Promise!

Chapter 284, Desperate Journey

"A single thread cannot make a line, a single tree cannot make a forest, and an individual cannot fight against a powerful force. Brother Zhuang, at your current level, you are still just one person. Don't mention the Shangguan family... The Shangguan family is ultimately a powerful family. You know the details in your heart."

"If we establish our own Yin God family and power, with Brother Zhuang at the top, providing protection to those below, while those below earn resources to support Brother Zhuang, then we can achieve mutual success and complement each other. Wouldn't that be a great thing?"

As Qin Douzhan spoke, after Zhuang Jin nodded slightly to confirm the secret, he lowered his voice and said, "Brother Zhuang is now at the Yin God realm, capable of supporting an entire Yin God family and power. He is only lacking two things: a mid-grade Qingyuan Pot and the authority to the Suspended Heaven Mirror. However, these can be obtained from the three great families. Take the Ge family for example, they have no successor..."

Needless to say, the mid-grade Qingyuan Pot is the true foundation for a family and power to continuously generate wealth.

The Suspended Sky Mirror's authority, the Suspended Sky Bureau, and the entire Cangzhou structure all revolve around it. It is the top-tier channel in Cangzhou and also has wonderful uses such as reducing the difficulty of breaking through to the Yin God realm and increasing combat power.

Zhuang Jin's Dragon Token has various permissions: video group chat, issuing tasks of various levels, monitoring personal tokens... It seems the same as the three major family heads, but in reality it is different.

To put it simply, Zhuang Jin, like Xuan Yuan Zhengji, only possesses pseudo-authority or secondary authority for the so-called Dragon Token.

The heads of the three great families, like Shangguan Yunchang who are slated to become heads, possess the ultimate authority, the kind that can mobilize the very essence of the Suspended Sky Mirror. As for Zhuang Jin, who has only secondary authority, if he were to break ties with the three great families, they could simply freeze his Dragon Token authority.

"What you said makes a lot of sense, and the plan is good, but... let's just leave it at that!"

Zhuang Jin raised her hand, stopping Qin Douzhan from speaking.

Generally speaking, that is indeed the case, but his situation is special.

In terms of cultivation techniques, the complete immortal relics in the underground ice lake have been obtained; in terms of cultivation resources, the Shangguan family has promised Black Yuan Pills made primarily of 250-year-old Black Jade Grass, and there is also the energy stored in the Holy Spirit Pearl... To some extent, without relying on external resources, what can establishing a Yin God family and power provide for oneself?
At most, they serve as wings and eyes.

On the contrary, as the head of his family and power, he had to provide protection for his subordinates and confront the three major families and the state government.

Shangguan Yunchang must be in a difficult position, and the tacit understanding she had just reached with Old Madam Shangguan Jinfeng will be torn apart.
Cen Chongxuan, the already dishonest and unfriendly head of the Cen family, may cause trouble again.
The head of the Ge family, Ge Daoqian, does indeed have little time left to live, but this is both a disadvantage and an advantage. A dying man has fewer concerns.

Even Xuanyuan Zhengji, despite his ability to bend and yield during the public memorial ceremony and his complete submission, might turn on you and join forces with the three great families if given the chance.

In short, establishing a so-called Yin God family and power is only superficially impressive and glamorous. In reality, it does far more harm than good to Zhuang Jin. He would never do something like putting on a brave face or sacrificing his own interests for others.

"Never mind." Qin Douzhan felt regretful, but he didn't dare to persuade him any further.

The two drank tea and chatted for a while before Qin Douzhan took his leave.

"Brother Qin, please take this!"

Zhuang Jin called out to the other party, and with a wave of her hand, a streak of light flew out.

That was the core of the Fire God Moth that was killed after emerging from the icy lake in the cave. It was a strange beast that had tempered its five internal organs at the Six Organs Realm. This beast core could condense attributes and help martial artists at the second level of the Innate Qi Realm break through to the third level of the Innate Qi Realm and transform their Qi into form.

"This……"

Qin Douzhan looked at the object in his hand, his heart trembling slightly. He hadn't expected Zhuang Jin to be so magnanimous and sentimental: "Brother Zhuang, I..."

"No need to say more."

Back then, because of the Wind Spirit Pearl, there was a conflict with Ming Guangxie. When Zhuang Jin was away, it was Qin Douzhan and others who helped him. Before and after the Round Table Meeting incident, the two of them stuck together for warmth. Now that Zhuang Jin has become successful, this item is just a small favor for him.

More importantly…

He watched Qin Douzhan thank him and leave, his gaze deep, and paused slightly.

……

"If life were only as beautiful as our first meeting, why would the autumn wind bring sorrow to the painted fan?"

After Qin Douzhan left, Zhuang Jin shook his head slightly, unaffected, and continued to practice his martial arts.

Recently, the first thing he chose to learn was naturally the Yin Spirit Body Technique, "Ice Spirit Flash," a life-saving method.

"Now that I've mastered the basics of 'Ice Spirit Flash,' the next stage of mastery requires deep meditation and contemplation at the first level of the Yin Spirit realm, reaching a certain depth within the sea of ​​the soul. Therefore, let's move on to the next martial art!"

Zhuang Jin now has three options: "Thousand Miles of Ice Seal", "Eight Gates Sword Formation", and "God-Slaying Thorn", an upgraded version targeting the soul, which will be added to the plan after the battle with the Vajra Realm beast, the Chaos Ape King.

"Thousand Miles of Ice Seal" is a control skill, but it is not an ordinary control skill. It involves the intervention of the power of the soul and can be used in conjunction with the domain to freeze some unconventional methods, such as the elemental blinking of "Ice Spirit Flash", or the method that Xuan Yuan Zheng Ji used to escape in an instant that day.

The Eight Gates Sword Formation is a purely offensive technique.

Needless to say, "Slaying Gods" is a martial art that attacks the soul.

"Single-target control is useless with 'Thousand Miles of Frozen Land'; it requires coordinated attacks. 'God-Slaying Thorn' is more effective against beasts with relatively weak souls. Therefore, it's better to focus on training 'Eight Gates Sword Formation' first!"

Zhuang Jin made a decision and took out the martial arts manual to read it.

"Does the Eight Gates Sword Formation have two modes? One is a simplified version, where divine energy is used to condense eight swords representing the eight gates of Qimen Dunjia: Rest, Life, Injury, Block, View, Death, Shock, and Open. These are controlled by the power of the divine soul, with the mind multiplying its power, simultaneously controlling two, three, and so on. Ultimately, all eight swords fly together, cooperating seamlessly, unparalleled in their killing power, and within their domain, they target enemies like missiles."

"Secondly, forge physical swords, a set of eight swords, preferably made of divine metal capable of conducting divine energy. This will greatly enhance this technique and grant it a powerful ultimate move that the first method lacks. The eight swords combined into one, a convergence of ultimate power."

'The materials for a physical sword are hard to find and must be collected slowly. Forging also takes time. Let's practice by condensing the sword with divine energy first!'

Zhuang Jin released his domain and attempted to use the secret techniques of this Yin God martial art, including its special skills. After many failures, he finally managed to sketch and condense a 'Xiu' gate divine essence sword that resembled a piece of crystal-clear glass.

hum!
The instant the sword was formed, a sharp aura emanated from it, and the sword energy soared into the sky. Even Zhuang Jin, its master, felt as if his body was being torn apart and his soul was slightly stinging.

"The Eight Gates Sword Formation is indeed extraordinary. The sword it forms is forged from a special ratio of essence, qi, and spirit, capable of severing both the physical body and the soul. This is truly a powerful move that can kill Yin-spirit martial artists!"

He sighed inwardly and began to study diligently. He might not be as fast as those extraordinary geniuses in history, but he made progress little by little without any bottlenecks or obstacles.

This is precisely what sets Zhuang Jin apart from others. Others may be limited by their aptitude, and to break through the bottleneck, they need to pursue high-end resources, build their power, or, because they have no hope for themselves, plan to enter the game for their descendants, dancing on the edge of a knife... But because he has no bottleneck, he only needs to seek 'stability', buy time, and realize his strength. As a result, many people have been surpassed and left far behind.

This, however, was his own unique path. ...

Cangzhou city, second ring road, Qin Mansion.

Qin Douzhan left and returned to his home. He went to a quiet room, activated the token, and a light screen appeared.

He spoke coldly and methodically, recounting his previous meeting with Zhuang Jin truthfully: "I will do as you say..."

Indeed, Qin Douzhan's previous visit to Zhuang Jin, proposing the establishment of the Yin God family and power, was precisely a test instigated by someone!

Qin Douzhan is a man who is indifferent to worldly affairs and loves to drink but never fights. Why would he suddenly seek him out to offer advice to Zhuang Jin and show such ambition?

This could be explained as follows: after Zhuang Jin broke through to the Yin God realm, many people have approached him recently to encourage him and thus ignite his ambition, but this explanation is somewhat abrupt and far-fetched.

"Okay, I understand." A faint voice came from the other end.

"The favor has been repaid."

After Qin Douzhan finished speaking, he hung up and severed the connection. He then took out the Fire God Moth Beast Core that Zhuang Jin had given him, looking at it with a complicated expression.

He had been stuck at the second level of the Innate Qi Realm for many years. With this beast core, he could refine his attributes and break through to the third level of the Innate Qi Realm. However, this would exceed the limit set by the three major families for rogue martial artists, and the threat level would increase significantly, which could lead to many troubles.

Qin Douzhan went ahead to test Zhuang Jin on behalf of someone else. Zhuang Jin turned around and gave him a beast core as a gift, which could also be considered a test for him.

'If I use this beast core to break through my cultivation level, I'm afraid I won't be as carefree as before, and my life will be filled with many troubles. But if I give it up, it could be my hope for advancing to the next realm.'

Qin Douzhan's gaze was deep and his expression was one of struggle and hesitation. Finally, with a sigh, his innate qi surged, and with a tremor, the Fire God Moth Beast Core shattered: "Not everyone is as talented as Brother Zhuang. It is important for a person to know their own limitations!"

……

Cangzhou City, First Ring Road, Ge Family Residence.

On the other end, the person Qin Douzhan contacted was from the Ge family. In fact, the head of the Ge family, Ge Daoqian, was listening nearby. It was the Ge family that used a past favor to manipulate Qin Douzhan into making this probing move.

Previously, Qin Douzhan had planned for Zhuang Jin to obtain a mid-grade Qingyuan Pot and the authority of the Suspended Heaven Realm, based on the prepared story. He was quite ruthless, directly targeting his own side.

After communicating with Zhuang Jin, Ge Daoqian received the result and felt relieved. Seeing Zhuang Jin's attitude, there was no need to take any extreme measures. He then shared his findings with Shangguan Jinfeng and Cen Chongxuan, which also put their minds at ease.

— Zhuang Jin’s actions a few days ago did have some effect in dividing and separating the three major families, but the three major families have been closely connected for eight hundred years. The current head of the Shangguan family is still Shangguan Jinfeng, not Shangguan Yunchang who is closer to Zhuang Jin. So how could they really be completely divided at once?
Shangguan Jinfeng was not going to completely believe Zhuang Jin just because he said it. Instead, she would observe his words and actions, and she knew that this kind of probing would not be the last time.

After doing all this, Ge Daoqian, the head of the Ge family, called Ge Zhaoxu over: "I think it's feasible for you to propose the marriage between Mingzhi and Ji Tongwei. You can make the arrangements and choose an auspicious date!"

As he said this, he seemed to remember something, paused for a moment, and then said, "Right, there's no need to let Ji Tongwei marry into the family. Let's marry our Mingzhi off instead!"

"This……"

Upon hearing this, Ge Zhaoxu still wanted to offer some advice.

Their own daughter, Ge Mingzhi, was considered a legitimate daughter of a prominent family. It was already a great honor for the Ji family to marry into the family, but now that she's married off, it's as if the family has no face left.
He never expected that his grandfather, who valued family hierarchy the most and was the most old-fashioned, would make such a decision. If he weren't of such a level that he couldn't possibly be hallucinating, he would have thought he had misheard or was dreaming!

Ge Daoqian, being an old and shrewd man, could naturally see through his eighteenth grandson's thoughts. He sneered, "By bringing in Ji Tongwei, do you want our family to repeat the Shangguan family's fate?"

This is indeed Zhuang Jin's fault. Zhuang Jin had previously seduced Shangguan Yunchang and semi-married into the Shangguan family in order to avoid suppression from the Xuantian Division. Now, things have come to this point, putting the Shangguan family in a difficult position. The three major families have learned their lesson and will probably not allow rogue martial artists to marry into their families in the future.

Even someone like Zhuang Jin, who cultivates the Black Fiend Technique and seems unremarkable but keeps breaking through realms, will be subject to high vigilance and close attention.

Yes, Zhuang Jin has exhausted this path; for those who come after, it is no longer viable.

"I see, Grandfather is wise."

Ge Zhaoxu immediately understood that he could not allow independent martial artists outside the three major families to escape the suppression of these families by marrying into them. To put it more bluntly, he could not allow Ji Tongwei to become the next Zhuang Jin.

—Although Ji Tongwei is far inferior to Zhuang Jin at present, who could have imagined that Zhuang Jin would become uncontrollable after marrying into the Shangguan family?
From the various patterns of the Ascension Pavilion and the Round Table Meeting of the Suspended Heaven Bureau, it is clear that the three great families, having been passed down for eight hundred years, are extremely adept at learning and evolving, and will never fall into the same trap twice.

……

In the days that followed, Zhuang Jin stayed indoors, focusing on cultivating the Yin God Martial Arts. He did not make any moves to 'make a breakthrough, feel restless, show off his presence, or stir up trouble,' which gradually put the three great families at ease.

A month later, Ji Tongwei and Ge Mingzhi got married in a grand ceremony.

One of the parties involved is the eldest daughter of the Ge family, one of the three great families. Ji Tongwei has Zhuang Jin's influence, and Zhuang Jin has close ties with the Shangguan family. Shangguan Yunchang even came out of seclusion that day and contributed a lot. The Cen family wanted to appease and send Zhuang Jin away. On the other hand, the governor of the state government, Xuan Yuanzhengji, had already compromised. With all parties working together, the event was naturally grand and extraordinary.

However, what is most talked about, or rather, what is most astonishing, is that Ge Mingzhi married into the Ji family, rather than Ji Tongwei becoming an adopted son-in-law.

Once bitten by a snake, twice shy. After a moment of confusion, outsiders will naturally understand and guess that Zhuang Jin's influence has also caused the plans of many well-intentioned people to be shattered.

In the days that followed, the city remained quiet as Zhuang Jin continued to focus on cultivating the Yin God Martial Arts; at the state government office, Xuan Yuan Zhengji devoted himself to recuperating from his injuries.

The three major families are: the Ge family, where Ge Daoqian is focused on cultivating his successor; the Cen family, where Zhuang Jin's presence forces Cen Chongxuan to behave himself; and the Shangguan family, needless to say, after reaching a tacit understanding with Zhuang Jin, Shangguan Jinfeng has been downplaying her presence and making preparations to gradually relinquish power when Shangguan Yunchang breaks through in the future.

However, despite the apparent calm, the three major families never stopped paying attention to and testing Zhuang Jin. It is no exaggeration to say that every move Zhuang Jin made, even a sneeze, was studied by the three major families and the state government. Because Zhuang Jin attracted a lot of attention from the three major families and the state government, the environment for rogue innate martial artists in Cangzhou City began to be relatively relaxed, and they ushered in an unprecedented period of good days.

It's worth mentioning that Cangzhou has another rogue cultivator at the Innate Corpse Severing Realm. This cultivator was sent here by a powerful family from another state who dragged them down. After arriving, due to the relaxed situation in Cangzhou, some individuals became restless after two months of being well-behaved. In the past, they would have been met with the iron fist of the three major families, but this time they were not.

Shangguan Jinfeng was perhaps a little lax because of Zhuang Jin's matter, or perhaps she wasn't in a hurry and wanted to watch the monkey show a little longer and let it run its course.

Despite the many disturbances, Zhuang Jin paid no attention. After mastering several Yin God martial arts techniques, he began to focus on accumulating realm cultivation. Until this day, a Xiantian Corpse Slaying Realm martial artist from another state came to visit him.

……

(End of this chapter)