Chapter 249

He Clan Ancestor's residence.

Courtyard.

Yunhe lay on the rocking chair, leisurely scattering fish food into the pond while lightly calculating with his fingers.

"He is now 191 years old, not far from 200."

Calculating the time.

He broke through to mid Jie Dan at 151, now at late Jie Dan 191, the interval was a full forty years.

This speed is thanks to his constant consumption of elixirs; the vast majority of cultivators need at least seventy to eighty years to go from mid Jie Dan to late Jie Dan, and breaking through a minor realm in a century is actually quite normal.

Even without the longevity of a Demon Beast Body, I still have nearly three hundred years to prepare for Nascent Soul formation, which is already plenty of time.

He let out a light sigh.

"The Nascent Soul hurdle, huh."

Yuan Ying Cultivators are already considered the true top tier of the cultivation world, having stalled countless cultivators, with innumerable so-called geniuses falling before this stage.

Even if he possesses Nascent Soul Pellets, they merely increase the success rate of condensing the pellet into an infant to a certain extent.

One must know, breaking through to the Yuan Ying realm is not complete just by condensing a Yuan Ying.

After condensing a Yuan Ying, one must still pass the Heavenly Tribulation and Heart Demon Tribulation, etc.; these are the two major obstacles that truly block countless cultivators.

"Condensing a Yuan Ying can rely on the Nascent Soul Pellet; with my 'Great Longevity Grand Five Elements True Scripture' and the barely comparable earth-grade spirit root 'Minor Five Elements Spirit Body,' even if it won't be a help, it at least won't be a hindrance. If my bodily strength reaches the level of a mid-third-level demon beast, or even a late-third-level demon beast, the success rate should still increase by at least half to one tenth."

Yunhe made a simple estimate for himself.

"However, facing the Heart Demon Tribulation, I currently only have the Congealed Fat Ice Pure Lotus providing a slight boost, almost negligible; whereas having cultivated the Myriad Insects Myriad Bugs Technique to the fourth layer gives greater assistance. As for the Yuan Ying Lightning Tribulation, the heavenly thunder power of the Five Elements Heavenly Thunder Sword should play a certain role. The Upholding Demon Armor should also be of considerable use."

"Furthermore, because I have invested considerable resources and materials into these two magic treasures, and their cultivation has not been neglected, when I condense my Yuan Ying, they might advance to the ranks of fourth-level magic treasures ahead of me, at which point they should become my two major foundations for resisting the lightning tribulation."

"As for the Beast Soul Banner, which is already among the top-tier third-level magic treasures, its chance of advancing to the fourth level is not low either; however, as a soul banner, merely not being destroyed in the lightning tribulation would be quite good, so there's no need to think of using it to resist the tribulation."

"Not to mention unknown, after this calculation, his probability of achieving Yuan Ying is already enough to make the genius Golden Core disciples of some Yuan Ying sects envious and jealous."

"However, it's still a bit insufficient; if there's an opportunity, I still need to accumulate more and seek out some 'Nascent Soul Supreme Treasures' that can assist in passing the Heart Demon Tribulation and the Lightning Tribulation."

Yunhe murmured, scattering all the fish food in his hand into the pond, then waved his hand broadly.

Hum—

The grand formation enveloping the residence slowly receded.

The He clan cultivators who had long been waiting outside the residence, upon seeing this scene, exchanged glances, then followed behind the clan head He Yuanlin, cautiously entering the residence.

Each of them lowered their heads, watching their feet, each step extremely careful, as if afraid of stepping on something and offending the ancestor's displeasure.

Soon.

The He clan cultivators arrived in the courtyard, seeing Yunhe leisurely seated in the rocking chair, they immediately knelt down in unison with a "clatter," shouting in unison:

"Congratulations, Ancestor, on breaking through the major hurdle of late Golden Core!"

"May the Ancestor enjoy boundless blessings and longevity, a smooth path, and hope for eternal life!"

After confirming that Yunhe had truly broken through to late Golden Core, the He clan cultivators' excitement could not be contained.

Who could have imagined that the He clan, once on the brink of extinction, would now not only flourish but that these much-criticized elders would have broken through to late Golden Core?

Late Golden Core!

Speaking of realms, the Yuan Ying stage is now just a step away.

Although this step is as hard to cross as a heavenly chasm, it also gives the He clan the possibility of reaching equal standing with the Wang, Shen, and Liu families, the three great clans of Nanxiu Island.

Of course, among those three great families, each has at least three Golden Core cultivators; relying solely on Yunhe is certainly insufficient, but it is definitely higher than the former Wang clan and the current Liu clan's ilk.

The He clan will also be able to occupy many resources on Nanxiu Island, and these He clan cultivators will likewise gain more cultivation resources, perhaps even having a chance to look forward to the Golden Core realm.

Yunhe smiled faintly, waved his hand, and a force lifted all the He clan cultivators from the ground.

After breaking through to late Golden Core, his mood was still good.

"Should the Ancestor's promotion to late Golden Core be celebrated with a seven-day feast, inviting all the families of Nanxiu Island?" He Yuanlin asked cautiously.

When Yunhe first broke through to mid Golden Core, he had proposed a seven-day feast and widespread announcement, but Yunhe refused; now that his cultivation has advanced again to late Golden Core, he couldn't help but propose it again.

Yunhe pondered slightly, shook his head slightly, and said: "Forget it. They are all merely flattering sycophants; this seat does not wish to have too much association with them."

Now the situation in the Yunshang Realm is still unclear; he is somewhat forced to pick a side, but if he associates too deeply with those people, combined with his current late Golden Core cultivation, he will inevitably be drawn in deeper; when the time comes, while he could extricate himself easily, the He clan's fate would be uncertain.

However, celebrating within the clan is perfectly fine.

Ancestor, the island master sent a message to our He clan some days ago, along with a communication jade talisman.

After the crowd retreated, He Yuanlin respectfully stepped forward.

Looking at the white-haired yet extremely respectful He clan head before him, he too has devoted a hundred years of diligent service to the entire He clan, enduring hardship and labor, and has done many things for Yunhe; now his remaining longevity is not much.

"Yuanlin, how old are you this year?" Yunhe did not immediately take the item, but asked instead.

"Replying to Ancestor, Yuanlin is already 181 years old; in another ten years, perhaps it will be time to yield the family headship." He Yuanlin said respectfully, his face filled with deep helplessness.

At his age, attaining Golden Core is hopeless; his remaining longevity is only about twenty years, roughly the time to step down.

Yet being able to see the He clan flourish at this time, as clan head, he still feels deeply satisfied in his heart.

Yunhe gave a slight nod, took the item, and waved his hand to indicate he could withdraw.

"Ancestor, Yuanlin takes his leave."

Watching that departing back, Yunhe rubbed his chin.

He Yuanlin is someone who lacks ambition but has more than enough to maintain the status quo; he is still quite handy to use.

He then looked at the jade talisman in his hand, and after pouring a spell into it, it gave off a faint glow.

"Hahaha——Fellow Daoist He, long time no see, are you still well?"

Looking at the line of text appearing on the jade talisman, Yunhe's mouth corner slightly curled; regarding the current Island Lord of South Lodging Island, the radical Late Jie Dan Stage cultivator Qin Zhong, the impression he left was rather bad.

In Yunhe's mind, this person had already been labeled with tags such as "smiling tiger" and "hypocritical."

Though he sneered in his heart, he still poured his divine sense into the jade talisman and replied, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Qin, for your concern; I am doing well enough. What brings you?"

There's a good thing! I know you fellow cultivator are looking for the Thousand Drunk Powder; coincidentally, a friend of mine here has it, but I need you fellow cultivator to make a move once. I don't know what you think?

The Thousand Drunk Powder is one of the auxiliary materials for refining the Wisdom Spirit Pill, and it's not easy to find. Among the Wisdom Spirit Pill refining materials collected by Yunhe, three kinds are still missing and cannot be purchased for a while; this Thousand Drunk Powder is one of them.

This is indeed what he needs, but...

Yunhe's expression had a slight strangeness.

The other party probably wouldn't think that just a measly portion of Thousand Drunk Powder would make him go all out, right?

Then the price for his action is really too low.

Moreover, what is the current major situation?

Acting casually can easily drag one into a deeper vortex.

So Yunhe smiled and passed it over, simply expressing that he had been busy lately, couldn't get away, thanked the fellow cultivator for their concern, etc., then tossed the jade talisman aside and continued his cultivation.

The Island Lord's Manor in Nanxu City.

Qin Zhong's smile remained on his face, but his gaze was somewhat dim, deep within hiding a trace of anger.

As the Island Lord of Nanxu Island, he had already promised benefits, yet he couldn't even command a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, which made him feel somewhat embarrassed, especially facing this young, beautiful, voluptuous female cultivator with ample resources opposite him.

That female cultivator revealed a pair of graceful jade feet, playing with a strand of black silk thread, obviously also noticing Qin Zhong's subtle expression change, and after a "gege" laugh, she asked:

"It seems Fellow Cultivator Qin's invitation isn't going very smoothly."

This female cultivator is from the Harmony Sect; every frown and smile is filled with intense charm, so much so that even Qin Zhong dares not meet her gaze, only able to give an embarrassed laugh and say:

"Having made Fellow Cultivator Su laugh, I'll just look for someone else. But the He family's old ancestor He Wen is notorious as an 'old turtle', with numerous life-preserving and defensive methods, making him hard to replace."

"Oh?" Su Wanning's lips curled slightly, revealing an extremely tempting smile, she lightly licked her lips, and slowly said:

"Since that's the case, why not Fellow Cultivator Qin hand this person over to me? My master just lost a male favorite recently and is not in a good mood."

That tingling voice, especially the words "family affairs" and "male favorite" she mentioned, made even Qin Zhong's heart tremble involuntarily.

This Su Wanning is not only a disciple of the Harmony Sect; her master is the renowned Yanyue Immortal, the number one keeper of male favorites in the Cloud Realm, a nightmare for who knows how many Golden Core male cultivators.

Qin Zhong's cheeks twitched, "That He Wen's age is not small."

In response, Su Wanning merely smiled faintly and said:

"Age? Being my master's male favorite naturally doesn't qualify, but if it's a furnace cauldron, my master would surely be pleased."

A mid-stage Golden Core furnace cauldron is sufficient even for a Yuan Ying Cultivator.

"Not really good." Qin Zhong lowered his voice.

After all, they are cultivators of Nanxu Island, and on the surface they also side with that radical faction; strictly speaking, the two of them and that He family old ancestor are considered allies.

Regarding Qin Zhong's words, Su Wanning rolled her eyes with alluring charm.

She understood Qin Zhong's meaning.

A disobedient mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, merely siding on the surface, is naturally not important to Qin Zhong.

There are too many cultivation families on Nanxu Island; wiping out one or two would be more beneficial for him to consolidate the cultivator forces of Nanxu Island.

Moreover, it can serve to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys.

After all, every cultivator has their own ideas; wanting to completely coordinate everyone is no small difficulty.

Holding the "Little South Mountain Assembly" is already considered a courtesy; observing propriety before force, he should also intimidate the other cultivator families of Nanxu Island.

The He family is not the strongest clan on Nanxu Island, but it's not weak either; it's a good choice.

"I have already sent people to place two high-quality Foundation Establishment furnace cauldrons in your residence, Fellow Cultivator." Su Wanning said with a smile.

Upon hearing that, Qin Zhong's eyes suddenly brightened.

After spending a long time with Su Wanning, although he remained calm on the surface, his heart had already burned hot.

He dares not touch Su Wanning; even if she were to bump into him, he wouldn't dare to retaliate, otherwise the cost would be too great, but those two high-quality Foundation Establishment furnace cauldrons are clearly an excellent outlet for venting.

"I am not aware of this matter."

(End of chapter)