From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 279 Joining Forces to Slay the Enemy, Returning to Baihe
"Are you really going to fight me?"

Yan Yijin looked at the aggressive Xu family members with a serious expression. He was not in a good state at the moment and did not want to fight them to the death.

Besides, he had just obtained the "Golden Core opportunity," and as long as he lived, he had the possibility of advancing to the Golden Core stage. It would be a great loss if he died here.

"Yan Yijin, you murdered my son Zhongyao and sold our clan's secret stance training techniques to the Tuoba family, almost causing our clan to be wiped out. We have endured this grudge for nearly a hundred years, and it's time to avenge it!"

Xu Xiaoniu spoke with absolute certainty, laying bare the hatred between him and Yan Yijin.

Yan Yijin observed the strength of the opposing group.

Xu Zhongxu, who is at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment, along with Xu Xiaohou and Jiang Hao, who are at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment, pose a threat to him.

As for the others, Xu Xiaoniu and Xu Yiqing, who are at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, probably couldn't even break through Yan Yijin's protective spiritual artifact, the "Golden Light Spirit Armor," and were hardly a threat.

However, Yan Yijin did not want to take action; he did not want to take any risks.

“Xu Xiaoniu, don’t forget that more than a hundred years ago, right here in the desolate mountains, I spared your life and even wrote you a letter of military merit, which led to you becoming a celestial official in the county by some twist of fate.”

"Speaking of which, I've done you a great favor."

He talked about it.

It was their first meeting that led Yan Yijin to discover the secret of Xu Xiaoniu's spiritual root.

"So, I should thank you for sparing my life. Thank you for killing so many innocent people, yet sparing my worthless life as a mere mortal."

Receiving the military merit from Yan Yijin was a turning point in Xu Xiaoniu's fate.

Xu Xiaoniu recalled the situation countless times. He was just an ordinary person caught in the crossfire, nearly killed when powerful figures were fighting over the treasure. It was Yan Yijin who withdrew his murderous intent and spared his life.

He was innocent and should not have died. The consequences he suffered were caused by Yan Yijin, so Yan Yijin could not be said to have "saved" him.

That said, if Xu Xiaoniu hadn't met Yan Yijin, the Xu family wouldn't have suffered that near-extinction crisis decades later.

The Xu family's rise to power was due to the Five Elements Stance Technique and the various cultivation methods and resources that Xu Fugui conjured up out of thin air, not to Xu Xiaoniu. Xu Xiaoniu's position as a celestial official merely accelerated the Xu family's development.

If time could be reversed, Xu Xiaoniu would have preferred to have died in the desolate mountains back then, so that the Xu family would not have suffered the later disasters.

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 am protected by a top-grade spiritual artifact, the Golden Light Armor. I'm afraid none of you can even break through my defense. Don't be fooled by your numbers; if a real fight breaks out, the outcome is still uncertain."

Even if you manage to defeat me, you'll leave several lives behind.

Is it worth it to kill several more people to avenge one person?
"I'm willing to pay the price. I'll give you two storage pouches, and we'll wipe the slate clean of all our past grievances. How about it? I'll never set foot in Zhennan Prefecture again."

Seeing that Xu Xiaoniu had no regard for "old friendship," Yan Yijin analyzed the pros and cons with several people and tried to entice him with resources and benefits.

He wanted to avoid the fight, and at the same time, buy time to recover the spiritual energy he had depleted in the previous battle. He had just swallowed a elixir, and its medicinal effects were now being processed, causing his spiritual energy to recover rapidly.

He took out two storage pouches: "One of these two storage pouches is mine, containing resources that can be measured in spirit stones, at least 30,000 spirit stones. The other one comes from the eighth level of Foundation Establishment, which I haven't refined yet."

He wouldn't take out the most precious storage pouch from Liu Rushi.

"He's all bark and no bite, just putting on airs! The more he acts like this, the more it shows his lack of confidence. He must have been exhausted from the battle just now."

Xu Zhongxu whispered in their ears.

He exchanged glances with Xu Xiaoniu and Xiaohou, then shouted "Kill!" and took the lead in attacking.

Purple vines grew rapidly in the wind, sweeping towards Yan Yijin.

"You really think I'm afraid of you?!"

Seeing that his opponent had completely abandoned all pretense of civility and was now attacking, Yan Yijin knew he wouldn't stand idly by and wait to die. He was a ruthless and fearless fighter, never afraid of battle.

He joined his index and ring fingers together like swords, unleashing streaks of sharp white sword energy, each a foot long.

The characteristics of his "Two Elements Sword Finger Technique" are that the sword energy has a high frequency and speed, cannot be turned in the air, and has extremely strong penetrating power.

A large amount of sword energy shot towards Xu Likun, Xu Yiqing, and Xu Xiaoniu.

Of the people present, the three weakest were Yan Yijin. He wanted to kill the weakest members of the opposing team as quickly as possible to reduce their numbers, so that he could focus on fighting the strongest, Xu Zhongxu.

Xu Likun is at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment, while Xu Xiaoniu and Xu Yiqing are at the fifth level.

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.

"Li Kun, watch out!"

Xu Xiaohou was controlling his flying sword to attack Yan Yijin when he saw streaks of sword energy flashing through the air, leaving countless straight afterimages as they flew directly toward Li Kun and the others.

Those sword energies were too fast, as fast as light, flashing through the air and leaving afterimages.

Xu Likun dodged in mid-air, managing to dodge one or two sword energies, but not three or four densely packed ones. The first few sword energies forced him into a corner, but the subsequent ones were unavoidable.

His fighting style also involves flying swords.

Two palm-sized flying swords blocked the sword energy in front of him.

"Ding! Ding!"

The tips of the two flying swords collided with the sword energy, producing a crisp sound, and were sent flying dozens of feet away. The two sword energies dissipated in mid-air.

Li Kun was able to control his flying sword with ease, by infusing it with his divine soul and spiritual power, allowing it to change direction flexibly in the air. However, Yan Yijin's sword energy was too powerful; the collision between his flying sword and the sword energy actually caused his divine soul to tremble.

The difference in strength between him, who was at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment, and Yan Yijin was too great.

He had no protective magical artifact; if he were to withstand a single sword strike from Yan Yijin, he would surely be pierced through by the sword energy.

At the critical moment, Xu Xiaohou controlled two flying swords to collide with the two sword energies from the side.

"Kengkeng!"

Xu Xiaohou's flying sword also flew backward, but his strength at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment was much stronger. The flying sword only spun backward in the air for a dozen feet before regaining control and blocking Li Kun's way again.

On the other side, Xu Xiaoniu and Xu Yiqing also encountered a crisis.

However, the two were stronger. Xu Xiaoniu was skilled in defensive earth magic, making it easier for him to deal with the sword energy.

At the same time, Xu Zhongxu helped them by using vines to block the sword energy.

"You all need to be very careful, stay far away, and leave this to me!"

Xu Zhongxu repeatedly reminded him.

He discovered that Yan Yijin was not easy to deal with; the penetrating power of the sword energy was too strong, and the giant vines he manifested would be easily pierced through by the sword energy.

He can materialize enormous vines that cover the sky with his spiritual power, but his fighting style is countered by various sword energies and sword beams.

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator of similar level, the sword energy condensed into a single point by others would be far more lethal than his vines.

"Puff puff!"

Xu Zhongxu witnessed a sword aura pierce through three giant vines before exhausting its energy and dissipating.

With such penetrating power, even he had to be careful, or he would also be hit.

He thought to himself, this is a protracted war.

The opponent possesses a high-grade defensive magical artifact, making it difficult for him to kill them in a short time.

Although those sword energies had strong penetrating power, Xu Zhongxu could conjure a large number of vines to forcefully resist them.

The sword energy could pierce through three giant vines, so he used four or five vines layered upon each other to block in front of him. In the end, it was a contest of whose fighting strength could last longer.

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.

Yan Yijin was startled to realize that the overwhelming vines in front of him were blocking his view, preventing him from accurately hitting his enemy with his sword energy.

Although his sword energy was exceptionally sharp and could easily pierce through several vines.

But it was still no use; there were too many vines in the air.

"Kill!" Fortunately, his divine sense could still be used. He was experienced in combat and could always find gaps in the waving vines, find the opponent's weaknesses, and shoot out several sword energies.

Those vines weren't just for defense; they also attacked Yan Yijin, whipping and strangling him.

Yan Yijin maneuvered through the air, protected by his golden armor, so he wouldn't be injured for a while.

We need to get closer to them!

He was entangled by the vines and escape was impossible.

At a greater distance, the threat level of his sword energy is greatly reduced.

The only thing to do is to get close enough that the opponent doesn't have time to dodge or defend with vines.

Amidst the dense vines, he scurried through the gaps and holes like a fly, trying to get as close as possible to his opponent. Sometimes, when the vines lashed at him, he would take the opportunity to get even closer to Xu Zhongxu.

On the other side, Xu Zhongxu discovered his intention.

"Want to get close?"

He kept backing away, keeping his distance from Yan Yijin.

This was an evenly matched battle, and Xu Zhongxu could not afford to relax in the slightest. If he relaxed even slightly, he would see a sword aura fly out from among the vines and shoot towards him at a tricky angle.

Both knew each other's strengths and weaknesses; it was a matter of who could hold out longer and who would reveal a weakness.

Although the Xu family members improved their strength and cultivation level very quickly, this was because they used all their limited resources to improve their cultivation level.

None of them possessed any protective magical artifacts. Defensive magical artifacts are the most expensive type of magical artifact.

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 duel lasted for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

In battles between Foundation Establishment cultivators, victory or defeat often hinges on just a few moves.

The fact that the battle could remain deadlocked for the duration of an incense stick's burning is already a rare occurrence.

In the air, the number of vines manifested by Xu Zhongxu had decreased significantly. Maintaining so many giant wisteria vines required a large amount of spiritual energy, and he couldn't continue for much longer.

In the blink of an eye, Yan Yijin seized an opportunity to unleash a burst of sword energy.

His Yin-Yang Sword Finger Technique is a combat method that consumes a great deal of spiritual energy. At the beginning, the dense sword energy attack, which was like a rain of arrows, came at the cost of consuming a large amount of spiritual energy.

He had very little spiritual energy left in his body, so he had to be careful and conserve every wield of sword energy.

Not long ago, he took the second elixir to restore his spiritual power.

Taking elixirs consecutively in a short period of time will greatly reduce their effectiveness. The bodies, dantian, and meridians of a Foundation Establishment cultivator have their limits; they do not have inexhaustible spiritual power as if they were drinking water, simply by taking elixirs.

At this point, he had reached the limit of his combat prowess, and even taking elixirs could not restore his spiritual power; he was truly at his last gasp.

"Oh!"

A vine lashed out from the side, and Yan Yijin couldn't dodge it, taking the hit.

Like a giant whip, it lashed him away as if he were an object.

His golden armor crackled, creating another tiny gap.

The battle raged on for the duration of an incense stick's time, and Yan Yijin lost count of how many times he had endured the attacks from the vines. If it weren't for his golden armor protecting him, his dantian would have been shattered long ago by the vines' attacks.

Currently, the Golden Armor has reached its limit and can no longer provide defense.

"Cough cough~~"

Yan Yijin coughed twice, his internal spiritual energy somewhat disordered.

His gaze was sinister as he stared intently at Xu Zhongxu before flying forward again.

After being whipped by the vines again, he pretended to be unable to hold on and swayed as if trying to fly away and escape.

"Can't hold on any longer? Die!"

Xu Zhongxu flew forward and strangled his opponent with vines.

He hadn't taken a second pill to restore his spiritual power during the battle, so his spiritual power was even less than Yan Yijin's at the moment. His dantian was also exhausted, with very little spiritual power left.

His fighting style, which involved controlling grass seeds to grow thorny vines on enemies, was no longer usable.

"Ah."

Yan Yijin, who was fleeing, suddenly turned around and attacked Xu Zhongxu again, with a sly smile in his eyes.

He unleashed two sword energies, each imbued with spiritual power, aimed directly at Xu Zhongxu's lower abdomen.

These two sword energies were infused with more spiritual power, making them faster and more powerful.

Xu Zhongxu was careless. He had been in a hurry to kill Yan Yijin and closed the distance. Now his spiritual power was almost exhausted and he could hardly resist the two sword energies that had been planned for a long time.

He barely managed to control two vines to defend himself.

Two sword energies easily pierced through the vines.

Xu Zhongxu barely managed to dodge one of the sword energies.

He dodged the other sword energy, avoiding the fatal area of ​​his dantian, and it passed through his waist.

Xu Zhongxu, whose dantian had almost been destroyed, quickly retreated. He had very little spiritual energy left in his body, and even his injuries were difficult to stop.

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.

"Jung-wook, watch out!"

"You step back, we're going!"

Xu Xiaoniu, Xu Xiaohou, and the others had been hiding at a distance to avoid distracting Xu Zhongxu from protecting them.

Now that Xu Zhongxu was injured and unable to fight, it was their turn to take action.

Everyone present could see that the two, who had been fighting for a long time, were at their limit and only had their last bit of strength left.

Xu Xiaohou controlled a flying sword to defend himself, while another flying sword flew towards Yan Yijin, who was a thousand meters away.

With his control over the flying sword, the maximum killing distance can reach five or six miles, which is the furthest distance of divine sense.

His flying sword still possesses considerable power even from a kilometer away.

Xu Xiaoniu summoned a meteorite spell, and huge meteorites flew toward Yan Yijin.

Then there's Xu Yiqing, who maintains distance and summons ice arrows to attack Yan Yijin from a distance.

They were worried that Yan Yijin would launch a counterattack before his death, so they were all on guard against his sword energy.

"You, you all~~"

Yan Yijin was unwilling to give up. He had very little spiritual energy left in his body, and with his opponent on guard, his sword energies would be ineffective and would be dodged.

At such a distance, only a continuous barrage of sword energy could prevent his opponent from dodging.

He finally defeated Xu Zhongxu, but the other side still had these "flies" around. It was a pity he didn't have any spiritual power, otherwise he could have easily killed them all.

After unleashing a few more bursts of sword energy as if in venting his frustration, he completely ran out of spiritual power and could not even maintain his flight in the air. He swayed and fell towards the ground.

This time, it wasn't a trick of him pretending to exhaust his spiritual power; he had truly burned it all out.

Without spiritual power, even the defensive power of protective spiritual artifacts is greatly reduced.

Finally, Xu Likun's flying sword pierced Yan Yijin's magical artifact, killing him.

Yan Yijin is dead!
(End of this chapter)