Chapter 51: Achievements

The Li family on Great Banyan Island remained unscathed, but that did not mean the other three families possessed such luck or strength.

Two Foundation Establishment cultivators, leading over a hundred Qi Refinement cultivators, boarded the Zheng family's Redwood Island. One of them wore a black mask, clearly a Foundation Establishment cultivator who did not wish to reveal his identity. He also seemed very familiar with Redwood Island, leading the group with ease to the foot of the spiritual mountain where the Zheng family cultivators resided.

"Do it!" The rogue cultivators, having long lost their patience, raised their magical tools one after another, striking against the clan's protective formation, which had not yet been fully activated.

*Buzz—*

Under attack, the formation immediately drew spiritual energy from its eye to bolster its defenses, which simultaneously alerted the Zheng family cultivators on the mountain.

"Enemy attack!" Patriarch Zheng rose abruptly, repeatedly striking the bronze bell hanging at the entrance. The nine bell tolls signaling an enemy attack echoed throughout Redwood Mountain, alerting the clansmen to prepare for battle.

At the same time, he used a family jade slip to contact the Formation Elder, instructing him to hurry and preside over the mountain-protecting formation.

Only after completing these tasks did Patriarch Zheng calm down, muttering to himself, "Did the Li family send people for revenge?"

Although the Zheng family had many hostile forces, the Li family held the deepest grudge. The Zheng family would never forget the hatred stemming from the killing of one of their Foundation Establishment cultivators, and it was highly possible that the Li family had struck first to eliminate them before the Zheng family's strength could recover.

However, Patriarch Zheng felt something was amiss. If the Li family truly intended to strike, they wouldn't have waited until now, a year later.

"Patriarch, the attackers are two Foundation Establishment cultivators and over a hundred Qi Refinement cultivators," an elder reported, rushing over in haste.

Patriarch Zheng was stunned. "Not the Li family?" Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent only two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

He then let out a disdainful laugh. "Who gave these people such audacity? To dare attack my Zheng family—they truly seek death."

Although the Zheng family's cultivators were fewer in number, they had the protection of their formation, and with the enemy having only two Foundation Establishment cultivators, even breaking through the defensive formation would be difficult.

"I originally intended to use my trump card, but now it seems unnecessary," he said, flying toward the battlefield.

When he saw the rogue cultivators attacking Redwood Island, he said with a look of contempt, "Have these rogue cultivators gone mad? Or do they think having two Foundation Establishment cultivators backing them is enough to take Redwood Island?"

The difference between rogue cultivators and those with inherited legacies was stark. For instance, the magical power of rogue cultivators was often heterogeneous, and the magical tools they used were typically old or mismatched with their cultivation levels.

Many Zheng family cultivators shared their patriarch's sentiment, believing these rogue cultivators were not even worth mentioning.

Once the battle commenced, the performance of the rogue cultivators was indeed underwhelming. Particularly once they fell into a disadvantage, their morale plummeted, and they thought only of retreating to preserve their lives.

However, Patriarch Zheng and the other Foundation Establishment cultivator were not as relaxed as the others; instead, they fought quite a difficult battle.

Those capable of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage among rogue cultivators were invariably powerful individuals, for without sufficient strength, one could not seize resources among rogue cultivators to achieve such a breakthrough.

"The Zheng family's strength is nothing special. We were insufficiently prepared this time; we shall come to seek guidance again next time." Seeing that the siege was failing, the masked cultivator immediately withdrew from the battlefield, completely ignoring the astonishment on the other Foundation Establishment cultivator's face.

However, this Foundation Establishment cultivator had clearly kept a card up his sleeve; seeing the opponent leave, he also immediately ceased his attack and departed on his spiritual sword.

As for the Qi Refinement rogue cultivators below, no one cared whether they lived or died.

"What exactly is the origin of these rogue cultivators?" Patriarch Zheng frowned slightly, especially since the words spoken by the masked cultivator before his departure instilled a sense of unease.

He captured several rogue cultivators, and before he could apply harsh interrogation, they confessed everything they knew.

"Kou Bai, the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, intends to wipe out the four great families of the sea..." Patriarch Zheng was shocked. This matter was far more complex than he had imagined. Behind that Kou Bai, there must be a powerful force; otherwise, how could a mere rogue cultivator gather so many practitioners?

"Go and investigate the situation of the other three families," Patriarch Zheng commanded an elder.

To the north of Redwood Island, the He and Jiang families were also facing their opponents at the same time.

The Jiang family was slightly stronger; a Foundation Establishment cultivator had appeared a few months prior, not only defeating all the invading Qi Refinement cultivators but even paying a small price to kill a Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator.

The He family's experience was the complete opposite. Of the He family's two Foundation Establishment cultivators, one was nearing the end of his life and could not exert the strength expected of his rank.

Meanwhile, the invading force possessed as many as three Foundation Establishment cultivators, making it the strongest team aside from Kou Bai's.

Even though the He family's many cultivators fought desperately, the gap in strength was not easily bridged.

Ultimately, amidst a thick shroud of blood, the He family, which had endured for over two hundred years, was completely annihilated by the rogue cultivators, and the wealth they had accumulated over the years was stripped clean.

The surviving rogue cultivators were overjoyed, waiting for good news from the other teams.

News arrived quickly, but it was not good news. Of the four teams, none but theirs had succeeded; in fact, others had suffered heavy losses.

The rogue cultivators, who had been dreaming of occupying the spiritual mountains, were instantly jolted awake. They dared not stay on the island any longer, fearing the other three families would react and seek vengeance upon them.

In less than an hour, all the rogue cultivators had left this spirit-rich land. Before they departed, they had stripped away everything containing spiritual energy, leaving behind nothing but the spiritual veins that could not be moved.

...

On Great Banyan Island, the Li family members were very happy because they had obtained a windfall.

Though those hundred or so Qi Refinement rogue cultivators were poor, their combined assets amounted to a significant sum.

To reward the clansmen who had resisted the foreign invaders, Li Shiqing decided to distribute a portion to all clansmen, while the remainder would be placed into the family treasury.

Once the clansmen dispersed, only the high-level members remained in the main hall to discuss this half-hearted invasion.

"From the mouths of those rogue cultivators, we learned that this Rogue Cultivator Alliance is actually audacious enough to strike four families. Although they failed on our side, it does not mean the others are safe," Li Shiqing said. "What we must do now is collect information on them as quickly as possible and prepare corresponding measures."

"At the same time, we must spread some false information."

The fact that the four great families were attacked while only the Li family suffered no losses was far too conspicuous and easily invited suspicion. Rumors might spread that the Li family was in league with those rogue cultivators.

In truth, Li Shiqing had another motive he had not mentioned: to use this false information to see if any forces wishing to target the Li family would take this golden opportunity to strike.