Chapter 354: The Ice Cave on the Mountaintop
Translator: StackThatCoin Editor: Hitesh
Tian clan's ancestor mansion occupied nearly 1/4th of the entire land area in Tian Le City. All its buildings were built with green bricks and black roof, while the walls were painted snow white. The coating material was made with a special product of Xue Yuan Planet - a type of clay that was as fine, clean, and sparkling as jade. Once it dried, it would produce a surface as smooth and reflective as a mirror, which made it look like one large piece of white jade under the reflection of the sunlight. It was a fine and ingenious design, sending forth a unique, elegant bearing of a cultivator clan.
A beautiful mansion such as this was totally destroyed by a casual attack unleashed by an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator hovering midair. A green thunderbolt streaked down from the sky, cracking its roof and crumbling its walls, then collapsing numerous buildings within Tian clan's ancestor mansion. Over half of the courtyard was smote to powder by this thunderbolt alone. When Wu Qi and his company flew up to the sky and looked over to the direction, they could still see countless broken limbs and body parts falling and splattering off from the sky, smearing that part of the sky with a crimson hue of blood and gore.
Tian Ju was trembling with rage. Standing on Garden Inn's rooftop, he stared blankly at his ancestor mansion which had just turned into history, hot tears streaming down his face.
Wu Qi shook his head, then sighed and said, "It seems Lin clan moved faster than you. Now, quickly let your sons acknowledge my Uncle-Master as their Master, then we'll help avenge your clan members. Your sons are still young and strong. They can give birth to more offspring in the future."
Tian Ju turned to look at Wu Qi with his body shivering from head to toe. While pulling his sons over, he uttered words that did not hang together, "Tian He, Tian Dao, acknowledge your Master, hurry up! Oh, Heaven! Why is this happening to me?"
The Nascent Soul cultivator off in the distance did not notice Wu Qi and his company. He laughed, waved his hand, and threw out another thunderbolt. A loud rumble rang out as dust and smoke towered into the sky. Tian clan's ancestor mansion, together with a few nearby mansions, was reduced to rubble amidst the blinding thunderbolt. Not even a slightly intact pillar could be found. The Nascent Soul cultivator grinned coldly, then casually pointed his finger out and unleashed a sword beam, using it to kill several dozens of maids and servants who were yelling and crying while running out from the collapsing Tian clan's ancestor mansion. After that, the less than ten feet long, pale yellow sword beam that looked to be full of impurities swept and stabbed messily across the rubbles, killing every man and woman who was still breathing.
Tian He and Tian Dao fell to their knees before Yan Qijun, then bowed their heads and gave him a kowtow. "Master!" both cried out at the same time.
Yan Qijun smiled faintly, then waved his hand and said, "Alright, you can rise now. From now on, work hard at serving the Sect. Perhaps one day, Tian clan will become the only Master of this Xue Yuan Planet, who can tell that now?" A cold gleam was flickering in Yan Qijun's eyes as he casually produced two storage rings and threw over to Tian He and Tian Dao.
Tian He and Tian Dao received the storage rings, and they were stunned instantly. Held in their hands were storage rings, a treasure that even many of Nascent Soul cultivators in Liyuan Galaxy did not own. Tian clan did possess a few storage bags, which had become their clan's heirlooms. As for storage rings, they learned from the legends that it was a precious treasure only those half-immortals of Nascent Divinity realm and real Heaven Immortals had the rights to use.
They tried to send their divine will into the rings. Indeed, they were storage rings. The huge storage space within the rings made the two rather green and inexperienced cultivators feel their heads spinning. They nearly passed out and fell to the ground. Wearing a blank expression, they stared at the energy stones that piled up like a small hill inside the rings, and a few flying swords of upper-grade magical item level. They stammered, and could not come out with a proper word for a long while.
When Tian Ju saw Yan Qijun throw two storage rings over to his sons, his heart shuddered abruptly - he knew he had struck luck, as Tian clan had found an incredible backing this time! Although Tian Ju did not possess too much of knowledge concerning the outside world just like those wealthy landlords in a rural area, he knew one thing for sure: a sect that could use storage ring as a reward for their newly joined disciple must be a superpower with an extremely strong foundation! Perhaps, only the core disciples from the strongest immortal sects in Minor Heavenly Circle Realm could be so generous!
Without hesitation, Tian Ju dropped to his knees before Wu Qi and said, "Senior, please help me avenge the death of all the innocent Tian clan's members!"
Although his sons had just formally acknowledged Yan Qijun as their Masters, and Wu Qi had told them that Yan Qijun was his Uncle-Master, Tian Ju still felt that Wu Qi was the most frightening and unfathomable person among all the people here. Therefore, he dropped to his knees before Wu Qi, beseeching him to help him take revenge at the top of his voice.
Tian Ju's loud beseech had immediately alerted a few men hovering midair a few miles away. The Nascent Soul cultivator spun and peering into the direction with a surprised look on his face. In the meanwhile, an old man with a head of gray hair standing right next to him pointed his finger out and said, "Clan Leader Mo, that man is Tian Ju. Lin Kexian only wishes Clan Leader Mo to help me kill him. Once we have seized all Tian clan's properties, Mo clan will take eighty percent of the share!"
Wu Qi grinned and shook his head, then turned to Tian Ju and said, "Have you heard that? Look how generous the Clan Leader of Lin clan is? He too is seeking help from an outsider, but he is willing to give away eighty percent of the profits straightaway! In the end, the profits you can acquire is proportionate to your overall strength. Tian Ju, just now you've mentioned that you will share the profits equally with us. Well, it is because we are kind and honest people. If it were some other cultivators, they would have long slaughtered your entire clan and taken away everything you got!"
Tian Ju's face turned deadly pale, as cold sweat was breaking out from all over his body. He stared at Wu Qi and murmured, "They should still be honoring... trust and reason, right?"
Wu Qi did not laugh this time. Instead, it was Zhao Kuo and Yan Qijun who broke out into a wild laughter, while Xiong Wanling and the rest of the old demon kings who just came out to watch the commotion were even shaking with laughter. Supremacy Five Mountains roared with laughter and said, "Trust and reason? Bullsh*t! We know only one thing: whose fist is bigger, he is the reason, and trust always come below a flying sword! When a city is massacred, reason will exist within one thousand miles around it, and when a kingdom is massacred, there will be trust within ten thousand miles! 1 "
True Lord Windbreaking sneered indifferently and said, "Have your Tian clan become a complete fool after working on a farm for so long? Or, have you eaten too many cucumbers? Who in the realm of cultivators would talk reason and trust with you? What a stinking bullsh*t! It is really a surprise that Tian clan could exist until today... Hmm, it makes sense also. Who would want to exterminate a cultivator clan that only knows how to do farming work?"
Tian Ju, Tian He, and Tian Dao's faces blushed with shame. They bowed their heads, thinking to themselves that it seemed like their previous behavior was rather petty. Without sufficient overall strength, and not even finding out the exact background of Wu Qi and his company, they had stupidly paid a visit to them, proposing an equal split of profits. Fortunately, Wu Qi and his company were not evil cultivators, or else, Tian clan would have already been annihilated without even needing that Clan Leader Mo.
Wu Qi and his company just kept talking amongst themselves, paying no heed to Lin Kexian, the Clan Leader of Lin clan, and that Clan Leader Mo off in a far distance. Taking the advantage that he was backed by a Nascent Soul cultivator, Lin Kexian brought a few of his clan members and flew towards Wu Qi's direction in a threatening manner, stopping at a spot less than five hundred feet from Wu Qi and his company. Lin Kexian, who had a hooked nose, a pair of deep eyes, and thin lips which made him look like a man with only a short life, pointed his finger at Tian Ju, who was kneeling on the rooftop. He sneered and said, "Old fogey Tian, you and I have been fighting each other for almost our entire life, but this time, Tian clan is destined to be wiped out completely. Tsk, are you out of your mind because of fear or what? Why are you kneeling there? Begging for forgiveness?"
Wu Qi cast a cold gaze at the proud as peacock Lin Kexian as he pulled Tian Ju up, then smiled faintly and said, "Lin Kexian? I can tell a person his fortune, and I foresee that you will be dead today. How do you think about my prediction?"
Lin Kexian was taken aback. He burst out into a loud laughter, pointing his finger at Wu Qi, and was about to give vent to a torrent of abuse. However, before that could happen, Zhao Kuo suddenly came before Lin Kexian by teleporting. He punched out his fist and pierced Lin Kexian's dantian, then pulled the Gold Core out and crushed it into pieces. Lin Kexian's body expanded abruptly and exploded to shreds amidst a blinding white light. Vaguely, everyone could hear the frantic battle cries from millions upon millions of soldiers, which shook Lin Kexian's soul into a wisp of green smoke.
Zhao Kuo snorted coldly. Suddenly, a misty white battle aura rushed out of his body, amidst which came shooting out blades, spears, swords, halberds, and all kinds of weapons. Before the few clan members who Lin Kexian brought here could make any noise, they had already been ground into a pile of meat paste by countless weapons.
Off in a far distance, Clan Leader Mo, who hovered motionlessly above Tian clan's ancestor mansion while assuming an air of a mighty expert, nearly had his eyes popped out. He stared at Zhao Kuo, who had just moved across the void with teleportation, then cried out shockingly, "Teleportation? Is senior a half-immortal of Nascent Divinity realm? Senior, please forgive my mistake! Please spare my life!"
And that was the last word Clan Leader Mo could say. Xiong Wanling had teleported next to him soundlessly, and with a clap of his gigantic bear palms, Clan Leader Mo was crushed into a meat biscuit instantly. Xiong Wanling licked off the blood and gore on his palms, then laughed and said, "I didn't even get to know your name, and you are already dead! Aye, you are just an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, how dare you be so arrogant before me?"
Tian Ju, Tian He, and Tian Dao shuddered. They turned to look at the people around Wu Qi with great terror.
Those were all Nascent Divinity cultivators! As a matter of fact, the patriarch of the strongest clan on Xue Yuan Planet only possessed a cultivation base of Nascent Soul realm. Apart from the Heaven Immortals that were backing those clans, none of the clans on Xue Yuan Planet had such a supreme power. Had Tian clan just found themselves a group of Nascent Divinity cultivators as their support?
Even as his heart was filled with great shock, Tian Ju was seized with great joy at the same time. According to what Wu Qi told him, this group of Nascent Divinity cultivators was ordered to gather spirit herbs here on Xue Yuan Planet. Who could give an order to a group of Nascent Divinity cultivators? That must be a Heaven Immortal! Only Heaven Immortals could order Nascent Divinity cultivators! Tian clan was struck by luck, a heaven-defying luck! As long as they could attach themselves to a power with Heaven Immortals, the death of a few clan members counted for nothing really. Just like what Wu Qi said earlier, Tian He and Tian Dao were still young, and they could produce more offspring in the future!
Not to mention Tian He and Tian Dao, even Tian Ju himself felt he was only old on the outside, but young on the inside. He felt he could still contribute to the expansion of his clan. He could marry several dozens of concubines, and give birth to one hundred more offspring!
Since that moment, Tian Ju became extremely respectful. He cautiously kept bowing at Wu Qi and the company as he said, "Seniors, the land of treasure is located right in the Tian Lin Mountain behind us, in a secret valley near the mountaintop. Please follow me as I show you the way! But, how about that Lin clan...?"
Wu Qi beckoned at Tian He and Tian Dao and said, "Both of you, bring two seniors over to Lin clan. They will eradicate the entire Lin clan for you." Then, Wu Qi asked True Lord Windbreaking and Supremacy Five Mountains to follow Tian He and Tian Dao. Realizing their clan had just found a group of Nascent Divinity cultivators as their support, both brothers were overwhelmed by wild joy and had nearly forgotten their own names. Happily and excitedly, they brought two Nascent Divinity and left. Riding on sword beams, they flew past Tian Lin Mountain and into Lin clan's territory on the other side of the mountain.
Right by the tallest peak of Tian Lin Mountain was a stretch of hot spring pools, and right next to these pools there was a pitch-dark cave. A threatening cold air was spraying out of it.
Standing right next to it, Wu Qi and his companions frowned as they stared at this cave, which appeared to have just opened up.