Bloodline Tree – [Clan Building]

“Dad! We’re out of the city already. Can you tell me what’s going on?” Tianyi asked.

Shu Yang looked behind him. He could still make out Shenchu Immortal City in the distance, but he supposed he was far enough away.

“Xiaorong, are you there?” Shu Yang asked.

At his words, Xiaorong appeared on his shoulder, now visible.

“Xiaorong! You really were hiding. That’s amazing,” Tianyi said.

Shu Yang connected to his storage ring, and after a brief struggle, a flying ship appeared next to them.

“Whoa! You have a flying ship, Dad?” Tianyi asked.

“Just bought it; let’s go,” Shu Yang said, grabbing his daughter and jumping aboard.

During the days he waited in Chenqi Immortal City, Shu Yang had thought a lot about how to escape with his daughter once they reunited. Going on foot, the same way he arrived, was far from optimal. Not to mention that he was being hunted now; having Tianyi with him would slow him down a lot. Crossing the Desolate Mountains would take them several years.

So he quickly realized that he would need to buy a flying ship. It would make his escape a lot easier, and he would be able to get home a lot sooner.

Besides, having a flying ship in the family would surely prove useful in the future.

‘Let’s hope this is as easy to control as they said.’

Shu Yang emptied out some spirit stones to fuel the flying ship and connected to the formation plate that controlled it. Slowly, but steadily, the flying ship started moving through the air.

‘It really isn’t that difficult. Luckily, I have some experience with formations now.’ Shu Yang thought, as the speed of the flying ship increased more and more.

He hadn’t bought the huge type of flying ship that he traveled with to get to Shenchu Immortal City, but a smaller one used by most Family Clans. It didn’t have much space or any good defense, but it was fast, which was the quality Shu Yang valued the most.

“How much did this cost?” Tianyi asked, mouth wide open as she looked out over the passing landscape.

“Quite a bit. But I can afford it,” Shu Yang answered.

The flying ship itself actually wasn’t the most expensive part; that would be the storage ring he had to buy in order to carry it. Not even the inheritance ring he received had a space large enough to store it, so he had to buy one just for that purpose. Shu Yang also guessed that powering the ship across the Desolate Mountains would cost just as much as the ship itself.

‘There is nothing to do about it. At least I got to feel wealthy for a short while.’

“Dad, did you meet with sister Hongchi? I don’t feel good leaving like this,” Tianyi said, looking into the distance with a worried expression.

“Just what is your relationship with that woman?” Shu Yang asked.

“Sister Hongchi is my best friend! She is the one who has taken care of me all this time. Besides Aunt Jiangxi, she is the one I owe the most,” Tianyi answered.

“Seriously?” Shu Yang asked.

‘She has taken care of Tianyi? Why wouldn’t she tell me that?’

Tianyi then went on to explain how Song Hongchi was the only one she had gotten close to since entering the Song Family, and that she would always bring resources for her whenever she got back from the sect.

Shu Yang suddenly felt a little guilty. If he had known she had done so much for Tianyi, he wouldn’t have been so reluctant to part with the inheritance.

From the start, Shu Yang himself wasn’t very concerned with the resources he had gained. His Bloodline Tree would make sure he grew in power with or without those resources.

It was all meant to aid his family and those close to him. Some of the resources he gained had already helped Xiaorong recover a lot of what she lost from her used blood essence, and with a little rest back home, she should completely recover. He had also gotten his hands on something called a Taihou fruit that would help Xiaoshi advance when he got back.

Not to mention all his other children and grandchildren with limited talent. The resources he had with him would do a lot for them.

But if Song Hongchi had done so much for Tianyi, Shu Yang felt she was owed something as well.

“Unfortunately, it’s not safe to return now. But our family won’t be hidden in the south forever. In the future, I’ll return with you, and we can repay Song Hongchi for her help,” Shu Yang promised.

“That’s good,” Tianyi said with a smile. “So you have a lot of good stuff? From the inheritance?”

“Yeah,” Shu Yang said with a small laugh. “But you mentioned Lady Jiangxi; what’s the situation there?”

Tianyi’s smile stiffened slightly. “She…She has sacrificed everything for me, Dad. I can never repay her.”

“It’s okay,” Shu Yang said, stroking his daughter’s head. “Tell me.”

Tianyi then explained how Lady Jiangxi had married into the Qing family right away, even having a child for them. All so that she could protect Tianyi from suffering the same fate in the future, which she had eventually succeeded in.

‘Just how much do I owe that woman now?’ Shu Yang thought with a sigh. Lady Jiangxi was truly his family’s greatest benefactor.

“I’ll repay her. You don’t have to worry about it,” Shu Yang said.

“No. I have to make it up to her,” Tianyi said stubbornly.

“You were just a small child back then. It’s up to me to settle the debts from back then, not you,” Shu Yang said. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she is compensated many times over.”

Shu Yang looked back the way he had come. He had originally planned on coming back for Lady Jiangxi once his daughter was safe, and when he was strong enough to take on the Qing Family. But now, leaving for who knows how many years while Lady Jiangxi was left abandoned made him feel too guilty.

“Let’s go back to the Qing Family,” Shu Yang said. “We need to get her out of there first.”

“That…She might not want to leave, Dad,” Tianyi said.

“Don’t want to leave?” Shu Yang asked.

“Well, I don’t know. But every time I’ve visited, she seems pretty happy. Unlike me, who just cultivates and studies formations all day, Aunt Jiangxi has a life there; she knows many people and has quite some power within the family. Still, it’s mostly that she has a son now. His name is Qing Yeshen, and she loves him very much.”

Shu Yang frowned slightly. “We can bring the boy too, no? Has she really forgotten what the Qing Family has done?”

“I think she still remembers the grudge,” Tianyi said slowly. “But she loves her son a lot more than she hates the Qing Family. I don’t think she would want to bring him to a place where he can’t cultivate spiritual qi. And she wouldn’t want to leave him.”

Shu Yang sighed slightly, “I suppose you’re right. Still, we should see her and ask just to make sure. If she wants to stay, I’ll leave her some resources at least.”

Shu Yang knew there were some risks turning back, but he doubted anyone would be stationed outside the Qing Family Mountain looking for him. Turning back now would only cost him a few hours’ time. He owed Lady Jiangxi that much, at least.

But just as he was about to turn the ship around, he felt something terrifying approach them.

He swung his head around and saw a thick net of what appeared to be water approach them at an incredible speed.

In just a second, the net of water had arrived over their flying ship, and Shu Yang grabbed his sword, swung out, and crushed the attack with his sword intent.

“Sword intent is cheating, isn’t it? To think it can make a 2nd-grade Qi Refiner stop my attack.”

A man who appeared to be in his thirties appeared in Shu Yang’s vision, standing on a flying sword. He had the usual long hair and wore a green luxurious robe. Shu Yang recognized the emblem on his chest as well.

“So it’s an Elder from the Green River Sect,” Shu Yang said, stepping in front of Tianyi and facing the man. “Does your sect usually attack disciples of the Sword Sect without warning?”

“Sword Sect?” The composed smile the man had worn faltered slightly.

“That’s right,” Shu Yang said with a nod.

The man narrowed his eyes slightly. “Do you have a token to prove your identity?”

“Why would I need to prove my identity to you? Besides, anyone who follows the path of the sword is a disciple in spirit of my Sword Sect,” Shu Yang said righteously.

“Is that so? Well, you have to excuse my ignorance, but without a token, I can’t confirm your identity. With the Evil West acting up, you understand my caution, I hope?” The man asked.

“What you do is no concern of mine,” Shu Yang said with a frown. “I’m in a hurry. Do you intend to stop me?”

He really couldn’t let this go on for too long. The man had probably called for reinforcements as soon as his attack failed, and it was only a matter of time before more people arrived.

“I would prefer it didn’t get to that. Would you care to answer a few questions for me? I will be more than happy to leave once I’m sure you mean no harm to my sect,” The man proposed.

“I’m leaving,” Shu Yang said, refusing to play along.

“Then I’m afraid I must stop you,” The man said, and immediately attacked.

Several plumes of water came swirling toward him, like tentacles of some horrible creature.

“Don’t kill him!” Shu Yang called out, cutting down the attack with his sword intent. Luckily, the man seemed to only be in the early Foundation stage, so Shu Yang didn’t have a hard time countering him.

The man took a quick glance around at Shu Yang’s words and then smiled, “I never expected a disciple of the Sword Sect to use cheap tricks in order to- Augh!”

The man was hit hard in the chest and fell toward the ground.

‘That should do it. Hopefully, he doesn’t die.’

He didn’t have any grudge against the man, and creating a feud with the Green River Sect by killing their Elder was definitely not worth the hassle that would follow.

“Are you on, Xiaorong?” Shu Yang called out.

He felt a paw touch his cheek and commandeered the flying ship to take off once more.

“Dad? Was…was that a Foundation Elder from the Green River Sect?” Tianyi asked nervously.

“It’s fine,” Shu Yang said, trying to make the flying ship move as quickly as possible. “Unfortunately, we’ll have to give up on visiting Lady Jiangxi, it seems like.”

Visiting her might only bring her trouble. And it appeared he didn’t have as much time as he had hoped.

Shu Yang didn’t know what the man’s intentions were, but he couldn’t really think of anything else but that he was a subordinate of those Golden Core cultivators looking for ‘Zhuo Zhangye.’

‘I just hope there is no Golden Core cultivator close. They shouldn’t be, right? They can’t possibly know I have the inheritance. They should just be somewhat suspicious of my disappearance.’

‘If it’s only Foundation experts looking for me, this flying ship should be enough to get away from them.’

‘As long as I can get to the Desolate Mountains, I should be safe. Even Xiaorong’s parents managed to shake off the entire Green River Sect once they entered that place.’