Ximen Changqing produced ten Foundation Establishment Pills at once, greatly exciting the family elders.
The family already had one, and now they had eleven—enough to cultivate seven or eight Foundation Establishment cultivators.
"Grandpa, I'm going into seclusion for several months. I won't come out until I break through to the Foundation Establishment stage,"
Ximen Changqing declared, determined to immediately begin his Foundation Establishment cultivation.
"Excellent! Grandpa has high hopes for you," Ximen Rende smiled, offering two Foundation Establishment Pills.
His grandson had made such a significant contribution; giving him two pills would increase his chances of success.
"Grandpa, no need, I still have some,"
Ximen Changqing smiled, indeed having two more Foundation Establishment Pills as a backup.
Hearing this, the elders smiled knowingly.
"This kid always likes to keep things to himself, how could he not keep a few for himself?"
"Why does all the good things happen to him? He's truly the lucky one of the Ximen family!"
"This is a blessing for the Ximen family."
"Changqing, go ahead and focus on your Foundation Establishment cultivation!"
The uncles looked relaxed, feeling a sense of pride.
After all, they possessed eleven Foundation Establishment Pills, and the family would soon produce a batch of Foundation Establishment experts, greatly increasing the family's foundation.
Ximen Changqing respectfully bowed to his elders, returned to his cave, and opened several restrictions.
He naturally wouldn't focus on his Foundation Establishment in his Qingyang Mountain cave; it would be too time-consuming. The Nine Heavens Space was the best place for him to focus on his Foundation Establishment.
After all, his goal wasn't just Foundation Establishment; he also needed to cultivate several supernatural abilities and techniques. Without utilizing the space, there wouldn't be enough time.
"So wonderful, so sweet."
Every time he entered the Nine Heavens Space, Ximen Changqing's mood would suddenly improve significantly.
The atmosphere and scenery of the space were far superior to the outside world, all thanks to Xiao Jin and Xiao Bing.
"Senior Xuanwu."
Ximen Changqing walked to the green mulberry tree and bowed to the old tortoise lying in the rocking chair.
"Hmph, you brat, where did you hide the Ice Jade Honey? I remember there was still half a bottle left."
"Senior has a good memory. However, this Ice Jade Honey is extremely precious and very useful to me. It cannot be drunk like spirit wine."
The primary function of Ice Jade Honey is detoxification and dispelling evil influences, but the old tortoise is neither poisonous nor evil, so drinking it would be a waste.
"Fine, if you don't want it, you don't have to. Have you returned to Qingyang Mountain?"
Ximen Changqing nodded, "I've been back for several days. Thanks to Senior's Spirit Vein Pearl, the family's spiritual vein has advanced,
and I, after absorbing the reciprocating spiritual energy, have reached the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining and am preparing to enter seclusion for Foundation Establishment."
"That's good news. Hurry up and establish your foundation; I'll protect you." A hint of joy appeared in the old tortoise's eyes.
It felt a sense of belonging to the Ximen family; even Ximen Potian's demise hadn't changed its Dao heart. It felt an inexplicable sense of closeness to Ximen Changqing.
Ximen Changqing sat cross-legged in the western cave, several hundred mid-grade spirit stones beside him.
Foundation Establishment was no joke; he had to be fully prepared.
A day later, Ximen Changqing began circulating the Breaking Heaven Technique, officially beginning his Foundation Establishment.
Foundation Establishment involves transforming the gaseous spiritual energy within a cultivator's dantian into liquid true essence.
This process carries inherent risks, but it's a necessary step in Foundation Establishment.
As the Heaven-Shattering Technique rapidly circulated, a surge of violent spiritual energy erupted from his dantian, even beginning to impact his meridians.
This was a dangerous sign; many cultivators were crippled because their meridians were severed by the violent spiritual energy.
"Heaven-Shattering Hammer, it's up to you now."
In an instant, the Heaven-Shattering Hammer emitted a dazzling golden light within his dantian, absorbing most of the violent spiritual energy.
A small amount of violent spiritual energy posed little threat to his meridians.
In fact, this energy could even expand his meridians, making them thicker and more resilient.
After the continuous impact of this small amount of violent spiritual energy, Ximen Changqing could clearly feel the changes occurring throughout his meridians.
This feeling was incredible; it was as if his entire body was filled with power.
Two days later, black sweat flowed from Ximen Changqing's body, emitting a faint stench.
His meridians underwent a transformative change after the sweat flowed out.
At the same time, his dantian space also changed. After two days of brewing, the Heaven-Breaking Hammer, which had been continuously absorbing the violent spiritual energy, began to expel pure liquefied true essence.
Spiritual energy liquefies into true essence; this is the sign of Foundation Establishment.
In other words, Ximen Changqing is now a Foundation Establishment cultivator; he has successfully established his foundation.
Of course, his cultivation is not yet stable; it needs at least seven or eight more days to stabilize before
any potential problems can be eliminated. Ten days later, when Ximen Changqing emerged from his secluded cultivation cave, he found that the Nine Heavens Space hadn't changed.
"Senior Xuanwu, I have successfully established my foundation, why hasn't the Nine Heavens Space expanded?" Ximen Changqing asked疑惑地问道.
The old tortoise chuckled, looking at the newly established Ximen Changqing with satisfaction.
"Changqing, go out first and refine the second layer of the Nine Heavens Pearl. When you come back in, the Nine Heavens Space will be very different."
Ximen Changqing nodded and with a thought, exited the Nine Heavens Space.
Ten days in the space were equivalent to only one day
outside .
He sat cross-legged and began refining the second layer of the Nine Heavens Pearl, completing it in half an hour.
Upon re-entering the Nine Heavens Space, Ximen Changqing was shocked; the space had undergone a significant change.
The ten acres of spirit fields have doubled to twenty acres, and the ponds have also increased to twenty acres. The number
of strong spirit-enhancing lands, each one zhang in circumference, has increased to two hundred, allowing for the planting of more spirit fruit trees.
The area of one hundred acres has increased tenfold, reaching the thousand-acre level.
Most importantly, the concentration of spiritual energy in the space has increased, equivalent to the concentration produced by a second-tier high-grade spirit vein.
Closing his eyes and sensing it, the rate of life force loss within his body slowed by twenty times; needless to say, the time acceleration was also twenty times.
The only drawback is that the newly added area is too vast and must be utilized as soon as possible.
The large number of petrifying gold ants under Xiao Jin's command will be quite busy these days.
"Changqing, I didn't lie to you, did I!"
The old tortoise walked over with a smile.
"Senior Xuanwu!"
"No need for formalities. You still need to continue to consolidate your cultivation. I'm bored and want to go for a walk." The old tortoise waved his hand with a smile.
"When will Senior return?"
"When it's time to return, I will definitely return."
Ximen Changqing didn't ask further, and with a thought, he left the Nine Heavens Space with the old tortoise.
At this time, the spiritual energy feedback from the advancement of the Qingyang Mountain spiritual vein had not yet ended, and the family's grand formation was in a closed state. The old tortoise left silently, without disturbing anyone.
Back in the Nine Heavens Space, Ximen Changqing continued his seclusion to consolidate his cultivation, a process that lasted for a month before his cultivation was completely stable.
Now, even if he were to fight against a Foundation Establishment cultivator, there would be no danger of his cultivation regressing.
What he urgently needed to do was to cultivate Foundation Establishment stage divine abilities and techniques to improve his strength.
Flying on a sword is the most basic supernatural ability for Foundation Establishment cultivators, and all Foundation Establishment cultivators possess it, so it should naturally be practiced first.
In addition, several important supernatural abilities and techniques attached to the second level of the Heaven-Breaking Technique should also be learned first.
Ximen Changqing possesses the low-grade spiritual weapon, the Xuan Yin Flying Sword, which is perfect for practicing flying on a sword
. The Nine Heavens Space now has a thousand acres of area, which is sufficient for practice.
Using the sword-flying incantation to circulate pure true essence, the Xuan Yin Flying Sword under his feet easily took flight, but due to insufficient control, he fell to the ground as soon as he reached mid-air.
He tried seven or eight times in a row, each time falling flat on his face, but gradually he grasped the knack.
Any supernatural ability or technique requires arduous training to master; enduring some hardship is normal.
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Three days later, Ximen Changqing had already mastered basic sword flight; at least, he wouldn't fall anymore.
A month later, he was basically proficient in sword flight, able to control his direction freely and accelerate and decelerate at will.
Of course, learning is endless, and there is still much room for improvement.
Ximen Changqing planned to seclude himself for three months during this Foundation Establishment stage, which would be five years within the Nine Heavens Pearl.
It seemed like plenty of time, but the Heaven-Breaking Technique came with too many supernatural abilities and spells, meaning he could only selectively practice a few at a time.
After all, he had many things to do, and each one required time.
The Fire Serpent Technique possessed both powerful offensive attributes and the ability to entangle and control.
The Fire Sea Technique had relatively weak offensive power but was a wide-range attack and could even be used as a defensive spell.
The Golden Bell Technique was a powerful metal-based defensive spell, essential for survival.
The "Rejuvenating Tree" spell is a healing magic, highly effective in treating external injuries and also effective against internal injuries.
Of these four spells, the "Rejuvenating Tree" spell is the one that surprised Ximen Changqing the most.
In the cultivation world, wood-based spells are numerous, but healing wood-based spells are extremely rare. Most cultivators, when injured, simply ingest healing pills.
At least, none of the five major sects of Yue Kingdom have been known to possess healing magic.
Of course, cultivating the "Rejuvenating Tree" spell is not easy; it requires a large amount of century-old spiritual herbs. Without sufficient financial resources, even possessing the technique is useless.
To cultivate this spell, one needs to refine the essence of wood within century-old spiritual herbs during the Foundation Establishment stage. The more essence refined, the better the spell's effect.
During the Core Formation stage, a large quantity of five-hundred-year-old spiritual herbs is required, naturally enhancing the spell's healing effects.
Ximen Changqing possesses the Nine Heavens Space, which is not lacking in century-old spiritual herbs; this "Rejuvenating Withered Wood" spell is practically tailor-made for him.
He cultivates all four spells simultaneously, practicing each for two and a half hours daily, using the remaining time to rest and recover his true energy.
After a year, all four spells reached a proficient level, allowing him to use them at will.
During this year, Ximen Changqing consumed over three hundred century-old spiritual herbs to cultivate the "Rejuvenating Withered Wood" spell. Each century-
old herb costs at least one hundred spirit stones, so over three hundred herbs are worth at least thirty thousand spirit stones.
Of course, for Ximen Changqing, this expenditure is negligible.
He still needs to continue practicing the four spells, but the practice time will be reduced by more than half; he will now focus on improving his four cultivation arts.
His weapon crafting skills had reached the second-tier low-grade, while his alchemy and talisman-making were only at the first-tier high-grade. His array formation skills were close to breaking through to
the second-tier low-grade. Just one month later, Ximen Changqing successfully advanced to the second-tier low-grade array master, largely thanks to the inspiration he gained from repairing damaged arrays in the secret realm .
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The beast tide and the secret realm trip yielded him a massive amount of demon beast corpses. The animal hides were perfect for crafting talisman paper.
Beast blood could be used to make talisman ink, and animal hair could be used to craft talisman pens.
Ximen Changqing had already advanced to the second-tier weapon crafting master, making second-tier animal hides effortless. In three months, he crafted over a thousand sheets of second-tier talisman paper.
He also crafted several second-tier low-grade talisman pens, and had more second-tier talisman ink than he could use.
Another year passed, and after careful practice, Ximen Changqing successfully drew a second-tier low-grade fire snake talisman, advancing to the second-tier low-grade talisman maker.
With abundant spiritual herbs in the space, and after practicing with a large number of first-grade high-level spiritual herbs, Ximen Changqing's mastery of alchemy became increasingly refined.
Within nine months, he successfully advanced to the second-grade low-level alchemist.
Thus, in just over three years in the space, Ximen Changqing had raised the level of all four arts of immortal cultivation to the second-grade level.
This level was entirely achieved through the investment of resources.
At this moment, Xiao Jin successfully advanced to become a second-tier spirit ant by consuming a large amount of second-tier spirit ore.
Xiao Han also fell into a deep sleep, and it is estimated that when she wakes up, she will also be a second-tier spirit silkworm.
Xiao Luan and Xiao Bing have slightly lower aptitude and show no signs of advancement.
In the past three years, thanks to the management of the spirit ants under Xiao Jin's command, the open space that had grown in the space has been utilized.
Abundant spirit flowers and herbs occupy half of the space's area, giving Xiao Bing's group a great opportunity for development.
The number of petrifying and gold-transforming ants under Xiao Jin's command has increased to five thousand, making the group even larger.
Even Xiao Tian has appeared in the space many times, but each time he stays for a short time, and his body is still a phantom, only clearer.
Having reached the second-tier level in all four arts of immortal cultivation, Ximen Changqing plans to refine a spirit weapon furnace, but before that, he must first refine the second layer of the Soul-Suppressing Pearl.
The first layer of the Soul-Suppressing Pearl gave him the Soul-Searching Skill, and the second layer must have a new skill.
After refining it, Ximen Changqing got his wish.
"Soul Strike."
This soul-manipulating spell requires 10% of one's divine sense to attack the enemy's soul.
The effectiveness depends on the strength of both parties' souls; it's most effective against cultivators with weaker souls.
Besides this soul-manipulating skill, there are three other pill formulas related to the soul: the Second-Order Soul-Returning Pill, the Soul-Tempering Pill, and the Soul-Nourishing Pill.
For Ximen Changqing, Soul Strike is a very practical spell, given his powerful soul.
At the ninth level of Qi Refining, his divine sense covered a range of two hundred zhang.
Now, his divine sense covered a terrifying six hundred zhang, comparable to the late Foundation Establishment stage.
After half a year, Ximen Changqing mastered Soul Strike, significantly improving his soul power.
The Second-Order Soul-Returning Pill's main ingredient is the soul of a second-order demon beast. Ximen Changqing had a considerable amount and refined it in three batches, producing fifteen pills.
In the last year or so, Ximen Changqing spent half his time refining artifacts, consuming vast amounts of materials to forge two low-grade spiritual artifact alchemy furnaces and one low-grade spiritual artifact refining furnace. He
also crafted three low-grade spiritual artifact talisman pens, each engraved with three second-tier restriction array diagrams.
Simultaneously, he refined thirteen low-grade offensive and defensive spiritual artifacts, including swords, shields, and even two needle-shaped spiritual artifacts.
As for magical artifacts, he refined even more, including three top-grade magical artifact alchemy furnaces and five top-grade magical artifact talisman pens.
Of course, the cost was enormous, depleting half of his spiritual material inventory.
After three months of seclusion, Ximen Changqing emerged on time. By then, the spiritual veins of Qingyang Mountain had stabilized.
The family cultivators who had been fortunate enough to absorb the spiritual energy from the veins and advance their cultivation levels had all improved significantly, with half of them breaking through a bottleneck.
Sang Xiaoyu and Ximen Changyu both advanced to the seventh level of Qi Refining, while Ximen Changfeng and Ximen Changge advanced to the ninth level.
Ximen Yunjin was even close to the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining and would likely reach Foundation Establishment in one or two years.
What surprised him most was that his third uncle, Ximen Renshan, had successfully reached Foundation Establishment and was currently consolidating his cultivation.
As one of the family's two Qi Refining Grand Perfection cultivators, Ximen Renshan had reached the peak of the ninth level forty years ago.
Lacking Foundation Establishment Pills, he had to abandon Foundation Establishment and, after thirty years of painstaking effort, finally reached the Grand Perfection realm.
Although old age and insufficient blood and energy reduced the success rate of Foundation Establishment, the Grand Perfection realm could increase the success rate by 10%.
"Changqing, you've emerged from seclusion so quickly. Why didn't you consolidate your cultivation?"
Ximen Rende, sensing the Foundation Establishment aura emanating from his grandson, spoke with concern.
"Grandpa, my cultivation has stabilized."
"Good, truly my good grandson, my good grandson."
Ximen Rende was somewhat excited; how could he not be excited when members of the family had consecutively achieved Foundation Establishment?
"Grandpa, have all the uncles also entered Foundation Establishment cultivation?"
Ximen Rende nodded: "Your third uncle has successfully established his foundation, while your second, fifth, sixth, and seventh uncles are still in seclusion, striving for breakthroughs."
These elders had made immense contributions to the Ximen family, each possessing over 100,000 family contribution points.
To increase their chances of success, the five of them divided up all the Foundation Establishment Pills, with Ximen Renzhi taking three.
"Grandpa, a spiritual energy vortex!"
"It's your second uncle; he's also successfully established his foundation! What a great fortune for the Ximen family!"
Ximen Rende couldn't stop smiling.
The family's development was severely hampered by a lack of Foundation Establishment cultivators, which had prevented the family from expanding its businesses.
Despite the vast Yunjian Workshop, the family only dared to deal in first-tier magical artifacts, and he, as the patriarch, had to personally deliver them each time.
"Big brother, second brother has successfully established his foundation." Sensing the commotion, Ximen Renshan stepped out of his secluded cave.
"Hey, Changqing's reached Foundation Establishment too."
Ximen Changqing grinned. "Third Uncle, congratulations on your Foundation Establishment! Your grand-nephew has prepared a grand gift for you."
He then took out a low-grade spiritual artifact pill furnace, a gift from the old tortoise, similar in value to the low-grade spiritual artifact pill furnace he had crafted himself.
"A low-grade spiritual artifact pill furnace, you've struck it rich!"
Ximen Renshan accepted it without hesitation, carefully examining it with excitement in his eyes.
Compared to magic weapons, pill furnaces are a whole realm more valuable; a low-grade spiritual artifact pill furnace is comparable to a low-grade magic treasure, priced around 100,000 spirit stones.
Previously, Ximen Renshan had always used a mid-grade magic artifact pill furnace, which wasn't very effective and severely hampered his alchemy skills.
Now, with the spiritual artifact pill furnace, his confidence in advancing to the second-tier alchemist was much stronger.
If he successfully advanced to the second-tier alchemist, that little girl Sang Xiaoyu wouldn't be able to catch up to him in a short time, finally allowing him to regain some face.
"Changqing, this alchemy furnace is quite old, at least nine hundred years old."
Ximen Renshan, as expected of an experienced alchemist, immediately recognized the furnace's age.
"Third Uncle, this was given to me by Senior Xuanwu. It's been the Ximen family's alchemy furnace for hundreds of years."
"Changqing, why doesn't Senior Xuanwu meet with us? What is its attitude towards the Ximen family?" Ximen Rende asked.
"Grandpa, don't worry! Senior Xuanwu doesn't like being restrained and has gone traveling. Who knows when it might suddenly appear at Qingyang Mountain? It would never harm the Ximen family."
Ximen Changqing said earnestly.
"That's good." Ximen Rende breathed a sigh of relief.
With the powerful ancestral spirit beast, the Ximen family's safety was more assured.
"Changqing, Third Uncle owes you a favor."
Ximen Renshan hurriedly returned to his cave. With the spirit furnace in hand, he couldn't resist refining a few batches of pills.
"Grandpa, I'll go out for a stroll too."
Now that he had learned to fly on a sword, he naturally wanted to experience what it felt like to soar through the sky.
Riding on the Xuan Yin Flying Sword, Ximen Changqing flew steadily and skillfully, his turns and accelerations flawless.
"Huh, when did Changqing learn sword flight? He's so proficient already. Is it a talent?"
Ximen Rende's brows furrowed; this grandson had brought him too many surprises and doubts.
Ximen Changqing, soaring through the sky, was extremely excited; the feeling of flying on his sword was exhilarating.
Although it consumed the true essence in his dantian, his true essence was much more abundant than that of ordinary cultivators, and he recovered quickly.
"Let's go check on Qingyangfang and the Fox Demon Cave. The advancement of the spiritual veins will definitely cause changes."
Ximen Changqing flew on his sword, first heading to Qingyangfang, circling around it a few times.
The spiritual veins of Qingyangfang had risen considerably, appearing even more majestic.
"The Fox Demon Cave is underground; I wonder what it will be like?"
Ximen Changqing accelerated his sword flight, arriving above the Fox Demon Cave, but nothing unusual had occurred.
"It's hidden well; that's good, it won't be easily discovered by outsiders."
Following a hidden cave, Ximen Changqing entered the passageway of the Fox Demon Cave.
"Activate the formation; I am Ximen Changqing."
Soon, Ximen Yunsong, who was stationed at the Fox Demon Cave, personally emerged.
"Changqing, you've already reached the Foundation Establishment stage?"
Ximen Yunsong seemed quite surprised, not expecting his nephew to have achieved this so quickly.
"Second Uncle, how did you get injured? And quite badly."
Ximen Yunsong said with a wry smile, "It's because I was greedy and went hunting demonic beasts near Jiguanshan. I was discovered by some evil cultivators."
"It's those evil cultivators from Jiguanshan again. These guys must be wiped out completely. Let them live for another six months."
At this moment, several elders were breaking through, and the Ximen family shouldn't cause trouble. Once the elders successfully reached the Foundation Establishment stage and stabilized their cultivation, the good days for the evil cultivators from Jiguanshan would be over.
"Changqing, I'm fine. It's just external injuries. I'll recover in three to five months." Ximen Yunsong didn't care at all.
Entering the Fox Demon Cave, the concentration of spiritual energy inside had clearly increased significantly, while the area remained two miles in circumference.
The spirit herb garden had increased to one hundred acres, even more than Qingyang Mountain, after all, there was a spirit river with abundant spiritual energy here.
Qingyang Mountain also had to take care of several hundred acres of spirit fields, as well as the normal cultivation of a large number of clansmen.
Previously, the Fox Demon Cave only contained mid-grade first-tier Black Cloth Grass and Tengluo Flower, but now it is planted with a considerable number of high-grade first-tier spiritual herbs, and even a small number of second-tier spiritual herbs.
Within the ten-acre cave, the production of spiritual spring water has significantly increased, forming the basis for the expansion of the spiritual herb garden.
More than twenty cave dwellings have been built within the cave for the clansmen stationed there.
Ximen Yunsong resides in the largest cave dwelling, which is a full half-acre in size.
"Second Uncle, let your nephew heal your wounds."
With only the two of them in the cave, how could Ximen Changqing stand by and watch his second uncle be injured without offering any help?
Ximen Changqing had mastered the "Rejuvenation of Withered Trees" spell to a high level, and had even tried it on his own arm with good results.
Now, Ximen Yunsong's external injury was quite severe, so it was a good opportunity to test the " Rejuvenation of Withered Trees" spell on this type of injury.
After circulating the spell, green mist appeared in Ximen Changqing's palm, which he then channeled into Ximen Yunsong's wound.
"Changqing, what is this?"
Ximen Yunsong looked at the green mist in surprise, somewhat bewildered. "Second Uncle, this is a healing spell I've practiced. Don't be nervous." Ximen Changqing continued circulating the spell, streams of green mist continuously entering the wounds. Nourished by this green mist, Ximen Yunsong was astonished to find that the large wound on his arm was slowly closing. The wound was eventually completely healed, leaving not even a scar. "Changqing, your spell is even better than a second-grade high-quality healing pill. Could you teach your second uncle?" Ximen Yunsong asked with some envy. The spell's effect was indeed too strong; he had never heard of such a spell in the cultivation world. "Second Uncle, only I can cultivate this spell, and besides, you don't have a wood spirit root." "Alas, what a pity." Ximen Yunsong's eyes showed some disappointment. "Second Uncle, none of the five major sects possess this spell; it cannot be passed on to outsiders." "Don't worry, your second uncle won't tell anyone." Ximen Changqing had absolute trust in his second uncle, who was one of his closest elders. "Your second uncle has advanced to the ninth level of Qi Refining for three years now! He's almost ready to establish his foundation." Ximen Yunsong said frankly, "I could have established my foundation half a year ago. However, the family's Foundation Establishment Pills are for your fourth uncle; his aptitude is better than mine." Clearly, he had been recuperating in the fox demon cave and was unaware of the ten Foundation Establishment Pills. "Second Uncle, don't be discouraged. Once your uncles emerge from seclusion, you'll be able to establish your foundation." Ximen Changqing briefly recounted the whole story. Although his uncles had divided up all the Foundation Establishment Pills, they certainly wouldn't use them all.
Preparing an extra pill was just in case; if one pill failed to establish the foundation, a second one would be taken to ensure success.
Ximen Yunsong was very excited; not many family cultivators had reached the foundation-establishment requirement.
Those elderly members of the collateral branches were definitely not considered, and even among the direct descendants with good aptitude, only a few had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, and most had only recently.
There wasn't a single family cultivator who could compete with Ximen Yunsong right now.
"Changqing, thank you so much. Second Uncle's injuries are completely healed."
Ximen Changqing was also very happy, nodding and saying, "Second Uncle, since both uncles successfully established their foundations, they definitely haven't used up all their foundation-establishment pills. You can go ask Grandpa." "
Alright, Second Uncle will return to the mountain gate now."
Ximen Yunsong didn't want to wait a moment longer; he was full of confidence in his foundation-establishment.
Ximen Changqing didn't go back with him; he flew eastward on his sword, heading straight for Jiguanshan.
To avoid revealing his identity, he also wore the Forbidden God Mask, disguising himself as a rogue cultivator.
My second uncle went hunting at Jiguanshan and was so badly injured by evil cultivators. How could he not vent his anger by killing a few of them?
Of course, killing a few evil cultivators was secondary; the main purpose was to scout the terrain and formulate a plan to eradicate the evil cultivators of Jiguanshan.
In Ximen Changqing's plan, Jiguanshan, this malignant tumor, had to be removed; otherwise, the family's rise would be impossible.
For the family to become great again, it must expand its industries, ensuring that the family's industries matched the cultivation level of its members.
The strength of the family's cultivators should correspond to the amount of supporting industries; otherwise, it wouldn't seem abrupt or arouse suspicion.
The lessons of the past were profound enough: when the strength of the family members far exceeded what the family's industries could support, even a fool would know that the family possessed extraordinary treasures.
Of course, besides expanding industries, a degree of discretion was also necessary; the more discretion, the safer.
The Ximen family's first target for industrial expansion was Linhaifang, which was close to the East Sea, facilitating the family's future development of the East Sea, and not too far from Qingyangfang.
However, between the two markets lies Jiguanshan Mountain, where evil cultivators have blocked the trade route and hindered the Ximen family's path to revival.
"These evil cultivators who are hindering the Ximen family's development must be eliminated."
In Ximen Changqing's view, how could the Ximen family's path to revival be blocked by mere evil cultivators from Jiguanshan Mountain?
The heretical cultivators were blocking the Ximen family's path to revival and had to be eliminated.
Half a day later, Ximen Changqing arrived at the outskirts of Jiguanshan Mountain. To avoid being discovered by the five Foundation Establishment heretical cultivators on the mountain, he stopped flying on his sword.
At the same time, he suppressed his cultivation to the eighth level of Qi Refining.
The spiritual vein where Jiguanshan Mountain was located was a mid-grade second-tier spiritual vein, which could easily support more than a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators.
There were only five Foundation Establishment cultivators here, but more than five hundred Qi Refining cultivators, more than one hundred of whom were in the late stage of Qi Refining, and the rest were in the middle stage
of Qi Refining. There were no Qi Refining novices at the early stage. The heretical cultivators mainly came from independent cultivators who lacked cultivation resources. They banded together to rob, as this gave them a higher success rate than acting alone.
Some were originally family cultivators, but their families were destroyed, and they joined the heretical cultivator gangs when they had nowhere else to turn.
These heretical cultivators were also banding together for survival in order to achieve the path of cultivation, but Ximen Changqing had no sympathy for them.
After all, eliminating them was also for the revival of the Ximen family, and their existence blocked the Ximen family's path.
Monsters generally have a sense of territory, and so do these evil cultivators from Jiguanshan. They ruthlessly rob any strangers who enter Jiguanshan,
regardless of whether the person is just passing through or not.
At this moment, Ximen Changqing's appearance has already attracted the attention of several evil cultivators.
"Fifth brother, this fat sheep is mine."
"Why? Finders get a share."
"Third brother, fifth brother, if you dawdle any longer, the fat sheep will escape! Let's all attack together!"
"Big brother is right, let's attack together!"
Three evil cultivators excitedly rushed out, the leader being a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator, and the other two being seventh-level Qi Refining cultivators.
Having only recently arrived at Jiguanshan, they were already being robbed, and Ximen Changqing was equally excited.
"Hand over all your valuables, and I might spare your life if I'm pleased."
The ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator gave a wink, signaling his two companions to flank him from both sides.
Ximen Changqing smiled coldly, looking at the leader of the evil cultivators.
"Soul Strike!"
A soul attack mercilessly struck the soul of the ninth-level Qi Refining evil cultivator.
"Ah..."
The evil cultivator screamed in agony, writhing on the ground in excruciating pain, startling the other two evil cultivators.
Ximen Changqing's soul was comparable to the late Foundation Establishment stage; how could the soul of a mere Qi Refining cultivator withstand his attack?
"Your turn, Fire Serpent Technique!"
A blazing fire serpent lunged at a seventh-level Qi Refining evil cultivator, binding him tightly.
The intense flames burned his body, emitting the smell of burnt meat and accompanied by a terrifying hiss.
Unable to break free of the fire serpent, the evil cultivator was quickly reduced to a pile of broken bones.
Ximen Changqing entered the Foundation Establishment stage, his strength greatly increased, and even a casual strike was beyond the reach of any Qi Refining evil cultivator.
The ninth-level Qi Refining evil cultivator was still rolling and howling in pain, probably not even remembering his own name, while the evil cultivator entangled by the Fire Serpent Technique was reduced to a pile of broken bones.
"Damn it, it's a Foundation Establishment cultivator."
The last evil cultivator tried to escape, but it was too late.
"Fire Sea Technique."
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The wide-range fire sea attack covered an area of fifty feet in radius. The evil cultivator was trapped in the sea of fire, unable to open his eyes, and couldn't even figure out which direction to escape to.
The first-grade high-quality water shield talisman only lasted for a moment before being broken through by the scorching fire sea.
"Senior, spare me! Spare me!"
the evil cultivator cried out helplessly.
Ximen Changqing sneered and entered the sea of fire, beginning his soul-searching attack on the evil cultivator.
"What a small world! So it was you three who injured my second uncle. Die!"
His Xuan Yin Flying Sword severed the evil cultivator's head, and Ximen Changqing unleashed another Fire Serpent Technique, burning the ninth-level Qi Refining evil cultivator to a pile of bones.
The commotion was quite loud, so he used an Earth Escape Technique to quietly leave, leaving no trace.
Soon after, the evil cultivators who had witnessed the commotion surged over, even Xiong Jinlang, a third-level Foundation Establishment cultivator, arrived.
"Four Great Kings, judging from the marks, the other party should be a Foundation Establishment cultivator."
"What kind of grudge could they have to burn even bones to pieces?"
The group of evil cultivators had investigated for a long time without finding any information about the culprit, so why would Ximen Changqing leave them any clues?
At this moment, he directly disguised himself as the ninth-level Qi Refining evil cultivator and moved closer to Jiguanshan.
For the next three months, Ximen Changqing wandered around Jiguanshan disguised as an evil cultivator.
Not only did they conduct a detailed reconnaissance of the terrain, but they also ingratiated themselves with the evil cultivators to gather more intelligence, which was invaluable for annihilating Chicken Crest Mountain.
During these three months, Ximen Yunsong also went into seclusion.
Ximen Renshan and Ximen Renzhi each had one Foundation Establishment Pill left; with these two pills, Ximen Yunsong's situation was basically secure.
In addition, Ximen Renhou successfully advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage after consuming two Foundation Establishment Pills, while Ximen Renzheng and Ximen Rendao each succeeded after consuming one.
All three are currently in seclusion to consolidate their cultivation. The remaining two Foundation Establishment Pills are being kept by Ximen Rende, as no clansman is currently suitable for Foundation Establishment.
Meanwhile, after several months of travel, Ximen Yunfei and Ximen Yunying finally returned to Qingyang County. Ximen Yunfei had already achieved Foundation Establishment.
He had succeeded using only Black Profound Stones, and the Foundation Establishment Pill was given to Ximen Yunying.
Since they were nominally dead, the siblings dared not show themselves on Qingyang Mountain and temporarily traveled to Jinyang County in the south as independent cultivators.
Chicken Neck Ridge in Jinyang County was once the spiritual mountain of the Song family. After the Song family's destruction, it was occupied by a group of independent cultivators.
Later, it was seized by even stronger independent cultivators, thus triggering a chaotic situation that lasted for more than ten years.
It's not that the independent cultivators were disunited; Chicken Neck Ridge only had a second-tier low-grade spiritual vein, which couldn't support too many Foundation Establishment independent cultivators, so they had to fight for it.
The siblings Ximen Yunfei and Ximen Yunying joined a group of independent cultivators. This group only had three Foundation Establishment cultivators, and Ximen Yunfei's joining was a timely help.
Of course, at this time, Ximen Yunfei dared not use his real name; he used the alias Chu Feiyun, and Ximen Yunying used the alias Chu Feiying.
On their way back from Xianyuan City, they had traveled with a Foundation Establishment cultivator surnamed Chu. When they fought against an evil cultivator blocking their path, the Chu cultivator perished along with the evil cultivator.
The siblings were moved by the Chu cultivator's righteousness and simply changed their surname to Chu, since they were certain they would change it anyway.
At this point, the Ximen family had a terrifying eleven Foundation Establishment cultivators: six from the Ren generation, two from the Yun generation, two from the Chang generation, and their ancestor Ximen Cangjian.
If Ximen Yunsong successfully established his Foundation Establishment, that would be twelve.
Looking at the entire Cangzhou, this strength was enough to be proud of.
Of course, the Ximen family would not reveal all these Foundation Establishment clansmen at once; some clansmen were destined to become hidden trump cards.
Ximen Yunfei was the first. Ximen Renhou was a spirit plant cultivator who had long guarded the fox demon cave, rarely interacting with outsiders, making it easy for him to conceal his cultivation.
Ximen Renshan was an alchemist, similarly needing not to reveal his cultivation, at least not for the time being.
Just as the Ximen family was experiencing a surge in Foundation Establishment cultivators, the five major sects also achieved considerable success in screening their disciples.
Each sect uncovered nearly ten hidden spies from the Immortal Zombie Sect, dealing a heavy blow to the Immortal Zombie Sect hiding in the shadows.
However, the Immortal Zombie Sect showed no signs of retaliation, leaving the five major sects feeling like they were punching cotton.
They couldn't uncover anything from the captured spies, not even a single Immortal Zombie Sect leader.
They were also unaware that the Immortal Zombie Sect's patriarch desperately needed the Thousand-Year Mystic Ice Grass and Soul-Forging Fruit; the loss of a few spies was insignificant.
In a cave dwelling on Cloud Sword Mountain, Wu Xuanzhi smiled; he had successfully established his foundation.
During the secret realm expedition, he had made great contributions to the sect, and as an elite disciple, the sect naturally wouldn't treat him unfairly.
After successfully establishing his foundation, Wu Xuanzhi couldn't wait to use all his sect contribution points, even borrowing some from friends, to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill.
His fellow disciples were just about to congratulate him when he had already returned to his family's spiritual mountain.
"What?! You actually want to use a Foundation Establishment Pill to marry a little girl? What kind of heavenly beauty is worth a Foundation Establishment Pill? No way!" In
the Wu family ancestral hall of Yanggu Mountain, the patriarch Wu Guohua was furious.
The family's prodigy returned with a Foundation Establishment Pill, initially overjoyed, but little did he expect it to be a betrothal gift.
"Clan leader, in the Immortal Herb Secret Realm, if it weren't for the care of the young lady from the Pan family, I would have perished. Using a Foundation Establishment Pill to marry her is definitely worthwhile,"
Wu Xuan said calmly, showing no fear of the clan leader.
"I have no objection to you marrying a female cultivator from the Pan family, but the betrothal gift doesn't need to be a Foundation Establishment Pill. Twenty or thirty thousand cultivation resources will suffice,"
Wu Guohua began, using a softer approach, his aim being to obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill.
The Wu family didn't have many Foundation Establishment cultivators; originally, there were only him and the Great Elder. Even after the Great Beast Tide ended, and the Great Elder's son, Wu Zhengjiang, achieved Foundation Establishment, there were only three of them.
"The Pan family girl is outstanding, isn't she worth a Foundation Establishment Pill?"
"You little brat, you've got a screw loose..."
...
"I exchanged the Foundation Establishment Pill myself, I have the right to decide how to use it."
"Fine, I want to see for myself what kind of stunning beauty the Pan family has produced that could bewitch you like this."
Wu Guohua was furious and turned to leave.
The conversation ended unhappily, but Wu Xuanzhi had achieved his goal.
A few days later, a livid Wu Guohua, along with Wu Xuanzhi, flew on their swords towards Golden Lotus Mountain.