This is not how immortals cultivate

Chapter 430: Died by suicide after being shot eight times in the back.
Shangyuan Prefecture, east of Yanxia Mountain.

The territories of the Three Kingdoms were all enormous. The Northern Qi had ten circuits, the Southern Jin had nine circuits, and the Western Chu had twelve circuits. Under each circuit was a different number of prefectures, and under each prefecture were counties of varying sizes.

With its layered governance, many people never left the territory of a single state in their entire lives.

The Li family of Shangyuan controlled the Southern Jin Dynasty. Even though the six great families outwardly complied but inwardly defied them, and the prefectures and counties listened to orders but not proclamations, and government orders disappeared without a trace once they left the capital, the Li family of Shangyuan still occupied the entire Longtai Road, enough for the Li family members to squander and live a carefree life.

Xiang Yuan mentioned a hunting trip to the eastern suburbs, and Li Yuanrong arranged the royal hunting ground, Yanxia Mountain, that very day. Before dawn the next day, a grand convoy set off from the capital. The efficiency and extravagance of the procession demonstrated the wealth of the Shangyuan Li family, who reportedly spent lavishly on food, drink, and entertainment.

Yanxia Mountain has a gentle slope with no steep peaks or ridges. There are few towering ancient trees in the forest, but mostly low shrubs and sparse trees. The open view makes it very suitable for galloping on horseback and hunting with a bow.

Outside the hunting grounds, the imperial guards in golden armor stood solemnly like a forest, their long spears gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

At the foot of the mountain, dozens of dragon-blood horses neighed with their heads held high. Three handsome princes were protected in the middle by loyal guards. Dressed in narrow-sleeved hunting clothes, with the royal seal hanging from their jade belts, they were both eager to show off their skills and on guard, lest they be shot in the back by eight arrows and die by suicide.

The hunting trip to the eastern suburbs came very suddenly. The three princes had not received any prior notice. They used their connections to inquire about the situation and learned that it was arranged by the clan itself. This hunting trip had a deeper meaning and was definitely not just a simple team-building activity.

The three princes couldn't find out the specific meaning, but their clever little brains were already working out, and they were preparing to showcase their talents today.

Unlike the three princes' optimistic attitude, the six great families suspected that there was a trap. In case their supported prince committed suicide in anger due to poor performance, all the grandmasters who had secretly infiltrated the capital followed them in.

These six powerful families are quite ruthless. They don't care who becomes emperor. As top-tier clans, they know perfectly well that the emperor is just a spokesperson for the Li family. The real force influencing the policies of the Southern Jin Dynasty is the Li clan hidden behind the scenes in the deep palace.

The four patriarchs of the Li clan were the backbone of the Li clan's voice.

As long as the Grandmasters live, the clans will not perish. Even if the six great families forcefully place their own chosen princes on the throne, they cannot shake the true power of the Li family, and the court structure will remain unchanged.

However, the Li clan is not monolithic. There are power struggles and infighting, and there are many opportunities to make a fuss about the three princes. There are few opportunities for internal strife within the Li clan. This time, they will do everything they can to fan the flames and add fuel to the fire, making this internal strife burn even brighter.

Once the fire has burned down the enemy camps and the six great families have eaten and drunk their fill, the Li family will bring their internal conflicts into the open and completely break off relations. That will be the time for the six great families to retire gracefully.

Weakening the central imperial power was the true purpose of the six powerful families' collective entry into the capital.

Therefore, they had to protect the lives of the three princes, even if the assassins were from the Shangyuan Li clan, they had to step in and stop them.

How the three princes galloped at full speed and shot arrows from a hundred paces away will not be discussed for now.

The feats of killing two birds with one stone, three tigers, six deer, plus a few unlucky bears, or even scaring hundreds of passing geese to their deaths on the spot, are all things that the people around the prince should worry about.

They only looked towards the distance.

Outside the Yanxia Mountain hunting grounds, servants had already spread out ten miles of brocade tents.

Inside the most luxurious central tent, embroidered with gold and cloud patterns, a woman reclines on a long couch, her head resting on a complete white tiger skin. On a jade table before her lies chilled wine, and incense smoke drifts from a censer, calming the mind. Beyond the table, a beautiful woman in a crimson robe is performing a dance.

The team-building activities of the Southern Jin royal family had absolutely nothing to do with Xiang Yuan, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu. The fact that he could lie here and enjoy the poison of feudalism fully proves that power is strength.

When a fist gets bigger, its gravitational pull increases, and power will naturally gravitate towards it.

Of course, Wang Daoyan, who is performing the dance, is not here for the sake of punches; those who know, know, so I won't explain further.

Her phoenix-shaped hairpins billowed in the sky, her jade pendants jingled as she trailed the moon.

Her red dress trailed on the ground, her figure slender and graceful, her eyes brimming with spring-like water, alluring and captivating. Her dance was enchanting and boneless, every smile and frown exuding a captivating charm.

When she wasn't going insane, the Illusionary Demoness was indeed a rare beauty. As the eldest daughter of the Wang family, she was highly educated, frequented high society, and possessed the cultivation of a Grandmaster at the peak. She exuded a variety of charms with ease.

Going crazy once a year, and then going crazy for a whole year, that's just ridiculous.

To get her beloved to confess first, she confronted the blond-haired man in front of him, and when he broke down and cried out "I love you," she returned to his side covered in filth, and from then on, she devoted herself to being a good wife and mother...

Even a pure love god wielding a minotaur's giant axe wouldn't understand this kind of book.

Xiang Yuan didn't want to see it, but he had no choice. He didn't want to see Wang Daoyan; he wanted to see the princess of Southern Jin. There were even people queuing up outside!

"Why is it that wherever I go, I'm always inside while there's a long queue outside..."

Xiang Yuan muttered to himself, thinking back to the days when Jianxinzhai debuted as an idol. He ignored Wang Daoyan, who was energetically twisting her waist, and didn't care that the other party's fair skin was revealed when she bent over.

For ordinary opponents, Bai Wuyan and Xiao Lingyue wouldn't even need to lift a finger; Chan'er, whom he raised, could easily defeat them.

Xiang Yuan, a pure-hearted warrior, refused to play the role of Wang Daoyan's blond-haired friend, nor did he want to go crazy with the Illusionary Demoness. He picked up the Grandmaster's file on the table and began to read it.

Leaving aside Wang Daoyan, who came later, each of the six great families had a grandmaster who infiltrated the capital of Shangyuan Prefecture. They were Yang Yu of the Jingquan Yang family, Zhu Que of the Linguan Zhu family, Zhao Wunian of the Hengyang Zhao family, Wang Daoyi of the Liangzhou Wang family, Cao Ding of the Luzhou Cao family, and Sun Hao of the Jiangdong Sun family.

Xiang Yuan had met a few of these six masters when he last came to Nan Jin to manage the floods. He persuaded them with reason and they became close friends.

For example, Cao Ding and Sun Hao.

Especially this guy named Sun Hao, he knew when to advance and retreat, knew how to perform, and was a great comedian; he left a deep impression on me.

To Xiang Yuan's dismay, the six great families had already agreed to support the three princes in pairs, with the Cao family and the Sun family forming a team.

You're really daring to form a group!

Sun Shiwan, Sun Keji, and Blue-eyed Kid all expressed their disgust.

Le.JPG
Xiang Yuan grinned from ear to ear, but since no one understood his joke, his joy was only half-hearted. He sighed and shook his head. Seeing that Wang Daoyan had finished his dance and was looking rather shrewd, he was about to sit down at the table and discuss things with him when he raised his hand to stop him and let him continue playing music and dancing.

Outside the tent, Ah Hong, dressed in a bright red robe, acted as the goalkeeper. Her appearance and demeanor were impeccable, attracting a lot of attention.

Ah Hong is one of the baits, but to talk about the real spectacle, we have to look at today's hunting ground.

The four grandmasters of the Shangyuan Li clan were already lying in ambush, waiting for an opportunity to swarm and surround the six grandmasters of the six great families.

Four against six, they are outnumbered, but this is Shangyuan Prefecture, and they can rely on the capital's grand formation to their advantage. They have the home field advantage, so a 50/50 fight shouldn't be a problem.

Moreover, Li Yuanrong was no ordinary grandmaster. He and Wang Daoyan had been tormenting and improving each other for fifty years, and he was among the top ten masters in the grandmaster circle. Even without using the Illusionary Annihilation Path, he could easily take on three opponents at once.

Sensing Li Yuanrong's aura approaching the hunting grounds, Xiang Yuan closed his eyes and focused his mind, using the Daoist principle of nature to sense his surroundings, waiting for the cultivators of the upper three realms of the Blood Sea Dao to show themselves.

If you dare to come and have fun, then you'll become the source of the fun.

……

The hunting grounds.

Sa!
The powerful bowstring trembled, and the arrow cleaved through the clouds.

Li Ke drew his bow to its fullest extent, and the arrow shot out like a meteor. The arrow flew towards the sky, its shadow piercing the air to its highest point before hitting nothing and wobbling as it fell into the bushes not far away.

Despite missing his target with an arrow, Li Ke remained calm and revealed a mysterious smile.

He knew he had hit the target.

Sure enough, the soldiers on the left and right quickly stepped forward, parted the branches and leaves, and gasped in shock. One deer, two sheep and three rabbits had all been neatly lined up with arrows piercing their heads.

Beside it lay a terrified roe deer, its eyes wide open, utterly frightened to death by the arrow whistling through the air.

Don't ask why an arrow falling from the sky could kill six beasts and scare one to death. Maybe they were having a party. Just ask if it's good fortune or if Li Ke has the aura of a king.

Upon seeing the prey being dragged out, the crowd erupted in uproar, their shock turning into admiration, showering the prey with praise.

The same scene played out with both Princes Li Mi and Li Zhu.

In the crowd, Cao Ding and Sun Hao, dressed as cavalry guards, exchanged a glance, both seeing disdain in each other's eyes. The next generation of the Li family is worrying, which is a good thing.

It's a pity the emperor was just a mouthpiece; otherwise, it would have been perfect.

Just then, the two suddenly sensed something was wrong. A bone-chilling coldness shot up their spines to the top of their heads. Almost simultaneously, they leaped up and shielded Li Ke from the left and right behind them.

"There are assassins!"

Sun Hao roared, the sound shaking the fallen leaves in the forest.

His response was a low chuckle.

Outside the bushes, the space rippled like water as four figures stepped out together. Although their heads and faces were covered, their bodies were filled with surging true energy, and each of them exuded the aura of a grandmaster.

Sun Hao's pupils contracted sharply, his gaze fixed on the extremely perfunctory black cloth covering the leader's face. His eyes and eyebrows were clearly visible, finally revealing his identity.

“Li Yuanrong, Li Jingwu, Li Ruyu, Li Yuanji…” Cao Ding read out the names of the four masters, and with each word he read, his heart sank a little more.

All four grandmasters of the Shangyuan Li clan arrived at the scene, and, with their heads covered, launched an attack on their own prince...

That's ridiculous! How could I have such a dream? x2
Sun Hao and Cao Ding both gasped in shock, realizing that the hunt in the eastern suburbs was not for the throne, but for the masters of the six great families.

The prey was myself! x2
Wait a minute, something's not right!
Sun Hao and Cao Ding stared at each other, bewildered, their eyes filled with absurdity.

Has the Shangyuan Li family gone mad? Even if they can capture those six people today, what about tomorrow? They've given the six great families an excuse to massacre the Shangyuan Li family. What good would it do for the Li family if more than ten grandmasters joined forces to storm the capital?
This isn't how you cultivate immortality, and this isn't how you conduct politics!
unless……

There are spies in the six major families!
Sun Hao and Cao Ding simultaneously considered a possibility: the Li family of Shangyuan had already turned several families against them, orchestrating a scheme to drive away the wolves and tigers, and then using their influence to their advantage, hence their fearlessness.

You betrayed me, you brat? x2
Pah! Who do you think you are?! x2
Both Sun Hao and Cao Ding suspected the other of being an undercover agent, so they quietly kept their distance to prevent being ambushed.

The most bewildered person in the arena was Li Ke, who watched as his master elders, their faces covered, came to assassinate him, and four of them were dispatched at once. He was completely dumbfounded.

After a brief standoff, the four grandmasters rapidly approached, and the six grandmasters from the six great families finally arrived, standing in a line.

The matchmaking system in Southern Jin is too good.

Judging from the distance the six masters maintained in tacit agreement, they were outwardly united against a common enemy, but in reality, they were wary of each other. The unreliable verbal alliance, due to their suspicions, immediately crumbled.

The six men exchanged glances, each harboring their own suspicions: who was the undercover agent, who would launch a sneak attack, who was on their side, and who could be trusted?

Could I be the only prey? x6
Li Yuanrong sneered at the group of prey, each with their own ulterior motives. With a wave of his hand, he told Li Ke to take his men to the side and stop showing off his intelligence. He told them to use their brains and see what this big scene had to do with them.

Li Ke felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He abandoned his prey, mounted his horse, and galloped away with his loyal guards.

Life is at stake, so I performed exceptionally well in riding.

The six grandmasters did not stop them. Zhu Que, who had the highest cultivation level, stepped forward and said expressionlessly, "The Li family is quite cunning. If I am not mistaken, there are no traitors among our six great families. This psychological warfare is intended to sow discord and throw us into disarray, is that not it?"

A barrage of questions barely managed to stabilize the crumbling alliance.

"Since it's a scheme, how can it be stated openly? If it's said, it won't work..."

Li Yuanrong let out a sinister laugh, his gaze sweeping over the six grandmasters with either disdain or ambiguity, effortlessly shattering the trust that had just been forged.

Despite his repeated setbacks at the hands of Xiang Yuan and Wang Daoyan, where he either coughs up blood or turns green with envy, he is a true cultivator of the Illusionary Annihilation Path, and he is very skilled at manipulating people's mentality.

Zhu Que's face was grim as he suppressed his anger and said, "What exactly is the Li family planning? If our six great families..."

"Enough with the nonsense. Shangyuan Prefecture has rules that the masters of the six great families are not allowed to enter the capital without an imperial edict. You have no respect for the law, so today we will imprison you and try to bring you to justice."

Seeing that Zhu Que still wanted to talk nonsense, Li Yuanrong interrupted him directly. He took a step forward, and with a flick of his sleeves, space suddenly distorted, instantly drawing Zhu Que, Yang Yu, and Wang Daoyi into the battle.

The suppression was achieved in the blink of an eye!
On the remaining battlefield, the six grandmasters each found their opponents.

When Li Jingwu faced Sun Hao, he uttered the words "Brother Cao, help me!" which startled Sun Hao, who hurriedly turned back to defend, genuinely believing that Cao Ding was about to betray him.

Snapped!
He was hit hard by Li Jingwu, so hard that he saw stars, was flustered and in a sorry state.

"You old bastard, I'll kill you..."

"Brother Zhao, this is a great opportunity!"

Snapped!
"..."

The six great families were no match for them; the battle was one-sided.

The battle at the Grandmaster level no longer aroused Xiang Yuan's interest. He called it a trivial matter. He glanced at the laws of heaven and earth flying around in the arena and felt that the quality was average. It didn't matter whether it was copied or not.

Not everyone has the vision of Xiang Yuan, who can talk about the three realms with ease and fight against the Heavenly Demon. To others, the sight of ten grandmasters fighting each other is spectacular. In particular, the principles of heaven and earth, which are regarded as the ultimate truth, are emerging one after another. Even a glimpse of the details can benefit one for a lifetime.

To witness such a battle between powerful individuals would be worth dying for!

Inside the tent, Wang Daoyan, who was performing a dance, suddenly stopped, closed her eyes to sense the chaotic battle in the arena, and when her cousin Wang Daoyi was being trampled into the ground by Li Yuanrong, her eyes instantly turned icy cold. She snorted and was about to enter the arena to lend a helping hand.

It had nothing to do with her cousin being humiliated. The demoness of the Illusionary Path didn't hold back even when tormenting herself, let alone her cousin.

She was annoyed by Li Yuanrong's arrogant attitude. Was she stepping on Wang Daoyi's face? It was clearly a deliberate act to humiliate her, a way of spanking her.

"Get out of here and go crazy!"

Xiang Yuan waved his hand to imprison Wang Daoyan. How could he allow her to cause trouble at this crucial moment? He raised an eyebrow, and his primordial spirit surged into the tent, entering the body of Ah Hong who was waiting. This caused Ah Hong's eyes to glow red, revealing her puppet form as the incarnation of the Illusionary Annihilation Dao, and she teleported to the battlefield of the ten grandmasters.

Hey Blood Sea Dao cultivators passing by, come quick! Your Saintess candidate has been turned into a puppet by the Illusionary Annihilation Dao. She's never seen the light of day, yet she's never hungry or thirsty. Her fate is truly tragic.

Hurry up and come out to destroy the evidence and give him a dignified death!

Xiang Yuan unleashed his full power of perception, his primordial spirit merging into the heavens and earth like a tide, searching through the shadows and folds of space. In just a moment, he indeed caught a mysterious and incomprehensible spatial fluctuation.

It has a sweet, fishy smell, tinged with a hint of blood.

"found it!"

Xiang Yuan opened his eyes, and his figure vanished into the void, disappearing from the tent.

……

In the center of the hunting grounds, the battle raged.

The figures of the ten grandmasters intertwined, their magical treasures radiating light that tore through the heavens and earth. The collision of the laws of heaven and earth caused a strange change in the celestial phenomena.

The clouds within a radius of a hundred miles were twisted into a spiral shape, and the distorted waves spread like ripples. Within thousands of miles, any cultivator at the Tongyou stage could sense the power of this battle.

High above, unnoticed by anyone, a gaze is coldly looking down.

The red light is hidden in the void, secretly spying.

Given the unique circumstances of the Southern Jin Dynasty, it's not surprising that the six powerful families and the Shangyuan Li family clashed. But with the conflict escalating to this point, how will the Li family resolve this situation?
He pondered this in his heart, still puzzled, when his gaze swept across the battlefield and he suddenly saw Ah Hong standing nearby, which immediately made him angry.

The foolish and reckless Illusionary Path dares to lay a hand on my Blood Sea Path's candidate Holy Maiden! I will destroy you!

Unfortunately, it cannot be destroyed.

The thought had just arisen when I forcibly suppressed it.

He was ordered by His Majesty to guard Shangyuan Prefecture, a heavy responsibility that could not be overlooked. His actions at this time, which revealed his whereabouts, ruined His Majesty's grand plan, and he deserves to die a thousand deaths.

The cultivation level of cultivators in the upper three realms is unimaginable, especially those in the Tongyou stage. This red light was hidden in the void, peering through from afar, yet it showed no trace of their presence. The ten grandmasters were locked in fierce battle, and none of them noticed the extra gaze above their heads.

until……

Hiss! !
A spatial rift suddenly tore open, and he took a step forward, his ten fingers piercing the void like a hawk seizing a rabbit. Following the subtle spatial fluctuations, he grinned and headed straight for the red light.

"Jiejiejiejie——"

Eyes facing each other.

The killing intent was like a blade, and a sea of ​​blood engulfed everything!
The terrifying power of the primordial spirit poured down, revealing the beauty of numerical values ​​in this moment.

The mantis catches the cicada, and the oriole is behind.

Caught off guard, the upper three realm cultivators of the Blood Sea Path were struck head-on by a killing intent as sharp as a knife. With a muffled groan, the red light suddenly faded, and their primordial spirit perception receded like a tide, as they tried to escape.

"Since we're already here, let's have some fun with Mr. Li!"

Xiang Yuan's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly exerted force with both arms, tearing open the spatial rift.

boom! !

The black cracks burst open with a crackling sound, and the terrifying aftershocks swept across the sky, shattering the clouds. The ten grandmasters who were engaged in fierce battle below were simultaneously shaken and looked up in horror.

There are experts too!

Wait, Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu...

How did he end up here?
(End of this chapter)