"There are a total of three bottles of True Essence Pills. The starting price for each is five hundred spirit stones, and each bid must increase by no less than ten spirit stones. Bidding for the first bottle begins now."
"Five hundred and twenty spirit stones!"
"Five hundred and fifty spirit stones!"
"Five hundred and eighty spirit stones!"
"Six hundred and thirty spirit stones!"
The price rose rapidly, reaching seven hundred spirit stones in no time, at which point the number of bidders finally dwindled.
The first bottle eventually sold for seven hundred and twenty spirit stones.
Soon, the second and third bottles were also sold at roughly the same price.
"The next item up for auction is the Jade Marrow Pill. I assume none of you have heard of it," Xu Chuan said with a faint smile. "That is because it is a medicinal pill of my own invention.
Due to the rarity of the main ingredient, this pill is exceedingly scarce. There are only three left at present.
Naturally, if anyone manages to obtain another Earth Core Jade Marrow Ganoderma over five thousand years old, you may ask me to help refine it."
"A five-thousand-year-old Earth Core Jade Marrow Ganoderma! No wonder it possesses such efficacy. It would even be highly effective for breaking through the Late Foundation Establishment bottleneck," a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Jiang Clan exclaimed in awe. "Daoist Friend Xu truly has excellent fortune."
Xu Chuan continued, "The starting bid for this pill is one thousand spirit stones, with a minimum increment of twenty spirit stones. We will now begin the auction for the first pill."
One of the main goals for many Foundation Establishment families attending was exactly this Jade Marrow Pill.
The competition was incredibly fierce.
In just a few dozen breaths, the price surged to one thousand eight hundred spirit stones.
And it continued to climb.
Ultimately, the first pill was secured by the Feng family for two thousand six hundred spirit stones.
The second pill was claimed by the Liu clan for two thousand five hundred and eighty spirit stones.
The third pill went to the Li family for two thousand seven hundred spirit stones.
Next were the auctions for the Void Rushing Pill and Qi-Merging Pill, both of which were in limited supply.
There were only three of the former. They were auctioned individually and each fetched a price of over a thousand spirit stones.
There were nine of the latter, all high grade. Auctioned in sets of three, each set also reached six or seven hundred spirit stones.
The final segment was the auction for top-grade magical artifacts.
These were spoils the Xu family had obtained from slaying their enemies, ultimately selling for two thousand two hundred and fifty spirit stones.
"This concludes the Xu Clan's auction. From now on, an auction of this scale will be held once every ten years. Daoist friends are welcome to attend when the time comes.
Furthermore, if any of your families require pills to be refined, you may seek my assistance. As long as the price is fair, I will not be stingy with my efforts."
Xu Chuan originally had no intention of lightly refining pills for others again.
However, given their current relationship with the Cao clan, he had no choice but to win over the other Foundation Establishment families.
Lei Hekong's eyes lit up. "Daoist Friend Xu, I heard that clearly. If my Lei Family asks for your help in the future, please do not decline."
"Naturally."
Almost all the items auctioned by the Xu family this time were pills, and all were high grade, showcasing just how profound Xu Chuan's mastery of the Dao of Alchemy was.
As long as they were not mortal enemies, every family wanted to reap some benefits from Xu Chuan.
Of course, they also understood that asking Xu Chuan to refine pills meant they had to protect the Xu family and speak up for them at critical moments.
And for them, doing so would just be a small favor.
Meanwhile, the Wei Family and the other aristocratic families that had previously sought refuge with the Feng family were all uprooted.
It was only when Lei Hekong and the others walked out of the Xu Clan Trading Company that they heard about this from some rogue cultivators.
Everyone marvelled at the Xu family's decisiveness.
"Daoist Friend Xu, we will take our leave first!"
"Farewell!"
Lei Hekong, the Jiang Clan, Lin family, Li family, Liu clan, and others bid their farewells and departed one after another.
In the blink of an eye, only Xu Chuan and Xu Mingxuan remained.
"Father, how do you think the Cao Clan will respond next?"
"The Cao Clan might be overbearing, but they also care about their reputation!
They will not make a move against our Xu family in the short term. As for anything else, we will just confront soldiers with generals, and water with an earthen dam. We will deal with it as it comes.
What our Xu family currently lacks is the time for our younger generation to grow."
Xu Mingxuan nodded.
"Let us go. We will take a look at the Wei Family!"
The two flew through the air. After leaving the marketplace, it did not take long for them to arrive at the Wei Clan Ancestral Land.
By this time, the grand array of the Wei Clan Ancestral Land had long been broken by Xu Mingxian.
Wei Changkong had also died under Xu Mingwei's arrows.
In the entire Wei Family, only Wei Dao remained alive.
The Xu family disciples were currently sorting through the Wei Family's properties and resources.
For this operation, the Xu family would also grant a certain amount of resources to the Qi Condensation clans that assisted them, acting as their payment for taking action.
The vassal families and others also received rewards.
The families of those who died in battle would receive generous compensation and their deceased could be interred in the Hero Spirit Garden.
The Guangling Branch had also constructed one here.
However, if a member of the Xu Clan died, they would all be buried in the main lineage's Hero Spirit Garden.
As generations multiplied, this might change in the future, but currently, over ninety percent of the Xu Clan's members were born and raised in the main lineage.
Their sense of belonging to the main lineage was much deeper.
"Junior Brother Wei."
Wei Dao's eyes were vacant. Hearing the voice, he looked up and saw a person walking in from outside the grand hall.
It was exactly Xu Chuan!
"Is this the strength of the Xu family?" Wei Dao muttered. "Crushing dry stems and rotten wood to sweep away the Wei and Feng Families, along with the other resisting Qi Condensation clans."
"If you say so," Xu Chuan replied, looking at him before adding, "Considering that you merely helped the Wei and Feng Families refine pills and were instigated by the Cao clan.
And on account of Senior Yun Zhongzi's face, I will spare you this once.
Do not stand against my Xu family ever again."
"Senior Brother, I never thought of opposing the Xu family. It was just that the Cao clan promised me that if I helped them refine pills and suppress your Xu family's businesses...
In a few years, they would grant me a Foundation Establishment Pill and make me the Chief of the Dan Hall."
"The position of Dan Hall Chief belonged to Master! As his disciple, I have the right to inherit it!"
Seeing the sheer obsession in his eyes, Xu Chuan said indifferently, "You care too much about fame and fortune."
"Do you know that Senior Yun Zhongzi did not care about the Chief position at all? If possible, he would have preferred to leave the Dan Hall.
His only wish in this life was for the Dao of Alchemy to flourish in Great Wei and bloom everywhere!"
Wei Dao's eyes went wide, finding it utterly unbelievable.
"Leave the Dan Hall after you return. Even if you stay there, you will no longer be valued by the Cao clan. They might even become wary of you, thinking you have ties to my Xu family."
"If I leave the Dan Hall, where can I go? Become a rogue cultivator?"
"With your current level in the Dao of Alchemy, you could live quite well even as a rogue cultivator."
"If you are willing to let go of everything, you could also join my Xu family and devote yourself fully to the Dao of Alchemy."
"That is all. You may go."
Wei Dao had little affection for the main branch of the Wei Family. Even though the entire clan had perished, he only felt a sense of melancholy in his heart. He had only come here to pursue his own Grand Dao.
It was just a pity that the Cao clan had also underestimated the Xu family.
Wei Dao glanced at Xu Chuan. Seeing that he truly intended to let him go, he did not linger and departed on his flying sword.
In mid-air, he cast a backward glance at the Wei Clan Ancestral Land. 'Join the Xu family?'
He still felt a lingering sense of unease in his heart. Turning around, he flew toward the Imperial City.
Quite a few aristocratic families had been annihilated this time, and they all occupied spiritual energy nodes.
The Xu family granted one of these parcels to the other families, allowing them to divide it among themselves to use as spirit fields or medicine gardens.
The rest naturally fell into the Xu family's own hands.
They had already occupied the area with the most abundant spiritual energy in Guangling, which was sufficient for the Xu family members' current development. Therefore, they had no plans to partition it further.
They simply continued to transform these ancestral lands into spirit fields and medicine gardens.
As for the Wei Clan Ancestral Land, they tore down all the buildings and constructed various new palaces.
It did not take long for news of the Xu family's actions to spread throughout Great Wei.
Imperial City.
Upon hearing Cao Jinyan's report, Cao Shengming's face turned as cold as iron, his anger plainly visible.
"The Xu family actually dared to kill my Cao clan's Foundation Establishment cultivators?! And even Cao Dezhong, who was at peak sixth-layer Foundation Establishment, died at their hands!"
"They have a lot of nerve!"
"The Xu family is not just bold; they act flawlessly. They deliberately didn't send an invitation to our Cao clan, likely just to force us to make a trip there.
If we hadn't gone initially, the Xu family probably wouldn't have dared to kill Cao Dezhong and the other two.
But..."
Cao Jinyan said with a hateful tone, "But he tricked me into publicly declaring that our Cao clan would absolutely not interfere in the disputes between commanderies. He also made me confirm that the Foundation Establishment cultivator the Feng family invited was definitely not from our Cao clan.
With these words as a shield, if our Cao clan moves against the Xu family now, we will lose the trust of all the Foundation Establishment families.
Right after that, he aggressively attacked the Feng family and completely annihilated them with astonishing strength."
"Most of the Xu family's Foundation Establishment cultivators only broke through a few months ago. How could they kill Cao Dezhong and the others? How did they manage it?"
Cao Jinyan shook his head slightly. "I don't know the exact details. The Xu family sealed the area with a grand array, completely blocking sight, sound, and spiritual sense probing."
"All I can say is that the Xu family is far stronger than we imagined!"
"They have eight Foundation Establishment cultivators. We would need to mobilize at least two in Late Foundation Establishment and five or six in Mid Foundation Establishment just to guarantee the complete eradication of their Foundation Establishment stage immortal cultivators."
Cao Shengming's brow furrowed tightly at these words. "Are you saying the Xu family is even harder to deal with than a second-rank family?!"
"If this is what it takes at their current stage, then in a few decades, wouldn't we have to deploy the military strength needed to annihilate a first-rank family just to wipe them out?"
Cao Jinyan remained silent.
"Now that you have admitted to this, our Cao clan doesn't even have a valid excuse to deal with the Xu family right now. Let me think on this matter a bit more. You can go back and rest for now."
"Yes, Family Head."
After pondering for a long time, Cao Shengming set off to find the current First Elder of the Cao clan, Cao Defong.
After being informed of the matter, Cao Defong was utterly shocked, his brows furrowing as well.
"They have a high-grade second-tier grand array, eight Foundation Establishment cultivators, and suspected to have more than one in Mid Foundation Establishment. The price to eradicate the Xu family is not small. If we make a move now, I imagine many Foundation Establishment families won't be able to sit still.
They all understand the principle that when lips are cold, teeth will perish!
Unless we can find some fault with the Xu family."
"The Xu family is too cautious. They never stir up trouble and do not even oppress the other Qi Condensation clans. They have won quite a bit of popular support."
"There's no need to worry about the Qi Condensation clans. What we need is to sow discord between the other Foundation Establishment families and the Xu family, killing with a borrowed knife."
Cao Defong said, "In the region bordering the Great Jin territory, there is suspected to be an ancient cultivator's grotto-residence. The younger generation of our Cao Clan are already there investigating.
Once they find it, if it turns out not to be a Golden Core grotto-residence, we will release the information after a while.
We might even spread it to the Great Jin and Great Liang sides.
As long as the benefits are great enough, those Foundation Establishment families will start fighting amongst themselves. Grudges will form, and as those grudges deepen, they will evolve into mortal enemies."
"First Elder, this open scheme is brilliant!" Cao Shengming praised. "Although the Xu family has a deep foundation, they haven't been developing for long, and they lack certain inheritances.
If they wish to advance further, the Xu family should place great importance on an ancient cultivator's inheritance."
"Alright, you may go."
"Yes, First Elder!"
Cao Shengming bowed and left the quiet room.
The top three ranking elders of the Cao clan were practically all at Foundation Establishment perfection. At their peak, their top five elders were all at Foundation Establishment perfection.
As for those who were older, even approaching the end of their lifespan, they were all in secluded death cultivation in the underground palaces near the spirit veins, desperately seeking a breakthrough.
Unfortunately, over these years...
Only one person, possessing extraordinary innate aptitude, had luckily managed to break through.
He was the current Golden Core ancestor of the Cao Clan.
However, he was already over six hundred years old. They needed to nurture the Cao Clan's next Golden Core stage cultivator as soon as possible, or the lineage of the Cao clan that had flourished for a millennium would eventually see the day of its downfall.
If they weren't besieged by the other Foundation Establishment families of Great Wei, they would be wiped out by Great Jin or Great Liang.
The same fate would befall the Golden Core aristocratic families of those two regions should they ever decline.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
Guangling Commandery and Yuehu Commandery enjoyed calm wind and waves.
The Imperial City was equally calm.
The ancestral lands incorporated by the Xu family were all converted into spirit fields and medicine gardens.
As for the former Wei Clan Ancestral Land, it remained sealed off and undergoing renovations.
No one knew what was going on inside.
The Dongxi main lineage.
The spirit silkworms obtained from the Spirit Beast Taming Family had all advanced to the mid first-tier.
As for the little black snake, it had reached the peak of the mid first-tier.
With its powerful bloodline and abundant resources, it naturally grew quickly.
Xu Mingshu often tempted the little black snake with that Black Ink Flood Dragon Demonic Spirit Pill, planning to give it to the snake to swallow once it broke through to the late first-tier.
It possessed remarkable intelligence and could sense the innate attraction this pill held for it.
Thus, it was exceptionally diligent and hardworking.
Unlike the other baby silkworms, which only ate after sleeping and slept after eating.
Watching them made the old flood dragon drool.
But considering that he had watched them grow up, the old flood dragon held himself back, merely settling for licking them while they were fast asleep.
Over at the Guangling Branch, aside from the earlier arrivals of Ren Xiaoyao, Yun Ding, and Wu Mingsheng, the two brothers Xu Mingyuan and Xu Mingxuan had also been staying there recently.
Their main focus was keeping busy with the Xu family's next plan—the Immortal Alliance!
The structures currently being built on the Wei Clan Ancestral Land were none other than the palaces for the Immortal Alliance.
Once this plan was fully realized, it would thoroughly integrate all the Qi Condensation forces across Yuehu Commandery and Guangling Commandery, recruiting disciples from various families as well as rogue cultivators for proper training.
"Second Brother, Father's plan is truly brilliant. It will definitely make all the Qi Condensation clans in the two commanderies willingly serve our Xu family."
Xu Mingyuan smiled faintly. "But our Xu family also has to invest quite a bit. By helping them train disciples and teaching them Immortal Arts, which family would refuse?
If a genius in a certain field truly emerges from among them, their family could rise rapidly and become the next Foundation Establishment family of the two commanderies."
"So what if we teach them? No matter how fast they develop, they won't outpace our Xu family," Xu Mingxuan said. "The Immortal Alliance is drawing every family in and giving them a voice, but no matter how loud that voice gets, it won't be louder than ours.
On the contrary, because our interests are aligned and bound together, they will completely become supporters of our Xu family."
"As long as we wait for the old flood dragon to restore his Golden Core strength, our Xu family will no longer have to hold back."
"Perhaps," Xu Mingyuan said mildly. "Peak second-tier demon cores with the Five Elements Attributes aren't exactly easy to come by.
Last month, Father, Big Brother, and Fourth Sister went out hoping to find something."
At this time, Xu Chuan and the others were searching for a peak second-tier demonic beast in the Azure Sea Forest, gathering spirit grass and materials along the way.
Xu Chuan performed a Daily Divination for fortune and misfortune, but most results pointed toward fortune, reading: Slight opportunity, some gains.
As for anything clearer, there was none.
If he could truly pinpoint the location of a peak second-tier demonic beast, Xu Chuan would have already brought Moyue over to slaughter it long ago.
When divining the family's fortune, he could almost always obtain relatively detailed information.
Xu Chuan felt helpless as well. After all, the nerfed version of the Daily Divination was not omnipotent.
"Father, if this goes on, who knows what year or month we'll be able to gather them all. Although the Cao clan has made no moves for now, it doesn't mean they don't want to strike at our Xu family," Xu Mingwei said.
Xu Chuan nodded. "Indeed."
"How about this: Mingshu, have Xiao Bai go around asking again. Perhaps there are demonic beasts willing to reveal the location of a peak second-tier demonic beast."
"Alright." Xu Mingshu summoned the white tiger and gave him a rundown of the situation.
The white tiger let out a low growl. Darting as swift as the wind, he leaped into the forest and disappeared from sight.
They had tried this twice before, but most demonic beasts, even those at the second-tier, were incredibly violent and would attack on sight.
If they reacted like that to a demonic beast like Xu Bai, how much worse would it be if they saw Xu Chuan and the others?
However, this time...
After venturing deep into the forest, Xu Bai actually encountered an early second-tier tiger-type demonic beast—a Cloud-Patterned Tiger.
The moment the Cloud-Patterned Tiger saw Xu Bai, it was drawn by his bloodline aura.
It genuinely shared some information with Xu Bai, but the price was for them to mate once.
In Xu Bai's eyes, the Cloud-Patterned Tiger had delicate and attractive features. Since he could complete his master's orders at the same time, why not go for it?
Over an hour later.
Xu Bai swished his tail and cast a backward glance at the Cloud-Patterned Tiger. Without much lingering attachment, he swiftly left the cave where the tiger resided.
Due to their spiritual sense connection...
Xu Bai easily located where Xu Mingshu was.
He then relayed the matter to her.
Xu Mingshu's eyes lit up. She turned to look at Xu Chuan and said, "Father, we have news."
"There really are peak second-tier demonic beasts nearby. One is a Six-Winged Flying Centipede located fifteen to twenty kilometers to the southwest. The other is an Iron-Armed Spirit Ape on a mountain peak twenty kilometers to the east.
Both of them have formed small-scale communities."
Hearing this, Xu Chuan pondered for a moment before saying, "Let us go take a look first. If their attributes match, we will kill them."
The three of them immediately set off.
Since Xu Bai's aura was difficult to conceal, he was stored away in a Spirit Beast Pouch.
They first arrived in the vicinity of the Six-Winged Flying Centipede. Once there, they let Moyue come out to investigate.
"It is an Earth-attribute demonic beast."
"Then we will kill it. The three of us will hold off that Six-Winged Flying Centipede's lackeys while you strike and take it down quickly."
"I will listen to you."
Moyue knew that in terms of wisdom and strategy, he was inferior to Xu Chuan, so he dutifully followed his instructions.
Xu Chuan and the others struck first. After slaughtering several early and mid first-tier flying centipedes, two early second-tier four-winged flying centipedes emerged, along with their target for this trip—the Six-Winged Flying Centipede.
Xu Mingshu and Xu Mingwei each held off one, also releasing Xu Ying and Xu Bai to launch an assault on the first-tier flying centipedes.
Xu Chuan activated the True Yang Treasure Orb, casting shields over those who needed them.
After all, there were several hundred first-tier flying centipedes in this area.
Many of them were even at the late first-tier.
Moyue, on the other hand, dealt with the peak second-tier Six-Winged Flying Centipede.
The battle lasted for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.
The Six-Winged Flying Centipede was slain by Moyue.
"Let's go!"
Xu Chuan stored its corpse and immediately signaled for the others to leave.
After resting for half a day.
They made their way toward the mountain peak where the Iron-Armed Spirit Ape was located.
It was a place of picturesque scenery, home to a large number of spirit apes, with as many as six second-tier spirit apes.
"Aside from the Iron-Armed Spirit Ape at peak second-tier, there is also one at late second-tier, two at mid second-tier, and three at early second-tier,"
Moyue said calmly, his spiritual sense enveloping more than half of the mountain peak.
"Forget it, there's no need to engage in a bloody battle. Let us go look elsewhere."
It was a pity that Moyue could not scout recklessly with his spiritual sense. If he accidentally alarmed a Tier 3 demonic beast, the consequences would be disastrous.
All three possessed a Breath-Concealing Array Tool. As long as they did not make a move, they would not be easily discovered.
Half a month later.
Xu Ying also managed to pry the location of a peak second-tier demonic beast, a Blood Jade Python, from the beak of a certain eagle-type demonic beast.
After slaying it...
They returned to Dongxi first.
With external threats currently looming, they could not remain away from the clan for too long.
Of the Five Elements inner cores, they were still missing the Wood and Metal attributes. Among them, the Metal attribute should not be difficult to find, but as for the Wood attribute, Xu Chuan and his group hadn't encountered a single one so far.
Upon returning to the clan.
Xu Mingshu went straight to cultivating her little cuties.
She had previously requested Xu Chuan to refine a Demonic Spirit Pill meant for spider demonic beasts.
And on this trip, they had managed to gather the necessary materials.
Xu Chuan refined four pills and handed one over to Xu Mingshu.
Xu Mingshu fed it to a certain Blood-Pupil Spider, helping it step into the second-tier.
For the tiger tribe, Xu Bai, having awakened the Four Spirits White Tiger bloodline, was undeniably the clan leader. As for the eagle tribe, it was naturally Xu Ying.
The only one remaining was the Blood-Pupil Spider tribe.
However, in a short while, a leader-level spirit beast would also emerge among the Blood-Pupil Spiders.
Xu Mingwei, Xu Mingyuan, and Xu Mingxuan's spirit beasts also swallowed their respective Demonic Spirit Pills and were now in a deep slumber.
Advancing to the second-tier was likely just a matter of time.
In a flash, another half-month passed.
The Xu family suddenly received an unverified rumor stating that an ancient cultivator's grotto-residence had appeared somewhere in the region bordering Great Wei and Great Jin.
Initially, they just thought it was gossip.
But not long after, Zhou Qingfang arrived in Dongxi and confirmed that the news was true.
"Brother Zhou, you're saying the message was transmitted through the Immortal Official Tokens, urging all Immortal Officials to head there and fight for the grotto-residence, preventing it from falling into the hands of cultivators from Great Jin and Great Liang?"
"Indeed. So it's safe to assume this information is authentic, and it has already been discovered by people from Great Jin and Great Liang."
"Brother Xu, shall you and I go together?"
"Alright, but I need to make some brief preparations. I will set out with you in an hour."
"That is naturally not a problem." Zhou Qingfang secretly rejoiced in his heart.
In a struggle for an ancient cultivator's grotto-residence like this, his Zhou family was simply too weak. If they didn't tag along with the Xu family, they wouldn't be able to contest for anything even if they went.
Xu Chuan convened all the Foundation Establishment cultivators still in Dongxi.
After some deliberation, they finally decided to have Xu Mingwei, Xu Mingxian, and Ren Xiaoyao go along.
Xu Mingxian's primary role was to break arrays.
As for Xu Mingwei and Ren Xiaoyao, their combat prowess was extremely formidable. With Xu Chuan joining them, they could hold their ground even if they encountered a Late Foundation Establishment cultivator.
In addition, Xu Mingshu also had Xu Chuan bring the Purple-Azure Thunder Hawk along. Even though he was currently only at the early second-tier, equivalent to a second-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator, his burst power was on par with the fourth-layer of Foundation Establishment.
Most importantly, his speed was great enough to allow Xu Chuan and the others to escape should they face danger.
Xu Ying had been raised by the Xu family since he was little and was intimately familiar with everyone in the clan. Therefore, he would accept Xu Chuan's commands.
"Daoist Friend Zhou, let us make a detour to Guangling Commandery along the way. I intend to call upon our clan's Elder Xiaoyao."
Zhou Qingfang swept his gaze over Xu Chuan and the other two, smiling faintly. "That's even better. Elder Xiaoyao's strength is quite extraordinary as well."
They immediately set off.
After arriving in Guangling, they picked up Ren Xiaoyao and rushed toward the ancient cultivator's grotto-residence.
The grotto-residence was located within the Ancient Serene Mountain Range.
Although this place wasn't quite as dangerous as the Azure Sea Forest or Ten Thousand Serpent Valley, which hosted Tier 3 demonic beasts, it still crawled with numerous demonic beasts, including many at the peak of the second tier.
Moreover, one would occasionally encounter Netherfiend Qi deep in the mountain range.
This malevolent qi could corrode a person's mana, physical body, and mental state. Even Foundation Establishment stage immortal cultivators could only endure it for the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
If a Qi Refining stage cultivator entered, they would likely go mad within just a few breaths of time.
The group proceeded cautiously, making their way to Profound Moon Peak where the ancient cultivator's grotto-residence was situated.
On the way, they encountered Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Liu clan currently engaged in a fierce battle with a mid second-tier demonic beast.
Although the Xu family had experienced some friction with the Liu clan in the past, it wasn't considered a major issue. Therefore, Xu Chuan and the others intervened, driving the demonic beast away.
Afterward, they traveled together.
Since the grotto-residence this time was in the Ancient Serene Mountain Range, fourth-rank families essentially would not come.
Zhou Qingfang was basically just hitching a ride with the Xu family.
After all, without the strength of a Mid Foundation Establishment cultivator, merely reaching Profound Moon Peak was a monumental challenge.
However, this also indicated that the owner of this grotto-residence possessed a cultivation of at least Late Foundation Establishment, and was highly likely at Foundation Establishment perfection.
As for it being a Golden Core stage grotto-residence, the chances were infinitesimally small.
Despite that, the three great Golden Core aristocratic families still dispatched Late Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Deep within the folds of the Ancient Serene Mountain Range, most peaks were cloaked in varying shades of verdant green. Only Profound Moon Peak broke free from the tangle of greenery, standing tall between heaven and earth in a dense, grayish-brown hue.
Its imposing form resembled an ancient dragon raising its head, solid grayish-brown all over, with jagged rock faces that seemed carved by blades and axes, piercing straight into the heavens.
Viewed from afar, the summit vanished into the drifting clouds like a pillar of heaven, striving to touch the bright moon.
When midnight arrived, the peak suddenly glowed with a silver radiance, as if lunar light was cascading down into the secluded valleys, blanketing the entire mountain in an aura of chilling isolation.
By the time Xu Chuan and his group arrived, they saw three major factions subtly standing point against point.
The factions shifted their gazes over.
"Brother Xu, you've arrived as well. Come over here."
From within the crowd representing Great Wei, Lei Hekong suddenly smiled.
Xu Chuan and the others flew over.
"Brother Hekong." Xu Chuan, Xu Mingwei, and the rest cupped their fists in greeting.
Lei Hekong nodded and introduced them to Xu Chuan, "This is the second elder of our Lei Clan, Lei Yunhua, and this is my cousin, Lei Heyang."
Xu Chuan cupped his fists again. "A pleasure to meet you, Elder Yunhua, Elder Heyang."
Lei Yunhua was at peak seventh-layer Foundation Establishment, Lei Heyang was at the sixth-layer of Foundation Establishment, and Lei Hekong appeared to be at early fifth-layer Foundation Establishment.
The two gave slight nods of acknowledgment.
Xu Chuan scanned his surroundings. On the side of Great Liang, his old acquaintance from the Zhao family, Zhao Qingyan, was also present.
He had now also broken through to the fifth-layer of Foundation Establishment.
Beside him stood an elderly man possessing immortal bearing and Daoist bones, boasting an eighth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivation.
As for Great Jin's side...
His gaze suddenly sharpened.
One of the three people standing at the very front was the same demonic cultivator that Xu Chuan and Zhao Qingyan had encountered previously.
The other two were also at eighth-layer Foundation Establishment.
Each of the three factions had over thirty people.
The eighth-layer Foundation Establishment elder leading the Cao clan's forces cast a sidelong glance at Xu Chuan, silently thinking, 'This brat came after all.'
'Making my Cao Clan lose three Foundation Establishment cultivators in one fell swoop... if there is a chance, I must absolutely find a way to eliminate him.'
Soon after, the Cao clan elder spoke up, "Brother Liu, Brother Sima, what are the rules this time? The same as before? We first combine our strength to break the array here, find the grotto-residence, and after entering, rely on our own means?"
"I don't mind," a gray-haired elder standing at the very front of Great Liang's group said indifferently.
The Sima Family elder added, "We will wait another hour. If no other Daoist friends show up, we will commence breaking the array."
"Acceptable!" the elders of the Liu Family and Cao clan said in unison.
Not long after.
Zhao Qingyan's voice suddenly rang by Xu Chuan's ear.
"Daoist Friend Xu, you saw that eighth-layer Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator from Great Jin, right? I learned from my clan elders that he is the Third Elder of the Xue Clan in Great Jin, Xue Wuxiu.
The Xue Clan is second only to the Sima Family in Great Jin, roughly equivalent to the status of my Zhao family in Great Liang.
Once the chaotic battle begins, if no one is protecting you, you can move closer to my Zhao family's side. Our clan's Fifth Elder will step in to help you out."
"Many thanks, Daoist Friend Zhao," Xu Chuan sent a telepathic reply in gratitude.
For a Fifth Elder to possess an eighth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivation... the Zhao family's true strength was indeed unfathomable.
It stood to reason they had more than one Foundation Establishment perfection immortal cultivator.
However, compared to the Zhao family's grander ambitions, a squabble over a grotto-residence was evidently of little consequence, and dispatching a single Late Foundation Establishment immortal cultivator was already their limit.
Only if it were a Golden Core cultivator's grotto-residence would a Foundation Establishment perfection cultivator potentially make an appearance.
Lei Hekong also sent a voice transmission over. "Brother Xu, why did you bring Xu Mingwei and the other youngsters who just reached Foundation Establishment?"
"Mingwei's strength is not weak, and Xiaoyao isn't lacking either. As for Mingxian, I considered that we might run into arrays, hence why I brought him."
Lei Hekong gave a slight nod.
So it was true; Xu Mingxian was the array master of the Xu family.
To possess such talent in the Array Dao at this age... perhaps he would become another top-tier array master in the future.
In the blink of an eye, an hour passed.
"Since no one else is coming, Daoist friends, let us strike together and break the array!" the Cao clan elder announced evenly.
Soon after, everyone either deployed their magical artifacts or unleashed top-grade magical arts.
Barrage after barrage of various attacks rained down upon Profound Moon Peak.
The attacks did not land on the peak itself. Instead, they struck something dozens of meters away, instantly sending ripples spreading outward as if a canvas had been pulled back at the corner.
"This array..." Xu Mingxian's pupils suddenly shrank.
The next moment...
He decisively slapped his Storage Pouch, retrieving the Four Symbols Array Disk. He activated the formation, enveloping Xu Chuan and the rest, along with Zhou Qingfang, within it.
Right at that same instant.
A thick expanse of yellow mist surged forth, instantly blanketing an area of several miles around Profound Moon Peak.
By the time the crowd opened their eyes again, the figures of the others around them had vanished entirely.
Only Xu Chuan and his group, thanks to the protection of Xu Mingxian's array, were spared from falling completely into the grand array.
However, they were similarly unable to see anyone else.
"What is going on?" Zhou Qingfang turned pale with fright.
Xu Chuan looked curiously at Xu Mingxian and asked, "What array is this?"
"An illusion array. An extremely sophisticated illusion array. I am unsure of its specific name, but it should be a type of ancient illusion array. Once this yellow mist is inhaled, one will be dragged into an illusion.
They will encounter endless Heart-Demon Illusions."
"Then can we do anything during this process, such as killing someone?"
"It is hard to say, but I suspect that if you appear near that person, you yourself will be distorted by the array's power into an inner demon in their eyes.
Rather than successfully launching a sneak attack, you might end up getting slaughtered by their enraged self."
"How truly troublesome." Xu Chuan curled his lips. "Then let us find a way to break it."
"It will be somewhat difficult, but giving everyone a moment of clarity so they can charge out of the illusion array's range shouldn't be a major issue. We can find a chance to properly study this array later."
"Mhm." Xu Chuan nodded.
It would be perfect if they could covertly kill that demonic cultivator from Great Jin. What a pity his opponent's strength was too overwhelming. If he were mistaken for a heart demon and heavily injured or hacked to pieces in a frenzy...
Then it would just turn into a joke.
Xu Mingxian's hands formed incantation seals. The spirits of the Four Symbols chimed in unison, transforming into a unique fluctuation that spread outward.
"This is an illusion array! Wake up quickly and charge out of the yellow mist!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Xu Chuan and the others bolted out of the yellow mist.
The crowd, influenced by that fluctuation, felt their seas of consciousness instantly clear up.
"An illusion?"
Their expressions underwent a drastic change, and without another word, they likewise escaped the range of the yellow mist.
"Many thanks for the warning, Daoist Friend!"
Many people cupped their hands toward Xu Chuan and his group in gratitude.
The Sima Family elder looked at Xu Mingxian, who held the Array Disk in his hand, and asked, "Brat from the Xu family, to think you could instantly see through this array. Do you have a way to break it?"
"Reporting to Senior, this junior merely identified the nature of this array. That is an entirely different matter from actually breaking it."
"Furthermore, with so many seniors present here, surely this junior isn't the only array master around?"
A middle-aged man from the Great Liang faction flew out, possessing a fifth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivation. "I am an array master. From what I can see, forcing our way through this array seems impossible. Holding one's breath against that mist is useless.
I fear that mere contact with it will affect one's consciousness.
Plunging them right into a Heart-Demon Illusion."