Born with immortal seed

Chapter 4 The Five Sacred Mountains
Deep within the main hall, the memorial tablets of several ancestors who made outstanding contributions since the Bai family established themselves in the Black Mountain Range were enshrined. On both sides stood twenty-four longevity candles as thick as an arm, their dim candlelight making the tablets flicker.

The middle-aged man sitting in the center of the hall was Bai Xianzong, the current patriarch of the Bai family. He was at the early stage of Foundation Establishment and had been in charge of the family for twenty years. His prestige had grown stronger and stronger. It could be said that he single-handedly supported the Bai family.

On either side stood four men and one woman, all cultivators at the late stage of Qi Refining, who managed a portion of the Bai family's foundation and served as the five elders of the clan.

Further down, they were divided into many rows according to their respective duties and cultivation levels. The crowd was dense and dark, with almost all of the Bai family's cultivators currently in the clan territory present. The atmosphere was quiet and solemn.

Bai Zichen and Bai Ying stood at the very back. Being short to begin with, they could only see the layers of shoulders of the adults in front of them even when they stood on tiptoe.

"My uncle seems to be in the second row. It seems he has a decent status in the clan. After all, he is only one step away from the late stage of Qi Refining. Once he breaks through, he will become a major fighting force in the clan."

Given their age, if it weren't for the special nature of the clan assembly, any Bai family cultivator, regardless of age or cultivation level, could attend, and they wouldn't even be qualified to enter this council hall. But they were just decorations; no matter how the clan held its meetings, it wouldn't be the turn of two ten-year-old children to interrupt, and the attention of the others wasn't on them either.

The chubby man craned his neck, looking very excited, and lowered his voice: "Brother Chen, did you hear what the clan leader said? Even the Qingfeng Sect has confirmed that it is the cave of the Five Mountains Immortal. If our Bai family can find one or two treasures this time, we will be rich. Maybe in a few years, we will be added to the list of the five great immortal cultivation families!"

Chen Taige, the Five Sacred Mountains True Man, was known as the number one rogue cultivator in Mizhou three hundred years ago. He was a late-stage Golden Core cultivator who was expected to break through to the Nascent Soul realm and had a considerable reputation throughout the Liang Kingdom.

After returning to his hometown of Heishan County in his later years, he put even more pressure on Qingfeng Sect, making it hard for them to breathe. After all, although the sect's Supreme Elder was also a Golden Core True Person, he was far inferior to Chen Taige, the number one rogue cultivator in Mizhou.

Chen Taige's natal magic weapon is a set of heavy magic weapons shaped like five mountain peaks, hence his title. When the five peaks appear together, countless cultivators die under the power of this magic weapon.

However, this master did not seem to have a successor. After his death, the disciples who followed him quickly scattered like birds and beasts, and several magical treasures, including the Five Sacred Peaks, disappeared without a trace.

At the time, some people speculated that the Five Mountains Immortal had a real treasure cave hidden in secret, and a treasure-hunting craze swept through the area within a century after his death. Over time, the speculation gradually faded away.

Bai Zichen carefully recalled the records of the Five Sacred Mountains Immortals in the Black Mountain County Annals, and couldn't help but feel a longing for them.

"The key to the Five Mountains Immortals' Cave is the attitude of the Qingfeng Sect. If they are willing to share some of the spoils with us, that would be great. But if they want to monopolize this opportunity and exclude all other cultivation families, then even if our Bai family tries our best, we will probably only lose everything."

Elder Bai Shoushun, whose hair and beard were all white but whose face was ruddy, spoke with a booming voice. He was not only at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, but also of high seniority within the clan. “Hong Gu, your Jiang Liang is from the Qingfeng Sect. His master is an elder of the Talisman Hall. Has he heard any news from within the sect about what those important figures are planning?”

Within Black Mountain County, the Azure Maple Sect holds absolute power, possessing the best and most abundant resources, and subtly rivals other cultivation families.

But after so many years, we've become intertwined, each other in the other's presence.

Like the Bai family, more than ten disciples have entered the sect generation after generation. Elder Hong Gu's partner was also an inner disciple of the Qingfeng Sect. Although she was not good at fighting, her talisman skills were famous far and wide, and she was already a first-class high-grade talisman master.

"Brother Liang sent a message yesterday, saying that the elders of Qingfeng Sect suggested joining forces with several cultivation families to first enclose the Five Sacred Mountains True Man's cave and drive out the rogue cultivators, and then slowly develop it..."

The only woman among the five elders was a middle-aged beauty with a plump figure and a hint of hardship around her eyes. After a moment of contemplation, she spoke slowly.

"It would be great if we had the opportunity to cooperate. Our family contributes a lot of resources to the Qingfeng Sect every year and responds promptly to any requests. We shouldn't be left out this time, right?"

"It's hard to say. Those five families are very powerful. If they really join forces, even the Qingfeng Sect will have a headache. They will definitely have to consider their thoughts."

Although it was called a clan meeting, it was really just a discussion among the five elders. Occasionally, Bai Xianzong would say something, and everyone would immediately stop to listen and wait for him to finish before continuing the discussion. No other clansman, regardless of their status, dared to speak without being called upon by an elder.

Bai Zichen hid at the very back, leaning against a pillar and listening with great interest. How could he know so many intricacies of the various families in Black Mountain County and his own clan just by reading books? Many of these were things he would need to pay attention to when he traveled the world of cultivation in the future.

"...Then it's settled. Tomorrow, Hong Gu and Bai Lu will lead a group of clansmen to travel with me to the Five Mountains True Man's Cave. The clan affairs will be handled by the Grand Elder. Also, the patrol team should keep a close eye on things, increase manpower and patrol frequency, and if necessary, use swift and decisive measures. Recently, there have been many rogue cultivators gathering, so we must prevent any foolish cultivators from having wicked intentions and targeting my Bai family."

With the clan chief Bai Xianzong's approval, the Bai family's next course of action was set.

The loss of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, two elders, and a team of elite family cultivators will inevitably leave the Bai family's internal strength significantly weakened. Bai Zichen suddenly realized that the clan was not as safe as he had imagined, and the original plan for steady development might have to be revised, as he was still too weak.

A novice who has just successfully cultivated Qi has not yet learned any magic and has no means of self-defense. Even several strong adult men with weapons could threaten him.

……

"Chen'er, here are five Vajra Talismans, five Fireball Talismans, and five Swift Travel Talismans. I taught you how to use them last night, so you must remember them well."

Bai Jiu'an stroked Bai Zichen's head and said earnestly, "While your uncle is away, don't wander around. Stay on Qingfeng Cliff and live with Bai Ying and her family. Don't go back to Fufeng Ridge for now."

"Uncle, I understand." Bai Zichen nodded honestly.

As soon as the clan meeting ended yesterday, Bai Jiu'an received a notice that he had been selected into a team of twelve to accompany the clan leader to the cave of the Five Sacred Mountains Immortal.

Family orders cannot be disobeyed, especially since they involve great risks, but also great opportunities.

As a cultivator with four spiritual roots, he is less than ten years away from the window of decline of his qi and blood at the age of fifty. If he still wants to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he has no chance without risking his life.

However, he couldn't rest easy about his young nephew who had just embarked on the path of immortality. The Bai family had set up a large formation centered on Hanxiu Peak, but the outer areas only had basic functions such as early warning and deception. Only the formation within the main peak area could truly protect and kill enemies.

After much deliberation, they decided to entrust Bai Zichen to Bai Ying's parents. Both of them were mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators, and if they encountered a Tribulation Cultivator, they would be able to protect themselves and delay the family patrol team until they arrived.

At the same time, in order to give his little nephew some ability to protect himself, he stuffed a bunch of talismans over.

It is said that human relationships are cold in the cultivation world, and that fellow cultivators, clansmen, and even partners and masters and disciples can betray each other in the face of interests. However, Bai Zichen still felt genuine care from his uncle.

After explaining the matters and saying goodbye to Bai Ying's parents, Bai Jiu'an left in a hurry. Watching his back, Bai Zichen felt a sudden heaviness in his heart.

It was a worry about the uncertain future of his uncle's journey, an anxiety about his own low level of cultivation, and a sense of bewilderment about the fate of the Bai family amidst the turbulent times.

Once a member of a family like his loses the protection of his family, his future will be just like that of a lowly rogue cultivator, drifting through life without a fixed abode.

(End of this chapter)