nodded and left.

"Li'er, go to the clan's storeroom and get some spirit crystals. Activate the Ren Shui Concealing Spirit Array to its maximum!"

"From this day forward until your third uncle successfully breaks through, Yunshui City will be off-limits to all personnel."

Upon hearing this, Shen Li nodded solemnly and hurriedly left.

On the pontoon bridge, Shen Yuan glanced at the letter in his hand again, slowly raised his head, and gazed at the sky above the Renshui Concealing Spirit Array.

The Underworld...

This was also the first time he had learned of the existence of this special force.

It specifically targets and plunders the golden essence of Golden Core cultivators, hindering their breakthrough to the Golden Core stage...

Is this a man-made force, or an embodiment of the natural order created by heaven and earth?
If it is the embodiment of the order created by heaven and earth, then it is easy to understand.

A cultivator achieving the Golden Core and immortality is tantamount to disrupting the balance. The Great Dao is fair, and any obstacle preventing a cultivator from achieving the immortal Golden Core is perfectly reasonable.

But if the underworld is not the embodiment of order, but a mysterious force created by humans, then that would be terrifying.

A force that dares to specifically target Golden Core cultivators and instill fear in them must have unimaginably powerful backing.

At this moment, Shen Yuan suddenly thought of the results of the divination he had performed a few days ago.

He vaguely guessed that the "crisis" hidden in the divination probably came from the underworld.

……

Outside the Renshui Concealing Spirit Formation, two figures stood quietly in the void, and the many cultivators of Yunshui City below did not see their presence.

The young man at the head, wearing a sky-piercing crown with two gemstones resembling black jade embedded in the front, looked with great interest at the terrifying sword energy that pierced through the Renshui Concealing Spirit Array and soared into the sky.

“How many years have you been…”

"I have lost count of how many years it has been since I last witnessed such a 'heavenly gate opening' phenomenon."

After muttering to himself, he turned to look at Fu Yang, who was also dressed in black but only had a cloth turban on his head.

"This is your first trial, and it is your good fortune to witness the extraordinary phenomenon of the 'Opening of the Heavenly Gate'."

Fu Yang's aged and decrepit appearance had vanished, replaced by a more youthful face, making him look like a middle-aged man.

"My lord, shall we make our move?"

His voice was cold and devoid of any emotion.

The young man waved his hand slightly and said with a faint smile, "Don't be in a hurry. Our goal is the gold that has been sent down by the heavens."

"Now that the Heavenly Gate has been opened, Jin Xing will probably need to prepare for a while longer."

"Once the Golden Nature appears, I will seize it, and your duty is to kill the one destined to face this calamity."

Fu Yang respectfully cupped his hands and then said nothing more.

Inside the secret chamber of the city below.

Shen Wen'an sat cross-legged on the futon, his whole body radiating a warm and sacred golden light.

Above its head, the three divine flowers, as if crafted from pure gold, floated quietly in the void three inches above its head, slowly rotating.

At his dantian, the three-inch illusory image of his natal magic sword also flickered with a blue sword light.

At this moment, the Tai Xuan sword energy had all condensed on the three-inch magic sword, completely dyeing the originally golden Dragon Soul Magic Sword blue.

On the magic sword, the strange mark formed from the aura of the underworld also emitted a faint, eerie light, as if it was about to undergo some kind of transformation.

"Two auras of the underworld..."

Deep within his consciousness, Shen Wen'an's spirit stood with his hands behind his back on his spiritual platform, gazing quietly into the distance.

His current state is quite peculiar; he has reached the limit in all aspects of breaking through to the Golden Core Dao.

If one wishes, one can activate the divine golden wheel within one's body at any time, connect with the heavens, and allow that wisp of immortal golden essence to descend.

However, before that, he had already sensed that the mark formed by the wisp of Yin energy on the sword embryo was still somewhat incomplete.

He had a sudden realization: if he could complete the mark formed by the aura of the underworld, his swordsmanship would undergo a qualitative change.

This is why he could have broken through to the Golden Core stage and drawn down the Golden Nature as quickly as possible before the people of the Underworld arrived.

Why suppress the breakthrough process, thus entering the "opening the heavenly gate" stage?

"Opening the Heavenly Gate" is a relatively risky and challenging method for cultivators when breaking through to the Golden Core Realm.

If one does not have sufficient confidence in their own foundation, most cultivators will not choose to do this when breaking through.

Because if the "opening of the heavenly gate" fails, before the arrival of the golden essence, one's inner core will be shattered by the backlash, and death and the dissipation of one's Dao will be inevitable.

Shen Wen'an chose this step primarily to lure out the people of the underworld.

The last time I fought that person from the underworld at Mount Luoxia, I obtained a wisp of underworld energy from him, which eventually turned into a strange mark on my natal magic sword.

The mark was incomplete, and this time he wanted to try again to see if he could complete it.

However, what surprised him was that after "opening the gates of heaven with the sword," he actually attracted two people from the underworld.

"Let's try it first."

His soul murmured above his spiritual platform, and Shen Wen'an took a step forward. Suddenly, his soul transformed into a long cyan sword and flew out from his sea of ​​consciousness!

Ren water conceals the spirit outside the great formation.

Fu Yang and the young man from the underworld were waiting for Shen Wen'an's golden energy to fall when they suddenly saw a streak of azure light rushing towards them.

This scene caused the indifference on the young man's face to vanish instantly, replaced by a slight frown.

As a member of the underworld, every time he appeared, the Golden Core cultivators would run away in a panic, and none of them would dare to rush up and die.

The moment the azure light passed through the Renshui Concealing Spirit Array, Fu Yang, standing beside the young man from the Underworld, stirred.

With a flash, he unleashed a massive array of energy patterns at Shen Wen'an's sword spirit.

In an instant, a powerful offensive formation suddenly appeared in the void, trapping Shen Wen'an's sword spirit.

"Master Fu Yang!?"

The moment the attack formation was formed, Shen Wen'an, in his sword spirit form, saw the true face of the person who made the move, and his eyes instantly showed horror.

He never imagined that his senior uncle, who shared the same fate as him and had been expelled from the sect by Qiyun Valley, would now be working with people from the underworld.

However, he also sensed a hint of unfamiliarity in Fu Yang.

The middle-aged figure in front of them, dressed in underworld attire, was identical to Fu Yang in appearance, but his aura and the spiritual light in his eyes were vastly different from Fu Yang's.

Shen Wen'an didn't know whether the person in front of him was Fu Yang or not.

Similarly, Fu Yang heard his voice, but his expression remained unchanged. He simply made a hand seal and manipulated the magic array that was trapping his sword soul to launch an attack!
One after another, dark iron chains exuding an extremely yin and cold aura suddenly appeared from the void!
These iron chains, like vicious venomous pythons, pierced through the void and howled as they flew towards Shen Wen'an!

Seeing this, Shen Wen'an couldn't worry about whether the person who attacked was Fu Yang or not, and could only defend against the attack first.

With a wave of his hand, nine cyan longsword phantoms appeared around him.

These longsword phantoms were all formed from the purest Tai Xuan sword energy.

After the nine Tai Xuan swords formed around him, they suddenly converged behind him, forming a huge sword wheel.

Facing the dark iron chains shooting in from all directions, the Tai Xuan Sword Wheel spun rapidly, and dazzling sword beams flew out from those longswords.

Ding-ding-ding-ding!

The sword's edge clashed with the dark iron chain, producing a crisp metallic clang.

Shen Wen'an stood with his hands behind his back, but a wisp of his divine sense had already pierced through the formation, observing Fu Yang in front of him without any restraint.

"Uncle?"

Condensing his voice into a line, Shen Wen'an forcefully poured his voice into Fu Yang's sea of ​​consciousness, attempting to awaken him.

Unfortunately, this tactic had no effect on Fu Yang at all.

Seeing this, Shen Wen'an did not intend to waste any more energy. He immediately transformed that wisp of divine consciousness into a sword of divine soul and fiercely stabbed it into Fu Yang's sea of ​​consciousness!

This move was a new ability he developed by combining the secret technique of "Guardian Sword Bone" with the "Soul-Slaying Sword" of Tianjun Mountain.

It allows one to transform every wisp of one's divine consciousness into an offensive divine consciousness weapon.

While this move is not as powerful as the Wisdom Sword's attack, its advantage lies in its stealth and ability to unexpectedly damage the opponent's soul, leaving them no time to defend.

as predicted.

The longsword formed from divine consciousness successfully pierced Fu Yang's sea of ​​consciousness, heading straight for the divine soul on his spiritual platform that exuded an aura of extreme yin and cold!

Fu Yang's previously calm expression finally showed a slight change.

The cultivation array that it controlled was also affected, and there were faint signs that it was about to collapse.

Establishing an array in the void, without any spiritual objects from heaven and earth as its foundation, relies entirely on the array master's most exquisite array skills and spiritual power to maintain it.

Now that his sea of ​​consciousness has been breached and his soul is under threat, Fu Yang is naturally unable to fully control the formation.

The Tai Xuan Sword Wheel behind Shen Wen'an suddenly trembled, and even more dazzling sword light burst forth from the nine longswords, breaking through the great formation that had trapped him in one fell swoop.

"Ugh!"

"I must personally take action..."

The moment Shen Wen'an broke through the formation and stepped out, the young man from the underworld beside Fu Yang shook his head and sighed.

His gaze fell upon Shen Wen'an as if he were a commoner staring at an ant about to be crushed.

A touch of mockery, a touch of pity, and a touch of indifference.

Meeting his gaze, Shen Wen'an could feel a faint sense of pressure.

This oppression comes from the depths of the soul, as if there is a huge gap between the two sides on a certain level of life.

Shen Wen'an's expression was somewhat solemn.

The last time he was at Luoxia Mountain, although he had encountered a person from the underworld, something unexpected happened at the time, and he did not sense these things from the other person.

Under the watchful gaze of this young man from the underworld, Shen Wen'an dared not be careless, and a wisp of pale gold slowly emerged from his sword soul body.

The pale golden light suddenly intensified, and then formed a three-inch-long golden magic sword in front of me.

The moment the golden magic sword was formed, the indifference and mockery on the face of the underworld youth in front of him instantly froze.

"You... how dare a mere cultivator dabble in the power of the Underworld!?"

The young man from the underworld's icy voice was filled with astonishment and anger, and his eyes seemed to suddenly turn into two deep, terrifying pools!
In Shen Wen'an's view, those eyes seemed to transform into two eerie bottomless abysses in an instant, slowly rotating while a strange force tried to gradually extract, decompose, and absorb his sword soul into them.

hum!
The Tai Xuan Sword Wheel behind him suddenly trembled, briefly resisting the suction force of the dark pool formed by his eyes. Shen Wen'an immediately pointed his sword!
Whoosh!
The three-inch natal magic sword in front of him directly crossed the space between them and stabbed straight towards the brow of the underworld youth!
However, a dark purple light shield suddenly appeared in front of the young man from the underworld, firmly blocking the Dragon Soul Sword three inches from his forehead.

Shen Wen'an frowned slightly upon seeing this, and was about to consider whether to use other methods when he was surprised to find that the strange rune mark on the golden dragon soul sword, which was formed by the power of the underworld, began to emit a faint glow.

With a flickering eerie light, strands of dark purple power were slowly drawn into the magic sword from the shield in front of the underworld youth.

The young man from the underworld clearly realized this as well, and the horror on his face deepened.

"How can this be!?"

As it murmured incoherently, an extremely powerful surge of yin energy suddenly erupted from its body.

In that instant, Shen Wen'an suddenly sensed the approximate cultivation level of the other party.

"So it was that weak..."

A hint of surprise rose in his heart, and Shen Wen'an narrowed his eyes slightly.

The next moment, a milky white streak of light suddenly shot out from a courtyard in Yunshui City below!

That milky white light was his Sword Bone Technique Sword.

While the young man from the underworld was resisting the Dragon Soul Sword, the Sword Bone Sword passed through the Ren Water Concealing Spirit Formation and stabbed directly at the young man from the underworld from another direction.

"How brave!"

"Today, I will not only confiscate your metal element, but also take your soul back to punish you for ten thousand years!"

The young man from the underworld before him seemed to be angry; his voice had become somewhat aged, and his appearance had changed drastically.

The once somewhat luxurious black robe slowly transformed into something resembling the scales of some kind of monster.

It is entirely black, with many sharp barbs on its surface, giving it a metallic sheen.

Meanwhile, the towering crown on its head slowly transformed into two long, curved horns, which were then embedded into its skull.

As for his once somewhat effeminate and handsome face, it had long since become a dried-up corpse.

Its skin is bluish-gray, its cheekbones protrude, and its eyes bulge out and are reddish-brown.

The most striking feature is the two backward-growing fangs in its mouth, which gleam with a chilling light.

"What kind of monster is this?"

Looking at the monster that was over ten feet tall, Shen Wen'an frowned deeply.

He thought to himself: Is this the true face of the underworld?
Suddenly revealing its true form, the monster before them exuded an aura that had become extremely terrifying.

At the same time, Shen Wen'an also felt that the oppressive feeling originating from the depths of his soul had become stronger.

However, he also sensed a hint of apprehension and fear from the monster in front of him.

His crimson eyes were consciously or unconsciously focused on the movements of his sword bone magic sword.

Upon seeing this, a flash of inspiration suddenly appeared in Shen Wen'an's mind.

In the void, the sword bone magic sword that was attacking the monster from the underworld suddenly changed direction and appeared above his head in an instant.

The monster was indeed more interested in the Sword Bone Technique Sword, and immediately raised its head.

In that instant, Shen Wen'an lightly tapped his finger, and the three-inch Dragon Soul Sword suddenly abandoned the Yin Qi shield in front of him, circled behind him at an extremely fast speed, and stabbed down fiercely!

"Ow!"

The monster from the underworld let out a strange howl, and a large amount of yin energy spread from its body.

In an instant, a large number of dark clouds rushed in from all around the city of Yunshui, and terrifying lightning flashed as these clouds gathered.

Before him, the aura emanating from the Netherworld monster forced Shen Wen'an's sword soul body to retreat continuously.

However, the runes on the Dragon Soul Sword embedded in its flesh were flashing rapidly, constantly drawing power from its body.

On the other side, Fu Yang also recovered from the injury to her soul and rushed towards Shen Wen'an, intending to help.

Unfortunately, what awaited him was the sword bone magic sword that split into 256 pieces in the void above his head.

The Tai Xuan Dividing Light Sword, wielded using the Sword Bone Technique Sword, is Shen Wen'an's ultimate killing move prepared for the monsters of the Underworld.

Fu Yang was simply unlucky; as he lunged forward, he was struck by the sword beams of dozens of sword bones that Shen Wen'an instinctively created.

His body immediately froze in mid-air, and a large amount of extremely yin and cold yin energy dissipated from the wounds on his body.

Fu Yang's body trembled violently, and a hint of struggle appeared on his originally indifferent face.

“Wen’an…nephew…”

A moment later, an old and weak voice suddenly came from his mouth, causing Shen Wen'an, who was fully manipulating the Sword Bone Technique to fight against the Netherworld monster, to tremble violently!
In that instant, the underworld monster seemed to realize that it could not do anything to Shen Wen'an today. It turned around and immediately transformed into a wisp of black mist, disappearing into the dark clouds above its head.

The abandoned seedlings resembled a bucket riddled with dozens of holes, with a large amount of yin energy surging out of their bodies.

In just a few breaths, the black robe on his body slowly turned to ashes and dissipated into the void.

Under Shen Wen'an's gaze, her appearance gradually returned to its original state.

"Master Fu?"

Shen Wen'an flashed and appeared in front of Fu Yang, wanting to help stabilize her physical injuries.

But a sad smile appeared on Fu Yang's aged face.

"It's too late..."

Before he could finish speaking, his flesh and bones withered and decayed at a visible speed.

Ultimately, it turned into black dust and dissipated into the void.

Click!

The dark clouds that had just gathered above Yunshui City became even thicker under the influence of the extremely yin and cold yin energy within Fu Yang's body.

A thunderclap boomed, and large raindrops fell from the clouds, carrying with them the black dust that had transformed from Fu Yang's body, which fell to the earth.

Before Shen Wen'an, a phantom so ethereal it was almost invisible to the naked eye stood silently amidst the torrential rain.

“Nephew Wen’an…this old man doesn’t know what happened either.”

"As your soul is about to dissipate, I can only offer you one last piece of advice."

"Watch out for the Laishui River..."

A cultivator at the half-step Golden Core realm should already have the "Divine Flower" of the Three Divine Flowers in its embryonic form. The reason they haven't reached the true Golden Core realm is simply because they haven't forged the Golden Wheel.

Even if such a being's physical body is destroyed, its soul would not weaken to the extent that of Fu Yang.

However, Fu Yang had gone through something, and his soul was so weak that it was almost equivalent to that of a Qi Refining cultivator.

It had only been a few breaths since it lost its physical body, and there were already signs that it was about to dissipate.

"Master Fu."

Upon seeing this, Shen Wen'an immediately pointed out a wisp of the purest sword soul power and injected it into Fu Yang's extremely weak soul.

"Nephew, don't waste your spiritual power."

A look of relief appeared on Fu Yang's face. After a slight hesitation, he mobilized all the power in his soul to his head.

The remaining large amount of soul power condensed and formed a crystal the size of a fingernail between his eyebrows.

"These are my lifelong insights into the Dao, which I now bestow upon my nephew."

After the golden crystal, the size of a fingernail, detached from between her eyebrows, Fu Yang's soul had become almost transparent, and her eyebrows and eyes were no longer clearly visible.

“Nephew Wen’an… if you have the chance to see your master again in the future, please pass on a message to him for your master.”

"Tell him that Qiyun Valley is beyond saving, and he shouldn't tie himself to a sinking ship..."

As Fu Yang finished speaking, his soul completely dissipated, turning into specks of pale blue light that vanished into the rain.

As the blue light disappeared, Shen Wen'an held the golden crystal containing Fu Yang's lifelong insights into array formations in his hand, feeling a mix of emotions.

Logically speaking, he had only met Fu Yang, his "senior brother," once. But the old man's open-mindedness and kindness left a deep impression on him.

A sense of annoyance welled up in Shen Wen'an's heart.

If it weren't for the grand formation of Yunshui City that tricked Fu Yang from Zhuixian Lake in Danzhou to Yangnao, he would probably still be living a hermit-like life at Zhuixian Lake.

Click!

Another thunderclap rang out!
The light of thunder illuminated the surroundings, and Shen Wen'an came back to his senses, suppressing the emotions in his heart.

He waved and retrieved the Dragon Soul Sword that was floating in the distance.

At this moment, the runes formed from the aura of the underworld on the Dragon Soul Sword had become even more perfect after absorbing the power from the monster's body.

To his disappointment, the rune mark was still not in its complete form.

With a wave of his hand, Shen Wen'an retrieved the Dragon Soul Sword, turned around and looked at the "Heavenly Gate" in the void behind him. After frowning slightly, he gently waved his sleeve.

The soaring sword light vanished suddenly, and the golden portal in the void slowly closed.

In an instant, the surrounding dark clouds quickly encroached on the location where the "Heavenly Gate" had been.

Seeing this, all the cultivators who were paying attention to the strange phenomenon in Yunshui City were somewhat bewildered.

"What happened? Why did the Heavenly Gate suddenly close?"

"What about the metal-related phenomenon? Could it be that that person failed to break through?"

"How laughable that a sword cultivator who dared to open the Heavenly Gate actually failed to break through..."

"That person from the Shen family has probably already been killed by the underworld."

Around Yunshui City, cultivators from various prefectures in the south, including Yingchuan, Jinghe, and Zhili, witnessed the complete disappearance of the strange phenomenon above Yunshui City. Some felt regret, some gloated, and others had strange thoughts.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xiuqi, far away in Yunzhong County, also removed the array plates around him after sensing the disappearance of the chilling aura of the underworld.

When he came out of the cave, he immediately summoned Luo Yao and the others to inquire about Shen Wen'an's breakthrough.

Luo Yao and the others only thought that the Heavenly Gate above Yunshui City had disappeared, and they did not see the Void Golden Lotus phenomenon that had appeared at Luoxia Mountain before.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiuqi felt somewhat confused.

Metal is an immortal power bestowed by Heaven; whenever it appears, auspicious omens will surely follow.

No auspicious signs appeared in the sky above Yunshui City, and the aura of the underworld also disappeared.

Is it...

Jiang Xiuqi's expression suddenly turned serious.

He feared that Shen Wen'an had probably already been killed by the underworld!
"Luo Yao, go to Yunshui City immediately and check on the situation!"

Although the aura of the underworld had disappeared, Jiang Xiuqi still dared not make any rash moves.

The fear of the Underworld among Golden Core cultivators originates from the depths of their souls. A cultivator like Shen Wen'an, who dares to take the initiative to fight and even wants to hunt down people from the Underworld, is probably unprecedented in the cultivation world.

Upon hearing this, Luo Yao immediately cupped her hands in greeting and transformed into a stream of light, flying towards Yunshui City.

Meanwhile, below Yunshui City, the Shen family members and the cultivators in the city were all looking up at the sky covered with dark clouds.

"Third Aunt, has Third Uncle... achieved the Golden Core Dao?"

"Grandpa, is our Shen family going to become a family of Golden Core cultivators?"

The younger generation looked at Shen Yuan and Wei Qiuling with expectant faces and asked them questions.

Even Shen Wenxing looked at his father and Wei Qiuling.

Shen Yuan remained silent.

Although he had never witnessed a cultivator breaking through to the Golden Core stage, he had a vague feeling that Shen Wen'an had failed to break through.

"Qiu Ling, you witnessed Senior Jiang's breakthrough back then, this situation..."

Unsure of what was going on, Shen Yuan looked at Wei Qiuling and spoke in a deep voice.

Beside her, Shen Chongzhen looked up at her with an expectant expression.

Wei Qiuling looked rather grim. Although she didn't speak, everyone could see the answer in her expression.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room became somewhat oppressive.

In the eyes of many of the younger generation of the Shen family, Shen Wen'an was a god-like figure.

But now, the pillar of the Shen family has failed to break through to the Golden Core stage, a result that is hard for them to accept.

"Mother...father, he..."

With tears in her eyes, Shen Chongzhen gently took Wei Qiuling's cold hand.

Wei Qiuling was also stunned, staring blankly at the rain-soaked sky.

Just as everyone was immersed in deep sorrow, a figure holding an oil-paper umbrella suddenly appeared on the winding path in the distance of the manor.

The figure, dressed in a blue robe, held a sword in his left hand and an oil-paper umbrella in his right, walking slowly through the pouring rain.

Shen Wen'an arrived under the eaves of the manor, put away his oil-paper umbrella, and, seeing the astonished and complicated expressions on everyone's faces, asked with some suspicion, "What's wrong?"

Upon hearing him speak, Shen Chongzhen was the first to react and immediately rushed over.

"Father!"

Shen Wen'an patted his head, a rare tenderness appearing on his face.

"Third Uncle, you... you've successfully broken through?"

Shen Chonghong spoke with some suspicion.

Everyone else looked at him nervously.

Shen Wen'an shook his head and said, "It's not considered a success. My current level is only half a step into the Golden Core Realm."

Upon hearing this, Wei Qiuling frowned slightly.

Half-step Golden Core...

That's the level that cultivators with insufficient foundation and lack of staying power would only reach when forced to do so.

Shen Wen'an's foundation and talent are definitely stronger than Jiang Xiuqi from Luoxia Mountain. Jiang Xiuqi was able to break through successfully in one go, so Shen Wen'an shouldn't be stuck at this level.

"The second major harvest will be in two years."

"If I were to break through to the Golden Core stage directly, I wouldn't be able to make a move."

"It's not too late for me to break through after this big harvest."

Seemingly sensing Wei Qiuling's doubts, Shen Wen'an offered an explanation.

Upon hearing this, Wei Qiuling felt somewhat stunned.

This is a breakthrough to the Golden Core stage!

How come when it comes to him, it's like breaking through a minor Qi Refining realm? He can stop halfway through and wait two years before breaking through again.

"Aren't you... a little too confident?"

Wei Qiuling was somewhat displeased, feeling that Shen Wen'an's actions were too willful.

When Shen Yuan and Shen Wenxing, who were standing to the side, had the same thought, they also felt somewhat guilty.

For a cultivator to break through to the Golden Core stage, they need a certain opportune time, as well as a certain amount of luck and opportunity.

The fact that they could break through but didn't do so, just to help their family protect it one more time, left them feeling very uneasy.

Sensing his father and elder brother's unusual behavior, Shen Wen'an smiled faintly and said, "Father, elder brother, don't worry. The Golden Core is something I can easily achieve. I can break through to the next level whenever I want."

His face radiated confidence.

There is no exaggeration in this statement.

The three divine flowers have been formed and the golden wheel has been completely forged.

If he wants to break through to the Golden Core stage, he only needs to activate the Golden Wheel and communicate with the heavens.

Furthermore, he could even "open the Heavenly Gate with his sword" again, using the spiritual energy descending from the Heavenly Gate to make his golden core fuller.

This way, one can avoid the situation where, like when Jiang Xiuqi broke through, he directly drained the spiritual veins of the surrounding hundreds of miles.

Seeing his confidence, Shen Yuan and the others didn't say anything more.

After sending the younger generation away, the father and his sons went to the side room.

"Wen'an, what exactly is the underworld all about?"

Shen Yuan spoke in a deep voice, and Shen Wenxing and Wei Qiuling beside him both looked at him.

They could vaguely sense the terrifying fluctuations that had just erupted in the void, but it wasn't very clear, and they didn't see anything specific.

After a moment's thought, Shen Wen'an said, "The Underworld is a mysterious force that specifically targets cultivators with the metal element."

“Whenever a cultivator is about to break through to the Golden Core stage and receive the Golden Nature as a reward from Heaven, they will appear, snatch the Golden Nature, and prevent the cultivator from breaking through.”

Upon hearing this, the three of them looked somewhat solemn.

"So, just now, above Yunshui City, were you fighting with the people from the Underworld?"

Wei Qiuling asked with a worried expression.

Shen Wen'an nodded, then his expression darkened.

After taking out the golden crystal, about the size of a fingernail, from his pocket, he told the story of Fu Yang.

After he finished speaking, all three of them looked on with a sigh.

After a moment of silence, Shen Yuan said in a deep voice, "It seems that what exists at the bottom of the Laishui River is related to the underworld."

Shen Wenxing's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

His apprentice Xu Zhan has intricate connections with what exists at the bottom of the Laishui River, and what exists at the bottom of the Laishui River is related to the underworld.

This means that there is some kind of connection between Xu Zhan and the mysterious underworld.

Now that he knows all this, he doesn't know what to do with Xu Zhan.

Xu Zhan has consistently performed well over the years.

He was filial, loyal, obedient, and had a good talent for cultivation. However, Shen Wenxing still couldn't bring himself to kill or banish him because of his connection with the underworld.

But if he didn't deal with it, he worried that one day Xu Zhan would become another Fu Yang.

"Are you thinking about Xu Zhan?" Shen Yuan noticed his strange expression and asked.

After a moment of struggle, Shen Wenxing cupped his hands slightly and said, "Father, I think that kid Xu Zhan should... should..."

He couldn't bring himself to say it because he was too confident.

Upon seeing this, Shen Yuan smiled faintly and said, "There's no need to worry too much about Xu Zhan's affairs."

He noticed Xu Zhan's unusual behavior back then and guessed that he was very likely related to a reincarnated powerful being.

That time in the back mountain, he and Shen Li joined forces to sever the connection between Xu Zhan and that unknown entity.

Even if Xu Zhan is connected to the things at the bottom of the Laishui River, he is unlikely to become another Fu Yang, much less transform into a person of the underworld.

"This golden crystal contains Master Fu's lifelong insights into the Dao of Arrays..."

"Father, you decide what to do."

Shen Wen'an didn't pay too much attention to Xu Zhan's matter.

After fighting the people of the underworld again, he was able to confirm that the yin energy on Xu Zhan's body was very different from that on the people of the underworld.

To be precise, Xu Zhan's yin energy was purer, unlike that of the underworld beings, which had an evil element mixed in with it.

He changed the subject and handed the array inheritance crystal in his hand to Shen Yuan.

After taking the crystal, Shen Yuan stroked it for a moment and said, "This matter is not urgent. Let's see if there are any suitable candidates among the younger generation. We cannot let Fellow Daoist Fu Yang's hard work go to waste."

"You two talk first, I'll take this to Blackwater Pavilion."

He said something in a deep voice, then got up and walked towards the Blackwater Pavilion.

The three chatted idly in the room for a while when a guardian cultivator from the Shen family rushed over and bowed, saying, "Patriarch, Third Master, Elder Luo from Luoxia Mountain has arrived."

Upon hearing this, the three immediately got up and went to the entrance of the manor.

The Ren Shui Concealing Spirit Formation was activated, and Luo Yao appeared before the three of them.

Upon seeing Shen Wen'an, Luo Yao looked at him with some surprise.

"Should I address you as senior or fellow Daoist now?"

Hearing this, Shen Wen'an smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Senior Luo is too kind. Even if I have broken through to the Golden Core Sword Immortal realm, you are still my senior."

Luo Yao understood what he meant.

"Even so," which means he hasn't broken through to the Golden Core realm yet.

"Elder Luo, please come to the side room and have a seat." Wei Qiuling gestured for Luo Yao to enter.

After everyone was seated, Shen Wen'an had to give another explanation.

When Luo Yao heard that he had deliberately not broken through to the Golden Core stage directly, but instead chose to suppress his realm at the half-step Golden Core stage, she was equally surprised and puzzled.

"So, in this massive harvest, the Shen family is planning to take the initiative?"

Giving up an opportunity to break through to the Golden Core stage, if one doesn't seize more benefits in this great harvest, wouldn't it be a waste of several years?

Shen Wen'an nodded slightly.

He does indeed have this idea now.

In the last campaign against the Western Wilderness, the Shen family crippled Mount Dawu and gained half of the Western Wilderness's territory.

This massive harvest could indeed provide an opportunity to strike proactively and cripple another faction.

Nowadays, apart from the territory under the rule of Luoxia Mountain, the remaining areas of Yangnao, which are occupied by the six major forces in the Southern Frontier, are all within our control without any worries.

With the flames of the Li Fire and the ancient weapon-refining technique "Li Palace Bing Fire Refining Technique," the Shen family is about to make significant achievements in the art of weapon refining.

With advancements in weapon crafting, the strength of the cultivators under his jurisdiction can also be greatly enhanced.

The greater the strength, the greater the benefits.

If possible, he would like to take advantage of the next big harvest to completely wipe out a Golden Core force in the Southern Border!

Even if they send more people over by then, their overall strength will have already decreased.

As for whether it would cause them to break off relations and allow Golden Core cultivators to enter the arena ahead of time, Shen Wen'an was not too worried.

He is now at the critical point of breaking through to the Golden Core stage at any time. Once he breaks through, he will definitely be able to protect himself, let alone anything else.

Which faction are you planning to target?

Luo Yao pondered for a moment before speaking.

She actually wanted to take this opportunity to further expand the sphere of influence controlled by Luoxia Mountain.

Now, at the boundary between Yangnao Land and Danzhou, the old man in the bamboo hat is in charge. The disciples of Luoxia Mountain in Danzhou cannot come, and the disciples in Yangnao Land cannot return.

In recent years, news has frequently come from the sect that a mysterious force in the Qishan Mountains has been making moves, and after Tingfeng Valley, several more immortal sects and families have been destroyed.

Jiang Xiuqi and Le Zhiyi, the current sect leader of Luoxia Mountain, have already secretly made their plans.

If Luoxia Mountain in Danzhou were to encounter any misfortune, Yangnao Land would be its only remaining gateway.

At that time, Wei Qiuling will succeed as sect leader and lead Luoxia Mountain to develop well in Yangnao Land.

Hearing Luo Yao's words, Shen Wen'an shook his head slightly and said, "It depends on which force we will be facing in this big harvest."

Luo Yao nodded and said, "Among the major forces in the Southern Border, Canaan Temple is undoubtedly the most difficult to deal with. In addition, the cultivators of Huangsheng Sect are generally quite strong."

"As long as we don't encounter these two forces this time, Luoxia Mountain will take the initiative to attack."

"By the way, my master has already prepared the materials to set up the formation in the southern city of Xihuang Town and Yanhu City."

"Are you sure you want him to take action?"

Changing the subject, Luo Yao asked.

Clearly, she shared the same concern, fearing that this action would cause the agreement between the two parties to collapse, resulting in the premature death of a Golden Core cultivator.

"Please convey my message to Senior Jiang, Senior Luo.

Shen Wenxing glanced at Shen Wen'an and bowed slightly.

Shen Wen'an's confidence gave him enough confidence; this was undoubtedly the best opportunity for the Shen family to develop, and he had to seize it.

By stabilizing Zhennan City and Yanhu City, and once this major harvest is over, the next ten years will be the fastest-growing decade for the Shen family.

"In that case, I will return now."

Luo Yao didn't linger. After saying goodbye to the three, she hurriedly left Yunshui City.

……

The hill behind the manor.

Shen Chongxuan walked slowly to the front of a courtyard and knocked on the gate.

A middle-aged woman hurriedly opened the courtyard gate, and upon seeing Shen Chongxuan, immediately bowed and said, "Young Master."

Shen Chongxuan nodded slightly and said, "Go and invite Xiu Bai and Miss Liu here."

This courtyard is where Liu Yiran and her son live.

As promised by Hu Yufen when Shen Xiubai was born, Liu Yiran would personally take care of him until he was three years old.

Shen Xiubai is now almost four years old, and Shen Chongxuan plans to take him away and raise him properly.

Inside the courtyard were only Liu Yiran and her son, along with some servants. As Shen Chongxu's older brother, bound by the rules of literature and etiquette, he would not easily cross the threshold.

After bowing, the middle-aged woman hurried into the courtyard.

A moment later, Liu Yiran led a slightly frail-looking child to the courtyard gate.

"Meet the young master."

When Liu Yiran bowed, Shen Xiubai beside her also timidly cupped his hands in greeting: "Greetings, young master."

"You should call him Uncle."

Shen Chongxuan looked at the little guy with a complicated expression and spoke as gently as possible.

Upon hearing this, Shen Xiubai looked up at Liu Yiran.

Liu Yiran smiled gently and said, "Xiu Bai, call me Uncle."

Shen Xiubai then turned around, respectfully cupped his hands, and called out "Uncle".

“I’m taking Xiu Bai with me. I will teach him to read and write, and he will also be taught cultivation by other cultivators in the clan.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Yiran's heart sank, and her eyes filled with deep reluctance as she looked at Shen Xiubai beside her.

She knew that from this moment on, Shen Xiubai would no longer be her child.

"Young Master, Xiu Bai is in poor health, I hope you can take good care of him, and also..."

"You don't need to worry about these things." Shen Chongxuan interrupted her, bent down to pick up Shen Xiubai, and said with a smile, "Xiubai, say goodbye to your Aunt Liu. How about your uncle takes you to study and cultivate?"

Upon hearing this, the little guy's face lit up with great interest.

But then he turned to look at Liu Yiran.

"Will Xiu Bai still be able to come back to see Aunt Liu often after this?"

Shen Chongxuan shook his head slightly and said, "Cultivation is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind."

"To become a powerful cultivator, you not only need to spend a lot of time cultivating, but you also need to supplement your cultivation with various immortal arts and be familiar with some common knowledge of cultivation. You won't have much free time."

The little guy nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly said, "Then let's wait until Xiu Bai becomes a very powerful cultivator before we come to see Aunt Liu!"

"Auntie, you have to wait for Xiu Bai."

Liu Yiran forced back her tears and nodded heavily.

Shen Chongxuan didn't say much, and slowly carried the little guy down the mountain.

(End of this chapter)