Starting with the creation of the Immortal Clan through the compilation of the family genealogy.

Chapter 202 Seeking the Protection of the Heavenly Evolution Sect
The buildings and facilities in most of the halls are still incomplete.

For example, there's Qin Zhan's Divine Martial Hall, Ji Beichuan's Body Refining Hall, and the Haoran Hall that he promised to open for Yun Songzi.
These largely incomplete training centers, to some extent, hindered the disciples' cultivation and the sect's development.

If one could seize this opportunity to obtain substantial funds or resources, it would undoubtedly solve their immediate crisis.

Of course, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

When someone makes a contribution, they will inevitably expect something in return.

How to strike the right balance—to secure the resources needed for repairs without causing the sect to pay an excessive price or get involved in unnecessary trouble—will depend on Meng Xihong's methods and negotiation skills.

After a moment's thought, Meng Xihong had already formed a preliminary plan.

He stood up and straightened his otherwise neat blue sect leader robe, making it look even more upright and dignified.

Then, he stepped out of the training room.

The morning breeze carries the fresh scent of grass and trees unique to the mountains.

Meng Xihong walked unhurriedly along the mountain path paved with bluestone toward the sect's reception hall.

Along the way, he encountered some disciples who were up early for morning exercises and some who were responsible for sweeping. When they saw him, they all bowed respectfully, their eyes filled with reverence for their sect leader.

Meng Xihong nodded slightly in response.

Before long, the grand and simple welcoming hall with its upturned eaves came into view.

Disciples stood guard in front of the hall, and upon seeing Meng Xihong arrive, they immediately bowed in greeting.

Meng Xihong took a deep breath, a perfectly gentle smile appearing on his face, maintaining both the dignity of a sect leader and the courtesy due to a guest, before stepping across the threshold of the reception hall.

Inside the hall, the disciples in charge of receiving guests served spiritual tea, the aroma of which wafted through the air.

Two people were seated in the guest seats.

The person in the main seat was an elderly man of about fifty years old, dressed in a brocade robe of luxurious fabric. He wore a large jade thumb ring on his finger, had a wealthy face, and shrewd eyes. Although he tried to appear calm, a trace of the calculating nature of a merchant could still be seen between his brows.

His aura was obscure, roughly at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. His spiritual power was not particularly pure, carrying a sense of superficiality due to external enhancements.

This person should be Zhao Yongnian, the head of the Zhao family.

Sitting to his left was a young man in his early twenties, who bore a resemblance to Zhao Yongnian and wore equally luxurious clothes. His cultivation level was at the late stage of Qi Refining.

He sat upright, but his eyes kept curiously scanning the furnishings in the reception hall, showing a hint of curiosity about the Tianyan Sect.

This should be his eldest son, Zhao Yuanming.

Upon hearing footsteps, Zhao Yongnian immediately put down his teacup, stood up, and put on a warm yet respectful smile.

Zhao Yuanming also quickly got up.

"I am Zhao Yongnian from Jiangling, accompanied by my son Yuanming. I have taken the liberty of visiting you and disturbing Sect Master Meng's peaceful cultivation. I hope you will forgive me!"

Zhao Yongnian bowed with his hands clasped, his voice loud and clear, his manners impeccable.

Meng Xihong walked without stopping, reached the head seat, reached out to help him up, and said with a calm smile, "Patriarch Zhao, there's no need for such formalities. You're a guest from afar, please sit down."

Meng Xihong took his seat first, his demeanor composed. He calmly glanced at the Zhao family father and son, not in a hurry to ask their purpose, but instead said in a casual manner, "Jiangling County is not a short distance from the Tianyan Sect's mountain gate. Patriarch Zhao must have had a long journey."

"However, my Tianyan Sect is located in the mountains and is newly established. We have nothing good to offer but tea. Please forgive us." This composure and these words were impeccable.

Meng Xihong naturally took control of the situation, demonstrating both the demeanor of a sect leader and proper etiquette.

Zhao Yongnian secretly praised him, this young Sect Master Meng was indeed as rumored, with extraordinary demeanor and unfathomable depth.

Zhao Yongnian quickly replied, "Sect Leader Meng, you flatter us! It is already an honor for my father and me to be able to enter the treasure land of Tianyan Sect. This tea is full of spiritual energy and is of the highest quality. How can you say that we are being negligent?"

After exchanging a few more polite words, they took a sip of the spiritual tea.

Seeing that the time was right, Meng Xihong put down his teacup, turned his gaze to Zhao Yongnian, and went straight to the point: "I have long heard that Patriarch Zhao is very busy. Today you have come all the way to my Tianyan Sect. Surely you are not here just to enjoy this cup of tea? If you have any advice, please feel free to speak."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yongnian's smile faded, and he became serious.

He glanced at his son beside him, then bowed to Meng Xihong again and said in a deep voice, "Sect Master Meng is a man of few words, so I, Zhao, will speak frankly as well."

"I have come here today with a request, hoping to earnestly ask the Sect Master and the Tianyan Sect for their assistance."

The smile on Zhao Yongnian's face vanished completely, replaced by a complex expression of helplessness and exhaustion.

He took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress the heavy burden in his heart, before slowly speaking, his voice slightly hoarse:

"Sect Leader Meng, please understand that I, Zhao, have come here with my son because I have encountered a great trouble. I have no choice but to ask for your protection."

There was a pause.

Zhao Yongnian reorganized his words, glancing at his eldest son Zhao Yuanming beside him, whose body had tensed slightly and whose head had been lowered since the matter was mentioned. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

"This whole affair started because of my good-for-nothing eldest son."

"Not long ago, Song Hongfang, the eldest son of the Song family of Huizhou, entered our Jiangling territory with his accompanying elders, supposedly for training purposes."

Zhao Yongnian sighed.

"The Song family of Huizhou?" Meng Xihong raised an eyebrow; he had heard of this name before.

The Song family of Huizhou is a family of cultivators with a history of hundreds of years. They have a profound foundation and a deep-rooted influence, which is far superior to the Zhao family of Jiangling.

The current head of the family is said to have reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and is only one step away from the Golden Core stage.

And one of the family's patriarchs, who has been in seclusion for many years, is a true Golden Core cultivator!

In the entire Huizhou region and even the surrounding areas, the Song family can be considered a powerful clan, and ordinary forces would never dare to provoke them easily.

"It is indeed the Song family from Huizhou."

Zhao Yongnian confirmed in a heavy tone, a bitter look on his face: "That Song Hongfang, relying on his prominent family background and his own considerable cultivation, coupled with his irritable and easily angered personality, and his lecherous nature."

Having only been in Jiangling for a short time, he found the supervision of the accompanying elders cumbersome and managed to break free from their protection, beginning to act lawlessly within Jiangling's territory.

As Zhao Yongnian narrated, a series of infuriating scenes slowly unfolded before Meng Xihong.

After being freed from supervision, Song Hongfang indulged his subordinates without restraint, even personally assaulting civilians in his path, treating human life as worthless.

They wantonly trampled on farmland and estates, ruining people's livelihoods.

What's even more outrageous is that, relying on his status and cultivation, he openly harassed and humiliated respectable women, injured ordinary cultivators who tried to help, and even went so far as to severely damage their cultivation foundation. His despicable behavior is simply outrageous!
(End of this chapter)