Chapter 1872: Thirty Years

Spring turned to autumn, and thirty years passed quickly.

In the Thousand Gourd Realm, at the headquarters of the Thousand Gourd Sect.

Within a secluded valley, surrounded by mountains on three sides, a thick mist hung in the air. From time to time, wails and howls echoed through the valley.

An estate spanning a hundred mu lay within the valley, shaded by lush trees and adorned with exotic flowers and plants, complete with small bridges and flowing streams.

Ye Haitang sat cross-legged on a black lotus platform, her eyes closed, her body enveloped in a dazzling dark light.

After a while, Ye Haitang suddenly opened her eyes, and a chilling aura emanated from her.

"Late Nascent Soul stage!"

Ye Haitang lightly exhaled a breath, her beautiful eyes filled with joy.

The Azure Lotus Immortals were both in the Thousand Gourd Realm, and the Wang family wielded significant influence there. Taking advantage of this, they collected a large number of rare treasures. The stronger the family became, the more Ye Haitang benefited.

After more than thirty years of diligent cultivation, she successfully advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage and was tasked with overseeing the Thousand Gourd Sect headquarters.

"I wonder if Uncle and Aunt have rescued cousin Qingshan," Ye Haitang muttered to herself. She then stepped down from the black lotus platform, her face beaming with joy.

This Soul Gathering Pedestal was once the prized treasure of a ghost-cultivating sect in the Thousand Gourd Realm. This sect, a staunch vassal of the demon race, was annihilated by various major forces, and its treasures and territory were divided up. Ye Haitang received this Soul Gathering Pedestal.

The Soul Gathering Pedestal could accelerate Ye Haitang's cultivation speed, greatly benefiting her path of cultivation.

A deafening clap of thunder interrupted Ye Haitang's thoughts.

Ye Haitang's expression changed in surprise, and she quickly flew out of her residence. She was astonished to see a massive spiritual energy vortex in the distance, with a huge thundercloud swirling above it, accompanied by flashes of lightning and rumbling thunder.

"A Nascent Soul tribulation! It seems Yingjie is trying to break through to the Nascent Soul stage."

A flicker of surprise appeared in Ye Haitang's eyes. Wang Yingjie had always been diligent in his cultivation, and the Wang family held him up as an example for many clansmen to emulate. This time in the Thousand Gourd Realm, Wang Yingjie had gained many benefits by staying with Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

Although Wang Yingjie's innate talent was not exceptional, his unwavering devotion to the Dao still gave him a chance to advance to the Nascent Soul stage.

Ye Haitang took out a cyan communication disk, cast a spell into it, and asked, "Huayue, has cousin Qingshan been freed yet?"

"Not yet. The Ancestor has sent people to explore the secret realm multiple times, but there's still no trace of Ancestor Qingshan. News from the clan indicates that Ancestor Qingshan's soul lantern has not extinguished, so he should be fine. Also, Ancestor Mengbin, Senior Cheng, and Senior Zheng have all gone missing. Their soul lanterns haven't extinguished either, but their whereabouts are unknown."

Ye Haitang's willow-like eyebrows furrowed. Wang Mengbin's strength was second only to Wang Qingshan's, and she was no match for Wang Mengbin. How could he have suddenly disappeared?

"Do you know how Mengbin went missing?"

"They went to pursue some Nascent Soul cultivators and then disappeared. No one knows where they went."

Ye Haitang's expression darkened as she then asked, "Besides that, have there been any other significant events in the Thousand Gourd Realm?"

"The Three Flames Palace and the Eastern Wilderness Demon Clan clashed fiercely over two Earth-grade secret realms. The Grand Unity Immortal Sect and the Great Qin Dynasty fought over a Heaven-grade secret realm. Our family has secured five secret realms, including one Heaven-grade secret realm. Currently, our family can deploy fifty Nascent Soul cultivators in the Thousand Gourd Realm. Oh, and Huang Fugui went to the Immortal Burial Grotto-heaven to search for treasures and has gone missing; only one person managed to escape."

After eliminating the demon race, the allied forces of the Eastern Lí Realm and the Sky Ripple Realm invaded the Thousand Gourd Realm, purging a number of factions. Large areas were left in a power vacuum, with no major forces to maintain order, leading to various factions attacking each other.

The Wang family quickly stabilized the situation by posting announcements, and numerous factions pledged their allegiance. The number of high-level cultivators the Wang family could deploy grew steadily. Wang family cultivators formed alliances through marriage with local forces, quickly gaining a firm foothold and establishing branches. Currently, there are five thousand Wang family members in the Thousand Gourd Realm, and the family also controls a vast amount of cultivation resources.

The Wang family alone controlled twenty ore veins of Rank Three or higher. Through strategic marriages, the Wang family drew in a number of native Thousand Gourd Realm forces. Their current territory spans more than half the size of the South Sea. True Monarch Thousand Gourd rebuilt his sect, and its territory expanded more than tenfold compared to before.

The demon race had destroyed a large number of ancient texts in the Thousand Gourd Realm. After the spirit cultivators reclaimed the Thousand Gourd Realm, they destroyed all the demon trees and instructed the Thousand Gourd Realm cultivators to switch to new cultivation methods. The Sky Ripple Sect provided the most cultivation techniques, attracted the most factions, and consequently occupied the largest territory.

"Huang Fugui is missing? So he finally met his match."

Ye Haitang chuckled lightly. Huang Fugui was skilled at treasure hunting and rarely failed, but this time, he had.

High above, lightning flashed and thunder roared. A thick silver bolt of lightning struck down, followed by a second.

The lightning tribulation had begun. As long as he passed this trial, Wang Yingjie would advance to the Nascent Soul stage.

"I understand. Please inform me immediately if there's any news of cousin Qingshan."

Ye Haitang instructed, then put away the communication disk.

The Gale Secret Realm, True Monarch Gale's secluded cave where he passed away.

The Wang family had stationed heavy forces here, strictly prohibiting outsiders from entering.

A vast and endless yellow sand sea stretched out, with yellow sand swirling everywhere and gusts of fierce wind blowing.

Wang Qingqing and dozens of other cultivators stood on a massive white cloud, their expressions grave.

Apart from Wang Qingqing and Guangdong Ren, most of the other cultivators were elderly, with full heads of white hair, appearing to have little time left.

The Wang family had already searched the secret realm once and found few dangers. After all, it had been modified by True Monarch Gale using the realm itself, so it was only necessary to avoid areas with restrictions.

Wang Qingshan had likely gone missing here, and the Wang family had never given up searching for him, though unfortunately, without much success.

"This is the spatial node area," Wang Qingqing said, pointing to the nodes. "Later, I will open several spatial nodes. You may enter at your own discretion. If you send back any information, you will be heavily rewarded. Should you unfortunately perish, we will also provide substantial compensation."

Wang Qingqing pointed to the spatial nodes as she spoke. She had recruited a group of high-level cultivators whose lifespans were nearing their end, tasking them with searching for Wang Qingshan within the spatial nodes. Regardless of success, these individuals would receive generous compensation, and their participation was voluntary.

Most of these high-level cultivators came from immortal cultivation families or sects. With no hope of further breakthroughs, they would pass away within a year to over a decade. They were utilizing their remaining time to make one last contribution to their families and sects.

"Rest assured, Fairy Wang, we know what to do. Our time is short, and we never expected to return alive. We only hope that Fairy Wang will honor her promise and treat our relatives and sects generously," a white-haired old man in a purple robe solemnly stated.

"Don't worry, the Wang family always keeps its word. If you encounter our seventh brother, follow his instructions in everything and help him escape. Our Wang family will absolutely not mistreat any of you." Wang Qingqing's tone was sincere.

"Fairy Wang's words are enough."

The old man in green robes nodded, then clapped his right hand into the void towards one of the spatial nodes.

With a flash of green light, a large, hazy green hand struck the spatial node. The node twisted and warped violently, then suddenly tore open, revealing a several-zhang-wide gap from which a powerful gust of spiritual wind surged.

The old man in green robes and several other cultivators cast defensive spells upon themselves and flew towards the opening.