Immortality begin with Alchemy Grandmaster Chapter 2762 - 1021: Mirror Flower, Water Moon; Daoist Sect Tian Nan

In ages past, Zhongzhou was dominated by the Twelve Great Houses.

These houses not only held sway over much of the Daoist Sect's power but also monopolized twelve elder seats within the Star Gate organization. Furthermore, all renowned Five Elders of Tianyuan originated from these very houses.

Indeed, the Twelve Great Houses formed the bedrock of the Tianyuan Daoist Sect, each boasting a formidable strength comparable to a top-tier Nascent Soul Ascendant Sect.

The Shi Family was one such prominent house.

Coincidentally, this very family harbored a prior grievance with Luo Chen.

Though acquainted with their enmity, Luo Chen himself harbored no particular desire for further entanglement with them.

A fleeting image of a defiant young man crossed his mind, drawing Luo Chen's focus to the Shi Family True Master before him, an cultivator at the Early Nascent Soul Stage.

The Mirror Flower, Water Moon technique was activated, and thanks to Luo Chen's formidable Divine Soul Endowment, Shi Chuanting succumbed to its illusions with barely any resistance.

This was precisely how Luo Chen's illusion techniques were meant to manifest at his current level!

Provided he did not encounter Divine Soul defense Spiritual Treasures or the disruptive influence of a group formation, among peers of the same cultivation level, few could even meet his gaze without succumbing, let alone withstand a single move.

Such power was perhaps indicative of a Divine Transformation Great Power confronting Nascent Soul Stage cultivators!

Acting on his intent, Luo Chen extracted all knowledge Shi Chuanting possessed regarding the Central Continent's Tianyuan Dao Sect.

The intelligence provided by Cangwu Mountain was, after all, over thirty years old and had been gathered from the Demon Clan's viewpoint, making it far less distinct than the firsthand accounts of an insider.

With his imminent journey to Zhongzhou, Luo Chen understood the necessity of thorough preparation.

"Your name?"

"Shi Chuanting."

"Your position?"

"A provisional Deacon Elder dispatched by the Tianyuan Dao Sect to the Eastern Wasteland. My duties involved collecting intelligence from this region and ensuring various Nascent Soul sects submitted their tributes."

"How many others like you are there?"

"A total of four individuals, all hailing from the Great Houses."

"Decades ago, when Emperor Qi Xia launched his assault on Zhongzhou, did the Twelve Great Houses sustain any damage from the conflict?"

"While the casualties were considerable, the Twelve Great Houses themselves remained unscathed; none were removed from their standing."

Upon hearing this, Luo Chen's expression shifted subtly.

Though he had not personally witnessed the battle, he was aware of its immense destructive scale.

Even Heaven and Earth Peak, fortified by the 'Cut Off Heaven and Earth Great Array,' had been breached, and the entirety of Zhongzhou lay in ruins, yet the Twelve Great Houses endured. This was truly astonishing.

It served as a powerful testament to the enduring strength of ancient families!

Through this revelation, Luo Chen also grasped why the Tianyuan Daoist Sect had not completely collapsed despite enduring such catastrophic adversity.

The reason was the Twelve Great Houses, which constituted the core foundation of the Mountain Sea Realm's Tianyuan Daoist Sect.

Luo Chen suppressed his surprise and continued his inquiry, "You mentioned severe casualties; just how severe were they?"

A flicker of uncontrollable sadness crossed Shi Chuanting's already bewildered face.

"Zhongzhou boasted numerous Fifth Order Spiritual Lands, with Rotten Stalemate Mountain and Heaven and Earth Peak considered the most significant. Coupled with the Star Gate system, the Supreme Elders of the Twelve Great Houses were present at Heaven and Earth Peak when the incident occurred. Their lives were intrinsically linked to the formation and the Spirit Peak; their demise paralleled the array's collapse and the mountain's destruction. This resulted in the heaviest losses."

Luo Chen raised an eyebrow, finding this account quite plausible.

He had previously caught a glimpse of the Star Gate's Nineteen Elders upon his joining.

Excluding Alchemy Saint Chu Yan, who was at the Divine Transformation Stage, the other eighteen were formidable cultivators at the Late Stage of Nascent Soul, including those high-cultivation Supreme Elders from the Twelve Great Houses.

Although these venerated figures were advanced in age and held no specific leadership roles within the Twelve Great Houses, they indisputably represented the most potent force and spiritual beacon for their respective clans.

The loss of each individual was as significant as the fall of Shenyuan to the Five Elements Divine Sect.

"The great battle in Zhongzhou was a theater for the Great Powers; ordinary cultivators could scarcely intervene. However, as the battle's destructive aftermath swept through, cultivators from every family suffered without exception, leading to heavy casualties."

"Among the Twelve Great Houses, the Mo Family, the lineage of the current Sect Master Mo Shouzhuo, bore the brunt of the destruction as they were tasked with guarding critical strategic points. They were nearly annihilated in that single conflict, only managing to rebuild after Mo Shengxing's return from the North Sea battlefield."

"The Zhan Family, known for possessing the mightiest combat power among the Twelve Great Houses, has also faced a devastating decline. Their ancestor’s spirit perished in the Netherworld Sea, the Great Elder met his end at Heaven and Earth Peak, and the disciples of the Zhan Family bravely sacrificed everything to slay the Savage Beast Netherworld Earth Dragon. In the end, only the Second Elder, Zhan Bingtao, who was at the Late Stage Nascent Soul realm, managed a hasty return to rebuild the family. However, Zhan Bingtao himself sustained severe injuries on the Southern Border battlefield, leaving him barely able to manage the family’s affairs."

"Furthermore, the Gu Family, the Tan Family, and other clans are also struggling. Their ancestral bases were situated within the core battlefield, and despite their utmost efforts, only a handful of their kin survived."

Even though Shi Chuanting was situated far away in Zhongzhou, he had a firm grasp on the internal affairs of the Sect and the current standing of the various families.

Thus, he presented his report smoothly and with great clarity.

Through this comprehensive account, Luo Chen gained a profound understanding of how these once formidable families had become so immensely weakened.

At their zenith, the Twelve Great Houses boasted cultivators beyond the Nascent Soul stage numbering more than could be counted on one’s fingers, and the sheer number of Nascent Soul True Masters was truly staggering.

Yet, now, their numbers had dwindled to a mere handful.

This starkly illustrated the immense impact of Qi Xia Emperor’s sudden assault on Zhongzhou upon the Tianyuan Dao Sect.

"Among the Twelve Great Houses currently, our Shi Family fares slightly better, as does the Ke Family with the Chess Saint residing there, the Li Family which boasts the largest population, and... the Lian Family, where the Divine Transformation Ancestor makes their abode."

Upon mentioning the "Shi Family", a flicker of distress crossed Shi Chuanting’s countenance.