Chapter 133 All Fall Down

Outside the water marsh of the Boundless Forest, the three emerged safely from the Secret Realm, having successfully navigated the mystical reactions of the dùè flower and escaped the Nine Poisons Qi.

Outside the water marsh, the three changed their forms, and Chen Li took the two of them back via a streak of light.

Along the way, the Fifth-level Demonic Beasts that were disturbed were merely a fleeting gust of wind; they didn't even have time to react, let alone pursue.

A few days later, they reached three thousand li from the edge of the Boundless Forest, and the three switched to a small spaceship.

Many people were already frequenting this area, so they avoided unnecessary trouble. After all, the Golden Core Cultivators were few and known by name, and even the Loose Cultivators were just a handful of people.

This trip was a great success: smoothly advancing to the Golden Core Realm, obtaining the earth vein fire, over three thousand catties of spiritual wine from the drunken dragon bamboo, and more than ten stalks of drunken dragon bamboo.

Chen Songli sat inside the small spaceship, carefree, enjoying the breeze, completely at ease.

She had also resolved to speed up her cultivation progress upon returning; only a higher Realm would allow her to appreciate more scenery.

On the spaceship, Chen Li flew slowly; in just one more day, they would reach Black Magpie Mountain.

He did not set up a Fourth-grade Teleportation Array a thousand li away because returning to retrieve the base plate would be unnecessary.

Chen Li released his Divine Sense and discovered three or four Foundation Establishment Cultivators fighting to the death twenty li away, likely over an unfair division of spoils.

Chen Li ignored them and continued forward. Fights like this were happening constantly in the Boundless Forest.

You kill him, I kill you—when will the hatred end!

On the path of cultivation, there are countless piles of bones. If he hadn't found a Place of Opportunity, Chen Li assumed he would still be struggling bitterly!

However, since he had found a Place of Opportunity, there was no need for 'if's'.

One day later, Chen Li and the other two returned to Black Magpie Mountain without incident. Returning quietly with a Golden Core Cultivator escorting them made it very difficult for anyone below the Golden Core Realm to notice.

Upon returning, they heard quite a bit of news.

During this past month, the cultivation environment in Nanwu Kingdom had been relatively stable; everyone was busy completing Alliance missions.

However, some newly emerged Foundation Establishment Immortal Clans and established Foundation Establishment Immortal Clans were gradually experiencing friction.

It started with minor skirmishes but gradually escalated into irreconcilable conflicts.

Previously, in the incident where Yao Beasts ambushed and killed Foundation Establishment Cultivators, all Foundation Establishment Cultivators in Maan Prefecture were killed. The Lu and Zhu Families from Yuanwu Prefecture jointly took over the administration.

As neighboring prefectures, after so many years, Maan Prefecture had recently gained some resources from Alliance missions in the past year or two, and two Foundation Establishment Cultivators had emerged there.

These two Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Maan Prefecture stopped submitting to the Lu and Zhu Families and began reclaiming the authority the Lu and Zhu Families held over the Qi Refining Immortal Clans within Maan Prefecture.

The Lu and Zhu Families had provided protection for many years and taken over many territories. Initially, those territories could be returned through negotiation; the Lu and Zhu Families stated they would sell them back at market price.

But the two newly ascended Foundation Establishment Cultivators felt that these territories were originally theirs, merely seized temporarily by the Lu and Zhu Families after the previous Foundation Establishment forces were wiped out, so they wanted a zero-cost acquisition, demanding them back immediately.

However, the Lu and Zhu Families felt they had protected Maan Prefecture for so many years, having both merit and hard work, and they had genuinely exerted themselves during the infiltration incidents involving Demonic Path Cultivators, so they were unwilling to hand over the territories they had taken over.

When the two new Foundation Establishment Cultivators demanded a zero-cost acquisition, the Lu and Zhu Families refused, and conflict arose.

This information was relayed to Chen Li by Chen Songxuan and the others after his return.

...

That day, inside Morning Sun Hall, on the very night Chen Li returned, Chen Songxuan personally cooked and prepared a feast.

Seven people, one Ox, and one Cat gathered.

The news of Chen Li's successful advancement to the Golden Core Realm brought immense joy to those who had stayed behind.

That evening, at the dinner table, Chen Songli brought out the spiritual wine from the drunken dragon bamboo.

"You are blessed! This is spiritual wine discovered in the Secret Realm, a potent item that greatly enhances cultivation!"

As everyone smelled the aroma, the sweet fragrance of bamboo filled the entire Morning Sun Hall.

Chen Songxuan stepped forward to take the bottle. "I'll pour the wine!"

"Everyone should have some!" Chen Songxuan called out loudly.

Chen Songmei was the first to raise her hand. "I want some!"

Chen Songli reminded him, "Don't give Songmei too much; this wine is easy to get you drunk!"

Chen Songxuan understood and began pouring wine for everyone at the table. Brother Ox and the Three-Flower Cat each received a cup.

Zhu Lingyue first congratulated Chen Li, followed by the members of the song generation!

Chen Songli led the toast, and the members of the song generation followed, "Congratulations, Father, on advancing to the Golden Core!"

Chen Li also raised his cup in return: "Same joy to you all. A small celebration among family is enough; I have received everyone's good wishes. Drink up!"

They all downed their drinks. As soon as the wine's medicinal power spread through Chen Songmei's stomach, her face flushed, and she immediately passed out in front of the table.

With the medicinal power of five hundred years in the wine, after a short while, Chen Songmei advanced to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer right there on the spot!

This stunned Chen Li and Zhu Lingyue, and her older sisters and brothers were also dumbfounded. "This works too!"

Was the Aptitude of a Dual Spiritual Root this Heaven-Defying?

After a while, the four members of the song generation also felt drowsy. The moment the wine's medicinal power spread, they all felt a slight warmth in their bodies, and their cultivation levels saw minor improvements.

Chen Li and Zhu Lingyue were fine; neither felt obviously drunk, only a slight warmth in their bodies after the wine went down.

Brother Ox and the Three-Flower Cat drank a few more cups, and these two quickly became sleepy, soon passing out in front of the table.

After several more cups at the dinner table, Chen Songli and Chen Songyan were the first to succumb and also passed out in front of the table. Only Chen Songxuan and Chen Songxiao could withstand the wine's medicinal power.

But after a few more sips, only Zhu Lingyue and Chen Li remained at the dinner table. This drunken dragon bamboo spiritual wine required ten cups to fell anyone below the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Zhu Lingyue laughed: "Husband, it seems only the two of us will drink until the end."

"Come, let's have one more cup!" Chen Li poured another cup of wine and faced Zhu Lingyue.

After drinking until late at night, Zhu Lingyue could no longer hold on. "Husband, I'm going down!"

Chen Li laughed: "Don't worry, pass out. I'm here to take care of things at home!"

Zhu Lingyue peacefully passed out in front of the dinner table!

Chen Li looked at his entire family passed out there, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Xu Yunqiu was recuperating in Dongbai Mountain, bringing Chen Baizhao along. He decided to have her come over tomorrow to take some wine back, as he also wanted to see Chen Baizhao.

Chen Li drank the five-hundred-year-old spiritual wine without much effect; it didn't advance his Early Stage Golden Core cultivation, but it did nourish his Physical Body.

Late at night, with a crescent moon in the sky, inside Morning Sun Hall, Chen Li walked to the balcony to drink alone. Behind him, the people at the dinner table were sprawled about messily.

Since moving the Non-Clan Cultivators out of Immortal Learning Tower, Black Magpie Mountain had become the primary residence for the direct descendants of the Chen Family. The mountain was silent now, and Chen Li went to Zizai Pavilion to brew tea.

While sipping tea, he reviewed the past few decades. His rapid development and successful advancement to the Golden Core Realm had occurred much faster than anticipated. Now, he needed to plan carefully for the future.