Script of Reincarnation

Lu Yang stood beneath the warm afternoon sunlight, the jade scroll still held between his fingers.

The words upon it were simple, yet the information hidden behind them was anything but.

A Qi Sea Realm powerhouse had died, another had disappeared, and the two factions involved were not ordinary cultivation forces, they were the Divine Martial Hall and the Misty Cloud Sect.

For ordinary cultivators throughout the Great Qian Dynasty, these names were already distant legends.

For Lu Yang, however, they represented something even more significant:

The highest level of power he had ever personally witnessed, the summit of cultivation within the dynasty... at least on the surface.

He slowly lowered the jade scroll, his expression inscrutable.

Bai Qinglan remained beside him, her expression solemn as she asked with a heavy tone.

"Is it really that serious?"

Lu Yang was silent for several breaths before replying.

"More serious than you think."

He turned towards the pavilion in the courtyard and sat down as Bai Qinglan followed suit.

Lu Yang placed the jade scroll upon the stone table before slowly speaking.

"Do you know what Spirit Veins are?"

Bai Qinglan nodded slightly, "Naturally."

"Most cultivators know that Spirit Veins produce Spirit Qi, but very few understand how important they truly are."

Lu Yang’s gaze became distant as he began to explain.

"Spirit Veins aren’t merely places where Spirit Qi happens to gather, they are metaphysical veins naturally generated by heaven and earth. According to ancient records, when cultivators die, everything they possess eventually returns to heaven and earth. Their Blood Qi disperses, their Divine Sense dissipates, their soul decays, and even their corpses eventually return to dust.

Ultimately, all of it becomes nourishment for the world, and over countless years, that accumulation can gradually give birth to Spirit Veins."

Bai Qinglan listened quietly as Lu Yang spoke.

"In other words, heaven and earth continuously recycle everything, and some legends even say that extremely powerful beings with heaven reaching cultivation can leave behind bodies capable of transforming into Spirit Veins after death."

His voice carried a faint trace of wonder as he continued.

"Such a cycle is almost impossible to comprehend; life returns to heaven and earth, and heaven and earth produces new life, perhaps that is the true reason cultivation can continue flourishing for countless generations."

Bai Qinglan nodded slowly, a trace of confusion in her eyes, "But what does this have to do with the Divine Martial Hall and the Misty Cloud Sect?"

Lu Yang’s expression became slightly more serious, "Everything."

He looked outside at the distant mountains before speaking.

"Spirit Veins are divided into several grades, and as far as I know, there are Mortal Grade, Mysterious Grade, Earth Grade, and Heaven Grade, and even the lowest Mortal Grade Spirit Vein is extraordinarily valuable.

Under normal circumstances, Body Tempering cultivators don’t need Spirit Qi to cultivate because they can temper their bodies through medicinal herbs, baths, cultivation techniques, and various other methods, as it was essentially a process of training externally to generate Blood Qi internally.

However, once one entered the Spirit Awakening Realm, Spirit Qi gradually becomes indispensable. The higher the cultivation, the more important it becomes."

Lu Yang paused briefly, shaking his head.

"The Lu Family doesn’t possess a Spirit Vein, no Spirit Awakening Realm faction in the Great Qian does."

Bai Qinglan immediately understood.

"The True Martial Sect?"

"Exactly." Lu Yang nodded.

"The True Martial Sect possesses a Mortal Grade Spirit Vein beneath its mountain gate. Even the outermost regions of that Spirit Vein continuously release Spirit Qi across hundreds of miles. That is why Canglan Prefecture City possesses a cultivation environment far superior to many other places."

Bai Qinglan’s expression changed slightly at these words.

She naturally knew that Canglan Prefecture City possessed denser Spirit Qi, however, she had never thought that the reason was something so extraordinary.

After all, her current status couldn’t compare to Lu Yang’s, so her knowledge was far inferior to his own.

"Then what about Wuyuan City?" She couldn’t help but ask curiously.

"The Wuyuan King’s Mansion also possesses a Mortal Grade Spirit Vein."

Lu Yang answered, smiling faintly.

"Moreover, it is one of the finest Mortal Grade Spirit Veins in Great Qian, but even so, the Wuyuan King himself still requires Spirit Stones, medicinal pills, and other resources supplied by the Imperial Court. A Mortal Grade Spirit Vein can only barely provide support to Qi Sea Realm cultivators, after all."

Bai Qinglan nodded at this, indicating her understanding.

Then, Lu Yang’s expression slowly became more solemn.

"But... the Great Qian Dynasty possesses only two Mysterious Grade Spirit Veins."

Bai Qinglan’s pupils suddenly contracted slightly, a vague guess forming in her heart.

"Only two?"

Lu Yang nodded.

"Only two, one is beneath the Imperial Capital, and the other... is beneath the Mystic Lake of Tiannan Province, at its very center."

Bai Qinglan’s expression changed drastically; so that was the case.

"No wonder the Divine Martial Hall and the Misty Cloud Sect..."

"Exactly." Lu Yang nodded.

"Those two factions are the true overlords of Tiannan Province, having existed since the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty. According to what I’ve learned, their founders once helped the Imperial Court suppress the chaos within Tiannan Province, and afterwards, they were permitted to establish their own factions there. They’ve paid tribute to the Imperial Court every year since, however, within Tiannan Province, they are essentially independent overlords."

The balance between the two factions had existed for countless years.

Both possessed several Qi Sea powerhouses, both controlled enormous territories, both had many Spirit Awakening and Essence Gathering cultivators, and beneath them was a Mysterious Grade Spirit Vein, a treasure capable of supporting the cultivation of countless experts.

Lu Yang finally understood why their conflict had suddenly become so terrifying.

"They’ve been fighting over that Spirit Vein for centuries both overtly and covertly, but neither side could obtain complete control over it because if one faction attempted to destroy the balance, the other would inevitably resist. And the Imperial Court would also never permit either side to monopolize it."

Bai Qinglan then asked the most important question.

"Then why did they suddenly fight now?"

Lu Yang shook his head.

"I don’t know."

That was precisely the problem.

The balance had existed for centuries, and everyone had grown accustomed to it.

Yet now, a Qi Sea elder had died while another had disappeared.

Something had happened, something so enormous that it finally pushed the two factions past their limit.

Lu Yang picked up the jade scroll once more.

"There’s another problem."

"What?" Bai Qinglan instinctively asked, her face grave.

"The True Martial Sect." Lu Yang softly uttered.

At the mention of the True Martial Sect, her expression froze.

"The True Martial Sect... is actually a branch of the Divine Martial Hall."

Lu Yang spoke slowly, letting her digest the information before continuing.

"The founder of the True Martial Sect was once a true disciple of the Divine Martial Hall. He traveled the Great Qian and finally established the True Martial Sect here over three hundred years ago.

Although they haven’t declared it publicly, the Divine Martial Hall considers the True Martial Sect as its branch, and likewise, the True Martial Sect also considers the Divine Martial Hall their ancestral teaching. That is why the True Martial Sect is among the strongest Essence Gathering Realm forces in Wuyuan Province.

This information isn’t widely known among ordinary cultivators, however, both the Lu Family and the Bai Family upper echelons possess enough authority to know about it, so do the other major Spirit Awakening Realm clans."

At this moment, Lu Yang’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"In other words, if the Divine Martial Hall and Misty Cloud Sect truly enter a large scale conflict... the True Martial Sect will almost certainly be affected."

Bai Qinglan’s face turned slightly pale.

She never knew there were so many things hidden from the views of ordinary people in this world; even she, as the eldest young lady of the Bai Family, wasn’t qualified to know them.

She forcibly suppressed her turbulent thoughts, taking a deep breath before asking.

"And Canglan Prefecture?"

Lu Yang couldn’t help but fall silent at the question.

That was precisely the most troublesome part.

The True Martial Sect was the undisputed overlord of Canglan Prefecture, and aside from its subordinate families, many cultivation families depended on it and respected its authority, including the Lu, Bai, and even Wu families.

If the Divine Martial Hall became embroiled in a war, the True Martial Sect couldn’t possibly remain completely uninvolved.

And once the True Martial Sect was affected, Canglan Prefecture would inevitably be dragged into the aftermath.

Lu Yang slowly rubbed his forehead.

"That’s why I said Tiannan Province is about to descend into chaos."

He looked towards the horizon.

"Perhaps it won’t immediately affect us, but eventually, it will."

...

It wasn’t just Lu Yang who received the news; other higher ups of the Lu Family did so as well, some of them even before him.

The response was also immediate.

The Family Head personally summoned the Great Elder, several Grand Elders, all the elders, and even the Supreme Elder came out of seclusion.

Lu Yang was naturally present as well.

The atmosphere inside the council hall was considerably heavier than usual, and no one spoke for several breaths.

Finally, the Family Head slowly placed the jade scroll upon the table.

"Everyone has already seen the information."

His gaze swept across the room.

"Tell me what you think."

The new External Affairs Grand Elder spoke first.

"Regardless of what caused the conflict, we should immediately reduce all external activities. Several businesses operated by our family extend towards the southern regions, after all. We should temporarily withdraw our caravans."

The Internal Affairs Grand Elder nodded in agreement.

"Agreed. Although Canglan Prefecture isn’t directly involved, the situation is too unstable."

Another elder frowned.

"But if the Divine Martial Hall eventually gains the upper hand, the True Martial Sect may become even stronger."

"That isn’t necessarily a bad thing."

Another elder replied.

Lu Yang remained seated silently, listening to the others converse.

He understood what everyone was thinking; the True Martial Sect had always been powerful, and if the Divine Martial Hall won this conflict, its branch in Canglan Prefecture might receive additional resources.

However, if the Misty Cloud Sect won, the situation could become considerably more complicated as well.

After all, no one knew how far the Misty Cloud Sect would pursue its victory.

The Family Head eventually looked at Lu Yang.

"Ninth Elder, you’ve personally witnessed Qi Sea Realm cultivators before. What do you think?"

The hall fell silent, waiting for Lu Yang to answer.

Lu Yang pondered for several breaths before speaking.

"I think we should prepare for the worst."

His answer was extremely straightforward.

"The conflict between two Qi Sea Realm factions isn’t something we can interfere with, our Lu Family doesn’t possess the qualifications. Even if the entire Lu Family were to act together, we wouldn’t be able to influence the outcome by the slightest."

The elders remained silent as Lu Yang continued.

"Therefore, we shouldn’t choose a side, at least not now. Maintain our relationship with the True Martial Sect as before, but don’t participate in their internal affairs, we’re not one of their subordinate families, after all. At the same time, strengthen the defenses around the family while increasing our reserves of medicinal herbs and cultivation resources. If the situation truly deteriorates, we should be prepared to close the family gates."

The Family Head slowly nodded.

"That’s exactly what I was thinking."

The Supreme Elder, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

"Do not underestimate this matter."

His voice was calm and composed, his face expressionless.

"Whenever Qi Sea Realm cultivators fight, ordinary cultivators become nothing more than ants caught beneath their feet. Furthermore, the Imperial Court won’t remain idle forever."

Everyone’s expressions changed simultaneously.

Indeed, the Great Qian Dynasty wasn’t merely the cultivation clans and sects scattered throughout its provinces.

Above all of them stood the Imperial Court, and above millions of cultivators were the supreme Qi Sea powerhouses of the Imperial Family.

If the conflict truly threatened the dynasty’s stability, the Imperial Court would inevitably intervene.

That was probably the only reason the situation hadn’t already exploded completely.

The Imperial Court was watching, and perhaps it even had a hand behind the recent events.