Chapter 472

Zhang Taixu!

The last Tian Shi, Zhang Taixu, after enduring the Great Daoist Catastrophe, divided the Zhang family into northern and southern branches—this is where it all began.

“He stayed on Mount Zhongnan for two years,” Xu Xuanguan said gravely.

Few now know of this chapter of history.

After the Great Daoist Catastrophe, Zhang Taixu led the surviving remnants of the Zhang family from Longhu Mountain southward, settling in a remote corner of Jiangnan; later, he traveled alone to Chang’an and resided briefly on Mount Zhongnan for two years.

On that day, Qin Ergou, fleeing pursuit by the Pure Yang Wang family, hid in Nanwang Mountain—the very place where Zhang Taixu had once secluded himself for mystical cultivation.

Two years later, this last Tian Shi unexpectedly split the Zhang remnants into two branches: one migrated northward, establishing the northern and southern transmissions—this is the origin.

“You truly have destiny—you encountered this peerless wonder,” Xu Xuanguan murmured solemnly.

Before the Great Daoist Catastrophe, Zhang Taixu was already renowned throughout the land, the foremost leader of the Daoist sects.

He was the only one who could stand as an equal to the Three Corpses Daoist.

When Xu Jinzhao was young, encountering such a figure—and receiving from him a Sacred Seed—was this very destiny that enabled him to attain his present Tian Shi Great Realm cultivation.

“This last Tian Shi stayed on Mount Zhongnan for only two years; to have met him was indeed rare,” Xu Jinzhao sighed.

“Two years—that’s not enough time to know if he found what he sought,” Xu Xuanguan said coldly.

“You mean…” Xu Jinzhao’s heart stirred.

“Chang’an is no ordinary place—it is the confluence point of the Middle Dragon Vein among the Three Dragon Veins of the world, possessing all Four Symbols and surging royal qi; its depth surpasses even Yujing and Shangjing.”

“You know the entrance to Wuwei Gate lies there—but despite searching for so many years, the Daoist sects have found nothing,” Xu Xuanguan said gravely.

“Perhaps he wasn’t searching for Wuwei Gate’s location,” Xu Jinzhao said suddenly, fixing Xu Xuanguan with a deep gaze.

Xu Xuanguan fell silent for a moment, then nodded: “He was likely searching for the Nine Treasures.”

“Chang’an is no ordinary place—especially Mount Zhongnan, where all Nine Treasures have appeared, especially the Corpse-Slaying Sword…”

“Legend says this sword, after suffering a great calamity, fell into the Middle Dragon Vein,” Xu Xuanguan said gravely.

“Mount Zhongnan… this last Tian Shi was searching for the Corpse-Slaying Sword?” Xu Jinzhao felt a sudden clarity.

“Your Coffin-Bearing Society holds many secrets.”

Xu Xuanguan said nothing, merely gazing quietly at Xu Jinzhao.

“I was young then, unaware of the depths—I never guessed that old man had such a background.”

“But he was exceedingly cautious,” Xu Jinzhao sighed.

“Zhang Taixu joked that though he cultivated within the sect, he remained as alert as a wild beast in the mountains.”

“We obtained this treasure and trained day and night; our Yuan Shen collided, entangled, fused, split—within each other, each contained the other; the danger concealed life and death, the madness hid fortune and misfortune—the experience was beyond words—and in this strange journey, our Yuan Shen ascended and transformed within the Seed.”

At this, Xu Jinzhao sighed and looked at Xu Xuanguan.

“Precisely because of this, during those two years on Mount Zhongnan, my cultivation surged forward—I surpassed all my clan brothers, and only you could still surpass me.”

“That was only natural,” Xu Xuanguan said coolly.

“…”

“When my two years ended, I left Mount Zhongnan; when I returned, you had already run away. Later, I went back again, and after another five or six years, I married and established a household—I invited him, but he never came,” Xu Jinzhao sighed.

“That same year, Ye the Madman changed his name to Ye Jinzhao, and never set foot in Jinmen for the rest of his life,” Xu Xuanguan said suddenly.

Xu Jinzhao fell silent for a moment, then said: “Since then, we never saw each other again.”

“Ye the Fourth is dead—you must have felt it,” Xu Xuanguan changed the subject abruptly.

Xu Jinzhao looked at Xu Xuanguan, his weathered eyes holding a profound meaning.

“Yes.”

“When we were young, our methods were too mad—we collided, entangled, fused, split our Yuan Shen; you in me, me in you; our Yuan Shen underwent subtle changes and connections…”

“Sometimes I couldn’t tell whether I was him, or he was me,” Xu Jinzhao said gravely.

“Similar to the Minor Split Soul Technique from the Three Corpses Mirroring Fate—it must be said, Ye the Fourth was truly insane,” Xu Xuanguan said gravely.

“So when he died, I sensed it immediately—but…”

“He died—and yet he did not die,” Xu Xuanguan interjected.

“The Sacred Seed…” Xu Jinzhao said tightly.

“The immortal substance left behind by a deceased Divine-Mortal Sacred Embryo cultivator—besides healing Yuan Shen wounds, its true terror lies in…” Xu Xuanguan said gravely.

“Once a withered Yuan Shen takes refuge within it—even if only fragments remain—it has a high probability of reborn into a second life,” Xu Xuanguan said gravely.

“Correct. Such things should never exist in the mortal realm—they are demonic flowers on the path to immortality, overturning the natural order of life and death,” Xu Jinzhao sighed.

“So that’s why Zhang Tiansheng’s son hides in Mount Ailao and never emerges?” Xu Jinzhao suddenly changed the subject.

“You know more than I thought,” Xu Xuanguan said coolly.

“I’ve only heard that Mount Ailao hides a Sacred Seed—the strongest and most precious one in the world. It is said the Divine-Mortal Sacred Embryo cultivator who possessed it had already touched the Pure Yang Ultimate Realm…”

“Zhang Tiansheng’s son cultivates the Divine-Mortal Sacred Embryo—if he obtained this Sacred Seed…” Xu Jinzhao’s voice trailed off.

“With the two combined, even without entering the Pure Yang Ultimate Realm, his Yuan Shen would be virtually immortal and indestructible—there are almost no beings in this world capable of killing him…”

“Most crucially, even if he abandons his physical body, he can possess any vessel without restriction.”

At these words, Xu Jinzhao could not help but be shaken.

One must know: Daoist cultivation emphasizes the dual cultivation of nature and life—nature’s foundation is the Yuan Shen, life’s foundation is the physical body.

To refine the body into an Inner Elixir and complete the life cultivation—what a tremendous fortune.

Once the body is lost, even a Tian Shi Great Realm cultivator must restart life cultivation—assuming they find a suitable vessel with no rejection response.

But if Zhang Lingzong obtained that strongest Sacred Seed, his Yuan Shen would become unprecedentedly powerful—no vessel in the world would reject him; with dual cultivation, influenced by the Yuan Shen’s divine light, his new body could rapidly restore to his former realm.

At that point, he would be truly immortal and indestructible—neither heaven nor earth could kill him.

In some sense, except for the inferior strength of his physical body, he would be nearly identical to a naturally born Spirit Embryo.

“They underestimated the youth—and the lingering fire of Southern Zhang.”

“How many great calamities and near-deaths has Zhang Er’s son endured? They thought they forced him into despair—but it was merely great fortune hidden within the calamity…”

“Calamity and fortune give birth to each other—this has always been the ancient truth,” Xu Xuanguan said coolly.

“Do you think… that boy will succeed?” Xu Jinzhao asked suddenly.

“Success or failure—he alone can decide,” Xu Xuanguan shook his head softly: “We’ve strayed too far.”

Here, Xu Xuanguan paused slightly, then said: “Where did Ye the Fourth hide his Sacred Seed?”

“What do you intend to do?” Xu Jinzhao’s expression changed.

“The Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell technique—you think hiding from disaster will save him?” Xu Xuanguan said gravely.

“I know Ye the Fourth held back—he practiced the Minor Split Soul Technique from Three Corpses Mirroring Fate, leaving a fragment of his Yuan Shen within the Sacred Seed,” Xu Xuanguan said gravely.

“I returned for this very thing.”

“Only you know,” Xu Xuanguan said gravely.

Xu Jinzhao frowned slightly, saying nothing.

At this moment, his thoughts were chaotic—neither Xu Xuanguan’s return nor the appearance of the Pure Yang Sword had stirred him so deeply.

“Ye the Fourth was obscure in reputation, yet the top expert on Mount Zhongnan—across the world, fewer than one hand’s worth could kill him, and yet he was slain on Mount Zhongnan,” Xu Xuanguan added suddenly.

“If you don’t speak, you’ll bring annihilation upon the Xu family!”

At these words, Xu Jinzhao was visibly shaken; his hand rose slightly, then slowly lowered, ending in helplessness.

“I’ll tell you!”

…

This night was destined to be sleepless.

With such upheaval in the Xu family, no one could sleep.

Overnight, the status of the Third Branch reversed completely—though seemingly dwindling in numbers, it now held absolute power.

With two Tian Shi present, their position was nearly unshakable; even more so, the once-ignorable Xu Jiuliang now fully controlled the Xu family’s future and lifeline.

Without doubt, he was already seen as the one destined to truly inherit and expand the Xu Zu’s lineage.

One day soon, the Xu family would be in his hands.

Yet all this change stemmed from a single outsider—a man named Zhang Fan.