After all the aftermath was settled, the Chen clan's search for demonic infiltrators resumed in an orderly fashion.No further incidents occurred.Half a month later, the grand inspection of Pingyang City was complete — not a single hidden demon remained.
Only in five surrounding towns did they uncover three minor fiends, all in the early or middle stages of Qi refinement.They were swiftly slain by the Chen cultivators without much effort.
When it was over, the Chen domain was cleansed of all demonic traces.Even the mortal population registry was re-verified — the clan's foundations secured once more.
Peace, at last.
The elders lingered only a day longer before returning to Qingyuan Mountain.After a few days' journey, the group arrived home, weary but triumphant.
Yet as they ascended the steps of the ancestral hall, they were met by Third Elder Chen Qinghao, whose expression was grim.
Seeing their puzzled looks, he forced a bitter smile.
"It's… Qingmeng."
His voice cracked.
In an instant, it was as though thunder split the clear sky.Faces turned pale; hearts sank.
Sixth Elder Chen Qingmeng, who had secluded himself in a death-closed cultivation to break through to the Foundation realm, had perished in his cave abode after a month of silence.
"By the time I sensed something was wrong," said Chen Qinghao quietly, "he had been gone for days.His meridians were ruptured, his blood and essence drained… the sight was—"He faltered, unable to finish.
Chen Nianzhi listened without a word.A deep ache welled up within him.
He had been reborn into this life and raised among these elders — they had treated him as kin.And yet, in just a few short years, one by one they had fallen: the aged Seventh Granduncle Chen Changqing, now the vigorous Sixth Elder Chen Qingmeng.Each had given their life to the road of cultivation, proving once again how cruel that road truly was.
He remembered Qingmeng's voice the day they last spoke:
"The path to immortality is long, and it is hard.If I fall along the way — and you have the strength — go and see what lies at its end for me."
Perhaps, even then, the old man had foreseen his own fate.And yet, he had chosen to fight the heavens anyway, chasing that one-in-ten-thousand chance to ascend.
Chen Nianzhi stood silently for a long while before whispering,
"Twenty-Sixth Uncle… I'll go see it for you."
The campaign against the demons had been meant to end in celebration.Instead, grief blanketed Qingyuan Mountain.Even the elders who had survived their battles could not summon the mood to rejoice.
When the funeral rites were done, the senior council gathered in the ancestral hall.
"Though the demonic threat is purged," announced the Third Elder solemnly,"we must not grow complacent. Henceforth, the inspection for demonic taint will be written into clan law."
By decree of the elder council, the Chen clan would henceforth conduct a full cleansing every three years — checking every mortal settlement for hidden demonic cultivators.A measure born of blood, to prevent history from repeating itself.
With that decided, matters finally drew to a close.Chen Nianzhi prepared to return to Lingzhou Lake, lest he miss the coming spring planting.
But as he made to leave, Chen Qinghao stopped him.
"The clan is short-handed these days — and your estate at Lingzhou needs people as well.We've just accepted five new children with spiritual roots. I'll assign two to you."
He turned and called,
"Xianling, Xianyan — come here."
Two children, a boy and a girl of six or seven, approached nervously, eyes wide and wary.
"From now on," the elder said gently, "you two will follow the Eighth Elder. Learn from him."
They bowed.
Chen Nianzhi recognized them immediately — the twin siblings he had rescued in Pingyuan Town months ago.They had since been tested for spiritual roots and entered the family registry, renamed Chen Xianyan and Chen Xianling.
By generation, they should have been of the Nian character line.But since Chen Nianzhi now held the title of clan elder, the council had decided to list them under the Xian generation instead — a subtle but deliberate gesture of respect.After all, if he one day led the clan, having protégés a generation below him would make command far smoother.
Chen Nianzhi understood the intention clearly.The twins were both dual-spiritual-root talents, bound to reach the ninth layer of Qi Refining at the least — perhaps even the Foundation stage with luck.Placing them under his tutelage was both trust and political investment: a way to strengthen his standing within the family.
He did not refuse.He had confidence in his own path toward Foundation Establishment, and in any case, teaching the young was a quiet joy amidst cultivation.
At dawn the next day, he departed Qingyuan Mountain with the twins, heading south toward Lingzhou Lake.
Two months had passed since he had last seen its tranquil waters.As the small ferry reached the heart of the lake, he heard a familiar cry from above —a flock of Violet-Plumed Spirit Geese, circling in greeting.
He smiled.
They had been raised for over two years, not yet fully grown, but already of Qi Refining strength — intelligent enough to understand his presence.
"Five or six years to reach adulthood," he murmured, watching their shimmering feathers,"and then they'll breed their next generation."
The spirit herbs he had planted before leaving were almost entirely eaten — the birds' doing, no doubt.But they looked healthy, thriving even.
He only laughed, harvesting what few spirit greens remained to feed them properly.
Spring came to Lingzhou.
For several days he labored in the fields, casting Rain of Spirit again and again to awaken the dry soil.Finally, the spirit rice was sown.
Peace returned to his days.Each morning he cultivated, refining his Qi of Primordial Chaos, tempering his body and spirit in preparation for the Foundation stage.Each evening, he taught the twin siblings their letters, their meridians, the locations of their acupoints —lessons every cultivator must master before true practice could begin.
The boy was lively, the girl quiet, but both were bright.In just weeks, they had learned what others might take months to grasp.
Chen Nianzhi watched them with quiet satisfaction.At this rate, he thought, by eight or nine years of age they would be ready to embark upon their own cultivation path —and perhaps, one day, they too would walk beneath the stars.