After having Yin Xiong and his son escorted out, Fang Qianyuan received people from several other factions, including the Jianshan Sect, the West Sword Sect, and the Eastern Sea Ren Household.
They came from the Demon Alliance, grassroots rogue cultivators, and rising aristocratic clans, from every corner of the land and all manner of backgrounds, but they shared one thing: they were all subordinates or clan descendants of the Heaven-Tier Powerhouses who had fought in the previous battle-Whitebrow Ancestor, Venerable Mad Dragon, "Flying Dragon" Pang Qingyun, "Sea-Calming Divine Needle" Ren Shengming, and the others.
With very few exceptions, Heaven-Tier Powerhouses all commanded a faction of their own. Even if they did not proclaim themselves venerables or ancestors, they still spread their branches and leaves, passing down their secret arts.
From this perspective, the hostility people of the present day bore toward the surviving ancient cultivators was not without reason. Those ancient powerhouses were even more like rogue cultivators than rogue cultivators themselves, and might well act without any restraint, gravely damaging the order of the modern world.
Generally speaking, the legacy of a single Heaven-Tier Powerhouse was more than enough to sustain an Earth Rank aristocratic clan for over a dozen generations. Even if their descendants proved unworthy, that inheritance alone was enough for them to live very comfortably.
This was especially true of those who died peacefully at the end of their lives, rather than being killed by enemies or meeting violent, unexpected ends. Their connections and friendships remained, providing shelter for their descendants.
As Fang Qianyuan looked at these people, his thoughts inexplicably turned to the bond between himself and the Flowing Cloud Grotto.
In truth, Fang Qianyuan had originally had no connection to the Flowing Cloud Grotto. Its forebears had enjoyed a close friendship with Jiang Yunfeng's