Two days later, Zhang Ling left Feiyun City and headed north towards the island, where the Qiyun Mountains were located. The main peak, Qiyun Mountain, was the location of the entire Feiyun Sect, starting from its halfway point.
However, the Qiyun Mountains had many branches, and some cultivating families affiliated with the Feiyun Sect were located among them. The Hu family, from which Baiyun Sanren (The Free Man of White Clouds) originated, was on Xiaoyun Peak, north of the Qiyun Mountains.
Before long, Zhang Ling saw a mountain thousands of feet high, most of which was hidden in the clouds. The surrounding hundreds of miles were the Hu family's territory.
There were many such tall peaks on Feiyun Island, covering most of the island.
After looking at it from a distance for a while, a mass of black clay appeared in Zhang Ling's hand, quickly stretching into a mass of gray-black gel-like substance. This was the shapeshifting mud he obtained from Tianyuan, which could transform into various things.
With a thought, this substance covered his face and began to change. After a few breaths, Zhang Ling's face became sallow, transforming into the face of an old man.
At the same time, he activated a magic technique, and yellow light flashed quickly on his body, slightly altering his figure. Before long, he had completely transformed into the appearance of Baiyun Sanren.
Zhang Ling chuckled, and with a flick of his arm, a vine extended from his left arm, turning into thin strands, inside which was wrapped a pale blue gem. There were many tiny cracks on it, but at this moment, it emitted a faint white light.
With this item, it would be even more difficult to distinguish whether he was really Baiyun Sanren or not.
This gem was Baiyun Sanren's natal magic treasure. Although its power was greatly reduced after his death, it had been refined by Baiyun Sanren for hundreds of years, so it naturally carried Baiyun Sanren's aura. Although it was constantly weakening.
But by carrying this item and using a secret technique to activate it, Zhang Ling would carry Baiyun Sanren's aura. Even if someone familiar with him stood in front of him, unless they were a Nascent Soul monster, they would only think he was Baiyun Sanren.
Then, Zhang Ling took out the White Jade Ruyi and played with it in his hand. He cast a spell on it, and the White Jade Ruyi transformed into a cloud of white, wrapping around him and turning into a white escape light, flying towards the distant Xiaoyun Peak.
After considering it for a while, Zhang Ling decided to use this person's identity to infiltrate the Feiyun Sect. If he had the opportunity to obtain the secret method of condensing the Devouring Cloud Stone, that would be even better. As for the existing threats, as long as he was careful, there shouldn't be any trouble.
After all, he didn't plan to stay here for long, at most a month or two. If the situation was overwhelming, he would leave directly.
……
Greetings, Grand Uncle, Ancestor!
In a rather elegantly decorated hall in the Hu family's residence, Zhang Ling, disguised as Baiyun Sanren, sat in the main seat, watching some people bow to him.
He felt a strange feeling in his heart, never expecting that one day he would be able to be the ancestor of other cultivators. For a time, Zhang Ling had a feeling of being high above, but at the same time, he also felt a somewhat awkward feeling.
You may rise. How has the family been doing lately?
Zhang Ling glanced at the people present. There were thirteen cultivators, each with a strength above the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, and four of them had already cultivated to the peak of Foundation Establishment. These were the core disciples of the Hu family.
Of course, besides them, the Hu family also had many collateral disciples, as well as more than thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators. Their development was considered good.
Fifth Uncle, since the death of Third Grand Uncle a few years ago, our Hu family's power has shrunk by more than half in the past two years. The Wu family and the Zhao family have joined forces to put pressure on our Hu family, and we have had to shrink some of our power. If this continues, our Hu family may be not as good as before. Please, Fifth Uncle, decide where our Hu family should go in the future. An old man with gray hair said to Zhang Ling with a look of grief.
Zhang Ling glanced at this person, expressionlessly playing with the White Jade Ruyi in his hand, looking indifferent.
He had searched Baiyun Sanren's soul without a specific purpose, so he had skimmed through most of this person's memories.
The person in front of him was named Hu Lin, the current head of the Hu family, and his strength was also in the late stage of Foundation Establishment. However, this person was already over a hundred years old and had no chance of forming a Golden Core.
Yes, Grand Uncle, our Hu family's resources have decreased a lot in recent years. If this continues, we may be reduced to an ordinary family. The other Hu family cultivators also began to complain one after another.
Zhang Ling sat in the main seat, listening to these people complaining and arguing without saying a word. He naturally didn't care how the Hu family would develop in the future. He had just asked the question based on Baiyun Sanren's habitual inquiry after returning from his travels.
There are seven or eight cultivating families in the Qiyun Mountains that are affiliated with the Feiyun Sect. Many disciples of these families have joined the Feiyun Sect. Moreover, Golden Core cultivators have appeared among them and become elders of the Feiyun Sect.
Among them, the Wu family and the Hu family were originally the most powerful.
But after another Golden Core cultivator of the Hu family died a few years ago, only Baiyun Sanren was left, so their power was greatly reduced. The Wu family now has two Golden Core cultivators, one of whom is also a late-stage Golden Core expert.
Among the other families, only three now have Golden Core cultivators, and the Golden Core cultivators of five or six other families have also fallen, leaving only Foundation Establishment cultivators to support them.
However, the Feiyun Sect did not expel these Foundation Establishment families, but gave them two hundred years. If they could not cultivate another Golden Core cultivator, these families would be expelled from the Qiyun Mountains and become lower-class families.
The Hu family's current situation is actually quite delicate. Only Baiyun Sanren is supporting them. Baiyun Sanren is only a Hu family cultivator and has not joined the Feiyun Sect, so he has attracted the exclusion of other families.
Although cultivating families are affiliated with the sect, they do not completely belong to the sect. Compared with loose cultivators, cultivating families naturally control certain cultivation resources and can also cultivate some high-level cultivators. Baiyun Sanren is in this situation.
If there is a great opportunity, cultivating families will also produce Nascent Soul cultivators. This kind of family is already not weaker than small and medium-sized sects.
The Hu family's current predicament is actually on Baiyun Sanren.
With the connection with the Feiyun Sect, as long as Baiyun Sanren joins the Feiyun Sect, with the Feiyun Sect mediating, the other families will naturally not embarrass the Hu family.
And Zhang Ling wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to sneak into the Feiyun Sect to obtain the secret technique of condensing the Devouring Cloud Stone.
