65: petty people

After arranging everything, Bu Yifan rubbed her temples, looking at the mountain of intelligence Jade Slips piled on her desk, feeling the heavy burden on her shoulders.

But she knew she couldn't retreat, nor could she cower.

While her husband fought on the front lines, she had to guard this vast Family fortune.

Outside Ninghai City, the queue of Cultivators coming to pledge allegiance stretched for ten miles.

The prestige of the Ninghai Chen Family, like a magnet, attracted Loose Cultivators and small Family Cultivators from all directions.

Among them, some truly harbored dreams, hoping to lean on a big tree to gain cultivation resources.

Others were opportunists, hoping to get a share of the spoils.

Naturally, there were also arrogant and self-important individuals.

A burly man with a scarred face, a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, grew impatient.

He directly pushed his way out of the queue and shouted at a Ninghai Chen Family guard at the gate: "Hey! How much longer do we have to wait? I am a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, where am I not treated as an honored guest?"

"Go quickly and inform your manager that Wang Mang of the Mountain-Breaking Axe has come to join, and tell him to come out and greet me personally!"

The guard, only at the Qi Refining Realm, paled slightly under the pressure of his Aura, but still stood tall: "Fellow Daoist, please abide by our Ninghai Chen Family's rules and queue up to register."

"Rules? You stinking Qi Refining Cultivator, how dare you talk about rules with me? My fist is the rule!"

A fierce glint flashed in Wang Mang's eyes, and the pressure of his Late Foundation Establishment Stage Realm suddenly erupted as he moved to push the guard aside.

Just then, a voice came from inside the main gate.

"At the gates of my Ninghai Chen Family, your fist is not a rule."

Before the words finished, a figure slowly walked out; it was Dao Xuan.

He held the silver-threaded whisk.

His Daoist robe billowed without wind, and his eyes calmly looked at Wang Mang.

Wang Mang was first stunned when he saw Dao Xuan, then he sneered: "You're the manager? Also a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, perfect! Let me see what abilities your Ninghai Chen Family possesses!"

He roared, and a giant axe, the size of a door panel, appeared in his hand out of thin air.

Spiritual power infused it, bringing forth a gust of fierce wind, and he brought it down towards Dao Xuan's head!

This axe strike was powerful and heavy; ordinary Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators would never dare to meet it head-on.

However, facing this fierce attack, Dao Xuan chuckled softly.

He gently raised the whisk in his hand and casually flicked it towards the giant axe.

"Noisy."

Swish!

As his words fell.

The thousands of silver threads on the whisk instantly straightened in mid-air, forming a silver light screen.

The seemingly soft silver threads, upon contact with the giant axe.

Erupted with unparalleled sharp brilliance.

Clang!!!

A deafening clang of metal rang out.

Under everyone's horrified gaze, Wang Mang's Low Grade Spiritual Artifact-level giant axe was instantly struck as if by a divine Sharp Weapon, and a huge gap appeared on its blade!

A massive force rolled back along the axe handle.

"Pfft!"

Wang Mang was struck as if by lightning, a mouthful of fresh blood spurted out, and he, along with his axe, flew back dozens of feet, crashing heavily to the ground, unable to get up for a long time.

He looked at the whisk in Dao Xuan's hand with utter horror, his eyes filled only with fear.

"Magic...Magic Treasure?!"

One move!

Just one move!

A long-renowned Late Foundation Establishment Stage Loose Cultivator was defeated so effortlessly!

The entire scene was silent.

The tens of thousands of Cultivators in the queue looked at the calm Dao Xuan, then at the iridescent whisk in his hand, and each of them gasped.

"My heavens! Even a manager uses a Magic Treasure!"

"The Ninghai Chen Family's foundation is terrifying to this extent!"

"Serves him right! Such an undisciplined brute deserves this lesson!"

Dao Xuan put away his whisk, his gaze sweeping calmly across the crowd, and he declared loudly: "The Ninghai Chen Family welcomes talented individuals and sincerely invites heroes from all over the world."

"However, to enter the gates of my Ninghai Chen Family, you must abide by my Ninghai Chen Family's rules. Those whose Heart-Nature is not up to par, no matter how strong their abilities, will not be accepted by my Ninghai Chen Family!"

With that, he turned and returned to the mansion, no longer paying attention to the commotion outside.

After this incident, no one dared to cause trouble at the Ninghai Chen Family's gates again.

Everyone obediently queued up, awaiting the three trials.

The authority of the Ninghai Chen Family was thoroughly established at this moment.

As night fell, Ninghai City gradually returned to peace.

A phantom-like dark shadow silently appeared on the top of a large tree outside the city.

He was completely shrouded in black night clothes, revealing only a pair of eyes.

His Aura was restrained to the extreme, as if he had merged with the night.

Even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's Divine Sense scanning would find it difficult to detect his presence.

This person was one of the gold medal assassins of the Great Feng Dynasty's most mysterious assassin organization, the Shadow Concealment Tower, codenamed "Ghost Bat."

His cultivation was at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment Stage, and he specialized in stealth, infiltration, and assassination.

"Ninghai Chen Family... just a parvenu who rose by sheer dumb luck."

Ghost Bat looked at the brightly lit Ninghai Chen Family mansion in the distance, a cold sneer on his face: "Protective Formation? Overt and covert sentries? In front of me, Ghost Bat, they are just child's play."

His mission was to infiltrate the Ninghai Chen Family and ascertain its true strength.

Paving the way for subsequent genuine assassination attempts.

His figure flickered, and Ghost Bat transformed into a wisp of smoke, clinging to the ground, avoiding all patrol guards, and silently infiltrated Ninghai City.

On the streets within the city, there were still covert sentries arranged by the Ninghai Chen Family.

But Ghost Bat's movement technique was extremely strange; he sometimes transformed into a shadow in a corner.

Sometimes he clung to the tiles under the eaves.

He always managed to avoid all detection in the most incredible ways.

Soon, the heavily guarded Ninghai Chen Family mansion was close at hand.

He could clearly sense that beneath the faint golden protective shield, dozens of powerful Auras were hidden, two of which, like his own, had reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment Stage Realm.

"Two Foundation Establishment Perfection Cultivators? Too bad, you can't even touch my shadow."

A trace of arrogance flashed in Ghost Bat's eyes. He observed for a long time and finally found a tiny node where the Formation's Qi flowed.

He was confident that he could, without alarming anyone.

Pass through this seemingly indestructible protective shield.

Taking a deep breath, he performed a strange hand Seal, and his body became even more ethereal.

Like a weightless falling leaf, he drifted gently towards that Formation node.

One step, two steps... Just as he was about to successfully pass through the light shield, Ghost Bat's mind began to plan what to do after infiltrating.

How to leave a "grand gift" for this arrogant Family.

However, just as the tip of his foot was about to step inside the Ninghai Chen Family mansion's courtyard wall.

An unexpected change occurred!

On the ground beneath his feet, a Formation pattern flashed and disappeared in an instant.

A strong sense of crisis instantly exploded from the depths of Ghost Bat's Heart-Nature!

An alarm blared in his mind, and without thinking, he tried to retreat!

But it was too late!

"Not good! It's a Formation within a Formation!"

The surrounding scenery underwent a drastic change at this moment.

The familiar pavilions and towers disappeared, replaced by an boundless expanse of dense white fog.

Southeast, northwest, up, down, left, right.

All sense of direction was instantly stripped away.

He had already fallen into the Illusion Killing Formation personally set up by Chen Xu!

"Damn it! The intelligence was wrong!"

Ghost Bat was both shocked and angry. This was no ordinary protective Family Formation; this was clearly a Great Master-level composite killing Formation! Even a Golden Core Immortal Master would find it difficult to escape this kind of Formation for a while!

At the same time, deep within the Ninghai Chen Family mansion.

In a central secret room specially used to control the Formation.

Dao Xuan and Chu Xuan stood side by side, calmly looking at a huge water mirror formed by spiritual power in front of them.

In the water mirror, Ghost Bat's frantic struggle in the white fog was clearly reflected.

He looked like a headless fly, in a pathetic state.

"Catching a turtle in a jar."

Dao Xuan smiled faintly, lightly waved the whisk in his hand, and cast a spell towards the Formation Plate.

Within the Formation, Ghost Bat only felt the surrounding white fog suddenly churn.

Dozens of ferocious tigers and wolves materialized, roaring as they pounced on him.

"Mere illusions, and you think you can trap me?"

Ghost Bat snorted coldly, and a pair of dark short blades appeared in his hands. His body spun at high speed, creating a storm of blades that instantly tore the illusory beasts to shreds.

However, before he could catch his breath, the ground beneath his feet suddenly became muddy, and a huge suction force pulled at him, greatly reducing his proud speed.

At the same time, countless sharp arrows, condensed from sharp Qi, rained down from the sky above!

"Damn it!"

Ghost Bat dodged clumsily, his proud stealth and infiltration techniques rendered useless under this indiscriminate, pervasive attack.

He was like a trapped beast in a cage, only able to passively endure attacks from all directions.

"That's enough."

Chu Xuan looked at Ghost Bat in the water mirror, whose spiritual power was largely depleted and who had multiple injuries, a hint of severity flashing in his eyes: "I'll go meet him."

Before his words finished, his figure flickered and disappeared from the secret room.

The next moment, Chu Xuan's figure appeared within the Illusion Killing Formation.

"Assassin?"

Chu Xuan held the crimson Flying Sword, flames swirling around its blade, illuminating the surrounding white fog in a fiery red.

He looked at Ghost Bat not far away as if he were looking at a dead man.

"It's you!"

Ghost Bat's pupils contracted sharply when he saw Chu Xuan.

He could feel that the sword in the other party's hand exuded a terrifying Aura that made his Heart-Nature tremble.

"It is your honor to die by a Magic Treasure."

Chu Xuan couldn't be bothered with idle talk and activated the Formation's power to empower himself.

His entire being transformed into a streak of fire, and he thrust his sword!

Ghost Bat desperately swung his twin blades to block.

Clang!

With a crisp sound, the pair of High Grade Magical Artifact-level short blades in his hands snapped!

The crimson sword edge did not falter in the slightest.

Carrying scorching Sword Qi, it pierced through Ghost Bat's right shoulder, along with his scapula, with a 'puchi' sound, fiercely pinning him to the ground!

"Ah—!"

A shrill scream echoed within the Formation.

Dao Xuan slowly walked over, looking at Ghost Bat, whose cultivation had been crippled and who lay on the ground like a dead dog, his eyes cold.

"Take him away and interrogate him thoroughly to find out who sent him."

"Yes."

...In the dark, damp dungeon, Ghost Bat was suspended in mid-air, his limbs pierced by iron chains.

Dao Xuan did not use any mundane torture instruments; he merely extended a finger and pressed it against Ghost Bat's glabella.

A trace of green light drilled into Ghost Bat's Sea of Consciousness.

"Soul-searching technique, you may have heard of it. Now, tell me, who is your employer, where is your Shadow Concealment Tower's stronghold, and what is the full plan for this operation?"

Dao Xuan's voice was like the whisper of Yama.

"You... dream on..."

Ghost Bat gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with resentment.

"Is that so?"

Dao Xuan increased the input of spiritual power.

"Ah ah ah ah—!"

Within Ghost Bat's Sea of Consciousness, it was as if billions of ants were gnawing.

The pain in his Soul made him scream.

Half an hour later, Dao Xuan emotionlessly withdrew his finger.

And Ghost Bat, having undergone Soul-searching, had become an idiot with dull eyes and drooling.

He turned and walked out of the dungeon, quickly arriving at Bu Yifan's study.

"Mistress."

"Did you get it out?"

Bu Yifan put down the ledger in her hand and looked up, asking.

Dao Xuan nodded with a solemn expression: "The assassin came from a killer organization called the Shadow Concealment Tower. This operation was just a test."

"According to him, the Shadow Concealment Tower has already accepted a sky-high bounty. Subsequently, there will be true Golden Core assassins, and even... Nascent Soul retainers making a move."

Bu Yifan's Heart-Nature sank suddenly.

"Who is the employer?"

"He doesn't know."

Dao Xuan shook his head: "According to the Shadow Concealment Tower's rules, even gold medal assassins cannot access information about the employer. However, before his Soul collapsed, he revealed a crucial piece of information."

Dao Xuan lowered his voice and said, word by word: "The employer not only wants the Family Head's life, but the more important target is the Legacy of that Purple Mansion Dao Lord that Young Master Dao Xuan and the others obtained in the Secret Realm!"

Boom!

Bu Yifan felt a loud bang in her mind, and her face instantly turned pale.

Sure enough, it was that Legacy that brought about this deadly calamity!

She immediately sent this message through the secret room's special sound transmission channel.

However, the sound transmission Jade Slip was like a stone sinking into the sea, receiving no response.

Chen Xu was in secluded cultivation, at a critical moment of Breakthrough.

He absolutely could not be disturbed.

Bu Yifan stood by the window, looking at the deep night outside, feeling a chill rise from her Heart-Nature.

The enemy was hidden in the dark, their strength unknown.

The next ones to come might be terrifying existences at the Golden Core, or even Nascent Soul Realm!

And the Ninghai Chen Family's strongest combat power now was only a few Foundation Establishment Perfection Cultivators.

And one Human Dao Golden Core!

How... could they resist this?

Her hand subconsciously reached into her bosom, tightly grasping a warm Jade Slip.

That was the last trump card Chen Xu had given her before entering secluded cultivation.

Inside, that Innate Qi, powerful enough to rival a Nascent Soul True Lord, was sealed.

This was the Ninghai Chen Family's only means of countering Nascent Soul powerhouses at present.

But when would the enemy come?

Would it be a Golden Core, or a Nascent Soul?

If a Golden Core came, using this trump card would be too wasteful.

But if a Nascent Soul came, and she hesitated.

Then the entire Ninghai Chen Family would be doomed!

Bu Yifan tightly gripped the Jade Slip, her Heart-Nature in a fierce struggle.

This trump card, which concerned the life and death of the entire Family, should it be used now?