Cultivation begins with alchemy and collecting runes.

Thunder rumbled down from the sky with devastating force, crashing directly into the white protective shield.

When the lightning struck, Li Xiuyuan quickly told everyone to retreat to avoid being affected.

Without allowing the Liu family to stop it, the heavenly lightning followed.

Rumble!

The thunder was immense, seemingly possessing the power to destroy the world, and directly blasted a large hole in the protective shield.

In an instant, a spiritual pressure that did not belong to a Qi Refining cultivator swept through the valley.

A burst of lightning erupted, and the smoke dissipated. The area several feet in size that had been shrouded in a milky-white protective shield was now open, revealing a hole about a foot in diameter.

The Heavenly Thunder Talisman lives up to its name; its power far surpasses the full-force attack of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator. Judging from its destructive power alone, it is absolutely impossible for an early Foundation Establishment cultivator to withstand it.

Although the White Jade Array is a first-tier high-grade magic array, and its power is greatly enhanced by the power of the spiritual vein, it can never be considered a foundation-building method. Under the heavenly might of the Heavenly Thunder Talisman, it is at a disadvantage.

"Pfft!"

Liu Ye, who was controlling the formation, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. He suffered a backlash from the formation and his aura became extremely weak.

Old wounds haven't healed before new ones are added.

He didn't have time to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, and he tremblingly made hand seals in an attempt to repair the gap in the formation.

He mobilized the spiritual energy of his spiritual veins to quickly gather it at the opening created by the Heavenly Thunder Talisman, its milky white light flashing continuously as it filled the gap.

At that moment, a magnetic force struck.

This dark, magnetic force instantly swallowed the five elements' spiritual power at the gap and rapidly dissolved the milky-white radiance of the gap in the formation.

Finally, the milky white shield, as cold as ice and as fiery as fire, offered no resistance and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Finally, the entire formation was annihilated by this magnetic force, turning into countless white fragments and disappearing without a trace.

This magnetic force, though having shattered the milky-white light shield, did not dissipate and charged straight towards the Liu family.

Before they could react, the cultivators and mortals were instantly torn into bloody fragments by the magnetic force and died instantly.

The Poisonous Cone continued its attack until it destroyed the Liu Family Ancestral Hall, reducing it to ruins, before finally exploding in a deafening roar and finally stopping.

"This is the true method of foundation building!"

As Li Xiuyuan witnessed the immense power of the Heavenly Thunder Talisman and the Law-Breaking Poison Cone, and felt the spiritual pressure sweeping over him, his eyes were filled with longing and awe.

He knew that although his body refinement was perfected and his cultivation had reached the peak of Qi Refining, and he had many tricks up his sleeve, he could not possibly withstand the two Foundation Establishment Divine Abilities head-on. His only option was to use an escape talisman to flee.

"These two are clearly direct descendants of the Liu family. I'll handle their interrogation, and you can deal with the others."

Now that the formation has been broken, the Liu family is like lambs to the slaughter. The disparity in strength between the two sides is too great, and the extermination of the clan is only a matter of time.

Li Xiuyuan said to Xiao Feng and the other man, "I know these two old foxes still have trump cards up their sleeves, and I don't know if Liu Ye has any more tricks up his sleeve. Let them gnaw on this tough nut."

After all, they were mortal enemies. Seeing that Liu Feiyu and his sister were easy targets, he took the initiative to make a move.

"Hmph, that kid's really cunning!"

Xiao Feng and his companion cursed inwardly. They knew exactly what Li Xiuyuan was planning, but they couldn't refuse, since they had to personally end the Liu family's fate!

The three of them each rode their magical artifacts and charged towards the Liu family cultivators, with the cultivators from the Xiao and Ye families following closely behind.

After the White Jade Formation shattered, Liu Ye was heartbroken, knowing that the Liu family's fate was sealed and they were doomed.

The promises made by the Demon Flame Sect regarding sacred mountains and lands were no longer valid, let alone the secret relocation of their core clansmen... He quickly sent a telepathic message to Liu Feiyu and his sister.

As long as Liu Feiyu, this prodigy with dual spiritual roots, escapes and grows up in time, the Liu family will still have hope of rising again.

"I never imagined that a single wrong decision would lead me to the destruction of the Liu family."

"Ancestors, your unfilial son Liu Ye once again kowtows and begs for forgiveness!"

brush!

With a death wish, Liu Ye made arrangements for Liu Feiyu and his sister, then used the only magical artifacts he had left to attack the Xiao and Ye clansmen.

He wanted to lead the remaining members of his clan to buy time for the brother and sister.

Xiao Feng and his companion, along with mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators from their respective families, arrived at the ruins of the ancestral hall and surrounded Liu Ye layer by layer.

The two took the lead, cautiously probing to avoid falling into a conspiracy and capsizing in a ditch.

Li Xiuyuan had already seen the woman in the blue dress, whom he had met once before at Black Wind Market, leading the Liu family prodigy away.

He could certainly tell that this was a key talent the Liu family was grooming.

"Hmph, trying to escape!"

A cold glint flashed in Li Xiuyuan's eyes. He gripped the golden sword and sped away on the Dark Flame Flying Wheel.

With his late-stage Qi Refining cultivation, his speed in using Wind Control Technique and Fire-based Escape Technique far surpasses that of the siblings.

With a thought, a beam of green wood sword light shot directly towards the female cultivator with higher cultivation level.

Another beam of Yi Wood sword light swiftly attacked Liu Feiyu's heart meridian.

In the blink of an eye, the female cultivator in the blue dress had planned to quietly leave with her younger brother through the secret passage, riding on a magical artifact, but unexpectedly, Li Xiuyuan suddenly attacked.

"Feiyu, watch out!"

Liu Feixue sensed the powerful aura of Li Xiuyuan's late-stage Qi Refining Realm, and a hint of panic flashed in her eyes, but she still subconsciously reminded her younger brother.

At the same time, he controlled the fan at his waist to hold it horizontally in front of him, trying to block the sword's edge.

Liu Feiyu was in a complete panic. He had been diagnosed with dual spiritual roots since childhood and was regarded as the "prodigy" of the family. He had never done any housework and had never seen anything like this before.

He hadn't even processed everything that happened tonight, so how could he possibly cope with the impending doom?

He hurriedly took out a small black sword and shakily struck at the azure sword light.

"bayonet fighting!"

The female cultivator was only at the mid-stage of cultivation, and the fan in her hand was only a mid-grade magic weapon.

How could it withstand the full force of a sword strike from a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator?

The black dagger was even worse; it was merely a low-grade magic weapon, hastily used by an early-stage cultivator, and couldn't withstand the spiritual power released by a high-grade magic weapon.

Moreover, the two of them were not as skilled as Li Xiuyuan in terms of cultivation level.

Two streaks of blue light flashed, and the fan was cleaved open with a gap the size of a bowl, while the black sword was broken in two.

The light from the fan dimmed, and the woman in the blue dress blushed, her blood surging.

The two beams of azure light were no longer obstructed and advanced directly to the two men.

Two beams of azure light transformed into azure vines around their necks, tightly binding them and rendering them unable to move.

Li Xiuyuan did not intend to kill the two directly.

His only goal was to find out the whereabouts of the Demon Flame Sect cultivators, and to destroy the Liu family, that was also his objective.

Killing was not the goal but a means to seize benefits; he was not a bloodthirsty person.

Li Xiuyuan walked up to Liu Feixue and Liu Feiyu, gathered his magic power in his hand, and swiped it towards the storage bags at their waists.

The reason he kept the two of them was that he judged that the female cultivator in the blue dress must know about the Demon Flame Sect, and that she had even participated in the attack on the medicine garden.

There's no other reason than that her younger brother is the pride of the Liu family, and her mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation makes her a key figure in the Liu family. Any disturbances within the Liu family will definitely not escape her notice.

He put away their storage bags and cast simple sealing spells on them before feeling relieved, knowing that they couldn't cause any trouble.

"Tell me, where are the disciples of the Demon Flame Sect?"

Li Xiuyuan grabbed the blue-clad female cultivator's flawless chin, forcing her to look him in the eye, and said sternly.

Liu Feixue never expected the man in front of her to be so rude. She was immediately enraged and angrily turned her head away from Li Xiuyuan's murderous gaze.

Her silence conveyed her attitude indifferently.

Seeing that this person was completely unyielding, Li Xiuyuan sneered inwardly, thinking, "Does she still think she's some high and mighty Miss Liu?"

Li Xiuyuan smiled. "Alright, I like tough guys!"

He knew what the woman's weakness was, even though they had only met once.

Li Xiuyuan knew perfectly well that this prodigy younger brother was the female cultivator's weakness.

With a thought, Li Xiuyuan unleashed a cyan sword beam that stabbed towards Liu Feiyu's chest.

Soon, streams of bright red blood gushed out, and Liu Feiyu's momentum quickly waned.

"what!"

The boy screamed in agony; he had been used to a life of luxury since childhood and had never suffered such torment.

"No, no, don't hurt my brother!"

Seeing her younger brother injured, Liu Feixue's pretty face showed great anxiety, and she blurted out without thinking.

Her parents died decades ago in a revenge attack by the Xiao family, and this younger brother is her only support in the world.

How could she bear to see her younger brother in such pain?

"Are you willing to speak now?"

Li Xiuyuan sneered, forcibly turned the female cultivator's chin, and pinched it hard. The red marks contrasted sharply with the woman's fair skin, making her look pitiful.

But Li Xiuyuan did not stop. He increased the piercing effect of the green wood sword light, intending to continue torturing the boy under his feet.

"If you, fellow Daoist, can spare my younger brother's life, I will tell you everything I know and am willing to serve you as your slave."

Liu Feixue knew that the Liu family was doomed to perish, and planned to sacrifice her younger brother to save her own life.

Her tears streamed down her face, her sorrowful expression possessing a poignant beauty that ignited a burning lust within him, making him yearn to spend the entire night in passionate lovemaking with her.

"Feiyu was young and ignorant, and did not know about the clan's connection with the Demon Flame Sect."

"I beg you, fellow Daoist, to have mercy on him and spare his life, so that he may live out his days as a wealthy man in the mortal realm!"

Liu Feixue couldn't discern any expression on Li Xiuyuan's indifferent face, nor could she guess his thoughts, and her sobs choked out.

Parents' hearts are always full of love and concern. With parents gone, the eldest sister is like a mother to her younger brother. I never imagined that this strong-willed woman would still be scheming for her brother even now.

She suppressed her fear and looked timidly at Li Xiuyuan.

"Interesting, you're from Jiangxi, aren't you!"

Li Xiuyuan thought to himself, "This is too touching. If I hadn't lived two lives, I really would have had the heart to let him go."

"It seems we have to start with her brother. If we don't agree to this condition, we'll probably just waste more time."

Li Xiuyuan looked at the female cultivator with a half-smile and said, "If your information is valuable enough, I might let him go!"

Seeing Liu Feixue's utter despair, Li Xiuyuan said indifferently.

Upon hearing this, Liu Feixue's beautiful face lit up with joy, and her sorrow lessened slightly.

She quickly raised her sleeve to wipe away her tears, and her rosy little mouth opened as if to say something.

Li Xiuyuan loosened her delicate chin to help her relax, then smiled and said coldly, "Fairy, please think it over carefully. I'll question the other cultivators from the Liu family first."

"If either of you is lying, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Li Xiuyuan's tone was chilling, filled with boundless killing intent.

As soon as he finished speaking, he used his divine sense to stab the cyan sword light into Liu Feiyu's chest, causing the latter to scream in agony.

Women are born actresses. What seems like a sincere love for her brother could be anything but genuine.

Li Xiuyuan, being cautious, planned to interrogate the core members of the Liu family again to find out more.

He wouldn't easily believe a woman's one-sided story.

Li Xiuyuan leaped up, unleashing his divine sense, primarily focused on himself, within a range of sixty-seven zhang, to survey the battlefield.

Various swords, spears, and halberds clashed in the darkness, while fireballs, golden swords, water snakes, wooden vines, and earthen prisons—a variety of spells—constantly shifted across the battlefield.

There were also various talismans he was used to seeing: fireball talismans, golden sword talismans, water shield talismans, and so on. All kinds of talismanic light danced in the ruins.

A massive melee involving dozens of cultivators, either a one-on-one duel between warriors or an easy siege where many are outnumbered.

Occasionally, agonizing screams and joyful shouts of accomplishment would ring out in unison; this was the cruelty of cultivators.

Li Xiuyuan showed no sorrow or joy, his divine sense sweeping across the entire scene and taking in everything.

He silently memorized these spells, talismans, and magical artifacts used in combat, even though they were no longer effective against him.

However, the various magical artifacts, spells, and talismans that attacked him were an eye-opener. After decades of cultivation, this was the first time he had ever seen dozens of cultivators fighting to the death.

The Ye and Xiao families' allied forces already had a numerical advantage and a superior cultivation level. Without the protection of the formation, the Liu family's forces clashed fiercely, and the outcome was already one-sided.

The allied forces were confident of victory, so they adopted a slow and methodical approach, wearing down the Liu family cultivators' resistance without pushing them too far.

To prevent them from becoming desperate and dragging the dogs down with them before they die.

The situation quickly changed, and Liu Ye couldn't hold on any longer!

Liu Ye, covered in blood from battle, is pale-faced and wields a small shield in front of him.

He wielded a yellow longsword resembling a high-grade magic weapon, barely managing to fend off the attacks of Xiao Feng and his companion. However, he could only resist and was powerless to retaliate.

Seeing that his magical power was about to be exhausted, he actually planned to self-destruct his magical artifact and his dantian, dragging Xiao Feng and the other person down with him.

But were Xiao Feng and his companion no mere youths?

The two of them only controlled the magical artifacts from a distance, always maintaining a safe distance to prevent Liu Ye from getting close, lest he take others down with him when he dies.

"Even if Liu Ye has a trump card, he can't delay much longer; his time is up."

Li Xiuyuan scanned the area with his divine sense and made a final judgment.

Even though he unleashed a burst of power and killed one person before his death, Li Xiuyuan was still there, and the situation remained stable.

After a moment's thought, Li Xiuyuan changed his mind and chose one person from the Liu family.

This person was wearing a light blue robe, and the magical artifact in his hand was also of superior quality.

This person continuously organized his clansmen to fight back while they attacked the formation.

He's a key figure; "It's you I've chosen!"

Li Xiuyuan made a slight move, summoning the Blood Butcher Blade, and directly rode the Dark Flame Flying Wheel to kill him.

With his fully refined spiritual sense, he could easily control three magical artifacts, and the artifacts would not cause much damage when they attacked.

The next moment, three streaks of azure sword light flashed by, emitting a faint glow in the darkness.

That person was also a veteran of many battles. While fighting with the cultivators from the Ye and Xiao families, he used part of his divine sense to explore the surroundings.

When the sword light reached within ten feet of him, his expression changed drastically. But before he could think any further, the sword light had already arrived.

Bang bang bang!

The blood-red longsword slashed directly at the man's defensive magic weapon. Before he could fully unleash his power, the magic weapon's spiritual light dissipated.

In an instant, it turned into small fragments that fell to the ground, and the next moment, a blood-red longsword circled around him.

Pfft!

Sever the tendons and veins in his hands and feet, rendering him unable to fight.

Finally, a long sword was placed at his neck, rendering him unable to move.

Li Xiuyuan is no saint; he always uses a strategy of overwhelming his enemies with superior force!

"Ughhhh!"

The green-robed cultivator let out a miserable scream and then fell silent, displaying a tough and unyielding demeanor.

This kind of pain, which penetrated to the bone, was much stronger than Liu Feiyu's, which made Li Xiuyuan look at him with more respect.

"He's a formidable character! Too bad he ran into me."

Li Xiuyuan shook his head, grabbed the storage bag from Liu Feixue's waist with his hand, and in a flash, he seized him and brought him in front of Liu Feixue.