Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 287 The Five Elements Secret Realm
Behind the manor, Shen Yuan, dressed in a gray brocade robe and with a jade hairpin in his hair, walked slowly along the winding path.

The cultivator guarding the path saw him from afar and instinctively rubbed his eyes.

"Uncle Jing, that's... the Ancestor!?"

The slightly young cultivator suppressed his surprise and asked urgently.

Xu Jing, who was standing next to him, had obviously seen Shen Yuan for the first time. He immediately turned his head and glared angrily at the little cultivator, then respectfully cupped his hands and said, "Ancestor."

The young cultivator quickly stood up straight, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Ancestor."

For these rising stars, Shen Yuan had already become a legend in the Shen family.

Most of the younger generation don't know much about his deeds, but they have vaguely heard that this ancestor valued etiquette very much.

"Ah."

Shen Yuan nodded with a kind expression, then asked in a deep voice, "Has anything unusual happened in the back mountain lately?"

Xu Jing quickly cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to the Ancestor, everything is normal."

Shen Yuan nodded: "That's good. I'll go take a look. You all stay here and don't let anyone in."

"Yes!"

Xu Jing bowed again in acceptance.

Watching his slightly hunched back disappear down the path, the younger cultivator murmured excitedly, "The ancestor is very kind, much like Grandpa Huang next door to my house."

"Uncle Jing, what is the Ancestor's current cultivation level?"

The young cultivator was probably seeing this legendary old man for the first time, and he was very excited.

Why do you talk so much?

"Aren't you afraid that if the Ancestor hears this, he'll throw you out of Yunshui City?"

Xu Jing frowned and looked at him, then reprimanded him, knowing that it was normal for these younger generation members to react this way upon suddenly seeing the family's patriarch.

"Our ancestor has never made a move, and no one knows what level of cultivation he possesses."

"But all you need to know is that our Shen family was founded by our ancestor."

The young cultivator looked somewhat dazed, then muttered something to himself, though it was unclear what he said.

Shen Yuan was unaware of their conversation; he had already arrived at the place where Shen Xiubai had once secluded himself for cultivation.

Although the area is now completely empty, even if someone were to break in, nothing unusual would be apparent.

However, Shen Yuan and the other two who knew the secret of this place were aware that Shen Xiubai, who had disappeared for more than ten years, was now in the space connected to this area.

This is also the only anchor point in the space where he and Yangnao Land are located.

If anything happens to the space in this area, Shen Xiubai may never be able to appear again.

"Xiu Bai, your great-grandfather has brought you the essence of the five elements."

Standing with his hands behind his back in this area, Shen Yuan called out in a deep voice.

A moment later, a vortex suddenly appeared in the space to his left front.

"Great-grandfather, you've emerged from seclusion?"

Shen Xiubai's voice was clearly filled with excitement.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan nodded with a smile: "Child, how have you been lately?"

When will you be able to come back?

The vortex remained silent for a moment, then the voice rang out again: "Great-grandfather, don't worry, Xiu Bai's comprehension has reached a critical moment."

"In a little while, this secret realm will be completely perfected. At that time, Great-Grandfather will see Xiu Bai."

His words carried a strange emotion, and upon hearing them, Shen Yuan felt a bad premonition.

“Child, although your great-grandfather doesn’t know what you’re planning to do, you should tell your great-grandfather before making any decisions.”

"Over the years, your mother has gone to your uncle many times to inquire about you."

"Your father also sent a letter saying that he would come back to see you after the annual memorial service."

To avoid things going in a direction he didn't want to see, Shen Yuan had no choice but to tell a lie.

Shen Xiubai, caught in the vortex, fell silent once again.

After a long time——

"Please trouble Great-Grandfather to tell Father that Xiu Bai is unfilial and may not be able to come out to see him during the annual sacrifice."

"However! There will be a chance to meet again..."

"Great-grandfather, please give the essence of the five elements to Xiu Bai."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan sighed inwardly, took out the Five Elements Essence from his storage bag, and threw it into the vortex in front of him.

"Child, what happened in Danzhou...did you get involved?"

Based on Shen Chongxuan's description last time, he had vaguely guessed Shen Xiubai's plan.

I came here simply to confirm my suspicions.

Shen Xiubai gave a soft "hmm" and asked, "Has anyone noticed anything amiss?"

Shen Yuan replied, "No, it is said that even the Nascent Soul True Monarch has not figured out what happened."

Shen Xiubai said with a hint of relief, "That's good."

"As long as no one discovers anything amiss this time, all of Xiu Bai's plans should succeed when the Yangnao Tunnel collapses."

"Great-grandfather, in two days, Xiu Bai will send you the compiled array inheritance."

"At that time, any cultivator from my Shen family who has a decent comprehension level can supplement their cultivation with the Dao of Array Formations."

"However, the most essential things still require a certain amount of talent, and my great-grandfather needs to carefully consider before passing them on."

Shen Xiubai's voice carried a hint of excitement.

From a young age, he has shouldered the heavy responsibility of revitalizing the Shen family's martial arts tradition.

He then spent a great deal of time studying the internal five elements cycle.

Later, in order to build the Five Elements Secret Realm, he never had time to organize the basics of array formation.

Now that everything is on track, he has time to organize a complete set of array formation inheritances.

When this matter was mentioned, a hint of suspicion suddenly appeared on Shen Yuan's face.

“Xiu Bai, there’s always been a question in my mind.”

“Great-Grandpa, please speak.” Shen Xiubai’s voice came from the vortex, and then he continued, “Xiubai actually guessed what Great-Grandpa wanted to ask.”

“There are indeed some extraordinary secrets in Master Fu Yang’s inheritance bead.”

"But Xiu Bai was able to achieve this without three things."

“The copper pot, the innate five-colored soil, and that piece of the Earth Mother Spirit Vine root.”

"The root of the Earth Mother Spirit Vine is the piece of dead tree root that Xiu Bai asked his grandfather for before."

Shen Xiubai explained.

Shen Yuan remained silent after hearing this.

That's exactly what he wanted to know.

Logically speaking, no matter how talented Shen Xiubai was in array formations, he was only at the Qi Refining Realm before going into seclusion.

Even with his understanding of the Five Elements cycle system, it was still quite unbelievable that Shen Xiubai had reached this point.

Even for those extraordinary Nascent Soul True Monarchs like the Lord of the Underworld, the leader of the Calamity Fire Sect, and the current Great Ying True Monarch Xu Xiu, it would be very difficult for them to construct an independent secret realm on their own.

Shen Xiubai has not only accomplished this, but has also extracted half of Danzhou's spiritual energy from the earth's veins using an unknown method.

Such methods made him wonder if Shen Xiubai was an old monster reincarnated like Xu Xiu.

Hearing Shen Xiubai say this, he felt a little relieved.

"Great-Grandpa, if there's nothing else, that's all for today."

After Shen Xiubai's voice came from the vortex again, it slowly disappeared.

Shen Yuan sighed softly, stood there for a moment to ponder, then walked down the mountain with his hands behind his back.

……

It was late autumn, and the night was cool and still.

On the second floor of the Blackwater Pavilion, Shen Yuan made strange hand seals, and the golden jade seal floating in the void in front of him emitted a warm luster.

He was refining the imperial seal into a treasure to suppress the Shen family's fortune, as requested by Shen Li.

Outside the Blackwater Pavilion, a figure radiating a moon-white aura slowly walked across the dark water.

The figure was none other than Shen Xiubai.

Arriving at the three-story Blackwater Pavilion, Shen Xiubai looked up at the second floor of the pavilion before his figure gracefully rose into the air.

"Ok?"

"What my great-grandfather is refining is..."

Stepping into the room through the window on the second floor of the Blackwater Pavilion, Shen Xiubai immediately saw the Imperial Seal of the State floating in front of Shen Yuan.

He frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then a look of joy appeared on his face. He did not make a sound to disturb them, but waited quietly.

After a long time, Shen Yuan had initially refined the national seal. He only needed to nurture it slowly so that it could merge with the fortune of the entire Shen family. Then he could endow the seal with authority and make it the symbol of the head of the Shen family.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Shen Xiubai standing quietly by the window.

When Shen Xiubai saw him wake up, he slowly walked up to him with a smile and respectfully cupped his hands: "Great-grandfather."

Shen Yuan stood up and nodded, asking, "When did you arrive?"

Shen Xiubai's current state is very peculiar. If he did not deliberately reveal his form, Shen Yuan felt that he could appear anywhere in Yunshui City without anyone noticing.

"After arriving for a while, I saw that my great-grandfather was refining a treasure, so I didn't make a sound to disturb him."

"This precious seal that my great-grandfather refined..."

Changing the subject, Shen Xiubai's gaze fell upon the golden jade seal on the desk in front of him.

Seeing this, Shen Yuan gently waved his hand, took the precious seal into his hand, and handed it to him, saying, "Your Aunt Li'er snatched it from the King of Fushan Kingdom."

"They said it was a good thing from an ancient immortal dynasty to suppress the nation's fortune, and they had me refine it to suppress the fortune of my Shen family."

Shen Xiubai examined the golden jade seal, and after some thought, he suddenly cupped his hands and said, "After Great-Grandfather has completely refined this seal, you can hand it over to Xiubai."

Shen Yuan frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Shen Xiubai explained, "To be honest, Great-Grandfather, the Five Elements Secret Realm was specially built for my Shen family."

"But there aren't many direct descendants of my Shen family; the majority are still those from other surnames who are affiliated with us."

"Xiu Bai had been worried about one thing before."

"My Shen family appears prosperous now, with many talented people emerging, and we are able to steadily suppress those subordinates."

"But what about the next hundred or a thousand years? Even my great-grandfather couldn't guarantee that the main branch of the Shen family would continue to prosper forever, could he?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan nodded with a stern face and said, "That's true."

"So you're planning to..."

Shen Xiubai cupped his hands and said, "Xiubai intends to use this treasure seal as the central hub of the Five Elements Secret Realm, which only the direct descendants of my Shen family can control."

"In the future, all cultivators who enter the Five Elements Secret Realm will be subject to the control of this treasure seal. Even if the master is weak and the servant is strong, and the main lineage can no longer suppress those subordinate families, they will not lose the Five Elements Secret Realm and become rootless drifting catkins."

After pondering for a moment, Shen Yuan looked at him with a smile.

"You're still thoughtful."

"However, will this affect the cultivation of those affiliated family cultivators?"

As Shen Xiubai just said, there are not many direct descendants of the Shen family now, and the vast majority of those under their rule are cultivators from affiliated families.

The family wants to develop better, not a bunch of puppets.

He hoped that the cultivators in the affiliated families could also rise to prominence, so that they could help the main family share the burden and not let all the heavy responsibility fall on the descendants of the Shen family.

"Of course not," Shen Xiubai said with absolute certainty.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan did not ask any further questions.

He doesn't know much about the Five Elements Secret Realm yet.

But Shen Xiubai has devoted decades of effort to this, and he must have considered everything that could be considered.

“If Great-Grandfather wishes to use this as a power, he can create an avatar for this seal.”

"Thus, the main seal was handed over to Xiu Bai to refine into the Five Elements Secret Realm, and the clone seal served as the family head's token, granting authority and suppressing fortune."

Shen Xiubai offered a solution that would kill two birds with one stone.

Shen Yuan nodded and said, "Grandpa will try this again later."

"You've come here..."

Meeting his gaze, Shen Xiubai gently waved his hand, and the void in front of him distorted. Then, more than ten jade slips suddenly appeared from the void and were neatly arranged on the table in front of him.

"This is the array technique inheritance that Xiu Bai promised his great-grandfather."

"The first seven volumes can be promoted throughout the clan. Those who comprehend the seven volumes will be no less accomplished in the art of array formation than Master Fu Yang and Senior Jiang."

"The next five volumes are the core of the entire array-based inheritance."

"Most of them are Xiu Bai's understanding of the ancient array scrolls passed down from Master Fu Yang, as well as his insights into the universe and time and space during the creation of the Five Elements Secret Realm over the past decades."

"These five volumes..."

"Xiu Bai will not make any more requests. I believe that my great-grandfather and the heads of the Shen family in the future know what I'm doing."

"This twelve-volume array formation inheritance is called the 'Zhou Tian Shi Fang Dun Jia Xuan Shu Jing' by Xiu Bai."

Hearing his story and looking at the twelve jade slips in front of him, Shen Yuan felt a mix of emotions.

Over the years, he has also studied the art of formations.

It is clear that array formations are something even more tedious and boring than the Great Evolution Path.

Shen Xiubai, all alone, sealed the Five Elements Secret Realm for decades, spending his mind and energy on repairing the secret realm while also researching and compiling such a complete and detailed inheritance of array techniques.

Decades of loneliness and monotony would be an unbearable torment for most people.

But the current situation is that no one in the entire Shen family can help him; the only thing they can do is to give him everything he wants.

"Great-Grandpa, please keep these things safe. Xiu Bai is going back now."

"Once you have completely refined this treasure seal, you can go to the back mountain to find Xiu Bai."

After bowing slightly, Shen Xiubai's eyes held a hint of longing as his figure gradually dimmed until it disappeared completely.

Shen Yuan reached out his hand, opened and closed his mouth a few times, only to find that the figure in front of him had disappeared.

"Ugh!"

He slowly lowered his palm, gazed at the twelve jade slips in front of him and pondered for a moment. His spiritual energy flickered on his body and directly condensed into a line, transmitting his voice to Shen Chongming.

The old man sent him a message late at night, which must have been urgent. Shen Chongming didn't dare to delay and hurriedly went to the second floor of the Blackwater Pavilion.

"grandfather."

After bowing, Shen Chongming's gaze fell upon the imperial seal on the table in front of him and the neatly arranged jade slips.

"sit down."

Shen Yuan waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down first.

"These twelve jade slips are a complete set of array-based inheritances sent by Xiu Bai."

"Xiu Bai means that seven of the volumes can be practiced by all cultivators in the clan."

"But this is the culmination of his hard work."

"The law should not be passed on lightly. The inheritance of the various arts of immortal cultivation is also one of the means by which my Shen family controls the cultivators of affiliated families."

“Take it back and set up a threshold to pass on this array to the cultivators under your jurisdiction.”

"If there is truly an unparalleled genius in the art of array formations among the affiliated families, we should find a way to bring them under the wing of the Shen family and pass on the next five volumes to them."

After bowing in acceptance, Shen Chongming accepted the seven lighter-colored jade slips out of the twelve.

"Also, have someone find me a piece of top-quality spirit jade."

After explaining the matter of array formations, Shen Yuan thought of what Shen Xiubai had just mentioned about refining a separate seal for the treasure seal.

Although Shen Chongming was curious about his grandfather's purpose in wanting the top-grade spirit jade, he didn't dare to ask any more questions when he saw that the old man seemed to be in a heavy mood.

He nodded in agreement again.

"Does Grandpa have anything else to say?"

Meeting his gaze, Shen Yuan lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment before saying, "The alchemical heritage that Chonghong brought from Huaisang back then, has yet to be inherited by anyone in my Shen family?"

Shen Chongming paused for a moment upon hearing this, then shook his head slightly and said, "I originally intended to see if Xiu Si and Yuan Que, among other younger generations, had any talent in this area..."

"Don't keep these few people at home waiting." Interrupting him, Shen Yuan said in a deep voice, "You heard about what happened to Li'er when she encountered the extraterrestrial cultivators in Flame Lake City a while ago, right?"

Shen Chongming nodded without saying anything.

"Li'er said that those cultivators from outside the realm are far superior to those from my Yangnao Land, whether in terms of the various arts of cultivation or the inheritance of the cultivation system."

"After the collapse of the Yangnao land passage, it is expected that the Shen family will come into contact with many powerful secret realms and ancient small worlds."

"Faced with them, all the shortcomings of my Shen family will be fatal weaknesses."

"By then, there may not be as many connections to leverage."

Shen Chongming's expression was somewhat solemn.

He hadn't really thought that far ahead about these things.

"My Shen family governs nine cities and millions of people. It's time to take a good look at the situation."

"This matter will be handled by Xiu Yan."

Slowly standing up, Shen Yuan walked to the window with his hands behind his back, looked at the starry night sky in the distance, and spoke in a deep voice.

Shen Chongming stood up and bowed, saying, "Yes."

"Go ahead and get busy," Shen Yuan waved his hand gently.

……

Inside the side room of the old house.

Shen Xiuyan, whose face was cold and stern and who never smiled, suddenly frowned when he heard Shen Chongming's words.

Seeing this, Shen Chongming smiled faintly and said, "What's wrong? Are you having trouble?"

Shen Xiuyan cupped his hands slightly and said, "I am not familiar enough with the major aristocratic families under my jurisdiction, so I am afraid that some of my choices may be biased."

He paused for a moment, then added, “My great-grandfather entrusted this matter to his nephew with other plans, and I fear I may have failed his good intentions.”

Shen Chongming laughed after hearing this.

"Don't overthink it. He's just giving you a chance to pave the way."

"Just do it. As for the things you're worried about, your uncle and other elders in the family will support you. Even if you make a mistake, they won't be able to cause any major trouble."

"You must understand that any scheming is futile in the face of absolute power."

"Unless the Shen family really declines one day, we will need to be extremely cautious when dealing with those affiliated families. Otherwise... there is no need to be so wary."

After hearing this, Shen Xiuyan nodded slightly and said, "In that case, I will go ahead and do it."

"Go ahead. Although your brothers are not good at managing the family, they can still shoulder some responsibilities when it matters. They are all members of the Shen family, so don't try to take on everything by yourself." Shen Chongming earnestly advised.

There are still quite a few members of the Shen family with the character "Xiu" in their name.

Apart from Shen Xiubai and Shen Xiuyun, the rest of them were mostly idle, spending their days cultivating.

After gradually handing over family matters to Shen Xiuyan, he also decided to gradually have the other younger members of the "Xiu" generation take on responsibilities.

In this way, the "old guys" above them, who are called "Chong" generation, can gradually fade into the background and not have to worry so much.

After Shen Xiuyan bowed and left, Shen Chongming came to the outside of the room, pondered for a moment with his hands behind his back, and then walked straight down the mountain.

In the courtyard where Xu Zhan and Shen You lived, Shen Chongming and Xu Zhan sat facing each other.

Beside them, Xu Jingzhe, who had just finished his cultivation, exuded a rich aura of blood and stood attentively, serving tea to the two of them.

"Boy, what level of cultivation have you reached?"

Taking the tea, Shen Chongming smiled as he looked at his nephew, who was already quite tall and had a robust build.

"Reporting to my uncle, I have just reached the peak of the second realm."

When Xu Jingzhe answered with his hands clasped in greeting, a hint of smugness appeared on his face.

At the age of fourteen, his cultivation at the peak of the second realm is indeed unparalleled among body cultivators.

Young and impetuous, he naturally felt a bit arrogant after achieving such success.

Shen Chongming took a sip of tea and said with a faint smile, "At such a young age, reaching the peak of the second realm is barely acceptable."

Upon hearing this, Xu Jingzhe immediately became displeased: "Uncle, Jingzhe is already very capable."

"Many of the body cultivators in the clan have already reached adulthood, but their cultivation level is only at the second realm, not even as good as Jingzhe..."

"Is that so?" Shen Chongming looked at him with a half-smile.

Xu Jingzhe nodded and said, "My father only reached the peak of the second realm when he was fifteen years old."

"Hey! You little rascal!" Xu Zhan, who was standing next to him, laughed and scolded when he heard his son comparing him to him, "Your old man only reached the peak of the second realm when he was fifteen years old."

"But before I was twelve, I was just an ordinary farmer's son."

"In terms of cultivation resources and food, clothing, and daily necessities, we are far inferior to you."

"Besides, I reached the peak of the second realm at fifteen, the peak of the third realm at twenty, and the fourth realm at thirty-five."

"You're only sixty years old now, and you're already at the peak of the fifth realm. If you're so capable, let me see if you can break this record."

Xu Jingzhe immediately wilted upon hearing this.

He had also heard about his father's legendary life and knew that he was unlikely to surpass the speed of his father's later breakthroughs.

Seeing him hanging his head and not saying anything, Shen Chongming chuckled and said, "Alright, your father isn't trying to discourage you."

"I just want you to know that in cultivation, one must not be impatient or arrogant."

"Body cultivators don't really cultivate their mental state. If they develop arrogance, the difficulty of breaking through to higher realms later on might just lead to their death."

Xu Jingzhe nodded respectfully: "I will keep your teachings in mind, Uncle."

Seeing his sincere expression, Xu Zhan smiled and said, "Go, learn some meditation techniques from your mother, and calm your mind."

Xu Jingzhe bowed and left the pavilion.

Watching his retreating figure, Xu Zhan smiled with satisfaction and said, "It's a rare opportunity to give this kid a good talking-to today."

"No matter how much we try to reason with him, he never takes it to heart."

"And with the flattery and praise from the body cultivators below, he became incredibly proud."

Shen Chongming took a sip of tea, watched Xu Jingzhe walk away, and said with a faint smile, "Youthful arrogance is just youthful spirit."

"Senior brother, is there something you need?"

After nodding with a smile, Xu Zhan changed the subject and asked solemnly.

Shen Chongming nodded: "Li'er said some time ago that she discovered a place that seems to be an ancient ruin in the far north snowfield of Beidi County."

"I'd like you to take some people to see it."

"If we don't explore these hidden ruins and secret realms now, it won't be so easy to explore them when the Dao collapses and a large number of cultivators from outside the realms flood in."

remains?

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhan's face lit up with a hint of joy as he asked, "What kind of ruins are they?"

Shen Chongming shook his head slightly: "Li'er didn't explain in detail either."

"It's just that the ruins are frozen under the ice, so exploring them might be a bit troublesome."

"However, there should be some good stuff in the ruins."

"Li'er brought out a treasure called Cold Jade Marrow. Be careful after you take people there."

"Treasures and opportunities are to be taken if possible, and those that are not should not be forced."

After a moment's thought, Xu Zhan nodded and said, "Then I'll go prepare now!"

He gained considerable benefits from his trip to Dragon Slayer Valley.

He refined those treasures containing dragon essence blood, allowing his cultivation to reach the peak of the fifth realm.

Shen Wen'an is currently in seclusion refining the poison in his body and stabilizing his cultivation, which has been depleted over the past two years in Zhanlong Valley. He needs to take care of these family matters.

"Take the Snow Wolf King with you on this trip."

"His strength has remained at the peak of the embryonic breathing stage for years, and he needs an opportunity to break through to the Golden Core stage."

"If the trip to the far north snowfield can bring some opportunities, even if there are no other gains, it won't be a loss."

Xu Zhan nodded and then got up to say goodbye to Shen You, preparing to gather people to explore the ruins of the far northern snowfield.

……

Danzhou, the boundary.

Luo Tianxing sat cross-legged on the boulder, his brows furrowed and his face solemn.

In just over a month, he could clearly sense that the area in Danzhou where the anomaly had occurred had completely turned into a desolate wasteland devoid of spiritual energy!
Even though he had reached the Nascent Soul True Monarch realm, he found this situation somewhat perplexing.

His previous talk to the Golden Core cultivators in Danzhou about "divine punishment" was nothing more than an excuse.

If there truly is divine punishment, the entire Danzhou should be in the same state now, not just half of Danzhou.

After much contemplation, Luo Tianxing immediately formed a hand seal and sent a beam of spiritual light into the void before him.

Not long after the spiritual light entered the void, folds appeared in the void in front of it, and then a figure squeezed out of the void.

"What happened?"

After emerging from the void with his hands behind his back, Xu Xiu calmly asked a question.

Luo Tianxing stood up, looked at the vast mountains behind him, and whispered:

"Can you feel it?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiu frowned and looked in the direction of his gaze, then his brows furrowed even more.

"This is……"

"When did such a bizarre event occur?"

Luo Tianxing replied in a deep voice, "A little over a month ago, the concentration of spiritual energy in that area suddenly decreased in the dead of night."

"I went to investigate and found that the ley lines in that area are slowly disappearing into the depths of the earth."

"Now, only a little over a month has passed, and the area spanning nearly ten thousand miles has already changed into this state."

Turning around, Luo Tianxing stared at Xu Xiu and said, "Old man, I remember you once said that there was a mysterious force secretly drawing on the Dao Source Power of Yangnao Land?"

Meeting his gaze, Xu Xiu said in a deep voice, "Do you think this strange phenomenon in Danzhou is related to the power that draws upon the source of the Yangnao land?"

Luo Tianxing did not give a direct answer.

"This is a change beyond our comprehension; you must be careful."

Xu Xiu nodded slightly, and after a thoughtful expression, he slowly spoke.

"The Dao is about to collapse. The cracks on the world barrier of Yangnao Land are increasing. I guess many of those old guys from outside the boundary have already set their sights on this place."

Do you think an old monster at the pseudo-divine transformation realm will make a move this time?

A pseudo-deity?
Luo Tianxing shook his head with a wry smile: "If it were just an ordinary Dao Source Secret Realm, I'm sure they wouldn't choose to make a move."

"After all, no one can guarantee absolute safety once they leave their own Dao Source Secret Realm."

"But... news of the Immortal Abode had spread throughout the entire Cangmin Sea region in earlier years."

"Furthermore, of the twenty-four Daoist jade carvings, twelve are located in my Yangnao Land..."

Xu Xiu smiled faintly after hearing this: "So, you think these things are enough to make those old guys in the pseudo-divine transformation realm take risks?"

Seeing his expression, Luo Tianxing asked with some suspicion, "Was this also part of your plan?"

Xu Xiu did not answer.

Luo Tianxing asked again, "Now that things have come to this, I'm still very curious. Back then, you spent a lot of energy, even going so far as to kill all the dragons raised by the Dragon-Taming Clan, and then went to the Ten Thousand Dragon Nest to capture twelve true dragons and set up the Ten Thousand Dragon Formation to suppress the Heavenly Dragon Temple. Was it really just for revenge?"

Xu Xiu chuckled and sighed, "It seems you still harbor resentment towards me for killing the Dragon-Raising Clan back then."

Luo Tianxing did not deny it.

"You know the relationship between me, Huanlong, and Brother Yu."

"If they truly betrayed you, then you could say they deserved to die."

“But you didn’t even give them a chance to explain back then. You exterminated the Huanlong clan and forced Brother Yu to his death on a fabricated charge.”

"Sword Thirteen harbored resentment because of this. When he died in battle, he had the opportunity but refused to escape. In the end, he left behind a wisp of his sword soul, which attached itself to that kid from the Shen family."

"That's because he's stupid!" Upon hearing Luo Tianxing mention "Sword Thirteen," Xu Xiu's face showed a rare hint of anger.

"A dignified swordsman, who holds the power of life and death over the disciples of my Great Ying Immortal Mansion, has become so foolish as to act on emotion!"

After venting his rage, the terrifying aura emanating from Xu Xiu, resembling the might of heaven, slowly dissipated.

The next moment, the rocks and trees within hundreds of miles of the barrier, as its power receded, suddenly turned into countless fragments, scattering all over the ground.

Luo Tianxing gazed at him quietly.

"Tianxing." Xu Xiu waved his hand, sweeping the drifting dust a hundred feet away, and sighed heavily, "I know that you Seven Sons of Yangnao have a deep bond."

"But we had already worked together to predict that situation back then."

"Whether it's Zigui, Thirteen, or even Huanlong, I left them a way out at the time."

"But they are different. Zi Gui was reborn into the body of the little girl in the Green Luo Sword Pavilion. He gave up awakening his own consciousness and left all his cultivation to that little girl."

"Huanlong and Thirteen are secretly opposing me."

Luo Tianxing stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the sky. Suddenly, he chuckled and shook his head: "So much time has passed, it's meaningless who was right and who was wrong now."

Changing the subject, he suddenly looked at Xu Xiu and said, "You still haven't said why you suppressed Tianlong Temple."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiu frowned slightly.

Luo Tianxing continued, "After I killed the abbot of Tianlong Temple, the bald monk Saluo, if you really wanted revenge, you had enough power to destroy the entire Tianlong Temple secret realm."

Xu Xiu sneered upon hearing this: "Destroy?"

"Those bald monks are treacherous and cunning, they almost ruined my plans. Wouldn't destroying the Tianlong Temple secret realm just be letting them off easy?"

"Fine, since you want to know, I will tell you."

"Back then, after you and that old bald monk Saluo perished together, I had Jingyang capture Venerable Louni, a Buddhist disciple of Tianlong Temple, and used a secret technique to erase all his cultivation, shatter his Dharma body, and let his Dharma bones scatter throughout the entire Tianlong Temple secret realm."

"Afterwards, the entire Tianlong Temple secret realm was suppressed in Zhanlong Valley using the Ten Thousand Dragons Formation. Lou Ni was thrown into Zhanlong Valley and given a false memory, making him believe that as long as he retrieved all his Dharma bones, he could return to Tianlong Temple."

Upon hearing this, Luo Tianxing showed a hint of surprise.

"You intend to use his Dharma Bone to absorb the Dao Source Power of the entire Tianlong Temple Secret Realm!?"

"Old man, you're...you're playing with fire!"

"Aren't you afraid that he will actually absorb all the Dao Source of the entire Tianlong Temple Secret Realm into himself, and then break through your control, turning into a Dao Puppet?"

Hearing his words, Xu Xiu smiled.

"We've known each other for so many years, when have you ever seen me fight an unprepared battle?"

"Alright, I've finally put an end to one of your worries."

"Now that we brothers have opened our hearts to each other, why don't you answer one of my questions as well?"

After a slight pause, Xu Xiu narrowed his eyes and looked at Luo Tianxing, saying, "Does Zeduan intend to betray me?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Tianxing's heart sank.

He knew that once Xu Xiu asked that question, it would be meaningless no matter how he answered.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Xu Xiu's voice rang out again.

"Is he trying to recruit you to betray me?"

Meeting Xu Xiu's intense gaze, Luo Tianxing suddenly smiled.

"Old man, you haven't changed your suspicious nature."

“Ze Duan did come to me and mentioned this matter.”

"But do you think I would agree to his request?"

Xu Xiu's gaze swept calmly across his face, and then he smiled as well.

"Ha ha……"

"You... I've come to realize that neither Zeduan nor Jingyang are as smart as you."

The tense atmosphere between the two was instantly dissolved with Xu Xiu's smile.

"Fine, I know you obtained a wisp of the spirit of Beichen Immortal Mountain from that brat from the Shen family."

"Since you are determined to leave, I will grant your request. Once the matter in Yangnao Land is resolved, I will give you an opportunity to leave."

"If we meet again in the vast Cangmin Sea in the future, you and I will still be brothers."

Upon hearing this, Luo Tianxing's expression shifted, and he thought to himself.

That old man's scheming is terrifying!

He could guarantee that he and Shen Wen'an had been very careful during their trip to Huaisang to obtain spiritual essence, and that there was no possibility of any leaks.

The Shen family clearly harbored some wariness towards Xu Xiu, and it was neither possible nor possible for them to tell him this secret.

The old man is now so familiar with this, which means that the spirit of Beichen Immortal Mountain has always been part of his plans.

A sense of powerlessness and dejection rose in his heart, but Luo Tianxing smiled faintly and cupped his hands: "Forget about the opportunities and luck, I just hope you won't trick me again at the last minute."

Xu Xiu laughed heartily: "What nonsense are you talking about? You risked your life for me back then, and now everything is settled. I should be thanking you, not harming you."

"That's all."

"You will need to hold on here for several more decades. When I return, I will have to investigate this matter thoroughly and find out the root cause of the changes in Danzhou."

After saying this, Xu Xiu casually waved his hand, tearing open a rift in the void in front of him. He stepped into it and disappeared.

As he watched the space in front of him rapidly recover, the smile on Luo Tianxing's face gradually froze, and then became very solemn.

a long time--

“Brother Zeduan, I’ve said it before, that old fox’s mind is terrifying.”

"Now... Brother Zeduan, may you have good fortune."

Shaking his head helplessly and sighing, Luo Tianxing murmured something in a low voice.

The giant rock that had sat behind him for decades was reduced to dust in Xu Xiu's fury. At this moment, Luo Tianxing could only take out a futon from his storage bag and continue to sit cross-legged on the ground.

……

Beidi County, the far north snowfield.

To make their journey easier, Xu Zhan borrowed the empty treasure ship from Shen Wen'an, and the group boarded the ship to reach the far northern snowfield.

In addition to the Snow Wolf King, Shen Chongming also sent his disciple, Wu Yuning, who possesses a mutated wind-attribute spiritual root.

During the second major harvest that year, the Shen family clashed with the Fushan Kingdom, annihilating three major legions of the Fushan Kingdom in one fell swoop and capturing General Fufeng, who was at the peak of the Fetal Breathing Realm.

Shen Chongming used seemingly despicable means to get Wu Jiu and Fu Feng to get together, and luckily inherited Wu Jiu's mutated wind attribute spiritual root.

Now, Fufeng and Wujiu have developed feelings for each other over time and have let go of what happened back then.

As the second person in the Shen family to possess a mutated spiritual root, Wu Yuning's talent was equally dazzling after she became Shen Chongming's disciple.

At only fifteen years old, his cultivation had already reached the mid-stage of the embryonic breathing realm.

Shen Chongming sent her here to explore the ruins in the far north snowfield, intending for her to train under Xu Zhan.

After arriving at the far northern snowfield, the empty treasure ship slowly descended.

More than ten cultivators from the Shen family jumped off the treasure ship. Xu Zhan flipped his hand and put the treasure ship into his storage bag, then took out a map.

Wearing a light blue dress and holding a black gold scimitar, Wu Yuning approached.

"Lord Xu, there's nowhere to refer to here. In which direction is the ruins that Lord Clan Chief mentioned?"

The girl's ethereal voice rang out, and Shen Chongzhen, who was behind her, curiously came forward.

Xu Zhan frowned as he examined the map and compared it with the surrounding environment. He found that there were no landmarks in the vast snowfield, making it impossible to determine his location or find the ruins marked on the map.

"Brother Zhen, do you have any ideas?"

Feeling a bit of a headache, Xu Zhan turned his gaze to Shen Chongzhen.

After taking the map and studying it carefully, Shen Chongzhen said, "The location marked by Sister Li'er is clearly closer to the north of the snowfield."

“When we came here on the empty treasure ship, I paid close attention to the time it took to enter the snowfield.”

"Based on the timeline, we are roughly located here now."

Shen Chongzhen pointed to a location at the bottom of the map and spoke.

"So, you mean we have to keep going north?" Xu Zhan asked, glancing at the map.

Shen Chongzhen nodded slightly.

"Let's go then, and take a look around as we go."

At his command, a group of more than ten people immediately braved the wind, snow and bitter cold to continue their journey.

"Lord Xu, let me go scout ahead."

The snow wolf king's moon-white fur trembled slightly in the cold wind.

But he seemed to be enjoying everything here, and immediately spoke in a deep voice.

After a moment's thought, Xu Zhan nodded and said, "Be careful. Li'er said that the monsters in this far northern snowfield are very strange."

The Snow Wolf King lowered its head, and instead of flying on the wind, it took off running forward on all fours.

Meanwhile, in the distant void of the far northern snowfield.

A strange young girl stood in the biting cold wind, making hand gestures as if she were trying to deduce something.

The girl wore a white, flowing fairy robe and a knee-length plain gauze skirt. She was tall and slender, with long, snow-white hair that reached her hips. On her back was an exaggeratedly large bow that looked as if it had been carved from ice. The clouds beneath her feet did not seem to be naturally formed, but rather some kind of specially crafted flying magic weapon.

"It should be top-grade cold jade marrow..."

A cool, self-talking voice rang out, and the girl's figure flashed, immediately flying forward.

(End of this chapter)