The Oriole Waits Behind

The Cultivation World truly changed with the times.

Not long ago, the Mu Family had been in dire straits, on the verge of being gradually devoured by the Zheng Family.

Yet only a few months later, the Zheng Family was about to face the great calamity of clan extinction.

The central gathering ground of Jade Moon Mountain Villa.

The Mu Family had summoned nearly every cultivator within the clan.

On the stage, Family Head Mu Maode delivered a stirring mobilization speech for the expedition.

The young cultivators of the clan were greatly encouraged, their hearts surging as they rubbed their fists and flexed their palms.

Of course, the main reason their morale was so high was that the Mu Family had gained another Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.

"Brother Lu, this battle is a fine chance to earn merit. If my injuries had healed, I would have wanted to go and broaden my horizons myself."

Li Ergou's blood boiled as he listened, and he was eager to make a move.

Everyone liked fighting a battle with the wind at their backs.

In the eyes of the Mu Family cultivators, this was a battle they were certain to win.

Many young clansmen eagerly signed up without even waiting for the family to conscript them, yearning to earn merit and plunder the Zheng Family's resources.

"Brother Chang'an, would you like to join my Assault Team?"

Mu Yunfei walked over and took the initiative to invite him. His one-armed figure, coupled with the scar on his face, added several shades of Sha Qi.

"Lu's cultivation is shallow and his strength meager. Rather than drag everyone down on the front line, I would rather refine talismans in the rear and provide logistics for you all."

Lan Chang'an tactfully declined.

He did not want to fight a battle with the wind at his back either.

He was no longer short of Spirit Stones, so why should he join in the excitement on the front line?

In his Previous Life, Lan Chang'an had stood at Peak Core Formation. To him, a battle between Foundation Establishment Families was hardly any different from a brawl between neighboring villages.

Mu Yunfei did not force him, though he was somewhat disappointed.

He sighed inwardly. Lan Chang'an has considerable talent for battle, but he cherishes his life too much and is overly cautious.

Half a day later.

The members of the clan heading into battle had gathered at Jade Moon Mountain Villa.

Their cultivation was generally at the Qi Refining Third Layer or above. Quite a few were faces of the new generation, and the youngest was only sixteen.

The Mu Family's high-end combat power was not to be underestimated.

Besides its two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, it had three cultivators at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.

Family Head Mu Maode had advanced to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer many years ago.

The remaining Qi Refining Late-Stage cultivators, including Mu Yunfei and Mu Xiuyun, numbered five or six in total.

There were not many young and middle-aged cultivators at the Qi Refining Mid-Stage, only around ten or twenty.

However, the Mu Family's new generation at the Qi Refining Early-Stage was gradually growing in number.

The family's future was promising.

If this battle is only against the Zheng Family, it should be quite secure.

Lan Chang'an pondered.

On the Zheng Family's side, their Foundation Establishment Ancestor had been injured.

Only two Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivators remained.

One was Family Head Zheng Yuanqing. His younger brother, Zheng Yuanhua, had died under mysterious circumstances after attacking the Mu Family's Medicine Garden.

The other was Zheng Wugong, who had once led the interception and slaughter of that group of Mu Family Immortal Seedlings.

There were only three or four other cultivators at the Qi Refining Seventh or Eighth Layer.

"Set out!"

At Family Head Mu Maode's command, dozens of cultivators departed from Jade Moon Mountain Villa.

They charged toward the Zheng Family of Bamboo Leaf Mountain.

Amid the clouds.

Two Foundation Establishment Realm figures provided cover from above.

Lan Chang'an looked up and vaguely caught sight of a white-haired old man steeped in the air of twilight. Beside him stood a burly figure with eyes like hawks and falcons, brimming with killing intent—it was Mu Renlong.

Where did Mu Renlong establish his foundation?

Lan Chang'an grew curious.

For a small cultivation family like the Mu Family, the greatest difficulty in Foundation Establishment was the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Second was how to keep the Foundation Establishment Pill safe and make a successful breakthrough. Should word leak out, hostile forces would certainly move to stop them.

It should have been that day.

Lan Chang'an recalled that some time ago, shortly after the Mu Family Old Ancestor had returned to the clan, he had suddenly and mysteriously left again.

Perhaps during that period, Mu Ancestor had secretly taken Mu Renlong outside to establish his foundation.

After the Mu Family's main force departed.

Only a group of old, weak, sick, and disabled people remained in the clan, along with "cowards" like Lan Chang'an who did not dare go to the front line.

At this time, Lan Chang'an remained vigilant.

Because the Mu Family's residence was poorly defended.

However, the Mu Family had made preparations. The remaining cultivators stood on full alert and activated the First-Order Clan Protection Formation.

Relying on the formation for defense, so long as no Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator appeared, it would be difficult to breach it in a short time.

By Lan Chang'an's experience, the chance of the Mu Family residence being attacked was very small.

Because the Mu Family had almost mobilized its entire clan and taken its valuable resources with it.

Even if the enemy raided their home, its strategic significance would be limited. Without deploying their main force, it would be difficult to break the formation.

For the sake of a few old, weak, sick, and disabled people, it simply was not worth the loss.

The most important resource of a cultivation family was its Spiritual Vein.

Spiritual Veins were deeply buried underground and could scarcely be taken away.

As for fixed assets such as mineral deposits and Spirit Fields, they could at most be looted and damaged. It would not strike at the family's bones and sinews.

Time crawled by like years.

For several days in a row, Jade Moon Mountain Villa remained calm and peaceful, though the atmosphere in the clan was oppressive.

The clansmen left behind worried about the battle at the front.

Another two days passed.

Bad news arrived from the front: Mu Ancestor had fallen!

It was said that at the Zheng Family residence, Bamboo Leaf Mountain, the Foundation Establishment Ancestors of the two families had perished together.

That very day, some wounded men returned.

Every one of them wore a gloomy expression, suppressing a bellyful of rage.

After making inquiries, Lan Chang'an learned of the situation at the front.

The Mu Family Old Ancestor had indeed died together with the Zheng Ancestor, so it was not truly a loss.

After all, his lifespan had been nearing its end.

As long as they destroyed the Zheng Family and swallowed the cultivation resources of a Foundation Establishment Family, they would certainly come out ahead.

However.

Just as the two Old Ancestors perished, and Mu Renlong led the family in bloody combat to seize the Zheng Family residence of Bamboo Leaf Mountain.

The Maple Leaf Huang Family thrust in a hand!

It was the very Huang Family that had been preparing to form a marriage alliance with the Mu Family some time ago, a family said to have three Foundation Establishment cultivators under one roof.

The Huang Family had sent only two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.

One was at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, while the other was at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

The Zheng Family's sole remaining Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivator, Zheng Wugong, immediately agreed to submit to the Maple Leaf Huang Family at the instigation of the Huang Family's Foundation Establishment Ancestor.

He would rather become a vassal of the Huang Family.

Than let the Mu Family benefit for nothing.

This outcome sent the Mu Family cultivators, who had fought through blood and fire, into towering rage. They nearly came to blows with the Huang Family.

The Mu Family had paid a terrible price, even losing its Foundation Establishment Ancestor.

Yet in the end, the Huang Family got to reap the rewards?

But the Mu Family had no choice but to accept reality.

Mu Renlong, who had only recently entered Foundation Establishment, had no power to fight two veteran Foundation Establishment cultivators, especially when one was at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

"The oriole waits behind. The Maple Leaf Huang Family truly had designs of its own."

Lan Chang'an was not surprised by the final outcome in the slightest.

Back when he had been guarding the Medicine Garden and learned that the marriage alliance negotiations between the two families had fallen through, Lan Chang'an had known the Huang Family harbored no good intentions.

Even if the Mu Family and Huang Family had successfully formed a marriage alliance.

After destroying the Zheng Family, the Huang Family would still have found a way to annex the Mu Family and turn the latter into a vassal.

"However, the Huang Family will also have to pay a price for this. It is bound to provoke the displeasure of the Beast Taming Zhou Family."

Lan Chang'an considered another angle.

The Beast Taming Zhou Family was one of the Seven Great Cultivation Families of the Liang Kingdom.

It was the true hegemon of the surrounding region!

Previously, the Zheng Family had drawn in one branch of the Zhou Family.

With the Zhou Family declining to intervene, the Zheng Family had prepared to gradually devour the Jade Moon Lake Mu Family.

In other words.

The Beast Taming Zhou Family had tacitly permitted the dispute between the two families.

It simply had not expected the variable known as the Evil Cultivator Liang Shaotian to greatly weaken the Zheng Family.

Then the Mu Family had held back a major move and produced a new Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Instead, the Mu Family was about to swallow the Zheng Family whole.

In the end, the Huang Family, which had eyed the prize for so long, became the oriole waiting behind.

The Huang Family having three Foundation Establishment cultivators under one roof made it too powerful, an outcome the Zhou Family did not wish to see.

However, the Huang Family had not directly participated in the battle, and the Zheng Family's remaining forces had submitted willingly.

The Beast Taming Zhou Family had no grounds to reproach them.

Some time later.

Mu Renlong, now the family Old Ancestor, led the cultivators who had gone to war back to the clan.

The conflict between the two families came to an end.

This campaign against the Zheng Family fell far short of the Mu Family's expected gains.

Their only harvest was the First-Order Violet Copper Mine previously disputed by the two families, which was now assigned to the Jade Moon Lake Mu Family.

Later, Lan Chang'an learned some inside details.

After the battle, the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Zhou Family, Huang Family, and Mu Family had held a private meeting.

The Huang Family took the initiative to cede part of its benefits to the Zhou Family in order to ease the latter's dissatisfaction.

The Mu Family had contributed the most, yet it was the party that gained the least.

They had recovered that First-Order Violet Copper Mine. In addition, they had obtained some Spoils of War from attacking the Zheng Family of Bamboo Leaf Mountain.

Whether the Mu Family had profited or lost from this campaign was difficult for Lan Chang'an to judge.

But it had certainly not profited.

Moreover, after destroying the Zheng Family, the Mu Family would face an even more terrifying potential enemy:

The Maple Leaf Huang Family!

The years flowed on. Three years later.

Within a separate courtyard shrouded by formations at Jade Moon Mountain Villa.

Lan Chang'an sat cross-legged and circulated his cultivation, then slowly exhaled a long breath of clear air.

By now, he had been with the Mu Family for twelve years.

Two months ago, he had just turned thirty.

"There are still one or two years before the Qi Refining Fifth Layer."

Lan Chang'an was not anxious in the slightest as he ended today's routine cultivation.

To him, the gap between the Qi Refining Fifth Layer and the fourth layer was not great.

Only by advancing to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer and crossing into the Qi Refining Late-Stage would his strength increase substantially.

When he walked into the courtyard.

Lan Chang'an received a letter sent by Zhao Siyao.

After giving it a rough read, Lan Chang'an's face turned thoughtful. He put away the letter and left the separate courtyard.

At that moment, the courtyard next door belonging to Li Ergou was festooned with lanterns and colored decorations, with red silk hanging high.

Lan Chang'an had come to drink wedding wine.

Today was the day Li Ergou took a concubine.

In recent years, Li Ergou's first wife, Mu Qing, had gradually grown old and faded in beauty, causing Ergou to tire of her.

A few days ago.

Li Ergou, having advanced to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, saw his status within the clan rise once more.

Thus, with the support of the family's upper ranks, Li Ergou married another pair of beautiful Mu Family sisters.

The elder sister, Mu Caiwei, was eighteen.

Younger sister Mu Cailin, sixteen years old.

Among them, the elder sister Mu Caiwei possessed an Inferior Spiritual Root.

This pair of sisterly beauties surpassed Li Ergou's first wife in both looks and temperament.

Prettier, younger.

"Ergou, you've changed."

Lan Chang'an clearly remembered that Li Ergou had once said he liked Cuihua's type.

"Talismans Master Lu."

"Uncle Lu."

Amid respectful greetings, Lan Chang'an entered the lively, festive courtyard.