Great Red Immortal Sect

Chapter 404 Heirs
On the plain, the Liu family lived.

Biyeshan has now been rebuilt, and the mountain is covered with many yellow mulberry and green willow trees, creating a lush and vibrant landscape.

Three peaks stand tall, dotted with pavilions and towers. As you wind your way down the road, you'll see several white-walled, blue-tiled mansions nestled at the foot of the mountains.

The willows sway gently, and several children laugh and play under them. They are all beautiful and dressed in green. It is summer and the weather is hot, but only under these few willows can one find some shade.

Suddenly, a man and a woman appeared on the road in front of the house. The man was handsome, dressed in a green robe and carrying a sword. He seemed to have some feelings on his face as he looked at the children playing under the willow tree and a faint smile appeared on his face.

Beside her stood a woman in a long black and gold dress, her demeanor serene and elegant. She was holding a girl with extremely dark pupils in her arms. The child was about three or four years old, neither crying nor making a fuss, but curiously looking ahead.

The children playing under the willow tree froze, looking somewhat bewildered upon seeing the newcomer.

The eldest boy, about eight years old, stepped forward. He had rosy lips, white teeth, and bright eyes. He walked confidently, bowed respectfully to the newcomer, and said:
"I have met you, Uncle. My father is on the mountaintop. I will go and deliver the message now."

"Thank you for your trouble, Xuanhe."

Liu Xingfang laughed loudly, which made the young man in front of him a little embarrassed. He bowed again and then ran towards the mountain. But before he could take a few steps, he saw a person come out of the mansion.

Dressed in a long blue and white robe, he exuded a scholarly air, possessed outstanding bearing, and had a calm demeanor. It was none other than Liu Baiyuan. At this moment, his aura was faintly revealed, indicating that he had already achieved the foundation of immortality.

"Xuanhe, don't run away."

He smiled and stopped his own child, who then led several children of his clan to another place. He then looked at the man and woman before him, slowly stepped forward, and said happily:
"Xingfang, sister-in-law, you two have come at the perfect time. I just came out of seclusion a few days ago and am ready to receive you."

"Congratulations on your successful cultivation of the Immortal Foundation and the reconstruction of Biye."

Liu Xing sighed. He had witnessed the difficulties of rebuilding the Liu family. His elder brother was a calm and taciturn man, and even when under pressure, he would not speak of it.

"Thanks to the divine power of the True Man, he helped my family to regulate the earth's veins and even sent many disciples to assist us. He is truly..."

Liu Baiyuan's words were sincere and heartfelt. The clan has now changed from its previous gloomy state to a brighter future, with a benevolent and powerful deity protecting them. This is a time of prosperity for them.

The group entered the main hall of the mansion and took their seats. The furnishings were elegant, with many willow branches shimmering with a soft, green light.

"Xingfang has a daughter. I originally intended to go and congratulate her in person, but I was going through a breakthrough and could not leave."

Liu Baiyuan looked slightly regretful. He had experienced the turmoil of the past and shouldered heavy responsibilities in the clan, which hindered his cultivation. He had only recently broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

"The taboo against wood makes cultivation difficult. The nature of a coffin and burial chamber is associated with ghosts and spirits; once one enters seclusion, it takes a very long time. No wonder you're not blaming your elder brother; perhaps you're cultivating the 'Darkness of the Cave' technique?"

Liu Baiyuan nodded slightly, and a faint, eerie light emanated from his abdominal cavity.

"Indeed, without the harmony of the Taiyin, the [Shaoxuanyue] technique cannot be cultivated. One can only retreat to the next best thing, consuming the Dongming herb to comprehend the mysteries of the dark traces, and using the mysterious light within one's belly to illuminate all sorts of bizarre and wonderful scenes."

Wu Shaoyue gently placed the girl in her arms beside her legs. The girl stood steadily and held onto her mother's skirt.

"The concept of 'avoiding wood' is not common and is quite rare; I've certainly learned something new today."

Seeing that she had suddenly become so polite, Liu Xingfang immediately teased her:
"How could anything be less common than my 'She Lei' style?"

Wu Shaoyue glanced at him, gave him a look, and then, making an excuse that the child was noisy, led Shu Han away temporarily, walking to a few green willows outside.

"I came here today to show Shuhan around the clan and to have her name recorded in the family genealogy."

"It's alright. I should have taken the initiative to do this, but I'll let Xingfang go instead."

When Liu Baiyuan brought up this matter, there was naturally no objection. The biggest background of the Liu family now is this cousin in front of them, whose identity as a disciple of the Sword Immortal can be described as bringing glory to the family.

Let alone adding his daughter's name to the family genealogy, Liu Baiyuan wouldn't even blink an eye if he were to add a separate page for her.

"Thank you, brother."

Liu Xingfang's expression showed a hint of emotion and some hesitation before he simply said:
"Shu Han's maternal clan also values ​​him highly, saying that when he is old enough, he can enter the main lineage of the Wu family to cultivate for a period of time and be taught Qi. Otherwise, I would like to let Shu Han stay in Biye for a while longer."

"This is a wonderful thing, there's nothing to worry about."

Upon hearing this, Liu Baiyuan felt that his cousin was overthinking things and laughed:

"The Wu family is one of the most prestigious families in Dali. To be able to enter their main lineage for cultivation and be taught the Great Qi Technique is an opportunity that many people desperately seek but cannot obtain."

"They say that Shu Han was taken away when he was eight years old, and Shao Yue will accompany him. He will cultivate for six years and then return to the temple."

Liu Xingfang still looked somewhat hesitant, sighed, and said only:

"This is naturally a very promising future, but thinking about it, I'm a little reluctant to give it up."

“When you first went up the mountain to cultivate Taoism, you were very young, probably around thirteen years old.”

Liu Baiyuan's eyes flickered slightly, and his tone was leisurely, as if he were seeing the scene of him sending his cousin up the mountain again.

"If you hadn't climbed the mountain, it's uncertain whether my tribe would still exist today. Sometimes, it's necessary to be a little hard-hearted."

Liu Xingfang remained silent for a while, then sighed, stood up, looked at his wife and daughters outside the hall, and said in a low voice:

"I will lead Shaoyue to visit the graves in Biye first."

After speaking, he walked out. Liu Baiyuan, who was in the hall, saw him off a few steps but did not accompany him. He was looking at the few willow trees in front of the door, their green light dim, as if deep in thought.

The verdant green was not prominent, and there were no leaves that transformed into carp and floated gracefully in the air.
-
Luoqing, Dangxia Peak.

As the fiery energy dissipated, the Yang Bing energy surged to its peak. Cultivators bustled about in the various halls of the weapon-refining sect, moving metals, stones, and timber. The air throughout Dangxia Peak grew even hotter. At the summit stood the Flame Hall, formerly under the control of the Great Crimson Weapon-Refining lineage and now belonging to Wen Guang. It was now tightly closed, sealed by an array, though faint glimmers of light and rising purple flames could be seen within.

Wang Qiyun stood guard outside, pacing back and forth, while Wen Guang sat calmly on the ground beside him.

The fire boy would occasionally pull out a few flames from the red rat skin pouch at his waist and swallow them like eating broad beans; in a short time, he would swallow about ten of them.

"Master, please speak."

"Don't worry. For Chengyan's sake, the sect leader inquired everywhere and even used the sect's own thunder to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill. Do you know the origin of this pill? It was refined in Huayin Mountain and is specially suited to the element of fire."

Wen Guang seemed rather carefree; at least, there was no trace of worry on his face, and his tone was somewhat perfunctory.

Wang Qiyun looked worried; three years had passed since the last time the order of the sect was revised.

The sect leader made several trips for Chengyan, and through the connection with that Zhujian Zhenren, obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill with the Bing Fire attribute. Chengyan took it and went into seclusion.

“Foundation Building is different from other realms, and I am still worried.”

He is now at the eighth level of Qi Refining. In recent years, the resources and spiritual lands in the sect have far exceeded those of the past, and his originally stagnant cultivation has improved a lot.

He had considered establishing his foundation, but he failed three times in his attempt to break through to the ninth level, wasting many years of hard work. So he gave up on the idea and focused on refining weapons.

Wang Qiyun has a deep understanding of the difficulty of foundation building.

The difference in spiritual roots is actually a difference in cultivation speed, which can be made up for with pills, spiritual lands, and so on. However, when it comes to the Foundation Establishment stage, just condensing one's nature root is enough to trap countless people, let alone achieving the inner realm.

Suddenly, the hall fell silent; no light was seen, only darkness.

Wang Qiyun was immediately stunned, a chill rising from his body. Often, when breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, extraordinary phenomena gradually grow stronger, representing the achievement of inner visions and resonating with heaven and earth.

But this sudden silence... isn't that a problem?

In the worst-case scenario, the Qi Sea explodes, life is destroyed, and one ends up dying and disappearing. Unless there is some special spiritual object, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage is often a matter of life and death.

"I promise—"

He let out a trembling cry, his body almost unsteady on his feet. Wen Guang, standing beside him, got up without much panic, jumped up and patted Wang Qiyun on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, this is how you build a proper immortal foundation."

Before Wen Guang could finish speaking, the hall suddenly shone brightly. This light was not intense, but rather possessed both benevolence and martial prowess. Purple flames, like dragons, swirled and shot out from the hall's doors, heading straight for the sky. There were signs of falling stars and shattered clouds. Where the light did not reach, there was only blood and broken bones.

The palace doors swung open, and a young man stepped out. His eyes were like stars, he wore a white robe and a jade belt, and the purple flames around him gradually subsided, making his features even more profound and his aura majestic.

Wang Chengyan stepped forward and saw his father. His eyes flickered slightly, and his previously imposing and benevolent aura gradually dissipated. He hurriedly stepped forward and said with a smile:

"Father, I have achieved the foundation for immortality!"

Wen Guang stood to the side, circling Wang Chengyan and scrutinizing him closely, but then shook his head and said only:
"It's still a bit lacking. The true meaning of 【Zai Xing Yan】 is boundless light and infinite benevolence, with the omen of restoring order and sweeping away all rebellion. Your immortal foundation is still lacking in spirit."

"I'm just a blacksmith; all I need to do is control the fire."

As he spoke, Wang Chengyan smiled slightly, looked at his father, and a purple flame rose from his fingertips. He laughed and said:
"The wonder of this immortal foundation is that it connects to a [Fallen Star of the Fiend Camp] above and nurtures a [Cultivation of Rites Yuan Fire] below, which merges with one's life force, giving rise to the nature of Yang Bing, occupying the position of light, sweeping away all rebellion, and restoring order to chaos."

"Furthermore, it can use the sharpness of Geng metal to drive away the earthly evil energy. If it is used for combat, it can be described as extremely powerful. Although its fire control is not as good as Uncle Xiaowen's [Flame Immortal], the [Cultivation of Rites Fire] has the advantage of having a sense of order and discipline, which is just right for driving fire to become a weapon."

After considering his words for a moment, Wang Chengyan simply said:

"This immortal foundation can be described as possessing both literary and martial qualities."

"It's already excellent. The spiritual energy required for the [Flame Immortal] is too difficult to obtain. We had to borrow a treasure land in Xiangjian Mountain. It took us many years to collect just one strand. It takes nine strands to obtain one."

"Although the Heavenly Flame is easier to control, it was not completed at the time and requires a certain destiny to complete. The Rising Flame is the most suitable."

Wang Qiyun sighed slightly, noting that the Qi required for the [Zai Xing Yan] technique was quite difficult to obtain. Back then, the sect only managed to obtain a wisp of it, and the sect leader entrusted it to Cheng Yan, which showed how much he valued it.

As they were talking, they learned that the weapon-refining lineage in the sect was now almost entirely managed by the three of them. Wang Chengyan had broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, so he naturally held the position of weapon-refining elder, and was just waiting for the sect leader to issue a decree.

As the group was talking, they saw a gust of cold snow drift by in the distance, followed by a faint gust of cold air that swept past before dissipating in an instant.

At the edge of the crimson clouds, the void shattered, and a man emerged, carrying a wind-wielding sword and a frost-covered blade. His brows exuded a fierce aura, and he wore a frost-white robe adorned with plum blossom patterns.

Two women followed behind her. One of them was wearing dark blue armor, was quite tall, had a straight posture, and a heroic appearance. A blue-feathered black bird perched on her shoulder, crying out in distress.

"Thieves have stolen my nest! Thieves have stolen my nest!"

The woman frowned slightly, reached out and grabbed the green crow by the neck, silencing it.

A woman slowly emerged from behind him. She was beautiful and dressed in gold. Her aura was emanating from her, and she could see the lightning above the crimson clouds and the collapsed Xiwei Mountain in the distance. Her eyes were filled with sorrow.

"This is the [Primordial Order]? How domineering it is, acting as Heaven's representative to punish the rebellious. My [Lament of the Thief's Nest] is greatly diminished here. If I were to activate it, I would surely be punished by lightning."

“You should tone it down; this is Xu Jianxian’s territory.”

The man, trudging through the wind and snow, had an extremely cold expression, his gaze fixed on the thunder in the sky, lost in thought.

(End of this chapter)