Is It Reasonable for Me to Start a Sect at 12?

That very night, Yuan Qing returned to the inn and informed Lin Xiao that the Yuan family had made all the necessary arrangements. They only needed to disguise themselves and head to the Yuan family's back entrance before midnight.

Yuan Qing had already checked with Lin Xiao beforehand, asking if he minded entering through the back door. Naturally, Lin Xiao had no issue with such a minor detail.

Earlier, Lin Xiao had mentioned that Jiang Youfu, his assistant, would be accompanying him, and Yuan Qing had no objections.

As the time approached midnight, Lin Xiao, Jiang Youfu, and Yuan Qing disguised themselves and left the inn.

The weather that night was pleasant. The air was dry, and though the moon was hidden, the sky was clear.

They didn't head directly to the Yuan residence. Instead, they found a secluded spot to adjust their disguises before quietly making their way to the Yuan family's back entrance.

Inside the Yuan family's main estate, Yuan Bi had already made all the necessary preparations. So, when Yuan Qing led Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu through the back entrance, they encountered no one along the way.

Unhindered, they made their way to the deepest part of the Yuan family's residence, where the family's ancestor was secluded.

Yuan Bi had been waiting for them there. Typically, this area was heavily guarded, but today, Yuan Bi had dismissed everyone, stating that he wanted to personally stand guard over the ancestor. The rest of the family didn't find this suspicious, assuming that Yuan Bi, deeply saddened by the ancestor's worsening condition, wanted to spend one final night alone with him.

As a result, the guards on duty that day went home with peace of mind.

The three made their way through winding paths to the deepest part of the Yuan residence.

There was a small mountain there, and from the courtyard, Lin Xiao could see the peak rising into the night sky.

As they approached, Lin Xiao immediately sensed that the spiritual energy in the area was significantly denser than in the surrounding environment.

It seemed likely that this mountain was the foundation of the Yuan family's strength. Perhaps there was even a spiritual vein within it.

He had heard that many large families in Yuanling City had acquired branches of spiritual veins from the major sects. Whether that was true or not, he wasn't sure.

However, even if they had spiritual veins, these were only branches and not as powerful as the main veins. Moreover, since the veins were technically controlled by others, the Yuan family had to rely on external powers.

In the Immortal Realm, families like the Yuan, though considered the top family in the city, couldn't compare to the larger sects in scale and influence. They had little choice but to accept such arrangements.

Lin Xiao had also heard that most of the major families in Yuanling City controlled at least one small spirit stone mine, which provided the foundation for their survival.

As he pondered these matters, they arrived at the courtyard gate.

Sensing their arrival, Yuan Bi came out to greet them.

Upon seeing Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu, Yuan Bi was slightly surprised. Though he had expected Yuan Qing's friends to be young, he hadn't anticipated them being this young—they looked two years younger than Yuan Qing.

He was a bit doubtful, but with no other options available, he refrained from questioning them directly.

With a look of gratitude, Yuan Bi briefly introduced himself to Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu before leading them inside.

The group entered the courtyard at the base of the mountain, and Yuan Bi led them into a building. Once inside, Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu realized that the structure was built into the mountain itself.

They walked down a passage with several branching paths, but Yuan Bi led them straight ahead down the central path.

After walking for a while, they finally arrived at a large, sealed stone door.

Yuan Bi stopped in front of the door and turned to Lin Xiao, saying:

"Lin Daoyou, this is where our ancestor is in seclusion. His heart demon is quite severe, and it's starting to spread. The situation inside may not be pleasant. Please, center your minds and focus your spiritual energy."

Lin Xiao quickly turned to remind Jiang Youfu of the importance of remaining focused, then nodded to Yuan Bi:

"We're ready. Please proceed, Yuan Family Head."

With that, Yuan Bi wasted no time. He turned, formed a hand seal, and channeled spiritual energy into the stone door.

In the next moment, the massive stone door quickly rose upward.

Immediately, Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu sensed a faint but distinct aura of malice seeping out from within.

While it didn't affect them, Yuan Qing, whose cultivation was lower, appeared visibly more tense, focusing his full attention on protecting his mental state.

Yuan Bi, observing how calm Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu remained, nodded inwardly. These two young cultivators either possessed some treasure that shielded them from the heart demon, or their cultivation and mental fortitude were simply exceptional. Judging by their composed expressions, Yuan Bi leaned toward the latter.

But that wasn't important at the moment.

Sensing that the heart demon's presence seemed even more severe than it had been just a few days ago, Yuan Bi hurriedly led them inside.

Once inside the cave, they found that it was rather plain. The walls were rough stone, without any elaborate decorations.

This was different from what Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu had imagined. They had expected that a Nascent Soul cultivator's residence would be grand and luxurious.

They hadn't anticipated that the Yuan family's ancestor would live in such simplicity.

However, they quickly reasoned that the Yuan family's ancestor probably wasn't poor—perhaps he just preferred a more austere lifestyle.

As they pondered this, they couldn't help but imagine how uncomfortable it would be to live in such a bare cave for days on end, let alone for years as the Yuan family's ancestor had done.

The mere thought made Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu shudder.

After surveying the cave, they finally turned their attention to the figure seated cross-legged on a large stone platform at the far end of the room.

From beside them, Yuan Bi spoke:

"Honored guests, this is our Yuan family's ancestor."

At a glance, anyone could see that the situation was dire.

The Yuan family's ancestor was completely shrouded in thick black mist, obscuring his appearance and making him seem as though he was on the verge of being swallowed by darkness.

Through the gaps in the mist, one could just make out the elder's gaunt form, his body emaciated to the point where his skin clung to his bones. His face was marred by strange black spots.

Jiang Youfu couldn't help but take a curious glance, but out of respect for the situation, he refrained from staring too openly.

Seeing this, Lin Xiao wasted no time with formalities. He turned to Yuan Bi and said:

"Yuan Family Head, we'll begin now. Please, step outside with Yuan Qing."

Yuan Bi had anticipated this. He understood that since Lin Xiao didn't want his involvement known, he wouldn't want anyone observing the process either.

Though Yuan Bi had expected this, he still trusted Yuan Qing's friends to some extent. After all, if not for them, he would have been desperate enough to try anything, even trusting a stranger claiming they had a solution for the ancestor.

With no better alternatives, he would have had no choice.

Moreover, the ancestor's secluded area was protected by numerous defensive formations. If things took a turn for the worse, he had contingencies in place.

So, without further hesitation, Yuan Bi nodded to Lin Xiao and said:

"I'll leave it to you two."

With that, he and Yuan Qing exited the cave, making sure to close the stone door behind them.

Seeing this, Lin Xiao knew that the Yuan family must have backup plans in place in case he had ulterior motives. But this was only natural.

If the roles were reversed, he would do the same.

After all, he had no intention of doing anything suspicious.