In the western part of the city, atop the Sima Family's ruins.
Only the Sima Lineage patriarch, a group of elders, a dozen or so ancestors, seven or eight guest retainers, and a few others remained—several dozen people in all.
The rest of the family members, guest retainers, and servants, whether elderly people, young children, or frail women, had all become souls beneath the blade without exception if they were found.
Zhao Jun and the others surrounded the remaining enemies in layer upon layer, forming an enormous encirclement so tight that not even a drop of water could escape.
Beyond the encirclement, squads of men pounced like ravenous tigers upon prey, cold steel flashing in their hands as they brutally struck the fallen enemies again to ensure they were dead!
There were even dedicated looting squads, who rummaged over the corpses like hungry wolves, leaving no corner unchecked where anything valuable might be hidden.
Gold, silver, and treasures on the corpses, gold and silver bricks among the ruins-they stripped everything clean...
They truly plucked feathers from passing geese and stripped the hides from passing beasts, unwilling to let even the smallest profit slip away!
Suddenly, a thud sounded. The Sima Family's second elder had dropped to both knees, tossing his Pear Blossom Mountain-Splitting Axe aside like garbage!
His face dripping with flattery, he addressed Zhao Jun and the others:
"Please spare me, mighty lords! I'm willing to surrender. I've long been dissatisfied with these people, but my strength was limited. I had no choice but to wallow in the mire with them.
"Now that your righteous army has arrived, of course I surrender with complete sincerity..."
The Sima Lineage patriarch stood to one side, so furious that even his fingers trembled. He pointed at the second elder on the ground and cursed:
"You traitor! Have you no shame at all?"
The grand elder's eyes bulged with rage, veins standing out as his withered finger nearly jabbed the kneeling man's nose:
"You were the one who slammed the table and insisted we fight to the death! Now you're the one groveling on the ground, wagging your tail and begging for mercy!
"In a thousand years of Sima family tradition, when have we ever produced a shameless fence-sitter like you?!"
The second elder merely sneered from the ground. "A wise man knows which way the wind blows. For the sake of our shared blood, I advise you to surrender with me at once. Perhaps you can preserve your worthless lives!"
The second elder's father was among the Sima Family ancestors. He trembled all over with rage, and with his body already grievously wounded, fury assailed his heart. He spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed on the spot!
Yet no one cared whether he lived or died. Even the kneeling second elder only glanced at him before looking away and continuing his flattery!
The survivors' resolve had already been tottering. Seeing this, the seven or eight guest retainers, who had long resented the Sima Family's discriminatory treatment,
And having already fought this bloody battle for the Sima Family, he felt no qualms whatsoever about turning against them and surrendering now!
They immediately stepped forward and knelt to surrender. Several Sima Family elders, seeing that all was lost, could hold back no longer and followed them!
Several Sima Family ancestors could bear it no more. One immediately unleashed a vicious Dragon Claw Hand, striking straight for the kneeling second elder's head. Caught completely off guard, he died on the spot!
The other ancestors likewise struck the unsuspecting victims with calculated attacks, each finding their mark!
The remaining guest retainers rose up in resistance.
Wails rang out without end as a spectacular scene of mutual slaughter unfolded!
Far away on the horizon, in the direction of the Misty Sect, a medium-sized flying ship streaked through the clouds like a meteor.
It flew at tremendous speed, as though it would pierce the heavens and reach Ascension City thousands of miles away.
At the very front of the flying ship stood a graceful, handsome man. His white robes fluttered around him, making him look like an immortal descended to the mortal world.
This was Song Bojian, hurrying to provide aid. His arrival brought a sliver of hope to the tense situation.
Behind Song Bojian stood more than a hundred Misty Sect disciples.
Their expressions varied: some were excited, some nervous, and some rather indifferent.
The Sima Family disciples were particularly agitated, constantly urging the flying ship to go faster, seemingly filled with anticipation for this rescue mission.
In stark contrast to the Sima Family disciples, however, most of the others looked as though none of this concerned them.
They whispered among themselves or watched coldly, as though this rescue mission had nothing to do with them.
Most had come merely to munch on melon seeds and enjoy the show. If not for Song Bojian, they probably would never have waded into these muddy waters.
Time passed second by second, and more than ten minutes slipped by in a flash.
Despite the flying ship's efforts to accelerate, it had covered only half the distance and was now midway between the Misty Sect and Ascension City.
Just then, a faint unease began to stir in Song Bojian's heart. He frowned slightly and stared into the distance, seeming to sense that something was wrong.
At the same time, three or four Heavenly Prodigies with more advanced cultivation stepped forward behind him and said in hushed voices:
"Brother Song, this journey may be fraught with danger. We've all sensed a hint of something threatening!"
Song Bojian's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and reassured them:
"Don't panic. We're all True Disciples, and our status speaks for itself. Even if we encounter danger we can't handle, those enemies wouldn't dare attack us lightly."
Before Song Bojian finished speaking, a force as heavy as a mountain descended. The flying ship instantly spun out of control and plunged straight down.
Everyone was crushed flat against the deck, as though pinned beneath a mountain.
In the distant void, the expressions of seven or eight previously concealed Dao guardians changed drastically.
Before they could act, however, three terrifying formation attacks suddenly flared from the dense forest beneath the flying ship, flashing past in an instant.
The flying ship's Protective Array was torn apart at once, and the vessel itself shattered into fragments.
The life-saving measures unleashed by the many Heavenly Prodigies aboard shattered on contact. The formation attacks killed them on the spot, sending them plummeting to the ground.
Only a dozen or so Heavenly Prodigies remained. They had deployed multiple last-resort life-saving measures bestowed by their elders, barely clinging to their lives, but all were grievously wounded!
Their faces were still filled with shock and terror!
Yet it was not over. Three beams of formation light shot into the sky again, clearly having finished charging once more!
Song Bojian and the others turned ashen and simply gave up struggling. Even if they had wanted to resist, they no longer had the strength.
At that moment, the seven or eight Dao guardians finally reached them and shielded the dozen or so surviving disciples.
White formation light flashed through the air, revealing everyone's battered figures. Clearly, the Dao guardians had overestimated their own strength and underestimated the formations' power.
Four or five of the seven or eight Dao guardians died on the spot, while only three or four of the dozen Heavenly Prodigies remained...
"Quick, use the Ten-Thousand-Mile Teleportation Talismans together! Escape to the sect and request reinforcements..."
A white-haired old man roared himself hoarse.
Terrifying formation light slashed upward from the earth below once again. At the very last instant, each surviving Dao guardian took a disciple and used a Ten-Thousand-Mile Teleportation Talisman to escape that utterly terrifying place!
The formation light struck empty air. One might have expected it to dissipate, but instead it slashed seven more times, stopping only after reducing the flying ship and corpses to ash.
Boom, boom, boom!
Several deafening explosions rang out. The formations in the sky and on the ground vanished, leaving not the slightest trace to be found.
Poor Song Bojian and the others had traveled thousands of miles to provide aid, only to suffer near-total annihilation halfway there without even seeing their enemies' shadows.
Only three or four people escaped back to the sect in a miserable state...
Amid the Sima Family's ruins.
In the end, the Sima Family never received the powerful reinforcements they had awaited. They were annihilated in the place they had once believed safest, with not a single person escaping.
"Young master, the Sima Family has been destroyed."
Qing Ying spoke calmly, as though this were perfectly ordinary.
"Mm. If they couldn't even destroy the Sima Family, there would be no point in keeping them."
Ying Ming Hao took a small sip of tea and continued,
"We should withdraw as well."
"Quick, quick, quick! Clean up the battlefield at once! Take everything valuable, don't leave behind a single brick or tile. Pack it all up..."
Qian Da, one of the four stewards, was renowned for his shrewd calculations and was an expert at business.
He was the busiest of them all now, dashing here and there as he ordered his subordinates to dig three feet into the earth, all but itching to join in himself.
"You there, yes, you! How can you be so wasteful? You don't understand thrift at all.
"This Spirit Artifact may be slightly damaged, but if we take it back, repair it, and resell it, that'll still bring in a handsome sum..."
The young man with an utterly unremarkable face hurriedly scurried over to retrieve the battered Spirit Artifact he had just discarded, tucking it into his storage pouch as though it were a treasure.
Just as he was enthusiastically picking things up, a low voice suddenly sounded behind him:
"What are you doing, brat? Treasuring such broken junk-have I, Zhao Jun, withheld your pay, or have you not received the young master's rewards?!"
"Throw it away immediately! Stop making a disgrace of yourself here."
With that, Zhao Jun turned and left, his face full of arrogance.
The young man nicknamed Xiao Sanzi scratched the back of his head, feeling that Lord Zhao was absolutely right. The higher-ups never treated them poorly; all kinds of miraculous pills, Spirit Artifacts, and spirit stones had never been in short supply.
Such junk really was beneath him now. At that thought, he immediately emptied out the half-pouch of damaged magic weapons he had collected...
Smack! A crisp slap rang through the dilapidated warehouse. Xiao Sanzi clutched the back of his head, stumbling and nearly falling to the ground.
Grimacing, he rubbed the small swelling, the pain nearly bringing tears to his eyes.
"You won't listen, will you?!" Qian Da's beard quivered with fury. His eyes, wide as bronze bells, glared as though he wanted to swallow the young man whole.
"This is all gleaming silver! Even broken, these are treasures! Yet you throw them away like garbage?!"
"You brat, you won't listen, will you? You don't know the price of firewood and rice until you run a household! Such waste! Pick them up at once. If I catch you again, I'll send you to mine ore for a hundred years!"
Qian Da looked utterly pained, exasperated that this iron would not become steel. Before he could lecture him further, a subordinate called him away.
Only Xiao Sanzi remained, utterly bewildered in the wind...
Before you continue