Eternal Immortal Clan: It All Started When I Married My Junior Sister!

180: With crisis looming, we must work hard!”Who let you in! Do you have a death wish?!”

Liu Jing, in a fit of rage, cursed without even looking up.

”Haha, Old Liu, quite the temper you have there.”

A voice tinged with a hint of mockery rang out.

Liu Jing snapped his head around.

It was none other than the Hall Master of the Mineral Hall, Chen Qiao, with whom he had a close relationship.

”Old Chen?”

Liu Jing was stunned for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. ”Why are you here? To see me make a fool of myself?”

”Am I that kind of person?”

Chen Qiao casually found a chair and sat down. Looking at Liu Jing’s disheveled state, he shook his head. ”I’m here to save you.”

”Save me?”

Liu Jing’s eyes lit up as if he were grasping at a life-saving straw. ”You have a way?”

”The wilderness is so vast. If you want to find someone in there, even if you spread the entire General Affairs Hall thin, it would take eight or ten years.”

Chen Qiao said unhurriedly, ”Moreover, since the opponent could kill The Black and White Elders, their strength is unfathomable. Sending your people would just be sending them to their deaths.”

”Then what is your brilliant idea?”

Liu Jing asked urgently.

A sharp light flashed in Chen Qiao’s eyes as he lowered his voice. ”Don’t be in such a hurry. I came this time to tell you something else!”

”Something else?”

A look of confusion appeared on Liu Jing’s face.

”Do you remember what happened in my Spirit Mine Hall before?”

”You mean... that Lower Realm ascendant who escaped from the mine?”

Liu Jing was taken aback.

”Exactly.”

Chen Qiao nodded, his tone certain. ”I have been tracking the whereabouts of that group.”

”Although they are very cunning and erased most of their traces, the Disciples of the Reception Hall recently brought back a very interesting piece of news.”

”What news?”

”The sky of the Lower Realm cracked open again recently.”

Chen Qiao smiled sinisterly. ”And upon investigation, the Family that ascendant belongs to—that Chen Family—suddenly had many people go missing a few days ago.”

”You mean...”

Liu Jing’s pupils constricted violently.

”That ascendant didn’t flee in all directions as you thought, nor did he die in some corner.”

Chen Qiao stood up and pointed his finger toward the void in the north. ”Not only did he survive, but he might have even established a foothold in the wilderness, and perhaps... even has the ability to bring his clansmen up from the Lower Realm.”

”To be able to establish a base in the wilderness and even transport people across Realms...”

”Aside from the tai xu realm stone, I can’t think of anything else that could achieve this.”

Chen Qiao looked at Liu Jing and said word by word, ”And the Lin Family just happened to have a tai xu realm stone in their possession.”

At this moment, all the clues connected like beads on a string.

Liu Jing felt his whole body shake as everything suddenly became clear.

”You mean, the ones who wiped out the Lin Family, killed The Black and White Elders, and previously killed your manager and snatched your mine are all the same group?!”

”Most likely.”

Chen Qiao sneered. ”As long as we follow this line, no matter how large the wilderness is, once we find that Chen Family, the culprit will naturally reveal himself.”

”And...”

A hint of greed appeared in Chen Qiao’s eyes. ”A newly ascended Family that not only possesses a tai xu realm stone but also has a Formation capable of cross-Realm teleportation, and has even cultivated the combat power to slay a Void Refining expert in such a short time...!”

”The secrets they carry are likely far more valuable than you think.”

Upon hearing this, the fear in Liu Jing’s eyes dissipated.

It was replaced by even more intense greed and killing intent.

”Good! You damn Chen Family! You’ve hidden yourselves quite deeply!”

”However...”

Although Chen Qiao’s reasoning was sound and pointed all clues toward the newly rising Chen Family in the Beiming Wilderness, the heavy stone in Liu Jing’s heart had not been completely lifted.

”Old Chen, your deduction is brilliant, but implementing it will be no small feat.”

Liu Jing seemed to have thought of something, his brow furrowed into the shape of the character for river (river) as he looked at Chen Qiao through the flickering lamplight. ”What kind of place is the Beiming Wilderness?”

”You and I both know it well.”

”Not only is the territory vast and boundless, but the Spiritual Qi is also chaotic and the magnetic fields are a mess.”

”Especially in the depths, even the Laws of space are extremely unstable.”

He sighed and continued, ”Even if we’ve locked onto the Chen Family as the target, where in that vast wilderness is the Chen Family hiding now?”

”Without exact coordinates, trying to find a city in that godforsaken place is like searching for a needle in a haystack.”

”Furthermore, since that Chen Xu had the ability to slay The Black and White Elders, he must be proficient in Formations and the art of concealment. If he is determined to hide, even if we bring more people, it would be like blind men touching an elephant.”

Liu Jing was not cowardly; rather, as the Hall Master of the General Affairs Hall, he placed more importance on the ratio of investment to return.

If they mobilized a large force only to come up empty-handed,

not only would his prestige in the Holy Land be ruined, but he would also be unable to give an account to the Vice Holy Master.

Chen Qiao, sitting on the armchair, merely blew gently on the tea leaves floating in his cup, a mysterious smile appearing on his face.

”Old Liu, you are too easily blinded by the difficulties in front of you.”

Chen Qiao set down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice. ”If it were just the two of us searching blindly, it would naturally be incredibly difficult.”

”But don’t forget, in this Cultivation World, besides our Tianyu Holy Land, there are several other behemoths.”

”You mean...”

Liu Jing’s expression shifted.

”One of the seven great Holy Lands.”

”Tianyan Holy Land.”

Chen Qiao slowly uttered those four words.

Hearing this name, Liu Jing’s pupils constricted slightly.

Among the seven great Holy Lands, Tianyan Holy Land might not rank in the top three for combat power, but when it comes to deducing heavenly secrets and finding people or objects, it is the undisputed leader.

It is said that a Cultivator of the Tianyan Holy Land needs only a wisp of aura or even a name

to calculate the target’s fortune and hiding place across millions of miles of void.

”You mean, ask the people of Tianyan Holy Land to intervene?”

Liu Jing hesitated slightly. ”But that Tianyan Holy Land has always been aloof, and their fees are extremely high. Ordinary people simply cannot move them.”

”If it were an ordinary relationship, it naturally wouldn’t work.”

Chen Qiao’s lips curled up slightly. ”But as Luck would have it, during my early travels across the world, I had a life-and-death friendship with one of their Elders.”

”Now, he is already the Vice Pavilion Master of the Tianyan Pavilion in the Tianyan Holy Land, with the Daoist name Tianyanzi.”

”Tianyanzi? Is it that Great Master Xuanji who is known for ’Calculating All Living Beings’?”

Liu Jing’s eyes widened in shock.

”It is precisely him.”

Chen Qiao nodded. ”Though we haven’t met for thousands of years, that favor still stands. As long as I write a letter and prepare a generous gift to ask him to deduce Chen Xu’s location once, it shouldn’t be difficult.”

At this point, a ruthless glint flashed in Chen Qiao’s eyes. ”Even if that Chen Xu has Heaven-Defying methods and can conceal his aura, I don’t believe he can still remain hidden before the Heavenly Secret Secret Arts of the Tianyan Holy Land!”

Upon hearing this, Liu Jing slapped his thigh, the gloom that had been weighing on his heart instantly vanishing.

”Good! Excellent!”

Liu Jing rubbed his hands in excitement, a long-absent sinister grin appearing on his face. ”If we can get Great Master Mysterious Mechanism to help, even if that Chen Family hides in a crack in the ground, they’ll have to show their true form to me!”

”There’s no time to lose. When do we set out?”

Liu Jing was already getting impatient.

Chen Qiao waved his hand, signaling him to stay calm. ”There’s no rush for this moment.”

”The Black and White Elders have just died. Although the Vice Holy Master has given you full responsibility, if the two of us disappear at the same time right now, it will inevitably arouse suspicion.”

”We must first clean up the mess at hand, do enough of the superficial work, and find a reasonable excuse to go out.”

Liu Jing nodded in deep agreement; Chen Qiao was indeed more experienced and thorough.

”You’re right, we need to clean up our act first.”

”Furthermore, since we’re going to ask for a favor, the gift cannot be light.”

”I have a thirty-thousand-year-old Celestial Heart Grass in my treasury, which is an excellent auxiliary material for cultivating Pupil Techniques and the Dao of Deduction. This time, I’ll bring it out as a stepping stone!”

For the sake of that tai xu realm stone and the massive secrets of the Chen Family, Liu Jing was going all out this time.

He did not hesitate to invest heavily.

”In that case, we will meet outside the sect gate in one month. To the outside world, we will claim to be investigating clues regarding the death of The Black and White Elders.” Chen Qiao stood up and straightened his robes.

”It’s a deal!”

The two looked at each other and smiled, a smile filled with greed and the pleasure of their impending success.

In their view, with the help of the Tianyan Holy Land,

the Chen Family hiding in the wilderness was already like turtles in a jar, unable to escape even with wings... Beiming Wilderness, Tianxuan City.

Unlike the impending storm outside, the interior of the Chen Family at this moment

was a scene of great joy.

In the secret room of the City Lord’s Manor’s backyard, Chen Xu sat cross-legged. On the table before him

lay two ancient-looking storage rings.

They were the belongings left behind by The Black and White Elders.

As experts at the Middle Void Refining Stage and Elders of lucrative departments like the Law Enforcement Hall of the Tianyu Holy Land, the wealth of these two was so vast that even Chen Xu couldn’t help but be a bit tongue-tied.

”These two old things certainly didn’t squeeze any less of the people’s wealth in their daily lives.”

Chen Xu’s Divine Sense probed inside, seeing Top-Grade Spirit Stones piled up like mountains, emitting a dazzling light, with a rough estimate of no less than ten million.

In addition, all sorts of rare Ores and Spirit Medicines were a feast for the eyes, including many fifth-grade or even sixth-grade Materials that were rarely seen in the outside world.

”This is... Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Jade?”

Light flashed in Chen Xu’s hand as a piece of jade, cold to the touch, appeared in his palm.

It was as if countless wronged souls were sealed within this jade, faintly emitting bursts of shrill roars.

It was a Supreme treasure for cultivating Divine Soul secret arts.

It had miraculous effects on stabilizing the Divine Sense.

He then took several yellowed ancient books from the other storage ring. After flipping through them, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

”’Yin-Yang Soul Refining Technique’, ’Soul-Severing Finger’... Although they are a bit sinister, they are indeed rare high-level Cultivation Techniques. They can just happen to enrich the Family’s Scripture Pavilion.”

Chen Xu organized these items into categories.

For him, with the rewards from the System and his own Cultivation Technique, these external objects, though precious, were not indispensable.

But for the current Chen Family,

this was a small windfall sufficient to take the Family’s strength up another level.

”Dao Chu, Dao Xuan.”

Chen Xu called out softly toward the door.

The two sons, who had already been waiting outside, immediately pushed open the door and entered, bowing respectfully. ”Father.”

”Take these things and distribute them.”

Chen Xu waved his sleeves, pushing the organized resources in front of the two: ”The Spirit Stones will be added to the Family treasury for daily operations and maintenance of the Formation.”

”Give those Materials to Zhao De and have him upgrade the equipment of the Family Guard. As for these Cultivation Techniques and Medicinal Pills, select Disciples with excellent Aptitude and steady temperaments to bestow them upon, helping them break through as soon as possible.”

Chen Daochu looked at the mountain of treasures. Even with his previous mindset as a Supreme of a Realm, his breathing couldn’t help but quicken: ”Father, so many resources... it’s enough for our Chen Family to produce ten more Soul Transformation Cultivators!”

”Not enough, it’s far from enough.”

Chen Xu shook his head, showing no sign of pride on his face, but instead a deep sense of worry.

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked through the glass at the gloomy sky to the south.

”These resources can only solve the immediate crisis, but they cannot resolve the great catastrophe facing our Chen Family.”

Chen Daoxuan was startled and asked hurriedly: ”Father, why do you say that? The Black and White Elders have been eliminated. Even if Tianyu Holy Land sends more people, with you and the City Protection Array here, can we still not defend?”

Chen Xu turned around, looked at his two sons, and his expression became more serious than ever before.

”You think too simply of the Holy Land.”

”Beat the small ones, and the old ones come. This is an eternal truth in the Cultivation World.”

”Though The Black and White Elders are dead, this will only infuriate Tianyu Holy Land and make them take us more seriously.”

Chen Xu’s voice was low: ”Next time, they will definitely not send someone in the Middle Void Refining Stage who underestimates the enemy.”

”The Black and White Elders were only Law Enforcement Elders in Tianyu Holy Land. Above them, there are various Hall Masters, the Vice Holy Master, and even that mysterious Holy Master.”

Chen Xu extended a finger and tapped heavily in the void: ”Above the Void Refining Stage is the Body Integration Stage. Those...”

”...are true powerhouses who have mastered the Laws of heaven and earth and can manifest in thousands of forms. Once a Body Integration Stage Cultivator arrives in person, even if I have heaven-reaching means, I will have no chance of winning with my current Realm.”

Refinement Void and Body Integration—though separated by only one major Realm, the gap between them is like a firefly and the bright moon.

Body Integration Stage Cultivators have initially fused with the Heaven and Earth Dharma Idols; their every move carries the majesty of the world.

It’s simply not something that can be resisted by numbers or ordinary Formations.

After hearing this, Chen Daochu and Chen Daoxuan’s expressions instantly became much more solemn.

They had originally thought that with their father, this great deity, overseeing things...

The Chen Family could already rest easy.

They didn’t expect that a sharper Sword of Immortal Execution was still hanging over their heads.

”Then... Father, what should we do? Should we abandon Tianxuan City and continue to flee?”

Chen Daochu asked through gritted teeth.

”Flee? Flee where?”

Chen Xu sneered: ”With a hundred thousand clansmen, how could we possibly escape the pursuit of a Body Integration Stage expert? Moreover, it wasn’t easy to build this foundation. If we just hand it over to others, I, Chen Xu, won’t be reconciled, and neither will you.”

”Then...”

”There is only one path, and that is to become stronger.”

”Since my own cultivation cannot break through to the Body Integration Stage in a short time, I must find another way to enhance the Family’s Luck and foundation.”

Chen Xu knew in his heart that the source of his power came from the System bound to the Family’s Luck.

The more prosperous the Family and the more numerous the offspring...

The faster his cultivation would grow, and the more Heaven-Defying the rewards would be.

Since conventional cultivation was too slow, he could only use ’unconventional’ means... As night fell like ink, the lights of Tianxuan City gradually thinned.

After sending away his two worried sons, Chen Xu did not continue to Cultivate but sat alone in his study, his fingers lightly tapping on the table.

He was reviewing and planning.

The threat of Tianyu Holy Land weighed on his heart like a mountain.

Without a cheat, facing such a behemoth, the only way out would be to beg for mercy or go far away.

But he had a System, and that was the biggest variable.

Cultivating in the Void Refining Stage requires a massive accumulation of Spiritual Qi for every inch of progress.

Even if he soaked in the Heaven-Reaching Tower every day, it would take at least three to five years to break through to the Middle Stage.

And Tianyu Holy Land would definitely not give him three to five years.

”I must push my cultivation up as quickly as possible, at least to the Late Void Refining Stage. Combined with Xiao Hei and those System items, I might be able to survive under a Body Integration Stage expert.”

Thinking back, he had relied on this trick in the Lower Realm to forcefully turn a small Family into the Chen Immortal Clan.

”It seems these old bones won’t be able to rest.”

Chen Xu smiled bitterly and shook his head, standing up to straighten his clothes.

Although this method sounded a bit... well, for the survival of the Family and the lives of these hundred thousand people...

As the Family head, he had to have the realization of ’if I don’t enter Hell, who will’.

This was definitely not for pleasure; this was a responsibility!

A heavy, sacred mission concerning the future of the Family!

After some mental preparation, Chen Xu’s eyes became firm.

He pushed open the door of the study and stepped into the night.

The backyard of the City Lord’s Manor was a vast and exquisite garden.

Pavilions and towers were arranged in an orderly fashion, and the environment was quiet and elegant.

It was a residence specially prepared for his Family members.

Among those brought up from the Lower Realm, besides his descendants, there were naturally his wives and concubines!

Bu Yifan, Sun Xiaoyue, Murong Zhuyun... these women who had once accompanied him through thick and thin had now all come to the Spirit Realm.

Nourished by a large amount of resources, not only had their looks not aged, but their cultivation had also made significant progress, and their temperaments had become increasingly mature and moving.

Chen Xu walked slowly along the corridor, calculating where to go tonight.

”Yifan is currently in seclusion trying to break through to the Late Nascent Soul Stage; it’s not convenient to disturb her.”

”That girl Xiaoyue... no, we’re an old couple now. She seems to be studying Formations lately, so I could go and discuss that with her.”

Finally, Chen Xu’s steps stopped in front of a courtyard named ’Flowing Cloud Pavilion’.

This was where Murong Zhuyun lived.

The courtyard was brightly lit, and the melodious sound of a zither could be faintly heard.

Chen Xu pushed the door and entered, and the zither music stopped abruptly.

A woman dressed in a light pink gauze dress, with a gentle face like water, hurriedly stood up. Seeing that it was Chen Xu, a flash of surprise and shyness appeared in her eyes.

”Family Head... why are you here?”

Murong Zhuyun bowed gracefully, her voice soft and pleasant.

”To see you.”

Chen Xu stepped forward, his tone gentle: ”Has your cultivation been going smoothly lately? If you lack anything, just mention it to Dao Xuan.”

”Thank you for your concern, Family Head. Nothing is lacking here.”

Murong Zhuyun’s cheeks flushed slightly: ”To be able to serve by the Family Head’s side is already a blessing I’ve earned over several lifetimes.”

Looking at the watery gaze of the beauty in his arms, Chen Xu’s heart couldn’t help but stir slightly.

But he didn’t forget his ’business’.

”Zhuyun, the Family situation has been tense lately, with Tianyu Holy Land pressing hard.”

Chen Xu sighed softly, his tone becoming somewhat heavy.

Murong Zhuyun looked up, her eyes full of worry: ”Family Head... is it very difficult? My cultivation is low, and I can’t help you much...”

”Who says you can’t help?”

Chen Xu looked into her eyes and said seriously: ”For a Family to grow strong, it not only needs high-level combat power but also a continuous stream of fresh blood.”

”You possess the Qingluan Bloodline, which is an excellent cultivation Cauldron... ahem, cultivation Physique.”

Chen Xu cleared his throat to cover his slip of the tongue and continued solemnly: ”If you can bear a son or daughter for my Chen Family, there is a high probability they will inherit your talent or even surpass it. This is the greatest support for me and the greatest contribution to the Family.”

Murong Zhuyun understood Chen Xu’s hint, and her pretty face instantly turned completely red, like a ripe apple.

She lowered her head and whispered: ”Zhuyun... understands. I am willing to... bear children for my husband.”

”Good!” Chen Xu laughed loudly, feeling very gratified.

This is vision! This is awareness!

He picked up Murong Zhuyun in his arms and strode toward the bed in the inner chamber... In the following days, the people of Tianxuan City were surprised to find that the Family Head, who was usually elusive...

Had been appearing in the backyard with startling frequency lately.

Not just at Murong Zhuyun’s place, but at the other wives’ places as well, Chen Xu shared his favor equally.

Chen Xu was like an untiring old ox, working on the fertile land of the Family for tomorrow’s harvest.

He was putting in the most primitive and effective effort.

Days in Tianxuan City passed quickly, like sand through fingers, impossible to grasp.

But this month was a season of spring rain and rejuvenation for the Chen Family’s backyard.

Chen Xu hadn’t been idle. Since setting the grand policy of ’increasing production to serve the country’, he pushed the powerful Physique of a Void Refining Stage Cultivator to its limit.

Inspecting the Formations by day and working hard among the various wives’ rooms by night.

This kind of high-intensity, back-to-back schedule would have left an ordinary Soul Transformation Cultivator with sore waist and weak knees.

It might even have damaged their Origin Qi.

But Chen Xu was different; he possessed a Primordial Chaos Nascent Soul and had many high-grade Medicinal Pills to eat like candy.

This level of consumption was just a drizzle to him.

In fact, this method of Yin and Yang harmony cultivation...

Instead allowed him to find a rare sense of relaxation amidst the tense state of war preparation.

His state of mind also became much more harmonious as a result.

Hard work pays off. This morning, a series of good news exploded in the backyard of the City Lord’s Manor like a string of firecrackers.

First, news came from Murong Zhuyun’s side, saying she felt some nausea and retching in the morning. After being diagnosed by the Family physician, she was found to be pregnant.

Immediately after, there was news from Bu Yifan and Sun Xiaoyue’s sides.

Even the two concubines who had just been brought up from the Lower Realm...

Shyly indicated that they also had a reaction.

For a time, the entire backyard of the City Lord’s Manor was filled with joy. The tense atmosphere originally caused by the pressure from Tianyu Holy Land...

Was instantly diluted by this wave after wave of good news.