One victory over the immortals

Li Xiang rose into the air.

With Old Fox and Ban Shu Qingping gone, the battle resumed. Clearly, Li Xiang had no need to act now. Cultivators from the three prefectures filled every direction, but his expression remained dark. The Lineage had come to Heavenly Rampart Prefecture to catch them all in one net. The Martial Academy's Mortal World Immortal Art commanded the academy to slaughter commoners, absorbing their vital essence and souls through a method no different from the Western Border's, save that it planted no Dao seeds.

The Lineage had known about this and had always suspected the Martial Academy, but they had never imagined it was all Old Fox and Ban Shu Qingping's arrangement.

In their contest with Old Fox, the Lineage had plainly fallen one move behind. Old Fox had lived for who knew how many years. Every ambush laid in every direction had been exposed. What hidden trump cards could they possibly have left?

"The Lineage has spies in Old Lord Valley. Old Fox must have noticed them. Now it seems he deliberately spared our spies' lives."

As Li Xiang worked through the possibilities, his face darkened further. He realized they had walked into a scheme. "Only when the cultivators of our three prefectures arrived did the Mortal World Immortal flee and the Martial Academy's six masters come under siege by our Li Family. Otherwise, how could the Mortal World Immortal and the six masters, or even Linghu Xian and Watchdog, have given them an opportunity to absorb the vital essence of the commoners buried deep underground?"

"This battle was what gave them their chance. Old Fox had been waiting for this day."

The fury in Li Xiang's heart gradually died down, replaced instead by a measure of relief.

After the immortals appeared, the truly