Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 1570: Chapter 971: The Grand Melee (Part 2)

Originally, everyone’s hearts were taut, full of tension and unease, almost like startled birds ready to strike at the slightest rustle.

The smart ones left immediately, while those who reacted slower easily got entangled with others.

It’s not only here; it is the same near other Void Rifts in the distance.

True Yang Heaven is vast, only slightly smaller than the Spirit Source Land, roughly an area with a radius of over eight hundred miles.

But right now, there are thousands of cultivators pouring in, with just Foundation Establishment Cultivators alone numbering in the thousands.

Besides the cultivators, there are also ghost cultivators and demon beasts, especially demon beasts, whose numbers are quite frightening.

Demon beasts, ghost cultivators, human race cultivators, countless forces have all surged into True Yang Heaven. Even though True Yang Heaven is vast, it cannot withstand so many participants.

For a time, the entire True Yang Heaven resembled a massive arena, with battles and slaughter everywhere.

Yang Zhenshan ignored those battles; they first hid in the forest, then slowly moved away from the vicinity of the Void Rift using the cover of trees and plants.

The four of them pressed forward, constantly observing their surroundings.

Yun Xiao broke a branch from a fiery-red tree and softly said, “These are all spirit plants!”

Yang Zhenshan also took a leaf, chewed it slightly in his mouth.

“They’re all fire attribute, and their medicinal properties are quite good; they can be used to refine elixirs!”

Spirit plants are a general term; any plant containing spiritual energy can be called a spirit plant.

Including herbs, spiritual fruit trees, spirit rice, and even aquatic plants are included.

However, there are differences among spirit plants. Some herbs and spiritual fruit trees have formed fixed species, like the Emerald Spirit Peach and Star Origin Fruit Tree, but some have evolved from ordinary plants; a common weed growing in a spiritually rich place gradually becomes infused with spiritual energy, which is a spirit plant as well.

For example, the early Spirit Tea Trees in the Spirit Source Land became spirit plants this way.

So spirit plants are a very vague term. There are countless kinds of spirit plants in this world; no matter how knowledgeable one is, it’s impossible to recognize all spirit plants because some exist uniquely, only in particular growth environments.

The fire attribute spiritual energy in True Yang Heaven is abundant, and after thousands of years of growth and reproduction, the plants here have all become fire attribute spirit plants, which is normal.

The vast majority of spirit plants can be made into alchemy herbs, but alchemists need to process them based on the plants’ attributes and features and then incorporate them into elixir recipes.

As an alchemist, Yang Zhenshan only needed to taste them briefly to know what kind of elixir these trees were suitable for refining.

“It’s a pity they’re all first-order!” Yun Xiao said with some regret.

Ordinary plants can become spirit plants in a place rich in spiritual energy, but they are all first-order spirit plants. To advance to second-order spirit plants is very difficult; it requires long-term growth and mutation, as well as external assistance.

Like those phoenix trees in ancient arrays, they have grown for thousands of years but remain just first-order spirit trees.

But here!

Yang Zhenshan’s spiritual sense discreetly spread out as his figure darted through the forest. After a moment, he arrived in front of a strikingly beautiful purplish-red flower.

This flower looked like a peony, its blossom a full foot across, with purple edges on its petals and a fiery red core.

“What is this?” Hong Fuxiu couldn’t help but ask.

“A second-order spirit plant, but I don’t know its effects yet!” Yang Zhenshan’s eyes gleamed as he used his mana to directly dig out the flower in front of him.

Then he sent it to the Spirit Source Land, while the pulling force from the Void was still present, sending items back to the Spirit Source Land faced much lesser resistance.

“Second-order!” Yun Xiao and the others’ eyes also brightened.

This was just in the wilderness, not near the Sun True Sect’s ruins, meaning this second-order spirit plant was naturally nurtured, not left by the Sun True Sect.

“Heh, the good things here might exceed our expectations!” Yang Zhenshan laughed.

A single second-order spirit plant isn’t much, but they had randomly traversed the forest and found such a plant, indicating a possibility of many second-order spirit plants, or even third-order spirit plants, existing in this mountain covered in spirit plants.

“Let’s keep searching then!” Yun Xiao suggested.

Yang Zhenshan shook his head with a tinge of regret, “Now’s not the time to search for these. We should head to the Sun True Sect’s site first; there should be even better things there!”

Earlier in the sky, he had already noticed a significant site several miles to the south, likely one of the Twelve Palaces.

He didn’t go directly for the Twelve Halls, as the Inverted Mountain was no longer here, meaning the Twelve Halls had already fallen into the Sea of Blazing Sun.

The Sea of Blazing Sun contains Molten Rock Divine Generals, so Yang Zhenshan did not intend to take that risk. Instead, he planned to check out the Twelve Palaces first.

Once someone dives into the Sea of Blazing Sun and draws those Molten Rock Divine Generals away, it won’t be too late for Yang Zhenshan to seek the Twelve Halls’ ruins.

The four proceeded unhurriedly through the forest, sometimes celestial streaks flashed across the sky, erupting in battles now and then.

After about an hour, the four arrived near the site Yang Zhenshan had previously seen.

Standing in the forest, overlooking the site below, Yang Zhenshan could confirm this was likely one of the Twelve Palaces, though he wasn’t sure which one.

The Sun True Sect had Twelve Halls and Twelve Palaces, with the Twelve Halls serving as cultivation fields for Golden Core Great Powers. Notice it’s Golden Core Great Powers, not just Golden Core Cultivators, since the Sun True Sect had more than twelve Golden Core Cultivators, as the previous owner of the Golden Crow Eight Trigrams Furnace, Shengyang True Monarch, wasn’t a Golden Core Great Power.

So the so-called Golden Core Great Powers are likely late-stage and peak Golden Core Cultivators, while Shengyang True Monarch, the previous owner of the Golden Crow Eight Trigrams Furnace, was only Golden Core Middle Stage.

The Twelve Palaces were functional institutions of the Sun True Sect, much like the Twelve Floors of the Spirit Source Land, only with different names.

Most sects would set up these kinds of institutions internally, like alchemy, artifact refining, arrays, talismans, puppets for craft-related institutions, and intelligence gathering, law enforcement, task assignments, resource distribution for administrative institutions.

The Twelve Palaces of the Sun True Sect each had their own functions, and for Yang Zhenshan and his group, the craft-related palaces were undoubtedly the best, as they usually stored some resources.

There was a sudden boom~~

They hadn’t been observing for long when a powerful mana wave erupted from the palace ruins below, followed by the clash of colorful spell lights and interwoven magical treasures, a chaotic battle soon unfolded.

Simultaneously, many cultivators gathering nearby accelerated to join the battle.

But within the blink of an eye, the previously tranquil ruins had become a chaotic battlefield.

“Damn, these guys really are ruthless!” Yun Xiao couldn’t help but curse.

Yang Zhenshan squinted his eyes, his hidden spiritual sense swiftly scanning the ruins below.

Suddenly, his expression froze, and his eyes lit up with a sharp glint.

“It’s time for us to fight hard too!”

“Why?”

“Because there are spiritual artifacts down there, and not just one!”

“Spiritual artifacts!”

Hong Fuxiu and Kou Ta were first stunned, then overjoyed, showing greedy expressions.

Spiritual artifacts indeed.

They are magical treasures that only Golden Core Cultivators can control!

Though it’s tough for Foundation Establishment Cultivators to wield spiritual artifacts, no Foundation Establishment Cultivator can resist their allure.

Seeing Yang Zhenshan, one can see how much help a spiritual artifact can be to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

A single Golden Crow Eight Trigrams Furnace gave Yang Zhenshan the confidence to challenge Divine Soul Realm Martial Artists and allowed him to carve out his path in the way of elixirs.

Without the Golden Crow Eight Trigrams Furnace, Yang Zhenshan might still be quietly building his strength, not daring to stand out.

The Xuanqing Sect also had spiritual artifacts, but Yun Xiao and Yun Xi couldn’t tame them, yet that didn’t mean Yun Xiao was uninterested in spiritual artifacts.

What if he acquired a new spiritual artifact that was willing to recognize him as its master?

Just the thought of it made Yun Xiao a bit restless!