From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 280 Abundant Harvest, Sealed Jade Slip
"Li Kun, take the treasures from him, let's go quickly."

"Zhongxu, let me help you."

Worried that the commotion would attract other people, Xu Xiaoniu used his spiritual power to lift up Zhongxu, who was injured and unable to fly any longer, and flew alongside him.

Li Kun then took the storage pouch from Yan Yijin's body, stripped off the damaged golden armor, and turned his corpse into ashes.

"go!"

The group flew away in a direction beyond the desolate marshland mountains.

They flew non-stop for a full day and night out of the Desolate Marsh Mountains. They were all Foundation Establishment cultivators, and they had also taken pills to restore their spiritual energy, which enabled them to fly continuously for a whole day without stopping.

"Let's rest for a while."

They had already reached the territory of Yunbian County in Zhennan Prefecture and would no longer encounter people from the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty.

They found a secluded mountain and practiced their cultivation techniques to restore their spiritual energy deep in the forest.

Xu Zhongxu finally found an opportunity to recover from his injuries. During the fight, Yan Yijin pierced through his side with a sword aura.

Half a day later, everyone had recovered completely, and Zhongxu had also recovered somewhat. He would need another three to five days of rest to fully recover. Foundation Establishment cultivators recover from injuries extremely quickly. As long as their dantian is not destroyed or their soul is damaged, even the most severe physical injuries can be completely healed in just three to five days.

"walk home!"

Upon hearing the word "going home," everyone's expressions brightened. They had all been away from home for ten years.

Apart from Xu Xiaoniu, no one else had ever been away from home for so long.

"Back!"

The group flew towards Yuanli County.

Another day later, the group traveled thousands of miles and flew back to Yuanli County.

Near Ru'an Mountain, they said goodbye to Jiang Hao.

Jiang Hao stayed with the Xu family members the whole time, providing considerable combat strength during the battle. Naturally, his gains were also substantial; the spoils were distributed according to his contributions during the battle.

During his trip to the Desolate Marsh Mountains, Jiang Hao's cultivation level improved significantly, and he gained much. Upon returning home, he is determined to cultivate a second Foundation Establishment cultivator for his family.

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.

Looking at Mount Ru'an so close at hand, the Xu family members felt a sense of peace and familiarity.

This feels like home.

Ten years after leaving home, Ru'an Mountain seems to have developed even better, with more spiritual plants growing in the sacred land.

They couldn't wait to fly back to the sacred land, while simultaneously scanning it with their divine senses.

Compared to when they left, many people in Ru'an Mountain still felt familiar, but there was also a sense of unfamiliarity.

Those little kids and teenagers have all grown up now, some of them have achieved great success in martial arts and embarked on the path of cultivation.

Xu Zhonghuai, the head of the Xu family, noticed several powerful divine senses that had appeared out of nowhere and quickly came out to investigate.

These divine senses felt familiar, yet they had changed drastically.

"Who?"

"Uncle, Sixth Uncle, you're back!"

Zhonghuai excitedly went forward to greet them when he saw them return. He was very happy to see that all five people who had gone to the Wilderness Mountains had returned.

Not only did they return safely, but each of them possessed a powerful aura, and their cultivation level was much higher than when they left.

When they left, the highest level among them was only at the fourth level of the Foundation Establishment stage.

"I'm back, I'm back, haha."

"Where is your grandpa?"

When Xu Xiaoniu asked about Xu Fugui, his divine sense did not detect his father, Xu Fugui.

Zhonghuai said, "Grandpa has been living in Baihe Mountain for the past few years and only comes here occasionally."

Baihe Mountain?
"Let's go see your grandfather first, and then we'll get together again when we get back."

Xu Fugui was unaware of their return and needed to explain the situation.

Afterwards, the group of five flew to Baihe Mountain.

Baihe Mountain is not far from Ruan Mountain, only about four or five hundred miles away as the crow flies. They flew there in less than an 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.

"father!"

"Grandpa~~"

"Great-grandfather~~"

"..."

The five of them each had their own nicknames.

Xu Fugui was cultivating spiritual plants in a small plot of land, only a dozen acres in size, inside Baihe Mountain, when he noticed several people descending from the sky.

"Da Niu, Liu Zi, Zhong Xu... you're finally back!"

Xu Fugui felt relieved to see that the others had returned safely.

Although Xu Xiaoniu sent a message via talisman a few dozen days ago saying that everyone was safe, he could only feel at ease after seeing it with his own eyes.

"Dad, great news! I have some fantastic news!"

Xu Xiaohou couldn't wait to tell Xu Fugui about Yan Yijin's death.

"No rush, take your time, let's go to the hall and talk about it."

Xu Xiaoniu had so much to say that he could talk for a whole day and night. He pulled Xu Fugui to the reception hall.

The group sat down, and spiritual tea was poured in front of them. They slowly recounted their experiences in the desolate swamp mountains.

It took several hours to recount the events that had occurred to them in the Wilderness Mountains over the past ten years.

Xu Fugui was deeply engrossed in the story, terrified by the dangers they faced, and overjoyed to see them escape unscathed.

He was overjoyed to learn that the Xu family had avenged themselves and killed Yan Yijin.

"You're so lucky, you're really so lucky!"

He couldn't help but sigh after hearing it.

So many people died in the desolate mountains; their safe return was truly a stroke of luck. Having faced so much danger, a slight misstep could have cost them their lives.

"There are still some gains that haven't been tallied up. The last two battles at Liuli Mountain will yield considerable rewards, and there might even be some third-tier spiritual plants."

At Liuli Mountain, they first killed a Foundation Establishment Stage 8 cultivator from the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty.

This person has three storage pouches on him.

When leaving Liuli Mountain, they encountered Yan Yijin, who also had three storage pouches on him.

According to rumors they heard from others, Liuli Mountain was the hiding place of the Ruan family, rich in resources, and even had the opportunity to obtain the Golden Elixir.

"Let's refine it here, take stock of the resources and treasures, and then discuss how to distribute them."

"it is good."

They missed their families. For example, Xu Xiaohou missed his daughter Zhongting. She was only ten years old when he left, and he didn't know what she looked like now.

But taking stock of the gains is equally important.

Having been away from home for ten years, I don't care about a day or two.

Instead of returning to Ru'an Mountain, they refined the storage pouches at Baihe Mountain.

Of the six storage pouches, one was given to Xu Fugui.

A day later, they refined the storage bag and poured out all the resources inside.

"So many spiritual plants!"

"There are also spirit stones and elixirs, too many to count."

"..."

They were overwhelmed with excitement as they looked at the mountains of treasures and resources.

The storage pouches they acquired all came from remarkable sources.

That Foundation Establishment Level 8 cultivator from the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty had three storage pouches, one of which he obtained by killing a Foundation Establishment Level 9 cultivator from Zhennan Prefecture.

Yan Yijin carried three storage pouches: one for himself, and another belonging to someone at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment. Both were subordinates of Liu Rushi and possessed considerable resources and treasures. As for Liu Rushi, needless to say...

Those first-tier spiritual plants that had reached a hundred years old were piled up like weeds.

Even second-tier spirit plants worth hundreds of spirit stones were casually piled up.

Outside, even first-tier spiritual plants are stored intact in wooden or jade boxes. Of the spiritual plant resources before them, only a few precious ones are stored in wooden boxes.

"This person's identity is not simple. I just glanced at it, and the resources in his storage bag are probably worth more than 100,000 spirit stones."

The speaker was Xu Zhongxu, who was refining Liu Rushi's storage pouch.

There were tens of thousands of spirit stones alone, as well as a large number of precious second-grade spirit pills.

"what is this?"

He picked up a pure white jade box.

This jade box looks extraordinary; its surface is carved with exquisite patterns and exudes a faint spiritual aura.

As soon as the lid was opened, a divine aura filled the air, attracting the attention of everyone present.

Inside the jade box lay a spiritual plant that resembled a phoenix feather.

"Phoenix Feather Flower?"

"Third-tier spiritual plant, Phoenix Feather Flower!"

Xu Fugui and Xu Zhongxu said in unison that they both knew the "Illustrated Compendium of Spiritual Plants" by heart and recognized this third-tier spiritual plant.

"It doesn't seem to be an ordinary third-tier spiritual plant."

Xu Zhongxu had never seen a "Golden Core Opportunity" containing the aura of immortality, but he could clearly sense the extraordinary nature of the Phoenix Feather Flower in front of him.

Its aura surpasses that of ordinary third-tier spiritual plants.

"This...this is very likely the aura of immortality, a golden core opportunity!"

A chance encounter with the Golden Elixir?

Xu Fugui was puzzled; he didn't yet know what the Golden Elixir opportunity was.

Xu Xiaoniu and his companions had spent ten years in the Desolate Marsh Mountains, mingling with those Foundation Establishment cultivators, and had already inquired about what the so-called "Golden Core opportunity" was.

He explained to Xu Fugui, "Father, this is the most needed external item for breaking through to the Golden Core realm. To advance to the Golden Core realm, one not only needs Golden Core cultivation techniques and one's own comprehension and talent, but also external items..."

He explained in detail why Foundation Establishment cultivators need "immortal aura" to break through to the Golden Core stage.

"We've got the opportunity to achieve the Golden Core stage, we also have the Golden Core cultivation method, and Zhongxu has an Earth Spiritual Root, so isn't that perfect?"

Xu Fugui looked at Zhongxu excitedly.

Is a Golden Core cultivator about to be born in the Xu family?

Only the Xu family, possessing the Golden Elixir, could develop peacefully in Zhennan Prefecture.

Zhongxu is now at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment. Looking at the Phoenix Feather Flower in his hand, he was equally excited: "A Golden Core opportunity, a spiritual plant of immortality, I obtained it just like that?"

In the desolate swamp mountains, this is a treasure that would make even Golden Core cultivators fight and vie for it.

Realizing the preciousness of the immortal plants, he quickly closed the lid of the jade box: "Even Golden Core cultivators would covet this, so it must not be leaked."

"Yes, it must be kept secret."

"Not a single word can be revealed before Zhongxu reaches the Golden Core stage."

Everyone knows how precious the immortal spiritual plants are and what significance they hold for the Xu family.

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.

Xu Zhongxu stored the jade box containing the phoenix feather flower in his storage bag.

He is now the most powerful person in the Xu family, and it is safest to keep the immortal spiritual plants on him.

Afterwards, everyone continued to take stock of the resources and treasures.

"what is this?"

Xu Fugui discovered a jade slip.

This jade slip is quite peculiar; it is about a foot long, half a palm wide, and only an inch thick.

Xu Fugui used his divine sense to examine the jade slip and saw that the light on its surface flashed and disappeared, revealing a few blurry characters before fading back into darkness.

"Weird."

He realized that this jade slip was unusual.

"I don't know what's recorded here, but when I tried to probe it with my divine sense, I was rejected."

He held the jade slip in his palm and examined it closely.

"Dad, I'll give it a try."

Xu Xiaoniu took the jade slip and examined it with his divine sense. The jade slip reacted in the same way as before.

"This should be a jade slip containing cultivation techniques. When I was learning foundation-building techniques in the imperial court, it was this kind of jade slip. When I used my divine sense to examine it, the contents of the techniques flooded into my sea of ​​consciousness, as if I had memorized them countless times and firmly memorized them in my mind."

"Yes, that's how the imperial court's foundation-building cultivation method works."

The speaker was Xu Yiqing.

Xu Xiaoniu and Xu Yiqing both learned their foundation-building techniques from the imperial court.

"This jade slip is undetectable; it's as if... as if it's sealed."

Xu Xiaoniu paused for a moment before making this judgment.

"A sealed cultivation technique? So it's because you don't want others to discover it?"

"There might be some trick we don't know."

"Try a few more times, and maybe we'll be able to check it once we figure out the method."

"No, what if they have some special methods? Forcibly checking might backfire."

"Don't try it yet, let me go and find out more first."

Xu Xiaoniu said.

Everyone agrees.

The storage pouch that Xu Fugui refined came from a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty.

The cultivator who killed the ninth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator from Zhennan Prefecture was a member of the Xiang family!

This sealed jade slip contains the Xiang family's secret family technique: "The Secret Technique of Controlling the Primordial Spirit".

This "seal" is a special kind of soul seal, which requires the infusion of soul energy when it is cast.

In other words, only specific people can view the "Secret Method of Yuan Shen Yu Zhi".

If one tries to forcibly investigate, the jade slip will self-destruct after several attempts to open it with divine sense.

As a secret technique passed down through generations of the Xiang family, the "Primordial Spirit Planting Technique" could not be easily obtained by outsiders.

The members of the Xiang family all practice the secret art of sealing the soul to prevent their souls from being searched. And their cultivation manuals are all jade slips with soul seals.

Furthermore, if the Xiang family were to discover that someone outside had mastered this secret technique, they would fight them to the death. After all, no matter how tight the defenses are, there is always a possibility of it being leaked, for example, if a member of the Xiang family betrays the family and reveals the secret technique to outsiders.

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.

Zhennan Prefecture, the ancient southern city.

The ancestral burial ground of the Xiang family.

When Xiang Huifen, who was at the eighth level of the Golden Core Realm, returned to her family from the Desolate Marsh Mountains, she learned some shocking and unfortunate news: the family's Peach Blossom True Man, Xiang Zhiye, was dead!

She went to the desolate mountains but found nothing. Because she had to protect the carefree king, she did not stay in the Liuli Mountain for long.

Xiang Qingtian, the patriarch of the Xiang family, questioned Xiang Huifen: "When you returned, didn't you notice Xiang Zhiye? It's shameful that one of our family's Golden Core cultivators died for no reason!"

These Golden Core families care deeply about every Golden Core cultivator in their family.

Although Xiang Zhiye is only at the third level of the Golden Core realm, he is still young and has great potential for improvement. In the future, he may become a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator or even reach the late-stage Golden Core realm.

"Clan leader, the situation was chaotic at the time, and I was protecting the Carefree King..."

Xiang Huifen offered a helpless explanation.

"With the abilities of the Carefree King, you think you can protect him? Fine, I know this was your oversight, an unintentional mistake. The most urgent thing is to find out who killed Xiang Zhiye! Anyone who dares to kill a Golden Core cultivator of my Xiang family will pay the price!"

When Xiang Qingtian first learned that Xiang Zhiye's soul jade tablet had been broken, he sent people to investigate.

As long as a member of their clan breaks through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, their soul aura will be collected and stored in the Soul Hall, so that they can be notified immediately if someone dies unexpectedly.

Most of the Qi Refining cultivators in the family stay within the family and do not go out. In addition, there are too many Qi Refining cultivators, so there is no need to include them.

However, the soul jade tablets of Golden Core cultivators are different.

They not only know the fate of Golden Core cultivators, but also have the means to find out who the murderer is.

(End of this chapter)