Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 1850 - 1114: Authority Artifact (2)

Yang Zhenshan pondered for a moment and said, "Alright! I will protect the Pei family for a hundred years!"

Protecting an Immortal Cultivation Family was no difficult task for Yang Zhenshan. At worst, he could relocate the Pei family to the Spirit Source Land.

Pei Lun slowly released his hand. Yang Zhenshan grasped the bamboo staff, and as he infused it with his Spiritual Sense, he immediately felt a grand Dao Rhyme surging forth, followed by countless realizations flooding his mind.

Sure enough, it was an Authority Artifact that contains Divine Dao Intent. However, it wasn’t merely for the purpose of seizing vitality with Divine Skills; it could control vitality, not only for seizing, but also sealing, granting, transforming, and so on.

Sealing vitality could temporarily sever a cultivator’s vitality, putting them into a state of suspended animation.

Granting vitality could restore a cultivator’s vitality and heal injuries.

Transforming vitality could convert vitality into Mana and Soul Power.

Vitality is not lifespan. Yang Zhenshan could transform vitality into lifespan because he comprehended the Withering and Prosperity Divine Skill.

In fact, Yang Zhenshan could also seize and grant vitality, albeit in a crude manner, merely with simple seizure and granting.

In contrast, the Divine Dao Intent imbued in the bamboo staff’s vitality control was much more refined in its seizure and granting, maximizing the power of vitality force.

This bamboo staff was extremely well-suited to him. Although using the bamboo staff consumed lifespan, Yang Zhenshan could transform the vitality force into lifespan. Thus, this bamboo staff was essentially without flaws.

Most importantly, it was an Authority Artifact, vastly superior in power to a Spiritual Artifact, nearly equivalent to a Spiritual Treasure.

In Yang Zhenshan’s hands, it was a Spiritual Treasure capable of threatening the Spiritual Treasures of Golden Core Cultivators.

After understanding this, Yang Zhenshan rejoiced in his heart.

This truly came by without any effort. With this supreme treasure, he was like a tiger with wings, elevating his strength to a new level.

"What do you plan to do with these people?" Yang Zhenshan looked up at the Shi family members, who were already in panic. Although they didn’t know who Yang Zhenshan was, they had heard his conversation with Pei Lun.

A Golden Core Cultivator to protect the Pei family was an imminent disaster for the Shi family.

"Please, True Monarch, help this old man eliminate them!" Pei Lun had no intention of showing any mercy.

Yang Zhenshan didn’t mind either. He lightly waved the bamboo staff, and a blue radiance poured out, descending upon the Shi family members like a curtain of light.

In the next moment, tiny bamboo shoots emerged from the bodies of the Shi family members. However, unlike when Pei Lun wielded the bamboo staff before, this time the bamboo shoots didn’t grow into bamboo trees but remained merely finger-sized.

However, the Shi family members quickly shriveled as if they had been drained of all moisture, becoming desiccated corpses within the space of a breath.

Their vitality, mana, and Power of Divine Soul were completely drained, leaving behind only worthless remains.

"Such a domineering artifact!" Yang Zhenshan showed no concern for the plight of the Shi family. He observed the bamboo staff in his hand, lost in thought.

The bamboo staff did not only seize vitality; it also drained mana and soul power completely, leaving nothing behind, and it also absorbed thirty years of Yang Zhenshan’s lifespan.

However, Yang Zhenshan also received a mass of pure vitality force.

Two Foundation Establishment Cultivators and over forty Qi Refinement Realm cultivators collectively provided him with vitality force equivalent to three drops of Vitality Spring, enough to restore sixty years of his lifespan.

Calculating this way, it seemed he gained thirty years of lifespan, but this was not the case, because the opponents were Foundation Establishment Cultivators and Qi Refining Cultivators, so the lifespan consumed by wielding the bamboo staff was relatively less. If the opponent was a Golden Core Cultivator, much more lifespan would be required.

In such a scenario, he might incur a loss.

Moreover, vitality force is not lifespan; once lifespan is reduced, it’s difficult to replenish, whereas vitality force can be replenished in many ways after being seized, such as with the Vitality Spring that can quickly supplement vitality.

If Yang Zhenshan were facing a Golden Core Cultivator, the power of this vitality seizure would be significantly diminished and might not severely harm his opponent.

In this light, the Withering and Prosperity Divine Skill seems vastly superior to vitality control, but this is not correct either, because Yang Zhenshan hasn’t mastered the Divine Dao Intent of vitality control; he merely utilizes the Authority Artifact to wield vitality control.

If he could comprehend the Divine Dao Intent of vitality control, then he wouldn’t incur any loss, nor would it consume his lifespan.

This is the Spiritual Treasure of an Authority Master, primarily matching the Authority Master’s Dao Intent Divine Skills, and therefore fails to perfectly align with Yang Zhenshan. However, Yang Zhenshan could elevate his compatibility with this Authority Artifact by gaining insights into the Dao Intent, and as his compatibility improves, the power he can exert in vitality control also grows stronger.

In any case, this Authority Artifact offers him great benefits; at the very least, it allows him to perform the Withering and Prosperity Divine Skill with greater ease.

"But why does this artifact lack an Artifact Spirit?" Yang Zhenshan meticulously examined the spirituality of the bamboo staff but found no trace of an Artifact Spirit.

"Could it be that Authority Artifacts inherently lack Artifact Spirits?"

Yang Zhenshan pondered for a long time but ultimately couldn’t figure it out.

No Artifact Spirit is fine; it makes the bamboo staff easier to control, otherwise an Artifact Spirit might cause trouble instead.

"Please, True Monarch, come with us!" Pei Lun suddenly spoke.

Yang Zhenshan lifted his head, nodding slightly, "Very well, let’s take a look at your Pei family!"

The Pei family was a sizable clan, with over ten thousand members, including more than three hundred Immortal Cultivators, but unfortunately, few had made significant achievements. Of the over three hundred cultivators, only Pei Lun was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator nearing the end of his lifespan.

This was the sorrow of the Pei family, yet also an inevitable path for many Immortal Cultivation families to travel.

The outcome of decline is unavoidable for the vast majority of Immortal Cultivation families. Prosperity inevitably leads to decline; this is certain.

However, some Immortal Cultivation families, after hundreds or even thousands of years of dormancy, can rise again.

Currently, the Pei family had hit rock bottom. Once Pei Lun passed away, the Pei family would face extinction.

Their spirit fields would be seized by other families, their resources would become trophies for others, and all they possessed would become someone else’s wedding dress, while they themselves would either perish under others’ blades or wander as homeless dogs.

The Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters housed many Immortal Cultivation families, these families rising and falling, constantly struggling, but most were stopped at the family level, finding it difficult to cross the threshold to the Immortal Clan.

The Pei family was sizeable, akin to a town, with numerous spirit fields surrounding the town, in which they cultivated many herbs and Spirit Trees, alongside numerous Spirit Rice.

Yang Zhenshan, under Pei Lun’s guidance, arrived at the central courtyard of Pei Family Town.

"Please, True Monarch!"

In a finely decorated tea room on the third floor of a pavilion, Yang Zhenshan sat by the window, overlooking most of Pei Family Town, even glimpsing the lush orchards and rice fields beyond the town.

Sandalwood incense was lit, tea was served.

Pei Lun tremulously poured a bowl of clear tea for Yang Zhenshan.

Yang Zhenshan noticed his slightly trembling hand, "Your lifespan is running short. If you don’t wish to die too soon, you should stabilize your Dao Foundation promptly!"

"Whether I die a day early or a day late makes no difference to this old man!" Pei Lun replied with a somewhat bitter smile.

"Indeed!" Yang Zhenshan nodded in slight agreement.

For Pei Lun, his life had entered its final countdown, whether counted in days or months. What mattered was whether he could settle his affairs before passing.

Thus, he needed to stay with Yang Zhenshan, awaiting his arrangements.

Yang Zhenshan was aware of his intent, "If your Pei family wants to rise again, you need a life-or-death ordeal!"

"To be reborn from the brink of death!"

"If the Pei family continues as they are, even with my protection for a hundred years, they still won’t escape the fate of annihilation!"

He stated calmly.

The decline of the Pei family wasn’t due to a lack of talent, nor a lack of resources, but because the Pei family’s offspring lacked the courage and perseverance to advance continually.

While familial protection is good, it can also breed idleness, a major reason many families decline.

Not just the Pei family; even the Yang family faced similar issues.

Among Yang Zhenshan’s numerous descendants, there was no shortage of those unwilling to advance. However, the Yang family benefited from frequent splits, splitting upon marriage, necessitating self-reliance thereafter.

While the Spirit Source Land provided basic cultivation salary, acquiring more resources required personal effort.

Thus, although there were some who just got by in the Spirit Source Land, the vast majority worked hard for their future.