The Ancestor Was Gravely Wounded

"The internal conflicts of the Demon Race were even fiercer than those among humans. Cat Demon Beasts and Rat Demon Beasts were natural enemies; Tiger Demons and Deer Demons were natural enemies. They fought one another viciously. Other Demon Beasts also fought fiercely among themselves. To ease the internal conflicts among Demon Beasts, those Demon Emperors would create enemies even when none existed. Only by uniting against an external foe could they ease the strife within the Demon Race."

Father said, "The White Tiger Demon Emperor launched the Beast Tide for three reasons. First, to cull the surplus low-level Demon Beasts. Second, to wear down the potential of the human race through war. Third, to train troops through warfare and cultivate the younger generation of the Demon Race."

Lu Xuanji said, "Is the Ancestor's injury serious?"

"Very serious!" Father said worriedly. "The Ancestor was already advanced in years, three hundred and fifty years old. Now that he has suffered such grave injuries, his lifespan is diminishing. The clan elders are planning to purchase healing pills for the Patriarch!"

The theoretical lifespan of a Purple Mansion cultivator was four hundred and eighty years.

However, cultivators accumulated Pill Poison in their bodies from taking pills, which affected their lifespan. Fighting other cultivators damaged their vital essence, also reducing their lifespan. If something went wrong while circulating their cultivation techniques and their Meridians were damaged, that too shortened their lifespan. There were all kinds of such problems.

Many Purple Mansion cultivators could not live to their theoretical lifespan. Most Passed Away when they were in their four hundreds.

Lu Fuming was three hundred and fifty years old, equivalent to a mortal of seventy. He had already entered the period when his lifespan was running dry.

After being injured in this great battle, the Ancestor did not have much lifespan left.

If the Ancestor Passed Away and the clan had no Purple Mansion cultivator standing guard, tigers and wolves would pounce upon them, and the situation would turn grim.

Not long afterward, three Foundation Establishment Cultivators left Ziyang Mountain and headed to the market to purchase a Rank 3 precious pill, the Guiyuan Pill.

The Guiyuan Precious Pill was a supreme sacred healing pill. It was greatly beneficial even to Purple Mansion cultivators.

The three elders departed.

They hurried along for a month before arriving at Qinglian Market.

A Level 4 Flood Dragon carrying the bloodline of an Azure Dragon had once occupied this place. Later, it was killed by a Golden Core rogue cultivator, who established a spirit vein here, opened up a market, created Spirit Fields, and more.

After a hundred years of development, the place had become quite prosperous, with flourishing trade.

All manner of dragons and snakes were mixed together here. Rogue Cultivators, Cultivation Bandits, demonic cultivators, and other shadowy figures had settled here one after another. Some cultivated Spirit Fields, some went out to hunt Demon Beasts, some searched for spirit herbs, and some refined pills. They lived and worked here in peace and contentment.

After entering the market, the three elders took up lodging at an inn.

"In roughly ten days, the Trading Convention will be held. The Guiyuan Precious Pill will appear at the convention. We must be cautious."

Third Elder Lu Changping said.

"We understand."

Fifth Elder Lu Chang'an said, "I hope this trip goes smoothly!"

Sixth Elder Lu Wanli said nothing, but his mood was especially heavy.

To purchase the precious pill, they had mobilized twenty thousand spirit stones from the clan. They had hurried all the way here, avoiding the watchful eyes along every route, yet danger still lingered.

Their only hope was that this trip would go smoothly.

Night fell swiftly. In the darkness, Black-Clothed Men emerged one after another and gathered in a courtyard.

These Black-Clothed Men emitted traces of powerful auras. The weakest among them were at Qi Refining Layer 9, while quite a few gave off Foundation Establishment auras.

Among them, one Black-Clothed Man was the strongest. Standing there, he resembled an abyss and exuded a cold, sinister aura.

"Is everyone here?"

The Black-Clothed Man spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse.

A middle-aged man stepped forward to count them. After a moment, he said, "Second Brother, six people are still missing. Something may have happened to them!"

"No need to wait for them!"

The Black-Clothed Man said calmly, without the slightest emotional fluctuation.

People died every day in the Cultivation World. Those six had not attended the gathering; perhaps they had already died along the way.

The Black-Clothed Man said, "During the Beast Tide, Lu Clan Ancestor Lu Fuming was gravely wounded and urgently needs a Guiyuan Pill to heal himself. The Lu Clan sent three elders to Qinglian Market to purchase the precious pill. This is our chance. We will intercept and kill the three Lu Clan elders on the road. Without the precious pill, that old fossil of the Lu Clan will surely die."

"Back then, we attacked the Lu Clan's Xihe Spirit Mine, only to fall into their ambush and suffer devastating losses!" A black-clothed Female cultivator said bitterly. "In that battle, my Dao companion was slain by Lu Clan cultivators."

"My son fought the Lu Clan to the death and died at their hands!"

A black-clothed old man spoke.

"My daughter fell into the Lu Clan's hands and was tortured to death in the end!"

Another black-clothed cultivator spoke.

One cultivator after another spoke, recounting the Lu Clan's crimes.

In Qingshui Commandery, the Lu Clan had fought Rogue Cultivators and cultivation clans again and again over mines, Spirit Fields, and all manner of other resources. In the process, they had killed countless people and exterminated countless clans.

Only by trampling over the bones of innumerable losers and accumulating capital had they established the Lu Clan's hegemony in Qingshui Commandery.

Throughout this process, they had formed ties with many cultivators for all sorts of reasons, forging hatred and enmity.

Some of the Black-Clothed Men remained silent and said nothing.

These cultivators held no grudge against the Lu Clan. Yet upon hearing that the Lu Clan Ancestor had been gravely wounded, his life hanging by a thread, and the Lu Clan's situation unstable, they were like hyenas that had caught the scent of blood, wanting to pounce upon the Lu Clan and tear off several chunks of flesh.

Cultivators needed resources if they wished to advance.

With sufficient resources, even someone with a Five Spirit Root could achieve Foundation Establishment.

But in Qingshui Commandery, most resources were occupied by the Danyang Sect, while a small portion was held by great cultivation clans. What remained for Rogue Cultivators was merely scraps from the table.

For resources, they could only seize and fight, plundering all kinds of pills and spirit herbs to increase their cultivation speed.

If they did not plunder, they could only go to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains to hunt Demon Beasts and obtain resources.

Yet Demon Beasts had never been easy to hunt. Weak Demon Beasts traveled in packs, while powerful Demon Beasts roamed alone. Neither kind was easy to deal with.

Compared to that, robbing cultivators and cultivation clans brought resources faster and involved less danger.

"Could this be a trap? What if they ambush us on the road?"

A black-clothed Cultivation Bandit spoke.

"No. The Lu Clan's old fossil being gravely wounded is true. Many people saw it at Tieling Pass, and he is now barely clinging to life on Ziyang Mountain. This time, the Lu Clan's three elders left quietly and came to Qinglian Market to purchase pills, concealing their identities... I only learned some of the inside details by chance!"

The middle-aged cultivator said.

"If we do not strike at the Lu Clan this time, I will not be able to let it go. Those unwilling to act may leave. They need only swear a Blood Oath that they will not leak the news!"

After a moment, several cultivators stepped forward and swore Blood Oaths that they would not reveal anything about this gathering under any pretext.

Several more cultivators left.

In the end, only six cultivators remained, planning to intercept the Lu Clan cultivators, plunder their wealth, and kill them.

More than thirty thousand spirit stones would be enough to cover their expenses for decades.