Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery
Chapter 544 - 529 Blood Hand Demon Li Tu

"Having paid a visit to the direct lineage's Hei Tianlan of the Hei Clan, on the way back, there was an attack."

Jiang Ding revealed a faint, inexplicable smile.

The Hei Clan's Black Snow Prairie did fall into chaos, that's true.

But that did not include the area within a radius of ten thousand miles from the Beast Spirit Immortal City, which remained in perfect order, where disciples of the Hei Clan reigned supreme.

This place was a site for Nascent Souls to cultivate in seclusion.

Even the most arrogant Golden Pills wouldn't dare to overstep, let alone harbor killing intent, as the public security here was always very good.

The struggle between legitimate and illegitimate Golden Pills seemed to start shedding blood.

Both parties were forming cliques within the Hei Clan, rallying vassal forces; the direct lineage Golden Pills relied on thousands of years of ruling inertia, drawing the allegiance of a large number of vassal forces and Golden Pills from collateral lineages, while the collateral lineages, relying on their own bulk and a greater number of Golden Pill cultivators, also rallied a faction of supporters.

"What does the palace lord of the managing hall, Hei Tianlan, say?"

asked Jiang Ding.

As the devoted scribe and servant of a certain generation head of the Hei Clan, the Wei Family from Tuling had been loyal to the Hei Clan's direct lineage for over a thousand years, with numerous Wei Family Golden Pills dying in battle, uncomplaining and unregretful, always staunchly attached to the direct lineage's vassal forces.

Wei Qingqing's audience this time must also be for seeking support.

"Palace Lord Tianlan said,"

Wei Qingqing's eyes filled with cold intent, "we must endure for now."

"Given that the next generation Nascent Soul seed and the clan head Hei Chengwu, who does not favor any side, has been dispatched elsewhere, the Golden Pills of the direct lineage have fallen into a great disadvantage, and they need to use their limited power to attract the loyalty of the indecisive loose cultivators."

"My Wei Family, loyal servants for generations, is heartfelt and devoted."

"We can only, for the time being, make sacrifices."

"In the future, there will be compensation."

Wei Qingqing regained her composure.

"Oh?"

Jiang Ding said with interest, "Shouldn't such loyal servants be treated well? As a model to inspire others."

He knew that his own skills in political struggle and intrigue were greatly lacking; he had no opportunity to hone them in the Xianmen Sect and he had carefully avoided these matters in the Outer Realm, which is why his abilities were quite rudimentary.

This woman, having been in sole control of her family for over a hundred years in a demonic den like the Hei Clan, should be stronger in this aspect. It was an excellent opportunity for him to learn.

"Encountered an idiot."

Wei Qingqing said calmly, "Perhaps, he thinks the loyalty of vassal families like ours would persist forever, as if it were a matter of course."

"After all, it has been like that for thousands of years. With a Patriarch Nascent Soul present and the surroundings being the territories of other Northern Plains families, it would be impossible to take in runaway serfs but instead, they would be hunted, with no place to escape under heaven or on earth."

"Therefore, even if severely wronged, one would not think of betrayal but become even more loyal instead."

"Only vassal families like this could survive on these prairies."

"I see."

Jiang Ding suddenly understood, and thought for a moment.

"It's a bit like the emperor and ministers of a dying dynasty, various inhumane bottom-line tactics."

"Forget it, I'll take a look and see if I can resolve it."

How to resolve it?

Naturally, with killing.

To prevent anyone from linking it to the Wei Family, he also just needs to kill a few more, then leave behind a faint trace of mana, hmm, perhaps choose the third-ranked on the wanted list of the Beast Spirit Immortal City, right below Han Lin, that Li Tu. After all, the latter had already killed several Golden Pills from the Hei Clan's direct lineage, one more wouldn't make a difference.

…

Twenty thousand kilometers away.

Upon the vast prairie, a black stone mountain hundreds of meters high rose abruptly.

This place was known as Black Blood Mountain, a third-tier peak Spiritual Vein, guarded by a Golden Pill Monk of the Middle Jindan Stage called Black Wolf Hawk, born into the direct lineage; consequently, even at only the Middle Jindan Stage, he had a third-tier peak Spiritual Vein as his Cultivation ground.

The Black Wolf Hawk, who was in the midst of silent cultivation, suddenly opened his eyes.

He suddenly felt a sense of unease.

"This feeling?"

The expression on the Black Wolf Hawk's face grew solemn.

He was not panicked; mana surged through him as strands of greenish wolf fur sprouted from his arms and body. His head contorted and stretched into a sharp beak, taking on the appearance of a ghastly hawk's head. The ferocity and bloodlust of a great demon beast combined with the cruel murderous intent of a Golden Pill demon cultivator manifested in his form.

His bloodline naturally possessed psychic abilities, allowing him to foresee danger. Relying on this gift, he had managed to escape from the battlefields of the Great Sun Sect time and again, enduring over a hundred years until the wars finally ended.

"Something that can make me feel threatened..."

"It can't be the Great Sun Sect or the Great Sun Sword Sect. After years of bloody warfare, they are just as weary—they wouldn't likely come here in recent years."

The Black Wolf Hawk rapidly searched his memory: "It could be the leading nine of the Blood Cloud Eighteen Knights. I've heard they've recruited numerous loose cultivators, weeding out the weak and replenishing their ranks with the survivors, which has made them even stronger."

"Or could it be that Hei Louxi and others from the collateral lineage have decided to show their true colors?"

"That wretched Hei Louxi, just like her mother, Hei Chenghong, is an ingrate who completely forgets the family's past nurturing. She dares to covet the status of the main branch."

"Perhaps, it's really time to exterminate these traitors who dare to defy their superiors and replace them with loyal vassal families and strong loose cultivators to guard various places. These dog servants are useful and loyal, without any claims to the family head position that could threaten our direct lineage."

"Or it could be among the loose cultivators..."

Amidst these rushing thoughts, he activated Black Blood Mountain's formation method. Streaks of bloodfire and smoky fog rose up, and he didn't hesitate to light the distress talisman of the Hei Clan's direct lineage.

Admittedly, his body's danger perception had been wrong on many occasions, encountering nothing, leading to empty family responses and subsequent harsh punishment.

But he disregarded it, always immediately reacting whenever he sensed danger.

While he had offended many within the clan, there were times he had also saved many members of the direct lineage, barely staying within their limits of tolerance.

But this time, the distress talisman elicited no response.

"What?"

The Black Wolf Hawk was taken aback, the sense of warning in his heart suddenly surged, his heart pounding violently, as boundless fear overwhelmed him, nearly asphyxiating him: "Spare my life! I am willing..."

Boom!

A bloodstained crimson palm, with clearly defined lines between the fingers and a swirling vortex in its center, slowly pressed down, grinding him into a mass of bloody flesh. The blood within was extracted, leaving behind only a tangle of pale skin and shattered bones.

A pale-skinned, strikingly handsome young man with translucent flesh slowly retracted his hand.

Anyone who saw this would scream in terror.

The Blood Hand Demon, Li Tu!

Ranked third on the Beast Spirit Immortal City's most wanted list, he had slaughtered many of the Hei Clan's direct lineage Golden Pill cultivators and once personally annihilated a Hei Clan Khan Court inhabited by a vast number of direct lineage commoners. Millions of these commoners, theoretically capable of accessing the Court's Blessed Land, were turned into blood water, a devastating loss for the clan.

"A whim?"

"Such matters are somewhat irrational, perhaps the Law of Karma Shielding can conceal it."

The Blood Hand Demon, Li Tu, mused to himself.

The fact that a mere middle Jindan stage cultivator could sense his approach before he struck, instead of painlessly entering the cycle of reincarnation, was an insult!

As for a third-tier top-ranking formation method, he could have slipped through it even during his Foundation Building stage.

He waved his hand to collect the storage bag.

He then cast another layer to the formation, sealing it from the inside and out, ensuring it would not be discovered for at least several months.

A Golden Pill cultivator entering seclusion for several months is a perfectly normal event; no one would find it unusual enough to forcefully break the formation in search of somebody.

And as for the Soul Lamp, the remnant soul would not be extinguished at this moment.

This was the fourth house.

"That's about enough; time to find the Shi Family and Yu Family."

"Heh heh heh... My reputation as the Blood Hand Demon, Li Tu, shall once again spread throughout the entire Black Snow Prairie."