Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather Chapter 1460 - 918: Old Friend Li Shangyuan (2)

The Wanhua Mountain Range has seen countless skirmishes, yet White Cloud Immortal City has consistently maintained its advantage with minimal casualties.

Yang Zhenshan, a thoughtful expression on his face, inquired further, "Are there a significant number of Demon Clan members dwelling deep within the Wanhua Mountain Range?"

"Indeed, quite a considerable amount. It's whispered that thirty-six Demon Kings reside within the Wanhua Mountain Range. However, only four are located in the northern mountains, and the formidable Earth-shaking Tiger clan accounts for one of them!" Kou Ta replied.

Yang Zhenshan was inwardly taken aback. Thirty-six Demon Kings! Wouldn't that equate to thirty-six Golden Core Cultivators?

It was fortunate that these Demon Clan factions lacked unity; otherwise, survival for Human Race Cultivators in the Wanhua Mountain Range would be nearly impossible.

As they journeyed, the trio engaged in conversation. Over these two days, Yang Zhenshan gleaned a wealth of information about the Wanhua Mountain Range from his companions. Two days later, they finally reached Yang Family Town.

Yang Zhenshan made arrangements for his companions' stay in Yang Family Town before bringing Bai Xiaoyun over. He then assigned her and Xuanzhen to jointly oversee Ancient County City.

Naturally, the Lu family contributed two hundred thousand low-grade Spirit Stones for this purpose, covering the expenses for just one year.

Nevertheless, Lu Fusheng still found an opportunity to pull Yang Zhenshan aside, expressing his profound gratitude for an extended period.

...

Precisely as Yang Zhenshan was occupied with personnel arrangements, a large assembly of Loose Cultivators convened in an undisclosed valley south of Yang Family Town.

Fang Shou, Li Shangyuan, and others were clearly visible within the gathering. Additionally, two Foundation Establishment Cultivators were present.

Li Shangyuan stood amidst the crowd, observing the two Foundation Establishment Cultivators who were being attended to with deference, a subtle, unreadable glint appearing in his eyes.

The two Foundation Establishment Cultivators were identified as Fang Ze and Zhang Baishan. Fang Ze held the position of an elder within the Fang family of Cui Lake, while Zhang Baishan was an elder from the Zhang family of the Southern Wilderness.

It dawned upon Li Shangyuan at that moment that their expedition to plunder the Sea of Spirit had been covertly orchestrated by the Fang family from Cui Lake and the Zhang family from the Southern Wilderness.

Li Shangyuan surveyed his surroundings. Approximately thirty Qi Refining cultivators in the late stages were present, primarily led by elite disciples from both families. The remaining participants were Loose Cultivators drawn from the vicinity of the Southern Wilderness's operational areas.

All of them had joined in pursuit of wealth, following in the wake of the disciples from the two prominent families. From their appearance, it seemed they had already reaped considerable rewards during this period.

"Haha, esteemed friends, the purpose of gathering you all here today is to embark on a grand venture together. I wonder if you share our interest?"

Fang Ze stroked his white beard and let out a soft chuckle.

"Naturally, we are interested!"

"It is our great fortune that a True Man is willing to guide us!"

"Indeed, we are eager to follow the two True Men!"

The assembled crowd responded with enthusiastic agreement.

It was evident that they had, by this point, willingly become unwitting pawns for the two families.

Fang Ze and Zhang Baishan exchanged a knowing glance, their smiles widening, "Since everyone is in agreement, allow me to outline our next objective!"

"The Lingxiu Yang family!"

"The Lingxiu Yang family stands as the sole Immortal Cultivation Family within the Sea of Spirit, and quite a nascent one at that, having been established for a mere forty years!"

"However, over the past four decades, the Lingxiu Yang family has accumulated immense wealth within the Sea of Spirit. Rumor has it that they maintain trade relations with the Illusion Moon Sect and the Lu family of Ancient County, yielding an annual income of hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones!"

"Haha, the Lingxiu Yang family must surely possess a bounty of Spirit Stones awaiting our acquisition!"

Fang Ze chortled, his eyes gleaming with palpable greed.

The others surrounding him exhibited envious gazes, each consumed by the desire to immediately descend upon Yang Family Town and commence looting.

Zhang Baishan added his perspective, "Regarding the strength of the Lingxiu Yang family, there is no need for everyone to harbor undue concern. As far as our intelligence indicates, the Lingxiu Yang family possesses only a single Foundation Establishment Cultivator, namely the Yang family elder, Yang Zhenshan. We shall attend to this individual!"

"As for the Qi Refining Cultivators, haha, for an Immortal Cultivation Family established for merely forty years, their numbers are unlikely to be substantial."

His assertion was not without a degree of justification.

The precise strength of the Yang family within the Sea of Spirit remained, in reality, an enigma.

Even external parties such as themselves, along with the Twelve Families of the Three Sects, possessed no concrete understanding of their capabilities.

Yun Xiao possessed the most comprehensive understanding of the Yang family's might amongst all the factions in the Sea of Spirit, having personally witnessed individuals like Xuanzhen, Bai Xiaoyun, and Yang Jizhen. Other factions, for the most part, were only aware that Yang Zhenshan was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and that the Yang family boasted several Golden Body Realm Martial Artists alongside a Second-Order Mutant Beast. Furthermore, their perception of the Yang family's power originated from the establishment of Qingli Immortal City twenty years prior, when Yang Zhenshan's attempt to display the family's strength was unfortunately eclipsed by the Nether Prison Sect and Cangyu Mountain. The Zhang and Fang families, having conducted prior investigations into the Yang family's circumstances, had accumulated a significant amount of information, some of which was true and some misleading. Indeed, much of this seemingly vague intelligence held a kernel of truth. For instance, rumors circulated that the Yang family possessed at least three Foundation Establishment Cultivators. However, Zhang Baishan and Fang Ze found this difficult to accept. They questioned the origin, names, current whereabouts, and exact cultivation levels of these supposed cultivators. Without a single concrete detail, the assertion of at least three Foundation Establishment Cultivators seemed preposterous. In reality, Zhang Baishan and Fang Ze had made a fundamental error in judgment, viewing the intricacies of the Sea of Spirit through the lens of the Southern Wilderness Immortal Cultivation World, while neglecting that the Sea of Spirit was a domain predominantly ruled by Martial Artists, wherein information concerning Immortal Cultivation was often obscured. This oversight led to their mistaken conclusion that the Yang family was merely an ordinary Immortal Cultivation Family. The matter of Yang Zhenshan serving as a Guest Elder for the Ten Thousand Treasures Store was entirely unknown to them. The distance separating the Southern Wilderness from the Sea of Spirit spanned four to five thousand miles, with the journey to White Cloud Immortal City extending over ten thousand miles. Without certain accurate pieces of intelligence, they would not have specifically delved into Yang Zhenshan's connections within White Cloud Immortal City. "Since there are no objections, we shall set forth in two days for a surprise night raid on Yang Family Town!" Fang Ze declared. "Alright!" was the immediate reply, followed by "No problem!" and cheerful "Haha~" as the assembled group eagerly rubbed their hands together. Li Shangyuan stood amidst the crowd, his head bowed and gaze lowered, remaining silent. Within him, a profound internal conflict raged. He was deeply troubled by the decision of whether or not to relay this intelligence to the Yang family. This hesitation stemmed from his existing ties to the Yang family, or more precisely, to Yang Zhenshan himself. Li Shangyuan, originally from the Skywind Sea Domain situated west of the Stormy Sea Area, held the position of Island Master of Qinglan Island. In fact, he was none other than the Li Shangyuan who had once traversed the Stormy Sea Area alongside Yang Zhenshan. Upon their arrival in the Sea of Spirit, Xuanzhen and Li Shangyuan had parted ways with Yang Zhenshan; Xuanzhen had proceeded to the Xuanqing Sect, while Li Shangyuan had journeyed to the Southern Wilderness. The catalyst for his perilous journey across the Stormy Sea Area with Yang Zhenshan was a legend pertaining to an Immortal Clan on Qinglan Island. This legend purported that the Li family of Qinglan Island traced their lineage back to the Immortal Clan Li family located east of the Stormy Sea Area, and that Qinglan Island itself harbored an Immortal Dao legacy. At that time, Li Shangyuan had already begun cultivating an Immortal Dao Skill. However, owing to the exceedingly sparse Spiritual Qi in the region west of the Stormy Sea Area, he had made no discernible progress after decades of effort. Consequently, he harbored a strong desire to cross the Stormy Sea Area in pursuit of the fabled Immortal Clan Li family. He had followed Yang Zhenshan all the way to the Sea of Spirit, and subsequently, guided by ancestral records, he had made his way to the Southern Wilderness. In the Southern Wilderness, cultivators of the Immortal Path were a rarity, and the sheer vastness of the territory made uncovering any trace of Immortal Cultivation an arduous task. He spent more than twenty years within the Southern Wilderness before he finally managed to infiltrate the circles of Immortal Cultivation, gaining entry into the workshops of the Southern Wilderness. However, upon gaining an understanding of the cultivation world in the Southern Wilderness, he discovered the devastating truth: the Immortal Clan he sought had long since perished. The so-called Immortal Clan Li family was merely an Immortal Cultivation Family, and its members, the Li family, had been annihilated over three hundred years ago; no such Li family existed among the Seven Families of the Southern Wilderness in the present day. Thus, Li Shangyuan's cherished hope of joining the Immortal Clan Li family was irrevocably shattered. Nevertheless, his ardent pursuit of the Immortal Path remained undimmed. He consequently remained within the Southern Wilderness workshops, living the life of a weary Loose Cultivator. Initially brimming with optimism for his future trajectory, the passage of time and the accumulation of hardships gradually eroded his hope, giving way to a profound sense of despair.

A stark realization dawned upon him: despite his utmost efforts, he was confined to the most basic level of Immortal Cultivation, forever out of reach of greater training resources.

Indeed, Li Shangyuan grappled with the perennial plight of every Loose Cultivator—regardless of their dedication, the acquisition of sufficient cultivation resources remained an insurmountable hurdle.