Chapter 311 Mountains and Seas Meet (Part 4)

After the calamity of chaos, only the Pingze Continent remained of the original three continents of the cultivation world. The Wangyue Continent shattered into many scattered islands, eventually settling near the far south, forming an archipelago rich in spiritual energy. The Chenyao Continent, along with many temples, sank completely to the bottom of the sea. As the world-saving peach blossom gradually withered and died, the half-immortal clan abandoned their cultivation, and from then on, no more gods descended upon the cultivation world.

The power structure of the cultivation world was reshuffled. The Jiang family, along with other powerful families such as the Zhou, Lin, and Ning families, became dominant. The Yanghua Sect, along with other sects like Queyuan and Pingfeng, gradually rose to prominence. Meanwhile, the semi-immortal clans, such as Chang Ping'an and Wen Xiuji, retreated to seclusion to cultivate and await future opportunities. Xiao Dan gathered some of his former subordinates and powerful rogue cultivators to rebuild Yanyutai. After the catastrophe, everything was in ruins and needed rebuilding. A delicate balance was achieved among the various forces. No matter how turbulent the undercurrents were, at least on the surface, everyone was recuperating.

As the most well-preserved aristocratic family, and with its patriarch's effective governance, the Jiang family is now second to none in the Pingze Continent.

Jiang Xiangyun was naturally extremely busy.

But now he was in a quiet courtyard of the Jiang family, intently watching the primordial spirit that was vaguely taking shape in the magic array.

"This primordial spirit is too severely shattered. Even with the Floating Luo Flower, it would take at least several hundred years, and possibly over a thousand years, to completely revive it. Moreover, it would require constant nurturing with rare and precious materials." Hu Jingchen, now a young man, skillfully formed an array, enveloping the damaged primordial spirit within it once more. "Patriarch Jiang, is this person your blood relative?"

“That’s right,” Jiang Xiangyun said. “He is my maternal uncle.”

Back then, he was fortunate enough to find a few fragments of Yao Li's soul from his mother's finger bones. After that, he spent countless hours and effort to barely find these fragments of the primordial spirit. However, these primordial spirits were ultimately different from the majority of the primordial spirits that Lu Liyu had hidden in the tortoise shell. Even though he nurtured the primordial spirits for many years and reshaped them with the Fuluo flower according to Jiang Gu's method, and even after he dissected most of the remaining primordial core, the effect was still minimal.

"In that case, with the nourishment of Patriarch Jiang's Yuan Dan, I can be 70% confident."

After returning to Pingze, Hu Jingchen reunited with his parents, both of whom were medical cultivators. He inherited this path after his return. Later, he and Lin Tingxue became Daoist partners and lived a carefree life as independent cultivators. However, because Lin Tingxue was the daughter of Lin Feibai and Zhou Tingran, they were ultimately inseparable from the aristocratic families.

Jiang Xiangyun went through many twists and turns before finally managing to invite the person to the Jiang family home.

As Lu Liyu watched Hu Jingchen and Lin Tingxue leave, she turned to look at Jiang Xiangyun and said, "Are you really comfortable entrusting Yao Li's primordial spirit to them? What if they tamper with it, or use Yao Li to blackmail you and the Jiang family? You'll be in deep trouble."

“Hu Jingchen is a free-spirited and unrestrained person, but he is kind and upright at heart. He wouldn’t be like that,” Jiang Xiangyun said. “Besides, my uncle cultivates the Dao of Mountains and Seas, so he should like it.”

"Heh, when did you start believing in this nonsense?" Lu Liyu scoffed. He had seen countless dirty tricks, and Jiang Xiangyun, having been the head of the Jiang family for so many years, had experienced far more. To say that he believed in other people's character was simply a huge joke.

"After Jiang Gu ascended to immortality, he gave me some pointers. Hu Jingchen has an extraordinary background and deep ties to the Upper Realm. With him around, my uncle's chances of survival are only higher." Jiang Xiangyun rolled up his sleeves and walked out.

"Just how much did Jiang Gu reveal to you through that peach blossom branch?" Lu Liyu clicked her tongue. "He almost dragged you up with him."

“Of course, my seventh brother and I are very close,” Jiang Xiangyun said.

"I can see that. You dig for your own core like you're digging for spirit stones, and you're making more than you need," Lu Liyu said. "With so little core left, when will you be able to ascend?"

Jiang Xiangyun said, "It's alright, it just takes a little more time to recuperate, don't worry."

Lu Liyu chuckled: "I'd rather worry about those two stone lions at the Jiang family's gate than you; they wag their tails."

"...Don't casually imbue them with spirits. Last time they sneaked out to play, the Jiang family's grand formation almost collapsed." Jiang Xiangyun was about to continue speaking when a surge of heat suddenly came from his dantian.

He was stunned for a moment, then used his divine sense to look into his dantian and saw half a gray primordial pill filling the gap in his dantian. Although it could not compare to the original, it still relieved most of his pressure and pain.

"You saved me back then, there's no reason for you to save me for nothing." Lu Liyu said with a grin, raising an eyebrow at him nonchalantly.

Jiang Xiangyun's expression was complicated as he said, "Thank you."

"Don't be so polite. If you're not strong enough and get killed, I'll be next." Lu Liyu was very self-aware. "Being the mistress of this household isn't easy either."

Jiang Xiangyun smiled and took his hand.

Lu Liyu slowly narrowed her eyes: "Young Master Jiang, what are you doing in broad daylight?"

Jiang Xiangyun said, "I've heard that there's a powerful figure in the Ten Directions Islands further south of the far south who is skilled at curing incomplete souls and unstable primordial spirits. You're currently experiencing a loss of soul every so often. Let's go to the Ten Directions Islands and see if we can find him. We can also check on Xiao Dan's recent movements and give Yan Yu Tai a warning."

If it were just a simple matter of seeking medical treatment, Lu Liyu might not be willing to go, but upon hearing that he could also cause trouble for Yanyutai, he instantly perked up. He and Xiao Dan were sworn enemies. Back when he was in the Eight Pavilions, he hated this person to the bone, otherwise he would not have betrayed the Eight Pavilions and joined the Burning Platform Hall. Even though Jiang Xiangyun and Xiao Dan cooperated back then, and everyone worked together to fight against the chaotic energy to save the world, it did not prevent them from fighting each other to the death after the crisis.

Sixteen years had passed since that cataclysmic disaster.

The Ten Directions Islands, Sunset Island.

Sunset Island is located at the westernmost end of the archipelago. Although it is inconspicuous, the island is full of spiritual energy. The island is mostly inhabited by flowers, birds and spirit beasts. In addition, there is a dense purple bamboo forest. There is a bamboo house in the forest, which exudes surging spiritual energy in the afterglow of the setting sun.

A young boy pushed open the door and collected the spiritual energy surrounding the bamboo house into a gourd.

The young man was dressed in white and was tall and slender. He had delicate features and a handsome appearance, but he exuded a cold and aloof aura that made him seem very unapproachable.

Jiang Gu has been living alone on this island for sixteen years.

However, it wouldn't be accurate to say he was alone. He had a master—who, for the time being, was unwilling to tell him his name or teach him how to cultivate. The master simply made sure he wouldn't starve and occasionally brought him little trinkets and books to amuse him.

When he was born, he was ignorant of the world. He figured out the method of cultivation on his own and understood the principles from those books. When he was five or six years old, he traveled alone to all the islands of the ten directions and realized that people are not born with a master, but with a father and a mother.

He thought his master was his parents, and for seven or eight days in a row he squatted outside the cave where his master was in seclusion.

When his master came out, he called out "Mother".

His master's expression was somewhat distorted, then turned to one of schadenfreude a moment later.

Jiang Gu could already distinguish them skillfully, and called out "Dad" in a clear voice.

Now even the other master couldn't laugh anymore.

The lightning tribulation that struck at that time nearly shattered the entire Sunset Island. His master, with a complicated expression, told him that his parents were someone else, and that he would meet them when the time was right.

Six-year-old Jiang Gu nodded.

He had some vague memories since childhood, but those memories were fragmented and blurry, making them extremely difficult to distinguish. Later, when he got older, he tried to connect those memories, but his primordial spirit almost collapsed. If his master hadn't appeared in time, he would have been annihilated.

"The time is not right."

His master always gave him this advice.

Jiang Gu was always calm and collected. After several attempts, he stopped trying to recover those memories. After all, every time he showed signs of remembering, the tribulation lightning would strike him like crazy.

He may have once been some kind of world-destroying demon.

Jiang Gu would occasionally travel to Pingze Continent for a period of time, and naturally heard about the calamity that occurred more than ten years ago. However, he was not yet born at the time of the calamity. Combining this information, he deduced that he should have some connection with that calamity, and he accepted his possible identity as a demon.

His master spent most of his time in seclusion. When he was young, he would sleep in his master's arms. Later, as he got older, he couldn't stay in the cave and began to wander around and explore. Every now and then, his master would save someone. He guessed that this might be some kind of exchange of fortune. Several times, when the "two" masters quarreled, the tribulation lightning of ascension would hover over the island for a long time, as if urging them to leave this world.

Therefore, people occasionally come to the island seeking help, but whether they can be saved depends on their individual circumstances.

At noon that day, Jiang Gu was feeding his two fish behind the bamboo house when he suddenly sensed something unusual about the island's barrier.

He put down the fish food and arrived at the barrier in the blink of an eye.

Two men stood before the barrier. One had his hair tied up with a jade crown and a handsome face, while the other had a frivolous and smiling demeanor. Although both were close to the Dao Ancestor Realm, Jiang Gu could tell at a glance that their Yuan Dan (original core) was damaged, and the beggar's soul was unstable, making him look like he was about to die.

A beggar? Jiang Gu frowned in confusion. Although the fair-skinned and handsome young man was dressed somewhat unkemptly, he was also clean and tidy. He was by no means associated with a beggar.

But he just felt that this guy was dirty and deserved a beating.

"Young fellow Daoist, my name is Jiang Xiangyun, and I have come with my Daoist companion Lu Liyu to pay our respects to Senior Xizhao. I wonder if we may have the honor of meeting you?" Jiang Xiangyun bowed respectfully.

Seeing that he was very polite, Jiang Gu had no choice but to remove the barrier and return the greeting, saying, "You've come at an inopportune time. My master is in seclusion. Go back."

As the barrier dissipated, Jiang Xiangyun looked up and froze in place, exclaiming in astonishment, "Seventh Brother?"

"Jiang Gu? What are you doing here?!" Lu Liyu was also shocked.

A hint of wariness appeared in Jiang Gu's eyes: "You know me?"

"It's more than just knowing each other. What are you doing? Where is your man-eating little apprentice?" Lu Liyu looked around warily, afraid that Wei Feng would suddenly jump out from somewhere and devour him alive.

Jiang Gu was stunned for a moment. Some scattered memories flashed by, but they were too fast to grasp.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Yanghua Sect, a cloud of black mist slowly emerged from the ground of Qingping Peak, startling all the sect's Soul-Suppressing Bells into ringing. The mountain-protecting formation shattered in response, and the sect leader and elders were instantly alarmed, rushing to Qingping Peak on their swords.

As the rubble broke apart, a hand, scarred and writhing with countless ghostly patterns, emerged from the black mist, its long, sharp nails digging heavily into the cracked ground.