Milin Prefecture.
Azure Pond Sect did not impose strict regulations on the division of prefectural cities. These cities varied in size, and Milin Prefecture, which Yuanwu had established for Yu Muxian with just a single word, had always been under Yuanwu Peak’s jurisdiction.
Li Zhouwei rode in on horseback, capturing multiple cities in succession. The defenses crumbled at the first strike and the cultivators stationed in the city were nothing but debauched wastrels. Having long stagnated in their cultivation, they lingered in these lowland areas devoid of spiritual energy and indulged in petty tyranny.
Upon seeing the southern fires blaze and blood qi surge skyward, those with some sense turned and fled. Others who were unable to escape, fell to their knees. Li Zhouwei rode past them without pause, while the cultivators following him swiftly tied up the kneeling figures one by one.
Only a few figures rushed hastily to the city gates, their faces filled with fury as they began cursing.
The middle-aged man’s face was pale and he reeked of alcohol. It was unclear whether he was truly loyal to these esteemed families or merely a fool. His robe looked hastily thrown on and the jade bottle at his waist surged with blood qi. He bellowed, “Which fool from Milin dares act so recklessly? Qingdu has forbidden internecine slaughter. How dare you invade like this? Do you not fear the wrath of the greater families...”
His words barely left his mouth before Li Zhouwei’s halberd erupted with red-black light. With a single thrust, it pierced through his chest, spilling blood across the ground.
Clop, Clop, Clop...
The rapid hoofbeats echoed as he rode on, his expression calm and unwavering. The middle-aged man still hung lifeless from his halberd. With a flick of his wrist, Li Zhouwei flung the body to the ground, where a sickening crack of breaking bones followed.
“The audacity to secretly refine blood qi at Moongaze Lake,” muttered Li Zhouwei.
He flicked the blood from his weapon and entered the city beneath the immortal peak. Dust filled the air, filth and excrement littered the streets and chaos reigned. Emaciated commoners knelt everywhere. Occasionally, a few raised their heads with their sparse gazes sharp as arrows.
To be fair, the esteemed families had already been warned by the Li Family and the commoners under their rule did not live terribly. At least they had food to eat and linen clothes to wear. Yet, the way they looked over still burned with fervor.
After all, the commoners under the Li Family’s rule lived far too well.
The other esteemed families ruled over a mixed society of cultivators and mortals. Though the mortals survived, their lives were ones of servitude and they were subject to the whims of their overlords. They can’t compare to the Li Family’s land. Li Zhouwei galloped down the road, all he saw were bowed heads and countless withered hands prostrating densely upon the ground.
By the time he reached the Lu Family’s immortal peak, their family head at the Qi Cultivation Realm had already bound himself and emerged. He led a group of kneeling followers. Behind him, someone held a formation plate aloft and respectfully declared, “This humble one greets the Lord!”
The Li Family launched a covert operation and Li Zhouwei’s forces were not the only ones deployed. To prevent these esteemed families from fleeing with formation plates, spirit items, or cultivation techniques, seven divisions moved simultaneously. Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators suppressed the skies to ensure no one could escape.
The Li Family approached the battle like a lion pouncing on a rabbit. They went all out, only to overestimate these families. The Lu Family, the strongest among them, immediately activated their formation to welcome the invasion, assuming a submissive posture.
Li Zhouwei’s halberd was still dripping with blood. His expression carried a trace of disappointment. With a flick of his dharma artifact, he hooked up the formation plate and let it drift gently into his hand. Then, he examined it closely, saying, “Mid-grade Qi Cultivation.”
After inspecting it, he retrieved a talisman from his robe and flung it into the air. A golden light instantly shot up into the sky.
The Lu Family head trembled, not daring to speak. Li Zhouwei cast a sweeping glance over the family members behind the family head, then lifted his gaze to the heavens. He waited for twenty minutes, and one after another, golden lights began to rise.
“Six hours.” Li Zhouwei planted his halberd into the ground. Counting the newly risen lights, there were six in total. It was evident that in just one night, Milin Prefecture had fallen into his family’s grasp.
The Yu Family had once risen from the ashes of the Jiang Family, only to later fracture and disperse into the various families of Milin, with the Lu Family as their leader. Now, their gates stood dim and lifeless, shrouded in sheer terror.
These families lacked even a single Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. Their hidden supporter, Jiang Heqian, had vanished without a trace. Even upon witnessing the faint golden glow rising from the south, they remained clueless about what had transpired and their attempts to gather intelligence yielded only fragmented whispers.
The Li Family had struck without warning. Clad in armor, Li Zhouwei rode forth. Wielding his halberd, he carved a bloody path through the families. Only when his army was upon them did they realize the severity of the situation. But by then, it was far too late to flee.
He surveyed the surroundings and spoke in a calm voice, “These remnants of the Yu Family, seal their cultivation and send them to Qingdu to await judgment.”
The Lu Family head turned deathly pale. Hearing Li Zhouwei label them as remnants of the Yu Family, he feared that all of Yu’s sins would be pinned on them. He opened his mouth to explain, but before he could utter a word, the surrounding Jade Court Guards sealed his lips and dragged him away.
Li Zhouwei rested his halberd against his horse. A soft, clear light emerged from his palm which wiped away the lingering blood.
He and his father had long discussed the fate of the Yu Family’s surviving branches. There was no chance they would be allowed to remain in these lands. These people had deep roots here and their own secretive means of cultivating blood qi.
They had fostered numerous landlords and even controlled most of the rogue cultivators, playing a crucial role in the Yu Family’s collapse. Their network of collusion ran deep. So, simply suppressing them was not an option.
“Local tyrants... then let them be exiled,” muttered Li Zhouwei.
Although many of them had consumed blood qi, wiping them all out was not feasible. The best course was to take advantage of the current momentum and force them southward. Once removed from their homeland, they would find it nearly impossible to stir up trouble again.
———
In the sky. Li Xijun had someone escort White Banyan back. Watching as golden talismanic lights rose across the vast Milin Prefecture in an instant, he let out a small sigh of relief as he said, “It seems everything has gone smoothly. None of the families caused trouble.”
That was to be expected. The Golden Tang Gate in the north was too preoccupied with its own affairs, the Fei Family on the northern shore dared not make a move and the western mountains marked the boundary between Azure Pond and Golden Feather Sect. The small temples and Daoist He on the western shore had always been reclusive. He was absorbed in his own matters, with no means to interfere.
The Xiao Family in the east had also been consulted, with an agreement that their vassal families on the eastern shore would remain untouched. The sect had mediated matters clearly. If anything still went awry, that would truly be unusual.