Arrangement

The demonic beasts weren't fools either. Seeing thousands of people ambushing them on the east side, they naturally didn't dare to charge. The humans were prepared, so they wouldn't gain any advantage this time. Led by a few second-tier demonic beasts, the horde retreated westward.

The Netherworld Sect had meticulously set up this trap, using over a hundred people as bait. The big fish had finally taken the bait; how could they let it escape again?

Of the five thousand cultivators conscripted by the Netherworld Sect, only a little over a hundred were bait, and a thousand were ambushing on the east side of Returning Goose Valley. The remaining four thousand people were not to be underestimated.

As expected, the demonic beasts retreating towards the west side of the gorge, upon reaching the gorge's edge, were disoriented by the countless talismans and magical artifacts flying towards them.

The demonic beasts immediately retreated, heading north along the gorge. Heading south led to Cart Gorge, a dead end from which there was no escape. The demonic beasts dared not venture in. However, some demonic birds were unafraid and flew south.

After fleeing north for only two or three li, hundreds of cultivators suddenly emerged, blocking the valley entrance. As soon as the demonic beasts approached, they were met with another barrage of attacks.

The demonic birds fleeing south also met a bitter end. Before they could fly far, dozens of flying swords soared into the sky. In an instant, two to three hundred demonic birds plummeted to the ground, their feathers scattering everywhere.

The cultivators blocking both ends of the gorge wore a motley assortment of clothing and strange attire; they were likely rogue cultivators conscripted for the task. Although they appeared to be a disorganized mob, their combat effectiveness was surprisingly strong, stunning the demonic beasts and birds with their initial assault.

Witnessing the strength of the rogue cultivators, Wang Daoyuan marveled inwardly. He had always assumed that rogue cultivators, lacking systematic inheritance and guidance, would have a difficult cultivation path with slow progress and weaker strength.

However, he hadn't expected them to be so formidable in combat, with their fighting prowess far exceeding that of disciples from sects and families of the same cultivation level. It seemed he would need to be extremely cautious when encountering rogue cultivators in the future.

In reality, not all rogue cultivators were this capable. It was just that the rogue cultivators conscripted by the Netherworld Sect were all at least at the Late Stage of Qi Condensation.

Rogue cultivators, who had no attachment to wealth, companions, Dharma, or dwelling, and whose aptitudes were not outstanding, had to endure immense hardship to reach the Late Stage of Qi Condensation. This was especially true for Foundation Establishment cultivators among them.

Naturally, such individuals would be far superior in combat to disciples from sects and families who had grown up in sheltered environments.

The demonic beasts and birds also realized that these rogue cultivators were not to be trifled with and dared not charge towards them.

They were now surrounded on all four sides, and none of the sides were easy to deal with. Staying put meant certain death, so they had to find a way to break through, regardless of the difficulty.

After careful consideration, the second-tier demonic beasts agreed to break through towards the flat ground on the east side of the gorge.

Wang Daoyuan's squad was precisely the obstacle blocking the demonic beasts' breakthrough.

At this point, the demonic beasts were desperate to escape and had no time for probing. They charged forward as one.

Seeing this, Yang Zhiyuan loudly commanded, "Leave ten Foundation Establishment cultivators to deal with the second-tier demonic beasts. The rest of the Foundation Establishment cultivators will intercept the demonic birds."

All the Foundation Establishment cultivators agreed in unison. Then, over twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators ascended into the sky, charging towards the demonic birds. Wang Zhian was among them.

Before leaving, Wang Zhian transmitted a message to the Wang family members, instructing them, "Everything here is under Daoyuan's command. Anyone who dares to disobey Daoyuan's orders will face clan punishment."

Elders Wang Zhiming and Wang Shouye, one interested only in Alchemy and the other in drinking, were too lazy to manage affairs and naturally had no objections.

The other six were seasoned veterans. With the two elders not objecting, they dared not voice any opposition.

Wang Daoxing, with his fiery temper, was a martial arts fanatic and had no interest in power. As long as there was a fight, it didn't matter who he listened to.

With no one objecting, everyone implicitly accepted Wang Daoyuan's leadership.

Wang Zhian then separately transmitted a message to Wang Daoyuan, saying, "I believe in your abilities. Do your best to ensure all clan members return alive. Avoid any misplaced kindness. If a choice must be made, preserving the future of the clan is paramount. I trust you can make the right decision."

Wang Daoyuan's heart trembled. The clan leader's words implied that if absolutely necessary, he could abandon the six elder uncles to save the lives of himself and the other four.

These six elder uncles had poor cultivation talent and no special skills. They usually managed the family's various businesses outside of Jade Spring Peak. Wang Daoyuan had only met them a few times. However, they were still family, and the thought of abandoning them now made Wang Daoyuan feel somewhat uneasy.

Yet, he also understood that in a life-or-death situation, abandoning the six elder uncles to secure a chance of survival for others would be the best choice for the clan.

As a member of the clan, the clan's survival was the most important thing; personal life and death could only come second. The six elder uncles were also advanced in age. Between achieving Nirvana in their caves or dying in battle outside, they would likely prefer to die in battle, as it could also secure some cultivation resources for their descendants.

As long as their descendants remained, and the clan's legacy continued, their contributions would not be forgotten.

With this realization, Wang Daoyuan felt at peace. He then announced the combat assignments for everyone.

The six elder uncles had no particular specialties, and their cultivation was only at the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refining. However, they were old and experienced. While they might not excel in killing enemies, they were masters of self-preservation.

Given their age, they had seen all sorts of situations. They had experienced scenarios like this more than once. Their survival to this day was proof of their life-saving skills.

Therefore, Wang Daoyuan decided to place them at the forefront to act according to the situation. With their rich experience in self-preservation, their chances of survival would be far higher than those of rookies like Wang Daoyuan and Wang Daoxing.

Coupled with Wang Daoyuan's ample supply of defensive talismans, as long as they didn't directly confront large numbers of demonic beasts, the safety of the six elder uncles would be ensured.

Uncle Twelve, Wang Zhiming, was skilled in Alchemy and healing but unremarkable in direct combat. Putting him to fight demonic beasts would not utilize his strengths effectively; it would be better to have him tend to injured clan members at any time.

Wang Shouye and Wang Daoxing were both skilled in combat. They would be placed in the second line as a mobile force, choosing their own opportunities to strike.

Although Wang Daoyuan was not particularly strong in combat, he possessed hundreds of talismans, which were not to be underestimated. With a hundred or so talismans thrown out, who below Foundation Establishment could withstand them? Thus, he was the main damage dealer of the entire team and naturally stayed in the rear.

Everyone agreed with Wang Daoyuan's arrangements. Only Wang Daoxing expressed some dissatisfaction, protesting to Wang Daoyuan, "Seventh Brother, let me be at the front. It's not satisfying to kill demonic beasts from the back."

Before Wang Daoyuan could speak, Wang Shouye reprimanded him from the side, "Listen obediently. Your aptitude is excellent. Although your drinking capacity is poor, if you can reach Foundation Establishment, your future is boundless. Don't risk your life so carelessly."

Hearing Wang Shouye bring up his drinking capacity, Wang Daoxing felt a bit embarrassed, but he was still unwilling to give up easily. He secretly circulated his spiritual energy, and a faint golden aura enveloped his body, his skin appearing like golden glass.

Wang Daoyuan recognized this as a body-refining technique but didn't know its specific name.

Wang Shouye, however, was greatly surprised. Not daring to reveal his astonishment, he whispered, "Kid, you've actually cultivated the Glassy Golden Body Art to the second level?"

Wang Daoxing nodded proudly.

Only then did Wang Daoyuan understand what was happening. It turned out that Wang Daoxing had successfully cultivated the Glassy Golden Body Art, which was a family heirloom.

This was a profound body-refining technique, which Wang Chengzhu had accidentally obtained during his lifetime.

The technique had nine levels in total. When cultivated to perfection, the physical body could rival a third-tier high-grade magical artifact, allowing one to directly confront late-stage Violet Mansion cultivators with sheer physical strength alone.

However, when Wang Chengzhu obtained this technique, it was incomplete and only allowed cultivation up to the fourth level, making the physical body comparable to a second-tier high-grade magical artifact.

The Glassy Golden Body Art was extremely powerful but also had very high requirements for practitioners. One needed a gold spiritual root exceeding eight inches or a gold-attribute spiritual body to achieve any success.

Wang Daoyuan had considered practicing this technique himself back then, but he gave up as soon as he saw the requirements. With his two-inch Golden Spiritual Root, he wouldn't even reach the second layer after a lifetime of practice.

No one in the entire family was known to have reached the second layer, and Wang Daoyuan had never seen anyone perform it. Therefore, he didn't recognize that Wang Daoxing was using the Glassy Golden Body Art until he heard Wang Shouye's words, which reminded him of this cultivation technique.

Once the Glassy Golden Body Art reaches the second layer, its practitioner possesses physical strength comparable to cultivators at the eighth or ninth level of Qi Refining.

Combined with its extremely high resilience against attacks, it's quite normal to defeat ordinary ninth-level Qi Refining cultivators in a fight.

With such a strong physique, it would be difficult for a first-tier Demonic Beast to heavily injure him, so placing him at the forefront wasn't an issue.