Sect Master's Immortal Journey

Chapter 276: Old Friend's News

Upon hearing the long-lost name "An Lei," Meng Zhang was initially stunned, then his expression became complex. It had been more than thirty years since then. At that time, Meng Zhang had just joined Taiyi Sect, having only practiced cultivation for a few years.

An Lei, the head of the An Family, happened to pass by nearby and decided to pay a visit to Taiyi Sect. Before moving to Twin Success Valley, Taiyi Sect was a sect with several Foundation Building cultivators and had once been affiliated with the Flying Swan Sect for a period of time. However, their mountain gate was later breached by a sand monster army, and the remaining disciples had to migrate northward, settling in a more desolate and remote place to rebuild the sect.

An Family and the original Taiyi Sect had a good relationship, having cooperated against common enemies on several occasions. However, after the migration of Taiyi Sect, the two families gradually lost contact.

Since An Lei was passing by this time, he took the opportunity to visit his old friends and reminisce about the past. Taiyi Sect warmly welcomed An Lei's visit.

To An Lei's surprise, the once prosperous Taiyi Sect had now become so weak that all of its Foundation Building cultivators had perished during meditation, and there were no new Foundation Building cultivators born. It had even fallen to the point where they didn't have any Refining Qi stage cultivators.

An Lei was not a petty person and treated the current Taiyi Sect with respect and warmth. During his visit, An Lei noticed the young Meng Zhang. Although he didn't know that Meng Zhang possessed a high-quality spiritual root, An Lei was attracted to his intelligence, wit, and extraordinary comprehension.

After careful observation, An Lei was certain that Meng Zhang's aptitude for cultivation was excellent. Thus, he proposed to Taiyi Sect's Sect Master, Daoist Profound Spirit, that he wanted to bring Meng Zhang back to An Family and nurture him to become a member of the An Family.

Given that Taiyi Sect sought to curry favor with the An Family, they were happy to support this proposal. However, Daoist Profound Spirit wasn't enthusiastic about it, and Meng Zhang himself firmly refused, insisting on staying at Taiyi Sect. He even declared that he was born a member of Taiyi Sect and would remain devoted to it.

An Lei, a broad-minded elder, wasn't displeased by Meng Zhang's rejection. He admired Meng Zhang and, before leaving, offered him some gifts, including spiritual stones and talismans – common items for Foundation Building cultivators, but a significant gesture for Meng Zhang at that time. Later, these gifts helped Meng Zhang overcome many difficulties.

Decades had passed, but Meng Zhang always cherished An Lei's kindness and assistance. This time, when he came to the territory of Flying Swan Sect, he also planned to pay a visit to An Family along the way.

"You are truly An Lei, Senior An's granddaughter?"

"Yes." The young girl nodded emphatically.

"My name is An Xiaoran. In the past, my grandfather and my family members mentioned you. He said that he had discovered an outstanding young man in Taiyi Sect named Meng Zhang, but unfortunately, this young man refused to leave Taiyi Sect."

"After so many years, Senior An still remembers me," Meng Zhang exclaimed emotionally.

"By the way, why are you alone here, and how is Senior An doing?" Meng Zhang inquired.

Upon hearing Meng Zhang's question, An Xiaoran's mood visibly dampened, and her face became clouded. Without waiting for Meng Zhang to ask further, she voluntarily began to tell him.

As it turned out, several years ago, An Lei led the elite members of the An Family to the frontline to battle against the sand monster army after being summoned by the Flying Swan Sect.

After a series of consecutive battles, the elite forces of the An Family were completely lost, and even An Lei himself suffered severe injuries, shaking the foundation of the family.

After the great war concluded, An Lei returned to his family only to discover that the family was on the brink of upheaval. Surprisingly, a cultivator named Zeng Jiexiong, from an unrelated family, had unknowingly taken control of the An Family's power. Originally from a loose cultivator background, Zeng Jiexiong was recruited into the An Family due to his outstanding talent, and he married a woman from the An Family, becoming a son-in-law.

Zeng Jiexiong was usually low-key, honest, and hardworking, drawing little attention within the An Family. However, after his younger brother, Zeng Jiantang, joined the prestigious Flying Swan Sect and successfully achieved Foundation Building, Zeng Jiexiong's status within the An Family began to rise gradually.

Before An Lei led the elite members of the family into battle, Zeng Jiexiong, through his brother's connections, was deployed ahead of time, avoiding the bloody frontlines by being assigned to the logistics team. Under the care of others, Zeng Jiexiong managed to earn enough merit and exchanged it for a Foundation Building Pill from the Flying Swan Sect. With the successful Foundation Building, Zeng Jiexiong took advantage of the absence of An Lei and others and returned to the family.

Being the only Foundation Building cultivator at the time, he began to alienate others, promote loyalists, and even recruited many outsiders into the family. As a result, several of the direct lineages of the An Family members died under mysterious circumstances.

In just a few years, the fortunes of the An Family changed drastically. By the time the war ended and An Lei returned to the family, it was already too late for him to reverse the situation. An Lei, severely injured and nearing the end of his life, was powerless to confront Zeng Jiexiong.

In desperation, An Lei could only rely on the remnants of his influence as a Foundation Building cultivator to arrange matters for the younger generations within the family. An Xiaoran awakened her spiritual roots while An Lei was away on his expedition.

At that time, An Family members were subjected to exclusion by Zeng Jiexiong. Except for those who voluntarily aligned with him, the rest were subjected to various forms of harassment. An Xiaoran awakened her spiritual roots without anyone measuring the quality and attributes of her roots. Based on her own intuition, she secretly found a cultivation manual titled "Wood Ignition Technique" from the family's collection and began her practice.

Before he passed away, An Lei arranged for An Xiaoran and her younger brother, An Moran, to come to the Guixiang Oasis. Huang Ping, the person in charge of the oasis, owed An Lei a favor from the battlefield and, upon receiving An Lei's personal letter, welcomed An Xiaoran and her brother.

Not long ago, news of An Lei's death spread throughout the An Family. With his demise, the An Family fell completely into the hands of Zeng Jiexiong. As Meng Zhang listened to An Xiaoran's account, he simultaneously used Mind Reading to understand her thoughts. Every word spoken by An Xiaoran was true.

Hearing about An Lei's death, Meng Zhang's expression turned grave, filled with a sense of sorrow. It was truly unexpected that a respected senior like An Lei would meet such an end. Meng Zhang had originally intended to visit him but arrived too late, missing the chance to see him for the last time. With An Lei's passing, the An Family's fate also took a turn for the worse, and it seemed that he would not rest peacefully.

The An Family's position within the Flying Swan Sect was relatively remote, and after Zeng Jiexiong took control, he intentionally isolated various news about the An Family. If Meng Zhang had not chanced upon An Xiaoran today, he might still be unaware of An Lei and the An Family's situation. The information he gathered from the black market before leaving was still quite incomplete regarding the situation within the Flying Swan Sect.

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