He immediately quickened his pace and ran toward Red Leaf Square's exit.
At the same time, in the shadows beneath an alley, a woman dressed in an ordinary ruqun hurried toward Zhou Xun's home in Green Willow Alley.
I'll only take one look, then leave at once! Lin Xueying thought.
Suddenly, a tremendous commotion caught her attention.
The Lineage's grand formation had been breached!
After freezing for a moment, Lin Xueying forcefully suppressed the grief and indignation in her heart. She tightened her clothes around herself, lowered her head, and continued forward.
In another direction, Wang Erniu held his daughter in his left arm and pulled his wife along with his right hand, guarding one of the exits from the clan grounds.
The moment he saw the grand formation break, he immediately burst out of the encirclement, his face full of resolve.
Meanwhile, Wei Shangli and Wei Shangren led a group of cultivators. Their task was to intercept and kill any Lin Family cultivators who escaped.
"Big Brother, it looks like the Lin Family is about to become a thing of the past!" Wei Shangren said with delight written all over his face.
Wei Shangli did not answer. He gazed at the pillar of light in the distance, his expression incomparably complicated.
"A great Foundation Establishment clan like this, gone just like that!"
"Big Brother, we should head to Green Willow Alley next. We absolutely cannot let that brat Zhou Xun escape, nor that house steward!" Wei Shangren's face was full of malice.
"Go," Wei Shangli said, not refusing.
The instant the Lin Family's grand formation shattered, Wu Zongheng rode his Mystic Tool straight inside.
He flew directly toward Lin Anshuo.
As the saying went, soldiers faced soldiers, generals faced generals.
One was the Wu Family head, the other the Lin Family head. Both were Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Today, they would settle who stood higher and who fell lower!
Wu Zongheng rode a jade-green ruler, a High-Grade Mystic Tool.
Driven by Mystic Gestures, the jade-green ruler split into more than a dozen copies and struck toward Lin Anshuo.
Lin Anshuo remained as steady as a mountain. With a slap of his hand against his Storage Pouch, a large blue-black cauldron appeared in the air.
With a Mystic Gesture sent forth, the cauldron swelled in the wind until it stood four or five zhang tall.
It moved with extreme agility, blocking all of Wu Zongheng's jade rulers outside.
In their first exchange, neither gained the upper hand.
Elsewhere, the Wu Family's First Elder charged directly at Lin Yuanru. His task was to keep him occupied.
Once the Foundation Establishment elders of the Sun and Wu Families killed the Lin Family's Second Elder, they would come assist him.
Moreover, the combined number of Qi Condensation cultivators from the Wu, Sun, and Li Families exceeded the Lin Family's by more than threefold.
As long as they dragged things out, the Lin Family would surely be the one to fall.
Just as the Wu Family believed victory was already in their grasp, a sudden change erupted.
As the Wu Family's First Elder charged toward Lin Yuanru, Lin Yuanru advanced rather than retreating. Before the astonished eyes of everyone present, he unleashed the full force of his Foundation Establishment Late Stage mana.
At the same time, a golden shadow flashed past, carrying faint mana fluctuations as it shot toward the Wu Family's Second Elder.
That shadow was unbelievably fast. From the moment it appeared to the moment it reached the Wu Family's Second Elder, only an instant had passed.
Only then did the Wu Family's Second Elder notice it, but it was already too late.
"Pfft—"
A faint sound of metal piercing flesh rang out.
The golden shadow passed straight through the Wu Family Second Elder's skull.
There was not the slightest resistance, as though it had pierced a sheet of white paper.
The Wu Family's Second Elder's body suddenly stiffened. Then darkness fell before his eyes, and he lost consciousness forever.
His swiftly flying body also halted in midair before dropping straight down.
The Wu Family's Second Elder had fallen.
"Second Elder!" the Wu Family disciples shouted.
"Guanghe!" The Wu Family's First Elder, Wu Guangxiao, stared until his eyes nearly split. He simply could not accept it.
The battle had only just begun, yet a Foundation Establishment cultivator on their side had already fallen.
Their Wu Family had only four Foundation Establishment cultivators in the open to begin with.
Wu Guanghe was also one of the only two surviving cultivators of Wu Guangxiao's generation.
Now that he too had fallen, Wu Guangxiao was the sole survivor of the Wu Family's Guang generation!
"Lin Yuanru, I'll make you pay with your life!" He immediately drove his Mystic Tool and launched a vicious strike at Lin Yuanru.
"Eleventh Uncle!"
Wu Zongheng's heart turned cold! He immediately realized that the situation had become serious.
The Wu Family had now lost one Foundation Establishment cultivator, leaving only three. The Lin Family also had three, but Lin Yuanru was at Foundation Establishment Late Stage.
In that case, they were at a disadvantage in Foundation Establishment battle power.
On the other side, Lin Anshuo laughed heartily.
"Second Uncle, well killed! Today, we'll let you see the foundation of our Lin Family!"
Lin Yuanru's Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivation was no empty reputation. With a light wave of his hand, dozens of golden blades appeared from thin air and knocked the Wu Family First Elder's attack aside.
At the same time, several golden blades flew past the Wu Family's First Elder and shot toward several Qi Condensation cultivators below.
"Pfft—" Several times.
Several Qi Condensation cultivators died on the spot.
One of them was even at Late-Stage Qi Condensation.
The cultivation world truly was one where the strong slaughtered all beneath them.
A single Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator suppressed the Wu Family members present. For the moment, the Lin Family held the upper hand.
"Alas!"
Just as Wu Zongheng began to consider retreating, a sigh rose from among the Qi Condensation cultivators below.
That voice seemed to pierce straight through the soul, striking terror into everyone's hearts!
Everyone hurriedly looked toward its source.
"Big Brother!" Wu Zongheng burst into delighted laughter.
This man was Wu Zongdao—Foundation Establishment Perfection.
He had originally not wanted to expose himself, but the Wu Family had performed far too miserably. He had no choice but to act.
The Lin Family members, meanwhile, fell into instant despair. This was a Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator.
Lin Yuanru made a swift decision. He took a blue orb from his Storage Pouch and hurled it viciously toward Wu Zongdao.
Then he shouted at the Lin Family disciples:
"Break out!"
Once the words left his mouth, he fled into the distance!
The remaining Lin Family members scattered in all directions as well, each using their own methods to flee at high speed.
This had been agreed upon by the Lin Family in advance. If things went badly and could no longer be salvaged, they would cut their losses in time and break out separately.
The blue orb Lin Yuanru had thrown was the famed Heavenly Thunder Pearl of the cultivation world!
It was refined by True Core cultivators with lightning spiritual roots, who captured true lightning during thunderstorms. Every one possessed power equal to a full-force strike from a False Dan powerhouse.
Even a Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator would suffer grave injuries if he took one head-on.
The Heavenly Thunder Pearl fell and immediately erupted in a dazzling white light. Under its might, everything melted away, and everything within several dozen zhang was reduced to dust.
The Sun Family's Second Elder was less fortunate. He happened to be within the Heavenly Thunder Pearl's blast radius and vanished outright.
Even his Storage Pouch disappeared without a trace.
Only the remnants of several treasures showed what had happened here.
As for Wu Zongdao, the instant the Heavenly Thunder Pearl erupted, a crimson light shield flashed into existence before him and blocked the strike.
However, a crimson jade plaque at his waist snapped apart and broke into two halves.
It was a life-saving treasure he had obtained by chance, capable of blocking a full-force strike from a False Dan powerhouse.
Because they were farther away, Wu Zongheng and the Wu Family's First Elder were not greatly affected.
Wu Zongdao's face turned livid. Without the slightest hesitation, he rose into the air and pursued Lin Yuanru.
The rest of the Wu Family members also chased after the Lin Family members fleeing into the distance.
Before you continue