Fantasy: Immortality Begins with Absorbing Demons

Chapter 496 The Secret Realm of a Hundred Flowers (Part 1)

“Mother, I think I’m better suited to a simple life of cultivation. I can’t handle complicated interpersonal relationships…” Zhong Han said with a wry smile.

She was only the leader of a branch, but she was already having a huge headache because of all the social obligations.

The Nine-Bend Courtyard oversees more than a dozen branch offices and several peripheral industries.

If she really takes over the Nine-Bend Academy in the future...

A variety of frustrating and difficult things to handle, dealing with all sorts of people insincerely every day…..

Just thinking about it makes her feel overwhelmed.

"Then come back. The position of chief disciple within the Nine-Bend Academy has been reserved for you," Zhong Yunxiu said calmly. No one knows a daughter better than her mother.

She was not surprised at all by Zhong Han's choice.

Or rather, she had long anticipated that, based on her understanding of her daughter, Zhong Han, with her unassuming, gentle, and kind nature, would inevitably make this choice.

"No, my situation has just gotten on track. If I leave rashly, it will probably cause a lot of trouble and problems."

Moreover, if the next person to take over is irresponsible, my current plans will probably fall through again. After thinking for a moment, Zhong Han still refused.

Applying to become a captain and train herself was her own choice. And after becoming captain, she just finished planning for the next few years.

Now, he has given up halfway through, resigned from his post, and returned home.

How would outsiders view her, and what would they say about her behind her back? They would definitely say things like that the daughter of the head of the household couldn't endure hardship, couldn't be patient, and lacked perseverance.

Could she even use this as an excuse to speak ill of her mother behind her back?

Moreover, even if outsiders don't say it, she herself can't accept it.

By starting something but not finishing it, and giving up halfway, isn't she essentially slapping herself in the face?

She is Zhong Yunxiu's daughter. Even if she doesn't want to do it anymore, she still has to stick to a rotation period.

Not for anyone else, but just so that her mother wouldn't lose face in front of others.

"Besides, I'm already at the seventh level of True Skill, and I've just broken through. I need time to accumulate experience, so there's not much point in coming back to cultivate," Zhong Han added, fearing that Zhong Yunxiu might disagree.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Yunxiu nodded slightly: "What you said makes sense. Then we'll do as you say. We'll consider coming back after you've dealt with things over there. It's a bit chaotic inside the sect right now, so staying outside will help you avoid these unpleasant things."

After the two made the decision, there was a moment of silence in the air.

Suddenly, Zhong Han looked up and asked, "Mother, is the recent trouble in the manor that you mentioned related to us?"

Zhong Yunxiu paused for a moment, then asked, "You mean Fang He's side?"

“Yes, what’s wrong with them? A while ago, even my side sent people to investigate.” Zhong Han said unhappily, “Anyway, I didn’t hold back and just kicked them out.”

Zhong Han and Zhong Yunxiu had been very dissatisfied with the other side for a long time.

Moreover, Zhong Han also felt that Sun Mingzhen's betrayal was related to Fang He and his son.

Unfortunately, Sun Mingzhen left Huayang City after that day, and her entire family disappeared without a trace. She also had no direct evidence.

Therefore, the term "mutually hostile" aptly describes the relationship between Zhong Yunxiu and her daughter, and Fang He's side. "We were only forced into this matter, and it has something to do with Xiao Yi..." Based on Han Yi's letter and the truth she knew, Zhong Yunxiu briefly explained the whole story.

Zhong Han is her daughter, and she will need to know these things sooner or later.

"So, Luo Meiwei is Fang He's mole planted in Junior Brother Han's business?"

"Then Fang He and the Green-Clad Alliance colluded to smuggle contraband? How dare he, Master..." Zhong Han was interrupted by Zhong Yunxiu before he could finish speaking.

"What is there that he wouldn't dare to do?" Zhong Yunxiu said calmly. "Master Zhao Ziyang is inherently someone who can't control people. He has no ambition, no ability, and no desire to bear the responsibility of managing the sect. He's only focused on finding the long-lost heritage of Jingtian Manor..."

If Zhao Ziyang doesn't care, who can control Fang He?

Fang He's power and status were only slightly lower than Zhao Ziyang's. His intentions were impure; he wanted to become the head of the manor. Why would he care about Zhao Ziyang's attitude?

At this point, she sighed: "Especially after what happened with Chen Lingmo last time, Fang He saw that Chen Ying, a powerful external ally, was gone, so he naturally resorted to desperate measures and tried to bring in external help again."

"If Zhao Ziyang can't handle this, then who can?"

Zhong Han pondered for a moment, then fell silent.

In the Huayang City area, the government's power is practically nonexistent. Apart from the three major families, the strongest is Jingtian Manor.

The three great families, the three great families, if combined, might be comparable to the increasingly declining Jingtian Manor.

However, there are also serious conflicts of interest among the three families, and they often hinder each other and cannot work together.

Without unity, even if Jingtian Manor is weak, it cannot be compared to a single family.

No one could control it, and no one dared to control it, which was the key reason why Fang He didn't care at all and went on a big fuss.

“Even so, Fang and the others have gone too far.” Zhong Han’s face showed anger. “Our Jiuqu Academy is one of the seven academies of Jingtian. Junior Brother Han’s Qiyun Mountain is, at least, an asset of Jingtian Manor.”

They're all on the same side, how could they possibly send spies to harm their own people?

“Our own people…” Zhong Yunxiu paused for a moment, then sneered, “What do you mean by ‘our own people’? They’re all selfish and only care about their own interests.”

They watched Jingtian Manor decline day by day, and they were all eager to make a fortune before it was too late. They didn't care about sect rules, conscience, or human relationships at all...

“Mother, you mean…” Zhong Han asked softly.

"The Yangzhi Academy, which Fang He presides over, is such a large operation with such huge monthly expenses. How could it possibly support itself with the meager resources distributed within the manor? Isn't it just a way for him to enrich himself through public means and fill his own stomach?"

They have colluded with evil organizations like the Green-Clad Alliance, betrayed the sect's interests for their own gain, and committed various illegal, disorderly, and heinous acts more than once.

The decline of our Jingtian Manor is also largely due to them. If Zhao Ziyang cannot find the general outline of the inheritance, he will not be able to command respect, his authority will be illegitimate, and he will be unable to control the two deputy manor lords…

"If things continue like this, I think Jingtian Manor will eventually reach that point..." Zhong Yunxiu sighed.

The Seven Jingtian Academies were originally formed by the merger of seven different small sects. The initial purpose of the merger was to protect their own interests and achieve better development in the face of other powerful forces.

Therefore, in Jingtian Manor, the finances, manpower, martial arts, and so on of the seven branches are all managed independently and separately, with no connection between them.

Even the sect leader only steps in to coordinate and manage the seven academy heads when dealing with major matters concerning the entire sect.

Whether the head of the academy is competent or not can only be slightly interfered with by observing the years of setbacks in boxing; it is not a direct superior-subordinate relationship.

Except for one point, the general principles of the Heavenly Evolution True Skill.

As an old saying goes within Jingtian Manor, only when the seven skills are combined can one achieve the Heavenly Evolution.

The Heavenly Evolution General Principles are the key to uniting the people of Jingtian Manor and forging them into a cohesive force. They are also the core inheritance personally mastered by the Manor Lord.

The patriarch of Jingtian Manor was a man of exceptional talent and virtue, whose prestige and reputation were widely respected.

He collected the true martial arts manuals of seven sects, combined them with his own knowledge, and deduced the Seven Transformations of Heavenly Evolution True Skill, thus unifying the seven different sects.

This Heavenly Evolution General Principles was actually deduced by the patriarch of Jingtian Manor with painstaking effort and great energy. It is the key to combining the Seven Academy True Skills into the Seven Transformations of Heavenly Evolution.

Unfortunately, the general principles of inheritance have now been lost. What the current manor lord, Zhao Ziyang, is desperately searching for is the general principles of the Heavenly Evolution.

"But they've been together for so many years, don't they feel any regret?"

If things continue like this, Jingtian Manor will really split up, which won't be good for them either...” Zhong Han felt an indescribable sadness in her heart, and she naturally understood what Zhong Yunxiu meant.

Without a doubt, if this situation does not improve, the only outcome for Jingtianzhuang will be the split and independence of the Seven Academies.

This was not the tragic ending she wanted to see.

“If they had the will, how could Jingtian Manor have come to this?” Zhong Yunxiu retorted. “Do you think that no one else knows what Fang He has done?”

These things weren't just done by Fang He alone. As far as I know, several deans were involved. Otherwise, would Fang He alone dare to be so arrogant? "Sigh... How did it come to this... We're all family..." Zhong Han shook her head gently, feeling heartbroken.

Having grown up in Jingtian Manor since childhood, she has a deep affection for Jiuqu Courtyard and Jingtian Manor.

"What I'm saying is just one possibility. No one can predict what the future will hold..." Zhong Yunxiu smiled bitterly. "Perhaps, a great talent with benevolence, courage, righteousness, wisdom, and integrity will emerge to unite people's hearts and reverse the current downward trend..."

Since the loss of its fundamental principles, Jingtian Manor has actually been on a downward spiral.

The loss of the general outline of inheritance is somehow related to Zhong Yunxiu's husband, Zhong Shaotian.

Jingtian Manor originally had a secret realm and a general outline, both of which were personally controlled by the manor lord. These were the key elements that allowed the manor lord to rightfully restrain the heads of the seven academies.

However, more than a decade ago, Yunzhou was invaded by the demon army, and the Jingtian Manor secret realm was forced to be destroyed. The then manor lord, Zhong Shaotian, and a large group of elders whose strength and experience were far beyond those of ordinary people all perished as a result.

Outside the secret realm, Jingtian Manor was attacked by the demon army from the outside and was leaderless inside. It could not care about anything else and could only barely maintain its position with the support of Yuanmiao Sect.

Once everything was over, and the high-ranking members of Jingtian Manor had the resources to clean up the mess, they discovered that the general outline of the Seven Transformations of Heavenly Evolution had long been lost somewhere.

Most of the elders who knew the general outline died in the secret realm and have disappeared without a trace.

However, as one of the five major powers in Yunzhou, even a broken ship has some nails. If everyone works together and does their best to maintain Jingtian Manor, its decline can at least sustain it for a considerable period.

If things go well during this period, it may be very possible to cultivate another leader recognized by the Seven Academies and pull Jingtian Manor out of the abyss again.

However, each of the seven academies of Jingtian has their own thoughts, and even the two deputy heads of the manor are contradictory and extremely opposed to each other.

Furthermore, external forces have been stirring things up and instigating the situation.

All these factors combined undoubtedly accelerated the downfall of Jingtian Manor.

Zhong Han remained silent for a moment, somewhat lost in thought, knowing that these were her mother's words of comfort.

"Alright, what is divided for a long time will unite, and what is united for a long time will divide again. This is a law that no one can stop."

Separation isn't necessarily a bad thing. Like our Nine-Bend Academy, becoming an independent little sect again, with fewer constraints and rules, might actually make us more free..." Zhong Yunxiu advised, "No one can say for sure about the future, so don't think about it too much."

"I just remembered something else. Since you're back, let's finalize the selection for this secret realm." "Selection for the secret realm?" Zhong Han paused, then seemed to remember something, her tone tinged with nostalgia, "I can't believe two years have passed so quickly..."

“Yes…time waits for no one…” Zhong Yunxiu smiled. “This time, the secret realm that has been opened is still the ‘Hundred Flowers Secret Realm’ of the Myriad Flowers Palace. Moreover, because of what happened a while ago, the manor has given us an extra spot as compensation.”

"You have one, and the other, who do you think would be suitable for the inner court?"

The secret realm contains exotic flowers and herbs, celestial birds and beasts, and rare treasures that are rare in the outside world and even impossible to exist. It also holds the opportunity to restore one's innate nature.

For martial arts practitioners, many essential resources, such as energy breakthrough enhancement catalysts and martial arts refining medicines, can only be found within secret realms.

The Jingtian Manor Secret Realm was destroyed during the invasion of the Demon Army.

Left with no other choice, they had to pay a heavy price to organize their inner disciples to enter the secret realms of other forces in search of opportunities.

The Myriad Flowers Secret Realm of the Palace of a Hundred Flowers is one of them.

“Me?” Zhong Han shook his head. “Mother, as you know, after reaching the seventh level of True Skill, the consumption of external resources has been greatly reduced. All that is needed is some blood ink.”

The key lies within oneself, in the subtle refinement of one's inner strength, and the inscription of blood patterns—that's far more important. As for participating in the secret realm, it doesn't matter much to me.

"Yes, you're right. Besides, the resources I've accumulated for you are indeed enough for your cultivation." Zhong Yunxiu nodded. "How about giving one of the spots to Xiao Zhong?"

"Junior Brother Xiao Zhong, with a True Skill Level 6 cultivation, is second only to me in strength within the Inner Academy, making him the second-ranked disciple. His spot in the Secret Realm is well-deserved." Zhong Han nodded slightly in agreement. "And the other one…..."