Cultivation: From Menial Laborer to Immortal Venerable

"Today, we'll see who gets wiped out – my Lin Family or your Wu Family!"

Lin Anshuo's warmth vanished, replaced by a murderous aura. His Mystic Force pulsed, clearly at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

It turned out he had broken through long ago, hiding his cultivation to lull the Wu Family into a false sense of security.

After all, the Lin Family's openly acknowledged Foundation Establishment cultivators, including Grandmaster Yun Ku, now outnumbered the Wu Family.

"We shall see!" Lin Yuanru echoed him, his own Mystic Force fluctuations indicating the late Foundation Establishment Stage!

Including Lin Anshuo, the Lin Family now had three Foundation Establishment cultivators. With the family's grand formation, the victor remained uncertain.

Meanwhile, the Danbao Pavilion also received news of the three families' impending attack.

Grandmaster Yun Ku immediately informed everyone in the Danbao Pavilion.

"Dashan, you truly refuse to leave with your master?" Grandmaster Yun Ku pleaded with his eldest disciple.

His disciple was both respectful of his master and deeply loyal.

"Master, the Danbao Pavilion is the Lin Family's hard work, and it's yours too. I absolutely will not give up so easily!" Lin Zhishan shook his head. The Danbao Pavilion's protective formation was a mid-tier 2 artifact.

If he were to oversee it, Foundation Establishment cultivators would find it impossible to break through in a short time.

"With three families attacking, how can you possibly defend it? Besides, the Danbao Pavilion is just a shell. As long as you're here, and as long as I'm here, we can re-establish the Danbao Pavilion anytime!" Grandmaster Yun Ku continued to persuade him.

Lin Zhishan still shook his head.

He was a member of the Lin Family. How could he bear to flee when his family was in crisis? He couldn't do it.

"Alas, you foolish child!"

Grandmaster Yun Ku had taken Lin Zhishan as a disciple in his youth, so he naturally understood his disciple's character.

With a sigh, he took out three Tier 2 Talismans.

"Take these three low-tier 2 Talismans. One Wind Escape Talisman, one Ice Rain Talisman, and one Golden Shield Talisman. Live well!"

After giving his final instructions, he changed his attire and left the Danbao Pavilion through the back door.

After Grandmaster Yun Ku departed, Lin Xueying, who had also received the news, arrived first.

"Where is Master?" Lin Xueying asked, looking at the empty room with confusion.

"Master has left. The Danbao Pavilion likely won't hold. Xueying, you should leave quickly too. You are the most talented person of our Lin Family's current generation. The future of the Lin Family rests on you!" Lin Zhishan said calmly, patiently explaining.

"Senior Brother, if it can't be defended, why aren't you leaving?" Lin Xueying asked urgently.

The most important aspect of the Danbao Pavilion was its Pill Refinement Masters like them. Lin Zhishan understood this principle.

"The Danbao Pavilion is a vital location for the Lin Family, and Foundation Establishment cultivators will personally attack it."

"However, our Danbao Pavilion's defensive formation is a mid-tier 2 artifact. If I personally oversee it, they won't be able to break through quickly."

"This way, we can tie up a large number of their forces, which will alleviate the pressure on the family side. Remember, all the disciples from the various branches of the Lin Family live within the family compound!"

"As long as we hold off enough people here, more of our Lin Family's younger generation can escape!"

"That's enough, you don't need to persuade me anymore!" Lin Zhishan said lightly.

The moment he received the news, he had already resolved to die.

The Danbao Pavilion had a reputation, and he would not allow it to fall into ignominy.

Suddenly, Lin Zhishan remembered something. He took out an exquisite jade bottle from his Storage Pouch.

"This is the Foundation Establishment Pill my master gave me. I suppose I won't be needing it anymore. Take it. With your talent, you will surely reach Foundation Establishment in the future!"

"Senior Brother, take care!"

She was the legitimate daughter of the Lin Family's patriarch and the most talented person in the Lin Family. If the Lin Family were truly breached, the responsibility of rebuilding it would fall upon her shoulders.

Lin Xueying nodded, accepted the jade bottle, and turned to leave.

As she left, she also changed her attire.

She exited the Danbao Pavilion through the back door and then disappeared into an alley.

At the same moment, at the Lin Family's stronghold.

The entire Lin Family was enveloped by a golden barrier of light.

This was the Lin Family's protective formation, the near-Tier 3 artifact – the Golden Azure Heavenly Radiance Formation.

This formation was personally crafted by a Tier 3 formation master, whom the Lin Family had paid handsomely. It was both offensive and defensive, capable of withstanding even Nascent Soul cultivators under normal circumstances.

The Wu Family Patriarch and others were blocked outside the formation.

"Brother Wu, my Wu, Lin, Sun, and Li families have been allied for five hundred years, sharing weal and woe. I wonder what offense my Lin Family has committed to provoke three families to come knocking at our door?"

Lin Anshuo questioned sternly, his face filled with righteous indignation.

"Hmph! What offense?"

Wu Zongheng, the Wu Family Patriarch, let out a cold laugh.

"Your Lin Family has done some good deeds, don't you think you can hide it forever?"

"Let me ask you, what's the deal with that Fire Essence Stone mine west of the market?"

"The four-family covenant clearly states, 'If a spirit mine is found, it shall be shared by the four families.' Have you adhered to this?"

"Your Lin Family broke the covenant first, so don't blame our three families for seeking retribution now!"

"Today, we will expel your Lin Family from Red Leaf Square!"

Lin Anshuo also suspected the issue was with the Fire Essence Stone mine.

However, this wasn't how things started. In the past hundreds of years, if other families had fortuitous encounters, finding spirit mines, cave dwellings, or spirit lands, they would prioritize their own families first. Only if a family couldn't handle it alone, or if they couldn't keep it a secret and were discovered, would they then share it.

This was an unspoken understanding, which was why the Lin Family had acted in such a manner.

"That's not necessary. We are willing to hand over the mine, and let your three families share it. How about that?" Lin Anshuo tentatively offered a compromise.

"Too late! We cast aside those who betray the covenant. Henceforth, Red Leaf Square only needs the three great families!" Wu Zongheng decisively refused.

He then patted his Storage Pouch, and with a flash of light, a brilliant blue Talisman appeared in his hand.

"A Near-Tier 3 Formation Breaking Talisman!"

Lin Anshuo's expression changed drastically.

Originally, relying on the Golden Azure Heavenly Radiance Formation, they still had some confidence in defending their ancestral land. But now, with the Near-Tier 3 Formation Breaking Talisman present, the formation's effect was nullified.

Now, they could only fight head-on.

Without further hesitation, he revealed his Foundation Establishment Stage Mystic Force, which was quite conspicuous.

"Foundation Establishment Stage!"

"Lin Anshuo, you've been hiding quite deeply, and your Lin Family has been hiding quite deeply too!" Wu Zongheng's face turned ashen.

Excluding his elder brother, the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Lin Family now exceeded their Wu Family.

Even at this moment, they only had one more Foundation Establishment cultivator than them. Things were going to be difficult from here on.

It was foreseeable that after this battle, even if they won, it would be a pyrrhic victory.

The Second Elder of the Sun Family, who had followed them, saw this and was inclined to retreat.

"Fellow Daoist Wu, since the Lin Family is willing to offer the Fire Essence Stone mine, and considering the five hundred years of friendship between our four families, perhaps you could let them off the hook!!"

The Fire Essence Stone mine was immensely valuable. By possessing forty percent, they could already compensate for the deficit in monster materials.

"The situation has come to this; there's no turning back!" Wu Zongheng said coldly.

Without any hesitation, he activated the formation-breaking talisman and hurled it towards the golden light barrier before them.

"Boom—"

In an instant, a dazzling beam of light descended from the sky, illuminating the entire night sky as if it were day.

It then struck the golden light barrier directly. White light and the golden light barrier intertwined, rapidly consuming each other.

Before long, the light barrier couldn't hold on and shattered instantly, transforming into golden spirit light that scattered everywhere, like streaks of golden rain, appearing quite beautiful.

"It's broken!"

"The formation is broken!"

"Charge!"

Hundreds of cultivators surged towards the Lin Family members like locusts.

The moment the light barrier shattered, the immense commotion echoed throughout Red Leaf Square.

Countless people looked in this direction.

Zhou Xun, walking quickly, couldn't help but look over as well.

"The Lin Family is in trouble!" he sighed.

After finally settling down and obtaining a decent status, he could only give it up now.