Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 1051: Chapter 726: Midnight Ghost Shadow

”Should we send someone to investigate Lingxi Mountain first?”

Xiang Feihong, seeing Xiang Feiying remain silent for a long time, couldn’t help but suggest.

Xiang Feiying pondered for a moment and said, ”Then let Feiye take a trip! Also, have someone investigate the origins of these people.”

”Yes!” Xiang Feihong responded.

Xiang Feiying held the jade pendant in his hand and continued, ”There’s no rush regarding Lingxi Mountain; even if it’s delayed for a while, it doesn’t matter. But Lin’er’s matter can’t be delayed any longer. Tomorrow, you’ll bring the elixir to Xuanqing Sect to help him break through as soon as possible!”

Upon hearing this, Xiang Feihong’s face broke into a smile, ”Brother, don’t worry, I’ll make arrangements right away and head to Xuanqing Sect tomorrow.”

Xiang Feiying’s expression also eased, ”If Lin’er can break through before next year, he will be an Inner Sect Disciple of Xuanqing Sect. In another twenty or thirty years, he will be an Inner Sect Deacon of Xuanqing Sect, ensuring our Xiang family’s prosperity for a century!”

”This matter is of utmost importance to the Xiang family; be sure to advise Lin’er well.”

In the Xuanqing Sect, there are divisions between the Inner Sect and Outer Sect. Outer Sect disciples who break through to the Innate Realm before the age of thirty can enter the Inner Sect. Those who haven’t broken through to the Innate Realm before the age of forty will be expelled from the sect. If they break through between the ages of thirty and forty, they can become Outer Sect Deacons, managing external affairs for the sect.

In the Xuanqing Sect, there’s a world of difference between Inner Sect Disciples and Outer Sect Disciples. If an Outer Sect Disciple cannot enter the Inner Sect, they’ll end up as mere Deacons, performing menial tasks. However, even the least competent Inner Sect Disciple holds a position of power as a Deacon.

An Inner Sect Deacon of Xuanqing Sect can safeguard the family for a century and secure numerous benefits for the family.

To the Xiang family, having an Inner Sect Disciple in Xuanqing Sect is a tremendous blessing; in comparison, Lingxi Mountain is merely a minor matter.

...

The midnight mountain wind carried a metallic tang, clanging against the copper horses and iron beasts on the eaves, turning the upturned eaves a dappled grey under the moonlight. The gnarled branches of the old plum tree in the courtyard pierced the moon’s disk, and the chilly moonlight filtered through the thin window paper, casting onto the green stone floor inside the room.

On the bed, Li Chang, who was meditating with eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes, holding his breath and focusing, carefully listening to the sounds outside the window.

The night was deep, and the mountain wind roamed like a ghost among the mountains, rustling past the treetops.

Li Chang reached for the knife hilt beside him, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

The next moment, his figure silently drifted from the bed to the doorway.

Outside the window, the chilly moonlight lay like a thin veil, gently spreading across the courtyard, casting a vague and cold hue over everything.

In this watery moonlight, a vague shadow quietly appeared, seemingly drifting from the depths of the night.

He moved outside one room after another, not entering, just standing by the windows, listening intently to the sounds within.

His movements were light, causing no sound at all. Without careful observation, one would hardly notice that extremely indistinct shadow.

Li Chang detected his presence not because of any noise he made, but because an extra heartbeat echoed in the courtyard.

The intruder could mask all sounds, but not the sound of his heartbeat.

No matter how steady his heartbeat was, it couldn’t escape Li Chang’s ears.

That shadow had already reached the opposite side of the wing; Li Chang observed his every move through the crack of the door.

Suddenly, just as the shadow passed by the door of the opposite wing, a pale blade suddenly pierced through the door with a bang, the door splintering as the blade turned into a solid slash.

The shadow’s reaction was extraordinarily quick; at the instant the blade appeared, he retreated silently like a formless mountain wind, dodging the pale blade.

Another bang sounded as Li Chang smashed through the door and charged out, his blade sweeping horizontally like a chain.

However, that indistinct shadow reacted even more astonishingly. Almost at the instant the blade light appeared, it seemed to be suddenly lifted by an invisible yet powerful force, fast enough that the eye could hardly track.

His buoyant figure was like a legendary ghost, floating inexplicably into the air. His feet didn’t touch the ground at all, yet he was already suspended in mid-air. His movements were fluid and bizarre, without any hindrance, emanating an aura of mystery.

The floating stance resembled a wisp of smoke caught by a gust of wind, ethereal and illusory.

Li Chang’s fierce strike landed in vain in an instant, the blade merely sweeping past where the shadow once stood, leaving only the roar of the wind.

Li Chang’s eyes suddenly narrowed sharply, filled with astonishment at such an uncanny movement technique.

But his shock lasted only a moment; the next, he and Wang Lei coordinated seamlessly, as if their minds were in sync.

They maneuvered around the shadow, attacking with continuous slashes.

Yet the shadow flickered in and out under the night, evading every one of their fierce attacks.

The prowess of Li Chang and Wang Lei was undeniable. They had advanced to the Innate Realm for over ten years, their martial skills honed through countless battles, immensely powerful.

However, before this mysterious figure, they felt as if their previous lethalness was stripped away. Each move seemed to be anticipated by the opponent, evading effortlessly.

The more they fought, the more alarmed they became, both starting to suspect they were battling a specter.