Lingyuan Immortal

Chapter 903 Surrounded by Jackals
The sea and sky stretch endlessly, the blue sky is as clear as if it has been washed.

However, at the edge of the sky, there was a layer of mist, like a long, jade-white ribbon, with no end in sight.

If you go closer, you can see countless bolts of lightning and thunder inside, flashing and leaping like silver snakes. The sound can be heard from a hundred miles away.

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard, and a delicate little boat broke through the thick clouds and fog in the thunderclouds and burst out. Countless radiant runes shone on the boat, reflecting a golden glow on the sea.

Chen Mu stood with his hands behind his back on the spirit boat, looking back with a gleam in his eyes.

On the way here, my senior brother told me that there are white jade thunderclouds stretching for thousands of miles outside Guixu. When the wind and clouds rise, thunder rages and sweeps across the sea. Not only do fish and birds hibernate, but even cultivators have to retreat far away. Now it seems that this is indeed the case.

If my cultivation level hadn't already surpassed all others, I probably wouldn't have been able to come back unscathed...

"Natural barriers form a cage, making it difficult for outsiders to enter and equally difficult for those inside to leave. No wonder Guixu is not well-known."

The spirit boat didn't stop. Chen Mu shook his head and smiled, then turned to look ahead.

Guixu is not a large place, but it is home to thousands of families and lineages, making it much more lively than sparsely populated places like Qingzhou.

He hadn't traveled far when he saw all sorts of floating islands gradually appearing, with young noblemen moving among them, each one full of vigor, their clan emblems shimmering on their clothes, seemingly more dazzling than the rising sun in the sky.

In such a tightly knit environment, competitive pressure inevitably intensifies, with several or even dozens of forces vying for any resource that is visible on the surface.

He saw with his own eyes that on a small island, about a hundred miles long, containing a vein of some kind of crystal, more than twenty different flags were flying.

Such a scene would be virtually impossible to witness in the open...

Chen Mu watched with great interest for a moment, then, without further delay, he urged the spirit boat to speed up, following the guidance of the sea chart given by his senior brother, and traveled away at high speed without making a sound.

The journey was smooth sailing, and most people didn't even notice his spirit boat. Those who did notice it naturally had neither the time nor the reason to stop him.

Two days later, Chen Mu arrived at the sea near Guixu. The sea was dotted with white sails, and the number of ships coming and going had obviously increased.

According to the nautical chart, this place is close to the center of Guixu. If you go another 500,000 to 600,000 li to the north, you will reach the sea area under the jurisdiction of the legendary Gonggong.

He was quite interested in this family, which had always been said to be descendants of the ancient water god, but his own affairs were the most important at the moment, so he did not approach them, but instead turned slightly and headed east.

When the sun was high in the sky, a strange peak suddenly rose up from the ground at the horizon.

The mountain range resembles the spine of an ancient deity piercing the vast sea, with its dark blue peaks appearing and disappearing amidst the clouds. Each main peak has a beam of light shooting straight into the sky, making it look like a jade pillar supporting the heavens from afar. This is the "Spirit Pillar Mountain Range" marked on the sea chart.

It is called a mountain range because it occupies three-tenths of the Guixu territory, stretching endlessly from east to west for countless miles.

Standing on the spirit boat, Chen Mu looked up and saw that the horizon was no longer just a single color of sea and sky, but a vast expanse of mountains, green grass and trees, warm sunshine and emerald screens, majestic and beautiful.

If what Liang Chong said is true, then his Liang family must be in those mountains...

……

Six hundred years ago, the Liang clan was in a period of great turmoil.

Four fourth-level elders of the clan passed away one after another, and the newly recruited disciples had not yet come of age. Meanwhile, spies from thirteen surrounding cultivation lineages patrolled the Liang family's protective mountain array day and night, like jackals that had smelled blood.

As a result, the Liang family's sphere of influence shrank, and just when it was about to be swallowed up and divided up by the surrounding aristocratic families and sects, Liang Chong, the direct descendant who went out to seek the Dao a thousand years ago, returned riding on the clouds of the blue sky.

His return immediately terrified those forces that wanted to divide up the Liang family.

They discovered that Liang Chong had actually become a Daoist True Lord!
Asking the True Lord of the Dao is a realm they have longed for day and night, yet have never achieved it generation after generation. But unexpectedly, a person who went out to seek the Dao and whose fate is unknown has actually made some progress.

Not to mention outsiders, even the Liang family members were shocked and could not believe it for a long time.

It was Liang Tian, ​​who was of the same generation as Liang Chong and was the clan head at the time, who confirmed his identity and, with a sigh, led him to pay respects at the ancestral hall.

As for those petty scoundrels, they quietly retreated without being told, and the next day they even sent many apologies in an attempt to appease Liang's anger.

Liang Tian originally intended to ease the tension, but how could Liang Chong, who was always straightforward, give up? In no time, he unified and suppressed more than ten surrounding families, and after accumulating a large amount of resources for his family, he left without a trace.

From then on, Liang Chong returned to Guixu every hundred years, not only pushing Liang Tian to the realm of True Lord, but also giving the Liang family a new lease on life, making them one of the thirty-six prominent families of the Lingzhu Mountain Range.

Now, hundreds of years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the flowers and trees in the Liang family courtyard are no longer scattered on the ground, but are now colorful and eye-catching.

But beneath this glamorous exterior, a hint of darkness lurks beneath...

The pavilion was built against the mountain, and a kind-faced, gray-haired old man with large ears that reached his shoulders sat on a soft couch.

This old man was Liang Tian, ​​the clan head of the Liang family, who was of the same generation as Liang Chong. However, because he was already in his twilight years when he asked the question, he did not look as young and dashing as Liang Chong.

Standing in front of him was a young cultivator in his early twenties, presumably a descendant of the Liang family.

Liang Tian gazed at the tall, upright young man in black robes before him, his cloudy eyes welling with emotion.

"Tianhe, your talent is unmatched among your clansmen. You will soon be able to form your Nascent Soul. Why do you insist on acting like a brute from the marketplace, resorting to violence and ruthlessness?"

He shook his head and sighed, quite furious: "Even this time, you dared to secretly enter into a betting agreement with someone behind my back! What... what can I say to you!"

The young cultivator also regretted it somewhat, but still stubbornly said, "The Li family has repeatedly invaded my Liang family's spirit mine, and more than ten young masters from prominent families were present that day. Li Mingyun openly mocked my Liang family for having no one to rely on, so how could I show weakness and back down?"

He suddenly looked up, his eyes sparkling with brilliance.

"Grandfather, rest assured. That fellow has been my defeated opponent since childhood. This time, I will teach him a lesson and shut those petty scoundrels up!"

"Confused."

Liang Tian shook his head and sighed, "If we were truly no match for each other as you say, how dare that brat from the Li family set up such a scheme?"

The young cultivator was taken aback, but couldn't answer.

"It seems the Li family has received instructions from certain individuals..."

Liang Tian closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

Upon hearing this, the young cultivator was startled and asked, "Grandfather, are you saying that Li Mingyun's duel with me... has some deeper meaning?"

Seeing that he only realized his mistake at this moment, Liang Tian felt both regret and guilt.

If he had been given the opportunity to gain experience earlier, instead of just focusing on his cultivation, how could he have been so naive and easily fallen into the other party's trap?
"They want to test the strength of my Liang family by challenging you to a duel. To be precise, they want to find out if another patriarch of my Liang family is still alive..."

The young cultivator naturally knew who he was referring to, and frowned as he said, "But that ancestor... he's still here..."

"Others wouldn't know."

Liang Tian frowned deeply: "Brother Chong has not revealed his true form for 180 years. Although he has been in contact with us, how could outsiders know?"

"And even if they knew, they would inevitably suspect that it was Liang who deliberately spread the news in order to cover up the fact that Chongdi may no longer be alive."

It's worth mentioning that Liang Chong was too punctual; he had appeared every hundred years in the past few times, which was particularly regular.

However, more than eighty years ago, Liang Chong, who should have gone to explore the Hui community, abandoned his plans because he was at a crucial moment of "sitting in oblivion," and only sent back a message explaining the situation. At first, there was no impact, but as the years went by, the surrounding aristocratic families and traditions inevitably began to have doubts.

In particular, the Liang family possessed a considerable amount of resources. In the desolate Guixu, where resources were scarce and resources were plentiful, such a force whose gains were disproportionate to its strength was the most conspicuous.

This is actually why Guixu is special. In the other nine capitals, let alone the fact that the ancestor has not appeared for more than a hundred years, even if it has been hundreds or even thousands of years, other forces would still observe and would not easily take risks.

But in the Ruins of Guixu... what it has in abundance is gamblers willing to take risks...

Therefore, even though Liang Tian had foreseen this situation and had strictly ordered his clansmen to be cautious in their words and deeds for many years, he still could not extinguish the increasingly scorching gaze of the surrounding forces.

Isn't that exactly what's happening now? He took every precaution, but the most outstanding descendant of the clan still fell for it.

Fortunately, this was done under the guise of a gambling battle, which shows that the other party is still wary.

However, he speculated that if Liang Chong did not reappear after the next hundred years, which is more than ten years later, those wolves lurking in the shadows would probably have to bare their fangs...

"In that case, why doesn't Grandfather send a message to invite the Ancestor back to the clan? That should put an end to those people's thoughts."

When Liang Chong was mentioned, a glint of light appeared in the young man's eyes.

Since he began his cultivation, he had heard rumors about Liang Chong, but had never had the chance to meet him. Now that he could bring him back, he could follow in his grandfather's footsteps and admire the majestic jade pillar that supports the Liang family's heavens.

Liang Tian hesitated. He still remembered that in the message sent back more than eighty years ago, Chongdi said that he was at a critical juncture in his cultivation. Since then, no messages have been sent back. He wondered if he had overcome the bottleneck in his cultivation.

Losses within the clan can be recovered, but if my careless message ruins Chongdi's path, I fear the soul lamps of our ancestors will tremble even in the netherworld.

After all, in their thousands of years of history, the Liang family has only produced one descendant with the potential to become an immortal...

With this in mind, he made up his mind and said in a deep voice, "Let's wait until the next hundred years to make a decision."

"As for your bet, win if you can, but if you can't, don't force it; just admit defeat..."

The young man's expression faltered slightly; he had forgotten to tell his grandfather that in this bet... Li Mingyun had specifically added the phrase "no hesitation, even at the cost of life"...

Looking at his grandfather, whose mind had settled down, he moved his lips, but still couldn't bring himself to say those words.

"Very well, Li Mingyun has never won before, so even if he has external assistance now, what is there to fear?"

He shook his sleeves, bowed, and took his leave, his robes sweeping across the threshold with a resounding, spirited air...

At this moment, Liang Tian also stood up and paced back and forth in the attic, his brows furrowed and sighing from time to time. Clearly, despite what he said, he was still under a lot of pressure.

After all, there are thirty-six prominent families on Lingzhu Mountain. The top twelve families go without saying, and the rest all have several Dao Inquiry True Monarchs.

Unlike the Liang family, although they secured a prominent family status thanks to Liang Chong's outstanding abilities, it also brought them too much pressure.

Liang Chong was single-mindedly pursuing the Dao, but he also had to do his best to maintain the family's situation.

He was unwilling to share the hardships he had endured with his clansmen, much less with Liang Chong.

After all, his family and he himself had been a huge burden on Liang Chong...

Inside the pavilion, wisps of sandalwood incense smoke curled upwards, and the resolute look in Liang Tian's eyes, as cold as a deep pool, grew even stronger.

He flicked his finger and released a burst of spiritual energy, causing the bronze bell hanging under the eaves to tremble suddenly, and an invisible sound wave rippled out like water.

Before half a cup of tea had been brewed, three figures, each imbued with the aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator, shattered the floating dust, their dragon-patterned jade pendants hanging from their waists signifying their status within the Liang clan.

"Please take a seat."

Liang Tian glanced at them and said in a deep voice, "I have summoned you here because I have important matters to discuss."

Upon hearing this, one of the men with a long beard immediately perked up: "Father, are you finally going to war with the Li family? I told you long ago, backing down would only embolden them!"

Liang Tianli's sharp eyes swept over his second son: "That child Tianhe inherited your reckless temperament, which is why he agreed to the bet."

The bearded man frowned and said, "If a cultivator lacks the unyielding courage to break, what difference is there between him and a fish on a chopping board?"

Liang Tian felt exhausted and pointed at him, almost unable to breathe.

Another man in a jade crown advised, "Second brother, be careful what you say!"

He then looked at Liang Tian: "I wonder what Father wants to discuss with us?"

After calming himself down several times, Liang Tian closed his eyes and sighed deeply, "I'm thinking about whether or not to give up the Xuanling Mine..."

"what!"

The bearded man was taken aback and stood up abruptly. Although he tried to suppress his temper in front of his father, he couldn't help but wave his hands repeatedly: "Father, how can we just give up the family business like that?"

Liang Tian looked at him, but this time his expression was calm. He explained, "It's not that we're giving it up now, but rather discussing whether we should treat it as a pawn to be discarded."

"That's not good either!"

The man in the jade crown frowned and called out, "Second brother, sit down!"

After the bearded man sat down angrily, he asked, "Father, why has it come to this? The Li family and others dare not act rashly. If we take the initiative to show weakness, wouldn't that give the outside world the false impression that Uncle is gone?"

"Uncle, what Brother Chengxuan said is also what I think."

Another person nodded and said, "If we throw out the scapegoat, it will not only fail to satisfy the appetites of the Li family and others, but will also attract more prying eyes."

"Besides, the next century is approaching, and Uncle might return..."

Liang Tian shook his head and sighed: "Do you all think I would willingly resort to such a desperate measure? But now that Tianhe has entered the game, how could the Li family and those people stop at a mere contest between juniors..."

Upon hearing this, the pavilion fell into a deathly silence, with only the heavy breathing of the long-bearded man rising and falling.

After a moment, the man in the jade crown finally sighed: "If what Father said is true, we must make plans to abandon our son as soon as possible."

The bearded man remained unwilling: "Since Tianhe has accepted the challenge, he must be confident of victory. Why is he being so unprepared? Besides, even if Tianhe loses, it's his own business. He should take responsibility for his own actions..."

"shut up!"

Liang Tian suddenly shouted, "Tianhe has excellent aptitude. After this training, he should be able to make further progress. How can you, as his biological father, utter such hurtful words!"

In truth, he knew that his second son, having personally experienced the family's turmoil, valued the family highly, even more than himself, and was not the kind of cold-hearted person he was.

The bearded man was speechless for a moment, his eyes twitching as he said, "But if we hand over the mine, how will we explain it to my uncle when he returns?"

Liang Tian took a breath and said solemnly, "If Brother Chong were here, he would have swift and decisive measures. But if Brother Chong does not return, and as a result the younger generation's cultivation is ruined and no one inherits the family, then you and I would be the sinners!"

……

(End of this chapter)