……

“Hmph!”

Changning Xu Clan’s head, Xu Anbang, snorted discontentedly, “Huangfu Clan’s head, your words are unfair. In business, it’s all about one’s ability. Moreover, our Changning Xu Clan and Ping’an Wang Clan have always been known for our integrity. You shouldn’t defame us so casually.”

“Uncle Wu is absolutely right.” Wang Shouzhe said indifferently, “We always educate our children that to establish oneself, one must first establish virtue. If one lacks virtue, how can one establish oneself? Especially for small clans like ours, if we lack virtue and conduct, how can we survive?”

“Heh~”

Huangfu Jin Huan’s eyes flickered twice, but he didn’t argue with them any further.

After tonight, Changning Xu Clan and Ping’an Wang Clan would be like grasshoppers after autumn, unable to last for long. Let them enjoy their moment of triumph~

……

While the Huangfu Clan’s main mansion in Changning was filled with music and dance, the battle near the workshop on the Golden Sand Beach had reached a fever pitch.

The troops from the third patrol battalion had the Golden Sand Beach tightly surrounded, with many high-level cultivators fighting fiercely. Unless something unexpected happened, this would be a battle of annihilation.

Among them, the battle between Wang Long Yan and Mr. Yin was the most crucial.

Mr. Yin’s combat power was not manifested in direct combat, but in various cunning tactics.

Being forced to reveal all his cards, and having them dismantled one by one, even though his cultivation level was slightly higher than Wang Long Yan’s, he was now like a tiger that had lost its claws, increasingly unable to withstand her domineering and relentless attacks.

If it weren’t for his elusive movements and endless tricks, he would have been killed long ago.

Seeing that escape was hopeless, a ruthless look flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly spoke, “Miss, I have no grudge against you, why are you so persistent? I know a big secret, I can share it with you, to help you reach the Heavenly Human Realm.”

At this point, he had to play his last card.

He firmly believed that any late-stage cultivator would be tempted by the great allure of advancing to the Heavenly Human Realm. At the very least, the other party would be curious about what secret he held.

And as long as the other party hesitated slightly, he was confident he could persuade her.

Unexpectedly!

Faced with such a temptation, Wang Long Yan didn’t even bat an eyelid, her hatred only deepened.

She abruptly intensified her Xuanbing Sword Technique, the frost raised by the Long Yan Sword suddenly surged, the sword qi became colder, and the edge became sharper.

Layers upon layers of sword qi completely suppressed Mr. Yin.

Clearly, she had no intention of listening to what Mr. Yin had to say, she was determined to kill him.

“You!” Mr. Yin choked, his face instantly turned extremely ugly, “Are you mad? What good does killing me do for you? I can swear an oath on the Styx, to share this secret with you, I can even swear to help you advance to the Heavenly Human Realm first. You know, although our Yinsha Sect is hostile to your Zifu Academy, we won’t easily break the oath of the Styx.”

The oath of the Styx is the most important oath to the Yinsha Sect. Once they make such a vow, unless it’s a matter of life and death, they rarely break their promise.

He even threw out the oath of the Styx, obviously he was really desperate.

“I admit your proposal is very tempting, and I also know about your Yinsha Sect’s oath of the Styx, it’s just a pity……”

Long Yan Ancestor’s delicate body was suspended in mid-air, her jade hand tightly gripping the Long Yan Sword, her face cold, but the light in her eyes was as firm as an icy peak.

Suddenly.

She flicked her wrist, and a sword was slashed out resolutely.

At the same time, her resounding voice came from the sky, “If I put aside past grievances and cooperate with your Yinsha Evil Sect, how can I face my ancestors? How can I face the elders of the academy? How can I face the younger generations of my clan?”

Wang Long Yan knew well that “virtue” is the foundation of a clan!

If one only considers immediate interests and abandons moral bottom lines, what’s the difference between them and the selfish and greedy Huangfu Clan? Such a clan may thrive for a while, but it definitely won’t last forever.

As her words fell, thousands of frost suddenly converged into an ice storm, once again enveloping Mr. Yin.

The sword light transformed by the Long Yan Sword was everywhere, deadly!

“Damn it, damn woman!”

This is a troublesome madwoman!

Mr. Yin roared in his heart, feeling extremely bitter.

Even with his endless tricks, he was beaten into a sorry state, with multiple injuries on his body, and his body was almost frostbitten, his movements becoming slower and slower.

If he continued to fight, there would only be one way to death.

“Enough is enough~”

Mr. Yin’s zombie-like face twitched violently, as if he had made some kind of decision.

At this moment, he had no choice but to use that move.

Immediately, he began to operate a secret technique, reversing his blood flow.

In an instant, the essence blood in his body began to boil and burn, and traces of blood seeped out from his seven orifices and pores, making him look extremely ferocious and terrifying.

Blood is the foundation of life, and essence blood is the foundation of a cultivator.

Any action involving essence blood would more or less damage the foundation of cultivation, and even affect lifespan. Such burning of essence blood, even if he could escape with his life, he would likely be severely injured.

“I will remember today’s gift.” He glared coldly at Wang Long Yan, then turned into a blood rainbow, shooting rapidly towards the sky, “In the future……”

But before he could fly seven or eight zhang away, and before the word “day” could leave his mouth, Wang Long Yan had already made her move.As if she had anticipated it all along, Long Yan raised her hand, and with a flick, her sword spun violently and whistled away.

A sudden storm of icy winds converged on Long Yan’s sword, like an ice cone cannonball, piercing directly towards the bloody light.

Fast as lightning, its edge was unparalleled.

Mr. Yin heard a “whoosh” by his ear, followed by a heart-wrenching pain in his chest.

The harsh words he was about to utter came to an abrupt halt. Looking down, his sinister eyes instantly filled with panic and disbelief.

How… how is this possible?

What met his gaze was a bloody hole the size of a bowl in his chest.

His eyes gradually lost focus, his body flew out a distance due to inertia, before finally losing all strength and crashing heavily onto the golden sand beach.

Truly worthy of being a late-stage Lingtai realm cultivator, just a step away from the Heavenly Man realm, his vitality was tenacious.

Even at this moment, his eyes remained open, still filled with disbelief, staring fixedly at Wang Long Yan.

Wang Long Yan’s eyes were as calm as ever. With a casual wave of her jade hand, the Long Yan sword she had just thrown out returned to her hand like a wisp of smoke.

She once again casually swung her sword.

Mr. Yin’s wide-eyed head flew out, rolling a few times on the ground, his eyes still wide open in death.

“You were too confident, you shouldn’t have wasted time threatening me, it slowed you down.” Only after his death did Wang Long Yan speak with cold eyes, “Moreover, the Blood Escape Technique of the Yin Sha Sect is so famous, how could I not be prepared for you?”

As an ancestor, with Wang Shouzhe, a descendant with unique (eccentric) thinking, she naturally understood the principle of villains dying due to excessive talking.

In fact, Wang Long Yan was even clearer that once a disciple of the Yin Sha Sect was forced to use the Blood Escape Technique, life or death was basically up to luck.

Even if Mr. Yin really escaped, there was a more than seventy to eighty percent chance that he would die directly under the Blood Escape Technique.

But even so, Wang Long Yan didn’t want to give him that slim chance of survival, so she had been prepared for his move, and while he was threatening her, she threw out her long-prepared killing move.

Poor Mr. Yin, if he could live again, he would surely not talk so much.

Seeing the troublesome enemy leader Mr. Yin killed in battle, the soldiers of the Third Patrol Camp cheered, and our members were all greatly encouraged.

Ancestor Ru Hong took the lead in achieving merit.

His Water Dragon Spear pierced through the head of the Yin Sha Poison Corpse like a rainbow piercing the sun, and its huge body crashed down.

This Yin Sha Poison Corpse was quite powerful, comparable to the combat power of a late-stage Lingtai realm cultivator.

But in the end, without someone to command it, its low intelligence was simply not enough to support combat. It was just a big target, its intelligence far inferior to the demon puppets in the Shenwu Army’s training ground, and it was not even worth mentioning.

With Wang Long Yan and Ancestor Ru Hong freeing up their hands, the other battlefields quickly received support.

Soon, the other two members of the Yin Sha Sect, Yin Twenty-Six and Yin Seventeen, were suppressed and killed on the spot, without even a chance to use the Blood Escape Technique.

After all the outsiders were killed, everyone surrounded Huangfu Jinyuan.

At this time, Ancestor Beichen also stopped, looking at Huangfu Jinyuan with great regret: “Brother Jinyuan, you and I are from the same era, and we used to compete with each other when we were young. In terms of talent, you were even slightly better than me. How spirited you were back then? You left the family for a better future, and I even praised you behind your back. But I didn’t expect you to end up like this.”

“Xu Beichen, what do you know?” Huangfu Jinyuan’s face was ashen, utterly defeated, “You are the direct line of the Changning Xu Clan, with all the family resources available to you. And I was just an ordinary direct disciple of the Heavenly Man Huangfu Clan, what choice did I have? Even if I left the family, how could I really live without relying on the main family?”

“Brother Jinyuan, surrender. As long as you confess your crimes and expose the real mastermind behind the scenes, we can still plead for you.” Ancestor Beichen persuaded, “Things have come to this point, why do you still persist in your foolish loyalty?”

“Hehehe~ It’s just a matter of the victor being king and the loser being the bandit.”

Huangfu Jinyuan laughed, and he seemed to age a few more years in an instant.

He slowly straightened his body, his eyes filled with determination: “Colluding with the Yin Sha Sect, plotting against my fellow villagers, it was all my decision, it has nothing to do with others. Even Huangfu Kangping was just coerced by me. Xu Beichen, we met when we were young, it’s a kind of fate, just give me a quick death.”

“You…” Ancestor Beichen, unable to persuade him, said helplessly, “Brother Jinyuan, since you have made up your mind. All I can give you is a quick death.”

With that, he turned his palm over.

The Town Dragon Stele instantly materialized and suppressed down.

“Boom!”

This time, Huangfu Jinyuan did not resist and was crushed to death under the Town Dragon Stele.

A founding ancestor, thus fell.

After killing Huangfu Jinyuan, Ancestor Beichen also showed extreme regret in his eyes, sighing: “Actually, this Huangfu Jinyuan was also a great man of his generation, with extraordinary talent and will, it’s just a pity that he was born in the wrong family. Even though he wanted to break free from the control of the Heavenly Man Huangfu Clan, he was helpless and only sank deeper. If he were in my position, he might have reached the Heavenly Man realm by now.”

Ancestor Ru Hong and Wang Long Yan and the others all remained silent.Despite being enemies, they couldn’t help but feel some sympathy for Huangfu Jinyuan.

But an enemy is still an enemy.

Everyone has a family, a career, children, and grandchildren. As Huangfu Jinyuan said, it’s all about the survival of the fittest.

As for Huangfu Kangping, after witnessing Huangfu Jinyuan’s fall, he had roared and tried to fight to the death.

Unfortunately, he was outnumbered and weak, and in the end, both his arms and legs were broken, and he was captured alive.

At this point, the battle at the Golden Sand Beach had finally come to an end.

As a public figure, Zhou Zhenwu, the commander of the three patrol camps, said solemnly, “Although the battle is over, there is still a lot of work to be done. Whether the Huangfu’s Clan was involved or not, no one can be sure, but the former Huangfu’s Clan is likely to be implicated. I need to report everything truthfully to the city lord, and the final decision on how to deal with it will depend on the city lord’s opinion.”

With that, he bowed to everyone, “Gentlemen, I will take my leave first to handle the follow-up matters.”

……

Almost at the same time.

The Fortune Casino.

The night was deep, and the casino had finally closed, ending a day’s business.

On the third floor, in a heavily guarded room, the manager Huang was lying in a grandmaster’s chair, leisurely puffing smoke under the service of two enchanting maids, looking quite content.

“Manager Huang,” Ding Youde flattered as he rolled a leaf cigarette for him and carefully lit it, “You are truly prescient. Wang Zongwei really didn’t dare to report, he’s been very obedient these days.”

Manager Huang took a calm puff of his leaf cigarette, his eyes half-closed, looking relaxed.

He had done things like this more than once, so naturally, he wouldn’t get as excited as Ding Youde.

After taking a deep breath and savoring the taste of the leaf cigarette for a while, he said, “You did a good job this time. If you continue to work hard for me, you won’t be short of benefits.”

With that, he waved his hand.

One of the enchanting maids immediately brought over a tray, neatly stacked with two bundles of Top Gold. Each bundle contained a hundred Top Gold, so two bundles were a total of two hundred Top Gold.

Ding Youde was overjoyed, quickly took it with respect, and began to flatter incessantly.

Although he handled a lot of money every day, that was all the casino’s money. The actual amount of money that could reach his hands was not much. These two hundred Top Gold were a considerable sum for him.

As they were talking, suddenly, the casino’s front door was kicked open, and a group of soldiers in patrol armor stormed in like wolves and tigers.

“What’s going on?”

Manager Huang sensed something was wrong, and went downstairs with his men to check. His face changed immediately when he saw the situation.

“Soldiers, let’s talk it out. Is there some misunderstanding here?” Ding Youde tried to ingratiate himself with the soldiers.

However, the soldiers seemed to ignore him completely, sealing off the front and back doors of the casino, blocking all exits.

In the midst of the chaos, a series of salutes came from outside the door.

“Commander.”

“Greetings, Commander!”

Manager Huang and Ding Youde’s attention was immediately drawn.

A faint sound of footsteps was heard, followed by the slow appearance of a dignified figure outside the door.

He appeared to be middle-aged, wearing the standard armor of the patrol camp, his expression stern and his demeanor extraordinary.

The light from the palace lantern at the door fell on his face, illuminating his distinct profile.

“Wang Dingzu!” Manager Huang’s eyes narrowed, and he instantly understood, “You’re here for Wang Zongwei, aren’t you?”

The officer outside the door turned out to be Wang Dingzu, the only member of the Wang’s Clan currently serving in the official system.

More than two years ago, Wang Dingzu had successfully advanced to the Lingtai Realm.

Afterwards, Wang Shouzhe had spent a lot of effort to promote him.

Wang Dingzu himself had also worked hard, leading teams to wipe out several groups of rogue cultivators operating within Changning Wei, successfully earning a promotion to the position of commander of the second patrol camp of Changning Wei.

Wang Dingzu glanced at Manager Huang but ignored him, instead giving a direct order.

“Search!”

“How dare you?!” Manager Huang was furious, his triangular eyes flashing with a murderous light, “Aren’t you afraid of the city lord’s blame for acting so rashly?!”

The Fortune Casino was a stakeholder of the city lord’s mansion, and every year it offered a generous tribute to the city lord. He didn’t believe that Wang Dingzu would dare to risk offending the city lord by raiding the Fortune Casino!

The soldiers of the patrol camp were clearly aware of this, and for a moment they hesitated.

Wang Dingzu glanced at Manager Huang and said coldly, “I received reliable information that the Fortune Casino is colluding with the enemy and has connections with the Yinsha Sect. According to the laws of Daqian, individuals or organizations colluding with the Yinsha Sect must be dealt with immediately upon discovery. If there is any delay, they will be treated as traitors. Now that the city lord is not in the mansion, I have to take the initiative to arrest the traitors and report to the city lord later.”

“What?!”

The soldiers of the patrol camp were shocked.

Before they came, Wang Dingzu, fearing that the news would leak, only told them the gathering place. Even the matter of raiding the Fortune Casino was only known to a few confidants.

At this moment, they had just learned the truth of the matter.

The face of the head of the Huang family turned pale.

The matter of the Yinsha Sect was a secret even within the Huangfu Clan, known to only a few. All related matters of the gambling house were personally handled by him, even his maidservants were unaware.

Except for…

Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat, and he turned around abruptly, only to find that Ding Youde was nowhere to be seen.

“He who understands the times is a great man. Master Huang, I’m sorry~”

Ding Youde had somehow sneaked to Wang Dingzu’s side, bowing and scraping respectfully, his flattery was endless.

“Ding Youde, how dare you?!” Master Huang trembled with rage, “Don’t forget, your mother and son are still in our hands!”

The matter of the Yinsha Sect was of great importance. If he didn’t have Ding Youde’s Achilles’ heel, how could he dare to let him handle it?

However, no matter how cautious Master Huang was, he would never have expected that a few months ago, Wang Shouzhe had already investigated Ding Youde’s background and had secretly protected his mother and son.

In this way, how could Ding Youde not comply obediently?

Although Master Huang had the cultivation of the Spirit Platform Realm, he couldn’t make waves surrounded by hundreds of patrol soldiers, let alone that Wang Dingzu’s cultivation was not weaker than his.

Wang Dingzu didn’t care about the dispute between Ding Youde and Master Huang, he just coldly swept his eyes over all the soldiers: “What are you waiting for? Search!”

“Yes, Commander!”

The patrol soldiers responded in unison, then rushed into the various rooms of the gambling house, searching methodically.

Seeing this, Ding Youde quickly flattered Wang Dingzu with a smile: “Commander, I know where Huang Huai’an hid the account book, I’ll take you there.”

Upon hearing this, Master Huang’s vision went black with rage, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. This damn traitor, he had betrayed him thoroughly.

……

Time flew by~

This night banquet hosted by General Manager Huaye had unknowingly passed several hours.

As the end approached, Huangfu Jin Huan became increasingly restless, constantly looking outside as if waiting for something.

Finally, he leaned over to Ancestor Huaye and whispered a few words.

Ancestor Huaye furrowed his brows and pondered for a moment, then stood up and said: “I am grateful for everyone’s presence at this banquet. I have lived for nearly three hundred years. I have no other desires in this life, except to say that our major families in Changning Wei should work together to create a future. Our Huangfu family, as a celestial family, will surely do our duty as the leader and seek development with all major families.”

“Well said, Ancestor.” Huangfu Deyun and others applauded in unison.

Fang You’an and Lord Mayor Xiahou Hongde exchanged glances, both understanding Ancestor Huaye’s intentions, and stood up to exchange pleasantries with him.

Neither Fang You’an nor Xiahou Hongde were locals of Changning Wei, and it was not worth disagreeing with Ancestor Huaye on this matter.

However, Wang Shouzhe and Xu Anbang looked at each other in confusion.

Ancestor Huaye’s claim was too grand, not to mention he hadn’t reached the mid-stage of the Celestial Realm. Even if he had, who would recognize him as the leader? Where did this leave the Lei Clan of the Celestial Realm and the other families?

Sure enough.

Lei Yangyu, the head of the Lei family who had come to support the event, frowned. He had been very low-key today, just not wanting to make the conflict with the Huangfu family public.

However, just as the banquet was about to end, Ancestor Huaye’s words implicitly elevated the Huangfu family to such a high position. If he didn’t speak up now, everyone would think that Changning Wei was dominated by the Huangfu family of the Celestial Realm, and the Lei family had no status.

Lei Yangyu of the Lei family stood up and said with a smile: “Ancestor Huaye, Changning Wei has been open for five hundred years, and each family has always done their own thing. Are you suggesting today that your family is ready to share your ranch business with everyone?”

Ancestor Huaye’s eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of displeasure passing over them, but he ultimately remembered that Lei Yangyu was a junior.

At this moment, Huangfu Jin Huan stepped forward and said: “Brother Lei, you misunderstood. The Ancestor means that our Changning Wei can’t always be as disunited as before. If the Lei family is willing to take on this responsibility, we would welcome it.”

Lei Yangyu responded with a forced smile: “No need, our Lei family has always believed in taking care of our own affairs. At the same time, we don’t want to be controlled by others. If your family really wants to be the leader, you should first upgrade to a sixth-rank family.”

Without waiting for a rebuttal, Lei Yangyu bowed his hand and said: “Everyone, I have urgent matters at home and must leave first.”

As soon as he said this.

Quite a few people stood up and excused themselves.

This scene made Huangfu Jin Huan’s eyes flash with a hint of sharpness.

But just then, an unexpected change occurred.

There was a commotion outside, with the family servants and elders making a fuss. This was the Huangfu family, how dare they barge in.

And some stern shouts, all of you get out of the way, or you’ll be arrested for colluding with the evil sect and betraying Daqian.

Huangfu Jin Huan’s face changed drastically, and he shouted angrily: “Who is making a fuss outside?”

As soon as his words fell, a group of fully armed soldiers rushed in menacingly, surrounding the main hall.

Then, a stern-faced general walked in.

As soon as he entered, he loudly declared, “The third patrol battalion of Changning Guard is here to arrest those from Huangfu’s Clan who have colluded with the Yinsha Sect to betray the country. Anyone who dares to harbor or obstruct the execution of official duties will be treated as an accomplice.”

Zhou Zhenwu!

This man was none other than Zhou Zhenwu, who had led his troops back from Jinsha at the fastest speed.

How great was the merit of today’s achievement, how could he miss it?

…