Chapter 2816: Jin Linger

Within a vast estate, a secluded courtyard with green tiles housed a bluestone pavilion.

Wang Yingjie, Liu Hongxue, and Wang Qingxiao sat in the bluestone pavilion, enjoying tea and conversation. Wang Yingjie produced three exquisite white jade boxes and presented them to Wang Qingxiao, saying, "Ancestor Qingxiao, these are three Millennial Ice Core Grasses. Please accept them."

"Millennial Ice Core Grass? Where did you acquire them?" Wang Qingxiao asked casually.

Liu Hongxue explained, "We acquired them during our travels, exchanging them with other Void Refinement cultivators at the Thousand Herbs Valley, which is run by the Liao family of Hundred Herbs Mountain." She added that the Liao family is an affiliated cultivation family of the Profound Azure Sect, known for their expertise in cultivating spirit medicines and having a Body Integration cultivator among them.

"There was originally a thirty-thousand-year-old Ice Core Grass," Wang Yingjie said with a touch of regret, "but it was unfortunately exchanged by Reverend Ice Toad, a revered figure in the Liao family."

"You've been very thoughtful; acquiring three Millennial Ice Core Grasses is already a significant feat," Wang Qingxiao said, accepting the three jade boxes. "By the way, did anything interesting happen during your travels to the mainland?" He rarely left Green Lotus Island. The last time he did, during a mineral vein dispute, his soul was injured. It took him over a thousand years of recuperation after consuming a Millennial Purple Qiong Nightglow Grass to recover, and that was for a relatively minor injury. A severely damaged soul would be far more difficult to heal.

Wang Yingjie then began to recount his observations and share his experiences with Wang Qingxiao.

"The cultivation resources in the Xuan-Yang Realm are indeed richer than in the Dongli Realm, but the competition is also much fiercer," Wang Yingjie remarked, sighing. "Smaller factions live precariously, always on the brink of collapse. We heard numerous stories during our travels about minor forces provoking powerful enemies and being annihilated overnight. There are countless examples of clans and sects being wiped out across the Xuanling Continent. The Wang family faced similar perils in the Dongli Realm, with our stronghold once breached by enemies, though fortunately, we had contingencies."

"Exactly!" Liu Hongxue agreed. "Even forces with Void Refinement cultivators can be flourishing one day and annihilated by their enemies the next. What's worse, sometimes the perpetrators vanish without a trace after the attack." She emphasized that without the patronage of Zhenhai Palace, the Wang family's development in the Xuanling Continent would have been fraught with challenges. Provoking an insurmountable foe could lead to swift annihilation, making family rebuilding exceedingly difficult. She likened the situation to a food chain: "Big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp. Minor factions hold no sway and are merely like fish on a chopping block, vulnerable to anyone. Fortunately, the Wang family is currently thriving. Our marriage ties with the Long family, coupled with the backing of Zhenhai Palace, grant us a considerable voice among the human forces in the Xuanling Continent."

"Even forces with Void Refinement cultivators can be wiped out so easily?" Wang Qingxiao asked in surprise.

Wang Yingjie nodded. "Yes, exactly! The longer a faction develops, the more inevitable enemies it accrues, regardless of anyone's wishes. The Wang family has been established in the Xuan-Yang Realm for over nine millennia, and friction with other powers is unavoidable. Such conflicts lead to casualties, which in turn forge deep-seated enmities. While the Wang family remains powerful, these factions naturally wouldn't dare act. But if we were to decline, who knows what might happen." He continued, "With an increasing number of cultivators spread across various locations, it's like a vast forest with all sorts of birds; even the strictest family rules are sometimes insufficient. Some clan members might inadvertently form mortal enmities due to minor incidents or their low cultivation, without the clan elders ever knowing. Some members might not even realize they've made a sworn enemy, much less the family as a whole."

"Ultimately, strength is the foundation," Wang Qingxiao stated, then changed the subject with a perplexed expression. "By the way, do you keep a flood dragon? Why do I sense the aura of its kind?" He had refined the essence blood of a seventh-tier mid-grade ice flood dragon, which had significantly enhanced his bloodline and sharpened his sensitivity to kindred spirits.

"You must mean Wang Long!" Wang Yingjie said with a slight smile. A streak of crimson light shot forth, materializing before them as a powerfully built young man clad in blood-red robes. He bore a pair of coral-like crimson dragon horns on his head, crimson spiritual patterns adorned his arms, and his eyes were also crimson. This was Wang Long, a Dragon-Devouring Ant that had undergone human transformation after consuming a Spirit Awakening Pill. He was currently at the late stage of God Transformation, and assuming human form significantly increased his chances of advancing to the Void Refinement stage. For Wang Yingjie, who was merely a Void Refinement cultivator himself, possessing such a transformed spirit insect was unique within the Wang family, a feat largely attributable to Wang Changsheng having brought back the Seven-Star Jade Ganoderma.

"Wang Long greets Master," the crimson-clad youth said, bowing with a solemn expression.

"He's a flood dragon?" Wang Qingxiao asked, surprised.

"No, he transformed from a Dragon-Devouring Ant," Wang Yingjie explained. "He was able to take human form after consuming a Spirit Awakening Pill."

"A Dragon-Devouring Ant... a Spirit Awakening Pill!" Wang Qingxiao murmured, realizing the significance. He then recalled something else and cautioned, "Yingjie, do not let him appear in public easily. Possessing such a treasure without the power to protect it will only invite trouble."

Wang Yingjie, fully understanding the implications, readily agreed.

After chatting for the duration of a tea ceremony, Wang Qingxiao took his leave and returned to his residence to cultivate.

***

Golden Flood Dragon Island, over thirty thousand years ago, served as the lair of a sixth-tier golden flood dragon. It is now the ancestral home of the Golden Roc clan.

Several millennia ago, during a major racial war, the Golden Roc clan was coerced by the Essence Fire clan into fighting against the human race. Unable to defy the Essence Fire clan, the Golden Rocs attacked the humans, suffering devastating losses and even losing their ancestral home.

Under Jin Ao's leadership, the Golden Roc clan retreated to Golden Flood Dragon Island. After millennia of recuperation, the clan is slowly recovering its strength.

Within a sprawling estate, Jin Ao was conversing with a graceful young woman in a golden dress, who had a round face and large eyes.

The young woman in the golden dress was Jin Ling'er, a descendant of Jin Shuo, who had attained early-stage Body Integration cultivation.

Jin Shuo had numerous wives, concubines, and descendants. When the Golden Roc clan was defeated and retreated, many members were scattered. Jin Ling'er endured considerable hardship before finally returning to the clan.

With Jin Shuo's demise, the Golden Roc clan desperately needed to cultivate new successors. Jin Ling'er, a clan member specifically nurtured by Jin Ao, successfully advanced to the Body Integration stage.

"You haven't been in the Body Integration stage for long," Jin Ao advised with a solemn expression. "Cultivate diligently; the future of the Golden Roc clan rests on your shoulders."

"Ancestor, who exactly killed my father?" Jin Ling'er asked with a frown. Regardless of Jin Shuo's past promiscuity, he was still her father.

"I sent people to inquire from various sources, and it's highly probable that the Green Lotus Immortals were responsible," Jin Ao replied, his face contorted with murderous intent by the end of his statement. "This debt will be settled with them sooner or later."

There were rumors that Liu Yunlan killed Jin Shuo, but Jin Ao dismissed them.

After all, Jin Shuo was the young clan leader of the Golden Rocs. Liu Yunlan, hailing from the Liu family of Thousand Bamboo Island, was not particularly renowned. In a direct confrontation, she might not have been Jin Shuo's equal. More importantly, Liu Yunlan had not made an appearance for several millennia.

Jin Ao had previously suspected the Wang family, given that the Green Lotus Immortals also participated in the great war. However, at that time, the Wang family was comparatively weak and lacked many powerful experts.

Over the past few millennia, however, the Wang family's ranks of experts have swelled. While it's plausible that Zhenhai Palace's strong support led to an increase in Void Refinement cultivators, the successive advancement of *both* Green Lotus Immortals to the Body Integration stage is highly suspect.

It's understandable for the Wang family to produce one Body Integration cultivator with Zhenhai Palace's backing, but for two to emerge consecutively suggests an extraordinarily massive stroke of fortune. If the Green Lotus Immortals indeed killed Jin Shuo, then framed the Liu family to divert suspicion, and acquired Jin Shuo's valuable possessions, it would explain everything.

The Green Lotus Immortals' rapid advancement from the Void Refinement to the Body Integration stage in under ten millennia is an astonishing cultivation speed. If they acquired Jin Shuo's valuables, coupled with Zhenhai Palace's support, such a rapid progression would be perfectly logical.

Of course, Jin Ao possessed no concrete evidence.

He didn't require concrete proof; after all, the human race and the Golden Roc clan were mortal enemies with no hope of reconciliation. As it stood, the Wang family remained the prime suspect.

With both Green Lotus Immortals having advanced to the Body Integration stage, Jin Ao naturally wouldn't seek immediate confrontation with the Wang family. However, unlike the saying "A gentleman's revenge is not too late in ten years," Jin Ao was no gentleman; he was willing to wait not just a decade, but a millennium or even ten millennia.