Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather Chapter 1351: 867: Aren't You Envious That I Own a Grotto Heaven?
Previously on Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather...
Within the cave.
Xuanzhen stared at the churning Blood Pool, his gaze brimming with anxiety and concern.
The Blood Pool had turned into a raging wild beast, hurling blood waves in every direction. Its evil aura thickened palpably, saturating the expansive cavern, while the central White Bone Pillar groaned with creaks, hinting that something within might awaken.
Xuanzhen failed to detect the Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Jade, leaving him blind to the chaos inside the Blood Pool; all he could observe was the stormy vista ahead, fueling his intense worries.
Suddenly, Yang Zhenshan materialized at his side, jolting him badly.
“Who?”
“It’s me!” Yang Zhenshan responded in a grave tone.
Xuanzhen inspected Yang Zhenshan carefully; this was the first glimpse he'd gotten of him since their first encounter.
Though he'd spotted Yang Zhenshan previously in Cloud Abyss Valley, that time the man hid in a black robe with his face masked, so Xuanzhen never saw his true look.
Now Yang Zhenshan wore a Green Pine Magic Robe crowned with a Jade Crown, his square and rosy face radiating an air of arcane dignity.
“You look even more like a Taoist than I do!” Xuanzhen quipped.
“Haha, I am now a True Man!” Yang Zhenshan laughed softly.
A True Man stems clearly from Taoism terminology, yet in the Cultivation World, it labels anyone achieving the Foundation Establishment Stage, no matter their Taoist devotion.
“Let’s go, this place is not suitable for a prolonged stay!” Yang Zhenshan declared.
“Wait, you go handle those small fry, I’ll go fetch some things!” Yang Zhenshan's sudden arrival told Xuanzhen of his victory, so no rush gripped him as he zipped into a nearby chamber like a gliding fish.
Yang Zhenshan held nothing back either. He swept out his Spiritual Sense, darting everywhere to reap lives.
Blood Puppets swarmed the area, but none hit Golden Body Realm strength—probably dragged along by Mo Xuanyu for minor chores.
Yang Zhenshan cut them down like melons and vegetables, wiping out most in a handful of breaths.
Grudges from these Blood Puppets held no relevance anymore.
After all, they weren't living creatures now; Mo Xuanyu had transformed them into blood corpse puppets, keeping just echoes of their old minds and smarts.
Shortly, Yang Zhenshan came back to the Blood Pool, blood surges still boiling wildly, packed with Yin Souls, like endless ghosts caged inside yearning to burst out.
At this view, Yang Zhenshan's brow creased lightly.
Xuanzhen came back too, brushing off Yang Zhenshan; he charged right at the burned ancient scroll.
“What are you doing?” Yang Zhenshan questioned.
“Taking these things away, so Mo Xuanyu can’t use them to harm others again!” Xuanzhen said quickly, stretching out to tuck the ancient scroll into his Storage Bag.
But he kept moving, rushing to the three White Bone Pillars, planning to cram them into his Storage Bag next.
“Come over, my Storage Bag can’t fit them!”
Xuanzhen tested it out, saw his Storage Bag couldn't contain them, and called to Yang Zhenshan.
Yang Zhenshan thought briefly, then zipped ahead, flinging his hand to hurl the White Bone Pillars into the Spirit Source Land's northern zone.
These artifacts oozed malice; he truly wished to avoid them, but Xuanzhen spoke true—leaving them behind would let Mo Xuanyu wield them for fresh evils. Tossing them to the Spirit Source Land for later cleanup was wiser.
With the three White Bone Pillars gone, a heavy thudding roar erupted in the cave.
“This cave is going to collapse!” Yang Zhenshan dashed to Xuanzhen, clutched him, and blinked away.
The very next moment, they landed on a stark mountain summit in the Spirit Source Land's north.
This quick location swap baffled Xuanzhen somewhat.
“Where is this?”
He scanned the nearby woods, then eyed the Pill Furnace close by, roaring with golden fire.
“My territory, the Spirit Source Land!” Yang Zhenshan replied with a subtle grin.
“Spirit Source Land?” Xuanzhen pondered, “This is the secret you’ve been hiding?”
He'd wondered about Yang Zhenshan's hidden ace for ages.
When Yang Zhenshan served as Marquis Jing’an of Da Rong, he'd guessed the man clutched some treasure.
That era, Yang Zhenshan pulled out plenty of fine stuff—wines, teas, royal jelly, and the like.
Still, back then he never dug deeper; no point—he stood as one of Da Rong's top powers, and Yang Zhenshan's items were just fun trinkets, nothing to crave.
“Yes, treat the Spirit Source Land as a Grotto Heaven. You’re aware of Grotto Heavens, aren’t you?” Yang Zhenshan remarked nonchalantly.
“I’ve heard of them; they’re rumored to be small worlds!”
“Close enough. This Grotto Heaven is mine!” Yang Zhenshan scrutinized Xuanzhen’s face closely.
Yet, Xuanzhen’s response caught him off guard.
No trace of envy or greed appeared on Xuanzhen’s face after hearing Yang Zhenshan owned a Grotto Heaven; he remained utterly composed, like it was no big deal at all.
“Don’t you envy my possession of a Grotto Heaven?” Yang Zhenshan felt a bit doubtful from Xuanzhen’s demeanor.
Xuanzhen rolled his eyes. “What’s there to envy!”
“Isn’t it something to envy?”
“Is it worth envying?”
They locked eyes in astonishment. Xuanzhen fondled his beard before inquiring, “Does the Grotto Heaven accelerate cultivation?”
Yang Zhenshan hesitated. “Not directly, but it nurtures plenty of Spiritual Objects!”