Having decided to migrate south, Xu Xuan no longer hesitated.
He ordered Xu Ziyu to summon the Lineage's core members immediately and announce the proposed migration.
Inside the ancestral hall, candles burned brightly, and the ancestral tablets stood solemn and austere.
Xu Xuan stood before the seat of honor. He released no pressure, but as his gaze swept over them, everyone held their breath and focused, not daring to speak rashly.
He looked around at everyone, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority.
"My name is Xu Xuan. I have the honor of serving as a steward of the Azure Wood Sect, charged with opening up the Southern Wilds."
"The region around Spiritual Expanse Mountain in the Yue Kingdom of the Southern Wilds is vast, with untapped resources. It can serve as the Xu Household's foundation for a hundred generations to come."
"I summoned you here today because I have decided to move the entire Lineage south and open up a new world!"
Although those below had already anticipated this, his words still stirred a faint ripple of commotion.
Xu Xuan continued:
"Those of the Lineage willing to follow me south, hack through thorns and brambles, and build our foundation together shall return home at once to prepare their luggage and valuables. In three days, at the hour of the Rabbit, gather here to depart."
"Those attached to their homeland, or too old and frail to wish to travel far, may remain in the Xu Household Market to tend the ancestral hall and lands and keep the ancestral incense burning. I will not blame you."
Most of those present knew of Xu Xuan's existence.
It was precisely because of him that the Xu Household now possessed all manner of cultivation resources.
His prestige within the Lineage even surpassed that of the deceased Lineage head, Xu Daocheng.
At once, led by the Lineage head Xu Ziyu, the many core members rose one after another and pledged themselves with fervor.
"We are willing to follow the ancestor south, expand our territory, and establish our house anew!"
In the end, apart from some collateral branches with more distant blood ties.
And elderly members who were genuinely too advanced in years to endure the long journey and volunteered to remain behind.
Seven or eight out of every ten of the Xu Household's elite and mainstays were willing to accompany him.
Xu Xuan also secretly transmitted a magical message through a special channel, sending it far away to Xu An, Xu Ping, and the others who had already been laying the groundwork in the Yue Kingdom of the Southern Wilds.
He ordered them to make every preparation to receive the large party and arrange a place to settle them in advance.
Three days passed in a flash.
That day, before dawn broke, the people and horses had already assembled outside the Xu Household Market.
Dozens of large wagons stood in neat rows, fine horses neighing, loaded with the wealth, books, spirit seeds, and craftsmen's tools accumulated by the Lineage.
There were also carriages with blue canopies and oiled sides, reserved for women, children, the elderly, and the frail.
The Lineage members, young and old alike, wore solemn expressions, carrying both anticipation and the sorrow of parting.
Xu Xuan sat inside a seemingly plain carriage.
Its compartment was spacious, with Xu Qingchan and Yuan Zhilan seated on either side.
Yuan Zhilan was Xu Xuan's wife in this life. Although she was no cultivator, she was a well-bred young lady from a distinguished family, educated and reasonable.
Looking at the hazy scenery outside the window, she knew the road ahead was long, and a trace of reluctance inevitably showed in her eyes.
Her husband's aspirations were lofty, beyond the reach of ordinary people.
This journey south surely carried a deeper purpose. Though reluctant to leave, she showed not the slightest resentment, merely putting their belongings in meticulous order in silence.
Xu Xuan sat upright in the carriage, his eyes slightly closed, seemingly resting his mind. In truth, his spiritual sense already enveloped the entire convoy.
Seeing that everything was ready and the hour had come, he calmly transmitted his voice to Xu Ziyu up ahead.
"Depart."
Receiving the order, Xu Ziyu stood on the carriage shaft and shouted:
"The ancestor has given the order! Depart!"
Whips cracked through the air, and axles rumbled.
Like an awakening dragon, the enormous convoy slowly began to move, proceeding silently along the official road south and gradually disappearing into the morning mist.
Their homeland receded, and the road ahead stretched endlessly. What awaited them was the unknown Southern Wilds.
The convoy crossed mountains and rivers over several months.
At last, it reached the Yue Kingdom's border, at the foot of Spiritual Expanse Mountain.
The mountain stretched for hundreds of li, wreathed in clouds and mist, with ancient trees towering into the sky.
Although the spiritual energy was not exceptionally dense, it was still considerably stronger than in ordinary places in the Kingdom of Wu.
The terrain was also rugged, easy to defend and difficult to attack.
The Xu Household members who had arrived ahead of them had already cleared a simple campsite here.
Following Xu Xuan's instructions, they had also conducted an initial survey of the surrounding terrain and resources.
Xu Xuan climbed the mountain and gazed into the distance, seeing the mountains wind and rise and fall like dragons.
A valley in their midst had level ground and a stream running through it, with faint traces of spiritual vitality hidden within.
"This is the place."
Xu Xuan pointed at the valley. "From now on, this will be where we establish ourselves and build our lives!"
He took out his inspector's token and erected a stone tablet at the valley entrance.
Two large, archaic characters were carved upon it: "Lingyan."
He then ordered people to build dwellings, clear spirit fields, and set up simple formations.
"From this day onward, we shall be the Lingyan Xu Lineage!"
Xu Xuan's clear, resonant voice carried throughout the valley.
"In this wild land, we shall establish our Lineage anew and continue our pursuit of the immortal Dao!"
With spirits running high, everyone felled trees, quarried stone, cleared roads, built dwellings, and set up simple defensive formations under Xu Ziyu's direction.
Xu Xuan personally surveyed and identified the spirit spring and suspected spirit vein, planned the core area, and established the rudiments of a Spirit-Gathering Formation.
He took out a copy of "A Detailed Explanation of Basic Mountain-Protection Formations" obtained from the Azure Wood Sect's Scripture Pavilion.
Combining it with his own understanding of formations, he began setting up a Minor Five Elements Derivative Spirit Formation to encompass the entire core area of Spiritual Expanse Mountain.
Although only first-tier, this formation offered protection, gathered spiritual energy, and created illusions.
It was just right for their present needs.
Xu Qingchan stayed close beside Xu Xuan. Bright and quick-witted, she had considerable talent in the cultivation of spirit plants and often helped him tend the medicinal garden he carried with him.
Xu Xuan began teaching her the basics of spirit plants, keeping her at his side to instruct her personally.
Xu An, Xu Ping, and the others also arrived one after another, leading some of Hundred Fragrance Valley's elite and bringing large quantities of supplies and skilled people.
Spiritual Expanse Mountain immediately grew lively.
A settlement for a newly established cultivation Lineage began to take shape.
Standing before the newly built Azure Mystery Hall, Xu Xuan watched the busy Lineage members below, and a sense of heroic ambition gradually rose within him.
Remote and wild though this place was, it was a foundation belonging entirely to the Xu Household, with no more constraints.
Spiritual Expanse Mountain in the Southern Wilds would be the true starting point of his third life.
It was also a crucial step toward the Xu Household becoming an immortal Lineage of longevity.
For now, I will keep away from the struggles of the demonic path and the turmoil of the sects.
Once our Xu Lineage has taken root here and strengthened itself, we can plan for the future.
With a wave of his hand, a jade plaque engraved with "Lingyan Xu Lineage" settled firmly above Azure Mystery Hall.
Sunlight fell upon it, and the plaque shone brilliantly.
Xu Xuan knew well that their foundation was not yet stable and that they should not draw attention.
He ordered the Lineage members to make use of the valley's natural terrain, then set up the simple Cloud and Mist Illusion Formation and Metal and Stone Bulwark Formation obtained from the Azure Wood Sect, one after the other.
They could not stop true experts, but they could provide warning and obstruct ordinary wild beasts and low-level cultivators attempting to spy on them.
He also ordered Lineage members skilled in hunting and surveying.
To gradually clear threats outward from the valley, draw detailed maps, and mark resource sites.
The Southern Wilds were not without owners.
Forces had long occupied the surroundings of Spiritual Expanse Mountain.
Before long, he learned that an indigenous tribe calling itself the Blacktooth Tribe lived a hundred li northwest of the valley.
Its people were fierce and worshipped a totem.
The tribe also had priests who knew rudimentary witchcraft, with strength roughly equivalent to the early Qi Refining stage.
Its tribespeople often hunted in the mountains and regarded Spiritual Expanse Mountain as their hunting grounds.
Two hundred li to the southeast was a cultivation Lineage, the Xiao Household.
It was said that their ancestor had once been a disciple of some small sect, who had drifted here and spread his branches and leaves.
The Xiao Household occupied a small spirit vein called Azure Mist Peak.
They had one Lineage head at the middle Qi Refining stage, two elders at the early Qi Refining stage, and several dozen younger members.
They controlled the trade in several kinds of low-grade spirit herbs in the surrounding area and had always regarded the Spiritual Expanse Mountain region as the fringe of their sphere of influence.
The Xu Household's large-scale migration and construction soon drew the attention of both forces.
At first, only a few Blacktooth Tribe hunters watched from afar. Obstructed by the formations, they could not venture deeper.
Xu Xuan did not wish to invite trouble, so he merely ordered the Lineage members to strengthen their vigilance and ignore them.
Unfortunately, the tree wished for stillness, but the wind would not cease.
One day, a Xiao Household patrol led by a Meridian Opening cultivator, with more than ten martial warriors accompanying him, barged straight up to the valley entrance.
"Where did you savages come from, daring to break ground on our Xiao Household's territory?"
Off to sleep. I'll see if I have time to write during the day.