Chapter 158: The Plan

In a small town at the foot of Mount Longtan, it was already late at night. Pedestrians on the streets had gradually returned home, and various shops had closed their doors and put up their shutters.

At the entrance of a pharmacy at the end of the street, a kind-looking, tall old man chatted happily with a neighbor before closing the shop door and returning to the second floor to prepare for rest.

After he walked into his room, he suddenly discovered that two people in black robes were already there.

"Didn't I tell you to keep a low profile recently? Why did you come here without even giving me a heads-up? Are you really not afraid of being seen?" Seeing the two people who had suddenly appeared in his room, the tall old man did not show much surprise, clearly indicating that he was an acquaintance of theirs.

One of the black-robed figures said with a laugh, "Second Senior Brother, you are being too nervous. The stationing guard, Wu Zitong, has already fallen under our control. Even if we were seen here, what kind of trouble could they stir up? Didn't we kill a few guards last time? Look how nervous you got; didn't Wu Zitong handle it in the end?"

"Junior Brother Wu is right. We have been hiding here for several years, and those idiots in the Wu family haven't discovered a single trace, which shows how careless they are." The other black-robed figure also chimed in with a smile.

The tall old man looked at the two and shook his head, then asked, "What is the matter with coming to find me this time? Speak quickly. If there’s nothing, go back early to avoid creating more trouble."

Upon hearing this, the two black-robed figures’ expressions darkened instantly. "Second Senior Brother, look at what you’re saying. The reason we are here is to help you. Isn't it just a few mortals? Are you really trying to chase us away like this?"

"Junior Brother Liu, Senior Brother didn't mean that. I was just reminding everyone out of concern for our safety. If you don't like hearing it, just pretend I didn't say anything. We have been fellow disciples for so many years; we must not damage our harmony. In short, it was Senior Brother who was overthinking it. You two shouldn't be angry."

"I still have a little bit of the Blood Dragon Pill I refined earlier. You two take it and distribute it to the other junior brothers. You have truly been wronged during this period. Progress on the Wu family side is going smoothly, so everyone just bear with it a little longer. I believe it won't be long before we can conclude the matter here."

Seeing that the two black-robed figures were somewhat displeased, the tall old man softened his tone and hurriedly stepped forward to comfort them, then took out a bottle of blood-red pills, which finally restored the smiles they had when they arrived.

After some effort to send the two black-robed figures away, the tall old man’s face instantly turned ferocious.

"Hmph! These idiots only know how to cause trouble; they really don't let anyone have peace. If it weren't for the fact that you are still useful, I wouldn't bother with your lives. Hehe, just wait. Once I blood-sacrifice the Wu family cultivators and successfully reach Foundation Establishment, your missions will be complete."

On Mount Longtan, in the Wu family council hall.

Wu family Patriarch Wu Xiyun looked at the twenty-plus Wu family cultivators standing before him and said loudly, "What I just explained to everyone, is it clear? Eliminating demons and defending the Dao is the responsibility of every cultivator. From now on, no matter who it is, no one is allowed to leave my sight at will. Whoever is discovered to have any connection to the demonic cultivators will be executed on the spot to show our Wu family’s determination to stand against them."

After Wu Xiyun finished speaking, he led all the Wu family cultivators directly to the village at the foot of the mountain where traces of the demonic cultivators had been found. More than twenty cultivators, including Song family Patriarch Song Changfeng, were already waiting there.

Seeing that the Wu family cultivators had come down the mountain, Song Changfeng stepped forward alone and said to Wu Xiyun, "Patriarch Wu, since everything is ready, let us begin the operation according to the plan."

In the center of the town, an ordinary-looking Wu family cultivator was cultivating diligently in a relatively spacious courtyard.

This person was the town’s stationing guard, Wu Zitong. Wu Zitong was just an ordinary Wu family cultivator with very poor aptitude. He had been cultivating for over forty years and had only just reached the fifth level of Qi Refining. A cultivator like him was unlikely to reach the late stage of Qi Refining in his lifetime, which was why he had been sent down the mountain early to look after the family’s mortals.

Suddenly, a series of urgent knocks on the door interrupted Wu Zitong, who was in the middle of cultivation. A mortal martial artist called out carefully from inside, "Great Immortal Master, an old Immortal Master from the mountain has just arrived and is waiting for you in the hall."

Hearing this, Wu Zitong responded with some confusion, stopped his cultivation, rose, and walked out of his cultivation room to the outer hall.

"Fourth Elder, why have you come without notifying me? Is there something you need to instruct me about by coming so late?" Upon seeing that the old man sitting in the hall was an elder of the clan, a look of surprise instantly appeared on Wu Zitong’s face.

The old man smiled at him and said, "Zitong, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you. I don't even know if you’ve been up the mountain to see me; you’re making this old bag of bones run down the mountain to see you."

"Fourth Elder, please don't blame me. I am burdened with the family’s heavy responsibilities, looking after the clansmen here, so it is truly inconvenient for me to get away."

"Hmm, it is right to say so. However, I didn't come to joke with you this time. I am here on official business to inspect the town’s protective array. Please come with me. Since it is official business, you can also help me bear witness, so the Patriarch won't say I’m being perfunctory later."

Upon hearing that the Fourth Elder had come to inspect the protective array, Wu Zitong gradually let go of the worry in his heart and followed the Fourth Elder out happily.

Just as the two walked out of the courtyard, two figures suddenly flew out from the sides. After a soft sound, before Wu Zitong could react, a mark appeared on his forehead, and then his eyes went dark, and he fainted.

The Fourth Elder looked at the restrained Wu Zitong and sighed, "Lock him up first, and follow me to activate the protective array."

In the center of the town, after the two black-robed figures left the pharmacy and had not been on the street for long, a pale white light shield suddenly lit up above the entire town, instantly enveloping the whole town within it.

Seeing this, the two black-robed figures became somewhat nervous instantly.

"This is... why did the protective array suddenly activate?"

"Don't ask me, hurry and find a place to contact Wu Zitong and see what happened." After saying this, the two left the place at high speed.

An incense stick of time later, as several protective arrays on Mount Longtan lit up one by one, the entire town became as bright as day. Under the guidance of teams of cultivators, the thousands of Wu family mortals who had just fallen asleep in the town were quickly gathered in an open space in the east of the town, where a small, seemingly unremarkable array had also appeared.

In a dark and damp underground secret chamber, five or six black shadows were pacing back and forth. Suddenly, the chamber door opened from the outside, and the tall old man walked in.

"Second Senior Brother, you finally came. We can no longer contact Wu Zitong; he has likely been controlled by someone. The Wu family cultivators have already started searching the town. What should we do now?" One of the black-robed figures who had just gone to find him asked anxiously upon seeing the old man enter.

"What are you panicking about! They won't be able to find this place all at once. Everyone, listen to my arrangements and withdraw together later. If it weren't for the fear of alerting other cultivation families, would these people from the Wu family dare to fight us? It’s just a pity that after years of preparation, we have fallen short at the final hurdle." After saying this, the tall old man looked at everyone with unwillingness and sighed.

Normal today.