Star Sky Professional
Chapter 327 - 267: Mountain Closure (Please Subscribe)

Chapter 327: Chapter 267: Mountain Closure (Please Subscribe)

"Myriad Flower Illusion Array, how could this be?"

A cultivator wrapped in white light, a Core Formation real person, looked at the myriad of petals once again enveloping Baihua Mountain, his eyes filled with astonishment.

It was clear that the grand array had been gradually coming to a halt earlier, so how did it suddenly regain its power?

"This is bad... Crane Venerable?!"

This Core Formation real person was in a great rush.

He was the second Supreme Elder of the White Crane Sect, at the Core Formation Middle Stage, and his Daoist name was Flying Crane Real Person.

Of course, he knew what high regard the Crane Venerable, a Third Rank top grade beast, held in the heart of the Supreme Elder.

If it weren’t for Mu Wanlu having such strong power that the Supreme Elder had to take action personally, he would have never sent the Crane Venerable to infiltrate Baihua Mountain.

But now...

Had the Crane Venerable failed?

As Flying Crane Real Person hesitated, the myriad of petals dispersed, and a path paved with colorful flowers emerged.

An aged man with white hair, holding a crane’s head in his hand, stood proudly on the colorful floral path.

"Mu Wanlong?!"

Flying Crane Real Person was shocked, "Core Formation Late Stage? How is this possible?"

"White Crane Sect, you dare to covertly send a Spiritual Crane to infiltrate the Mu Family, taking the life of a Core Formation Elder of my family... This matter must be made known by the Mu Family!"

Fang Xing snorted coldly.

Cultivators who mingle among the Righteous Path always care about their reputation.

Hence, the Core Formation Cultivators who came today all hid their identities, and even if their identities were guessed, they definitely couldn’t admit to it.

After the fall of the Mu Family, the ones to eliminate the family could only be Demon Cultivators or those who have committed robbery.

The White Crane Sect was merely forced to take over the Mu Family’s wealth.

Of course, now that there had been a mishap...

This Third Rank top grade mutant Spiritual Crane was the most substantial evidence — the White Crane Sect could not escape the blame.

Even if Qiankun Dao secretly supported the White Crane Sect, they had to give an explanation to the Mu Family when such a thing happened.

Flying Crane Real Person said nothing further, as the White Crane Sect was now locked in an unending feud with the Mu Family.

Unless he immediately led people into the grand array, crushing Mu Wanlong to dust and obliterated all evidence along the way.

Besides that, anything else said was superfluous!

But... he was just a Core Formation Middle Stage cultivator, even the highest among the nearby Core Formation real persons.

On the opposite side was the former stronghold of a Nascent Soul Family guarded by a Quasi Fourth Rank Array, and overseen by a Core Formation Late Stage Cultivator!

No matter how the Core Formation Late Stage cultivation came to be, now even Zhengqi Zi, a Golden Core expert of such caliber, wouldn’t dare to forcefully charge into the Mu Family’s grand array!

’In this situation... only the Supreme Elder accompanied by those several family ancestors, along with the Fourth Rank Breaking Vein Pearls, might have a chance of taking down the array...’

’The key is that those Core Formation Late Stage great cultivators are already ambushing Mu Wanlu...’

’Originally thought that with an inside man, with the Crane Venerable, and with us... dealing with the Core Formation Real Person Mu Wanqing was almost certain, yet this severely injured Mu Wanlong had always been pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger...’

Flying Crane Real Person was extremely reluctant, but ultimately he waved his hand, "Go!"

He led the retreat first, needing to return to his Sect to prepare many things.

Such as... the Mu Family’s appeal!

It was time for Qiankun Dao’s Five Elements Child to think of a solution.

The Five Elements Child of Qiankun Dao was a newly chosen Nascent Soul Seed, a Half-step Golden Core Cultivator, considered the hope of the next generation after the fall of Hun Yuanzi.

A Nascent Soul Sect like the Righteous and Demonic ten great factions, of course, wouldn’t put all their eggs in one basket.

Apart from the Nascent Soul Seed, they had alternates.

Although Five Elements Child was a bit inferior to Hun Yuanzi, he was still a choice of the moment.

On the Demon Path side, new Nascent Soul Seeds were also selected.

But inevitably, they were greatly weakened and, lacking the Nascent Soul Spiritual Item, relying only on the limited resources of their Sect was not very secure.

Hence, there was this great pioneering battle!

Flying Crane Real Person turned into a streak of light and departed, and the other few Core Formation real persons exchanged glances before retreating.

"Elder..."

Seeing this scene, the Fake Core real person who initially attacked Mu Wanlan flew into the air, quite helpless, "Are we just going to let them go like this?"

"Cough cough..."

Fang Xing suddenly coughed, wiped with a handkerchief, revealing a splotch of deep red.

"I forcefully used a Forbidden Technique to suppress my injuries and boost my realm... now I am at the end of my strength; not taking action is fine, but if I do act, I’m afraid I will sitting down to meet my demise..."

In fact, he couldn’t be bothered to act as the Mu Family’s enforcer; a token effort to drive away the Mu Family’s enemies was enough.

"Elder, you are now the family’s pillar, what should we do?"

This Fake Core real person was manifestly anxious.

"Cough cough... Wanzhang, ah..."

Fang Xing coughed again, his aura quickly weakening, "Now with Wanqing’s death, the family has suffered tremendous losses... everything is up to you now, the Mu Family needs to do three things!"

"Please direct me, Elder." Mu Wanzhang’s eyes were resolute.

He had proven his unwavering loyalty to the Mu Family through a great tribulation.

"The first thing, notify the Family Head immediately... Even though it might be too late, we must attempt an extraction back to the family."

Fang Xing raised a second finger, "The second thing, report to the Upper Sect... this Spiritual Crane corpse is the best evidence."

"The third thing, the Mu Family must seal the mountain!"

"Seal the mountain?" Mu Wanzhang was taken aback, muttering, "Has it really come to this point?"

The Mu Family, despite its decline, still maintained the facade of being the foremost Core Formation Family.

In the outside world, they still possessed many shops, Spiritual Medicine Gardens, and shares in mines...

Even when Core Formation Families schemed for profits, they had to include the Mu Family, as they were considered the top dog in the circle, and even after their decline, they were still second or third in line.

However, seclusion was a different matter entirely, meaning a complete abandonment of all external interests, solely defending the ancestral land of Baihua Mountain!

This was undoubtedly a painful decision, as the resources of Baihua Mountain were simply not enough to sustain so many family cultivators.

Either dismiss most of them or use the family’s reserves.

At this rate, in no more than a hundred years, the Mu Family would surely fall into decline.

Unless within the period of seclusion, a twist of fate occurred, and they managed to cultivate a new Core Formation True Person.

But that was almost an impossibility.

When a cultivation power chose to seclude itself, it was mostly like drinking poison to quench thirst, a gradual path to death...

Those who could rise like a phoenix from the ashes were once-in-a-millennium cases, which is why their stories spread far and wide.

Of course, for Fang Xing...

The gradual death of the Mu Family was ideal!

Because all he needed to do was occupy the Fourth Rank Cave Mansion, and everything else was the Mu Family’s interest, not his.

He could naturally abandon it without hesitation.

This was no longer a case of a warrior severing his arm to save his body, but rather chopping off the body altogether, leaving only the head.

"Such a decision should still wait for the Family Head to return... However, temporarily entering seclusion and fully activating the Mountain Protection Array might be feasible..." Mu Wanzhang said, "I’ll let the Elder make the decision..."

Now, within the Mu Family’s main mountain, there was only one Core Formation True Person left—Mu Wanlong.

And, he was the former Family Head!

Although his later years in office were marred by a fear of death and avarice, his actions today had already proven everything!

"Wanzhang... after using the Forbidden Technique today, my unhealed injuries have worsened, and I can’t sustain them even for a moment longer. I need to return and enter a deathly meditation... I am entrusting the family to you."

Fang Xing waved his hand and transformed into a streak of light, flying back to his own Cave Mansion.

Before he left, he didn’t forget to throw the Array Formation Token to Mu Wanzhang and took with him an inner core of the Spiritual Crane.

This was a Top Grade Third Rank Demon Beast inner core, worth quite a few Spirit Stones.

...

Inside the Cave Mansion.

A flickering light shone, and Fang Xing’s figure emerged.

He toyed with a white inner core in his hand and suddenly pondered, "Hmm... After the battle today, Mu Wanlong must enter a deathly meditation... The kind where he could pass away at any moment. No one should bother me now, right?"

"Besides, after today’s outbreak... With my injuries compounded, my Soul Lamp must appear even dimmer..."

He did not consider targeting the Mu Family’s ancestral hall, as it was heavily prohibited and fraught with trouble.

"The simplest way would be to torment Mu Wanlong further, worsening his injuries..."

Fang Xing formed a spell and used the Earth Tunneling Technique to arrive at a secret underground chamber beneath the Cave Mansion.

A row of strange black-robed figures with masks stood in every corner of the chamber, guarding an unconscious old man in the center.

It was the ’Five Mixed Demons’ and the real ’Mu Wanlong’!

"To torment him further, but not to the point of death, really tests my skills..." Fang Xing muttered to himself.

...

Several days later.

Mu Wanzhang stood in the ancestral hall, next to the master seat, with a ’numbed to the world’ expression.

The Mu Family had already deployed many cultivators in a pioneering war.

Of course, there were still many elites left behind, including several Fake Core True Persons.

But after the betrayal of Mu Wanlan that night, not only did Mu Wanqing perish, but several Fake Core True Persons were also killed by the Top Grade Third Rank Spiritual Crane—one bite for each, dying a dreadful death.

Now, there was only one Fake Core True Person left in the family—himself. With no choice, he had to elevate cultivators in the late Foundation Establishment stage to discuss affairs in the ancestral hall.

"Regarding the Family Head..."

Mu Wanzhang’s voice was dry, as lifeless as a dead man, yet chasing after the last glimmer of hope.

"The Long Family replied, no news about the Family Head and others were found near ’Heavenly Cloud Mountain’, only the ruins of the White Jade Palace..."

A cultivator in the late stage of Foundation Establishment had red eyes.

After all, it was his grandfather who was part of the expedition!

"How ruthless of the White Crane Sect!"

Mu Wanzhang cursed, just as a Foundation Establishment cultivator walked in, holding a token.

"Has Qiankun Dao replied?"

Mu Wanzhang quickly took it, scanned it with his Divine Sense, and immediately started cursing, "Shameless! Utterly shameless! The Control Crane Token was stolen? Isn’t that the Lifebound Spirit Pet of the Supreme Elder of the White Crane Sect? When did Lifebound Spirit Pets start being controlled by Life Plates?"

Qiankun Dao’s response was blatantly biased.

The White Crane Sect provided an excuse, and Qiankun Dao immediately believed it!

Such cooperation made Mu Wanzhang’s heart grow cold: "The Mu Family... is finished... This time, we probably have no choice but to enter seclusion!"

He didn’t even dare to leave the scope of Baihua Mountain now, fearing that he might suddenly die.

"It’s done... send the order down. My Mu Family... will enter seclusion for a hundred years!"

Mu Wanzhang made a resolute decision through gritted teeth.

Although this meant giving up external affairs completely and no longer commanding the power of a Core Formation Family,

at least the family could be preserved, even if just for a hundred years...