490 - A Sect Leader’s Ascension

Chapter 490: The Fall of the Long Family In the blink of an eye, time advanced to the peak of summer. Warm currents moved rhythmically with the sea breeze, drawing ever closer to the Long Family’s main island. In the harbor, a forest of masts stood tall as fishermen bid farewell to their families, making the final preparations for their journey to sea. "This trip is going to be easy, back and forth in a little over half a month at most." A dozen or so Qi Refining cultivators from the Long Family chatted idly on the flagship's deck, their spirits high. Around this time each year, the warm currents would bring enormous schools of fish close to the island, akin to a heavenly blessing, swimming straight into the nets that fed the island’s rapidly growing population. “Is everyone just idling around? Go find something to do!” A shadowy figure in black soared to the forefront of the ship, leaving a stern reprimand before diving into the cabin, a lone black bird circling the fleet as it kept watch. "One-eyed Dragon!" Many muttered curses under their breath before reluctantly dispersing to appear busy. A young boy on the ship for the first time asked curiously, "Which branch does this Foundation Establishment senior belong to? I've never seen him in the clan before." "Which branch?!" a seasoned hand chuckled. "He claims the Long surname but is an outsider who married into the family; there's no Long Gonghu in the genealogy." “Shut your mouth!” Someone immediately hushed him, “The One-eyed Dragon has a foul temper, but we rely on him out at sea. As long as he's with the fleet, we're safe. He’s been with the Long Family as a guest elder for decades, show some respect!” Stories then flowed, recounting past adventures, like the time Gonghu defeated a fearsome sea beast to save the fleet. The narrations were interrupted by another Foundation Establishment cultivator arriving on deck, one they all recognized as a family elder, who promptly called down Gonghu and commanded, "This time I'll supervise the fleet, go about your tasks now!" ... “What’s going on?” Seeing the two people waiting at the pier, Gonghu, disguised as Long Gonghu, felt a sharp trepidation in his heart. "Why are you replacing me this time?" The two Foundation Establishment cultivators flanked him cheerfully, “An unexpected task has arisen. Come with us.” The three made their way back to the clan’s mountain gate, walking until they reached a pavilion at the rear mountain, where they finally halted. “I’ve been with the Long Family all these years, and it’s my first time entering the back mountain.” Aware something was amiss, Gonghu repressed his growing fear and offered a cold, sarcastic remark. The two merely smiled without answering, leading him inside half-escorted. Inside, he found himself among four to fifty individuals—all external cultivators employed by the Long Family—both Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining stages. It seemed every outsider was gathered together. The two Long Family cultivators left immediately after delivering them, sealing the pavilion doors tightly with no route out. "Haha, Old Long, you’ve been brought here too! What did I say to you year after year?" A familiar Foundation Establishment guest elder approached in greeting, "Thinking you’d be treated specially because you share their surname? A lifetime of bull work for them, and what? They’re Confucian cultivators! They draw clear lines between themselves and outsiders, and in the end, they cast you out like the rest of us." "What’s happening?" Seeing that the people didn’t appear too panicked, Gonghu felt slightly relieved and inquired. "We were guessing that they'd be going on a major operation and wanted to secure us foreigners just in case." "Yes, as I was returning with their flying shuttle it suddenly reversed course for the main island, something’s definitely up!" "I was assisting their swordsmith, and yesterday they abruptly halted forging." "Many who were visiting friends externally have also returned." The freelancers living at the Long Family’s periphery piecing together their knowledge through chatter painted a blurry picture of the clan’s situation. “Let's hope so!” Gonghu commented in agreement, secretly shattering a seemingly ordinary green jade pendant in his hand. “As long as we're not the target, we’re alright.” ... "Dongzong Island!" From outside the flat, grand island, a ship-like flying shuttle slowly approached. On the prow’s deck, the current Long Family patriarch spat out these words with burning ambition evident in his eyes. “Observing the mundane livelihoods on the island, there are at most thirty thousand people, mostly mired in poverty. The island's lord is truly useless, letting such a large and good island fall into such destitution.” "It’s precisely because the island lord is brutal and lawless that we chose this target. We intended to wait another twenty to thirty years, but he recently returned gravely wounded from treasure hunting, saving us significant trouble." "Though the island is large, and the land fertile, its sect is only second tier quality..." “It’s for this land. Moreover, there’s just one injured early-stage Golden Core cultivator, roughly a hundred low-level ones, and weak defenses for the sect. It’s perfect for practice." "Yes! Our family's momentum is excellent now, no need for risky ventures!" "Are the reports of his injuries reliable?" "Source is trustworthy!" "Are we safe with the entire family out?" “No worries, from learning of the island lord’s injury to our decision to act has been less than ten days, no force can react so swiftly.” After discussing with the three Golden Core cultivators behind him, the Long Family patriarch finally declared loudly, “Let’s execute the plan quickly and win another fifty years of golden development for our family!” “Yes!” The crowd responded thunderously, four Golden Cores led the way, with two thousand low-level cultivators following suit. In an instant, they arrayed in the air like dark clouds, encircling the Dongzong Island’s sect gate below. “How do we handle the civilians on the island?” a disciple tasked with driving away the islanders asked. “Do you even need to ask! Follow the Outer Sea customs!” The patriarch’s face turned stern, he raised his right hand, just about to order the attack, when suddenly a bronze spear shot out from the protective array around the mountain. Staring at the almighty spear thrusting towards him at great speed, the patriarch wanted to summon his natal magic treasure to intercept, but suddenly found himself unable to muster any will to resist. ... Half a month later, in Haidong City. A flying shuttle from Jixia City had just stabilized when an eager white-haired Confucian scholar rushed out of the cabin. The Long Family steward waited at the transfer point. “Ancestor, please save our Long Family?!” Seeing him, the Long Family steward collapsed in tears, kowtowing vigorously. "It's too late, explain on the way!" The scholar, seeing this, grew even more anxious, too impatient to help him up, and directly swept him up. They bypassed the city, flying straight east towards the Long Family’s main island. "Our patriarch fell to the treachery of Dongzong Island, two thousand clan members perished in the battle, and the three elders were gravely wounded! Those villains refuse to relent, besieging our main island with thousands; delay a moment longer, and we risk losing everything!" After hearing the steward’s cries, the white-haired scholar asked angrily, “Haven’t things been fine all these years? Why stir up trouble and provoke Dongzong Island?” "Uh..." The steward hesitated, "The Dongzong lord is tyrannical; our family aimed to uphold justice..." "Rubbish!" The scholar cut him off, spitting in disgust. “Save such lies for children!” The steward dared not further delve into such fabrications, weeping bitterly instead, begging the scholar for a rescue. This elder happened to be an old friend of the Long Family's with a late-stage Golden Core cultivation, having participated in the Battle of Si Guo Mountain. Last time the Long Family’s main island was under threat, he had also rushed over to repel the outsea rogue cultivators. "Alas! I'll do my utmost to save you, but I do not have much lifespan left, how long can I continue to protect you young ones!?" The scholar hurried on, but as they approached their destination, a white-clad Golden Core early-stage Confucian cultivator appeared in the sky, blocking their path. "Hmm?" Recognizing the figure, the scholar asked, puzzled, “Derlin, weren’t you severely injured?” "Minor injuries, just a rumor." The man called Derlin was the youngest of the Long Family's four Golden Core members, looking remarkably young. As he spoke, he shot a glare at the steward beside the elder, “Have the business dealings turned you delusional? You better curb your exaggerated tales!” “The messages from home were just relayed as received, not a word altered…” Seeing him was like a mouse facing a cat; the steward’s retort dwindled into a whisper. “What’s the true situation?” the old scholar asked, intent on continuing their flight. “You’ll see for yourself.” Derlin didn’t move but waited until the scholar flew closer and then produced a treasured mirror from his mouth. As it glimmered in the wind, its size expanded, suspending grandly in the air—one side colorful and resplendent, the other glowing silver bright. "Your original treasure wasn’t this..." The old scholar blurted out in surprise, suddenly realizing, and seeing ‘Derlin’ transform into an imposing middle-aged cultivator, his cultivation escalating to mid-Golden Core. It was none other than Qi Xiu, the leader of the Chu and Qin Alliance, transformed through his [Illuminated Insight]. "Old friend, you truly go the extra mile to lay down your life for the Long Family!" Qi Xiu’s sarcastic words contained hidden lethal intent, and as he spoke, his hand moved with marked speed, forming a spell seal and pointing towards the top of the treasure mirror's [Manggu Yin Yang Bead], which unleashed the dual energies of yin and yang. The yin energy entered the colorful matrix, conjuring the menacing [Hanging Lamp Ghost Drake], its immense power amplified amid the vast ocean compared to the battle against Huo Bai. “Even a mid-level cultivator dares to ambush me!” As the black ghost drake charged forward, the old scholar, rather than angered, chuckled, wary that even those beside him might be part of the ambush. He decisively struck them away with a palm strike. Behind him emerged the ethereal images of pine, bamboo, and plum trees, and he unleashed his life-bound treasure, a scroll depicting the trio, known as the Three Friends of Winter. The scroll expanded in the wind, wrapping around the formidable ghost drake. With a flick of his hand, the yin energy supporting the drake dissipated, nearly extinguishing the spirit, the Hanging Lamp Sea Drake, which only just managed to escape back into the mirror as a tiny black snake. "Die!" Concerned for the Long Family's fate, the old scholar resolved to end this swiftly. Gaining the advantage, he wasted no time and unfurled the scroll towards Qi Xiu. As a late-stage Golden Core, his life-bound treasure and combat experience far surpassed that of Han Yanlao, who spent most of his days refining pills. The suppressive power of the Three Friends of Winter Scroll carried the unique righteousness of Confucianism, stirring a resonance with the world. It hinted at the primal truth used by Nascent Soul cultivators. "Take this!" Qi Xiu dared not be careless. With a flip of his treasure mirror, the Bright Sun Bird, infused with the yang energy from the Manggu Yin Yang Pearl, shot forth like a blazing sun, heating the sea surface beneath it, creating rising steam. It intercepted the Three Friends of Winter Scroll mid-air. Moments later, the stench of scorching intensified with a sharp 'sizzle', and both parties reached a deadlock. "What pure yang energy!" Without halting, the old scholar flicked three crimson plum blossoms, seemingly harmless, toward Qi Xiu's face. Qi Xiu, cautious, summoned a second-tier turtle talisman to block the blossoms. As expected, the chilling cold energy from the red plums turned the summoned creature into a pool of slushy pus upon contact. "Ah!" A distant scream echoed, followed by a black shadow slicing through the air. The unfortunate Long Family steward, pushed aside earlier, was severed at the waist, his body falling into the sea without spilling a drop of blood. The assailant was, of course, Chu Wuying. He brandished his black blade, dismissing his shadow mansion, revealing a half-man, half-bear figure several meters tall. "Northern Fierce Mountain Bear Fourteen reporting!" he declared in a booming voice before rolling forward, transforming into an unstoppable boulder aimed at the old scholar's back. "Come on, then!" The old scholar couldn’t retract his scroll locked in a struggle with the Bright Sun Bird. With a loud shout, his white hair flared as the pine tree behind him glowed brilliantly, standing firm against the charging Bear Fourteen. The old scholar let out a muffled grunt, wounded slightly, while Bear Fourteen was sent flying, crashing heavily into the sea. Moments later, the thick-skinned Bear resurfaced, seemingly unharmed, and began preparing for a second assault. "Hmph! Relentless pest!" Such fearless assault tactics tested the heart’s resolve. Choosing to dodge the second rush, the old scholar used his life-bound green bamboo to block Chu Wuying’s opportunistic black blade attack. Still, the bamboo bore a deep gash, black qi clinging stubbornly to it, causing him to angrily retrieve a mysterious black inkstone, either fourth or fifth tier. He launched it directly at Bear Fourteen with a flurry of blows. Though transformed into a formidable bear, Bear Fourteen, being flesh and blood, feared such blunt force. Unable to withstand, he reverted to human form, summoning various artifacts and talismans in defense. The old scholar, after a quick spin, deployed over ten formation plates around himself, establishing a temporary formation, barring Chu Wuying from closing in. Settling into a meditative stance, he focused on his scroll locked against the Bright Sun Bird. Wooden creatures representing pine, bamboo, and plum emerged, extending countless tendrils towards the vessel spirit. Though wood feared fire, this foliaged convergence, fortified by cold air, righteousness, and life force, held the audacity of drawing the Bright Sun Bird into the Three Friends of Winter Scroll. Despite fighting three-on-one, the struggle left Qi Xiu flustered. He concentrated on controlling the Bright Sun Bird while fretting internally. The Manggu Yin Yang Pearl dispensed limited yin-yang energy; once depleted, it couldn’t withstand the old scholar’s scroll indefinitely. Signaling Chu Wuying to abandon his usual skirmishing, Qi Xiu sat down and unleashed an entire set of second-tier Five Element Beast Talismans. Their elemental energy besieged the temporary array, gaining an upper hand. Until now, the old scholar’s downfall lay in his ignorance of the Manggu Yin Yang Pearl, assuming the Bright Sun Bird to be a mere vessel spirit. Although his life-bound scroll held an edge, it wasn’t decisive. Seeing the array cracking under the Five Element Beasts' assault, at last, he contemplated retreat. With a powerful strike from the inkstone, he threw Bear Fourteen a few kilometers away, then retrieved his scroll. Not waiting for the Bright Sun Bird's advance, he swung the scroll toward Chu Wuying, eliminating the fire-elemented creature among his Five Element Beasts. Without further ambition, he stepped upward, rising twenty meters, then again another twenty. As their attacks struck empty air, he shouted, “I recognize you all—Chu Qin Sect, Southern Chu Sect!” Having participated in the Battle of Si Guo Mountain, he knew Qi Xiu and Chu Wuying. With a venomous remark, he prepared to take a third leap, yet failed to notice the nearly invisible starlight forming in the broad daylight. Directly in his path awaited a mithril brooch. ‘Puff!’ Though formidable, speed without escape techniques couldn't match his previous battle against Ying Zhong. The brooch effortlessly pierced the natural protective qi of any Golden Core cultivator, embedding into his chest as crimson blood scattered like flower petals, hauntingly beautiful. He looked up, glimpsing a blurred red-robed figure vanishing in starlight. “Agh…” Blood surged to his throat, silencing his voice. Consciousness lingered slightly; his hand sought his storage bag, yet the Bright Sun Bird enveloped him in fiery embrace, consigning him to endless darkness. ... Meanwhile, at the Long Family’s main island, Gu Tan, Mingzhen, and several others witnesses the collapse of its once impregnable protective array, no longer upheld by higher cultivator presence. "Returning to old haunts, we won't leave empty-handed this time, right?" The three Golden Core intruders participated in the past raid on the Long Family, enticed by Gu Tan’s invitation for another heist. Licking their lips, they eyed the previously unreachable Long Family library with greed. “Quickly breach the library, split the spoils, and we'll be on our way! I have a pile of matters awaiting back home!” Ying Bo, focused on his obligations to the Pill Alliance, yearned to finish quickly, seemingly oblivious to past engagements in the outer seas. The notorious Dongzong Island Lord directed his men to capture islanders, stringing them together as hostages before the library, coercing the Long Family to surrender. Witnessing this, Mingzhen turned to look at Gu Tan, intent on pleading for leniency. Yet, Gu Tan merely shook his head. “It was predetermined. Transferring this island to them spares us dirtying our hands, and truth be told, Nascent Souls here won't welcome the Chu Qin influx anyway,” he transmitted. “Then our Ming Family relocates to Dongzong Island?” Mingzhen responded in kind, receiving Gu Tan's nod. “As you said, sticking fingers in one’s ears to deceive oneself,” she sighed, turning to leave. Gu Tan stared after her, contemplating before taking a step to follow. ... Three days later, bodies piled into mounds outside the library. The Long Family faced brutality from systematic assassins intent on usurping their sect, rather than disorganized looters grasping and fleeing. Their backing Nascent Soul cultivator sealed the deal with Chu Qin, finding shifting allegiance to a weaker vassal not necessarily unfavorable. The once steadfast late-stage Golden Core scholar is no longer there to fight in every battle. "The Long Family's millennia-old legacy, cherished by the righteous path, cannot fall into the clutches of such savages!" Staring at kin slaughtered outside, resembling hell, the gravely injured Golden Core of the Long Family wept crimson tears, reaching a sorrowful, vehement calmness. “Reversing this is beyond us; our lone choice is how we meet our end.” Turning to the hundreds of disciples, “The time has come,” he announced. A white-robed Confucian nodded, pouring all Long Family savings—bags of third and fourth-tier spirit stones—into a newly formed array. His movements were slow, yet resolute, offering relief amid chaos. Like marionettes, in agony, crushed, or resolute to face death, varied individuals took their steps into the array of life's final moments. “Why have you come?” Suddenly, the Confucian spotted the one-eyed black-robed cultivator advancing determinedly beside him. “Weren’t you guest elders confined to the back mountain? There might’ve been a chance to escape there, right?” he inquired. “I…” Known for his curt demeanor, this time the One-eyed Dragon hesitated long, “I wanted to say…” ‘Boom!’ A final wail echoed as the library’s defensive array conceded to its fate. "I'm sorry." His words were drowned by the tumultuous roar. “What did you say?” The white-robed scholar queried, unable to hear. At this moment, the Golden Core cultivator of the Long Family pressed down on the command token in his hand. The array activated, annihilating countless spirit stones simultaneously. The brilliant light that burst forth consumed all the sacred texts within the library, as well as their lives. ... End of Volume 19. (To be continued)