The Seven Great Families

Before the scattered rocks, a shrill, whistling wind sounded like the wailing of ghosts, chilling one to the bone.

Pang Jian remained silent in the corner, staring blankly at the pile of stones while waiting for the newcomers to grasp the predicament at hand.

"Old Han, can you break the formation?"

Zhou Qingchen called out as he hopped off his One-Horned Rhino and approached the stone pile, looking around with curiosity.

With no crowd blocking his way, he spotted Liu Qi's corpse lying face-up in the rubble at a glance and asked in surprise, "Did one of you die?"

Ning Yuanshan, who hadn't mentioned this earlier, explained with some embarrassment, "He coveted the artifacts left behind by a Blood Moon practitioner. We didn't know that pile of rocks had become a bizarre formation, so..."

Zhou Qingchen smiled brightly, signaling his understanding. "If it were us, and Old Han weren't here, our men would likely have been unable to resist either, seeing a fallen Blood Moon practitioner with unclaimed artifacts left behind."

With that, he turned his gaze back to the stout Han Duping.

Han Duping, having observed the area around the stone pile, stepped forward with a relaxed expression. "Breaking the formation shouldn't be a problem, though it will take some time. Once the formation is broken and the dense, frigid aura gathered within dissipates, the weak beast-sha will naturally vanish."

"Oh, right."

After a moment's thought, he turned to ask Ning Yuanshan and Ning Yao if they knew the specific forms of those "beast-sha."

Ning Yuanshan explained earnestly that they were just common beasts from the mountains, then pointed to Pang Jian not far away. "He is a local hunter of the Cenji Mountains and is very familiar with the beasts that roam here. He knows the general power levels of these creatures."

"Little brother, what were the beasts you saw near the canyon like? How strong and ferocious were they?" Han Duping asked Pang Jian with a polite smile.

Pang Jian gave a brief description of the common wild boars, packs of white wolves, and pythons found around the canyon.

Han Duping nodded gently as he listened, saying with relief, "They are just ordinary beasts, not fierce beasts or spirit beasts. The sha they turn into after death should be easy to handle; nothing to fear."

Beasts, fierce beasts, spirit beasts.

Pang Jian paused. He only knew of beasts in the mountains; he had never heard of the distinction between fierce beasts and spirit beasts.

Seeming to notice his confusion, the chubby Han Duping casually explained the differences between the three.

"In the Fourth Realm where we reside, spiritual energy of heaven and earth exists in many places."

"However, in this layer of the world beneath our feet, the spiritual energy is mixed with quite a lot of filth and impurities. Some of these impurities even contain potent toxins and hallucinogenic properties, which are actually quite dangerous."

"Human practitioners like us can gather spiritual energy to strengthen ourselves, and some beasts can also draw this energy into their bodies, causing them to undergo a transformation."

"After we absorb spiritual energy, we must purge the dross and impurities that enter with it to avoid harming our bodies and minds."

"As for beasts, if they do not know how to clear the filth from the spiritual energy, they cannot grow in wisdom. Even if they become powerful as a result, they can only be called fierce beasts. Fierce beasts are cruel and bloodthirsty, and it is very difficult for us to communicate with them."

"So-called spirit beasts are those that, like us, can purge the filth and impurities from their bodies. As they grow stronger, spirit beasts often possess extraordinary intelligence and can communicate with us normally."

Han Duping spoke in great detail.

After hearing his explanation, Pang Jian realized that the divine bird that had hovered over his house must have been the type of spirit beast he described.

"Alright, give me some time. I'm going to break the formation now."

Han Duping signaled for everyone to wait patiently.

He went forward alone once more, still avoiding entering the stone pile directly, and began toying with the smaller rocks nearby to understand the governing patterns of the formation.

While he worked, Zhou Qingchen spoke with Ning Yuanshan and Ning Yao about the great upheaval in the upper realms.

The newcomer, Zhou Qingchen, deliberately ignored He Ziren, acting as if the young master of the He Family did not exist in his presence.

He Ziren, who had previously been arrogant and overbearing, showed great restraint when faced with such a person, not becoming angry at the slight.

"The Zhou Family..."

Pang Jian's thoughts churned. He knew that among the seven great cultivator families dominating the Fourth Realm, the Zhou Family ranked just behind the Dong Family, making them one of the most powerful and formidable clans in this world.

The Ning Family and the He Family were ranked after the Dong, Zhou, Shangguan, and Ouyang families, with the Ning Family standing ahead of the He Family.

The He Family was only slightly stronger than the bottom-ranked Su Family.

The rankings of the seven families in the Fourth Realm were not set in stone; sometimes, when a super-expert emerged from a clan, their ranking would rise.

However, this usually only happened among the lower-ranked Shangguan, Ouyang, Ning, He, and Su families.

The top-ranked Dong and Zhou families, it was said, had not seen their rankings change in hundreds of years, always holding the first and second spots.

Since Zhou Qingchen came from the Zhou Family, it was no wonder he didn't care about He Ziren, and no wonder He Ziren could hold his temper.

"The Remains of the Heavenly Phoenix shattered. Rumor has it that one of the bones contains a profound inheritance. Most of the remains are scattered across the Third and Fourth Realms, and even many sects and powers in the upper realms are searching for that divine bone which might hold the inheritance."

"As for those that fell into the Cenji Mountains... in my view, it is unlikely that the divine bone is among them."

Zhou Qingchen spoke of the secrets of the upper realms.

When Pang Jian heard "Heavenly Phoenix" and "divine bone," he immediately listened intently, confirming that the massive, withered skeleton that had fallen from the upper realms into the Cenji Mountains was indeed the so-called Remains of the Heavenly Phoenix.

The divine bone containing the inheritance?

He felt that the bone, as crystalline as white jade, which had killed the divine bird, was likely the Heavenly Phoenix divine bone containing the inheritance.

Unfortunately, he had only seen the scene where the divine bone killed the bird, with countless runes flying like brilliant diamonds; he had no idea where the bone had gone afterward.

"Those from the Galaxy Alliance, the Blood Moon, and the Yin Spirit Temple who died in the Cenji Mountains perished either because of the divine bone or the spreading Ghost Mist!" Zhou Qingchen added.

Upon hearing him mention the "Ghost Mist," the expressions of the people from the Ning and Zhou families, including He Ziren, turned grim.

It seemed that the "Ghost Mist," which was gradually spreading toward the north of the Cenji Mountains, was the true source of their fear—more terrifying than the deaths caused by the Galaxy Alliance, the Blood Moon, or the Yin Spirit Temple.

"Ghost Mist."

Pang Jian's brows arched. The far north of the Cenji Mountains, a region legendary for being the closest point to the boundary wall, had been declared a forbidden zone by his father, who had strictly forbidden him from ever setting foot there.

After his father disappeared, he had never dared to take such risks, needing to care for his younger sister, Pang Lin, and thus had never ventured into it.

He also vaguely knew that the vast majority of cultivators in this world seemed to be filled with dread toward the "Ghost Mist."

Whether in the Lower Realm or the Upper Realm.

"It's done!"

As the group spoke, Han Duping, standing before the pile of stones in the distance, shouted aloud. Immediately after, a "rumble" echoed, as if he had pushed over some massive boulder.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Frigid, piercing winds that had been trapped within the stone pile whistled out from the gap in the rocks, emitting an increasingly sharp and shrill screeching sound.

As the gale scattered, it brushed against Pang Jian, and he felt a sudden, icy, and sinister chill that made him shiver involuntarily.

At this very moment.

The bronze plaque beneath his collar grew hot, and the "Pot-Heaven Qi Cultivation Art" he had been diligently practicing of late began to circulate quietly.

The "Spirit Pot" in his dantian, which he visualized in his mind, seemed to gradually turn a dark, greenish-black in his conscious perception.

Suddenly, as those icy, sinister winds swept past him like mist, they were caught by a powerful magnetic attraction and violently swirled back toward him.

Threads of icy power drifted from the sinister, cold wind into his dantian's spirit sea.

Pang Jian's eyes widened in astonishment.

He sensed it inwardly, feeling that some icy shards had appeared within his spirit sea, filling the "cotton-like" dross of his spiritual energy.

The "icy shards" possessed a miraculous, strange power, and as they touched the "cotton," both began to dissolve.

Pang Jian closed his eyes gently, feeling that within this icy power, there also existed a portion of spiritual energy.

That cold, sinister power was like a sediment within the airflow, seemingly the very impurities and filth that everyone spoke of.

"Everyone, be careful. The scattered spiritual energy contains the Profound Yin Power, which is not something you can withstand. Unless you practice a special technique, rashly drawing the Profound Yin Power into your body will only cause you agony beyond endurance," Ning Yuanshan shouted.

Without needing his warning, everyone present except for Pang Jian dared not attempt to absorb the spiritual energy within the cold, sinister wind, all knowing that the losses would outweigh the gains.

"Profound Yin Power?"

Pang Jian's mind stirred.

The strange power within the "icy shards" was currently cleansing the "cotton" in his spirit sea, making his spirit sea become clear and pure.

And he, unlike what Ning Yuanshan had described, felt no agony beyond endurance.

"Pot-Heaven Qi Cultivation Art!"

He secretly marveled at the miraculous nature of this technique, even feeling a trace of gratitude toward Sun Bin, who was now dead or alive, he knew not.

In a remote spot far from the others, he silently and continuously guided the sinister, cold energy into his body.

As the icy aura dissipated with the wind, everyone's attention was focused on the stone pile and on Han Duping; no one noticed Pang Jian lingering in the corner.

"That's about it."

Accompanied by the booming sound of shifting rocks, the burly Han Duping finally dared to move from the outside into the interior of the stone pile.

At this moment, the shrill whistling within the stone pile suddenly ceased.

Soon, Han Duping arrived before the dead Liu Qi, looked at the blood-hole in his forehead, and then gazed at the white paper fan.

On the surface of the white paper fan, the stalks of green bamboo that had once been there were now all blood-red.

Han Duping's gaze fell upon the corpse holding the white paper fan, and he said, "These Blood Moon fellows... their cultivation levels are only on par with ours, merely at the Pulse-Opening Realm. The real big shots are all in the Upper Realm searching for the Remains of the Heavenly Phoenix, because that is where the divine bone is most likely to appear."

"After all, the divine bone carries the miraculous Heavenly Phoenix inheritance, and there are more people with stunning talent in the Upper Realm."

As if to bolster his own courage, Han Duping stared at the white paper fan for a moment before the dissipating yin energy of the rubble pile, intending to reach out and take it.

"I believe in Old Han's ability and judgment."

The tall and imposing Zhou Qingchen, his demeanor quite relaxed, said with a smile, "The deceased is at the same level as us, and has been dead for a long time; even the Profound Yin Power has dissipated. There is nothing to fear."

With that, he remounted his One-Horned Rhino and took the lead, galloping toward the rubble pile.

Once he moved, the Zhou Family members who followed him did not hesitate and immediately chose to follow his pace.

"Ning Yao, there might still be danger inside," He Ziren suddenly warned.

Ning Yao ignored him, exchanged a glance with Ning Yuanshan, and led the Ning Family inside as well.

Suddenly, outside the stone pile, only He Ziren and Pang Jian remained.

Pang Jian huddled in the corner, still practicing with the overflowing "Profound Yin Power," seeking to purge the dross and impurities from his spirit sea in a short time and become a true Qi Refiner.

"Kid, do you think they will all die inside, just like Liu Qi?"