The Clan Arrives

Seeing ten Crimson Fireballs hurtling toward him, Han Changming cried inwardly, This is bad! and hurriedly burrowed back underground.

Rumble!

Several deafening booms rang out, and a large swath of crimson flames spread across the ground.

A small mound of earth bulged up from the ground and raced along, as if something were hiding beneath the earth.

After moving more than ten zhang, the mound abruptly stopped. Han Changming emerged from underground, protected by five layers of blue water shields. Three spirit-lighting magical weapons descended from the sky and struck the blue shields around him, shattering three in succession.

Even so, Han Changming was badly startled and burrowed underground again.

"Damn it! How does that brat have so many Defense Talismans? Could he be a talisman maker?" the middle-aged man cursed. He brought out a palm-sized Red Gourd, which instantly swelled in size and spewed a large swath of crimson flames at the ground.

Rumble!

Soon, a large swath of crimson flames spread across the ground, sending out waves of scorching heat.

Several zhang beneath the ground, Han Changming raced forward, enveloped by a yellow light curtain, a Spirit Gathering Stone clenched in his hand.

The Earth Escape Technique consumed a great deal of mana. If he hadn't had a Spirit Gathering Stone, his mana would have run dry long ago.

Han Changming traveled dozens of zhang before emerging from the ground again. By then, the three men were about to fly off Red Shrimp Island.

"None of you are leaving!" Han Changming frowned and shouted. He took out his last ten Fireball Talismans and hurled them at the three men.

A flash of red, and ten Crimson Fireballs lined up in a row, hurtling toward the three evil cultivators.

Several muffled thuds sounded as the ten Crimson Fireballs struck the Yellow Shield. They did not injure the three evil cultivators, but they slowed their escape.

"Damn it! Why is that brat so stubborn?" the middle-aged man cursed, his face full of murderous intent.

"You stole from our Han Clan and thought you could just walk away? Fat chance," Han Changming said coldly.

The three men exchanged glances and nodded to one another, their faces murderous. They understood that unless they killed Han Changming, they wouldn't be able to leave in peace.

They summoned their magical weapons once more and attacked Han Changming.

Han Changming was ready for them and burrowed underground again.

Rumble!

Several deep furrows appeared in the ground near where Han Changming had emerged. The booming sounds in his ears gave him another fright.

"How dare you attack a member of the Han Clan? Have you grown tired of living?" a woman's icy voice suddenly rang out.

A streak of white light appeared on the distant horizon, with several more streaks of various colors behind it.

"This is bad! The Han Clan's reinforcements are here. Run!" The middle-aged man's expression changed dramatically. He made a hand seal and sent his flying magical weapon speeding into the distance.

"Villain, don't run! Take my Heaven Thunder Bead!" Han Changming's voice suddenly rang out.

Hearing the words "Heaven Thunder Bead," the middle-aged man turned to look. A black sphere about the size of an egg was flying toward them. It looked just like the legendary Heaven Thunder Bead.

They said a Heaven Thunder Bead could kill even a Foundation Establishment cultivator, let alone a few Qi Refining cultivators.

They either summoned defensive magical weapons or brought out Defense Talismans.

As a result, their flying speed slowed.

By then, the black sphere was less than ten zhang away.

A dazzling black light flared, and a vast cloud of black mist poured out of the sphere.

"Damn it, we've been tricked!" the middle-aged man cursed.

A yellow flying knife shot out of the black mist and struck the Yellow Shield, leaving a white mark.

"Huh? Why has the sky gone dark?" one of the men in blue robes exclaimed.

He looked up and saw a white cloud, over a hundred zhang across, had appeared overhead without his noticing.

The white cloud churned and surged. A vast shower of white icicles, radiating bone-chilling cold, fell from within it and pelted the three evil cultivators.

"This is bad! It's a second-tier spell, Ice Rain Technique!"

They hurriedly summoned their magical weapons to fend it off, but to little effect. Dense showers of white icicles kept striking their protective shields. The shields around the two men with lower cultivation were pierced, and several icicles punched through their heads.

Realizing the danger, the middle-aged man took out a glittering golden talisman and slapped it onto himself. He transformed into a streak of golden light and shot away.

A clear bird cry rang out as a Cyan Giant Eagle, about a zhang long, swooped toward him and blocked his path.

"This is bad! A second-tier Golden-Beaked Eagle!" The middle-aged man was terrified out of his wits.

The Cyan Giant Eagle beat its wings, sending a large swath of palm-sized Wind Blades flying toward him. They struck his protective shield, battering it into a dented, warped mess.

Before the middle-aged man could catch his breath, the Cyan Giant Eagle swooped down and struck the protective shield with its enormous talons.

With a sharp crack, the Cyan Giant Eagle's talons ripped through the man's shield and crushed his head.

The man screamed and lost consciousness.

Seeing the evil cultivators dead, Han Changming let out a long breath of relief. Thank goodness my clan uncle arrived in time. But that voice sounds familiar.

A thought struck him, and he hurriedly put away the yellow flying knife and the Spirit Gathering Stone.

Before long, six streaks of light descended in front of him.

There were four men and two women. At their head stood a beautiful woman in a white dress, in her early thirties.

"Seventh Aunt, what are you doing here? I was wondering why that voice sounded so familiar. It was you!" Han Changming grinned.

The woman in white was Han Changming's Seventh Aunt, Han Deling, who was at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

The other five were all members of the Han Clan. The senior among them was a dark-skinned, muscular middle-aged man: Han Changming's Ninth Uncle, Han Delei, who was at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

"I had something to discuss with your Ninth Uncle. Then I received the Hundred-Mile Sound Transmission Talisman you sent. Thank goodness we got here in time. If anything had happened to you, we wouldn't have been able to answer to Eleventh Uncle." Han Deling smiled wryly.

She looked at the corpses on the ground, frowned, and asked, "Changming, where's your Eighteenth Uncle? Is he all right?"

"Don't worry, Seventh Aunt. Eighteenth Uncle is fine. He went back to the clan to collect his stipend." Han Changming recounted what had happened, naturally leaving out the part about using the Spirit Gathering Stone to recover his mana.

"You did well, kid. You even managed to kill one of the villains. You were right to protect our clan's property; what happens to outsiders has nothing to do with us. But using the Earth Escape Technique to tie them down might seem clever, but it was actually dangerous. If they'd had a second-tier Earth Shaking Talisman or a heavy magical weapon, you'd have been in trouble. Don't do that again. You were vastly outnumbered. You'd only have thrown your life away for nothing. Your life matters most." Han Deling's expression was stern.

"I understand, Seventh Aunt. I won't do it again," Han Changming replied obediently.

Han Delei laughed heartily and praised him. "You did great, kid. You protected the clan's property and killed an evil cultivator. That earns you a merit."