129: Chapter 129 The Old Monster of the Family

In the Canggu Realm, a country was littered with corpses.

The blood-red Formation burst with a crimson hue as countless souls wailed continuously within it, scrambling to converge into a cracked broadsword.

With the naked eye, one could see the cracks in the broadsword slowly repairing under the washing of the Blood Qi from the countless souls.

"Roar!" Suddenly, a furious roar rang out, and the broadsword trembled, with countless ghostly heads appearing on the blade, howling and struggling.

Finally, a flash of bloody light erupted from the blade, and those struggling ghostly heads fell silent, leaving only a black broadsword shrouded in blood-red light.

"Finally! Sacrificing a whole country, it's finally repaired!" Xuan Ming walked out of the blood Formation in excitement, clutching the broadsword as if it were a priceless treasure.

He swung it forward lightly, and the bloody light from the blade extended dozens of feet, slicing through the houses ahead for several miles, leveling them to the ground.

"Congratulations, Lord Protector!" Several subordinates behind Xuan Ming stepped forward hurriedly to flatter him.

But the joy on Xuan Ming's face soon froze. He gripped the broadsword and looked at his subordinates.

He immediately cursed, "If it weren't for you useless trash! Would I have had to wait until now to refine this demonic weapon? You couldn't even handle a tiny Qi Refining Cultivator! You even alerted the enemy!"

To refine this demonic weapon, he had gone through many twists and turns. Had it not been for his Sect Leader personally overseeing the destruction of this country...

...there was no telling when this demonic weapon would have been repaired.

Xuan Ming's subordinate pleaded for mercy tremblingly, "Lord Protector, please calm your anger. I've found out that Ye Xuan and Ye Yi come from a small rural Family, but somehow this Family has managed to cling to the Qingyun Sect, so we can't touch them for now!"

"Qingyun Sect?" Xuan Ming's brow furrowed, and killing intent surged in his eyes. The broadsword in his hand vibrated slightly, as if sensing its master's fury, emitting a chilling coldness.

The other subordinates quickly lowered their heads, not daring to say a word.

Xuan Ming began to ponder. Did Ye Xuan and Ye Yi really come from a small rural Family? What if some Old Monster was hidden in the mortal world? It seemed they shouldn't be offended.

But since his demonic weapon was already refined, the anger in his heart wasn't too great.

At that moment, a black streak of light galloped from the crimson sky, landing and transforming into a person with withered skin. The figure was stooped, holding a Dark Purple Snake-headed Staff.

He said eerily, "Xuan Ming, the Sect Leader has ordered that after you refine the demonic weapon, you are to return to the cult's altar immediately to discuss matters!"

Hearing this, Xuan Ming's grip on the broadsword loosened slightly, and the ferocity on his face softened a bit. He nodded slightly to Withered Wood, "Withered Wood, since the Sect Leader has ordered it, I will naturally obey. However, I wonder if something big has happened for the Sect Leader to summon me so urgently?"

Withered Wood stooped his body, his withered fingers stroking the scales on the Dark Purple Snake-headed Staff. The snake eyes at the top of the staff seemed to glimmer with a faint light, which was hair-raising.

He chuckled, his voice as harsh as the friction of dry wood, "There is naturally something big. The Sect Leader has found a clue to an ancient Secret Realm, which contains an ancient demon god inheritance.

If we can get our hands on it, our cult's strength will increase greatly, and we will no longer fear those so-called righteous Cultivators!"

"Ancient demon god inheritance?!" A passionate glint suddenly erupted in Xuan Ming's eyes, and the demonic weapon broadsword in his hand couldn't help but let out an excited hum.

"To think there's such a good thing! When do we set off to find it?"

"What's the rush?" Withered Wood waved his hand.

"The Secret Realm won't open for several more years. The Sect Leader summoned you back to consolidate the cult's forces to search for it together, so we can find the Secret Realm before those Righteous Factions. Besides that, there is another matter for you to handle."

"Oh? Please speak, Old Man Withered Wood."

Xuan Ming composed himself. He knew that Withered Wood's status in the cult was second only to the Sect Leader. Although his cultivation was on par with his own, both being Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators, Withered Wood was more meticulous, and the Sect Leader would entrust many secret matters to him.

Withered Wood looked up at Xuan Ming, his withered face expressionless, only the gloom in the depths of his eyes grew heavier.

"When you were refining the demonic weapon, the commotion was too great and has already alerted several large Sects in the vicinity, including the Qingyun Sect.

The Sect Leader's intention is that since there are several families nearby that rely on the Qingyun Sect, you should deal with them on your way back. This will both weaken the Qingyun Sect's power and deter those with ill intentions!"

Mentioning the Qingyun Sect, Xuan Ming's brow furrowed. He couldn't help but think of those people named Ye who had tripped him up several times.

He was silent for a moment and said, "Withered Wood, I have something I want to report to the Sect Leader."

"What is it?"

"Withered Wood, during my time in the mortal country, a strange Family appeared. They are in the countryside, yet they have repeatedly killed Cultivators from our Xuanyou Sect, and now they have even allied with the Qingyun Sect. It's truly strange..."

Withered Wood's murky eyes rolled, and his withered fingers tapped lightly inside his sleeve. He said, "A rural Family? They dare to be enemies with our Xuanyou Sect and even colluded with the Qingyun Sect? Do you know the name of this Family?"

"This... it seems to be a Ye Family."

Xuan Ming said in a heavy voice, his tone carrying a hint of gravity as he thought of his subordinates who had repeatedly perished at the hands of the Ye Family.

"This Ye Family is very strange; there seems to be an Old Monster hidden within the clan..."

An "Old Monster" refers to the most powerful Old Ancestor within a Family.

"Surnamed Ye, and there's an Old Monster?" Withered Wood also became serious involuntarily.

Then he said, "If that's truly the case, I need to report this to the Sect Leader. We should try not to go near the territory of the Yan State. Otherwise, if we offend someone we shouldn't, our Xuanyou Sect might face a disaster of total annihilation!"

Xuan Ming couldn't help but be shocked upon hearing this.

Although he knew Withered Wood was always cautious, he hadn't expected the other to say something as heavy as "disaster of total annihilation" because of a rural Family.

One must know that the Xuanyou Sect was a notable power within the Demonic Path of the Canggu Realm. The Sect Leader was even a Golden Core Cultivator; ordinary forces simply didn't catch their eye.

"Withered Wood, although this Ye Family is strange, can they really have such capability?" Xuan Ming was still somewhat incredulous and couldn't help but follow up with a question.

Even if the Ye Family has an Old Monster, could they really be stronger than the Sect Leader?

Withered Wood shook his head, his withered fingers still tapping inside his sleeve, his voice carrying a hint of gravity.

"Xuan Ming, you only know the powers on the surface of the Canggu Realm, but you don't know how many secrets are hidden within the mortal world.

Some families with ancient legacies may seem to be in decline, but in reality, they have a deep Foundation.

Their Old Ancestors might have once been Golden Core experts or even Nascent Soul Immortal Masters. They only hid in the mortal world, relying on the Family's protection to cultivate diligently, either to evade enemies or to go into seclusion to break through to a higher Realm."

Withered Wood paused and added, "Furthermore, such Old Ancestors are most averse to being disturbed by outsiders. If we rashly move against their Family Foundation, even if we only hurt one clansman, once they are completely enraged...

...let alone us Foundation Establishment Cultivators, even if the Sect Leader came in person, he wouldn't gain any advantage.

What's more, this Ye Family is also involved with the Qingyun Sect. If things really blow up and the Qingyun Sect intervenes, our Xuanyou Sect will be attacked from both sides, and the consequences will be unimaginable."

Listening to this analysis, Xuan Ming finally put away his contempt, thinking of his subordinates who had died at the hands of the Ye Family—none of them were mediocre.

Yet they had lost their lives so easily. Such strength was definitely not something an ordinary rural Family could possess!

He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for the reminder; I've noted it! I will set off immediately. After dealing with those families, I will rush back to the Main Altar to await the Sect Leader's orders."

Withered Wood waved his hand, "Go. As for that Ye Family, I will report to the Sect Leader and send people to secretly investigate their background.

If this Ye Family really has a great expert overseeing it, we will endure for now. If they are just a hollow name, then the debt for killing so many of our Xuanyou Sect Disciples will be settled on their heads sooner or later!"