219: Chapter 219 The Foundation Establishment Clan Annihilated Overnight!

Ye Changge's brows quirked slightly.

A Rank Three Grand Array.

That was an existence capable of resisting a Core Formation True Person; the Materials for setting up such an array alone would cost an astronomical sum.

That the Jin Family could quietly complete such a project under the Lingxiao Sect's nose showed the depth of their patience and planning.

[Seven days later, the Grand Array was forcibly breached. However, when the Lingxiao Sect Disciples rushed into the heart of the Jin Family's territory, they were not met with defeated remnants.]

[The Jin Family's Old Ancestor, Jin Huayuan—who had claimed years ago that his Lifespan had ended and he had passed away—actually stood alive before everyone!]

[Jin Huayuan, with a False Core Great Perfection cultivation, was only one step away from true Core Formation. He had faked his death to escape back then, lurking in the shadows for sixty years just for today.]

Ye Changge's pupils constricted slightly.

False Core Great Perfection.

This level of cultivation was already the strongest tier below Core Formation; in the Lingxiao Sect's territory, even the five major Core Formation families would have to show him some respect.

Yet the Jin Family had actually let such a figure "die" for sixty years.

[What shocked the Lingxiao Sect side even more was the pitch-black Dao Soldier unit with a cold aura standing behind Jin Huayuan.]

[The Jin Family had occupied Jinxia Mountain for generations. In the mountain was a "Yin Water Pool" whose water was bone-chillingly cold, capable of eroding spiritual power and defiling Magical Artifacts. After the Lifespans of the Jin Family's clansmen were exhausted, their bodies were all thrown into the pool and refined using the Yin Corpse Sect's secret methods.]

[Centuries of accumulation, combined with the unique environment of the Yin Water Pool, had actually allowed the Jin Family to cultivate a hundred-man "Mystic Yin Dao Soldier" unit!]

[The Mystic Yin Dao Soldiers feared no spells, felt no pain, and did not fear life or death. Unless they were completely shattered, they would fight tirelessly to the end.]

Ye Changge's fingers tightened slightly around the jade slip.

A hundred-man Dao Soldier unit.

And the Jin Family, a False Core Family, had actually cultivated a hundred-man Dao Soldier unit as well!

[Standing behind the Mystic Yin Dao Soldiers, Jin Huayuan's False Core Great Perfection cultivation, combined with this army of fearless Dao Soldiers, actually allowed him to stand his ground against the Core Formation Stage Immortal Master Meng Qingcheng for a time, neither side gaining the upper hand!]

[The battle lasted for a full day and night.]

[Finally, Immortal Master Meng Qingcheng performed the Lingxiao Sect's secret forbidden technique, "Nine Heavens Thunderous Sword," cleaving Jin Huayuan and his Dao Soldiers in half with a single strike.]

[Jin Huayuan had fallen.]

[However, the price paid by the Lingxiao Sect's side was equally heavy.]

[Among the seven Foundation Establishment families that participated, all the Foundation Establishment Cultivators of three families were killed in battle, with no survivors. The remaining four families also suffered losses, ranging from losing one or two Foundation Establishment members to the Clan Chief falling on the spot.]

[The Lingxiao Sect itself also lost five Foundation Establishment Disciples and a large number of Qi Refining Cultivators.]

[This battle could be described as a narrow victory.]

After the Narrow Victory

Ye Changge slowly put down the jade slip and exhaled a deep breath of turbid air.

A narrow victory.

The leader was a Core Formation True Person, the opponent was just a False Core Family, yet it ended in a "narrow victory."

If someone who didn't know the inside story saw this result, they would likely mock the Lingxiao Sect for its incompetence.

But Ye Changge knew in his heart that for the Lingxiao Sect to win this battle was already no easy feat.

False Core and Core Formation might sound like they were only one step apart, but in reality, they were worlds apart.

In a Core Formation Cultivator, the Golden Core has condensed, and their spiritual power is far thicker than that of a False Core.

Their Lifespan is extended to five hundred years, and they can be called an "Immortal Master."

As for a False Core, it is merely a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection Cultivator compressing their internal spiritual power to the extreme to simulate the prototype of a Golden Core.

Essentially, they are still Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and their spiritual power is far inferior to true Core Formation.

The gap between the two is like a natural chasm.

Yet Jin Huayuan, relying on that Mystic Yin Dao Soldier unit, could actually hold his own against a Core Formation Immortal Master and even briefly held the upper hand—

The power of Dao Soldiers was evident.

Ye Changge recalled a rumor he had heard before in Qingxuan Immortal City.

Master Ningbing of Ningbing Immortal City, with a Core Formation Late Stage cultivation,

relying on eight hundred Dao Soldiers, had forcibly earned the title of "Number One Person Below Nascent Soul." Even ordinary Core Formation Great Perfection Cultivators would take a detour when they saw her.

This was the Dao Soldier.

Using Formations and Secret Arts to refine Cultivators, Yao Beasts, or spiritual objects into controllable combat Puppets—fearless of death, untiring, and strictly disciplined.

One Foundation Establishment Cultivator is not scary, but a Dao Soldier legion composed of a hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators would make even a Core Formation Immortal Master wary.

Ye Changge couldn't help but think of the Dao Soldiers his own Family was currently cultivating.

The "Ten Thousand Soldiers Dragon Control Canon" he had obtained from the System lottery back then was a Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique that recorded a complete method for cultivating Dao Soldiers.

However, to truly cultivate a usable Dao Soldier unit, it still required a long time and a massive amount of resources.

Selecting suitable candidates, refining special Magical Artifacts, setting up specialized refining Grand Arrays, providing a continuous stream of Spirit Stones and spiritual Materials...

Every step was a huge expense.

Because of this, even in the Lingxiao Sect's territory, families that possessed Dao Soldiers were few and far between.

Among the five major Core Formation families, only one had successfully cultivated its own Dao Soldiers.

As for Foundation Establishment families...

Ye Changge shook his head gently.

With the financial resources of a Foundation Establishment Family, just maintaining daily expenses was already a struggle; where would they find the spare strength to cultivate Dao Soldiers?

That he could obtain the "Ten Thousand Soldiers Dragon Control Canon" was already a stroke of immense luck. As for when he could truly cultivate a usable Dao Soldier unit...

"It can't be rushed," Ye Changge muttered to himself.

He composed himself and continued reading.

Remnants of the Jin Family

[Although Jin Huayuan was dead, the Jin Family was not completely wiped out.]

[The current Clan Chief of the Jin Family, Jin Shirong, who had a False Core Middle Stage cultivation, had sensed something was wrong before the Lingxiao Sect's army breached the array and had quietly retreated through a secret passage with some of the Jin Family's core Disciples.]

[By the time Immortal Master Meng Qingcheng killed Jin Huayuan and cleared out the remaining Jin Family forces, Jin Shirong had long since fled and his whereabouts were unknown.]

[In the months that followed, Jin Shirong led the Jin Family remnants to roam throughout the Lingxiao Sect's territory, specifically targeting small families with weak defenses to plunder resources, slaughter Cultivators, and spread panic.]

[The most shocking attack occurred at Yan Family Fort.]

[Yan Family Fort, a Foundation Establishment Family under the Lingxiao Sect's jurisdiction, had three Foundation Establishment Cultivators stationed there. Although the Family's Grand Array was not top-tier, it was sufficient to withstand ordinary Foundation Establishment or Core Formation Cultivators.]

[However, overnight, all of the over one thousand people in Yan Family Fort were slaughtered!]

[The three Foundation Establishment Cultivators were not spared!]

[The residual spiritual power fluctuations at the scene were confirmed by Lingxiao Sect Disciples to be the work of Jin Shirong and the Jin Family remnants under his command.]

[After the news of Yan Family Fort's destruction spread, panic gripped the Lingxiao Sect's territory. Especially those families that had participated in the crusade against Jinxia Mountain and had suffered heavy losses in Foundation Establishment Cultivators, they were on guard day and night, fearing they would become the Jin Family's next target.]

[However, Jin Shirong's movements were mysterious, and he has yet to be captured.]

[The Lingxiao Sect has deployed additional personnel to hunt him down, but with little success.]

[Attachment: Footage of the scene of Yan Family Fort's destruction]

Ye Changge put down the jade slip and remained silent for a long time.