Jiang Heqian sneered malevolently. His expression was so sinister and venomous that it even caused a slight change in the expressions of the guest cultivators present.
"Brother Heqian, our deep-seated hatred will finally be avenged today. Let us set off quickly! This is no minor skirmish on the eastern coast... we must be cautious," said Fei Wangbai.
It turned out that Jiang Heqian was an old acquaintance of Fei Wangbai, arranged to stir trouble among the families on the eastern coast. Despite many searches carried out by the Yu Family, they never found him, as he lived on a small hill near the Milin Prefecture.
Jiang Heqian, barely able to contain himself, growled viciously, "Let's go!"
————
Milin Prefecture was a flat region with lush forests, where the rich, dark, and moist soil could be squeezed to produce oil, making it an excellent place for nurturing life. Despite the numerous disturbances caused by the tens of thousands of Yu Family members, the land could still sustain hundreds of thousands of common people.
As roosters crowed and dogs barked, signaling the start of a new day, sunlight shone across the five immortal mountains of Milin Prefecture. Shadows rose from the mountains, and Yu Family's cultivators soared with the wind toward the central plain of the prefecture.
At this convergence point of the five immortal mountains, the spirit veins intertwined, nurturing vast stretches of spirit fields. The marketplace of Milin Prefecture was situated here, its formation hidden by the convergence of the five ground veins.
This grand formation had been meticulously crafted by the Yu Family, utilizing the family's ancestral Jade Court Guarding Formation, which not only defended against attacks from Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators but also empowered those within the formation. It had cost Yu Xiaogui a significant amount of Spirit Stones.
Yu Xiao'ou sat leisurely on a redwood chair, twirling his gray beard as he reached for an ancient book. As the eldest brother of the Xiao generation in the Yu Family, he was a peak Qi Cultivator at over 120 years old. Having long abandoned the idea of reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, he took up a position in the marketplace, no longer cultivating but spending his days reading and watching plays, enjoying a rather comfortable life.
He had only read two or three pages of the book when he caught sight of a person approaching him hurriedly with a group of clansmen, calling out repeatedly, "Eldest Master! We have heard that the Li Family has attacked Mount Huazhong! The ancestor went there alone! The family head has sent people over, saying that we need to mobilize the family's cultivators."
"What?!"
Yu Xiao'ou sprang to his feet instantly, slapping the table in anger and panic, exclaiming, "Old Fifth is always so impatient and reckless! How could he go alone?! Li Tongya is notoriously cunning and malicious... What if the Li Family has set a trap? Li Chejing is now a Sword Immortal, how can we underestimate him?!"
The group was immediately struck dumb, falling silent right away. Yu Xiaogui was a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, and only a few dared to address him as "Old Fifth" so casually. Given Yu Xiaogui's sullen nature, no one dared provoke him. Yu Xiao'ou's words caused them all to tremble with fear.
Yu Xiao'ou, having cultivated for over a hundred years, immediately saw through the overconfidence of Yu Xiaogui and Yu Mugao. The old man's jaw trembled and his beard quivered. "Where is Clan Uncle Yufeng?" he demanded anxiously.
"We do not know!"
A flurry of panic spread among the elders instantly. Yu Xiao'ou attempted to stabilize the situation hurriedly, shouting, "Silence!"
As the elders looked over at him, Yu Xiao'ou scolded them, saying, "You are all so old, yet you panic like this? Grab your weapons and follow me to Mount Huazhong to find Yu Xiaogui!"
The group nodded repeatedly and was about to take off when a loud voice called out to them, stopping them in their tracks.
"Wait!"
A young man in black clothes leaped out from the crowd, his voice stern, holding a letter up high.
"By order of the family head, we are not to go to Mount Huazhong!"
The elders immediately halted, looking around in hesitation. Yu Xiao'ou grew even more frustrated. He wanted to curse but then remembered his nephew Yu Mugao's intelligence. He held back his temper and huffed, "If the family head has a plan, just say it straight! Stop dilly-dallying!"
The young man hesitated given Yu Xiao'ou's seniority, and hurriedly apologized. Seeing him delay things even further, Yu Xiao'ou glared and cursed again, "Useless fool! Speak!"
The man stopped and shouted, "The family head's intention is... for all of us to head to the southern coast and attack Mount Lijing!"
Upon hearing these words, everyone held their breath and pondered. Yu Xiao'ou immediately understood that Yu Xiaogui was likely not in grave danger at Mount Huazhong, but merely entangled. He then clapped his hands, which caused his grizzly beard to flutter.
With his vast experience, he could infer the situation from the instructions alone. He quickly regained his composure, nodding repeatedly. "Mugao is truly vicious! It's no wonder he's Xiaogui's son. Like father, like son—the wicked produce the wicked! Listen up, everyone! We'll attack Mount Lijing!" he exclaimed.
As soon as Yu Xiao'ou had finished speaking, there was a scattered cheer from the crowd. Some looked at him in a daze, while others suddenly understood his intention. Seeing the varied reactions of the Yu Family's members, Yu Xiao'ou felt a burning anger rising within him. He kicked the man in front of him to the ground and cursed, "You idiot! Make sure to cover up the Yu Family name on your clothes and artifacts! Who attacks and leaves their name behind?! Idiot! Even a mortal shopkeeper would have more sense than you lot combined!"
The man, plump and hefty, rolled three times before getting up, nodding repeatedly.
Only then did the Yu Family cultivators come to their senses. They hurriedly tore their collars or used illusions to conceal their identities. Yu Xiao'ou's eyes turned red with rage as he cursed them all, saying, "These useless fools, all they do is eat and drink! What else can they do?!"
His heart felt like it was being scorched, and he shivered with cold anger. Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted, causing dust to fall from the entire hall and the ground to shake violently.
Yu Xiao'ou felt a sudden chill in his heart and stepped back in dismay, his lips quickly losing their color. He clutched his robe tightly and muttered in a daze, "The Fei family... It is the Fei family... Uncle Yufeng... What has happened to Uncle Yufeng?"
Yu Xiao'ou felt dizzy. The few people below looked at him in confusion, whispering, "Is the grand formation being activated? Who dares to strike at this moment... Where is the ancestor? We must wait for the ancestor to arrive!"
Yu Xiao'ou steadied himself, feeling utterly exhausted. With a deep sigh, he ordered, "Maintain the formation flags and prepare to face the enemy!"
The Yu Family's cultivators entered the formation to hold their positions, while Yu Xiao'ou took command of the Jade Court Guarding Formation's diagram. The formation immediately brightened considerably.
In the sky, Fei Wangbai was clad in gray, his face indistinct.
"Fellow Daoist... I will leave this Jade Court Guarding Formation to you."
His voice was hoarse and raspy.
Jiang Heqian had also concealed his face, but neither his voice nor attire was disguised, and the mist covering his face was barely effective. His features were vaguely discernible, as if he didn't fear the Yu Family recognizing him
He replied coldly, "Rest assured, my friend! This Jade Court Guarding Formation was passed down personally by my grandfather... The Yu traitors only know that it can harness the power of the earth veins and combine multiple formations, but they are unaware of its true secrets!"