Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 306 Ancient Clan, Tong Clan Bloodline

Yin Zhong was so excited that he lost his composure.

Fortunately, he quickly realized that Zhou Ming was standing next to him, so he suppressed his smile after a moment.

Zhou Ming laughed and said, "It seems I've inadvertently fulfilled my second uncle's wish. But I wonder what this place has to do with him?"

Yin Zhong thought for a moment.

Zhou Ming was, after all, his son, the heir of his bloodline, and he had also taught him the cultivation methods of the Tong clan.

More importantly, the other party is exceptionally talented. Not only has he awakened his innate abilities, but he has also made rapid progress in his cultivation realm. He is a true genius.

Yin Zhong had originally planned to make the other person his assistant once he had grown up, so that he could help him recover from his injuries.

Unexpectedly, without even having to wait, the other party helped him find the Tong clan, who had been living in seclusion for five hundred years.

In that case, there's no need to keep these things from him anymore.

"This matter is quite mysterious. If you want to know, you should prepare yourself mentally."

Zhou Ming laughed and said, "Although I am young, I am quite knowledgeable. Second Uncle, please speak freely. No matter how surprised I am, I will not lose my composure."

"Hmph..." Yin Zhong sensed that the words seemed to have a hidden meaning, so he hummed twice and began to tell his story.

He didn't try to hide anything; he stated everything straightforwardly.

However, when recounting the death of his daughter, he gritted his teeth and became quite emotional.

"So, does that mean I actually have an older sister?"

“That’s right.” Yin Zhong said, “I’ve hidden her body in a top-secret place, sealed in an ice coffin made of ten-thousand-year-old ice, hoping that one day, if I can reach the supreme realm of gods and demons, perhaps I can bring her back to life and save her…”

pity!

Unfortunately, he was injured by the spirit mirror halfway through the journey and has not yet healed, let alone made any progress in his cultivation.

"It is indeed a bit of a pity..."

Zhou Ming looked at the cliff not far in front of him: "I never expected that behind this cliff would be a hidden secret realm. I had never heard of the Tong clan before, but I never imagined that they were actually a prominent clan in ancient times."

How many of the ancient tribes still exist on this land?

Yin Zhong asked, "You remained unfazed by my words, so you must have known all along that there were other ancient tribes living in secluded realms, right?"

“Indeed, I have been to the legendary Loulan Kingdom, which is a secret realm that ordinary people cannot reach.”

"The Kingdom of Loulan? Followers of the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden?"

Yin Zhong sneered, "Obsessed with the belief in the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden, yet possessing no real power, merely relying on the secret realm's barrier to survive."

"Did Second Uncle go there too?"

"I have visited, but that was more than three hundred years ago. I wonder what the ancient Loulan Kingdom is like now?"

Zhou Ming said, "Second Uncle probably doesn't know that the ancient Loulan Kingdom was destroyed not long ago."

"What?" Yin Zhong was stunned: "Although the Loulan Kingdom was not very powerful, it was still an ancient ethnic group. How could it suddenly be destroyed?"

Zhou Ming said, "Not long ago, the Qin state discovered the Loulan state, launched a direct attack on Loulan, and destroyed the state. Now, the Loulan people have been relocated to the Qin state and become its subjects."

"Heh, this is what happens to the powerless. They can't even protect their own country, let alone relocate as a whole. I'm afraid it won't be long before this group is completely absorbed by the Qin state and forgets their ancestral beliefs."

As Yin Zhong spoke, he suddenly asked, "You are in the Ming Dynasty, which is so far away from the northwestern desert. Why would you go to Loulan?"

Zhou Ming said, "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Although it was the Qin state that destroyed Loulan, there was another force that followed behind the Qin state and occupied the Loulan area."

"Oh? With the strength of the Qin state, which power in the world would dare to offend Qin?"

"That is indeed an ancient clan, said to be descendants of Chi You. Unlike the Loulan and Tong clans, which are secluded and indifferent to worldly affairs, that clan has been developing steadily over the years, even absorbing heroes from the outside world. Their hidden strength is terrifying!"

Yin Zhong's gaze sharpened: "It's not self-imposed, but rather a continuously developing group! There's actually such a group hidden throughout the Nine Provinces and Four Seas?"
If, as you say, this race has existed since ancient times and has continuously developed in the process… then its strength must be incredibly terrifying.”

Zhou Ming asked, "Second Uncle said he has lived for hundreds of years, but does he know anything about this clan?"

Yin Zhong frowned and pondered: "According to what you said, although this clan has developed, it does not show itself to others. Although I have come into contact with many terrifying forces and know several supreme experts over the past few hundred years, I do not know whether these forces and experts have any connection with that clan."

As for the details... besides being descendants of Chi You, do you know anything else?

Zhou Ming shook his head.

Yin Zhongdao said, "Then there's nothing we can do. In ancient times, there were many intermarriages between different ethnic groups. For example, the Tong clan has the bloodline of Chi You. Therefore, it's probably not enough to judge someone's ethnicity just by saying they are descendants of Chi You."

"Does the Tong clan still have the bloodline of Chi You?"

"That's natural."

In ancient times, before martial arts flourished, there were only two main paths in the world.

One is the path of divine and demonic bloodlines.

The other is the path of Dharma cultivation.

The former has requirements for bloodline, and usually the higher you climb, the higher the requirements for bloodline.

Moreover, those who benefit from bloodlines will inevitably be trapped by them.

Those who follow this path are often limited by their bloodline and can never trace back to the source of their bloodline.

If the gods and demons who are the source of the bloodline are powerful, that's fine. But if they are weak, then the result of taking this path is that they will be blocked before they can even take a few steps.

In contrast, the path of cultivation has fewer requirements for bloodline, and similarly, the constraints are relatively smaller, and there is no upper limit.

Therefore, in the middle and late stages of ancient times, intermarriage among various bloodline groups became common.

After the great battle between Yanhuang and Chiyou, although Chiyou's tribe was defeated, it was absorbed by Yanhuang's tribe.

The descendants of gods and demons in the Chiyou tribe also integrated with the Yanhuang tribe through marriage and other means.

During the Xia and Shang dynasties, fewer and fewer groups persisted in following the path of gods and demons, while other groups generally followed the path of magical cultivation.

As a prominent clan at the time, the Tong clan engaged in intermarriages with many clans descended from gods and demons in order to consolidate their power.

Therefore, the bloodline of the Tong clan is not only the inheritance of Chi You, but also the bloodline of the descendants of powerful clans such as Fuxi, Nuwa, and the Dragon God.

The reason why Yin Zhong was able to cultivate the Dragon God Technique lies in this.

Because he is also a member of the Tong clan, he has the blood of the Dragon God in his bloodline!

However, just like all other divine and demonic bloodlines, the higher one goes in the Dragon God Technique, the more stringent the requirements for the purity of the bloodline become.

Therefore, Yin Zhong's Dragon God Skill can only be cultivated to the sixth level at most.

However, in addition to the Dragon God Technique, Yin Zhong also possesses the cultivation techniques inherited from the Tong clan.

The Tong clan was able to leave its name in ancient times and be prominent in the Xia and Shang dynasties, so their cultivation lineage must be extremely strong. Yin Zhong used it as the main method and the Dragon God Technique as a supplement, and has already modified the Dragon God Technique, forging a unique path.

His Dragon God Skill cannot be evaluated using the normal level of Dragon God Skill.

At least in that great battle back then, General Long Teng, who had already cultivated to the ninth level of the Dragon God Technique, fought Yin Zhong for a long time but was still unable to defeat him.

If it weren't for the miraculous magic mirror suddenly coming into play, the final outcome would have been uncertain. A gentle breeze swept across the cliff face.

Yin Zhong asked, "According to you, this ethnic group has been passed down from ancient times to the present day and has always maintained contact with the outside world... So what is your relationship with this ethnic group? Why did you go to the Loulan Kingdom, which was occupied by them?"

Zhou Ming said, "Even if I don't say it, I think Second Uncle can guess that this clan has already secretly built a powerful force that spans the entire country and is constantly absorbing talents from the outside world."

Unfortunately, they discovered me when I activated my third eye, so I joined the organization.

Although Yin Zhong had some suspicions, his expression still changed slightly when he heard Zhou Ming admit it.

"It seems I was negligent!"

Zhou Ming's activation of his Heavenly Eye caused quite a stir, although only those who could sense the power of heaven and earth could perceive that scene.

However, Yin Zhong did not mention this in advance in the Jade Tablet Heavenly Book, which was indeed his oversight.

If he had explained beforehand, Zhou Ming would have found a secluded place to open his Heavenly Eye, at least to ensure that no one else would discover it.

Of course, this was also because Yin Zhong never expected that Zhou Ming's opening of his Heavenly Eye would cause such a big commotion.

Even those who have awakened their innate abilities, meaning they are exceptionally gifted in magical cultivation, do not make as much of a commotion as Zhou Ming when they open their Heavenly Eye.

"Second Uncle, there's no need to apologize. The organization under this clan is powerful and has treated me with respect. For me, joining this organization is a good thing. Putting aside everything else, if I hadn't joined this organization, my cultivation level wouldn't have broken through so quickly."

"That's good……"

Yin Zhong nodded, his eyes flickering with uncertainty, and then asked, "Does that clan know of my existence?"

Zhou Ming smiled and said, "Second Uncle, don't worry. The organization is currently unaware of your existence and will not have any ill intentions towards you."

"Ha ha……"

Yin Zhong chuckled awkwardly and said, "It's alright, it doesn't matter even if I knew..."

"Oh? So, I can inform the organization about my second uncle's existence?"

"Ahem... never mind then!"

Yin Zhong, unable to catch his breath, coughed twice to stop Zhou Ming.

My heart is filled with complex emotions.

Previously, he had found the Water Moon Cave and felt that Zhou Ming posed little threat to him, and that he might need Zhou Ming's assistance in the future.

Therefore, without much precaution, he told her about his relationship with the Tong clan.

Little did I know, this kid was not only hiding something from me, but he was also hiding such a huge bombshell!
Immortality was the greatest pursuit of countless emperors and generals.

If others knew that he had achieved immortality, I fear that this small ancient Shu Kingdom would not be able to withstand the attacks of those great powers.

In addition, some people who have achieved immortality often inexplicably target other immortals.

For example, when Yin Zhong was in Zhongzhou, he encountered a strange guy wearing an ice mask.

Unexpectedly, after hiding it for so long, he was exposed in front of Zhou Ming.

A sense of resentment arose in my heart.

Some of this was because he had finally found the Water Moon Cave and was so overjoyed that he relaxed his guard for a moment.

But on the other hand, it was also because of his trust in Zhou Ming.

But this is how they responded...

Yin Zhong felt conflicted and helpless.

Because the Zhou Ming in front of them was actually a clone, while the real Zhou Ming was still in the Ming Kingdom, millions of miles away.

What can he do?
After much thought, the root of everything lies in the Water Moon Cave and the Spirit Mirror.

Once he finds the Spirit Mirror and recovers from his injuries, he will be able to quickly regain his powerful strength as an immortal god and demon.

At that time, he will not be afraid of anyone, whether it is the guy with the ice mask, these reclusive clans, or even the old man with the tortoise by his side whom he caught a glimpse of back then!

"Let's go back to Imperial Sword Manor."

"Hmm? Second Uncle, why don't we try breaking through the barrier?"

Yin Zhong shook his head: "I just checked the strength of this nodule. Hmph, those guys are quite capable... It won't be easy for them to break through the barrier. We need to plan this carefully."

"All right……"

The two then mounted their fast horses and hurried back to the Imperial Sword Manor.

Yin Zhong, who was walking ahead, did not notice that Zhou Ming, who was behind him, turned around and glanced at the cliff a few times before leaving.

The look in his eyes was inscrutable.

This cliff, and the mountains behind it, are actually illusions created by the barrier.

To outsiders, it appears as a majestic mountain range.

The mountain is steep and dangerous; ordinary people would never come here.

If an outsider were to intrude, ferocious beasts such as tigers and leopards would appear to drive them away.

However, the Tong clan within the Water Moon Cave only saw a clear blue sky and the rotation of the sun and moon.

Tong Bo, Tong Zhan, Dou Dou, and Yin Xiu escaped to the edge of Shuiyue Cave, avoiding the danger of the cold air, and then decided to leave Shuiyue Cave.

The barrier of Shuiyue Cave Heaven is divided into several layers. Even for insiders, it is not easy to bypass these layers of barrier to reach the outside world. It took them several days.

Just as they were about to break through the last barrier and leave the Water Moon Cave, two outsiders suddenly appeared in front of the cliff.

To avoid being discovered, the four hid behind the barrier and waited for the two to leave.

Unexpectedly, they heard many secrets from these two people.

For a moment, the expressions of the group were uncertain.

"Big brother..." Tong Zhan hesitated.

The two people outside were talking about the Dragon God Technique and the Dragon Clan.

This directly reveals Tong Bo's background.

Although he grew up in the Water Moon Cave, he is not a member of the Tong clan, but a descendant of the Long clan!

The reason why Tong Zhan, despite being the second son, was appointed as the next clan leader was actually because of this.

The former patriarch revealed this secret to him in the final stages of his life.

Tong Bo forced a smile and said, "It's alright. Even if we don't share the same blood, you and Tong Xin will still be my brothers. That will never change!"

Tong Zhan's eyes reddened: "Brother..."

(End of this chapter)