Dili Youjie slowly lifted his head as the glint of cold steel and blades around him withdrew. At last, he had a chance to rise to his feet and vaguely make out the face of the heir.
Li Zhouwei turned his horse and rode off, his Jade Court Guards following suit as they withdrew from the village. Only the family soldiers remained, standing in rigid formation on both sides. Yet, one figure remained unmoved—the cold, calculating young man stood there with his arms crossed, watching Dili Youjie with an unreadable expression.
The young man was Chen Yang. Chen Yang thought to himself, A lucky barbarian...
Chen Yang came from the prestigious Chen family, one of the most prominent surnames among the eastern towns. He bore the blood of the Li Family on his mother’s side.. Though he followed Li Zhouwei closely in battle, he was still considered a son of an esteemed family back in the eastern towns. Seeing himself as a celestial descendant, he inherently looked down on these barbarians.
Li Zhouwei had an uncanny ability to see through people's hearts, so in his presence, Chen Yang would tuck away his claws and behave obediently in front of him. But now that Li Zhouwei was gone, he reverted to his usual self.
He studied Dili Youjie carefully with his gray-black eyes before stepping forward to help him up. His expression changed faster than a page turning, and he said with a grin, "Brother Dili! I am Chen Yang. Now that we are working together, I look forward to learn from you."
Dili Youjie quickly lowered his head, adopting a humble demeanor, and replied softly, "Senior, I will follow your guidance entirely!"
Chen Yang nodded. His smile was warm and enthusiastic, as if they were real friends. He said with a chuckle, "The twenty-one esteemed families in the city have long oppressed the common folk. The heir has made it clear they need not be spared. I will take the troops over, but as for gathering forces, recording their crimes, organizing the family warriors, and placing trusted men... I suppose I don’t need to teach you how to handle that, do I?"
Dili Youjie respectfully responded, "I will make sure everything is handled properly."
Chen Yang warmly took his hand, pulling him onto the horse before letting go. In a hushed tone, he said, "Brother Dili, these twenty-one esteemed families have a considerable number of members and external cultivators. I ask that you check the records thoroughly..."
Chen Yang, dressed in black, feigned a playful yet fearful expression as he leaned in and whispered, "Make sure not a single person or horse is overlooked... The heir lives high in the celestial mountains and fears no vengeance, but you and I have families. We cannot afford to play games with the revenge of a fallen bloodline!"
Dili Youjie squinted slightly and said with a nod, "I understand!"
As the two walked into the city, they saw weapons gleaming coldly everywhere. Chen Yang spoke in cold tone, "Then, please proceed."
Dili Youjie immediately understood. He unfastened the horn from his waist and brought it to his lips, blowing into it through his mustache.
Riding forward, Dili Youjie saw the shock on the plump faces of the city’s esteemed families as his family warriors streamed in. A burning sense of dominance surged within him. It was like fine wine intoxicating his heart, sending him into a euphoric daze.
Dili Youjie thought, The Yedun Family robbed mine two years ago. Their heads go first.
—--—--—--
While Great Jueting was engulfed in the chaos of war, Northern Mount Yue remained eerily silent.
Located next to Great Jueting, Northern Mount Yue was bordered by a mountain range. Beyond it lay two vast plains that were densely populated. Li Xijun and Kongheng rode the wind and landed upon one of the great mountains.
According to Fei Luoya, Jiao Zhongzi was proud and ambitious. He cultivated an extremely difficult technique that did not rely much on blood qi. As a result, Northern Mount Yue had a thriving population. Just the plain beneath their feet housed over ten thousand people, with numerous villages and fortresses spread across the land.
Li Xijun observed carefully. At the same time, Li Ximing also arrived on a radiant gust of wind. As a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, his presence was imposing. His Daoist robe billowed, exuding an ethereal elegance.
Li Xijun spoke softly, "There is only one matter at hand... Although Jiao Zhongzi has disappeared, his subordinate Mu Moli and his Foundation Establishment mount are still in Northern Mount Yue. We must first surround and eliminate these two.
"According to Fei Luoya, Mu Moli cultivates the Morning Listening technique. It is an ancient art that allows him to perceive any unfavorable words spoken within a fifty-kilometers radius. We must not get too close to Mount Wu, or he may hear us."
The three of them needed no further speculation as it was almost certain that Mu Moli was in Mount Wu. However, they did not know if he had any hidden reinforcements there and could only hope to lure him out.
Li Ximing responded, "If Mu Moli is truly loyal, he will not sit idly by while Northern Mount Yue falls into our hands. A simple visit to the Northern Mount Yue royal court should be enough to force him out."
Li Xijun gently shook his head, turned to Kongheng, and spoke in a low voice, "This matter should be postponed for now. The shamanic spells that the people of Mount Yue use are strange and unpredictable and my family has suffered losses before. This time, I must trouble Master Monk to look after our heir."
Kongheng quickly waved his hand, closing his eyes as he replied softly, "Li Xijun, please command as you see fit. I have long held a hollow title without fulfilling my duties and my heart is already burdened with guilt."
Li Xijun withdrew his gaze from the distance and looked into Kongheng’s eyes with a calm expression, "This time, I ask Master Monk to first take a look at our heir."
The group rode the wind together, while Kongheng, deep in thought, asked, "This Morning Listening of the Mount Yue bears some resemblance to a certain mind-reading technique within Buddhist cultivation. If we gain anything from this encounter, I would like to examine that technique."
"That won’t be a problem at all," Li Xijun responded casually. However, he suddenly recalled a fragment of his family's history and thought, I once heard that within the demon dens of Mount Dali, there is a great demon capable of hearing events from a thousand miles away... It must be of the same Dao lineage as Morning Listening!
—--—--—--
As the sun set, the sky turned a hazy red, with drifting crimson clouds. The sounds of shouting in the city gradually faded, leaving behind a heavy silence.
The villages surrounding Great Jueting shut their gates tightly and not a single soul dared to step outside. Beneath the ancient city walls, doors remained firmly shut while the streets ran slick with blood.
Throughout history, this ancient city had fallen into the hands of many rulers, and each time, slaves and commoners were sacrificed to welcome a new ruler. But for the first time, it was the esteemed families and shamans being slaughtered, lending an air of grim novelty. The resistance had been particularly fierce.
Cultivators filled the sky, watching as the desperate struggled in vain. A few esteemed families and shamans attempted to take flight. But they were struck down and their bodies were smashed into pulp upon impact.
Chen Yang stepped out of the courtyard with his men. Severed heads, bone ornaments, and feathers lay scattered everywhere. Dozens of family soldiers carried heads into the courtyard. Chen Yang walked over the bloodied ground and wiped the blood from his left hand before saying with a grin, "This man was a lecher. Twenty-seven concubines and over a hundred female slaves... Even after years of drought, he still hoarded this much grain..."
The soldiers of the Dili Family looked uneasy. Even these hardened men had been shaken by how Chen Yang personally butchered everyone in the courtyard without hesitation and not a single one dared to respond. Chen Yang raised an eyebrow and asked, "Was I wrong to kill them?"
"It was... of course, it was necessary!" Dili Youjie answered quickly. His impression of Chen Yang had shifted. He had thought that Chen Yang was merely a scheming youth, but now he realized that Chen Yang was a ruthless and bloodthirsty man. Quietly, he became more cautious.
Dili Youjie checked the records, and confirmed that all members of every esteemed family in the Great Jueting had been wiped out. Their lineages were now severed, ensuring there would be no Qi Cultivators for at least several decades. The Li Family wouldn't care; if anything, it made ruling easier. Still, the sheer scale of the slaughter made Dili Youjie’s scalp tingle. He was secretly relieved that he had survived.
Chen Yang glanced at the troops on either side and ordered, "Send men to seize the two granaries... Wait."
His gaze darkened as he fell into thought, The Dili Family will bear the resentment. I, Chen Yang, will bear the sin of killing, but the Li Family must be seen as the benefactor. If anything is mishandled, Li Zhouwei will sneer at my incompetence.
He gazed at the pool of blood before him with appreciation and murmured, "Gather all these items and deliver them to the army."
After speaking, he kicked aside the severed head of a beautiful woman as if it were nothing more than a discarded gourd. Then, turning to Dili Youjie with a warm smile, he warmly patted Dili Youjie on the shoulder and said, "Brother Dili... Haha! General Dili, I must trouble you to present these goods and come with me to see the heir!"