Chapter 4

"Thank you, Master Handsome Immortal! You really are the son of heaven!" The guard left with a hefty pouch of spirit stones. John then led the elder from his clan deeper into his mountain.

"Long time no see, Elder Walter. Tell me the short version of the story," he asked once they found themselves seated. And he indeed got the short version: patriarch ill, clan threatened to be slaughtered.

"Okay then, let's go back in the morning, Elder Walter. Make yourself at home in one of the rooms in the mountain. I'll go out for a bit," John said.

He went out to procure his treasure from the sect and returned to his mountain. In the morning, they flew using the treasure that John had obtained the night before.

It was a spiritual artifact that could change form with the will of its owner. It could serve as an attack, defense, or, in this case, a flight treasure, making it useful in many situations.

This spiritual artifact was on the third tier. The first tier was common artifacts, the second was mortal artifacts, and this was the third, a spiritual artifact.

There were ten tiers altogether, but that was not important at the moment.

The two flew in a spiritual boat condensed by the will of John's spiritual artifact named Omniform Arcana. It was also at that time that Elder Walter gathered enough courage to inquire about John's status in the sect.

"The people in the sect seem to hold you in high regard, young master. You even have a mountain of your own and this flying treasure," Walter said curiously.

One should know that their foster clan was only a mortal clan. In fact, only John was sent to the sect to cultivate since he was the first in thousands of years of their clan's history to possess spiritual veins that enable cultivation.

"I have my achievements, Elder Walter. This much is enough to dissuade any threats lurking in our family today," John replied.

They arrived in Spiritwind City after only seven minutes. This shocked Elder Walter to his core, as it had taken him seven days and seven nights of hard travel to reach the Iron Will Sect.

The old man looked at the flying boat with great reverence in his mind. This was certainly a craft of immortals. Their arrival also caused a huge spectacle in the city, with everyone watching as they landed gracefully on the foster clan's home grounds.

"Young master John!"

"You're back!"

"The young master is back! Send for the lord and lady!"

The people in the clan were overjoyed. However, it was curious to see that John and his company did not land at the largest house in the clan but at a rather modest one. It was obvious that he did not belong to the main lineage of the clan but was instead the humble son of an honest farmer.

"You've grown, John," a tall, bulky man said, hugging his son. His eyes then lingered on the majestic form of the flying boat. It was more than 500 feet in size, and the intricate design on its surface told of the great powers hidden behind its impressive form.

"I'll take you, Mom, and the rest to tour inside this ship. It's really nothing much," John promised. Soon, his mom, siblings, and friends joined them, and that morning, he enjoyed a hearty breakfast with his loved ones.

The night was certainly different.

"The clan head is summoning our family, John. There's a feast in the main house, and the clan head has invited all the major clans in the city as well," John's mom said. She was a beautiful middle-aged woman, though worry marred her beauty at the moment.

"How have you been since I left, Mother? Did anyone give you a hard time while I was away?" John asked.

"No, son. The main house treated our family kindly. It's just that the last few days have been worrying. There are talks of other clans trying to take away our businesses in the city. I'm just happy that you're here now," John's mother smiled.

"You're an immortal cultivator now, John. You should just slaughter every single man, woman, child, dog, and cat of the Harrington clan and the Fletcher clan. That would send a big message to the rest of the clans and they would dare not offend us anymore," John's older brother voiced his opinion.

"That seems like overkill, Lucas," John shook his head. Though he had killed once before, Veronica, the thought of harming innocent children and pets seemed absurd to him.

"Killing is bad. We should live honestly and in peace with one another," a ten-year-old girl said, her words filled with innocence. This was John's sister.

"You're right, Lucy. That's the dream I share too," John said, patting his cute sister on the head.

"Let's save the talk for later. We don't want the patriarch to wait. He doesn't have much time," John's father said. The family boarded a carriage and arrived at the main house ten minutes later.

"Greetings to the immortal cultivator, Master Handsome Immortal!"

"Greetings to the immortal cultivator, Master Handsome Immortal!"

"Greetings to the immortal cultivator, Master Handsome Immortal!"

This loud chorus greeted John as he finally stepped down from the carriage. It seemed Elder Walter had thoroughly briefed the main house of the clan.

"Hehehe. You're so cool, big brother!" Lucy's eyes lit up with happiness as she was excited by the grand entrance. There were even large, impressive flags proclaiming "Handsome Master Immortal!"

John could only smile in response. He and his family walked down the entrance and saw that the main house grounds were already packed with people—young and old, plain and beautiful. Even the city lord and his family were present.

At the main table at the end sat the patriarch and his family. The patriarch of the clan was old, possibly turning 150 this year—an impressive feat for a Qi-gathering expert whose lifespan typically reached around 100 years. Yet, this old man had extended his life by 50 years through training or perhaps sheer strength of will. It was indeed admirable.

"Welcome, John. My heart is at rest to finally see you return to us," the old patriarch said in a soft voice, remaining seated, clearly fatigued just from being present.

"The pleasure is mine, Clan Head. I wouldn't be here if not for the shelter provided by the main house, enjoyed by me, my family, and all members of the foster clan. In return, I bring a small gift. Please accept it," John said.

He moved to a nearby table, retrieved a glass, poured wine into it, and then sprinkled a powdery substance from his hands into the wine.

He then delivered the gift to the old clan head. Everyone was curious about the powder, but they remained silent throughout.

"To peace and prosperity in all the clans of Spiritwind City," the clan head raised his glass, and the rest of the people shouted in reply.

"To peace and prosperity in all the clans of Spiritwind City!" the people cheered, but by the 20th breath, they were shocked by the transformation of the old patriarch.

"This…" The old man gasped, taking a deep breath. Suddenly, a startling change overcame him. His once-gray hair turned black again, his wrinkled skin smoothed out. Beyond that, the strength he had lost over the years returned and even intensified. After a full minute of transformation, he appeared as an 18-year-old young man.

"A miracle!" someone shouted, and indeed, that was exactly what it was.