"The cries we heard outside the town earlier must have been theirs."
"Why did the Old Devil sacrifice everyone in a blood ritual, yet leave only them alive?"
"Hm?"
Chen Nianzhi's eyes shifted. He took the little girl by the wrist, and a flicker of delight soon appeared on his face.
He could clearly sense that the girl had a Fire-Wood Dual Element Spiritual Root. This mutually generating combination made her cultivation speed even greater than that of an ordinary Two Element Spiritual Root, making it exceedingly rare.
"She actually has a Two Element Spiritual Root. No wonder the demon slaughtered everyone in Peaceful Reach Town but left them alive."
"Since she has a Two Element Spiritual Root, what about this one?"
Chen Nianzhi turned his gaze to Chen Ling, his eyes brimming with anticipation. Twins born together like these often had similar aptitudes.
Thinking of this, he quickly tested the boy's Spiritual Root and, sure enough, found that he had a Fire-Metal Dual Element Spiritual Root.
Having found a pair of children with Two Element Spiritual Roots, Chen Nianzhi did not linger. He gave the town a quick search, and once he confirmed there were no other survivors, he immediately set off for Peaceful Sun County with the children.
As for the remains in Peaceful Reach Town, there were simply too many, so he could only ask Peaceful Sun County Town to send people to deal with them.
Upon returning to Peaceful Sun County, he immediately informed everyone of what had happened. A few days later, the Chen Clan cultivators sent back their findings.
As it turned out, the Demonic Cultivator had hidden his identity and lived in Peaceful Reach Town for years. After gaining the people's trust, he launched a surprise attack on the Chen Clan cultivator responsible for the town's formation, bringing about this terrible calamity.
"Damn that Demonic Cultivator! He was so devious."
"Even chopping him into a thousand pieces wouldn't quench the hatred in my heart!"
After hearing the news, Chen Nianyang spoke in fury.
The Great Elder waved a hand, looked at the dozen or so cultivators seated there, and shook his head.
"The calamity has already happened. It's too late to say any of that now."
"Send orders to every town and city. Starting today, take a census. Any unfamiliar face must be thoroughly investigated."
"Anyone without Chen Clan blood must have their identity checked repeatedly. We must also guard against evil beings possessing members of the clan in the cities."
"We must not let history repeat itself..."
After making all these arrangements, Chen Qingxu turned to Chen Nianzhi. "When you return to Qingyuan Mountain, ask the Third Elder to send more people over."
"All right."
Chen Nianzhi nodded. The Demonic Cultivator's crimes were beyond measure. The blood sacrifice of an entire town's inhabitants had been utterly horrific.
To prevent another massacre like this, he decided that as soon as he returned to Qingyuan Mountain, he would report the situation to the clan leader and convene a Council of Elders to formulate a new strategy against Demonic Cultivators and arrange for every mortal to be individually investigated.
The mortal descendants of the Chen Immortal Clan now numbered nearly two hundred thousand. Investigating them one by one would be an enormous undertaking.
There were only a little over twenty cultivators in Peaceful Sun City. They already had to defend the city, and now they also had to search for hidden Demonic Cultivators. They simply did not have enough people. They would likely need to bring in more from Qingyuan Mountain.
Thinking of this, Chen Nianzhi cupped his hands. "There's no time to lose. I'll set out shortly."
"No need to rush." The Great Elder stroked his long beard. "Now that you've slain the Demonic Cultivator, one or two days won't make a difference."
"You've been testing Spiritual Roots for days and just fought a great battle against a Demonic Cultivator. Your mind and magical power must be greatly depleted. Why not rest for the night, then take a few children whose Spiritual Roots have been identified back to Qingyuan Mountain tomorrow?"
Hearing this, Chen Nianzhi nodded. "That sounds good."
Early the next morning, Chen Nianzhi set off for Qingyuan Mountain with the five children whose Spiritual Roots had been identified.
The journey there had taken him only two days, but because he was bringing five children back with him, the return trip took a full seven or eight days.
As soon as he arrived at Qingyuan Mountain, he headed straight for the Back Mountain Spirit Spring, where he met the clan leader, Chen Changxuan.
The Old Clan Leader was a cultivator of the Chang Generation. At over one hundred and ten years old, he was still considered quite young compared with the two-hundred-year lifespan of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
By rights, given his remaining years, he still had some chance of breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm. But two years earlier, he had been besieged and suffered damage to his meridians. Now his Dao Path had become increasingly uncertain.
Chen Nianzhi looked at the Old Clan Leader and sighed inwardly.
He knew that even if the Old Clan Leader recovered, the clan's current circumstances left it unable to support his purchase of the resources needed to break through to the Purple Mansion realm.
It was simply bad luck. At its peak sixty years ago, the Chen Immortal Clan had been capable of supporting a cultivator's breakthrough to the Purple Mansion realm.
Back then, the Chen Clan had several Foundation Establishment cultivators, and its clan leader was a powerful cultivator who had reached Foundation Establishment Grand Completion. The Chen Clan had spent the foundation it had accumulated over hundreds of years to purchase Violet Sun Jade, a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure that could aid a breakthrough to the Purple Mansion realm.
If that clan leader had succeeded in breaking through, then by now the Chen Immortal Clan would probably have been a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan famous throughout the Chu Kingdom.
Unfortunately, during the Beast Turmoil sixty years ago, the Chen Immortal Clan had evidently been set up. Nearly all the Chen Clan cultivators who went into battle, including that generation's clan leader, had been wiped out, and the Violet Sun Jade had vanished without a trace.
"Cough, cough."
When the Old Clan Leader saw Chen Nianzhi, a faint flush returned to his pale face.
He coughed, hiding the worry in his eyes, then managed a rare, warm smile.
"Nianzhi, what brings you here to see me?"
"I came back because the clan has suffered a demonic calamity."
Coming back to himself, Chen Nianzhi thought for a moment, then recounted what had happened in Peaceful Reach Town.
After hearing him out, a flash of fury crossed Chen Changxuan's eyes.
"These demonic whelps are growing more and more brazen."
"Do they really think the Chen Clan has no one left?"
Seeing the Old Clan Leader's anger rise, Chen Nianzhi worried that it might aggravate his injuries and hurried to reassure him.
"Granduncle, there's no need to get angry."
"The evil has already been vanquished. Getting angry now won't help."
At this, the Old Clan Leader reined in his emotions somewhat and said gravely,
"Qingxu is right. The most urgent thing now is to make sure this never happens again."
"Demonic Cultivators can slip in anywhere. There are likely more than one hiding in Peaceful Sun County. They excel at infiltrating and concealing themselves."
"I'm seriously injured and cannot act rashly. To prevent another disaster, you'll have to use decisive measures to root out the hidden threats within the clan."
Chen Nianzhi nodded. "I've already made plans for this."
"I'll convene a Council of Elders shortly and arrange for people to investigate the county's mortal population. Once we find any evil, we'll show no mercy."
"Good." The Old Clan Leader nodded approvingly. "The clan's elders are all seasoned and prudent. Discuss this with them. Above all, put safety first."
"..."
After leaving the Spirit Spring, Chen Nianzhi immediately convened a Council of Elders.
The Great Elder was in Peaceful Sun County, and the Second Elder had gone to Yuyang Market after the New Year.
Besides Chen Nianzhi, only the Third Elder, Fourth Elder, and Fifth Elder had come to this clan meeting.
The four of them sat in the Clan Affairs Hall. Chen Nianzhi glanced at the Sixth Elder's seat, and the Third Elder, noticing his expression, said solemnly,
"After the New Year, Qing Meng went into seclusion to attempt a breakthrough."
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