The Fall of the Lu Clan

Numerous cultivators were looting, taking away every valuable item they could find as they looked at the still-unripe Jade Marrow Mushrooms.

A cultivation bandit raised his blade, about to smash those unripe Jade Marrow Mushrooms.

If he couldn't take them, he wouldn't leave them for the enemy.

But the Gray-robed Daoist stopped him. "Don't destroy them. Leave them where they are."

"Senior, why?"

The cultivation bandit didn't understand.

"Don't understand? It's actually quite simple." The Gray-robed Daoist said, "The Lu Clan cultivators didn't destroy certain medicine gardens and Spirit Fields because they wanted to use these assets to hold us back and give their clan disciples a chance to escape. Likewise, we can't destroy the Spirit Veins or Spirit Fields. We must also use these assets to hold back the Lu Clan's reinforcements."

"How long until the reinforcements get here?"

"About two hours."

A cultivator answered.

"But with these assets delaying them, we can buy ourselves at least another half hour." The Gray-robed Daoist said, "Even if the Danyang Sect's reinforcements recover this lost territory, will they return it to the Lu Clan?"

Everyone understood at once.

Returning it to the Lu Clan was impossible.

When the Lu Clan had been at its height, with a Purple Mansion Ancestor overseeing it,

the Danyang Sect's reinforcements would accept a few gifts and leave.

But after this battle, the Lu Clan had been severely injured. Fewer than four Foundation Establishment Cultivators remained, while most of the survivors were low-level cultivators. After the Danyang Sect recovered this territory, would they return it?

Impossible.

Even if the Danyang Sect had outstanding character and cared about morality, returning Ziyang Mountain to the Lu Clan,

would the Lu Clan, in its current state, dare accept it?

They wouldn't.

Nor would they be able to.

An innocent man is not guilty, but he becomes guilty for possessing a jade.

Having wealth wasn't a crime, but having wealth without the strength to protect it was a grave crime.

Shortly afterward, the cultivation bandits departed.

Before leaving, they quickly divided the spoils according to their prior agreement, then went their separate ways.

Before participating in this operation, everyone had worn masks.

While looting the Lu Clan, they had looked fierce and vicious, just like bandits. Yet once they removed their masks, they were once again properly dressed Righteous Path Cultivators.

After taking his share of the spoils, the Gray-robed Daoist left.

Two hours later, the Ye Family's reinforcements arrived. The Flying Bird warship descended upon Ziyang Mountain, carrying the Ye Family's Ancestor, Ye Liuyun.

This Ye Family Ancestor was at the Purple Mansion Third Layer. Back then, he had only entered the Purple Mansion Realm thanks to the Lu Clan's assistance.

The moment he received word that Ziyang Mountain was under siege, he personally set out with six Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the family to provide aid. Yet he had still arrived one step too late.

Everyone in the Lu Clan had been wiped out. Only corpses lay scattered across Ziyang Mountain.

"What a pity for the Lu Clan."

Ye Liuyun felt both sorrow and joy.

He was sorrowful because after the Lu Family Ancestor had passed away, the Lu Clan had encountered powerful enemies and been besieged. This family, which had endured for a thousand years, had now walked toward its end. In the years to come, when he passed away and the Ye Family had no worthy successors, the Ye Family might also be destroyed. When the rabbit died, the fox grieved; creatures mourned their own kind.

Yet he was also pleased. As the Ye Family had risen, conflicts had emerged between the Ye Family and the Lu Clan over Spirit Veins, mines, and other matters. Most had ultimately been resolved through negotiation, preventing a full-scale war, but the contradictions between them had remained—fighting without breaking apart.

With the Lu Clan destroyed, some cake had been left behind, and the Ye Family could take a few bites as well.

Two hours later, the Danyang Sect's warship appeared.

The Danyang Sect's Purple Mansion Ancestor said, "What a pity. We still arrived too late."

Only after another half hour did the Wu Family's warship appear.

"The Lu Clan's main branch on Ziyang Mountain has been destroyed, but some cultivators are still stationed outside. Those cultivators can rebuild the Lu Clan." Ye Liuyun said.

"That is only proper."

The Danyang Sect cultivators said.

"The Lu Clan should be rebuilt." The Wu Family cultivators said as well.

But how much of that was sincere, and how much was false? Only heaven knew.

After traveling a hundred li, the Gray-robed Daoist removed his mask, took off his gray robe, and changed into a red Daoist robe.

As he walked, he arrived at a small mountain village.

Behind the village, in the back mountain, stood a grave. A tombstone had been erected there, bearing the words: Tomb of my deceased wife Ling'er.

He took out a jug of wine and poured some before the grave.

The Daoist took another sip and said, "Ling'er, I've avenged you. Not long ago, I exterminated the Lu Clan. I killed all five hundred-plus Lu Clan cultivators. Haha, wasn't that Lu Clan cultivator arrogant back then? Didn't he want to kill me and abduct you as a slave girl?"

"The more arrogant they were then, the more pitiful they are now."

"Kill, kill, kill. The feeling of killing one's enemies is truly exhilarating."

"But it still isn't enough."

"The Lu Clan still has cultivators stationed at certain Spirit Veins, mines, and market towns. Five Foundation Establishment Cultivators also happened to be away from Ziyang Mountain and escaped this calamity. But how could I leave behind such trouble and let the Lu Clan rise from the ashes? I'll kill the Lu Clan's remaining Foundation Establishment Cultivators, along with most of their Qi Refining Cultivators... As for the two million mortals within Lu Clan territory, I'll have to let them go."

A trace of gloom flashed through the Daoist's eyes.

Exterminating the Lu Clan would at most make the Danyang Sect refuse to tolerate him and hunt him down.

At worst, he could simply leave the Chu Kingdom and head to another cultivation nation, where he would still live freely and unfettered.

As the saying went, if this place wouldn't keep me, another place would.

But if he slaughtered mortals on a large scale, he would be branded a demonic cultivator. Under heaven and above earth, no one would tolerate him.

"The Lu Clan."

The Daoist's figure flickered as he headed toward a Lu Clan market town.

A Lu Clan Foundation Establishment Cultivator was stationed there.

Hoo hoo hoo.

Running through the mountains, Lu Xuanji fled with Ye Feixue, terrified that the enemy would catch up.

Miserable screams came from behind them. Lu Clan cultivators who ran too slowly were killed on the spot.

Lu Xuanji didn't stop or look back. He only ran.

Many times, one didn't need to run faster than the enemy. One only needed to run faster than one's companions.

Foundation Establishment Cultivators were pursuing them from behind. Lu Xuanji didn't need to outrun those Foundation Establishment Cultivators—he only needed to run a little faster than the other cultivators.

The fleeing Lu Clan cultivators scattered in all directions like sparrows taking flight in panic.

Foundation Establishment Cultivators were powerful. Their flying swords flashed as they pursued and slaughtered without end.

But after chasing them for thirty li, they gave up the pursuit and returned directly to Ziyang Mountain.

There was little profit in hunting down these ants, and it took too much time. How could it compare to looting some treasure vaults or medicinal herbs from medicine gardens on Ziyang Mountain?

They kept running until the energy of the flight talismans was exhausted. Only then did Lu Xuanji stop.

He looked back. There was no one behind them anymore.

There were no Foundation Establishment Cultivators pursuing them, nor were there any Lu Clan cultivators.

"We survived..."

Lu Xuanji said, letting out a breath. Without a shred of dignity left, he sprawled on the ground as though he didn't care about getting dirt on his clothes.

"Brother, the Lu Clan is finished."

Ye Feixue said, as though she were dreaming.

Just yesterday, the Lu Clan had been the overlord of Qingshui Commandery, with a Purple Mansion Ancestor and over a dozen Foundation Establishment Cultivators. But today, Ziyang Mountain had been breached, and seven or eight out of every ten Lu Clan cultivators had been slaughtered.

"Yes, the Lu Clan is finished, but we have to live."

Lu Xuanji said.

"What do you think we should do next?"

It seemed he was asking Ye Feixue, yet also asking himself.

There were only three paths for cultivators: join a cultivation sect and work for others, establish a cultivation lineage and start one's own enterprise, or become a Rogue Cultivator and work alone.

Joining the Danyang Sect would be quite good.

But he had already missed his chance at a spot back then.

As for establishing a cultivation lineage, one needed at least Foundation Establishment cultivation.

Without Foundation Establishment cultivation, one simply wasn't qualified to establish a cultivation lineage.

The only choice was to become a Rogue Cultivator.

A Rogue Cultivator seemed to be the only choice.

Three updates today. There'll be an extra update tonight.