Chapter 142: The Flying Waterfall of Cloud and Water

"Update..." Xu Xuan pretended to cover his mouth with his hand, whispering, "I only managed to escape by using a secret technique. I suffered significant internal injuries from trading a single blow with that ghost-like figure. Fortunately, he was startled away after his first failed strike."

Hearing this explanation, the patrol guards nodded, their worries appeased. For a cultivator at the Qi Refining stage to escape an assassination attempt by Ghost Wind was already extraordinary; if he had come through completely unscathed, it would have been truly unbelievable.

Fang Gang’s eyes flickered with a strange expression, though he quickly returned to normal. He had seen the entire exchange between Xu Xuan and the assassin clearly; from what he witnessed, Xu Xuan had not sustained any serious internal injuries. And, in truth, that was exactly the case. After unleashing his sonic fire wave and taking the initiative, Xu Xuan had held the upper hand, suffering only minor internal strain that he could easily recover from with a bit of meditation. However, Xu Huilan and the others at the Green Hill Residence were not about to expose him.

Soon, two Immortals at the Spirit Refining stage and the patrol guards conducted a thorough search around the Green Hill Residence, while simultaneously increasing manpower to scour other suspicious areas of the estate. Of course, the assassin was exceptionally cautious; having failed his one strike, he had retreated decisively, likely having already fled the Zhang estate. It was the ultimate survival strategy.

"Master, since that assassin is the senior apprentice brother of Ghost Wind, this matter surely has something to do with Dongfang Ba." Fang Gang was well aware of how Xu Xuan had killed Ghost Wind during a gambling duel at the Zhang Tianling Pavilion.

"It seems ten to one that is the case," Xu Xuan replied without hesitation. A few days ago, he had rejected Dongfang Ba’s invitation at Zhang Yuhan’s birthday banquet, clearly drawing the line between friend and foe. Unable to confront Xu Xuan openly, Dongfang Ba had resorted to such tactics.

"I never imagined an assassin could infiltrate the Zhang estate. I must set up even more powerful formations to protect Brother and Sister Qin. Even if an enemy enters the Green Hill Residence, I will make them surrender," Xu Huilan said, puffing out her cheeks in agitation.

Xu Xuan chuckled softly. To an average cultivator, the defenses of the Zhang estate were as solid as a fortress, but for top-tier assassins in Yellow Dragon City like Ghost Shadow, there were still gaps to be exploited. In such circumstances, strengthening oneself and remaining vigilant were the only true paths.

Following the assassination attempt, the family significantly bolstered the security around the Green Hill Residence to prevent the killer from returning. This demonstrated how highly the Zhang family valued Xu Xuan. Naturally, Xu Xuan would not entrust his safety to others. After the incident, he worked with Xu Huilan to set up powerful formations in their residence. To do this, Xu Xuan consumed a large amount of materials. Since he lacked sufficient spirit stones, he sold the scrap magical artifacts he had scavenged from the free market to the high-ranking elders of the family. To Xu Xuan, artifacts that had lost their spiritual essence were merely a pile of materials with no appeal. After all, he still possessed two artifacts with full spiritual essence in the storage bag he had obtained in the Star Feather Mountain secret realm.

"Alright, this mixed grand formation is complete. The perimeter has alarm-triggering formations; once a force exceeding the Spirit Refining stage appears, it will sound an alert. The spirit garden contains a Five Elements Illusion Array and a binding array, capable of restraining a Spirit Refining Immortal for a short time..." Xu Huilan handed two formation tokens to Xu Xuan and Yu Qin, which could be used to control the arrays within the residence.

"Excellent. If that assassin comes again, he might just find it a one-way trip," Xu Xuan nodded with satisfaction. Xu Huilan truly possessed a talent for formations far beyond the ordinary. Because of this, Xu Xuan selected more formation knowledge from his past life to pass on to his sister, with even more complex content to be stored in jade slips once she reached the Spirit Refining stage.

In the blink of an eye, nearly half a month passed. Xu Xuan continued to train diligently, consolidating his cultivation while focusing on strengthening his "Copper-Cast Body." His physique had reached the minor completion stage, and while the great completion stage was still some distance away, it was not unreachable. Once perfected, his physical strength and defensive capabilities would reach an entirely new level.

On this day, Zhang Feng arrived as expected, his face glowing with health and spirit, his eyes shining with a startling brilliance, and an aura emanating from him that made others afraid to look directly at him.

Xu Xuan was slightly surprised and immediately laughed, "Congratulations, Brother Zhang, on successfully advancing to the Spirit Refining stage." As early as their last trip to Yellow Dragon City, Zhang Feng’s cultivation had already reached the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining. His breakthrough under the full support of his family was well within Xu Xuan’s expectations. Xu Huilan and Fang Gang also offered their congratulations, their faces showing envy. Once a cultivator stepped into the Spirit Refining stage, they transcended the shackles of the base Qi Refining stage, their senses connecting with heaven and earth, and their spiritual consciousness undergoing a qualitative leap into a new realm. As a cultivation practitioner, Zhang Feng’s understanding of immortal arts had moved beyond the superficial, allowing him to master higher-level supernatural powers.

"Haha, with my breakthrough, the family is preparing to send people to the Cloudwater Waterfall to compete with the Dongfang family for the Ancient Divinity Ruins. This will require the help of Brother Xu and Huilan," Zhang Feng said, his tone amiable. His promotion to the Spirit Refining stage had greatly increased his confidence, yet he showed no signs of arrogance.

"Competing for the Ancient Divinity Ruins? Brother Zhang, you overestimate us. In a battle of such scale, I could at most play a supporting role," Xu Xuan replied with a wry smile, shaking his head.

"No! When the time comes, Brother Xu will be a key member of the team," Zhang Feng immediately countered, speaking with firm conviction.

"How so?" Xu Xuan asked, slightly puzzled. The newly discovered Ancient Divinity Ruins were something both major families were determined to win, inevitably leading to a fierce struggle. With his Qi Refining level, he was merely a small pawn—what significant role could he possibly play?

"This second-grade Ancient Divinity Ruin is only beneficial to cultivators at a certain cultivation level. The two families have massive factions, and naturally, they wouldn’t want to start an all-out war over a single ruin. Therefore, it was agreed that each side would send ten members of the younger generation to compete. The victory or defeat depends entirely on the strength of the juniors," Zhang Feng explained.

Xu Xuan suddenly understood. This was the method the two families had chosen to resolve the dispute. If they were to truly fight over the ruins, it would surely engulf the entire Yellow Dragon City and even affect the surrounding spirit cities. Clearly, both families were exercising restraint; without a high probability of total victory, neither wanted such a bloody confrontation.

"The younger generation of both families, those under the age of thirty, will each send ten people to break the arrays, enter the ruins, and vie for control. So, Brother Xu, you are absolutely qualified to be a key member of the team. I look forward to fighting side by side with you," Zhang Feng said, his eyes filled with powerful fighting spirit and confidence.

"Since it is a contest among the younger generation, then I will not decline," Xu Xuan smiled and agreed. Among the young talents under thirty from the two families, cultivation levels generally hovered around the seventh level of Qi Refining, with the most outstanding reaching the first level of Spirit Refining. In a clash at this level, Xu Xuan was confident he could hold his own, and in a team melee, he would be more than capable.

Over the next two days, the young elites of the Zhang family began their preparations. On the third day, Xu Xuan, accompanied by his sister Huilan, boarded the Zhang family’s Jade Flying Pavilion. The pavilion was already filled with young Zhang talents; aside from Zhang Feng and his sister, the only ones Xu Xuan recognized were Lin Hui and a few others. Among the crowd, a youth with messy hair stood aloof, his expression cold and arrogant, his aura so powerful that others dared not approach him. He was in his early twenties and had clearly reached the Spirit Refining stage.

"Brother Xu, this is the cultivation genius of our clan, Zhang Kuang," Zhang Feng introduced with a smile. The disheveled youth cast a faint, indifferent glance at Xu Xuan before losing interest. In fact, since arriving at the pavilion, he hadn't bothered to speak to anyone other than Zhang Feng and his sister. Xu Xuan was not one to force a conversation, so he exchanged a few polite words and stood aside, while Xu Huilan, who was with him, pouted slightly.

A moment later, several high-ranking family members entered the pavilion, led by a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and a square face, dressed in a maroon robe. The pavilion fell into a deathly silence, filled with a heavy, oppressive aura. The leader was none other than the head of the Zhang clan, Zhang Tianlun, whom Xu Xuan had met briefly at Zhang Yuhan’s birthday banquet.

"Greetings, Patriarch!" The family youths bowed respectfully.

After taking his seat, Zhang Tianlun spoke, "Rise. You ten are the rising stars in whom the family high command places great hope. This contest for the Ancient Divinity Ruins is not just for the benefit of the family, but a comparison of the future potential between our Zhang clan and the Dongfang clan. It is of great significance..."

Zhang Tianlun’s voice was calm as he gave brief instructions and ordered the Jade Flying Pavilion to depart. Xu Xuan was secretly astounded; although this was a contest among the younger generation, it was clearly receiving intense attention from the family’s top leadership. The result of this battle would likely dictate the rise or fall of the two clans over the next hundred years.

The group of ten did not include Xu Huilan, whose task was to break the formations. These young talents were mostly between twenty and thirty years old. Among them, Zhang Feng and Zhang Kuang had reached the first level of Spirit Refining. Additionally, there was one at the ninth level of Qi Refining and two at the eighth, one of whom was Lin Hui. The rest, including Zhang Yuhan and Xu Xuan, were at least at the seventh level of Qi Refining. Xu Xuan had to admit that the overall strength of the Zhang clan far surpassed that of small sects like the Wind Feather Sect; the quality of their younger generation was proof enough.

After flying for about half a day, the Jade Flying Pavilion left Yellow Dragon City and entered a secluded, mountainous region. Below, a river wound through the hills, and after flying against the current for a while, a black cliff suddenly appeared ahead. Before the cliff, a waterfall dozens of feet wide plunged down like a long white rainbow, roaring like thunder, a magnificent and inspiring sight. In front of the waterfall, a golden dragon-headed flying ship hovered, with members of the Dongfang family frequently seen moving about.

Xu Xuan stared intently at the waterfall; it looked like a white dragon roaring like thunder, charging toward the stars in an instant, a visual impact that left his heart unsettled for a long time. Of course, the Ancient Divinity Ruins were hidden behind the waterfall, masked by an ancient formation, and were not yet visible. At that moment, the Dongfang family’s formation masters could be seen pacing before the array, with a dozen cultivators launching repeated attacks, though it appeared they had yet to breach it.

Half an incense stick later, the Zhang family dispatched their own formation masters.

"Huilan, discuss the method to break the array with Elder Mu," Zhang Feng said to Xu Huilan with a smile. The other formation master, a white-robed elder of fifty years, glanced at the fourteen-or-fifteen-year-old girl, a flicker of mockery hidden in his eyes.