Chapter 289 - 273: Returning to the Immortal City

Chapter 289: Chapter 273: Returning to the Immortal City

According to Liang Fan’s description, although the Array was made of Spiritual Qi, it was a Chain Array. Breaking just one layer wasn’t enough; one had to break through all the constituent arrays to truly escape.

If Jiang Xu had used his Spirit-Devouring Insects before, he would have broken only the outermost layer and walked straight in.

By doing so, however, Jiang Xu would have fallen right into the Array’s trap. If he didn’t break out in time, he would likely have been captured on the spot.

When Jiang Xu heard Liang Fan’s description of the Array, he nearly broke out in a cold sweat.

But now that he knew, Jiang Xu was no longer as afraid.

As long as a large number of the Spirit-Devouring Insect’s Sub-Insects chewed through the Array all at once, he could break through in an instant.

Beyond the Array lay clusters of buildings.

The Sun Clan consisted of one main branch and six side branches.

This corresponded to one Clan Leader and six Elders.

Among them, the main branch was the most powerful, followed by the Grand Elder’s branch, though the difference wasn’t significant.

Next were the branches of the Second and Sixth Elders, while the branches of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Elders were the weakest.

Jiang Xu had also asked Liang Fan about Sun Zixuan.

Liang Fan knew of her, but it was her status that stunned Jiang Xu.

She was the Third Elder’s granddaughter and possessed outstanding talent—an Anomalous Spirit Root. Her Cultivation speed was incredibly fast, and the Third Elder had placed great hopes on her.

An Anomalous Spirit Root was a Spirit Root in which two or three of the Five Elements Attributes had mixed, mutated, and been elevated.

While this type of Spirit Root couldn’t match the Cultivation speed of a Single Spirit Root (a Celestial Spirit Root), it was significantly faster than ordinary Dual Spirit Roots (an Earth Spirit Root).

In terms of Cultivation speed, a Celestial Spirit Root was peerless.

Thanks to their extreme specialization, those with this Spirit Root faced no bottlenecks in their Cultivation before the Golden Core realm.

They could even reach Foundation Establishment with ease, without the need for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

At the time of Core Formation, their chance of success was a full thirty percent higher than that of ordinary Cultivators. They were truly Heaven’s Chosen.

An Anomalous Spirit Root, however, was somewhat inferior to a Celestial Spirit Root. Not only was their chance of success during Core Formation only ten percent higher, but they also required a Foundation Establishment Pill to reach Foundation Establishment.

However, they could practice special Cultivation Techniques, and their combat prowess was often unrivaled among peers. They were even capable of fighting opponents at higher cultivation levels.

Beyond the Five Elements Spirit Roots, there were five types of Anomalous Spirit Roots.

Metal Generating Water corresponds to Lightning.

Wood Generating Fire corresponds to Wind.

Water-Born Wood corresponds to Ice.

Fire Generates Earth corresponds to Yang.

Earth Generating Gold corresponds to Yin.

And Sun Zixuan possessed the Ice Spirit Root, one of the Anomalous Spirit Roots.

Therefore, one could imagine Sun Zixuan’s high standing within the Sun Family. She was practically a princess, and even the Clan Leader paid close attention to her.

After all, no one could say for sure if the future glory of the Sun Clan rested on her shoulders.

This was not good news for Jiang Xu.

The higher her status, the more difficult it would be for Jiang Xu to exact his revenge.

As for Sun Zixuan’s claim that her branch had the worst relationship with the Fourth Elder’s branch, Jiang Xu had learned some extremely secret information about that from Liang Fan.

This was information that most members of the Sun Clan were unaware of.

The Third and Fourth Elders had actually been Dao companions in their youth.

But for certain reasons, they had a falling out, separated, and had been bitter enemies ever since.

By the way, the Third Elder was a woman, and the Fourth Elder was a man.

Liang Fan wasn’t clear on the reason for their feud. It seemed to have started over something trivial, but for some reason, it had escalated to its current state.

Within the Array, the residential grounds for the Sun Clan’s Cultivators were divided into seven large districts.

The main, central district belonged to the Clan Leader’s branch. To the east was the Grand Elder’s branch, and the districts of the remaining branches were arranged sequentially in a clockwise circle.

Liang Fan belonged to the Fifth Elder’s branch.

But because of the incident involving Liang Fan, the Fifth Elder’s branch had become the laughingstock of the others. In fact, their branch had sunk to the very bottom of the seven.

Now, Liang Fan and his mother were considered a disgrace by their own branch and were not accepted at all.

Previously, Mother Liang and Liang Fan had lived in the most remote corner of the Fifth Elder’s district. They had built their own courtyard and lived in isolation.

Jiang Xu already had the beginnings of a revenge plan in mind. However, since he had only just officially infiltrated the Sun Clan, he would have to adjust the plan based on his own experiences.

He couldn’t just stick to a rigid plan; he had to adapt to the situation in real time.

...

Following Liang Fan’s directions, Jiang Xu arrived at the location of the residence.

The moment he arrived, however, the scene before him made his brow furrow with suspicion.

’How can there be people here?’

He wondered, glancing around again to confirm he was in the right place.

The layout of the house and its surroundings were exactly as Liang Fan had described.

Certain he was in the right place, Jiang Xu’s expression hardened. He didn’t hesitate, stepping slowly into the small courtyard.

The scene inside the courtyard was appalling.

The once simple and peaceful courtyard now looked as if it had suffered a catastrophe, with signs of chaos and destruction everywhere.

The yard was a mess of fallen leaves and overgrown weeds. The once-orderly flowerbeds were smashed to pieces, the plants within trampled beyond recognition.

A clothes-drying rack in the corner had been knocked over, and garments were scattered about, stained with dirt and dust.

The door and windows of the small house stood open. Inside, furniture was overturned, some pieces severely damaged, others tossed into the middle of the courtyard.

Sharp sword scars and impact craters were faintly visible on the walls, as if a violent fight had taken place here.

The humble little courtyard had been turned into a scene of utter chaos.

From the depths of the ransacked courtyard, two loud, disdainful voices drifted out of the dilapidated cottage, their words dripping with mockery and frustration.

"Damn, this Seed of Evil’s family is dirt poor. We brothers spent half the day tearing this shithole apart and haven’t seen a single damn Spirit Stone. What rotten luck!"

"No kidding. I figured with a Foundation Establishment Cultivator for a mother, that Seed of Evil would have something valuable stashed away. I never expected them to be this broke! Just goes to show what a cheap slut she was. Bad enough she hooked up with an outsider, but to die without a single penny to her name..."

"SPIT! We busted our asses breaking the Protective Array on this shitty courtyard, and for what? Absolutely nothing! A complete waste of time!"

"Heh heh, Big Brother, why don’t we just burn this whole courtyard to the ground? It’d be a good way to vent some of the clan’s frustration and teach that disgrace to our branch a lesson!"

"Hmm, good idea. Let’s do it. We’ll settle this with fire, cleanse the clan’s name, and give that Seed of Evil an unforgettable lesson!"

Jiang Xu listened quietly to the conversation from inside, already channeling Liang Fan’s feelings within his heart.

The true essence of the Thousand-Faced Illusion Body wasn’t merely a superficial disguise. It was a soul-deep transformation, a complete immersion into another person’s life and emotional experiences.

He closed his eyes, his soul seeming to cross over and inhabit Liang Fan’s being, to experience the bitter pain of a life filled with adversity and constant humiliation.

Liang Fan was a young man who had lived his entire life scorned and ostracized by the Sun Clan. The constant hardship had forged a cowardly and submissive personality, but that didn’t mean he had lost his inner convictions or his breaking point.

For Liang Fan, his mother was the softest, yet most fortified line of defense in his heart—his only safe harbor in a cruel world.

His mother’s existence was his sacred ground, a place that could not be desecrated. She was his reverse scale, never to be touched.

No matter how much he endured or compromised in his daily life, if anyone dared to touch upon the subject of his mother, he would stand up without hesitation and erupt with boundless fury.

He imagined Liang Fan hearing those two men shamelessly insulting his mother, belittling her worth, and slandering her dignity.

Even the cowardly Liang Fan would, in that instant, be consumed by the flames of vengeance.

All his patience and fear would be utterly shattered by this rage.

When he opened his eyes again, Jiang Xu had truly become Liang Fan.

He looked toward the house, his expression terrifyingly cold.