Chapter 1062: Wang Qiuhong's Passing

"Mrs. Liu, I'll go and get clarification."

Chen Ze put away the black jade plate and left in a hurry. Fifteen minutes later, he arrived at Ye Haitang's residence. Ye Haitang was sitting calmly in a stone pavilion.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, I've asked my cousin Qingling about this, and unfortunately, there's nothing I can do. You'll have to find someone else; I no longer want the Profound Yin Crystal." Ye Haitang said calmly. She could set up a formation to hatch the spirit beast egg, but it would require a location with abundant spiritual energy. That would mean leaving Qinglong Island, and she wasn't about to be that foolish.

"Fairy Ye, you did help me out a little, regardless. How about this: I'll give you a small piece of Profound Yin Crystal, just as a token of friendship. More friends mean more opportunities, don't you agree?" Chen Ze said sincerely, taking out an egg-sized black crystal.

"Thank you for your kindness, Fellow Daoist Chen. I don't accept rewards for doing nothing, and I don't like taking things for free. How about I buy it from you with spirit stones?" Chen Ze didn't refuse and agreed, selling the egg-sized Profound Yin Crystal to Ye Haitang for ten thousand spirit stones.

After seeing Chen Ze off, Ye Haitang entered the blue pavilion. Inside the pavilion was a magical formation over ten zhang wide, with more than a dozen grooves of various sizes on its surface. Ye Haitang took out over a dozen Profound Yin Stones, along with the Profound Yin Crystal, placed them into the grooves, and sat cross-legged on the formation.

"Once the war ends, I'll follow my uncle and aunt to the Myriad Ghost Sea Domain to cultivate. By then, I won't need to absorb Yin energy from Profound Yin Stones and Crystals; I can just set up formations to gather it directly," Ye Haitang murmured to herself and closed her eyes. Soon after, a large expanse of black ethereal light appeared on her body. Numerous ghostly figures shimmered indistinctly behind her, and loud wails echoed, giving one the feeling of being in purgatory.

Red Moon Sea Domain, Silver Serpent Island.

Inside a certain blue pavilion, Wang Qiuhong lay on a bed, his temples streaked with gray, his face covered in wrinkles. Wang Mengfen, Wang Qingqi, and Wang Qiuxin stood by the window. Through the open window, three massive dark clouds could be seen high in the sky, dispersed in different locations, with lightning flashing and thunder rumbling. Clearly, someone was attempting to break through to the Core Formation stage.

Wang Qingqi sighed softly and said, "Qiuhong, if you have any last wishes, please speak them. We will do our best to fulfill them."

"Fourth Uncle, Mengfen, I know my time is short. I have only two small requests. Youwei is the most outstanding descendant of my lineage; I hope you will look after him well. Of course, if he violates clan rules, do not indulge him, and punish him severely without leniency. After I die, keep everything simple. Transport my ashes back to the Eastern Barren Lands and scatter them at Green Lotus Villa. I wish my soul to return to my homeland." Wang Qiuhong's voice was weak and breathless, indicating his extreme frailty. He had grown up in the State of Wei in the Eastern Barren Lands, starting as a mere waiter and eventually rising to the position of family head, a truly difficult journey. He had personally witnessed the family's rise and also its misfortunes. Now, he too had reached the end of his life.

"And what else? Are these your only two requests?" Wang Qiuhong extended his withered hand, tightly gripping Wang Mengfen's, and earnestly instructed, "Mengfen, remember, as the family head, you must be diligent and responsible. The future of our family rests with you. Each generation has its own mission. My mission is complete; the rest is up to you. As long as our clan members are united, diligent, disciplined, and strive for self-improvement, one day, our Wang family of Green Lotus will become an immortal cultivation aristocratic family."

By the end of his speech, Wang Qiuhong's expression had become extremely agitated. For a cultivation family, becoming an immortal cultivation aristocratic family is a very significant benchmark. Only a cultivation family with five or more Nascent Soul cultivators and over ten thousand clan members can be called an immortal cultivation aristocratic family.

"Great-granduncle Qiuhong, please rest assured. Your grandson will certainly be diligent and responsible, and he will look after the family well. If the family becomes an immortal cultivation aristocratic family, your grandson will surely come to your grave to tell you. One day, we will return to the Eastern Barren Lands and rebuild Green Lotus." Wang Mengfen promised with a solemn expression, his face revealing a look of longing. Having grown up at Green Lotus Villa, he preferred it much more than Silver Serpent Island.

"Return to the Eastern Barren Lands? Rebuild Green Lotus?" Wang Qiuhong murmured to himself, a look of reminiscence on his face. The thunder grew fainter as all the experiences of his life flashed through his mind like a fleeting panorama: the joy of becoming a shopkeeper, the sorrow of his cousins dying in war, the ecstasy of his grandfather forming a core, the pain of the family being attacked, the excitement of his grandparents forming nascent souls, and the satisfaction of his descendants showing great promise.

His gaze was fixed on the dark clouds high in the sky. "I wonder how many Core Formation cultivators the family will gain this time," he thought to himself. An overwhelming drowsiness overcame him. Wang Qiuhong fought to stay awake, his eyes wide open, staring intently at the dark clouds above. The bloodshot veins in his eyes were clearly visible, and his hands tightly clutched the bedding.

The thunder roared loudly. The dark clouds high in the sky transformed into a vast expanse of silver lightning, shooting down from above. A moment later, a faint high-pitched sound came from Wang Mengfen's bosom. He took out a communication disc, cast a spell, and his face lit up with joy: "Excellent! Great-aunt Tianqi and Great-uncle Tianwen have advanced to the Core Formation stage! Unfortunately, Great-grand-aunt Qiuli and Great-granduncle Qiuyan failed." Both Wang Qiuyan and Wang Tianqi were making their second attempt to reach the Core Formation stage. Wang Qiuyan was also a high-grade second-tier alchemist. Regrettably, Wang Qiuyan failed, but Wang Qiuli still had one more chance to attempt the breakthrough.

"Great-granduncle Qiuhong, this is wonderful! The clan has gained two more Core Formation cultivators!" Wang Mengfen's face lit up with joy as he looked towards Wang Qiuhong, only to see that Wang Qiuhong had closed his eyes, his hands had released the bedding, and a look of profound contentment was on his face.

"Great-granduncle Qiuhong!" Wang Qingqi and Wang Mengfen showed expressions of grief. Wang Qingqi, in particular, had watched Wang Qiuhong grow up. The Great Dao is merciless; his familiar descendants had passed away one after another. Even with psychological preparation, when this day truly arrived, his heart was still filled with profound sorrow. Wang Qiuxin was overcome with grief upon seeing this. When he was little, he often went to Wang Qingzhi's house for meals. Though Wang Qiuhong would complain, when Wang Qiuxin was hungry, Wang Qiuhong would share half of his own food with him.

"Mengfen, I'm entrusting Qiuhong's funeral arrangements to you. According to his last wishes, after his body is cremated, transport his ashes back to the Eastern Barren Lands and scatter them at Green Lotus Villa. We must all remember that one day, we will return to the Eastern Barren Lands and rebuild Green Lotus." Wang Qingqi's expression was heavy. Wang Qiuhong's words had filled him with deep emotion. Each generation has its own mission. Wang Qiuhong had completed his, but Wang Qingqi's mission was not yet fulfilled.

"Yes, Esteemed Great-granduncle. We will return to the Eastern Barren Lands and rebuild Green Lotus." Wang Mengfen and Wang Qiuxin agreed, their voices firm and resolute.