Chapter 2045: Wang Qingcheng, Wang Qingfeng

Xu Yin thoroughly checked the items. After confirming everything was in order, he looked at the infants in their arms, a perplexed expression on his face. This was his first time seeing someone arrive for an assignment with infants. The mission token was genuine, so there was no mistake.

"Esteemed senior uncles, please follow me. You two may continue your patrol," Xu Yin instructed his companions. He returned the token to Wang Changsheng and personally led the way.

Before long, they stopped. Ahead lay a vast sea of white clouds, stretching for hundreds of thousands of miles. The clouds churned, and verdant peaks were faintly visible through them. Xu Yin took out a shimmering circular disc, cast a spell, and made a few gestures. After a moment, the cloud sea churned violently, and a sharp crane cry echoed. A gigantic, pure white crane with a golden fleshy crest emerged from the clouds. A tall old man in a green robe sat on its back.

The old man had a full head of white hair and a ruddy complexion. His demeanor commanded respect without needing anger, and an imposing aura of authority emanated from him. "This old man is Chen Yangming. May I know your names, junior brother and junior sister?" the green-robed elder asked courteously.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan each stated their names and handed over their identity tokens to Chen Yangming for inspection.

Chen Yangming examined the tokens and inquired about the internal affairs of the Zhenhai Palace. Wang Changsheng answered fluently and even pointed out some inaccuracies in Chen Yangming's questions, which finally earned him Chen Yangming's trust.

"My apologies, Junior Brother Wang and Junior Sister Wang. We are under orders to guard this place and dare not be careless. Please forgive us," Chen Yangming explained genially. He was a native cultivator of the Xuanyang Realm, belonging to the local faction, but he preferred not to get involved in factional disputes, which was why he clarified the situation to Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

"No worries. Is Senior Uncle Chen available? We have something to report to him," Wang Changsheng asked politely.

"You've come at an inconvenient time," Chen Yangming said seriously. "Senior Uncle Chen recently entered seclusion for cultivation and gave instructions not to disturb him unless it's a major matter." He then seemed to recall something, his tone shifting. "You two can settle down here for now. I will inform you when Senior Uncle Chen emerges from seclusion."

"Then we will trouble Senior Brother Chen," Wang Changsheng replied courteously, accepting the arrangement.

They followed Chen Yangming into the sea of clouds. Within it, verdant peaks were clearly visible, some adorned with exquisite pavilions and terraces. Rainbow bridges spanned ravines and gorges. The constant cries of apes echoed from the mountains, and the calls of cranes resounded through the clouds—a true sight of a blessed land.

Xuanling Mountain had over a hundred thousand acres of spirit fields, making it a relatively important stronghold for Zhenhai Palace. Otherwise, cultivators of the Void Refinement stage would not have been dispatched to guard it.

Chen Yangming led Wang Changsheng and his wife to a massive valley surrounded by mountains on three sides. Inside the valley was a sprawling estate spanning ten thousand acres, built with green bricks and azure tiles. The estate was lush with strange flowers and exotic plants, dotted with grotesque rocks, flowing streams, and charming bridges. Various pavilions and palaces each possessed their own unique charm. Facing the valley's exterior mountain wall, a silver waterfall, like a silk ribbon, cascaded down from a thousand feet, creating countless mists of water.

"Junior Brother Wang, Junior Sister Wang, what do you think of this place? If you don't like it, we can arrange another cave dwelling for you," Chen Yangming asked enthusiastically, gesturing towards the estate.

"This place is very good; we'll stay here!" Wang Changsheng said. He noted that the water spiritual energy here was abundant, making it ideal for his cultivation.

"Excellent. I will dispatch some disciples to guard outside the valley. You can instruct them if you need anything done. About ten million miles from here, there's a Xuanyu Market where you can send your disciples to purchase cultivation resources. This is a topographical map of the area." As Chen Yangming spoke, he took out a green jade slip and handed it to Wang Changsheng.

Wang Changsheng thanked him and accepted the jade slip.

After seeing Chen Yangming off, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan entered the estate.

He released the Wood Demon and the Gold-Devouring Ant Queen. The Qilin Turtle had fallen into a deep sleep after devouring the demon core of a fifth-rank mid-grade Golden Thunder Condor.

Their two sons were named Wang Qingcheng and Wang Qingfeng. Generally, a baby's spiritual root could only be checked at six years old, but that applied to low-level cultivators. The Xuanyang Realm had many methods to detect spiritual roots, allowing them to be identified even before the age of six.

Wang Qingcheng possessed a Heavenly Earth Spirit Root, while Wang Qingfeng had dual Metal and Fire Spirit Roots.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan could still have more children, but the potential of future offspring was uncertain. While the Nine Dragon Pill ensured better aptitude for the first child, it was less predictable for subsequent births. Though some cultivators who took the Nine Dragon Pill had a second child with a spirit physique, the probability was very low; it was purely a matter of chance.

Just as a dragon begets a dragon and a phoenix begets a phoenix, if the parents possess good aptitude, their descendants' aptitude will not be too poor. This is one reason why major powers encourage talented disciples to become dual cultivation partners.

With one child possessing a Heavenly Spirit Root and the other dual spirit roots, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan felt a mix of disappointment and relief. If they had given birth to a spirit physique, they would have been unable to leave Zhenhai Palace and become independent.

To their knowledge, Zhenhai Palace had at least two individuals with spirit physiques and over twenty with Heavenly Spirit Roots. This was not surprising, given that Zhenhai Palace alone had over a hundred thousand disciples, not to mention its affiliated forces.

The human-controlled territories spanned trillions of miles, so it was quite normal for Zhenhai Palace to have two spirit physiques and over twenty Heavenly Spirit Roots.

Those with spirit physiques cultivated faster and possessed unique divine abilities, making them highly valued by all major powers, who would even fight over them. Heavenly Spirit Root cultivators were key disciples nurtured by these powers, with one typically emerging every thousand years or so. As for spirit physiques, one might not appear even after ten thousand years.

"We've finally reached Xuanling Mountain. We can properly accompany them as they grow up," Wang Changsheng said, gazing at Wang Qingcheng in his arms with a look of profound parental love.

He and Wang Ruyan were already over a thousand years old. Having children again and seeing their two sons, Wang Changsheng couldn't help but think of Wang Qingzhi.

Wang Qingzhi was a reserved individual who devoted himself to farming and had no interest in cultivation. His death at the hands of an enemy had become a deep-seated trauma for both Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

This time, he vowed to protect his two sons. They were the culmination of Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan's love, and the future of the Wang family.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan couldn't continue having children indefinitely. For the Wang family to develop into a cultivation clan, it would depend on Wang Qingcheng and Wang Qingfeng to have children and increase the family's numbers.

"Husband, if reincarnation truly exists, do you think Qingzhi might become our son again?" Wang Ruyan softly asked, looking at Wang Qingfeng in her arms.

"I hope so. If reincarnation is real, then perhaps our parents might also have new identities," Wang Changsheng said with some uncertainty. He had consulted the ancient texts of Zhenhai Palace and gained a deeper understanding of reincarnation.

According to the texts, deceased cultivators went to the Underworld, and the fortunate among them would be reborn, though with a new identity and no memory of their previous life's identity or experiences. This was what the texts claimed, but its veracity was impossible to verify. Many such matters were difficult to prove; one either believed or did not.

After a brief chat, the couple walked towards a green pavilion.