From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 121 Competing with My Brother for a Lifetime

The city of Yuanli County is a thousand miles away from Tonggu County.

At this time, near the county town, there was a sacred mountain that was hundreds of feet high and soared into the clouds.

Fan Kongye sat cross-legged on a rock atop a mountain peak, with layers of clouds and mist swirling before him and the bright moon hanging high above his head.

He faced the direction of the night moon and meditated in peace, his mind serene and clear.

Just then, a talisman at his waist trembled and emitted a faint light.

"Ok?"

He opened his eyes, held the talisman in his hand, and scanned it with his divine sense.

The glowing talisman slowly burned, turning into ashes in the air.

This is a communication talisman, made as a pair of two talismans, capable of transmitting messages over extremely long distances. Unfortunately, it is a one-time use talisman, discarded after use.

Fan Kongye had already learned the information in the talisman, and his spiritual power surged around him as he floated up.

brush!
He transformed into a streak of black light and flew towards Tonggu County.

Because he was moving so fast, the clouds he passed through looked as if they had been sliced ​​in two by a sharp blade, splitting the sky in two.

Fan Kongye is the deputy director of the Demon Subduing Division of Yuanli County, a seventh-level Foundation Establishment cultivator!

He had just received news that Jing Zhuo, the head of the Demon Subduing Division of Tonggu County and a celestial official, had his soul jade tablet shattered.

The celestial officials of Yuanli County are all selected through rigorous processes by the county government and registered in Zhennan Prefecture. They enjoy the spiritual stone stipends of Yuanli County and hold a superior status.

Now that a celestial official has died mysteriously, Fan Kongye, the deputy director, has been sent to the scene to investigate personally.

Zhennan Prefecture was very large, comprising thirty-three counties.

Yuanli County was very large, with seventy-one county towns.

These counties, large and small, formed the foundation of Zhennan Prefecture and even the Qianyuan Immortal Dynasty.

The celestial officials in each county were the foundation for maintaining rule, so they attached great importance to each celestial official.

Fan Kongye, who is in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, can fly to Tonggu County, which is thousands of miles away, in just one hour.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Tonggu County, in the wilderness.

The three members of the Xu family are joining forces with Zhao Shuai to fight against Granny Yin, who is at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

"Thousand Thorns!"

Countless sharp wooden spikes appeared around Zhao Shuai and rained down on Granny Yin in an instant.

Despite being poisoned, he recklessly channeled his spiritual energy.

"Pfft~~"

After unleashing this move, he spat out blood mixed with dark spiritual energy. The blood vessels and meridians on his body became prominent, like a net woven from black threads covering his entire body.

Faced with the dying counterattack of the ninth-level Qi Refining demonic cultivator, Granny Yin dared not take it head-on and raised a high-grade golden light talisman to protect her body.

Ding Ding Dang~~
Countless wooden spikes struck the golden protective shield.

The golden light quickly faded and eventually shattered.

Granny Yin waved her hands, her fingertips imbued with the spiritual energy of the "Yuan Sha Gong," which was like sharp blades, blocking many wooden spikes.

However, a few splinters still hit Granny Silver, and even pierced through her body.

Qi Refining cultivators possess spiritual energy within their bodies, but their physical constitutions are relatively fragile.

"You devil, give me back my niece!"

Xu Xiaohou was filled with deep guilt, and he took advantage of the opportunity when Granny Yin was injured to rush forward.

With his innate third level and Qi cultivation second level, he was the weakest among the people present.

Primarily relying on martial arts skills, he infused his fists and feet with internal energy, abandoning defense and focusing entirely on offense.

"Ants!"

Granny Yin looked disdainful. For her, who was at the eighth level of Qi Refining, the third level of Innate Qi Refining was too weak, as there were several levels in between.

The sharp claws, imbued with spiritual poison, lashed out at Xu Xiaohou's chest.

"Om~~"

A golden light shone from Xu Xiaohou's body; it was a mid-grade golden light talisman he had kept for self-preservation many years ago. In this life-or-death moment, he couldn't care less about hiding his possession of spiritual energy.

The sudden turn of events surprised Granny Yin: Could a martial artist with innate abilities use talismans?
Her claws were momentarily blocked by the golden light, and then the golden shield shattered.

As her fingertips brushed across Xu Xiaohou's chest, Xu Xiaohou unleashed a powerful Arhat Long Fist, infused with all his internal energy, striking Granny Yin.

The old woman was struck hard and flew backward, her skeleton almost shattered.

Behind him, Xu Xiaoniu followed up with an attack: "Mysterious Earth Rock Drop!"

He infused a rock weighing several hundred pounds with his magic and sent it flying through the air to smash towards Granny Yin.

Granny Yin finally realized something was wrong. If things continued like this, she might really be killed by the few weak people in front of her.

"Click~~"

She swung her claws, and the huge rock that had struck her shattered into countless fragments. She turned and charged towards Xu Xiaoniu.

In her opinion, she should deal with Xu Xiaoniu, who was at the fourth level of Qi Refining, first. Xu Xiaogou, who was at the Grandmaster level, would be difficult to kill in a short time.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The three members of the Xu family did not give her the opportunity to defeat them one by one.

"Big brother, get out of the way!"

Xu Xiaogou, the strongest fighter, finally seized the opportunity to get close. He had to engage in close combat and not let Yin Po escape the battle.

He channeled his internal energy into all his meridians and also enhanced several acupoints, making each punch and kick incredibly lethal.

The fists whistled through the air, and the feet could split the ground.

Even though Granny Yin was at the eighth level of Qi Refining, she still found it difficult to defend herself when a martial arts master got close.

"Earth-stabilizing technique!"

Xu Xiaoniu exhausted the last of his spiritual energy and cast the Earth Solidification Technique once more. He had just entered the fourth level of Qi Refining, and his spiritual energy could not support him to cast several spells at full power.

While fighting with Xu Xiaogou, the loose soil below flowed, covering and enveloping Yin Po, which then suddenly solidified into a layer of earth.

This time, Granny Yin did not escape immediately. She had experienced a great battle and was seriously injured. Her spiritual energy was almost completely depleted, and she could not even take the opportunity to fly away. She was already at her last gasp.

She finally managed to break free from the earth-binding technique, only to see Xu Xiaogou's powerful leg lash out like a whip across her legs.

With a "crack," her leg bone shattered, and she collapsed to her knees.

Spare her life!

Xu Xiaoniu quickly reminded him.

Xu Xiaogou's next punch landed squarely on Granny Yin's lower abdomen.

With her dantian and qi sea destroyed, Granny Yin became an elderly woman powerless to resist, curling up on the ground like a shrimp.

"Tell me, where is my daughter!"

Xu Xiaogou demanded an explanation in a stern voice.

"Ah."

Despite her defeat, Granny Yin was neither resentful nor disappointed. She glanced at Xu Xiaogou, then suddenly trembled a few times, rolled her eyes, and fell silent.

A beam of black light shot out from his body and flew towards Xu Xiaogou.

"Third brother, be careful!"

Xu Xiaoniu was on guard against the opponent's dying counterattack and reacted quickly, standing in front of Xu Xiaogou.

That ray of black light entered his body.

His expression changed drastically; he had been poisoned by a mysterious and deadly poison. Granny Yin's dantian had been destroyed; this was a soul poison she had condensed with her own soul before her death, ensuring she would take an enemy with her after her passing.

Sensing something was wrong, Xu Xiaoniu immediately sat down cross-legged and tried to circulate his internal energy to resist the spread of the soul poison.

"Big brother!"

"Six sons!"

"Zhao Shuai?!"

Xu Xiaogou looked around and saw that only he and the little girl hiding in the distance were still standing.

The worst off was Zhao Shuai, who lay on the ground barely alive, his body blackened.

Xu Xiaogou rushed forward, but Zhao Shuai stopped him as he reached out: "Don't, don't touch me."

"Brother Gou, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I...I know I was wrong, I have nowhere else to go, I..."

Zhao Shuai was in a daze, speaking incoherently.

"Your daughter isn't dead yet. They... they only arrest people, they don't kill. They have a much larger force behind them, I don't know..."

"Let's be buddies again in the next life, good brothers..." Xu Xiaogou's eyes welled up with tears. He was helpless and could only watch Zhao Shuai breathe his last. As Zhao Shuai closed his eyes, he said, "Let's be good brothers again in the next life."

The reunion of two close friends after 25 years ended in such a tragic way.

On the other hand, Xu Xiaohou's situation is not optimistic.

His chest was ripped open by the Silver Granny's claws, and the spiritual poison attached to the spiritual energy invaded his body. At this moment, his chest was completely black, and the blackness was spreading to other parts of his body.

If one is a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, they can definitely use spiritual energy to remove Granny Yin's spiritual poison.

However, Xu Xiaohou's cultivation level was only at the third level of the Innate Realm and the second level of Qi Refining, so the difference in strength was too great, which made it impossible for him to remove the spiritual poison.

"Liu Zi, how are you?"

Xu Xiaogou inquired with concern.

Xu Xiaohou struggled to open his eyes: "I can hold on for a little while longer. Take care of my elder brother first."

In the distance, Xu Xiaoniu suddenly stood up. He seemed to be in alright, but he knew the truth.

He unbuttoned his clothes, revealing a cloud of black mist on his chest. He shook his head with a bitter laugh: "I'm beyond saving, I can't live. I don't know what kind of strange poison I've been afflicted with, like that old woman's curse, which I have a premonition: as long as I don't die, it won't perish."

Certain death?!
Xu Xiaogou's heart trembled. They came to save Xu Zhongxi, but they failed to save Xiaoxi and also lost their eldest brother and sixth brother.
No!

He rushed to Granny Yin's side and searched the corpse, finding a storage pouch and several spirit stones.

However, only cultivators at the late Qi Refining stage can view and open the storage pouch.

"Brother, pass that poison to me, I'll try it out, I'll try it with my Grandmaster-level internal energy..."

With a sob in his voice, Xu Xiaogou said that if it hadn't been for Xu Xiaoniu's intervention, he would have been the one poisoned by the mysterious poison.

“Pass it to you? No way, I’m the eldest brother. If the sky falls, I’ll bear it. If someone has to die, let me do it. You all live well and save Xiaoxi.”

Xu Xiaoniu was quite calm, which was his awareness as the eldest brother of the Xu family.

"..."

Countless questions flooded Xu Xiaogou's mind. Staring at the ever-growing black mist surrounding Xu Xiaoniu, he suddenly spoke:
"Brother, I'm sorry."

He didn't know if he could use himself as bait to be poisoned in place of his elder brother, but he wanted to try.

what?
While Xu Xiaoniu was still confused, Xu Xiaogou rushed forward and punched him.

Xu Xiaoniu had no spiritual energy in his body, and he collapsed to the ground. The "black mist" poison moved to a different location and became larger.

"Come on, pass it on to me!"

Xu Xiaogou reached out and pressed his hand on the poisonous mist on Xu Xiaoniu's body, trying to draw it onto himself.

At first, the poisonous fog remained unmoved, moving slowly and gradually expanding.

"come!"

Perhaps it was Xu Xiaogou's will that worked, as the poisonous mist slowly moved along his arm and onto his body.

"San Gou, what are you doing? Stop it!"

Xu Xiaoniu grabbed Xu Xiaogou's wrist, attempting to pull him away. However, his strength was no match for Xu Xiaogou, who was at the Grandmaster level.

In this contest, Xu Xiaoniu cannot defeat Xu Xiaogou.

He watched helplessly as his third brother "absorbed" the strange poisonous mist from his body.

"Keep going!"

Xu Xiaogou's palm meridians reversed their internal energy, generating a strange suction force that drew all the poisonous mist into his body.

Only when the poisonous fog was inside Xu Xiaogou's body did he realize why his elder brother had said "death is certain." This poisonous fog was not a spiritual poison that harmed the body, spiritual energy, or internal strength, but rather a poison that devoured life force and eroded the soul and consciousness.

It seemed to possess a faint consciousness, carrying the resentment of Granny Yin on her deathbed. It was precisely because of this that Xu Xiaogou, the one who personally killed Granny Yin, was able to draw the poisonous mist into his own body.

Indeed, death is inevitable.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Knowing he was doomed, Xu Xiaogou walked to Xu Xiaohou's side and said, "Liu Zi, expel the spiritual poison from your body and pass it on to me."

"what?"

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up!"

"Third brother, I..."

"Stop talking nonsense, you better stay alive and bring Xiaoxi back."

Xu Xiaogou, not allowing any refusal, grabbed Xu Xiaohou's hand and used the suction force generated by his own acupoints to absorb the spiritual poison.

Most of the spiritual poison in Xu Xiaohou's body was absorbed by Xu Xiaogou, leaving only a small portion that he was able to remove on his own.

At this moment, Xu Xiaogou was suppressing the spiritual poison with his master-level internal strength, but the unstoppable poisonous mist was still consuming his life.

He began to give his last words: "Eldest brother, Liu Zi, find a way to save Xiao Xi. Tell Father and Mother that I can no longer take care of them. Let Zhong Che and Zhong Huai..."

"Third brother!"

"Third Brother!"

Xu Xiaoniu and Xu Xiaohou watched helplessly, their hearts breaking with grief.

"Brother, listen to me. My death is the most appropriate. Zhao Shuai is a demonic cultivator, and I have a relationship with him. Only my death can clear our family of suspicion."

Brother, you are a military officer, you need to earn merit. Zhao Shuai and that old woman are both credited to you.

Director Jing is dead; we must seize this opportunity.

Our Xu family needs a celestial official!

Xu Xiaogou had just thought about many things and finally decided to sacrifice himself.

"No merit or celestial official position is as important as you..."

Xu Xiaoniu felt as if his heart was being torn apart, and tears and snot streamed down his face uncontrollably.

Snapped!
Xu Xiaohou slapped himself hard across the face and knelt on the ground with a thud: "Third Brother, it's all my fault, it's all my fault, sob sob~~"

"Don't cry, stand up! Regret won't help. What you need to do is cultivate diligently and rescue Xiaoxi from the demonic cultivators..."

"I have a set of physical techniques that I haven't finished yet. I originally planned to teach them to you after I completed them. This is the physical technique of our Xu family's Five Elements Stance Technique. What a pity..."

Xu Xiaogou regrets that he did not complete the physical techniques of the Five Elements Stance, nor was he able to glimpse the profound mysteries of the ultimate martial arts master realm.

"Liu Zi, I'll demonstrate it for you once. Remember as much as you can."

He demonstrated his self-created "Five Elements Stance Technique" metal-based body art in front of Xu Xiaohou.

Such actions hastened his own death.

Xu Xiaohou stared wide-eyed, letting tears stream down his face without blinking, wanting to imprint everything into his mind.

A moment later, Xu Xiaogou slowly lay down, his eyes unfocused.

"Brother, do you remember when we used to have a fight when we were kids? My family was drafted into the army, and I lost to you in the fight."

"This time, I finally won..."

He fell silent, leaving only his two brothers kneeling beside him, weeping uncontrollably.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Baihe Village.

The Xu family's brand-new five-courtyard mansion.

Xu Zhongche meditated in the secret room, circulating the "Nine Flames Spiritual Fire Technique".

Besides practicing his cultivation techniques, he has been spending his time in the alchemy room refining pills, learning and mastering all the pill-refining methods his master taught him.

He was unaware of the changes that had occurred in his family.

In another secret room, the door was locked from the inside.

Xu Fugui was in his inner space. He should have been practicing his cultivation techniques, but for some reason, he felt restless.

He looked around his inner space, which was filled with all sorts of colorful spiritual plants.

Looking up at the family's precious tree, which represents the Xu family, it is now over 6 meters tall with many branches, showing a lush and verdant appearance.

The trunk of the precious tree is more than a foot thick.

Why can't you calm down?

He was puzzled, with a vague sense of unease.

Suddenly he froze, looking at the third main branch on the precious tree that represented Xu Xiaogou.

He had always wondered: would the branches on the treasure tree, representing the Xu family's offspring, keep growing? What would happen if someone died?

Now, he knows.

The family's precious tree gave no indication, but he sensed that the branch would no longer grow and would remain at its current length forever.

The third branch representing Xu Xiaogou will forever remain at four meters.

Two lines of tears slid down Xu Fugui's cheeks.

(End of this chapter)