Approved

"Yes!"

Yang Lingqing stepped forward at the call. She looked at Chen Yang and took two deep breaths to steady her heart.

She opened her mouth and began reciting the method Elder Yu had taught her, her fingers constantly forming seals.

Then she clasped her hands together and raised them high above her head.

"Yang Family disciple Yang Lingqing pays respects to the Supreme Immortal Venerable of the Spirit Stone!"

With that, she bent down in worship.

This differed from ancestral rites. Her hands, forehead, knees, and toes formed a single line—it was a full prostration in devout worship.

"Lingqing is dull-witted. By relying on the Immortal Venerable's power, I was fortunate enough to gain the Dao Path. My gratitude is beyond measure, and I dare never forget it!"

"Today, through Blood Burning Spirit Sacrifice, even repaying one ten-thousandth of the Immortal Venerable's grace is beyond me. I am truly ashamed. From this day forth, the Yang Family's descendants, generation after generation, year after year, shall all do the same. Only then may our hearts be at peace!"

At that, Yang Lingqing rose. In the unseen darkness, Chen Yang sensed something intangible slipping into his mind.

It was a consciousness that did not belong to him, yet entered this place through a connection of the mind and spirit.

This consciousness was ethereal and empty, containing no information or images. It was merely in its most primitive state.

Chen Yang drew close and swallowed it in one gulp. In an instant, he felt the range of his spiritual awareness expand by a circle.

Yang Lingqing's bow had obtained for him a force that nourished and strengthened the soul.

Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu watched Chen Yang with some nervousness.

Yang Lingqing was the only member of the Yang Family who had interacted with the spirit stone. If even she could not move the spirit stone through worship, the others had even less hope.

Buzz—

A low hum rang out. The two Yang Family elders immediately broke into broad smiles and hurriedly called to the other two children.

"It worked! You two, hurry as well—join Lingqing!"

Ling Rui and Linghu immediately stepped forward. Following Yang Lingqing's movements, they began the ritual bow.

"Yang Family disciple Yang Lingrui pays respects to the Supreme Immortal Venerable of the Spirit Stone!"

"Ling Rui is dull-witted. By relying on the Immortal Venerable's power, I was fortunate enough to gain the Dao Path..."

"Yang Family disciple Yang Linghu pays respects to the Supreme Immortal Venerable of the Spirit Stone!"

"..."

After the two had finished their bows, two more streams of soul force descended from the void and shot into Chen Yang's sea of consciousness.

His range of perception expanded once more. At full spread, it could now cover most of the southern side of Little Pine Mountain, as well as the Yang Family compound at the mountain's foot and the nearby village.

Such a range of perception far surpassed that of a Qi Gathering Mid-stage cultivator. It was comparable to a cultivator at the peak of Late Qi Gathering, just a thread away from matching Qi Gathering Perfection.

This is nice. From now on, while breathing and cultivating, I can look and listen all around instead of being bored to death, Chen Yang thought.

When the ritual ended, Chen Yang made himself glow faintly, counting it as a response.

The three children then stood in a row, cupped their hands toward Chen Yang, and spoke in unison.

"Yang Family disciples obey the Immortal Venerable's decree and cultivate. We boldly ask the Immortal Venerable to bestow divine power!"

The Yang Family had truly spared no expense for today's Blood Burning Spirit Sacrifice. Their sincerity was beyond doubt, and Chen Yang had gained enormously from it.

At such a time, he naturally would not be stingy.

"Easy enough. Approved!"

Whoosh—

The next moment, a clear breeze stirred. The spiritual energy wandering through the surroundings swiftly flowed toward the Yang Family ancestral hall.

In just a few blinks, the spiritual energy environment here had changed. The spiritual energy density had increased fivefold, leaving Yang Guanfeng full of emotion.

Thinking back to his younger days, he and Elder Yu had traveled outside to gain experience. If they found a place where the spiritual energy density was merely a few tenths higher than ordinary lands, they would already thank heaven and earth.

Yet now, the Yang Family Forbidden Ground possessed such a dense spiritual energy environment. How could his heart possibly remain calm?

After urging the three children to cultivate at once, Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu left the ancestral hall.

They began discussing and setting in motion plans to renovate the Yang Family Forbidden Ground.

Now that Little Pine Mountain had been thoroughly cleared, the two intended to expand the Forbidden Ground and divide it into a main courtyard and a side courtyard. The ancestral hall and spirit fields would both be moved into the main courtyard, which only cultivators of the Yang bloodline could enter.

In the future, if the family acquired cultivators with other surnames or Attendants, they would be arranged to cultivate in the side courtyard.

"After this, we'll need to build several more isolation and defensive formations."

"Yes. Once we sell the Demon Beast corpses to the Dynasty and the family has Spirit Crystals, we'll have to trouble Elder Yu to make another trip to the market and invite Liu Zihao over."

Having settled on their plan, the two immediately sprang into action and began putting it into effect.

Over the following days, the three children came to the ancestral hall every day to request divine power from Chen Yang.

Chen Yang conducted Spirit Gathering for a fixed eight hours each day. Afterward, the three children took turns nourishing him with spiritual power.

Ten days later, Yang Lingrui felt that the time was ripe and returned to his residence to enter seclusion, seeking a breakthrough to the Third Level of Qi Gathering.

With Chen Yang present in the Forbidden Ground, Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu no longer needed to personally stand guard. Yang Lingqing and Yang Linghu only had to remain outside the room.

Half a month later, accompanied by an intense surge of spiritual power, Yang Lingrui successfully broke through and pushed open the door as he emerged.

Spiritual energy flowed endlessly around him, while the spiritual power within his body had become denser and more substantial.

"Congratulations on leaving seclusion, Ling Rui! Your cultivation has greatly advanced!"

Lingqing and Linghu congratulated him.

"Ling Rui thanks Brother and Sister for standing guard."

Yang Lingrui cupped his hands. "We haven't missed the date, have we?"

He meant the day the Dynasty would come to collect the Demon Beast corpses.

Gao Hui had previously said it would take no more than a month. More than twenty days had now passed.

"We haven't delayed anything. The timing is just right. The Dynasty cultivators arrived in White Stone Town last night and are now on their way to our family."

"The two ancestors are already waiting in the Council Hall. You can head over now."

Yang Lingrui nodded, then flashed away from the Forbidden Ground in several swift movements.

Watching his nimble figure, Yang Linghu sighed. "Ling Rui's talent is truly outstanding. I really can't compare, ah~"

"Stop singing that tune here. Let's hurry into the mountain. Don't forget the ancestors' instructions."

"Yes, yes, yes. Little Qing, you're right."

Chen Yang lay inside Yang Lingqing's waist pouch. When Yang Lingrui had broken through just now, Chen Yang had also received a milky-white pearl, translucent and flawless throughout.

This was the cultivator's feedback from the Blood Burning Spirit Sacrifice Technique.

Chen Yang had been prepared, but when he began refining the pearl, he was even more overjoyed.

What the pearl contained was not merely a year's worth of spiritual power. It also held all manner of cultivation memories and insights Yang Lingrui had accumulated during his training thus far.

I understand now. This is inheritance! Chen Yang thought.

With this ability, in the future he could preserve the cultivation inheritances of every Yang Family cultivator within himself.

That way, even if they suddenly died violently outside, their inheritances would not be cut off.

Yang Lingrui descended into the courtyard, startling all the surrounding Yang Family members.

Once they recognized his face, they all fell to their knees and cried, "Greetings, Immortal Master!"

Yang Lingrui nodded lightly and walked into the Council Hall in the rear courtyard.

"Ling Rui greets the two ancestors and two uncles."

All four people in the Council Hall rose to their feet. Yang Feiyun and Yang Xiaolei repeatedly said they dared not accept the greeting, then welcomed Yang Lingrui inside.

Although the Yang Family was managed by the two of them most of the time, they did not dare put on airs before the lineage's cultivators.

They understood clearly that the fundamental reason the Yang Family had reached its current state was not because they were especially skilled at managing a household, but because powerful figures such as Yang Guanfeng supported them from behind.

Otherwise, if they had been placed in another family, they might not have clawed their way out of Willow Leaf Town even by the time they died of old age.

"Then we'll take our leave first. Once our eldest brother finishes matters here, we'll return to discuss the lineage's affairs."

After the two left, Yang Guanfeng looked at Yang Lingrui and nodded in great satisfaction.

"You reached the Third Level of Qi Gathering in just one year. Ling Rui, you have done exceptionally well!"

"It was entirely thanks to the family's support. Without it, Ling Rui alone could never have achieved this."

"Hahaha, Ling Rui, you're too modest."

As Elder Yu spoke, he took out a formation plate and stepped forward. He cast a concealment technique upon Yang Lingrui, causing Yang Lingrui's cultivation to immediately appear as the Second Level of Qi Gathering to others. Even Yang Guanfeng could detect nothing unusual.

"Though it is merely an eye-blinding trick meant to fool people, this old man is confident that no Qi Gathering Cultivator below the Condensation Origin Realm can see through it."

Elder Yu's tone was brimming with confidence. Back in the day, this had been one of his finest tricks for fleeing, hiding, and preserving his life.

At this moment, two figures descended before the Yang Family compound.

The old steward had sharp eyes. The moment he saw their bearing, he knew they were no ordinary people and immediately went to the rear courtyard to report.

"This Yang Family has some skill. They actually managed to preserve this estate during the Beast Tide. I recall you saying they only moved out of Willow Leaf Town last year, yes?"

The speaker wore a black robe, his brows and eyes carrying the haughty air of one accustomed to high status.

His name was He Shenglai. He was the same age as Gao Hui and a Seventh Level of Qi Gathering cultivator in the Late Stage Realm. He was one of the cultivators the Dynasty had sent to purchase the Demon Beast corpses this time.