Longevity Martial Arts: I have a Mysterious Water Snake Avatar-Chapter 706 - 481: Visit to Patriarch Hong [Daily]_4

They praised Hong Yuan to the skies, one after another, without reservation, leaving the clan elders of the Zhu Family utterly dumbfounded!

They were actually well aware of how extraordinary their Ancestor Hong Yuan was, but they had never imagined that even those from the Mythical Sound Pavilion held him in such high regard.

「Meanwhile.」

Fine snow fluttered down, as fast as raindrops.

A fierce Cold Wind surged, howling furiously.

"Male Slave Beast, First-Status Soul, mold its form, emulate its nature..."

"A Formation can hold myriad things; the start of transformation lies within a single heart..."

Hong Yuan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his lips slightly parted as he casually recounted his Worm Array craft and the Slave Array Confluence method to Zhu Zhikai.

He was explaining to Zhu Zhikai, but it wasn't solely for him.

Without realizing it, Hong Yuan seemed to be compensating for a regret. His fellow disciple, Zhu Wushang, hadn't been able to continue on the path of cultivation. Now, bit by bit, Hong Yuan was passing something on to Zhu Wushang's descendant, Zhu Zhikai.

Hong Yuan didn't delve too deeply into his explanations; he simply left a seed for Zhu Zhikai.

Whether he would succeed or not depended on Zhu Zhikai's own Creation.

If he succeeded, Hong Yuan wouldn't rejoice.

If he didn't, Hong Yuan wouldn't grieve.

He only wanted to do this, and then did it without much thought.

In the midst of his explanations, Hong Yuan's gaze drifted to the left and then returned.

Yet he didn't stop his discourse because of it.

On the left side of the desolate graveyard, the newly arrived Zhu Family Clan Leader, Zhu Xiangyang, felt a tremor in his heart and quickly ceased any superfluous actions, standing quietly to the side.

But Zhu Xiangyang's ears were perked up, intently listening to Hong Yuan's teachings.

How generous, how magnanimous! Our ancestor has never taken on a disciple; he's always been as indifferent as water, never meddling in our cultivation. Yet now, he's actually explaining the way of cultivation to this youngster, Zhikai...

Zhu Xiangyang lowered his head, but his heart was ablaze with excitement. At that moment, he suddenly found that Zhikai, this despised child born of a lowly servant girl, wasn't so utterly detestable, so deserving of universal scorn, after all~

「A quarter of an hour later.」

The discourse, akin to the sound of the Great Taoism, ceased, and the world returned to clarity.

Zhu Xiangyang felt refreshed throughout his body, as if he had consumed a dose of Supreme Great Medicine. He was certain that after returning to secluded cultivation for a period, his skills would become even more refined!

But now wasn't the time to ruminate on the Tao Rhyme.

Zhu Xiangyang composed himself and hurried over to pay his respects to Hong Yuan.

"Xiangyang pays his respects to the Great Ancestral Master!" Zhu Xiangyang bowed deeply, with utmost respect.

The Great Ancestral Master?

Zhu Zhikai, who was inside the small tile-roofed house, heard the Zhu Family Clan Leader Zhu Xiangyang's distinctively powerful male voice and, startled, hurried out to also pay his respects to Hong Yuan.

But...

Where was Hong Yuan's figure at that moment?

Zhu Zhikai rushed out, only to find Hong Yuan gone. All he saw was Clan Leader Zhu Xiangyang still bowing his head there.

"Cultivate diligently, for innate talent is never the shackle that confines the strong."

A voice like the ringing of a great bell seemed to carry through the Cold Wind, as if sweeping through the raging snowstorm.

Coming along with it was a fifth-grade, top-level Spirit Grass that resembled a fiery-red eagle.

Fire Eagle Marrow!

The entire Fire Eagle Marrow was fiery red, resembling a small eagle forged from flames. It radiated an intense heat so piercing it hurt the eyes, and it harbored the miraculous power of destruction and rebirth within.

Merely by looking at it, one could feel just how precious this top-tier Spirit Grass, the Fire Eagle Marrow, was.

Back in the day, Zhu Wushang had halted his journey on the path of cultivation early due to insufficient innate potential.

Today, Hong Yuan had an epiphany, willing to give the descendant of his fellow disciple a chance—and he was not merely paying lip service.

"This is the Fire Eagle Marrow!"

"An extraordinary Spirit Grass that can improve a Martial Artist's potential; it even has the potential to match Sacred Medicines."

"With it, even an Aperture with C-rank potential can be elevated to match a Fire Tao Class A!"

"HISS..."

Zhu Family Clan Leader Zhu Xiangyang, looking at the Fire Eagle Marrow obediently lying in Zhu Zhikai's palm, felt his eyes turn bloodshot in an instant. Such a treasure! Not even he, the Clan Leader of a great family, had the opportunity to taste it. What right did this child, born to a mere servant girl, possess?

However, constrained by the invisible intimidation from Hong Yuan, Zhu Xiangyang had to force himself to suppress his greed with considerable self-control.

"Zhikai, the Fire Eagle Marrow is extremely precious and can be used as the main ingredient to concoct several fifth-grade..."

Meanwhile, Zhu Xiangyang had planned to deceive Zhu Zhikai with words. He intended to have Zhu Zhikai return home to seek out the family's Alchemists for the concoction, which would result in the greatest efficacy. Of course, that was for his own benefit, not Zhu Zhikai's. By then, it would suffice to give Zhu Zhikai the secondary or discarded pills; that wouldn't be going against the Elder Ancestor's authority. As for the good pills, he would keep them for himself and for his sons and grandsons. This way, the position of Family Head of the Zhu Family would surely be held firmly by their branch!

CRACK—

Determination flickered in Zhu Zhikai's eyes, and then, he resolutely swallowed the Fire Eagle Marrow Spirit Grass, not heeding the words of Family Head Zhu Xiangyang at all.

A true man must fight when it's time to fight! Those adages, like "The green hills remain, and clear waters flow on," or "As long as the green mountains are there, one needn't worry about firewood"—such cautious strategies were for the favored children of heaven. For someone like him, the chance to change his fate sometimes only came once. Elder Ancestor Hong Yuan was extraordinarily capable, possessing great and profound abilities. The favor he received from such a great ancestor was an enormous opportunity. Everyone knew that Elder Ancestor Hong Yuan was particularly proficient in the Slave Array Confluence and had once used it to soundly defeat a certain Great Dream Seed! Once he successfully reached the fifth rank, the family would definitely include his mother in the family annals!

At this moment, Zhu Zhikai understood that the time to change his destiny was now!

CRACK, CRACK—

Zhu Zhikai gobbled up the Fire Eagle Marrow Spirit Grass whole. Then, he frantically licked his large hand, not wanting to miss even a tiny fragment.

"You, you!! Very well, very well!!!" Clan Leader Zhu Xiangyang, overwhelmed with shock and anger, pointed at Zhu Zhikai furiously.

His True Essence surged wildly within him, striking Zhu Zhikai with a terror akin to facing a life-or-death crisis.

But in the end, Zhu Xiangyang snorted coldly, flung his sleeves, and left without turning back.

And Zhu Zhikai knew he had bet correctly.

...

In the shadows, Hong Yuan watched everything, remaining silent.

He reminisced about his fellow disciple Zhu Wushang's grounded and solid nature, contrasting it with the now vast and complex Zhu Family.

Inevitably, he let out a soft sigh, thinking to himself, Senior Brother, oh Senior Brother, children and grandchildren will have their own fortunes. Since I am the Elder Ancestor, then I suppose I must maintain the dignity befitting one...