Helping the Li Family Prosper in Martial Arts!

Li Xiang understood.

Actually, resolving this matter wasn't that complicated.

He could treat this situation as an unfair brawl. The Pig Demon King was the lone party being ganged up on. But what if the Pig Demon King ignored everyone else and singled out the leader, the Lantian Wu Family, to beat them to a pulp?

A beating wouldn't be enough; what if it cost them their lives?

Unless those great families were truly bound by life and death, but after experiencing what happened in Tailin Town, Li Xiang didn't believe they were people of benevolence and righteousness!

Li Xiang hurriedly clicked on the avatar of the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python.

He informed the members of the Li Family of his upcoming plan of action.

In an instant, the descendants of the Li Family began to move.

Time in the game continued to flow.

[Li Family Year 42.]

[The Spirit Field has grown to 40 acres this year, marking another bountiful harvest.]

[The children of Zhien Village have been eating Spirit Rice since they were young, and they have begun to study culture, martial arts, and physical training at the schoolhouse established by the Li Family.]

On the screen.

One could see that the schoolhouse had already been built in Zhien Village, with the clear, rhythmic sound of children reciting lessons drifting from within.

In the distance, there was a training ground.

Experienced cultivators were teaching the children combat techniques.

Zhien Village, once a gathering place for disaster victims, was now full of vibrant life.

Li Xiang could feel it.

Twenty or thirty years from now, these children in Zhien Village would become the strongest pillars of the village's development.

However, the powerful experts of Zhien Village were not training on the grounds as they usually did.

Even in the Li Family compound, the figures of the Li Family's masters were nowhere to be seen.

In the delivery room.

Bai Rourou, who was about to give birth, lay on the bed surrounded by the midwives of Zhien Village. This was the fourth time these midwives had delivered a child for Bai Rourou, so they were very familiar with the process.

"The Third Young Master is truly something; the Third Mistress is about to give birth, yet he's nowhere to be found."

The midwife muttered.

Bai Rourou merely smiled faintly. If not for the fine beads of sweat on her forehead and the conspicuous bulge under the quilt, one wouldn't even be able to tell she was a woman about to give birth.

A trace of worry flashed in her eyes as she looked out the window.

Old Pig, I'm counting on you all. You must all return safely!

[Your descendants have entered the Silver Iron Forest!]

"Have they arrived already?"

Seeing the information in the event log, Li Xiang clicked on Li Dalong's avatar to switch the view.

At this moment, outside the Silver Iron Forest.

A total of seven great families from the three surrounding towns had gathered together, resting in the woods on the outskirts of the Silver Iron Forest, setting up camps to discuss a precise strategy.

"The Demon King of the Silver Iron Forest has lived for nearly a thousand years; we must be careful!"

"It is equivalent to the mid-stage of the Golden Core Stage. This time, we have invited Master Shancai from Qingsong Temple; he can go head-to-head with the Demon King. Combined with our eight False Core Stage experts, the Demon King is doomed this time."

"After the Silver Iron Forest is taken, the resources will be divided seven ways, and our families will surely flourish!"

"..."

For a battle between experts of this caliber, every family had sent their masters at or above the Foundation Establishment Realm, totaling over a hundred people.

Li Dalong and his wife, Li Yaozu, and Li Yaotie, along with several Foundation Establishment experts borrowed from the Su and Chen families, were among them. They stood prominently atop the massive body of the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python.

Even with the Li Family presenting such a lineup, these great families still had plenty of complaints.

They had naturally heard that the Li Family had taken on the two great families of Tailin Town alone and emerged victorious. They had initially thought the Li Family was extraordinary, but now it seemed only the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python was worth noting. Most assumed the Li Family was hiding their true strength, and with the great battle imminent, it wasn't the right time to provoke them.

Li Xiang observed their movements one by one.

What Li Xiang found interesting was that.

He could actually eavesdrop on the conversations of these family factions; small text appeared above their animated characters.

Especially on the side of the Lantian Wu Family.

Inside their tent.

The ancestor of the Wu Family, who was celebrating his 200th birthday, looked no older than a young man. It was rumored that this person was at the False Core Stage and had once sacrificed ten years of his lifespan to alter his appearance to remain dashing and handsome. This Wu Family was also the hegemon of Lantian, thanks to this old man, Wu Mengqiu, who had slaughtered people in Lantian years ago until no one dared to say no to the Wu Family.

At this moment, Wu Mengqiu had secretly gathered the heads or elders of the other three great families for a private discussion.

"Once the Silver Iron Forest is breached, I have a prior agreement with Master Shancai of Qingsong Temple; the corpse of the Silver Iron Forest Demon King shall belong to Master Shancai."

The group had no objections to this, nodding one after another.

Immediately after, Wu Mengqiu added:

"Our seven families have come together, but once the Demon King is dead, how do you all propose we distribute the spoils?"

The group looked at one another.

Wu Mengqiu continued: "I will speak plainly; the reason I called everyone here is to discuss this very matter. Our seven families had already agreed to develop the Silver Iron Forest together, and we had already agreed on an equal split. But as for how exactly that 'equal split' is defined, there is another way of looking at it. Would you all agree or not?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the other three families were overjoyed.

"Senior Wu Mengqiu is absolutely right. Even if we are working together, we must account for how much effort each side contributes."

"Exactly. Our four families sent the most experts, so why should we split it equally with them? In my opinion, once the Demon King is dead, we should claim the most valuable assets for ourselves!"

"Especially the Li Family. The experts they sent are all at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, and some just broke through recently. I think they are just here to make up the numbers. I can't afford to have friends like that!"

"..."

Li Xiang lost interest in the so-called secret meeting after watching for a while.

He had been observing so closely only to gauge the experts of these factions.

Soon.

Li Xiang's gaze locked onto a monk.

This monk sat under a giant tree, fat-eared and round-faced. If not for his shaved head and the incense scars on his scalp, one would never guess he was a man of the cloth; he looked more like a greasy kitchen veteran who stole food all day long.

The man wore prayer beads the size of plums around his neck and a beige monk's robe stitched with gold thread in a grid pattern. With a golden monk's staff in hand, it was clear that the incense money at Qingsong Temple was substantial.

[Master Shancai]

[Abbot of Qingsong Temple, a renowned expert in Taiqing County.]

Li Xiang frowned.

The Pig Demon King in the Silver Iron Forest had a thousand years of cultivation, but if it truly faced this Abbot, its chances of winning would be slim.

After all, no matter how much Master Shancai loved wealth or how much gold and silver he wore, he practiced Buddhist dharma, which was the ultimate restraint against demonic energy.

Soon.

The seven families gathered to discuss the siege of the Pig Demon King.

The discussion lasted half a day, as the seven great families had already sent experts to thoroughly scout the Silver Iron Forest inside and out.

Li Yaowen, sitting in her wheelchair, suddenly spoke up.

"Seniors, this junior believes that with the strength we possess, why do we need a plan? It would be better to march straight into the center of the Silver Iron Forest and take the Demon King's head directly!"

As soon as she said this.

The crowd cast sidelong glances at Li Yaowen. Seeing that she was a young girl in a wheelchair and the fourth daughter doted on by the Li Family, and hearing rumors that she managed the Li Family's internal and external affairs, they felt dissatisfied but found it difficult to reprimand her.

Seeing this, Li Dalong let out a cold snort, "Yaozu, take this babbling thing away!"

Li Yaozu pushed Li Yaowen away from the meeting tent.

Only then did Li Dalong smile bitterly at the others: "My deepest apologies. My daughter is inexperienced. Being in charge of family affairs has made her arrogant and conceited. Please do not take her nonsense to heart."

Seeing Li Dalong's sincerity, the others said no more.

This caused Wu Mengqiu of the Lantian Wu Family to frown. He had intended to suggest a direct assault as well. But now that Li Yaowen had said it, and Li Dalong had dismissed it as the talk of an arrogant person, he found it difficult to speak up, and his expression turned sour.

At this moment, an elder from the Qingping Gu Family smiled and said: "We are all aware of the situation inside the Silver Iron Forest."

"The Demon King resides in the center, and its subordinate demon beasts guard all directions. Since that is the case, we should attack from all four sides to pin down the beasts guarding the Demon King."

"Master Shancai's Buddhist dharma is boundless; he should have the confidence to fight the Demon King and emerge victorious."

"By then, whether the Master assists us or we assist the Master, we shall achieve our goal!"

After speaking.

The Gu Family elder looked toward Master Shancai, who was meditating in the distance, "What does the Master think?"

"Good."

Master Shancai smiled, not taking the Demon King seriously at all.

The strategy was set.

In an instant, the seven great families moved into action. With a single Cloud-Piercing Arrow, the seven-sided encirclement of the Demon King would begin!

Two more days passed.

The seven families parted ways, riding their horses toward their respective positions.

The Li Family did the same, but because they were closer, they did not wait at their designated spot after arriving, but instead headed deep into the Silver Iron Forest!

It was the first time everyone had seen the Pig Demon King, and they were momentarily stunned.

After all, no matter how much of a Demon King it was, the appearance of the Pig Demon King was still quite terrifying...

In the end, it was Li Dalong who let out a hearty laugh and stepped forward, "Hahaha, so this is our in-law. How... how truly imposing! I am Li Dalong, the father of Yaotie!"

"F-father-in-law???"

The usually boisterous Li Yaotie appeared incredibly restrained and somewhat bewildered at this moment.

The Pig Demon King stood up, its massive frame sending dust billowing into the air, and spoke in a gentle, soft tone, "I never expected that I would one day be joined in marriage with the human race. Everyone, I have heard much about you. The Li Family's assistance in helping me deal with the Silver Iron Forest crisis is a debt that we of the Silver Iron Forest will never forget."

"Easy, easy! Since you are family to the Li Family, how could we let outsiders bully you?"

Li Dalong grinned broadly.

Watching the Pig Demon King and the Li Family conversing harmoniously, Li Xiang pursed his lips.

To be honest, when he first discovered that his family's in-law was a pig, and a Demon King at that, his level of bewilderment was no less than that of Li Yaotie, who was currently standing there dumbfounded.

He glanced at Li Yaozu nearby; the kid was scratching his head, blinking incessantly and looking left and right, seemingly questioning his own existence.

His younger brother's father-in-law... is a pig?

Just as everyone was discussing matters.

On the screen.

"Whoosh!"

A Cloud-Piercing Arrow shot straight into the clouds!

Everyone looked up, watching the arrow fly into the sky; the grass stirred in the Silver Iron Forest, and the storm was already upon them!

"In-law, it is time for us to get to work." Li Dalong's eyes instantly sharpened.

The Pig Demon King gave a slight nod.

"May the Li Family's martial fortune flourish!"