Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather Chapter 1262 - 824: Protracted Struggle and Gains (Part 2)

Within the mountain woods, the sinister fellow and the burly guy scanned their surroundings with extreme caution.

"Boss, where did that scoundrel go! Curse it, he killed An Qing!" the burly man bellowed in fury.

The sinister man's gaze turned shadowy, "Be quiet."

Right then, rage burned fiercely in his chest too. They had figured that dealing with an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would be a breeze for them, but to their shock, not only did their group fail to gain the upper hand, they even lost one of their own.

Known as the Blood Soul Trio, they had terrorized the various workshops in the Yunxiao Mountain Range for dozens of years without ever facing such a defeat.

"What kind of technique was that? Some Teleportation Skill?"

"It's not only the Teleportation Skill, but what about this aura-hiding method? Why can't we sense even the slightest hint?"

Retreat was already crossing the sinister man's mind.

Though Yang Zhenshan's power wasn't overwhelmingly mighty, his ability to move instantly and vanish completely left them powerless.

"We're leaving!" the sinister man declared in a low tone.

The burly man seemed ready to protest further, but a sharp look from him silenced him.

Staying on high alert, the pair made their way out of the woods, keeping their blood soul phantoms and defensive magical artifacts active all the while, which denied Yang Zhenshan any chance to attack and let them escape.

As they slipped beyond the reach of his Spiritual Sense, Yang Zhenshan rubbed his beard thoughtfully, sinking into reflection.

"Magical artifacts seem pretty ineffective against Foundation Establishment cultivators; I definitely need to get my hands on some magical treasures."

"Moreover, my skills in spells are seriously deficient. That burly man's Geng Metal Sword Qi is just a basic spell, but its might is strong enough to endanger Foundation Establishment experts."

"In the end, I've only just stepped into Foundation Establishment, and I'm still way behind these veteran Foundation Establishment cultivators!"

Yang Zhenshan reflected on the recent fight.

For many years, he had focused on building his foundation, neglecting his spell practice entirely.

At present, his only dependable tool was the Qinghua Thunder Pearl, yet it came with heavy drawbacks—it could be used just once, and afterward, it needed years of care to recharge.

Luckily, his instant movement skills let him dodge and weave around foes, or else he'd have no way to counter these experienced Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Once he finished reviewing the fight's lessons, Yang Zhenshan first sent word of his well-being to Yu Qingyi, then set off for Green Wolf Mountain.

"Where did she go?"

Seeing bloodstains everywhere and storage bags along with blood-smeared magical treasures scattered about, Yang Zhenshan stared at the Green Wolf King in surprise.

The Green Wolf King let out a whine and revealed its two lines of razor-sharp fangs.

"You devoured her!" Yang Zhenshan's lips twitched a bit.

The Green Wolf King howled as if boasting that the person tasted great.

Yang Zhenshan was at a loss for words; telling the Green Wolf King to avoid eating humans felt overly demanding.

Sheep munch on grass, wolves feast on sheep, humans consume meat, and wolves devour meat too.

Does it make a difference if wolves eat people or sheep?

From a wolf's view, it doesn't.

"Avoid eating folks from the Spirit Source Land!" Yang Zhenshan issued a firm caution in the end.

"Woof woof~~" The Green Wolf King gave a glance that said, 'Do I seem that stupid?'

Fine enough, ever since reaching the Spirit Source Land, the Green Wolf King had acted rather obediently, displaying warmth toward all.

Beyond Yang Zhenshan, people from the Spirit Source Land could visit Green Wolf Mountain without facing any hostility from the Green Wolf King.

The other green wolves had steered clear of attacking humans as well.

That said, plenty of wild beasts in the Spirit Source Land frequently raid villages, only to get slain by the locals.

Yang Zhenshan remarked, "Keep up your cultivation, I'm heading out!"

Afterward, he gathered the storage bags and magical treasures from the ground and swiftly returned to Spiritual Spring Mountain Plateau.

The woman had abandoned three magical treasures: a little golden bell, a seven-foot golden silk strand, and a dark spike.

Claiming magical treasures proves far tougher than with magic artifacts, particularly these ones bound to their previous owner, infused with the original master's Divine Soul energy.

To claim them, the prior owner's Divine Soul energy must be wiped out.

In the same vein, storage bags from cultivators carry Divine Soul energy; seizing control might require removing the original owner's Divine Soul energy.

Furthermore, certain Foundation Establishment cultivators could place traps on their storage bags; trying to seize it forcefully risks activating those traps.

Such traps might ruin the contents inside or launch attacks against the new possessor.

Yang Zhenshan, no longer a beginner in Immortal Cultivation after months in Lotus Heart Valley absorbing knowledge, was well-informed now.

Probing the female cultivator's storage bag with his Spiritual Sense, Yang Zhenshan spotted a trap within, probably one designed for destruction.

Dismantling these traps came easily to Yang Zhenshan.

Although his progress in array arts was limited, he grasped basics of restrictions and arrays.

Plus, that female cultivator wasn't an Array Master; her skill with restrictions fell short of Yang Zhenshan's.

Over half a month, Yang Zhenshan refined the storage bag and the three magical treasures, fully taking over the female cultivator's possessions.

"Less than thirty thousand Spirit Stones; what a destitute one she was!"

As Yang Zhenshan tallied the storage bag's contents, he couldn't help grumbling.

"What sort of pill is this? Doesn't seem like a standard elixir?" Yang Zhenshan pulled out a dark elixir pill and gave it a sniff.

There was no way Yang Zhenshan would swallow such an unknown elixir.

Still, he held onto it, intending to offer it to Danxuan Pavilion during his next trip to Lotus Heart Valley.

Danxuan Pavilion employed specialized appraisers for elixirs who could evaluate mysterious ones like this.

By contrast, Yang Zhenshan found the talismans in the storage bag more intriguing.

"Cloud Talisman, Godspeed Talisman, Golden Light Talisman—all second-order lower-grade talismans, but sadly just three in total!" Yang Zhenshan placed these three talismans into his storehouse.

He used his storage bag merely as a temporary holder, while his courtyard housed three storehouses—one for odds and ends, one for Spirit Stones, and the final one for combat gear like talismans, elixirs, magic artifacts, and so on.

Herbs went into the medicine room at the Alchemy Hall.

Pulling items straight from the Spirit Source Land proved handier than relying on storage bags.

Lastly, among the assorted goods, Yang Zhenshan discovered over a dozen jade scrolls, the majority detailing malevolent cultivation methods, which he skimmed quickly before shattering.

He had no fondness for such dark cultivation paths and refused to keep them in the Spirit Source Land.

In the end, Yang Zhenshan retained just two jade scrolls: one outlining an artifact refining legacy—a proper one at that, albeit only second-order, it would bolster the Spirit Source Land's artifact refining knowledge.

Regrettably, the Spirit Source Land still wanted a genuine Immortal Dao Refiner, relying only on Martial Arts Refiners for now.

The second jade scroll covered three types of Divine Soul techniques.

Soul Stealing Skill, Soul Capturing Skill, Soul Searching Technique!

After studying these three techniques, Yang Zhenshan grasped why the female cultivator's mana had abruptly scattered in their clash.

She must have unleashed the Soul Capturing Skill against him, but with Yang Zhenshan's Divine Soul vastly stronger, it backfired on her, throwing her soul into disarray.

"These three Divine Soul techniques look pretty fitting for me?" Yang Zhenshan scanned the jade scroll's details, musing aloud.

Having practiced the Void Refining Scripture, his Divine Soul power ought to outstrip others at his level.

This showed in his Spiritual Sense spanning a thousand feet, while most early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators managed only five or six hundred feet; purely in Divine Soul strength, he outmatched typical Foundation Establishment cultivators by several folds.

Thus, when the female cultivator attempted the Soul Capturing Skill on him, she reaped immediate divine soul backlash.

Her boldness in using the Soul Capturing Skill suggested faith in her own Divine Soul strength; too bad she crossed paths with Yang Zhenshan.

Yet, it also warned Yang Zhenshan to wield Divine Soul power with great care.

At last, Yang Zhenshan drew out the three magical treasures the female cultivator had left behind.

Soul Vibrating Bell, a divine soul assault magical treasure that released sound waves to rattle an opponent's Divine Soul directly, leaving them feeble, disoriented, or unfocused, thereby weakening their fighting ability.

Golden Radiance Silk, a defensive magical treasure that, when draped over the body, could fend off assorted spell strikes, glowing with ceaseless golden radiance to shield the cultivator.

Soul-breaking Cone, another divine soul attack magical treasure able to pierce through defenses and spells to strike the foe's Divine Soul straight on.

Learning about the Soul-breaking Cone and Soul Vibrating Bell's purposes, Yang Zhenshan felt a twinge of dread.

Good thing the female cultivator started with the Soul Capturing Skill instead of the Soul Vibrating Bell or Soul-breaking Cone, or he might not have gotten away without harm.

Evidently, this female cultivator focused on Divine Soul cultivation, her skills and magical treasures all geared toward the Divine Soul.