Li Xiang understood.
In truth, resolving this matter was not all that troublesome.
It could be treated as an unfair brawl. The Pig Demon King was the isolated, helpless side, being ganged up on. But what if the Pig Demon King ignored everyone else and seized the leading Lantian Wu Family alone for a vicious beating?
A beating would be useless. But what if lives were lost?
Unless those great families truly lived and died together, but after what had happened in Tailin Town, Li Xiang did not believe they were people of righteousness and loyalty!
Li Xiang hurriedly clicked on the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python's portrait.
He informed the Li Family members of their coming course of action.
In an instant, the Li Family descendants began to move.
Time continued to pass in the game.
[Year 42 of the Li Family.] [This year, the Spirit Fields had expanded to 40 mu, and it was another year of abundant harvest.] [The children of Zhien Village had eaten Spirit Rice since childhood. They began studying literacy at the academy established by the Li Family, learning martial arts and training their bodies.]
On the screen.
An academy had already been built in Zhien Village, and the bright sound of children reading aloud drifted from within.
There was a training ground in the distance.
Seasoned cultivators imparted their combat experience to the children.
Zhien Village, once gathered with disaster victims, now brimmed with vigorous life.
Li Xiang could feel it.
Twenty or thirty years from now, these children of Zhien Village would become the strongest pillars supporting its growth.
But now, the powerful figures of Zhien Village were not cultivating at the training ground as usual.
Not even the Li Family estate showed any sign of the Li Family's experts.
Inside the delivery room.
Bai Rourou, soon to give birth, lay upon the bed. Zhien Village's midwives surrounded her. This was already the fourth time they had delivered Bai Rourou's child, and they were thoroughly familiar with the task.
"Young Master Three really is something else. Third Madam is about to give birth, yet he's nowhere to be seen."
The midwives muttered on and on.
Bai Rourou merely smiled faintly. If not for the fine sweat upon her brow and the conspicuous bulge beneath the bedding, one truly would not have thought she was a woman about to give birth.
A trace of worry flashed through her eyes as she looked out the window.
"Old Pig, we're counting on all of you. You must all return safely!"
[Your descendants have entered Silver Iron Forest!]
"They've arrived already?"
Seeing the message in the event log, Li Xiang clicked on Li Dalong's portrait and switched the screen.
Outside Silver Iron Forest.
Seven families from three surrounding towns had gathered together. They rested in the woods around Silver Iron Forest, setting up their own camps as they discussed their exact strategy.
"The Demon King of Silver Iron Forest has lived for nearly a thousand years. We must be careful!"
"It is equivalent to the middle Golden Core Stage. This time, we have invited Master Shancai of Qingsong Temple, who can fight the Demon King. With the addition of our eight False Core Stage cultivators, the Demon King is doomed!"
"Once Silver Iron Forest's resources are divided among the seven families, our lineages will surely rise and flourish!"
"..."
For a battle between such experts, every family had sent cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Realm or above. There were more than a hundred of them.
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 all stood atop the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python's enormous body, making them particularly conspicuous.
Even with the Li Family presenting such a lineup, these great families still had quite a few complaints.
They had naturally heard that the Li Family had single-handedly occupied the two great families of Tailin Town and won their battle. They had thought the Li Family's strength was extraordinary, but now it seemed that only the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python was worth looking at. Most believed the Li Family was concealing its strength, though with a great battle imminent, they could not easily pick a quarrel with them.
Li Xiang observed their movements one by one.
What Li Xiang found interesting was—
He could actually eavesdrop on the conversations of these family forces. Small words appeared above each of their animated figures.
Especially on the Lantian Wu Family's side.
Inside their tent.
The Wu Family's ancestor, who was celebrating his two-hundredth birthday, looked no older than a young man. Rumor had it that this man, at the False Core Stage, had spent ten years of his lifespan changing his appearance in order to retain a dashing, romantic look. The Wu Family was also Lantian's overlord, all thanks to this old fellow Wu Mengqiu, who had slaughtered so many people of Lantian years ago that none dared 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.
"After Silver Iron Forest is breached, Master Shancai and I already have an agreement. The Demon King of Silver Iron Forest's corpse shall belong to Master Shancai."
No one objected to this. They nodded one after another.
Then Wu Mengqiu continued.
"We seven families came together, but once the Demon King dies, what do you all think about the division of benefits?"
The others looked at one another.
Wu Mengqiu said, "I'll speak frankly. I called everyone here precisely to discuss this matter. Our seven families agreed long ago to develop Silver Iron Forest together, and we also agreed to divide it equally. But exactly how should it be divided equally? There is another way of putting it. Am I right, everyone?"
As soon as he said this, the other three families were overjoyed.
"What Senior Mengqiu says is entirely correct. Even when working together, there must be a distinction based on how much each side contributed."
"Exactly! Our four families sent the most experts. Why should we split things evenly with them? In my opinion, once the Demon King dies, we should seize the most valuable things!"
"Especially the Li Family. The experts they sent are all Foundation Establishment Early Stage, and some only broke through recently. I think they are merely here to make up the numbers. I don't need friends like that!"
"..."
Li Xiang lost interest after watching this so-called secret discussion for a while.
He had only watched so closely to see the experts of these forces.
Very soon.
Li Xiang's gaze fixed upon a monk.
The monk sat beneath a gigantic tree. He was plump-faced and big-eared. If not for his shaved head and the precept scars upon it, one truly could not tell he was a monk. He looked more like a greasy old kitchen hand who snuck food all day long until he had grown fat enough to drip oil.
He wore prayer beads the size of plums around his neck, a beige monk's robe woven with gold thread into a checkered pattern, and carried a golden staff. At a glance, anyone could tell that Qingsong Temple certainly had no shortage of incense money.
[Master Shancai] [Abbot of Qingsong Temple, a renowned expert throughout Taiqing County.]
Li Xiang frowned.
The Pig Demon King of Silver Iron Forest had cultivated for a thousand years, but if it truly faced this abbot, its odds of victory were exceedingly slim.
After all, no matter how much Master Shancai spread wealth around or how extravagantly he dressed in gold and silver, he cultivated Buddhist Dharma, which was the greatest restraint upon demonic and evil qi.
Very soon.
The seven families gathered together to discuss their plan for surrounding and killing the Pig Demon King.
This discussion lasted half a day. The seven great families had already sent experts to thoroughly scout every inch inside and outside Silver Iron Forest.
Li Yaowen, seated in her wheelchair, suddenly spoke.
"Seniors, this junior believes that with the strength we have now, why do we need any plan? We might as well head straight into the center of Silver Iron Forest and take the Demon King's head directly!"
As soon as she said this.
Everyone turned to look at Li Yaowen. Seeing that she was a little girl in a wheelchair, and also the Li Family's beloved fourth daughter, with rumors saying that Li Yaowen handled the Li Family's internal and external affairs, they were dissatisfied but could not easily rebuke her.
Seeing this, Li Dalong immediately snorted coldly. "Yaozu, take this nonsense-spouting thing outside!"
As Li Yaozu pushed Li Yaowen out of the tent where they were holding discussions.
Li Dalong gave the others a bitter smile. "My deepest apologies. My daughter has little experience in the world. Since she manages the family's affairs, she has become so arrogant that her eyes are above her head. You need not take her joke seriously."
Seeing Li Dalong's sincerity, the others said no more.
This made Wu Mengqiu of the Lantian Wu Family furrow his brow. What he had wished to propose earlier was also a direct advance. But Li Yaowen had now said his words, only for Li Dalong to call such talk something only a person with eyes above their head would say. For a moment, he could no longer easily speak, and his expression darkened.
At this moment, an elder of the Qingping Gu Family smiled. "We know everything about Silver Iron Forest."
"The Demon King is in the center, while its subordinate demon beasts guard it in every direction. Since that is so, we should naturally attack from all four sides and hold back the demon beasts guarding the Demon King."
"Master Shancai's Buddhist Dharma is boundless. He should surely be confident of fighting the Demon King and defeating it."
"At that time, whether the master assists us or we assist the master, great success shall be within our grasp!"
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 warmly, not placing the Demon King in his eyes at all.
This strategy was thus settled.
In an instant, the seven great families each began their preparations. At the launch of a Cloud-Piercing Arrow, it would be time for the seven sides to encircle the Demon King!
Another two days passed.
The seven families went their separate ways, riding hard toward their respective positions.
The Li Family members did the same, except they were closer. After arriving at their designated location, they did not wait where they were, instead heading deeper into Silver Iron Forest!
It was everyone's first time seeing the Pig Demon King, and for a moment, they were all stunned.
After all, no matter how much of a Demon King it was, the Pig Demon King's appearance was still rather frightening...
In the end, Li Dalong was the first to laugh heartily and step forward. "Hahaha, so this is our in-law! How... how mighty indeed! I am Li Dalong, Yaotie's father!"
"F-Father-in-law???"
The usually cheerful Li Yaotie appeared extremely reserved now, and somewhat bewildered.
The Pig Demon King rose to its feet. Its enormous body even stirred the dust on it into the air. It spoke gently, "I never expected to have a day when I would marry into kinship with humans. I have long heard of all of you. This time, the Li Family has come to help me face the crisis in Silver Iron Forest. Silver Iron Forest will never forget this kindness for all eternity."
"Think nothing of it, think nothing of it! Since you are kin to the Li Family, how could we let outsiders bully you?"
Li Dalong grinned broadly.
Watching the Pig Demon King and the Li Family members speak together in harmony, Li Xiang pursed his lips.
To be honest, when he had first discovered that the Li Family's in-law was a pig—and a Demon King at that—the degree of his bewilderment had been no less than Li Yaotie's current jaw-dropping shock.
Then he looked at Li Yaozu beside them. The boy scratched his head, constantly blinking and looking around, as though questioning his entire life.
My little brother's father-in-law... is a pig?
As everyone discussed matters.
On the screen.
"Whoosh!"
A Cloud-Piercing Arrow shot straight into the heavens!
Everyone raised their heads and looked at the flying arrow in the sky. In Silver Iron Forest, every rustle of wind and grass carried the air of a coming storm!
"In-law, it is time for us to get busy as well." Li Dalong's eyes immediately sharpened.
The Pig Demon King nodded slightly.
"May the Li Family's martial fortune flourish forever!"
Before you continue