Establishing a Clan in the Eastern Wilderness: A Daily Divination, Cultivating Longevity in a Grotto

Ten Thousand Ghosts Cave, Valley of Broken Souls.

The valley was filled with an aura of darkness, and eerie will-o'-the-wisps flickered. Hundreds of ghostly soldiers, layered upon each other, surrounded a man and a woman, leaving them no escape. The man, a burly figure, wielded twin halberds and was covered in blood, protecting the woman. The woman, slender and graceful, wielded a soft sword that moved like a serpent, its sword energy crisscrossing as it annihilated the onrushing ghostly soldiers.

The Zhuo family, including siblings Zhuo Bufan and Zhuo Buhui. At the peak of Qi Refining, their combined attack technique is renowned throughout Huai'an County.

But at this moment, they are in grave danger.

After the ghost soldiers, three ghost generals surrounded them in a triangular formation.

"Big brother, when will the reinforcements arrive!" The female cultivator Zhuo Buhui gritted her teeth and forced back a ghost soldier, her voice already carrying a hint of urgency.

"Almost there! Almost there!" Zhuo Bufan swept his twin halberds horizontally, cleaving the charging ghost soldiers in two, and said, "I've already sent a message to Elder Ye. Hold on a little longer, he'll be here soon!"

"That Ye Gongfeng is ultimately not a member of the Zhuo family." Zhuo Buhui frowned; she had never had a good impression of that one-eyed Ye Gongfeng.

"She married Seventh Uncle's daughter, so she's considered a member of the Zhuo family now." Zhuo Bufan smiled憨厚ly. "Don't worry, he's trustworthy."

Before Zhuo Buhui could say anything more, the crimson ghost general suddenly moved.

The bone blade cleaved down, a streak of blood flashing like a bolt of lightning. Zhuo Bufan raised his halberd to parry, the blade and halberd clashing, sparks flying. Blood spread up the halberd shaft, his hands went numb, his spiritual power momentarily corroded. Zhuo Buhui thrust her soft sword swiftly, forcing back the crimson ghost general, but the pitch-black ghost general seized the opportunity, clawing at her back.

"Watch out!" Zhuo Bufan yanked her away, but five bloody scratches appeared on his own shoulder. Grayish-white mist seeped into the wound, and he felt a buzzing in his head, followed by a dizzying sensation.

"Big brother!" Zhuo Buhui's expression changed drastically.

The ghostly figure seized the opportunity to appear behind her, its claws aimed straight for the back of her neck.

A hair's breadth away—

A sword light descended from the sky.

The sword light was incredibly sharp and fast, cleaving the Shadow Demon General in two from head to toe. The Demon General didn't even have time to scream before turning into black smoke and disappearing.

Immediately afterwards, dozens of sword lights lit up simultaneously, weaving into an impenetrable sword net in the valley. Wherever the sword net passed, hundreds of ghost soldiers fell like mowing grass, billowing black smoke, and soul beads clattering to the ground.

Three breaths. In no more than three breaths.

All the ghosts in the valley were annihilated.

A one-eyed middle-aged cultivator hovered in mid-air, riding a flying sword. He was thin, with a sinister face, a glint of light in his single eye, and a faint smile playing on his lips. The flying sword beneath his feet was entirely azure, with a slender blade, and faintly emitted the sounds of wind and thunder.

Flying on a sword.

Zhuo Bufan's eyes widened, while Zhuo Buhui's pupils suddenly contracted.

At the peak of Qi Refining, one cannot fly on a sword. This is a skill possessed only by Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Zhuo Buhui glanced quickly at his elder brother and transmitted his voice, "Brother, this one-eyed dragon is indeed up to no good. He suppressed his cultivation to the Qi Refining stage and infiltrated the Ten Thousand Ghosts Cave. He must have another purpose."

Zhuo Bufan was honest and simple, but not stupid. A Foundation Establishment cultivator, hiding his identity and lurking in the Zhuo family for more than ten years, willing to be a lowly Ye Gongfeng, must have something big on his mind.

"Pretend you know nothing," Zhuo Bufan replied telepathically, his voice tense. "Leave first."

He forced a smile, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you, Venerable Ye, for saving our lives. My sister and I are seriously injured and need to find a place to heal. We'll be going now—"

He hadn't finished speaking.

A flash of sword light streaked past.

Zhuo Bufan's head flew high into the air, his face still bearing that simple, honest smile. His body stiffened for a moment before crashing to the ground.

"Big brother—!"

Zhuo Buhui's eyes were bloodshot with rage. She suddenly activated the Wind Escape Talisman in her hand, and her figure transformed into a streak of green light, rushing out of the valley. Her speed was extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, she was already a hundred feet away.

Another flash of sword light.

The blue light abruptly stopped.

Zhuo Buhui's body fell from mid-air and crashed heavily to the ground, a thin line of blood slowly seeping from between her brows. Even in death, her eyes remained open.

The one-eyed dragon sheathed his flying sword, not even glancing at the two corpses, as if he had merely crushed two ants. He didn't even glance at the soul beads scattered on the ground—these things were beneath his notice.

He turned around and looked towards the valley entrance, a look of anxiety appearing in his one eye for the first time.

He is waiting.

A moment later, a streak of light swept across the sky.

It was a crescent-shaped flying artifact, pure white and shimmering with iridescent light, tracing an elegant arc in the air. A woman stood atop the artifact.

The woman was dressed in white, as white as snow and as white as frost. Her long, black hair cascaded down to her waist, loosely held back by a single jade hairpin. A veil covered most of her face, revealing only a pair of clear, cold eyes. Those eyes held no trace of worldly concern, as if nothing in the world was worth a second glance from her.

As she landed, her robes fluttered, and her skirt bloomed like a lotus flower. The crescent-shaped magical artifact transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into her sleeve.

The one-eyed man immediately stepped forward, his arrogant demeanor vanishing instantly. He bowed at a ninety-degree angle, his voice respectful to the point of fawning: "Master."

The woman nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the ghostly remains scattered across the valley, and said calmly, "The obstacle has been cleared?"

"Cleared! Cleared!" The one-eyed man nodded repeatedly, a barely suppressed excitement flashing in his single eye. "I've waited for this day for over a decade. I've lived in hiding in this small place called Anyang County, playing the fool for far too long. Now, I can finally enter the forbidden area and seize that treasure..."

"Noisy." The woman's cold voice interrupted him.

The one-eyed man immediately shut his mouth, not daring to utter another word.

The woman patted her storage bag, and a palm-sized array plate flew out, hovering in the center of the valley. The array plate was entirely black, covered with densely packed runes, each radiating a chilling fluctuation of spiritual energy. The one-eyed dragon dared not be negligent; he took out a three-inch-long golden sword from his robes, poured spiritual energy into it, and the sword transformed into a golden light, disappearing into the array plate.

Tier 3 Spiritual Artifact.

The array plate hummed, radiating brilliant golden light. An invisible force spread out from the center of the array plate, causing the space deep within the valley to distort and tremble. Moments later, a light curtain appeared out of thin air, rippling like water.

The woman raised her hand, her fingers delicate and graceful, and cast a series of profound incantations into the light barrier. The ripples on the light barrier grew denser and more rapid, yet it refused to open. The woman frowned slightly, took out a sealing jade talisman from her sleeve, bit her fingertip, and used her blood as a guide to cast the talisman into the light barrier.

"open."

The light curtain suddenly cracked open.

The gap grew larger and wider, eventually transforming into a massive portal.

The moment the door opened, a torrent of yin energy surged out like a burst dam.

That wasn't ordinary yin energy; it was death energy, resentment, and malevolent energy that had accumulated over countless years, so thick it was almost tangible. Thousands upon thousands of ghost soldiers swarmed out of the gate, densely packed, covering the sky and seeming endless.

With a flick of her sleeve, the woman conjured a cloak-like magical artifact that enveloped her and the one-eyed dragon. The ghost soldiers whizzed past them, seemingly oblivious to their presence, and charged straight out of the valley.

An excited glint flashed in the one-eyed man's single eye as he sneered, "With so many ghost soldiers pouring out, those dozen or so brats from the aristocratic families in the Ten Thousand Ghost Cave will probably be reduced to nothing but bone dust!"

The woman didn't speak, but simply watched the ghost soldiers surge past her.

Half a day later, no more ghost soldiers rushed out of the gate.

The woman moved swiftly, rushing into the doorway first. The one-eyed man followed closely behind, his single eye brimming with greed and excitement, which he could no longer suppress.

...

...

Tianya Mountain.

The mountain is steep and rugged, with jagged rocks. At the top of the mountain, a fruit tree, about ten feet tall, stands alone in the wind. Its canopy is like a canopy, with lush branches and leaves. A dozen fist-sized fruits hang from the branches, their bodies a deep reddish-gold color, with faint flame patterns flowing across their surfaces, emitting a faint, warm fragrance.

Golden Flame Fruit. A top-grade first-tier spiritual fruit, it takes thirty years to flower, thirty years to bear fruit, and another thirty years to mature. The pulp contains pure fire-attribute spiritual energy. Peak Qi Refining cultivators can greatly improve their cultivation after consuming it, and it can increase the success rate of breaking through bottlenecks by 20%. This tree is extremely rare and priceless on the market.

Sun Zhengyuan, the patriarch of the Sun family, stood under the tree. With a wave of his right hand, he plucked the last Golden Flame Fruit from the branch and put it into a jade box. Beside him, Sun Zhengfang, the second elder of the Sun family, was squatting on the ground, gutting the Yin Tiger Beast, which was the size of an ox, and taking out its gall bladder, bones, and tendons, which he then put into his storage bag.

"Second Brother, there are seventeen Golden Flame Fruits in total." Sun Zhengyuan counted the fruits in the jade box, a slight smile playing on his lips. "If we refine them into Golden Flame Pills, our Sun family will have a few more Qi Refining Peak cultivators."

Sun Zhengfang wiped the blood from his hands and was about to speak when his expression suddenly changed—

"Be careful!"

Two sharp sword lights suddenly shot out from the shadows, aiming straight for the two men's backs!

Sun Zhengyuan reacted extremely quickly, retreating rapidly while simultaneously slashing his short sword to deflect the sword light. Sun Zhengfang, on the other hand, struck out with a palm, the wind from which shattered the other sword light.

"The Du family." Sun Zhengyuan narrowed his eyes, looking at the two figures that emerged from the shadows.

Du Yuankun stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm and composed. Du Yuanlie's long sword was still humming and trembling, his eyes fixed on Sun Zhengyuan as if he wanted to devour him alive.

"Sun Zhengyuan, today is your death day." Du Yuanlie gritted his teeth.

Sun Zhengyuan ignored him, his gaze fixed on Du Yuankun: "Clan Chief Du, although our two families have old grudges, we are now in the Ten Thousand Ghosts Cave, and life and death are left to fate. If you wish to make a move, I, Sun, will gladly oblige."

Just as Du Yuankun was about to speak, suddenly—

A dark cloud loomed overhead.

It's not a cloud.

It was a ghost. Tens of thousands of ghost soldiers, densely packed and overwhelming, swarmed out from the direction of the valley, rushing in all directions like a tide.

All four people changed color at the same time.

"So many ghost soldiers..." Sun Zhengfang gasped.

"Where did this come from?" Du Yuanlie forgot about revenge and stared wide-eyed.

Du Yuankun was the first to come to his senses. He looked at Sun Zhengyuan and said in a deep voice, "Clan Chief Sun, in the current situation, if we join forces, there might still be a glimmer of hope. If we continue to fight amongst ourselves, none of us will survive."

Sun Zhengyuan glanced at him, then at the approaching dark cloud, and nodded decisively: "Okay."

"What are you dawdling for! Do you want to die!" Du Yuanlie cursed, sheathing his longsword and taking out an array plate from his storage bag.

Du Yuankun also took out an array plate, combined the two array plates together, and spiritual light surged, unfolding a phantom of a second-tier array diagram above the four of them. He looked at Sun Zhengyuan and Sun Zhengfang: "The four of you work together, pour your spiritual power into the array plates."

Sun Zhengyuan and Sun Zhengfang exchanged a glance, and without hesitation, simultaneously channeled their spiritual energy into the array plate.

Four streams of spiritual energy converged, and the second-tier array diagram was activated with a roar. A pale golden light shield enveloped the four of them, with runes flowing across its surface and faint flashes of lightning.

The tide of ghost soldiers has arrived.

Tens of thousands of ghostly soldiers crashed into the light barrier like moths to a flame, one after another. The light barrier trembled violently, its spiritual light flashing wildly, and it was on the verge of collapse under the onslaught of the ghostly tide.

Du Yuankun gritted his teeth to maintain the array plate, his face pale. Du Yuanlie's forehead veins bulged as he frantically poured spiritual energy into the array plate. Sun Zhengyuan and Sun Zhengfang also dared not slack off; the four of them worked together to barely hold up the light barrier.

But how long can it last?

No one knows.

……

Ten Thousand Ghosts Cave, Green Wolf Valley.

Three cultivators from the Zhou family were resting in the valley. Zhou Yuanfeng, the family patriarch and a peak Qi Refining cultivator, was meditating cross-legged to recover the spiritual energy he had expended in the battle with the ghosts. Two other family members stood guard at the four corners, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.

Dark clouds loomed in from the horizon.

"Chief! Look!" a member of the tribe exclaimed.

Zhou Yuanfeng opened his eyes, his pupils suddenly contracting.

That's too late.

The ghost tide surged in like a flood, instantly engulfing the five. Zhou Yuanfeng desperately activated his magical artifact, slaying dozens of ghost soldiers, but there were simply too many to kill. A ghost general pounced from behind him, its sharp claws piercing through his chest.

"Chieftain—!"

The screams of the tribesmen rose and fell, but soon fell silent.

In the Green Wolf Valley, only blood and scattered magical artifacts remained.

……

Ten Thousand Ghosts Cave, Black Wind Ridge.

Three cultivators from the Wu family were searching for spiritual herbs on the ridge. The leader, Wu Zhengde, an elder of the Wu family at the peak of Qi Refining, was squatting on the ground, carefully digging up a century-old He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum).

"Elder, look over there!" A clansman pointed to the horizon, his voice trembling.

Wu Zhengde looked up and saw the overwhelming black clouds, and the he shou wu in his hand fell to the ground.

"run!"

The three turned and ran. But the ghost tide was much faster than them, catching up in just a few breaths. Wu Zhengde gritted his teeth and activated a top-grade first-tier Vajra Talisman, a golden light shield protecting the three. But under the onslaught of thousands of ghost soldiers, the Vajra Talisman shattered after only three breaths.

"ah--!"

The screams echoed across Black Wind Ridge, only to be quickly drowned out by the howling of the ghost tide.

……

Ten Thousand Ghosts Cave, Fallen Phoenix Slope.

Three cultivators from the Zheng family were resting on the slope. Zheng Yuanlong, the patriarch of the Zheng family and a peak Qi Refining cultivator, was leaning against a boulder, his eyes closed in meditation. Beside him, two clansmen were talking in hushed tones.

"What's that sound?" A member of the tribe suddenly looked up.

Zheng Yuanlong opened his eyes and saw the dark clouds on the horizon; his face instantly turned deathly pale.

"A ghost tide...where did all these ghost soldiers come from..."

Without a second thought, he jumped to his feet: "Everyone, charge with me! Up to higher ground!"

The three of them rushed towards the mountaintop with all their might. But the ghost tide was too fast, and they were overtaken halfway up the mountain. Zheng Yuanlong turned around and killed several ghost soldiers with a sword strike, but was ambushed from behind by a ghost general, whose claws pierced his heart.

"Chieftain—!"

The roars of the two clansmen were quickly drowned out by the ghost tide.

On Luofeng Slope, only howling winds and billowing black smoke remained.