Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 1130: Chapter 763: Specialties of the Spirit Source Land (2)

The two of them left Lingxi Mountain, riding horses northward.

This time they were riding Red Cloud Horses, Yang Zhenshan naturally rode Red Cloud, while Li Chang rode a Red Cloud Horse that had just turned four years old.

Yang Zhenshan named these horses Red Cloud Horses because they all inherited a characteristic from Red Cloud; their manes were all reddish-brown.

Galloping, the long mane fluttered like a patch of red clouds.

Red Cloud Horses are mutant beasts with wind attributes, so they possess the ability to fly, but their flying ability is not outstanding; neither the speed nor the endurance is very good. Like Red Cloud, it can barely carry Yang Zhenshan for a flight of two hours, roughly able to cover about five hundred miles.

Compared to the Flying Slave Eagle’s flying speed, Red Cloud is undoubtedly much slower.

However, running on the ground is different, easily crossing mountains, the running speed is much faster than flying.

Riding on Red Cloud’s back, Yang Zhenshan only felt the cold wind cutting his face like a knife, forcing him to circulate mana to form a shield to block the oncoming chill.

Neigh~

Red Cloud got excited and let out a loud neigh.

"Slow down, wait for your great-grandson!"

Yang Zhenshan had to pat its back to remind it.

Once this guy gets playful, it doesn’t care, leaving the great-grandson far behind.

Red Cloud slowed down upon hearing the reminder and turned to look behind.

Soon, the Red Cloud Horse behind caught up, and it continued to frolic, running for a distance and stopping to wait, repeating the cycle; in just two hours, they arrived at the Xue Meng Mountain Range.

Traveling from Ancient County to Cold Valley County is very convenient because there’s an official road connecting the two counties, and although the road is a bit rugged, it’s very convenient for Red Cloud Horses.

On the official road, there were quite a few convoys, including many from Martial Arts Families.

Following the official road deep into the Xue Meng Mountain Range, if you go past the range, you reach Cold Valley County’s county city, but Yang Zhenshan’s target this time is not Cold Valley County’s county city, but Snow Valley Town.

Only after heading to Snow Valley Town, he plans to visit Three Mountains Village first.

Three Mountains Village is the secret base of the Secret Martial Guards in the Xue Meng Mountain Range. To open up the Spirit Source Land in Cold Valley County, Secret Martial Guards’ intelligence support is indispensable.

After traveling a hundred miles into the Xue Meng Mountain Range, Yang Zhenshan and Li Chang left the official road, heading directly east, deep into the mountains, bypassing more than a dozen mountains, and finally arrived in a gorge.

This gorge is situated between three towering peaks; to enter it, one must go through a narrow crevice, but inside, it is a flat valley.

Inside the valley, there are not only large farmlands but also a decently sized village!

This was Yang Zhenshan’s first time coming here, and under Li Chang’s guidance, he passed through the crevice into the valley, looking at the flat valley with surprise.

"Lv Hua indeed did well, finding such a treasure trove in the vast mountains!"

He couldn’t help but praise.

There are no spirit fields here, nor are there any spiritual objects, yet it is like a secluded paradise, isolated from the world.

"Grandpa!"

Yang Chengxian rode quickly to him, his face filled with joy as he looked at Yang Zhenshan, "Why have you come?"

Currently, Yang Chengxian, over fifty years old, closely resembles Yang Mingzhi in appearance, with a slim but tall and upright figure, his long form exuding a unique elegance.

His chin, meticulously groomed with a tuft of goatee, slightly curls, adding to his unique charm.

His face shows no sign of aging, his deep and bright eyes filled with steadiness and wisdom, revealing a mature and graceful demeanor.

Following him are several familiar figures, Yang Zhenshan’s personal followers.

"Greetings, Family Head!" The followers also greeted joyfully.

Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly, "You all have worked hard!"

"Haha, it’s not hard, just a bit boring here!" Yang Chengxian laughed.

Yang Zhenshan patted his shoulder, "You’ve done well!"

Receiving such praise, Yang Chengxian was filled with joy.

"Grandpa, let’s talk inside the village!" He led Yang Zhenshan into the village.

The village is large, not only having over a hundred houses but also a sizeable training ground and school.

Secret Martial Guards were only established five years ago and have not yet formed a large scale.

Currently, Secret Martial Guards have more than two hundred spies, all adopted as children by Lv Hua; none are over twenty years old now.

Of course, their tasks are not intelligence gathering but integrating information provided by the shadows.

The current intelligence collection process of the Secret Martial Guards generally consists of three steps. Firstly, they purchase some inconspicuous individuals in the Martial Cultivator workshops as the shadows of Secret Martial Guards.

Secondly, upon hearing information, the shadow submits it to their superior, who integrates the information and then sends it to Three Mountains Village.

Thirdly, the village analyzes the information, deriving more accurate intelligence, which is archived. If confirmed useful for Yang Zhenshan or if he needs specific information, they will send it to him.

Therefore, intelligence collection is currently managed by Secret Martial Guards’ peripheral member shadows, while the so-called spies merely relay information.

These young spies are still in training, their abilities relatively weak, unable to handle overly complex tasks.

Moreover, the village houses hundreds of adolescents raised by Secret Martial Guards, destined to be future spies.

Yang Zhenshan didn’t see these youths because his presence within Secret Martial Guards remains top secret.

The village life is quite simple; Yang Chengxian’s residence is simply three ordinary earthen houses, akin to the Yang family’s houses back in Yang Family Village.

Yang Chengxian now enduring such hardship is indeed admirable.

Yang Zhenshan casually surveyed the room with a glance, then asked, "Are the items I asked you to prepare ready?"

"They are ready." Yang Chengxian gestured to his followers, who immediately brought several books.

"This contains information about Cold Cloud Sect. Cold Cloud Sect has six Martial Artists at the Heavenly Gang Stage, eighteen at the Earth Evil Stage, and seventy-eight at the Qi Sea Stage, along with over two thousand Innate disciples!"

"Their manpower is distributed across several counties in Cold Valley County, with only one Heavenly Gang Stage Martial Artist and two Earth Evil Stage Martial Artists stationed at Snow Valley Town!"

"Additionally, Snow Valley Town isn’t entirely under the control of Cold Cloud Sect; many Martial Arts Families in Cold Valley County are involved there. According to our investigations, there are at least four Heavenly Gang Stage Martial Artists in Snow Valley Town!"

"As for the loose cultivators, they mostly comprise Qi Sea Stage Martial Artists, forming small groups to hunt mutant beasts deep in the Yunxiao Mountain Range, with many outstanding talents among them."

Yang Chengxian briefly described the situation of Cold Cloud Sect and Snow Valley Town while Yang Zhenshan opened the booklets to examine.

Cold Valley County’s martial arts strength is actually quite formidable, possessing not only Cold Cloud Sect but also numerous Martial Arts Families.

These forces might not be in the Sea of Spirit, but they can exchange many resources from there, so their strength and foundation are noteworthy.

However, Yang Zhenshan is not concerned about these; neither Cold Cloud Sect nor these families worry him. He truly cares about another powerful force.

Hidden Sword Mountain!

It’s exceedingly strong, perhaps surpassing any of the Three Sects in the Sea of Spirit, potentially comparable to Nether Prison Sect.

Yet Hidden Sword Mountain disciples seldom appear, resembling more of a reclusive sect, rarely moving within the secular world.

"Have you found Hidden Sword Mountain’s base?" Yang Zhenshan asked.

Yang Chengxian shook his head slightly, "No, Cold Valley County has many legends about Hidden Sword Mountain, but few know its location."

"We suspect Hidden Sword Mountain is within the Yunxiao Mountain Range, but its exact location remains uncertain!"

Yang Zhenshan wasn’t surprised; the mystery surrounding Hidden Sword Mountain made it reasonable that its whereabouts were elusive.

Moreover, Lan Peng previously mentioned that Hidden Sword Mountain possesses complete Immortal Path inheritance, being Sword Cultivators within the Immortal Path.