Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather Chapter 1373 - 877: My Heart Will Not Rest Until This Grudge Is Avenged! (Part 2)

Isn’t that right?

He now clutches over a dozen Foundation Establishment Pills. Those thirty-plus Green Profound Fruit cores that the Illusion Moon Sect sold him previously have all transformed into Foundation Establishment Pills, producing fourteen in total, with three being top-grade ones.

"Oh, I figured the ancestor lacked materials for Foundation Establishment Pills!" Yang Jizhen chuckled.

Yang Zhenshan smacked him with a laugh, "You’ve truly underestimated your ancestor!"

"Fine, concentrate on your cultivation. Leave everything else to me! Without reaching Foundation Establishment, you won’t step onto the grand stage!"

"Yes!" Yang Jizhen replied.

…

True to Yang Zhenshan’s expectations, the Lotus Heart Valley catastrophe shook the powers across the western region of the Yunxiao Mountain Range.

Five days following the collapse of Lotus Heart Valley, the elders from the six Qingli families convened at the Qingli Royal Court.

An suffocating tension hung in the vast, grand palace hall.

Among the six towering chairs positioned centrally, just four held occupants, as the rest lingered seated or standing in the rear.

Lin Qihe’s furrowed, malevolent visage concealed boundless fury in his aged gaze.

Positioned behind Lin Qihe, Lin Huaijin wore a deeply somber expression, his stare gleaming with murderous intent.

Lin Huaijin had barely returned from White Cloud Immortal City when he discovered his clan reduced to rubble, every descendant eradicated.

Both resembled infernal ghosts risen from the abyss, radiating a savage, consuming presence.

The attendees seethed with rage or sorrow, their faces twisted in savage grimness.

Only the six Qingli families truly grasped the extent of their devastating losses.

Beyond their kin and holdings in Lotus Heart Valley, six Foundation Establishment Cultivators had perished. The Lin family teetered on extinction, and the Lan and Yu families forfeited their sole Foundation Establishment Ancestor, stripping them of status as Immortal Cultivation Families.

To be precise, the Qingli Six Families had dwindled to the Qingli Four Families.

"My sole wish is to pulverize those vermin from the Yin Ghost Department! And you?" Lin Qihe demanded, his gaze icy and shadowed as it swept over the assembly.

Though the Lin family retained numerous members, most were mortals, leaving fewer than twenty with spiritual apertures.

The Lin family now leaned on him and Lin Huaijin to uphold its fragile might.

Yet what fate awaited in a century?

His remaining years numbered under fifty, while Lin Huaijin possessed merely a hundred.

Once they departed this world, what destiny loomed for the Lin family?

Without forging new Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the next century, the Lin family would sink to a minor Immortal Cultivation Family or vanish entirely into history’s currents.

Liu Wei, Liu family ancestor and a silver-haired elder, declared gravely, "Without avenging this, my soul finds no rest!"

Even though the Liu family endured the lightest blows among the six, Liu Wei could scarcely endure it.

Liu Zai Xian suffered grievous wounds, clinging to life yet with shattered foundations. He once held promise for Late-stage Foundation Establishment, but now his path to higher cultivation might halt indefinitely.

Moreover, with Liu Zai Xian defending Lotus Heart Valley, countless Liu disciples had been deployed there, none surviving the onslaught.

Though less ruinous than the Lin family’s plight, these blows inflicted serious harm upon the Liu family.

Unlike the wrath-blinded Lin Qihe, Liu Wei preserved his clarity of mind.

"Yet we must scheme with caution. Brother Lin, your thirst for vengeance is clear, but face facts; against the Yin Ghost Department, we hold the weaker position!"

Zhang Mo’s whereabouts remained unknown, but they knew him as a Blood Pool Steward in the Yin Ghost Department, tied to the Unpredictable Ghost Sect.

The Unpredictable Ghost Sect wielded tremendous might, far beyond casual challenge; still, a mere Blood Pool Steward from Yin Ghost Department failed to cow them fully.

"What are you saying?" Lin Qihe snarled at Liu Wei.

Liu Wei stayed composed, "We must rally additional allies, ideally drawing in White Cloud Immortal City."

At these words, Lin Qihe’s venomous aura eased; he recognized Liu Wei’s wisdom.

Desperate for outside aid, White Cloud Immortal City stood as the mightiest potential partner near the Yunxiao Mountain Range.

"Beyond White Cloud Immortal City, Hidden Sword Mountain, Nether Prison Sect, and Sea of Spirit could join as allies too!" Liu Wei pressed on.

Lin Qihe drooped his eyelids, paused in silence for a moment, then declared, "I’ll go to White Cloud Immortal City. You others should reach out to other forces!"

Connections existed for him in White Cloud Immortal City, along with rapport built with several disciples of the White Cloud True Monarch, granting him sufficient confidence to request aid there.

Regarding other forces, his contacts were quite limited.

Ties linked the Lin family to Hidden Sword Mountain, the Sea of Spirit showed aversion toward Immortal Cultivation forces regardless of who approached, and the Nether Prison Sect lay distant from the Qingli Dynasty with virtually no exchanges.

...

Following the destruction of Lotus Heart Valley, Zhang Mo appeared to vanish completely, leaving behind no traces whatsoever.

Naturally, Zhang Mo hadn’t truly vanished; he had secluded himself within Cangya Gorge.

Fully aware of the consequences from obliterating Lotus Heart Valley, he swiftly withdrew all his subordinates back to Cangya Gorge right after the strike, planning to monitor the situation closely.

Should White Cloud Immortal City intervene, retreat was his intention; otherwise, he’d press on with his original scheme.

Moreover, time was required for him to absorb the spoils from raiding Lotus Heart Valley, Lin family lands, and capturing multiple Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Vast resources were gained, alongside numerous captured cultivators.

Within the dense Blood Pool, unconscious cultivators floated submerged in scarlet blood, their savage faces alone breaking the surface.

Perched atop a jutting cliffside rock, Zhang Mo gazed down at those savage visages, his gentle eyes brimming with delight.

On this occasion, just one Ghost Soldier entered his grasp—the yield wasn’t ongoing—but nearly a thousand materials for crafting Blood Puppets were secured.

Standards for Ghost Soldiers and Blood Puppets remained stringent for him, in stark contrast to Mo Xuanyu’s habit of settling for subpar alternatives.

Ghost Soldiers demanded Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, while Blood Puppets required late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators or Heavenly Gang Stage Martial Artists.

At present, eighteen Ghost Soldiers served under him, accumulated across over a century, with more than twenty Ghost Soldiers and over a thousand Blood Puppets dispatched to the Yin Ghost Department.

To put it simply, his century-long feats as a Blood Pool Steward in the Yin Ghost Department ranked him at the pinnacle among peers.

As Zhang Mo observed the Blood Pool beneath, transformations stirred; thick Blood Evil Qi gradually seeped into the bodies, crimson-veined eyes snapped open, unleashing a savage, bloodthirsty presence.

Activating spell lights upon three White Bone Pillars, Zhang Mo compelled the Blood Puppets to emerge from the Blood Pool, shambling forth like reanimated cadavers.

Pre-existing Blood Puppets nearby advanced promptly, dressing the freshly created ones and guiding them into nearby caverns.

Varieties of Blood Puppets abounded. The first type, forged by Mo Xuanyu from Golden Body Realm Martial Artists, preserved complete consciousness and memories, mirroring their former thoughts. Such specimens boasted exceptional independence and battle strength.

The second type operated without any mind, driven solely by battle instincts to perform basic duties, under total dominion of the Blood Pool Steward.

Devoid of memories, this blood puppet exhibited feeble fighting power, ideal for use as expendable fodder.

The third type bridged the gap between the prior two: bodies transmuted into blood corpses, original Divine Soul consciousness excised, remnant soul lingering. Through unique techniques, a fresh consciousness was forged.

Absolute loyalty bound this new consciousness to the Blood Pool Steward, while original combat instincts endured, delivering power nearly matching the host’s former might.

Divine Soul’s absence warped its personality with defects, rendering it far more ferocious.