73: Chapter 73 The Lu Family's Ambition

As for the vast quantity of common beast carcasses, which were of low Aptitude and had no grade, they were handed over to Innate-stage Martial Artists leading a group of Body Tempering-stage Martial Artists to process.

With clear division of labor, they precisely excised the few useful parts remaining on the beasts and cut off the meat-rich portions.

These beast meats, tainted with a faint trace of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, could nourish the clansmen's bodies and replenish their Qi and blood, while also serving as excellent feed for the Family's guardian Spirit Beasts.

Even during the post-battle recuperation period, no one dared to slack off in the slightest, maintaining a high state of vigilance throughout.

This was to prevent any Yao Beasts on the battlefield that were severely wounded and dying, or merely feigning death, from suddenly erupting in a ferocious counterattack; the entire cleaning process was steady and rigorous.

At the fourth quarter of the Mao hour the next day, the dawn light pierced through the heavy night, and the golden morning sun bathed the mountains and rivers.

The Yao Beast spirit materials with cultivation value on the battlefield had all been harvested.

The remaining Yao Beast carcasses were piled up like mountains across the ground. If left in the wilderness for long, they would easily breed foul miasma and sinister Yin Qi, which would not only pollute the local Earth Qi but also attract bloodthirsty Yao Beasts and mountain specters lurking nearby, creating new disasters.

Nine Cultivators proficient in fire-type spells stepped forward, standing at the four cardinal directions, their fingers rapidly forming seals.

Clusters of scorching, concentrated fireballs flew through the air, precisely landing upon the layers of corpses.

Blazing flames instantly soared into the sky, rolling black smoke surged towards the firmament, and the burnt smell of scorched flesh and skin permeated the surroundings.

The scorching firelight illuminated the faces of the clansmen, faces filled with exhaustion yet resolute, and the fierce fire burned away the remaining vicious and turbid Qi from the battlefield, cleansing the bloody baleful Qi of the war zone.

The defensive alert on the city walls never truly relaxed, with elite Cultivators taking turns on duty, keeping a close watch on the movements in the surrounding forests.

Inside the council pavilion of Wangshan Town, Li Xuance and Li Changqing stood facing each other, their brows slightly furrowed and expressions grave as they whispered, reviewing the losses of this battle and cautiously assessing the dangerous situation of the subsequent beast tide.

On the battlefield outside the city, Clan Leader Li Huaming personally led a team, bringing several Grade 1 Formation Masters to stoop and inspect for leaks and gaps.

Everyone exerted their full strength to repair the most severely damaged Formation bases from the battle, redrawing the broken and dim Formation patterns, and resetting the Formation traps hidden in the forest to restore the defensive power of the Myriad-Mechanism Demon-Devouring Formation as quickly as possible.

The workshops in the town were lit around the clock, with all Talisman Makers and Artifact Refiners in position, working day and night without rest.

Using the freshly harvested Yao Beast spirit materials as raw materials, they rushed to produce attack and defense Talismans, repaired damaged weapons, and refined low-grade Magical Artifacts, exhausting all their capabilities to stockpile combat power and remain battle-ready for the next, even fiercer wave of the beast tide.

Thousands of miles away, in Didou County, Bixia Mountain, was the Lu Family territory.

A thousand-foot solitary Peak rose from the ground, standing proudly amidst the continuous mountain ranges, surrounded by layered Peaks and a vast sea of forests that surged with the wind, turning into a boundless green wave, magnificent and verdant.

Gazing into the distance, a thousand-foot silver waterfall hung from the Peak, like a white silk ribbon descending from the Nine Heavens, scattering pearls and jade; thousands of jade-like water droplets splashed in the air, and the rumbling sound of water shook the valley, continuous and unending.

The waterfall surged down along the ridges and gullies, converging into a clear and limpid stream that meandered through the green mountains and secluded valleys, heading west all the way, eventually vanishing into the depths of the vast, verdant forest.

In the quiet Scripture Pavilion on the mountaintop, a cold and murderous Evil Qi quietly permeated, filling the entire hall.

The Lu Family Old Ancestor, the Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator Lu Tiangang, stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the hall, his posture upright and his expression cold and stern.

Standing beside him were three other Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Family, all four of them wearing grim expressions, with hidden gloom between their brows, and the atmosphere was oppressive to the extreme.

Opposite them in the hall, three black-robed figures stood quietly, surrounded by thick, ominous dark red blood Qi, emitting a chilling Yin Qi and evil aura; they were the remnants of the Ghost Soul Sect from the Jiuyou Domain who had fled here.

The leader of the demonic Cultivators was as withered and thin as firewood, resembling a skeleton, wearing a worn and dull dark green robe with a ferocious and twisted bloody ghost head pattern embroidered on the hem, and his body was surrounded by bone-chilling cold evil power, making one shudder.

This person was none other than Master Guijiu of the Ghost Soul Sect, whose cultivation had already reached the Peak of Foundation Establishment.

His voice was hoarse and rough, grating like rusted iron rubbing together, as he spoke slowly: "Fellow Daoist Lu, the time and place are right; the opportunity is ripe."

"Currently, most of the Li Family's elite Cultivators are pinned down by the beast tide, defending Wangshan Town to the death. Their Family's heartland is completely empty, with only one Foundation Establishment Cultivator left to guard the clan grounds, and only one-third of their Qi Refining clansmen remaining. This heaven-filling beast tide is our best cover and opportunity."

"At that time, the three of us will take action to secretly lure the Yao Beasts from the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, continuously attacking Wangshan Town, forcing more Li Family members to reinforce and defend, leaving them no time to attend to anything else."

"And your Lu Family can take advantage of the void to strike directly at the Li Family's clan grounds, swallowing up all their accumulated resources in one fell swoop."

A flash of intense ferocity and greed suddenly crossed Lu Tiangang's eyes.

With centuries of accumulated neighborly grievances, generations of resource disputes, and the rise and fall of families as one waxed and the other waned, the hostile Li Family had been rising year by year, thriving and prospering.

Yet the Lu Family had been declining and weakening step by step in recent years. All their forbearance and unwillingness had found a complete outlet through this beast tide sweeping across the land, as well as the opportunity of the thousand-year rule set by the Tianxuan Sect coming to an end.

The Lu Family territory had a unique geographical advantage; it was neither adjacent to the dangerous Great Wilderness Mountain Range nor near the sea to attract baleful Qi. They usually only needed to guard against sporadic low-grade Yao Beasts crossing the border and a small number of flying Vicious Beasts, so the defensive pressure was minimal.

He knew clearly in his heart that colluding with demonic Cultivators and associating with evil Sects was a great taboo in the Cultivation World. Once exposed, they would inevitably be spurned and encircled by Sects from all four directions.

But as long as they could borrow the power of the demonic Cultivators and take advantage of the chaos of the beast tide to eradicate the Li Family—their heart-worrying scourge—in one fell swoop, and seize their deep-rooted Spiritual Vein Foundation and the cultivation resources accumulated over a thousand years, the Lu Family could rise against the trend and leap to become the top Family in the southeast region of Huangfeng Prefecture. All risks were worth taking.

"The agreement between you and me cannot be reneged upon." Lu Tiangang's gaze was sharp as he set the alliance in a deep voice. "All Spirit Stones and Heaven And Earth Treasure in the Li Family's treasure vault belong to you all; the Li Family's core Spiritual Vein, their ancestral Cultivation Technique Jade Slips, and the Family's inherited Legacy belong to my Lu Family."

"Besides this, the Seawater Gang of Linhai County has already agreed to send one Foundation Establishment Cultivator to harass the defensive line at the border between the Li Family's Jinzhu Town and Xuanling Lake, pinning down their peripheral combat power and cutting off their retreat."

Speaking to this point, his gaze narrowed slightly, carrying a trace of scrutiny: "After acting, you must erase all traces, kill everyone on the battlefield, and leave no survivors. The Li Family of Wangshan Town has a not-so-weak Foundation; do you three have absolute certainty that you can lure the beast tide and hold back the defenders by yourselves?"

"Hehe, just rest assured."

Master Guijiu let out a burst of harsh, sinister laughter, and his fingers, resembling tree bark, slowly lifted, holding up a pitch-black jade box in his palm.