Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 307 Huang Tiandao

At that moment, Shen Chongming suddenly realized a very serious problem!
My innate Wood-type Divine Thunder Spiritual Root seems a bit too conspicuous!

Back in Yangnao, their grandfather Shen Yuan had only taught them that "a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime."

Shen Chongming had always believed that wealth was a powerful motivator, and he never imagined that one day his own body and spiritual roots would become a source of enticing "wealth."

After some deep thought, he realized that he hadn't seen the cruel limits of the cultivation world.

Conceal your identity, conceal your spiritual roots!
In that instant, a thought suddenly popped into Shen Chongming's mind!
"Thunder Spirit".

With a slight thought, he called out to his dantian.

"I understand!"

The spirit of the Thunder Pool within his dantian was in tune with his mind and instantly understood his thoughts.

“Boy, I can hide your aura now, but if you face a Nascent Soul True Monarch’s special investigation, there is still a risk of being exposed.”

"and……"

The Spirit of Thunder Pool paused, its tone becoming somewhat grave, and said, "You demonstrated the Lightning Escape Technique in front of those cultivators riding on auspicious colorful clouds earlier..."

"You understand what I mean, right?"

Upon hearing Lei Chi Zhi Ling's words, Shen Chongming narrowed his eyes slightly and, after some thought, said, "It's alright. I won't stay here for long, and that person probably won't have a deep impression of me."

The spirit of Leichi wanted to say something more, but ultimately remained silent.

Within the Thunder Pool in the dantian, the Thunder Pool Spirit's wings flapped gently twice, and the mysterious and complex array patterns on the ancient Thunder Pool surface suddenly lit up.

The next moment, Shen Chongming's aura and appearance changed noticeably.

The spiritual root of Yi Mu Shen Lei was disguised as the most ordinary wood-attribute spiritual root, and even his cultivation level was transformed by the Thunder Pool into the Golden Core Perfection Realm.

With the changes in his aura and appearance, coupled with his current attire, even if Shen Chongming were to encounter an old friend from Yangnao Land, he would probably be hard-pressed to be recognized.

After changing his appearance and aura, he returned to the bustling market and found a shop that specialized in buying and selling materials from monsters. He then sold all the materials and golden cores from the monsters he had hunted over the past two days.

"I apologize for the intrusion, but since you have already reached the Golden Core stage, I wonder if you would like an excellent vessel to break through to the Purple Mansion stage?"

While waiting for the shop assistant to fetch the spirit crystals, a shifty-looking late-stage Golden Core cultivator took the opportunity to approach and whisper a question.

Shen Chongming gave him a wary look but didn't say anything.

The late-stage Golden Core cultivator smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist, rest assured, early-stage Golden Core cultivator, brand new, and still has his innate Yin essence!"

"Fellow Daoist, by absorbing her primordial yin and draining her cultivation, you will surely increase your cultivation greatly, and you might even be able to break through to the Purple Mansion Realm in one fell swoop."

"Only eight thousand spirit crystals..."

The late-stage Golden Core cultivator continued to whisper seductive words in my ear.

Just as Shen Chongming was about to refuse, a shop assistant came over carrying a tray containing spirit crystals, accompanied by an elderly man in his sixties wearing a blue cloud-patterned embroidered robe and with his hair tied up in a bun.

The old man exuded an ethereal and otherworldly aura, clearly indicating that he was already a great cultivator at the Purple Mansion Realm.

When the late-stage Golden Core cultivator saw the old man approaching, his expression changed immediately, like a mouse seeing a cat, and he tried to flee out of the shop.

"stop!"

The elderly man in his sixties, at the Purple Mansion Realm, rebuked him coldly with a displeased expression.

Upon hearing this, the shifty-eyed late-stage Golden Core cultivator froze, then quickly turned around and respectfully cupped his hands towards the old man, saying, "Greetings, Senior Xu."

The elderly man sneered, "I warned your hall master before that if you come to my Xu family's shop to cheat and swindle again, I will cripple your cultivation and throw you into the sea to feed the fish!"

"Are you all ignoring my words?!"

The shifty-eyed cultivator's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly cupped his hands in apology: "Senior Xu, please calm down. I've only just arrived, and besides, this fellow Daoist hasn't..."

"roll!"

The elderly man, seemingly unwilling to listen to his explanation, immediately uttered a cold shout!
The shout seemed to contain a power that shook the very soul.

The shifty-eyed late-stage Golden Core cultivator was so shocked by the old man's roar that he coughed up blood and his aura weakened considerably.

"Thank you so much, senior! Thank you so much, senior!"

Even so, the shifty-eyed cultivator dared not utter a word of complaint. After bowing gratefully, he fled in a sorry state.

The elderly man glanced at Shen Chongming, noticing his somewhat strange attire. After a slight change in expression, he calmly said, "Young man, we cultivators should be down-to-earth in our cultivation. It's best to avoid taking crooked and evil paths."

After a moment of surprise, Shen Chongming smiled and cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your guidance, senior."

Seeing his humble attitude, the old man's expression softened considerably, and he personally took the spirit crystals from the shop assistant beside him and handed them to him.

"A rogue cultivator, perhaps?"

Shen Chongming nodded repeatedly.

“It’s not easy to obtain cultivation resources. This is what you got from selling the monster materials earlier, a total of 1,780 spirit crystals. Please count them.”

Shen Chongming glanced at the spirit crystals piled on the tray, but without counting them, he simply waved his hand and put them into his storage bag.

Upon seeing this, the elderly man frowned slightly, then smiled and shook his head.

"My Xu family's demon-hunting team is planning to wipe out a sea nest soon. I see that your aura is strong, so your strength must be quite good."

"You'll receive 5,000 spirit crystals upon completion. The Xu family will also buy back any monster materials and rare treasures you obtain during the hunt at market price. Are you interested?"

Eliminate Haichao?

Shen Chongming hesitated after hearing this.

He had already calculated that the journey back to Yangnao Land was long, and the flying boat would consume more than 10,000 spirit crystals.

If they wanted to find something for their family along the way, they wouldn't have enough spirit crystals on them.

The reward offered by the old man in front of him was indeed tempting.

But remembering that he still needed to continue his journey, Shen Chongming hesitated for a moment before bowing apologetically and saying, "Thank you for your kindness, senior, but I have been traveling for several years and am eager to return home. I really don't want to delay you, so..."

Upon hearing this, the elderly man smiled faintly and said, "It's alright."

"I only let it go because I see that you are kind and honest, and since it is inconvenient for you, I will let it go."

After saying this, he turned to leave.

After taking two steps, the old man turned around and reminded him, "It's not easy for a rogue cultivator like you to obtain resources. I've heard that Wuxiang Temple has recently issued quite a few bounties, and the rewards are quite good."

"If you're interested, you can go and take a look, accept one or two bounties that suit you, and if you're lucky on your way back, you can also earn some resources."

"If we don't meet, it's alright."

After saying this, the elderly man walked directly towards the backyard of the shop.

Shen Chongming stared blankly at his retreating figure, his brows slightly furrowed.

The waiter beside him whispered a reminder: "Our master is usually very taciturn, but today he has unusually spoken so much with you, sir."

"Sir, you might as well go and take a look at the Wuxiang Zen Temple's outpost on the island. It won't take much trouble."

Shen Chongming snapped out of his daze, nodded, and left the shop.

"Kid, that old man is no ordinary person..."

Not long after Shen Chongming left the shop, the Thunder Pool Spirit in his dantian suddenly spoke.

"Oh?"

"What did you figure out?"

He also had an indescribable feeling when he faced that elderly man.

Furthermore, the shopkeeper's reminder after the old man left only fueled his suspicions.

How could someone who is sparing with words talk so much to a stranger?
I reminded myself of this again and again.

The spirit of the Thunder Pool within his dantian pondered for a moment and said, "I don't know either, I just feel that there is a very familiar power within that old man's body."

"And he seems to have just discovered the existence of the Thunder Pool in your dantian... he may have even discovered me!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming's expression suddenly turned serious!

He could sense that the old man surnamed Xu was at most at the mid-to-late stage of the Purple Mansion realm.

Even if the spirit of the Thunder Pool had not used disguise, as fellow beings of the Purple Mansion, it would be impossible for the other party to see through one's body with just a glance and discover the Thunder Pool and its spirit within the Purple Mansion Dao Palace.

"Could you be mistaken?"

Shen Chongming asked with some doubt.

The spirit of the Thunder Pool fell silent.

It also hopes that it's mistaken.

But just now, the old man only glanced at Shen Chongming, and it did feel as if it were directly exposed to the other party's eyes.

"Forget it!"

"This little Jinchuan Island is quite eerie, kid, you'd better get out of here right away!"

After pondering for a moment, the Spirit of Thunder Pool urged.

Shen Chongming didn't say anything more to him and quickly disappeared into the bustling crowd.

The old man surnamed Xu returned to the backyard of the shop, and after many twists and turns, passing through layers of array light shields, he arrived at an ancient underground palace.

The palace wasn't large; a few dim, ever-burning lamps illuminated the interior clearly.

The palace is entirely made of black stone, with each stone surface radiating mysterious and enigmatic patterns.

The palace's dome, some stone pillars, and floor tiles clearly show signs of repair, and are very different from the surrounding materials.

Looking around, it's as if a dilapidated black stone palace was moved from an unknown place and embedded in this underground stone chamber, and then carefully repaired.

The elderly man surnamed Xu slowly stepped through the palace gate, reverently straightened his clothes, used magic to remove non-existent dust from his body, and then picked up three sticks of incense, placed them on the candlestick, and lit them.

The fragrant smoke drifted eerily through the palace.

The elderly man surnamed Xu respectfully took three steps back, prostrated himself before the incense burner, and spoke.

"Xu Yan, the 742nd generation disciple of Huang Tiandao, respectfully bows to the Dao Master."

His voice echoed throughout the palace, but there was no response for a long time.

"Disciple Xu Yan respectfully reports to the Daoist Master."

When Xu Yan spoke again, the wisps of smoke that were drifting about finally changed.

A gentle breeze suddenly arose in the sealed, mysterious stone hall, causing the wisps of smoke to distort and change, eventually transforming into a blurry face.

"What is it that warrants you lighting incense to summon me?"

A majestic, cold voice, devoid of any emotion, rang out, causing Xu Yan, who was kneeling on the ground, to tremble uncontrollably!
However, he seemed to understand that he could not waste the precious time of that supreme being, and immediately respectfully said, "Reporting to the Dao Ancestor, this disciple has detected the aura of the Heavenly Venerable of the Azure Thunder Department!"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, the face formed from the green smoke seemed to become interested.

"Do you know which Heavenly Venerable of the Thunder Department this is?"

Xu Yan's voice trembled slightly as he hurriedly replied, "Please forgive me, Dao Master. This disciple did not know whether that person had inherited the Heavenly Venerable's memories, and fearing exposure of his identity, I dared not investigate further."

"However, I have already formed a karmic bond with him. As long as he is still in the Cangmin Realm, I can investigate him slowly."

The face formed from the wisp of smoke seemed quite satisfied.

"Well done. If you can wipe out these remnants of the old Heavenly Court, when I reopen the Three Realms, you will surely have great opportunities."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yan excitedly kowtowed and said, "Rest assured, Dao Master, this disciple will do anything for Huang Tian Dao, even risking his life!"

The face formed from the blue smoke slowly dissipated.

Xu Yan got up from the ground, his face contorted with a strange expression due to excitement.

……

After navigating the streets and making a few inquiries, Shen Chongming easily located the Wuxiang Zen Temple's stronghold on Jinchuan Island.

Wuxiang Temple is an extremely powerful force in the seventy-two realms of Cangmin. Its status is similar to that of Tingfeng Valley in Qishan, Danzhou back then. It mainly makes a living by selling information and issuing and accepting bounties.

Following directions from passersby, Shen Chongming found a seven-story pagoda.

The moment you step into the tower, the scene before you changes abruptly, with light and shadow intertwining, creating a void.

Shen Chongming looked around warily, wondering where he had ended up.

Is this your first time visiting Wuxiang Temple?

A gentle voice came from the bizarre and fantastical surroundings.

"Please do not be nervous, guest. This is a way for Wuxiang Temple to protect the privacy of our guests. Here, whether you want to buy or sell information, or post or accept bounties, no one will know your identity."

Hearing this, Shen Chongming remained vigilant.

He didn't believe the voice.

At least in this strange space, the monk behind the voice would surely know his identity.

The voice seemed to see through his thoughts and immediately smiled gently, saying, "Rest assured, guest, the reputation of Wuxiang Temple is well-known throughout the Cangmin Sea. We would never betray our customers."

Shen Chongming smiled faintly after hearing this: "That's because the other party didn't offer enough spirit crystals, right?"

The voice amidst the bizarre and fantastical sounds did not refute his words, clearly acknowledging his meaning.

"I'd like to take on some bounties."

Shen Chongming didn't dwell on it further. After confirming that there was no danger, he spoke in a deep voice.

"Please state your request, guest."

"Wuxiang Temple offers a large number of rewards for guests to choose from."

After a moment's thought, Shen Chongming said, "My journey is to travel south along the Snowdrift Cliffs to the Return Cliffs."

"I'd like to take on some bounties targeting Golden Core cultivators. Are there any bounties I can accept along my route?"

Upon hearing this, the voice remained silent for a moment, and then the light and shadow in front of Shen Chongming shifted, revealing a dense array of bounty missions.

Each bounty mission is marked with its danger level, recommended cultivation level and number of people, reward, and approximate target location.

Shen Chongming glanced at the list briefly. Some of the missions involved finding people, some were treasure hunts, some were revenge missions, and some even involved wiping out a certain sect...

The locations of the missions were indeed the areas he would pass through on his way back to the sea cliffs.

"The guest can simply tell me which task they are interested in."

"After I register the guests, once they have completed their tasks, they can go to the nearest Wuxiang Temple location to submit the task items and receive their reward."

The voice rang out again, reminding Shen Chongming.

Shen Chongming's gaze swept over the densely packed tasks, and he finally selected three of them.

The first task is to find treasure.

According to the mission prompt, a special treasure called Sea Soul Crystal is abundant in a sea area more than 40,000 miles away from Jinchuan Island.

Sea Soul Crystal is a type of crystal formed from the soul of a sea monster when it falls to the ground, under special conditions.

The task requires two Sea Soul Crystals formed from the divine souls of two silver-scaled double-headed serpents that have progressed from the Nascent Soul stage to the Golden Core stage. The reward is three thousand spirit crystals for each Sea Soul Crystal.

The second mission is located at the junction of Snowdrift Cliff and Return Cliff, and the mission objective is to eliminate the demonic cultivators on a small island.

According to the instructions, there were nine demonic cultivators, all of whom were at the mid-to-late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. The reward for eliminating them was five thousand spirit crystals.

The third task is at the Returning Sea Cliff. The objective is to find a dragon-type dragon at the Golden Core Realm. You don't need to kill it; just determine its exact location. Once the Wuxiang Zen Temple sends someone to confirm the location, you will receive a reward of 10,000 spirit crystals.

Of the three tasks, Shen Chongming focused more on the first two.

As for the third task, he only intended to try his luck.

After all, dragons are very powerful, and he didn't want to provoke them for nothing, just for ten thousand spirit crystals.

If you happen to encounter it, you can tell Wuxiang Temple and let them investigate on their own.

"Please leave your name, guest. After this task is completed, Wuxiang Temple will record your credit rating. If you visit Wuxiang Temple again in the future and your credit rating is higher, you will receive corresponding discounts."

Shen Chongming frowned slightly and then casually gave a pseudonym he had used before.

"My name is Gechi."

The voice, regardless of whether the name was genuine or not, spoke gently: "Wishing Fellow Daoist Gechi boundless good fortune."

"Does Fellow Daoist Gechi have any other needs?"

Shen Chongming shook his head slightly.

The light and shadow in front of him changed in a flash, and by the time he realized what was happening, he was already outside the seven-story tower.

Looking up at the seven-story tower in front of him, Shen Chongming was somewhat surprised.

The methods of Wuxiang Temple are truly remarkable. He could only vaguely sense that everything that had just happened was caused by an array, but he couldn't understand what kind of array it was or how the other party had done it.

Thinking of this, he became even more determined to bring back some things related to the various arts of cultivation for the family's cultivators.

Otherwise, if the cultivators of the Shen family encounter all sorts of strange methods when they travel outside in the future, wouldn't they have no chance to fight back?

After some thought, Shen Chongming quickly left the market and prepared to continue his journey back to the sea cliff.

However, not long after he left, a burly middle-aged man at the Purple Mansion Realm led several young people to the seven-story tower of Wuxiang Temple.

"You all wait here and don't run around. I'm going to see what bounty missions Wuxiang Temple has. If I'm lucky, I can earn some spirit crystals along the way to buy pills."

This middle-aged man was the Purple Mansion cultivator who had spoken to Shen Chongming outside Jinchuan Island.

His figure disappeared instantly after stepping into the seventh-floor tower.

A moment later, the middle-aged man appeared outside the tower, his face showing a complex expression of doubt, annoyance, and regret.

Among the young disciples, a girl who had just achieved the Golden Core stage noticed his expression and asked curiously, "Master, what's wrong?"

The middle-aged man's expression shifted for a moment, then he spoke in a low voice: "Do you still remember the Purple Mansion Thunder Cultivator we encountered when we came to Jinchuan Island?"

The group exchanged glances, and the arrogant young man spoke up: "Is it that idiot?"

The middle-aged man, unusually, did not reprimand him. Instead, he nodded solemnly and said, "Wuxiang Temple is offering a reward of 50,000 spirit crystals for his whereabouts. If he can be captured alive, the reward will be 100,000 spirit crystals!"

Upon hearing this, the younger generation in front of them were all stunned and speechless!
"Disciple, I've heard that a bounty of tens of thousands of spirit crystals is already the maximum for killing an ordinary cultivator at the Perfected Purple Mansion Realm. Who would be crazy enough to offer a bounty of one hundred thousand spirit crystals to capture that person?"

The golden-core girl murmured in a daze.

The middle-aged man sighed slightly after hearing this: "So wealthy and powerful... If I'm not mistaken, that person must have killed a close associate of some important figure, and someone else has discovered the clues using a tracking technique."

The group of young cultivators in front of him remained silent.

A moment later, the youngest little girl looked up and asked, "Master, shall we still go look for the Sea Soul Crystal?"

Before the middle-aged man could answer, the arrogant young man next to him blurted out, "Why are we still looking for Sea Soul Crystals?"

"We must hurry and find that Lei Xiu!"

"Just providing information earns 50,000 spirit crystals. How many sea soul crystals would it take to earn that many spirit crystals?"

"That person probably doesn't know yet that a bounty has been placed on his head."

"Dad, let's get going!"

The group of young cultivators beside him nodded in agreement.

When they met Shen Chongming, he was hunting sea monsters outside Jinchuan Island. After a brief conversation, they also saw with their own eyes the general direction Shen Chongming had gone.

Only a few days have passed, and if we follow that direction, we might actually find it.

The middle-aged man hesitated at this moment, as his sect was merely a Purple Mansion Immortal Sect.

Fifty thousand spirit crystals is enough to equal the income of their entire sect working themselves to the bone for nearly two years.

But for these cultivators from small sects who spend their years traversing the Cangmin Sea, the way to survive must be deeply understood within their hearts.

Once you get involved in karma that you shouldn't get involved in, your entire family could be wiped out in an instant.

The middle-aged man thought it over and over, but ultimately decided not to take the risk.

Fifty thousand spirit crystals is tempting, but who can guarantee that the person isn't backed by another powerful force?
"Forget it, let's not think about it anymore."

Suppressing his greed, the middle-aged man said in a deep voice, "Remember this, all of you: you must never tell anyone that you saw that Lei Xiu!"

"If we provoke a major problem, my Qionghai Sect will probably be destroyed in an instant!"

"Fifty thousand spirit crystals are tempting, but the consequences are something we can't afford."

Upon hearing this, the younger generation in front of him all nodded solemnly.

"Let's go, don't worry about gains and losses. I brought you out here for training, and we'll also collect some Sea Soul Crystals to exchange for some handy magic weapons for you little guys."

The middle-aged man said, waving his hand lightly.

Upon hearing this, the disciples all followed him toward the outside of Jinchuan Island.

……

Shen Chongming piloted his flying boat, speeding across the vast sea.

Only after they had traveled more than 20,000 li away from Jinchuan Island did they finally feel a little relieved.

"Kid, I think I've remembered something."

"My head hurts, let me out for some fresh air."

On the flying boat, Shen Chongming was meditating cross-legged when the spirit of the Thunder Pool in his dantian suddenly spoke.

Shen Chongming slowly stopped the circulation of Qi within his body and summoned it with a wave of his hand.

The spirit of Leichi transformed into a deep blue beast, crouching at the bow of the flying boat, banging its head in apparent pain.

After punching his head several times, the pain on Lei Chi Zhi Ling's face eased slightly.

He looked up at the sky above him, his expression somewhat blank.

"Tian...is dead..."

"What?" Shen Chongming didn't hear its murmur and frowned as he asked.

The spirit of Thunder Pool shook its head and continued to murmur, "Where did they all go?"

Where did everyone go?

This time, Shen Chongming heard its words clearly.

The Spirit of Thunder Pool pondered blankly, when suddenly a large amount of fine black lightning appeared on its body!

"Wow!"

The Spirit of Thunder Pool suddenly let out a strange cry, followed by flapping its wings and continuously striking the black lightning on its body.

It, which was able to control the chaotic lightning, seemed to be suffering terribly from being struck by these black lightning bolts!
Upon seeing this, Shen Chongming frowned and immediately tried to use the power of the Thunder Pool to absorb the black lightning on its body.

"Do not act rashly!"

"This is not Chaos Thunder!"

The Spirit of Thunder Pool endured the pain, constantly channeling its power to fight against the black lightning.

Gradually, the two completely different types of lightning intertwined and pulled each other, as if they had attracted some kind of incredible power!
The once clear sky was suddenly filled with dark clouds!
Strong gusts of sea wind blew in our faces!

Within a few breaths, the sky within sight was shrouded in thick clouds, and a strange, oppressive force emanated from the depths of the clouds!

"Hurry up!"

"Let me hide!"

The spirit of Thunder Pool flapped its wings and cried out in surprise!

Shen Chongming also felt the terrifying pressure gathering in the dark clouds above his head. Terrified, he hurriedly tried to collect the Thunder Pool Spirit into his dantian.

However, at this moment, the spirit of the Thunder Pool seemed to be locked by something. No matter how hard it tried, no matter how much the spirit of the Thunder Pool struggled, it could not return to Shen Chongming's Purple Mansion Palace.

"It's over!"

"This time it's a big deal!"

The spirit of Leichi exclaimed in surprise, and Shen Chongming's face was covered in fine sweat!

He could feel an unparalleled being, seemingly from a distant time and space, staring at him. The terrifying pressure made his body tremble and his whole body feel icy cold!

Even out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the dark clouds overhead were slowly twisting and changing, as if they were about to transform into a terrifying face!

At this moment, a deep sense of despair rose in Shen Chongming's heart!
But then he felt the suppressed demonic energy within his body suddenly become restless!

Although the faint demonic energy was so weak that it was less than one ten-millionth of the oppressive force of the clouds, its unyielding will stimulated Shen Chongming's mind!

Click!

"Ugh!"

In an instant, as demonic energy invaded his mind, a terrifying burst of lightning power erupted from Shen Chongming's body!

The next moment, the lightning directly tore through the azure scale armor on his body and shattered the magic-suppressing chains wrapped around his body!

With bloodshot eyes, Shen Chongming trembled as he struggled against the terrifying pressure above him, slowly raising his head to meet the gaze of the terrifying face formed from dark clouds across the distance!
"come!"

At the same time as a loud shout rang out, the Thunder Pool Spirit in front of him broke free from its lock and darted into Shen Chongming's Purple Mansion Dao Palace!

"Kid, calm down!"

"Hold on!"

Upon returning to the Purple Mansion Dao Palace, the spirit of the Thunder Pool manipulated the power of the Thunder Pool to help suppress the demonic energy, while constantly urging Shen Chongming to quickly regain control of his mind!
Otherwise, once his mind is completely controlled by demonic energy, he will become a puppet of the inner demon and will never be able to regain his true self!

With the disappearance of the Thunder Pool Spirit, the oppressive aura in the clouds above seemed to lose its appeal as well.

The blurry giant face transformed back into dark clouds, the oppressive aura vanished, and the thick, inky clouds slowly receded.

Without the stimulation of external pressure, the crimson light in Shen Chongming's eyes dimmed considerably.

Having regained some control of his mind, he hurriedly took out the Mind-Clearing Pill given to him by Zhou Xuan from his storage bag, poured one out, and put it in his mouth.

With the help of the Clear Mind Pill and the spirit of Thunder Pool, the demonic power that had corrupted his mind was suppressed once again.

With his eyes clearing, Shen Chongming breathed a sigh of relief. Still shaken, he looked at the rapidly dissipating dark clouds overhead and frowned, asking, "What kind of being did you provoke?"

"That oppressive aura just now was like the might of the heavens."

The spirit of the Thunder Pool in the dantian also wore a look of lingering fear, and murmured in a deep voice, "That was the might of Heaven..."

"Kid, give me some more time. I'll tell you once I've sorted things out."

"In short, you should be more careful in the outer seas in the future, and it's best not to reveal your presence or that of me."

Shen Chongming was speechless after hearing this.

He suddenly realized that he had truly suffered an undeserved disaster this time!

Everything was fine until the Spirit of Thunder Pool insisted on coming out for some fresh air.

result……

Although he has escaped the danger of being annihilated by that supreme being, the demonic energy that he had been suppressing with a lot of energy has grown much stronger in an instant!
The destruction of the Azure Scale Armor, which was crafted with the help of Chu Xiangyu, the Grand Elder of the Ice God Palace, and the Anti-Magic Chains, which Zhou Xuan purchased at great expense of spirit crystals, has left him with two fewer powerful means to suppress demonic energy.

The losses were considerable.

"Cough cough..."

"This time it's my fault."

"Don't worry, leave the suppression of demonic energy to me!"

Lei Chizhi sensed his thoughts and spoke up somewhat awkwardly.

"However... kid, you've actually turned misfortune into blessing."

"I can sense that if I regain even a little bit of my memories, it will be of immense benefit to you!"

Changing the subject, the spirit of the Thunder Pool quickly spoke up.

After hearing this, Shen Chongming smiled wryly and said, "Come on, let's hope it's not some huge problem."

He wasn't stupid. The spirit of the Thunder Pool had only stayed outside for a little while and murmured a few words, yet it had already stirred up the might of the heavens.

These phenomena are enough to prove that there must be a huge secret hidden behind the Thunder Pool and the Thunder Pool Spirit in the Dantian!
However, as the saying goes, "a lot of lice don't make you itchy," and the Shen family itself also possessed the enormous secret of the "Golden Conspiracy."

Now that we've added the spirit of the Thunder Pool and the Thunder Pool itself, it doesn't really matter.

"Let's go. The commotion just now was a bit too loud. I wonder if it will attract the attention of the surrounding cultivators."

The spirit of Leichi spoke, but Shen Chongming remained silent, summoning his flying boat again and heading into the distance.

The flying boat continued for another tens of thousands of miles, and suddenly the number of cultivators in the surrounding seas increased.

Shen Chongming vaguely guessed that these cultivators must have come to find the Sea Soul Crystal.

The mission from Wuxiang Temple mentions that this sea area ahead is rich in Sea Soul Crystals due to the special nature of the world, which attracts a large number of cultivators at special times.

"Hopefully nothing else goes wrong."

Thinking to himself, Shen Chongming immediately steered the flying boat to accelerate forward.

Not long after his flying boat left, a colorful auspicious cloud flew rapidly from afar, its destination also being the sea area ahead that was rich in Sea Soul Crystals.

……

The Nine Provinces World, Mount Yansheng.

Above the steep mountain peak shrouded by the grand formation, clouds and mist swirled, and amidst the shifting mist, one could vaguely see an exquisitely carved and painted pavilion standing amidst the clouds.

This mountain is called Yansheng Peak, and the pavilion on the top of the peak is modeled after the Blackwater Pavilion of Yunshui City.

At the summit plaza, below the long stone steps leading to the pavilion, Shen Xiuyan, dressed in a moon-white robe, held a silk scroll in his hand, looking up at the three-story pavilion above. After hesitating for a long time, he finally chose to climb the steps and walk towards the pavilion.

Upon arriving at the pavilion, Shen Xiuyan, holding a silk scroll, respectfully cupped his hands and said, "Great-Grandfather, Xiuyan wishes to reorganize the family and proposes a new set of rules."

"This rule will likely affect the fate of many members of the Shen family in the future. Xiu Yan dares not make decisions on his own. Please enlighten me, Great-Grandfather."

Having said this, he lifted the front of his robe, knelt respectfully on the ground, unrolled the scroll, and said loudly:

"I have carefully written these family precepts to instruct future generations:"
The path to immortality is as vast as the Milky Way stretching across the sky, as lofty as Mount Buzhou supporting the heavens. The Great Dao is impartial, yet those endowed with exceptional talent and spirit are few and far between; its mysteries are vast, yet those who possess unpolished jade and pure gold are rare indeed. We, the disciples of the Shen family, should clearly discern the opportunities bestowed by Heaven and quietly observe the Qi in our dantian. Those whose spiritual roots are not yet fully developed or whose affinity for immortality is shallow must know that the flourishing and withering of plants have their own time, and one must not defy destiny.

From this day forward, all members of our clan who are found to lack a foundation in Taoism should voluntarily return to secular life and establish their own lineage to continue the family tradition. Although they may leave the path of cultivation, they may still manage clan property, cultivate fields and towns, pass on their family traditions through farming and scholarship, or establish themselves through literature and art. The clan will provide them with grain and silk annually, build them dwellings, and ensure their peaceful and prosperous lives, allowing them to marry and live out their days in peace.

This is not abandonment, but rather the wisdom of accepting one's fate. Those who cultivate the Dao ascend to the heavens, upholding the lineage; those in the secular world prosper, strengthening their foundation and cultivating their essence. Just as the moon waxes and wanes, and stars shine and dim, together they form the order of heaven and earth. May future generations embody this earnest intention, without harboring resentment, so that the Shen family's lineage may endure for ten thousand years, and mortal descendants may enjoy a hundred years of peace and well-being.”

After speaking, Shen Xiuyan laid the scroll flat in front of him, and then took out the seal representing the family's authority and held it with both hands.

He knew very well that after this clan rule was promulgated, some members of the Shen family in later generations would be destined to be unable to attain immortality and would die at the age of one hundred, just like ordinary people in the secular world.

However, this move would allow the Shen family to expand more rapidly.

After all, there is a difference between immortals and mortals. If the direct descendants of a family have no chance to become immortals, then passing on the family line and managing the family's secular businesses becomes their primary task.

If the many secular industries were managed by the branch clansmen, with the family regularly sending cultivators to assist them, the future leaders of the immortal clans would be able to spend less time and energy on building up the immortal clan.

Shen Xiuyan knelt before the pavilion for a long time, but Shen Yuan inside the pavilion never responded.

Just as Shen Xiuyan felt that his great-grandfather Shen Yuan also disagreed with the cruel clan rule he had drafted, a sigh suddenly came from the pavilion.

Immediately afterwards, a gentle spiritual force slowly lifted the precious seal in Shen Xiuyan's hand and gently pressed it onto the silk scroll in front of him.

"Go."

"Since you are the current head of my Shen family, you will not need to consult me ​​on any decisions you make in the future."

A slightly hoarse voice came from inside the attic.

After respectfully kowtowing, Shen Xiuyan put away the precious seal and the silk scroll.

Looking at the closed door of the attic in front of him, his lips moved a few times, but in the end he didn't say anything.

Shen Xiuyan stood up, bowed respectfully towards the pavilion, and then walked down the mountain.

On the third floor of the attic, Shen Yuan, dressed in a gray robe and with gray hair and beard, stood by the window, looking at the somewhat lonely figure on the stone steps with a complicated expression.

"My child, I know that the mortal and immortal realms must eventually be severed."

"But you've already carried too much on your shoulders. I originally intended to leave this clan rule to the next head of the family..."

Having experienced the collapse of the Dao in Yangnao Land, Shen Yuan's mentality gradually changed.

Perhaps it was because the Shen family had drifted further and further away on the path of cultivation that he found his relationship with these younger generations had become noticeably weaker.

He was alright with the younger generation of the Shen family, those with the character "Xiu" in their names; he had met most of them before.

But now there are several kids in the "Yuan" generation. Apart from "Shen Yuanque" from Shen Xiuzhuo's family, he has never even met the rest.

Thinking of this, a bitter smile appeared on Shen Yuan's face.

"That's normal. Even the closest blood relatives, after five generations, how can things still be as they seem?"

"If he were to live in the secular world, even if he were lucky enough to meet five generations of his descendants, he would probably be a despised old man."

"Let him be."

Shen Xiuyan's figure had already disappeared from Yansheng Peak.

Shen Yuan also returned to his desk and sat down cross-legged.

At the critical moment when Yangnao Land was completely collapsing, he forcibly used the "Mysterious Escape Armor" to trick nearly twenty Nascent Soul True Monarchs and a large number of Golden Core Purple Mansion Realm cultivators, sealing the Five Elements Secret Realm and protecting the safety of his people.

He himself was also in a deep sleep for five years due to the backlash of the "Mysterious Armor".

Currently, the Nine Provinces world formed by the Five Elements Secret Realm is still very fragile.

Furthermore, due to the sealing effect of the [Mysterious Armor], the origin of the Nine Provinces world cannot draw power from the outside. All the world's consumption depends on the power of the spiritual veins of heaven and earth extracted from Danzhou when Shen Xiubai created the Five Elements Secret Realm in his early years.

Sitting cross-legged in front of the desk, Shen Yuan's mind was once again filled with the fierce battle that took place above Yunshui City when the Dao collapsed.

"The old man is a master strategist; he shouldn't have perished so easily in that battle back then..."

After some thought, Shen Yuan frowned and muttered to himself.

Right now, he can clearly feel that the causal link between the Shen family and Xu Xiu has disappeared.

But he didn't believe that a cunning old fox who had been scheming for thousands of years would fall so easily.

A cunning rabbit has three burrows; Shen Yuan simply did not believe that someone like Xu Xiu had no other backup plans.

However, he's too lazy to delve into the matter now.

With Xu Xiu's death and the dissipation of his spiritual essence, the karmic connection between him and the Shen family has been completely severed.

This means that they will have no further dealings with each other in the future.

For now, Shen Yuan would rather the old man really die and disappear; otherwise, it would be hard to say whether they would be enemies or friends when they met again.

especially……

The image of the grand hall, seemingly carved from crystal and glass, flashed through Shen Yuan's mind, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

He now vaguely realized that the mysterious hall that led him to the Nine Yuan Immortal Temple must be related to Xu Xiu!

Thinking of the mysterious main hall, Shen Yuan couldn't help but sigh.

This period of slumber caused me to miss an opportunity to visit the Jiuyuan Zhexian Temple.

For more than a year since he awoke from his slumber, he had been trying to understand what the true Golden Core realm was all about.

However, the things involved are too profound, and it is obviously difficult for him to make any progress at his current level.

Shen Yuan understood that the only way to find a breakthrough was to rely on the sound of the Dao bell from the Jiuyuan Zhexian Temple.

Let's wait another ten years.

When the Nine Yuan Immortal Temple opens again, the seal on the Nine Provinces World will also be lifted.

He has only one expectation now.

It would be best if Xu Xiu had nothing to do with that mysterious hall. Even if he did, he shouldn't recover so quickly after this "fake death."

If the Shen family were given another hundred years to develop, he was confident that he could put up a good fight against them!
(End of this chapter)