Arrangements Settled!

Those who die in battle today shall be given a proper burial!

"Their descendants will receive three times the resources, priority access to all kinds of resources and Cultivation Method, and will be able to Foundation Establishment technique!"

Shi Jian's voice echoed on the main peak, carrying an undeniable authority.

Sun Mao kowtowed heavily, his forehead striking the blood-stained bluestone slab with a dull thud.

"Thank you for your grace, Ancestor!"

Then, all the surviving members of the Sun Clan knelt down to express their gratitude:

"Thank you for your grace, Ancestor!"

"Thank you for your grace, Ancestor!!"

"Thank you for your grace, Ancestor!!"

As the storm Returning to Stillness and the heavy rain ceased, a strong stench of blood and burning filled the air. The Sun Clan clan members began to silently clean up the battlefield.

Half a day later.

A temporary stone hall was erected in front of the ruins of the council hall.

Shi Jian, now the size of a normal person, lazily lay on the main stone platform, his thunderous eyes sweeping over the few people standing below, and he sighed softly.

Sun Mao's left shoulder was wrapped in a thick white cloth; his face was ashen, and his breath was weak.

Although Sun Yao suppressed the poison with pills, it had already invaded his Core Formation in this lifetime.

Sun Yao stood to one side, her eyes red-rimmed.

"Tell me how many people died."

Sun Mao swayed, his voice hoarse as he replied:

"Ancestor, the Sun Clan... is completely destroyed."

He unfurled a blood-stained bamboo scroll, his hands trembling. The writing on the scroll was blurred and illegible, stained with blood.

"Clan chief Sun Bo'an was turned into a living flesh puppet by the thieves, his soul and spirit destroyed. The five clan elders, Sun Kezheng, Sun Xing, Sun Changping, Sun Tieshan, and Sun Wanqing, all died in battle to protect the great formation."

Of the seven elders who joined the uprising with our ancestor back then... Caiya remains alive, her lifespan greatly shortened due to the severity of her injuries.

Shi Jian remained silent.

Forty years ago, seven members of the Sun Clan from three branches conspired to rebel, swearing an oath to him, the black bear, and ultimately seized power from the Sun Clan.

Forty years have passed, and time has turned. Those ambitious faces from back then have ultimately fallen in this tribulation of Core Formation.

The cycle of Heavenly Dao is inevitable; life and death are preordained; one should die a worthy death...

"What about the second generation?" Shi Jian continued to ask.

Sun Mao swallowed hard, his throat filled with bitterness. "As a member of a generation, in this battle... fifteen of my men have died."

"Now only me, Yao-mei, and my third brother Sun Lin are left..."

"Of the children and youth of the Cheng generation, more than half were killed or injured, leaving only fourteen survivors."

Sun Mao closed the bamboo slips, tears streaming down his face and dripping onto the bluestone slab.

"Ancestor, of all the cultivators from the Sun Clan across three generations, only eighteen of us remain alive. The Sun Clan is finished..."

Eighteen people.

A once powerful cultivation Lineage that controlled Hongtian City, had eight vassal clans under its command, and whose shops spanned three prefectures, was reduced to a shell overnight.

Its heritage has been exhausted, and its population is dwindling.

The stone hall was deathly silent.

The Lord Rat lay to one side, licking the blood from its paws.

Shi Mo outside the hall, his Dark Gold fur gleaming eerily in the sunlight.

The Lei Huan lay in the corner, its body fully restored, but its breath was weak, and it was resting and recuperating.

Upon learning of the casualties, Shi Jian lowered his head.

The Sun Clan was ruined.

With only eighteen people, they couldn't even maintain the daily operations of Hongtian City, let alone mine spirit mines, manage trade routes, or collect resources.

He is now Golden Core level demon.

The resources required for the Golden Core Realm are hundreds or even thousands of times greater than those required for the Foundation Establishment Realm. The Sun Clan's dilapidated machine has been completely rendered unusable and can no longer provide him with any nourishment.

The survival Principle of demons are simple: plunder, parasitize, and grow stronger.

Since the parasitic mother, the Sun Clan family, has withered, a new one must be found. However, due to the contract he signed with Sun Hangchun, he must guarantee the Sun Clan's survival for two hundred years...

Therefore, he still could not abandon Sun Clan and could only keep her by his side.

White Cloud Temple is the best choice.

Yun Du needs his Golden Core combat power to share the pressure from the Fenghe Sect and other parties, while he needs White Cloud Temple's vast territory, well-developed trade routes, and tens of thousands of low-level disciples to support him.

More importantly, the third-tier Spirit Vein can accelerate his cultivation.

His vast territory allowed his people to recuperate and thrive.

At the same time, it would preserve the Sun Clan's existence, and these people could be used to continue infiltrating White Cloud Temple and providing assistance...

Mutual benefit is the best choice!

Having survived this calamity, the Sun Clan will be completely reduced to puppets in his hands, which, in a way, is actually a good thing.

In the future, he could even support others to counterbalance the Sun Clan, thereby completely curbing the Sun Clan and preventing them from slipping out of his control.

Shi Jian regained his composure and his gaze fell on Sun Mao.

"Sun Mao, are you aware that I have reached a deal with True Person Yun Du?"

Sun Mao looked up, his face full of confusion.

"The Sun Clan now has only eighteen members left. You are short-handed and can no longer remain here, nor can you continue to provide sufficient resources."

Shi Jian's voice was gentle, like an elder advising a young man:

"Now that the Sun Clan's elite forces have been wiped out, they need a long period of recuperation and also more resources to support my cultivation."

"Ancestor..."

Sun Mao's lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

He knew that what his ancestor said was true.

The Sun Clan is no longer able to provide resources for their ancestor, and they are also short-handed. A crippled Sun Clan the Sun Clan family needs time and a stable space to recuperate...

"I have reached a decision with True Person Yun Du."

Shi Jian stood up, lightning flashing and exploding around him:

"The entire Sun Clan clan will be merged into White Cloud Temple from this day forward, becoming an independent lineage, preserving the Sun Clan Sun Clan and name."

"Hongtian City will be handed over to other cultivators."

"And you eighteen people will follow me to the Cloud Sword Mountain Range, where the White Cloud Temple is located, to establish a new home."

Sun Mao stood there, stunned.

Sun Yao also suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with shock.

Merged into White Cloud Temple?

This means that the Sun Clan will completely lose its status as an independent Lineage and become an appendage of the sect, Sun Clan will still exist.

However, no longer being completely independent does not violate the vow Shi Jian made at the time.

He ensured the existence of the Sun Clan for 200 years, and as long as the Sun Clan Indestructibility, losing sovereignty would not be considered a breach of his oath...

"You don't want to?"

Shi Jian sighed. He hadn't gone too far. Although they had become part of the sect, in truth, it was the best choice for the Sun Clan.

That was a fitting tribute to the sacrifices made by the Sun Clan family in protecting him.

Moreover, this might not be a bad thing for the Sun Clan. If the Sun Clan gradually grows stronger, they could also replace White Cloud Temple...

Sun Mao seemed to understand the meaning, but still gave a bitter laugh and knelt down.

"Mao, receive the ancestral decree."

He had no choice.

Without the protection of the Ancestor, these eighteen members of the Sun Clan clan would probably have been divided up long ago. The fact that the Ancestor was willing to take them to White Cloud Temple was already an immense blessing.

He only regretted his own incompetence in failing to protect the legacy of his ancestors.

Shi Jian looked at Sun Mao kneeling at his feet, his heart unmoved.

He doesn't need Sun Mao's gratitude.

He took the eighteen members of the Sun Clan away only to fulfill the blood oath he had made Heavenly Dao ago, which stipulated that he would protect the Sun Clan lineage.

As long as the Sun Clan Indestructibility, his Daoist heart will not be harmed.

As for whether the Sun Clan is an independent Lineage or an appendage of White Cloud Temple, Heavenly Dao doesn't care, and he cares even less; his own interests are the most important thing!

"Go pack your things."

"We will depart in three days."

Shi Jian waved his hand, and Sun Mao and Sun Yao, supporting each other, staggered away, leaving only Shi Jian and a few powerful demons in the entire stone hall.

The Lord Rat walked over from the side and landed steadily at Shi Jian's feet.

"Ancestor, are you really going to White Cloud Temple to become a guest elder for that old Daoist priest?"

The Lord Rat's narrow eyes gleamed with a cunning light, hinting at something.

"To serve as a guest minister?"

Shi Jian sneered, "Yun Du merely wants to bind me together to withstand the retaliation from the Fenghe Sect, thereby gaining more benefits."

"If that's the case, then I'll use his shell to lay my eggs."

"The foundation of White Cloud Temple is far deeper than that of this small Hongtian City. Going there will double your Cultivation Resources."

"Only then can our people thrive and multiply..."

Shi Jian turned to look at Shi Mo, Shi Pan, and the Lei Huan in the corner.

"Shi Mo, your physical body is incredibly strong; you have rendered meritorious service in protecting the formation this time."

"Upon arriving at White Cloud Temple, I will request a Spirit Vein mountain peak from Yun Du to build a temple for you, helping you to complete the Dark Gold Line."

"Yes, Ancestor."

Shi Mo let out a low growl and pounded his chest in response.

"Shi Pan, you have rendered meritorious service in protecting Sun Yao, and your Earth Path has become increasingly stable. Once things settle down, the Boulder Line will also be able to be completed."

Shi Pan nodded earnestly.

"Lei Huan, you possess the greatest killing power."

Shi Jian flicked his finger, and a surge of Dao of Lightning essence, radiating a dense aura of destruction, instantly poured into the Lei Huan's body:

"This lightning can help solidify your foundation. Once we reach White Cloud Mountain, you will sit before me and serve me."

"Thank you for your guidance, Elder Ancestor!"

Lei Huan's eyes were filled with fanaticism as he bowed down in submission.

"As for you, Lord Rat."

Shi Jian's gaze fell on the Blood Rat: "Don't take all your rat offspring to White Cloud Temple. Leave half of them in Hongtian City and continue to scatter them into the nine counties of White Cloud Commandery."

"The intelligence network can't be broken; we'll carve out a territory for you when the time comes."

The Lord Rat grinned, revealing its sharp, white teeth. "Rest assured, Ancestor, I understand."

"There will be spies watching the entire White Cloud Commandery in secret!"

Shi Jian nodded in satisfaction, finally turning his gaze northward.

That's the direction where White Cloud Temple is located.

Having achieved his Golden Core, he was no longer cannon fodder in the Profound Spirit Continent, but a player with considerable power.