Chapter 117: Sima Clan

The cultivators of the West Drooping Cultivation World all know that the heavens are about to change; the ever-increasing spirit qi, spirit veins have begun to appear one after another.

Nowadays, the appearance of second-grade spirit veins is no longer rare, but recently a rumor has spread in the cultivation world that Cloud Net Mountain may very well give birth to the first third-grade spirit vein.

When this news came out, although its truth was unknown, the cultivation world immediately erupted in an uproar, with no knowing how many Foundation Establishment cultivators have rushed to Cloud Net Mountain!

Gold State, the Sima Clan!

"Clan chief, the Cloud Net Mountain Range originally belongs to our clan; we should retake our ancestral foundation!"

In the Sima Clan Ancestral Hall, Sima Wuming gazed at the kneeling clansmen cultivators, his eyes deep and calm; he knew that the emergence of a third-grade spirit vein had made these clan cultivators unable to sit still any longer!

Ten years have passed, and the Sima Clan has newly given birth to a Foundation Establishment cultivator—him, Sima Wuming.

Moreover, the clan has more than ten Qi Refining Great Completion cultivators, all of whom are candidates for Foundation Establishment!

But this is far from enough capital to contend for the ancestral land of Cloud Net Mountain.

These clansmen have had their heads addled by the temptation of the third-grade spirit vein, completely unaware of the risks; if they forcefully intervene, the Sima Clan will surely be wiped out to the last, truly disappearing from the cultivation world.

"Do you know how many Foundation Establishment cultivators have gathered in that mountain range now? At least two hundred! What do you expect me to contend with?" Sima Wuming shouted angrily.

"Clan chief! We can ally with the Soul Refining Hall; at worst we let them take the big share, we take six-four or seven-three, that's fine too! Clan chief, that is a top-grade second-grade spirit vein; it might truly grow into a third-grade spirit vein, which would be your hope for reaching Golden Core! Not to mention the nearly formed first-grade 3,000-mu spirit field, which yields three hundred thousand spirit stones a year! Compared to our original over-one-thousand-mu non-graded spirit field, it's far more! Even if we get only a third, that's still a hundred thousand spirit stones! Clan chief!" said an excited elder of the clan who is a Qi Refining Great Completion cultivator.

Sima Wuming silently surveyed the clansmen present; every person's eyes showed an irrepressible excitement.

"Yes! Clan chief, not only spirit fields and spirit veins, but also the spirit springs, spirit woods, and spirit birds to be raised in the mountains—these are clear sources of spirit stone income! With spirit stones, you can have the artifact‑refining masters help craft high‑grade magic treasures; then you too will have a protective treasure!"

Sima Wuming felt somewhat moved by what was said; nowadays it's not like before, because the appearance of the Soul Refining Hall has seen the Hundred States Alliance pour great financial and material resources into the West Drooping region.

Furthermore, West Drooping possesses some unique spirit medicines and herbs, so nowadays trade in the cultivation world is frequent, and the circulation of spirit stones has increased as well!

Previously rare to see magic treasures, now they are auctioned off every few days in the market.

Of course, most are medium‑low grade magic treasures, mainly those with three‑to‑four patterns. He is now only sixty; there are still one hundred forty years until the two‑hundred‑year limit for Foundation Establishment. If he had a top‑grade second‑grade spirit vein, aided by medicinal pills, he might actually have a chance to reach Golden Core!

What's more, even a first‑grade spirit field of just one thousand mu yields ten thousand spirit stones a year; save for ten years and you get one million, enough to hire a renowned artifact‑refining master to forge a high‑grade magic treasure with plenty to spare; save another ten years and you might even be able to acquire a suit of spirit armor!

In the cultivation world, once spirit armor appears it is basically high‑grade; he doesn't know the specifics, merely having heard that it is somehow related to spirit nature.

Sima Wuming pondered briefly, then said: "If that's the case, I will go negotiate with the Soul Refining Hall, but this time we must bring out the clan's extraordinary treasure!"

"This!" Several older cultivators each glanced at it, then gritted their teeth and nodded, saying: "Quite right!"

Sima Wuming finally showed a hint of a smile; the reason the Sima Clan has endured for a thousand years in the West Drooping Cultivation World without falling is that an unbroken line of Foundation Establishment cultivators is one factor, and another is that the family possesses a hereditary extraordinary treasure that can temporarily boost a Foundation Establishment cultivator's cultivation by one realm.

A Qi Refining Great Completion cultivator holding it can contend with an early Foundation Establishment cultivator; ten years ago, the Sima Clan survived wave after wave of encirclement precisely because, at the critical moment, a Qi Refining Great Completion elder burned his life force, used the extraordinary treasure to forcibly raise his cultivation by one level, and slew the invading enemies in succession.

Afterward, that elder also died on the spot from overdrawing his life force!

Sima Wuming also only learned after breaking through to Foundation Establishment that the family still possessed such an extraordinary treasure; he had once demanded it from the elder in charge of guarding the treasure, but was ruthlessly refused!

Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator like him was practically scolded away by a Qi Refining cultivator from the place guarding the extraordinary treasure.

How could this not be a tremendous humiliation for him? Sima Wuming knows why: it is because he is a branch‑line member, made clan chief only because he is a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

They thought he didn't know, but those few elders have secretly been supporting a top‑grade spirit‑root clansman of the main line, urging him to quickly enter Foundation Establishment, so that their main line would not feel threatened!

Hmph!

A corrupt clan; a flicker of cold intent flashed in Sima Wuming's deep eyes—this journey to Cloud Net Mountain will be the doom of those decayed main‑line members, and he will lead a reborn‑through‑fire family to take root there.

After the Sima clansmen had successively withdrawn, Sima Wuming flashed his body into an underground chamber.

"Here I am!"

"Master! The elders have agreed to hand over the extraordinary treasure for my use!" After entering the underground chamber, Sima Wuming respectfully saluted the tall old man dressed in a great red brocade robe.

"Excellent! Remember, you must obtain that extraordinary treasure, even if the Soul Refining Hall offers a two‑eight split, you must agree!"

The old man in the red‑robed brocade garment said coldly.

"Two‑eight?"

Sima Wuming couldn't help but startle, quickly looked up, only to see his master's icy gaze; his heart involuntarily trembled, recalling his master's methods, and he immediately fell silent.

"Hehe! Disciple, rest assured, I won't let you suffer loss; as long as you obtain an extraordinary treasure, you will someday thank me!"

"Yes! Master, but disciple has a doubt, unsure whether I should ask or not!"

"You want to ask why I, as master, don't personally go seize it, right?"

"Disciple dare not!"

"Alas! That extraordinary treasure has been monopolized by your Sutu family for a thousand years, long since becoming a blood‑line treasure; now, only members of the Sima Clan may use it—if outsiders forcibly seize it, an accident may occur, and any accident is something I do not wish to see; even your ancestors got this extraordinary treasure by sheer dumb luck!"

Hearing this, Sima Wuming felt an itch in his heart—what exactly is this extraordinary treasure, that even a Golden Core cultivator like his master dare not act rashly!

He wanted to ask, but knowing his master wouldn't answer, he silently bowed and withdrew from the underground chamber.

And that red‑robed elder remained seated cross‑legged, unmoving; after a long while he opened his eyes, deep with the vicissitudes of time, and said softly: "The Azure Clouds stir, the Spirit Pearl has appeared; next, the defective Eight Trigrams Seal Heaven Formation laid down by Gu Lan in days of old should now be unsealed! Soon! Soon, opportunity! Or great calamity—no matter which, our chance for Nascent Soul is coming! Alas, if there were no Golden Core cultivators appearing in the West Drooping lands, then—"

Saying this, the red‑robed elder suddenly gave a cold smile; the Golden Core cultivators of the Three Yuan Alliance think that by stationing here for a hundred years they can become cultivators of West Drooping—laughable. In fact, that junior Foundation Establishment cultivator Zhu Tianying may well soon break through to Golden Core, at which point he could become the person favored by the fortune of West Drooping!

But what does that have to do with him? As long as he holds a Spirit Pearl in his hand, an opportunity will surely come his way when the time comes.

The red‑robed elder thought much, then finally closed his eyes; having discovered the Spirit Pearl, he will go nowhere, simply waiting in stillness for the winds and clouds to shift, then depart carrying the Spirit Pearl.

When the Sima Clan first came to the cultivation world, they intended to return to their old lands, hoping the cultivation world would not seize their ancestral home!

When the news came out, the cultivation world was everywhere filled with scornful mockery.

But soon, all cultivators were struck speechless, for five mid‑Foundation Establishment cultivators wearing black Soul Refining Hall attire flew out from the Azure Cloud Mountain Range and openly landed among the Sima Clan.

At this moment, everyone understood: the Sima Clan's resolve to retake their ancestral homeland is unshakable!

On the Cloud Net Mountain Range, a few people at Tie Lanshan sat cross‑legged in silent cultivation; having done what they needed to do, from now on, no matter which enemy comes, those few have only one word:

Battle!