Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 275 The Golden Skull
The biting cold had seeped into the bone marrow and internal organs.

Xu Zhan could clearly feel these parts of his body gradually losing sensation and vitality.

At this moment, his powerful strength at the fifth level of body cultivation actually became an accomplice in tormenting him.

With such terrifying cold air all around, an ordinary person would probably freeze to death on the spot in an instant, and wouldn't suffer so much pain.

However, he possessed the strength of the fifth level of physical cultivation, and his resilient soul allowed him to clearly feel his body's vitality being gradually eroded.

Time seemed to pass in a few breaths, yet also in a long time.

Xu Zhan's eyes were covered in frost, followed by his head.

Once its body was completely encased in a thick layer of dark purple ice, the massive dark purple ice block carried its corpse as it plunged deeper into the Laishui River.

……

Yunshui City.

Xu Jingzhe, who was practicing his physical skills in the courtyard, suddenly felt a strange sense of unease.

He slowly withdrew his fist and looked into the distance with a puzzled expression.

The boy frowned and pondered for a long time, but he still didn't know what this sudden, inexplicable tremor was all about.

I could only vaguely feel a tightness in my chest and a sense of inexplicable panic.

After standing there for a moment, Xu Jingzhe immediately grabbed the clothes next to him and ran out of the training ground.

The courtyard gate was pushed open, and Shen You walked in from outside, bumping headfirst into the hurried Xu Jingzhe.

"Ouch!"

"What are you doing in such a hurry, child?"

Staggered from the impact, Shen You asked in confusion.

Although Xu Jingzhe is only seven years old, he has always been calm and composed, and has never acted so rashly before.

"mother."

Xu Jingzhe cupped his hands in greeting and quickly helped her up.

"what happened?"

Noticing her son's worried expression, Shen You asked in a deep voice.

Xu Jingzhe hesitated for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Father has emerged from seclusion."

He said a few words to his son, and then went out again.

"I was just practicing in the training ground when I suddenly felt a strange tremor in my heart, which was very unsettling."

After a pause, Xu Jingzhe continued, "Mother, do you think something might have happened?"

Something happened?

Shen You frowned slightly, then comforted him, "Your father is a fifth-realm body cultivator, what could possibly happen to him in Yunshui City?"

"Alright, hurry up and get dressed. I'll go ask him where he went."

After tidying up her son's clothes, Shen You left home again.

Xu Zhan's whereabouts in the city were easy to find out; many of the clan soldiers and cultivators patrolling the streets had seen him.

After asking some questions, Shen You arrived at the south gate of Yunshui City.

"Miss."

When the tribal soldiers guarding the city saw her, they immediately bowed and paid their respects.

Shen You nodded and asked, "Has Lord Xu left the city?"

Several soldiers were taken aback. One of them, a body cultivator wearing standard armor and wielding a huge bronze hammer, immediately said in a deep voice, "Reporting to Miss, the master left two hours ago. I originally planned to bring some men with him."

"But the adults said we'd just wander around outside the city."

Shen You's expression turned slightly serious after hearing this.

She firmly believed that Xu Zhan would be safe as long as he was still in the city.

But if we leave the city, things are hard to say.

After a moment's thought, she looked at the clan soldier cultivator beside her and said, "Go to the old house now and inform the patriarch."

After bowing, the warrior immediately headed towards the old house.

"Tang Long, take a squad of your clan soldiers and come with me out of the city to take a look."

Upon hearing Shen You's order, Tang Long, clad in armor, bowed and summoned a group of over twenty clan soldiers to assemble outside the city gate.

Shen You approached, glanced at the crowd, and said in a deep voice, "Pay attention to the details. We need to find out where Lord Xu went first."

"Yes!"

The soldiers bowed and followed her out of the city.

An old house in the city.

Shen Chongming had just returned from the clan's main courtyard when he saw the clan soldier at the gate hurriedly come to greet him with a bow.

"Greetings, Master of the House."

"Reporting to the patriarch, it seems that something has happened to Lord Xu. Miss You just found the South Gate and is now planning to lead people out of the city to search for him."

Has Xu Zhan gotten into trouble?
Shen Chongming frowned slightly.

"Isn't he in seclusion?"

The cultivator shook his head: "This subordinate does not know, but Lord Xu did indeed stroll to the South Gate earlier, chatted with us for a few words, and then left."

Shen Chongming lowered his head upon hearing this.

"Okay, you can go ahead first."

His thoughts were similar to Shen You's.

Xu Zhan possesses the strength of the fifth level of body cultivation. Unless he is ambushed by someone at the Purple Mansion level, it is impossible for him to be killed or kidnapped without making a sound.

Moreover, Shen You has already personally led a team to search for them, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

He didn't take the matter to heart. He returned to his room, drank a cup of tea, and waited for Shen Xiuyan to bring the new clan rules he had prepared. Then the two of them headed towards the Blackwater Pavilion together.

After two years of growth, Shen Xiuyan, though only ten years old, has undergone tremendous changes in both personality and manner of handling affairs.

He is calm and composed, and rarely smiles.

Under Shen Chongming's tutelage, he has already begun to show the demeanor of a young and promising leader.

The two arrived at the second floor of the Blackwater Pavilion.

"grandfather."

"Grandpa."

Upon hearing the voice, Shen Yuan slowly opened his eyes and nodded, gesturing for the two to sit down.

After the two were seated, Shen Chongming respectfully handed over the newly revised clan rules.

“Grandpa, this is a revision of the clan rules that I discussed with Xiu Yan over the past two years.”

"At the clan's main courtyard, Li'er is in seclusion, so we haven't seen her yet."

"Grandpa, please take a look and see if there's anything wrong with it."

Shen Yuan took the clan rules and carefully read them for a while, sighing inwardly.

He could tell at a glance that the revision of the new clan rules was most likely suggested by Shen Xiuyan.

Compared to the three generations of family heads, Shen Xiuyan, the fourth-generation family head, seems to place more emphasis on strict laws and regulations.

Most of the new clan rules they have are designed to strictly regulate the cultivators under their rule.

After closing the clan rules, Shen Yuan glanced at Shen Xiuyan, who was dressed in a pure white scholar's robe, with his hair tied up in a bun and a calm expression, and sighed inwardly.

"This brat, if he were in ancient times, he would be on par with Wei Yang and Han Fei."

Pushing the clan rules back in front of the two, Shen Yuan pondered for a moment before speaking: "Strict laws are a good thing, but they cannot be used to erase humanity."

"I won't interfere too much with the specific revisions; you two can consider them yourselves."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming turned to look at Shen Xiuyan.

Shen Xiuyan lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then respectfully cupped his hands and said, "Xiuyan will take great grandfather's advice into account and revise the clan rules."

Shen Yuan nodded and then changed the subject.

"Just now I sensed a slight fluctuation in the energy of heaven and earth around Yunshui City."

Is there anything unusual in the city?

Meeting his gaze, Shen Chongming frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "I haven't heard of any unusual phenomena..."

"However, a cultivator from the clan just reported from the South Gate that Xu Zhan left the city through the South Gate after completing his seclusion."

"I wonder if Yu'er knows something; she's leading people to search for her."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan remained silent, closed his eyes, and emitted a misty aura of Great Evolution power from his body.

moment--

He suddenly opened his eyes, his face grave, and said, "This is a death calamity!?"

The two people in front of them exchanged puzzled glances upon hearing this.

"Grandpa, what happened?"

Shen Chongming asked cautiously.

Shen Yuan slowly stood up, checked the result of his deduction again, and said in a deep voice, "Go find your third uncle right now, and then go to the Laishui River to take a look."

"I just calculated Xu Zhan's fortune and misfortune, and came up with a divination for a fatal calamity: 'Water Calamity'!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming dared not delay. He immediately stood up, cupped his hands, and transformed into lightning, disappearing into the Blackwater Pavilion.

The banks of the Laishui River.

Following the footprints left by Xu Zhan on the snow, Shen You and her group have found their way to the Laishui River.

Looking at the surging river in front of them, Tang Long and the others asked suspiciously, "Miss, has Lord Xu gone to the bottom of the river for seclusion again?"

Shen You remained silent, her gaze fixed quietly on the river.

She knew that if Xu Zhan really intended to go into seclusion at the bottom of the Laishui River, he would definitely have informed her in advance, instead of coming here without saying a word.

Just as she was hesitating whether something had happened, a sword light and a bolt of lightning came side by side.

After landing, the two beams of light transformed into the figures of Shen Wen'an and Shen Chongming.

"Third Uncle, Brother."

"Third Master, Patriarch!"

After everyone bowed, Shen You immediately came to the two of them.

Seeing the two people with solemn expressions, staring silently at the Laishui River not far away, Shen You's heart sank.

"Brother, Xu Zhan, he..."

Shen Chongming forced a smile and comforted him, "It's alright, your brother and third uncle are here."

"You go back first."

Shen You was about to say something when Shen Chongming turned to Tang Long and the others and said, "Take Miss back first."

Tang Long and the others bowed slightly.

Shen You didn't insist. She turned around again to look at the surging river, and followed Tang Long and the others toward Yunshui City with trepidation in her heart.

After their figures disappeared, Shen Chongming looked at Shen Wen'an and said, "Grandpa said that he deduced Xu Zhan's divination and obtained the hexagram 'Water Calamity,' which is a death calamity."

"According to this, Xu Zhan should be at the bottom of the river right now."

"Third Uncle, shall we go down and take a look?"

Looking at the rushing river in front of him, Shen Wen'an pondered for a moment and then nodded, saying, "Let's go take a look."

"However, we must be careful; this great river is not so simple."

Shen Chongming lowered his head.

The two of them immediately flashed and rushed into the surging river.

"Such a strong aura of icy cold!"

The two had only descended a dozen or so feet when they felt the intense cold air around them, far exceeding the normal chill of winter.

What's even stranger is that despite the terrifying cold, the surrounding river water showed no signs of freezing.

As Shen Chongming spoke, he slowly released his divine sense, searching for Xu Zhan's whereabouts in the surroundings.

Shen Wen'an looked down at the deep, abyss-like riverbed and frowned slightly.

"There's something really strange down there."

"I can sense a faint, eerie force watching over us."

Shen Wen'an said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming also condensed his divine sense into a wisp and probed downwards into the Laishui River.

This investigation, however, shocked him greatly.

"Is the Laishui River really that deep?"

As a cultivator in the early stage of the Golden Core realm, his divine sense could radiate over a range of tens of miles.

Being in the river this time, affected by this strange cold air, the range of my divine sense detection was greatly reduced, but I could still detect things thousands of feet away.

Even so, his divine sense couldn't reach the bottom of the river!
"Let's look a little further down."

After a moment's thought, Shen Wen'an immediately darted deeper into the depths.

Shen Chongming followed closely behind, and the two of them quickly reached the water a hundred feet above the surface of the river.

Shen Chongming wanted to continue diving, but was pulled back by a sword beam.

Something's fishy here!

After pulling Shen Chongming back to his side with the sword's edge, Shen Wen'an looked around at the dark river with a solemn expression.

At this moment, he could clearly feel that the surrounding river water seemed to have transformed into some kind of conscious, strange entity, gradually squeezing and pushing the two of them downwards.

This movement is very subtle; if you don't pay close attention, you'll just think it's the flow of the river itself.

Shen Chongming also seemed to sense something was amiss.

After looking around, he immediately made a hand seal.

In an instant, a large amount of lightning flew out from his hand and spread in all directions along the surrounding river!
Using the light of the lightning, Shen Wen'an suddenly saw a strange figure flash by in the dark river water dozens of feet to their left!
The figure moved with incredible speed, darting through the river without causing a ripple, disappearing from his sight in the blink of an eye.

Shen Chongming released his divine sense again at this moment.

"Uncle Three."

As his divine sense swept across the bottom of the river, which resembled an abyss, Shen Chongming's expression suddenly turned serious as he pointed downwards.

Upon seeing this, Shen Wen'an didn't bother to think about what the strange entity that had just vanished was, and immediately released his divine sense to look down.

But at the bottom of the river, thousands of feet below, a whirlpool several hundred feet in diameter was slowly turning.

The vortex emitted a faint, dark purple light, its center pitch black, like the entrance to an unknown abyss.

"Did you notice that dark purple block of ice, Uncle?"

Shen Chongming suddenly spoke.

Upon hearing this, Shen Wen'an immediately focused his divine sense on a dark purple ice block that was suspended several feet above the vortex.

The ice block resembled a giant ice coffin, over two zhang long and nearly one zhang wide, with its surface covered in many strange ice flower patterns, making it look quite eerie.

"That thing seems to have Xu Zhan's aura inside..."

Shen Wen'an spoke with a solemn expression.

His divine sense vaguely detected Xu Zhan's aura inside the ice coffin, but because of the great distance, the deeper his divine sense went, the more severely it was affected by that terrifying icy aura.

Therefore, he was not sure whether Xu Zhan was in the ice coffin at this time.

The strange, icy power emanating from the surrounding river was constantly eroding the protective spiritual energy shields around their bodies.

Sensing the significantly more terrifying chill below, they dared not descend too far.

"Third Uncle, what should we do now?"

Shen Chongming asked in a deep voice.

Judging from the current situation, Xu Zhan is most likely inside that ice coffin. But that kind of icy power is so strong that even a Nascent Soul True Monarch would not be able to withstand it, let alone a fifth-level Body Cultivator.

Having fallen to that position, Xu Zhan is probably in grave danger now.

"You will protect your third uncle; your third uncle will give it a try."

Shen Wen'an pondered for a moment, then spoke in a deep voice.

He planned to find a way to attack the ice coffin from this position.

But the strange figure that flashed by not far below just now made him somewhat wary.

Shen Chongming nodded, immediately withdrew his divine sense, and looked around warily.

At this moment, Shen Wen'an put his right index and middle fingers together, forming a sword finger, and pointed it at his brow.

In an instant, a milky white halo emanated from between his eyebrows.

The sword bone magic sword, as white as jade, was instantly summoned!
The three-inch white jade sword spun smoothly between his fingers. With a slight thought, Shen Wen'an directly used the secret technique he had obtained from Tianjun Mountain, the Soul-Slaying Sword.

The Soul-Slaying Sword belongs to the secret arts of the soul.

It is even more effective when used to manipulate the Soul Weapon Bone Sword.

Whoosh!
With the blessing of the Soul-Slaying Sword, the white jade sword immediately pierced through the deep river water and slashed towards the dark purple ice coffin below!
Shen Wen'an's idea was very simple.

If Xu Zhanruo is indeed trapped in the ice coffin, opening the coffin from the outside might help him escape.

However, the prerequisite is that one's own sword bone technique must be able to shatter the ice coffin.

The milky-white sword light formed by the three-inch magic sword rushed downwards and crashed hard into the huge ice coffin in a moment.

The imagined violent collision did not occur.

The surface of the ice coffin seemed to be covered by an invisible, eerie power. Just as the Sword Bone Magic Sword was about to collide with the ice coffin, it was instantly repelled by that power.

Shen Wen'an tried several more times, until his divine sense could no longer withstand the eerie cold and he was forced to withdraw the Sword Bone Technique Sword, but it still had no effect on the ice coffin.

"Third Uncle, how is it?"

Shen Chongming asked.

Shen Wen'an was about to shake his head in reply when his pupils suddenly contracted!
Clang!
A golden light shot out from his dantian and slashed towards the dark river to the lower right!
The three-inch natal magic sword seemed to have struck something extremely solid, producing a dull metallic clang!
Shen Chongming reacted extremely quickly. He was only stunned for a moment before he immediately summoned several bolts of lightning and struck the spot where Shen Wen'an's natal flying sword had struck!

The lightning, carrying a dazzling light, spread along its path. Although it ultimately failed to strike the creature, the light it emitted allowed the uncle and nephew to see the monster's true appearance.

"Skeleton!?"

Watching the figure vanish suddenly within the range of lightning, Shen Chongming spoke in surprise.

With the help of the light emitted by the lightning, he could clearly see that the monster hiding in the shadows was a humanoid skeleton with a pale gold body.

Shen Wen'an also looked puzzled.

He had seen corpses formed after a person dies, and he had even heard of resentment formed from the soul, creating something similar to a ghost.

How can a skeleton without flesh and blood still move quickly and even know how to ambush?

Just as he was filled with confusion, the pale golden skeleton that had previously taken his sword strike no longer concealed itself. Instead, it charged directly up from the dark river below, its target Shen Wen'an. "Third Uncle, be careful!"

Shen Chongming was in a position where he saw the pale golden skeleton rushing towards him. He immediately waved his hand and unleashed a bolt of lightning towards the pale golden skeleton!

However, the pale golden skull, facing the terrifying lightning, made no attempt to dodge, and clenched a fist with no flesh or blood, smashing it towards Shen Wen'an.

The lightning summoned by Shen Chongming struck the pale golden skull hard!

The lightning, powerful enough to severely injure even a Golden Core cultivator of the same realm, did not cause any damage to the pale golden skeleton.

Numerous electric sparks swirled and danced across its body surface, without affecting its speed in the slightest.

Seeing that the skeleton had already rushed up to him, Shen Wen'an patted the Qingyuan Sword Nurturing Gourd on his back.

The next moment, the Dragon-Slaying Sword inside the gourd was instantly summoned.

Clang!
He parried with his sword.

The skeletal fist slammed into the blade of the Dragon Slayer Sword, producing a deep, resounding boom that rippled the surrounding river water, forming a giant bubble that enveloped their bodies.

The bubbles separated the river water, and in the temporary space created by the bubbles, without the river water to obstruct it, the pale golden skull moved even faster!
Holding the Dragon-Slaying Sword, Shen Wen'an was already creating phantom images all around him.

But each attack was easily blocked by the pale golden skull. Not only that, the skull was also able to see through the flaws in Shen Wen'an's sword moves and launch a counterattack!
The intense hand-to-hand combat between the two sides left Shen Chongming, who was standing by, completely unable to intervene.

They could only stare in shock at the two sides clashing.

The strange skeleton in front of him was too shocking.

Its body was hard and fearless of his thunderous attacks, and it could also withstand the long sword strikes in the hands of its third uncle, Shen Wen'an.

With his speed, sharp moves, and agile movements, he resembled a martial arts master!
"Physical training?"

In that instant, Shen Chongming suddenly realized that the skeleton fighting with his third uncle, Shen Wen'an, was definitely a powerful body cultivator in his previous life!
However, since it now has no flesh and blood, it cannot use any blood energy. It can only rely on its instincts and its hard bones to fight Shen Wen'an to a standstill.

“Chongming, its consciousness resides within its skull.”

After countless exchanges with the skeleton, Shen Wen'an finally sensed a faint fluctuation of consciousness emanating from it.

He surmised that it was that unyielding will that was controlling the indestructible skeleton.

The simplest way to defeat it is to destroy the consciousness within its skull.

Without the manipulation of that consciousness, no matter how hard the skeleton is, it is still just an inanimate object.

Upon hearing his third uncle's telepathic message, Shen Chongming immediately understood his meaning.

With a flash of light in his hand, he directly took out the magical artifact, the Silent Guest Great Bow.

With the bow fully drawn, Shen Chongming did not use a physical arrow, but instead directly condensed the power of thunder into a long arrow.

With his divine sense locking onto the skull's head, Shen Chongming narrowed his eyes and immediately released his fingers!
In an instant, a beam of azure light pierced through the dark river in front of them and shot towards the pale gold skull's head!

In the blink of an eye, the skeleton, who was locked in a fierce battle with Shen Wen'an, suddenly used incredible speed to force Shen Wen'an back with a punch, and at the same time turned around and threw a punch at the azure lightning arrow that was heading towards its head!
boom!
The lightning arrow, traveling at incredible speed, was blasted apart by his single punch!
A large amount of lightning energy swirled in the surrounding river water, then slowly dissipated...

Shen Chongming was somewhat taken aback.

This guy's reaction speed is too fast!
Somewhat disbelieving in the superstition, he immediately drew his bow again.

But the ending was almost exactly the same as before.

The pale golden skull was still able to suppress Shen Wen'an while also managing to block his sneak attack.

After several repetitions, the uncle and nephew gradually came to understand.

This skeleton's martial arts skills during its lifetime were terrifyingly high.

It's only because they are currently devoid of flesh and blood, unable to utilize their blood energy and hidden power, that the uncle and nephew would likely have been instantly killed.

Despite being ambushed by Shen Chongming several times, the pale golden skull still showed no intention of attacking him.

It seemed to have its sights set on Shen Wen'an, and kept chasing after him to attack him.

Although Shen Wen'an's strength was considerable, having reached the late Golden Core stage, in close combat, body cultivators were inherently unbeatable.

Furthermore, this pale golden skull clearly possessed a higher understanding of martial arts; the surrounding icy chill could affect Shen Wen'an, but it could not affect the skull.

As one side gains at the expense of the other, Shen Wen'an's disadvantages become increasingly apparent.

"No, we can't keep fighting this monster!"

Thinking to himself, Shen Wen'an immediately focused on two things at once, summoning his natal flying sword from his dantian, hoping to use it to create distance and leave this strange riverbed first.

However, the moment his natal flying sword appeared, the pale golden skull, which had been strolling leisurely, suddenly became frenzied!
Shen Wen'an could clearly sense that a strange killing intent was emanating from the pale golden skull!
How can this be! ?
It's already perplexing that a skeleton without flesh and soul, controlled only by a sliver of unyielding will, could fight against itself.

But now this thing can still emanate such pure killing intent!?

While Shen Wen'an was surprised, he suddenly returned his natal flying sword to his dantian.

As soon as his natal flying sword disappeared, he felt the killing intent on the skeleton in front of him vanish instantly.

I tried twice more.

Shen Wen'an suddenly understood that the pale golden skull seemed to dislike his natal flying sword.

Without his natal flying sword, although his moves are sharp and every move is aimed at taking his life, at least there is no killing intent on his body.

But once he summoned his natal flying sword, the skeleton seemed to be stimulated in some way, and its attacks immediately became much more ferocious.

Having made this discovery, Shen Wen'an did not continue to provoke him with his natal flying sword. Instead, he became more cautious, fighting and retreating at the same time, his figure slowly moving towards the river.

As the surrounding waters gradually began to glow, the chilling aura that had threatened him vanished.

With the Dragon-Slaying Sword held horizontally in front of his chest, Shen Wen'an used the force of the golden skull's punch to instantly burst out of the water!
Behind him, Shen Chongming also rushed forward.

The uncle and nephew stood in the void, preparing to join forces to deal with the pale golden skeleton, only to find that the other party had no intention of coming out of the water at all.

In the rushing river, a pale golden skull head slightly raised, its empty "eyes" silently gazing at the two.

The uncle and nephew exchanged a glance, and Shen Chongming frowned and said, "It seems like it wants to drive us out."

Shen Wen'an nodded, but he was very puzzled.

Except when facing his own natal flying sword, this strange skeleton didn't seem to intend to kill him.

"Does Uncle San think this guy is protecting something?"

Shen Chongming suddenly spoke up.

In their early years, when they were searching for rare and precious materials in the mountains, they would occasionally encounter strange beasts that guarded these treasures.

Those strange beasts usually only guard a certain range around the treasure, and once they leave that area, they usually stop chasing.

The pale gold skull in front of us was clearly the same.

Although the two escaped their predicament, they did not find Xu Zhan.

Of course, we can't just let it go like that.

"Third Uncle, like this..."

Shen Chongming had an idea and immediately transmitted his voice to Shen Wen'an: "Nephew, go down from this side and entangle it later."

"Third Uncle, please try to go down and check again to confirm whether Xu Zhan is really in the ice coffin."

Shen Wen'an nodded and said, "Be careful, this skeleton is too strong."

Even as a sword cultivator, he was severely suppressed by the pale golden skull.

Shen Chongming, a cultivator of the immortal path, was even more difficult to deal with.

Shen Chongming lowered his head and said, "Uncle, don't worry, I'm just holding it off."

After the two agreed on the plan, Shen Wen'an immediately flew away on his sword into the distance.

Upon seeing this, the pale golden skull, with only its head visible above the water, immediately tried to chase after Shen Wen'an to see what he was up to.

But at that moment, Shen Chongming suddenly plunged into the river below and rushed towards the bottom!

The pale gold skull ignored Shen Wen'an and quickly chased after Shen Chongming.

Just as Shen Wen'an had predicted, as a cultivator of the immortal path, Shen Chongming was no match for this pale golden skull in close combat.

Even Shen Chongming couldn't quite see the trajectory of the opponent's attack.

They could only passively hold on to the azure shield, and even took out the mysterious bone shield they had previously seized from Tian Tan Mountain to resist the frenzied attacks of the pale gold skull.

Just as Shen Chongming was being beaten so badly that his blood and qi were surging and he was about to collapse, the pale golden skull paused its attack and then disappeared at an incredible speed, rushing towards the deeper part of the river!

Shen Chongming was taken aback. He had originally wanted to continue chasing after the other person and pester them.

But he discovered that he was no match for the other in the water, and in the blink of an eye, the skeleton disappeared from sight.

Shen Chongming knew that this guy must have sensed that his third uncle, Shen Wen'an, was heading in the direction of the ice coffin at the bottom of the river.

On the other side, Shen Wen'an gritted his teeth and dived deeper into the river. After releasing his divine sense, he was finally able to confirm that Xu Zhan was indeed in the ice coffin at the bottom of the river!
However, he could clearly sense that Xu Zhan no longer had any life force, and even his soul fluctuations had disappeared!

Before he could figure out how Xu Zhan had died in this strange ice coffin in the Laishui River, the pale golden skull was swept down from the river above!

This time, Shen Wen'an could clearly feel that the pale golden skull's consciousness fluctuations were much stronger, indicating that it was somewhat angry.

Seeing this, Shen Wen'an dared not linger in such a deep place and immediately headed towards the river from another direction!

The pale golden skull chased him out of the river, but stopped when it saw Shen Wen'an fly into the void again.

Shen Chongming came up to him.

"Third Uncle, how is it?"

Shen Wen'an shook his head solemnly: "It's confirmed that Xu Zhan is in that ice coffin."

"And... he is already dead."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming's expression froze.

Xu Zhan was not only his junior brother, but also his brother-in-law.

A perfectly healthy fifth-realm body cultivator died inexplicably in the Laishui River, only a few dozen miles from Yunshui City. He was somewhat confused about what had happened.

"How...how am I supposed to explain this to You'er and Jingzhe when we get back?"

"If Father knew about this..."

Shen Chongming murmured in a daze.

Shen Wen'an, standing to the side, looked suspiciously at the pale gold skull that only had half its head showing.

After a moment's thought, he said in a deep voice, "This thing seems to be preventing us from getting closer to that ice coffin."

"Is it guarding Xu Zhan's corpse, or is it guarding the strange vortex beneath the ice coffin?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming also looked at the pale gold skull.

He now desperately wants to retrieve Xu Zhan's body from the riverbed, at least to give him a proper burial and find out the cause of his death.

But with that troublesome golden skull around, this is clearly impossible.

After the uncle and nephew faced off against the pale golden skull in the air for a moment, Shen Wen'an sighed slightly and said, "Let's go back to Blackwater Pavilion first and see what your grandfather has to say."

The two figures transformed into streaks of light and headed directly towards the Blackwater Pavilion.

On the second floor of the Blackwater Pavilion, Shen Yuan listened to the story told by the uncle and nephew, his face darkening, and he remained silent.

"Xu Zhan shouldn't die so easily."

After a long silence, Shen Yuan said in a deep voice, "When I obtained the hexagram 'Water Calamity,' I vaguely saw a glimpse of the Gate of Life."

"This means that this calamity is not a certain death calamity."

Upon hearing this, both uncle and nephew showed a hint of joy on their faces.

"Grandpa, what else do you think we can do now?"

Since it's not a certain death situation, it means there's still a glimmer of hope.

Shen Chongming felt that they had to do something to try to expand Xu Zhan's chances of survival and turn the danger into safety.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan pondered for a long time before sitting cross-legged on a nearby futon.

Those who cultivate the Great Evolution Path must avoid getting involved in the game themselves.

This action will not only disrupt the fate of those involved and taint them with karma they shouldn't have, but it may also trap them in the situation, causing severe backlash.

This is why, when he first saw the Gate of Life in the Water Calamity, he didn't delve too deeply into its location.

But now that things have come to this point, Xu Zhan is not only his grandson-in-law, but also the backbone of the Shen family. He would feel unwilling to give up if he didn't try.

After mobilizing the Great Evolution Power within his body, Shen Yuan chose to use the white jade tortoise shell as a medium this time, just to be on the safe side.

After activating the white jade tortoise shell with his divine consciousness, he took a step and disappeared directly into a red and white vortex.

The next moment, his consciousness was carried to the bottom of the Laishui River by the white jade tortoise shell.

The dark river flowed quietly.

The vortex below, emitting a dark purple glow, was slowly rotating.

Above the vortex, through the dark purple ice coffin, Shen Yuan could vaguely see Xu Zhan inside.

Everything was as Shen Wen'an had said. He could clearly sense that Xu Zhan inside the ice coffin was completely lifeless, like a dead man.

Sensing all this, Shen Yuan was filled with doubt.

"The gate of life has not disappeared..."

"But the person is already dead, not even a trace of their soul remains."

What is the significance of this gate of life?

As he was pondering this, a pale golden figure suddenly rushed down from the river above!
The pale golden phantom arrived at the location of Shen Yuan's consciousness and, without any hesitation, unleashed a terrifying attack!

This attack was several times stronger than the one he had used when he was fighting Shen Wen'an earlier!
The surrounding icy river water, enveloped by the power of its punch, formed a terrifying water dragon that roared and surged forward!
But this attack had absolutely no effect on Shen Yuan.

The white jade tortoise shell possesses a peculiar ability, allowing one to virtually observe the conditions at the bottom of the Laishui River without subjecting one's consciousness to any attack.

This ability was already demonstrated back in Qishan, Danzhou, when Bai Ze passed away.

The water dragon roared and churned the surrounding river.

After everything calmed down, the pale gold skull tilted slightly, and the two dark holes in its eyes stared intently at a certain spot in the dark river.

If it had flesh and blood at this moment, its eyes would be full of doubt.

They certainly wouldn't understand why, even though they could sense someone was there, they couldn't attack them.

Shen Yuan was also curiously observing the golden skull not far away.

The two remained staring at each other at the bottom of the river for an unknown period of time.

A faint golden light suddenly appeared in the dark purple ice coffin containing Xu Zhan's corpse!

The moment the golden light appeared, the golden skeleton confronting Shen Yuan suddenly moved!

His figure flashed and he instantly disappeared from the spot!
When they reappeared, they were already in front of the huge ice coffin.

Sensing Shen Yuan looking over, the pale golden skull suddenly turned around, and a trace of killing intent slowly emanated from its body!
It seemed to be a warning to him not to get his hands on the ice coffin!
Upon seeing this, Shen Yuan vaguely understood that the pale golden skull seemed to be guarding Xu Zhan's body.

So, is there still a possibility that Xu Zhan, inside the ice coffin, can be reborn?
Staring at the faint light within the dark purple ice coffin, Shen Yuan waited quietly.

I don’t know how much time passed.

As the faint light grew stronger, a subtle aura slowly revived from the ice coffin.

At this moment, Shen Yuan was finally able to put his mind at ease.

Because the aura reviving in the ice coffin was Xu Zhan's life force.

The appearance of life signifies that Xu Zhan has found a way out and thus escaped danger.

As Shen Yuan sensed Xu Zhan's soul fluctuations slowly reappearing, he didn't want to stay any longer and arouse suspicion from the pale golden skeleton. With a slight thought, he directly sent his divine sense back to his body.

When he opened his eyes, it was already dark outside.

Shen Chongming and Shen Wen'an were still sitting opposite each other.

"Father, have you thought of a solution?"

A smile appeared on Shen Yuan's face, and he said with a sigh of relief, "Don't cause any more trouble now."

"Xu Zhan should be alright now, and he should be back in a few days."

After some thought, he said, "I reckon that Xu Zhan will be able to achieve the Flawless Golden Body and become a true Fifth Realm Body Cultivator upon his return."

"As for the skeleton you two mentioned, I believe it has no intention of harming anyone and is likely related to Xu Zhan's legacy."

Upon hearing this, both of them showed a look of surprise and delight.

"Grandpa means that Xu Zhan has actually benefited from this misfortune?"

Shen Yuan nodded slightly and sighed, "This is also his opportunity."

"Alright, you can all go back now. I'm tired."

This time, he used a large amount of the Great Evolution Power, which was a huge drain on him.

The uncle and nephew both noticed the weariness in his eyes, and immediately stood up, bowed, and left Blackwater Pavilion.

……

More than a month passed in the blink of an eye. Just when Shen You and Xu Jingzhe were beginning to suspect that their family members were just trying to comfort them and deliberately saying that Xu Zhan was fine.

The cultivators at the south gate of Yunshui City suddenly heard a terrifying explosion coming from the Laishui River, dozens of miles away!
Immediately afterwards, a figure shot rapidly into the sky from within the towering column of water!
After soaring to a certain height, the figure changed direction in mid-air, stomped on the void beneath its feet, creating a visible ripple in the void, and rushed towards the direction of Yunshui City!

Before the many Shen family cultivators guarding the city could react, that figure had already landed not far outside the city gate!
boom!
The hard rocky ground outside the city was trampled and dust filled the air.

As the smoke and dust cleared, the many Shen family cultivators, who had been nervously holding up their magical artifacts, were all stunned when they saw the figure clearly.

"It's Lord Xu!"

"Lord Xu is back!"

"Quickly, inform the young lady and the head of the family!"

Upon recognizing Xu Zhan as the newcomer, the assembled monks immediately breathed a sigh of relief and put away their magical artifacts.

Some opened the great formation and city gates to welcome them, while others ran towards the Shen family's old residence.

Xu Zhan looked at everyone with a smile.

A moment later, Shen Chongming and Shen You also arrived.

Seeing Shen You's worried expression and her obviously haggard appearance, Xu Zhan felt a pang of heartache and guilt.

"Senior sister, I'm sorry to have worried you..."

With tears glistening in her eyes, Shen You looked him up and down before rushing forward and punching him in the chest.

"He left the pass without even saying a word!"

"Going to the bottom of the river without even saying a word!"

"If you die at the bottom of the river this time, neither Jingzhe nor I will be able to find your body!"

Xu Zhan, who had been scolded, chuckled and pulled her into his arms.

Shen Chongming, who had been left standing to the side, immediately coughed lightly and turned around.

Xu Zhan then realized what was happening and repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Senior Brother."

Shen Chongming turned back with a smile and chuckled, "How did it go this time? Was it...?"

"Report!"

"Master, news has come from Dang County: strange phenomena have appeared in the sky, seemingly indicating the manifestation of a spirit!"

Before Shen Chongming could finish his question, a Shen family cultivator hurriedly flew in from the direction of the East Gate and reported loudly.

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming's expression hardened, and he immediately looked at Xu Zhan and said, "We'll talk about that later. Come back to the old house with me first."

"Someone, go to the Longpan Mountain villa and invite the seniors from the Qingluo Sword Pavilion here."

After giving the order, he made a hand gesture and darted towards the old house.

(End of this chapter)