Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 288 The Ominous Hexagram: Fire Scorching Wood

On the vast snowfield, the Snow Wolf King ran wildly, using its keen sense of smell to try and find some clues about ruins in the surrounding area.

Soon, its figure arrived near a pile of scattered ice shards.

This is the very place where Shen Li and Jin Chan fought against those ice spiders.

The scattered ice blocks on the ground were left behind during the battle between the two sides.

After sniffing carefully, the Snow Wolf King seemed to have discovered something.

He looked up into the distance, then quickly traveled several miles before discovering the scratches left on the ice by the giant ice spider's sharp legs when it escaped.

Upon this discovery, the Snow Wolf King raised its head and let out a low howl.

Hearing the sound from behind, Xu Zhan and the others immediately rushed over.

“Lord Xu, Young Master Chongzhen, there is the aura of the clan leader here.”

"The clan leader said that she once fought a group of ice spiders in the snowfield, and these marks should have been left by the ice spiders."

After everyone arrived, the Snow Wolf King told them what he had discovered.

Xu Zhan and the others gathered around and examined it carefully.

"That's probably right."

"According to Sister Tanuki, she found the ruins by following a giant ice spider."

"Now that we've discovered the traces left by this giant ice spider, we should be able to find the ruins by following these traces."

The Snow Wolf King lowered his head: "Little demon, go ahead and scout ahead again. Master, please also keep an eye out for any other clues around you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he ran straight ahead.

Above the snowfield, the white-haired girl had just arrived at the mountain range where Shen Li had discovered the Cold Jade Marrow when she seemed to suddenly sense something.

The next moment, his figure flashed, leaving a few snowflakes in the void, and when he reappeared, he was already in another void.

Below, the Snow Wolf King was running with its head down, keeping an eye on the tracks left by the giant ice spider on the ice, completely unaware that there was a cultivator above it.

"A snow wolf..."

"Although it is only at the stage of perfect embryonic breathing, it looks good, and more importantly, it matches my identity very well."

"If we catch it and feed it some good food, it should be able to break through to the Golden Core stage soon, and it can barely be used as a mount."

As the girl murmured to herself, a smile suddenly appeared on her cool face. Then, she flashed and rushed directly towards the Snow Wolf King below!

It was only at this moment that the Snow Wolf King realized something was wrong!

When he looked up, he found that the girl had already rushed in front of him, and a bright golden rope was flying out of her hand, heading straight for his head.

The Snow Wolf King was terrified and immediately tried to dodge.

However, the golden rope was extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, the Snow Wolf King felt his body tighten!
Then it seemed that all the demonic energy in his body was imprisoned by some strange power and could not be mobilized at all.

The girl gracefully landed in the distance, a flash of light emanating from her silver silk slippers. Her figure flickered twice in succession, appearing before the Snow Wolf King.

"Who are you?"

"I am the mount of the Sword Immortal of the Shen family! Release me at once!"

The girl was taken aback.

"The Shen family?"

"never heard of that."

"Are sword immortals... very powerful?"

"Nascent Soul Realm?"

The Snow Wolf King was speechless for a moment when asked the question. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly realized that the girl in front of him was very likely a cultivator from outside the realm!

Otherwise, who in the entire Yangnao region wouldn't know about the Shen family?
Finished!

In that instant, the Snow Wolf King's heart sank to the bottom.

The girl subdued him, who was at the peak of the Fetal Breathing Realm, in a single move, proving that her cultivation was at least at the Golden Core Realm.

However, the Snow Wolf King keenly noticed that when the other party heard him say that he was a sword immortal's mount, he immediately asked "Nascent Soul".

This most likely means that the girl in front of us is a cultivator at the Purple Mansion Realm!

"Master Xu!"

"Run away!"

Thinking of this, the Snow Wolf King dared not hesitate and immediately shouted loudly!

"ah!"

The girl in front of him was startled by his sudden voice.

"You beast, why are you shouting like that all of a sudden?"

The girl extended her slender, jade-like finger and gently unleashed a stream of light, which directly sealed the Snow Wolf King's mouth.

"Master Xu..."

"You have companions?"

The girl whispered something, and her terrifying divine sense was instantly released!

In the distance, Xu Zhan and his group were following the special marks left by the Snow Wolf King.

First, they heard the words "Lord Xu, run away quickly" carried on the cold wind. Then, before they could react, they felt an extremely domineering divine sense sweep over their bodies without any restraint!

Sensing the terror of this divine sense, everyone's expression suddenly changed drastically!

"Is this... the Purple Mansion or the Nascent Soul stage!?"

As a body cultivator, Xu Zhan did not cultivate his soul, and his own spiritual sense was not particularly strong.

Even so, he could still clearly sense that the owner of this powerful divine sense was definitely stronger than himself!

"You guys leave quickly!"

In an instant, Xu Zhan, realizing what was happening, immediately launched the Void Treasure Ship, intending to send Shen Chongzhen, Wu Yuning, and the others away.

I'll stay and see if I can delay them for a while.

But just as the empty treasure ship was taken out, a girl whose whole body was shimmering with precious light and spiritual charm suddenly appeared a dozen feet away from everyone.

Having dealt with the cultivators of the Calamity Fire Sect, Xu Zhan knew that these guys, who were covered in magical artifacts and treasures, were definitely not cultivators from the Yangnao Land.

After the girl appeared, she first looked at Xu Zhan and the others with curiosity, and then her gaze fell on the empty treasure ship behind them.

"Wow!"

"A fourth-grade flying magic weapon!"

"nice one!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand.

The next moment, the empty treasure ship standing behind everyone was suddenly locked by a terrifying spiritual force and was forcibly dragged towards the girl.

Upon seeing this, Xu Zhan narrowed his eyes, and with a flash of light in his hand, he directly took out the Flood Dragon Scale Armor and the Ink Horn Poison Dragon Spear!
He could sense that the seemingly frail girl in front of him was very strong, but she might have already killed the Snow Wolf King and was planning to seize their Sky Treasure Ship. Naturally, he couldn't just sit and wait to die.

As his blood and qi surged within him, Xu Zhan's body instantly ignited with blood flames.

The terrifying power of his blood and qi caused the ice beneath his feet, which had been frozen for countless years, to show signs of melting.

Crouch down to gather your strength!
Bang!
Holding the Ink Horned Poison Dragon Spear, Xu Zhan's legs unleashed terrifying explosive power, and he charged out in an instant!
The spear cleaved through the air, its unstoppable force aimed straight for the girl's head!
As it approached, the girl's delicate nose wrinkled slightly.

"How annoying to find such reckless brutes here..."

The sharp spear tip was aimed at her, and the girl's body suddenly exploded, turning into a flurry of snowflakes.

Xu Zhan's attack missed its mark, and he found that the girl's figure had disappeared. He couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

But the next moment, the girl's figure suddenly appeared several feet away.

Suddenly, several small yellow paper figures with strange runes appeared in his hand. After muttering incantations, he made a hand seal and threw the paper figures into the air.

After the six little yellow paper figures landed gracefully, they immediately disappeared into the ice.

Xu Zhan couldn't understand what kind of secret technique the other party was using, but he vaguely realized that those few yellow paper figures were definitely not simple.

The best course of action now is to attack this girl as soon as possible, so that she has no time to use other spells.

With a sudden stomp of his foot, numerous cracks instantly appeared on the hard ice surface!

boom!
Xu Zhan charged forward again!

He leaped into the air, and the spear in his hand slammed down with tremendous force!

However, the girl did not try to dodge the attack; instead, she looked at him calmly.

next moment!
The ice in front of the girl suddenly exploded!

In the blink of an eye, six ice giants made entirely of solid ice suddenly emerged from beneath the hard, icy surface!
The six ice giants were nearly three zhang tall. Inside the chest of each ice giant, a small yellow paper figure, shimmering with a faint golden light, was frozen.

Before Xu Zhan's attack could land, the six ice giants suddenly leaped up and swung their enormous fists at him!
Seeing this, Xu Zhan steeled his resolve and hurled his spear, carrying immense force, directly at the six ice giants, intending to eliminate them on the spot!
In his view, what constituted the bodies of the six ice giants was nothing more than ordinary solid ice from the far north snowfield.

I could easily smash them with a single shot!
The Ink Horn Poison Dragon Spear, trailing a crimson glow, hurtled down and slammed into the fists of the six ice giants!
boom!
A terrifying explosion suddenly rang out, and the overflowing energy dispersed all the surrounding wind and snow.

The enormous sound shook the surrounding ice surface, causing it to crack and spread.

The six ice giants that charged forward were instantly forced back to the ground after enduring Xu Zhan's terrifying attack!
However, the scene I had imagined did not occur.

At this moment, the six ice giants that had been smashed to the ground were all emitting a faint golden light and had not suffered any damage.

Seeing this from afar, the white-haired girl exclaimed with surprise, "Your strength as a martial artist is truly remarkable."

"It's a pity I'm only at the fifth level. If I could reach the sixth level, I would have to temporarily avoid the limelight."

After whispering to herself, the girl changed the hand seals on her hands.

The next moment, the six ice giants, whose bodies were trapped in the solid ice, suddenly trembled, shattering the surrounding ice, and then jumped out unharmed, quickly surrounding Xu Zhan.

Seeing this, Xu Zhan frowned slightly.

Because of the faint golden light emanating from their bodies, these six ice giants were clearly not easy to deal with.

"Young Master Chongzhen, should we go over and help?"

In the distance, Wu Yuning saw Xu Zhan surrounded and looked at Shen Chongzhen with a solemn expression.

Shen Chongzhen shook his head slightly.

"We can't get involved in this level of combat."

"Going there will only distract my brother-in-law."

He could tell that each of the six ice giants surrounding Xu Zhan possessed strength equivalent to the fifth level of body cultivation.

The white-haired girl who remained uninvolved was even stronger.

On the other hand, our side is only at the embryonic breathing stage; rushing in would be tantamount to suicide.

"Now what?"

"Lord Xu's situation is not optimistic."

Wu Yuning spoke again.

After a moment of contemplation, Shen Chongzhen took out a communication stone from his storage bag and sent a distress message to Shen Li, who was far away in Yunshui City, before speaking:

"Let's move back a bit further, so that my brother-in-law won't be too restrained because of his concerns."

Shen Chongzhen was an extremely calm and clear-headed person. Knowing that he couldn't get involved in the battle here, he didn't intend to let everyone stay here any longer.

He had some understanding of Xu Zhan's strength, and knowing that everyone was safe made him feel more at ease fighting against his opponent.

Led by Shen Chongzhen, the group quickly retreated into the distance.

Xu Zhan, who was surrounded by six ice giants, noticed this and breathed a sigh of relief.

"You brat, thank goodness you didn't do anything reckless."

"In that case... let's try this move."

Faced with the six strange ice giants aggressively approaching, Xu Zhan, contrary to his usual behavior, suddenly put the spear in his hand back into his storage bag.

The next moment, a dense aura of malevolence surged out from his body!
This malevolent aura quickly coalesced behind him into a terrifying monster with red eyes, fangs, and a body covered in fine scales!

The demonic form he summoned this time was significantly different from before.

The previous demon had no scales and only had an upper body, so it needed to attach itself to his body to move.

The demon has now completely separated from his body, transforming into a creature nearly three zhang tall, covered in hard scales resembling dragon scales, and appearing extremely wild and violent.

"The method of nurturing evil spirits?"

"The traditions of this world are truly fascinating."

Upon seeing the terrifying demon that suddenly appeared behind Xu Zhan, the white-haired girl's beautiful eyes sparkled with interest.

"Then let's see whether your evil spirit or my Six Ding Divine Puppet is more powerful..."

The girl's hand gestures changed again.

The next moment, the six ice giants that were closing in on Xu Zhan suddenly launched an attack.

Xu Zhan's methods clearly did not stop there.

After the demonic creature formed behind him, it suddenly slowly opened its arms, a fierce crimson light flashing in its eyes.

"Demon, come forth!"

Behind him, a terrifying demon, nearly three zhang tall, pounded its chest and stamped its feet, letting out a roar before suddenly transforming into a terrifying gray mist that enveloped Xu Zhan.

The gray mist surged, and in the blink of an eye, Xu Zhan's figure had disappeared.

Instead, a powerful demon with Xu Zhan's appearance and a significantly more solid body appeared.

Facing the charging ice giant, the terrifying demon reacted quickly, raising its huge fist and smashing it directly!

boom!
The ice giant, who was also nearly three zhang tall, didn't even have time to react before being blasted away by a single punch!
Click!

Before the ice giant, which had been sent flying hundreds of feet away, even landed, a series of cracking sounds emanated from its body.

When it struggled to its feet, its transparent body was clearly marked with numerous tiny cracks, both inside and out.

The yellow paper figure inside its body flashed with light, and the cracks on the ice giant instantly disappeared.

Roar!
After fully recovering, the Frost Giant let out a roar and immediately charged forward, rejoining the melee.

However, now that Xu Zhan has merged with the evil demon, both his strength and defense have been greatly enhanced.

In particular, the terrifying defense provided by its dense dragon scales allowed it to completely ignore the attacks of the other ice giants and fiercely beat one of them!
The enormous fists rained down like a storm, sending ice crystals flying all over the ice giant's body, while the small yellow paper figure at its core flashed with golden light.

"I'd like to see how many times you can fix this!"

Seeing the Frost Giant, which was about to be destroyed by him, being repaired again and again under the golden light that kept flashing from the little yellow paper figure, Xu Zhan let out a low, hoarse voice and directly grabbed one of the Frost Giant's arms!
"Cut it off right now!"

With a loud shout, he exerted all his strength and ripped the ice giant's arm off its body!
At the same time, the arm of the small yellow paper figure inside the ice giant was suddenly torn apart, completely separated from the body, and quickly burned to ashes.

Seeing this, Xu Zhan seemed to understand the weakness of these ice giants.

He immediately withstood the ferocious attacks of the other ice giants and brutally tore the ice giant in front of him into eight pieces!
The white-haired girl in the distance opened her mouth in surprise at this scene.

"How could this guy be so freakish?"

"My Six Ding Divine Puppet..."

Seeing the ice giant being brutally dismembered, and the little yellow paper figure inside burned to ashes, the girl's face showed deep heartache. She quickly gritted her teeth and took down the exaggeratedly large bow from her back.

"You dare to destroy my Six Ding Divine Puppet... I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"

The white-haired girl's body was filled with spiritual energy, and her silver hair, which hung down to her shapely buttocks, danced without wind.

The enormous bow in his hand, almost as tall as himself, radiated a rich spiritual light.

The next moment, as the bow was drawn back, the surrounding cold air rushed towards the large bow and quickly condensed into a frost arrow that exuded a chilling aura!

In the distance, Xu Zhan, who was fighting with the Six Ding Divine Puppet, suddenly felt a terrifying killing intent lock onto him, and felt a chill run down his spine!
The instant the girl released the arrow, Xu Zhan suddenly grabbed a Six Ding Divine Puppet by the neck and threw its massive body toward the rapidly flying arrow!

Seeing this, the girl holding the large bow was stunned, watching helplessly as the arrow she shot shattered her own Six Ding Divine Puppet on the spot!

The little yellow paper figure that was falling gently hadn't even hit the ground when it suddenly burst into flames, turning into ashes that filled the sky!
The girl was stunned for a long time, and a look of impending tears slowly appeared on her face.

"It's over. Even if we find some top-grade cold jade marrow this time, it won't make up for the losses..."

"You brute are truly despicable!"

With a sharp cry, a hint of genuine killing intent finally appeared in the girl's eyes.

He gently patted the storage bag at his waist, and then took out a brown arrow wrapped in talisman paper.

The moment he nocked the brown arrow onto the great bow, Xu Zhan, who had merged with the demon, felt a chill run down his spine!

Bang!
After being attacked by a Six Ding Divine Puppet, the Demon Demon seemed to have encountered something that it greatly feared. It immediately broke its fusion with Xu Zhan and darted into his body.

Using the force of the recoil, Xu Zhan was pushed back several hundred feet. Then, a flash of light appeared in his hand, and he took out the Ink Horn Poison Dragon Spear once again!

After stabilizing himself by planting his spear on the ground, he looked solemnly at the white-haired girl who had slowly drawn back the bowstring.

Locked onto by the arrow, Xu Zhan could clearly feel a violent palpitation, as if once the arrow flew out, he would have nowhere to escape and would surely die.

The white-haired girl seemed to have absolute confidence in her arrow.

As she drew the bow, a slight thought moved her mind, and the yellow paper figures inside the other four Six Ding Divine Puppets flashed with light, directly emerging from the body of the Ice Giant and returning to her storage bag.

Xu Zhan held a long spear, and his rich blood energy formed a crimson giant shield in front of him!

The moment the giant shield of qi and blood was formed, the longbow in the hands of the girl opposite was already drawn to its full extent.

The murderous intent that made Xu Zhan feel a chill reached its peak at this moment.

Whoosh!
As the girl loosened her grip, the arrow wrapped in eerie talismans flew out, and the surrounding light noticeably dimmed!
A faint, glowing thread swept across!
The next moment, the giant shield formed by the power of blood and qi in front of Xu Zhan was instantly pierced!

Although he had prepared to parry with his Inkhorn Poison Dragon Spear, the strange arrow was too fast. It was so fast that he didn't even have time to raise his spear to block before the arrow pierced through the blood-red giant shield in front of him and rapidly magnified in his eyes!
Finished!

I'm afraid I'm going to die here this time!

In a flash, an idea suddenly popped into Xu Zhan's mind.

He thought he could fight the other party for a while, and at the very least, he could protect himself by relying on his peak physical cultivation level and the newly comprehended demon fusion technique.

Who would have thought that the girl's methods and tricks would be so endless?

Especially these strange arrows, which give one the illusion that they are bound to kill you.

Just when Xu Zhan knew he was doomed, he waited for a long time but did not feel any pain.

When he came to his senses, he suddenly realized that the arrow had inexplicably stopped about an inch between his eyebrows, as if it had been imprisoned by a strange force.

Xu Zhan was filled with surprise and doubt, and the girl opposite him was equally surprised. She looked around with a solemn expression, cupped her hands slightly and said, "This junior is Zhou Xuan from the Ice God Palace. I don't know which senior I have disturbed. Please forgive me."

As her voice fell, the distant, snow-covered void suddenly distorted, and then a figure dressed in coarse cloth, with rolled-up trousers and a straw hat stepped out.

Upon seeing this figure, Xu Zhan's face lit up with joy.

He immediately dodged the strange, imprisoned arrow, bowed, and said, "Xu Zhan greets Senior."

Luo Tianxing nodded with a smile, then looked at Zhou Xuan and asked, "Is the little girl from the Ice God Palace?"

Zhou Xuan, holding a large bow, immediately cupped his hands and said, "Replying to senior, my master is indeed the Grand Elder of the Ice God Palace."

Upon hearing this, Luo Tianxing pondered for a moment before exclaiming in realization, "So you are Fellow Daoist Chu's esteemed disciple."

"I have met Fellow Daoist Chu once before."

“The Shen family behind Xu has some connection with me. How about we let this matter drop?” After thinking for a moment, Zhou Xuan said somewhat reluctantly, “He destroyed two of my Six Ding Divine Puppets.”

Xu Zhan was also displeased upon hearing this, and immediately cupped his hands towards Luo Tianxing, saying:
"She killed my third uncle's mount, the Snow Wolf King, and even tried to steal my Shen family's empty treasure ship!"

Seeing that neither of them would give in, Luo Tianxing shook his head with a wry smile.

"The snow wolf didn't die."

As he spoke, he suddenly waved his hand, and the Snow Wolf King, who had been bound like a dumpling in the distance, instantly flew to his side.

Upon seeing Xu Zhan, the Snow Wolf King struggled a few times, but found that it still could not break free from the ropes binding it, and could only lie helplessly on the ice.

Zhou Xuan originally intended to take the Snow Wolf King back to make up for his losses.

But now that the Nascent Soul True Monarch has made his move, it seems very difficult to succeed in this matter.

He immediately waved his hand and retrieved the rope magic item from the Snow Wolf King back into his storage bag.

The Snow Wolf King, now free, quickly got up from the ground, ran to Xu Zhan's side, and respectfully knelt down to pay his respects to Luo Tianxing in the void.

"Thank you for saving me, senior."

Luo Tianxing nodded and then looked at Zhou Xuan: "The Ice God Palace is a powerful force. They should be able to afford to lose two Six Ding Divine Puppets, right?"

Zhou Xuan's expression was somewhat unpleasant, but she didn't say anything more.

The Six Ding Divine Puppet is relatively troublesome to make, and the materials used are not particularly valuable.

"You two have become friends through a fight."

"The Shen family still holds considerable influence in this Yangnao Land. If the Ice God Palace intends to gain some benefits after the collapse of the Yangnao Land, it might be worthwhile to cooperate with the Shen family."

Changing the subject, Luo Tianxing suddenly spoke up.

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhan frowned slightly.

But when he thought that this might be Luo Tianxing looking for allies for the Shen family in the future, he didn't say much.

After hearing this, Zhou Xuan pondered for a long time.

"I cannot make the decision on this matter of cooperation."

"However... if this Fellow Daoist Xu has any ideas, he can leave his method of communication so we can discuss it further after my master arrives."

Xu Zhan didn't speak, and casually took out a sound transmission stone from his storage bag.

He immediately threw it over.

Zhou Xuan caught the sound transmission stone, took out his own sound transmission stone, touched it with the stone, and then threw it back.

Seeing that the two had turned hostility into friendship, Luo Tianxing said with a smile, "In that case, you two can go your separate ways. I won't get involved anymore."

"Young Xu, is the head of your Shen family in Yunshui City?"

"I have some things to discuss with him."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhan quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Senior, please go ahead. Senior brother should be in the city right now."

After Luo Tianxing nodded, his figure instantly disappeared into the void.

After he left, Zhou Xuan glared at him fiercely, then picked up the brown arrow that had fallen to the ground and flew north.

On Xu Zhan's side, Shen Chongzhen and the others came over when they saw that the battle was over.

"Brother-in-law, what do we do now?"

After a moment's thought, Xu Zhan said, "Never mind her, let's continue searching for the ruins."

After everyone nodded, they boarded the Sky Treasure Ship and headed towards the ruins.

Not long after the treasure ship set sail, Zhou Xuan suddenly appeared in the void ahead, stopping them.

"Why are you following me?!"

At the bow of the treasure ship, Shen Chongzhen frowned and cupped his hands, saying, "Our destination is just ahead. When did we begin to follow you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan frowned: "You've also come for the top-grade Cold Jade Marrow?"

Before Shen Chongzhen could speak, Zhou Xuan added, "The top-grade Cold Jade Marrow must belong to me no matter what. If you want to take it, we can always have another fight!"

Xu Zhan, standing behind Shen Chongzhen, sneered and then said, "Ignore her, let's go."

The empty treasure ship transformed into a streak of light and flew swiftly forward.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Xuan was immediately enraged and directly manipulated the cloud-shaped flying magic weapon to chase after it.

……

Yunshui City.

Shen Li and Luo Tianxing landed in a side room inside the city.

"Please wait a moment, senior. I'll go find Brother Chongming."

She had received a distress call from Shen Chongzhen and was on her way to help him in the far north snowfield when she happened to meet Luo Tianxing.

Upon learning that the crisis involving Xu Zhan and the others had been resolved, the two returned to Yunshui City together.

Inside the room, Luo Tianxing had just taken a sip of spiritual tea when Shen Chongming rushed over.

"Greetings, senior."

After bowing respectfully, Shen Chongming sat down to the side.

Luo Tianxing nodded and said, "I have come here to see how well the Shen family is preparing for the collapse of the Dao."

Road collapse?

After a moment's thought, Shen Chongming cupped his hands and said, "I was just about to ask you, senior, what decision should my Shen family make?"

Luo Tianxing had previously mentioned that they should prepare in advance.

Xu Xiu later added that the Shen family should rest assured and wait.

Even now, the Shen family is still unclear about what exactly will happen when the Dao collapses.

Without knowing the specifics of the situation, he didn't know how far he needed to go in his preparations.

Luo Tianxing pondered for a moment, then sighed and said, "The collapse of the Dao means that this world will slowly die."

"At that time, the world barrier protecting the entire Yangnao Land will completely disappear, and cultivators and various beings from outside the realm can easily descend."

"Natural disasters occur frequently, causing widespread suffering. If we also consider the impact of battles fought by cultivators from the outside world vying for opportunities, it is estimated that very few creatures in the entire Yangnao Land will survive."

"However, the old man should arrange some protections for your Shen family at that time."

"But I estimate that this guarantee will only protect the direct descendants of your Shen family. As for protecting the other cultivators and ordinary people under your rule..."

Luo Tianxing smiled and shook his head.

Once their cultivation reaches a certain level, ordinary people are no longer considered as their own kind.

Xu Xiu was able to provide protection for the Shen family because of the karma he owed in the past. It would be absolutely impossible for him to waste a lot of energy protecting the people under the Shen family's rule.

"I know that your Shen family will not easily abandon the cultivators and common people under your rule."

"If that's the case, you need to be prepared now."

As he spoke, a flash of light appeared in his hand, and he directly took out a miniature bronze treasure ship.

"I can lend this treasure ship of mine to your Shen family for the time being, so that you can transport ordinary people and cultivators."

"Head to the East China Sea, and after leaving Yangnao, find a deserted island to stay on temporarily."

"Once the old man refines the Dao Source into a secret realm, you can enter it by using the connection between your spiritual nature and the Dao Source secret realm."

"The old man should have preserved your spirits, right?"

Shen Chongming was taken aback for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, senior."

He knew that Shen Xiubai was building the Five Elements Secret Realm, and that the Shen family would most likely not enter the Dao Source Secret Realm created by Xu Xiu in the future, nor would they find an island at sea to live on temporarily.

However, the Five Elements Secret Realm was of great importance. In order not to arouse Luo Tianxing's suspicion, he still accepted the treasure ship and planned to transport a group of cultivators out first to avoid being seen by other spies.

After lending out the treasure ship, Luo Tianxing thought for a moment and then said, "We must make thorough preparations for everything."

"The situation in Yangnao Land has now changed."

"If the old man's plan fails, the Shen family will still have to find a way out for themselves."

"There is no source of Dao on the desolate island at sea, so it is not suitable to live there for a long time."

"Now that things have come to this, I will no longer hide anything from you."

"With the help of Huai Sang's spiritual essence, I am quite confident that I can find Beichen Immortal Mountain."

"As one of the three immortal mountains, Beichen Immortal Mountain was destroyed in the great war back then, but the source of the Dao is still there. It is not a problem to provide for the common people and cultivators like your Shen family to live and cultivate."

"You should discuss it with your family. They can come with me to the Northern Star Immortal Mountain Secret Realm."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming was slightly taken aback.

Is this... an attempt to win over the Shen family?

Seeing his expression, Luo Tianxing suddenly smiled.

"To be honest, I would prefer to hide away and meditate alone."

"If the Shen family has no intention of going there, it would be fine for me to guard this secret realm alone."

"The reason I mentioned it is because I think the Shen family members are very much to my liking. In the future, when I'm not cultivating, I'll have someone to talk to and relieve my boredom."

"Alright, that's all for now. Think it over carefully."

"I'll head back now."

After Luo Tianxing finished speaking, he stood up, waved his hand, and transformed into a gentle breeze, disappearing into the distance.

Shen Chongming arrived at the door of the side room, looking at the sky with a strange expression.

He could tell that Luo Tianxing actually hoped the Shen family would choose to go to Beichen Immortal Mountain with him.

But whether it was because of Xu Xiu's relationship with the Shen family, or because he himself was too embarrassed to express his pleading, he tried his best to hide this thought in his words.

"That old man isn't a bad person..."

After some thought, Shen Chongming suddenly muttered to himself.

He could tell that Luo Tianxing was a true cultivator, without so much scheming, and naturally easygoing.

The Shen family simply did not want to live a life of dependence on others.

If Shen Xiubai's Five Elements Secret Realm can be successfully built, the Shen family's first choice will naturally still be the Five Elements Secret Realm.

If there are problems with the Five Elements Secret Realm, going to Beichen Immortal Mountain with him seems like a good option.

He preferred Luo Tianxing to Xu Xiu.

After returning from Zhanlong Valley, Third Uncle Shen Wen'an said that Xu Xiu's kindness to the Shen family was only because he had borrowed the Shen family's fortune back then and incurred a great karmic debt.

Once this karmic debt is repaid, who knows what the future holds?

……

By April, a continuous, seemingly endless downpour had been going on for over a month, with no sign of it stopping.

On the second floor of the Blackwater Pavilion, Shen Yuan stood by the window with his hands behind his back, gazing at the vast mist outside, lost in memories.

This heavy rain reminded him of the flood that happened more than a hundred years ago, before the arrival of the Immortal Sect. More than half of the cities in Yunzhong County suffered from the natural disaster, and the streets were littered with corpses of the starving.

After the flood, a group of refugees broke into the Shen family's orchard and beat up Fu Gui, who was guarding the orchard.

Five-year-old Shen Wen'an accompanied him to the orchard to stop the group of refugees. Young Shen Wen'an suddenly sprang into action, killing one of the refugees with a single sword stroke and averting the crisis.

That was the first time he killed someone.

The image of young Shen Wen'an's stubborn expression as he suppressed his physical discomfort after committing murder flashed before his eyes, and a warm smile appeared on Shen Yuan's face.

"Smelly boy..."

His thoughts returned to reality. After a slight sigh, he slowly turned around and went to the first floor of the Blackwater Pavilion.

He took a yellowed oil-paper umbrella, opened it, stepped into the heavy rain, and slowly walked towards the back mountain.

Standing in front of the open space, holding an umbrella in one hand, Shen Yuan took out the golden jade seal with a flash of light in the palm of his other hand. He said in a deep voice, "Xiu Bai, your great-grandfather has brought you the seal."

In the pouring rain, the space in front of me suddenly became distorted, and then a crack appeared.

Through the crack, one could vaguely see the bizarre and fantastical scene inside.

Shen Xiubai remained silent, clearly indicating that it was a crucial moment and he had no time to speak.

Seeing this, Shen Yuan didn't say anything more and directly sent the treasure seal into the crack.

The crack closed quickly, and the surroundings returned to normal.

Shen Yuan stood frozen in the rain for a moment, then slowly walked down the mountain.

The door of the old house.

The child, who was holding up a spiritual energy shield, was in a hurry and bumped into Shen Yuan, who had just stepped in.

"Ouch!"

The child plopped down on the ground.

Shen Yuan reached out and pulled him up, recognizing the little guy as Shen Xiuzhuo's child, Shen Yuanque.

As the first person of the "Yuan" generation in the Shen family, Shen Yuan still had some impression of the little guy.

"Yuan Que, what are you rushing off to?"

After the little guy got up and saw that it was Shen Yuan, he immediately put on a mournful face, cupped his hands, and said, "Grandpa, something terrible has happened!"

"My great-grandfather... he's dying!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan's heart sank.

The eldest brother, Shen Wenxing, has been in seclusion for several years now.

At the beginning of his seclusion, he only said that he wanted to study the "Nine Fiends Body-Gathering Technique" carefully, without seeking to break through to the fifth realm of body cultivation.

But judging from the current situation, he is definitely trying to break through to the fifth realm.

The fifth realm of body cultivation is the Spirit Transformation Realm. Although breaking through to this realm is not as dangerous as the fourth realm, the Life and Death Realm, it is by no means as easy as one might imagine.

Shen Wenxing's talent in physical cultivation was not as good as Xu Zhan's to begin with, and he should be on the verge of a breakthrough, experiencing a life-or-death ordeal.

"Child, go find your grandfather."

He sent Shen Yuanque to find Shen Chongming, while he himself hurriedly went to the courtyard where Shen Wenxing was in seclusion.

At the courtyard gate, Hu Yufen and Huang Lingxiu, along with other women, were pacing anxiously.

Upon seeing Shen Yuan arrive, Hu Yufen hurriedly approached him.

"Old man, look quickly, the stone... he..."

"Don't be anxious, don't be anxious."

Comforting his wife, Shen Yuan looked at Huang Lingxiu and said in a deep voice, "You should speak about the eldest son's matter."

Huang Lingxiu steadied herself and gathered her thoughts, saying, "Father, this is what happened..."

"Half an hour ago, a scream suddenly came from the room where Shi Tou was in seclusion. The scream made his daughter-in-law very uneasy."

“My daughter-in-law wanted to barge in and take a look, but Shi Tou… he wouldn’t let her.”

"The daughter-in-law could only wait outside. Later, the screams lasted for fifteen minutes, and then suddenly there was no more sound."

"My daughter-in-law is worried about Shitou..."

Huang Lingxiu did not finish her sentence.

After hearing this, Shen Yuan roughly understood what had happened.

He slowly closed his eyes and immediately activated the power of the Great Evolution to deduce the fortune of his eldest brother, Shen Wenxing.

After the white jade tortoise shell was used as a Great Evolution Inner Elixir and refined into the dantian, many things could no longer be warned in time.

Fortunately, his mastery of the Great Evolution Path has greatly improved compared to before.

The power of the Great Evolution permeated his body. After some deduction, Shen Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

At this time, Shen Yuanque had already summoned Shen Chongming.

"Grandpa, Father..."

Facing the expectant gazes of the crowd, Shen Yuan's expression was grave.

"Mother, you take Lingxiu and the others back first."

Looking at his wife, Hu Yufen, Shen Yuan spoke in a deep voice.

Hu Yufen opened and closed her mouth, wanting to ask something, but noticing the group of women beside her, she could only suppress her worries and lead them all out.

Only the grandfather and grandson remained at the courtyard gate.

Shen Chongming looked at him again with an anxious expression: "Grandpa..."

Shen Yuan sighed heavily and said, "The divination result is... [Fire Scorching Wood]."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming's expression immediately changed drastically!

"Grandpa, you...you must find a way to save Dad!"

Although he did not understand the Dao of Great Derivation, the name of this hexagram was "Fire Scorching Wood," and the outcome seemed quite obvious.

Shen Yuan shook his head solemnly and said, "The Life Gate is in the center of this hexagram, hidden and not obvious, which means that outsiders cannot help much."

"Everything depends on your father. If he can pull through and the gate of life manifests, it will transform into the auspicious hexagram of 'Wood Meets Spring'."

Shen Wenxing's current situation is very troublesome. Shen Yuan can clearly feel that he can't even use the life talisman on the tortoise shell and can't change his fate.

"This……"

Shen Chongming panicked completely upon hearing this.

Standing in this position, he could vaguely sense that his father Shen Wenxing's spiritual aura was like a candle flickering in the wind, and could be extinguished at any moment.

Without external assistance, relying solely on his own will, he is very likely to witness the very scene he least wants to see.

Just as the grandfather and grandson were at a loss, a figure dressed in a moon-white dress walked slowly through the heavy rain, holding an umbrella.

"grandfather."

“Brother Chongming”.

The person who arrived was Shen Li.

After putting down the oil-paper umbrella, Shen Li bowed slightly and looked towards the room where Shen Wenxing was in seclusion.

"How is Uncle...?"

Shen Chongming suppressed his worries and briefly explained the divination results that Shen Yuan had just obtained.

"Does the fox have any way to help your uncle?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he looked at Shen Li with anticipation.

Shen Chongming is like a child in the world who is desperate for a cure and will try anything to save his elderly father.

(End of this chapter)