I'm determined to become an immortal!

"I refuse to accept this!"

I refuse to accept this!

Inside the Hall of Caution,

A woman's wailing was so loud it almost lifted the roof off.

"You bastard!"

The ancestor has already said no, so why are you still complaining like this?

"If you want to cry, go outside and cry there! Don't disturb the peace of our ancestor!"

A deep male voice sternly rebuked.

As soon as Sheng Changming stepped into the courtyard of Jieshen Hall, he heard the two voices arguing fiercely.

He was extremely familiar with both voices, and muttered to himself:

"Are the clan chief and Minglan putting on another act for the patriarch?"

That's right, the two people arguing in the hall are Sheng Changhong, the current patriarch of the Sheng family, and his beloved daughter, Sheng Minglan!

really,

The woman in the hall, seemingly oblivious to the insults, continued to wail and cry:

"I grew up by my ancestor's side since I was a child. I have suffered so many grievances over the years. Can't I even cry a little?"

How badly did He Sheng bully our Sheng family when he was alive?

Even though they were both from Foundation Establishment families, he dared to snatch his sister-in-law's younger sister back and bully her in every way.

Those arrogant brats from the He family followed suit, bullying the Sheng and Liu families from time to time.

Even when the He family members swaggered through the market, we law-abiding citizens had to give way.

The ancestor said that in the cultivation world, strength is paramount.

Row!

He Sheng is at the peak of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. My talent is inferior to his, so I just focused on cultivating, thinking that one day my cultivation would surpass his and I would trample him under my feet.

But now that He Sheng is dead, why is the patriarch still stopping everyone from going to their door to vent the anger they've suffered for over ten years?!

Tsk tsk...

Sheng Changming, standing outside the door, felt a headache coming on when he heard these words, because what Sheng Minglan said was true. Everyone had been bullied terribly by the He family over the years, and they were all holding their breath.

Ordinary people, even if Sheng Changming was angry, could only hold it in and would never dare to run wild in the Jieshen Hall.

But Sheng Minglan is different. She is not only the daughter of the clan leader, but also the second most talented among the younger generation of the Sheng family in the past fifty years.

Not to mention, she grew up in the Jie Shen Hall with her ancestor since she was a child. What ordinary Sheng family members dared not breathe in was like her own little nest.

"The clan leader is truly blessed."

Sheng Changming felt quite envious of the clan leader, Sheng Changhong. The three most outstanding disciples in the Sheng family's "Ming" generation were all the result of Sheng Changhong's hard work.

Although the eldest brother, Sheng Mingyi, only possesses a mid-grade spiritual root, he is calm, capable, and insightful. He is not only a capable assistant to Sheng Changhong in clan affairs, but also has earned the ancestor's evaluation of him as a "late bloomer" in terms of cultivation.

The sixth son, Sheng Minglan, possesses three superior spiritual roots. Although his aptitude is not as high as He Sheng's, he can still be considered a prodigy in the Silver Sand River region.

His younger brother, Sheng Mingze, is the most talented person in the Sheng family in the past fifty years!

Not only is his spiritual root of the highest quality, but it is also only a hair's breadth away from being an earth-based spiritual root, making his aptitude even better than He Sheng's.

Moreover, he was noticed early on by a pseudo-core elder in the Yunze Sect, a sect that cultivates core essence, and was taken in as a closed-door disciple and brought back to the Yunze Sect for cultivation.

Despite having such a promising lineage, the Sheng family has been bullied quite a bit by the He family over the years. The sister-in-law that Sheng Minglan mentioned is Sheng Mingyi's Daoist partner, Liu Yunxiu.

The Sheng family and the Liu family of Lianyue Lake have been linked by marriage for hundreds of years, so Sheng Mingyi's Daoist partner is naturally a direct descendant of the Liu family.

Despite her status, Liu Yunxi, Liu Yunxiu's younger sister, who was already married and had children, was still taken back by He Sheng to be his bed warmer.

This was a blatant slap in the face, delivered to the faces of both the Sheng and Liu families.

Thinking about this, Sheng Changming also felt that Sheng Minglan made sense. When He Sheng was alive, everyone could only endure it, but now that He Sheng is dead, isn't he?

Why shouldn't we go to their door to fight?

Sheng Changhong, who was inside the hall, spoke again.

"The patriarch has his reasons. Do you youngsters think you can turn the world upside down? How dare you spout nonsense in the Hall of Discipline!"

Sheng Minglan, however, did not back down an inch and immediately retorted:

"Our ancestors may have their own considerations, but we younger generations also have the right to express our own thoughts, right?"

I'm not being unreasonable, but with He Sheng gone, aren't the remaining families in Yinsha River all looking up to my Sheng family?

"The ancestor only needs to raise his arm and give a call..."

Before Sheng Minglan could finish speaking, an aged voice came from the back room:

"Changming, you returned so late at night, did you come to report on the Tianhai Chamber of Commerce?"

Upon hearing this, Sheng Changming was startled and quickly replied:

"Exactly."

He wasn't surprised that his ancestor had received the news in advance, since the communication flying sword was much faster than him riding his own weapon back.

"Come in and report to the front hall."

Sheng Changming then stepped into the hall, and facing the gazes of Sheng Changhong and his daughter, he recounted the situation he had discovered in detail towards the back hall.

Sheng Changhong and his daughter had obviously just learned about the Tianhai Chamber of Commerce, and were quite surprised to hear this.

"Changming, you've been in the market for a long time and have dealings with people from the Tianhai Chamber of Commerce. What's your opinion on this matter?"

I... stood and watched.

Sheng Changming knew that although he was in charge of Wanlingzhai, he was only a mid-stage weapon refining cultivator. Both sides in today's incident were Foundation Establishment cultivators, and he had no connection with them at all. What insights could he possibly have?

However, he was also a perceptive person. Glancing at Sheng Changhong and his daughter out of the corner of his eye, he realized that the patriarch wanted to use him as a straight man to indirectly communicate with the two of them, and couldn't help but say:

"Please enlighten me, Ancestor."

really,

As soon as he finished speaking, the ancestor's voice rang out again:

"I have never met Wu Gongfeng, but to be driven to a small place like our Yinsha River by the Tianhai Chamber of Commerce, he must be just a rogue cultivator with no background."

As for that old Xu, he's someone of considerable importance.

There is something you may not know: when Lin Wanrou first came to Yinsha River to take charge of the Xiajiang branch, she privately invited all the other family elders except He Sheng.

This woman was cunning and decisive. She grasped the conflict between the various families and the He family, and revealed her intention to deal with the He family in exchange for their support in doing something big.

In order to demonstrate her strength, she had Elder Xu spar with various Foundation Establishment cultivators during the banquet.

It wasn't a one-on-one sparring match; Elder Xu was simultaneously facing Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Sheng, Liu, Zhou, and Wen families. Guess what the result was?

Sheng Changming was almost dumbfounded, his eyes wide open, unable to speak.

Sheng Changhong, standing to the side, frowned deeply.

Sheng Minglan, quick-witted, blurted out:

"What the ancestor meant was that this Elder Xu could not be judged by ordinary early Foundation Establishment stage cultivators. His combat strength and methods might even be no less than He Sheng's. This is the confidence that Steward Lin dared to deal with He Sheng."

Could such a figure have been killed by an unknown courtier like Wu?

Whether Elder Xu can defeat He Sheng is debatable, but he has mastered at least one superior immortal cultivation technique, which is indeed incomparable to the cultivators of the same level from small places like us.

But if such a person was truly killed within the Tianhai Chamber of Commerce, who was responsible?

Before the words were finished, a figure slowly walked out from behind the hall.

But the figure walked with heavy steps, his body was hunched over, and he seemed to be carrying an invisible mountain.

The visitor was none other than Sheng Wancheng, the patriarch of the Sheng family.

His hair and beard were all white, and his face was deeply lined with wrinkles, each one etched with the marks of time and weariness, making him look like he was nearing the end of his life.

However, when his half-closed old eyes occasionally opened a crack, they shone brightly, and his energy was even greater than that of an ordinary strong man.

Sheng Wancheng walked to the main seat in the hall, but did not sit down. Instead, he slowly swept his eyes over Sheng Changhong and his daughter with his eyes that seemed to see through people's hearts.

"Ancestor!"

Upon seeing this, Sheng Changhong and Sheng Minglan immediately bowed in greeting.

Sheng Wancheng waved his hand, indicating that they didn't need to be so polite, then turned his gaze to Sheng Minglan, his tone carrying a hint of elder's helplessness and deep worry:

"The current situation is quite unpredictable, and the internal strife within the Tianhai Chamber of Commerce is extremely suspicious."

Whether this is true or false, it shows that this pool of water is very deep, deep enough to swallow fools, delusional people, and reckless people!

At this point, Sheng Wancheng's voice suddenly rose, his gaze sharp as lightning, staring directly at Sheng Minglan, clearly implying something.

Sheng Minglan felt a tremor in her heart under the gaze of the ancestor, but she was always proud and arrogant. Even in the face of the ancestor's oppressive aura, she merely pouted and tried to defend herself:

"But Ancestor, He Sheng..."

"shut up!"

Sheng Wancheng interrupted her with a sharp shout.

He looked at this direct descendant who had grown up by his side since childhood, and sighed deeply, a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the entire Sheng family:

"Minglan, you have always been intelligent and diligent in your cultivation. If your elder brother fails to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, the future of the Sheng family will most likely fall to you."

You are wonderful in every way, but there's one thing about you that could plunge your family into utter ruin!

Upon hearing this, Sheng Minglan was struck dumb. Her eyes glazed over, and her mouth opened slightly as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't know where to begin.

She never imagined that her ancestor would entrust the future of the family to her.

Sheng Wancheng ignored her lapse in composure and continued speaking to himself:

"impatient!

You're too impatient!

Take the current situation as an example. If He Sheng really dies, can the He family escape unscathed?

The protection of the Star-Backed Black Tortoise alone is not enough to sustain the He family in staying in Changyang Mountain. There is a second-tier spiritual vein there, and it will soon have a new master.

When the time comes, we'll give them a good beating when they're down!

But don't you think about it? In the current situation, if Old Xu really was killed, who was responsible?

Is He Sheng really dead?

As he spoke, Sheng Wancheng turned to look at Sheng Changhong, his tone turning stern:

"I know what you're thinking. You think that Mingze has already established himself in Yunze Sect and his status has risen greatly, so you feel that our Sheng family has someone to rely on."

Some even thought that if Mingze invited one or two fellow disciples and offered them substantial rewards, he could simply kill He Sheng!

Sheng Changhong broke out in a cold sweat after hearing his ancestor's words and lowered his head; he had indeed had such thoughts.

"Utterly foolish!"

Sheng Wancheng scolded him with exasperation:

"That's not how you use sentiment!"

If the other side comes and helps you wipe out the He family, how much of a price should you pay?

Would you be willing to give all of the He family's wealth to the other party?

If you're unwilling, how much are you prepared to give?

What if the other party is not satisfied?

Can friendship turn into enmity?

Human kindness is like water; it should be used in times of life and death, in times of great crisis such as death or extinction of one's clan!

This is the way for a family to endure!

Under Sheng Wancheng's stern rebuke, Sheng Changhong didn't dare to breathe loudly. The accumulated prestige of the ancestor over the past one or two hundred years was no joke.

Sheng Minglan, however, with tears welling up in her eyes, stepped forward to support Sheng Wancheng's arm, and choked out:

"Ancestor, please calm down. Minglan has misunderstood. In the future, he will think twice before acting. Ancestor, please don't be angry anymore, anger will harm your health."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Wancheng almost laughed in anger, but finally sighed helplessly.

This sigh brought a sense of relief, and Sheng Changhong quickly seized the opportunity, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, and cautiously asked:

"The current situation is bleak. Not to mention the younger generation, even I, the clan leader, am unable to grasp it. I humbly request the ancestor's guidance on how to proceed."

Sheng Wancheng had anticipated this, and slowly said:

"I had already discussed this privately with the Liu family patriarch. He sent Liu Haichao to Jinyun Sect to find out whether it was the fake Dan Supreme Elder of Jinyun Sect who killed He Sheng."

In the market area, we need to send more people to Changming. In the near future, we must keep a close eye on the movements of the Tianhai Chamber of Commerce and see what's going on.

As for the rest, go back and find Li Xiuning. She is He Sheng's junior sister. The Star-Backed Black Tortoise is in the Water Mansion of Tiandu Mountain. The protective array there was set up by her father and her before his death.

"Have Li Xiuning go to Wanshou Pool under the guise of maintaining the formation to find out what they're thinking."

Li Xiuning is the orphan of the array master Li Daoyun, and is indeed He Sheng's junior sister.

Although Li Daoyun was known as a master of formations and even mastered formations to the middle level of the second rank during his lifetime, he was ultimately just a Qi Refining cultivator. He passed away a few years ago after his lifespan of a hundred years had come to an end.

His only daughter, Li Xiuning, was married off to Sheng Changhong's cousin, Sheng Changgong, at a young age, arranged by him.

Sheng Changhong dared not be negligent and agreed repeatedly before pulling Sheng Minglan along to make the arrangements.

Sheng Wancheng then gave Sheng Changming a few more instructions.

After everyone else had left, only Sheng Wancheng remained in the Hall of Caution. He looked towards Changyang Mountain and murmured:

"He Sheng, He Sheng, are you dead or not?!"