Born with immortal seed

Chapter 320 Ancestral Master's Remains
Celestial Valley, Hidden Mountain Villa.

Legend has it that a giant elephant demon king once wreaked havoc in this area, and only after it was killed by a passing powerful figure did traces of cultivators begin to appear.

Three hundred years ago, the Luo family ancestors occupied the second-tier spiritual vein of Tianxiang Valley and established the Hidden Mountain Villa.

Unlike other factions, Fuzang Manor, mainly composed of members of the Luo family, controls the vast majority of interests in Tianxiang Valley.

However, among the disciples of the Luo family's ancestor, there were two late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators who were very important to the fledgling Hidden Treasure Manor.

They then divided some power among these two individuals, which resulted in a distorted structure that was neither a family nor a sect.

When the Luo family ancestor was alive, things were fine, but after he passed away, the other disciples began to have opinions about the Luo family members who occupied more than 80% of the real power in the Hidden Mountain Villa.

In less than thirty years, this contradiction has become irreconcilable.

They split into two factions: family and master-disciple, who were hostile to each other and regarded each other as enemies.

At the same time, the Luo family members were divided into several branches based on their blood ties.

The master and his apprentices were of the same lineage, but different factions emerged based on their lineage.

Severe internal strife caused the once glorious Hidden Mountain Manor, led by the Luo family ancestor, a pseudo-core cultivator, to quickly decline.

Their sphere of influence continued to shrink, becoming confined to the Tianxiang Valley.

This allowed them to escape several raids on Hejian County after Qingfeng Sect entered the area. Fuzang Manor couldn't even curry favor with Guiling Sect, so naturally, they had no connection with them.

However, as Qingfeng Sect's control over Hejian County grew stronger, all forces existing in the form of sects had deep concerns.

Everything else is negotiable. Cultivation families can exist in my territory, recruit retainers, and develop their power.

Or perhaps it is a wandering Taoist priest who takes on disciples and transmits the Dharma; that is also acceptable.

As for gathering independent cultivators and establishing a power base, no one would care.

There are only two taboos, and those who violate them will never be pardoned or forgiven; they are absolute red lines.

Cultivation families that recruit unrelated immortals will be subjected to soul-searching and torture by those in charge. Anyone found to have known about such matters but failed to report them will face certain death.

In severe cases, the entire clan may be wiped out.

The other option is to establish a sect within the territory of the Qingfeng Sect and continue the lineage.

In this respect, Qingfeng Sect was also so stubborn that it went to the point of demonic possession. The master-disciple model of independent cultivators was one thing, but to open a mountain gate and build a grand and ostentatious sect was simply courting death.

Either you offer up your heritage and become a branch of the Qingfeng Sect, or you are asked to leave.

Other Core Formation level sects, and even Nascent Soul level sects, are not so domineering. They treat those small sects as ordinary forces and do not give them special treatment.

The rules that Qingfeng Sect has followed since its founding cannot be broken when it comes to Hejian County.

The edict strictly prohibiting cultivation families from absorbing immortal offspring without bloodline had been circulated throughout the prefecture several years ago.

Rumors suggest that restrictions on smaller sects will also be introduced soon.

The sects in Hejian County were so anxious that they desperately asked around and tried to find a way to make an exception.

"Qingfeng Sect hasn't given any official notice yet, so why are we already in a panic... If you ask me, it's questionable whether this pattern will even apply in Hejian."

In the main hall of Fuzang Mountain Villa, several people sat around a long table.

They sat on opposite sides, clearly separated.

As soon as the person who spoke first opened his mouth, the three people on the right showed disdain and shook their heads in unison.

"Luo Gan, anything done without preparation will fail... Restrictions on cultivation families have already been introduced, how could they let sects like ours off the hook?"

On the right side of the long table, a thin, unassuming Taoist priest in a gray robe spoke.

"If the Qingfeng Sect were to actually make a move, it would be a catastrophe for us!"

"Senior Brother Qiao is really good at spreading alarmist rumors. There are at least ten well-known sects in Hejian, involving forty or fifty Foundation Establishment cultivators. If Qingfeng Sect were to cut off all of them, it would incur the wrath of the masses."

Luo Gan, who looked quite young, said nonchalantly.

"Besides, our Luo family is a family lineage, relying on bloodlines... If anyone is going to panic, it's your master and disciple lineage, what does it have to do with my Luo family?"

"Then we'll just expel your entire lineage from Celestial Phenomenon Valley, and that'll solve everything!"

"Hey Luo, what do you mean by this?!"

A burly man with a fierce face slammed his fist on the table and stood up, his eyes wide with anger.

"Brother Luo, is this also your idea? If so, I think there's no need for us to continue negotiating."

The Taoist priest surnamed Qiao stopped the enraged man, his eyes fixed on another Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Luo family opposite him.

"Haha, you all misunderstood. I'm young and inexperienced, it was just a slip of the tongue... Brother Gan, apologize to your senior brothers!"

On the left side of the long table, a middle-aged man with strong features and a dignified appearance chuckled and brushed aside his cousin's words.

"Regarding this matter, the three of you are free to speak your minds and let's pool our wisdom and efforts."

"We need to be prepared for both possibilities. Our Hidden Mountain Manor has rarely made a public appearance in recent years, so we shouldn't be targeted so quickly... If the Azure Maple Sect can really make an exception for our sect, that would be best. If not, we would like to take our master and disciples and half of the treasury with us and leave Hejian for other prefectures."

As soon as the Taoist surnamed Qiao finished speaking, Luo Gan jumped up: "Well, so this is what you were waiting for... In the end, it's all about the little bit of stuff left by the ancestor. If you really have any backbone, you should leave immediately and start your own sect!"

"Our lineage of master and disciples also made great contributions to the establishment of the Hidden Treasure Manor. What's wrong with taking half of the treasure?"

The burly man with a face full of scars had a loud voice that shook the hall.

"Senior Brother Qiao, why go to such lengths... Isn't the solution I suggested to you last time also a viable option?"

Before Luo Ting could say anything more, a loud bang came from outside the main hall, followed by several thunderous booms.

The people in the hall were stunned at first, then their expressions changed drastically as they rushed outside and witnessed a terrifying scene.

The protective formation set up above Tianxiang Valley was breached in an instant.

The light curtain above my head shattered, revealing the sky directly beneath, like a giant tattered sack.

The protective formation of Fuzang Manor is a top-grade second-tier formation, and with five Foundation Establishment cultivators within it, it should theoretically be able to withstand some or all of any attacks.

Luo Ting's expression was grim. He took out the token that represented the manor lord's identity and was also the core of the array's operation.

Several cracks appeared on it, and it was dull and lifeless. As soon as magic power was injected, it shattered into several pieces.

"A Core Formation True Person!"

Senior Brother Qiao saw it clearly, his face turned deathly pale in an instant, and he managed to utter a sentence with difficulty.

The fact that it instantly destroyed a second-tier top-grade formation without giving it even a chance to react only proves that the attack it suffered at that moment far exceeded its tolerance limit.

Even if multiple Foundation Establishment cultivators at the peak of their cultivation were to make a move, they wouldn't be able to achieve this level of success; at least they would have given the group some time to react.

Only a True Immortal who has reached the Core Formation stage can achieve this.

With the formation broken, chaos erupted in the Hidden Mountain Villa, with disciples below shouting and screaming in terror.

However, the five Foundation Establishment cultivators had no intention of reprimanding the management, as they all felt hopeless and helpless.

Regardless of which Core Formation cultivator came, breaking through the formation without saying a word already demonstrated their attitude.

The strength of Fuzang Manor is like an ant against a tree when it comes to a Core Formation cultivator.

"Where is that Core Formation cultivator? Surely he didn't just break through our formation and leave?"

Luo Gan glanced around and mustered his courage to ask.

"Could it be a senior who's always playing the field, casually giving us a lesson? Or perhaps a Core Formation cultivator is still in the valley, and we have no idea..."

Senior Brother Qiao frowned; everyone seemed powerless in this situation.

"Let's restore order in the valley first. If outsiders see this chaos, they'll think our Hidden Mountain Manor is about to be wiped out, and everyone is running away in the face of disaster."

Luo Ting said coldly, flying towards the nearest hall to reprimand and restrain the disciples who were running around like headless flies.

Senior Brother Qiao blushed. The disciples below were making such a fuss, and it was no wonder that the disciples of the master's lineage were fanning the flames.

The desire of the master and disciple to separate is common knowledge.

Some disciples actually thought that the breaking of the great formation meant that the negotiations had failed, and they took this opportunity to jump around and create panic.

……

"Is this where you discovered the remains of Patriarch Qingfeng?"

Following Tie Changsheng's guidance, Bai Zichen arrived at Tianxiang Valley and found it completely shrouded in an array.

He had a detailed map of the power distribution in Hejian County, presented to him by his subordinates. He could tell at a glance that there was a sect called Fuzang Manor in the area.

“That’s right, this is the place… When I was a child, the back of the valley was not yet surrounded by the Hidden Mountain Villa, which is why I was able to come and go.”

Tie Changsheng glanced at it and said with certainty.

"If we had set up a base here in Black Mountain, we would have been wiped out ten times over... Since this is a gradual plan devised by Senior Brother Wei, it is not right to kill him without warning."

Bai Zichen looked at the formation beneath him, and casually swung his Moon Whirl Sword, tearing the formation apart as if it were a piece of white paper.

The sword light then shifted, bringing Tie Changsheng to the rear of Tianxiang Valley.

Amidst a jumble of rocks, withered trees, and crows, the two entered, startling a dark mass of birds into the sky.

Bai Zichen's divine sense spread outwards, and after a moment he made a discovery. Holding Tie Changsheng in his hand, he took a step forward and leaped over a hundred feet to appear in front of a stone wall.

Pushing aside the tall weeds, a skeleton leans against the stone wall, one hand supporting itself on the ground, the other slightly raised.

The white skeletal skull protruded, clearly twisted, and was facing the Qingfeng Sect to the north.

"Disciple pays respects to Ancestor Qingfeng."

Bai Zichen bowed three times to the skeleton, and just as he was about to step forward to collect the remains, a thought struck him.

He squatted down and touched the forearm bone of Ancestor Qingfeng.

Brushing away the thick layer of dust, the bones were covered with spiderweb-like cracks.

Not only on the arms, but also on the leg bones, sternum, and even on the skull, there were dense cracks.

It doesn't seem like it was hit by a heavy external force; it's more like it's spreading from the inside out.

At the same time, the bones appeared dark gray, as if all the essence in the bones had been lost. This phenomenon should never appear on the remains of a Core Formation cultivator.

"Pink Crystal Jade Shattering Technique!"

Bai Zichen blurted out, his heart pounding.

This phenomenon is an irreversible consequence of exceeding the time limit of activating the Pink Crystal Shattering Jade Technique.

The powerful physical body created by the Five Crystal Glass Body possesses terrifying strength that comes from self-destruction, and the damage it inflicts on the body is equally astonishing.

"What kind of opponent did he encounter that required Ancestor Qingfeng to activate the Pink Crystal Jade Shattering Technique and sustain it for more than a hundred breaths!"

Bai Zichen fell into deep thought, recalling the main rivals from the early days of the sect in the Transmission Hall.

(End of this chapter)