Protect Our Patriarch

...

In the simple wooden hut deep within the Green Emperor Valley, Wang Shouzhe, who was sitting cross-legged under the Green Emperor Sacred Stele receiving the inheritance, gradually awoke.

He felt as if he had just experienced a long dream.

In the dream, he sometimes transformed into a blade of grass, sometimes into a spiritual wood, and sometimes into a climbing vine. He would quietly stay in one place, growing from a small seedling bit by bit, experiencing a life that was either short or long, from birth to death, and then returning to nothingness.

Unknowingly, he had gained a deeper understanding of the path of wood. Many things that he couldn't comprehend before were now clear, and the path ahead was bright.

Next, he only needed to continue cultivating step by step, and his cultivation level would rapidly improve.

Recalling the various experiences in that "great dream," Wang Shouzhe's mind was still somewhat dazed.

Is this... the inheritance?

So, this is what it feels like to receive an inheritance.

Although his cultivation level hadn't improved, the profound energy within him seemed to have been refined, becoming more condensed, and his grasp of the laws of the Green Wood path became more adept.

It was like having the answers in advance when solving problems, making it easy to follow the steps. Without this "answer," cultivation would be like a blind person groping forward, progressing slowly.

Perhaps, while fumbling around, one's lifespan would be exhausted.

No wonder the ancestors of humanity created the concept of inheritance grounds. Without them, even a peerless prodigy like him would find it hard to reach the Void Realm in this lifetime, likely capping at the Divine Realm.

The existence of inheritance grounds is like having the predecessors pave the way with their experiences, allowing successors to travel swiftly, greatly shortening the cultivation time.

From this perspective, the predecessor who created the inheritance grounds truly accomplished something remarkable.

However, accumulating enough heavenly energy for one inheritance in the inheritance grounds is not easy. The six hundred million Top Gold (six million Immortal Crystals) spent was worth it.

"Father, quickly try out your divine abilities and see if there's any change!"

At this moment, the voice of the little girl Wang Lixian suddenly rang in his ear. As Wang Shouzhe's life-bound celestial plant, she naturally was the first to notice his awakening.

Although the one accompanying Wang Shouzhe this time was just a clone of Lixian, it could still communicate with the family at any time.

Reminded by her, Wang Shouzhe immediately closed his eyes and carefully sensed. Moments later, he reopened his eyes, a hint of joy flashing in them.

He was a peerless prodigy, and when he advanced to the Purple Mansion Realm, his bloodline had already awakened to the seventh level, granting him the Great Saint Body.

The Great Saint Body is the prerequisite for mastering "major divine abilities."

After all, when ordinary Divine Realm experts advance to the Divine Realm, they possess the Great Saint Body. So theoretically, a peerless prodigy in the Purple Mansion Realm is qualified to master major divine abilities.

Therefore, since advancing to the Purple Mansion Realm, Wang Shouzhe had been trying to comprehend his own major divine ability, but he had been unable to succeed due to insufficient understanding of the laws.

But now, with the support of the inheritance grounds, his major divine ability had finally come to fruition!

Casually walking out of the thatched hut, Wang Shouzhe took out a handful of improved pasture seeds from his storage ring and waved his hand, enveloping them in a vibrant green glow.

In an instant.

The seeds sprouted, quickly took root, and grew, forming a lush green carpet in a matter of moments, growing at a dizzying speed.

Although the improved pasture species grew fast, Wang Shouzhe had never achieved such growth speed when nurturing this pasture before.

Clearly, after advancing from minor divine abilities to major divine abilities, the effect of his profound energy in accelerating growth had increased significantly.

And this was not the end.

Under the glow, the pasture quickly flowered, bore fruit, and then withered, gradually decaying. Meanwhile, the seeds that fell from the fruit began to sprout and grow again, continuing the cycle.

The area of the grass carpet began to expand gradually.

As the generations of growth and cycles continued, the growth speed between the seeds gradually became uneven, with a small portion growing faster. The shape, color, and size of the pasture plants also showed slight differences from the original species.

The grass carpet gradually became uneven.

After an unknown amount of time, the divine ability power that Wang Shouzhe had unleashed was finally exhausted, and the pasture on the ground stopped its frantic growth, with the grass carpet's area fixed in place.

"The mutation rate has also increased." Wang Shouzhe surveyed the grass carpet and concluded.

In the past, when he nurtured plants, there was always a chance of mutation, but it was extremely rare and not necessarily a positive mutation. The mutated species had to be carefully studied to determine their direction or be eliminated.

More than ninety-nine percent of mutated seeds had to be discarded.

But now, after casually nurturing once, several mutated pasture plants appeared, which was hard to attribute to mere coincidence.

With this major divine ability in hand, given time, he might be able to cultivate a spiritual rice variety superior to the immortal dynasty's spiritual rice.

And those ideas that had been shelved due to the difficulty of catalysis might now have a chance of success.

By then...

The more Wang Shouzhe thought about it, the more delighted he became, and he immediately decided, "In that case, this major divine ability shall be named 'Evolution.'"

Due to the diverse bloodlines, even if one cultivates the same technique or path, the minor and major divine abilities comprehended by each person are different. Naturally, he had the right to name his own major divine ability.

With a wave of his wide sleeve, the grass carpet on the ground began to flower and fruit quickly, then wither.

But unlike before, this time, after the pasture withered, the seeds did not fall to the ground. Instead, they floated into the air, splitting into two portions mid-air, with one portion falling back into his sleeve and the other, a smaller portion of mutated seeds, stored separately in a small porcelain bottle.

Based on the traits exhibited by the mutated species, he labeled the bottle accordingly.

These needed to be planted several times to observe the overall state of mutation, followed by further experimentation and artificial selection. The various grain and grass seeds of the Wang Clan were due for another round of updates.

Especially the mainstream grain seeds currently planted by the Wang Clan, which had a clear technical advantage in the Great Qian, were rapidly expanding their market. However, in the Immortal Dynasty, they had no significant advantage other than price.

Clearly, this was not the result Wang Shouzhe wanted.

Even if the entire Great Qian purchased the Wang Clan's grain seeds, although it would increase the overall grain production of the Great Qian and indirectly enhance national power, benefiting the Wang Clan, it would also squeeze out many families that originally relied on grain seeds for a living.

The best outcome would be for the entire Great Qian to work as one, increasing the unit grain yield while using the surplus land to grow export grain seeds.

This way, everyone could earn money alongside the Wang Clan, and with more economic resources, more talents could be nurtured, leading to a snowball effect of increasing strength.

However, to capture the Immortal Dynasty's market, they needed grain seeds with greater advantages, not just relying on low prices to compete in the low-end market. They needed to surpass the Immortal Dynasty's grain seeds in both price and performance in the dimensions of ordinary grain seeds and lower-grade spiritual rice.

Currently, the Wang Clan was already prepared for this.

Since advancing to the Great Prodigy, Wang Shouzhe had been pushing the plan. The latest varieties in the secret experimental fields had been trial-planted for over twenty years, already slightly outperforming the common grain seeds of the Immortal Dynasty in overall performance, and at a lower cost.

This generation of grain seeds, Wang Shouzhe named the Wang Clan's third-generation grain seeds.

Now, the key issue that had been holding back the fourth-generation grain seeds had been resolved, and he believed that the Wang Clan's fourth-generation grain seeds would soon become the new favorite in the experimental fields.

By then, the third generation could be gradually introduced to the market.

And at that time, Wang Shouzhe would secretly continue to optimize the fourth generation and begin tackling the Wang Clan's fifth-generation grain seeds.

For a moment, Wang Shouzhe was filled with ambition.

By the way, I wonder how Ancestor Long Yan is doing?

Wang Shouzhe suddenly thought of Ancestor Long Yan. The last message she sent back mentioned that she had become a named disciple of Yin Futu and had gained a foothold within the Yinsha Sect.

Fortunately, with three major intelligence departments at his disposal and a wealth of talent under his command, Wang Shouzhe had already gradually infiltrated the intelligence departments into the Southern Qin and Western Jin.

In the future, with Ancestor Long Yan coordinating with them, the intelligence departments there would establish a firmer foothold and penetrate deeper, giving him a clearer understanding of the Southern Qin and Western Jin.

As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. As the Great Qian continues to develop, it will inevitably clash with the Western Jin and Southern Qin.

While Wang Shouzhe was contemplating Ancestor Long Yan.

In the extreme west.

Yinsha Sect.

In the central area of the mountain range belonging to the Yinsha Sect, there was an extremely high peak, entirely composed of a very hard yin-attribute ore, with jagged peaks as steep as an inverted sword.

Even slightly weaker Basalt cultivators might not be able to climb the mountain.

This peak was not originally part of the Wu Ji Sacred Mountain but was gradually moved from the outer regions by the first generation sect master of the Yinsha Sect using major divine abilities. It was the most important peak among all the mountains in the Yinsha Sect.

The sacred hall of the Yinsha Sect was located halfway up this peak.

Due to the fact that ordinary materials couldn't withstand the erosion of the yin energy and would quickly decay, the materials used for the sacred hall were primarily yin-attribute ores and special varieties of spiritual wood that could grow normally within the Yinsha Sect's range.

Limited by materials, the sacred hall couldn't be built into a palace complex spanning several kilometers like the Lingyun Holy Land. However, even so, the sacred hall was still built with grandeur and magnificence, albeit with a smaller footprint.

On this day.

The number of guards in the sacred hall had doubled compared to usual. Not only was the frequency of patrols far higher than usual, but even the Celestial Realm patrol leader, who usually only stayed in place and didn't go on patrol, had joined the patrol team.

At key positions, Purple Mansion Realm experts were directly deployed to guard.

The reason for such a large-scale mobilization was simple.

It was because today was the day when a big figure from the True Demon Hall was visiting the Yinsha Sect.

For this day, the Yinsha Sect had started preparations a month in advance, not only thoroughly cleaning the entire sacred hall inside and out but also gathering a batch of extremely rare flowers and green plants within the Yinsha Sect's range, using protective formations to prevent them from wilting, all for the purpose of decorating the sacred hall.

The defense specifications at various locations were also directly upgraded.

The main purpose was not to guard against enemy invasions but to prevent any careless Yinsha Sect disciples from inadvertently intruding and offending the distinguished guests, angering the big figure from the True Demon Hall.

At this moment.

Two people were already seated in the main hall used for receiving guests.

One of them was a young man, dressed in a black imperial robe with intricate patterns embroidered in gold thread on the cuffs, exuding an air of nobility and authority.

His posture was quite casual, yet he naturally exuded an aura of unmatched dominance, with a very strong presence.

The other was a disheveled middle-aged man, with a weathered face and a few strands of gray in his hair, looking quite downcast.

Both of their auras were extremely restrained, making it impossible to discern their cultivation levels from the surface.

However, none of the Yinsha Sect disciples standing by dared to underestimate them, even though those qualified to stand here were already the cream of the crop from various branches of the Yinsha Sect.

The deputy sect master of the Yinsha Sect, Yin Futu, was also diligently and respectfully serving tea and water to the two, with a sinister smile on his face: "Your Majesties, please wait a moment. My master is on his way and will be here shortly."

The tea served was also top-notch, a tea produced by a twelfth-grade peak-level spiritual plant, the Ghost Sunflower, from a top-tier super family of the Demon Dynasty, known for its effects of strengthening the soul and condensing the spirit.

The most notable feature of this tea was its price—expensive!

Even the Lingxu Emperor was reluctant to drink it often, making it a prestigious choice for entertaining distinguished guests.

The two being entertained were none other than the emperors of Southern Qin and Western Jin, two formidable figures in the Lingxu Realm.

Among them, the young man with an aura of unmatched dominance was the current emperor of Southern Qin, Emperor Yuan You.

Still young and with abundant lifespan, he was as ambitious as a rising sun.

The somewhat disheveled middle-aged man was the current emperor of Western Jin, Emperor Yan Qing.

"Enough~ You don't need to make excuses for him. Sect Master Qi is a senior expert, naturally not someone we 'idlers' can compare to." Emperor Yuan You took a sip of tea, his tone somewhat sarcastic.

Annoyed as he was, he couldn't waste the Ghost Sunflower Tea, which was meant for distinguished guests.

Yin Futu awkwardly smiled in apology.

Emperor Yan Qing, on the other hand, silently drank his tea, his eyes lowered, seemingly lost in thought, ignoring the conversation as if uninterested.

As they spoke, a hearty laugh suddenly came from outside the door.

"Hahaha~ I recently accepted a talented direct disciple and was just giving a lecture, lost track of time, and neglected Your Majesties. Forgive me, forgive me."

As the voice fell, two figures appeared at the door.

The one walking in front was a middle-aged man in white, handsome and elegant, with a remarkable demeanor, none other than Qi Hongzhao, the sect master of the Yinsha Sect.

Behind him was a veiled woman in white, as cold as the snow of the Tianshan Mountains.

If there were any members of the Wang Clan present, they would immediately recognize that this woman was none other than the Wang Clan's Purple Mansion Ancestor, Wang Long Yan, who was "officially" said to be in secluded cultivation.

In fact, shortly after An Ye's grand wedding, Ancestor Long Yan had already set off, leaving the Great Qian and arriving in the territory of the Yinsha Sect.

Now, at over two hundred and sixty years old, Ancestor Long Yan was already at the mid-Purple Mansion Realm, with enough self-preservation ability even against Divine Realm cultivators.

It was precisely because of this that Wang Shouzhe had agreed to let Ancestor Long Yan travel and seek opportunities in the Yinsha Sect's territory.

In truth, Wang Shouzhe was initially reluctant to let the ancestor take such risks. But Ancestor Long Yan was a peerless prodigy, theoretically capable of reaching the Void Realm.

However, to reach the Void Realm, one must first have a "manual" that matches their attributes.

This alone was enough to trap countless people.

No matter how many methods Wang Shouzhe had, there was no good solution.

Because the manuals in this world were limited, and most were already occupied by major forces like the Great Qian royal family, Lingyun Holy Land, and the Immortal Dynasty families and palaces. It was a one-to-one match, and unless one joined them, there was no chance.

Even if there were scattered ones, they were at most incomplete manuals like the "Golden Toad Manual," with significant side effects, not to be cultivated casually.

After much consideration, the most suitable for Ancestor Long Yan was the "Yinsha Demon Manual" of the Yinsha Sect. After all, the Yinsha Sect was an enemy, and he had no qualms about exploiting their Void Realm inheritance.

It was for this reason that there was a series of plans for Ancestor Long Yan to infiltrate the Yinsha Sect.

However, Wang Shouzhe's initial plan was just for the ancestor to become a direct disciple of Yin Futu. Even he hadn't anticipated that before she could even formally become Yin Futu's disciple, Ancestor Long Yan had already become the direct disciple of Qi Hongzhao, the sect master of the Yinsha Sect.

It could only be said that the world is unpredictable, and with such extraordinary talent, it's naturally advantageous.

To avoid her identity being exposed, Ancestor Long Yan not only wore a veil but also deliberately restored her hair to black, and no longer suppressed her icy aura, releasing it without reservation.

Unless someone was extremely familiar with her, it would be impossible to associate her current identity with Wang Long Yan.

"Come, Ruobing, quickly come and pay respects to the two emperors." Qi Hongzhao, abandoning his usual stern demeanor, smiled with a hint of pride. Clearly, he was extremely satisfied with his newly accepted disciple.

It's no wonder. Judging from his frequent long-term seclusion for cultivation and comprehension, Qi Hongzhao was not content to remain at the early Void Realm for life. However, the further one progresses in cultivation, the more one feels the limitations of bloodline talent.

Unless one disregards the overall interests and relies on a massive amount of resources to push forward, further advancement is extremely difficult. Moreover, even if resources are used to push him into the mid-Void Realm, what then?

The immortal path is vast. Without becoming a True Immortal, what difference does it make whether one is in the early or mid-Void Realm?

Gradually, Qi Hongzhao had become somewhat disheartened.

"Ruobing pays respects to Emperor Yuan You and Emperor Yan Qing."

Wang Long Yan followed the etiquette and bowed to the two emperors, her attitude respectful, but her voice was calm and cold, as if the status of the two emperors did not bring her any pressure.

Ever since Emperor Longchang lingered at the Wang Clan, lost a large sum of money playing cards, and was arranged by Shouzhe to extract spiritual veins to pay off his debt, the majesty of an emperor had already collapsed in Wang Long Yan's heart.

Qi Hongzhao's deliberate show-off was noted by the two emperors.

Even Emperor Yan Qing, who was generally uninterested in everything, scrutinized Wang Long Yan, secretly pondering what was unique about Qi Hongzhao's new disciple.

Emperor Yuan You, on the other hand, unabashedly scrutinized Wang Long Yan, his gaze carrying a hint of divine sense, as if trying to see through her.

"Hmph!"

Wang Long Yan snorted softly, releasing a divine sense wrapped in icy profound energy, enveloping herself in an icy mist, blocking Emperor Yuan You's probing.

She even condensed the icy profound energy into a needle with her divine sense, aiming it at Emperor Yuan You from afar.

"How dare you!"

Emperor Yuan You's eyes narrowed, instantly dissolving the icy needle, but Wang Long Yan's action was nothing short of provocation to him.

He immediately became furious, shouting angrily, a vast and majestic aura rising, enveloping Wang Long Yan without mercy: "A mere Purple Mansion Realm dares to challenge the majesty of an emperor. Courting death!"

However, before the pressure could fall on Wang Long Yan, Qi Hongzhao stepped forward, blocking in front of her.

With a casual wave, he deflected Yuan You's pressure, his smile freezing and turning into a frosty sneer: "Yuan You, don't mistake my Yinsha Sacred Hall for your 'Palace of Bliss.' If you dare to act recklessly again, don't blame me for teaching you a lesson."

In recent years, Emperor Yuan You had built a Palace of Bliss within the Southern Qin royal palace, gathering a group of beauties for pleasure.

"Sect Master Qi is indeed domineering. You haven't even advanced to the mid-Void Realm, yet you treat me, Yuan You, as a subordinate to reprimand?" Emperor Yuan You sneered repeatedly, "I would like to see how you plan to teach me a lesson. Perhaps, by relying on the Yinsha Sacred Land's formation to suppress me?"

Qi Hongzhao's gaze grew colder, the vortex in his eyes gradually forming: "Very well, if I don't teach you a lesson, you might think you're invincible."

Just as the tension reached its peak and Qi Hongzhao was about to act.

Emperor Yan Qing stood up, cupping his hands to both sides, playing the peacemaker: "Sect Master Qi, Brother Yuan You is still young and doesn't know the heights of the heavens. Please don't hold it against him."

As he spoke, he glared at Emperor Yuan You: "The Yinsha Sect is a sacred land shared by the Jin and Qin kingdoms. Yuan You, don't bring your temper from home here."

Emperor Yuan You's expression fluctuated slightly, then he laughed heartily: "Brother Yan Qing's criticism is right. It's Yuan You's recklessness."

Seeing Yuan You take a step back, Qi Hongzhao glanced at Emperor Yan Qing, his gaze gradually returning to normal, and said indifferently: "My disciple is a rogue cultivator, having suffered many hardships in life, developing a solitary and cold temperament. I apologize for the embarrassment to Your Majesties."

"A rogue cultivator?" Emperor Yan Qing frowned, "Why would Sect Master Qi accept a rogue cultivator as a direct disciple? Aren't you afraid..."

Even Emperor Yuan You was taken aback.

In sects and sacred lands, there is always a strong sense of vigilance against rogue cultivators. The Yinsha Sect might use rogue cultivators as cannon fodder, but they would never allow them to gradually rise in ranks.

Qi Hongzhao had been waiting for this question.

He casually replied, "There's nothing to fear. Firstly, Futu has already investigated Ruobing's background and past experiences, and there are no obvious issues. Secondly... Ruobing possesses a peerless prodigy-level icy variant bloodline... Oh, and by the way, she also has a pure yin body, which provides a bonus when cultivating the Yinsha lineage's techniques."

What?

Peerless prodigy-level?

An icy variant bloodline and a pure yin body!?

Isn't this a super treasure?

The two emperors couldn't sit still upon hearing this.

Such talent, why didn't it appear in their own families? How could it fall into the hands of a rogue cultivator? Is there any justice in this world?

Seeing the shocked and complex expressions of the two emperors, Yin Futu's heart shattered. This was supposed to be his hard-earned treasure of a disciple, now turned into his master's.

His precious disciple had suddenly become a junior sister...

This feeling left Yin Futu with a mix of emotions.

Emperor Yuan You stared at Wang Long Yan in shock. This woman had reached the level of a peerless prodigy even without accepting a manual inheritance, a rarity even in the Red Moon Demon Dynasty and the Han Yue Immortal Dynasty.

If she were to receive the heavenly essence bestowed during the manual inheritance, she would start at a level much higher than emperors like Yuan You. If resources were allocated for her to advance to the mid or even late Void Realm from the start, then in the future...

At this thought, Emperor Yuan You felt both envious and apprehensive.

No wonder Qi Hongzhao protected her so fiercely. If it were him, he would also cherish her like a treasure. Compared to her, the beauties in his "Palace of Bliss" seemed like mere commoners.

Emperor Yan Qing first praised, "Sect Master Qi is truly fortunate to encounter such a rare talent." After a pause, he frowned and said, "With such talent, it would be a pity not to push for the mid or late Void Realm."

"But if resources are allocated for advancement... given the current state of the sacred land, it might be a stretch, right?"

"This matter is not urgent for now. We will convene a meeting with the elders of the Yinsha Sect later." Qi Hongzhao, seeing the envy and jealousy in the eyes of the two emperors, felt secretly pleased.

With his hands behind his back, he said confidently, "In the future, if Ruobing can reach the mid or late Void Realm, we will have an absolute advantage in high-end combat power against the Eastern Qian and Lingyun Holy Land."

With these words, Qi Hongzhao seemed to have already designated Wang Long Yan as his successor.

For a moment, Yin Futu felt like crying. His disciple had become a junior sister, and the junior sister was now vying for his position as sect master...

What a bittersweet feeling.