From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 273 Betrayal and Deception, Intimidation and Negotiation

a few days later.

The "support" that Shino and the others were looking for arrived.

The so-called support actually came from the Golden Core cultivators of their respective families.

The one who came from the Xiang family was Xiang Huifen, a Golden Core Eight-Pattern Realm cultivator, nicknamed "Hundred Flowers True Person".

Wuma Boxuan sought help from his family, and the one who came was Wuma Boyi, the second strongest member of the Wuma family and a Golden Core Ninth Pattern Realm cultivator.

When Wuma Boyi arrived, he brought with him his grandson, Wuma Chenyang, who had recently advanced to the Golden Core realm and was the one who had possessed Fan Tianlin's earth spirit root.

Yue Qunliang invited a member of his family who was at the seventh level of the Golden Core Realm, named Yue Wuyi.

With the addition of three late-stage Golden Core cultivators, they were fully confident in their attempt to besiege Liuli Mountain.

In addition, they also sent a message to the carefree king Lingfu, explaining the situation.

The carefree king did not reply.

As for whether the Carefree King would come in person or send someone, they had no idea.

"Pass down the order: the entire army will go into battle in five days. No one is allowed to leave the area during these five days; everyone must adjust their posture and prepare for battle."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The Xu family had only been back in the Yuanli County army for two days when they received orders.

"The entire army is going to war? Who are we going to fight, and where are we going to fight?"

Several people were puzzled.

Aside from this order, they received no other notification. They had no idea which faction was the enemy or where their destination was.

"This is going to be a tough battle. Just yesterday, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator arrived."

"Late stage of Golden Core?!"

"Is it a major war with the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty? There's been absolutely no news about it this time."

"They're probably afraid we'll leak the news."

"..."

The arrival of Xiang Huifen, Wuma Boyi, and Yue Wuyi, three late-stage Golden Core cultivators, attracted considerable attention.

Many speculated that a large-scale war might be about to break out.

Hearing the rumors circulating outside, the Xu family members secretly thought they were in for a bad time.

"Our return is too coincidental; a major battle is about to break out as soon as we get back."

"Yeah, I should have hidden for a few more months."

"With a Golden Core cultivator protecting us, our priority is survival. We must all be alert and help each other in the fight, and make sure we don't get scattered."

"..."

They rejoined the Immortal Army of Yuanli County, hoping to gain merit and return to Yuanli County from the Desolate Marsh Mountains openly and legitimately. The sudden outbreak of war took them by surprise.

They were later reunited with Bailiwei.

"Da Niu?! Jiang Hao, Xiao Hou, and Xu Yiqing... you're all back alive? Where have you been for the past seven years?"

Bailiwei was overjoyed to see his old friends alive and well.

Xu Xiaoniu and the others had already come up with an excuse: "Back then, when we were attacked by a group of monsters, we were separated. We were afraid of encountering another accident, so we hid and went into seclusion."

Bai Liwei nodded: "Hiding is good. A lot of people have died in the past few years. Although we have gained some resources, compared with the risks we have taken and the people who have died, it is more important to save our lives."

It's a pity you've returned at such an inopportune time; there's going to be fighting again in a few days.

"Yes, we have no choice but to accept our fate. We'll look after each other and have some support to increase our chances of surviving on the battlefield."

"Of course...wait?"

Bai Liwei only realized the change in the strength and realm of the Xu family members halfway through his sentence.

"You, your cultivation levels... Xiao Hou is at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment? And Jiang Hao, is he also at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment?"
I can't sense Xu Zhongxu's aura. Could he be in the late Foundation Establishment stage?

He was in disbelief.

When he came to the Desolate Marsh Mountains ten years ago, he had already broken through to the fourth level of Foundation Establishment for many years. He had acquired a lot of resources over the years, but it was only a few years ago that he broke through to the fifth level of Foundation Establishment.

Most of the Xu family members and Jiang Hao, whose cultivation levels were previously lower than his, have greatly improved their cultivation levels, especially Xu Zhongxu.

Xu Xiaoniu humbly replied, "We were lucky to get some opportunities, so our cultivation level improved faster."

"Tsk, that's just luck."

Bailiwei sighed.

There are many resources in this desolate mountain range, but whether you can obtain them, and what opportunities you will have, all depends on luck.

It is said that someone accidentally discovered a third-tier spiritual plant.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

late at night.

Thick clouds shrouded the night sky, completely obscuring the moonlight. The entire desolate mountain range was plunged into pitch-black darkness.

An area shrouded in gray miasma, filled with a murky, poisonous fog.

Two figures entered the poisonous fog area from different directions.

Before Tuoba Yaowu, a Golden Core cultivator with four patterns from the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty asked with a slightly arrogant expression, "What new news do you have?"

"I've heard that our Zhennan Prefecture will besiege Liuli Mountain in a few days."

This is intelligence brought by Tuoba Yaowu.

"Liuli Mountain? That third-tier fox demon is not to be trifled with; it possesses the strength of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. How many experts do you have to go and encircle it?"

The Golden Elixir True Person of the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty inquired.

There is a third-tier Glazed White Fox in Liuli Mountain, which is equivalent to the late Golden Core stage. Many people know this information.

Tuoba Yaowu replied, "Our side has one late-stage Golden Core cultivator, one mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, and one early-stage Golden Core cultivator. That should be enough to deal with that fox demon."

This was a lie deliberately told by Tuoba Yaowu.

He secretly discovered that Xiang Huifen, Wuma Boyi, and Yue Wuyi, three late-stage Golden Core cultivators, had all arrived, meaning there were three late-stage Golden Core cultivators openly besieging Liuli Mountain.

He also knew that those people's target was not the third-tier Glazed White Fox at all, but the Ruan family members hiding in Glazed Mountain.

A member of the Ruan family, who held a high position and was of great importance, was hiding in Liuli Mountain.

This was all that Tuoba Yaowu knew; he knew nothing about Ruan Shuhua.

This was not the first time Tuoba Yaowu had betrayed information about Zhennan Prefecture.

Given his style of doing things, he didn't care about the life or death of any forces outside the Tuoba family. The forces of the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty and the forces of Zhennan Prefecture were all the same to him.

He likes to fish in troubled waters, as long as it allows him to gain something.

However, the Tuoba family was, after all, a Golden Core family in Zhennan Prefecture, and he could not openly launch a sneak attack to seize the resources of those families in Zhennan Prefecture.

Therefore, he chose to betray the intelligence to the people of the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty.

On the one hand, he can get some rewards and benefits, and on the other hand, it makes it easier for him to muddy the waters, fish in troubled waters, and take advantage of loopholes.

He had previously sold out genuine information.

Using this genuine intelligence, he obtained elixirs, spirit stones, or other resources from the other party. Occasionally, the other party would also tell him some information about the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty's forces.

With the intelligence provided by the other side, Tuoba Yaowu did not hold back and launched a surprise attack on the enemy's Baiyue Immortal Dynasty's army, gaining a large amount of resources.

This time, Tuoba Yaowu lied.

This battle can be considered the last large-scale operation of the Zhennan Prefecture's imperial forces in the Huangze Mountains. After that, they will most likely disband and return to their respective homes.

This means that Tuoba Yaowu no longer needs the other party's trust.

So he decided to take advantage of the other party's previous trust in him and trick them.

If the other side truly believes that Zhennan Prefecture's strength in besieging Liuli Mountain is insufficient, and sends someone to "fish for the fish," they will suffer a great loss.

When they arrive at Liuli Mountain, they will find that the strength of Zhennan Prefecture is beyond their imagination.

Tuoba Yaowu could lead his Tuoba clan to take the opportunity to kill more people from the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty and seize their storage pouches.

Given the Tuoba family's situation, they couldn't deal with the Zhennan Prefecture families, but they could openly kill people from the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty. "Xiang Zhiye, you took my nephew's life... I hope this time, you can survive to the end!"

Tuoba Yaowu thought to himself.

He harbored a deep-seated hatred for the death of his nephew, Tuoba Luopu, and never forgot it.

If given the chance, he wouldn't mind seeking revenge.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"I see."

The Golden Core cultivator from the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty spoke calmly. No emotion could be detected in his words.

He tossed a jade bottle of elixirs into his hand, then turned and flew away.

Tuoba Yaowu caught the jade bottle of pills, opened the cap, and smelled the fragrance that was unique to third-grade spiritual pills, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

"Haha, who will have the last laugh in this battle?"

He chuckled to himself and turned to leave.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The day that Mujino and the others were ordered to depart arrived as scheduled.

A sacred mountain and a spiritual land.

The immortal soldiers from the three counties gathered together.

Besides Golden Core cultivators like Xiang Zhiye and Wuma Boxuan, the Immortal Army consisted of about three thousand people, the vast majority of whom were Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Less than 20% of cultivators are at the late stage of Qi Refining.

When they arrived at the Wilderness Mountains, more than half of the Immortal Army of Yuanli County were late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

However, as time went on, some of the late-stage Qi Refining cultivators died, while others broke through their bottlenecks and became Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The desolate swamp mountains are fraught with danger; those at the late stage of Qi Refining are too weak and can easily die.

Of course, the Huangze Mountains also have abundant resources.

In the outside world, it is very difficult for ordinary independent cultivators to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

However, here, the bottleneck of Foundation Establishment becomes irrelevant, and many rogue cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining are able to establish their foundation.

Thus, the group of three thousand people consisted mostly of Foundation Establishment cultivators, with a small number of people stuck in the late Qi Refining stage.

In front of this celestial army, a group of Golden Core cultivators floated in the air.

The three former Golden Core Commanders, Xiang Zhiye, Wuma Boxuan, and Xiang Zhiye, have now lost their "commander" status and stand respectfully to the side.

With three late-stage Golden Core cultivators present, Xiang Zhiye could only become a background figure.

The highest level cultivator present was Wuma Boyi, who possessed the ninth level of the Golden Core realm. His Golden Core essence vibrated, and his voice resounded for miles around: "Attention everyone, I will lead you in this battle."

"Everyone, listen up! Follow me!"

At his command, they flew to Liuli Mountain.

The mighty celestial army set off, its overwhelming force soaring into the sky, startling wild beasts and causing demons to flee in terror.

The Xu family members, Jiang Hao, Baili Wei, and others flew towards Liuli Mountain in the procession.

Xu Yiqing looked at the figure following Wuma Boyi in the distance and couldn't help but wonder: Who is that True Person who just advanced to the Golden Core Realm? Why does he seem so familiar?
He felt a sense of familiarity because it was the same person as the former "Fan Tianlin".

After Fan Tianlin was possessed by Wuma Chenyang, Xu Yiqing met Fan Tianlin several times and became familiar with his eyes and aura.

Wuma Chenyang has now returned to his original appearance, and his strength has improved dramatically, advancing to the Golden Core Realm. However, his eyes and his aura are not easily changed despite his increased cultivation level.

"Strange thing~~"

Xu Yiqing was certain that he had never seen that person before, but he felt that he had seen that person before, or even that he was somewhat familiar with him.

It has been almost fifty years since he participated in the selection of celestial officials and became a celestial official in Yuanli County.

Fifty years have passed, so it's understandable that he might forget Fan Tianlin from back then.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Liuli Mountain.

Knowing that the human forces were approaching, Bai Ling did not sit idly by and wait for its doom, but also sought reinforcements.

Two third-tier demonic beasts had long been stationed at Liuli Mountain.

The two demonic beasts were an elephant demon and a deer demon. Both of these third-tier demonic beasts were powerful beings, equivalent to the late Golden Core stage.

The Liuli White Fox Clan, besides its clan leader Bai Ling, also has another third-tier fox demon with strength equivalent to the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

There is also Ruan Shuhua, who has six golden elixir patterns.

Their overall strength is not much worse than that of the team led by Wuma Boyi.

Bai Ling is equivalent to a Golden Core cultivator at level nine, and she also has two late-stage Golden Core demon beast companions...

"coming!"

Beside Ruan Shuhua, Bai Ling's inverted triangular fox-like eyes gleamed with white light.

"Hua Lang, let's go see what they want. Do they really intend to wipe us all out? If so, we'll make them pay the price, even if it means our own deaths!"

"..."

Outside of Liuli Mountain.

huh~~
A vast number of human cultivators, flying on their own qi, surrounded Liuli Mountain.

Bai Ling also appeared, confronting the human cultivators head-on.

On the surface, Bai Ling's side appears to be quite strong.

"Om~~"

The third-tier elephant demon beside Bai Ling raised its trunk and emitted a booming roar that could be heard for miles around.

The sound shook the world.

Wuma Boyi did not expect that the other party had also found helpers, and their strength was not weak.

He flew at the very front, showing no fear, and shouted, "Where is Ruan Shuhua from the Ruan family? Why haven't I seen him?"

Ruan Shuhua was their target.

As he finished speaking, Ruan Shuhua appeared gracefully behind Bai Ling.

Ruan Shuhua knew he couldn't hide; after ten years of hiding, he was eventually found.

Behind Ruan Shuhua followed two other members of the Ruan clan, one a Golden Core cultivator with three Golden Core patterns and the other a Golden Core cultivator with two Golden Core patterns. Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; even though the Ruan family was almost wiped out, it wouldn't be difficult to gather a few Golden Core cultivators among the surviving members.

"You are Ruan Shuhua?"

Wu Ma Boyi's tone carried a condescending air.

"Who are you? State your name."

Ruan Shuhua frowned. Decades ago, his Ruan family had a Nascent Soul True Monarch. How could a Golden Core Nine-Pattern expert put on airs in front of him?
"Wu Ma Boyi, the second strongest member of the Wu Ma family."

"Oh, never heard of it."

Ruan Shuhua said coldly, seemingly trying to provoke Wuma Boyi.

"Humph."

Wuma Boyi snorted coldly, not dwelling on the issue, but instead threatening, "Ruan Shuhua, if you cooperate obediently and hand over all the storage pouches on your body, I might spare your life."

Beside him, Xiang Huifen added, "And tell me about your Ruan family's secret method of transforming spiritual plants, and our Xiang family will not be your Ruan family's enemy."

They came to Xiangjia for the "Secret Method of Enlightening Spiritual Plants"; everything else was secondary.

"Hehe, hahaha..."

Ruan Shuhua sneered twice, then suddenly threw her head back and burst into laughter.

Hand over your storage pouch and the secret technique, and you'll live?

This is a trick to fool a three-year-old; how could he possibly fall for it?

Now that he's been discovered, there's absolutely no chance of him surviving. The other party is only trying to trick him because they're worried about not getting what they want.

(End of this chapter)