To comprehend all laws and attain immortality

Gu Fan followed Yang Ju through the array barrier, and a rather prosperous mountain city immediately appeared before his eyes.

The buildings are all constructed of gray-brown stone, gradually ascending along the mountainside, exuding a majestic and imposing atmosphere amidst their ancient simplicity and grandeur. The streets are bustling with pedestrians, and the cries of merchants fill the air.

At the top of the mountain is a vast palace complex, with a nine-story stone pagoda at its center.

To Gu Fan's surprise, the nine-story stone tower was actually built entirely of yellow dragon stone. The rich earth element spiritual energy gathered and hung down from the top of the tower, as if draping the stone tower with a light golden veil.

"Senior, this is the Yang clan's territory—Stone Forest City."

Yang Ju pointed to the nine-story stone pagoda and explained, "The people living in Stone Forest City are all members of the Yang clan, as well as ordinary families who depend on the Yang clan for survival. Cultivators live on the mountaintop. That stone pagoda is the Yang clan ancestral hall, which was built by the ancestors who established Stone Forest City."

Gu Fan nodded slightly.

With his level of understanding, he naturally saw more than what Yang Ju said.

The nine-story stone pagoda should not only be an ancestral hall, but also the hub of the great formation outside the Stone Forest City. There may even be another defensive formation outside the stone pagoda, which is connected with the great formation outside the Stone Forest.

Once the outer formation of the Stone Forest is broken, the formation of the Stone Tower will automatically activate.

Gu Fan greatly admired this ingenious idea.

Two young men stood behind the stone forest formation.

One was short and stout, with slightly dark skin, and wore a brown short-sleeved shirt.

One was tall and strong, with a sallow complexion, and wore a long black robe.

Both of them were at the Qi Refining stage. Upon seeing Yang Ju appear, they immediately smiled and stepped forward to pay their respects.

"Third Uncle is back!"

"Greetings, Third Uncle!"

"Hmm." Yang Ju nodded indifferently, his expression suddenly becoming serious, and the frivolous look on his face vanished.

"Third Uncle...why didn't the other brothers and sisters come back with us?"

The short, stout young man asked hesitantly.

As gatekeepers, they knew that Yang Ju had gone out, accompanied by several younger members of the Yang family.

Yang Ju returned far too quickly, and the Yang family members who accompanied him did not return; instead, he brought back a stranger.

As the short, stout young man spoke, he curiously sized up Gu Fan. When he realized he couldn't discern Gu Fan's cultivation level, he quickly turned away, not daring to be impolite.

Yang Ju's face stiffened, and a hint of anger appeared in his eyes: "On my recent trip, I encountered the Lin family scoundrels on the way. Xiao Shanzi and the others... all sacrificed themselves for the family."

The two young men were shocked upon hearing this, their faces filled with disbelief.

"How could that be! If that's the case... Ningmei, she also..."

The short, stout young man's voice trembled, and when he finished speaking, he was gritting his teeth, his eyes bloodshot and glistening with tears.

Yang Ju patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "Cultivate diligently, and one day follow me to take the lives of the Lin family's scoundrels!"

"Yes!" the short, stout young man said angrily, clenching his fists.

Then, Yang Ju introduced the two young men: "This is Senior Meng."

"It was Senior Meng who saved my life. I will inform the clan leader and invite Senior Meng to become a guest elder. Why don't you come and pay your respects?"

"Junior Yang Zhang and Yang Ke pay their respects to their seniors."

Upon hearing that Gu Fan was actually a guest elder invited by Yang Ju, the two dared not be negligent and quickly bowed.

"No need for formalities," Gu Fan nodded.

Although the two were only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, their magical power fluctuations were very stable, and their foundation was extremely solid.

Judging from his appearance, he is only in his thirties. If he has not taken the Youth Preservation Pill, he can reach the mid-stage of Qi Refining at this age. He has a good chance of Foundation Establishment in this life and can be considered to have a promising future.

After bidding farewell to the two young men, Yang Ju led Gu Fan and flew towards the mountaintop.

At the palace complex atop the mountain, cultivators would occasionally pass by, and upon meeting Yang Ju, they would all bow to him and step aside to make way for him.

"It seems Yang Ju holds a rather high position in the Yang family."

Yang Ju seemed to sense Gu Fan's thoughts and smiled, "To be honest, senior, the current head of the Yang family is my uncle. My father was the eldest son of the Yang family, but unfortunately he died in an accident while traveling."

"Thanks to my second uncle for taking over the family business and raising us younger generations."

As they were talking, the two arrived at a rather luxurious hall with the words "Houde Hall" written on the plaque above it.

Houde Hall seemed to be reserved for entertaining guests. Although all the furnishings were carved from metal and stone, they all shone with a spiritual light. Although it was far inferior to the blessed land of Ziyun Palace of the Lingxiao Sect, considering the situation of the Yang family, it was clear that they had put a lot of thought into it.

The latest chapter has ignited the plot! Stay tuned for more updates.

As the two entered the main hall, Yang Ju secretly made a hand gesture, and the maid standing in the hall cleverly turned and left.

Before long, the maid returned, carrying a teacup.

"This is stone scale tea. Please, senior, taste it," Yang Ju said, pointing to the teacup.

Gu Fan picked up the teacup and glanced at it, his eyebrows twitching slightly.

There were indeed some things resembling tea leaves at the bottom of the teacup, but Gu Fan's divine sense immediately told him that they were not tea leaves, but rather stone-like particles.

But he didn't suspect Yang Ju would poison him, so he took a small sip.

In an instant, a rich aroma filled my nostrils, like the fragrance of dust stirred up after a light rain.

More importantly, it contains a richer spiritual energy than ordinary spiritual tea.

"Not bad." Gu Fan put down his teacup and praised.

Yang Ju breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "This tea is formed from the earth elemental energy of the Stone Forest. Each tea leaf takes more than ten years to form, so the yield is not high. I'm glad you're satisfied, senior."

"Please wait a moment, senior. I will go and fetch the clan leader."

After Gu Fan nodded, Yang Ju got up and left.

......

Yang Ju left Houde Hall and headed straight for the nine-story stone pagoda.

A group of guards stood in front of the stone pagoda, and they all bowed when they saw Yang Ju.

Yang Ju ignored the crowd and quickly climbed the stone tower, going straight to the seventh floor.

Upon arriving at the seventh floor, Yang Ju found two maids guarding the door. He immediately asked, "Is the clan leader in seclusion?"

"Reporting to Third Master, the clan leader has not been in seclusion these past few days, waiting for your return," the maid said respectfully.

Yang Ju nodded and was led by a maid to a quiet room.

An elderly man with a square face and an imposing presence sat cross-legged on a futon, playing with a jade ruyi in his hand.

"Why did you return so quickly this time?"

The old man asked in surprise.

Yang Ju looked bitter, knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed, saying, "Your nephew is incompetent. On this trip, we were surrounded by the Lin family, and the disciples who accompanied me... all sacrificed their lives for the clan."

The old man shuddered, veins bulging on his forehead, and he gripped the jade ruyi tightly, making a creaking sound.

"The Lin family... the Lin family!"

Upon hearing the news, the maid covered her mouth in shock, not daring to utter a sound.

The quiet room fell silent.

After a long while, the old man slowly loosened his fist and exhaled a long breath.

"I'm glad you're alright... So, the offerings were also stolen?"

"No, the offerings are still there!"

Yang Ju raised his head, took out a storage bag, and placed it in front of him.

"My nephew thought he was doomed this time, but he never expected to meet a foreign cultivator."

Yang Ju then recounted how he met Gu Fan and his promise to hire him as a guest advisor.

"An outsider cultivator, and a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator at that!"

The old man asked solemnly, "Have you been able to ascertain their origins?"

Yang Ju slowly shook his head: "That person was quite cautious and did not test me. However... judging from his speech and clothing, he does not seem to be a demonic cultivator. Moreover, our Yang family is located at the southern end of the Western Continent. If he were a cultivator from the Chen or Qin Kingdom, he should have some understanding of the situation in the Chu Kingdom. He doesn't even know that foreign cultivators need to be affiliated with a family in the Chu Kingdom. In my opinion, he is probably not a cultivator from our Western Continent."

"The State of Wei?"

The old man stroked his beard and suddenly thought of something.

Yang Ju nodded slightly: "That's what I think too."

The Yan Kingdom is located in the northern part of the Eastern Continent. If the Wu Kingdom wants to go to the Western Continent, it needs to pass through the Wei Kingdom and the Wilderness Mountain. Therefore, the Wei Kingdom is the most likely candidate.

"In that case, this person's appearance is truly a stroke of good fortune for the Yang family."

The old man looked thoughtful and spoke slowly.

The reason why the Yang family was suppressed by the Lin family was simply because they were not strong enough, and they had fewer Foundation Establishment cultivators than the Lin family.

A late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator is of considerable importance to the Han Clan.

"However... we cannot be careless. After all, he is an outsider cultivator of unknown origin. Even if we hire him as a guest elder, we cannot let him stay in the clan's territory," the old man said in a deep voice.

"Uncle," Yang Ju suggested, "the Lin family has attacked the mine several times in an attempt to obstruct our tribute. Although we have managed to thwart them each time, they are still a problem."

"Why not let him guard the stone quarry?"

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