From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 261 Spiritual Plants and Treasures, Demonic Beasts and Poisonous Mist

"Greetings to the Peach Blossom Immortal of my clan!"

Xiang Liuyun bowed respectfully to Xiang Zhiye.

Behind him, the voices of numerous cultivators rose and fell: "Greetings, Golden Core True Person!"

"Greetings, Commander!"

"..."

Xiang Zhiye nodded slightly to Xiang Liuyun, then glanced at everyone present and said loudly, "My nickname is Peach Blossom Immortal, you can call me Commander Peach Blossom. Her name is Xiang Chunying, she has reached the peak of Foundation Establishment and is the deputy commander."

My first order to you on this trip to the Wilderness Mountains is: follow orders in all actions and do not act on your own!

Do you understand?

Everyone present was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed in unison, "Understood!"

Afterwards, Xiang Liuyun handed the list to Xiang Zhiye: "Master Peach Blossom, there are more than 420 Foundation Establishment cultivators and more than 1,100 late-stage Qi Refining cultivators in this army."

Names, origins, and spiritual root cultivation levels are all registered here.

"it is good."

Xiang Zhiye accepted the list, glanced at it, and stored it in his storage pouch.

With so many cultivators, I wonder how many will make it back alive.

Then Xiang Liuyun pointed to a person not far away and whispered, "That person is named Tuoba Luopu. He is a Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator who was captured alive and has taken the Heart-Eating Pill..."

"Oh?"

Xiang Zhiye glanced at Tuoba Luopu indifferently. He was just a Foundation Establishment Level 3 cultivator and didn't care much about him: "Hand this person over to Chunying."

Having taken the Heart-Eating Pill means that he will need to take the antidote regularly.

This kind of person is not suitable for important tasks, but they can be assigned dangerous or sabotage-like jobs.

After exchanging a few more words, the two waved their hands at Shino and said, "The army, listen to my command, set off!"

He took the lead, flying at the very front. Considering there were many late-stage Qi Refining cultivators among them, he deliberately controlled his flight speed.

Many cultivators followed him southward.

At the very back of the group, Xiang Chunying brought up the rear.

More than four hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators and more than a thousand late-stage Qi Refining cultivators flew in the air, their numbers dense as far as the eye could see.

Looking up at the sky from the ground, it's like seeing a flock of crows migrating in a flock.

Xiang Liuyun watched the procession depart into the distance, for as the prefect, he had to remain in Yuanli County.

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.

Among the group of cultivators flying from Yuanli County to the Wilderness Mountains were five members of the Xu family.

Xiaoniu, Xiaohou, Zhongxu, Likun, and Yiqing.

Both Xiao Niu and Xiao Hou went there voluntarily.

Yoshikiyo was chosen by drawing lots.

Zhongxu and Likun registered voluntarily.

Xu Likun is Xiao Niu's grandson. His father was Xu Zhongyao, who was killed by Yan Yijin. Now that he has a son and a grandson, he has no regrets in life, so he decides to follow the Xu family to the Wilderness Mountains to earn resources.

Five Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Xu family flew forward in the procession, accompanied by Xu Xiaoniu's old acquaintances: Jiang Hao and Baili Wei.

Jiang Hao, as a celestial official, volunteered to go to the desolate swamp mountain range.

He recently advanced to the fourth level of Foundation Establishment, a few years later than Xu Xiaoniu. As a person with a true spiritual root, he had to earn resources for his family's descendants because he lacked the support of family resources, which slowed down his cultivation progress.

He knew the importance of resources, so he volunteered to go to the Wild Swamp Mountains.

Without special opportunities, his life would have been just like that, relying solely on the meager salary he received as a celestial official.

Given his aptitude and rate of improvement, he estimated that he could only reach the sixth level of Foundation Establishment at most before he died, and even the late stage of Foundation Establishment would be difficult for him.

He was unwilling to accept it.

He wanted to pursue a higher realm, and also wanted to leave more resources for his family, so he decided to venture into the Desolate Marsh Mountains. Despite the many dangers, the resources, spoils of war, and even the opportunity to achieve the Golden Core in the Desolate Marsh Mountains were all very tempting to him.

Bailiwei was a celestial official in charge of the mountain forest, and like Xu Yiqing, he was selected by drawing lots.

He was twenty or thirty years younger than Jiang Hao, and had the support of family resources. He advanced to the fourth level of Foundation Establishment a few years earlier than Xu Xiaoniu.

After being selected by lottery to go to the Wilderness Mountains, an elder from the Baili family at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment accompanied him, looking after each other and protecting him.

At this moment, the group's flight was slowed down by the speed limitations imposed by the Qi Refining cultivators.

This gave everyone the leisure to chat.

Bai Liwei looked at the five Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Xu family and was surprised: The Xu family has so many Foundation Establishment members.

In just a few decades, the Xu family has developed at an incredible speed, with more Foundation Establishment members than the Baili family.

Currently, the Baili family only has a total of six Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Bai Liwei knew that the Xu family had more than just these five Foundation Establishment cultivators; he knew of several others.

For example, Xu Zhongche.

He knew that the Xu family had a Foundation Establishment alchemist who could refine the Three-in-One Pill, and that the Xu family had used the Three-in-One Pill to pay off debts and purchase spiritual artifacts from his family over the years.

"Xiao Niu, may I ask who this gentleman is?"

Bai Liwei looked at Xu Likun; he had never seen this Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Xu family before.

“He is my grandson Li Kun, Zhong Yao’s son.”

"Your grandchildren?"

Bailiwei was surprised. He knew that Zhongyao had died after encountering a demonic cultivator a long time ago, but he didn't know that his son had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage. He and Xu Xiaoniu had such a good relationship, and as fellow celestial officials they often kept in touch, how could he not know that Xu had a grandson who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage?

"When he advanced to the Foundation Establishment Realm, your family didn't hold a banquet?"

Other Foundation Establishment families, let alone having a member advance to the Foundation Establishment realm, would hold a grand banquet for several days and entertain guests even if a member of their family was found to have a true spiritual root.

If a member of the clan were to establish a foundation, they would hold a grand banquet and announce it to the public, fearing that outsiders would not know.

The emergence of a Foundation Establishment cultivator in a family signifies an increase in the family's power. Therefore, they never hesitate to showcase their family's strength to the outside world.

Unlike the Xu family, which is so low-key, they remain completely silent even when a Foundation Establishment cultivator appears in their family.

Xu Xiaoniu replied with a smile, "It's just Foundation Establishment, nothing special. Our clan has always been low-key, and we don't have the custom of holding banquets for such things."

Besides, although we have several Foundation Establishment cultivators in our clan, they are mostly at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. My fourth level of Foundation Establishment is already the highest level of cultivation in the clan.

It's better to keep a low profile, unlike your clan which has pillars of strength in the late Foundation Establishment stage..."

This is true.

Hearing Xu Xiaoniu say this, Baili Wei felt much better. Their Baili family had a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, so in terms of overall strength, they were much stronger than the Xu family.

"Who is that young man? Judging from his appearance, he is at most forty or fifty years old, yet he has already reached the third level of Foundation Establishment."

Bai Liwei was asking about Zhongxu.

Although Foundation Establishment cultivators generally look very young, their approximate age can be determined by their eyes and other signs.

Bai Liwei could tell that Zhongxu was very young, no more than fifty years old. In fact, Zhongxu was not yet thirty.

“He is Xiaohou’s son, Zhongxu.”

Xu Zhongxu?
“I know him, the true spiritual root genius of your clan, right? Tsk, he's already at the third level of Foundation Establishment. His talent is much stronger than that of your clan's Yi Qing.”

Bai Liwei knew Xu Zhongxu.

The Xu family publicly claimed that Xu Zhongxu possessed the true spiritual roots of the three elements: metal, wood, and earth.

No outsiders were present when Xu Xiaohou got married. But after hearing about it, Bailiwei sent someone to deliver congratulatory gifts.

He calculated in his mind that Xu Zhongxu was at most thirty years old, yet he had already reached the third level of Foundation Establishment.

This talent is truly exceptional among true spiritual roots!
There are so many cultivators with true spiritual roots, but their cultivation speed and comprehension of techniques are not all the same; rather, they vary from person to person.

Even among those with true spiritual roots, there are differences. Outstanding individuals, such as Nie Tingjun, possess extremely fast cultivation speed and a profound understanding of cultivation techniques.

Bai Liwei clearly regarded Xu Zhongxu as this type of person.

He had no doubt that Xu Zhongxu did not have a true spiritual root, because there was no reason to hide it.

He knew nothing about the Zhennan Prefecture government, so he never imagined that a genius with an earth spirit root would lie and claim to have a true spirit root.

"Not at all, not at all. My clan has given him a lot of resources, which is why he has advanced so quickly."

Xu Xiaoniu was being modest, and also trying to cover up for Xu Zhongxu.

Three months ago, Zhongxu was still at the second level of the Foundation Establishment stage.

After much persuasion, Xu Fugui finally agreed to follow the Xu family to the Wilderness Mountains, and Xu Fugui gave him a bottle of Spirit Branch Dew.

Within Xu Fugui's inner space, the family's treasure tree condenses a drop of spiritual dew every year, containing pure spiritual power. One drop of spiritual dew is equivalent to thousands of spirit stones.

Given Xu Zhongxu's digestive capacity, it was impossible for him to digest all the spiritual nectar in a short period of time.

Instead, it is refined into one drop per month.

Even so, coupled with his earth-root aptitude, his ability to digest and utilize the spiritual dew far surpasses that of ordinary spiritual roots, resulting in a rapid increase in his strength.

He's currently at the third level of Foundation Establishment, and he estimates that with the help of the Spirit Branch Dew, he can advance to the fourth level of Foundation Establishment in at most six months!

The combination of spiritual root aptitude and resources resulted in Zhongxu's astonishingly rapid improvement.

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 formation flew slowly.

If one were a Golden Core cultivator, two hours would be enough to fly from Yuanli County to the Wilderness Mountain Range.

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, half a day is enough.

However, some cultivators were at the late stage of Qi Refining, so they had to rest and replenish their spiritual energy along the way.

After two days, they finally flew out of the Zhennan Prefecture.

The group flew hundreds of feet in the air, and in the distance, they could see endless, towering mountains.

Like a winding dragon stretching across the horizon, it is deep and mysterious, with no end in sight.

Those mountain peaks stand tall between heaven and earth, some soaring into the clouds and shrouded in mist.

There are also some mountains and forests shrouded in darkness and miasma.

Xiang Zhiye led the group to a stop at the edge of the Arazawa Mountains, landing on the top of a barren mountain.

"Everyone, please rest here for a moment."

The group then rested there.

After flying for a while, the Qi Refining cultivators had almost exhausted their spiritual energy, so they all sat down to meditate and replenish their spiritual energy.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators chatted in twos and threes.

Xu Xiaoniu looked at the desolate mountains ahead and couldn't help but think of the last time he came here.

He was forcibly conscripted by Tonggu County when he was eighteen years old. At that time, he had only practiced stance training for a few years and was conscripted to work as a laborer.

I spent ten years in the desolate mountains.

For those ten years, he was mining ore, and ordinary gold ore at that. He never got a chance to mine the deposits that could actually yield spirit stones.

Time passed, and more than a hundred years later, he came to the Desolate Marsh Mountains again, now a celestial official at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment!
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.

While they wait here.

Xiang Zhiye waited for a long time before a Golden Core cultivator appeared.

This Golden Core cultivator was from the Zhennan Prefecture government office and came specifically to bring some intelligence to Xiang Zhiye.

"Master Peach Blossom, this is our latest map. The markings on the map are written next to it."

A scroll of animal hide map, about ten feet long and three feet wide, was handed to Xiang Zhiye.

Although the terrain in this desolate mountain range remains unchanged year after year, the map still needs to be updated frequently.

The most important information is not which mountain or river it is, but the poisonous mist and miasma that change over time, and the ever-changing territories of the monsters.

The map marked the territories of third-tier demonic beasts that they couldn't afford to offend.

"You've just arrived, so don't undertake any dangerous missions. Focus on getting familiar with the area first..."

After exchanging a few words with Xiang Zhiye, the Golden Core cultivator took his leave.

Xiang Zhiye looked at the map and talked with Xiang Chunying next to him, then chose a destination for his team.

"Let's go!"

Once the destination is decided, there's no time to lose, let's set off.

The group flew into the desolate swamp mountain range.

More than a thousand people flew into the vast desolate mountain range, as inconspicuous as small fish merging into a vast ocean.

The Wilderness Mountain Range is vast, and once inside, the swirling mist and pervasive black poisonous fog further slowed their flight.

We also had to change direction from time to time to avoid some dangerous areas.

And so they flew for another two days.

"arrive!"

As the group approached a deep mountain ravine ahead, they were struck by the abundance of spiritual energy within it.

This is a second-tier spiritual land.

"We'll be stationed here for the next period of time. Let me remind you again: follow orders completely. Any unauthorized actions will be severely punished!"

Xiang Zhiye reminded him again.

He didn't expect these cultivators to have strict discipline and obedience; he only hoped they would listen and play their proper role.

Afterwards, the group flew into the mountain stream, searching for caves and other suitable locations.

Many people are eager to start practicing Qigong and cultivating themselves.

This second-tier spiritual land is a rare and blessed place for many Qi Refining cultivators.

Let alone independent cultivators, even clan cultivators rarely have the opportunity to cultivate in second-tier spiritual lands.

For example, Jiang Hao's family currently only has first-tier spiritual lands as their territory, and no second-tier spiritual lands.

Many cultivators began to cultivate in the second-tier spiritual land, which was rich in spiritual energy.

after one day.

Xiang Zhiye summoned everyone together.

"Everyone, hand over your storage pouches."

he said loudly.

"what?!"

Everyone was shocked. What was going on?
We've just arrived at the Wilderness Mountains and we're already trying to plunder their resources?
What Xiang Zhiye said next made everyone understand his intention: "When you go out to collect spiritual plants and treasures, you are not allowed to carry storage bags to prevent you from hoarding them."

Hand over your storage pouches to me for centralized management. With your divine soul imprints on them, no one can steal the contents of your storage pouches.

No matter how many storage pouches you have, hand them all over.

If anyone conceals anything, they will be severely punished as if they had disobeyed orders!
I will allocate the collected spiritual plants and treasures in a coordinated manner, and those who perform exceptionally well will receive additional rewards.

"Now hand over your storage pouches to the Vice Commander!"

Knowing that Xiang Zhiye was not after their treasures, everyone felt much more at ease and handed over their storage pouches to Xiang Chunying.

Afterwards, the group dispersed and collected spiritual plants and treasures near the mountain stream.

This unclaimed second-tier spiritual land in the desolate swamp mountains has indeed accumulated many spiritual plants over the years.

(End of this chapter)