Chapter 943: 结婴(上)

Time flew by; a decade passed swiftly.

On Silver Serpent Island, the Wang family hosted a grand banquet in a spacious bluestone plaza. Today marked Wang Tianfu's hundredth birthday, as well as the full moon celebration for his nineteenth son. He had invited numerous guests and thrown a lavish feast, naturally with the intention of collecting more wealth. With not much of his lifespan remaining, he intended to enjoy himself to the fullest before his eventual demise.

“Fellow Daoists, Seniors, thank you for traveling thousands of miles to attend my hundredth birthday celebration,” Wang Tianfu announced. “I toast this cup of wine to all of you.”

Wang Tianfu raised his wine cup and drained it in one gulp.

“Daoist Wang, you are too kind,” one guest replied. “This is simply what we should do.”

“Precisely,” another chimed in. “You’re being too formal, Daoist Wang.”

Listening to the fawning words of the other cultivators, a look of triumph spread across Wang Tianfu's face. Despite being a five-spirit-root cultivator, he lived a more luxurious life than even Foundation Establishment cultivators, surrounded by wives and concubines, with five generations living under one roof. He felt he had truly lived a fulfilling life.

Suddenly, a fierce gale swept through, and the clear sky abruptly became heavily overcast with dark clouds, accompanied by flashes of lightning and rumbling thunder.

“This is a Core Formation Tribulation!” someone exclaimed. “The Wang family is about to gain another Core Formation cultivator!”

The guests present all looked on with envy. The smile on Wang Tianfu's face deepened as he proudly declared, “Haha, please don’t be surprised, everyone. What is Core Formation? It’s not at all unusual for our family to have Nascent Soul cultivators.”

No sooner had he spoken than fierce winds erupted everywhere. Multicolored spiritual light suddenly emerged in the void, dazzling and brilliant, as if fireworks were exploding. Spiritual energy from a hundred-mile radius surged towards a single direction, forming a gigantic vortex.

“This is… a Nascent Soul heavenly phenomenon!” exclaimed a knowledgeable Foundation Establishment cultivator. “Someone is attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul stage!”

Upon hearing this, the entire assembly was stunned.

A team of Wang family cultivators flew in from a distance, landing on the bluestone plaza. Wang Jiyun was leading them.

“No one is permitted to leave this area,” Wang Jiyun stated coldly, a hint of murderous intent in his eyes. “Violators will be severely punished without mercy.”

On a distant peak, Wang Qingling, Wang Mengbin, and Wang Qingqing stood in a stone pavilion at the summit, gazing tensely at a manor far below. Calculating the time, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan had been in seclusion for ten years, so it was not surprising that they had attracted the Nascent Soul heavenly phenomenon. Wang Qingqing was particularly nervous. This was only her second time witnessing someone attempt to form a Nascent Soul. The last time had been Fairy Ziyue; this time, however, it was her own parents, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

Above the manor, a vast amount of spiritual light gathered, slowly coalescing into a single mass. Half an hour later, a vast expanse of five-colored radiance, centered around Wang Changsheng's residence, stretched for five hundred miles. The sounds of howling winds and thunder intensified significantly, and the five-colored light surged violently, spreading in all directions.

RUMBLE!

A colossal thunderclap resonated, and the five-colored radiance condensed into an immense orb of five-colored spiritual light, brimming with abundant Five-Element spiritual energy.

Inside a secret chamber, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan sat cross-legged on their respective meditation mats. Their eyes were slightly closed, and their brows were subtly furrowed, as if they were encountering something unpleasant. At this moment, they were both undergoing their inner demon tribulations.

Wang Changsheng stood in a secluded courtyard, as two young children, a boy and a girl, ran circles around him. In a stone pavilion not far away, two women and a man sat together, chatting over tea.

“Father, Mother, Cousin,” Wang Changsheng began, confused, “how are you all here? Am I not on Silver Serpent Island?”

Wang Changsheng was slightly stunned.

“What Silver Serpent Island or Golden Serpent Island?” Liu Qing’er said, her tone reproving. “This is Green Lotus Mountain! You and Ningxiang are already married, and you still call her cousin?”

“It’s alright, Mother,” Zhao Ningxiang said with a smile, her gaze full of tenderness as she looked at Wang Changsheng. “Let my husband call me whatever he wishes; we are indeed cousins.”

Wang Changsheng frowned. In his youth, his parents had hoped he would marry Zhao Ningxiang to succeed as clan head and strengthen the ties between their two families. However, Zhao Ningxiang had higher aspirations; her heart was set on joining a cultivation sect. She had secretly gone to participate in the Immortal Ascension Assembly and joined Medicine King Valley.

“Ow!”

The little girl fell to the ground, scraping her arm badly. Blood flowed freely, and she immediately burst into loud sobs.

“Qingqing, what’s wrong? Get up quickly,” Zhao Ningxiang said. Zhao Ningxiang quickly stood up, hurried to the girl’s side, and helped her up.

“Qingqing?” Wang Changsheng murmured, then pointed to the boy. “What about him?”

“That’s Qingzhi!” Wang Mingyuan exclaimed, looking confused. “They are your children with Ningxiang. Qingqing is the elder sister, and Qingzhi is the younger brother. Don’t you even recognize your own children?”

“Father, play with me,” Wang Qingzhi said timidly, grabbing Wang Changsheng’s trousers. “I want to ride the little horse puppet beast.”

Wang Changsheng’s expression turned cold. “You think a mere illusion can deceive me?” he scoffed. Wang Qingzhi was usually quiet and reserved; if Wang Changsheng didn’t engage him, he would never speak up. As for Wang Qingqing, she was quite strong-willed, and crying because her arm was scraped was completely out of character for her. And Wang Mingyuan always presented himself as a strict father, never this gentle and amiable.

As he spoke, he felt dizzy and disoriented. A chorus of shouts and battle cries, faintly mixed with the cries of young children, echoed in his ears. He abruptly found himself outside a manor. Bodies lay strewn across the ground, clearly those of Wang family cultivators, and flames raged within the manor, reaching for the sky.

Wang Qingqing and Wang Qingzhi burst out of the manor, only for a flurry of green wind blades to pierce through their bodies. They collapsed into a pool of blood.

“Father, run!”

“Qingqing! Qingzhi!”

Wang Changsheng quickly ran over and caught Wang Mingyuan and Liu Qing’er. A team of Taiyi Immortal Sect disciples then rushed out, led by Wang Mingren.

“Changsheng, you condoned Uncle Twenty-One’s heinous actions, leading to the murder of Taiyi Immortal Sect disciples,” Wang Mingren declared. “I am here under orders to apprehend you all. Those who resist will be killed without mercy.”

“Are you insane? You bear the Wang surname too!” Wang Changsheng roared, his face contorted with grief and indignation.

“I do bear the Wang surname, but I am also a disciple of the Taiyi Immortal Sect!” Wang Mingren retorted. “You allowed Uncle Twenty-One to harm Uncle Liu’s disciples. I am putting justice above family ties and am ordered to apprehend you. If you know what’s good for you, come back with me willingly, submit to the law, and confess your crimes. Then, you might at least keep your body intact.”

A large blue net descended from the sky, enveloping Wang Mingren. Wang Ruyan then rushed out, shouting loudly:

“Husband, run!”

Wang Mingren opened his mouth and spat out a burst of golden flames, burning through the blue net. With a raise of his hand, a pair of gleaming red rings shot forth, piercing through Wang Ruyan’s body.

Wang Ruyan’s pupils constricted. Her body went limp, and she crumpled to the ground.

“Husband, run….”

Witnessing the murder of his wife, with whom he had shared both joys and sorrows, Wang Changsheng’s eyes turned blood-red. A powerful murderous intent surged into his mind. He immediately summoned his magical artifact and launched an attack at Wang Mingren.

“Bastard, I’ll kill you!”

With his wife and children seemingly slain before his eyes, Wang Changsheng was consumed by hatred and furiously fought Wang Mingren.

The golden amber jade Buddha pendant on Wang Changsheng’s chest suddenly emitted a burst of Buddhist chants, radiating multicolored light that enveloped him. Wang Changsheng’s complexion returned to normal. However, his brow soon furrowed once more, clearly indicating he was experiencing another inner demon.

A lit stick of sandalwood incense was placed beside Wang Ruyan. Her delicate eyebrows were tightly furrowed; she too was undergoing an inner demon tribulation.