……

The Golden Sands Beach was once a renowned gold panning site far and wide. With the decline of the gold panning industry, the rocky beach here had been abandoned for a long time.

It was surrounded by water on three sides and backed by mountains on one side. As long as the ground was leveled, it would be the most suitable place to build a workshop.

Under the hazy night, a cement workshop that was more than half built sprawled on the rocky beach, looking like a monstrous beast.

On the high ground.

There were not many outsiders, only five in total.

Two of them were dressed in black night travel outfits, their faces covered, obviously people who could not casually reveal their identities.

The other three, however, had removed their disguises, unabashedly exuding a sinister and eerie aura.

Each of them seemed to be not from the righteous path, involuntarily making people feel a chill in their hearts.

The leading old man was even more filled with a substantial aura of evil, like a raging demon ready to choose its prey.

This man glanced coldly at the masked man and said indifferently, “Old Huangfu, it’s just about destroying a small workshop. We have five cultivators of the Spiritual Platform Realm here, including you and me in the late stage of the Spiritual Platform Realm. Even if we encounter an ordinary Heavenly Man Realm, we can fight. Why do you have to hide your identity like this?”

“Mr. Yin.” The masked old man surnamed Huangfu spoke calmly, “We both have families and businesses, children and grandchildren, so we should naturally be cautious. Once today’s action is exposed, our entire clan will be implicated.”

“Hmph~”

Mr. Yin sneered, seemingly somewhat disdainful.

“Speaking of which, we have been lurking for quite a while.” A ferocious smile appeared on his cold, zombie-like face, “We’ve been suppressed for too long, it’s time to see some blood.”

With that, his body leaped, instantly soaring from the high ground like a bird, gliding with the wind.

In just over a dozen breaths, he had glided hundreds of feet diagonally downwards from the high altitude, landing in front of the workshop.

His two subordinates, as well as the two masked men, immediately followed.

Cultivators of the Spiritual Platform Realm could achieve short-term flight, and gliding downwards from high ground was naturally effortless.

Five cultivators of the Spiritual Platform Realm stood in front of the workshop, each full of momentum and confidence.

“Gentlemen, our intelligence has found out that all the cocoons are in the workshop.” Old Huangfu said, “Our goal is to kill everyone here. The ships and men who will meet us will transport all the raw materials of the cocoons, as well as the new silk reeling tools and weaving tools.”

They were confident enough.

As long as they got these new tools, they could easily replicate them in less than two years.

Upon hearing this.

Excitement appeared in the eyes of the two masked men.

This would be a turning point in the fate of their Huangfu Clan!

However, suddenly.

Before they had a chance to break in, a young man’s voice came from inside, “Commander, was my information correct? There are indeed people from the Yinsha Sect active in our Changning Guard.”

As he spoke, a group of people walked out of the cement workshop.

The leader was dressed as a military officer. He was tall and stern, wearing a set of black armor, his military demeanor was undoubtedly evident.

Behind him were a young man and a young woman. The young man was handsome and heroic, while the woman was also valiant.

This young couple was none other than Wang Shouzhe and his fiancée Zhou Qingning.

Some time ago, with the consent of Wang Shouzhe and the secret mediation of Liu Ruolan, this marriage was finally arranged.

However, Zhou Zhenwu, as the commander of the Third Patrol of Changning Guard, still had some concerns. He felt that the current city lord, Xiahou Hongde, only had three years left in his term. It would be better to wait until Xiahou Hongde left and the new city lord arrived, and take advantage of his instability to arrange this matter, which would be less likely to cause problems.

Therefore, the relationship between the two parties was still confidential for the time being.

In addition to the three of Wang Shouzhe, there were also two men in splendid attire.

One of them was the head of the Jinsha Xu Clan, Xu Anze. However, he was only in his early forties and his strength was only at the ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm, so it was not his turn to hold the stage today.

The real representative of the Jinsha Xu Clan was the man in front of him.

That was the ancestor of the Jinsha Xu Clan, Xu Ningwei, Ancestor Ningwei.

Ancestor Ningwei looked dignified and had an extraordinary demeanor, but his face seemed to have aged a bit.

However, the Jinsha Xu Clan was not strong to begin with, and Ancestor Ningwei, who was over a hundred years old, was only in the early stage of the Spiritual Platform Realm.

Fortunately, the founding ancestor who had split from the Changning Xu Clan back then had obtained a spiritual artifact, the “Lingyao Shield”, which served as the clan’s spiritual artifact of the Jinsha Xu Clan, making Ancestor Ningwei’s combat power still acceptable among many early-stage Spiritual Platform Realm ancestors.

Moreover, the “Lingyao Shield” had outstanding defensive power, and even when facing the mid-stage Spiritual Platform Realm, it had the means to save his life.

This was generally the case for ordinary ninth-rank clans, their foundation was inevitably not as strong as that of eighth-rank clans.

However, now that the Jinsha Xu Clan had clung to the golden thigh of the Ping’an Wang Clan, its future development potential was bound to rise steadily.

As these five people appeared.

Mr. Yin and the other four were all stunned, with a vague sense of unease in their hearts.

The other party had even invited the patrol camp to stand guard here, clearly they had planned this in advance.

However, before they could react, the tiger-like eyes of Zhou Zhenwu, the commander of the three patrol camps, were already fixed on them.

“People from the Yinsha Sect dare to stir up trouble in our Changning Guard, they really don’t know what death is.” His gaze fell on Mr. Yin, sneering coldly, “Men, surround them!”

At his command.

A group of patrol camp soldiers who had been lurking in the cement factory for a long time rushed out.

At the same time, on the seemingly deserted golden beach, some covers were lifted. The patrol camp soldiers who had been ambushing here also rushed out.

A total of more than a hundred patrol camp soldiers, divided into two waves, surrounded the five invaders from a distance.

They were all ordinary soldiers belonging to the city’s capital, their individual strength was not very strong, most of them were only at the fourth, fifth, or sixth level of Qi Refining, looking like elite guards.

Only a few team leaders had reached the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refining. Even the two deputy commanders were only at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

But, don’t underestimate these soldiers.

They were all fully armed, with complete armor.

The front row was made up of sword and shield soldiers, the back row was made up of long spear soldiers, and the last row was all elite archers with precious swords at their waists and bows and arrows in their hands. They were all well-trained, proficient in formation and joint attack techniques, and very difficult to deal with. Even ordinary Lingtai realm cultivators would find it difficult to escape from their battle formation.

The five people who were surrounded all had serious and extremely solemn expressions.

Especially the two masked ancestors of the Huangfu Clan, they couldn’t help but take two steps back, clearly showing fear.

The patrol camp belonging to the city’s capital, regardless of their combat power, was ultimately the official army, nominally under the Daqian royal family.

As the saying goes, civilians should not fight with officials. Once they resist arrest and confront them, even if they are innocent, they will become guilty. It could even potentially implicate their entire clan.

Seemingly sensing the resistance of the two Huangfu ancestors, Mr. Yin’s eyes flashed, and he suddenly sneered: “We have two late-stage Lingtai realm cultivators, two mid-stage Lingtai realm cultivators, and one early-stage Lingtai realm cultivator. They only have two early-stage Lingtai realm cultivators. If we fight hard, we will certainly suffer casualties, but in the end, we will still win.”

As he spoke, he looked at Zhou Zhenwu with a sinister smile, his voice already carrying a hint of killing intent: “Zhou Zhenwu, are you really willing to capture us, regardless of the death and injury of your brothers?”

“That’s right, why not let us go, and pretend that nothing happened today.” Hearing this, the old Huangfu’s courage also bolstered, and he threatened.

However, at this moment.

A woman’s cold snort suddenly rang out, like a thunderbolt, causing a faint pain in people’s ears.

“Hmph~! You coward, hiding your face. Do you think that by wearing a mask, no one will recognize you? Huangfu Jinyuan!”

As her voice fell, a woman in a white long dress with a veil on her face floated down from the mountain behind the golden beach.

Her eyes were as cold as ice, her temperament was cold and stunning, just like a celestial maiden. Especially her signature white hair, which was extremely eye-catching under the night sky.

“Wang Long Yan!”

Huangfu Jinyuan recognized her at a glance, his pupils slightly contracted.

This woman was the ancestor of the Wang’s Clan, who had been famous since she was young, let alone in recent years. There were rumors that Wang Long Yan had already advanced to the late stage of the Lingtai realm. Now that she appeared, her aura was indeed hidden and unfathomable, seemingly no less than Huangfu Jinyuan.

As soon as Ancestor Long Yan appeared, her eyes were fixed on the three people from the Yinsha Sect, a cold hatred rose, and the intent to kill was explosive.

“Yinsha Sect! It really has something to do with your Huangfu family!”

“Wang Long Yan, don’t slander people!”

Huangfu Jinyuan simply tore off the mask on his face, revealing an angry but extremely old face, as if he had reached the end of his life.

He knew that he couldn’t hide today, so he wanted to separate himself from his family, gritted his teeth and said angrily: “This is just me and my friends from the Yinsha Sect doing something together, it has nothing to do with my Huangfu Clan or the Heavenly Huangfu Clan!”

“Hmph~”

Another old man’s voice sounded in the sky.

His voice was old, but as deep as a bell: “Whether the clan is involved with the Yinsha Sect or not, we will know after we arrest and interrogate them.”

As his voice fell, a grey-robed old man floated down from the sky.

He stood with his hands behind his back, although his face showed some signs of age, his spirit was still vigorous, especially the divine light and sharpness in his eyes, which were no less than those of young people.

The years that had flowed through him had not taken away his sharpness, but had given him a deeper foundation and a broader mind, showing his dominance in every move.

His gaze swept over the five people, finally landing on Huangfu Jinyuan, with a hint of regret in his eyes: “Huangfu Jinyuan, you and I are of the same generation. You were once a proud son of heaven, but I didn’t expect you to fall to such a state.”

“Xu Beichen!” Huangfu Jinyuan’s face drastically changed, “I didn’t expect you to join the fray too!”

Indeed, this Xu Beichen was the oldest and most senior ancestor of the Changning Xu Clan, Ancestor Beichen.

He had been preparing to break through to the Heavenly Realm.

Now that he had appeared here, the last shred of hope in the hearts of Huangfu Jinyuan and the others had completely dissipated.

Everything had been calculated by the other party.

Even this water mill might be a bait thrown out by them.

They had fallen into the trap!

Huangfu Jinyuan and Mr. Yin, both in the late stage of the Spirit Platform Realm, looked at each other, seeing the same decision in each other’s eyes.

Breakthrough!

Now, only by breaking through could they possibly save their lives. Whoever could escape would be a bonus.

“Yin Seventeen, Yin Twenty-six.” Mr. Yin’s voice was cold and icy, “We will break through separately and regroup at the rendezvous point.”

As soon as his words fell, the three of them moved, sprinting in different directions.

At the same time.

Huangfu Jinyuan also whispered to a clan member beside him, “You charge with me. Don’t worry about me at the critical moment, just run if you can. Remember, cooperating with the Yinsha Sect is a personal act, it has nothing to do with the family.”

As the last word “family” was uttered, a fiery aura suddenly erupted from Huangfu Jinyuan’s seemingly old body.

In an instant, his whole body was ablaze.

Under the enveloping flames, with each step he took, the entire golden beach seemed to tremble. At this moment, he was like a walking Flame Lord in the mortal world, exuding a terrifying power.

He had already exposed himself, and now, it was time to pave a bloody path for the younger generation!

The five of them were resolute and reacted extremely quickly.

However, today’s series of events were a deadly trap that Wang Shouzhe had been planning for a long time. How could he let them succeed easily?

Take Yin Twenty-six for example, on the surface, he was only in the early stage of the Spirit Platform Realm. But once he started moving, it was clear that he was not simple.

His speed was extremely fast, not inferior to those in the middle stage of the Spirit Platform Realm. He moved violently, leaving a trail of smoke and shadow, and his hands were equipped with a pair of sharp ghost claws.

He didn’t dare to jump into the air. Spirit Platform Realm cultivators couldn’t fly far in the air, and it was difficult to change direction. In the presence of official army archers, he would be nothing more than a live target.

At this moment, a squad of soldiers was blocking his way. Eight shield bearers formed a semi-circular shield wall, their shields planted in the ground in a defensive posture, with spearmen ready behind them.

The archers were ready to shoot at any time, showing no fear of the Spirit Platform Realm opponent.

Yin Twenty-six charged at the encirclement at an extremely fast speed, his ghost claws thrusting forward. With a “clang”, he actually sent a shield bearer flying along with his shield.

However, he was also not in a good state. His rapid momentum suddenly stopped, and four or five spearmen on his left and right seized the opportunity to thrust their spears at him.

Yin Twenty-six waved his claws continuously, blocking and retreating at the same time.

Before he could steady his footing, the remaining shield bearers rushed at him with their shields, blocking his way to break through from the left and right.

At the same time.

“Zing zing zing!”

The continuous sound of bowstrings echoed, and under the rapid-fire archery, ten to twenty arrows rained down on Yin Twenty-six like a storm.

His pair of ghost claws danced so fast that they seemed to form a shield around his body.

“Clang clang clang!”

In a series of metallic clashes, all the arrows were blocked, and he was not injured at all.

He was indeed a Spirit Platform Realm cultivator.

However, even so, after being suppressed by a series of blocks, Yin Twenty-six’s breakthrough was declared a failure. He could only retreat back into the encirclement.

This was the terrifying power of a military formation. This squad of more than twenty soldiers, Yin Twenty-six could easily kill any of them if he faced them one-on-one.

……

But such a well-trained and fully equipped patrol camp army could actually force him to retreat!

Of course, this didn’t mean that this squad of soldiers was stronger than Yin Twenty-six.

If it was just this squad of soldiers and Yin Twenty-six in the wilderness, the ones who would be annihilated in the end would probably be this squad of soldiers.

Of course, it’s hard to say how much Yin Twenty-six would have to pay at that time.

However, now they were on the battlefield.

And the majority of the army had already shown the advantage of encirclement, naturally erasing all the advantages of Yin Twenty-six’s agility and unpredictability.

As long as he couldn’t break through, and the soldiers kept wearing him down, the one who would die in the end would definitely be Yin Twenty-six.

And the battle involving Yin Twenty-six was just one corner of the overall battlefield.

Just as he was trying to break through the formation, the situation in other places was also changing dramatically.

Huangfu Jinyuan was truly a strong cultivator in the late stage of the Spirit Platform Realm. Almost transforming into a Flame Lord, he sent a whole squad of patrol camp soldiers flying with his fiery punches and kicks.

At the same time, the clan member beside him suddenly blew a sharp whistle, the clear and bright sound reaching the sky.

Suddenly.A crisp bird call echoed, and in the dim and gloomy sky, a massive shadow several feet wide plummeted downwards.

Its speed was incredibly fast, seeming to reach the ground in just a few breaths.

Only then did the crowd get a clear look.

It was a giant bird, its wings spread out to several feet. It resembled an eagle but wasn’t, and a hawk but wasn’t. Its body was blood-red, and its tail was a beautiful flame tail, like a burning blood flame.

“Blood Pigeon.”

This was a ferocious bird that was extremely adept at flying, and its large size and spiritual nature suggested that it was a third-order spirit beast that had been nurtured for a long time.

“Huangfu Jinyuan, you still want to run?”

The Ancestor Beichen of the Changning Xu Clan was one of their own, not afraid of being shot down by the patrol camp’s archers. He immediately stepped into the air and flew over. With a swipe on his storage ring, a black, tower-like stele appeared in his palm.

The stele was as black as ink, carved with countless mysterious and profound silver runes.

As soon as the black stele appeared, it exuded an irresistible aura of majesty.

Ancestor Beichen pinched a finger, and the profound runes emitted a dazzling light,

“Hum!”

With the black stele trembling violently, a sound like a morning bell and evening drum echoed in the air. Following that, the black stele transformed into a huge silver energy phantom, suppressing the two with an extraordinary momentum.

“Dragon Suppression Stele!”

Huangfu Jinyuan’s face changed, and he hurriedly shouted, “Kang Ping, you retreat first, don’t worry about me.”

This “Dragon Suppression Stele” was certainly not the clan treasure enshrined in the ancestral hall of the Changning Xu Clan.

It was just a replica. But even as a replica, it was a spiritual tool painstakingly replicated by the ancestors of the Xu Clan, reaching the level of a medium-grade spiritual tool.

Its power was still extraordinary.

Once suppressed by its energy phantom, one would feel as if they were carrying a heavy mountain, unable to move a step.

Truly worthy of being an old eighth-rank family, their foundation was much deeper than that of ordinary eighth-rank families.

But Huangfu Jinyuan was not a pushover either. He was the founding ancestor of the former Huangfu Clan. Although he was now old and his cultivation of Xuanqi showed signs of stagnation and regression, he was still a late-stage Lingtai powerhouse.

Moreover, the former Huangfu Clan was also an eighth-rank family. Even if they were not as deep-rooted as the Changning Xu Clan, they still had the face of an eighth-rank family.

With a wave of his hand, a ruler about a foot long appeared in his hand.

The ruler was yellow and smooth as jade, also carved with many runes. But on both sides, there were a dragon and a tiger engraved, the whole emitting a faint golden glow.

As Huangfu Jinyuan’s Xuanqi poured in, “Hum” sounded, and the ruler bloomed into a giant ruler about a foot long, seeming both real and unreal, and within the phantom, there seemed to be the shadows of a dragon and a tiger roaring.

“Dragon and Tiger Demon Subduing Ruler!”

This was a divine spiritual treasure famous throughout The Great Qian, with the power to shatter mountains and rivers.

But without a doubt, this was a replica spiritual tool.

But even as a replica spiritual tool, it still had considerable power. Especially in the hands of a late-stage Lingtai powerhouse like Huangfu Jinyuan, it was even more domineering and fierce!

The phantom of the ruler collided with the phantom of the Dragon Suppression Stele, causing shockwaves that turned the pebbles on the golden sand beach into powder, scattering everywhere. The soldiers of the patrol camp dared not approach.

But no one noticed.

Under the hazy night, a giant turtle slowly floated down from the upstream of the Jinsha River.

A woman with a sword hanging from her waist stood prettily on the turtle.

Her water-blue ice silkworm dress fluttered gently in the night wind, ethereal and fairy-like.

Most peculiarly, a water-blue bead slowly and spiritedly circled around her, occasionally rubbing against her, showing an exceptionally “intimate” appearance.

…