Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

”Is binding by interests more reliable than anything else?”

He murmured softly, seemingly savoring the words.

After a while, he spoke again, ”I know you are also a Guest Elder of the Ten Thousand Treasures Store! Is it also because of interests?”

Yang Zhenshan had a flash of surprise in his heart.

Being a Guest Elder of the Ten Thousand Treasures Store wasn’t a secret, but it wasn’t widely known either.

In the Sea of Spirit, not many people were aware of this, yet Jian Changhe knew.

Evidently, Hidden Sword Mountain was not really secluded from the world.

”Of course, becoming a Guest Elder of the Ten Thousand Treasures Store brings me many benefits, and my value is worthy of their recruitment because we can mutually benefit. Only then could I become their Guest Elder and gain their attention!” Yang Zhenshan said.

”Then what do you want from Hidden Sword Mountain?” Jian Changhe asked.

Yang Zhenshan smiled, ”A stable Sea of Spirit, an environment where the Yang family can develop steadily! Currently, only Hidden Sword Mountain can stabilize the situation in the Sea of Spirit.”

”And what can you bring to Hidden Sword Mountain?”

Yang Zhenshan’s smile deepened, ”Still a stable Sea of Spirit!”

”Without you, my Hidden Sword Mountain can still maintain the stability of the Sea of Spirit!” Jian Changhe stated.

Yang Zhenshan shook his head slightly, ”I’m not talking about now, but in the future!”

Currently, the Sea of Spirit needs Hidden Sword Mountain to manage the situation, but in the future, Hidden Sword Mountain will need subordinate forces to maintain the stability in the Sea of Spirit.

The Yang family replacing the Wuxiang Sect is equivalent to taking on the role of the Wuxiang Sect, becoming one of the three pillars of the Sea of Spirit.

If Hidden Sword Mountain can repel external enemies, three forces are necessary to ensure the stability of the Sea of Spirit.

Why not two or one?

One could easily go out of control, two might occur infighting, but three is just right, they can check and balance each other.

Of course, there might be a possibility for the three to unite and break away from Hidden Sword Mountain’s control, as the Three Sects of Spirit did before.

But then again, the Yang family is not the Spirit’s Three Sects, it can replace the Wuxiang Sect, but it is not the Wuxiang Sect.

The Spirit’s Three Sects share a common bond and have many tacit understandings, but the Yang family does not. It has common interests with the Xuanqing Sect and the Illusion Moon Sect, but there are also many disagreements.

The roots of the Xuanqing Sect and the Illusion Moon Sect are in the Sea of Spirit, but the foundation of the Yang family lies in the Spirit Source Land.

The Yang family’s demand for the Sea of Spirit is simply a stable and sustainable development environment.

”Not enough!” Jian Changhe said.

Yang Zhenshan looked at him, ”Then what does the Mountain Master desire?”

Jian Changhe gave Yang Zhenshan a deeply meaningful look, ”I want the Transmission Hall in the Ancient Relic Array!”

Yang Zhenshan squinted his eyes.

This guy knows he can freely send people into the Ancient Relic Array!

It doesn’t seem impossible either.

Throughout the decades, the Three Sects of Spirit haven’t stopped entering the Ancient Relic Array; they’ve entered once every ten years. But today’s Ancient Relic Array is drastically different from before.

Nowadays, except for the mineral veins and the Transmission Hall, there are no other valuable resources within the Ancient Relic Array.

The Spirit Source Land has planted many Spirit Fruits and Spiritual Medicines in the Ancient Relic Array over the years, but the years are too short, and those Spirit Fruits and Spiritual Medicines have not matured yet.

This has led to the diminished value of the Ancient Relic Array, and the Three Sects of Spirit don’t regard it as highly as before.

Spirit Source Land’s occupation of the Ancient Relic Array is absolutely confidential, and outsiders cannot possibly know about it.

Under normal circumstances, people wouldn’t attribute the changes in the Ancient Relic Array to the Yang family.

But if someone really thought about the Yang family, they might still notice some clues.

Yue Qing initially hadn’t realized it, but she quickly thought of something.

”It’s your Yang family that emptied the Ancient Relic Array!”

She looked at Yang Zhenshan in astonishment.

Yang Zhenshan awkwardly rubbed his nose. He had just claimed to have done nothing inappropriate to the Illusion Moon Sect, yet now he was exposed for emptying the Ancient Relic Array, which was a huge slap in the face.

However, his awkwardness only lasted a moment before he calmly faced Jian Changhe and said, ”The Transmission Hall is within the array; the Mountain Master can go retrieve it anytime!”

Yue Qing looked at Yang Zhenshan with a peculiar gaze, but fortunately, Yang Zhenshan had thick enough skin not to blush from her stare.

”I cannot take away the Transmission Hall!” Jian Changhe stated.

Yang Zhenshan shook his head helplessly, ”I also cannot give the Transmission Hall to the Mountain Master! I can’t even send the Mountain Master into the array. The powers of the array are still present; cultivators with cultivation above the Qi Refinement Realm cannot enter!”

Jian Changhe didn’t doubt Yang Zhenshan’s words because he knew the Ancient Relic Array still existed.

”Then you need to help me send some Hidden Sword Mountain disciples into the array!”

Yang Zhenshan’s heart reacted.

Wanting the Transmission Hall was clearly not the point.

What Jian Changhe likely wanted was a specific Cultivation Technique in the Transmission Hall.

But in theory, Hidden Sword Mountain shouldn’t lack Cultivation Techniques.

After all, Hidden Sword Mountain has occupied the Ancient Relic Array for over two thousand years; they must have acquired countless Cultivation Techniques from the Transmission Hall.

Yet whatever Jian Changhe wanted, it was inconsequential to Yang Zhenshan. From his perspective, sending a few people into the Ancient Relic Array was easily done.

Moreover, since this matter had now been openly discussed, the Yang family mining the array wouldn’t need to be hidden anymore.

”Certainly!”

Yang Zhenshan readily agreed.

Jian Changhe nodded slightly, ”Since that’s the case, from now on, the Yang family will become a vassal of Hidden Sword Mountain!”

”Yang Zhenshan of the Yang family pays his respects to the Mountain Master!” Yang Zhenshan stood up again, cupping his fists in salute, expressing his stance.

Yet Jian Changhe continued, ”Since you are a Guest Elder in the Illusion Moon Sect, you will also be a Guest Elder of Hidden Sword Mountain in the future!”

Yang Zhenshan was taken aback, then nodded slightly, ”No problem!”

With this matter settled, the atmosphere significantly relaxed.

Jian Changhe’s demeanor also softened, becoming much more amiable.

”Elder Yang, do you have any suggestions on the current situation in the Sea of Spirit?”

The change in his attitude slightly caught Yang Zhenshan off-guard. Yang Zhenshan had thought Jian Changhe was a sharp and aggressive person, but evidently, he was not; his earlier sharpness was deliberate.

”Strike hard with one punch to avoid a hundred punches later!” Yang Zhenshan said.

”What do you mean?” Jian Changhe asked in confusion.

”Since the Nether Prison Sect wants to fight, then battle them head-on. Of course, the premise is that you, Mountain Master, must have a method to counter three Divine Soul Realm Martial Artists!” Yang Zhenshan looked at Jian Changhe.

Jian Changhe laughed softly, ”You’re right; nothing is more intimidating than slaying a Divine Soul Realm Martial Artist!”

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhenshan understood that Hidden Sword Mountain indeed possessed means to confront Divine Soul Realm opponents.

This was unsurprising since even Yang Zhenshan could borrow the power of the Golden Crow Eight Trigrams Furnace to contend with Divine Soul Realm Martial Artists, so Hidden Sword Mountain surely had similar capabilities.

Did the Heavenly Sword True Monarch not leave behind a few Spiritual Artifacts?

Jian Changhe stood up, his towering figure as sharp as a sword.

”Let’s go to the Xuanqing Sect!”

”I, as the Mountain Master, will reorganize the Three Sects of Spirit!”

Yang Zhenshan looked towards Yue Qing, and Yue Qing nodded at him.

Evidently, the next step was to exert pressure on the Xuanqing Sect.

As for whether the Xuanqing Sect would compromise, there was no doubt they would. The Xuanqing Sect no longer had any confidence to oppose Hidden Sword Mountain.

What’s more, with the Illusion Moon Sect already leaning towards Hidden Sword Mountain, the Xuanqing Sect had no choice but to submit.

Just as Yang Zhenshan had anticipated, when Jian Changhe arrived at the Xuanqing Sect, its high-ranking members quickly knelt.

Cliff of Named Swords, in the Sect Main Hall.

Sect Master Su Zheng, Jiang Baichuan, Lu Yuanping, Chu Lingxiao, Lin Xiu, and Master Cheng, the five Golden Body Realm Elders, bowed and said, ”The Xuanqing Sect is willing to return to Hidden Sword Mountain. We hope the Mountain Master will accept us!”

Yun Xiao and Yun Xi stood aside, their faces showing some helplessness.

If they’d known it would come to this, why resist before!

Yun Xiao and Yun Xi had long advocated for the Xuanqing Sect to submit to Hidden Sword Mountain, but these old people were unwilling.

Now, forced by the Illusion Moon Sect, they finally saw the reality.