186: Xiao Ran established his foundation again, and shocking changes occurred!

On this day.

Liu Xuan was guiding his children in their martial arts cultivation when he suddenly sensed a wave of Spiritual Qi fluctuations coming from Jingxin Courtyard.

"Is Eldest Senior Sister starting her Breakthrough again?"

"I wonder if she'll succeed this time!"

Black whirlpools spun in his eyes as Liu Xuan's gaze pierced through layers of obstacles, looking directly at Xiao Ran sitting cross-legged inside the Cultivation Chamber.

Dressed in white, her Aura continued to swell, and surging Spiritual Qi gathered toward her, condensing in her Dantian.

Judging by her Aura, the probability of a successful Breakthrough was quite high, estimated to be around seventy to eighty percent.

However, nothing was certain; breaking through a major Realm was highly volatile, and with bad luck, even a ninety-nine percent chance of success could still end in failure.

The commotion from Xiao Ran's Breakthrough grew larger and larger, quickly drawing the attention of everyone on the island, just like years ago.

Not only the people on Lake Heart Island, but also those from the Merchant Alliance by the lake and the marketplace noticed the situation here, flying into midair to watch from afar.

Half an hour later.

The spiritual cloud above Jingxin Courtyard stabilized, not dispersing instantly like it had back then.

"Eldest Senior Sister is really about to break through!"

"That's wonderful!"

"Once Eldest Senior Sister becomes a Foundation Establishment Ancestor, we'll be direct subordinates of an Ancestor, and our status will soar!"

This person was right. Most of the Law Enforcement Team Disciples still remaining on the island were Xiao Ran's trusted aides, such as Zhang Kexin and Zhou Xiaozhu.

Once Xiao Ran broke through to Foundation Establishment, their status would rise along with hers, and most of them would receive promotions upon returning to the Sect.

"Foundation Establishment!"

"I wonder when I'll be able to get a foundation establishment pill?"

Zi Lan gazed at the spiritual cloud in midair, her eyes filled with envy. Although they were both at Qi Refining Perfection, Xiao Ran was the direct granddaughter of a Golden Core Immortal Master and could use several foundation establishment pills, whereas she struggled to obtain even one.

Thanks to the assistance of Liu Xuan's secret technique in her cultivation, her perception of the Bottleneck grew clearer and clearer, and she estimated she would have a chance to attempt a Breakthrough in a year or two.

But without a foundation establishment pill and lacking the courage to risk her life in a desperate gamble, she would still have to wait when the time came.

More than half an hour later.

The spiritual cloud remained stable, and a faint pressure vaguely emanated from the direction of Jingxin Courtyard.

"Is she really about to break through?!"

Having progressed to this stage, the Breakthrough was practically ninety-nine percent successful, and many Cultivators were about to witness the birth of a Foundation Establishment Ancestor with their own eyes.

*Buzz—*

A sudden change occurred as a dark cloud flew in from the distance, instantly appearing in the sky above White Crane Lake.

The dark cloud twisted and morphed, condensing into a giant black hand that slammed down toward Lake Heart Island.

"Hmm?"

Liu Xuan was the first to notice the intruder. He immediately activated the grand Formation, enveloping Lake Heart Island in a barrier. At the same time, a water dragon soared out from the lake bed to meet the giant black hand head-on.

*Roar—*

*Boom!!!*

The water dragon disintegrated, and a massive shockwave rippled outward in all directions. The giant hand was barely blocked by the Formation barrier.

"Mid-stage Foundation Establishment!"

Liu Xuan frowned slightly, his expression extremely grim, as he looked through the Formation toward the quiet building by the lakeside.

"Stop, Fellow Daoist!"

With an angry shout, a young-looking Foundation Establishment Cultivator flew out of the building. A green sword glow instantly expanded, stabbing toward the dark cloud above the giant hand.

This person was none other than Lu Pingan, the Foundation Establishment Ancestor responsible for protecting Xiao Ran and Liu Xuan. He was currently gripped by lingering fear; due to a momentary lapse of attention just now, he had failed to rescue her in time. If not for Liu Xuan's extremely high control over the Formation, Xiao Ran would likely be dead by now.

True Person Xiao had ordered him to protect Liu Xuan and Xiao Ran. If both of them died, he probably wouldn't survive either!

"Hmph!"

"Overestimating yourself!"

A cold snort echoed from within the dark cloud, and a deep blue lotus flame flew out, instantly shattering the green sword glow before heading straight for Lu Pingan.

A layer of golden light flashed around Lu Pingan, and he, along with the golden light, was blasted backward into the quiet building by the lotus fire.

*Boom!*

The building exploded and burst into raging flames, igniting a large swath of nearby shrubbery.

Liu Xuan's frown deepened. He had expected that Lu Pingan would be no match for the opponent, but he hadn't expected him to be so utterly weak.

There was not just one Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the dark cloud, but two. Since Lu Pingan couldn't handle them, what should they do in a moment?

Expose his strength and take action himself?

If he went all out, Liu Xuan was confident he could easily defeat the two of them. However, exposing his cultivation would inevitably prompt Xiao Changfeng to make a move ahead of schedule, and the situation would spin out of control!

But if he didn't expose his strength, Xiao Ran's life or death was secondary—what about the hundreds of members of his Liu Family on the island? He couldn't just stand by and watch them die.

As he hesitated, the giant black hand gathered power and slammed down again with an Aura even more formidable than before, as if it could easily shatter the grand Formation's barrier.

"Law Enforcement Disciples, hear my command! Assist me in facing the enemy!"

Liu Xuan shouted loudly, snapping the hundreds of shocked Law Enforcement Disciples out of their panic.

The Sect's Dharma-Gathering Formation quickly unfurled. Zhang Kexin and Zhou Xiaozhu each led half of the Disciples to assist in maintaining the grand Formation.

Although Liu Xuan had rarely trained in coordination with them, he possessed a vast Divine Sense, allowing him to easily gather the strength of the Law Enforcement Team together and channel it into the grand Formation.

*Thud—*

The grand Formation's barrier shook violently, but it was not shattered in a single blow, only showing a few cracks.

"Huh?"

A voice of confusion came from the dark cloud as a man who was so thin he resembled a skeleton asked the withered old man beside him, "Big Brother, didn't they say there were no Foundation Establishment Cultivators on the island?"

They knew White Crane Lake had a second-tier Family grand Formation, but without a Foundation Establishment Cultivator presiding over it, it was absolutely impossible for it to block their joint attacks twice in a row.

"Don't worry about that! Hurry up and finish the job. This is Red Pine's territory; it'll be dangerous if we drag this out!"

The withered old man's eyes were gloomy. He waved his hand, and a massive deep blue flaming lotus platform crashed down toward the grand Formation below.

*Boom!!*

Huge cracks tore through the grand Formation, and massive waves rolled across the entirety of White Crane Lake as some of the Formation nodes exploded.

The underground Spiritual Vein was affected, causing the spiritual cloud above Jingxin Courtyard to shake violently.

Just as Liu Xuan was planning to expose his Foundation Establishment-level Black Crystal Bee Queen, Lu Pingan flew out from the flames and sacrificed a blood-colored dharma sword, a terrifying killing intent instantly filling the heavens and earth.

A talisman treasure! The Red Pine Sword.

When a Foundation Establishment Cultivator used a talisman treasure, its power was extraordinary, causing the two Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the dark cloud to stop instantly.

"It is still not too late for you two Fellow Daoists to leave. I have already sent word to the Immortal Master. In a moment, it will be too late for you to escape!"

A moment later, the skeleton-like man and the withered old man appeared above the dark cloud, the old man saying in a raspy voice:

"The surrounding ten miles have already been sealed off by us brothers in advance. You can't send any messages!"

Seeing Lu Pingan's expression change drastically, he advised, "You're Lu Pingan, right? We only want to kill Xiao Ran. Just pretend you didn't see anything. Once we've killed her, we'll leave. When True Person Xiao asks later, you can just say you did your best. How about it?"

Lu Pingan's heart stirred, but he instantly abandoned the thought. He knew how much True Person Xiao valued Liu Xuan and Xiao Ran. Whether Xiao Ran died didn't matter as much, but if Liu Xuan died, he would absolutely be executed as well.

"Xiao Ran is the Immortal Master's granddaughter. Aren't you afraid of being hunted down by him for doing this?"

Lu Pingan tried to buy time while thinking of a strategy; no matter what, he could not let them succeed.

On the other side.

Liu Xuan on the island was also contemplating a strategy. With a stir of his mind, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and said to Zhang Kexin and Zhou Xiaozhu, "Senior Sisters, please hold on for a moment. My mind has suffered damage, and I need to adjust my breathing for a bit."

With that, his figure flickered, and he disappeared into the Cultivation Chamber of the Fledgling Eagle Courtyard. The previous strike had shattered most of the grand Formation, causing a backlash to everyone. Some sat cross-legged to meditate on the spot, while others were filled with despair; no one noticed Liu Xuan's movements.