From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 194 Descendants of Noble Families
The Xue family reacted quickly. Under Xue Yimiao's arrangement, Xue family members at the late stage of Qi Refining flew to all directions of Yunze Mountain to search for the whereabouts of Nightmare and Silver Bell.

Nightmare and Silver Bell have only been gone for a few hours, so there's a good chance they'll be found.

Xue Yimiao, a Foundation Establishment Level 3 cultivator, also went out to search. She possessed divine sense, making her search more efficient.

Among these members of the Xue family, Xue Fangyuan was the one who flew towards Niutou Mountain.

She led two members of the Xue family, one was Xue Weisen at the eighth level of Qi Refining, and the other was Xue Kexin at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

"We'll search this area. I'll be in the middle, and you'll be on either side of me, maintaining a distance of two li. Use the whistle to transmit your message. If you find anything, send me a message immediately."

Xue Fangyuan gave instructions to the two of them, and then flew low overhead.

Xue Weisen and Xue Kexin searched on both sides of her as instructed.

The three flew almost close to the ground, not very high, but at a fast speed, giving them a clear view of the ground.

Half an hour passed.

Xue Weisen, a Qi Refining Stage 8 cultivator with a keen sensitivity to spiritual energy, sensed residual spiritual energy nearby.

Xue Weisen had practiced a spell to detect spiritual energy, which was very suitable for use in this situation, which is why Xue Fangyuan brought him along.

He made a hand seal and looked towards the direction of Niutou Mountain.

"over there!"

He followed the aura he sensed to Niutou Mountain and discovered a large amount of residual spiritual energy, as well as traces of a battle!
He immediately sent a message to Xue Fangyuan, summoning her to come.

Xue Fangyuan and Xue Kexin arrived.

"Judging from the marks on the ground, they're very fresh; a battle had just taken place. There's still a lingering aura of spiritual energy."

Xue Weisen looked smug and eager to take credit.

"Haha, that's great. Look, this is the mark left by the Yuan Sha Gong! It seems that Yin Ling stayed here with our main medicine, and I wonder why a battle took place."

There's internal strife among them, so they're definitely not far off.

Can you find out which direction they went?

Xue Fangyuan secretly thought she had chosen the right person; thankfully, she brought Xue Weisen along.

"it should be OK."

Xue Weisen nodded, then made another hand seal. After some assessment, he pointed in the direction: "Over there. Based on the spiritual energy they left behind, they left less than an hour and a half ago."

"Chase!"

Xue Fangyuan set off immediately without hesitation, but Xue Kexin hesitated and said, "Shouldn't we send a message to the clan elders first?"

In Xue Kexin's opinion, now that they had finally found clues about the escapee, they should immediately send a message to Xue Yimiao.

"No need for now, let's wait until we find the person. What if we make the wrong judgment, wouldn't that ruin the clan elder's plans?"

Xue Fangyuan shook her head and refused.

Actually, she had her own selfish motives.

With her perfected Qi Refining cultivation, along with two others at the eighth and seventh levels of Qi Refining, she could easily defeat Silver Bell and Nightmare.

If she brings the nightmare back, she will have made a great contribution!

This achievement might allow her to exchange the Three-in-One Pill for a Foundation Establishment Pill. With a Foundation Establishment Pill, her chances of advancing to the Foundation Establishment realm would greatly increase.

"go!"

Xue Fangyuan led the two in a high-speed flight.

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.

At this time, it was a barren mountain more than 200 miles away from Niutou Mountain.

Xu Xiaohou and the other two are resting.

They fought a fierce battle on Niutou Mountain for a long time, which greatly depleted their energy, especially Xu Zhongxi, whose spiritual energy was almost completely exhausted.

Considering that Niutou Mountain is too close to Yunze Mountain, they dared not stay at Niutou Mountain and forced themselves to fly here.

Xu Zhongxi's spiritual energy was completely exhausted, and Meng Jiaojiao was also in poor condition.

Xu Xiaohou then led the two to hide in this desolate mountain to recover their spiritual energy and adjust their condition. If their condition was too poor, they would be unable to cope with any unexpected situations.

"It's about four or five hundred miles from here to Yunze Mountain. They probably won't be able to find it."

Xu Xiaohou used the spirit stone to circulate his cultivation technique and replenish the spiritual energy in his body, only to find that it was already broad daylight.

He looked in the direction of Yunze Mountain, unsure whether the Xue family had discovered the missing Xu Zhongxi.

Inside the cramped cave, Xu Zhongxi and Meng Jiaojiao replenished the spiritual energy in their dantian using spirit stones.

"Let's go, let's try to be as discreet as possible."

Xu Xiaohou spoke up, worried that the Xue family would find out.

As soon as the three of them reached the outside of the cave, Xu Xiaohou was the first to notice someone flying in from a distance.

"Go back and hide!"

He quickly led the two back to the cave and concealed his aura.

"I wonder if they're from the Xue family. Should we hide here until nightfall before setting off?"

Xu Xiaohou craned his neck to peek out from the cave entrance.

It's too dangerous for them to travel during the day. If the Xue family finds that Xu Zhongxi is missing, they'll definitely be searching for him all over the world.

"Okay, let's be careful."

Meng Jiaojiao echoed.

Xu Zhongxi remained silent. The two people in front of her meant her no harm, but in her mind, she was a member of the Xue family.

Here we go again, shh~~

Xu Xiaohou held his breath, suppressing his aura to the extreme.

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.

Xue Fangyuan and her two companions flew over this spot, but suddenly stopped and turned back.

"The aura disappeared here, and three streams of spiritual energy flew through the air."

The spiritual energy here had only been gone for a short time, which is why Xue Weisen was able to detect such specific details.

"Alright, haha. Looks like they're hiding here. As long as they're not Foundation Establishment cultivators, what's wrong with three people? I'd like to see what tricks they have up their sleeves."

Xue Fangyuan looked down at the barren mountains, a smile playing on her lips. She was at the peak of Qi Refining, and not just any ordinary peak Qi Refining cultivator, but the peak Qi Refining cultivator of the Xue family!
As a key heir of the Xue family, a Foundation Establishment clan, Xue Fangyuan's strength is far superior to that of demonic cultivators like Huang Li and Meng Yan, who were trained in the past.

Her strength is among the best in her class.

Not only her, but also Xue Weisen, Xue Kexin and other members of the Xue family are not to be regarded as ordinary rogue cultivators of the same level.

"Look for each other separately!"

Xue Fangyuan led the way down the barren mountain below, with the two following closely behind.

This barren mountain area is only a few miles in radius, and you can search every corner in no time.

Xue Weisen used his keen sense of spiritual energy to find the cave where Xu Xiaohou and the others were hiding.

He looked at the cave but didn't approach. There were three people on the other side, and he dared not rashly step forward.

"Found it, it's here!"

His voice, amplified by his spiritual energy, carried far, and Xue Fangyuan and the other person came upon hearing it.

The moment his voice fell, a flying sword shot out of the cave entrance, followed by the figure of a man.

He quickly stepped back, and a folding fan appeared in his hand.

The folding fan was opened, revealing two characters written in jet-black ink on the white surface: "Fan the wind" and "Light the fire".

This is Xue Weisen's mid-grade magic weapon, which he calls the "Wind and Fire Fan".

He brandished the Wind and Fire Fan in his hand. The Wind and Fire Fan looked fragile, but it was very sturdy. With a clang, it deflected the feather-patterned flying sword like an iron fan.

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.

"I stopped him! Jiaojiao, take her away quickly!"

Xu Xiaohou rushed towards Xue Weisen, creating an opportunity for Xu Zhongxi and Meng Jiaojiao to escape.

They didn't know how many people the other side had.

Behind him, Meng Jiaojiao pulled Xu Zhongxi into the air.

However, they were stopped by Xue Fangyuan and her companion who arrived at the scene.

Xue Fangyuan and her companion were nearby and rushed over as soon as they heard the noise.

Xu Xiaohou and two others, and the other side also had three people.

To his relief, the enemy did not have any Foundation Establishment cultivators, which was their only hope. However, these people had already discovered them, and the Xue family's Foundation Establishment cultivators would arrive soon, so they had to act quickly.

"Which of these two is our main medicine?"

Seeing that reinforcements had arrived, Xue Weisen calmed down and spoke without restraint.

As an ordinary member of the Xue family, he had never been to Black Swamp Mountain. In fact, most members of the Xue family did not know how their Foundation Establishment Pill's "main ingredient" came about; only a very small number of late-stage Qi Refining cultivators knew.

For example, Xue Kexin, if it weren't for this arrest, she wouldn't have known that the "main medicine" was actually the same person.

Main ingredient?

Upon hearing these two words, Xu Xiaohou frowned. He had heard Xu Zhongche say that alchemy required "main ingredients" and "auxiliary ingredients".

"You're doing this to refine pills?!"

Xu Xiaohou suddenly realized what was happening, and his face was filled with horror.

The Xue family, a Foundation Establishment alchemy clan, actually uses "humans" as the main ingredient in their alchemy? That's truly astonishing.

Meng Jiaojiao also understood the purpose of her training, and she quickly spoke up: "You are training Nightmare to refine pills, right?"

"..."

Xu Zhongxi was in turmoil. She had agreed to Xu Xiaohou's request because she was outmatched and had no other choice.

However, Xue Weisen's words have now shattered the worldview that the Xue family had brainwashed and shaped for her.

She... was she merely the main ingredient in the alchemy?

"I want you to talk more!"

Xue Fangyuan glared at Xue Weisen. The three people in front of her clearly didn't know the secret, but Xue Weisen had revealed it in one sentence.

"Forehead……"

Xue Weisen looked embarrassed as he realized he had spoken out of turn.

"Capture Nightmare alive, kill the other two!"

As Xue Fangyuan gave the order, she opened her hand, and a blazing fireball in her palm rapidly grew larger.

In the blink of an eye, a fireball the size of a washbasin appeared, radiating scorching heat, and the surrounding air distorted into rolling heat waves.

With a wave of her hand, the fireball flew towards Xu Xiaohou.

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.

"call out!"

With a flick of his wrist, Xu Xiaohou sent the feather-patterned flying sword flying in an arc, emitting a whistling sound, towards Xue Fangyuan's neck.

"A sword-controlling cultivator?"

Xue Fangyuan looked slightly surprised as a golden, gleaming round shield appeared in her hand.

The round shield is about half a meter in diameter, and its surface is engraved with a large number of fiery red runes.

As an important descendant of the Xue family, she possesses a superior defensive magic weapon: the Golden Flame Shield.

This superior defensive magic weapon is most suitable for those who cultivate fire-based techniques, which is a perfect match for Xue Fangyuan.

When attributes match, the Golden Flame Shield offers superior protection compared to the Green Wood Armor Shield.

Xue Fangyuan held the Golden Flame Shield, and the fiery red runes on the shield's surface glowed faintly before suddenly bursting into flames.

It was as if the surface of the Golden Flame Shield was on fire, with a patch of golden and red flames flickering.

With a "ding," the feather-patterned flying sword was unsurprisingly deflected by the golden flame shield.

To Xu Xiaohou's surprise, he could feel the feather-patterned flying sword being affected by the high temperature of the Golden Flame Shield, and the spiritual energy and divine soul power attached to the flying sword were being burned!

At the same time, Xue Fangyuan's blazing fireball slowed down and flew in front of Xu Xiaohou.

Seeing that the opponent was not fast, Xu Xiaohou dodged the attack.

However, the fireball changed direction in mid-air and flew towards Xu Xiaohou.

(End of this chapter)