Chapter 787 - 273: Golden Skeleton
Compared to the three generations of patriarchs before him, Shen Xiuyan, the fourth-generation patriarch, seems more focused on strict laws.
The additions to the clan rules in his hands mostly impose strict constraints on the cultivators under his rule.
Closing the clan rules, Shen Yuan looked at Shen Xiuyan in his white scholar robe, with his hair tied in a bun and a calm expression, and sighed inwardly.
"This brat, in ancient times, would be akin to Wei Yang or Han Fei."
Pushing the clan rules back to the two before him, Shen Yuan pondered for a moment and then spoke: "Strict laws are good, but one cannot extinguish humanity with the law."
"I will not interfere too much with the specific amendments; you two should consider it yourselves."
Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming turned to look at Shen Xiuyan.
Shen Xiuyan bowed his head in thought for a moment, then respectfully clasped his hands and said, "Xiuyan will focus on referring to Great Grandfather’s suggestions to revise the clan rules."
After Shen Yuan nodded, he changed the topic.
"I just felt a slight fluctuation in the Qi of the world around Yunshui City."
"Is there anything unusual in the city?"
Meeting his eyes, Shen Chongming frowned slightly and thought for a moment before saying, "I haven’t heard of any anomalies..."
"However, just now, a cultivator from the clan reported from the South City Gate that after Xu Zhan exited seclusion, he left the city through the South City Gate."
"You’Er doesn’t know if she knows anything and is currently leading people to search."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan didn’t speak further and directly closed his eyes, emanating the misty Power of Great Derivation from his body.
Moments later—
He suddenly opened his eyes, his face solemn, and said, "Is this a fatal tribulation?!"
The two before him exchanged puzzled glances.
"Grandfather, what happened?"
Shen Chongming asked cautiously.
Shen Yuan slowly stood up, reconfirmed the deduction result, and said in a serious voice: "You should immediately find your Third Uncle, then go and check Laishui River."
"I just deduced Xu Zhan’s fortune and obtained a Water Tribulation hexagram indicating a fatal calamity!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming dared not delay, immediately stood up to clasp his hands, transformed into a flash of lightning, and disappeared from the Black Water Pavilion.
By the banks of the Laishui River.
Shen You and her group had followed the footprints Xu Zhan left in the snow to the front of the Laishui River.
Staring at the torrential river, Tang Long and the others, with puzzled expressions, said, "Miss, did Lord Xu again go into seclusion at the river bottom?"
Shen You remained silent, quietly gazing at the river’s surface.
She knew that if Xu Zhan truly intended to go into seclusion at the bottom of the Laishui River, he would definitely inform her ahead of time and not come here silently.
As she hesitated to determine if something went wrong, a streak of sword light and a lightning beam approached together.
After the two streaks of light landed, they became the figures of Shen Wen’an and Shen Chongming.
"Third Uncle, brother."
"Third Master, Patriarch!"
After everyone greeted them, Shen You immediately approached the two.
Seeing the two with solemn expressions, silently staring at the nearby Laishui River, Shen You’s heart suddenly sank.
"Brother, Xu Zhan, he..."
Shen Chongming forced a slight smile to reassure her, "Don’t worry, your brother and Third Uncle are here."
"You should go back first."
Shen You wanted to say more, but Shen Chongming turned to Tang Long and the others, saying, "Escort Miss back first."
Tang Long and the others slightly bowed.
Shen You did not insist, turning around once more to look at the surging river surface, feeling anxious while following Tang Long and the others toward Yunshui City.
Once their figures disappeared, Shen Chongming then turned to Shen Wen’an and said, "Grandfather said he deduced Xu Zhan, obtaining a Water Tribulation hexagram indicating a fatal calamity."
"According to this, Xu Zhan should now be at the river bottom."
"Third Uncle, should we go down and take a look?"
Shen Wen’an looked at the turbulent river before him, pondered for a moment, and nodded, "Let’s take a look."
"But be careful; this river is not simple."
Shen Chongming lowered his head.
The two figures immediately flashed and rushed directly into the surging river.
"Such a dense chill!"
As the two dove down ten or so feet, they felt that the surrounding chill far exceeded the cold typically expected in winter.
Strangely, despite the terrifying chill, the surrounding river showed no signs of freezing.
Shen Chongming said, slowly releasing his divine sense, searching the surroundings for Xu Zhan’s trace.
Shen Wen’an looked down at the deep abyss-like riverbed, his brow slightly furrowing.
"There really is something strange down here."
"I can sense a faint and eerie force watching us both."
Shen Wen’an said in a deep voice.
Upon hearing this, Shen Chongming condensed his divine sense into a strand, probing deeper into the Laishui River.
This investigation left him extremely shocked.
"The Laishui River is actually this deep?"
As an Early Stage Golden Core Cultivator, his divine sense can cover a range of dozens of miles.
Now, being in the river, affected by the strange chill, his divine sense’s detection range greatly reduced, yet it still covered several thousand feet.
Even so, he hadn’t detected the riverbed with his divine sense!
"Let’s go a bit deeper."
After a moment of thought, Shen Wen’an immediately dived deeper.
Shen Chongming followed closely, and soon, the two found themselves a hundred feet from the river surface.
Shen Chongming intended to dive deeper, but a Sword Aura wrapped him back.
"There is an anomaly here!"
After pulling Shen Chongming back using Sword Aura, Shen Wen’an, with a solemn expression, glanced around the dark river water.
By now, he could distinctly feel that the surrounding river seemed to transform into some conscious mysterious entity, gradually pressing and urging them downward.
This movement was subtle; if attention wasn’t paid, it would only be thought of as the river’s natural flow.