The Dominance of the Purple Mansion Ancestor

Being a Rogue Cultivator was not easy. Outside, Rogue Cultivators often encountered people who killed for treasure, constantly faced shortages of resources, insufficient cultivation techniques, too few Spirit Stones, and all manner of other problems. Countless Rogue Cultivators died out there.

Even Han Paopao had only become a lone independent Rogue Cultivator after reaching Foundation Establishment, when he had gained a certain degree of self-preservation in the Cultivation World.

There were mainly two kinds of Rogue Cultivators who lived well in the Cultivation World. One was like Han Paopao, born with a top-grade immortal artifact and never lacking resources. The other was like certain cultivators who began with a top-grade Grotto-heaven Blessed Land, where one day outside equaled one year within. They relied on the Grotto-heaven Blessed Land to cultivate spiritual herbs and never lacked resources.

Otherwise, the rest of the Rogue Cultivators lived quite miserably.

A small number of Rogue Cultivators dared to fight and strive, and with good fortune, directly became Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

After becoming Foundation Establishment Cultivators, these Rogue Cultivators would find ways to shed their Rogue Cultivator identities, establish cultivation lineages, and rely on the strength of their lineages and the collective to survive in the Cultivation World.

There was no future in being a Rogue Cultivator, just as there was no future in being a bandit. If one had to be a thief, one might as well be a seated thief.

"The spiritual energy in the mountains outside is extremely thin, only one-tenth that of the Lineage's Spirit Vein. Cultivating in such a wilderness environment is far too slow," Lu Xuanji analyzed.

What had once seemed free and cheap—spiritual energy—had become the most precious thing of all.

For cultivators pursuing the Dao, there were wealth, companions, methods, and land.

Wealth was not merely Spirit Stones, but also spirit pills, magical treasures, formations, and the like.

Companions were not merely Dao companions, but also disciples, teachers, clansmen, friends, and so on. Only by relying on one another could they travel far.

Methods referred to cultivation techniques, as well as Pill Recipes, formation manuals, talisman manuals, and the like.

Land referred to Spirit Mountains, Grotto-heaven Blessed Lands, and so on. Without a Spirit Vein, one could not cultivate.

While the Lu Clan still existed, they lacked none of wealth, companions, methods, or land. So long as one entered the Qi Refining stage, the Lineage would provide a Cave Mansion free of charge, and one could peacefully cultivate Spirit Fields at the foot of the mountain. Back then, he had complained that he still had to be a farmer after becoming a cultivator. But looking at it now, was that not happiness?

Now that they had fallen into the ranks of Rogue Cultivators, they might have only just opened Spirit Fields and planted Spirit Rice when Cultivation Bandits came to rob them.

On Ziyang Mountain, there was a Level 3 Spirit Vein for cultivation, and one could advance one level every four years. But outside, relying on the scattered spiritual energy in the air, it would take twenty years to advance one level.

Back on Ziyang Mountain, because they could obtain it so easily, they had not cherished it.

But now that the Lu Clan had fallen, he found himself longing for those old days.

No wonder that after those great powers were established, the first thing they did was establish Spirit Veins.

"Brother, the Lu Clan has some properties outside, guarded by some Foundation Establishment Cultivators... We can seek refuge with those uncles."

Ye Feixue said.

"When the wall falls, everyone pushes it. When the Lu Clan was strong, those properties were not much of a problem. But now that the Lu Clan has fallen, those properties will be swallowed by other forces. Some forces still care about their reputation and act more subtly. But other forces are far more shameless."

"Those properties may have come under attack... The only fortunate thing is that Father and Mother were stationed at marketplaces outside, so they escaped this calamity."

Lu Xuanji said.

On Ziyang Mountain, the Lu Family cultivators had suffered a devastating blow.

Qi Refining Cultivators might still have been able to escape, but Foundation Establishment Cultivators had been the primary targets. Their chances of survival were nearly zero.

The first thing they needed to do was go to the Lu Clan's marketplace and search for the other clansmen.

Having decided on their destination, they headed toward the Lu Clan's marketplace.

The two kept an extremely low profile along the way. Two days later, they arrived at one of the Lu Clan's marketplaces.

The once prosperous marketplace was reduced to broken walls and ruins. Fires still burned, houses had collapsed, and charred corpses lay everywhere, all displaying the cruelty that had taken place here.

"This is bad. This Lu Clan marketplace was attacked by that Purple Mansion cultivator."

"It has been completely destroyed."

Lu Xuanji's expression dimmed somewhat.

This Lu Clan marketplace usually served mainly as a place for Rogue Cultivators to trade. There were shops, Spirit Fields, Cave Mansions, and more. The Lu Clan had invested tremendous effort in constructing it.

Beneath the marketplace was even a Level 2 Spirit Vein.

Formations had been laid here to protect the marketplace.

Even seven or eight Foundation Establishment Cultivators joining forces might not have been able to breach it.

Its defenses had been formidable, impregnable as a fortress of gold.

But when the Purple Mansion Ancestor acted, no one could withstand him.

When that Purple Mansion Ancestor descended, he relied on his overwhelming strength to break the formation, destroy the marketplace, and slaughter the Lu Family cultivators here.

"Let's go."

Lu Xuanji continued onward, heading for the Lu Clan's other properties.

They arrived at a spirit mine, where Spirit Stones were buried underground and had to be excavated by cultivators. The Lu Clan could mine over twenty thousand Spirit Stones there every year. Yet when they arrived, a massive palm print lay above the vein, causing the mine to collapse and burying the Lu Clan's cultivators within.

They then arrived at a Red Copper Mine. The red copper produced there was one of the main materials used in artifact refinement, but it too had suffered destruction and was headed for ruin.

They visited several more of the Lu Clan's properties, and all of them had been completely destroyed. The cultivators there had been slaughtered to the last.

After traveling for a month, they discovered that every cultivator stationed at the Lu Clan's properties had been slain.

Judging from the scenes of the crimes, all these incidents had occurred on the same day.

In other words, that Purple Mansion Ancestor had carried his sword across all directions and, within a short time, killed every Lu Family cultivator scattered across various places, leaving nothing behind.

"I wonder whether any Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Lu Clan are still alive..."

Lu Xuanji sighed.

The Lu Clan had more than fifteen hundred cultivators, but only a little over twenty Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Those twenty-odd Foundation Establishment Cultivators were the foundation upon which the Lu Clan stood.

Once every Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Lu Clan perished, the Lu Clan would lose its qualification as a cultivation lineage. The remaining five hundred or so Lu Family cultivators would become Rogue Cultivators and vanish amid slaughter and battle.

That Daoist hated the Lu Clan too deeply.

If not for his concern over the Danyang Sect and his lack of time, he would have slaughtered the Qi Refining stage cultivators one by one as well.

Not only that, as the Lu Clan's powerful cultivators were killed, some of the Lu Clan's mines, Spirit Fields, Spirit Veins, and other real estate were seized by other cultivation lineages.

The Lu Clan fell, and many others had their fill.

Many people did not mind kicking someone when they were down, stepping on the Lu Clan's corpse a few more times.

Lu Xuanji and Ye Feixue looked at each other, bitterness flashing through their eyes.

Amid that bitterness, they changed their attire, kept low and restrained, and headed north, away from the Lu Clan.

With the situation still unclear, it was best to lie low for a while and conceal their cultivation.

Whoosh, whoosh.

Inside a Mountain Cave, Lu Xuanji hesitated slightly, but still took out a Spirit Stone and began absorbing the spiritual energy within it.

Not only that, he handed Ye Feixue ten Spirit Stones as well, letting her directly absorb them to raise her cultivation.

"Brother, using Spirit Stones to cultivate is too extravagant."

Ye Feixue said.

"It is somewhat extravagant, but this is the best way to make use of Spirit Stones," Lu Xuanji said. "Spirit Stones are only money once they have been spent. Spirit Stones that have not been spent are merely stones."

Ye Feixue felt some heartache, but she still took out a Spirit Stone and began absorbing its spiritual energy, directly raising her cultivation.

In the Cultivation World, Spirit Stones were used as currency, and this currency had value.

In the Cultivation World, Spirit Stones mainly came from two sources. One was naturally formed Spirit Stones, created underground after the accumulation of countless years. The other was artificial Spirit Stones, created when cultivators compressed spiritual energy and directly turned it from a gaseous state into a solid one.

A Spirit Stone measuring one cubic inch was considered a standard Spirit Stone.

A single Spirit Stone might not appear large, but the spiritual energy it contained was enough for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to cultivate for an entire day.

Of course, no cultivator would be extravagant enough to directly use Spirit Stones for cultivation.

Spirit Stones were not merely currency for transactions. They could also be used to set formations, cultivate Spirit Veins, rapidly replenish depleted true qi during battle, and more.

Having lost the Spirit Vein of Ziyang Mountain, if he relied only on absorbing the spiritual energy outside, he might need ten years just to advance one minor level. He could not wait that long.

He could only absorb the spiritual energy within Spirit Stones to increase his cultivation speed.

It was a somewhat wasteful practice, but his cultivation speed increased.