Chapter 1280: Encountered an Attack

His residence features twenty mu of spiritual fields and a spiritual spring. The spiritual herbs flourish when irrigated with water from this spring.

Over a thousand immortal cultivators reside in the ruins. Without explicit orders from Wang Rongmiao and Wang Tianqi, no clan members are permitted to leave the premises.

Wang Yingjie found this arrangement agreeable, as the vast ruins allowed them to be completely self-sufficient.

Some clan members specialize in cultivating spiritual grains, others in refining magical artifacts, and still others in concocting elixirs. Wang Tianqi also had a small market established for clan members to trade. Wang Yingjie, skilled in cultivation, grew spiritual herbs for sale, exchanging them for other valuable cultivation resources.

Were it not for the issue of cultivation bottlenecks, these over a thousand Wang family cultivators could reside in the ruins indefinitely.

Wang Tianqi transformed the ruins into a new Qinglian Villa, commissioning the construction of various facilities such as an Elixir Peak, an Artifact Refining Peak, and a Talisman Peak. The secret cultivation grounds were already naturally occurring. Frankly, the amenities within these ruins surpassed those of Qinglian Island tenfold, boasting abundant spiritual energy and spiritual lands representing all five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Among his fellow clansmen who entered the Foundation Establishment stage concurrently, some had already reached the sixth layer, while Wang Yingjie remained at the third.

While most of his fellow clansmen achieved Foundation Establishment with a single pill, and those with lesser luck required three, Wang Yingjie needed five such pills to break through.

Despite his slow cultivation speed and the significantly greater resources he required compared to other clan members, Wang Yingjie maintained a positive outlook.

Possessing self-awareness, Wang Yingjie acknowledged his inferior aptitude and understood that he needed to strive harder than others.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

A loud bell chimed seven times in quick succession.

"The Qinglian Bell has rung seven times. It's time for the lecture again."

Wang Yingjie's eyes brightened. Periodically, clan elders would deliver lectures covering a wide range of topics.

With a flick of his wrist, a palm-sized green lotus artifact shimmered into existence. He gently shook it, and the lotus flew forth, instantly expanding and shimmering with an ethereal glow.

Wang Yingjie leaped onto the green lotus, injected a spell, and the lotus slowly rose, ascending into the sky.

Countless colorful lotus artifacts soared through the air, a sight so numerous it sent shivers down one's spine.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Wang Yingjie landed on a Bluestone Plaza, spanning over a hundred mu. In the center of the plaza stood a lotus-shaped blue stone platform, surrounded by hundreds of blue prayer mats. Not far off, a large blue bell, intricately carved with numerous blue lotuses, stood prominently.

Wang Yingjie quickly secured a seat near the front and quietly awaited the clan elder's arrival.

Soon after, a beam of blue light descended from the sky, landing on the blue lotus stone platform. It was Wang Tianqi.

"Today, we will discuss our clan's history," Wang Tianqi began. "Our Wang family originally hailed from a small country in the Eastern Barrens. Our ancestor, Wang Tiangang, settled on Qinglian Mountain, which is why the Green Lotus serves as our family emblem and represents our ancestral homeland. Our family initially rose to prominence through artifact refining..."

Periodically, clan elders would recount the family history, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of various periods to encourage improvement and reinforce the clan members' sense of belonging.

Every clan member was required to memorize the family history, undergoing regular assessments. Failure to pass would result in penalties ranging from salary forfeiture for minor infractions to solitary confinement for more serious ones.

Through years of education on clan history, Wang Yingjie and his peers shared a common goal: to return to the Eastern Barrens and re-establish Qinglian.

After concluding the historical narrative, Wang Tianqi pointed to Wang Yingjie, who promptly stood up.

"Yingjie, why did Great-Uncle Seven learn swordsmanship?"

The Great-Uncle Seven Wang Tianqi referred to was, of course, Wang Qingshan.

"Back then, our family was weak, and powerful enemies attacked, leading to heavy casualties," Wang Yingjie respectfully replied. "Our Ninth Ancestor personally witnessed the tragic deaths of our clan members and learned swordsmanship to protect the family. Your grandson believes we should all emulate Ninth Ancestor, cultivating diligently, mastering our skills, and contributing to the family."

"Well said. You may sit," Wang Tianqi responded. "Yingfeng, tell me, what action should we take if three of our family's strongholds come under attack?"

Wang Tianqi then called upon over thirty clan members by name, asking them various questions. Their responses all met with his satisfaction.

"Very well, that concludes today's lecture. You are dismissed," Wang Tianqi instructed, waving his hand. "Remember to cultivate diligently. When you encounter a bottleneck, be sure to consult and communicate with your fellow clan members."

"Yes, Old Ancestor," Wang Yingjie and the other clan members responded in unison, then began to leave the Bluestone Plaza one after another.

A sudden gust of cold wind swept by, and Ye Haitang abruptly materialized beside Wang Tianqi.

Wang Tianqi was genuinely startled by Ye Haitang's sudden appearance before him.

"Grand-Aunt, what brings you here?" Wang Tianqi asked with a wry smile.

"By my reckoning, it's about time," Ye Haitang replied calmly. "Your uncle mentioned he would come to collect some cultivation resources soon to help you procure additional supplies."

Ye Haitang's tone remained even. Wang Tianqi and the others couldn't remain isolated from the outside world indefinitely, as artifact refining, elixir concoction, and talisman crafting all required materials. Furthermore, they produced more spiritual grains and herbs than they could consume.

Ye Haitang's role was to transport goods and facilitate the exchange of cultivation resources for the clan members within the ruins.

"These are the cultivation resources submitted by the clan members over the years, primarily spiritual herbs and monster beast materials," Wang Tianqi said, taking out a blue storage bead and handing it to Ye Haitang with both hands. "There's a considerable quantity. The list of materials we require is also included."

Ye Haitang meticulously examined the contents. After confirming everything was in order, she nodded and said, "Alright. While I'm away, maintain order, don't stir up any trouble, and focus on your cultivation."

With that, Ye Haitang transformed into a wisp of cold wind and vanished.

Wang Tianqi then leaped towards his residence, intending to enter seclusion for cultivation.

In the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sea Domain, near a desolate island shrouded in thick fog, Ye Haitang emerged from beneath the sea, her body enveloped in a layer of black spiritual light.

With a flick of her sleeve, a foot-long black jade shuttle flew out, instantly expanding to carry her as she soared away.

Having resided there for over a decade, she planned to venture out to acquire more cultivation resources, as the Heavenly-grade cultivation techniques demanded an immense amount of them.

Ye Haitang was merely at the sixth layer of the Core Formation stage, a rapid advancement largely thanks to Wang Changsheng acquiring numerous Yin beast inner cores and having Wang Qingqi refine them into Yellow Springs Pills for her consumption. Without these, her cultivation speed would not have been nearly as quick.

Along her journey, she encountered many low-ranking ghostly beings. None dared to provoke Ye Haitang, instead giving her a wide berth.

Three days later, Ye Haitang still had not exited the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sea Domain. Ahead, the sea featured over a dozen black reefs.

She frowned and halted abruptly. Her eyes suddenly glowed with a dark light, and under the scrutiny of her Yellow Springs Dharma Eye, three figures were revealed, with nowhere to hide.

On one of the reefs, three Core Formation cultivators—two men and one woman—stood as if awaiting someone.

"Damn it, she's cultivated a Dharma Eye and found us! Attack!"

A frustrated male voice rang out. As soon as he spoke, a silver glow emanated from one of the reefs, revealing a corpulent, red-robed man with large ears, a cultivator at the sixth layer of the Core Formation stage. The other two were at the fourth layer.

The Ten Thousand Ghosts Sea Domain was a perilous region, as it also hosted the main altar of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sect. This drew numerous cultivators seeking treasures, leading to an endless stream of robberies and murders.