Cultivation begins with alchemy and collecting runes.

Upon seeing Li Xiuyuan and his group launch another attack, Liu Ye immediately took a pill to restore his energy and focused all his efforts on controlling the formation.

He was positioned at the center of the formation, his hands constantly casting spells, concentrating on controlling the true power to resist the attack.

Unable to concentrate, he ordered Liu Feiyu to lead his clansmen to block the magical attack.

"The moment of life and death for the Liu family has arrived; today is the day for a desperate battle!"

Liu Ye, with a strong voice, shouted loudly, calling on everyone present to organize a response.

The remaining ten mid-stage cultivators of the Feng family manipulated magical artifacts and cast spells to defend against the attacks of Li Xiuyuan and the others.

They understood the principle that everyone prospers together, and at this moment, not one of them chose to back down.

Although the Liu family was an insignificant clan, their cohesion in times of crisis was extremely strong, and they quickly organized a powerful counterattack.

The fact that the White Jade Formation was used by the Liu family as a clan-protecting formation is also due to its unique features; its defensive capabilities alone are enough to make it stand out among the three major families of Black Wind City.

This formation can block external spells and magical artifacts, and the restrictions within the formation can be easily released to the outside under the control of the person in charge of the formation.

"Bang," "Ding."

Various ritual implements and the sounds of metal clashing rose and fell.

Li Xiuyuan and his group held an advantage in terms of the number of cultivators, their average cultivation level, and the quality of their magical artifacts.

Despite their best efforts, the Liu family cultivators only managed to block two-thirds of the attacks; the remaining magical artifacts and spells continued to bombard the formation.

In particular, the power of Li Xiuyuan's Golden Light Sword, Ye Feng's Black Iron Cudgel, and Xiao Feng's Golden Sun Ring, these three high-grade magic weapons, is unstoppable.

The combined power of the three superior magical artifacts directly eroded the radiance of the milky white light shield, leaving only a faint layer.

It seemed as if it could shatter at any moment, making the Liu family cultivators inside the protective barrier tremble with fear.

But even this seemingly precarious milky-white protective shield still managed to stop the three of them from their attempt.

Soon, the milky-white light shield flickered and returned to its original state under the blessing of the spiritual vein.

"puff!"

Liu Ye suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. His face was ashen, and a strand of white hair had appeared at his temples.

His injuries from the previous attack on the herb garden had barely stabilized, but the backlash from forcibly activating the formation caused his already damaged meridians to rupture again.

If he continues to push himself like this, his vital essence will be depleted and his lifespan will be rapidly consumed. But now that his family is in dire straits, he can't care about that anymore.

Despite his old injuries and cracked meridians, he forced himself to circulate his magic power to control the operation of the white jade array, resisting the fierce attacks from Li Xiuyuan and the others.

Even now, Liu Ye has not given up on seeking peace.

He kept promising Li Xiuyuan various unequal conditions, just to preserve the family line. He even promised to give up this ancestral spiritual land to the Ye and Xiao families.

Li Xiuyuan ignored the warnings and continued to urge the golden sword to attack, even ordering the cultivators from the Xiao and Ye families to continue their attack, not intending to give the Liu family a chance to catch their breath.

How could he not know that this was a delaying tactic?

Xiao Feng and Xiao Mu were initially worried that Li Xiuyuan would be swayed by the benefits promised by Liu Ye, but when they saw Li Xiuyuan increase his magical output, they exchanged a glance and were overjoyed.

The two of them unleashed their magical power and activated their magical artifacts to attack, as such an opportunity to annihilate their enemy was rare and precious.

The cultivators from both families attacked even more vigorously, their enthusiasm for beating a drowning dog far exceeding that of Li Xiuyuan.

The Liu family was still putting up a stubborn resistance, which Li Xiuyuan could tell was a delaying tactic.

He frowned, deciding not to delay any longer.

He briefly scanned his own camp with his divine sense and found that the cultivators from the Xiao and Ye families were all covered in sweat, panting heavily, their auras were weak, and their expressions showed signs of fatigue.

Although they had elixirs and spirit stones to restore their mana, it was still a drop in the ocean. After a long and fruitless attack, many people began to have second thoughts, and even their offensive weakened considerably.

In contrast, the Liu family, occupying the position of the spiritual vein formation, only needed to defend, and their consumption of magical power and energy was far less than that of Li Xiuyuan and others.

If this kind of offensive and defensive battle continues, our side will suffer a great loss.

Li Xiuyuan made a decision and immediately sent a telepathic message to Xiao Feng and the other to discuss their battle strategy.

Having held the positions of clan leader for decades and witnessed countless trials and tribulations, Xiao Feng and his companion naturally noticed this problem.

"The Liu family has the advantage of the spiritual vein formation. We have come from afar, and we cannot win a war of attrition against them."

Xiao Feng continued his fierce attacks with the Golden Sun Ring in his hand, his expression unchanged.

"In my opinion, since we can't outlast them, we have no choice but to force our way through the formation."

Ye Feng swung the black iron rod in his hand with great force, launching a fierce attack, and said breathlessly.

"What you two fellow Daoists say makes sense. In that case, let's not hold back and show our true skills."

Li Xiuyuan's reply was meaningful.

The way of formations is to understand the mysteries of heaven and earth, to transform the power of heaven and earth into one's own, and to be known for overcoming the strong with the weak.

Li Xiuyuan has not yet established his foundation, so naturally he has not learned such profound and infinitely mysterious Dao.

The Ye and Xiao families are insignificant clans, and they would not have any experts in formations. If they cannot find any flaws in the formations, they will have no choice but to launch a direct attack.

Every formation has a core and a base. If you find the weak point of the formation and break it with all your might, you will break the formation's restrictions.

Therefore, the principle of overcoming all laws with one force is nothing more than this.

Xiao Feng and Xiao Xiuyuan exchanged a glance, both understanding the hidden meaning in Li Xiuyuan's words.

Li Xiuyuan is only here to carry out a mission. If the mission fails, he can simply leave and go back to accept his punishment.

But these two families are rooted here, and they have tens of thousands of descendants of ordinary bloodlines. This is the foundation of their family heritage.

Now that we have incurred an irreconcilable enmity with the Liu family, if we do not exterminate the Liu family and give them a chance to breathe, it will cause endless trouble for them.

After exchanging a glance through telepathic communication, the two decided to use their trump cards to break the deadlock.

Xiao Feng took out a palm-sized blue talisman from his storage bag. The talisman exuded a dangerous and terrifying aura.

"Heavenly Thunder Talisman?"

"The Heavenly Thunder Talisman is formed by a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator who extracts and condenses the lightning of heaven and earth. Even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator were to withstand this talisman, he would be blasted to death by the lightning and reduced to ashes."

Li Xiuyuan looked at the talisman he was very familiar with, and the description of the item echoed in his mind.

There's no other reason than that he also possesses one of these items as a trump card.

His gaze immediately turned serious. He hadn't expected that such a lowly Qi-refining family could produce such a deadly move as the "Heavenly Thunder Talisman".

This item is rare; it requires at least a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator to refine, and it is quite expensive.

I didn't expect Xiao Feng to be willing to take this out; it seems he really hates the Liu family.

"This item is the most precious treasure of my clan. If it weren't for my concern for my family, I would have already taken this item and fought that old devil Liu Ye to avenge my son!"

Xiao Feng gripped the Heavenly Thunder Talisman tightly, and seeing the wary and guarded looks from Li Xiuyuan and Ye Feng, he offered a few words of explanation.

His tone grew increasingly low, clearly indicating that his hatred for the Liu family had reached its peak; otherwise, he wouldn't have entertained the idea of ​​self-destruction.

Seeing that Xiao Feng had even taken out a treasure like the "Heavenly Thunder Talisman," Ye Feng could no longer pretend to be stupid.

He reached into his pocket, and the next moment, a three-inch-long black cone appeared in his palm.

The cone was covered with strange symbols, exuding an eerie and terrifying aura.

A smile appeared on Ye Feng's lips, as if he was extremely confident in the power of this object.

"Spellbreaker Poison Cone!"

Li Xiuyuan's eyes lit up as he recognized the magical artifact; he had seen its description in the scriptures of the Blazing Fire Sect.

The Law-Breaking Cone was forged from the poisonous horn of the second-tier demon beast, the Magnetic Poison Python.

The Yuan Magnetic Poison Python is a mutated demonic beast containing the bloodline of a dragon. Its poisonous horn has the ability to destroy the five elements.

The crafting of the Poison Horn requires the assistance of a second-tier weapon refiner.

It is also a one-time use magical artifact, with the special effect of destroying the spiritual energy of the five elements.

This item is more than enough to deal with Foundation Establishment cultivators; using it to break through first-order array restrictions is just a small test.

The description of the item flashed through Li Xiuyuan's mind, and his gaze toward Xiao Feng and the other person became more scrutinizing and wary.

Both the 'Heavenly Thunder Talisman' and the 'Spell-Breaking Poison Cone' are treasures that can threaten the lives of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

It is a true foundation-building technique; they don't know how much more potential they possess.

Li Xiuyuan had to be on guard.

Fortunately, Li Xiuyuan's net worth is beyond that of ordinary Qi Refining cultivators. He has Heavenly Thunder Talisman as his Foundation Establishment offensive techniques, as well as Hundred-Mile Thunder Escape Talisman, which is comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator's all-out escape.

As long as the Foundation Establishment stage cultivator doesn't intervene, no one can deal with him.

Both Xiao Feng and Li Xiuyuan unleashed the full power of their respective families, but at that moment they both looked at Li Xiuyuan, implying that it was time for him to show his true abilities as well.

Even though Li Xiuyuan is a special envoy of the upper sect, if he cannot demonstrate sufficient strength to intimidate them, the two of them will not do anything to him.

The distribution of the spoils of war still needs to be discussed.

After all, in the cultivation world, strength is paramount, and it's common for the strong to take all the spoils while the weak just get scraps and sweep the floor.

As for the remaining members of the Qi Refining Clan, they were not worth their attention.

Li Xiuyuan noticed the strange looks from the two men, smiled slightly, and didn't seem to care.

He didn't intend to use the Heavenly Thunder Talisman, as it was extremely powerful.

It's not worth wasting time here. Like I said, Li Xiuyuan isn't a local. Even if we can't wipe out the Liu family, we can just leave.

They might go and call for reinforcements, at most they'd be punished by Shui Lian, but the Ye and Xiao families wouldn't do that.

Moreover, neither of the two families knew about the "Refining God Grass," and Li Xiuyuan was determined to obtain it, so he would not easily reveal his trump card.

However, given the current situation, he had to at least demonstrate his strength to avoid disputes over the spoils later, which could be detrimental to his operations.

My mind wandered to the heavens, and all sorts of thoughts flashed through my mind, but in the outside world, only a few breaths had passed.

Li Xiuyuan lightly brushed the storage bag, and a purple-gold aura and dark radiance flashed on his body.

He knew that the strongest cultivators in the local cultivation families and independent cultivators were only at the late stage of Qi Refining, and were no match for him at all.

He wasn't afraid of others coveting his wealth; in fact, displaying a little bit of his financial resources was in line with his identity as an alchemist.

But in the next instant, Li Xiuyuan, riding on golden light and dark flames, soared into the air, as if a god had descended to earth.

As the saying goes:

Clad in purple-gold crimson cloud armor, riding on fiery wheels of darkness.

Trapped in the Crimson Flame Heaven, he spoke of divine retribution to vanquish evil.

His entire body surged with magical power as he quietly refined the five white spirit fish in his sea of ​​consciousness.

In an instant, [Fire Sword Technique [White Rune: Advanced Fire Sword Technique (Refineable)]]

[Yi Wood Sword Technique [White Rune]: Sword Shadow Splitting Light Technique (Refinable)]

A loud rumble sounded above everyone's heads, as if lightning had struck.

Several golden-blue sword shadows were burned by the intensely hot flames. The wood fueled the fire, and then sword shadows shot out from the sky, their sword light tearing through the air.

"A top-grade magic weapon! And it's for a sword cultivator!"

Although the Azure Feather Robe is a defensive flying magic weapon, the power it unleashes in an instant is far beyond what a high-grade magic weapon can match.

Xiao Feng and his companion had sharp eyes and instantly determined the grade of the magic weapon, and were immediately astonished.

They were even more wary of Li Xiuyuan's strength. "This person is definitely not an ordinary inner disciple. Could he be a personal disciple of some True Immortal? Or a direct descendant of a powerful family?"

Xiao Feng and his companion were filled with speculation about Li Xiuyuan's background, and their gazes toward him held a newfound respect.

The price of top-grade magic artifacts far exceeds that of the "Heavenly Thunder Talisman" and the "Spell-Breaking Poison Cone." They are as precious as breakthrough pills for cultivation, and are usually priceless.

Li Xiuyuan laughed loudly, "Gentlemen, let us use our magic to break the formation to prevent any unforeseen changes."

He leaped forward with all his might, and the small golden sword in his hand quickly expanded. A golden armor and spirit shield protected him. He had even brought out a top-grade magic weapon, so there was no need to hide this superior-grade magic shield.

Xiao Feng and his companion also summoned their respective defensive magical artifacts to protect their main bodies.

Li Xiuyuan took the lead, even refining the runes he had accumulated in his sea of ​​consciousness, all to leave an imprint on the minds of the two: this person has an extraordinary background and should not be easily provoked.

After all, this place is far from the Blazing Fire Sect, a place where "the emperor is far away and the sky is high." If the two of them were to have the idea of ​​killing and stealing treasures, it would be troublesome.

Therefore, Li Xiuyuan abandoned the idea of ​​saving runes and was determined to completely subdue the two!

With a thought, Li Xiuyuan commanded the golden sword shadow, slashing aggressively towards the milky white protective shield.

The magic sword moved at will in Li Xiuyuan's hand, flying up and down around the milky white protective shield, slashing and striking.

After slashing for a long time, the sword light suddenly split into two, then into four, densely dividing into green wood sword shadows, which fiercely slashed.

"Sword Shadow Splitting Light Technique!"

Suddenly, the golden sword's shadow split into two.

Liu Ye, Xiao Feng, and Ye Feng were all taken aback!

Although their family is not of high standing, they have still managed to maintain their lineage for hundreds of years.

The clan had records of various famous spells in the cultivation world, so the three of them exclaimed in surprise in unison. When they saw Li Xiuyuan use the sword technique "Sword Shadow Splitting Light Technique", their expressions became solemn.

Ye Feng and his companion were increasingly alarmed as they looked at the envoy. They thought that this special envoy not only had remarkable cultivation but also extraordinary skill in swordsmanship. Even if the two of them joined forces, they probably wouldn't be able to defeat him in the slightest.

This filled them with dread: "Are these the prodigies of major sects? They are truly terrifying!"

Now that Xiao Feng and his companion had abandoned their plans, they shot off like arrows, carrying more than ten cultivators with them, towards the milky-white protective shield.

This attack was several times more powerful than before, causing the protective shield to continuously lose its radiance, with the white aura rapidly dissipating and then slowly replenishing.

Liu Ye, who was in charge of the formation, was utterly despondent, now facing a life-or-death situation.

He remained calm and composed, swiftly casting spells to activate the formation and defend against attacks, while also continuously directing the Liu family members to resist the onslaught.

But the bigger he got, the more his heart sank. He could see that Li Xiuyuan's fighting spirit was getting stronger and stronger, his breath was getting longer and longer, and his mind was clear, without any signs of exhaustion.

He knew the Liu family's defeat was inevitable, but he still clung to his last breath, striving to control the formation.

Xiao Feng seized the opportunity and mixed the Heavenly Thunder Talisman into the golden light emitted by the Golden Sun Ring.

The terrifying lightning energy mixed within the golden light transformed into an incredibly astonishing killing intent, blasting towards the white protective shield.

Ye Feng wasn't stupid either. He immediately activated the "Spell-Breaking Poison Cone," forcefully swinging it to strike the spot where Li Xiuyuan's sword shadows were attacking fiercely, determined to create an opening in the protective barrier.

Xiao Feng and his companion's actions naturally caught the attention of the Liu family cultivators. They tried to use their magic to stop them, but were blocked by Li Xiuyuan's sword shadows and could not make any progress.

The golden lightning encountered no resistance and struck the protective shield directly.

Rumble!

The talisman suddenly burst into a burst of lightning, turning into ashes in the blink of an eye. A bolt of lightning as thick as a water vat appeared out of nowhere in the sky and swiftly struck down towards the protective shield.