Chapter 323: The Qian Family

The Qian family's ancestral elder was a Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator.

If he had taken the Longevity Pill, extended his life, and retained his vigor and spiritual power without decline, he would be the strongest Foundation Establishment cultivator in Xiancheng.

Moreover, he was surely a demonic cultivator, practicing a strange yet powerful demonic cultivation art.

Therefore, the plan to eliminate the Qian family's ancestral elder must be carefully and meticulously arranged.

The next evening, the Dao Soldiers broke camp and feigned departure from Xiancheng.

At midnight, they secretly returned, spent the night at Great Heishan, and at dawn, donned Hunter of Demons attire, disguised themselves, and infiltrated the city, hiding secretly in houses surrounding the Qian residence.

The hiding places were provided by the An family.

Mo Hua also rose early, found a secluded house, climbed onto the roof, and used his spiritual sense to observe the Qian family's movements.

His cultivation was too low; he had no need to act in the ambush against the Qian family's ancestral elder.

Moreover, the matter was extremely dangerous; he could not possibly show himself.

The two Qian family elders were hurling insults at each other.

Before the words had finished, the hidden An family disciples, Hunter of Demons, Spirit Power Bureau cultivators, and Dao Soldiers surged down upon the Qian residence.

The Qian family erupted into chaos.

Qian Yanjing scanned the surroundings, his blood-red eyes gleaming faintly:

Qian Yanjing frowned slightly, his gaze gradually sharpening.

"Why are his eyes blood-red?"

"Why did the Dao Soldiers arrive so quickly?"

The Qian family disciples exchanged uneasy glances.

Other cultivators from various factions followed the Dao Soldiers, jointly pressing forward and driving back the Qian family.

"Why was Elder Yu discovered so suddenly?"

"Who is this person?"

Old Master An, seeing Qian Yanjing's current state, was both shocked and furious:

The first step of the plan was to enter the Qian residence and probe the ancestral elder's true strength.

We turned our gaze again toward the center, where the ancestral elder's disturbance had caused walls to collapse—it was precisely where Qian Yanjing had secluded himself for cultivation.

"Who is this person? You must meet him face to face!"

The Qian family had no sealing array; Mo Hua could observe in detail.

Morning sunlight fell upon the blue stone streets.

Zhou Zhangsi spat out a mouthful of blood and said, "Careful, my cultivation art is demonic—it taints the blood qi…"

After weighing all options, only Zhou Zhangsi was suitable.

The old Zhangsi shuffled forward, feigning reluctance, urging both sides to seek harmony and avoid unnecessary conflict.

"The spiritual power is not your Qian family's spiritual power; the Dao Court is your Qian family's Dao Court—how can you not know which is more important? This time, we must protect the Dao Court at all costs!"

Before the words had finished, another elder hurriedly said:

Great Heishan's tone was stern and icy.

"Who is it that has destroyed Elder Yu, whom you spent two hundred years cultivating?"

"It wasn't a Spirit Power Bureau member who died—why are you, Zhangsi, standing there speaking so lightly?"

Some Qian family disciples grew fearful, secretly discarding their swords and spears; gradually, more and more Qian disciples dropped their weapons.

I didn't want to meet the Qian Dao Court—best if we were forever separated, never to meet again—let the Qian Dao Court die, and I live, so we will never meet again…

The atmosphere instantly became tense and hostile.

One man had a solemn face, pale complexion—he was the old Zhangsi of the Spirit Power Bureau;

Roughly an hour passed when the Qian residence suddenly emitted a violent ancestral elder fluctuation; even from afar, Mo Hua felt a faint tremor.

Although I have no grudge against the Qian family, I frequently come and go there, bickering and haggling with them—it won't arouse suspicion or make the Qian family overly cautious.

The Qian Dao Court, seemingly cornered, remained calm, even showing signs of confusion.

Mo Hua had uncovered the Qian family's array, marked its weak points precisely, and informed Commander Yang; thus, the Dao Soldiers shattered the array with surprising speed.

"Yan Jing acts in secrecy—killing is fine, plundering is fine; for these two hundred years, no one has ever discovered him. Those who knew of Elder Yu either joined him or are dead."

The Qian Dao Court is Foundation Establishment mid-stage—if he suddenly erupts and strikes violently, Zhou Zhangsi may lose his life.

All he could do was draw the Qian residence's array diagram to aid Commander Yang and the others in their ambush.

Elder Yu had warned all wandering cultivators in advance, telling them not to leave their homes today.

"I never imagined he'd become such a monstrous, inhuman sight."

"Yan Jing?"

When Zhou Zhangsi suddenly struck, catching them off guard, he could test Qian Yanjing's true strength and determine whether the Qian Dao Court was hiding his abilities—or harboring some unspeakable secret.

Mo Hua silently thought to himself, then suddenly felt a pang of doubt.

Mo Hua was startled and immediately shrank his head.

"The only thing I know is that the array outside Shanzhai has been tampered with."

"Old Dog Qian, I demand you pay for the lives of my An family disciples!"

The Qian family was suddenly attacked; Qian disciples from all sides surged out, drawing swords and spears, facing off against the invading cultivators.

…

A thin, tall Qian elder whispered: "We cannot let them harm the Dao Court!"

Commander Yang and Old Master An stepped forward, joined by Zhou Zhangsi and Great Heishan—four Foundation Establishment cultivators, surrounding the Qian Dao Court.

Some Qian disciples who had intended to attack now abandoned their plans.

But when they realized the opposing cultivators were led by Dao Soldiers, they all turned pale with shock, unsure what to do.

How could the Qian family's Dao Court guess it was me?

Fortunately, his spiritual sense was strong, his perception range vast, so even from afar, he could roughly grasp the course of events.

The Qian family's defensive array flared layer upon layer, only to be shattered layer upon layer by the Dao soldiers' spears, turning into shattered stones and dust.

But Qian Dao Ting denied it outright, claiming Zhou Zhangsi was slandering him with false accusations.

Zhou Zhangsi was indeed slandering him—and I was cursing too, even more viciously, shouting repeatedly that I would report this to Yan Jing Si and demand justice.

One man, hair half-white, pupils blood-red, half his facial skin peeled away, his aura faint and unstable.

"You have one question—have you still not figured it out..."

Qian Dao Ting's blood-red eyes revealed mockery. "You're on Qian family land—do you dare kill our Qian family's Dao Court?"

Some Qian family elders felt a terrible suspicion creeping in, their faces instantly turning ashen.

Qian Dao Ting laughed. "As long as one can seek the Great Dao, what does this appearance matter?"

"But why?"

Young Master An was unwilling—he had no grudge against the Qian family; the Qian family would never let him in.

Dao soldiers are the most disciplined of Daoist troops, representing the authority and majesty of spiritual power.

Young Master An refused to waste words with him, only spat bitterly:

Mo Hua heard far off Yan Jing Fei's piercing shriek: "Attack!"

Yan Jing Fei, face flushed, argued with the old Zhangsi:

The person Qian Dao Ting spoke of... was it himself?

One man, missing an arm, lips stained with blood, face gaunt—it was Zhou Zhangsi, the Hunter of Demons;

Our Qian family's Dao Court... is a cultivator of evil!

"Who, piece by piece, uncovered my secret?"

"Qian family disciples—if anyone resists, kill without mercy!"

Mo Hua already knew what Zhou Zhangsi had done before entering the Qian family.

Evil cultivators are not tolerated by spiritual power.

Qian Zhongli said: "The Dao Court is your Qian family's Dao Court—but the Qian family is not the Dao Court's alone. Do you mean to bury every single cultivator under your command?"

"If the Qian family knew and still aided the tyrant, then exterminate the entire clan!"

The Qian family elders, provoked, said: "Fine—then summon the Zhangsi here, and let us settle this clearly!"

Qian Dao Ting's aura surged violently.

"That foolish, blindly loyal fool!"

Seeing this, the Qian family elder cursed:

Commander Yang was unwilling—he was the Dao Soldier Commander; going to the Qian family would raise suspicion.

A while passed, the Qian family fell silent; some elders stepped out, arguing with Yan Jing Fei.

The old Zhangsi had come to assist him and clashed with Qian Dao Ting—though unharmed, his meridians were not badly damaged.

"But who, with such immense power, could tamper with Elder Yu's array right under the noses of seven Foundation Establishment elders and hundreds of evil cultivators?"

Fighting Dao soldiers is equivalent to rebellion against spiritual power—punishable by clan extermination!

That's what Zhou Zhangsi often did.

But if the plan succeeded, Yan Jing Fei would escalate the matter, the old Zhangsi would stoke the flames, forcing Qian Dao Ting to appear—then we could meet him without trouble.

The Qian family went to fetch the old Zhangsi.

This task could only be carried out by a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The streets were empty, nearly deserted.

Commander Yang nodded.

Qian Yan shook his head and sighed: "I was wrong—I never thought that even blood kin cannot be relied upon when disaster strikes."

Mo Hua, hiding and secretly watching, froze in surprise.

Before the dust cleared, eight cultivators stood there.

The Dao soldiers led the charge.

Qian family disciples felt resolve stir, yet hesitated.

Qian family disciples were filled with fear, hesitating uncertainly.

The old Zhangsi also grew angry: "What do you intend to do?"

Earlier, Yan Jing Fei and the old Zhangsi had entered the Qian family.

"I don't even know how the rumor leaked."

At the same time, a house in the Qian family collapsed, earth and stone flying, the array shattered.

Some Qian family elders were stunned: "That's... Yan Jing?"

The Qian family disciples all raised their swords and blades, eyes gleaming with battle intent.

"Qian Zhongli, are you abandoning the Dao Court?"

Now that things had come to this, Qian Hong could no longer avoid appearing.

"You hid it well—few knew of your connection to Elder Yu, few knew you built that Shanzhai, kept so many evil cultivators, and even fewer knew what you used those evil cultivators for..."

With Great Heishan's support, there would be at least some backup.

Zhou Zhangsi cursed terribly.

Yan Jing Fei said: "I demand an explanation from Qian Hong, that old turtle! If he can't decide, the Qian family still has an older turtle—then I'll make them give me an answer!"

Zhou Zhangsi laughed. "Qian the Old Dog—you're abandoned by all."

Not so!

The Qian family elder thought it was real.

In the blink of an eye, nearly half of the Qian family disciples had lost their weapons.

"That capable coward!"

Great Heishan gave us a heated glance, "Without imperial decree, the Qian family's Dao Court cultivates heretical arts and colludes with heretical cultivators—crimes unforgivable; by law, they deserve execution!"

"How could it look like that?"

The dispute did not end; Zhou Zhangsi refused to leave, fabricating a serious lie that a hunter of demons had died, and pinned that blame on the Qian family.

At this moment, he could only watch from afar.

Yan Jingfei, having lost one arm, held his remaining knife pointed at the Qian family's Dao Court: "Someone like him doesn't deserve family."

He had arrived early at the Qian family's main gate, knocking while muttering under his breath.

I launched a surprise attack earlier, was detected by Yan Jing of the Qian family, clashed palms with him, lost one arm, and was corrupted by the heretical Ancestor—my blood qi has become unnatural.

Moreover, my journey requires me to go with Great Heishan; we must watch each other's backs.

"Silence! Do you intend to have the entire Qian family executed?"

Such things, the Qian family truly had not done, so they could not believe Yan Jingfei was lying.