Clan Cultivation: Starting from Foundation Establishment on Mount Luoxia

Several stone buildings are crookedly embedded at the junction of the flesh wall and the rock.

The surface is covered with sarcoma tissue, but the outline is still clear—beams, eaves, and stone gate.

They are all extremely ancient and vigorous human-made buildings.

The stone door was half-closed, and several twisted lines were carved on the lintel, blurred by the erosion of the fleshy growth.

Li Xiaoyao stared at the patterns, his pupils shrinking slightly.

"Hornwood..." he whispered.

Master Shuyu looked in the direction of the sound and asked, "What?"

"The remaining patterns on the lintel are variations of the ancient Daoist character '角' (jiao), representing the '角木' (jiaomu) lineage in the '乙木正朔' (yimu zhengshuo) system."

Li Xiaoyao strode closer to the stone gate, the glow of the sunset flowing through his fingertips as he gently brushed away part of the tumor.

"The owner of this place cultivated the Jiaomu lineage during his lifetime."

He asked Shuyu to take out the crystal ball that was wrapped in layers of blue seal.

Through the seal, the emerald light inside remained pure and rich, and at this moment it was faintly resonating with the remaining patterns on the stone gate.

"So this green cluster of horned wood is not a naturally formed wild gem from the Boundary Ruins, but rather..."

Master Shuyu pondered.

"It is either a relic of the owner of this place, or a crystallized essence left over after the collapse of his Dao foundation."

Li Xiaoyao spoke with certainty, then changed the subject, "Let's go in first."

The stone door was heavy, and it creaked as it was pushed open, causing countless tiny fragments of tumor tissue to break off.

Behind the door is a short passageway, with tattered murals still faintly visible on the walls on both sides.

The murals are fragmented, but a few are still recognizable: a person stands on a mountaintop, surrounded by a forest of green light, gazing up at the sky.

One person held a jade slip and imparted the classic texts to the many kneeling figures.

A towering tree, its canopy covering the sky, its roots penetrating deep into the earth, its trunk engraved with countless runes.

At the end of the passageway was a spacious stone chamber.

In the center of the stone chamber, a skeleton sat cross-legged.

The skeleton was pure white, like jade, and remained intact despite the passage of countless years, emitting a faint bluish glow.

The skeleton held its hands folded in front of its abdomen, holding a palm-sized, blue-green token with ancient wood grain flowing across its surface.

On the token, two Daoist characters were clearly visible, as if they had just been carved:

"Evergreen"

Behind the skeleton, the flesh walls were most severely eroded, almost swallowing up half of the stone chamber.

Deep within that writhing flesh and blood, one could vaguely see more fragmented relics, encased and being digested.

Li Xiaoyao and Master Shuyu stopped three zhang away from the skeleton, not daring to approach rashly.

"Nine Mansion cultivators... or even more."

Shuyu Zhenren's voice was very soft.

"At least a mid-stage Purple Mansion cultivator, with a substantial fortune, yet he was trapped and died in this Realm Ruins, not even his bones were spared."

Li Xiaoyao remained silent, staring at the "Evergreen Token," then at the horned wood green crystal ball in his palm, before suddenly speaking:

"Senior, I am Li Xiaoyao, Daoist name Shangyuan, a cultivator named Hongxia."

I have now mistakenly entered the place where my predecessor passed away, and obtained the essence of his hornwood, for which I have already received a great favor.

"Senior, is there any unfinished business that you wish to fulfill for me? Or any legacy that you wish to pass on to me?"

The sound was loud and clear, echoing distinctly in the quiet stone chamber.

The skeletons remain silent.

But the next moment—

A faint blue light flashed on the "Evergreen Token".

A faint, almost imperceptible shadow slowly emerged from the token.

He was a middle-aged Taoist priest with a handsome face and gentle features. He wore a blue robe, carried a long sword, and had the last traces of the Taoist aura of Jiaomu remaining around him.

The illusory figure didn't look at Li Xiaoyao, nor at Master Shuyu. It simply lowered its head, gazing at its own withered skeleton that had sat there for countless years, and let out a soft sigh.

Then, he raised his eyes, his gaze falling on the crystal ball in Shuyu's palm, and then on the radiant Daoist aura between Li Xiaoyao's brows.

"Rainbow Haze... is not Hornwood. What a pity, what a pity."

The sound was faint, as if it came from a very distant place.

"But it is fate that you brought the essence of my Horned Wood here."

The illusory figure paused.

"My name is Changqing, the forty-seventh generation inner disciple of the Qingxiao Immortal Sect, in the late stage of the Purple Mansion realm, and I am ordered to guard the outpost of this Realm Ruins."

At that time, a strange change occurred in the boundary ruins, and the road was blocked by a blood tide, preventing reinforcements from arriving.

"I used the foundation of the Horned Wood Dao as fuel, burning away my lifespan to suppress the disturbances here for a hundred years, protecting the safety of several realms behind me."

"However, with the foundation of my Dao burned and the source scattered, I too am trapped and die here."

"My descendants have not come, and my bones are growing cold. Only this 'Eternal Green Decree' remains, a remnant of my consciousness, waiting... waiting..."

His voice began to fade, and his ghostly figure grew thinner and thinner.

"Waiting for someone to enter this room, to carry out my orders... and bring this message back to the Immortal Sect..."

"The desolate corridor... was not formed naturally... it is a remnant left after the ancient demon's world shattered and collapsed..."

Every three thousand years... it will release the Heart of the Demonic Ruins hidden deep within, along with the tides of the void...

"This world's ruins... are one of them..."

Deep within its core... there lies... an unripe...

Before he could finish speaking, the phantom image fluctuated violently and nearly collapsed.

Changqingzi suddenly looked up, his gaze piercing through the stone chamber, as if he could see the endless void deep within, and the ominous darkness that was slowly pulsating.

"Someone...someone is waiting for it to ripen..."

"It was the person who orchestrated this scheme back then..."

"He's still here..."

The last trace of sound faded away.

The phantom image, like smoke, disappeared into the Evergreen Decree.

The token's blue light completely dimmed, and several fine cracks appeared on its surface.

The stone chamber was deathly silent.

Li Xiaoyao and Master Shuyu remained silent for a long time.

That brief, fragmented last message contained an enormous amount of information and had a tremendous impact.

The Desolate Corridor, the Realm Ruins, the Shattered Realm of the Heavenly Demon, the Three-Thousand-Year Cycle, the Heart of the Demon Ruins, the One Who Lays the Plans...

Changqingzi had waited for countless years, waiting for someone who could bring the truth out.

Li Xiaoyao slowly stepped forward, bowed solemnly, and held the cracked "Evergreen Token" in his hands, putting it into his pocket.

Then he turned around and looked at Master Shuyu, his eyes showing no more hesitation.

"Mission objective changed."

"Collecting samples and drawing maps—these are secondary."

"Our real mission is only one thing: to delve into the core of the Realm Ruins, confirm the state of the Heart of the Demon Ruins, return alive, and report Senior Changqing's last words to the Immortal Sect."

Master Shuyu looked at him without rebuttal or questioning.

She simply nodded slightly.

"it is good."

"Walk."

Li Xiaoyao didn't say another word, and turned to walk out of the stone chamber.

Master Shuyu followed, her steps light and swift.

After passing through the passageway and the stone gate, we once again stepped into the eerie space filled with dark red fleshy walls.

The fishy, ​​sweet smell in the air seemed to be stronger, and the peristalsis of the surrounding flesh walls noticeably increased.

The viscous fluid seeping from those opening and closing holes flowed into thin streams, winding into a network on the black rocky ground.

Li Xiaoyao stopped and turned around.

At the entrance to the stone chamber, Changqing's skeleton still sat cross-legged, its white body as smooth as jade, silent as ever.

He turned back, bowed, and offered his hands in a gesture of support.

The rosy glow, like silk, gently covered the skeleton, carefully wrapping every inch of its bones.

Master Shuyu made a hand seal in perfect unison, and a curtain of azure water enveloped the side, isolating the corrosive mucus seeping from the flesh.

The skeleton lifted slightly, without scattering, and floated intact into Li Xiaoyao's palm.

It's extremely light, as light as a withered leaf.

Li Xiaoyao stored it in the deepest part of his storage artifact, placing it alongside the Evergreen Token.

"Senior, let me take you home."

He whispered something and then stopped.