Cultivation begins with alchemy and collecting runes.

One hour later.

Li Xiuyuan returned to Black Wind City, travel-worn and weary.

He came this time with a mission from his Martial Aunt Shui Lian.

They did not disturb anyone and lived in an inconspicuous courtyard in the city.

The courtyard is small, with three rooms.

Bedroom, woodshed, practice room.

Li Xiuyuan quietly jumped from a tree outside the courtyard into the courtyard.

Open the door and activate the Green Vine Armor Array.

Inside the training room.

Li Xiuyuan sat cross-legged, calmly took out two spirit stones from his storage bag, placed them in his palm, and circulated his cultivation technique to restore his magical power.

After about half an hour, Li Xiuyuan slowly finished his practice.

He got up and walked to the wooden table, opening all five storage bags.

"Splash!"

The contents of the storage bag fell onto the table all at once.

In no time, a small mountain was piled up.

Li Xiuyuan remained calm as he scanned the pile of items on the table with his divine sense. There seemed to be a lot of things on the table.

Most of them were worthless junk, such as female cultivators' personal clothing, aphrodisiac herbs, and even basic erotic pictures.

Zhu Ritian's four henchmen, all small fry, had a combined value of only one hundred spirit stones. Their pills were worthless, and they didn't even have a single protective talisman. They were truly terribly poor.

Li Xiuyuan listlessly rummaged through Zhu Ritian's storage bag.

He hoped that the leader of the Heaven and Earth Society would bring him a surprise. Before long, glittering spirit stones appeared before his eyes, totaling about a hundred.

Secondly, there were some pills to enhance cultivation, three or five mid-grade first-level talismans, a dart-shaped magic weapon, and a cultivation manual called "Fire Spirit Technique".

Looking at this pile of items, Li Xiuyuan felt quite emotional, especially considering the two high-grade magic artifacts he possessed.

Zhu Ritian's net worth is quite impressive, surpassing that of many inner disciples of the Blazing Fire Sect.

It should be noted that not every disciple of the Blazing Fire Sect possesses a high-grade magic weapon.

No wonder Zhu Ritian made a name for himself among the rogue cultivators and even became the leader of the Heaven and Earth Society.

It's a pity they offended Li Xiuyuan; they deserved it.

Thinking this, Li Xiuyuan put these miscellaneous items into a storage bag, intending to find an opportunity to sell them.

Then Li Xiuyuan began to think about the matter of the Demon Flame Sect's allied forces' sneak attack on the Spirit Plant Zhou family a few days later.

"Fortune favors the bold, and this Foundation Establishment spiritual treasure must remain in my hands!"

Since it concerned the foundation building stage, Li Xiuyuan was unwilling to miss it.

Who knows when we'll encounter a Foundation Establishment spirit again?

It's worth taking even a little risk.

He also possesses top-grade magical artifacts for protection, and his superior magical artifacts, which combine offense and defense, are countless.

His physical cultivation was comparable to that of a second-tier body refiner, and his spiritual sense had also reached the perfect level of Qi refining.

He was already a top-tier cultivator in the Qi Refining stage, as long as Foundation Establishment cultivators didn't intervene.

He was confident that as long as he wasn't besieged by late-stage cultivators, his life would be safe.

What's more, he still has a few trump cards up his sleeve.

The Heavenly Thunder Talisman and the Hundred-Mile Thunder Escape Talisman alone were enough to give an ordinary early Foundation Establishment cultivator a couple of moves.

It was precisely these trump cards that supported Li Xiuyuan's bold plan to build up his Foundation Establishment spiritual artifact strength; otherwise, he would not have been willing to die for the Water Lotus mission.

Having made up his mind, Li Xiuyuan was not one to hesitate.

He planned to find some helpers, after all, he wouldn't be foolish enough to rush into the Zhou family to "maintain" the sect's righteousness.

He planned to bring the Ye and Xiao families, who had always been subservient to the Blazing Fire Sect, into his ranks.

I believe that as long as both sides act on a sense of kinship and mutual benefit, it shouldn't be a problem to win over both parties.

Li Xiuyuan had a rough plan in mind for annihilating all the Demon Flame Sect cultivators and then obtaining the Refining God Grass.

The remaining details can be carefully considered.

After thoroughly checking the storage bags of Zhu Ritian and the others, Li Xiuyuan put all the spoils into his own storage bag.

This time, I earned over a thousand spirit stones.

Unfortunately, Zhu Ritian's offensive high-grade magic weapon was severely damaged, but fortunately, the earthen-yellow token was a high-grade defensive magic weapon, so it wasn't a big problem.

"Murder and arson bring wealth and power!"

Li Xiuyuan was filled with emotion. He changed his form, concealed his aura, and headed out of the city.

He planned to go to the Ye and Xiao families' residence to persuade them with the principles of the sect, appealing to their reason and then considering their practical interests.

After all, he will return to the sect once he completes his mission, so he won't need it.

Furthermore, news of Zhu Ritian's death will soon reach the Heaven and Earth Society, so he must act quickly to avoid arousing the Demon Flame Sect's suspicion.

Cultivation families like the Ye and Xiao families, which have been practicing immortality for generations, place great importance on territory and resources.

This relates to the family's mortal inheritance and cultivation resources. The more mortals there are, the greater the number of cultivators will be, and the more cultivators there are, the more prosperous the family will become.

Even though the Liu family is a family that cultivates Qi, every little bit helps, and the Zhou family probably won't refuse it.

Then, in the name of the Blazing Fire Sect, he would have the Zhou family assist him in annihilating the traitorous Liu family and the cultivators of the Demon Flame Sect.

As long as the Zhou family intends to survive in the territory of Chu, they will not refuse Li Xiuyuan's arrangements.

Using both soft and hard tactics, the Zhou family will likely not refuse.

"Join forces with the Ye and Xiao families to annihilate the Liu family, crush the Demon Flame Sect and the Heaven and Earth Society, and finally obtain the Refining God Grass."

With a plan in mind, Li Xiuyuan steered his flying sword toward the mountains.

The Ye family is located two hundred miles northwest of Black Wind City.

This small Qi-refining family, with a history of three hundred years, has a total of ten cultivators, the strongest of whom is the patriarch Ye Feng, who is at the seventh level of Qi refining.

The Xiao family, located not far from Black Wind Market, was also a minor, insignificant family.

There are twelve cultivators in the clan, with the clan leader being the strongest, and Xiao Feng also reaching the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Following his plan, Li Xiuyuan arrived at the Ye and Xiao families' homes.

He handed the jade pendant containing the Qi of the Water Lotus Foundation Establishment to the two of them.

He got straight to the point: Liu colluded with the rogue cultivators of the Heaven and Earth Society and the Demon Flame Sect, using the excuse that he was carrying a secret order from the Foundation Establishment Master of the sect.

He demanded that the Ye and Xiao families send cultivators to assist him in eliminating the Liu family and the Demon Flame Sect cultivators.

At first, the two clan leaders were still apprehensive. The Demon Flame Sect was renowned, and even with the orders of the superior sect, they were unwilling to send their clansmen to their deaths.

Later, Li Xiuyuan promised that the two families would share the Liu family's spiritual fields and other cultivation resources equally.

Under a combination of persuasion and coercion, both families, pressured by the reputation of the Blazing Fire Sect and driven by self-interest, agreed to Li Xiuyuan's request to send cultivators to assist in wiping out the Liu family.

As long as the Ye and Xiao families don't intend to die or be wiped out, and still plan to survive in the Chu Kingdom.

They wouldn't be so "blind" as to reject Li Xiuyuan's proposal; Li Xiuyuan wouldn't allow them to be opportunistic.

The elders of both families, having lived most of their lives, certainly wouldn't act rashly.

Li Xiuyuan naturally hoped that the two families would send as many cultivators as possible, as this would reduce the pressure on him.

Considering their own development, neither family would send out their entire clan, as they needed to reserve manpower to guard their own resource points.

If too many cultivators are sent out, and word gets leaked that a rogue cultivator could "steal" their base, then it would be a losing proposition.

After all, rogue cultivators are homeless and often harbor jealousy and hatred towards clan cultivators.

After Li Xiuyuan released a divine sense pressure no weaker than that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and after his cultivation at the eighth level of Qi Refining, and after "friendly negotiations" with the two, both families agreed to send nine cultivators.

They are five mid-stage Qi Refining experts and four early-stage Qi Refining experts.

After intense negotiations between Li Xiuyuan and the heads of the two families, they finally reached a consensus.

All the spirit stones and storage bags belonging to the Liu family cultivators belonged to Li Xiuyuan, while the Liu family's resource points were divided equally between the Ye and Xiao families.

Li Xiuyuan then reported the news of the Liu family's rebellion to the sect, making it public that the two families had occupied the resource points and thus receiving protection from the sect.

The three signed a spiritual power contract, swearing an oath of blood.

After spending most of the day working on it, we finally managed to finalize the plan.

Li Xiuyuan and his group rode their magical artifacts toward the Liu family.

The group consisted of three Qi Refining Level 7 cultivators, ten Qi Refining Level 2 cultivators, and eight Qi Refining Level 1 cultivators.

Their strength far surpasses that of the Qi Refining Liu family.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this sneak attack is sure to succeed!

The moon star is thin, and the black dragonfly flies south.

"A dark and windy night is the perfect time to kill."

Li Xiuyuan gazed at the valley shrouded in a light mist a hundred and ten miles away, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

The Liu family's location is right in front of us.

This place is located three hundred miles northeast of Black Wind City, and Xiao Feng and his companion are very familiar with its exact location.

The three families are all Qi-refining clans from Black Wind Market, and have been openly and secretly fighting each other for hundreds of years, so they know each other very well.

To accommodate the early-stage Qi Refining cultivators, Li Xiuyuan and his companions deliberately slowed down their pace, finally completing their journey after an hour.

Li Xiuyuan and his group arrived at Liu Family Town, the place where ordinary people of the Liu family lived.

The town of Liu is inhabited by people of the Liu family bloodline who do not possess spiritual roots. The town has a population of about 30,000.

Most of them were members of the Liu family, a few were sons-in-law who had married into the family, and there were very few outsiders who had no relation to them.

It was midnight, and the mortals, having toiled all day, were clearly fast asleep.

The town was peaceful and serene, completely unaware of the impending catastrophe that would wipe out their entire clan.

Li Xiuyuan and his group used a concealment talisman to silently fly over Liu Family Town.

Arriving at the true residence of the Liu family of Lianqi, namely Xiaoshan Valley, thirty miles away from Liu Family Town.

The Liu family cultivators lived inside, and the faint white mist was merely a trick to deceive them.

To sever their connection with mortals was no challenge for Li Xiuyuan and his group of cultivators.

After Li Xiuyuan's location was revealed, he gestured for everyone to proceed on foot and sneak over.

Cultivators are not good at physical training, but their bodies are cleansed by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and their physical strength far surpasses that of ordinary people.

With the help of teleportation magic, the group arrived at the Liu family's residence not far from where they were practicing Qi Refining in a quarter of an hour.

Standing on the high ground, looking into the distance, a light green valley came into view.

Springtime was in full bloom in the valley, with all kinds of flowers and plants neatly arranged. Although it could not compare to the Battle Peak of the Blazing Fire Sect, it could be called a "fairyland" in the eyes of mortals.

Li Xiuyuan raised his hand, signaling Xiao Feng and the other to discuss the attack plan again. To prevent any escapees, he sent eight early-stage Qi Refining cultivators to surround various parts of the valley.

In any case, these early-stage cultivators have low spiritual cultivation, and their internal mana cannot release many spells, let alone control magical artifacts to fight enemies.

They couldn't be of much help in this war of genocide, but they could lend a hand.

After Li Xiuyuan and his two companions had made all the necessary arrangements, the thirteen of them moved lightly and solemnly toward the valley.

The five guards at the mountain gate were ordinary martial artists, around thirty years old.

After all, the Liu family is also a family that cultivates Qi. Even if someone has mixed spiritual roots, they are still a treasure of the family. How could they be sent to guard the gate?

It was late at night, and all five of them were listless and drowsy, leaning on each other and dozing off.

They paid no attention to anyone approaching, probably because the Liu family had been living in peace and prosperity for too long and had lost their vigilance.

"Pfft!"

Five figures fell to the ground simultaneously, blood gushing out.

Li Xiuyuan and his men swiftly extinguished the lives of the five people almost simultaneously with their daggers.

They didn't use any magic; instead, each of them held a bloodstained longsword and cleanly and efficiently dealt with the five people.

After all, this place is already within the Liu family's territory, and casting spells here could easily alert them.

"Walk!"

Seeing that all the guards were dead, Li Xiuyuan gave the order and took the lead, walking in first.

The cultivators from the Ye and Xiao families followed closely behind, and the group made their way deeper into the mountains along the narrow mountain path.

They ruthlessly removed the checkpoints one by one.

……

On the mountainside of Liu Family Valley, there is a broken spiritual vein.

A clearing was carved out on the mountainside near the spiritual vein, where dozens of pavilions and waterside terraces of various sizes were built, and the Liu family cultivators all lived here.

The Liu Family Ancestral Hall is surrounded by this group of buildings in the center and protected by a formation.

At this moment, in a secret room behind the ancestral hall.

Liu Ye, the head of the Liu family, sat cross-legged and slowly practiced his martial arts to heal his injuries.

His face was deathly pale, and his eyes were slightly bloodshot.

As the clan leader's training room, it was naturally incomparable to that of ordinary clan members.

The room is located in the area with the most abundant spiritual energy in the spiritual vein, and a simple spirit-gathering array has been set up.

After a while, Liu Ye finished his exercise, opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

Two days ago, he joined forces with the Demon Flame Sect cultivators to besiege the Zhou family's medicinal garden, and suffered many injuries.

He will need at least three or four months to recover, and he will only be able to exert 60% of his strength.

Fortunately, the Liu family members who went with him were unharmed and there were no casualties.

Liu Ye felt better after spitting out a mouthful of blood, but he still had a furrowed brow and was restless, as if he sensed that something big was about to happen.

Liu Ye's sense of crisis intensified, prompting him to stop staying put and decide to go out for a walk to clear his head.

He first took out a communication talisman, murmured a few words, and instructed the clansman to bring the dual-spiritual-root prodigy to him.

He planned to teach him a lesson, after all, this was the "prodigy" of the Liu family, and the hope for the Liu family's rise rested on him.

He attaches great importance to this person, believing that this person is very likely to achieve foundational attainment and even go further.

If his spiritual roots hadn't been inherently flawed, requiring him to urgently seek cultivation resources to complete his talents, he wouldn't have colluded with the Demon Flame Sect and betrayed the Blazing Fire Sect.

Since ancient times, loyalty and righteousness have been difficult to reconcile, and Liu Ye took over the family business at the age of eighteen.

He had to fulfill the mission of leading the Liu family to rise to prominence, a mission passed down through generations of family heads; he had no other choice.

As his personal guard brought the boy with dual spiritual roots before him, he was about to speak: Child…

"Splash!"

A barrage of intense magical attacks rained down from the sky, crashing onto the surrounding houses.

"Knock knock knock!"

Then came a cacophony of roars from his ears.

"Enemy attack!"

Liu Ye roared, "Clan members, hurry to the ancestral hall! I will immediately activate the protective formation!"

He then produced a token, swiftly cast a spell, and said to the boy before him, "You stay here and don't go anywhere!"

Liu Ye, as expected of someone who rules a clan, immediately regained his composure and issued orders in the face of danger.

The token flashed rapidly with a white light of spiritual energy, sending out several beams of light towards inconspicuous corners around the ancestral hall.

The next moment, the white spiritual light gathered into a pale white light shield, like a large egg-white bowl, which was inverted above the ancestral hall.

He completed everything in a few breaths, and Liu Feiyu, regaining his senses, replied, "Yes, Clan Chief!"