Master Lu quickly returned with the severed head and handed it to that elder.
"The Jade Smoke Mountain is too heavy for me to lift. It is still at the foot of the mountain," he informed.
The elder examined the severed head closely. Yu Mugao, now over eighty years old, had graying hair and his cunning eyes were slightly open. His hair and beard was long, and his face was all bruised and bloodied from the devil cultivator's attacks.
Those eyes locked onto the elder's greedy and gleeful gaze, causing the elder to gasp and throw Yu Mugao's head away, his face paling in shock.
Another member of the group picked up the head, still unable to believe that Yu Mugao was truly dead. The elders exchanged uneasy glances, and one of them spoke with a tremble in his voice, "Although this man was cruel and unkind, he wasn't much of a fighter... It was no surprise he got killed..."
"Yes, but... Yu Muxian is still in the sect. I-If... If he finds out that we have secretly erased the seal from the formation plate... Master Lu! What should we do now?!"
It turned out that several of the elders were brothers of Yu Xiaogui. During his lifetime, Yu Xiaogui had feared that his eldest son, Yu Mugao, might slaughter the clan after his death, so he used various means to secretly protect them.
Yu Mugao had been aware of this but was concerned that any rash actions might expose news of Yu Xiaogui's death. He had planned to frame and eliminate them one by one.
However, these elders were shrewd and had been feigning ignorance.
Yu Mugao did not anticipate encountering devil cultivators, and everyone was rescued by guest cultivator Lu. His descendants, being too weak to make decisive moves, ended up getting him killed.
Master Lu shook his head and replied, "Yu Mugao died due to the devil plague... Yu Muxian won't investigate with a Clarity Talisman. As long as we hold our ground, we can manage this situation!"
The elder nodded silently, whispering, "We'll put our trust in you, Master Lu!"
The guest cultivator nodded with a smile.
The old man turned around and addressed the terrified crowd.
"With Yu Mugao dead, all his rules are nullified. We'll abolish his public fields, inspections, collective punishments, and commercial taxes... We'll restore the clan's tribute system, the clan slaves... All laws enacted by Yu Mugao will be revoked in favor of the ancient clan system!"
Instantly, the Yu Family members erupted in joy and cheers. Yu Mugao's head, now fallen on the ground, lay in the rain, his beard and hair drenched and matted.
The chorus of voices chanted, "Remove the tyrants and restore the clan system!"
The face that had been drained white due to devil cultivation qi turning dull, now lying alone under the rain, eerily resembled An Jingming's head that had been preserved with a spell for decades in the Yu Family's vault.
————
Li Yuanping sat at the high seat, now nearing thirty with gray sideburns that he no longer bothered to dye. People on Mount Dali usually got gray hair at thirty and passed away at fifty. Therefore, Li Yuanping could now be referred to as an Old Master.
The storage pouches left behind by the two devil cultivators were no ordinary items. Li Yuanping had them exchanged for three pouches suitable for the Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivators, and with the remaining twenty-plus Spirit Stones added to the family's vault, his mood had lightened considerably.
The newly acquired storage pouches were given to the brothers from the An Family and the orphan from the Tian Family, as a gesture to win over their favor.
He was currently preparing for the upcoming tribute submission. He had learned that Eldest Senior Brother Yu Su from Yuanwu Peak, notorious for his greed and audacity, would be collecting the tributes this time. As such, it was essential to prepare a bribe.
While he listed down all the items that needed to be prepared, someone entered the hall and presented a letter.
"Family Head! A report from our Yu Family's spy!"
Li Yuanping skimmed through the letter. His eyes widened in disbelief as he read it again, more carefully this time.
He then exclaimed, "Yu Mugao is dead?! Is this true? What kind of scheme is that person plotting now?"
He pondered for a moment, realizing that the current situation of the three families made it unlikely that the Yu Family would fake a death—it would only cause unnecessary turmoil.
The three families had an agreement before. The Li Family moving north at this time would only provoke trouble.
On the other hand, the Yu Family, with its vast territory, had been plagued by even more devil cultivators. Yu Mugao's death seemed plausible under the circumstances.
"Send someone to investigate further," he instructed.
Still feeling uneasy, Li Yuanping sent another person to confirm the news. After a moment, he put down his brush, a muffled laugh escaping his lips. He turned to those around him, joyfully announcing, "With one less starving wolf at my side, I can finally sleep in peace!"
As he held the small letter, Li Yuanjiao descended into the front yard. He had been accumulating progress all this while and spent only several days breaking through to the eighth heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm.
Li Yuanping rose from his seat and greeted him with a smile.
"Big Brother, take a look at this!" he exclaimed gleefully.
Li Yuanjiao nodded and read the letter carefully. He exhaled deeply, both relieved and satisfied.
"I guess he was fortunate to die an easy death," he commented.
Li Yuanjiao and his siblings still harbored resentment toward the Yu Family due to Li Yuanxiu's death. They had always wished so badly to end that cunning pair of father and son from the Yu Family. Yu Xiaogui had been slain by Li Tongya, who passed away shortly after that. Now that Yu Mugao had been killed in the devil plague, they could finally have peace of mind.
Li Yuanping raised his head and murmured, "Considering all the enemies of my family, even though Yu Mugao might not compare to the likes of Jianixi, he was still a formidable figure... Now that he is dead, his lifelong good governance and clan system has been in vain. The Yu Family can no longer compete with my family for supremacy... This is a blessing for my Li Family!"
Li Yuanjiao chuckled in response.
"The Yu Family spent a century usurping Jiang's territory, I still remember when they hosted a banquet and invited all the families to impose tributes on them. It has only been eighty years since then, and now their influence has crumbled. Even the last beam of their roof has been broken."
"Don't forget about Yu Mujian... We still haven't heard any news about him, so it's unclear whether he's alive or dead," Li Yuanping reminded him.
As the two brothers enjoyed their conversation, Dou Yi approached and reported, "Family Head! With Yu Mugao dead, their elder, Yu Xiaomian, is supporting Yu Chengyi, the seventh heir, as their new leader. Meanwhile, the other peaks, controlled by Yu Mugao's other descendants, have split into four factions. The situation is currently at a standstill."
Li Yuanping considered this information thoughtfully but could only say, "It's a pity that Yu Muxian's oath prevents us from intervening in the Yu Family's affairs or entering their territory... Otherwise, we could take advantage of this situation to expand north and annex half of the Yu Family's land."
"We might not be able to annex it directly, but we could certainly do something about it..." Li Yuanjiao suggested.
Li Yuanping then took the letter presented by Dou Yi and said, "All four regions around the lake have been struck by the devil plague, and the Fei Family has activated their Cloud Gathering Southern Heaven Formation . Without any Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators among the devil cultivators, they were unable to breach it and quickly withdrew."
As the two brothers were deep in discussion, a commotion erupted in the front hall. Two young Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivators hurried in with tears staining their cheeks. They rushed forward and fell to their knees as they cried out, "Please... save our families!"
These cultivators were from the Rui and Pu families on the eastern shore, both of which paid tribute to the Li Family. They had come to the Li Family to cultivate spirit fields and were now pleading desperately.
"Family Head, the families on the eastern shore are in utter chaos! Many devil cultivators of the Qi Cultivation and Embryonic Breathing Realms are running amok there... We've exhausted all our means of seeking help. Please, we beg the main family to save our families...!"
Li Yuanping and Li Yuanjiao exchanged a glance, their faces lighting up with sudden delight. Their eyes were drawn to the densely packed families on the map.
"Families on the eastern shore!"
These Qi Cultivation and Embryonic Breathing Realm devil cultivators are easy prey... We could use this opportunity to gather several Embryonic Breathing Realm families and increase the tribute we receive. It's a perfect chance to kill two birds with one stone!