Ximen Immortal Clan

Sphere Eastern Wilderness, Yue Kingdom, Cangzhou, Qingyang County. Qingyang Mountain stands majestically, shrouded in mist and rich in spiritual energy, a veritable celestial paradise. The mountain abounds in Qingyang wood, adorned with flowers, birds, insects, and beasts. A mid-grade second-tier spiritual vein runs atop the mountain, cultivating over 300 acres of spiritual fields and more than ten spiritual herb gardens. The Ximen family established its cultivation clan here six hundred years ago, continuing to this day. The family currently has two Foundation Establishment experts, over 300 Qi Refining members, and more than three million mortal members, distributed across the surrounding counties. The Ximen family genealogy reads: "Opening Heaven and Earth, Easy; Born with Daoist Treasures; Empty, Benevolent, Cloud, Long, Eternal; Loyalty and Filial Piety, Upholding Family Traditions." Of the tenth generation, the "Treasure" generation, only one Foundation Establishment ancestor remains; the eleventh generation, the "Empty" generation, has all passed away. Now, the pillars of the Ximen family are the twelfth generation, the "Benevolent" generation; the "Cloud" and "Long" generations are also gradually maturing. In a mountaintop cave, Ximen Changqing sat cross-legged, his spiritual energy slowly circulating through his meridians, converging in his dantian after one cycle. As the energy gathered, he was enveloped in mist, appearing ethereal. "Fourth level of Qi Refining, still a little short," Ximen Changqing sighed, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. He was the fourteenth generation direct descendant of his family, the fourth in the "Chang" generation, just turned fifteen, and after nine years of cultivation, he was still only in the early Qi Refining stage. In the mortal realm, cultivation realms were divided into five levels: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Deity Transformation. Each advancement was incredibly difficult. After all, cultivation was defying the heavens; Foundation Establishment was already challenging, Core Formation would attract heavenly tribulations, let alone Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation. Ximen Changqing stepped out of his secluded cave, looking at his clansmen busily working in the spiritual fields in the distance, and sighed softly. The family was ultimately too poor. If he had taken the Qi Gathering Pill, he would have already broken through to the fourth level of Qi Refining, and might even have advanced to the fifth level. "Changqing." Clan Chief Ximen Rende walked over. He was also Ximen Changqing's grandfather, the first in the twelfth generation of the family, with a seventh-grade water spiritual root and a fifth-level Foundation Establishment cultivation. In the mortal realm, no matter how many spiritual roots you have, they all add up to ten grades. A single spiritual root is always ten grades, and the higher the grade, the faster you absorb spiritual energy of the corresponding attribute. In addition, a tenth-grade single spiritual root has the unique advantage of having no bottleneck before Core Formation, making them top talents sought after by various sects. "Grandpa, are you going on a long trip?" Seeing the three storage bags hanging from his grandfather's waist, Ximen Changqing asked. "I'm going to Cloud Sword Mountain to deliver some cultivation resources to your elder brother, and then I'll go to Cloud Sword Workshop on the way." Ximen Rende said with a smile. "Grandpa, I want to go too." Ximen Changqing had failed in his breakthrough and really wanted to go out and relax. "Alright, let's go together." The grandfather and grandson each rode a Wind Chaser Beast, heading towards Cloud Sword Mountain. Cloud Sword Mountain was one of the five major sects of the Yue Kingdom, boasting eight Core Formation True Immortals, a force to be reckoned with. The Ximen family, as its affiliated cultivation family, had to pay a tribute of 20,000 spirit stones every ten years. The Yue Kingdom comprised twenty-four states. Cloud Sword Mountain controlled the six eastern states, the Hundred Beasts Sect controlled the six southern states, Qingyu Tower controlled the four northern states, Spirit Medicine Valley controlled the five southwestern states, and the Loose Cultivator Alliance in the northwest controlled only three states. In the heart of the Yue Kingdom, at the border of the five major sects, lay Immortal Fate City, shared by all five. Ximen Changqing's elder brother, Ximen Changkong, had always cultivated at Cloud Sword Mountain. Sending him to the sect was a last resort. Ximen Changkong possessed a tenth-grade fire spirit root; a mere Foundation Establishment family couldn't protect him. For his brother's safety and to demonstrate loyalty to Cloud Sword Mountain, this was the only option. The journey of 150,000 li (approximately 75,000 kilometers) took only half a month for the Wind Chaser Beast, and the grandfather and grandson arrived at Cloud Sword Mountain smoothly. "This is Cloud Sword Mountain? What a sacred immortal land!" What greeted Ximen Changqing's eyes were majestic, towering mountains, partially obscured by dense spiritual energy from the mountainside down. Even the concentration of spiritual energy at the foot of the mountain was denser than at the highest point of Qingyang Mountain. Before the mountain gate, a lowly disciple at the fourth level of Qi Refining was using a wind-controlling technique to sweep up fallen leaves. After gathering them in one place, he used a fireball technique to ignite them all. "This is Cloud Sword Mountain. Who are you looking for?" Even as a lowly disciple, he possessed the aura of a major sect, neither servile nor arrogant in the face of a Foundation Establishment expert. Ximen Rende smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Young friend, I am the head of the Ximen family of Qingyang Mountain. I've come to see my grandson, Ximen Changkong." Upon hearing that he was looking for Ximen Changkong, the disciple immediately became much more courteous, bowing and saying, "So you are an elder of Senior Brother Ximen. Senior Brother is a personal disciple, so your elders may proceed directly to the Guest Reception Hall halfway up the mountain, please." He then personally led the way. Ximen Changkong was the personal disciple of the Grand Elder, and as a mere menial disciple, he rarely had the opportunity to curry favor. Ximen Rende turned to look at Ximen Changqing and said sternly, "Changqing, wait here." "Understood," Ximen Changqing replied. As the face of a major sect, the first gate at the foot of the mountain was adorned with a welcoming archway, constructed entirely of second-tier spiritual materials. On either side stood a mythical beast, each holding a stone ball in its mouth, its ferocious face staring ahead. Directly below the archway, two menial disciples at the third level of Qi Refining stood quietly, long swords on their backs. "Watch out..." "Boom..." A blinding streak of light flew rapidly from afar, crashing from the welcoming archway to the ground, instantly scattering rubble and creating a scene of utter chaos in front of the mountain gate. Ximen Changqing instinctively covered his face and retreated hastily, but still suffered minor injuries; his arm was cut open by a second-tier white jade stone. The two menial disciples directly below the archway had spotted the streak of light beforehand, and a protective shield shielded them from the flying rubble, leaving them unharmed. "Uncle Zhao, it's Uncle Zhao, hurry!" The two didn't dare delay; one carried the severed arm of the Foundation Establishment cultivator, whose true essence was exhausted, while the other picked up a spiritual weapon longsword and quickly ran towards the mountaintop. Ximen Changqing waved his sleeve, took a few steps forward, and stepped onto a round stone ball. "Second-tier spiritual materials are scattered all over the ground; I can just pick up a few pieces without being noticed." Looking at the white jade stone fragments scattered on the ground, Ximen Changqing felt a surge of greed. He cautiously looked around, bent down, and picked up the stone ball at his feet. A puzzling thing happened: after the stone ball touched the bloodstains on his palm, it suddenly shrank to the size of a sesame seed, then was absorbed into his palm. "What's going on?" Ximen Changqing was greatly astonished. This stone ball was definitely not white jade; it was very likely a treasure. But why would Yunjian Mountain put a treasure here? Ximen Changqing couldn't understand the stone ball's origin. He felt a mixture of surprise and fear, unsure whether it was a blessing or a curse. He tried to sense the stone ball with his mind and control it according to his will. After some attempts, Ximen Changqing breathed a sigh of relief. The stone ball seemed to be a part of his body, completely obeying his will. It could stay in the palm of your hand or appear in your hand at any time; its shape and size could be controlled. Ximen Changqing frowned slightly, releasing his divine sense to explore the mysterious sphere. "This...this actually has a space inside, huge stones, a pool, open space, and even spirit fields."