Chapter 137: You Prefecture Chu Family
In the central part of You Prefecture, on the northwest side of Qingyun Continent, lies Shanyin City.
This place is home to hundreds of households, arranged in the eight directions of Qian, Dui, Li, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Gen, and Kun, with uniform-style houses extending outwards.
In the very center, there is a vast residential building.
The enclosed building has an ancient and simple style, with bursts of immortal light and whistling winds, and the people in the city, whether porters or vendors, all possess at least the cultivation of the Micro Illumination Realm.
The reason is none other than that they all share the same surname.
Therefore, even some distant branches of the family, as long as they bore the surname, were eligible to receive spiritual enlightenment from the family.
And along the eight main city roads leading inwards, there is a grand and solemn ancient villa, with a plaque hanging above its gate, inscribed with the words “Chu Family”, surrounded by a gurgling river flowing around the garden.
At this moment, in the deepest part of the entire villa, within a dense bamboo forest...
Dozens of family servants carried a massive iron box into the forest, then after much clanging and commotion, they carried the empty iron box out.
As they stepped out, black Evil Qi continuously rose in the forest and overflowed outwards,
Drifting in wisps, causing the entire area to become indistinct and filled with Chaos.
Chu Xiong, the current family head of the Chu Family, was standing outside the forest, his aura vast and surging, evidently having reached the Spirit Wandering Realm, just a step away from Upper Five Realms Perfection.
Such a Realm is only seen within Immortal Sects.
And if a Worldly Family or Immortal Villa below an Immortal Sect could have one, it would already be considered top-tier.
After all, without Dao lineage permission, they cannot enter the Linxian Realm, and Upper Five Realms Perfection is their last Realm in this life.
At this moment, Chu Xiong turned slightly and looked at the old servant standing behind him: “Where is Chu Xian? Why haven't I seen him these past few days?”
“Reporting to the Family Head, Young Master went to Yun Prefecture a few days ago and is currently on his way back to You Prefecture; he will be arriving soon.”
“He returned to Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion?”
The old servant bowed and said, “The Xuan Yuan Sect Master has been in secluded cultivation for many years, and Young Master has been acting as the Sect Master. That Sect Master’s biological son is a Devil King, so it’s inevitable that Young Master has to travel back and forth, which is truly arduous.”
Chu Xiong nodded slightly after hearing this, then turned his gaze back to the bamboo forest, watching the black Evil Qi continuously overflow.
This process continued for nearly two hours, until the sun began to set in the west, and the Evil Qi slowly retracted towards the center of the bamboo forest.
As this Qi receded, the visibility in the bamboo forest gradually became clear and bright.
Before Chu Xiong, his second son, Chu River, was sitting cross-legged deep within the bamboo forest, and the Evil Qi that had been whistling through the forest slowly entered his body.
Until the Evil Qi gradually disappeared completely within his body, and the forest became clear, Chu River’s aura became incredibly vast and profound.
At this moment, his eyes slowly opened, and he looked at Chu Xiong outside the forest with a somewhat blank expression.
In their gaze, Chu River’s eyes gradually came to life, changing from lifeless to confused.
“Father?”
Chu Xiong looked at him with a smile: “My son, how do you feel?”
Chu River came back to his senses, taking a deep breath as he looked at the constantly swirling Qi around him: “I feel very strong now. It’s only been one day; if this continues—” “Young Master, you’ve been back for two months now.” The old servant following Chu Xiong couldn’t help but interject.
“?”
Chu River paused upon hearing this, a hint of confusion reappearing in his eyes.
Because in his memory, he had only returned home the day before yesterday, and then he was brought into this bamboo forest.
Then he closed his eyes to comprehend the Dao, and he felt countless powerful Qi continuously dissolving within his body.
That Qi was strong and resilient, and he greedily absorbed it, and the Qi around his body began to become even more powerful.
But he had no idea that so much time had passed, and he had no memory of returning to his room to rest or eating after each day’s Dao comprehension.
Chu Xiong looked at his son’s puzzled eyes but said nothing more, instead turning to the old servant behind him: “Send the second Young Master back to his room and let him rest well.”
“Yes.”
Chu River saw the old servant walking towards him, so he also stood up from the forest and, after a long silence, said: “During my cultivation, I seemed to feel something speaking in my mind—”
The old servant paused slightly, then couldn't help but glance at him: “Perhaps Young Master has been too diligent and can now communicate directly with the Heavenly Dao.”
“Can the Heavenly Dao speak?”
“Why can’t the Heavenly Dao speak? There are myriad Great Daos, and everyone’s comprehension is different, so the feedback they receive is naturally different. Being able to hear the whispers of the Heavenly Dao means Young Master’s talent far surpasses ordinary people, beyond what ordinary cultivators can achieve.”
Chu River suddenly raised the corner of his mouth after hearing this: “A mere rustic private cultivator—” The old servant reached out and patted his back, then led him back to the sleeping quarters in the front courtyard.
At this moment, a carriage adorned with pearls and jade was slowly driving into the Chu Family’s Immortal Villa.
As the carriage stopped, a man with a face like jade descended from it, wearing a purple immortal robe,
And a glazed immortal crown on his head, his appearance somewhat similar to Chu River.
However, even when his aura was restrained, it was far more powerful than Chu River’s.
Chu Xiong had already left the bamboo forest and was waiting for him here. Seeing him alight from the carriage, he led him into the Chu Family’s ancestral hall.
This ancestral hall was very spacious, filled with hundreds of spirit tablets, with incense smoke curling around them, accompanying the candlelight.
Chu Xiong held three incense sticks, bowed to his ancestors, then looked at his legitimate son beside him: “Xian’er, I’ve been thinking for a long time today, and I feel that our actions are still a bit risky.”
“Father, where do you think it’s risky?”
“Can such a cultivation method truly be tolerated by the Heavenly Dao?”
“The Heavenly Dao has problems; it is no longer able to control this world.”
“But a few days ago, the Dan Sect’s Immortal Cauldron overflowed with Dao of Alchemy.”
Chu Xian also inserted the incense stick he held into the incense burner, knelt back on the prayer mat, and turned to look at him: “There could be many reasons for the overflow of Dao of Alchemy; I cannot confirm them. But the Zheng Family Old Ancestor breaking through to the Linxian Realm and even opening the path to Immortal Ascension is proof. Otherwise, the Yao Race and the Barbarian Race would not be so restless.”
Chu Xiong gazed at the ancestral tablets, his brows deeply furrowed.
The Sacred Artifacts of the Seven Great Immortal Sects can move according to the wielder’s will, but also according to the Heavenly Dao.
Many years ago, Lingjian Mountain’s spirit mirror choosing its own master can be seen as an act of the Heavenly Dao, otherwise, the Dao lineage would not have fallen from Tianjian Peak to Xuanjian Peak.
But since the Zheng Family Old Ancestor could disregard the restrictions of the Dao lineage and directly enter the Linxian Realm, and even almost ascended to the Immortal Ascension Mountain…
So the Yao Race began to make moves, and the Barbarian Race from the Northern Plains also fiercely advanced.
But not long after, the Dan Sect’s Immortal Cauldron overflowed.
This had nothing to do with the wielder’s will, which means the Heavenly Dao is still overlooking the land. This in itself is a contradictory phenomenon, causing people to feel uneasy and fearful.
As Chu Xiong continued to ponder, his eldest son’s voice sounded again in his ears.
“How is Chu River’s cultivation progressing now?”
“His cultivation is going smoothly; there have been no adverse reactions. However, there’s still a stumbling block for him to enter the Inner Courtyard, and that is the student named Ji You.”
Chu River entering Tianshu Academy and then the Inner Courtyard to become a direct disciple of the Five Halls was already decided before last autumn.
In their opinion, with Chu River’s talent, entering the Inner Courtyard would be incredibly easy.
Although the young lady of the Lu Family, who was with him at the same time, was also a Junior Third Realm Completion before reaching twenty, her cultivation was ultimately accumulated by the most refined spiritual core Qi, so she was not to be feared at all.
But no one would have thought that a Heaven-Defying rustic private cultivator would break into Tianshu Academy this year.
If it were in ordinary times, how could entering the Inner Courtyard be so difficult for their Chu Family members?
Chu Xian merely frowned slightly upon hearing his father’s words: “I spent so much effort to nourish him; now his strength far exceeds the existing Realm divisions. That rustic private cultivator is just an ordinary Tong Xuan Realm cultivator.
Even if his talent is high, what can he do?”
“That boy seems quite extraordinary. It is said that he possesses a Sword Heart Transcendent Body, and he learned some Dao of the Sword after staying at Lingjian Mountain for three days.”
“No problem. In the next few days, I will stay at home and personally teach Chu River.”
“That’s the only way—”
Chu Xian stood up from the prayer mat at this moment, then patted his sleeves and walked out of the Chu Family’s ancestral hall.
And the old servant who had just sent Chu River back was now guarding the courtyard under the night sky. Seeing Chu Xian emerge from the ancestral hall, he stepped forward and followed him.
“Young Master, the one who escaped from Fengxian Villa has been dealt with.”
Chu Xian stopped upon hearing this: “Although I am currently acting as the Sect Master of Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion, using their people to do this is still a bit too risky. It’s only because I couldn’t bear to use our clansmen back then.”
The old servant bowed to the ground: “Young Master’s kindness is a blessing to our Chu Family.”
“I cannot be this kind anymore, otherwise, problems will arise. That old geezer is extremely wary of me.
If his son wasn’t a good-for-nothing, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve my current position as a direct disciple.”
“Young Master is absolutely right.”
Chu Xian turned his hand and opened his palm, a wisp of black Qi emerging from it: “If the Zheng Family Old Ancestor had succeeded that day, we wouldn’t have to work so hard to conceal ourselves, fearing being annihilated by the Heavenly Dao.”