Forging Immortality through the Dao Seed

"Mother, I—"

Yan Caizhi still wanted to say something, but before she could finish, her words were directly interrupted by her mother.

"Zhi'er, don't be willful. This time, Huan'er and those few girls, as well as the Sword Servant, will all accompany you."

As she spoke, she forcibly squeezed out a hint of a smile on her face, gently embracing Yan Caizhi into her arms, and softly whispered in her ear:

"You must keep the contents of this safe. You cannot reveal it to anyone, not even your uncle!"

The moment her voice fell.

Yan Caizhi felt a cold object suddenly appear in her hand.

Upon scanning with her Divine Sense, she found it to be a gold bracelet inlaid with three gemstones, red, blue, and green, each the size of a fingernail.

The next moment.

Yan Caizhi felt her Divine Sense being sucked into the bracelet. What appeared in her perception was a vast space, a hundred miles in length and width. And in one corner of this enormous space, there stood a secret chamber forged from blue Immortal Gold.

"This was a fortunate discovery your father and I made in our early years, and now it's time to pass it on to you. The secret chamber inside can only be opened by you, Zhi'er. You must remember, never reveal the existence of this bracelet to anyone!"

Her mother's earnest voice slowly reached Yan Caizhi's ears, causing her to be slightly stunned.

The reason was simple.

She actually detected a hint of a farewell in her mother's words.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Deep within the Yan clan's territory, the Chonguang Pavilion.

From the outside, it appeared to be a solemn and dignified nine-story building; however, if someone were to enter its interior, they would discover an entirely different world.

There were continuous mountain ranges with the sun and moon rising and setting, a complete miniature world unto itself.

At the summit surrounded by mountains, stood a silent and quiet palace.

"Have the seeds all been selected?"

A voice filled with faint majesty and age suddenly erupted from the palace interior, echoing through this microcosm, causing the surrounding thousand miles of mountains and rivers to tremble.

Following that, another slightly deep and profound voice:

"Elder, all the seeds have been chosen, and the Protectors have been properly arranged."

"Good!"

After a while.

One by one, figures shrouded with a powerful presence came out of the palace in procession, with Yan's father among them, albeit positioned towards the rear, appearing rather inconspicuous among the group of strong individuals.

He hung his head low, hurriedly striding forward, looking somewhat gloomy.

But at that moment.

"Brother Zhan, please wait a moment."

A somewhat urgent voice suddenly rang out within the depths of his heart, causing Yan Zhan to stop in his tracks.

Then, in just half a breath's time, he saw a middle-aged man, who seemed to be about the same age as Yan Zhan, catching up to him.

"Yan Sheng, is there something you need?"

Yan Zhan, as if aware of the newcomer's identity, spoke without turning his head.

"I remember Zhi'er was not on the list of the clan's seeds this time. I saw that you did not speak up earlier, Brother Zhan; could it be that you have accepted this without a fuss?"

The other's voice followed closely, ringing in Yan Zhan's mind, tinged with a hint of probing.

At those words, Yan Zhan waved his hand and let out a cold laugh:

"Hah, aren't nine out of ten of those selected seeds from those three branches? We, from the collateral branches with no Unity Realm Stage Elders behind us, even if we don't accept it, what can we do?"

"Indeed."

Yan Sheng sighed long, his eyes revealing a touch of regret.

"What can we do? By the way, Zhi'er should be going to the Lu family, right? It so happens that Chenglong is also heading to Huizhou's Immortal City where the Lu family is. You might as well have them travel together. This way, they can look out for each other on the road."

Having said that, he seemed to think of something and then spoke with a heavy tone:

"Brother Zhan, if this time… if I don't survive, I hope you can look after Chenglong for the sake of our familial ties."

In his words, there was a full sense of entrusting care to another.

Hearing this, Yan Zhan's lips involuntarily twisted into a forced and heavy smile.

...

...

Time passed, how long it was unclear.

Yan Zhan silently appeared in the room, yet unexpectedly met the gaze of two eagerly expectant eyes.

"Husband."

"Father."

The voices of Yan's mother and Yan Caizhi followed, one after the other.

It was just in an instant that the grimness on Yan Zhan's face abruptly vanished, replaced by an indescribable tenderness.

He nodded and said softly, "Zhi'er is here as well. Good, you should quickly go pack your things. When the clan elders take action, I will see to it that you are escorted out of the city. By that time, Yan Sheng's people will join you, which will be just right for having someone to look after you on the road."

Having said that, Yan Zhan turned to look at Yan's mother beside him and commanded in an uncompromising tone, "Madam, you will go with Zhi'er as well."

"Husband—"

Yan's mother wanted to say something, but only managed to utter two words before Yan Zhan firmly cut her off, "My mind is made up, Madam; there's no need for further discussion."

Hearing this, Yan's mother and Yan Caizhi unconsciously exchanged glances, both revealing an expression of confusion and amusement.

After a few moments of silence, Yan's mother then said with a smile:

"Husband, what I just wanted to say is that Zhi'er has something important to discuss with you."

"Zhi'er?"

Yan Zhan showed a hint of hesitation, his gaze shifting to Yan Caizhi at his side, completely failing to notice that his wife's expression and tone were no longer filled with the panic of the previous day.

Across the room.

As she met Yan Zhan's gaze, the well-prepared Yan Caizhi flipped over one hand, and in her pale palm suddenly appeared an ordinary yellow talisman.

With a smile full of meaning, she said, "Father, I might have a way to deal with the impending disaster."

What!

Yan Zhan's breath hitched, his pupils involuntarily shrunk, feeling as though he had misheard.

How did Zhi'er find out about the calamity soon to befall their clan? But now was not the time to ponder that. Because he knew full well that with Zhi'er's character, she would never joke about such a matter.

Thus—

Yan Zhan immediately focused all his attention on the yellow talisman, pursed his lips, and asked, "What is this?"

At this moment, his voice had become huskier than it had ever been before.

"Father, yesterday by chance I met a formidable person…"

In the next half an hour.

Yan Caizhi recounted in great detail her encounter with the mysterious old man the day before, along with how she entered the Secret Realm of Huang Liang Village using the Huang Liang Talisman, leaving nothing hidden.

Across from her.

Yan Zhan was already stunned, standing motionless as if struck by lightning.

Yan's mother at his side also wore a look of disbelief. Despite hearing this for the second time today, her emotional turmoil had not lessened in the slightest.

Such a mystical encounter, wasn't it something that only those monstrous prodigies blessed with immense luck movement would encounter in the legends? Although Zhi'er was outstanding, their family knew their own circumstances; compared to those celestial talents, she was as ordinary as they come.

"Is it really a blessing from the heavens?"

She thought to herself with a hidden sigh.

After a long while.

Yan Zhan gradually collected himself.

He swallowed hard a few times, then took the Huang Liang Talisman handed to him by Yan Caizhi with his trembling hands, as well as the purple coin that served as proof of her story.

"Right, Father, this Huang Liang Talisman can still be used twice," Yan Caizhi suddenly spoke up as if she remembered something.

"Twice?"

Yan Zhan was inadvertently startled.

…

…

That night.

In the pitch-black room, Yan Zhan was sitting quietly on a mat. As time elapsed, his aura began to fluctuate increasingly erratically, and his breathing unconsciously hastened.

His rigid face, unbeknownst to him, was filled with anticipation but also tinged with a faint fear.

At a certain moment, he abruptly opened his eyes, the divine light that burst forth instantly brightened the room as if it were daylight.

"The hour of the Rat!"

Yan Zhan clenched the Huang Liang Talisman in his palm.