Becoming an Immortal and Ancestor, Starting from the Clan-protecting Divine Beast

76: Chapter 76 The Turmoil in the County City, the Qian Family Gains PowerEntering the Liyuan Plains once again, Chen Fufeng’s state of mind fluctuated slightly as he gazed at the boundless Fiery Red Licao, feeling an urge to sigh with emotion.

Before meeting Yuan Feng, he had never set foot in the Liyuan Plains; simply put, his Cultivation was too low, making entry dangerous.

The first time he entered the Liyuan Plains was with Yuan Feng, heading to the Commandery City to purchase the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and Thunder Dao-related Cultivation Techniques required for his second son’s Qi Refining.

At that time, he was only an Eighth Layer of Qi Refining Cultivator, and traversing the Liyuan Plains alone carried great risk.

The second time he entered the Liyuan Plains was also with Yuan Feng, the goal being to attend the Demon Slaying Assembly.

Now, Chen Fufeng was visiting the Liyuan Plains for the third time, already an Early-stage Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator, his status and position having undergone earth-shattering changes.

However, this time, he was traveling alone.

Robber Cultivators ran rampant on the Liyuan Plains; even Peak Qi Refining Cultivators had a chance of perishing here.

But for Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators, none of this mattered. Practically no one foolish enough would dare target a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator.

Furthermore, since they were already Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators, there was no need to become Robber Cultivators. They could completely whitewash their past, establish a Foundation Establishment Family, and command the wind and rain within a single town. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

The higher the Realm, the broader the Cultivator’s perspective, leading to different views on the same matters.

However, it was not uncommon for Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators to become bandits.

For example, in the Dragon Spine Desert, which stretches between the Eastern and Western Realms for thirty million miles, Sand Bandits and thieves run wild, and Great Bandits at the Foundation Establishment level are everywhere.

There were even Great Bandit Leaders at the Purple Mansion level who held sway over regions. Purple Mansion Great Powers passing through had to pay tolls and protection fees to be allowed passage.

As for why no Golden Core Upper Sect stepped in to clean up the Dragon Spine Desert? It wasn’t that they dared not, but that they couldn’t.

It is rumored that the Dragon Spine Desert was formed from a section of the spine of an ancient True Dragon after its demise, which sucked dry the moisture from millions of miles around, turning it into a great desert—hence the name Dragon Ridge.

Golden Core level True Monarchs entering it would stimulate the true dragon spine buried deep beneath the desert, triggering unimaginable abnormalities.

The True Dragon is the ultimate stage of biological evolution in the world. Every one that grows to adulthood is an existence no less than an Immortal, difficult even for Nascent Soul Realm Earth Immortal Venerables to resist.

Even if it was just a section of the spine, it was far from something a Golden Core True Monarch could mess with.

There are too many secrets and too many powerful individuals in this world; even Golden Core True Monarchs and Nascent Soul Venerables must treat them with reverence.

The higher one stands, the more one sees, the more secrets one knows, and the more one realizes one’s own insignificance.

A day later, as the sun set and dusk deepened, Chen Fufeng descended from the sky.

Ahead was Liyuan Commandery City, a massive city lying on the ground like a savage ancient beast.

Unlike in the past, the city seemed much colder and quieter, and even the Cultivators queuing to enter the city were fewer by more than half.

Chen Fufeng was surprised, and his heart sank. Could something have happened to Liyuan Commandery City?

”Have you heard?”

”Heard what?”

”The Purple Mansion Zhao Family in Liyuan Commandery was wiped out. Even the Purple Mansion Old Ancestor died tragically. Not a single person in the entire clan survived, and their deaths were horrific, as if they had seen a ghost.”

The two Cultivators ahead were whispering, keeping their voices very low, afraid of being overheard and causing misunderstandings.

Chen Fufeng pricked up his ears and eavesdropped for a while. When he heard that the Purple Mansion Zhao Family had been wiped out, he was visibly stunned.

What’s going on?

The Zhao Family, which had a Purple Mansion True Person holding the fort, was destroyed?!

Hearing this news, Chen Fufeng’s first reaction was that it was impossible. That was a prominent Commandery City Family with a Purple Mansion True Person stationed there; how could it be destroyed so easily?

Besides, the One Sect, Two Factions, and Four Great Families were all stationed within Liyuan Commandery City. A confrontation at the Purple Mansion level couldn’t be hidden from the True Persons of the other Purple Mansion powers.

When the Lone Boat Great True Person fought the Jing Feng Great True Person back then, the Purple Mansion True Persons in the Commandery City could sense it even though it was across the Liyuan Plains, let alone if the fight happened within the Commandery City itself.

”If this is true, then Liyuan Commandery City is truly about to face a drastic change!” The more Chen Fufeng thought about it, the more surprised he became, feeling cold sweat break out.

It was inevitable that people would overthink things happening at such a critical juncture.

The matter of demon slaying, the Once-a-Decade Auction, the Dragon Gate Assembly prepared for Foundation Establishment Peak Great Cultivators, and the establishment of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion as a sect, which was to be finalized in a few years.

With all these events stacked together, the resulting Karma entanglement had become outrageously complex, requiring Five Dharma Manifestations Purple Mansion Grand True Masters to handle them cautiously.

Too many people and events were involved behind this. It was fine if one didn’t enter the game, but once they did, it was purely a matter of personal ability, depending on whether they could seize that slim chance of survival.

”Right, I heard that the Lone Boat Great True Person from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion personally took action, using a Great True Person’s Divine Ability to investigate, but couldn’t find even a single clue.”

”What?! A Great True Person took action and returned empty-handed? Who exactly did this Zhao Family offend to incur such a monstrous disaster?”

”You might not know this, but according to hearsay, the Zhao Family was a staunch ally of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion in Liyuan Commandery City. Perhaps this is the reason for the Zhao Family’s calamity.”

”Tsk tsk, Liyuan Commandery City is really going to descend into chaos. The remaining Three Families, Two Factions, and One Sect must now seriously consider whether to stand with the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. Choosing wrongly would mean eternal damnation.”

At this moment, the two Cultivators ahead began whispering again, and Chen Fufeng heard every word clearly.

”The Lone Boat Great True Person’s action was useless? Then what should my Chen Family do?”

”Wait!” Chen Fufeng suddenly snapped back to attention. What was he thinking?!

The Chen Family had no choice and couldn’t choose otherwise; they had stood with the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion from the start. They absolutely could not be fence-sitters, or destruction would be the only path.

He looked up. The two Cultivators who had been whispering had vanished at some point. Their figures were nowhere in the surrounding queue, as if everything that just happened was Chen Fufeng dreaming, giving him a surreal feeling.

”Was it the influence of a Divine Ability?” A few drops of cold sweat appeared on Chen Fufeng’s forehead, and his entire body involuntarily shivered.

Such a bizarre incident happened before he even entered the city. It seemed the situation in the Commandery City was not good.

But he couldn’t retreat now; he could only brace himself and move forward.

Because the number of people queuing to enter the city was greatly reduced, Chen Fufeng only spent half an hour entering Liyuan Commandery City.

This once bustling, continuously flowing, prosperous city was now much quieter and sparser. The Cultivators coming and going all looked nervous, their steps hurried, afraid of staying too long.

Chen Fufeng extended a thread of Divine Sense into his Storage Ring, confirming that the Invitation Letter was still there, and sighed in relief.

For some reason, as long as he carried this Invitation Letter, the turmoil in his heart dissipated considerably, and his anxious mind calmed down a lot.

After all, it was personally designated and delivered by a Great True Person; perhaps it possessed some divine properties.

”Hup!”

”Get out of the way, move!”

A shout echoed down the street, and Chen Fufeng quickly turned to look.

He saw a luxuriously decorated carriage speeding down the street, rampaging wildly without any regard for the pedestrians.

Those who were slow to dodge were directly knocked flying, falling to the ground with broken bones and blood spilling from their mouths and noses.

Chen Fufeng frowned slightly but didn’t pry into others’ business. Instead, he guarded the people in front of him and retreated behind the crowd.

The owner of this carriage must have an extraordinary background, as the two horses pulling it were Yao Beasts, breathing fire from their nostrils and emitting the aura of Late Stage Qi Refining.

These were Fiery Demon Horses. Upon reaching adulthood, their four hooves would be wreathed in Demon Fire, fire patterns would grow on their foreheads, and they could breathe fierce flames from their mouths and noses to attack, making them quite troublesome.

Furthermore, the coachman driving the carriage was not simple either, but a Cultivator with a very peculiar aura.

He surpassed Peak Qi Refining but was significantly weaker than a normal Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator, existing in an ambiguous Realm.

”Could it be a False Foundation Cultivator?” Chen Fufeng’s thoughts spun.

False Foundation Cultivators, as the name suggests, are Cultivators similar to Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators, but they are fake and do not possess the complete capabilities of a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator.

Cultivators in this Realm enter Foundation Establishment by consuming another person’s immortal foundation. They are stronger than Qi Refining Cultivators but inferior to true Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators.

Moreover, False Foundation Cultivators consume another person’s immortal foundation, not one they Cultivated themselves. This mismatch prevents the immortal foundation from integrating perfectly, meaning they can only remain at Early-stage Foundation Establishment for life.

”Elder Brother, whose Family does the person driving this carriage belong to? They dare to rampage through the streets; their identity must be extraordinary.”

Chen Fufeng approached a middle-aged Cultivator who looked kind-hearted, smiling as he inquired in a low voice.

Hearing this, the middle-aged Cultivator cautiously glanced in the direction the carriage had left and replied softly, ”Brother, you don’t know the half of it. This is the carriage of the Qian Family Old Ancestor’s Grandson. This fellow, relying on the Qian Family Old Ancestor’s favor, is accustomed to being arrogant and overbearing.”

Then, he said indignantly, ”This bastard usually bullies men and women. Many young female Cultivators have been ruined by him, and some, unable to bear the humiliation, simply committed suicide.”

”So it’s someone from the Qian Family.” Chen Fufeng’s eyes flickered, and his dislike for the Qian Family deepened significantly.

Seeing Chen Fufeng silent, the middle-aged Cultivator said, ”Previously, the granddaughter of the Zhao Family Old Ancestor was extremely hostile toward this scoundrel, beating him up every time they met. But with the sudden destruction of the Zhao Family, this scoundrel has intensified his actions, driving the Fiery Horse Carriage around, charging wildly, and several Cultivators have been trampled to death by the fiery horses.”

Hearing this, Chen Fufeng asked, ”Elder Brother, aren’t the other Purple Mansion powers intervening? Didn’t the Qian Family Old Ancestor have little Lifespan left?”

”Brother, that was before. I heard that the Qian Family Old Ancestor allied himself with the Xuan Yuan Sect and obtained Life Extension Spirit Medicine from them.” The middle-aged Cultivator looked around, then cautiously pulled Chen Fufeng back into a corner,

”Not only that, but the Qian Family Old Ancestor also received a Divine Ability Seed from the Xuan Yuan Sect, which he successfully refined a while ago. He is now a Purple Mansion Middle Stage True Person with Three Divine Abilities. His power is immeasurable!”

”Which of the other Purple Mansion powers truly wants to get involved in the struggle between the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion and the Xuan Yuan Sect? The Zhao Family is the best example—dying inexplicably, their thousand-year foundation vanishing overnight.”

”I see. Thank you for informing me, Elder Brother.”

Chen Fufeng cupped his hands, gave the middle-aged Cultivator a few Mid-Grade Spirit Stones as thanks, and then used a Movement Technique to leave.

”These are Mid-Grade Spirit Stones?!” The middle-aged Cultivator was stunned, unable to believe his eyes.

”The Brother who just spoke to me was a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator?!”

On the other side, Chen Fufeng walked toward the location of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion like a gust of wind.

Since he possessed the Invitation Letter, he didn’t need to find an inn in the city. He could directly check into the luxurious courtyard established by the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion in Liyuan Commandery City and enjoy VIP treatment.

As he walked, he pondered the Qian Family matter and felt a headache coming on. The Qian Family gaining power was certainly not good news for his Chen Family.

But as he thought, a strange feeling arose in his heart: the Qian Family currently seemed infinitely glorious, but in reality, they were not far from annihilation.

He couldn’t help but recall an ancient saying: Heaven intends to destroy, it must first make mad.