231: Chapter 231 Should we head back home?

"Arrange for people to say that outside Cultivators have seen over a dozen Foundation Establishment Cultivators guarding the entrance to Ten Thousand Snakes Valley, and everyone who went in was intercepted and killed; the treasure is at the bottom of the valley."

This time, Su Chengyuan did not use the method of dropping Jade Slips again; it was too slow.

He had Li Shi find two loose-lipped Loose Cultivators and spent one hundred Spirit Stones to buy them to publicly "recount their personal experiences" in the teahouse.

Of course, those two Loose Cultivators disappeared immediately after spreading the news.

The effect of these words was immediate; whether it was true or not didn't matter, as long as it spread, someone would believe it.

That night, the circle of Loose Cultivators in Luoxia City was like a hornet's nest that had been poked.

Once the news of over sixty Cultivators being silenced spread, anger outweighed fear.

Many of those Cultivators were familiar faces near Luoxia City, and they all had some degree of friendship with each other.

Some wanted revenge, some wanted justice, but most people had shrewd calculations, feeling that for a treasure capable of causing such a big commotion, not getting involved would be doing themselves a disservice.

But in the end, no one dared to go alone.

The matter of there being over a dozen Foundation Establishment Cultivators in Ten Thousand Snakes Valley was too formidable; going in alone was truly just delivering oneself to be slaughtered.

But Loose Cultivators had their own methods: pooling numbers.

Within two days, the Loose Cultivators in the city began various reunions, but in reality, they were all probing each other's backgrounds and intentions.

By the third day, Li Shi brought back a piece of news: the Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the city had begun to form teams. The number was temporarily uncertain, but at least fifteen had signed up, including three at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

Su Chengyuan still did not participate; he just wanted to confirm if the thing underground was an exotic fire.

He sat by the second-floor window, watching the Cultivators walking in twos and threes in the street, entering and leaving teahouses and taverns, his expression very calm.

The water was muddy enough, but what happened next had already escaped his control.

The joint team composed of fifteen Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivators set off early the next morning, with quite a commotion, flying on their Magical Artifacts, their spiritual light stretching across half the street.

Su Chengyuan watched them leave, then closed the window.

This group returned much faster than he had expected.

That evening, just past the Hour of the Rooster, five beams of spiritual light flew back crookedly from the south, stumbling and landing at the south gate of the city.

Of the fifteen who went, five returned.

Three at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage and two at the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage.

Moreover, all five were covered in wounds of various sizes, their Magical Artifacts were broken, and their robes were torn. One of the Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators had a completely bruised left arm, and another Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator was limping.

Someone stepped forward to ask about the situation, but the leader, a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, had an ashen face and only dropped three words: "We cannot afford to offend them."

Then the group of five went straight into the largest inn in the city, closed the door, and never came out again.

The Cultivators in the city looked at each other in dismay.

Su Chengyuan and the others naturally learned of the situation and began to discuss the next steps.

Ten out of fifteen Foundation Establishment Cultivators were lost, and the remaining five had fled in defeat; it seemed that the combat power of that group in the valley was a notch higher than his worst estimation.

By now, Su Chengyuan was very clear that with himself, Li Shi, and the other two, going to Ten Thousand Snakes Valley was just seeking death.

"There is no fighting for now," Su Chengyuan said to Li Shi.

Li Shi nodded, hesitating for a moment: "Then... should we head back now?"

Su Chengyuan did not answer immediately.

He had indeed originally planned that; the situation at Ten Thousand Snakes Valley exceeded the level he could intervene in, and continuing to stay in Luoxia City had no great significance, so it was better to return to the Prefecture City early.

But the Loose Cultivators of Luoxia City did not think so.

Fifteen Foundation Establishment Cultivators were beaten until only five returned alive; this matter caused a huge shock, and even some Sect and Family forces began to stir.

Originally, they scoffed at such things—what good things could there be in Ten Thousand Snakes Valley? If others hadn't discovered it for so many years, how could you have discovered it?

But now, it seemed there really was something good. If there wasn't, things wouldn't have developed like this. Since the Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators were able to return alive, it also showed that the thing was very likely still useful to Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and the people inside had not reached the Golden Core level.

Since that was the case, the matter was actionable, and then these Sect Disciples or Family stewards began to send messages to the Families, Sects, or any reliable relationship networks behind them.

Nearby small and medium-sized Sects and Golden Core Families received a large number of communication talismans from the direction of Luoxia City within one day.

The content was much the same: there was an unknown force that had set up a large-scale Formation at the bottom of Ten Thousand Snakes Valley, with at least a dozen Foundation Establishment Cultivators guarding it, and it was suspected that a heavy treasure had emerged.

The news was passed layer by layer, with embellishments, and three days later, the first batch of "regular troops" arrived.

Five teams, each carrying different banners, arrived in Luoxia City one after another.

Each team was led by three Foundation Establishment Peak Cultivators, followed by several Mid and Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators, with fine Magical Artifacts and steady auras—they were clearly a mature Formation that had collaborated for many years.

After Su Chengyuan found out, he was also completely shocked.

Five Golden Core forces, fifteen Foundation Establishment Peak Cultivators, and a pile of Mid and Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

His original plan was to catch a fish in troubled waters, but now the pond was full of crocodiles, and he didn't even have the qualifications to get into the water.

"It's getting lively now," Li Shi said, standing on the other side of the window, his tone complex.

Su Chengyuan also sighed; this trip had been in vain.

Just as he was about to instruct Li Shi to pack their luggage and set off to return to the Prefecture City early tomorrow morning, the communication talisman in his bosom suddenly lit up.

Su Chengyuan took it out and looked; it was actually a message from Zhao Shan.

"Mr. Su, your subordinate has led twelve temporarily recruited Guards to arrive outside Tongbao City. After investigation, I learned that the Tianyang Sect forces in the city have all withdrawn, and the station is closed. We are now heading to Jiangping Prefecture at full speed, awaiting your next arrangements."

Su Chengyuan's hand holding the communication talisman paused, the reason being that he had asked about the cultivation levels of these people.

Zhao Shan had left Tongbao City with twelve temporarily recruited Guards, including two at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage and ten at the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage.

Plus Zhao Shan himself at the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage, that made thirteen people in total.

If he added the side here in Luoxia City—himself, Li Shi, and Protectors Liu and Wang—although added together, it was still not enough to look at.

But hearing Zhao Shan say that his son had sent him another Storage Pouch with a Restriction on it, Zhao Shan also didn't know what was inside.

However, based on Su Chengyuan's understanding of his son, the things inside would not be few.

Medicinal Pills and Talismans—in all likelihood, neither would be missing.

But he didn't think about that Storage Pouch for the moment; instead, he tallied up his own assets.

In his own Storage Pouch, there were six spirit burst pills left.

Li Shi was currently at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, and adding the twelve temporary Guards brought by Zhao Shan—two at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage and ten at the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage—that made a team of eighteen Foundation Establishment Cultivators in total.

If they used the spirit burst pills, that would mean three Foundation Establishment Peak Cultivators holding the line.

This force, placed in the current Luoxia City, already had the qualifications to have an equal dialogue.

Su Chengyuan's eyes narrowed.