Vol. 1 - Ch. 331 - Information on the Shi Clan

The letter contained a detailed record of the surviving members of the Shi Clan and their exact whereabouts in Yunmeng City.

For the clan, this was indeed a valuable gift.

However, upon further reflection, it was clear that this was also a clever scheme by the Zhao Clan to kill two birds with one stone.

Since the Zhao Clan now controlled Yunmeng City, why would they allow any other threat to remain within the city? If the Zhao Clan truly wanted to act, they could have easily used their strength to wipe out the Shi Clan themselves. Doing so would have allowed them to seize the Shi Clan's remaining resources and earn a favor with the Chen Clan.

After all, when the Shi Clan fled Yong'an City, they took most of their resources with them. Besides, the Shi Clan still operated a considerable number of Stone Warm Pavilions — their remaining resources must be substantial.

Yet, the Zhao Clan hadn't taken this course of action, which could only mean one thing: they weren't able to, not that they didn't want to.

The Zhao Clan's reason for sharing this information was equally obvious: they hoped to use the Chen Clan's strength to wipe out the Shi Clan together. This would allow them to curry favor with the Chen Clan while having the Chen clansmen serve as hired muscle to eliminate a potential future threat and perhaps claim a share of the spoils.

Though the Zhao Clan clearly had ulterior motives, this information was precisely what the clan needed.

The reason Chen Tianyu chose to stay in Yunmeng City an extra day was partly to gather clearer intelligence on the remaining Shi Clan members. After all, the Zhao Clan had been quietly seeking information about the Shi Clan ever since they fled Yong'an City.

However, Yunmeng City was vast, and its web of factions and power structures was far too intricate for the clan to easily infiltrate on its own. Having the Zhao Clan provide this information directly was, admittedly, a far more secure and reliable path forward.

However, this time, the Shi Clan couldn't simply act according to the Zhao Clan's intentions.

Though sending clansmen to Yunmeng City might secure the Zhao Clan's assistance, the clan's strength is relatively modest for now. Aside from Chen Tianjing as the clan head, there are only two Innate Realm martial artists among their ranks.

A force of this size could only be considered an ordinary, minor clan. If the Zhao Clan realized this, it could affect the clan's future trade dealings.

But the Shi Clan was the Zhao Clan's sworn enemy and had to be eliminated, even if they were hiding in Yong'an City!

Given all this, it seemed there was no avoiding it, Grand Uncle Changming and the others would need to make another trip after all!

Still, there was no need to rush this matter. It could wait until the next round of trading, when a proper plan could be made.

The Shi Clan had long since been placed on the clan's must-kill list.

"Clan Leader, I'll head back to Chaotic Burial Mountain now."

After relaying all the news, Chen Tianyu spoke up.

Chen Tianjing nodded. He understood that Chen Tianyu had other matters to attend to and that a return trip to Chaotic Burial Mountain was necessary.

Besides, the Blood Rice that the clan had planted last month should be ready for harvest by now.

If not for his position as Clan Head, Chen Tianjing would have loved nothing more than to return to Chaotic Burial Mountain. However, that simply wasn't an option now. There were far too many matters in Yong'an City that required his attention: the clan's plans to expand, establishing connections with the surrounding area, and exchanging information with other clans. All of it demanded his attention.

The sheer volume of clan affairs left him unable to step away, even briefly. It was through this that he'd come to fully understand just how difficult the position of Clan Head truly was.

With the city now settled and stable, Chen Tianyu and a number of clansmen set off once more, making their way back to Chaotic Burial Mountain.

Three days later, Chen Tianyu and his group of clansmen arrived back at the mountain, riding atop their Azure Wolves.

Before the group could enter Chaotic Burial Mountain, however, they found their path blocked by a thick layer of dense white mist.

Although Chen Tianyu had long known that the mist was a manifestation of the Divine Tree's power, it was still his first time seeing the mist that blanketed the area surrounding Chaotic Burial Mountain. He couldn't help but feel curious.

As the group of clansmen stepped into the mist, it parted to either side as though sensing them, leaving behind a wide, brightly lit path stretching out before them.

The clansmen were thoroughly astonished by this sight, and it filled them with a deep sense of awe at the sacred tree's formidable power. It also stirred no small amount of excitement in their hearts.

With a barrier like this protecting the clan, their security had improved greatly.

Before long, night had fallen.

Within the ancestral shrine, the towering locust tree leaf glimmered with a faint, shimmering luster. Its dense canopy of leaves blocked out the moonlight and cast the entire shrine in shadow. Looking up, one could feel the Divine Tree's towering, majestic presence all the more keenly.

Under the tree's shade, Chen Xingzhen, Chen Tianyu, and Chen Tianquan stood in silent prayer.

As they prayed, a faint, invisible stream of golden vapor rose up and drifted into the dense canopy of locust tree leaves above.

Once they had finished praying, Chen Tianyu drew a black locust leaf from his robes. Unlike an ordinary leaf, however, this one had taken on a deep, mysterious black hue. Upon its surface, wisps of dark gray vapor, invisible to the naked eye seeped forth.

Indeed, this was precisely the result of Chen Tianyu's prayers at the Zhao Clan's ancestral shrine.

If he was right, the leaf should be filled with the ancestors of the Zhao Clan.

As for the "ancient tradition" he mentioned, it was something he made up on the spot. Their own clan had no such tradition of paying respects to another clan's ancestors.

But now, perhaps it could become one!

Along with paying respects, quietly siphoning off another clan's ancestors was an excellent bonus.

Chen Tianyu had already given the clansmen accompanying him specific instructions about this matter, which is precisely why none of them betrayed unusual behavior during the visit.

As Chen Tianyu drew out the locust tree leaf, a gentle breeze swept past, and the leaf slowly drifted upward on the passing wind.

The many soul spirits who had already returned Chen Changming among them watched the leaf with clear anticipation in their eyes.

They could sense the thick, dense Yin Qi contained within it.

Under everyone's watchful gaze, one broken, tattered soul after another began drifting out from within the leaf.

Before long, the ancestral shrine was filled with countless living souls.

Their faces were unfamiliar, their bodies fragmented and incomplete, and their eyes were dull and vacant clearly, these were souls that had lost their memories entirely.

Suddenly, a burst of radiant light flared from the Locust Tree leaves above. The eyes of these souls gradually cleared, and memories of their past lives slowly resurfaced.

"Where...where am I?"

“Is this the underworld?"

The gathered souls looked around, thoroughly bewildered by their surroundings. Yet, upon spotting several familiar faces in the crowd, they began to let out sighs of recognition and pour out the words weighing on their hearts. The vast majority of these words turned out to be regrets that the souls had carried with them at the moment of their deaths.

Each time one of these souls voiced a regret, they were released and guided to the next life.

Countless beams of transcendent light flickered and flared, and the shrine was soon left holding nothing but pure, concentrated Yin Qi. The Soul Qi itself had naturally already been absorbed by Ji Yang's consciousness.

These fragmented souls showed no confusion about their surroundings and did not notice Chen Xingzhen and the others present because Ji Yang used his consciousness to seal off the surrounding area. This allowed them to perceive nothing but the Locust Tree leaf.

This spared everyone a great deal of unnecessary trouble.

Watching the clusters of pure Yin Qi floating in the air, some of the deceased clan members felt an instinctive pull toward them.

However, this time, Ji Yang didn't offer it to the clansmen on his own initiative. After all, the clan now had a Qi Manipulation Realm martial artist among them, and as the Divine Tree, Ji Yang couldn't favor one over the other.

Perhaps more importantly, this experience provided Ji Yang with a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the residual Yin Qi within these soul fragments. Even without intact memories, this Yin Qi seemed to instinctively select the soul, by which it would be absorbed, creating a more natural compatibility between the two, a result that proved to be even more effective than if Ji Yang had directed the process himself.

As Ji Yang lifted the invisible barrier he had erected, countless deceased clansmen surged toward the Yin Qi before them. Freed from any outside control, the clusters of Yin Qi seemed to instinctively dodge and evade.

Off to the side, Chen Changming didn't join the scramble. He had already reached the Qi Manipulation Realm, so he saw no need to compete with his fellow clansmen.

Besides, he was far from his next breakthrough in cultivation. If this Yin Qi could help produce a few more Qi Manipulation Realm martial artists, that would be a far better outcome for the clan.

Amid the chaotic scramble between the many souls and the drifting Yin Qi, the entire shrine descended into utter pandemonium, resembling a procession of ghosts marching through the night.

The temperature within the shrine dropped noticeably in an instant.

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