From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 304 Taking advantage of the chaos to plunder, disaster strikes everywhere

Before breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, Yi Ze actually went through a painful struggle and hesitation.

He had his own lofty ambitions, and he earned his title of "Carefree King" through hard work and merit.

He hunted down demonic cultivators, quelled rebellious forces, and never mistreated ordinary people.

To use the lives of millions of innocent mortals to help oneself reach the Nascent Soul stage?
He couldn't have done it before.

However, he has made many contributions over the past hundred years, such as wiping out the "Ruan family" left behind by the previous dynasty in the Huangze Mountains and seizing a lot of resources.

What can be done? The royal family is unwilling to let him break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Left with no other choice, he abandoned his principles and pride, flattering one Nascent Soul stage prince after another, hoping for a chance to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

He had worked very hard to get this opportunity.

At this moment, Yi Ze felt the immense power of being a Nascent Soul Dao Lord, and the guilt in his heart gradually faded. Paying such a price to break through to the Nascent Soul stage was worthwhile!

"Yize".

He Ting suddenly spoke up, his eyes sweeping over Maple Flower Spirit Mountain: "There are still quite a few cultivators alive in the Fan family. Let's clean them up; leaving them around will only be a hidden danger."

"..."

Yi Ze was stunned and fell silent.

The last two of the nine tribulations just now, one cost a nearby Golden Core cultivator, and the other the tribulation spread through the ground to a radius of a hundred miles.

Some Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Fan family watched from a distance, hovering in the air, and escaped the two lightning tribulations.

Are we to exterminate them all?
"Ok!"

After hesitating for only two breaths, Yi Ze made his decision.

Given the immense power of their royal family, they wouldn't worry about the nearly wiped-out Fan family. However, the seeds of hatred had already been sown, and to avoid future trouble, it was best to "deal with" these people.

Furthermore, it helps to conceal information.

Those families of Golden Core cultivators, especially the five great families, knew what the "price" was for the royal family, so they only sent Golden Core cultivators who were not very important in their families.

These Golden Core cultivators who came to "die" were essentially a pledge of allegiance from the Golden Core families to Yi Ze and He Ting. Some of these Golden Core cultivators knew their purpose in coming, while others did not.

For example, Lin Wenzhi of the Lin family did not know that he had been sent to "die".

"Boom~~"

With a wave of his hand, Yi Ze unleashed a surge of immortal power, causing the world to change color.

Those Foundation Establishment cultivators are as weak as ants in front of Nascent Soul cultivators, and can be easily killed.

Boom~~
The earth trembled and churned, and the entire Maple Spirit Mountain changed its appearance, turning the once fairyland-like mountain into ruins.

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.

Maple blossoms in the distance of Lingshan.

Looking at the earth-shattering scene before him, Wuma Chenyang felt a mix of emotions: "Grandpa..."

He didn't know exactly what had happened, but he had a gut feeling that his grandfather, Wuma Boyi, was no longer alive.

He could clearly feel the oppressive force of the last two tribulations of lightning, even though they were dozens of miles apart.

He then saw lightning spreading along the ground, instantly reaching far into the distance.

None of the birds, beasts, insects, fish, or mortals below survived.

"Is this a normal scene when breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage? No, impossible!"

He couldn't believe that a normal breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage would cause such a massive disaster.

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.

A few days later.

Rumors circulated in the cultivation circles of Zhennan Prefecture that the carefree Prince Yi Ze had successfully advanced to the Nascent Soul Dao Lord level.

Meanwhile, another piece of news spread widely: a severe earthquake had occurred near Fenghua Lingshan, causing serious damage to two counties within a radius of 100 miles, with more than one million dead and injured.

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.

A few months later.

Nanzhou Prefecture.

Hertin's palace.

A Nascent Soul Daoist arrived.

His name was Debao. He was the fifty-fourth among the more than two hundred princes born to the emperor. He was Heting's uncle and was granted the title of "Prince Ankang".

Hedin's father, Delin, was Debao's older brother. The two were brothers born to the same royal consort.

Therefore, among the many princes, Hettin and Debao had the closest relationship.

"Greetings, Imperial Uncle."

"Greetings, Prince Ankang!"

Heting and Yize greeted Debao.

"Yi Ze? What are you doing here? When did you break through to the Nascent Soul stage?"

Debao knew Yize.

Heting, standing nearby, chimed in, "I helped him; he just broke through a cultivation level a few months ago. Uncle, what brings you here?"

"This matter..."

Before he could finish speaking, Debao looked at Yize, unsure whether he should say it in front of him.

"Uncle, Yi Ze is one of our own."

The meaning behind his words is self-evident.

Seeing that Heting trusted Yize so much, Debao stopped keeping him in suspense: "Just the night before last, at midnight, the Emperor suddenly summoned the Eighteenth Prince to the palace for an audience. I reckon the Emperor summoned him to announce his will and pass the throne to him."

The last time I saw the Emperor was a year and a half ago. My father was barely clinging to life; I thought he would only live for another year at most, but he lived for another six months.

The "eighteen" he mentioned refers to the eighteenth prince, the oldest and highest-ranking among the dozen or so princes who are still alive.

He Ting tentatively said, "Uncle, from both a moral and logical standpoint, it would have been more appropriate for Grandfather to pass the throne to Eighteenth Uncle."

"suitable?"

Debao curled his lip, his face showing disdain: "How could that be appropriate? The eighteenth prince is already over eight hundred years old, he doesn't have many years left to live. Even if the throne is passed to him, he won't sit on it for long, and then it will have to be passed on again."

If you ask me…

He paused, then lowered his voice and continued, "Once the Eighteenth Prince dies, only the Thirty-Third Prince will remain ahead of me. As for the other princes, they are either younger than me or have lower cultivation levels, not even reaching the Nascent Soul stage. What right do they have to compete?"

"Heting and Yize, if you two help me ascend the throne, you will be rewarded handsomely in the future."

De Bao was unaware of Hedin's ambition to seize the throne and was even trying to win over his nephew, who was closely related to him by blood, to help him.

His rhetoric in making the "promise" was similar to that he used when he won over Yi Ze.

He Ting nodded and said, "Uncle, you are my own uncle, of course I will help you! In my opinion, the throne should have been yours. Only you have the qualifications and wisdom to govern the vast Great Qian Dynasty."

De Bao was flattered and believed Hettin's words.

Afterwards, they plotted a scheme to seize the throne.

Half a day later, Debao received a message: The Eighteenth Prince is dead!

"died?!"

Debao was both surprised and delighted.

What's shocking is that the eighteenth prince was a Nascent Soul Daoist, and perhaps he had just received the emperor's last edict when he died.

The good news is that there's one less person qualified to compete with him.

"Heaven is on my side! Now that the Eighteenth Prince is dead, I have an even greater chance of killing the Thirty-Third Prince."

He was scheming against others. Little did he know that Hertin was also secretly plotting against him.

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.

as time flows.

The news of the Emperor's death and the assassination of the Eighteenth Prince could no longer be kept secret and began to spread through various rumors.

A struggle for the throne, affecting the entire Qian Yuan Immortal Dynasty, has officially begun.

The Great Qian Dynasty was leaderless, and another disaster was on its way.

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.

Yuanli County, Baihe Mountain.

An unassuming spirit farmer is using the Spirit Farmer's Qi Cultivation Technique to cultivate the spirit plants in the spirit field.

His ostensible identity is "Xu Lianggu," but he is actually Xu Fugui.

"Why are there so many things happening lately?"

He had just heard that the emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty had passed away, and then he heard that a prince in the Nascent Soul stage had been assassinated.

In the ancient world of cultivation, the power of individual strong individuals is immense, but the vast differences in seniority lead to a lack of affection among members of the same family, making the struggle for the throne inevitably fierce and brutal.

Moreover, the news of the emperor's death was very sudden for ordinary people.

Since he is the emperor of the Immortal Dynasty, his cultivation level must be quite high, at least that of a Nascent Soul Dao Lord, and he can live for a thousand years.

Throughout the entire Great Qian Dynasty, those who could reach the Nascent Soul stage and live for a thousand years were extremely rare; even those at the Golden Core stage could only live for five hundred years. Therefore, most people did not know the Emperor's approximate age.

"A few months ago, the Carefree King broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, and there were also a million people who died inexplicably. I wonder if they are related to the struggle for the throne?"

Xu Fugui heard about Feng Hua Ling Shan a few months ago.

Although he is now "fake dead" as the patriarch of the Xu family, it does not mean that he is indifferent to worldly affairs.

On the contrary, it was easier for him to get information after shedding his identity as the patriarch of the Xu family.

After learning about the events at Maple Spirit Mountain, he heard some strange things. For example, there were no survivors in the disaster-stricken areas.

Ordinary mortals are one thing, but there are Golden Core families in Feng Hua Ling Shan. How could so many cultivators be killed by a natural disaster like an earthquake?

Xu Fugui secretly gathered information, only to find that there were many suspicious points, but he could not find out the real inside story.

"These are turbulent times, so we should make them be careful, keep a low profile, and develop quietly."

He decided to remind Xu Xiaohou and Xu Zhongxu to keep the Xu family's development low-key.

The Xu family is now entering a period of rapid development.

In terms of alchemy, Xu Zhongche refined the Foundation Establishment Pill and also taught several alchemists. Besides using the pills himself, the Xu family could also sell them to earn spirit stones.

In terms of formations, there is Xu Renkai, a genius in formations.

The spirit-gathering array he set up maximized the effectiveness of the Ru'an Mountain spiritual vein, and the spiritual energy it provided increased the cultivation efficiency of the Xu family members by several times.

Regarding spiritual plants, both Xu Xiaohou and Xu Zhongxu practice the "Shennong Creation Technique," which allows them to cultivate third-tier spiritual plants and even immortal spiritual plants. However, since Xu Xiaohou primarily cultivates the "Heavenly Gang Flying Sword," Xu Zhongxu takes the lead in cultivating spiritual plants.

The three Golden Core cultivators of the Xu family are all quietly improving their strength and cultivation.

The increase in the number of Xu family members and the population base has also accelerated the rate at which offspring are reproduced.

Within Xu Fugui's body, the family's treasure tree continued to grow, its branches spreading across the canopy, becoming extremely lush.

The spiritual fruits of enlightenment and the immortal fruits of spiritual roots are nourished as the number of offspring increases.

Every year, a drop of nectar from the sacred branch condenses at the top of the tree canopy.

If this trend continues for decades or even centuries, the Xu family's overall strength will rise to another level.

Therefore, the most crucial thing for the Xu family is to maintain a low profile and develop steadily.

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 Qian Yuan Immortal Dynasty has a total of thirty-eight prefectures.

The southernmost point is Zhennan Prefecture.

To the west of Zhennan Prefecture lies Lejiang Prefecture.

To the northwest of Lejiang Prefecture, it borders Qingyuan Prefecture.

To the west of Qingyuan Prefecture lies Pingxi Prefecture.

Pingxi Prefecture, Qingyuan Prefecture, Lejiang Prefecture, and Zhennan Prefecture are the four prefectures that extend from the westernmost to the southernmost border of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Among them, the people living in Pingxi Prefecture and Qingyuan Prefecture were mostly "foreigners," and these were the two prefectures that submitted to the Great Qian Dynasty the latest. The living habits and culture of the people in these two prefectures were quite different from those in other parts of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Currently, the emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty has passed away, and no new emperor has yet ascended the throne.

The members of the royal family fought tooth and nail for the throne, each one fighting to the death.

Their struggle will inevitably affect the lives of ordinary people.

Previously, in order not to arouse the emperor's suspicion and not to reveal their ambition, many members of the royal family suppressed their cultivation, even those who had the means to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Many people are waiting, waiting for the emperor to pass away.

At this moment, they all unleashed their full potential. Someone like Xiaoyao Wang Yize had already prepared to break through to the Nascent Soul stage in just a year and a half.

Breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage requires resources, treasures, and a price to pay!
So they used all sorts of tricks and cunning to seize resources.

The cultivator families in various prefectures suffered terribly from their exploitation, and the common people also became the price they paid.

They were, after all, members of the royal family. Even members of the Golden Core families had to be subservient to them and do whatever they wanted.

As for the poorest people, no one cares about their lives; they are the most miserable.

The royal family members each have their own methods. Some, like Yi Ze, used the lives of millions to withstand the tribulation and break through to the Nascent Soul stage, while others used other methods.

With the Great Qian Dynasty in such a predicament, how could it allow those with ulterior motives not to take advantage of the situation and cause chaos?

In Pingxi Prefecture and Qingyuan Prefecture, cultivation families have secretly joined forces to elect a leader and gather resources to cultivate two Nascent Soul Dao Lords, thus initiating a war to break away from the Great Qian Dynasty!
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 chaos in the Great Qian Dynasty lasted for a full year.

Because the royal family was busy oppressing cultivation families and common people, and busy fighting internally for the throne, they did not notice the unusual situation in Pingxi Prefecture and Qingyuan Prefecture.

However, before the two prefectures could react, enemy troops from the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty arrived.

The Baiyue Immortal Dynasty was a long-standing enemy of the Daqian Dynasty, having fought against it for thousands of years.

It is because of the barrier of the Wilderness Mountains that the two immortal dynasties have maintained restraint for so many years.

However, every few centuries, the two sides would have friction and war over some issues.

For example, when the Great Qian Dynasty dealt with the Ruan family of the Wilderness Mountains, the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty was not to be outdone and also wanted a share of the spoils.

The casualties inflicted on both sides in the desolate mountains far exceeded those caused by the Ruan family.

The overall strength of the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty was weaker than that of the Great Qian Dynasty, but this weakness was only superficial: its territory was small and its population was small.

In fact, the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty was also a powerful immortal dynasty.

Seeing that the Great Qian Dynasty was in chaos due to the struggle for the throne, the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty learned of the news and immediately made preparations to take advantage of the Great Qian Dynasty's misfortune.

Their goal was not to conquer cities and seize people.

Because of the desolate mountain range, even if they conquer cities and Zhennan Prefecture, they cannot hold them. Once the Great Qian Dynasty recovers, they will have to give back all the territory they have conquered.

Therefore, their only goal was to take advantage of the Daqian's weak defenses and plunder some resources.

This is much more convenient. It's not easy for ordinary soldiers to cross the thousands of miles of desolate mountains.

As for raiding the Great Qian Dynasty, all that's needed is to send out elite cultivators.

Led by a Nascent Soul Daoist, a massive army of cultivators marched towards the outlying regions of Zhennan Prefecture and Lejiang Prefecture.

(End of this chapter)