Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improving Spiritual Root Aptitude

Two days later, the Bai family members on Yunxi Mountain were still immersed in the afterglow of the days of celebration when Bai Chenzhan, the head of the Bai family, was interrupted by an urgent report from a disciple of the family.

"What did you say? Is the news true?"

Bai Chenzhan suddenly stood up, his tone filled with disbelief. He asked a couple of questions, and the smile on his face vanished instantly.

The disciple who reported stood with his hands at his sides, his expression solemn and resolute: "Master, it is absolutely true. We discovered Deng Cangwu's body while patrolling the wilderness outside the mountains. At first, we couldn't believe it, but after repeatedly verifying his appearance, we dared to rush back to report."

"Where is the body?"

Bai Chenzhan spoke very quickly, his words already carrying a hint of urgency.

"It's inside the secret room; the patriarch can inspect it himself."

Bai Chenzhan said no more and immediately led his men to the secret chamber.

A coarse cloth was spread out on the open ground, and Deng Cangwu's body lay quietly on it. His face was bluish-purple but there were no obvious wounds, and there was not even a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation left from the battle.

He scrutinized Deng Cangwu repeatedly, his expression suddenly hardening.

"Quickly, go and report to the Ancestor!"

Bai Chenzhan gave the order in a deep voice, his tone urgent.

Before long, the atmosphere in the Bai family's council hall became solemn.

Bai Chenzhan and several elders at the late stage of Qi Refining stood on either side. At the head of the table sat Bai Sinan, the patriarch of the Bai family, while on the other side, there was an equal seat, where Bai Chenyao, who had recently succeeded in Foundation Establishment, sat.

The Bai family now has two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Deng Cangwu's body was then carried to the center of the hall.

Bai Chenyao stared at the corpse, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He said in a deep voice, "Who did this? Deng Cangwu was a peak early Foundation Establishment cultivator. To be able to kill him silently is no ordinary person."

Having recently broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he was well aware of the strength of Foundation Establishment cultivators. Even when facing a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, Deng Cangwu could hold his own for a long time. It was easy for a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator to defeat him, but extremely difficult to kill him.

Unless it's a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator?

Even so, traces of the battle would inevitably remain, making it impossible to be so clean and efficient.

A chilling thought suddenly popped into his mind.

Could he be a powerful cultivator at the Golden Core stage?

Could it be that the Deng family offended a Golden Core cultivator, which led to their current predicament?

This thought sent a chill down Bai Chenyao's spine, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

Before he established his foundation, his knowledge of the power of the Golden Core realm was limited to hearsay.

It wasn't until the day he reached the Foundation Establishment stage, when the spiritual energy of heaven and earth filled his body and the gaseous spiritual power within him condensed into liquid true essence, that he truly felt the vast difference between the Qi Refining stage and the Foundation Establishment stage.

In his eyes, the Qi Refining cultivators who were once his peers were now like ants.

By extension, the strength of a Golden Core cultivator is probably terrifying beyond his current comprehension.

A sense of awe arose spontaneously, but a deeper worry also gripped my heart.

Deng Cangwu died in Qingxi County, which is Bai family territory. This means that there may be a Golden Core cultivator hidden in this area.

It would be fine if Deng Cangwu died because he offended a powerful figure, but what if that powerful figure was capricious?

If he can kill Deng Cangwu so easily today, he might be able to take action against the Bai family tomorrow.

Bai Chenyao suppressed his emotions and used his divine sense to transmit his thoughts and concerns to his grandfather, Bai Sinan.

Upon hearing this, Bai Sinan paused slightly, stroking his long beard, and a hint of worry appeared between his brows as he fell into deep thought.

Bai Chenzhan, unaware of the telepathic exchange between the two Foundation Establishment cultivators, saw the worried expressions on their faces and immediately stepped forward, saying, "Ancestor, regardless of who the murderer is, this person has done us a great favor. With Deng Cangwu dead, the Deng family is leaderless, making it the perfect opportunity for us to take revenge!"

Bai Sinan pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded, a resolute glint in his eyes: "You are absolutely right. The Deng family has lost its leader and its strength has been greatly diminished. We must immediately reorganize the cultivators in the clan, and in three days, we will march on the Deng family!"

He did not delve further into the killer's identity. The cultivation world was inherently a dog-eat-dog world, and the violent death of an enemy was beneficial to him, so why bother with the reasons?

Furthermore, if that Golden Core expert truly intended to harm the Bai family, it would be far beyond their ability to resist. Excessive worry would be nothing more than needless anxiety.

However, after this meeting, the Bai family promulgated a peculiar clan rule.

In the future, when you encounter strangers of unknown identity, as long as you have no grudges against them, you must treat them with respect and courtesy. Even if they are just ordinary people, you must not be negligent towards them.

Although the clansmen did not understand the reason, this rule was personally promulgated by the two Foundation Establishment ancestors, and those who violated it would be severely punished. Even if they had doubts, no one dared to disobey it easily.

The following morning, the Bai family held a clan mobilization meeting in the front hall, announcing the news of Deng Cangwu's death and declaring that they would launch a general attack on the Deng family to wash away the humiliation of being oppressed for many years.

The Bai family had long been bullied by the Deng family. Now that the Deng family's only Foundation Establishment cultivator had fallen, while their own family had two Foundation Establishment cultivators in charge, their morale instantly soared to its peak. Everyone was eager to try their skills.

Niu Dazhuang was also in the crowd and was infected by the enthusiastic atmosphere, so he immediately signed up.

In his view, this was clearly a battle he was sure to win. He would not only be able to hold his head high and show off in the clan, but he would also receive a lot of rewards afterward. There was no reason not to participate.

In contrast, Wu Fan remained in his courtyard, showing no interest in the conflict between the two families.

Even though victory was assured, he was unwilling to get involved in clan conflicts.

Furthermore, he and the Bai family were originally in an employment relationship, and they knew his temperament, so they wouldn't force him.

On the morning of the third day, all the cultivators of the Bai family came out, including all the disciples in the early stage of Qi Refining, and headed straight for the Deng family's residence.

The clansmen who remained in Yunxi Mountain lived in constant fear, especially Niu Dazhuang's two wives, who would stand guard outside the courtyard at the crack of dawn and not go inside to rest until nightfall, eagerly awaiting the triumphant return of the expeditionary army.

The Deng family was indeed thrown into chaos after losing Deng Cangwu, with the elders each harboring their own ulterior motives and their command in disarray.

Faced with the fierce attack of the Bai family cultivators, the Deng family disciples were defeated one after another, and soon lost all the outer strongholds, retreating to the protective formation at the core of the clan's territory.

Bai Sinan clearly intended for Bai Chenyao to establish prestige through this battle, so he appointed him as the main attacker.

Bai Chenyao, wielding only an ordinary magic weapon, rampaged through the Deng family cultivators. The true essence power of the Foundation Establishment cultivators overwhelmed the entire scene, and none of the Deng family disciples could stop him. The spiritual light of the clan's protective array also gradually dimmed under the combined bombardment of the Bai family members.

Within three days, the Deng family's protective formation was breached, and the clan's cultivators either died or surrendered. The Deng family, which had once terrorized Qingxi County for many years, was thus wiped out.

Due to the rules set by Falling Star Valley, the Bai family could not exterminate any clan that surrendered voluntarily. The Bai family had no choice but to let the remaining members of the Deng family pack up their belongings overnight and leave the clan land where they had lived for hundreds of years.

As for whether the Bai family would secretly send people to pursue them, no one knew, and no one would bother to investigate.

On the day the army returned in triumph, the sound of celebratory drums and gongs resounded once again in Yunxi Mountain, even louder than before.