Chapter 42: The Liu Family and the Yun Family

  "It's impossible." Gu Cang Yue said resolutely, "With the cultivation of the Five Layers of the Pre-Heavenly Realm, even if that little bastard reached the Pre-Heavenly Boundary, how could he possibly harm the Azure Sea? Second Uncle, this is impossible!"

  "I also know it's impossible, but for five whole months, there has been no news from Cang Hai... I'm afraid... I'm afraid..." The Second Elder said two sentences, but ultimately didn't say the rest of his words.

  However, Da Zhang Lao and Gu Cang Yue naturally understood what Er Long Lao meant.

  "Second Brother, the Vast Ocean may have been delayed by something. With his cultivation, as long as he doesn't venture too deep into the Eastern Wastes' six hundred thousand miles, there shouldn't be any great danger. Don't worry too much..." said the Great Elder.

  "Right! Who knows when Cang Hai will come back!"

  The old man and Gu Cangyue said so with their mouths, but they also understood in their hearts that after being missing for five months, the situation was absolutely more ominous than auspicious.

  "Alas... Nine months ago, Guhe and that little bastard went to the North Tai Mountain mine together, and as a result, He'er disappeared. Five months ago, Canghai and that little bastard went to the East Wilderness together, and as a result, Canghai also disappeared. Is that little bastard a jinx, specializing in killing my sons and grandsons...?" The Second Elder let out a long sigh, his tone suddenly aging significantly, and at the same time, a hint of hatred seeped into his voice.

  "Second Uncle, why are you being like this!" Gu Cang Yue said: "That little bastard has just entered the Pre-Heaven realm, what kind of big waves can he stir up? Let's wait another year, until we've pushed that old codger down from his position as clan leader. At that time, I'll be the first to kill that little bastard, and even if Gu He and Cang Hai's disappearance has something to do with him, it will avenge them!"

  "The little mongrel won't die, and I'm uneasy in my heart, feeling unwell all over..." said the Second Elder, clenching his fist.

  "Let him live for another year, and when I take over as the head of the clan, killing him will be no trouble at all."

  The old man suddenly worried: "If the little bastard reaches the Xiantian realm, won't there be any problems with this year's clan trial? This year's first prize is a drop of blood essence, we spent a lot of effort and the old fellow only agreed to take it out, the entire Gu family has only one piece, don't make any mistakes."

  The great elder said that Gu Xian was immortal and didn't even look at his own age. Compared to Gu Xian, he was only two or three years younger and was also nearly seventy years old.

  Gu Cang Yue pondered for a moment, then said: "Tai Er had already entered the Second Layer of the Pre-Heaven Realm last year. That little mongrel has only just reached the First Layer of the Pre-Heaven Realm, so it shouldn't be difficult to deal with."

  The Great Elder said, "To ensure that nothing goes wrong, this blood contract is the only one in Leshui City, and neither the Liu nor Yun families have it. It can only be obtained by Gu Tai, and it's absolutely impossible for any mistakes to occur, allowing that little bastard to get it."

  "Alright, don't worry." Gu Cangyue nodded and said: "During the clan trial, I will give Ruxi the Drunken Jade Sword. Ruxi is already very strong, and with the mid-grade artifact Drunken Jade Sword, that little bastard won't be able to turn things around no matter what."

  "So very good......" The Great Elder nodded and said, "Tell Gu Tai not to underestimate the enemy."

  ……

  Beicheng, Liu Family...

  Bang...

  Liu Huayuan slapped his palm on the table and shouted: "Is this true?"

  Ryūkawa said on the side: "A thousand true and ten thousand certain, that little devil came from the Eastern Wasteland's Imperial Sword today, indeed has already stepped into the Pre-Heavenly Boundary."

  " Innate boundary, innate boundary... That kid is really surprising!" Liu Huayuan tapped his index finger on the table and said slowly.

  Liu Chuan Dao: "I underestimated that kid before, but the clan leader's vision is indeed far-reaching. It seems that the kid did gain something from the North Tai Mountain mine."

  "I still don't see him as high enough, I still underestimate him."

  Liu Huayuan sighed and said: "There is still no news of Liu Jie and Liu Qing?"

  Liu Chuan lowered his head and said, "Not yet. That kid entered the prenatal stage and came back unscathed. It seems... it seems that Liu Jie and Liu Qing should be in a precarious situation."

  "I still underestimated him, what news did they find out from the Beidai Mountain mine?" asked Liu Huayuan.

  Liu Chuan shook his head: "The mine is now normal in all aspects, and there are no suspicious phenomena."

  "Hmph, ever since that kid entered the Beidai Mountain mine, he's undergone a heaven-shaking and earth-shattering change. There must be some trick to this mine. I must get my hands on the Beidai Mountain mine. Whatever secrets are inside, I have to investigate them clearly." Liu Huayuan continued to knock on the table.

  "Tribe leader, what should we do with that kid?" asked Liu Chuan.

  Liu Huayuan smiled coldly and said: "I'm getting more and more interested in him, what do you think we should do with him?"

  "Bring him back and ask him, what's going on in the Beitaishan mine, it'll be clear. I think sending Liu Tong is more suitable, Liu Tong is a mid-term cultivator of the Innate Realm, he can guarantee no mistakes."

  Liu Huayuan nodded and said: "If we want Liu Tong to capture the bandits alive, it's not impossible, but we can't ask for his life."

  "Yanagawa understands..." Yanagawa bowed and left the room.

  Liu Huayuan is now heading towards the East City, muttering to himself: "In just a short year's time, you've gone from being at the initial stage of the Post-Heaven Realm to entering the Pre-Heaven Realm. What exactly did you experience in the North Tai Mountain mine? What secrets do you have on your body?"

  Gu Chen returned from the Beitaishan mine, only to reveal that his cultivation had reached the 9th layer of the Post-Heaven Realm. Before going to the Beitaishan mine, his cultivation had already risen to the 7th layer of the Post-Heaven Realm, but no one knew about it.

  Nature, Liu Huayuan then suddenly increased Gu Chen's cultivation, all of which were associated with the Beitaishan mine, convinced that there was a secret inside the Beitaishan mine, unexpectedly hitting the right spot.

  No matter how hard Ren Liu Hua Yuan imagined, he wouldn't have known the real secret of Gu Chen. It wasn't that there was a huge adventure in the Beidai Mountain mine, but rather that life had rewound and started again.

  ……

  Nancheng, Yunjia also opened a discussion due to Gu Chen's strong return, and the focus of the discussion was Gu Chen.

  Yun Hong sat in the upper seat, his eyes fixed on Yun Xue in front of him, and said: "Xue Er, Gu Song has come to see you, why didn't you meet him?"

  "His cultivation is too low, I don't want to see him." Yun Xue nodded slightly.

  "Yun Xiong said: "Gu Song was only 13 years old and had already reached the sixth layer of the acquired realm, no worse than your elder brother. How could his cultivation be too low?""

  Yun Xue said: "Gu Chen is only 11 years old and has already entered the Innate Realm. His cultivation, isn't it too low?"

  "What are you taking that little waste... what are you going to do with him?" Yun Jinghong was taken aback.

  Yunxue raised her head and said, "The man I, Yunxue, want to marry must be the best in terms of talent, unmatched by anyone. Gu Song is too inferior, from now on, I will never be with him again."

  "Xue Er, are you still wanting to be with that useless little thing? Gu Song Ge is so good to you." Yun Chao rolled his eyes and looked at Yun Xue.

  "How dare you call him trash? If he's trash, then you're not even as good as me. What are you?" Yun Xue angrily said.

  Yun Xue has already reached the fifth layer of the Post-Heaven Realm, while Yun Chao is still stuck at the fourth layer.

  Yun Jinghong said: "Xue Er, you have to know that there is no relationship between you and him anymore, it's impossible."

  "It won't work, Gu Cang and he are of the same clan, they can't be together. In Le Shui City, except for me, no one is worthy of him, he will definitely choose me... My man must have the best qualifications, if not, I don't want him." Yun Xue said firmly.

  Yun Hongdao said, "Xue'er, the ancient family is long-standing, and it's only a matter of time before it falls into the hands of Gu Cangyue. We can only stand on the side of Gu Cangyue and join forces to resist the Liu family in order to maintain the status of the three major Xiu Zhen families. Among the three major Xiu Zhen families, only our Yun family does not have a seven-layered innate realm cultivator, so we are the weakest. If our relationship with Gu Cangyue breaks down, the Liu family will be finished. Xue'er, for the sake of the Liu family, you can only be with Gu Song."

  The Spring Festival is approaching, and Leshui City is very lively, with a joyful atmosphere everywhere.

  After Gu Chen returned home, except for visiting his grandfather once, he stayed at home all the time. Gu Heng and Gu Lan came to invite him to play, but were rejected one by one.

  This year's Spring Festival was more lively at Gu Chen's house than in previous years. The clan leader, the three elders and their descendants all came to visit Gu Chen during his return home for a few days, almost one by one.

  Gu Chen entered the Xiantian realm at a young age, and anyone could see that his future achievements would be extraordinary.

  Although there were also people coming and going in previous years, it was nothing like this year's scene.

  Many neutral parties who were wavering between the clan leader and the elderly elder were also shocked by Gu Chen's cultivation, and they all came to visit.

  Gu Chen didn't like to get involved in too many dealings, but when relatives came to visit, he had no choice but to accompany them. Although not all visiting relatives had good intentions, living in a big family made it unavoidable to deal with these human relationships and social niceties.

  Before long, the days of the year passed quickly, and because there were always people coming to visit at home, Gu Chen basically had no time to practice for several days.

  The New Year's Day has finally arrived, the children in Gu's family are all happy and playing freely, except for Gu Chen, who is not playing with a group of kids.

  The first day after the New Year, the family competition of the Gu family began. It's not just the Gu family, but every year on this day, the three major immortal families in Leishui City will hold a family competition, which is also a way for the elders to publicly inspect the younger generation's cultivation situation for the past year.

  This year's clan competition is not ordinary, the patriarch Gu Xian said that he will take out a treasured family heirloom, the Blood Jade, as the prize for the first place winner of the clan competition.

  As for the Blood Essence, the ancient family didn't know much about it, only knowing that this thing was extraordinary, and when refined into a magic tool, it could greatly increase the magic tool's power. A low-grade magic tool infused with Blood Essence would have power not inferior to a mid-grade magic tool.

  However, infusing the blood essence into a magic tool is quite difficult. If one simply fuses the blood essence into the magic tool, the tool will carry a severe killing intent, affecting the master's temperament and even controlling the master of the magic tool.

  Blood gore represents slaughter, not a highly skilled alchemist, it is difficult to refine blood gore into magical equipment.

  Even so, the blood jade is still precious in the eyes of the monks, and the Gu family obtained a piece of blood jade, which has been treasured like a treasure.

  Gu Chen's understanding of Blood Slime is apparently more extensive, as it is one of the indispensable materials for the Great Array of Absolute Death and Destruction, and its role in this regard is far more precious than refining it into a magic tool.

  Outside the ancient family's main hall, there is a large square with an area of about 100 acres. Every year, the clan competition is held on this square, and the main members of the Gu family will all participate.

  In the morning, Gu Chen followed his father to the Gu family square. In the center of the square, a large arena had already been set up. The arena was three zhang high and ten zhang long and wide.

  Three zhang east of the arena is a two-story viewing platform. The lower level is three zhang high and the upper level is five zhang high.

  The upper layer has four positions, which are the seats of the clan leader, the great elder, the second elder and the third elder. The lower layer has eleven positions, which are the seats of Gu Cangqiong, Gu Cangyue, Gu Cangqiu... and other direct disciples of the second generation.

  Last year's inter-clan competition had twelve positions in the lower tier. This year, with Gu Cang Hai missing, there is one less position naturally.

  The second-generation disciples of the collateral branch and all third-generation disciples stand under the ring in three directions: south, north, and west. They have different identities and positions.

  The second-generation disciple of the collateral line stands in the west, opposite the main seat. The third-generation direct disciple stands in the south. The third-generation collateral disciple stands in the north.

  Gǔ Qiān Shān is a second-generation disciple of the Gǔ family's collateral branch, but his cultivation has reached the third layer of the Pre-Heavenly Realm. Therefore, in the Gǔ family, his status is not low and is not much different from that of direct disciples.

  After the head of the Gu clan, Gu Xian, and three elders took their seats on the viewing platform, Gu Qianshan lightly jumped onto the stage. This was the fifth year he had presided over the inter-clan competition, and this year it would be him again.

  After bowing to the clan leader and three elders, Gu Qianshan turned around to face the crowd below and gave a long opening speech, which was nothing more than introducing the necessity of holding the annual clan competition. Why hold the clan competition? What are the good results of holding the clan competition?

  In short, after finishing speaking, it is in order to prove a point of view: the annual clan competition must be held and is very beneficial to the development of the ancient family.

  Then, it's about participating in the clan competition, three generations of descendants have some requirements, such as brothers of the same clan, they must take care of each other, point to point, and cannot intentionally hurt people...

  Finally, it was mentioned about the reward for this clan competition, and Gu Chen perked up his ears upon hearing this.

  "This year's family competition, the first prize is not trivial, it is a treasure that has been treasured by our family for many years - Blood Essence. The Blood Essence is an extraordinary treasure, it looks like **, but can still flow, in fact, its weight is even heavier than iron blocks. Refining the Blood Essence into a magic tool will greatly increase the power of the magic tool. So, which disciple will have good luck and obtain the Blood Essence this year? Let's wait and see, who will get the first prize in this year's family competition..."

  After a pause, Gu Qian Shan continued: "The first family competition is the contest among the post-heavenly boundary disciples. The disciple who achieves the first place in the post-heavenly boundary will also receive a large amount of rough stones and a small amount of spiritual stones as rewards. Who wants to come up for the first battle? Let the clan leader and three elders check your one-year cultivation results?"

  "I'm coming..." A boy of about ten years old, a direct descendant of the third generation, shouted and walked out. He was Gu Lan, who went to catch the Blood Crown Fox with Gu Chen.

  Gu Lan is already 11 years old and has made further progress in his cultivation compared to last year, reaching the fifth layer of the Post-Heaven Realm. Such talent is quite impressive in Leshui City.

  Among the third-generation disciples of the collateral branch, a young boy around eleven or twelve years old emerged, with his cultivation at around the fourth layer of the Post-Heaven Realm.

  Two men, one from the north and one from the south, stepped onto the stage.

  Every three generations, the clan holds a martial arts tournament where every member must participate and demonstrate their greatest strength on the arena. The clan leader, three elders, and key figures of the ancient house are all watching from the platform to clearly understand the level of cultivation of the younger generation.

  The long-term development of a family requires the continuous efforts of generation after generation, and the cultivation of future generations is crucial. Whether it's the Gu family or the Yun and Liu families, they all attach great importance to this.

  "Please..."

  "Please..."

  According to the rules, after the two men stepped onto the stage, they stood facing each other in a north-south direction, clasping their fists together. This was just an internal competition within the family and not a life-or-death arena match, so all due formalities had to be observed.

  Gǔ Lán's strength was a level higher than that of the collateral descendant, and he won without a doubt. Gǔ Xiān and the three elders all had happy smiles on their faces. Gǔ Lán's talent might just be the next Gǔ Sōng.

  However, the faces of the First Elder and Second Elder did not have any smile, Gu Lan was a descendant of Gu Xian and Third Elder, not their people, obtaining victory naturally had nothing to be happy about.

  The disciples of the Back Heaven Realm walked onto the stage one by one, and Gu Lan won five consecutive matches before stepping down to rest. Winning five consecutive matches allowed him to step down and rest, as well as continue challenging the stage, while those who lost would be directly eliminated.

  In this way, the final contest is between those few sons who have won five consecutive games.