Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather Chapter 1280 - 832: Xuanzhen’s Troubles

While Yang Zhenshan directed the soul crow to infiltrate the courtyard stealthily, Xuanzhen sat in meditation within a serene chamber of the courtyard, legs crossed.

Right then, Xuanzhen's appearance remained remarkably similar to over two decades prior, clad in a gray Taoist robe, his hair secured by a wooden hairpin, and the pristine white horsetail whisk resting nearby. His face glowed with vitality, strands of hair blending black and white, subtle lines creasing the edges of his eyes and brow, barely visible without close inspection.

Over twenty years back, upon arriving at the Sea of Spirit, Xuanzhen had already surpassed 150 years. Normally, his life would have neared its close, yet thanks to the longevity-boosting cultivation method of the Wuzhen Taoist Palace, he showed no signs of decline at that point.

Now, with more than two decades elapsed, Xuanzhen's age likely exceeded 180, but his visage continued to retain such vigor.

Having meditated for an extended period, Xuanzhen gradually lifted his eyelids, revealing eyes of profound depth, capable of piercing through illusions, instilling a sensation of utter exposure.

"Enter!" Xuanzhen uttered abruptly.

The chamber's door creaked open, admitting a man in dark robes with a pallid face.

"Haha, Steward Xuanzhen, it's been ages." Mo Xuanyu regarded Xuanzhen, his ashen features beaming with a vivid grin.

Yet Xuanzhen remained aloof. He grasped the horsetail whisk, rose unhurriedly, and fixed Mo Xuanyu with a frown of irritation. "What brings you to summon me?"

Mo Xuanyu disregarded the annoyance and replied offhandedly, "It's really nothing major. I need your aid in locating a certain individual."

"Who is it?" Xuanzhen inquired.

"I have no idea. This fellow acted in Ancient County City, unleashing a mighty Thunder Skill that obliterated a Ghost General," Mo Xuanyu explained.

He meant Yang Zhenshan, of course, without knowing his true name.

"Thunder Skill?" Xuanzhen displayed a spark of curiosity.

"Indeed, a Thunder Skill for sure!" Mo Xuanyu affirmed.

Xuanzhen mulled it over briefly. "Any additional details?"

"He's connected to the Lu family. That's all the info I have right now!" Mo Xuanyu stated.

"Got it. But success isn't assured!" Xuanzhen consented.

In the instant that followed, a flicker of odd gleam crossed his eyes, his sight darting toward a tree beyond the threshold.

Mo Xuanyu caught the shift, swiveled his head, and peered outward. "Something amiss?"

"Not at all!" Xuanzhen denied with a faint shake of his head.

Mo Xuanyu harbored no doubts and added, "I'll entrust this task to you then. Make sure not to let the Sect Master down."

With those words, he pivoted and departed.

Once assured of his exit, Xuanzhen's stare turned piercing.

"Reveal yourself!"

He glared icily at the dense canopy of the tree near the entrance.

Hidden in the branches, Yang Zhenshan, via the soul crow, brimmed with astonishment and uncertainty. This elder had ascended to Immortal Cultivator status, reaching Foundation Establishment no less.

Fascinating, truly fascinating!

Yang Zhenshan maneuvered the soul crow to emerge from the foliage.

Upon spotting the soul crow, Xuanzhen paused in surprise before creasing his forehead slightly.

Earlier, he had detected soul power ripples concealed in the branches, assuming a human lurked there, but it turned out to be merely a bird.

This crow!

It's no ordinary bird!

"Who might you be?"

Immortal Cultivators wield bizarre and diverse methods; puppeteering a crow or shapeshifting into one holds no astonishment.

"An acquaintance from the past!" Yang Zhenshan guided the soul crow into the chamber directly, orbiting once before perching on the incense stand.

"Acquaintance from the past?" Xuanzhen's brows knit tighter.

He possessed no such connections here; truthfully, he lacked even one companion.

"Oh, surely you haven't forgotten me? I've sought you out for ages!" Yang Zhenshan teased.

Xuanzhen eyed the soul crow intently. "Precisely who are you?"

"Haha, as I mentioned, an old acquaintance. Consider this clue: Wuzhen Taoist Palace!" Yang Zhenshan revealed.

At the mention of "Wuzhen Taoist Palace", Xuanzhen's gaze erupted with sharp brilliance.

His background from the Wuzhen Taoist Palace remained a secret he shared with no one locally; only the handful who journeyed with him to the Sea of Spirit knew his origins.

"You are Yang Zhenshan!"

He recalled Yang Zhenshan at last.

In truth, he had hunted for Yang Zhenshan himself, yet back then, isolated and feeble, searching for him amid the teeming masses proved futile.

He pursued the trail for a while without success, eventually abandoning the effort.

Besides, he believed Yang Zhenshan would simply fade into obscurity upon reaching the Sea of Spirit.

In the Stormy Sea Area's western reaches, Yang Zhenshan earned fame as heaven's darling, climbing from humble farmer origins to a world-shaking powerhouse in mere forty years. But here in the Sea of Spirit, such a prodigy garnered no regard.

He figured Yang Zhenshan might accomplish something in the Sea of Spirit, though confined in scope, likely merging into one of the lesser Martial Arts Families.

He knew intimately the challenges an outsider faced in securing a place in the Sea of Spirit.

Those early days saw him rebuffed at every turn in the Sea of Spirit. He first approached the Xuanqing Sect, but couldn't even approach its entrance, let alone qualify to dwell in Green Jade City.

Subsequently, he turned to the Twelve Families, realizing that beyond the three great sects, only they could propel him forward.

Regrettably, the Twelve Families scorned him as an aged wanderer.

After three years of aimless drifting, he arrived in Yu Mountain Town, planning to depart the Sea of Spirit if no niche awaited him there.

He meant to enlist with a merchant group in Yu Mountain Town for temporary refuge, yet fate led him to an unexpected discovery.

"Exactly so!" Yang Zhenshan affirmed.

Gazing at the soul crow, Xuanzhen felt a surge of shock mingled with joy.

The shock stemmed from reuniting with Yang Zhenshan unexpectedly, while the joy arose from connecting with a genuine past associate.

Stranded in an alien realm.

That isolation, Xuanzhen had felt it keenly.

Though his Immortal Path progress shone brightly, attaining Foundation Establishment, he knew inwardly he could never fully integrate into this immense realm, his essence forever tied to the vast Wanshan Ridge.

Now, chancing upon an old comrade in this distant land, Xuanzhen brimmed with elation.

"It truly is you!"

"Haha, naturally! Who else would bother with a relic like you!" Yang Zhenshan echoed the delight.

Not just Xuanzhen had rediscovered a familiar face; Yang Zhenshan shared the sentiment.

Despite surrounding himself with many past allies, locating Xuanzhen still filled him with gladness.

Xuanzhen excelled at composure; soon after the initial astonishment, he regained his poise.

"Have you embarked on the Immortal Path?"

"Indeed. And haven't you also turned to the Immortal Path?" Yang Zhenshan remarked.

Xuanzhen shook his head faintly. "I haven't turned to it."

"What do you imply?"

Xuanzhen offered a wry smile. "This poor Daoist's original practice was the Immortal Law!"

Yang Zhenshan froze in disbelief. "You claim the Wuzhen Taoist Palace inheritance follows the Immortal Path?"

"Precisely!" Xuanzhen secured the door and approached to settle on the cushion.

The Wuzhen Taoist Palace legacy follows the Immortal Path?

Yang Zhenshan deemed it somewhat unbelievable, yet reflection suggested plausibility.

"Labeling it the Immortal Path flatters it overly; truly, it's merely fragments of cultivation methods. Only upon reaching the Sea of Spirit did this poor Daoist recognize the distinction!" Xuanzhen clarified.

"Due to the Spiritual Energy?" Yang Zhenshan probed.

"Precisely so. Spiritual Energy near Da’an is virtually absent, even at the Wuzhen Taoist Palace it's so faint as to escape notice, leading me to practice the Immortal Law for a century without awareness!" Xuanzhen elaborated.

Yang Zhenshan nodded in comprehension.

Both Da’an and the Ten Thousand Miles Sea Domain qualify as Spiritual Deserts, where Spiritual Energy lingers in scarcity.

In such regions, forget Immortal Cultivators—even elemental Martial Artists struggle mightily.

"Yet your luck shines with a spiritual aperture!" Yang Zhenshan marveled.

"Haha, yes, this poor Daoist counts his blessings! But it appears your fortunes rival mine!" Xuanzhen eyed Yang Zhenshan with sparkling interest.

Yang Zhenshan made the soul crow hop forward. "But how did you entangle yourself with the Soul-breaking Blade?"

Xuanzhen's expression soured a touch.

"I had little choice!"

"Detail it fully!"

"Those times brought constant setbacks, prompting thoughts of fleeing the Sea of Spirit for progress elsewhere. Unaware then of my Immortal Law practice, I fixated on forging a Golden Body via Martial Arts."

"Until I reached Yu Mountain Town and stumbled into an underground cave, where I crossed paths with Soul-breaking Blade members—no, more accurately, Unpredictable Ghost Sect affiliates!"

"Unpredictable Ghost Sect?" Yang Zhenshan drew a blank on the name.

"Yes, the Soul-breaking Blade serves as a mere outpost planted by the Unpredictable Ghost Sect in the Sea of Spirit."

"Ah, that explains it!" He had long sensed the Soul-breaking Blade's oddity, now revealed as backed by the Unpredictable Ghost Sect.

"Go on,"

Xuanzhen's eyes hardened. "Back then, I unwittingly breached an array of the Unpredictable Ghost Sect, got seized by their Blood Pool Steward, and despite my endless pleas of accidental entry, he heaped endless insults upon me!"

"Haha, but then he uncovered my Immortal Path cultivation and surprisingly offered entry into the Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Pool!"

Knowing Yang Zhenshan's ignorance of the Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Pool, he described it: "The Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Pool consists of blood drawn from countless Martial Artists, fused with Earth Veins' Earth Evil Qi, and fortified by a grand array that summons myriad ghosts to amass Yin."

"Entering the pool tainted me with Blood Evil Qi and Ghost Qi, propelling my realm to Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement in short years; yet simultaneously, my Divine Soul fell under Unpredictable Ghost Sect's dominion!"

With that, Xuanzhen glanced toward the soul crow atop the incense stand.

Yang Zhenshan's thoughts raced. "You seek liberation from the Unpredictable Ghost Sect's grasp?"

"Indeed!" Xuanzhen inclined his head.

"How does one sever that hold?" Yang Zhenshan questioned.

"Shatter the grand array gathering myriad ghosts' Yin, obliterate the blood pool, and pulverize the Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Jade embedded within," Xuanzhen declared coldly.

"What's the Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Jade?"

"Likely a Magical Treasure, though I'm uncertain; I only know it resides in the Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Pool, binding all who immerse themselves under its sway!" Xuanzhen detailed.

Yang Zhenshan raised the soul crow's gaze, probing Xuanzhen closely, and indeed perceived a subtle crimson hue lurking in the elder's eyes' depths.

At the same time, he sensed a wisp of sinister Evil Qi emanating from Xuanzhen, validating the truth of his account.

By revealing this to Yang Zhenshan, Xuanzhen aimed to enlist his support.

In this land, Xuanzhen stood utterly alone, unable to seek allies.

Yang Zhenshan's emergence kindled hope in Xuanzhen for escaping the Unpredictable Ghost Sect; even if unsure of the aid forthcoming, at least dialogue with a confidant was possible.

Regarding potential allegiance to the Unpredictable Ghost Sect by Yang Zhenshan, Xuanzhen dismissed it, familiar with his character's disdain for subjugation or control.

Should Yang Zhenshan himself suffer their control, he'd harbor identical resentment.

"Share details on the Unpredictable Ghost Sect!" Yang Zhenshan urged.

Xuanzhen nodded gently. "My knowledge covers only the Yin Ghost Department, led by a Director and Deputy, plus six Stewards—all Foundation Establishment Cultivators!"

"Numerous Ghost Soldiers fall under the Yin Ghost Department's command; I count as merely one!"

"Of the Yin Ghost Bureau's upper echelons, I've only met the Blood Pool Steward, Mo Xuanyu!"

Yang Zhenshan tensed immediately. "What exactly are Ghost Soldiers?"

"Those who enter the Blood Pool for empowerment, only to have their Divine Soul ensnared by the Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Jade, transform into Ghost Soldiers. To date, I've encountered seven, excluding myself—all others being Golden Body Realm Martial Artists!" Xuanzhen outlined.

Yang Zhenshan drew in a sharp breath. "Is the Unpredictable Ghost Sect truly so formidable?"

"Yes, immensely powerful, yet our foe isn't the full Unpredictable Ghost Sect—just the Yin Soul Bureau's Blood Pool Steward, encompassing the Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Pool and Soul-breaking Blade!"