Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather Chapter 1279 - 832: What Is That Old Guy Up To?

The morning fog blanketing the Spiritual Spring Mountain Plateau lingered, while dew on the verdant stone paths sparkled like scattered gold under the dawn rays.

Yang Zhenshan positioned himself beneath a thick canopy of the Three Yellow Li Tree, clad in a flowing Daoist robe.

This robe, in shades of blue-gray, looked unassuming at first glance, yet the detailed pine motifs stitched into it revealed superior artistry. A closer inspection via the Spirit Eye Skill would unveil the subtle glow of runes woven secretly into the fabric.

The Pine Daoist Robe transcended mere clothing; it was truly a Vestment robe, with the pine designs masking the embedded runes.

Yu Qingyi had crafted this Vestment robe specially for Yang Zhenshan, and he cherished especially the pine patterns adorning the front, deeming them quite refined. Gold threads outlined the shapes, complemented by nine varying tones of deep green silk in the needlework.

The tight embroidery mimicked clusters of pine needles, and nearby, tiny fluorite pieces nestled in each bunch released a soft blue luminescence in low light, much like frost settling on branches before the mist cleared.

Pine limbs stretched from the cuffs toward the hand's back, their bark-like scales rendered in layered silver threads, the textured designs aligning seamlessly with the veins' paths.

As mana flowed through, the branches illuminated with a mild green radiance, and the three white crane figures nestled in the limbs fluttered their wings, the tassels they held in beaks dancing lightly.

Embedded within were three arrays: a Protective Array of twelve Restrictions, a Spirit Gathering Array of eight Restrictions, and a Wind Control Array of six Restrictions.

It shielded the wearer in combat, drew in spiritual energy for cultivation, and aided wind manipulation for journeys.

Such a Vestment robe ranked as a superior Magic Artifact.

Yang Zhenshan dubbed this ensemble the Changqing Magical Robe, believing every Immortal Cultivator in the Spirit Source Land ought to possess one in due time.

Certainly, for others, Yu Qingyi need not sew them herself; Ma Qiuyan and Ning Yun could manage the task.

After all, under Yang Zhenshan's guidance, only six Immortal Cultivators existed in the Spirit Source Land, and even if each owned two, that tallied just twelve in total.

Donning the Changqing Magical Robe, Yang Zhenshan radiated an otherworldly grace, embodying the aura of a secluded wise hermit.

Positioned under the tree, he flicked his sleeve, prompting twelve thick green vines to surge abruptly from the earth before him.

These vines shot upward rigidly, forming lines akin to elongated lances.

His spiritual sense extended, rendering the twelve green vines vivid within Yang Zhenshan’s Sea of Consciousness.

In an instant, with mere intent, the vines lunged ahead like spear-bearing troops.

The lances streaked like coiling dragons, bolts of lightning crackling, their keen points whistling sharply as they swiftly impaled the facing stone wall.

The broad stone wall suffered direct perforation, and shortly after, the twelve green vines withdrew together.

Yang Zhenshan's gaze gleamed as he advanced to inspect the damaged wall.

"Impressive, it now carries a trace of my signature spear intent. Yet, to infuse the green vines fully with my spear intent, diligent practice remains essential!"

He nodded approvingly.

Fusing the Vine Skill with Spear Skill to embed his distinctive spear intent into the vines had been his key pursuit lately.

Thus far, the Spear Intent Vine Skill displayed promising early achievements.

This technique could already pose a danger to Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Yang Zhenshan flicked his sleeve again, causing the twelve green vines to vanish like bursting bubbles.

Today's spell training concluded, and next came the nurturing of the Qinghua Thunder Pearl.

Yet, as he prepared to enter the Quiet Chamber for cultivating the Qinghua Thunder Pearl, Qingxia appeared abruptly and announced, "Family Head, urgent report from the Secret Martial Guards!"

"Oh!"

Yang Zhenshan accepted the letter with astonishment and unfurled it. Upon scanning the message, a spark of shock lit his eyes.

"I never imagined that old fellow still lived!"

"And he's tangled with the Soul-breaking Blade—what schemes does that old guy harbor?"

He whispered to himself.

The Secret Martial Guards' urgent dispatch held just one detail: discovery of a known individual.

Xuanzhen Elder!

Over twenty years prior, after Yang Zhenshan and Xuanzhen went separate ways, Xuanzhen had evaporated from existence, leaving no trail.

Yang Zhenshan had assumed the old guy perished long ago, yet now he reemerged.

Earlier, Yang Zhenshan dispatched the Secret Martial Guards to hunt for Xuanzhen and tasked Yan Qinting with probing his location in the Xuanqing Sect, since he had been persuaded by Yang Zhenshan to head there.

Xuanzhen never integrated into the Xuanqing Sect; they would never welcome him.

But apparently, he aligned with the Soul-breaking Blade!

Per the Secret Martial Guards' findings, Xuanzhen currently resided in a Soul-breaking Blade outpost in Yu Mountain Town, and he appeared far from his deathbed.

"Perhaps after failing to enter the Xuanqing Sect, he sought refuge with the Soul-breaking Blade? But how did he forge ties with them?"

Yang Zhenshan felt deeply puzzled.

The Soul-breaking Blade operated in utmost secrecy, eluding even the Three Sects of Lingxiu's scrutiny. Only lately had the Secret Martial Guards uncovered a few outposts near the Sea of Spirit.

By rights, Xuanzhen held no links to the Soul-breaking Blade, but his presence at their Yu Mountain Town site indicated likely affiliation.

"Soul-breaking Blade~~" Yang Zhenshan knitted his brows.

He had clashed with the Soul-breaking Blade on several occasions, yet truthfully, his knowledge of them remained scant.

The Soul-breaking Blade's maneuvers proved bizarre. Despite Yang Zhenshan thwarting their schemes repeatedly, they never struck back at him.

One could claim Yang Zhenshan concealed himself too effectively for them to locate, but that rang false. His prior hiding spots brimmed with vulnerabilities, insufficient to fool a shadowy group like the Soul-breaking Blade.

Yang Zhenshan suspected the Soul-breaking Blade simply disregarded his past interferences, like aiding the Lu family against malevolent spirits. Had they minded, they wouldn't have vanished post-event.

For the moment, shelve the Soul-breaking Blade's affairs. Whether Soul-breaking Blade or Nether Prison Sect, they posed little direct threat; such matters chiefly involved the Three Sects of Spirit.

Yang Zhenshan's curiosity centered more on Xuanzhen.

"Shall I connect with this old companion?"

The Soul-breaking Blade exuded too much malice for Yang Zhenshan to approach, but Xuanzhen was a longtime friend, and having located him, he yearned to reach out and share memories.

"Visiting Yu Mountain Town seems worthwhile!"

Yang Zhenshan resolved, handed the letter back to Qingxia, and instructed, "I’m aware of this. Instruct them to avoid excessive meddling, merely monitor the Soul-breaking Blade’s outpost!"

Yang Zhenshan harbored no desire to antagonize the Soul-breaking Blade, yet he wouldn't turn a blind eye.

The Soul-breaking Blade constituted no trivial entity, and to thrive in the Sea of Spirit within the Spirit Source Land, vigilance over rival factions' activities proved vital.

Thus, surveilling the Soul-breaking Blade’s outpost was prudent, preventing surprises from their disruptions.

Back in his study, Yang Zhenshan's divine sense stirred, instantly transferring his consciousness to the soul crow beyond.

Near the Lian family’s town, from a sturdy ancient locust tree, an entirely ebony crow burst forth from a branch-woven nest.

The crow let out two calls, then unfurled its wings and soared eastward.

This marked Yang Zhenshan’s soul crow concealed outside the Lian family’s town.

The soul crow served as both Yang Zhenshan’s Divine Soul incarnation and a soul construct he formed.

As his mastery of the Soul Crow Divination Skill advanced, the soul crow grew ever more lifelike as a true bird.

Presently, the soul crow operated independently; upon receiving Yang Zhenshan's directive, it executed tasks akin to a genuine crow.

Admittedly, it handled only basic directives, but for surveillance and trailing, it excelled.

Yang Zhenshan retracted his awareness. The soul crow proceeded solo toward Yu Mountain Town.

Given the soul crow’s velocity, reaching Yu Mountain Town demanded at least two or three hours, so Yang Zhenshan felt no urgency. He pressed on with cultivation or talisman inscription as required.

He first tended to the Qinghua Thunder Pearl for two hours, then shared a midday meal with Yu Qingyi, followed by two hours of Magical Treasure handling practice.

The Soul-Attracting Bell and Soul-breaking Cone stood as the primary Magical Treasures Yang Zhenshan refined. He possessed no others, nor did he pursue acquiring or commissioning them.

For he intended, upon hitting mid-stage Foundation Establishment, to forge his Lifebound Magical Treasure.

The Divine Wood Treasure Cauldron and Green Wood Purple Lightning Sword both awaited refinement.

Consequently, he deemed current efforts on additional Magical Treasures unnecessary.

After some time with the Magical Treasures, Yang Zhenshan retreated to his study for talisman drawing.

The Cloud Ascending Talisman allowed a cultivator to soar upon clouds. Greater mana input at activation yielded swifter speeds.

In Lotus Heart Valley, a low-grade Cloud Ascending Talisman commanded about a thousand low-grade Spirit Stones.

Underestimate not the low-grade Cloud Ascending Talisman. While its value waned for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, it proved a vital escape tool for Qi Refinement Cultivators.

In dire straits, the Cloud Ascending Talisman could preserve life, rendering it prized among Qi Refinement Cultivators in Lotus Heart Valley.

Any Qi Refinement Cultivator able to afford one kept a Cloud Ascending Talisman at hand without hesitation.

Lately, Yang Zhenshan produced numerous Cloud Ascending Talismans, exceeding a hundred, all distributed to his disciples.

His talisman crafting proficiency hovered at average, achieving merely a thirty percent success for low-grade Cloud Ascending Talismans, scarcely earning him Second-Order Talisman Master status.

As Yang Zhenshan completed another Cloud Ascending Talisman, the soul crow relayed its arrival in Yu Mountain Town.

Yang Zhenshan stowed the talisman brush, concentrated, and once again immersed his consciousness in the soul crow.

The soul crow, roosting just beyond Yu Mountain Town, tilted its head slightly, a thoughtful glint passing through its obsidian eyes.

Yu Mountain Town once functioned as a supply hub for the Three Sects of Spirit and Nether Prison Sect amid their conflicts, but post-ceasefire, it reverted to an ordinary settlement.

Yang Zhenshan directed the soul crow to enter Yu Mountain Town.

The Soul-breaking Blade’s outpost lay in a manor on the town’s southern edge. Though Yu Mountain Town qualified as modest, it served as the Sea of Spirit’s eastern endpoint.

Beyond lay domains under Nether Prison Sect influence, yet distance kept it remote from their core, where control stayed lax, drawing eastern Martial Arts clans to trade in the Sea of Spirit.

Hence, Yu Mountain Town emerged as a key commerce nexus, teeming with merchant convoys in constant flux.

A workshop thrived here too, adding to the lively atmosphere.

Nevertheless, Yang Zhenshan aimed for the Soul-breaking Blade’s outpost, heading directly to the concealed manor.

He guided the soul crow to infiltrate the manor, plunging into a vibrant banyan tree.

Peering through foliage crevices, he surveyed the yard, seeking Xuanzhen’s form.

The soul crow could deploy Spiritual Sense too, though limited to roughly ten yards and brief duration, since Yang Zhenshan had infused it with scant Soul Power.