I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

Chapter 121 As if Entering an Uninhabited Land

Half an hour later.

In a cellar somewhere in the clan's territory.

The group finally found the missing patriarch and other clan elders.

At this moment, the core leaders of the Hu family looked rather disheveled.

They were stunned by magic and carelessly left there like broken sacks, completely losing their usual pampered air.

The old patriarch of the Hu family twitched and his fingers trembled slightly, but he still managed to have Hu Wenjun revive the group.

A moment later, the patriarch slowly opened his eyes.

"Ancestor..."

The moment he regained his senses, his eyes widened, and cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

The patriarch of the Hu family did not reply, but stared at him coldly.

"What exactly happened?"

The old ancestor's tone was unusually low, as if he were a completely different person.

The head of the Hu family trembled slightly, slowly raised his head, and looked nervous and uneasy.

"Ancestor, we..."

The patriarch of the Hu family did not ask any further questions, but simply swept his divine sense over the unconscious people.

A moment later, his brows furrowed.

The group had no injuries, their meridians were intact, and their dantian was normal, but their spiritual fluctuations were clearly disordered.

From his perspective, it seemed that he had just been subjected to mental oppression, resulting in mental trauma that was difficult to recover from.

His face immediately turned ugly.

After a long pause, the patriarch finally spoke slowly: "Anming has already come?"

The patriarch's lips trembled slightly, but he remained silent for a long time.

Several elders nearby also lowered their heads, looking ashamed, and dared not utter a sound.

Seeing this, the patriarch of the Hu family immediately understood what had happened.

Silence fell over the cellar.

Just then, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside.

A member of the Hu family rushed into the secret room.

His face was pale, and his voice was somewhat panicked: "Ancestor! Something's happened! The couple from the third branch of the family have disappeared!"

The patriarch of the Hu family was speechless for a moment.

At this moment, Hu Wenjun finally realized the seriousness of the problem, and his forehead began to sweat like that of the family head and others.

From the time the ancestor left the clan's territory to his return, only about an hour had passed.

In just one hour, Hu Anming managed to evade all eyes and ears and sneak into the Hu family without anyone noticing, not even himself, a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The protective formation that the Hu family had relied on for so long failed to stop its advance, and no warning was even issued.

They allowed him to find the head of the family and the elders, and used their divine sense to force out the answers before finally taking his parents away.

No one noticed the entire process.

Thinking of this, Hu Wenjun felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

She had always known that Juan's talent in the Dao of Fate Array was amazing, but she always felt that he was nothing special, and she didn't even understand why the ancestor was so cautious and even wanted to personally go and pursue him.

Only now did she realize how terrifying this junior, whom she had never paid attention to before, was.

If the other party infiltrates the Hu family not for his parents, but to take his life, then he might not be able to resist.

Over the years, I seem to have underestimated this younger generation from the third wife's family.

After a long silence, Hu Wenjun couldn't help but speak up: "Ancestor, should we investigate immediately?"

The patriarch of the Hu family slowly opened his eyes, his gaze appearing somewhat cloudy.

Then, he gently shook his head.

"No need."

It's too late to chase after them now.

Only then did he realize that the other party's purpose was as simple as luring the tiger away from the mountain.

If he had known earlier that Juanming possessed the ability to move freely within the clan's protective formation, he would never have left the clan's territory so easily. At the very least, he should have left the formation behind.

Now that I understand, it's too late.

Since the other party dared to come, they must have already prepared an escape route, and they have probably already left the Hu family's territory.

Even if you wanted to chase after them at this point, you might not be able to find them, and it would only be a huge hassle and make you a laughingstock.

The patriarch of the Hu family suddenly laughed.

But to those around him, the laughter sounded cold and piercing.

The next moment, he suddenly swung his fist, smashing the wall next to him into dust.

The others were immediately alarmed upon seeing this and quickly knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly: "Ancestor, please calm your anger! Ancestor, please calm your anger!"

Upon seeing this, the Hu family patriarch roared, "A bunch of good-for-nothings, get out of here!"

This roar truly enraged the clan leader, elders, and other Qi Refining cultivators, causing their ears to ring and even drawing blood from their mouths and noses.

At that moment, even Hu Wenjun dared not offer any more advice and hurriedly left with the others.

The patriarch of the Hu family did not look at them, letting the group of people flee in a sorry state.

After he was left alone in the cellar, he gazed into the void, his eyes appearing somewhat clouded.

After a long while, he let out a long sigh.

"It seems that I am indeed getting old, and have been tricked by a junior to this extent."

The cellar fell silent for a moment, as if only this sigh remained.

Inside Red Maple Valley.

A tiny arc of electricity flashed silently, revealing Xu Zhou's figure within it.

He had just stopped when he let out a long sigh of relief, a trace of lingering fear still lingering in his eyes.

Fortunately, he was now in the valley's great formation, and his fear gradually dissipated.

"Mid-Foundation Establishment stage, top-grade spiritual weapon, truly extraordinary!"

"Each strike is no weaker than a Mountain-Swallowing Fire Talisman. If I weren't at the second level of stable array formation, I probably wouldn't even be able to withstand a single blow."

"Fortunately, this Chaotic Shadow and Illusory Mist Formation was carefully improved by Junior Brother Hu and me. When I control the formation, I don't need to stay inside it; the figures are simulated entirely by the formation's momentum."

"Otherwise, when the formation breaks, I might not have been able to escape that old thief's search."

As the initial fear subsided, Xu Zhou couldn't help but feel a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion or reflection).

With Juan's command to lend him the array crown, and having set up the array in advance, although he did not use his most proficient spirit wood to set up the array, he still went all out.

In the end, it only lasted for fifteen minutes.

"As expected, we should not underestimate Foundation Establishment cultivators who have lived for a long time."

Despite these thoughts, Xu Zhou was not discouraged.

Ultimately, mastering formations requires accumulation of experience.

If the patriarch of the Hu family were to launch a full-scale attack on Red Maple Valley, which he had cultivated for many years, it would likely be the other side that suffers the loss.

After breathing deeply for a while to recover the mana he had used up on the trip, Xu Zhou returned to the hut in the valley and waited for news from Hu Anming.

He has successfully held off the Hu family patriarch for more than an hour, so the other party should not have to be too difficult to defeat.

They waited like this for several hours.

As the sun began to set, Xu Zhou's divine sense stirred slightly, and he sensed several figures outside the great formation.

He immediately got up and went to the entrance of the valley.

As the incantation was cast, a gap slowly appeared in the great formation within the valley.

Soon, three figures walked in.

The leader was naturally Juan, who was noticeably more relaxed than when he left.

Behind him followed an elderly couple, both of whom were Qi Refining cultivators.

However, both of them had weak auras and pale faces, clearly indicating that their physical condition was not good.

However, Xu Zhou breathed a sigh of relief the moment he saw the two of them.

The trip finally yielded a good result.

Upon seeing Xu Zhou, Juan immediately cupped his hands in thanks and said solemnly, "Senior Brother, thank you very much for this."

Xu Zhou nodded, then looked at the elderly couple on the other side.

Juanming stepped slightly to the side and introduced, "These are my father and mother."

Upon hearing this, the couple quickly stepped forward and bowed.

"Greetings, Senior Xu."

Xu Zhou quickly waved his hand: "You two are too kind. I am from the same sect as Junior Brother Hu, so there is no need for such formalities."

Then he looked at Juanming and said, "Let's go inside first and talk about it."

, 7

The group made their way to the wooden house.

As soon as he sat down, Xu Zhou noticed something interesting.

Throughout the journey, Juanming's mother kept looking at her son, as if she couldn't get enough of looking at him.

As for his father, he seemed somewhat dazed.

Even after entering the wooden house and sitting down, I still kept looking out the window.

After a moment of silence, the old man finally couldn't help but speak.

"Safe life."

"Yes," Juan replied immediately.

"We're really out?"

Juan paused slightly, then nodded solemnly.

"Father, he's out."

"9

The old man's lips moved, and after a long while, he whispered, "The Hu family won't come after us, will they?"

Upon hearing these words, Juan's expression softened somewhat, which was rather unusual for his usual demeanor.

"Father, you don't need to worry about these things anymore. We've already left the Hu family."

The room fell silent again.

The old man sat there blankly for a long time, and then his eyes slowly reddened.

Xu Zhou sat to the side, silently watching the scene without saying a word.

For some reason, he suddenly reminded you of many years ago.

My parents from my past life, and my uncle who took care of me and supported my education in this life, have all turned to dust by now.

As I cultivate myself, the number of old friends dwindles, let alone my relatives.

Being able to spend time with like-minded people is a rare and joyous thing.