Establishing a Branch Hall: A Person's Name, a Tree's Shadow!

Inside the council chamber, decisions are made on matters large and small.

The person chosen to go to Transformation Province to establish a branch altar was quickly decided.

Yun Ci was in charge of affairs and also served as the head of a branch altar.

The sect assigned five Foundation Establishment stewards to accompany them, along with five Foundation Establishment from the Yun Clan, making a total of ten Foundation Establishment cultivators to support the initial framework.

Then, more than 300 Qi Refining disciples were drawn from various peaks and veins to serve as branch altar personnel.

In addition, more than ten Lineage under the Foundation Establishment of the Northern Protectorate volunteered to move west to White Cloud Temple with Baiyun Transformation Province to re-establish their clans.

These small Lineage mostly consist of only one or two Foundation Establishment cultivators, and they are neither particularly successful nor unsuccessful in Ming Province.

Instead of continuing to be squeezed by the powerful here, I might as well try my luck somewhere new.

"The Transformation Province branch is newly established, so everything should be kept simple."

Yun Du set the tone in the hall. "For the first three years, focus on construction, avoid trouble, do not expand, and establish a firm foothold before making any further moves."

Yun Ci stood in the hall and bowed to receive the order.

He knew in his heart that his ancestor was giving him a chance, but also testing him. Whether he could withstand it depended entirely on his own abilities.

After the meeting, Lu Xun Yun Ci.

"Have you found out what's going on in Transformation Province?"

Yun Ci shook her head. "All I know is that it was one of the core territories of the former Blood Bone Devil Sect, and the entire area was destroyed."

"Most of the Spirit Vein have disappeared, having been dug up by various parties. The environment there is extremely harsh; we'll only know the details once we obtain them."

Lu Xun pondered for a moment, "I'll have someone go to Beast Pasturing Mountain to get you a batch of spirit beast cubs. Once you get there, set up the animal enclosure first. Spirit beasts are more useful than humans for clearing wasteland."

"Then thank you very much, Junior Brother Lu."

Lu Xun waved his hand, saying that they were fellow disciples after all, so it was nothing to worry about, and then turned and left.

He didn't go to Transformation Province; Yun Du kept him in Ming Province, clearly intending to cultivate him so that one day he could support White Cloud Temple.

After all, White Cloud Temple is the foundation.

Currently, within the sect, the Yun Clan has the greatest influence, with some members relocating to establish a branch altar. The Zhao Clan clan is second, also establishing a Lineage business association in the Yuan Continent...

Now, the Sun Clan lineage has declined, and the power structure has been reshuffled.

If he leaves, the Sun Clan will be completely without anyone to hold the line, which would make it very easy for trouble to arise.

Regardless, Lu Xun was ultimately not an ungrateful person.

His master Sun Lin, had been kind enough to teach him, and the patriarch Shi Jian, who was of the Lightning Bear Line, had also helped and cultivated him greatly...

Staying at the sect's borders is the best option for him.

Transformation Province is the former territory of the Blood Bone Devil Sect.

The Blood Bone Devil Sect has managed this place for nearly ten thousand years. Although most of the restrictions and formations that were once there have been destroyed by war, the demonic energy that has penetrated deep into the earth's veins will likely not dissipate completely for the next thirty to fifty years.

When Yun Ci led his team to Transformation Province, it was the dead of winter.

The north wind, carrying fine sand and gravel, stung my face.

Looking out, the gray-brown earth stretches to the horizon, with clumps of withered yellow weeds scattered here and there, and occasionally a few crooked old trees struggling in the barren soil.

Traces of war can still be seen on the distant mountains.

A vast, dark expanse, barren of everything.

This is the place?

An elder of the Yun Clan looked grim upon seeing the desolate place.

Yun Ci didn't reply. She jumped off the flying boat, squatted down, and grabbed a handful of soil. The soil was gray, mixed with fine black particles...

This is a product of demonic influence.

This kind of soil cannot grow spiritual herbs or support spiritual beasts.

It must first be purified to wash away the demonic energy, and then the land must be irrigated with Spirit Vein water for several years to restore its vitality. Furthermore, it requires Earth Dao cultivators to tidy up the soil and bury it, which may allow the land to regain its vitality.

He dusted off his hands, stood up, and looked around.

The gaze finally settled on a precipice over a thousand feet high in the northwest.

The cliff looked as if it had been cleaved in two by a single stroke, its surface as smooth as a mirror, covered with dense magical array patterns. Though shattered, its essence remained.

What is that?

An elder accompanying them used his spiritual sense to investigate for a moment. "Judging from the style of the array patterns, it should be the ruins of a fortress belonging to the Blood Bone Devil Sect."

"There is a remnant of Spirit Vein beneath this ground, but it is extremely weak, at most First-Tier Mid-Grade."

Yun Ci nodded.

First-Tier Mid-Grade wouldn't even be worth mentioning in Ming Province, but in this godforsaken place, it's a rare find.

"This is it. The branch altar will be located on this cliff."

He made a decisive decision and assigned manpower.

More than 300 Qi Refining disciples were divided into six groups and acted separately.

One group explored the direction of the Spirit Vein, the second group cleared away the remaining demonic energy, the third group repaired the dilapidated buildings on the cliff, the fourth group set up a warning array around the area, the fifth group was responsible for logistics and supplies, and the sixth group built a temporary animal enclosure.

Bai Ling, White Fox Line, led a dozen white foxes and two young primordial bear demons, patrolling and keeping watch around the edge of the cliff.

Bai Ling's illusions are extremely effective in this open terrain; no movement can escape her perception.

"Master Yun, three Foundation Establishment auras are approaching from the southeast."

Upon receiving Bai Ling's message, Yun Ci frowned.

They've only been here two days, and people are already coming to their door?

What approach?

"They shouldn't be remnants of Devil Cultivator; their aura doesn't resemble that of demonic cultivators. They're probably here to claim territory like us."

Yun Ci thought for a moment, "Let them come over."

About half an hour later, three cultivators appeared at the foot of the cliff.

The first person was a young man in his early thirties, wearing a slightly worn gray Daoist robe with chrysanthemum embroidery on the cuffs.

That's the symbol of the Golden Chrysanthemum Sect in Qing Province.

"I am Lü Mingyuan of the Golden Chrysanthemum Sect." The young man stepped forward, cupping his hands in a polite manner, but his gaze kept sweeping over the campsite on the cliff.

"I wonder which faction you belong to, my friend?"

"White Cloud Temple, Ming Province Northern Protectorate."

Upon hearing this, Lü Mingyuan's expression changed slightly.

The White Cloud Temple is quite a name in the cultivation world of the Clear Azure Kingdom.

The Golden Core Sect, which controls a regional protectorate and boasts two Golden Core cultivators, is no ordinary force. Such power is beyond the reach of their Golden Chrysanthemum Gate Sect...

"So it's a highly accomplished master from White Cloud Temple."

Lü Mingyuan's tone became more respectful. "Our Golden Chrysanthemum Sect has also come to Transformation Province."

"I was unaware that someone had already secured this area. If there has been any conflict, I hope my fellow cultivators will forgive me."

Where do you plan to land?

"About five hundred miles to the southeast, there is a barren mountain. Beneath its surface lies a fragment of a Spirit Vein, though of extremely poor quality, it's better than nothing."

Yun Ci nodded, five hundred miles away.

That's far enough away from him, so we won't interfere with each other...

"It's your territory, you're in charge."

"But from this day forward, this entire area, encompassing three hundred li, will be the territory of my Cloud Temple branch altar."

"If anyone dares to barge in again, our sect won't be as accommodating as we are today."

Upon hearing this, Lü Mingyuan readily agreed.

He was a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, leading two Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivators, and a group of Qi Refining clansmen.

Let alone competing with White Cloud Temple for territory, we should be grateful to be able to stay peacefully under their noses.

After seeing off the Golden Chrysanthemum Sect members, Yun Ci returned to the cliff.

In the following days, three more groups arrived, the larger one with over a hundred people and the smaller one with only fifty or sixty.

They were all small Lineage from Ming Province, Qing Province, and Yin Province, similar to the Golden Chrysanthemum Sect, who came to Transformation Province to make a living.

Yun Ci neither chased them away nor made any attempt to befriend them.

Those who could be brought under the wing of White Cloud Temple were recruited as vassals, while those who were unwilling stayed far away from the White Cloud Temple's territory, not daring to set foot there at all.

Indeed, a person's name is like a tree's shadow.

The White Cloud Temple has become powerful, and even its reputation is very useful. Few people will easily provoke it, especially in the Clear Azure Kingdom.

White Cloud Temple is already considered a top-tier Golden Core Elixir sect.