The bandit cultivator alliance secretly formed by the Zhao Household, the Blazing Yang Sect, and the Divine Fire Gate had long had its sights on the Lu Household.
They had only held off because of the attention it would attract and Lu Changfeng's combat prowess as a sword immortal.
But once Qin Wuxiang successfully broke through from Foundation Establishment Late Stage to Foundation Establishment Peak,
certain matters that had been shelved were put on the agenda.
"Congratulations on successfully reaching Foundation Establishment Peak, Brother Qin! The day you attain the Golden Core is just around the corner!"
"Your cultivation has advanced greatly, Brother Qin. This truly calls for celebration!"
The leaders of the three factions gathered in one place.
Zhao Donglai, patriarch of the Zhao Household, and Li Taichu, sect master of the Blazing Yang Sect, immediately congratulated Qin Wuxiang, master of the Divine Fire Gate, who had been the first to reach Foundation Establishment Peak.
A trace of envy flashed through both their eyes.
Qin Wuxiang could not suppress the smile on his lips and face.
It had truly been far from easy to reach this point, and it was worth celebrating.
The congratulations of his two "friends" also greatly satisfied his vanity.
"Haha, I see that neither of you is far from a breakthrough yourselves, fellow Daoists. Let me offer my congratulations in advance. Come, have some tea!"
After exchanging compliments, they drank their spirit tea.
Then they got down to business.
"There's something strange about the Lu Household. According to my sect's scouts, their two Foundation Establishment cultivators have been visiting markets extremely frequently. They've even passed over nearby ones to visit the larger Spirit Spring Market."
Qin Wuxiang tossed out a brick to draw forth jade. Naturally, the other two had also sent scouts from their respective factions to monitor their target's movements constantly, and Zhao Donglai picked up the thread.
"My people followed them into the market and personally watched the two from the Lu Household enter the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, where they were very courteously invited into a private room. It seems their transactions were worth a considerable amount!"
Li Taichu said regretfully, "The Treasure Gathering Pavilion keeps its lips too tightly sealed. We really couldn't uncover any specifics, but one thing is certain: their transactions with the Lu Household were worth at least several hundred thousand Spirit Stones."
At those words, all three involuntarily drew in a sharp breath.
Naked greed burst from their eyes.
After all, the Lu Household had not made just one transaction.
This obscure lineage was actually a fat sheep!
Qin Wuxiang glanced at each of his two good "fellow Daoists." Just as he had expected, everyone had investigated their prey thoroughly.
He simply dispensed with the roundabout talk and got straight to the point.
"Perhaps the Lu Household has noticed something and is consuming its reserves to improve its strength."
"Those reserves belong to us. What right does the Lu Household have to use them?"
"So I summoned you both here not merely because of my breakthrough. To keep a long night from breeding more dreams, and prevent serious losses to the resources we'll plunder, I believe we should strike immediately and wipe out the Lu Household!"
As he spoke, Qin Wuxiang's gaze turned fierce and sharp, and killing intent surged from him.
The other two straightened, their brows creasing slightly as solemnity appeared on their faces.
Their original plan had been to wait until all of them had reached Foundation Establishment Peak.
But Qin Wuxiang's words were not without reason.
What if the Lu Household consumed all the resources that should have belonged to them?
Wouldn't their gains be greatly reduced?
That was absolutely intolerable.
"I heard that a small Foundation Establishment faction called Clear Breeze Temple, in the Spirit Creek Sect's territory to the east, was recently wiped out. Would striking now bring the flames down on us?"
"No!" Qin Wuxiang said decisively. "I've heard about Clear Breeze Temple too. Devil cultivators were responsible."
"Besides, the higher sect we're all affiliated with is the Crimson Firmament Sect, while the Lu Household is affiliated with the Spirit Creek Sect. There's no way an investigation could lead to us."
"And don't forget, we each possess a secret treasure fragment. As long as we aren't caught on the spot, there won't be any problems!"
The secret treasure fragments mentioned in his final sentence were the true reason the three could act without restraint.
They were also a crucial part of what had brought them to an agreement to cooperate.
Three secret treasure fragments.
Each of the three factions possessed one.
They could use them to conceal themselves, obscure heavenly secrets, and block any tracing Law Technique. They could even guard against the Heavenly Mystery Technique.
With Qin Wuxiang having gone this far,
the other two had no reason to keep declining, and they immediately reached an agreement.
"In that case, let's do it!"
"When do we move?" Li Taichu asked Qin Wuxiang. Without realizing it, the three were beginning to show signs of treating Qin Wuxiang as their leader.
The main reason was that he had been the first to break through.
His strength was a notch above the other two.
"Make your preparations. Seven days from now!"
The Lu Household still had no idea that powerful enemies would attack seven days later.
Lu Changgeng and Lu Xuanming, who had gone to Spirit Spring Market, had already returned to the lineage with many treasures.
There were four supreme-grade Spirit Artifacts, one for each of the Lu Household's four great cultivators.
Lu Chenxing took his flying sword and eagerly infused it with spiritual power to begin refining it. His divine sense covered it inch by inch as he carefully experienced the differences of a higher-grade Law Artifact.
The corners of his mouth involuntarily curled upward.
"As expected of a supreme-grade Spirit Artifact! Who knows how many times better it is than the low-grade Spirit Artifact flying sword I used before!"
Lu Changgeng replied with a smile, "Little Chenxing, your flying sword also has two additional miniature formations inscribed on it. One is called Spirit Siphoning. When it clashes with an enemy's Law Artifact, it can siphon their spiritual power. As theirs wanes, yours waxes, and you grow fiercer the longer you fight. The other is called Spellbreaking. It greatly enhances your ability to break through an enemy's spiritual power defenses, though of course that also depends on how strong the enemy is."
Spirit Siphoning, Spellbreaking.
This flying sword actually had additional functions.
After hearing this, Lu Chenxing was even more reluctant to put it down.
Had he not been in the lineage's main hall, he would certainly have thoroughly tested its power and ingenious uses.
Besides the supreme-grade Spirit Artifact, he also received two spirit talismans.
They could be activated instantly with spiritual power to fend off enemies.
Unfortunately, each could only be used once.
They were trump cards cultivators would not use until the final moment.
One was a top-tier second-rank Golden Bell Talisman. It could form a golden bell around its user, with defensive power capable of withstanding several attacks from a Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator.
The other was a top-tier second-rank Water Dragon Talisman. Once activated, it could form a water dragon to attack, with power comparable to a strike from a Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator.
Both spirit talismans were worth a considerable amount.
One attacked and the other defended, complementing each other.
They were unquestionably very practical trump cards.
Even a Qi Refining Stage cultivator holding these two spirit talismans would have a very good chance of killing a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator across a major realm gap.
Besides the supreme-grade Spirit Artifacts and spirit talismans, Lu Changgeng and Lu Xuanming had also brought back a top-tier second-rank formation master from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion specifically to upgrade the Lu Household's formation.
His cultivation was equally impressive: Foundation Establishment Peak.
It was higher than that of any of the Lu Household's cultivators.
If he harbored ill intentions, the Lu Household's former strength might truly not have been enough to handle him.
But now, with supreme-grade Spirit Artifacts and supreme-grade second-rank spirit talismans in hand, nothing was certain.
Of course, the Treasure Gathering Pavilion had an established reputation.
The Lu Household still trusted them a great deal. Otherwise, this transaction could never have been made in the first place.
After the four from the Lu Household divided up the items, Lu Changfeng personally accompanied the top-tier second-rank formation master to survey the terrain and set up the formation.
"Fellow Daoist Quan, sorry for the trouble!"
Quan Yong'an said casually, "You're too courteous, Patriarch Lu. I'm being paid to do a job, and I'll certainly give it my all."
"This formation can be completed in ten days. Please wait patiently, Patriarch Lu."
The lineage-protecting formation covered a large area and was relatively complicated to set up. Ten days was within the previously estimated timeframe.
Lu Changfeng nodded in understanding.
"Good! If you need anything, fellow Daoist, just send word, and I'll have someone deliver it immediately."
After their brief exchange, Lu Changfeng also returned to his residence and began taking and refining Spirit Establishment Pills to push toward Foundation Establishment Late Stage.
Day after day passed.
Seven days later.
Late at night.
The moon shone bright, and the stars were sparse.
Twelve figures suddenly appeared in midair outside the Lu Household's mountain gate.