The backyard of the Xu Clan’s residence, Willow Ash Town.

Xu Zhiyuan was sitting in a side seat while a young man with a sullen expression sat in the seat of honor. The skin around his eyes looked bluish; it was unclear if it was natural or due to some other causes. Two men in black robes were kneeling in the room, not daring to look up.

Xu Zhiyuan said heavily, “Are you sure that Sun Yu had escaped into the realm with that item?”

“Yes, this useless one failed to stop him in time before he escaped into the realm. However, I must stress that I would have caught him if not for the sudden appearance of the Matchless Sword and Cauldron, Lee Zhi!”

Xi Zhiyuan slapped the armrest heavily. “This Lee Zhi again!”

The young man in the seat of honor lifted his eyes slightly, asking, “Who is the one who was injured by Lee Zhi?”

The other black-robed man answered in a hurry, “This humble one was hurt by his flaming cauldron. He is a cunning man. He used his spear to draw our attention before surprising us with his cauldrons.”

The young man suddenly raised a hand and lifted the black-robed man into the air without touching him. The black-robed man barely managed a scream before an invisible hand crushed him into a ball of flesh. Then, a speck of bloody light flew out of the blood and gore and over to the young man’s fingertips.

The black-robed man was a middle-stage Dao Foundation stage cultivator, yet he had been crushed without any resistance whatsoever!

Xu Zhiyuan exclaimed in surprise, “Fourth Elder, what—”

“He was injured by Lee Zhi, so there exists a karmic connection between the two of them. The light you’re seeing is that speck of karma. You will take it to Master Mu Shang and tell him to hand it over to those things living in the west. With this karma, they’ll be able to curse Lee Zhi to death no matter how cunning he is!”

Joy overcame Xu Zhiyuan. He carefully accepted the bead of blood.

“I heard that he’s also connected to your son’s disappearance?”

Xu Zhiyuan confirmed it through clenched teeth, “That is correct. My whelp followed Sixth Elder to the west to capture Lee Zhi, but none of them ever returned. I will have his hide for this transgression!”

The young man said, “I heard you have another son. Show him to me.”

Xu Zhiyuan hurriedly ordered a servant to bring his son over. Moments later, a young man stepped inside the room and stood tall and straight. He exuded a commanding presence, and his eyes shone with intensity. Upon entering the hall, he came to a halt and declared in a clear voice, “Xu Jingzhe greets you, Fourth Elder.”

He patiently awaited instructions after greeting the Fourth Elder. He seemed very calm and mature.

The Fourth Elder lifted his eyes and gave the young man a look. He then nodded and said, “The late stage already at your age? Not bad. Zhiyuan, you yourself are nothing special, but your ability to produce worthy heirs is something else.”

Xu Zhiyuan sighed. “The one who was captured wasn’t bad either. I wonder how he’s doing right now.”

The Fourth Elder said, “If Sun Yu escaped into the realm, then that item must be on his person. It is a peerless immortal treasure. Even if it is just a subsidiary artifact, it still would have been worth a lot. A shame... I wonder if I can make a trip and check it out myself?”

Xu Zhiyuan hurriedly tried to dissuade him, “Fourth Elder, you mustn’t put yourself at risk! Even Sixth Elder had died in that place....”

The Fourth Elder interrupted him, “My skill in the art of concealment may not be peerless under the heavens, but few in the Avatar stage can detect me. On the other hand, our opponent does not even have an Avatar. If I truly wish to make the trip, who can stop me?”

Xu Zhiyuan hurriedly changed the subject, “There’s no need to rush this. Anyway, I’ve purposely prepared some entertainment after hearing that you’d be arriving. Would you like to check them out now?”

The Fourth Elder let out a laugh. “I’ve long heard about your entertainment. I am looking forward to it!”

Xu Zhiyuan moved closer to him and lowered his voice, “I promise you won’t be disappointed. In fact, two of them... are Xu Zhijie’s relatives!”

The Fourth Elder’s eyes lit up. “Is his daughter among them?”

“Unfortunately, no. He had prepared a backup plan before he committed his crime. In the end, it was enough for her to escape.”

The Fourth Elder looked a tad disappointed. “Fine. Take me to them. If they are up to expectations, then I will speak to the clan later and arrange another position for your son. This way, the two of you can govern together, and the clan won’t need to dispatch another Avatar to keep things under control.”

Overjoyed, Xu Zhiyuan replied, “Worry not, Fourth Elder! I guarantee that they will satisfy you!”

It was early in the morning when Wei Yuan stood at the southwest pass. He was surveying the terrain and pondering how to set up defensive works that would inflict the greatest possible damage to the Shamans’ forces.

The first battle had proven defenses such as military trenches could multiply the damage dealt if used well. The domain would reach this area in another day, and Qingming would hit its temporary maximum limit. They would enter a period of slow expansion then.

Wei Yuan proceeded to spend the whole morning surveying each and every inch of the terrain within a hundred li and filling up the blanks on the map.

Suddenly, he sensed a group of humans approaching from the east. Some of them even felt familiar to his senses. He couldn’t be sure because they were still several hundred li away from the realm.

Wei Yuan immediately took off running. He had to know who were coming.

Five hundred li to the east of the realm of Qingming was a region that had once been inhabited by humans. However, it had become overgrown with thorns and shrubs in just two or three short years. Dense forests had swallowed up many existing roads as well.

A large group of cultivators were pushing through one such forest with great difficulty. From time to time, they had to cut down a thorny shrub blocking their way. Thankfully, everyone in this group was pretty strong. If a certain terrain was too difficult to navigate, they would simply fly over it.

The vanguard and the rearguard were wearing the colors of bodyguards. There were dozens of them. At the center of the group were a dozen or so youngsters.

One young man said, “Big Brother Cui, that was the sixth wave of Shamans we’ve run into. Why are there so many enemies in this place?”

A young woman added, “I just looked at the map. We’re less than a thousand li from our destination. Why don’t we save ourselves some time and fly?”

The leader of the group was none other than Cui Yu. His battle robes were bloodied and tattered here and there. His haggard face betrayed just how much hardships he had endured to come this far. However, the light in his eyes was brighter and stronger than it ever was.

He immediately rejected the young woman’s suggestion, “We cannot! Flying costs too much Dao energy and attracts powerful foes like flies. We’re already running out of medicine that could restore Dao energy. We must save them for a critical moment.”

The young woman mumbled, “But that means we’ll have to walk for another full day....”

Another young woman interjected, “I would rather walk than run out of Dao energy during a fight.”

They walked in silence for a stretch before Cui Yu spoke up, “We cannot afford to turn back either. When we’ve reached the realm, anyone who wishes to go home can speak to me about it. I will ask the clan to send someone and take you home.”

However, the group of youngsters immediately rejected the suggestion. “No way! We’ve come this far. We’ve got to win at least one battle before we leave!”

“Yeah! What would people think if we head home as soon as we reach our destination?”

A sweet-looking girl was breathing hard when she accidentally tripped on a rock and fell. Her cultivation was weak, and she had just run out of Dao energy. As a result, she struggled to find her strength when she tried to get back on her feet.

Cui Yu went over to her and carried her on his back. Then, he continued forward.

While lying on Cui Yu’s back and recovering her Dao energy, the girl asked, “Where did you find this mission, Big Brother Cui? We’ve earned more merits in the past ten days than the last half a year!”

Cui Yu responded, “The enemies are numerous, and we won’t receive any help from our families this time. Are you afraid?”

The girl declared firmly, “If you’re not afraid, then why would I be?”

Suddenly, a youngster in the group paled and rapidly ascended into the air. He looked in the four o’clock direction of their formation before reporting, “The enemy has caught up to us! I count five hundred and thirty four Shamans in total. There are eighteen Dao Foundation-stage enemies; four Warlocks, two late-stage, four middle-stage, and sixteen early-stage!”

Cui Yu immediately barked an order, “Form up!”