Chapter 936 - 298: Tribulation (Part 2)

"Father, there’s no need to blame yourself. Our Shen Family has taken two hundred years to reach where we are today, which is already quite remarkable."

Seeing the self-reproach on his father’s face, Shen Wen’an softly consoled him.

He understood the difficulties his father had faced over the years.

Without a spirit root himself, his cultivation progressed slowly, and his strength wasn’t great enough, forcing him to expend a great deal of heart spirit to outwit enemies countless times stronger than the Shen Family.

Two hundred years of walking on thin ice, every step a decision made after countless calculations.

Now, the Shen Family was fulfilling the calamity of this small world in Yangnao Land.

For the Shen Family, a Purple Mansion Family, this was undoubtedly another tough trial.

"If the clan members’ calamities all fall upon the shoulders of us three, father, now that you’ve exited seclusion, you should first head to the Five Elements Secret Realm."

"Regarding Chongzhen’s affairs, I’ll think of another way."

Shen Wen’an contemplated before slowly speaking.

Although he didn’t quite understand why most of the clan’s calamities fell upon the three of them, since his father said so, he dared not doubt it.

Shen Yuan smiled and shook his head: "I can’t enter the Five Elements Secret Realm just yet."

"There are still some schemes yet to be completed regarding the calamity."

"You should go back and tell Chongzhen..."

After a pause, Shen Yuan sighed helplessly: "Tell that child to be flexible and not stubborn."

Shen Wen’an nodded slightly: "Qiuling has been teaching him well during this time; the brat’s personality has changed significantly."

"Is there anything else I need to prepare for the upcoming events?"

Before summoning Shen Wen’an through voice transmission, although he forcibly altered his appearance to look less old and decayed, the frailty in his aura didn’t escape Shen Wen’an’s perception.

Shen Wen’an didn’t know what method his father used to alter the way clan members faced calamity, but he understood it must have come at a hefty price.

After all, resisting fate with human strength is exceptionally challenging, especially when his father was fighting the entire Shen Family’s destiny.

"Yes, there’s indeed something you need to do."

"Over there with Chongxu... as a father, I cannot see his fate’s trajectory; you should send him a message that if any changes occur, he should return sooner rather than later."

"At present, there likely aren’t any secrets in the Southern Border worth him staying to investigate any longer."

Shen Wen’an remained silent, still waiting for further instructions.

However, Shen Yuan gently smiled and shook his head: "That’s all. The other matters need your strength to resolve, so there’s no need for me to explain further."

"Go now."

"Remind your older brother and Xiuyan to restrain the clan members in the city; no one is to leave. From this day forth, Yunshui City is not to receive any visitors."

Shen Wen’an stood up, bowed, and then slowly exited the second floor of the Black Water Pavilion.

Plop!

As soon as he left, Shen Yuan’s expression suddenly froze, and he spat out a mouthful of blood mist.

The appearance maintained by spiritual power instantly changed back to an elderly form with white hair.

There was no other way; to deduce the method to dissolve the calamity, he had exhausted too much of his heart spirit and nearly drained his own lifespan.

Fortunately, the Five Elements Inner Core within his dantian operated in mutual generation, allowing him, with a half-step Golden Core realm, to possess a survival similar to a true Golden Core cultivator’s extended life.

Otherwise, he feared he would have already been at the end of his lifeline.

The family’s calamity issue has been temporarily alleviated, but the pressing task was to quickly understand how to achieve a true Golden Core without relying on Heaven’s gifted Immortal Golden Nature.

Ever since learning of the Golden Nature’s conspiracy, he had been pondering this question for years.

In the end, he only reached one conclusion: forming an inner core in the dantian is not a true Golden Core.

Without using Heaven’s gifted Golden Nature, a cultivator has to undergo an unknown transformation to achieve a Golden Core.

It’s just that he had no clue what this transformation was.

After calming the surging blood and spiritual power within his body and stabilizing his heart spirit, Shen Yuan, disregarding his own frailty, began to continue calculating.

...

Above the vast ocean, a giant treasure ship slowly skims along the shimmering water’s surface.

On the treasure ship, Luo Tianxing, dressed in indigo blue attire and wearing a conical hat, was seated cross-legged at the front position, forming formulas with his hands, with an ancient black tripod suspended in front of him.

This black tripod was the spirit of Beichen Immortal Mountain that he had taken from Huaisang County years ago.

Just after leaving Yangnao Land, Luo Tianxing felt as if the shackles on his body had suddenly been lifted, and he felt significantly lighter.

However, in recent days, as he traveled farther and farther from Yangnao Land, an inexplicable disquiet gradually arose in his heart.

Initially, he thought this mysterious feeling was due to the deep ties between him and the Shen Family, and the Shen Family’s current peril was affecting his mindset.

However, as he followed the black tripod’s guidance towards Beichen Immortal Mountain, the inexplicable unease grew ever more intense.

A gust of salty sea breeze blew, making Luo Tianxing shiver involuntarily, and as he opened his eyes, his expression instantly turned grave.

"Where is this place!?"

Getting up from the bow of the ship, Luo Tianxing looked around to find that, although he was still in the vast sea, the surrounding waters exuded a sense of eeriness and peculiarity.

It was unnaturally quiet around him, the sea calm as a smooth mirror!

Even though he could feel the sea breeze blowing around, the waters remained perfectly undisturbed.