The moonlight filtered through the shattered doors of the ancestral hall, casting long, jagged shadows across the floor. The sound of rhythmic thumping and scraping filled the air—the sound of desperate men and women clawing at the earth. Under the frantic direction of Elder Lin Feng, the clan members had moved with a speed born of pure, ancestral terror. They had bypassed the marble tiles, smashed through the reinforced concrete foundation, and were now deep into the dark, damp soil directly beneath the main altar.
Fang Lin hovered in the rafters, his spectral form flickering. To his "Overseer's Eye," the ground was not just dirt and stone. He saw the swirling, murky colors of the spiritual landscape. Deep below, a vibrant, pulse-like blue light struggled to break through—the Fading Qi-Vein. But wrapped around it, like a suffocating black vine, was a thick, viscous cloud of grey miasma.
[System Warning: Grave-Rot Spirit awakening.]
[Detection: The stagnant resentment of the Lin Clan's decline has coalesced. It is feeding on the Qi-Vein to manifest a physical form.]
"Stop!" Lin Chen suddenly roared, his golden eyes flaring. He dropped his shovel and shoved a younger cousin backward.
The ground groaned. A foul, sickly-sweet odor—the scent of wet earth and ancient decay—wafted up from the pit. Suddenly, the dirt at the bottom of the excavation bubbled like a swamp. A hand made of matted hair, rotted bone, and wet clay thrust upward, followed by a screech that felt like a rusty blade scraping against the souls of everyone present.
"Mon-monster!" Lin Feng shrieked, falling over his own feet.
The Grave-Rot Spirit pulled itself out of the earth. It was a shambling mound of filth, nearly eight feet tall, with a gaping hole where a face should be. It radiated a chill that turned the humid night air into frost. This was the manifestation of the "Clan's Decline"—the physical embodiment of two decades of cowardice and stagnant energy.
[Threat Level: Peak Foundation Establishment (Physical Resistance High).]
"It's too strong for them," Fang Lin hissed. He looked at Lin Chen. The boy was standing his ground, his [Pure-Yang Body] instinctively radiating heat to push back the miasma, but his 5th-layer Qi Condensation cultivation was like a candle flame trying to stop a blizzard.
"Grandfather! What do I do?" Chen cried out, his voice cracking as the spirit lunged at him with a claw of jagged bone.
"You move aside, boy," Fang Lin's voice boomed, no longer a whisper but a command that vibrated the very atoms of the hall. "System! Spend the points! [Ancestral Possession]—Now!"
[DING! 30 CFP Deducted. Remaining Balance: 10 CFP.]
[Commencing Possession. Time Limit: 30 Seconds.]
[Warning: The descendant's body will suffer extreme strain. Use with caution.]
Lin Chen felt a sudden, absolute coldness enter his spine, followed by a heat so intense it transcended physical sensation. His golden eyes turned a blinding, piercing violet. His posture shifted from that of a cautious youth to that of a man who had looked at the horizon and seen only conquest.
Fang Lin was now in control.
He looked at his new hands—small, soft, and weak. He flexed them, and the air around his knuckles cracked like thunder. Pathetic strength, Fang thought, but it will have to do.
[00:28 Seconds Remaining]
The Grave-Rot Spirit roared and swung a massive arm of rotted earth at Fang.
Fang didn't dodge. He took a single step forward, his foot landing with a weight that shook the entire estate. He raised a single finger. "In my life, I slew the Kraken of the Eastern Sea. You think a pile of dirt and bad memories can stand before me?"
"Heavenly Collapse: First Finger!"
He tapped the air. A shockwave of pure, condensed intent erupted. The Grave-Rot Spirit's arm didn't just break; it disintegrated into dust. The creature recoiled, its hollow mouth emitting a sound of pure agony.
[00:20 Seconds Remaining]
"Feng! Everyone! Stand back!" Fang roared through Chen's throat. His voice carried the weight of a Golden Core master.
He crouched low, the ground beneath his feet turning to glass from the sheer friction of his Qi. He drew back his fist. The [Pure-Yang Body] was screaming in protest, the skin of Chen's arm beginning to crack and bleed as Fang forced the energy to compress beyond its limits.
"The Lin Clan," Fang whispered, "does not accept decay."
"Great Sun Impact!"
He punched the air in front of the spirit. A beam of white-gold light, as thick as a tree trunk, tore through the creature's chest. The miasma was vaporized. The bones were turned to ash. The light continued through the creature, slamming into the bottom of the pit.
BOOM!
The entire mountain seemed to shiver. A geyser of pure, crystal-blue spiritual water erupted from the hole, shooting thirty feet into the air.
[00:05 Seconds Remaining]
The Grave-Rot Spirit vanished, leaving only a few clumps of smoking clay. The air in the hall was suddenly replaced with a Qi density so thick it felt like breathing nectar.
Fang felt the System's clock ticking down. He looked at the trembling Lin Feng. "The vein is open. Secure the perimeter. If a single drop of this Qi escapes the hall, I'll have your head."
[00:01 Seconds Remaining]
Fang's consciousness was jerked back into the spirit tablet. Lin Chen's body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, blood seeping from the pores of his right arm.
"Chen!" Lin Feng rushed forward, catching the boy.
Fang sat in the grey space, his spectral form panting with exhaustion. That thirty seconds had cost him more than points; it had strained his soul-connection. But the result was undeniable.
[DING! Mission 'Break the Qi-Vein Seal' COMPLETED!]
[Rewards:]
+500 Clan Fate Points.
Clan Qi-Density: Increased by 400%.
Clan Grade: 9th Grade (Stabilized).
Bonus: 'Source Water of Life' (10 drops) - Healing and Breakthrough aid.
"500 points," Fang whispered, a predatory glint returning to his eyes. "System, show me the 'Clan Protection' menu. The Zhang Patriarch will be here by dawn. I want to turn this estate into a graveyard for anyone who bears the Zhang name."
[System Menu: Clan Protection]
Seven-Star Sword Array (Defensive): 300 CFP.
Mist of Illusion (Stealth): 150 CFP.
Automatic Sentry Golems (Rank 1): 100 CFP each.
Fang looked at the blue geyser of Qi still pulsing in the center of the hall. His descendants were staring at it in awe, some of them already sitting down to meditate as the sheer pressure of the energy forced their bottlenecks to break.
"Lin Feng!" Fang's voice echoed from the tablet, sounding tired but regal. "Distribute the Source Water to the most wounded. Everyone else—meditate. Tomorrow, we show the world that the Lin Clan has stopped dying."
He looked at his 510 total CFP. I've got the energy. I've got the genius. I've got the spring. Now... I just need to build the trap.