Chapter 269

"The Jin and Lei families, like my Xin family, are not orthodox aristocratic clans, but cultivation lineages that seized control of a sect, spending generations and a thousand years of painstaking effort to turn the sect into their private property..."

"The Jin family has nine Elders, plus two external patrons—all at the Core Formation realm. There's likely an ancient Yin Spirit cultivator lurking in their household, their ancestral patriarch. Their reckless behavior, their desperate scramble to seize the heart of the Lei Hai, must be to prolong their ancestor's life."

"What about the Lei family?"

Brother Qian Chen's expression gave nothing away.

"The Lei family is much the same, but their ancestral patriarch is a Yin Spirit Sovereign, with ample lifespan—far more prosperous than the Jin family. The Lei family's five brothers are all Core Formation True Persons, joined by over a dozen Elders; their strength rivals the Tao family and surpasses my Xin family."

"So these two families are considered powerful clans?"

Brother Qian Chen had some understanding of aristocratic affairs, but he was not himself of an aristocratic lineage; certain subtleties still eluded him. The Jin and Lei families lacked the depth of the Tao family, let alone the Cui and Wang-Xiao Xie great clans.

Yet to the likes of the Wei family, local tyrants of Jiaobu Town, they were utterly out of reach!

The achievements of these two families are precisely what the Pei family of Jin Chuan Sect strives for.

These two aristocratic lineages have endured for thousands of years; their influence within a single commandery rivals that of the regional great clans, yet they have never produced a Nascent Soul cultivator, never had an ancestor ascend, never been accepted into the clan genealogies. Thus, in the surrounding commanderies, there are the Guangling Tao family, the Chiyang Liu family, the Yunyang Yuan family, the Zhiyin Xue family, the Hongnong Yang family, the Danshui Ge family—but no place names bearing the Jin or Lei surnames.

Whether a family has ever produced a Nascent Soul patriarch, whether they have ties in the Heavenly Realm—this is the unbridgeable divide between powerful clans like the Jin and Lei, and true regional great clans.

One day without a Nascent Soul, and you remain forever excluded from the clan genealogy.

After revealing all she knew of the two families to Brother Qian Chen, Xin Xin Xin Shisan Niang said uneasily: "The Lei Hai is a perilous place—even Core Formation cultivators dare not enter. The Jin patriarch's lifespan is nearly spent; he would never dare venture deep into the Lei Hai, a place that stirs thunder mechanisms and brims with pure yang energy."

"Yin Spirit cultivators are saturated with yin essence; a single misstep could trigger a heavenly tribulation. They'd be mad to enter places like the Magnetic Earth Orifice or the Ultimate Lei Hai. The difficulty of Core Formation here is extreme, and Yin Spirit cultivators cannot penetrate it—that's why this perilous land remains beyond the reach of aristocratic clans." Brother Qian Chen nodded slightly.

"So if we destroy the Five Thunder Ultimate Array, we can easily foil their schemes. I've already asked Brother Gu to send me the array diagram—enough to reveal at least part of its critical nodes. They still have roughly a month before their setup is complete. Then we strike when the moment is right!" Xin Xin Xin Shisan Niang's brow relaxed slightly as she laid out her plan.

"These aristocratic clans are like rabid dogs—they cling obsessively to territory they've marked with their own urine. We destroy their plan once; will they not prepare a second, a third time? You can't be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against thieves for a thousand days either."

"If I don't solve this problem once and for all, am I supposed to sit here in the Lei Hai forever?" Brother Qian Chen sneered.

Xin Xin Xin Shisan Niang's expression turned grave. "What do you intend to do?"

Brother Qian Chen spoke slowly: "Do you know why, despite knowing that activating the Five Thunder Ultimate Array, triggering a Magnetic Storm, and disrupting the Earth Orifice's spiritual veins is a grave blow to their own fortune, the Jin and Lei families still insist on it? Why would they sacrifice their own fortune to let the Tao family, a true regional clan, reap the benefits?"

Xin Xin Xin Shisan Niang's lips parted slightly in surprise. "I never thought about that."

"Whether the Jin patriarch seeks to extend his life or the Lei patriarch aims to break through to the Yang Spirit stage, both are targeting the spiritual energy nurtured within the Earth Orifice's spiritual vein!" Brother Qian Chen added silently: "That is, my disciple's life... If they discover the Magnetic Divine Peak nurtured by the Thunder Pearl, even with multiple layers of safeguards, they will spare no effort to seize it."

"It may well become my disciple's human tribulation!"

"Among all tribulations, human tribulations carry the most variables. As a master, I must plan for him. I cannot stand idly by while these clans drain my disciple's marrow and blood!"

"Spiritual vein?" Xin Xin Shisan Niang asked, puzzled.

Brother Qian Chen nodded slightly: "The Earth Orifice is like a human's dantian—it has nine orifices connecting heaven and earth, and naturally, there are places where spiritual energy gathers, nurturing creation. That is the spiritual vein!"

A sudden thought flashed through Xin Xin Xin Shisan Niang's mind. She blurted out: "Could this spiritual vein be the magnetic peak where you once formed your Core?"

………………

In Guangling City, Tao's third Elder had kept to his quarters these past days; with the First Elder's power diminished, Tao's son's life had improved considerably. Though he still often recalled the mysterious young Daoist, and that day when he had taken him deep into the Lei Hai—the perilous journey felt like a dream—but his cultivation had advanced significantly, an undeniable fact.

After receiving Xin Xin Xin Shisan Niang's message, Tao's son, remembering their shared journey, went to his study to pay his respects to his father, Tao Kan.

"Father, Xin Xin Xin Shisan Niang still owes me my share of the profits. The Jin and Lei families are merely powerful clans in a single commandery; this Magnetic Earth Orifice has nothing to do with them. Letting them interfere is already a favor. Why tolerate their actions?"

"The Jin and Lei families have Yin Spirit Great Cultivators too! What kind of person is Xin Xin Xin Shisan Niang?"

Tao Kan gazed at a letter in his hand, speaking calmly: "Moreover, since they wish to seize this secret realm, they've given our Tao family ample face and tangible benefits. When the secret realm is sealed, it will become our clan's property—and we still retain thirty percent."

"Only thirty percent? Originally, this secret realm belonged solely to the Xin and Tao families. What are the Jin and Lei families but latecomers? Who are we giving it to?"

"Why does this Earth Orifice have nine entrances? The other entrances aren't even in Guangling Commandery. Xin Xin Xin Shisan Niang opened her entrance to free cultivators. How many free cultivators are there? How many clan members? Free cultivators can die freely—they're like ants; when one batch dies, another takes their place. But how many clan members can we afford to lose? One death means losing a household's loyalty; lose too many, and the clan's spirit fractures!"

"Do you treat our clan members' lives as cheap as those of free cultivators?"

"So tell me—do more spiritual treasures from the Lei Hai end up in our clan's hands, or in the hands of the free cultivators?" Tao Kan laughed bitterly. "When did our clans start competing with free cultivators for resources?"

"The Jin and Lei families may be powerful clans at heart, but that's precisely why we can control them."

"Use powerful clans to suppress free cultivators, then use those powerful clans ourselves—this is the standard tactic of aristocratic clans."

"Let them do the dirty work. Don't we even have the ability to sit back and watch?" Tao Kan sighed. "And do you know why the Jin and Lei families are so desperate, willing to squander their fortune, to trigger the Lei Hai's Magnetic Storm?"

Tao's third son frowned. "Isn't it to seize the spiritual treasures produced by the Lei Hai?"

"More precisely—to seize the creation within the spiritual vein."

Tao Kan smiled: "A spiritual vein is where spiritual energy gathers like a pearl or spring as it flows through the earth's veins—it is the origin of all blessed lands. Our clans' enduring fortune stems from our control of these blessed lands and spiritual veins. In a single commandery, there are usually only two or three spiritual veins. Merely controlling these two or three is enough to produce countless Yang Spirit Great Cultivators in our clans. Roughly every thousand years, one yields a creation capable of helping a cultivator break through to Yang Spirit."

"This Magnetic Earth Orifice spans a thousand li—it naturally contains spiritual veins. Having nurtured for countless years, the Jin patriarch seeks to extend his life, the Lei patriarch seeks to break through to Yang Spirit—they're both targeting the spiritual vein within the Earth Orifice."

"Even the one who held you captive—he gained his Core Formation rank from the spiritual vein's creation, didn't he?"

Tao's third son was stunned: "That place where you took me—that was a spiritual vein? I thought it was just some random spot deep in the Magnetic Earth Orifice!"

Tao Kan sighed: "Back then, the Lei Hai hadn't formed yet; the Earth Orifice was filled with pure magnetic qi—a sleeping dragon. The spiritual vein was invisible! Otherwise, why would I have drained the magnetic qi from the Earth Orifice? But a great master arose—he used the unmanifested spiritual vein to trigger the accumulated qi within, not only completing Core Formation, but also awakening creation, transforming this region into the Lei Hai."

"The Xin family's compass can point a path through magnetic fields, but to find dragons and locate spiritual veins? That's far beyond its ability. Only the divine compass of the Xia Hou clan might suffice."

"After that man formed his Core using the spiritual vein, he opened the vein's creation into the Lei Hai. Thus, even if residual creation remains, it's insufficient for the Jin and Lei families' ambitions. They still believe the Lei Hai is a natural creation, unaware of the past event—and thus unaware that the spiritual vein's creation has been nearly exhausted. Why not use this to outmaneuver them?"

Tao Kan smiled: "For our clan, feng shui is one of our foundations. These two families, seeking to find dragons and locate spiritual veins, can only resort to such violent, fortune-squandering methods—using the Five Thunder Ultimate Array to destroy the Lei Hai. That is the difference in depth."

"But if my Tao family were to act, we could easily locate the spiritual vein!"

Here, Tao Kan sighed inwardly: "It was thanks to the Xuanzhen Taiyi Green Ox, raised in our household and bearing the bloodline of Xuanzhen Taiyi Green Dragon, that I located the hidden vein and seized a portion of its creation to achieve Yin Spirit. I even buried your grandmother in that ox's resting ground, securing fortune for you as well."

Who could have imagined that the Xuanzhen Taiyi Green Ox, once the mount of the Tao family's Nascent Soul True Immortal,

still resides in the Tao family, honored and worshipped.