Marrying Wives and Attaining Immortality in a Chaotic World

Chapter 325: Deep Bonds

Accompanied by Zhao Yuhe, Xu Lian returned to the lord’s mansion, intending to admire the lotuses once again. However, a servant entered and reported, “A man claiming to be Qin Liu’s grandson insists on seeing you, my lord.”

Qin Liu’s grandson? Xu Lian paused for a moment. With so many descendants and followers, he could barely recognize all of his own grandchildren, let alone those of Qin Liu .

After a brief moment of reflection, Xu Lian said, “Bring him in.”

The servant hurried off. Moments later, he returned with a middle-aged man.

Upon seeing Xu Lian and Zhao Yuhe, the man immediately bowed deeply, clasping his hands in respect. “Qin Fan, greets Grand Uncle Xu and Grand Aunt.”

Using his cultivation at the eighth stage of the Origin Tracing Realm, Xu Lian sensed the man’s bloodline aura and confirmed that he was indeed a descendant of Qin Liu. There was no mistaking it. This middle-aged man had cultivated for over a hundred and fifty years, reaching the second stage of the Return to Truth Realm . In his youth, he had been considered a genius, far surpassing Qin Liu in cultivation talents.

Xu Lian said, “No need for formalities. What is it?”

Qin Fan replied, “My grandfather, limited by his cultivation talent, never reached great heights in cultivation. Now that he is over two hundred years old, his life span is nearing its end. He wishes to travel and see the world before he passes away. Among all of Grandfather’s descendants, I have the highest cultivation, having reached the Return to Truth Realm, which allows me to traverse space. My father and uncles have assigned me to accompany my grandfather on this journey.”

Xu Lian fell silent as he listened.

He had obtained two precious herbs and nearly thirty king-grade black lotus seeds from the Ten Thousand Peaks Stone Sea. The herbs and some of the black lotus seeds had already been distributed to the women who needed to extend their lifespan, such as Pei Zhaoxi, Little Mei, and Caixia. However, figures like Yu Qingyao, Huo Xin’er, and Jiang Xianyu, who possessed exceptional cultivation talents and abundant lifespans, did not need such help. Thus, he still had some king-grade black lotus seeds left, but he had no intention of using them to extend Qin Liu’s life.

After all, Qin Liu was merely one of his followers. By bringing Qin Liu to the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands and the ancestral grounds of the Divine Race, Xu Lian had already fulfilled his duty as a “master”. Followers, no matter how close, could not compare to the families of the women he cherished. He hadn’t even extended the lifespan of their families, how could he justify doing so for Qin Liu ?

It was simply a matter of practicality. The sheer number of family members among the women was overwhelming. Although he was a top-tier powerhouse at the eighth stage of the Origin Tracing Realm, he was no supreme or immortal. His resources were limited, and extending the life span of women had already pushed him to his limits.

Xu Lian snapped out of his thoughts. “Where have you been?”

Qin Fan , slightly embarrassed, continued, “I was saying that Grandfather views this trip as his final journey and has one last wish – to find a grand tomb to excavate. He believes that it will bring a perfect conclusion to his life”.

“…” Xu Lian was momentarily speechless. He hadn’t expected that Qin Liu, on the verge of death, would still be fixated on tomb raiding. Perhaps two centuries of comfortable living had grown tiresome, and he sought some excitement before the end?

Xu Lian said, “If he wants to dig, then let him dig. After all, with the Time Supreme backing us, it’s not as if we can’t afford it… Even if we accidentally unearth the ancestral tombs of a high-ranking faction, the worst that could happen is an apology. What else could they do?”

Qin Fan laughed. “That’s exactly what Grandfather thought. So, he devoted all his efforts to finding the ancestral graves of the top tier factions.”

“…” Xu Lian’s eyes gleamed. While ordinary tombs held little interest for someone at his level, the ancestral graves of top tier factions intrigued him. “Did he find anything?”

Qin Fan shook his head. “Grandfather discovered something strange. The ancestral tombs of the great top-tier factions are almost impossible to excavate because they are buried beneath their sacred lands.”

“Beneath their sacred lands?” Xu Lian asked puzzled.

Qin Fan explained, “Take our Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands’ Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land, for example. On the surface, there are thirty-three stages, but underground there are additional levels specifically used to bury past Supremes, Sages, and Elders”.

Ah, so if you want to find the ancestral tombs of the top tier factions, you should start by looking in your own faction’s holy land? Xu Lian couldn’t help but remember the imperial capital of the Yin Dynasty. According to Tantai Youxuan, the imperial princess, there was an underground Nether Capital underneath the capital where Xiya had received the inheritance of the royal ancestors. Two centuries had passed, and she still hadn’t emerged. Obviously, the ancestral tombs of the Yin Dynasty were within the Nether Capital.

Then he thought of the Sword Pavilion, which had also placed the Sword Emperor’s tomb beneath its grounds.

Why did all the top factions bury their ancestral tombs under their sacred lands? Was it to prevent others from excavating them, or was there a deeper meaning?

Finally, he connected this to the concept of “hidden strength”. Could the hidden strength of the top factions be related to their ancestral tombs?

What could the dead do? At most, they could control corpses to fight, but death was death. Even the corpse of an ordinary supreme couldn’t match a living one-unless it was something extraordinarily special.

If the hidden strength of the top-tier factions were merely tied to the ancestral graves, it wouldn’t explain the intense mutual wariness between them.

Therefore, the hidden strength must go beyond the ancestral tombs. There must be something deeper.

Qin Fan continued, “Unable to unearth the ancestral graves of the top-tier factions, Grandfather turned his attention to ancient ruins. He assigned me to travel far and wide for several years, and we finally discovered a place that might be an ancient ruin.”

Ancient ruins? Xu Lian’s mood lifted. Ancient ruins were excellent places! Two centuries ago, the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands and the Divine Thunder Sect had gone to great lengths to seize control of an ancient ruin near their borders. They even held three top-tier competitions among the younger generation, with the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands ultimately emerging victorious. Ancient ruins were undoubtedly coveted by all the top factions.

Imagine, if he could obtain an ancient ruin, it would mean having his own exclusive cultivation resource zone. Wouldn’t that be incredible?

He paced back and forth, becoming increasingly excited.

Of course, not all ancient ruins were equally “rich”. Just like mines, ancient ruins could be classified as “rich veins” or “poor veins”.

The richer ancient ruins probably belonged to powerful factions that were destroyed during the ancient times of turmoil, leaving behind stored cultivation resources that hadn’t been moved or were intended for rebuilding their sects.

The poorer ancient ruins, on the other hand, were remnants left behind for various reasons, full of dangers but devoid of cultivation resources. Such ruins, once acquired by high-ranking factions, were often developed into training grounds for disciples or branch locations of holy lands.

The ancient ruin contested by the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands and the Divine Thunder Sect had been a “rich vein,” though this was only discovered after development. Before the excavation, no one knew what was inside.

Qin Fan said, “With my cultivation at the Return to Truth Realm, I cannot open the suspected ancient ruin. That’s why Grandpa sent me to Wuguang City to ask for your help, Great Uncle Xu.”

Excellent… Xu Lian smiled. Qin Liu seemed to have a unique talent for finding tombs and ancient ruins – a niche skill, but valuable nonetheless. It would be a shame for him to pass away without fully utilizing this talent. Perhaps he still had some greater potential.

With this in mind, Xu Lian adopted a stern expression and scolded, “Your grandfather is already so old! Why didn’t you inform me earlier? I’ve shared a brotherhood with him for decades. If I had known how old he was, how could I have neglected to extend his life span? What kind of grandson are you?”

Qin Fan was stunned. Hadn’t the life-extending treasures Xu Lian obtained from the Ten Thousand Peaks Stone Sea been reserved for women only?

Xu Lian turned to Zhao Yuhe and said, “Zhao Yuhe, I’m going to send you back to the ancestral lands of the Divine Race first. I’m going to search for the ancient ruins, and I don’t feel comfortable leaving you here in Wuguang City alone.”

Zhao Yuhe nodded obediently, understanding that her current strength would only slow down Xu Lian.

Using his abilities as a top-tier powerhouse at the eighth stage of the Origin Tracing Realm, Xu Lian sent Zhao Yuhe through the void back to the ancestral grounds of the Divine Race.

Turning to Qin Fan , he gestured. “Lead the way.”

Qin Fan quickly opened a spatial passage and led Xu Lian to Qin Liu.