Chapter 44 Counter Back

Ling Family

Ling Han sat reading the information with a sneer. "A mere Core Formation brat could cause such chaos in the city. Hmph, in my previous life, ten thousand of them were mere ants to me."

He couldn't help but think of his previous life, the Ling Han who stood at the top, looked down on the world, and commanded the respect of countless cultivators.

He contemplated further. "Forget it. What I want most now are the essence pills, but who would have thought it would be this difficult to acquire them?"

"To think that I would lower myself to this point. It seems that I must refine them myself," Ling Han sighed.

Bang!

"Ling Han! A core disciple of the Hu Yang Academy has come to receive Young Master Ling Yun in the meeting hall, and here you are hiding instead of making an appearance. What's the meaning of this?" An old servant kicked the door open and shouted from outside.

Ling Han's expression turned cold. A mere servant dared to speak loudly in front of him? If this had happened in his previous life, millions of this old man's lives would not have been enough for him to slaughter.

"Hmph! I must teach this old servant a lesson, so he knows who is master and who is servant. Moreover, if I remember correctly, this quota should belong to me; my father risked his life for it. Why the hell is Ling Yun now?" Thinking of this, his expression turned even colder. Although he was an old grandpa from ten thousand years ago, reincarnated in the body of Ling Han, calling a man who was far younger and weaker than him 'father' was logical to him in his ten thousand years mindset.

…

The City Lord Manor

"Hm? There is a problem with the Guan and Zhang Families in the northwest?" Tie Tu received the report from his subordinate. Like the Xia Family, the Guan and Zhang Families were mid-grade families not under any high-grade families. In fact, the northwest was previously the territory of a branch of the Azure Cloud Pavilion.

The Azure Cloud Pavilion focused on building alliances rather than exerting control, so most of the families in their territory were not subordinates but allies. Now that the branch of the Azure Cloud Pavilion had retreated from Red Maple City, their territory naturally became a large piece of meat that everyone wanted, causing inevitable chaos.

"Yes, we tried to contact them, but we received no response at all. Their families are always protected by protective arrays. We are not sure of the situation yet, so we didn't break in. Please give us the command on what to do next," a tall man, Tang Shan, reported.

"His previous target was in the west, and the situation in the northwest is really abnormal. I can't miss even the smallest clue, I will go and investigate myself. Tie Mu, Fang Zheng, you two carry out our plan, starting from the western part of the city," Tie Tu commanded as he led some elite members to the Zhang and Guan Families.

Fang Zheng and Tie Mu exchanged glances and then nodded. They departed for the west, prepared to execute their orders.

…

After Xia Feng and Xia Kun left, Shangguan Yi didn't linger. He headed west, eager to gauge the true strength of the forces in Red Maple City. Using his concealment array, he remained undetectable. One must understand that he could evade even the keen eyes of Xi'An Cultivators, let alone those in Red Maple City.

In the western part of Red Maple City, two great forces stood out: the Jing Family and the Aqua Crystal Sect.

In the western suburbs, the Xun Family, a high-grade family, had become a gathering spot for numerous false Core Formation Cultivators. These individuals displayed a range of expressions—some were solemn, some anxious, some meditative, some curious, some displeased, some calm, and some quiet. They were ancestors from various mid-grade and high-grade families, led by Jing Yu, the Great Elder of the Jing Family, a genuine Core Formation Cultivator.

"You're all curious why you were called here, right?" Jing Yu's gaze swept across the crowd.

All nodded solemnly, awaiting his explanation.

"First, you don't need to worry about your families. From our reports, this demonic Cultivator only targets false Core Formation Cultivators. So it's good that you are all gathered here—we can lure him in." Jing Yu revealed them a plan.

Understanding dawned on them.

"So that's why we were called to gather here," one of them remarked.

"It's a good plan. While he searches and finds no false Core Formation Cultivators in our families, he'll move to the next target, continuing until he arrives here," an ancestor from a high-grade family commented.

Many nodded in agreement.

"But won't he get suspicious when the same situation happens repeatedly?" another ancestor from a high-grade family raised his concern.

They began pondering this.

"That's why we chose the Xun Family," Jing Yu spoke up.

As ancestors of various families, they quickly understood.

"That's right. The Xun Family is near the suburbs and is the only high-grade family here. It's only about ten minutes away from the surrounding mid-grade families. If he finds nothing in the mid-grade families, he'll definitely pass through here first."

"With so many of us here, why should we fear a single Core Formation Cultivator?" 

Many felt relieved; some even laughed and licked their lips.

"But what if he doesn't come here and chooses another area?" an ancestor from a high-grade family asked suddenly.

"This…" The group pondered. They had gathered here, but what if the enemy didn't fall into their trap?

Seeing their expressions, Jing Yu remained unfazed. "Naturally, we've set similar traps everywhere he could go. No matter where he goes, he will end up in the same situation." Jing Yu reassured them.

Hearing this, many regained their confidence.

"I wonder what we should do. It can't be just gathering us here, right?" one of the ancestors asked, breaking the silence.

Many eyes turned to Jing Yu, seeking answers.

"There's no need for you to do anything—just wait here and observe the situation," Jing Yu replied coldly, his eyes scanning their faces for any signs of treachery.

He continued, "We suspect that some families might be involved with the demonic Cultivator. That's why we called you here, to keep a check on things. If any family refuses to appear here, it would only mean that they've joined forces with the demonic Cultivator. I'm sure you understand the consequences of such an action."

Grim expressions settled on the faces of the gathered ancestors. Jing Yu's meaning was clear: whether involved with the demonic Cultivator or not, any family that refused to show up would automatically become a public enemy. Fortunately, the threat of the demonic Cultivator had already made them uneasy, so no one dared to ignore Jing Yu's summons. Of course, not every family here was under the Jing Family's control, but as long as they had false Core Formation Cultivators, they appeared.

"Alright, everyone. This night will be sleepless. Stay alert," Jing Yu said solemnly.

Meanwhile, Shangguan Yi, who had been observing from a distance, heard their entire conversation. He hadn't left the Xia Family tonight to hunt but to assess the situation. It seemed his targets had been conveniently gathered in one place. This was both an opportunity and a complication.

Not lingering long, Shangguan Yi moved on to another location.

In another part of the western region, a middle-grade sect had also gathered many false Core Formation Cultivators, led by the Great Elder of the Aqua Crystal Sect.

An hour later, Shangguan Yi reached the southern part of the city. Similar to the western part, many false Core Formation Cultivators had gathered at the Qu Family residence, led by the Great Elder of the Ling Family, a Core Formation Cultivator.

In another area of the south, the Rage Tiger Sect had directly called many false Core Formation Cultivators to hide within the sect, focusing on defense.

In the eastern part, the Great Elder of the Zhao Family had gathered many false Core Formation Cultivators at the Hu Family estate.

The central part of the city, protected by the City Lord Manor, so that all the families felt confident enough to continue their activities as usual.

Shangguan Yi took in all these observations. The situation was complex, with multiple forces mobilizing to counter the threat they believed him to be. He would need to tread carefully, using their plans against them to further his own goals.

The northern part was left behind as the previous Azure Cloud Pavilion had moved out, many high-grade families were competing for the lands and resources. However, there some high-grade families started gathering the false Core Formation Cultivators from various mid-grade families. However, their numbers were still pitiful, only around 10 to 20.

For four hours that Shangguan Yi touring around the Red Maple City, this made him roughly understood their current situation. Except for the situation that Tie Tu was heading to Zhang and Guan Families, as at that time, he already on the way to western part. 

However, now his attention fully focused on the high-grade families that had gathered around 15 false Core Formation Cultivators.