Nanzhou, Nine Dragon Mountains.

Although this place is called the Nine Dragon Mountains, a renowned name, there are actually no settlements within a radius of over a hundred miles, let alone clans or sects stationed here.

This is because the Yuan Qi here is almost non-existent.

Martial artists who have reached the Naqi stage need to come into contact with the Yuan Qi of heaven and earth, otherwise, their cultivation will be extremely difficult, so naturally, they will not settle down here.

It got its name because there are nine mountain peaks within the mountain range that resemble true dragons. Hundreds of years ago, a former Chu official who was famous but unlucky in his career left half a line of poetry.

Nine dragons swallow the sun and moon, attaining power and ascending to the clouds!

What no one knows is that this place is the real base of the former Chu royal family, the Xiang family.

As early as when the Great Chu Dynasty showed signs of decline, and the world was turbulent with the Sima family watching covetously, the Xiang family's immortal preemptively made preparations here.

They left behind several true immortal formations, including killing formations and formations to conceal the secrets of heaven, which were constructed at great cost by the former Chu royal family.

The reason why the Yuan Qi within a hundred miles is so thin is that it is being used to supply the consumption of the formations.

The former Chu Xiang family left behind a lot of heritage, which allowed the Xiang royal family who escaped to have a chance to rise again. This place is very mysterious, and except for the Xiang family itself, even the most trusted 'outsiders' cannot be informed.

Having seen the example of the Sima family, the Xiang family trusts no one but their own. Therefore, even though the Chen family was loyal to the country and almost the entire clan was exterminated by the Sima family, Chen Huaiyi did not know that the Xiang family was hidden in the Nine Dragon Mountains.

The main reason for choosing this place is that it is relatively far from the Central Plains, adjacent to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains of Southern Border. Even if someone finds this place, there will be a chance to escape.

The nine dragon-shaped mountain ranges are not chaotic; in fact, the nine intricate dragon-shaped mountain ranges can roughly be seen as a circle.

It can also be called the Nine Dragons Arching the Moon formation.

Of course, this was also the method of a certain immortal of the Xiang family. In the center surrounded by the nine dragons is the entrance to the Xiang family's secret realm.

Inside the secret realm.

Nearly ten thousand Xiang family members live and multiply here. Some sit on the mountain peaks absorbing the Yuan Qi of heaven and earth, some find a secluded place to practice martial arts, and hundreds of people in black armor stand guard like sculptures in a large hall in the center of the secret realm.

If anyone were here, they would be shocked because these people are all Dan Realm Grandmasters, without exception. This is definitely a very big news.

Because the Dan Realm Grandmaster is already a strong person in the upper three realms, who can establish a sect and dominate a prefecture, and even become a Golden Envoy of the imperial court, governing one side.

But here, they are just guards.

However, these hundreds of people did not rely on their own cultivation to reach this level. Even though they are Xiang family members, their divine blood is basically diluted, and they do not have such high talents.

In fact, they were piled up by the Xiang family with a lot of resources and various means to become Grandmasters.

Roughly equivalent to the Blood Pills of the Wusheng Sect, hopeless for a Solid Core in this lifetime.

But even so, their strength is still very terrifying. If they form a large formation, they can fight a True Lord. If there is a Huayang True Person as the formation eye, they can even unleash very terrifying power.

The Xiang family members who escaped originally could not have been so many. In fact, the reason why there are nearly ten thousand people here, in addition to more than two hundred years of breeding, there are also many people who are not from the Xiang family.

Without exception, these people are women!

They are all women selected from the various forces of the Xiang family distributed in the Jianghu, all of whom are very excellent, including daughters of noble families, Jianghu heroines, orphans who have lost both parents, and even those who were once famous in a county or prefecture.

Unfortunately, in the Xiang family's secret realm, most of them are breeding machines.

Except for a few who can stand out and be trusted, most of the others live a repetitive life every day. Although they have no worries about food and clothing, they can never leave this place for half a step in their lives.

Marrying a Xiang family man and breeding more men is their only task.

Of course, some people are happy to do so. The Xiang family only needs two men at a minimum. In addition to that, they will receive a lot of rewards for each additional child they bear.

During pregnancy, they will be treated with various precious medicinal materials in order to give birth to clansmen with good potential as much as possible.

Facts have proved that spending such a huge cost is very effective. The qualifications of most newborns are very excellent, and even peerless geniuses like Chen Yuan and Xiang Lingtian have been born.

Of course, it is also related to their fathers.

Xiang Qianqiu's aptitude was already outstanding. With the enormous cost, Chen Yuan, who was born, was naturally very terrifying, but he seemed very ordinary at the beginning because the Xiang family's divine blood was not activated.

Later, whether Chen Yuan cultivated Qi or his body, even without various opportunities, he was no weaker than anyone else in the world. Those opportunities only accelerated his cultivation.

The Xiang family's secret realm is very large. After all, it was the heritage of a true dynasty. Even compared with the Immortal Sect, it is not weak at all, and even has the upper hand.

Within this secret realm, a Yuan Crystal mine was created by manpower, several times larger than the outside world. It can be said that the Xiang family's clansmen have very good conditions in all aspects except that they cannot enter and leave at will.

In the center of the secret realm is a palace building complex, where the core members of the Xiang family live, either the family members of the Huayang True Person, or the Xiang family members and their family members with very good talents.

It is almost equivalent to a small palace.

There are special secret rooms for cultivation, special secret rooms for seclusion, and special secret rooms for practicing martial arts techniques. There are various enlightenment treasures inside, and there are also places to enshrine the ancestors of the Xiang family.

Starting with Chu Taizu Yu and ending with the last Chu Emperor.

Sacrifices are held here every year, but no matter how high their cultivation is, they cannot enter the Emperor's bedroom; they can only leave spiritual tablets in the side hall. This is the case for Xiang Lingtian, and so is Xiang Qianfeng.

In the center of the palace complex is a very magnificent hall.

This is the residence of Xiang Qianqiu, the current patriarch of the Xiang family.

There is no one guarding the door, but within a radius of 300 meters, no one dares to approach this place without the patriarch's order. This is the manifestation of Xiang Qianqiu's status in the Xiang family.

With Xiang Qianqiu's ascent to the top of the Heavenly Ranking, his power has reached an unprecedented peak!

All the Xiang family members firmly believe that the patriarch will be able to lead them to revitalize the Great Chu and restore the Xiang family's former glory. This is their obsession for more than two hundred years.

The hall is paved with exquisite black jade, which is bright and visible and extremely strong. The pillars used are all spiritual wood over 500 years old, which are not only strong but also have the effect of soothing the mind. Even a small piece the size of a palm can be snatched by Ninggang martial artists.

A young man in a dragon-patterned black robe, resembling Chen Yuan, is sitting cross-legged in the center of the hall, with a futon exuding Daoist rhymes under him, enveloping his body.

This person is none other than Chen Yuan's father, Xiang Qianqiu!

He exudes a powerful aura, more like an emperor than Jingtai.

After a short time, Xiang Qianqiu opened his eyes, his deep pupils scattering a terrifying Qi, which slowly dissipated after a moment and returned to normal pupils.

Breathing out a mouthful of turbid air, a trace of solemnity flashed in Xiang Qianqiu's eyes.

In the previous battle at Liangshan, he faced almost seventy to eighty percent of Sima's old thief's strength. Although he successfully annihilated him, he also suffered serious injuries.

Part of the injury was the Dao injury left by Sima's old thief's rules, and the other part was the injury left by urging the God-Slaying Spear.

The God-Slaying Spear is definitely the top immortal weapon in the world, several levels stronger than the Zhenwu Sword of Wudang Mountain. After all, this is the immortal weapon left by the invincible Taizu in the past.

There are records in the clan that Taizu Yu held the divine spear and killed his way up to the Nine Heavens, causing the fall of immortals and difficult to heal Dao injuries.

More than one immortal died under his spear, which shows the terror of the God-Slaying Spear. It is a pity that Taizu was ultimately unable to overcome the heavens and eventually fell, his Dao dissipated into the world.

The immortals above the Nine Heavens made a comeback and caused chaos in the world!

He used all means to achieve his goals, and countless innocent people died in his hands, but once the immortals truly descend, it will be a real catastrophe.

The Xiang family will inevitably be completely liquidated and exterminated!

Fortunately, these injuries are not too serious for him at the moment. Relying on his own strength and the Xiang family's heritage, he can still recover in a short time.

"Dao Shrine... Hehe... You really didn't disappoint me!" Recalling the battle at Liangshan, a faint smile appeared on the corner of Xiang Qianqiu's mouth.

In the hall, an old man in black robe slowly condensed in the void, facing the hall and bowing respectfully:

"Patriarch, I have important matters to report!"

"Fourth Uncle, come in."

The hall opened its doors without any wind, and the old man in black robe turned into a stream of light and entered the hall.

"Is there any progress on the investigation?"

Xiang Qianqiu did not greet him and directly asked.

"Yes, the base of the Wusheng Sect has finally been found. I didn't expect it to be hidden so deeply." A trace of solemnity also appeared on the old man's face.

With the Xiang family's deployment in the south for more than two hundred years, it took several years to lock down the Wusheng Sect's lair. One can imagine how difficult it was.

"Very good, anything else?"

The old man in black robe slowly shook his head:

"Its lair is built underground, heavily guarded, and protected by a large formation. Rashly breaking in will only startle the snake, and you instructed us before to be careful."

Xiang Qianqiu nodded, and a trace of solemnity appeared on his face:

"It has not yet been fully determined that Jingtai is the Wusheng Patriarch behind the Wusheng Sect. If it is detected, it will only allow him to quickly destroy all evidence.

It will be somewhat difficult to completely destroy the Sima family's reputation."

"Then you..."

"I will personally go there," Xiang Qianqiu said in a deep voice.

"If it is confirmed, is it still a bit hasty to start an uprising now?" The old man in black robe hesitated a little. This concerns the Xiang family's centuries-old plan. If it fails, the losses will be too great.

The Xiang family's heritage is indeed profound, but even the most profound has its limits. More than two hundred years of frantic output has almost depleted the Xiang family.

It will definitely not be able to support another two hundred years, so we must be extremely cautious!

Xiang Qianqiu was expressionless, silent for a moment, and then said:

"I have my own considerations regarding this matter."

"Understood."

"Have you found the dragon vein that I asked you to investigate?" Xiang Qianqiu continued to ask.

The nine dragon-shaped mountain ranges outside are not just decorations; they are related to his true grand plan and must not be allowed to have any mistakes.

"There are currently only so many dragon veins in the Central Plains, and most of them are occupied by the Immortal Sect. I sent the surrendered demons to the Southern Border to search before, and there is already progress. There is one fourty thousand miles away in the Southern Border..."

The old man in black robe narrated in detail, telling Xiang Qianqiu everything he had learned.

"Okay, you don't need to worry about the rest of the matter. I will personally go there, and you will stay behind to guard the secret realm." Xiang Qianqiu pondered for a moment and ordered.

"I obey the patriarch's orders!"

"By the way, have the true identities of the other Dao Lords of the Dao Shrine been found?" Xiang Qianqiu continued to ask.

The old man in black robe slowly shook his head: "The Evil Ghost Dao Lord, Yang Huatian, has completely disappeared, and his secrets have been concealed. He cannot be found in a short time. There are currently several suspects for the Evergreen Dao Lord, perhaps from the Goddess Palace."

There are not many strong people in the world, and even fewer female Huayang. As long as you use the elimination method, you can lock in the candidates, and the disciples of the Goddess Palace are all women, so they will naturally be suspected.

"The Hell Dao Lord has not been investigated, and the Seven Emotions Dao Lord has not been found. As for the mysterious Asura Dao Lord, he has completely disappeared since the battle of the Imperial City.

The only one with clues is the Heavenly Sword Dao Lord. I guess he may be a strong man from Mount Shu, as well as the Qilin Demon Dao Lord..."

Xiang Qianqiu slowly shook his head:

"That Heavenly Sword Dao Lord is Jiang He, the Golden Envoy of Qingzhou. As for the Qilin Demon Dao Lord, you don't need to investigate this person in the future. Start the investigation from Jiang He!"

The old man in black robe was startled and said in disbelief:

"This... Isn't Jiang He, the Golden Envoy of Qingzhou, a Heavenly Pill cultivator? How could he..."

"A martial artist's cultivation can be hidden, but the sword intent on his body cannot be hidden. I have met this person before and even wanted to win him over, but I gave up after weighing the pros and cons.

The last time at Liangshan, the sharpness of his sword intent could not be concealed from me at all." Xiang Qianqiu slowly shook his head. From the moment the Heavenly Sword Dao Lord drew his sword in front of him, he had already determined the person's identity.

At that time, he was also a little shocked by Jiang He's cultivation speed. He underestimated this person, and his talent is definitely the top in the world, and he is expected to reach the sixth level in the future.

"I see."

The old man in black robe was thoughtful.

"Go, remember, no one is allowed to approach Wu Daozi, lest he notice. He will still be useful later." Xiang Qianqiu looked at the old man in black robe and said in a deep voice.

"Okay."

......

......

On the other side, Chen Yuan stayed in Shuzhou City for another day and met Huang Tianshu again. Compared with before, his attitude was more respectful at this time.

Perhaps he has already accepted his fate and wants to rely on Chen Yuan to truly make Zhenyue Sect brilliant, or perhaps he guessed the power behind Chen Yuan after seeing the Evil Ghost Dao Lord, Yang Huatian.

But none of this is important. As long as Huang Tianshu honestly works for him, he doesn't mind giving him some benefits in the future. After all, a thousand gold buys a horse's bone.

Chen Yuan will recruit more forces in the future, and having this person as an example will make many people feel at ease with him.

After meeting Huang Tianshu, Chen Yuan and Jiang He met Yang Huatian again, instructing him to take good care of Western Shu and to notify them immediately if he encountered any strong enemies.

They will try their best to put down everything in their hands and rush back.

Yang Huatian expressed that he understood.

After that, Chen Yuan and Jiang He set off towards Mount Shu. Passing through central Shu, Chen Yuan hesitated for a moment and still did not go to Chenjia Village to see his uncle Wu Daozi.

Since his cultivation has been completely lost, there is no need to worry him too much. Staying in Chenjia Village to live out his years is also a good thing. Anyway, that place is isolated from the world and hardly interacts with outsiders. It is a good place to retire.

When he truly achieves great things, he will naturally take him by his side to repay his past upbringing. Although he is not the original Chen Yuan, since he saw Wu Daozi and the secrets were unblocked, those past memories still flooded into his mind, both distant and close and familiar.

In any case, without him, there would be no "Chen Yuan" today. He is not an ungrateful person, and he always remembers these feelings.

There was also the matter of the Sunken Blood Lake last time. Although Chen Huaiyi helped behind the scenes, Wu Daozi also contributed. Chen Huaiyi had mentioned this.

Without going to Chenjia Village, Chen Yuan turned his head with Jiang He and went to the base of the Shangguan Clan.

His 'good brother' Shangguan Yu is currently in seclusion. Chen Yuan did not see him, but he saw Shangguan Tiehong and Liu Zhenzong. He learned from them in detail about the recent situation of the various prefectures in central Shu.

In short, it is currently being promoted in full swing. Most of the forces, after seeing the current power of the Western Shu Alliance, want to establish a force to protect themselves.

The only contradiction is that several top forces all want to be the leader of the alliance, so they are also conducting various secret confrontations.

Chen Yuan naturally reserved the position of leader for Shangguan Tiehong. He only needs to gather everyone together, and then, after he returns from Mount Shu, he will wipe them all out.

Completely occupy central Shu and Western Shu. Then, whether he fights or makes peace with Mount Shu, he will have the confidence and strength.

After seeing that there was a True Lord beside Chen Yuan, Shangguan Tiehong was very fortunate for his initial choice. His attitude on the surface was very good, and he had the meaning of a father-in-law looking at his son-in-law, the more he looked at him, the more he liked him.

He also asked Jiang He in a roundabout way if he was married, saying that there were many unmarried women in the Shangguan Clan, all kinds of them, and he could choose whatever he wanted.

But Jiang He politely refused.

He is not interested in women, and he already has someone he loves. Li Hongshuang has been waiting for him for decades, and he will give her an explanation.

While in the Shangguan Clan, Chen Yuan chatted with Shangguan Tiehong and Liu Zhenzong for a while and then got up to leave, declining the two's invitation to stay, saying that there would be plenty of opportunities in the future, and there was no need to rush now.

Seeing that Chen Yuan's attitude was firm, the two did not try to persuade him any further and personally sent them off, but there was some regret in their eyes. They wanted to get closer.

They have already seen Chen Yuan's bright future and want to take advantage of this momentum to completely push the Shangguan Clan to the top of the five great families, and also restore the Liu Clan to its former glory.

After staying in Shuzhou for a few hours, Chen Yuan and Jiang He set off and arrived in the eastern Shu region the next day. Jiang He secretly left, and Chen Yuan had someone send the invitation that Bai Changqing had given him earlier.

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