17: Saving the Ancestor

Inside the meeting hall, the cheers gradually subsided, but everyone's faces were filled with the excitement of surviving a disaster and longing for the future.

The way the several Family Elders looked at Shen Yuanmo had completely changed.

It was no longer the expectation of Elders toward a Junior, but mixed with awe, conviction, and even a hint of fanaticism.

Shen Qiming walked to his son's side and heavily patted his shoulder.

His lips moved; a thousand words reached his lips, but in the end, they turned into just one sentence.

"Good! Very good! With you in our Shen Family, why worry about not flourishing!"

Shen Yuanmo did not immerse himself in the crowd's flattery; he knew clearly in his heart that the City Lord's Mansion would not let this go easily.

"Father, Elders," Shen Yuanmo spoke up.

"Now is not the time to be happy. The City Lord's Mansion has suffered such a big secret loss; they will absolutely not let this go. The most urgent task is to improve the strength of our Shen Family as soon as possible."

"Yuan Mo is right," an Elder stroked his beard, his face solemn.

"But our Shen Family has just experienced a great battle and suffered heavy losses to our Origin Qi; wanting to improve our strength is easier said than done."

"No," Shen Yuanmo shook his head.

"We have one most important thing we can do, and we must do it immediately."

He turned around, his gaze looking toward the direction of the Family's Forbidden Ground in the back mountain.

"Heal the Old Ancestor!"

Everyone's hearts were shaken.

"Yuan Mo, the Old Ancestor's injury..." Shen Qiming looked troubled.

"All these years, we have tried every method, used all kinds of Medicinal Pills and Spirit Medicines, but the Old Ancestor's injury has not only failed to improve, but it has grown increasingly severe day by day."

"That is because the medicine was not suitable for the condition," Shen Yuanmo said with a firm tone.

"The root cause of the Old Ancestor's injury is not from a fight, nor is it that his Lifespan is coming to an end, but that our Shen Family's generations-old Cultivation Technique, the Crimson Sun Art, has a problem."

Once these words were spoken, the entire room was shocked.

"Yuan Mo, the Crimson Sun Art is the foundation of our Shen Family's standing; how could it have a problem?" an Elder said subconsciously.

Shen Yuanmo did not argue; he explained his breakthrough regarding the Crimson Sun Art, the one hundred and eight errors and three fatal flaws, and the fact that the Cultivation Technique had been maliciously tampered with, telling them everything in detail.

"So that's how it is... So that's how it is!" The Shen Qifa, that First-Grade Alchemist, trembled all over, his old tears streaming down.

"No wonder! No wonder after the Shen Family clansmen took the qi gathering powder I refined, they always felt their magic power was unstable! No wonder generations of our Family's ancestors all fell at the threshold of breaking through to Foundation Establishment! It wasn't that our Aptitude was poor, it was the Cultivation Technique... it was the Cultivation Technique that harmed us!"

"Who is it! Who is so vicious that they would want to cut off our Shen Family's Legacy!"

Inside the meeting hall, the crowd was filled with righteous indignation.

"Investigating the past has no meaning; the most urgent task is to save a life," Shen Yuanmo raised his hand, suppressing everyone's voices.

"Father, has the harvest from the Lin Family treasury been counted?"

"It has been counted," Shen Qiming answered immediately, taking a Jade Slip from his Storage Pouch.

"The Lin Family's hundreds of years of accumulation far exceed our imagination. There are 150,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones alone, and over three hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. Various First-Grade and Second-Grade Spirit Medicines and Ores are piled up in three warehouses."

"Good." Shen Yuanmo took the Jade Slip, his Divine Sense swept over it, and after a moment, he picked out the names of seventeen types of medicinal materials.

"Father, immediately send people to fetch these seventeen types of medicinal materials according to the age and weight I have marked; not a single one can be wrong."

"Additionally, prepare the largest bronze cauldron, fill it with clean water, and carry it outside the stone chamber where the Old Ancestor is in seclusion."

"This is... what are you going to do?" Shen Qiming was puzzled.

"Body Refining through a medicinal bath to remove the Crimson Sun dry fire and the residual toxins from the Cultivation Technique that have accumulated in the Old Ancestor's body for decades," Shen Yuanmo explained.

"Ordinary Medicinal Pills have fierce medicinal power; the Old Ancestor's body is currently depleted and too weak to handle such supplements. Only by using the gentle method of a medicinal bath can we first stabilize the foundation and cultivate the Origin Qi, then plan for the future."

Shen Qiming and several Elders looked at each other, asked no more questions, and immediately split up to take action.

Half an hour later, at the Forbidden Ground.

A huge bronze cauldron stood outside the stone chamber; under the cauldron, flames were raging, and the clear water inside had already begun to boil.

The Shen Family clansmen put the seventeen types of medicinal materials specified by Shen Yuanmo into the cauldron in the order he instructed.

As the medicinal materials entered the water, the originally clear water quickly turned a deep dark green, and a rich, strange medicinal fragrance permeated the air.

Shen Yuanmo stood in front of the cauldron, his expression focused.

"It is ready."

An hour later, Shen Yuanmo extinguished the fire; the medicinal liquid in the cauldron had become viscous, with a warm luster, and the medicinal fragrance was contained.

"Father, please ask the Old Ancestor to come out of seclusion."

Shen Qiming took a deep breath, stepped forward, and pushed open the heavy stone door.

A breath mixed with Death Qi and dry heat rushed out from the stone chamber.

In the center of the stone chamber, on a stone bed, sat an old man as thin as a stick; it was the Shen Family Old Ancestor, Shen Zongdao.

His eyes were tightly closed, his face was like gold paper, and his breath was faint, as if it could cut off at any moment.

"Old Ancestor..." Shen Qiming's voice choked with sobs.

Shen Yuanmo walked in, came to the stone bed, and extended two fingers, resting them on Shen Zongdao's wrist.

After a moment, he frowned slightly.

The situation was even worse than he had imagined; the Meridians in the Old Ancestor's body had been scorched by the incorrect Cultivation Technique True Qi until they were extremely fragile.

The Foundation Establishment Dao platform in his Dantian was covered in cracks, and his vitality was almost completely extinguished.

"We cannot wait any longer."

"Father, give me a hand, and let's move the Old Ancestor into the cauldron," Shen Yuanmo decided decisively and said to Shen Qiming.

The father and son worked together to carefully lift Shen Zongdao's body.

They slowly placed him into the huge bronze cauldron, leaving only his head outside.

The boiling medicinal liquid submerged the Old Ancestor's body.

"Ugh..."

Shen Zongdao, who was in a coma, let out a painful groan, and the muscles on his withered face twitched violently.

"Yuan Mo, this..." Shen Qiming watched, his heart palpitating with fear.

"It is fine," Shen Yuanmo's expression did not change.

"This is the medicinal power taking effect, removing the deep-seated illness; the process is a bit painful."

As he spoke, he formed hand seals, and an incomparably pure strand of Crimson Sun Art magic power surged from his palm, pressing onto the Baihui acupoint on the top of Shen Zongdao's head.

Using his own magic power as a guide, he combed through the chaotic Qi in the Old Ancestor's body caused by the impact of the medicinal power, protecting his heart Meridians.

Time passed bit by bit.

The color of the medicinal liquid in the cauldron was fading at a speed visible to the naked eye.

And on the surface of Shen Zongdao's originally withered yellow skin, layers of black, greasy Impurities that emitted a foul, fishy odor began to seep out.

The Elders guarding outside watched this scene nervously, not daring to take a deep breath.

Two hours later.

The medicinal liquid in the cauldron had become clear again.

And although Shen Zongdao's breath was still weak, it had become much steadier and longer.

The Death Qi on his face had also dissipated for the most part, and there was even a faint hint of ruddiness.

Shen Yuanmo withdrew his palm, let out a long breath, and sweat appeared on his forehead.

Controlling magic power precisely for a long time was also a significant drain on him.

"It is done."

Shen Qiming hurried forward, and together with several Elders, helped Shen Zongdao out of the cauldron, changed him into the clean clothes that had been prepared long ago, and sent him back to the stone chamber.

After doing all this, everyone gathered around the stone bed, staring intensely at the Old Ancestor.

Just at this moment, Shen Zongdao's eyelids, which were like withered tree bark, suddenly twitched.

Then, in the breath-holding gaze of everyone, he slowly opened his eyes.

"I... where is this?"

"Old Ancestor! You are awake!" Shen Qiming's voice changed with excitement.

"Qiming?" Shen Zongdao saw the person in front of him clearly.

Immediately, he seemed to feel something; he lowered his head to look at his hands, and then inspected his own body internally.

The next moment, a light that had never been seen before burst forth from his cloudy eyes.

"The dry fire in my body... that Death Qi that had been entrenched for decades... it actually... actually disappeared?"

He suddenly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and finally, it settled on Shen Yuanmo.

"Yuan Mo, was it you who saved me?"