Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation

Chapter 485: Chapter 271: Mu Xinlan: Sister Yunxiu, You Wouldn’t Want...

Under the cover of night, the Mu Family’s ancestral grounds were shrouded deep within a glowing Spiritual Mist. Lofty and magnificent palaces, gardens, luxurious manors, and estates were scattered everywhere, sprawling across the mountainsides and along the waterways.

Different regions were protected by their own Shielding Array Restrictions. In addition, numerous family Secret Guards were on constant patrol, and there were even specially reared, unique Spirit Beasts and Spiritual Birds. Their innate sensory abilities were extremely sharp, capable of seeing through most concealment-type Divine Techniques.

Generally speaking, it was impossible for an enemy to infiltrate the grounds without the Mu Family’s leadership being any the wiser.

However, the Mu Family of today was not the Mu Family of the past. As a family that had, in fact, been infiltrated and brought under the control of the Taiqing Divine Dynasty, its capabilities in certain areas had already severely deteriorated.

Or perhaps, this was a deliberate choice by certain high-ranking Elders. Having lost all faith in the family’s future, they had begun to consider only the interests of their own branches, no longer caring for the family’s overall welfare.

’Since the Taiqing Divine Dynasty wants the Mu Family’s legacy, then let them have it. As for whatever consequences and sins follow, they will naturally be the ones to bear them.’

The candlelight in the Mu Family’s ancestral hall was dim.

Deep within the cold, gloomy hall, a decadent, disheveled, middle-aged man in a blue robe sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion. He clutched a dark-gold wine gourd, taking listless sips.

Occasionally, he would raise his drunken, hazy eyes to glance at the bronze altar before him. It was lined with the ancestral tablets of the Mu Family’s forebears, which looked like a row of lifeless tombstones in the dim light.

Standing stiffly to his side was an old man with a handsome, otherworldly face, dressed in feathered robes and a starry crown. Beside him stood a heroic-looking young man in a red robe with a longsword strapped to his back.

"...The Mu Family is yours now. You call all the shots, big and small. So why come looking for a puppet like me?"

The blue-robed man’s apathetic voice echoed through the vast, empty hall.

The old man let out a dry laugh. "You can’t put it that way. You are, after all, the Commandery Prince personally appointed by His Majesty the Divine Emperor, your name recorded in the Royal Family’s Jade Scroll. How could we possibly be disrespectful to you?

The Divine Dynasty’s grand plan for the Yuzhou Cultivation Realm will still depend on the Mu Family’s support! As long as you, Prince Jun, can render meritorious service, His Majesty the Divine Emperor will surely reward you generously!"

The man in blue gave a sarcastic smile and took another swig of wine. "Then what do you want from me now? Do you need men? Territory? Wealth and resources?

You can already take whatever you want from the Mu Family and do as you please with it. What else could you possibly need my cooperation for?"

This man in blue was Mu Tianxiong, the new Patriarch of the Mu Family, who had been in his position for less than a year.

His predecessor, though a wild brat raised from childhood by a vassal of the Taiqing Divine Dynasty, had been a pawn in whom the Divine Dynasty’s leadership had placed great hope. But after coming to power, he developed ideas he wasn’t supposed to have, and so he "accidentally drowned."

As for how a powerhouse at Divinity Transformation Peak Cultivation—the head of a ten-thousand-year-old Noble Family—could possibly "drown"? No one cared to ask that question anymore.

In any case, over the past few decades, any high-ranking Elder in the Mu Family who dared to disobey would die or disappear under one "accidental" circumstance or another. It had reached the point where no one in the Mu Family, from top to bottom, dared to say "no" to a Cultivator from the Taiqing Divine Dynasty.

The old man in the feathered robes and starry crown was Lu Qingyang, the Grand Elder dispatched by the Taiqing Divine Dynasty to oversee the Mu Family. The red-robed young man beside him was Lu Yunlong, the fifteenth son of the reigning Divine Emperor, who held the title of Prince.

These two great figures were here, of course, to monitor and control two important pawns—the Mu Family and the Cui Family—and to enforce the will of the Taiqing Divine Dynasty’s leadership.

The Mu Family had now become a place where their word was law. Anyone who disobeyed was eliminated.

Disposing of the previous Patriarch and replacing him with Mu Tianxiong had been their handiwork.

Mu Tianxiong was perfectly aware of this. After taking his position, he became a complete figurehead, ignoring all of the family’s internal affairs and drinking himself into a stupor every day.

This left Lu Qingyang completely unopposed. The result was satisfying, but not entirely so.

Since the time was not yet ripe for the Taiqing Divine Dynasty to intervene openly, the title of Mu Family Patriarch was a facade that could be changed, but not discarded entirely. It still needed to be brought out to keep up appearances when necessary.

"...Prince Jun, we are all serving the great cause of the Divine Dynasty, working on behalf of His Majesty the Divine Emperor."

Lu Qingyang said slowly, "It’s just that circumstances compel us. There are many matters... that the Divine Dynasty cannot yet handle directly. Therefore, you, as the nominal Patriarch of the Mu Family, must step up and act!"

"Fine. And what does the Grand Elder need me to do?"

Mu Tianxiong asked languidly, his drunken eyes narrowed to a slit.

"In the last battle, both the Mu Family and the Cui Family suffered significant losses, as did the Divine Dynasty, of course."

Lu Qingyang said gravely, "Therefore, the Divine Dynasty will now provide the Mu Family with some support. The condition is... you are to lead your forces and conquer the vassal states of the Saint Yu Immortal Dynasty. The more, the better!

Furthermore, you must personally persuade the major powers in Yuzhou to side with us, or at the very least, to remain neutral and stop supporting the Saint Yu Immortal Dynasty.

We cannot be seen in these matters, so they can only be handled by you, the Patriarch of the Mu Family, in person."

Mu Tianxiong took a swig of wine. He was about to say something, but the words died on his lips, replaced by a sigh.

"Fine. I’ll take the job. Is there anything else?"