91: Chapter 92 Abandoned Pawn

Qian Zhonghuai followed closely behind, and the two pressed in from the left and right, forcibly suppressing Wen Zhibai's Sanyuan Wind-Listening Plaque.

Outside the Formation, that gaunt-looking Cultivator from the Du Clan let out a sharp shout.

One of the three beast-tooth talismans suddenly exploded, transforming into a black bestial shadow that fiercely lunged toward the west side of the Four-Talisman Formation.

The Formation's light wavered violently.

Jiang Chengning finally frowned.

He could not wait any longer.

The Gu Clan had not arrived, and the situation had changed.

If the Jiang Family only thought about stalling with the Formation, they would instead be ground down bit by bit by the Qian and Du Clans.

Now, they had to bring out enough combat power as a bargaining chip to shock the two clans.

Jiang Chengning slowly let out a breath.

He recalled that before leaving, he had instructed Jiang Shoushan.

Unless absolutely necessary, he must not expose his Late Stage Qi Refining cultivation.

Jiang Shoushan was currently practicing Single Yang Concealment; the talismanic Qi could hide his aura, and no one below Foundation Establishment could see through it.

If he wished, he could easily display only the appearance of a Peak 4th Layer Qi Refining Cultivator.

If he revealed his Late Stage cultivation, he could naturally wipe out these vassal Cultivators in one fell swoop today.

But if that happened, everyone would understand that the Jiang Family had secrets.

It was impossible for Jiang Shoushan, who was ostensibly only at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining and had never even stepped onto the stage to fight, to jump to the Late Stage of Qi Refining in just a few short years.

Even for a direct descendant of a prominent family, it would take over a decade of tempering.

The Jiang Family could not let this matter be exposed.

Therefore, what was needed was not total annihilation.

It was deterrence.

Jiang Chengning did not speak; he simply summoned a spirit plaque from within his sleeve and tapped it lightly.

Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi continued to stare at Jiang Chengning.

Jiang Chengning's cultivation was not high, and his Daoist Magic was not fierce, yet from beginning to end, he refused to step even half a step closer.

The more Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi watched, the more irritated he felt.

The spiritual light condensed in his palm, and he was about to forcibly break through the three dark green bronze plaques of Wen Zhibai.

At that very moment.

At the end of the Luoxi Mouth irrigation canal, a cold wind suddenly swept past.

Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi's heart tightened inexplicably.

Before he could even discern where that chill came from, the protective spiritual light on his chest had already cracked.

Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi's pupils constricted sharply.

The blade's light was already before his eyes.

He only had time to turn his body by half an inch.

Pfft—

The blade slashed down diagonally from his left shoulder, tearing through his chest all the way to his right rib.

The wound was terrifyingly deep.

Before the blood could even spray out, a thin layer of frost had already formed on the edges of the wound.

The frostiness drilled into his body along the blade's edge, like an icy hand, forcibly suppressing the circulation of spiritual energy in his Meridians.

The Qi channels in Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi's body suddenly stalled.

The magical power he had intended to use for a counterattack faltered in his chest, and he flew backward, crashing heavily against the crumbling wall of the Formation's patterns.

Only then did everyone finally see the person who had wielded the blade.

In the frost Qi beside the canal stood a silent figure.

Dressed in grey, hair tied up, holding a long, narrow, cold blade horizontally in his hands.

Jiang Shoushan.

His aura only revealed the appearance of a Peak 4th Layer Qi Refining Cultivator.

If not for the fact that the blade had already landed on Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi's chest, others would have found it hard to distinguish when he had arrived there.

Single Yang Concealment, Qi hidden in a single thread, Yang concealed within the frost.

Below Foundation Establishment, no one could see his true aura before he struck with his blade.

The blade in Jiang Shoushan's hand was called the Hidden Yang Blade.

This was the offensive Magical Artifact that the Jiang Family was currently most willing to spend Spirit Stones on.

When Jiang Yuhe went to the market, she had mentioned that since Jiang Shoushan followed the path of the Winter Solstice, no matter how poor the family was, they should equip him with a blade that could truly kill.

At that time, the Jiang Family had only a little over a hundred Spirit Stones in their accounts, but they still bought this Medium Grade Magical Artifact.

The Hidden Yang Blade was made primarily of frost iron, tempered with the marrow of a cold spring.

The blade emphasized the concealment of the Winter Solstice; once it entered the body, the coldness first sealed the Qi channels, then stalled the internal organs, and finally claimed the victim's life.

Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi had been struck exactly by this lethal effect.

"Clan Chief!"

Qian Zhonghuai's expression changed drastically.

He caught Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi and immediately cast several Daoist Magic spells, almost regardless of the cost.

Three long blades of water-based Evil Qi flew out in an interlocking pattern, and two yellow talismans exploded in mid-air, turning into rolling dust and smoke, forcibly pressing down upon Jiang Shoushan.

After Jiang Shoushan succeeded with his strike, he retreated into the cold wind just as he had arrived, holding the Hidden Yang Blade horizontally before him, blocking the several Daoist Magic spells one by one.

The frost patterns on the blade flickered, and after enduring this round of fierce attacks from Qian Zhonghuai, it merely vibrated slightly.

Qian Zhonghuai felt even more shocked and suspicious.

At the same time, the Four-Talisman Formation finally could not hold on.

The short, stout Cultivator from the Du Clan slammed his wooden staff down, and the black mud Evil Qi pierced through the Formation patterns from the outside.

The gaunt Cultivator summoned a black shadow to crash into a weak point in the Formation's light, tearing open a gap.

The Four-Talisman Formation collapsed with a boom.

The two from the Du Clan rushed into the Formation, heading straight for Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi.

"Go!"

The short, stout Cultivator shouted in a low voice.

Qian Zhonghuai helped Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi up and retreated.

Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi's chest was a mix of blood and frost; he wanted to speak, but was blocked by the cold Qi in his chest, only coughing up a mouthful of blood mixed with frost.

Seeing their Clan Chief heavily injured, the Qian Clan Cultivators' Formation immediately fell into chaos.

The two Middle Stage Cultivators from the Du Clan provided support from the outside, with the black mud Evil Qi and the beast-tooth black shadow alternately blocking the Jiang Family members.

The remaining members of the Qian Clan took the opportunity to retreat.

"Do not pursue," Jiang Chengning said, shaking his head.

Currently, apart from Jiang Yuhe, the Jiang Family had brought out almost all available combat power.

Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi had suffered a fatal injury, and the Qian and Du Clans no longer had any certainty of defeating the Jiang Family.

They could only swallow this bitter pill and retreat for now.

At the water outlet of Luoxi Mouth, the Formation light was shattered, and the winter water surged.

The Qian and Du Clans soon disappeared, leaving behind only a trail of blood frozen by the frost Qi.

Jiang Shoushan sheathed his blade and remained standing by the canal.

Jiang Chengning watched the direction in which the Qian and Du Clans had retreated, but he did not relax because of it.

He shook his head.

"I hadn't intended to let Shoushan reveal himself."

Old Crow Chen frowned and said, "If that strike hadn't been made, that old dog from the Qian Clan might not have been willing to retreat."

"That is why I had no choice but to let him strike."

Jiang Chengning's voice was low.

"My original plan was to wait for the Luo Family to enter the Formation to assist, and then wait for the Gu Clan to come forward and mediate."

"The Jiang Family is currently a vassal of the Gu Clan. Since a vassal of the Han Family started a fight with the Jiang Family at Luoxi Mouth, logically, the Gu Clan should have come."

He said this, then looked up toward the direction of Qingwu Terrace.

"But the Gu Clan has been slow to arrive."

"Whatever the reason, it means the situation has changed."

He looked at the blood and frost on the ground.

"Shoushan's strike can deter the Qian and Du Clans for a short time."

"Unless Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi heals this injury, he won't dare to easily invade again, and the Du Clan cannot stand alone."

Old Crow Chen said, "Isn't this a good thing?"

Jiang Chengning shook his head and said, "If the Gu Clan had mediated today, this matter would just be a dispute over water between vassals, the Qian Clan breaking the Formation, and the Jiang Family defending itself. With a single word from the Gu Clan suppressing it, the Han and Lu Clans would not be able to use this as an excuse to cause trouble for a while."

"But now that the Gu Clan didn't come, it was the Jiang Family itself that heavily injured the Qian Clan Chief."

"In the future, when the Han and Lu Clans want to hold the Jiang Family accountable, they can repeatedly use this matter to make an issue of it."

Jiang Chengning glanced at him and continued, "The Jiang Family is now somewhat like the Zhou Family of the past; we can only keep stalling for time."

"Stalling until Jiang Yuhe returns."

His tone gradually deepened.

"But we cannot just sit and wait for death. Since the Gu Clan cannot be relied upon, the Jiang Family must find other bargaining chips."

He looked at Wen Zhibai.

"Some time ago, I asked Fellow Daoist Wen to inquire about the structure of the clans on the east side of Guli Circuit, precisely for this reason."

"Every acre of spirit fields and every hilltop on Guli Circuit almost has an owner; for a Loose Cultivator to establish a clan is as difficult as ascending to heaven."

"Some time ago, Mr. Wen mentioned a Late Stage Qi Refining Loose Cultivator."

Wen Zhibai continued, "Ji Hanzhou."

"This person is at the Late Stage of Qi Refining. In his early years, he served as a guest Cultivator for several families on the east side, and he has gathered a few Disciples and relatives around him. He has always wanted to find a place to establish a clan. However, all the mountains and rivers on Guli Circuit have deeds and records, so even with his cultivation, he cannot simply seize land to establish a clan."

Jiang Chengning nodded.

"Therefore, the Jiang Family has secretly sent people to the east side to contact him."

"If he is willing, he can enter the former territory of the Yao Family, pacify the remaining households of the Yao Family, and gather their relatives and Disciples as a Foundation to slowly establish a new clan."

"This new clan can guard the Yao territory on the west side of the river for the Jiang Family."

"However, the title to the former Yao territory will still belong to the Jiang Clan."

"Within a hundred years, the Ji Family will form a mountain-and-river alliance with the Jiang Family, helping each other in times of trouble. Thirty percent of the annual harvest from the former Yao territory will go to the Jiang Family. After a hundred years, if the Ji Clan's Foundation is stable and they wish to formally take over this land, they can redeem the land deed from the Jiang Family by paying with Spirit Stones or other items at a discounted price."

Exchanging interests to find external aid to establish a clan and guard the land.

Ji Hanzhou would obtain a Foundation for establishing a clan.

The Jiang Family would gain a western ally as a barrier, thirty percent of the harvest, and a hundred-year alliance.

If there is any turmoil among the remaining Yao households in the future, the Ji Family can suppress it first.

Wen Zhibai said softly, "If this succeeds, the pressure the Jiang Family is currently facing will be much less."

Jiang Chengning said:

Just as he finished speaking, a ray of light suddenly flew in from the distance.

It was an Early Stage Qi Refining Cultivator from the Luo Family.

This person was the very Luo Family member who had been sent to the east side to contact Ji Hanzhou earlier.

His breathing was chaotic, and he almost stumbled as he landed beside the paddy fields of Luoxi Mouth.

"Clan Chief!"

The Luo-surnamed Cultivator didn't even bother to regulate his breathing, quickly came to Jiang Chengning, and lowered his voice, saying:

"Something has happened on the east side!"