The Yuan Family's Gift; Guessing Each Other's Identities

In the desolate outskirts of South Peace County, the blinding sunlight slowly shines down, landing on a huge, broken wall, where countless green wings reflect dazzling waves.

If you look closely now, you can see that a large number of Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts are crawling among the ruins.

These Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts were large with long legs and huge mouthparts, from which one could still vaguely see wriggling venom.

And Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts continued to fly this way from a distance.

They frantically scrambled for the diluted spiritual liquid on the ground.

In the blink of an eye, the ruins of the entire city had become like a kingdom of locusts.

At this moment, from the hidden parts of the ruins, beams of spiritual light began to appear, transforming from points into beams and from beams into pillars.

In just a few breaths, they completely merged together, forming a massive Array.

Envelop all the Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts.

Flames began to appear within the Array, and the Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts took flight, screeching as they flew.

They began to fiercely ram into the Array's protective barrier. At the same time, countless fire dragons appeared, roaring, surging, and galloping within the Array.

Each time it takes flight, countless Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts perish within it.

Even so, after a large number of Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts perished, the bursting venomous gas began to corrode the surface of the Array, causing the spiritual shield to waver.

It should be noted that this is a mid-grade, third-tier Array set up by the Master Tianzhen, the Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Array.

There's actually a trend of their formation being broken.

"These Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts are truly terrifying." In the distance, Master Tianzhen led a group of cultivators out, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself, his gaze broadening as he considered more things.

If this number of locusts, less than ten thousand, is already so troublesome, then if the Spirit-Extinguishing Locust were to reach one hundred thousand or even one million, the entire Taiyi Sect's mountain gate could be in trouble.

That's what makes him wary.

After all, a powerful being can break through any formation, and seize upon even the slightest loophole.

Of course, despite his apprehension, the Master Tianzhen's actions did not falter in the slightest. As the Array changed, the power of the fire dragon was concentrated at the gap, and the situation finally improved.

The Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts that escaped were all killed by the other Taiyi Sect cultivators and Ye Family.

Soon, the flames continued to rise, but not a single Spirit-Extinguishing Locust was left inside. Only the walls were still covered with black paste, a horrifying sight.

"It would be best to keep these poison powders burning for another day and night!" Ye Jingyong suggested again from the side.

There were too many Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts. Burning them to death would take so long, and then burning them to ashes would leave the group with no time to waste.

However, this does not prevent the flames from continuing to burn.

This place was originally a ruin, uninhabited. It was only with the help of the Ye Family's insect-attracting liquid that these Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts were attracted here.

Of course, this is also due to the excellent combination of the Master Tianzhen's Array.

Otherwise, if so many Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts gather, the cultivators will be more likely to suffer heavy losses.

"Do it that way!" Master Tianzhen put away the Array and then instructed a disciple of the Taiyi Sect to set up another burning Array.

After giving the instructions, he looked at Ye Jingyong.

"Young friend Ye, continue to eliminate these spirit eggs, and make sure they don't grow any larger."

"Please rest assured, senior, the Ye Family will definitely not leave behind a single penny." Ye Jingyong nodded.

He also noticed that the earth lizards and toad-like Spirit Beasts had improved significantly.

For those clansmen who possess the Beast Communion, their cultivation will also increase in the future, no less than some miraculous elixirs.

Even if Spirit Beast is not used for Beast Communion, giving it to another member of the clan for Beast Communion in the future is still a good option.

Master Tianzhen breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Ye Jingyong's affirmative answer.

These Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts were laying spirit eggs so quickly that he had to be wary.

"Young friend Ye, do you know what kind of spiritual liquid exists in this world that can make these Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts lay spirit eggs and mature so quickly?"

"Replying to Senior, I am not sure, but our patriarch and my uncle should know." Ye Jingyong shook his head.

His current Spirit Beast is a Silver Moon Python, but he doesn't pay much attention to Spirit Beasts, so he doesn't know anything about them.

To be honest, he felt a little regretful at this moment, as his Silver Moon Python wouldn't eat the spirit eggs of the Spirit-Extinguishing Locust.

Otherwise, with his Silver Moon Python's mouth being so big, even a second-tier Lizard Elder would definitely be inferior to his Silver Moon Python in his eyes.

"It seems we'll soon know the answer." Just then, Master Tianzhen smiled slightly.

Ye Jingyong looked in the direction and saw another Spirit Boat appear in the distance. This Spirit Boat was shining with golden light, with several cloud sails hanging extremely high, and its speed was also at its maximum.

Upon closer inspection, it was Ye Jingcheng and his companions aboard the Spirit Boat.

"Tianzhen!" Upon arriving, Ye Jingcheng put away his Spirit Boat, stepped forward, and bowed to greet him.

"Senior, the Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts in parts of Stability County and Chang County should have been eradicated. Even if a few Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts remain, they are no longer a threat!"

"Moreover, I discovered that all these spirit eggs were soaked in spirit liquid, which is why they hatched so quickly. Newly laid spirit eggs, if not treated, would take several months to hatch!" Ye Jingcheng said.

Sometimes, people spray special elixirs in the areas where these locusts pass through.

This is why pest infestations are particularly severe in some areas.

"Any other discoveries?" Master Tianzhen didn't understand Spirit Beasts or Spirit Insects, just like Ye Jingcheng didn't understand Array. So when he saw Ye Jingcheng talking so much, he was quite curious.

"Someone deliberately poured spiritual liquid on these spirit eggs, and these Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts should be for testing purposes. The cultivator behind them must be cultivating even more terrifying Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts." After Ye Jingcheng finished speaking, he took out several Golden Light Spirit-Extinguishing Locust corpses.

He left this on purpose.

After showing it to Master Tianzhen, he took out a spirit plate.

"Senior, the cultivator behind that should be at least at the Purple Mansion." Ye Jingcheng handed over the Spirit Plate, leaving the decision to the Master Tianzhen.

He stated the minimum cultivation level, but he couldn't guarantee the maximum.

He was unwilling to try.

He wouldn't mind going to see the Master Tianzhen.

He would never participate unless the Master Tianzhen went.

Moreover, he always felt that the extermination of Evil Cultivators, as described by the Master Tianzhen, was still nowhere in sight.

As for the Yuan Family, if they want to attract attention, they should create a bigger commotion; simply attracting a few Purple Mansion cultivators won't be enough.

Furthermore, the Demon Race in the Taihang Mountain Range has not made any moves so far.

Ye Jingcheng didn't believe they had prepared everything from scratch.

"Of course I'll go, how could I not?" Master Tianzhen gave Ye Jingcheng a meaningful look before agreeing directly.

"But not now, everyone, let's get things organized first!" Master Tianzhen said.

No immediate action was taken.

Ye Jingcheng guessed that he was contacting the other three Purple Mansion cultivators.

Ye Jingcheng nodded in agreement. It was better that the Master Tianzhen wasn't so reckless.

"The Yuan Family's ancestral mountain is not far away, let's go take a look!" Master Tianzhen spoke again.

Upon hearing this, Ye Jingcheng nodded in agreement.

The Yuan Family's ancestral mountain at this moment is the former Granary Mountain of the Xu Family, which has a third-order Spirit Vein. The Yuan Family went to great lengths to acquire it back then.

Upon arriving at Granary Mountain, a Foundation Establishment from the Yuan Family also came out to entertain the group.

However, the Yuan Family's grand formation and the cultivation levels of its members were all quite average, though the Spirit Herb Garden on the mountain was doing quite well.

At this moment, Ye Jingcheng felt particularly strange, since in the past it was always the Taiyi Sect and other families who tried to find out something from the Ye family's Lingyun Peak.

Today, it's Ye Jingcheng who's here investigating.

Ye Jingcheng could actually find many loopholes, such as the Spirit Gathering Formation of the Spirit Vein. The higher the cultivation level of a cultivator, the more powerful the Spirit Gathering Formation they would set up in their cultivation place.

At the same time, the supply of spirit medicine from the mountain peaks also reveals some clues.

With more high-level cultivators and less supply of third-tier Spirit Veins, naturally, the spirit medicine grow worse.

However, Ye Jingcheng didn't say any of this.

The Yuan Family Lineage settling here is certainly a good way to attract attention.

When everyone doubted the Yuan Family, no one doubted Ye Jingcheng.

If everyone were like the Wei Family, the Ye Family would be in trouble.

"Tianzhen, Ye Family, this is a unique Azure Jade Loquat from Granary Mountain. I hope it suits your taste!"

Master Tianzhen nodded, but did not respond further.

"Thank you!" Ye Jingcheng cupped his hands in thanks.

The Yuan Family is truly as generous as before. Last time they gave the Ye Family Qi of Earth Sha, and this time they're casually offering second-tier spiritual fruits to their guests.

This second-tier Azure Jade Loquat is no ordinary thing; it has the effect of purifying Spiritual Qi. If Foundation Establishment cultivator has consumed enough pills and the Spiritual Qi is not pure, they can consume some of this Azure Jade Loquat.

It's quite generous of them to bring this out now to attract customers.

Master Tianzhen showed no change in expression, and neither did Ye Jingcheng. He didn't eat much either; as the head of the family, he still had to be careful.

Ye Jingyong, on the other hand, didn't need to worry. He was also at the Foundation Establishment and had come along, so he was eating one after another.

There was also a pot of fine Jade Cloud Tea on the table.

This tea is not from Granary Mountain, but from Jade Cloud Valley in Taichang Commandery. It is a top-grade first-level spiritual tea, extremely mild and elegant, similar in taste to Floating Cloud Tea, and it also slightly enhances Divine Sense.

Of course, the increase is limited, but it's still a pretty good spiritual item.

"We owe this insect plague to our seniors and Ye Family. Otherwise, our Yuan Family would have suffered heavy losses, and the Lineage might have been in trouble." The one left behind by the Yuan Family was named Yuan Haomiao, the second elder of the Yuan Family, Foundation Establishment Middle Stage and a veteran Foundation Establishment.

"This is my duty. The key right now is to capture the Evil Cultivator who released the insects. The Yuan Family. Does the Yuan Family have any enemies recently? Also, what are the gathering places of Evil Cultivators within the Yuan Family's territory?" Master Tianzhen began to ask.

This question took the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and Yuan Haomiao's answer was impeccable.

In the afternoon, Master Tianzhen took the addresses provided by the Yuan Family and left Granary Mountain.

However, the place they were going to was completely different from the Yuan Family had given them.

This is the very place where Ye Jingcheng's spirit tablet is located.

Ye Jingcheng was also aware that the reinforcements from the Master Tianzhen had arrived.

The place indicated by the spirit compass was a poisonous mountain, where Spiritual Qi was scarce and poisonous insects roamed in abundance.

The Spirit Boat abandoned the third-tier Treasure Ark of the Master Tianzhen, and all the cultivators landed on Ye Jingcheng's Mysterious Shadow Azure Cloud Boat.

"Master Ye Family's Spirit Boat is quite exquisite!" Master Tianzhen couldn't help but remark.

"This was also made for me by my great-grandfather!" Ye Jingcheng sighed.

This Spirit Boat was originally modified from the Mo Family's Spirit Boat, so Ye Jingcheng naturally couldn't expose the deception.

Master Tianzhen didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he set up an Array to conceal the Taiyi Sect cultivators within the Array on the Spirit Boat.

Ye Jingcheng then steered the Spirit Boat towards the poisonous mountain.

In half a day, Ye Jingcheng was able to catch a glimpse of a poisonous mountain in the distance. This poisonous mountain was no ordinary mountain; half of it pierced the clouds.

If it weren't for the lack of Spiritual Qi, it would probably have been used as the ancestral mountain of a cultivation Lineage long ago.

The remaining large portion is covered in miasma, and there are still quite a few of the Black Cloud Flowers that Ye Jingcheng once planted here.

Before reaching Poison Mountain, Ye Jingcheng stopped and released the Five Poison Bees instead of continuing forward.

Let the Five Poison Bees begin exploring the way.

Even the Five Poison Bees had Spirit Talisman placed on them.

This Spirit Talisman is no ordinary Spirit Talisman; it's a second-tier fireball talisman.

The fireball talisman exploded in front of the miasma.

A spiritual barrier instantly appeared.

"Fellow Daoist Ye really isn't willing to take any risks at all!" A cultivator stepped out from the miasma.

This person was wearing Black Spirit-Isolating Robe, and had seven or eight Spirit Beast pouches hanging from his waist, making him look particularly intimidating.

His eyes were filled with hostility.

That's considered a classic case of unorthodox Evil Cultivator.

"So you're from the Green River Sect?" Ye Jingcheng was not intimidated.

Instead, he inquired as well.

These words made the cultivator immediately shake his head.

"I didn't even ask you, but you're asking me instead!"

"I've already given you a mysterious insect-controlling technique, and this is how you treat your fellow disciples?" the cultivator continued, chuckling softly.

"You're from the Taiyi Sect? No, a traitor to the Taiyi Sect wouldn't have survived this long. I've never heard of anyone in the Taiyi Sect who knows Spirit Insects?"

"A cultivator from the Wan Family? No, that's not right. I know Wan Hongchang from the Wan Family; he's currently in a terrible predicament in Taiqing Commandery."

"If nothing unexpected happens, you are from the Jia Family of Returning Goose Commandery Green River Sect. As far as I know, the Jia Family has some expertise in Spirit Beasts." Seeing that the other party was making things up, Ye Jingcheng immediately began to speak as well.

It's just making things up to frame someone; anyone can do that.

The cultivator was furious to see Ye Jingcheng spouting such nonsense.

He slapped his waist in an instant, and thousands of Golden Light Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts appeared.

These Golden Light Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts were even more powerful than the Spirit-Extinguishing Locusts Ye Jingcheng had seen before.

The insect kings inside have already reached the second tier.

Moreover, there were more than a dozen second-tier insect kings.

"Since Fellow Daoist Ye is unwilling to tell me, I will have no choice but to see for myself!"