From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 243 Defying Fate, Possessing a Body and Rebirth

Another day passed, and all the magical contests ended, and the quotas for the celestial officials of the government office were determined.

Of the twenty people from Yuanli County who came to participate in the selection, only Fan Tianlin and Yang Zhen, who had the Earth Spirit Root, were selected; the rest were all rejected.

As everyone had expected, the selection of officials in the government office was extremely difficult, and they came with the mindset of giving it a try and broadening their horizons.

"Fellow Daoist Tianlin, Fellow Daoist Yang Zhen, congratulations! You two will surely rise rapidly in your future careers as celestial officials in the government office. May you both break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm and ascend to the Golden Core Realm soon!"

Xu Yiqing bid farewell to the two men.

These days he's gotten to know Fan Tianlin better, and although he hasn't said much to Yang Zhen, he's become somewhat familiar with him.

Fan Tianlin laughed and said, "The treatment of a celestial official in the prefectural government is not much worse than that of a celestial official in the provincial government. Fellow Daoist Yiqing, you have already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining. I wish you success in Foundation Establishment."

When I have time to return to Yuanli County, we'll drink wine, enjoy tea, and discuss the Dao and its teachings.

"sure."

"..."

Fan Tianlin and Yang Zhen have become celestial officials in the government office, but there are still some procedures to go through. They will have to follow the government office's arrangements and cannot return to Yuanli County for the time being. They can only visit relatives in Yuanli County when they have time, and will have to spend most of their time in Gu Nan City.

The people from Yuanli County surrounded Fan Tianlin and Yang Zhen, bidding them farewell. It was fate that they had met, and with their earth spirit roots and status as celestial officials in the government office, they might need this favor in the future.

Even Yan Zhenwu, who was leading the team, had a slightly obsequious and ingratiating look on his face.

Don't be fooled by Yan Zhenwu's current Foundation Establishment Level 7 cultivation; this is his limit. The two with Earth Spiritual Root aptitudes, at the very least, will reach the late Foundation Establishment stage in the future.

Fan Tianlin and Yang Zhen followed the newly promoted immortal officials, heading to the government office with the Golden Core immortal official.

Yan Zhenwu led everyone away from the Xiang family's sacred mountain territory.

He was in no hurry to lead the team back to Yuanli County: "I'll give everyone a day to explore the ancient city of Gu Nan. Tomorrow at this time, everyone will meet outside the south side of Gu Nan, where we came from, and I will escort you back."

If you don't need my escort, just let me know and you're free to move around.

He was ordered to bring everyone here and to lead them back safely. In reality, given the situation in Zhennan Prefecture, the possibility of them encountering any accidents was extremely low.

Having traveled a long way to visit the ancient southern city, everyone naturally wanted to explore it.

So they dispersed and went to different places to visit.

Everyone kept Yan Zhenwu's instructions in mind and stayed in public areas, not venturing into the sacred ground.

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 other side.

"That's the government office?"

Fan Tianlin stared in awe at the "city" built atop a straight mountain peak, appearing and disappearing in the clouds.

"So, we'll be celestial officials here from now on?"

Yang Zhen was filled with excitement. The government office standing tall in the clouds was just like his current status, leaping from a lowly mortal to a high-ranking celestial official.

Yan Zhenwu, who was in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, treated him with great respect, something he had never dared to imagine before.

These days he has gradually gotten used to this "superior" life, it's really great.

He knew in his heart that people respected not him for who he was now, but for his "potential." He silently vowed to cultivate diligently and become a Foundation Establishment cultivator as soon as possible, or even go further and become a Golden Core cultivator.

He wanted to ensure that his family and relatives could live a good life, to establish a Jindan family, and to ensure that his descendants would never again be poor farmers.

Farmers lead a very hard life, toiling in the fields every day, and they also have to pay rent and land taxes. After a lifetime of hard work, they are left with a host of illnesses, and may even suffer from poor food and clothing.

These newly promoted celestial officials entered the government office.

They stood in an open space, and a moment later someone floated in from a distance.

Someone recognized him and whispered, "It's the Prefect!"

Your Excellency the Prefect?

Everyone quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency the Prefect."

Lin Shengping remained calm, glancing indifferently at everyone present.

Of these newly appointed officials, ninety-two are of earth spirit root, and twelve are outstanding individuals selected through battles where they defeated countless opponents.

The imperial court needs celestial officials, and the Demon Subduing Division and the Imperial Guard need celestial officials with outstanding abilities, so the best candidates must be selected.

The Qian Yuan Immortal Dynasty is now in a golden age, with peace and tranquility throughout the land. There are not many demonic cultivators or enemies that the immortal officials need to deal with.

Lin Shengping only cared about the earth's spiritual root, not the twelve people.

Ninety-two individuals possessed earth-elemental spiritual roots, some of whom came from families with Golden Core, Foundation Establishment, or Qi Refining cultivation, while others came from ordinary families.

The only ones they can "use" are those with earth spiritual roots from ordinary families. As for earth spiritual roots from Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment families, they need to be cautious.

"From this day forward, you will be celestial officials under the jurisdiction of the Zhennan Prefecture government. After receiving your celestial official tokens, you will be assigned suitable positions based on your cultivation level and preferred techniques."

In the next few days, we will arrange accommodations for you within the government office, and provide you with spirit stones and elixirs. The library will also be open to you..."

Lin Shengping explained the arrangements for everyone and their benefits, said some encouraging words, and then left.

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 vast government office complex contained numerous buildings.

Fan Tianlin and Yang Zhen moved into the accommodations arranged for them by the government office, which was an exquisite and elegant small courtyard.

Fan Tianlin first used a long-distance communication talisman to send a message to his great-grandfather, Fan Kongye, explaining the situation. Afterward, he couldn't wait to get to know those who had been selected as celestial officials in the same batch, inquiring about the positions available in the government office. With so many celestial official positions in the government office, he hoped to be assigned to a good one.

Yang Zhen, on the other hand, was immersed in cultivation. The government office was located on a third-tier spiritual vein, making it an excellent place for cultivation.

His current strength is too weak, only at the fifth level of Qi Refining. Among those immortal officials who are also Earth Spirit Roots, many are at the Foundation Establishment stage.

A few days later, the government officials notified Yang Zhen to collect the celestial official's token.

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.

In the ancient southern city, the third-order spiritual vein, stretching for hundreds of miles, was divided into more than a dozen third-order spiritual lands, which were occupied by Golden Core families.

Among them, the Lin family occupies the largest area of ​​Lingdi.

The spiritual land within a radius of fifteen miles was shrouded in a third-order spirit-gathering array.

The Lin family is most famous for its "battle formations," and the clan has a profound tradition of these formations.

Their family's spiritual land possesses a complex and ingenious third-tier spirit-gathering array. It not only gathers spiritual energy but also shields the area from detection by others. Mortals outside the array cannot see what's inside, and cultivators below the late Golden Core stage cannot probe the array with their divine sense.

At this moment, deep within the Lin family's sacred land, there is a mountain peak whose interior has been hollowed out.

This is a forbidden area of ​​the Lin family; members of the Lin family below the seventh level of Foundation Establishment are prohibited from entering.

There are incredibly spacious caves inside the mountain peaks.

In the dimly lit cave, Yang Zhen lay on a mysterious array.

Dizzyingly complex patterns covered the ground, forming an array ten zhang in diameter. Spirit stones were embedded in the array, emitting a faint light.

An unknown, mysterious gemstone emitted an eerie glow.

Yang Zhen's eyes were filled with terror. He knew something was wrong, but he was powerless to resist.

How could a weak cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining resist a Golden Core cultivator?

He was bound to one of the array's key points in a "T" shape, with all his meridians and dantian blocked, unable to use a single trace of spiritual energy.

He didn't know what would happen next, but he realized he was likely to die!
Lin Shengping, the prefect of Zhennan Prefecture, was not far away.

What could a cultivator of humble origins have that would make others covet him? There's only one answer: his earth spirit root!
When he first discovered he possessed an earth-spiritual root, he was extremely cautious and dared not utter a word, fearing the dangers of encountering demonic cultivators or the like. Unexpectedly, even becoming a celestial official in the government office couldn't save him from this calamity.

"A demonic cultivator! The prefect is a demonic cultivator!..."

He was horrified.

All those hopes for the future have vanished.

Even the prefect of Zhennan Prefecture coveted his earth spirit root. What could he do? He had nowhere to escape.

Outside the formation, several people stood at a distance watching.

Lin Shengping was already used to it and felt no emotion whatsoever: "The formation is about to be activated. Get ready."

He wasn't saying this to Yang Zhen, but to the boy who was at another key point in the formation.

The boy's surname was "Wuma," he was fifteen years old, and he was trembling with nervousness.

"open!"

Lin Shengping activated the "Body-Seizing Array".

The spirit stones and various gems within the formation shone brightly, illuminating the cave.

This mysterious formation was a "Body-Seizing Formation" developed by an ancestor of the Lin family with exceptional talent in formations. Before that, the Lin family was just an ordinary Golden Core family.

With the "Body-Seizing Array," the Lin family quickly rose to become one of the most powerful Golden Core families in Zhennan Prefecture.

For thousands of years, half of the prefectural governorships in Zhennan Prefecture were held by members of the Lin family, precisely because the Lin family possessed the "Body-Seizing Array."

One's aptitude for cultivating immortality is determined at birth; if one has no spiritual root, then one simply doesn't have it.

What if one insists on cultivating immortality? There are some methods, but they all come at a considerable cost. The Xu family's "Five Elements Stance Technique," which allows one to cultivate five pseudo-spiritual roots, is a rare case with an extremely low cost.

However, so what if they have five pseudo-spiritual roots? Golden Core families have no shortage of members with five spiritual roots, and even Golden Core families with three true spiritual roots have no shortage of members.

What they lack are cultivation geniuses with earth-rooted spiritual energy.

With the resources controlled by the Golden Core Clan, the Earth Spirit Root Clan members have a high probability of advancing to the Golden Core Realm, which would then be a useful fighting force for the Golden Core Clan.

Methods that deprive others of their spiritual roots belong to demonic cultivation techniques.

Such cultivation methods are not uncommon, such as the "Blood and Marrow Transformation Method," but they all have great limitations and cannot completely strip a person of their spiritual root. Spiritual root aptitude is innate and contained within one's own body; even if it is forcibly stripped away using demonic cultivation methods, it is difficult to sustain.

Besides, only your own things can fit perfectly and reach their full potential.

The Body-Seizing Array can seize another's body and perfectly acquire their spiritual roots!
The soul is the most mysterious thing; it is not so simple to perfectly destroy another person's soul or possess another person's body.

The Lin family's possession formation has limitations. For example, the younger the target, the lower their cultivation level, and the weaker their soul, the higher the success rate of possession.

The person who possesses their body should ideally be of similar age.

When possessing another body, one abandons their original body. Each use of the possession array requires spirit stones and some precious array items.

These are all costs.

However, compared to its effects, the so-called "cost" is insignificant.

Each selection of celestial officials by the government office is a "grand event" where those few Golden Core families vie for earth spiritual roots. The Wuma family, the Xiang family, and the Lin family, along with other five top Golden Core families, will be given priority in the selection.

Besides these five Golden Core families, other Golden Core families also know about the Lin family's Body-Seizing Array. If they also want to use the Body-Seizing Array, they need to give the Lin family a very generous "reward".

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.

Within the Body-Seizing Formation.

Yang Zhen felt his soul being "pulled" out of his body. In a daze, he saw himself from an outsider's perspective, and his consciousness gradually blurred.

The soul leaving the body is something even a Golden Core cultivator cannot do.

However, during the possession formation, both of their souls briefly left their bodies.

As Yang Zhen's soul left his body, a divine soul entered his body and took over his body.

The effects of the formation continued, and the new soul and body were getting used to and merging with it.

Beside Lin Shengping were two people: one was Wuma Boyi, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator from the Wuma family, and the other was his grandson, Wuma Chenyang.

Wuma Chenyang was a mortal without spiritual roots. He wore an exquisite robe with a spirit jade hanging from his waist, an outfit more expensive than that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator.

His grandfather had previously told him that he should cultivate immortality, but he was puzzled, wondering how one could cultivate immortality without spiritual roots.

He gazed at the scene within the formation, a hint of fear in his expression. Abandoning his own body and possessing another's was filled with unknown terror for him.

"Chenyang, don't be afraid. You will definitely be able to successfully possess a body with an earth spirit root. There is just one thing I have to ask of you: you will not be able to have children after you possess the body."

Wuma Boyi is a Golden Core cultivator in the Wuma family, second only to the patriarch, holding an extremely high position. Although the family is large, few are directly related to him by blood.

He devoted himself to cultivation in his youth, and only had a few children after reaching the Golden Core stage. He didn't have many grandsons, among whom Wuma Chenyang had no spiritual root, but he favored the obedient Wuma Chenyang.

Having possessed a body and obtained the Earth Spirit Root, according to the rules of the Wuma family, one cannot have offspring.

After the possession, although Wuma Chenyang's soul remained his, his body belonged to someone else. Under such circumstances, would his descendants still carry the bloodline of the Wuma family?
There is no definitive answer to this question.

The Wuma family holds a rather traditional view, believing that the bloodline obtained through possession is not part of the family bloodline and therefore forbids the birth of offspring to prevent contamination of the Wuma family's pure bloodline.

However, some Golden Core families do not care about this point and still consider the body possessed as their own bloodline.

Wuma Chenyang said nonchalantly, "Grandpa, as long as I can cultivate immortality, it doesn't matter if I don't marry or have children in this life."

When he was a child and it was discovered he had no spiritual root, he felt like the sky had fallen. In a Golden Core family, to live as a mortal for decades without spiritual root and unable to cultivate?
He couldn't accept it and begged his grandfather. His grandfather then promised him that he would find a way to help him cultivate immortality.

Hearing his words, Wuma Boyi nodded: "Grandpa is very pleased that you think this way. In the path of cultivation, those with the talent pursue the path of immortality and their own ultimate potential, while only the incompetent pin their hopes on procreation."

Furthermore, the inability to have children does not mean the inability to enjoy sexual pleasure.

As the two were speaking, the body-snatching formation ended.

Yang Zhen slowly got up and looked at another pale corpse that had lost its soul and breath, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

His lively eyes and stiff expression after being possessed were very strange.

He walked towards his original body and began to collect his corpse.

Lin Shengping reminded him, "Go back and take elixirs like Tranquilizing Pills and Soul-Suppressing Pills. Don't cultivate. Sleep for a few more days and wait until you have complete control over your body before you start practicing."

Remember, your current identity is Yang Zhen, a celestial official in the government office. This must not be revealed.

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Yang Zhen's voice had a strange tone.

"I'll send someone to take your body back to your home. You should go to the government office first."

Wuma Boyi made the arrangements.

"Yes, Master Boyi."

After he left, it was Wuma Chenyang's turn next.

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.

Yang Zhen has a metal, fire, and earth elemental root, while Fan Tianlin has a water, fire, and earth elemental root, both of which happen to be the elemental roots that the Wuma family needs.

"I have already sent someone to find Fan Tianlin, and he will be here soon. This man comes from a Foundation Establishment family with considerable influence, so we must be extremely cautious."

Lin Shengping couldn't help but remind him again.

The Lin family's soul-seizing formation is known only to the powerful members of the Golden Core families in Zhennan Prefecture; ordinary people are unaware of it. Foundation Establishment families are not qualified to know about it.

If this secret is exposed, the consequences will be enormous. The most direct impact will be: the earth-rooted immortal official will be possessed, and which earth-rooted immortal official would dare to participate in the selection of immortal officials in the future?

To keep this secret, their targets are often geniuses with earth-rooted spiritual abilities from ordinary families. Those ordinary relatives will die one after another within a few decades, and the person who possesses the body can fabricate a reason to "fake death" and then return to their true family.

Fan Tianlin's family has eight Foundation Establishment cultivators, making them a powerful family among Foundation Establishment families. They generally wouldn't choose someone from such a background, as the risk of exposure is too high.

After Wuma Chenyang possessed the body, he lost his original memories. How could he deceive the Fan family and successfully return to the Wuma family? This was a difficult problem.

"Your Excellency, I will certainly make sure to have a foolproof plan."

Wuma Boyi responded.

Fan Tianlin's water, fire, and earth spiritual roots are extremely rare, while the Wuma family possesses a dual water and fire cultivation technique with immense power. If his grandson were to seize the water, fire, and earth spiritual roots, his path to immortality would be limitless.

He paid a considerable price to get Lin Shengping to agree.

After a while, Fan Tianlin was brought in. His meridians were sealed, he could not use his spiritual energy, and he could not make a sound. He was led into the body-seizing formation with a look of terror on his face.

He never imagined that coming to Gu Nan City to become a celestial official would lead to the loss of his life here.

"Chenyang, go."

Wuma Boyi gave his grandson an encouraging look.

Wuma Chenyang had just witnessed the entire process and knew how it unfolded. He entered the body-snatching formation, lay down at another key point of the formation, and placed his limbs and head in the corresponding positions.

He is about to lose his own body and become someone else.

……

Fifteen minutes later, Fan Tianlin slowly stood up.

He is now Fan Tianlin, possessing the divine soul of Wuma Chenyang.

As Wuma Chenyang watched his original body turn into a corpse, a strong sense of reluctance welled up in his heart. He felt that he was more handsome in his original form, and that he should choose a technique to change his appearance and return to his original form.

"Chenyang, how are you feeling?"

"Grandpa, I feel dizzy and my vision is blurry."

Wu Ma Chenyang found himself unable to speak fluently.

"That's normal. Everyone's like this at first. Go back and rest for a few days. Remember to take some calming and soul-soothing elixirs."

Lin Shengping chimed in from the side.

"Yes, Your Excellency."

"..."

Afterwards, Wuma Boyi took Wuma Chenyang away and sent him to the government office.

After taking the elixir, Wuma Chenyang slept for a few days before going to create a Celestial Official Token. The Celestial Official Token requires the incorporation of divine soul energy, which is why it was created only after the possession of another body.

From then on, he was known as Fan Tianlin on the surface, but some people in secret knew his true identity.

Having thoroughly familiarized himself with and taken control of his new body, he began his cultivation.

Wuma Chenyang used to be unable to sense the existence of spiritual energy in heaven and earth, but now he finds that the spiritual energy of water and fire is as obvious as the stars in the night sky. Even if he does not circulate his cultivation technique, the spiritual energy will still enter his body.

This feeling is quite mysterious.

The path of cultivating immortality involves controlling the primordial energy of heaven and earth, pursuing longevity and immortality. It is a path that defies the heavens and seizes the creation of heaven and earth, making it extremely difficult. Only a very few cultivators with spiritual roots are qualified to cultivate immortality.

Those who possess spiritual roots are one in ten thousand among mortals.

Earthly spiritual roots are extremely rare among cultivators and even rarer among Golden Core families. Only in the vast Zhennan Prefecture, with its large population, can a few earthly spiritual roots be born.

The top-tier Golden Core families have no shortage of spiritual lands, spirit stones, or elixirs. The Foundation Establishment Pills that lower-level cultivators fight tooth and nail for are readily available to Golden Core families.

The Earth Spirit Root is a unique "resource" that can be born among mortals, but is also very precious to Golden Core families.

The Lin family's possession formation deprived mortals of any chance.

Yang Zhen, born into an ordinary family with a spiritual root, had the potential to change his fate thanks to the spiritual root bestowed upon him by heaven and earth, but it was cruelly taken away from him.

For a few Golden Core families such as the Lin family and the Wuma family, this is killing two birds with one stone.

They seized the earth spirit root of a mortal to enhance their own strength, and also prevented the birth and rise of a new Golden Core family.

Zhennan Prefecture has been under their control for thousands of years.

Regardless of the changing times and the rise and fall of other families, these top-tier Golden Core families have stood firm and endured for thousands of years.

(End of this chapter)