Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 293 The Seventy-Two Realms of Cangmin
After the grandfather and grandson parted ways, Shen Yuan went to the back mountain alone and, as usual, inquired about the two Shen family cultivators guarding the winding path.

After confirming with them that everything was normal, Shen Yuan quickly arrived at the area where Shen Xiubai was in seclusion.

Just as he was about to call out to Shen Xiubai, he was surprised to find an old figure that had appeared on the empty ground!

In an instant, the spiritual power within Shen Yuan surged, and his eyes, like those of a hawk, were fixed on the figure with its back to him!
The Five Elements Secret Realm can be said to be the biggest secret of the Shen family right now.

The fact that this figure was able to sneak past all the Shen family cultivators guarding the perimeter and arrive here silently means that the secret of the Five Elements Secret Realm has likely been exposed.

A large amount of spiritual energy surged out from within the body, forming a dazzling halo on the surface of the body.

Just as Shen Yuan was about to make a move, his gaze fell upon the figure's clothes, which seemed somewhat familiar. With a slight frown, he tried calling out.

"Xiubai?"

The figure on the open ground in front of him froze upon hearing the call, then slowly turned around.

"Great-Grandpa, you've arrived." A hoarse voice rang out.

Upon noticing the familiar look in the man's eyes, Shen Yuan was taken aback.

"You...are you really Xiu Bai?"

Looking at Shen Xiubai, whose head was full of silver hair, whose body was hunched over and whose face was covered with wrinkles and had no luster, Shen Yuan's voice trembled.

Shen Xiubai forced a smile, slowly moved forward, and laboriously cupped his hands in a salute: "Great-grandfather."

It wasn't until this moment that Shen Yuan realized what was happening and quickly helped him sit down on a nearby bluestone.

"Xiu Bai, you... how did you become like this?"

When his palm touched Shen Xiubai's arm, he could clearly feel that the other's life force had become so weak that it was almost imperceptible.

Shen Xiubai looked down at his thin, bony hands and grinned, "Great-grandfather, there's no need to worry. It's just the decay of the body."

"The Five Elements Secret Realm has reached a critical moment. Xiu Bai is just thinking about trying to see if he can travel between the Five Elements Secret Realm and Yangnao Land with his physical body."

"It seems that there are still some problems with the operation of the secret realm."

"I need to adjust properly when I get back."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan quickly asked, "Then can your body... can it change back?"

As a junior member of the "Xiu" generation in his family, Shen Xiubai is only at the age of forty. Not to mention that he is a cultivator, even an ordinary commoner would not be this old at the age of forty.

Shen Xiubai did not answer directly, but smiled and comforted him, "We cultivators do not need to be attached to appearances. The body is just a temporary dwelling place. Xiubai's soul is fine."

"Great-grandfather, what brings you to the back mountain today?"

In order to prevent Shen Yuan from continuing to dwell on the matter of his physical body, Shen Xiubai changed the subject.

After a moment's thought, Shen Yuan said, "My great-grandfather previously obtained some secrets about independent small worlds and was planning to come and tell you about them in detail."

"besides……"

He also mentioned Luo Tianxing's strange behavior earlier.

"Xiu Bai, did he find out about you?"

Before coming to the back mountain, he had always thought he was overthinking things, but now that he saw Shen Xiubai, Shen Yuan vaguely understood that Luo Tianxing must have discovered something just now.

"Don't worry, Grandfather, that senior didn't discover anything."

"The reason he looked towards the back mountain was because Xiu Bai sensed a powerful divine soul appearing in Yunshui City. It glanced at him curiously and was detected by him."

At this point, a hint of confidence appeared on Shen Xiubai's aged face as he said, "As long as Xiubai doesn't want to, even if a Nascent Soul True Monarch came here, he would definitely not be able to discover the existence of the Five Elements Secret Realm."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan's face showed a hint of surprise. "You mean, the Five Elements Secret Realm has completely broken away from the Yangnao Land!?"

The Nascent Soul True Lord possessed an extremely powerful divine soul and was also proficient in the power of laws.

If the Five Elements Secret Realm had not completely escaped the Yangnao Land, even if a Nascent Soul True Monarch came here, he should still be able to discover some clues.

Shen Xiubai nodded slightly and said, "I have lived up to your expectations. After so many years of hard work, the prototype of the Five Elements Secret Realm has now been completed."

"Right now, there are still some flaws in the operation of the laws."

"The laws governing the secret realm conflict somewhat with those of the Yangnao Land. If we rashly send someone in, it could lead to a situation like Xiu Bai's."

He paused, then continued, "Some time ago, Xiu Bai suddenly sensed something in his bloodline..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Yuan solemnly made a shushing gesture and gently pointed to the sky above.

Shen Xiubai suddenly looked up, then said in a deep voice, "So, the memories in the bloodline are real?"

"Great-grandfather found out too?"

Shen Yuan nodded: "This matter is of great importance, and Great-Grandfather is already thinking of a solution."

"The hidden danger in your third grandfather's body has been eliminated, but your eldest uncle and aunt will probably have to wait a little longer."

Shen Xiubai lowered his head, pondered for a long time, and then asked, "Does Great-Grandfather have that thing?"

"Xiu Bai would like to ask you for a strand of it so that he can take it to the Five Elements Secret Realm and study it carefully."

Meeting his gaze, Shen Yuan hesitated for a moment before frowning and saying, "That thing is too evil; you'd better not touch it."

Shen Xiubai smiled after hearing this.

"Grandpa, don't worry, Xiu Bai won't do anything reckless."

"Xiu Bai just wanted to comprehend that trace of the Dao of 'immortality' from that thing and see if he could apply it to the Five Elements Secret Realm."

It's true that the Immortal Gold nature is a conspiracy by the heavens.

But the immortal aura it contains is real.

This is also the fundamental reason why Golden Core cultivators who have attained the metal element can reincarnate almost infinitely, provided that conditions permit.

Shen Yuanben wanted to refuse, but when he met Shen Xiubai's expectant eyes and looked at his aged and dull face, he couldn't bear it for a moment.

With a flash of light in his hand, he directly took out a puppet that was sealed by layers of Great Evolution Power.

The doll contained the golden essence that had been extracted from Shen Wenxing's body earlier.

"Child, you must promise your great-grandfather that you must never let this thing enter your body."

When he forcibly extracted the golden essence from Shen Wenxing's body earlier, he had a vague feeling.

The metal element is like some kind of evil parasite, whose ultimate goal seems to be to continuously absorb something from the cultivator's body.

Shen Xiubai took the doll and nodded, saying, "Grandpa, don't worry, Xiubai knows what he's doing."

"By the way, has Father... come back?"

After putting the sealed golden doll into his storage bag, Shen Xiubai abruptly changed the subject and asked a question.

Shen Yuan was taken aback.

The last time he sensed that Shen Xiubai's emotions were a bit off, he was afraid that he would do something reckless, so he lied to him and said that his father, Shen Chongxu, would come back after the New Year's Eve memorial.

Now it is the second summer, and Shen Chongxu has not actually returned.

"You know about the bloodline issue. A while ago, Xiu Yan personally went to the Southern Frontier for this. Your father... he seems to be quite busy, and knowing that you can't get away for the time being, he didn't come back."

One lie always requires many other lies to cover it up.

Helpless, Shen Yuan could only continue to fabricate another lie.

A hint of disappointment flashed across Shen Xiubai's face, but he then smiled faintly and said, "Then let's wait a little longer. Perhaps... there will be another chance next time."

"Great-Grandpa, there's one more thing I need to trouble you with."

As she spoke, a faint spiritual aura emanated from her fingertips, which she gently touched between Shen Yuan's eyebrows.

A moment later, Shen Yuan looked at him with some surprise.

Shen Xiubai smiled faintly, "Hidden Dragon Mountain is blessed and can be considered the ancestral land of our Shen family. The people here should be used to the mountains and rivers."

"Since the entire Yangnao Land will be destroyed anyway, Xiu Bai is thinking of moving this mountain range to the Five Elements Secret Realm."

"Besides preserving the blessings of the mountains, Xiu Bai can also take a break and not have to expend his energy to make the secret realm evolve into another huge mountain range."

Shen Yuan nodded.

"Such techniques for moving mountains and filling seas are not easy to find, but currently many cultivators from the outside world have already arrived in Yangnao Land. Your great-grandfather will ask your uncle to inquire among those cultivators from the outside world to see if there are any who have mastered such techniques."

Shen Xiubai stood up shakily, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to him, and said, "In that case, I'll have to trouble you, Great-Grandfather."

"Great-Grandpa, Xiu Bai will take his leave now."

After bowing, he sent a beam of spiritual light into the void in front of him.

After ripples appeared in the void, it slowly cracked open to form a portal.

Through the hazy light, Shen Yuan could vaguely see a vast, flat, and dimly lit world behind the door.

However, the world behind that portal was desolate, devoid of sun, moon, and stars, giving one an overwhelming sense of loneliness at first glance.

At that moment, he suddenly felt a pang of pain in his heart.

Thirty years.

For the past thirty years, has Shen Xiubai lived alone in such an environment?

"My child, you have suffered."

Shen Yuan stood up and looked at Shen Xiubai, who was staggering toward the door, and sighed.

Shen Xiubai paused slightly, then turned around and smiled, "It's all what Xiubai should do. Take care, Great-Grandpa."

As soon as he finished speaking, he slowly stepped through the door and disappeared.

……

Beidi County, the far north snowfield.

Xu Zhan and Shen Chongzhen's group, together with Zhou Xuan from the Ice God Palace, have unearthed the ruins that were frozen under the ice.

As expected, this site is an ancient immortal sect called Xuanshuang Sect.

Based on some clues found in the ruins and Zhou Xuan's explanation, Xu Zhan could vaguely determine that the Xuan Shuang Sect seemed to have existed even earlier than the Daying Immortal Mansion.

However, it seems that the Xuanshuang Sect was not destroyed by someone back then, but rather migrated away from this place on its own initiative.

Therefore, most of the good things in the ruins were taken away, leaving Xu Zhan and his group with few valuable treasures.

This also made Zhou Xuan feel very frustrated.

It's important to know that because she possessed ice magic, she was almost single-handedly responsible for the entire excavation of the ruins.

After months of hard work, all they managed to dig out was a pile of broken bricks and tiles and some low-grade medicinal herbs that had been frozen.

The huge disparity naturally fueled her resentment.

Xu Zhan was equally frustrated when he saw how meager his finds were in the ruins.

Zhou Xuan spent a lot of time and energy in this snowfield, and at least he can obtain some top-quality cold jade marrow.

It seems they really are going to leave empty-handed.

After thoroughly searching the entire ruins, everyone piled up what they had found.

Zhou Xuan, with her silver hair, glanced at the tattered state in front of her, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes.

"Forget it, I'm too lazy to look at this junk."

"If you want them, take them all back with you."

As a powerful force, and being the personal disciple of the sect's Grand Elder, she had seen plenty of good things and naturally looked down on these scraps.

Seeing this, Xu Zhan smiled and said, "These things are not very presentable, but they are still quite good to bring back for the clansmen with lower cultivation levels to use."

"Since you look down on me, I won't stand on ceremony."

"Take it, take it." Zhou Xuan hurriedly waved her hand.

The thought of having spent months digging up this junk made her inexplicably irritable.

Xu Zhan waved his hand and put all these things into his storage bag. Then, after a moment's thought, he looked at Zhou Xuan and asked, "Fellow Daoist, do you have a place to stay in Yangnao?"

From their initial encounter and conflict to their eventual mutual dislike of each other.

Finally, due to the appearance of the Jiehuo Sect, the two sides were forced to join forces. Later, they excavated the ruins of the Xuanshuang Sect together. Xu Zhan gradually discovered that Zhou Xuan, apart from being a bit arrogant, was actually very easy to get along with.

In addition, his cultivation at the Purple Mansion Realm aroused Xu Zhan's desire to win him over.

As time goes by, the collapse of the Dao in Yangnao Land is getting closer and closer.

With a large influx of cultivators from outside the realm, and given the current turbulent times, the Shen family could only benefit from making acquaintances with cultivators from powerful forces outside the realm.

This is also a survival strategy that the Shen family has proven back then.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying, "What, you want to invite me to your Shen family?"

Xu Zhan nodded without hesitation.

"In the Yangnao Land today, the Shen family still has some strength. As you saw earlier, although my Shen family is not a Nascent Soul family, we are still protected by a Nascent Soul True Monarch."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan pondered for a moment and then nodded, saying, "Alright then!"

"Let's go visit your Shen family first."

Upon seeing that she agreed, Xu Zhan immediately ordered his men to prepare everything, and then took out the empty treasure ship.

Upon seeing the treasure ship again, Zhou Xuan's eyes flashed with envy as he said, "This ancient flying artifact is probably considered top-tier even among the seventy-two realms of Cangmin."

"Your Shen family is really lucky."

The Seventy-Two Realms of Cangmin?

Shen Chongzhen, who was standing near the treasure ship and occasionally glancing at Zhou Xuan, immediately leaned closer upon hearing this and asked, "What are the Seventy-Two Realms of Cangmin?"

Zhou Xuan glanced at him with some curiosity: "You don't know about things outside the boundary?"

Shen Chongzhen gestured for her to board the ship first, then smiled wryly and said, "To be honest, my Shen family lacks resources and knows little about the outside world."

Zhou Xuan suddenly realized that the Void Treasure Ship had slowly risen and was flying towards the southeast.

"Alright, since I have nothing better to do, I'll tell you about it."

On the treasure ship, a group of Shen family cultivators surrounded Zhou Xuan with expectant expressions.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Zhou Xuan was very proud of himself. He raised his chin and said, "The so-called Seventy-Two Realms of Cangmin is the collective name for all the small worlds in the entire Cangmin Sea."

"Legend has it that long ago, the entire Cangming Sea was actually a complete world, known as the Cangmin Great World."

"At that time, the laws of the Cangmin Realm were complete, the spiritual energy was abundant, there were countless natural treasures, and various cultivation systems were flourishing."

"Among all races, there are many outstanding talents, and from time to time, there are also unparalleled geniuses who dominate an era and ascend to immortality with the fortune of an entire realm."

"Unfortunately, the Cangming Realm was later drawn into a great war for some unknown reason."

"In the end, the entire Great World was completely destroyed, and the outer void was turned into chaos."

"The countless fragments that shattered from the Cangming Realm evolved over countless years and eventually formed seventy-two small worlds."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongzhen and the others all looked on with intense emotion, their hearts filled with sighs.

As she said this, Zhou Xuan's beautiful eyes shone with longing.

But then he sighed slightly and said, "It's a pity that the ancient golden age of cultivation is gone. The world where my Ice God Palace is located and the seventy-two worlds, including the Yangnao Land, are just small worlds formed after the Cangmin World was broken, and the laws of the Great Dao are not complete."

"We cultivators can only reach the Nascent Soul stage in our entire lives."

"After generations of sages from the Seventy-Two Realms pondered deeply, they came to a conclusion."

"There are only two ways to break through the Nascent Soul stage and reach a higher level."

As a direct descendant of the Shen family, Shen Chongzhen obviously knew something about Daoyuan.

Upon hearing Zhou Xuan's words, he immediately frowned and asked, "Besides entering the Dao Source Secret Realm, what other way is there?"

Zhou Xuan glanced at him, then looked up at the void above and said, "Leave the Cangmin Sea."

Facing the puzzled looks of the crowd, she continued, "Entering the Dao Source Secret Realm can indeed enable cultivators to achieve the Nascent Soul stage."

"But that kind of Nascent Soul is just a pseudo-Nascent Soul. It can have the strength of a Nascent Soul in its own Dao Source Secret Realm, but once it leaves the Dao Source Secret Realm, it will be instantly reduced to its original form."

After a pause, Zhou Xuan sneered, "Even so, those old guys from the Seventy-Two Realms have been flocking to the Dao Source Secret Realm all these years."

"Ultimately, it's because after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, watching their cultivation stagnate day after day, year after year, must be a form of torture for them."

"The feeling of watching one's lifespan slowly slip away, sitting idly waiting to die, is truly unbearable for most people," Shen Chongzhen murmured in agreement, picking up the conversation.

Transformation into an infant allows one to live for a thousand years.

Reaching that level allows for easy reincarnation, but knowing that one cannot advance further, each reincarnation is nothing more than a painful cycle of rebirth.

Furthermore, reincarnation also carries risks; many powerful beings have been wiped out before they could fully mature after being reborn.

There are also some unlucky Nascent Soul True Lords who are unable to awaken their past life's wisdom after reincarnation, which is essentially no different from complete physical and spiritual death.

“Yes.” Zhou Xuan nodded and continued, “I heard from my master that forty of the seventy-two realms of Cangmin have been transformed into Dao Source Secret Realms.”

"Counting them up, Yangnao Land will be the forty-first small world to transform into a Dao Source Secret Realm."

"Those Dao Source Secret Realms attacked and devoured each other, and the lineages of many Dao Source Secret Realms were completely wiped out."

Shaking his head with a wry smile, Zhou Xuan sighed, "In that case, perhaps in a few thousand years, the heritage of the Seventy-Two Realms of Cangmin will be almost completely wiped out."

After she finished speaking, everyone on the treasure ship fell silent.

"Senior just said that one can break through even after leaving the Cangmin Sea?" Wu Yuning suddenly asked in confusion, "Why don't those seniors at the Nascent Soul Perfection Realm leave the Cangming Sea and seek opportunities in the wider world?"

Zhou Xuan shook her head.

"Whether it's because of that terrifying battle back then, or because of some other supreme being's contingency plan, the entire Cangmin Sea is enveloped by terrifying chaotic currents."

"Over the years, there have been many times when powerful individuals who were unwilling to live a life of mere self-imposed confinement in the Dao Source Secret Realm have tried to venture out."

"But without exception, they all failed."

"My master also had the idea of ​​going out into the world back then, but... guess what he discovered?"

Shen Chongzhen and the others all shook their heads. Some of the more impatient younger cultivators of the Shen family scratched their heads and urged Zhou Xuan to speak quickly.

"The corpse..."

Zhou Xuan said in a deep voice, "When my master arrived at the chaotic current, he found a large number of corpses floating in the terrifying chaotic current!"

"Those corpses were all powerful figures who were renowned throughout the seventy-two realms of Cangmin in their lifetimes."

"Perhaps some of those powerful predecessors have truly gone out, but we just don't know it."

"But the countless corpses in that chaotic torrent are real. Anyone who witnesses it with their own eyes would be terrified and dare not cross that line."

Zhou Xuan's knowledge of these secrets of the Cangmin Sea indirectly proves the power of the Ice God Palace.

However, such a heavy topic caused everyone, including herself, to fall silent.

This silence was not broken until the empty treasure ship arrived at Cloudwater City.

At the bow of the treasure ship, Xu Zhan had diverted a portion of his divine sense to control the ship, but he had still heard Zhou Xuan's words. "Alright, you little guys haven't even reached the Golden Core stage yet, thinking so far ahead is just adding to your troubles."

As our ancestors wisely said, "The boat will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge."

"By the time you reach the perfect state of Nascent Soul True Monarch, someone may have already found a way to leave the Cangmin Sea."

"We've arrived at Yunshui City. Everyone, disembark."

After offering some words of comfort to everyone, Xu Zhan maneuvered the Sky Treasure Ship to descend from the sky.

Many of the younger generation also suppressed their thoughts and jumped off the treasure ship.

"Daoyou, please."

After the other younger members went home, Xu Zhan and Shen Chongzhen led Zhou Xuan towards the side room of the old house.

Inside the side room, Shen Chongming and Shen Li were discussing how to find those extraterrestrial cultivators skilled in moving mountains and filling seas.

Xu Zhan and Shen Chongzhen led Zhou Xuan in.

"Senior brother, little sister Li'er."

"Ming-ge, Li'er-jie."

After the two bowed to each other, Xu Zhan immediately introduced Zhou Xuan's identity.

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming and Shen Li quickly bowed and greeted each other.

After returning the greeting with a cupped hand, Zhou Xuan looked at the two of them with some surprise.

As a cultivator at the Purple Mansion Realm, she could vaguely sense that Shen Chongming and Shen Li were not much older than her, but their cultivation levels were both at the Golden Core Realm.

She was younger and more powerful than the two of them because she had the resources of the Ice God Palace backing her up.

The protective formation of Yunshui City, where the Shen family resides, is only a Ren-water system formation that can barely withstand a Golden Core cultivator's attack, and its foundation is far inferior to that of the Ice God Palace.

"It seems that the old senior really didn't lie to me."

"Perhaps my Ice God Palace can really cooperate with the Shen family at that time."

After returning the greeting with clasped hands, Zhou Xuan took her seat.

Xu Zhan said, "Fellow Daoist Zhou has nowhere to stay in Yangnao Land for the time being, so I took the liberty of inviting her to stay in Yunshui City temporarily. I hope Senior Brother will not take offense."

Shen Chongming glared at him and then said, "Fellow Daoist Zhou is a high-ranking cultivator from a superior sect. It is an honor for my Shen family to be a guest in Yunshui City..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan blushed and repeatedly clasped her hands in apology, saying, "Patriarch Shen, please don't say that. It's so embarrassing..."

After exchanging pleasantries, Shen Li suddenly looked at her and cupped his hands, saying, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, you've come at the right time. My brother and I have something we'd like to ask you, but we don't know..."

Zhou Xuan was a kind-hearted person, and upon hearing this, he immediately said, "Fellow Daoist, please speak your mind."

Shen Li nodded and said, "I wonder how much Fellow Daoist Zhou knows about techniques like moving mountains and filling seas?"

Shen Xiubai wanted to move Hidden Dragon Mountain to the Five Elements Secret Realm, but the kind of magic that could move mountains and fill seas was too difficult to find.

When Shen Chongming told her about this, she also contacted the two Qingyue Dao Sect members she had met in Flame Lake City last time. Ning Zhen and the other person obviously did not have this kind of technique either.

"The art of moving mountains and filling seas?" Zhou Xuan frowned slightly and asked curiously, "How big are the mountains?"

Shen Li turned to look at Shen Chongming.

Shen Chongming cupped his hands and said, "To be honest, fellow Daoist, the Yangnao Land Dao is about to collapse. My Shen family has lived in this Hidden Dragon Mountain for hundreds of years. We are reluctant to leave our homeland, and the elders in the family are thinking of moving this Hidden Dragon Mountain away."

Zhou Xuan's expression turned somewhat strange after hearing this.

When the empty treasure ship hovered above Yunshui City, she also took a quick look at the mountain range where Yunshui City was located.

Hearing Shen Chongming say that the Shen family planned to move the entire mountain range that stretched for thousands of miles, with the reason being "unwilling to part with their homeland," he found it hard to understand.

"To be honest, some teleportation techniques are capable of moving a mountain."

"But to move such a large mountain range, it would probably require the intervention of a Nascent Soul True Monarch who has mastered the teleportation technique."

After thinking it over, Zhou Xuan gave an answer.

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming immediately frowned.

Does the Nascent Soul True Monarch need to intervene?
Wouldn't that expose the Five Elements Secret Realm?
Well, it seems we'll have to put this matter on hold for now.

"Thank you, fellow Taoist, for informing me."

"Fellow Daoist, you must be tired from your journey. How about this..."

"Brother Zhen, go and have someone arrange a place for Fellow Daoist Zhou to stay in the city. Let Fellow Daoist Zhou rest for now."

Shen Chongzhen, who was standing next to him, bowed in response.

Zhou Xuan stood up, bowed to the group, and then left with Shen Chongzhen.

After they had gone some distance, Xu Zhan asked curiously, "Senior Brother, are you really going to move the entire Hidden Dragon Mountain?"

Shen Chongming smiled wryly: "Grandpa said it was Xiu Bai's request to move Hidden Dragon Mountain to the Five Elements Secret Realm."

"It seems that this matter will be difficult to handle without exposing the Five Elements Secret Realm."

"Alright, don't worry about this for now. I'll explain it to Grandpa myself later."

Changing the subject, he looked at Xu Zhan and asked, "How was the trip?"

"And what's the deal with these female cultivators from the Ice God Palace?"

Xu Zhan sighed heavily: "Let's not talk about the harvest."

He briefly explained the matter of the Xuan Shuang Sect ruins, and Shen Chongming and Shen Li both looked rather strange upon hearing this.

"It's alright, opportunities cannot be forced."

Shen Chongming offered a word of comfort.

Xu Zhan nodded and continued, "As for Zhou Xuan, it was Senior Luo who mediated between us. I guess Senior Luo wanted my Shen family to get in touch with the Ice God Palace."

"After spending several months together, my junior brother discovered that Zhou Xuan is rather simple-minded, and the Ice God Palace behind her is also very powerful."

"So they invited her to come to Yunshui City as a guest."

Shen Chongming lowered his head in realization.

After some thought, he said, "Then let her stay in the city for the time being."

"Oh, by the way, go find Dad later, there's something very important."

When the memories of his bloodline appeared, he immediately sent a telepathic message to Shen Chongzhen, who was far away in Beidi County, telling him not to try to comprehend the things in his bloodline.

Xu Zhan also has no bloodline of the Shen family and is still unaware of the "Golden Scam".

"What important thing is it?" Xu Zhan asked curiously.

"You can go find your father," Shen Chongming said without explicitly stating it.

Although Xu Zhan had some doubts, he did not press the matter further and immediately got up, cupped his hands in greeting, and left the room.

……

Southern Xinjiang, Yangquan Mountain.

Dong Yunbao hurriedly flew down into the main hall of the White Propagation Sect, quickly passed through the hall, and respectfully cupped his hands in front of the rear sleeping quarters: "Master, I have urgent news to report."

After a moment of silence in the bedroom, the door was gently opened.

Dong Yunbao looked at Wu Shi Qianrou, who had opened the door, and bowed slightly.

Wu Qianrou nodded and said, "Come in."

Dong Yunbao entered the bedchamber and respectfully bowed to Shen Chongxu, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, saying, "Master, news has come from Nanyun Prefecture of Fushan Kingdom that recently, 100,000 rebel cultivators from Fushan Kingdom were besieging Linjiang City, which was being defended by Wu Shi'ao. When the two sides were fighting fiercely, a mysterious expert suddenly made a move and kidnapped nearly 300,000 cultivators and soldiers from both sides."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongxu slowly opened his eyes.

"Do you know who did this?"

Although most cultivators in the Southern Frontier prefer to use the blood of other cultivators to refine blood pills, which they then consume to enhance their cultivation.

However, the entire Yangnao land was separated into Yin and Yang by the Great Lord Daying's Void Harmony Corridor Formation.

Southern Xinjiang belongs to Yin, while Yangnao is Yang.

Previously, after the Southern Frontier invaded Yangnao Land, they plundered the cultivators and common people of Yangnao Land for the so-called "yin and yang in harmony".

If only the cultivators from the Southern Frontier were to refine Blood Pills, those guys could only capture a few hundred or a thousand people at most at a time.

I've never heard of a case like this where hundreds of thousands of cultivators are kidnapped directly.

After pondering for a moment, Dong Yunbao cupped his hands and said, "I do not know who made the move."

"But there are rumors circulating that the person who made the move is suspected to be the patriarch of the Longevity Pavilion in the Central Region."

"The source and authenticity of the message cannot be verified. Please forgive me, Master."

Zhongyu Changsheng Pavilion?
Shen Chongxu narrowed his eyes slightly, slowly stood up, clapped his hands, and said, "The Nascent Soul True Monarch has made a move?"

"What is the purpose of the Longevity Pavilion abducting hundreds of thousands of low-level cultivators?"

After pacing around the bed for a while, just as Shen Chongxu was about to ask Dong Yunbao a question, another figure hurriedly arrived at the entrance of the bedroom.

The door to the sleeping quarters was wide open, and Dong Yunbao was inside. Ming Zhengchu, dressed as a scholar, immediately cupped his hands and said, "Master, Vice Master, I have important matters to report."

"Come in and talk."

Shen Chongxu spoke, and Ming Zhengchu quickly entered the bedchamber, cupped his hands and said, "News has come from the Northern Immortal Mountain. A mysterious expert has taken action and destroyed twelve forces of varying sizes, including seven Golden Core forces."

“Some cultivators on the outskirts saw that millions of human and demon cultivators on the entire northern foothills of the Immortal Mountain were sucked away by a huge vortex.”

"Based on the momentum at the time, some older Golden Core cultivators deduced that the mysterious expert who made the move was likely a Nascent Soul True Monarch."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongxu's brows furrowed instantly.

"Another Nascent Soul True Monarch?"

Ming Zhengchu looked somewhat puzzled upon hearing this.

Dong Yunbao, who was standing to the side, briefly recounted the information he had received.

Ming Zhengchu paused, as if he had thought of something, and opened and closed his mouth but did not speak.

"Just say what you think."

Noticing his hesitant expression, Shen Chongxu spoke calmly.

Ming Zhengchu cupped his hands slightly and said, "Years ago, I heard that several major forces in the Southern Frontier were vying for spiritual essences in the Yangnao Land. In order to make the spiritual essences manifest quickly, the major forces joined forces to capture a large number of cultivators from the Yangnao Land and the Southern Frontier, and performed a blood sacrifice at the place where the spiritual essences were about to manifest, in order to give birth to the spiritual essences..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongxu's eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light!
Dong Yunbao's face also showed a look of realization.

"So... the patriarch of the Longevity Pavilion went to such lengths, personally abducting twelve sects from the Northern Immortal Mountain and hundreds of thousands of cultivators from the Fushan Kingdom, all for the purpose of catalyzing their spiritual potential!?"

"But didn't the Longevity Pavilion take away that Heavenly Golden Light back then?"

"Does this mean they intend to steal another soul this time?"

Dongyunbao was very puzzled and asked.

However, Shen Chongxu remained silent with a solemn expression.

He knew more about spirituality than Dong Yunbao and Ming Zhengchu.

He knew very well that now, only one spirit called "Earth Spirit Netherworld" remained unmanifested in the Yangnao Land.

If Ming Zhengchu's speculation is true.

The fact that the Nascent Soul True Monarch of the Longevity Pavilion captured a large number of cultivators for blood sacrifice to stimulate the birth of their spirits means that the mastermind behind this grand game of heaven and earth has lost patience and is no longer willing to wait for decades in vain.

"You may leave now, but keep a close eye on the movements of all parties."

After careful consideration, Shen Chongxu decided to inform the Shen family in Yunshui City as soon as possible.

After sending the two away, he took out a communication stone and contacted Shen Xiuyan in Yunshui City.

Yunshui City.

Upon receiving the news, Shen Xiuyan realized something was amiss and immediately rushed to the old house.

In the backyard of the old house, Shen Chongming was explaining the difficulties of the technique of moving mountains and filling seas to Shen Yuan when Shen Xiuyan came up to him, his face solemn as he bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

"Great-grandfather, uncle."

The two stopped their discussion and looked at him.

"What happened?"

Noticing that something was wrong with his expression, Shen Chongming asked him a question.

“My uncle sent a message from the southern border, and Xiu Yan felt that this matter should be related to Dao Yuan and Xing Ling.”

After revealing that the patriarch of the Longevity Pavilion in the Southern Frontier had allegedly personally abducted a million cultivators, Shen Xiuyan said, "Uncle suspects that these abducted cultivators were likely used for blood sacrifices to stimulate the birth of spiritual beings."

Upon hearing this, the grandfather and grandson simultaneously recalled Luo Tianxing's words during his visit to Yunshui City some time ago.

Luo Tianxing mentioned that Xu Xiu was betrayed by a disciple who stole the most crucial treasure for creating the Dao Source Secret Realm.

It is predicted that the landscape will undergo significant changes in the future.

The fact that a Nascent Soul True Monarch personally abducted over a million cultivators is most likely for the purpose of a blood sacrifice, forcibly bringing forth the last spiritual essence of the Netherworld Soil.

Once the spirit of the earth manifests, the land of Yangnao will enter an era of Dao collapse.

"Great-grandfather, uncle, what do you two think?"

Seeing that neither Shen Yuan nor Shen Chongming spoke, Shen Xiuyan cupped his hands slightly and asked another question.

Shen Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, his face solemn, and sighed, "It's most likely just as your uncle guessed."

"This means we don't have much time left."

Shen Chongming took over the conversation, saying, "The blood sacrifice that gives birth to a spirit requires 'yin and yang in harmony.' The cultivators of the Southern Frontier are yin, while the cultivators of my Yangnao Land are yang."

"If I'm not mistaken, it won't be long before a Nascent Soul True Monarch descends upon Yangnao Land to plunder cultivators."

As he said this, a hint of worry appeared on his face.

Unlike the Southern Frontier, the Yangnao Land has an unbroken lineage of cultivation and a large number of low-level cultivators.

Judging solely from the perspective of "yin and yang working together" and maintaining the balance of yin and yang, the Nascent Soul True Monarch of the Longevity Pavilion, who abducted over a million low-level cultivators in the Southern Frontier, would also abduct a similar number of cultivators in the Yangnao Land.

The spiritual energy in Yangnao has only been reviving for about two hundred years.

Over the course of these two hundred years, countless battles and plunder by the major powers of the Southern Frontier, coupled with several subsequent large-scale harvests, have led to a sharp decline in the number of cultivators in Yangnao Land.

If we want to reach a million, we'll probably have to include all the affiliated families under the Shen family's control.

As the key player behind this grand game of chess, Xu Xiu has a profound karmic connection with the Shen family.

But Luo Tianxing had already said that.

Because of some cause and effect, Xu Xiu will most likely not allow anyone to harm the direct descendants of the Shen family.

But he had no qualms about dealing with the cultivators from those affiliated families.

Even Luoxia Mountain, which has now taken root in Yangnao, is very likely on the other side's list of targets for plunder.

"Grandpa, what should we do now?"

After a long period of contemplation, Shen Yuan said slowly, "Don't be anxious yet, there's still room for things to improve."

"Chongming, you should go to Danzhou right now and ask Senior Luo."

He should also have some information about this matter.

"The old man has gone mad. He wants to use blood sacrifice to create a spirit, and we can't stop him."

"But if Senior Luo is in charge of capturing the sacrificial offerings in Yangnao Land, then my Shen family and Luoxia Mountain will still have room to maneuver."

Shen Yuan's idea was very simple.

Compared to the Nascent Soul True Monarch of the Longevity Pavilion in Southern Xinjiang, the Shen family and Luo Tianxing have a much deeper relationship.

If Xu Xiu had entrusted the task of capturing the sacrificial offerings from Yangnao Land to Luo Tianxing, the affiliated families under the Shen family's rule might have been able to survive.

However, if it is still that person from the Longevity Pavilion who takes action, then there will probably be no turning back.

Even if they hide all the cultivators under their jurisdiction in Yunshui City, the enemy will definitely attack directly if they don't capture enough cultivators.

Once the other party makes a move, apart from the direct descendants of the Shen family, all non-family cultivators in Yunshui City will be doomed.

Shen Chongming suddenly realized and cupped his hands, saying, "Grandson will go and pay his respects to Senior Luo now."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure transformed into a bolt of lightning and disappeared.

"Xiu Yan, send someone to all the affiliated families and bring all the geniuses that the clan head had previously counted to the city."

"Remember, just pick the most talented ones, don't have too many people."

Always be prepared for both possibilities.

If this matter truly escalates to the point they least want to see, there's nothing they can do to stop it. The only thing they can do is minimize the losses and protect the prodigies of the various affiliated families first.

Danzhou Barrier.

When Shen Chongming arrived, Luo Tianxing was standing with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the distant mountains, as if he had been waiting for him.

"senior."

Shen Chongming bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

Luo Tianxing turned around and nodded with a smile: "I knew you would come."

"Well, have you received the news?"

Shen Chongming was stunned for a moment: "Senior means... that True Lord Daying really can't wait?"

Luo Tianxing sighed: "Things have come to this point, there's no turning back."

"Now that we've lost that treasure, the old man can only settle for second best. He should first refine the Dao Source and achieve pseudo-Godhood before slowly planning for other things."

"In the southern border region, that old fellow Qi Buyu has already made his move."

He paused slightly, then looked at Shen Chongming and said, "You've come here to ask me to protect the cultivators under the Shen family's rule, haven't you?"

Shen Chongming nodded somewhat embarrassedly.

He could tell that Luo Tianxing didn't really want to get involved.

In fact, Xu Xiu probably didn't entrust him with the task of scavenging sacrificial offerings in Yangnao Land.

But this matter concerns the life and death of the Shen family.

Apart from Luo Tianxing, any one of Xu Xiu's Nascent Soul True Monarchs could destroy the Shen family's two hundred years of hard work in an instant.

Even if the lives of the direct descendants are saved, the non-family cultivators will be captured, and the Shen family's strength will be greatly reduced instantly. It is unknown how long it will take to recover.

(End of this chapter)