Vol. 1 - Ch. 70 - Seeking Advice

Upon hearing Chen Xingzhen's question, Chen Tianjing scratched his head awkwardly. Chen Xingzhen understood immediately—Chen Tianjing had likely learned the technique too. He let out a deep sigh.

“This fighting technique is dangerous,” Chen Xingzhen said, his voice heavy with concern. 

“If it spreads, it will only harm our clan.”

“Even though we have the Divine Tree, which can display divine power, there’s no guarantee it can completely heal the after-effects of this technique.”

Chen Tianjing frowned, realizing he had underestimated the situation. The clan members had been inspired to practice the Five Viscera Ascension Technique after witnessing the Divine Tree's divine power a few days earlier. 

But if the Divine Tree couldn’t reverse the damage, it would only hasten the clan's decline.

The loss of any of the five viscera would cause severe damage to the body, and the technique detailed the consequences of each. Chen Tianjing, recognizing the gravity of the situation, quickly spoke up.

“Patriarch, we might still have time to fix this. I’ll gather the clan members who have learned it—”

Chen Xingzhen waved him off. 

“It’s too late. Most of them have already learned it.”

Chen Xingzhen's expression was resolute. 

“I’ll consult the Divine Tree tonight.”

Chen Tianjing nodded. If the Divine Tree could neutralize the technique’s after-effects, it could provide a sudden surge in power for the clan, one that might turn the tide in a critical moment.

Chen Xingzhen’s thoughts were conflicted. Before today, he would have resealed the fighting technique without hesitation. But with the Liu clan’s recent movements, he sensed an impending crisis. 

He had to prepare for the worst. If the Divine Tree could mitigate the side effects, then the Five Viscera Ascension Technique might transform from a cursed technique into a hidden weapon of immense power.

His thoughts briefly drifted to the Blood Rice growing in the good field, and he felt a wave of fatigue. The burdens on his shoulders seemed to multiply with each passing day, and he was running out of solutions.

Tonight, he would consult his father for guidance. Chen Changming, the former patriarch, would surely have wisdom to share, and perhaps a way forward.

“The Five Viscera Ascension Technique?”

In the Ancestral Hall, Ji Yang listened to Chen Tianjing’s account of the technique, realizing what Chen Qinghe had been searching for during last month’s ancestral ceremony. 

As Ji Yang grasped the details of the technique, he couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

“Amazing!” he thought, though the admiration was tinged with disbelief. 

“Which mad genius invented this? Using it is practically suicidal!”

Though not a martial artist himself, Ji Yang understood the importance of the five viscera. His healing powers were formidable, but they had their limits. 

Losing the brain or heart would render even his abilities useless. He could save the wounded and dying but not resurrect the dead. For other organs, however, it might just be feasible.

Ji Yang pondered the implications. His healing abilities and the Divine Tree’s powers were fundamentally similar: both consumed vital energy to aid the clan. One transferred vitality directly, while the other converted it into Qi and Blood through divine displays.

If the Five Viscera Ascension Technique was less taxing on vital energy and had a stronger effect, it could bolster the clan's strength significantly. However, this was all theoretical; the actual impact needed to be tested.

After Chen Xingzhen finished recounting the situation, he waited in silence for the Divine Tree’s response. For a long time, the tree remained still, and Chen Xingzhen’s heart sank. If even the Divine Tree couldn’t help, they would need to retrieve the technique and strictly prohibit its use.

Just as Chen Xingzhen was planning how to manage the fallout, several green light spots descended from the Divine Tree, landing softly in his hand before vanishing.

Seeing this response, a glimmer of hope sparked in Chen Xingzhen’s eyes. If the side effects of the Five Viscera Ascension Technique could be managed, then in dire circumstances, the clan would wield a power that could turn the tide against any foe, catching their enemies off guard.

Chen Xingzhen noticed that only four green light spots had fallen from the Divine Tree.

Did this mean the tree was indicating that only four viscera could be sacrificed at most? 

This revelation brought him a small sense of reassurance, suggesting that the limits of the Five Viscera Ascension Technique might not be as catastrophic as he initially feared.

With a renewed focus, Chen Xingzhen shifted to discussing recent clan matters, including the perplexing issue of the Blood Rice and strategies for dealing with the rising threat of the Liu clan. This time, however, he didn’t pray directly to the Divine Tree. Instead, he spoke aloud to the empty space before the tree's trunk.

Unseen by him, the souls of several ancestors were silently listening. Chen Xingzhen recalled what his father, Chen Changming, had once told him in a dream: the spirits of the departed clan members resided within the Ancestral Hall. 

By recounting the clan’s troubles aloud before sleep, Chen Xingzhen hoped his father would hear and provide answers in his dreams, a method far more efficient than waiting for divine revelations.

Above, Ji Yang listened closely to Chen Xingzhen’s descriptions. Although he had never cultivated Blood Rice himself, he had seen it before and thought its deep red hue was striking. However, his understanding was purely observational; he couldn’t offer much in terms of agricultural advice.

But when Chen Xingzhen shifted the conversation to the Liu clan, Ji Yang’s demeanor grew serious. The possibility that the Liu clan possessed a clan totem was troubling. Totems were unique and sacred, deeply entwined with the essence of a clan’s power and legacy.

Ji Yang recalled fragments of knowledge from his time as a newly awakened tree. While his memories of this were hazy, he’d gleaned some understanding of clan totems from Chen Changming and other elders who occasionally spoke of them. Totems could take many forms—flowers, trees, and even seemingly ordinary objects like stones—as long as they housed a spirit within them.

The world, vast and mysterious, had only a few such spiritual objects, making them incredibly rare. Powerful families hoarded these treasures, seizing them as soon as they were discovered, leaving little opportunity for smaller families to acquire one. This unspoken rule had long been observed among the great clans.

Given the nature of Chaotic Burial Mountain, it was unlikely that local families even knew what a totem was, much less possessed one. The Li clan, for instance, lacked a totem; otherwise, the Chen clan might have already been wiped out.

The Chen clan was an exception. Despite its decline, it still retained vestiges of its former glory, including the Divine Tree that served as their totem. Ji Yang speculated that the Liu clan was not a native clan of Chaotic Burial Mountain but rather outsiders with a hidden past. 

If they did possess a clan totem, it would not be surprising, but it would undoubtedly make them a formidable adversary.

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