Chapter 142: The Primeval True Spirit Family

Chapter 142: Ancient True Spirit Noble Families
Chapter 14: Nine Rivers Stir Up Waves, Fish and Dragons Leap; Six Ministries Cause Havoc, Immortals and Demons Go Wild (Part V)

Zhou Ziyuan's eyes flickered. After pondering for a moment, he said to the group, "Junior Brothers and Sisters, I shall be in seclusion at the Thunder Roc Pavilion for the next few days! All affairs of the Enlightenment Hall will have to trouble you all to look after."

Liu Ruoming and the others were slightly startled and said, "Senior Brother Zhou, are you truly going to the Thunder Roc Pavilion?"

Zhou Ziyuan waved his hand and said, "I have already made up my mind! Do not worry, Junior Brothers and Sisters!" With that, he turned and said to Ye Hua with a trace of apology, "Brother Ye, you may quietly recuperate in the Enlightenment Hall these next few days! I will be unable to accompany you, and I hope you will not take offense."

Ye Hua felt a secret sense of wonder in his heart. Although he did not know what Senior Brother Zhou's seclusion in the Thunder Roc Pavilion entailed, he figured it could not be smooth and easy. Judging from the expressions of the others, that Thunder Roc Pavilion might even carry a fair bit of danger! However, it was inconvenient to ask too many questions at the moment, so he smiled and nodded, saying, "Brother Zhou should go and meditate in peace! With all the senior brothers and sisters here to take care of me, you need not worry about me." Zhou Ziyuan nodded, exchanged a few more casual words of instruction with the group, and then hurriedly turned and left.

Seeing Zhou Ziyuan walk out and depart, Zhang let out a slight sigh, shook his head, and said, "These are truly turbulent times! Those Six Ministries of Beixi have always been rampant. In the past, although they frequently competed and fought in secret with our Sun-Moon Divine League, they had never made such a grand and blatant display! It seems they truly intend to vie for supremacy with the Sun-Moon Divine League."

Liu Ruoming's expression turned slightly worried as she said, "The Six Ministries of Beixi are bent on leading all sects in Jiujin City; how could they let slip this golden opportunity to make a great display of might? Precisely because of this, the Duan family of Beixi will undoubtedly stop at nothing to secure victory."

Zhang sighed, "Indeed. No matter who wins or loses, I imagine it will stir up quite a commotion throughout Jiujin City!"

A young man nearby said with indignation, "It's just that the arrogant and smug look on that surnamed Duan brat is truly repulsive! They say a tiger father has no dog sons, but who would have thought he'd turn out to be such a turtle's grandson!"

Another person laughed heartily, "That Marshal Duan is renowned as the Tiger of Beixi, yet he fathered such a cur of a son! The title of 'tiger father, dog son' really fits him securely. Haha!"

Upon second thought, the group realized: "The Six Ministries of Beixi are known for their Three Outstanding Families—the Duan family, the Tiger of Beixi; the Feng family, the Leopard of Beixi; and the Wang family, the Dragon of Beixi. Coincidentally, the Duan family is indeed the Tiger of Beixi! That is precisely the case." Thinking of this, they could not help bursting into hearty laughter!

After the laughter subsided, Zhang said to the group, "Since Brother Zhou has gone into seclusion at the Thunder Roc Pavilion, he must be going to enlist helpers! I wonder who it could be?! Enough to ensure this battle is foolproof."

Liu Ruoming shook her head, also wearing a slightly worried expression as she said, "That I do not know! For him to cast the 'Seven-Origin Tianji Dream-Transmitting Art' to convey messages only expends some mental energy; for Senior Brother Zhou, that is effortless. It is just that each time the 'Golden Light Earth-Traversal Formation' is deployed, it consumes a vast amount of vital blood. Senior Brother Zhou had best be extremely careful this time."

Hearing Liu Ruoming's words, Ye Hua finally understood dimly in his heart: "So Senior Brother Zhou is going into seclusion at the Thunder Roc Pavilion to employ secret arts and seek out helpers! Yet judging from everyone's words, it seems it will also consume a great deal of vital energy. Isn't this all because of me?! How… how can I ever bear such a heavy favor?" A sudden wave of sorrow and guilt welled up inside him.

Zhang looked up at the ceiling, pondered for a long moment, and suddenly said, "If he invites Senior Brother Shang from the Qili Sea Branch of the Sun-Moon Divine League, he originates from the Blazing Sun Cave of Mount Emei. With his mastery of the Sacred Accumulation Primal Skill, coupled with the Nine-Sun Divine Halberd, he is bound to be invincible among those of the same realm!"

A young man nearby sighed, "Indeed. His Sacred Accumulation Primal Skill originates from the *Classic of Purple-Golden Luminous Radiance Cultivation*, which is truly one of the top-tier, formidable techniques. However, he is currently far away in Yuzhou and probably won't be able to make it back in time. I think we'd better invite Senior Brother Tang of the Unique Dragon Clan; he just left Jiujin City a few days ago, so he shouldn't be too far away yet!"

Liu Ruoming furrowed her brows slightly. After pondering for a moment, she said, "Although the Sun-Moon Divine League has numerous strongholds around Jiujin, those cultivators with truly exceptional techniques and extraordinary prowess probably all have pressing duties. On the other hand, I heard that the two Jiang brothers, Jiang Hui and Jiang Chun, are currently at the Hundred Swords Studio on the Ziya River, merely a hundred or so li away from Jiujin! With the bloodline of their ancient true spirit noble family, they are likewise a match for almost anyone within the same realm."

Ye Hua could not help being secretly startled: "Ancient true spirit noble families?! Do descendants of such families still walk the earth today?! I have never heard of them at all?!"

Seeing Ye Hua's slight look of emotion, Liu Ruoming smiled faintly and said, "That Jiang family's lineage traces back to the ancient Divine Sheep bloodline! It is of a kind with the Dong family's Heavenly Dragon bloodline, the Feng family's Phoenix bloodline, and the Du family's Spirit Insect bloodline. I imagine Junior Brother Ye must have heard of them!"

Zhang laughed, "The characters 'Jiang', 'Feng', 'Dong', and even 'Du' are all derived from the ancient forms of 'sheep', 'phoenix', 'dragon', and 'insect'. Naturally, the dragon and phoenix bloodlines are wonderful, but the divine sheep bloodline is bound to be a tier lower—though still acceptable. As for the spirit insect bloodline—heh, I'd rather go without it, haha!"

Liu Ruoming could not help smiling faintly. "If Senior Brother Zhou heard you say that, he'd give you a harsh lesson. Even if just one of the Jiang brothers takes action, you'd still have to obediently capture yourself! How can you look down on someone from the Du family? I've heard that Daoist Du Shihu from the Minyue Jiaohuai Mountain Branch of the Sun-Moon Divine League originates from the Du family. Why don't you go debate it with him?"

Zhang clicked his tongue and laughed, "I was naturally just joking! Haha… ha! Even if you multiplied me by ten, I'm afraid I wouldn't be a match for Jiang Hui, Jiang Chun, and Du Shihu! Ha!" With an awkward expression, he turned to Ye Hua and said, "Brother Ye, the Sun-Moon Divine League absorbs cultivators from all over the world. Descendants of those families handed down from ancient times are exceedingly rare to see outside, yet the Sun-Moon Divine League has several. Brother Ye can cultivate closer ties with these friends in the future."

Liu Ruoming rolled her eyes at Zhang. "Those true spirit noble families possess astonishing innate physiques, with toughness far surpassing their peers! They are naturally talented individuals who nourish their origin through their bodies, but it's a pity every single one of them practices arts that are somewhat weird and uncanny, making them difficult to deal with. What do you mean by telling Senior Brother Ye to cultivate closer ties with them?"

Zhang immediately cried out in alarm, "Heaven and earth are my witness! I am utterly wronged! I harbor good intentions, and you… you truly measure a gentleman's belly with a petty person's heart! Oh, no, no! A petty woman's heart with a gentleman's belly! Master Confucius said, 'Only petty people and women are difficult to nurture.' From this, we can know that petty people and petty women are cut from the same cloth!"

Liu Ruoming could not help being both exasperated and amused, scolding, "Sigh! It seems when the brothers Jiang Chun and Jiang Hui arrive, I must relay your exact words to them!"

Hearing the mention of Master Confucius, Ye Hua instantly recalled his fierce battle at the Xuanwu Arena with Confucius's descendant Kong Mian, who claimed to be a seventy-fifth-generation descendant of the Kong family's Chunqiu Supreme Sage through his eighth branch! That Chunqiu Kong Sage was hailed as the Supreme Sage and Teacher, the Eternal Exemplar, possessing the sanctity of heavenly talent and the reputation of Heaven's Wooden Clapper. He had integrated the culmination of ancient Chinese Daoist cultivation, independently founded the Confucian school, and passed it down through the millennia!

He had seized a replica of their magical treasure, the "Tracing Map of Sages," and traded it at the "No. 1 Pavilion in the World, Raining Pavilion" in exchange for several bottles of Silver-Transforming Pills, Platinum Pills, Yellow Jade Pills, Heart Jade Pills, and Violet Gauze Pills—truly forging a mortal enmity. Originally, he had planned to head to Cold City once affairs in Jiujin City were settled, but heading to Cold City required passing through Jinan Prefecture and Spring City in Luzhou, which was the very foundation of the Kong school!

He had never considered this matter before, but now that he thought carefully about it, it was quite a troublesome affair. A slight frown furrowed his brow at the thought, but on second thought, no matter how powerful the Kong school was, there must still be paths to bypass Luzhou. He immediately turned and asked Zhang, "Senior Brother Zhang, I have a matter I wish to consult you about."

Zhang smiled and said, "Brother Ye, please go ahead and speak."

Ye Hua gave a bitter smile and said, "When I was in the Capital Region, I inadvertently made an enemy of a descendant of the Kong family! Once matters in Jiujin City are settled, I originally planned to rush to the Cold Capital. However, my journey requires passing through Luzhou, and I hear that Luzhou is the foundation of the Kong school?! I wonder what the details are?"

Zhang's expression instantly turned solemn. After pondering slightly, he said, "Ever since the Sage King Zhongni founded the Confucian school, its secret arts have spread throughout the world. Legend has it that the Kong school originally had four worthies, twelve philosophers, seventy-two sages, and three thousand disciples, and now they are scattered across the universe, wielding immense power! Jinan Prefecture in Qilu is precisely where the Kong school's power is rooted. Since Brother Ye has already forged a feud with the Kong school, you must ponder this carefully?!"

Liu Ruoming said with slight urgency, "That's right! Senior Brother Ye, past Jinan Prefecture lies Qufu, which is the very foundation of the Kong school. Mount Tai swallows Xihua, suppresses Nanheng, overrides Zhongsong, surpasses Beiheng, and stands as the foremost of the Five Great Mountains! Crowned as the 'Sole Revered Among the Five Great Mountains' due to its majestic momentum, it also enjoys the reputation of the 'First Famous Mountain Under Heaven,' and the Eastern March Ancestral Court Palace is built upon it! Senior Brother Ye, you…"

Zhang nodded and said, "Legend has it that Mount Tai was transformed by the ancient Primordial God Pangu! It is infinitely numinous, which is why historical records state: 'The heavens are so high they cannot be reached; therefore, one establishes a fengshui altar and sacrifices to them on Mount Tai, hoping to draw close to the divine spirits.' While this is naturally an ancient legend, one can still catch a glimpse of the numinous might of the Kong school's ancestral court. You had best make a detour, Brother Ye!"

A young man nearby laughed and said, "As the saying goes, a mighty dragon does not crush a local snake, and a good hero does not fight a rascal! Hehe, I think Brother Ye had best not go looking for trouble!" Upon hearing this, the group could not help bursting into laughter.

Hearing this, Ye Hua could not help feeling a wave of amusement and laughed, "Haha, how could I ever be considered a mighty dragon? Furthermore, if the Kong school can be considered a local snake and a rascal, then the All-Confluence Gate of the Six Ministries of Beixi are nothing more than a bunch of rascals too!"

Zhang smiled, "Brother Ye could indeed take the sea route! It's just that… just now the sea route is also somewhat dangerous and not entirely peaceful. I hear that the scattered remnants of the Ying demons have already drifted into the East Sea, ten thousand li east of Jiujin City. Running into them would also spell considerable trouble."

Liu Ruoming nodded and said, "The military situation in the Cold Capital is perilous right now, with millions of demonic soldiers and divine armies confronting one another. At present, countless sects, religions, and cultivators in the Divine Land are flocking there. It is truly a crisis at every step; a moment of carelessness leads to the obliteration of body and soul! For Senior Brother Ye to wish to go there alone now is simply too dangerous, far too dangerous! Senior Brother Ye, you had best… had best not go!" With that, she slowly shook her head, the gaze in her eyes softening to reveal a trace of entreaty.

Seeing Liu Ruoming's gentle and pleading expression, Ye Hua felt his heart beat a sudden, rapid rhythm. He hurriedly turned his head away, remaining tongue-tied and speechless for a long moment. After slightly calming his emotions, he thought to himself once more: "The more perilous the military situation in the Cold Capital, the greater the danger for Master, Senior Brother, Junior Sister Lingyun, and the others! True, I may not be able to help much, but to stand idly by and watch with folded arms… that is something I simply cannot do!

Calculating the time now, from the moment I began cultivating in the Ten Thousand Mustard Seed Sumeru Heaven, to falling into the Forget-Return Source, eliminating the skeleton monster, and narrowly escaping—altogether it has been no less than a hundred-odd days. Back then, the army of the Six Ministries of Beixi had already set out, and the war was on the verge of breaking out. Now it must be even more critical! I only wonder how Master, Senior Brother, Junior Sister, and the others are doing right now?! Is everything still well with them?"

Coming up in the next chapter:

Two robust men were seen walking in from afar. As they drew closer, it became clear they were both around thirty years of age, with eyes flashing with piercing light and fierce expressions. Both were stripped to the waist, with knotted muscles and thick, bristly black hair covering their chests. They wore leather trousers, with braids coiled atop their heads, and their entire bodies were greasy and glistening, as if smeared from head to toe with grease. Their arms were knotted with muscle, and as they reached out, their palms were huge and their fingers thick!