Breaking the Village

The assembled heroes were quite lively, all cultivating in the Jingxiang region. Although they didn't see each other often, they were all rogue cultivators at heart, sharing a natural sense of camaraderie. They exchanged updates on their recent lives and shared news, creating a very boisterous atmosphere.

Liu Xiaolou had few acquaintances and was young, so he didn't interject randomly, but listened silently. This first experience at the Hero Gathering truly opened his eyes, and he heard many interesting cultivation anecdotes.

After a long discussion, the heroes began to denounce the various wicked deeds of the Zhang clan of Jinping Mountain.

The rogue cultivators had been bullied too severely by the prestigious sects, and many had suffered greatly at the hands of the Zhang clan. Whether it was spirit stones won through lucky gambles being confiscated, spiritual materials extorted through clever schemes being forcibly reclaimed, or spirit elixirs seized through cultivation being snatched back, the Zhang clan left the rogue cultivators no room to breathe. For a time, everyone was filled with righteous indignation.

Liu Xiaolou listened and felt a sense of shared grievance, his heart burning with injustice.

This continued until dawn, when everyone turned their gaze toward the Zhang clan manor in the mountain hollow, awaiting Old Boss Wang's command.

The lights in other parts of the manor had dimmed slightly, but the central courtyard remained brightly lit. This was the spirit hall of Zhang Xianbai, once prominent in Xiangnan. Everything appeared normal, indicating that the Zhang clan remained completely unprepared.

After a short wait, a scroll with a double-tailed streamer suddenly rose into the mountain valley, igniting in the night sky with a loud bang, instantly illuminating the surrounding mountains.

It was a Hero's Invitation!

Dai Shenggao stood up, shouting, "Everyone, follow me to charge the manor!" He leaped from the cliff, plunging downward.

The crowd followed him, each using their own methods, climbing vines or stepping on rocks, rapidly descending to the bottom of the cliff.

Liu Xiaolou also rappelled down the pre-prepared vines. In no time, he reached the bottom of the cliff, which was over thirty feet high. At this moment, his mind was clear of all distractions, focused only on the Zhang clan manor ahead!

How much he could gain depended entirely on himself!

From the surrounding forests, hundreds of figures darted out simultaneously, shooting towards the Zhang clan manor in the central clearing. Some were agile and nimble, others swift as lightning, some graceful as startled swans, and others like fierce tigers descending from the mountains!

A single Hero's Invitation had gathered the majority of the heroes from Xiangnan and Xiangxi.

As he ran, Liu Xiaolou took out a black cloth from his huái (bosom/pocket), put on his bamboo hat, and covered his face. He exerted force with his feet, moving even faster. But no matter how fast he was, he was just a young man who had recently left his sect. He couldn't match the speed of the heroes from Wulong Mountain. These seniors were also masked with black cloths, some wearing bamboo hats, others soft caps, covering their hair tightly. They charged towards the manor like madmen.

Having suffered hunger in the mountains for so long, what better time than now to seize this opportunity?

Such commotion naturally alerted the Zhang clan members within the manor. Although Zhang Xianbai was dead, there were still many skilled cultivators within the clan. If not for Old Boss Wang summoning heroes from all sides with the Hero's Invitation, few would have dared to provoke the Zhang clan.

The manor immediately sounded a gong, and someone shouted, "Who are these lowly rascals? Are you looking for death?"

From the earth surrounding the manor, countless green vines suddenly emerged, densely intertwined, rapidly growing upwards to form an increasingly tall wall of vines. One foot, three feet, five feet...

Simultaneously, a few vines began to blossom and bear fruit. The fruits burst open, shooting out sporadic arrows, like shooting stars!

Attacked at night, the manor had activated its extremely resource-intensive, yet highly protective, guardian magic array!

They had to stop the magic array from fully forming, otherwise, breaking in would be several times more difficult.

Dai Shenggao, charging at the front, was the first to act. Streams of light flew towards the growing and spreading vine wall, igniting patches of flame on it. Unfortunately, the effect was minimal, better than nothing.

The heroes then brandished their shields, hammers, swords, and axes, blocking the rapidly shooting arrows. However, the arrows shot by the manor's guardian magic array were extremely powerful and often exploded into fiery projectiles. The various protective spells of the heroes were instantly shattered upon contact, proving ineffective.

Liu Xiaolou, with his low cultivation, was at the rear. He also drew his sect's Three Xuan Sword, twirling it above his head. These sword flowers were merely a psychological comfort. Fortunately, the arrows were still sparse, and the heroes in front provided cover, so not a single one was shot at him. If he were to be hit by such a powerful arrow array, he would absolutely not be able to withstand it.

At the same time, heroes from Donghe River, Pai Sect, Yunshan Gang, and even local Xiangnan forces arrived from all directions. Various colored flames erupted on the vine wall, magical artifacts circled and intertwined in the night sky, and countless shouts rose one after another:

"Brothers, charge!"

"Charge into the manor and take what you can!"

"The Jinping Mountain manor is the richest in Xiangnan, with hundreds of spirit stones piled in their vaults..."

"And Foundation Establishment Pills from the Dongyang Sect!"

"Is that true?"

"Whoever grabs it first gets to keep it, Old Boss Wang doesn't take a cut!"

"Damn this magic array..."

"Ah! I've been hit by an arrow! Someone pull me up!"

"Damn it, you're hitting me..."

"We, the heroes of the Pai Sect..."

"You idiot, stop shouting nonsense!"

The Pai Sect had a large number of people and many skilled experts, even led by two great experts at Qi Refining level ten. They were the first to reach the vine wall from the east. However, they were blocked by the vine wall, which had already grown to about ten feet high. As they leaped up, several were shot down by the increasingly dense arrows, their cries of pain echoing endlessly.

Suddenly, a brilliant light flared, illuminating the mountains as if it were daytime. Liu Xiaolou instinctively closed his eyes, his steps slowing.

After a few breaths, a rumbling sound reached his ears, making him dizzy and nearly fall.

A moment later, everything returned to normal. When he opened his eyes, it was pitch black again, feeling even darker than before, so dark he couldn't see his hand in front of his face.

However, he then heard even more frantic shouts:

"The array is broken! The array is broken!"

"Old Boss Wang's skill is incredible!"

"Kill! The Zhang clan monopolized Jinping Mountain, leaving no way for us brothers to cultivate. Today, we'll rob them blind!"

"Charge towards the spirit hall! Open the coffin and take the burial objects..."

"Is the coffin that easy to open, you idiot! Look for the main vault!"

"Shut up, you're the idiot!"

"Where is the main vault? Does anyone know where the main vault is?"

"Stop yelling nonsense, follow me!"

"This one's tricky, brothers, come over here..."

"Reinforcements! Hurry and send reinforcements!"

Those charging ahead faced greater risks but reaped greater rewards, while those falling behind were safer but also risked a wasted effort. The choice between these two options depended entirely on individual circumstances.

Liu Xiaolou's cultivation was too low, and he was stunned by the method used to breach the stronghold. He finally recovered and had no choice but to follow from behind, rushing towards the stronghold as well.

A large fire had already broken out within the stronghold. Guided by the flames, Liu Xiaolou found the breach in the magic array: a gap over two Zhang wide. The damaged vine walls on either side were still wriggling and growing, attempting to seal the breach, but they were stopped by a layer of purplish-white phosphorescence attached to them. Whatever grew was immediately burned away.

Such a method was beyond Liu Xiaolou's comprehension. Only Old Boss Wang could create such a commotion, and this was his leverage for sending out the Hero's Invitation.

Fires raged throughout the stronghold, with figures darting everywhere. The sounds of magical artifacts clashing, spells being cast, and houses collapsing rose one after another, making one's head spin.