In the Central Plains of the past, the Twelve Great Clans stood high above all else.
Not only did they dominate the majority of the Dao Sect's power, but they also held twelve elder seats exclusively within the Star Gate organization. Even the renowned Five Elders of Tianyuan all hailed from these Twelve Great Clans.
It could be said that the Twelve Great Clans were the true core of the Tianyuan Dao Sect, each possessing formidable strength rivaling that of a top-tier Nascent Soul upper sect.
And the Shi clan was one of them.
Coincidentally, this clan had some history of grievances with Luo Chen.
To be exact, it was they who bore grievances against Luo Chen; Luo Chen himself had never really wanted any entanglements with them.
The image of an arrogant young man flashed through his mind before Luo Chen turned his attention to the early Nascent Soul Shi clan Perfected Cultivator before him.
As Mirror Flower, Water Moon unfolded, backed by Luo Chen's terrifying spiritual soul foundation, Shi Chuanting succumbed utterly with virtually no ability to resist.
This was the level of performance expected of Luo Chen's illusions now!
So long as he did not encounter a soul-defense spirit treasure or interference from a grand array formed by multiple cultivators, hardly anyone of the same cultivation stage could withstand a single technique from him—let alone meet his gaze without faltering.
Perhaps even Deity Transformation mighty figures confronting Nascent Soul cultivators were nothing more than this!
Following his intent, Luo Chen excavated everything Shi Chuanting knew concerning the Central Plains and the Tianyuan Dao Sect.
The intelligence Mount Cangwu had provided was, after all, over thirty years old, and collected from the perspective of the demon race besides. It could hardly compare to the clarity of firsthand knowledge from an insider.
Luo Chen was planning to make a trip to the Central Plains next, so he naturally needed to make thorough preparations.
"Name?"
"Shi Chuanting."
"Position?"
"Temporary deacon elder of the Tianyuan Dao Sect stationed in the Eastern Desolation. Responsible for gathering intelligence on the Eastern Desolation and pressing the various Nascent Soul sects to submit tribute."
"How many like you are there?"
"Four in total, all hailing from the Great Clans."
"Decades ago, Monarch Qixia attacked the Central Plains. Did the Twelve Great Clans suffer losses after the battle?"
"Though casualties were disastrous, the Twelve Great Clans all endured. Not one was wiped out."
Hearing this, Luo Chen's expression shifted slightly.
Though he had not witnessed that battle with his own eyes, he knew just how tragic and fierce the war had been.
Even Heaven and Earth Peak, upon which the Heaven-Earth Severing Array had been laid, was snapped in two, and the entire Central Plains was shattered into fragments. Yet the Twelve Great Clans still remained intact—one could not help but be astonished.
He could only marvel at how deep the foundations of ancient clans truly ran!
Through this news, Luo Chen also understood why, despite suffering such a monumental catastrophe, the Tianyuan Dao Sect as an organization had still not collapsed.
Because the Twelve Great Clans were the true core that formed the Mountain Sea Realm's Tianyuan Dao Sect.
Reining in his astonishment, Luo Chen pressed further, "You said casualties were disastrous. Exactly how dire was it?"
A faint trace of grief surfaced uncontrollably across Shi Chuanting's vacant face.
"The Central Plains possessed multiple fifth-tier spiritual lands, but Mount Lanke and Heaven and Earth Peak were the foremost among them. Together with the system of the Star Gate, all the Supreme Elders of each of the Twelve Great Clans were atop Heaven and Earth Peak when the crisis struck. They were bound to the grand array and tied to the spirit peak; when the array collapsed and the mountain shattered, they fell along with it. This was our greatest loss."
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow, quite agreeing with this explanation.
Back when he joined the Star Gate, he had caught a glimpse of the nineteen elders of the Star Gate.
Aside from Alchemy Saint Chu Yan, who was at the Deity Transformation stage, the other eighteen were all late Nascent Soul great cultivators, including the profoundly cultivated Supreme Elders of the Twelve Great Clans.
Though these individuals were advanced in age and held no specific administrative duties within the Twelve Great Clans, they were undoubtedly their families' greatest guarantees of martial might and spiritual symbols.
The fall of each one of them carried a significance on par with the demise of Shenyuan to the Five Elements Divine Sect.
"The great war of the Central Plains was a battlefield for mighty figures; ordinary people could not intervene at all. Instead, as the shockwaves of those almighty beings bombarded the lands, cultivators of the various clans suffered collateral devastation with catastrophic casualties.
"Among the Twelve Great Clans, the Mo clan—the family of the current Sect Master, Ancestor Mo Shouzhuo—was responsible for guarding crucial nodes and strategic positions, and thus suffered the heaviest losses. They were nearly wiped out in that single battle. In the end, it was only after Mo Shengxing returned from the North Sea battlefield that the Mo clan was rebuilt.
"The Zhan clan, renowned as the strongest in combat among the Twelve Great Clans, also suffered a precipitous decline. Their ancestor perished in the Yellow Springs Sea, the Grand Elder died on Heaven and Earth Peak, and the Zhan clan scions exhausted all their strength to slay the desolate beast Nether Earth Dragon. In the end, only the Second Elder, Zhan Bingtao, who was likewise a late Nascent Soul cultivator, hurried back to reorganize the clan. But Zhan Bingtao had been grievously injured on the Southern Border battlefield and now hardly pays attention to clan affairs.
"In addition, the Gu, Tan, and Gu clans were no better off. Their clan territories were located at the core of the battlefield; even though they exerted every ounce of strength, only a handful of clansmen survived."
Though Shi Chuanting was far away from the Central Plains, he was quite knowledgeable about the sect's circumstances and the current strength of each clan.
Thus, he recounted it all with impeccable clarity and order.
Under this meticulous report, Luo Chen came to realize just how feeble those families—once so formidable that he had hardly dared look directly at them—had become.
At their peak, the Twelve Great Clans possessed no fewer than ten late Nascent Soul great cultivators alone, and the number of deployable Nascent Soul Perfected Cultivators was staggering.
Yet now, they were reduced to barely a handful of survivors.
This showed just how devastating Monarch Qixia's surprise attack on the Central Plains had been to the Tianyuan Dao Sect.
"At present, among the Twelve Great Clans, those in somewhat better shape are our Shi clan, the Ke clan overseen by the Chess Saint, the Li clan with the largest numbers, and... the Lian clan, where the Deity Transformation ancestor resides."
When mentioning the "Shi clan," a faint look of struggle appeared on Shi Chuanting's face.
"Hmph."
Luo Chen gave a cold snort as his divine sense surged outward, intensifying the power of Mirror Flower, Water Moon, forcing Shi Chuanting's struggle to vanish.
"Do you know the current distribution of each clan?"
Shi Chuanting replied without hesitation, "The Lian, Ke, Shi, and Li clans are all on the Dongyuan Continent, rebuilding their family territories around the former Lanke Mountain Range as the core. The Gu, Tan, and Gu clans are on the Libei Continent. The Mo and Zhan clans, whose strength suffered the greatest decline, ended up on the Tiannan Continent."
Luo Chen nodded repeatedly. Part of this information matched what he already knew and checked out.
It was evident that Shi Chuanting was not falsifying anything.
Yet after waiting a moment, Luo Chen still did not hear the whereabouts of the remaining three Great Clans.
He asked reflexively, "What about the other three clans?"
Shi Chuanting replied blankly, "They're gone!"
"Hm?" Luo Chen was taken aback. Had he not just said that all Twelve Great Clans still endured?
But then it dawned on him: what he had asked about earlier was the aftermath of Monarch Qixia's assault on the Central Plains, and at that point, all twelve clans had indeed barely survived.
Yet the blows suffered by the Tianyuan Dao Sect had not ended there.
After the battle of the Central Plains, the Mountain Sea Realm's apex desolate beast, Diaohun Huang, was awakened by the Five Elders of Tianyuan to battle Monarch Qixia. Wherever it passed, mountains and seas overturned, and the heavens tore and earth cracked.
Of the Central Plains that had shattered into five continents, one of them—the Western Continent—was directly smashed and sunk by the beast, dragging all living beings upon it into the Yellow Springs Sea.
Unless something unexpected had occurred, the remaining three Great Clans—clans that had stood for millennia and even survived the shattering of the Central Plains—had all perished in that bolt from the blue.
Luo Chen inquired, and sure enough, Shi Chuanting gave the same answer.
Having confirmed it, even though Luo Chen had anticipated it, he could not help but sigh with lamentation.
Shi Chuanting continued divulging the intelligence he knew.
"The Central Plains was vast and fertile. Even though it split into several landmasses, each one remains an invaluable cultivation sanctuary.
"Aside from the nine surviving Great Clans, the remaining aristocratic families and numerous humble clans are also scattered across the three continents.
"Furthermore, some guest elders who once joined the Star Gate were forced down the mountain due to the collapse of Heaven and Earth Peak to cultivate across the three continents. Especially for those guest elders who had blood descendants or disciples of their own, because Ancestor Liancheng lifted the restrictions, their progeny have gained the opportunity to truly integrate into the Tianyuan Dao Sect."
Luo Chen's brow raised. "Explain in detail! Why did Ancestor Liancheng lift the restrictions?"
Shi Chuanting replied as though it were obvious, "The Central Plains was once the most fertile domain in the world. Even split into several fragments, it remains coveted by all. Our Dao Sect suffered catastrophic losses this time. To preempt potential threats, besides recalling all cultivators scattered across various places, we naturally must foster a new generation of powerhouses. Lifting restrictions on the Star Gate's guest elders is only one part; distributing the resources amassed over thousands of years and going all out to cultivate the new generation of experts is the top priority. Ancestor Liancheng intends to spend a century of effort to lead the Tianyuan Dao Sect out of its current quagmire!"
Toward the end, an expression of "pride" appeared on Shi Chuanting's face—one Luo Chen found thoroughly familiar.
It was the pride that disciples of all sacred lands wore upon their faces.
Even if the Yuan Demon Sect was destroyed, even if the Mingyuan Sect was annihilated, and even though the Dao Sect's ancestral domain of the Central Plains was battered into collapse, the disciples of all these sacred lands remained fiercely proud, as if their sects' glory had never waned.
"A century of effort to emerge from the quagmire?"
Luo Chen murmured the words, a trace of mockery showing in his eyes that flickered with illusory light.
He was about to ask further questions when his brow twitched, having sensed something.
In the next instant, Luo Chen slowly faded from where he stood.
A formidable divine sense swept over from afar in an instant, circling the surroundings for a good while, yet finding nothing.
"Huh?"
The owner of the divine sense could not help letting out a soft sound of surprise, seemingly unable to comprehend where the earlier sense of anomaly had originated.
His attention settled upon the Dao Sect cultivator in the courtyard, Shi Chuanting, who still appeared somewhat dazed.
"Fellow Daoist Shi?"
Shi Chuanting snapped awake, his face blank and expression trancelike.
He responded instinctively, "Grand Elder."
"Hm? Fellow Daoist Shi, are you all right?"
Shi Chuanting shook his head. "I am fine. Did the Grand Elder seek me for something?"
"Nothing major, merely wishing to invite you for tea and a discussion of the Dao, to exchange some insights and experiences."
With a tense face, Shi Chuanting pursed his lips and replied, "Let us skip today. I have just finished drinking with Senior Brother Gu. Tomorrow—let us make it tomorrow. I will personally ascend Mount Chuyang to treat the Grand Elder to my Shi clan's Thousand Autumns Brew."
"Very well!"
The aged voice gradually receded.
And in the courtyard, Shi Chuanting's body began to tremble uncontrollably, his eyes filled with sheer terror.
Just now, what on earth had happened?!
He seemed to have dreamed of a Supreme Elder of the Shi clan, who asked him about sect and family matters, and he had answered everything he knew without holding back.
But he was a Nascent Soul Perfected Cultivator!
How could he suddenly have a dream?
A demonic tribulation of the mind? Fallen under an illusion and bewitched?
The former was terrifying, but the latter was even more unthinkable.
Before he knew it, Shi Chuanting's face had turned deathly pale, his clothes soaked through with cold sweat.
Atop Mount Chuyang!
The Grand Elder of the Dongyang Sect had been perplexed, yet the divine sense he used to monitor Shi Chuanting from afar indicated that the earlier anomaly was by no means unfounded.
"Could someone truly have infiltrated my Dongyang Sect without a sound?
"Right beneath my nose, what did he do to Shi Chuanting?
"Even the hidden measure I placed on Shi Chuanting wasn't triggered! Just what kind of existence could achieve this without a trace?"
The Dongyang Grand Elder took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and poured his divine sense into a golden bronze mirror in his hands that shone like the blazing sun.
A beam of golden light leaped into the sky.
In this dusk blanketed with evening glow, it instantly encompassed a radius of eight thousand li.
A figure walked down the white stone steps at an unhurried pace. Looking up, he saw the evening clouds drifting aloft and the golden light reflected across the ground.
He could not help softly murmuring in praise, "His soul cultivation is decent enough!"
Yet it was merely a passing commendation. Allowing the golden light to spill over him, he departed from the Dongyang Sect unperturbed.
A moment later, the golden light gradually faded, and the evening glow sank into the night sky.
...
Beneath the curtain of night.
The salty, damp sea breeze brushed against his face, leaving his mind exceptionally clear.
Luo Chen sat atop the shuttle, quietly contemplating his next moves.
His plan had been simple to begin with, taking things one step at a time as circumstances unfolded. Now that he had obtained relatively concrete information, new arrangements naturally had to be made.
The more intricate a plan, the easier it was to fail, for there were too many variables.
A simple plan, conversely, held greater feasibility for Luo Chen, who now possessed strength virtually unmatched under heaven.
"I cannot go to the Dongyuan Continent. Not only is the Dao Sect's sole mighty figure stationed there, but the four Great Clans—Lian, Ke, Shi, and Li—are also present. Competition there is far too fierce. If my avatar stands out too much, the scrutiny and hostility it invites will be unimaginable.
"The Libei Continent has three Great Clans; the situation is not quite as harsh, but Libei harbors the greatest number of entrenched aristocratic families. If one wishes to obtain sufficient resources, the difficulties are much the same."
Luo Chen had no intention of personally going in his true body to reclaim his life soul.
No matter how well he concealed himself, anything concerning the life soul would inevitably involve the Lanke Chessboard. And such a treasure—once the foremost spirit treasure of the Tianyuan Dao Sect—would certainly be closely watched by Ancestor Liancheng. Luo Chen did not have full confidence in eluding the senses of a Deity Transformation mighty figure.
Therefore, having a clean, unblemished avatar infiltrate inside was the best method.
As for how to use an avatar to fool the treasure's master and a Deity Transformation mighty figure, Luo Chen had a certain degree of confidence, given his grand completion of the spiritual soul and, especially, having undergone the full Nine Tribulations and Three Nirvanas.
And allowing the avatar to reach the realm where the Dao Sect would harvest its life soul in a short time—without inviting too many mishaps along the way—was precisely why his choice of direction was so crucial.
"Only the Tiannan Continent!
"Though two Great Clans reside there as well, they are the most weakened Zhan and Mo clans. And though many competitors are present there too, their backgrounds are convoluted, mostly comprised of former Star Gate guest elders—cultivators from other continents.
"Furthermore, from Shi Chuanting's memories, I saw that an old friend happens to be on the Tiannan Continent!"
Murmuring softly, Luo Chen made his decision.
With a shift of his thought, he immediately issued a command to Bai Meiling, who was piloting the Frost Eagle Shuttle:
"Little Bai, turn southeast!"
Chapter 1021