The Four Households

Hua Chunning went down the mountain, both surprised and delighted.

Only Xue Yang remained in front of the cave abode on Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain.

"Ancestor..." Xue Yang hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't help asking, "To open a secret realm and manipulate the timing of heaven for an outsider, the clan will probably be thrown into chaos."

The Xue Household patriarch sneered and said indifferently, "If you have the guts, come and cause trouble in front of me."

Xue Yang lowered his head and remained silent.

The Xue Household patriarch noticed Xue Yang's attitude and coldly reprimanded him, "What? You were so stupid that you didn't realize you'd been tricked, and now I have to clean up the mess, and you're acting all aggrieved?!"

Xue Yang was taken aback upon hearing this, and said in disbelief, "Being plotted against? Ancestor... what makes you say that?"

"Ha... I've wasted so much time explaining, and you haven't listened to a single word?!" The Xue Household patriarch laughed angrily, "Let me ask you, that young man from the Hua Household, does he intend to use [Fragrance of a Hundred Flowers] to cultivate [Spring of Lesser Yang]?"

"If I hadn't called her up the mountain to take a look, and she had gathered some autumn flower fragrances from Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain to make up the ' Fragrance of a Hundred Flowers,' and then Qi Ingestion to enter the Dao, what do you think the outcome would have been?!"

"...[The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi] clashes with the Manifestation, resulting in either death or crippling." Xue Yang was no fool; he quickly realized that he had been tricked by Li Chengxuan.

If a disciple of Supreme Mystery Mountain comes to Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain to Qi Gathering and enter the Dao, he will eventually die a violent death.

Was Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain simply incompetent and completely unaware of the problem, or was it cold-blooded that they saw something amiss but chose to stand by and watch?

Neither of these outcomes is what Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain wants to see.

Li Chengxuan's act of sending Hua Chunning to Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain was an open conspiracy.

If Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain wants to bestow its favor, it can only do its utmost to help Hua Chunning her inner Qi Ingestion and enter the Dao.

Otherwise, it will create enmity.

Xue Yang's face was grim, and he continued to struggle, "Perhaps it's just a coincidence. Li Chengxuan hasn't been practicing Daoism for long, how could he have such a scheme?"

Seeing that Xue Yang still harbored some hope, the Xue Household patriarch said coldly, "His master, Old Daoist Wu, suffered the [Calamity of Wu Earth] in the secret realm and also saw the [Zhaoyao Four Seasons Cauldron]."

Xue Yang's expression changed, and he remained silent.

After a long while, Xue Yang regained his composure, took a deep breath, and said, "I underestimated him. I thought that after Old Daoist Wu escaped and left, the feud between the two families would be wiped clean."

"I didn't expect..."

After a pause, Xue Yang gritted his teeth and said, "Isn't he afraid?!"

"As long as he doesn't leave Supreme Mystery Mountain, with the great formation protecting him, why should we be afraid?!" The Xue Household Lineage patriarch was still willing to patiently teach a junior he valued. "Even if he goes down the mountain, no one will dare to kill him unless absolutely necessary."

"After all, when the adults were alive, they treated Supreme Mystery Mountain with special regard, and to this day, no one knows why."

"This one thing alone is enough to make people wary."

"Who knows what kind of enormous karma killing the Supreme Mystery Sect Leader might bring upon him?!"

"Moreover, he most likely also possesses the [Geng Metal] sword talisman."

Xue Yang was utterly speechless.

"Get out of here," the Xue Household patriarch said impatiently, "Go and read more Daoist scriptures, so you won't embarrass yourself again next time."

"Sigh..." After Xue Yang left, a deep sigh echoed through the empty Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain. The Xue Household patriarch murmured to himself, "... surname Hua... Xiu [Yang Spring]..."

"In the past, Zhuohua enough to grant me the opportunity to attain enlightenment; today, I must help her descendants enter the path as a way of repaying that debt."

"The cycle of cause and effect is truly mysterious. Is every drink and every bite preordained?"

"But even Old Daoist Wu was unaware of Zhuohua's past affairs, so how could a junior like him know?"

Is it really just a coincidence?

Hua Chunning descended Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain, still filled with excitement.

I am already content to have come to the most sacred and blessed land in Southern Reach to Qi Gathering.

There was an unexpected surprise.

Now, not only can one enter the famous [Wu Earth Secret Realm] of the Xue Household in Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain.

Senior Xue even personally manipulated the weather to make the Manifestation of the secret realm match his own.

The hidden depths of Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain are terrifying.

Hua Chunning was so excited that she lost all interest in cultivation and decided to go out for a stroll.

Having finally made it to Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain, I should broaden my horizons and witness the most sacred and blessed land in the Southern Edge Continent.

Upon receiving the news, the welcoming attendant rushed over and led Hua Chunning out.

The deacons are very familiar with these kinds of things, and even have fixed routes.

The deacon knew exactly where to go, where to avoid, who to meet, and who to avoid.

Hua Chunning was merely there to broaden her horizons, not to pry into the secrets of Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain, so she allowed the steward to lead her without any objection.

"My Xue family of Xue Household Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain has cultivated [Wu Earth] for generations. This is a noble ancient lineage. A certain High Antiquity Human Emperor attained enlightenment through [Wu Earth]." The steward began by introducing the Xue Household's lineage, puffing out his chest with pride, though he also expressed regret. "Originally, our clan also had the [Rainbow Rosy Clouds] lineage, which our Fruition attained through emptiness, a great Merit for this world."

"Unfortunately, this lineage demands too much spiritual wisdom, and no one has been able to cultivate it for a hundred years."

Hua Chunning suddenly understood, subconsciously touching the rosy mark on her forehead, and nodded, saying, "No wonder I saw so many spiritual clouds lingering on Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain."

Although the steward also shared the surname Xue, he was merely a mortal and not qualified to visit Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain. Knowing that Hua Chunning had visited the patriarch on the mountain, he was filled with envy and couldn't help but ask, "Senior Hua, what is the scenery like on Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain, and what does the patriarch look like?"

"Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain is naturally a blessed land, brimming with Spiritual Qi. Especially the spirits on the mountain, who, apart from being unable to speak, possess almost the same intelligence as humans." Hua Chunning, being a guest here, naturally praised Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain highly and also lauded the Xue Household patriarch, "Elder Xue is a man of profound knowledge and wisdom, possessing the demeanor of an elder. He is especially willing to guide younger generations in their cultivation and encourage them to strive for progress, truly embodying the spirit of ancient cultivators."

The Xue Household steward was very pleased to hear this and became even closer to Hua Chunning.

As for the Xue Household's territory in Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain, I could only take a cursory look from afar, for fear of offending the Xue Household's high-ranking cultivators.

Upon arriving at the territory of the Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain affiliated immortal clan, the steward became noticeably more casual, and his words adopted a more condescending and superior attitude.

Hua Chunning listened carefully, seemingly lost in thought.

The four vassal immortal clans of Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain are the Wang, Lin, Jiang, and Yao families.

Among them, the Wang Household cultivated [Carefree Metal], the Lin Household cultivated [Preserving Wood], the Jiang Household cultivated [Fu Water], and the Yao Household cultivated [True Fire].

In addition, the Xue Household of Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain cultivated [Wu Earth], which perfectly completes the five elements and five virtues of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

This is certainly not a coincidence, but a carefully planned scheme.

[Wu Earth] is the earth of the center, and it has produced a [Human Emperor], so it must be the throne.

The four vassal states, each associated with the elements of metal, wood, water, and fire, naturally held the position of subjects.

This design is likely intended to align with the imagery of [Wu Earth] and to constantly enhance the Manifestation Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain.

Using the immortals and the Daoist traditions as pawns to orchestrate a grand Manifestation is truly a masterful move, far superior to any of his family's [Spirit Atmosphere Creation Method].

However, the lineages of [Carefree Metal] and [Fu Water] have been severed, and they can no longer form a complete Manifestation.

Hua Chunning now felt that the Xue Household patriarch's sarcasm, "Go and read the scriptures," had indeed hit the nail on the head. She had pondered for a long time but could only see the surface of the matter.

Looking at the Wang, Lin, Jiang, and Yao families, their arrangements also seem quite ingenious.

However, Hua Chunning was short-sighted and lacked understanding of these four lineages, so she couldn't understand them at all and was completely confused.

"After I get back, I really need to read more Daoist scriptures!"

Hua Chunning had made up her mind, but she stopped and asked in surprise, "Where is this place?!"