Clan Head

Donghu City had been built along the lake. Its walls soared high, its presence grand and imposing. Inside, voices clamored, carriages streamed through the streets, and prosperity flourished everywhere.

The moment he stepped through the city gates, Yun Long's keen senses caught several scrutinizing gazes.

Several sharp-looking men in neat clothes immediately surrounded him, their faces piled with eager smiles.

They were brokers in the city, dealing in all kinds of intermediary business. Their eyes were viciously perceptive, and at a glance, they spotted the scent of a "fat sheep" beneath Yun Long's attire and slightly unfamiliar face.

Whenever a wealthy stranger like this appeared, it was their chance to make a fortune.

"Sir, you look unfamiliar! First time in Donghu City?"

"Are you looking for lodging, sir? Or asking after something? I've got connections everywhere—I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

Before coming here, Yun Long had specifically consulted Yun Ji.

Yun Ji had told him that no matter where one went, brokers were often the best informed.

Especially those who looked as though they had been in the game for years, with a fierce edge in their features. They dealt with all manner of people and knew even more secrets.

Yun Long's calm gaze swept across them before finally settling on the oldest middle-aged broker, a man with a savage scar across his face and the sharpest, steadiest eyes.

"You. Lead the way." Yun Long's voice was flat. "Find me a viewing room at the highest point in the city, with the best view."

A gleam flashed through Scarface's eyes. He immediately bowed. "Certainly, sir! This way, please. I'll make sure to find you the brightest, most open spot!"

Scarface had not been boasting. Before long, he led Yun Long to an elegant top-floor room in a tall building overlooking the lake.

When the window was pushed open, the vast scenery of Wanfang Lake spread out before his eyes. The lake breeze, carrying moist vapor, rushed toward him and left him refreshed in body and spirit.

Scarface wore a broad smile as he waited for Yun Long's reward.

He assumed this "wealthy merchant" merely wanted a pleasant place to rest and admire the view.

Yet Yun Long did not immediately take out any money. He stood silently by the window for a moment, gazing into the distance and sensing the pulse of the city. Then he turned, his eyes landing on Scarface.

"Do you know what cultivation forces are located around Wanfang Lake?" Yun Long asked slowly. His voice was not loud, yet it made Scarface's heart jolt.

Scarface's smile stiffened slightly, and his expression instantly grew solemn as he reassessed the "wealthy merchant" before him.

He had drifted through Donghu City for many years, and his ability to read people and judge situations had long reached perfection.

This man looked like an ordinary merchant, but the tone and look in his eyes when he asked that question carried something unusual.

This was absolutely not something an ordinary merchant would care about!

Scarface steadied himself, not daring to be negligent. He answered respectfully, "In reply to you, sir, all of Wanfang Lake and even our Sanshui County fall within Qingyun Sect's sphere of influence. Every year, Qingyun Sect recruits disciples with Immortal Fate here."

"As for the local Cultivation Families around Wanfang Lake..." Scarface lowered his voice slightly. "As far as I know, there are four."

"The first is the Li Family, which has fished Wanfang Lake for generations and controls many of the lake's resources."

"The second is the Mo Family, entrenched in Donghu City with deep-rooted influence."

"The third is the Lu Family, which runs martial arts schools and pill shops and possesses abundant wealth."

"The last is the Ning Family, invested with authority by imperial decree and responsible for guarding the peace of Wanfang Lake."

At this point, Scarface seemed to recall something and added, "However, I have recently heard some rumors that Donghu City's Mo Family seems to be suffering from poor fortune. Among its younger two generations, it seems no descendants with Immortal Fate have appeared again."

Yun Long questioned Scarface further about various trivial matters concerning Donghu City.

In the end, he took out a weighty ingot of silver and rewarded him.

Scarface withdrew amid profuse thanks.

Yun Long stood alone by the window, his thoughts churning like storm-tossed waves.

The Great Xia Dynasty truly deserved to be called one of the top dynasties of the Eastern Ancestral Divine Continent. Its foundations were unfathomably deep.

Even a force as powerful as Qingyun Sect was merely one mighty sect within Great Xia Dynasty territory.

This was utterly different from Changqing Kingdom, where one sect dominated all and even called itself an immortal sect.

In merely the small region around Wanfang Lake, four Cultivation Family forces were already entrenched.

And now, their Yun Clan had arrived here as well.

Yun Long understood that future conflicts were likely only a matter of time.

He remained in Donghu City for two days, attempting to gather more information about the Cultivation World.

However, the results proved far from satisfactory, and Yun Long could only leave helplessly in the end.

There was simply nowhere in the city's mortal markets to purchase Classics related to cultivation.

If they wanted more detailed intelligence or genuine cultivation resources, the best method seemed to be having clan members enter Qingyun Sect.

But Yun Long knew that among the Yun Clan, only Li Lingyue and Shi Chen possessed Spiritual Roots and had hope of joining Qingyun Sect.

The three Yun siblings, including himself, had no Spiritual Roots.

For now, this matter could only be set aside to await future opportunities.

After returning to Evergreen Valley, the clan members were all very satisfied with their new home.

The concentration of Spiritual Energy at Wanfang Lake far surpassed that of Nanshan Town, making it more suitable for breathing exercises and cultivation.

The scenery here was also exceptionally beautiful, refreshing the heart and delighting the eye.

Moreover, the broad and fertile land of Evergreen Valley now belonged entirely to the Yun Clan.

Everyone quickly fell in love with life here and gradually cast the old affairs of Nanshan Town behind them.

As for that blood-deep enmity?

Yun Long saw it as clearly as a polished mirror.

One had to assess one's own strength before undertaking the corresponding task.

The Yun Clan's foundations were still unstable. They were far from ready to stir up trouble.

Their top priority was development and accumulation.

With vast amounts of money invested, construction throughout Evergreen Valley progressed at an astonishing pace.

In only four days, the entire valley had taken on a completely new appearance and begun to assume a proper scale.

Along the way, Yun Long gained an even deeper understanding of the enormous gulf between the Cultivation World and mortal society.

Once one stepped onto the road of cultivation, it meant completely severing oneself from one's former mortal life and entering an entirely different level of existence.

The enormous sums of money he had borrowed along the way, which mortals regarded as staggering fortunes, were in true value not even comparable to the Qingxuan Gengjin Qi manual and those three low-grade spirit stones.

In the rear mountain area of Evergreen Valley, Yun Long personally selected a site and supervised the construction of a solemn and majestic Ancestral Hall.

Only Yun Clan Members were permitted to enter this place.

On the day the Ancestral Hall was completed, Yun Long bathed, changed into clean clothes, and wore a solemn expression.

He personally and respectfully placed the Family Genealogy, which carried the lineage's history, before the ancestor Yun Jiang's tablet.

Three sticks of incense were lit, and pale smoke curled upward.

Yun Long bowed and kowtowed reverently.

Just as he finished kowtowing and straightened up, the Family Genealogy lying still suddenly moved without wind.

Its pages fluttered with a rustle, releasing a faint glow.

Yun Long focused his gaze, and his eyes narrowed.

He discovered that the words "Jingyang Mountain Yun Family," originally engraved on the genealogy's first page, had silently changed.

In their place were four brand-new characters—Wanfang Lake Yun Family!

Below them, a line of small characters clearly emerged: Third-generation Clan Head of the Wanfang Lake Yun Family, Yun Long!

The Family Genealogy had recognized his status as the Yun Clan's new-generation clan head.

What shook Yun Long even more was that, with the final turn of its pages, a card as thin as a cicada's wing and shining with faint golden radiance slowly drifted out from between the pages of the genealogy.

As if it possessed life, the card floated lightly and landed with unerring accuracy in Yun Long's outstretched palm.

A warm, smooth sensation passed into his hand.

Yun Long's breathing paused slightly.

He instantly recalled the mysterious golden card phantom that had flashed through his mind when his cultivation broke through to Body Tempering Realm Layer Seven.

So it had not been an illusion.

This should be the true means of lineage inheritance left behind by the Yun Clan's ancestors!

"The ancestors have acknowledged me..."

"So this is their bestowal of deeper foundations and inheritance upon the Yun Clan?" Yun Long clenched the golden card in his hand, his heart surging beyond restraint.

He took a deep breath and solemnly bowed once more to the Ancestor Tablet.

"Ancestors above, I, Yun Long, will never fail your trust. I will bring glory to our name!"

His voice was not loud, yet it was filled with an unwavering conviction.