Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 305 Bai Zhenghu

The round-faced cultivator had no hope of forcing out Fairy Green Cloud.

According to the interrogation results, Fairy Green Cloud abandoned even her seriously injured first disciple, He Xuan, and ran away on her own.

Hoping that the other party will soften their heart and return to Green Cloud Cave to rescue people with the help of seven Foundation Establishment level subordinates is simply wishful thinking.

But no matter what, it's still a solution.

There is no conflict of interest with the public.

He had no reason to refuse.

Having gained the approval of those at the Foundation Establishment stage, Song Kui grinned.

He had long coveted the spiritual herbs of Green Cloud Cave, but Green Cloud Cave had repeatedly refused to cooperate with him.

Especially Fairy Green Cloud, who had a haughty and superior attitude, and even criticized him in public.

He had long harbored deep resentment towards him.

However, he held back his actions because of Fairy Green Cloud's strength.

Now that Green Cloud Cave is in decline, it's the perfect time to strike while the enemy is down.

Song Kui was in high spirits and ordered his men to beat drums and gongs to make a big commotion and attract the attention of Fairy Green Cloud.

He personally oversaw operations at Green Cloud Pool.

He also came up with a new trick: he erected a flagpole in the middle of the pool and tied dozens of ropes to it. At the other end of each rope was a prisoner from Green Cloud Cave, so that not everyone would drown in the pool.

Disciples from the Star-Absorbing Village stood atop the pole, constantly pulling on the ropes. Sometimes they tightened the ropes around the heads of the captured disciples, dragging them to the surface of the pool, and sometimes they slammed them heavily into the water, causing them to cough repeatedly.

The captured disciples of Green Cloud Cave naturally resisted desperately.

However, due to their severe injuries and the sealing of their dantian, they were no different from ordinary people, and under the manipulation of the Star Absorbing Village disciples, they were nothing more than puppets.

As time went on, the few remaining strength of these captured disciples was exhausted, and they ceased to resist.

Everyone seemed to have resigned themselves to their fate, and the once vibrant green pool was now filled with a heavy atmosphere of despair.

The disciples of the Star Absorbing Village, however, were having a great time.

It should be noted that among these prisoners were quite a few cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

If it were a one-on-one fight, how many of the Qi cultivators present would dare to say they were guaranteed a win?

It is truly heartbreaking that these people have suffered such humiliation.

Even the disciples from other factions watching the show couldn't stand it anymore.

A sallow-faced young man whispered to the round-faced cultivator, "Master, if Fairy Green Cloud hadn't shown herself, we might have become enemies of Green Cloud Cave in the future."

The round-faced cultivator nodded: "The actions of the Star Absorbing Village are a bit excessive. If there is still no news of the Enlightenment Spring by tomorrow, our Void Hall will not continue."

The young man hesitated. He had originally wanted to advise his master to leave now, but judging from his master's expression, he should wait a while.

The Enlightenment Spring was of utmost importance, and his master was unwilling to give it up lightly. He had no choice but to sigh.

Just then, a furious roar came from the sky: "What are you doing here?"

The two hurriedly looked over and saw two menacing cultivators suddenly descend.

One of them was in his prime, wearing a purple Taoist robe, exuding an imposing presence; the other was older, wearing a well-fitting black robe, with slightly graying hair and beard, but meticulously groomed.

"Bai Zhenghu?"

Upon seeing the purple-robed man, the round-faced cultivator was surprised, but also felt a hint of apprehension in his eyes.

This Bai Zhenghu is a very famous rogue cultivator in Hao County.

Although he only has a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation level, he participated in the war against the Nanbin Demon Clan by the Wuliang Sword Sect a hundred years ago and made great contributions. His strength is self-evident.

Even the Hengyue Sect would give him some face.

Bai Zhenghu's gaze swept over the Foundation Establishment cultivators present, then turned to Green Cloud Pool. Finally, his expression changed, and he roared angrily, "How dare you treat my son like this!"

Bai Zhenghu glared angrily, his hands forming a black baton, and slammed it down on the Star-Absorbing Village disciple on the flagpole.

That disciple was quite skilled, at the eighth level of Qi Refining, seemingly an elite member of the Star Absorbing Village.

But in front of Bai Zhenghu, they were no different from ants. In an instant, they were so frightened that their faces turned white, and they completely forgot to dodge.

At the critical moment, Song Kui made a move, slashing from behind to catch his opponent off guard.

However, the old man in black robes beside Bai Zhenghu snorted coldly, pushed with both hands, and a huge amount of magical power surged out like a tsunami. Song Kui retreated in a sorry state, while the disciple of the Star Absorbing Village was smashed by Bai Zhenghu and burst into a bloody mist, dying instantly.

Even after forcing Song Kui to retreat, the old man in black robes was not satisfied and planned to continue the pursuit.

But at this moment, other Foundation Establishment cultivators also rushed up.

The round-faced cultivator stood between the two, smiling obsequiously, "Brother Dao, don't be in such a hurry. You must also be here for the Enlightenment Spring, right? The Enlightenment Spring hasn't appeared yet, so why rush into a fight?"

The old man with the Xuanpao frowned. These people were mostly at the early or middle stage of Foundation Establishment, and they couldn't pose much of a threat to him and Fellow Daoist Bai in a one-on-one fight.

But when they get together, it's a completely different story.

Those who can reach the Foundation Establishment stage are mostly individuals who have honed their skills over many years and accumulated knowledge over time. Their character and methods should not be underestimated.

"Shuo'er, are you alright?"

In the Green Cloud Pool, Bai Zhenghu had already rescued one of them, his tone full of concern.

That person was none other than Bai Shuo, who had infiltrated the Green Cloud Cave with Li Xiangming.

Bai Shuo was in a terrible state, his chest and back covered in bloody wounds, and even his handsome face was bruised and black, clearly indicating that he had been tortured.

Nevertheless, Bai Shuo's gaze remained resolute. He looked at Bai Zhenghu and frowned, asking, "What are you doing here?"

Bai Zhenghu was taken aback: "Of course I'm here to save you."

Bai Shuo, however, did not appreciate the gesture and turned his head to the side.

Seeing this, Bai Zhenghu's face stiffened, and he was about to lash out, but seeing his son covered in wounds, he couldn't bring himself to say the words of reprimand.

He turned around menacingly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before finally settling on the round-faced cultivator: "Yu Zhongliang, how dare you bully me, Bai Zhenghu! If you don't give me an explanation, I will fight you to the death with the Kongming Hall!"

Yu Zhongliang's gaze darted between Bai Zhenghu and Bai Shuo, secretly groaning inwardly.

He never imagined that among the prisoners of Green Cloud Cave was Bai Zhenghu's son.

He coughed and quickly waved his hand: "Fellow Daoist Bai, please don't worry, this must be a misunderstanding. I really don't know anything about Young Master Bai's matter."

After saying that, he immediately looked at Song Kui and tried to exonerate himself, saying, "Chief Song is closest to Green Cloud Cave. Everyone in the pool was captured by Chief Song. We who came later only came for the Enlightenment Spring."

Yu Zhongliang was wary of Bai Zhenghu, and the others were mostly the same. Soon someone chimed in, "Fellow Daoist Yu is right. This punishment in the pool was also Chief Song's idea. We are outsiders after all, and we can't persuade him. It's really not good to stop him."

The group's chatter left Song Kui completely dumbfounded.

The reason he dared to retaliate against Green Cloud Cave, and even threatened to lure out Green Cloud Fairy, was that...

They relied on their superior numbers and shared interests—at least before the Enlightenment Spring appeared.

I originally thought everyone was on the same side.

Unexpectedly, when faced with Bai Zhenghu, these people wavered like weather vanes, even shifting all the blame onto him.

Song Kui was both angry and annoyed.

I was the first to arrive, and I didn't realize Bai Shuo's identity.

You were also involved in interrogating the captured Green Cloud Cave disciples, weren't you?
Didn't you notice it either?
The only one to blame is this kid for going crazy; he didn't even mention he had a famous Foundation Establishment father.

Song Kui opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but Bai Zhenghu didn't give him the chance. He joined forces with the old man Xuanpao and pressed Song Kui directly.

Faced with two old monsters in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, Song Kui panicked and retreated repeatedly.

The sallow-skinned youth who had spoken earlier immediately transmitted his voice to Yu Zhongliang: "Master, even if Song Kui is dead, Bai Zhenghu will not let it go. We are stuck in this quagmire and I'm afraid we can't get out of it."

Yu Zhongliang understood the implication and frowned. He thought for a moment, then turned to look at the other Foundation Establishment cultivators.

These people are also hesitating.

In their hearts, they did not want to be enemies with Bai Zhenghu.

If Song Kui could be sold off to resolve this misunderstanding, it would undoubtedly be the best outcome.

After all, they really didn't know that Bai Zhenghu's son was among them.

Only the Star-Absorbing Village humiliated Bai Shuo.

The shadow of the charming tree; if Bai Zhenghu were so easy to talk to, he wouldn't have earned such a reputation.

In Bai Zhenghu's view, everyone present was probably involved.

Thinking this through, the six nodded to each other.

Rather than letting Bai Zhenghu defeat them one by one, it's better to force him to back down.

When Song Kui was struggling to hold on alone, Yu Zhongliang and others finally stepped in.

Moreover, when they moved, they were swift and decisive, catching Bai Zhenghu and his companion completely off guard.

"How brave!"

Bai Zhenghu was furious. He wielded his black staff with incredible speed and power, and countless powerful magical forces rippled across the sky, obscuring the clouds for miles around.

However, facing so many enemies.

Even Bai Zhenghu was finding it somewhat difficult to keep up.

If he was still able to persevere, then the old man in black robes beside him appeared utterly exhausted.

"Fellow Daoist Ding, are you alright?"

There were four Foundation Establishment cultivators besieging Bai Zhenghu, including Yu Zhongliang.

However, fearing that Bai Zhenghu would fight to the death, the four did not pursue him relentlessly. Instead, they planned to wear him down slowly, waiting for the last moment to unleash their swift and decisive attack.

The other three, however, noticed that the old man in the black robe was showing signs of weakening; though he was brave for a moment, he could not sustain it.

So from the very beginning, all sorts of methods were employed.

This was all to force the old man in the black robe to completely break down under pressure.

Bai Zhenghu was able to survive the Nanbin battlefield, which speaks volumes about his combat experience; he saw through Yu Zhongliang and the others' strategy at a glance.

However, being outnumbered and outgunned, they lacked effective countermeasures.

At this moment, the old man in the black robe was extremely uncomfortable and didn't even have a chance to speak.

Bai Zhenghu was getting anxious. He forced back several people around him with his staff and forced his way into the black-robed old man's formation to help him out of the predicament.

"Fellow Daoist Ding, take my son and retreat first. I'll hold them off."

Without hesitation, the old man in the black robe immediately turned and flew towards Green Cloud Pool.

Yu Zhongliang's expression changed, and he tried to stop him, but Bai Zhenghu roared and emitted thick smoke, his aura was astonishing.

"It's Bai Zhenghu's secret technique, everyone be careful!"

Someone noticed something amiss and quickly spoke up to warn them.

Even Yu Zhongliang, who was about to make a move against the old man in black robes, couldn't help but turn around. It is said that Bai Zhenghu was able to be active on the Nanbin battlefield for decades largely because of this secret technique.

The secret technique greatly enhanced Bai Zhenghu, making every strand of his magic power and every spell more powerful.

These actions certainly didn't allow him to suppress the six Foundation Establishment cultivators, but they did restrain them to some extent.

Yu Zhongliang, who was left alone, was no match for the old man in black robes.

In the blink of an eye, the old man in black robes took Bai Shuo away and, with a wave of his hand, untied the ropes binding the remaining captured Green Cloud Cave disciples.

Immediately, the Green Cloud Cave disciples who still had strength scattered and fled.

The scene was in chaos.

The old man in the black robe forced back Yu Zhongliang, who was following closely behind, with a palm strike. He then took out a palm-sized model of a flying boat from his storage bag and blew on it gently, instantly making the flying boat appear enormous.

"Fellow Daoist Bai, come here quickly."

The old man in the black robe spoke urgently, and Bai Zhenghu certainly couldn't miss it.

He knew that Fellow Daoist Ding's flying boat was extraordinary and could easily shake off these Foundation Establishment cultivators. Therefore, he no longer hesitated and concentrated most of his mana into the black staff.

"You've suffered!"

Bai Zhenghu sighed inwardly and threw out the black whistle.

The black baton immediately emitted an incredibly intense light.

"Oh no, this guy is going to self-destruct his magic weapon."

Yu Zhongliang's expression changed drastically, and everyone around him looked terrified.

Good magical artifacts are not easy to forge, and refining them is even more difficult.

Therefore, cultivators often attach great importance to the magical artifacts they are accustomed to using.

We will never give up easily unless absolutely necessary.

However, in a life-or-death situation, this self-destructing magical artifact can also be a deadly move.

Even if a cultivator has 100 units of magical power, it doesn't mean he has 100 points of combat strength.

Limited by their meridians and reaction speed, cultivators can only use a portion of their magical power each time, and most of the time it is only a very small portion.

The manifestation of this small portion of magical power is the standard for measuring a cultivator's combat strength.

The magical artifact self-destructed without regard for anything else, unleashing all its magical power at once.

Even without anyone controlling it, it poses a huge threat to the cultivators in the vicinity.

In an instant, everyone fled.

No one bothered to stop Bai Zhenghu anymore.

"boom!"

"Long!"

The loud explosion cleared the surrounding air.

The shockwave spread to the ground, and the grass and trees swayed wildly in the gale, but they could not hold out for even a moment before being uprooted.

The soil and stones tumbled and rolled, then were swept away and crashed down, as if in mourning.

Even in the Green Cloud Pool, towering waves surged, splashing water that crashed against the shore, greedily devouring everything around it before mercilessly spitting it out.

This once crystal-clear Green Cloud Pool eventually went mad, turning into a chaotic mess.

With such a commotion, Yu Zhongliang and the others were unable to make a move and could only watch helplessly as Bai Zhenghu boarded the old man in the black robe's flying boat.

Just as they were at a loss for what to do, a dignified voice rang out: "Stop right there!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a sword light flashed in front of the flying boat.

The flying boat immediately activated a circular magical shield in an attempt to block it.

However, along with the sword energy came several sharp spells.

Before long, the protective shield on the airship became dim and teetering on the verge of collapse.

At this moment, a man with a white beard appeared in front of the flying boat, blocking its way, and said coldly, "No one is allowed to leave until everything here is explained clearly."

(End of this chapter)