Chapter 276: Attack (Requesting Monthly Votes)

Several days later.

Mount Mount Baihua.

"I entrust the entire family to you, Wanqing."

Mu Wanlü gave a final warning, then transformed into a streak of light and flew into a white jade palace.

This was the Mu family's war artifact—the White Jade Palace!

When it was built, countless resources were poured into it; now, numerous Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators guard it… especially several False Golden Core elders and the Mu family's three Golden Core True Elders.

Even against a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, it could hold out for a long time.

This time, the Mu family certainly didn't send out its elite; instead, they recruited many lone cultivators.

But they had to worry about public opinion, so they didn't go too far—roughly half were lone cultivators, half were family members.

Of course, most of those family members were elderly, weak, sick, or had no hope of advancement.

Watching the White Jade Palace's light vanish into the horizon, Mu Wanqing looked around with a sense of triumph.

At last, Mount Mount Baihua was entirely under his control!

'That old bastard hasn't left his cultivation chamber today…'

Mu Wanqing gazed at the valley where Fang Xing's cave was located, a dark glint flashing in his eyes.

Of course, he had no way to deal with Mu Mu Wanlong.

The man clearly didn't care about power or reputation… even he felt like a mouse trying to grab a turtle—with nowhere to bite.

"Elder Wanqing, I've prepared a modest banquet with wine and dancing in my cave—would you grace me with your presence?"

A False Golden Core elder stepped forward, face beaming with smiles.

"The Lord has entrusted me with great responsibility—how could I sink into wine and lust?"

Mu Wanqing refused with righteous indignation.

Moments later, a mental whisper reached his ear: "Hehe… Elder Wanqing, my dancers all come from the Yin-Yang Union Pavilion—if you don't go, it'd be such a waste…"

"In that case…"

Mu Wanqing replied with a mental whisper: "Tomorrow night, then…"

The Yin-Yang Union Pavilion was famed throughout the Da Jing cultivation world; its trained female cultivators weren't just breathtakingly beautiful, but their cultivation techniques greatly aided male cultivators in advancing their spiritual energy, making their prices extremely high.

Especially the Foundation Establishment-level dancers—rumored to have mesmerizing dance movements, and their techniques even aided Golden Core cultivators!

…

Several days later.

Inside a fourth-rank cave.

Fang Xing sat cross-legged, refining spiritual energy to strengthen his spiritual power.

For him, no matter how chaotic the outside world became, nothing mattered more than advancing his own cultivation.

"Hmm?"

He suddenly felt the underground spirit vein tremble, and rose instantly, flying out of his cave.

Mount Mount Baihua was in chaos—the Ten Thousand Flowers Illusion Array, which had long shrouded the mountain, was slowly… fading?

A third-rank exotic spirit crane was flaunting its power above the Wan family's grounds.

With a shake of its feathers, dozens of white plumes fell from the air, transforming into sharp flying swords that beheaded every Wan cultivator who dared attack the beast.

Beside the third-rank white crane floated a False Golden Core cultivator.

"Mu Mu Wanlan… how dare you betray the family?"

A Wan family False Golden Core elder stared at Mu Mu Wanlan, his eyes blood-red with rage.

He wore a third-rank defensive spell—the Nine Flame Dragon Shield—and roared as a black "Hunyuan Stone" artifact rapidly expanded into a mountain, crushing down toward Mu Mu Wanlan.

'Mu Mu Wanlan? That's the False Golden Core elder from Mu Wanqing's branch… He betrayed the family?'

Fang Xing recalled the relevant memories from Mu Mu Wanlong's mind, and was speechless.

"Where's Mu Wanqing? Did he defect or die? Who's guarding the array's central control token?"

He flew up above the clan grounds, face dark with displeasure.

The Ten Thousand Flowers Illusion Array was once a fourth-rank array—even weakened, it was still quasi-fourth-rank!

A mere third-rank spirit crane couldn't destroy it.

Someone must have stolen the array's central control token—originally kept by Mu Mu Wanlong, then passed to Mu Wanlü when he became patriarch.

Now that Mu Wanlü was going to explore new lands, he naturally handed the token to Mu Wanqing, who remained to guard the family.

"Squawk!"

The crane, with pure white feathers and a crimson crown, flicked its eyes with mockery; its long beak, like a flying sword, radiated the sharpness of a Golden Core sword cultivator.

It spread its wings, moving at astonishing speed, arriving before Mu Mu Wanlan—and with a single peck, the mountain-sized Hunyuan Stone was pierced through by a beam of white light.

"Third-rank upper-grade spirit beast?"

The previous False Golden Core elder spat out a mouthful of essence blood, face pale with terror.

The Mu family now faced a third-rank upper-grade spirit beast—likely facing annihilation.

This False Golden Core cultivator, reliant on the family for even a low-grade artifact, stood no chance against such a powerful exotic crane…

Shhh! Shhh!

Dozens of white feathers, like flying swords, sliced through the Nine Flame Dragons. The False Golden Core elder stared in horror as his spiritual energy shield shattered—then suddenly, a black shield appeared before him, blocking every feather-sword.

"So, Mu Mu Wanlan—you betrayed the family, killed Mu Wanqing, and deliberately opened the array's gates to let the enemy in?"

Fang Xing stood with arms crossed, hair and beard bristling like an enraged lion.

Mu Mu Wanlan sneered: "So what? Mu Wanqing stole my opportunity to form a true Golden Core—and you, old man, helped him! Today I'll tell you plainly: Mu Wanlü and the others are dead. The moment the array vanishes completely, the White Crane Gate, Zhang family, Wang family, and Sea Sand Gang will storm in and wipe out the Mu family!"

His invitation to drink and be entertained was merely a ruse.

He'd long ago smuggled in the White Crane Gate's third-rank upper-grade crane, ambushing Mu Wanqing.

As a spirit beast, the exotic crane could be stored in a special spirit beast bag—stealthier and far more powerful.

Mu Wanqing, caught off-guard, couldn't resist—he was killed instantly, and the array token stolen.

'Truly a wolf in sheep's clothing… but you're still a Mu!'

'Wait—if the Mu family dies, where will I get a fourth-rank cave?'

Fang Xing mentally grumbled, then his face flushed unnaturally red: "So… you still resent me for giving the Golden Core Pill to Wanqing instead of you… Such a petty heart explains why you could only form a False Golden Core!"

"Old bastard!"

Mu Mu Wanlan's eyes turned crimson: "You're a dying, wounded old man—Crane Lord, kill him now!"

The next instant, Fang Xing's spiritual power surged violently.

From Golden Core early stage, he broke through to mid-stage.

And kept climbing—finally breaking into Golden Core late stage!

The overwhelming spiritual pressure forced the exotic crane to retreat several steps, its bird eyes filled with unmistakably human-like wariness.

"Golden Core late stage?"

Mu Mu Wanlan stared, utterly incredulous: "Impossible… you were clearly mortally wounded! Even before, you were only mid-stage Golden Core!"

"Today, I've used a forbidden technique to suppress my injuries and break through—ready to fight for the family until my last drop of blood!"

Fang Xing declared with solemn righteousness, radiating tragic grandeur.

"Patriarch!"

Below, many elderly Mu family members wept.

In their eyes, this former patriarch had done great deeds for the family; though old and foolish, cowardly and selfish… at this moment of annihilation, he sacrificed himself to fight the enemy—washing away all past sins, leaving only radiant glory!

After all, this former patriarch had long been mortally wounded; now, by forcibly using a forbidden technique to raise his realm and suppress his injuries… he would surely die the moment the technique ended.

"Go!"

Fang Xing ignored them all, pulling out Mu Mu Wanlong's usual artifact—the Fire Dragon Staff—and poured his late-stage Golden Core spiritual power into it, causing the artifact to blaze with brilliant red light.

Amidst a sky of flames, a dragon's roar echoed!

A fire dragon emerged—and at its heart, a crimson wooden staff.

Carved into the shape of a fire dragon, the staff now seemed alive, transforming into a massive, thirty-zhang-long, swaggering fire wyrm that clashed with the third-rank upper-grade crane.

Seeing this, Mu Mu Wanlan's face turned deathly pale—he turned into a streak of light and fled beyond Mount Mount Baihua.

The crane was never his spirit pet—he could only beg, not command, and wouldn't risk injury to protect him!

'Damn… who could've thought the former patriarch could still use a forbidden technique…'

'No, I can't die… if I just hold out until the technique fades and meet up with the White Crane Gate cultivators outside… I'll survive…'

Mu Mu Wanlan's eyes bulged with rage—then a streak of fire flashed before him.

'Mu Mu Wanlong's' flight speed was astonishing—he had cut off Mu Mu Wanlan's escape.

"Those who betray the family—die!"

Fang Xing's expression turned icy; a golden third-rank treasure talisman appeared in his hand.

He wasn't Mu Mu Wanlong—he could use the man's artifacts, but attempting his unique techniques would be suicide.

Fortunately, the cultivation world had high-rank talismans!

This golden third-rank "Hundred-Forged Golden Blade Talisman" had been taken from a dead Golden Core cultivator he'd killed—its power was excellent.

He poured his late-stage Golden Core spiritual power into the talisman—a golden blade of light flashed, swift as thunder, slicing across Mu Mu Wanlan's neck.

His defensive artifacts and False Golden Core spiritual energy offered no resistance; a thin red line appeared on his throat, then his body tumbled from the sky.

A late-stage Golden Core cultivator could easily slay early- or mid-stage Golden Core cultivators.

A False Golden Core elder? Even less of a challenge.

At this moment, the fire dragon still battled the Crane Elder.

The Crane Elder saw a flash of light in Fang Xing's hand as he pulled out the array token seized from Mu Mu Wanlan, and his soul nearly fled his body.

It spread its wings, and a cyan Gang wind emerged, forcing the fire dragon back; its movements were fluid beyond measure, its cry pierced the heavens as it shot upward.

But the next instant, the surrounding world had transformed entirely, countless petals swirling through the air.

——Ten Thousand Flowers, Thousand Illusions Array!

This ancestral array, naturally, was easy to activate but difficult to shut down.

Even with Mu Mu Wanlan holding the central control token, he could only slowly suppress the array's power.

But now that it was in Fang Xing's hands, the array's power could be restored swiftly!

Petals fell in waves, like a dazzling, colorful cage, trapping the third-rank spirit crane within.

"Trouble!"

Watching the array on Mount Mount Baihua reactivate, and hearing the crane's agonized cries, the several hidden Foundation Establishment cultivators outside the mountain exchanged glances, each seeing the unease in the others' eyes…

Today's update is delayed.

(End of Chapter)