The Ding family estate was by no means lacking in grandeur.
Within it lay pavilions and towers, flowing streams, and even lush groves.
It was so vast that even with tens of thousands of people residing inside, one would still need to distinguish between north, south, east, and west.
High in the clouded dome of the sky, Li Changyao shot directly at the Ding family's spiritual formation, echoing the heroic feat of the Li family's Old Ancestor destroying the array at Prince Qian's Mansion years ago.
However, the Ding family's grand formation consisted merely of multiple Rank 5 arrays, without a multitude of cultivators to sustain it.
In an instant, the grand formation shook along with the earth.
The brilliance formed by the sky-filling spiritual power and the violent roaring sound left the Ding clansmen as anxious as ants on a hot pan.
Were it not for the deep friendship the Ding family once shared with the Sun family, they wouldn't even have known who the attackers were.
"How can this be? How did they arrive so quickly?!!"
Ding Yuanxiao's eyes bulged to the point of splitting.
He numbly sensed the enemies approaching from all directions.
Some members of the Sun family had even seized the opportunity created by the hairline cracks Li Changyao had just blasted into the defensive grand formation to charge into the Ding family estate, and were now engaging in slaughter within his very own clan grounds!
"Impossible! This is impossible!" Ding Yuanxiao suddenly rose into the air.
With a cold gaze, he grabbed one of the Ding family's three Divinity Transformation elders by the collar, his face twisted into a savage scowl.
"You old thing! For this sixty-year cycle, it was your turn to use your Primordial Spirit to survey the 500 miles surrounding the family.
There are spies every 5 miles within our clan, maintaining contact with every family and clan in the prefecture. All of these clansmen were under your control."
"Tell me, how could Li Changyao and the Sun family slip through this inescapable net and arrive at my Ding family estate without a sound?!!"
The Ding family elder had intended to go reinforce the breach in the formation. Being grabbed by Ding Yuanxiao like this only fueled his rage.
"You suspect Me? You, Ding Yuanxiao, are the Family Head!
It was you who dragged us, clansmen, into these muddy waters, leading to this disaster!
With a great enemy before us and our future uncertain, instead of wondering how the Li family possesses such ghostly, trackless abilities, you choose to suspect your own clansmen?!!"
"I..."
The elder's voice was deafening, striking straight at Ding Yuanxiao's soul, leaving him choking on his words as if a fishbone were stuck in his throat.
With another cold snort and a furious glare at Ding Yuanxiao, the elder charged out into the fray.
...
"Sigh."
Watching his clansmen enter the Ding family estate through the fissures in the broken formation, even invading the Ding family's Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land, Sun Haotian let out a long sigh.
Years ago, he and Ding Yuanxiao had relied on each other to deal with the Three Great Immortal Sects of the Duravia Trade Prefecture and Prince Qian.
Yet today, they had no choice but to face each other in a life-or-death struggle.
"Brother Sun, I heard you and Ding Yuanxiao are friends. If you can't bring yourself to strike him down later, I'll do it."
The short figure beside Sun Haotian was none other than Daoist Shanchen, a guest retainer of the Li family.
At this moment, his face was filled with confidence.
Since the battle with Tian Xing, he had been cultivating in the city of the Azure Cloud Region and on the border with the Wu Clan.
Being a guest retainer was far better than being a rogue cultivator.
The Earth-rank cultivation methods from Azure Mist Mountain had benefited him greatly; moreover, he had been gifted medicinal pills and a Daoist field, and Li Yaotie had even given him a Dharma Treasure.
"It's a pity that the Wu Clan's Soul Duke died so early back then; otherwise, I would have made that damned old man understand just 'how heavy the mountain is'!"
"Thank you, Senior." Sun Haotian did not decline.
"The Ding family possesses a total of four Divinity Transformation cultivators, one more than my Sun family.
They are the strongest branch among the Clans of the Duravia Trade Prefecture's twelve Regions.
Unfortunately, no matter how I tried to persuade him, he ultimately chose the Zhao Clan.
Sixty percent of the Clans in our Duravia Trade Prefecture have followed suit.
If only he had known then..."
"Hmph! When all is said and done, he just looked down on others with dog's eyes!"
Daoist Shanchen let out a cold snort.
"Senior." Seeing the certainty in Daoist Shanchen's eyes and his complete lack of worry, the anxiety in Sun Haotian's eyes did not diminish.
"No one knows just how powerful the Zhao Clan truly is.
Over these years, every aristocratic family and sect that has made an enemy of the Zhao Clan has perished without exception.
You serve as a guest retainer in the Li family; do you know any inside details? If so, please tell me, to put my mind at ease."
"I don't know." Daoist Shanchen replied casually, causing Sun Haotian's expression to change.
Li Xinnian had ordered him to deal with the Ding family, so he had no choice but to come.
With Li Changyao and Daoist Shanchen present, along with a thousand assassins from the Hall of Heavenly Principle, he had assumed the Li family's victory was assured, but...
Sun Haotian was just about to go forward and ask Li Changyao for clarification, but Daoist Shanchen stopped him.
Daoist Shanchen rolled his eyes. "Don't go asking that Changyao girl. The Zhao Clan sounds like they have a grand reputation, but in reality, they just have a few more experts, that's all. You really haven't seen what true terror looks like."
"I..."
Sun Haotian was, after all, the head of a great Immortal Clan. Being spoken to like this by Daoist Shanchen made his old face flush red.
"Senior, this is no joking matter.
We caught the Ding family and the many other Clans off guard, but once they react...
If they cast all scruples aside and cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage begin to slaughter wantonly, we will be unable to cover our front and rear.
If the Zhao Clan's experts act without restraint, we..."
"If you can't beat them, you die. It's as simple as that."
Daoist Shanchen gave a teasing laugh, paying no mind to Sun Haotian's darkened face.
He slowly floated up into the air, looking down at the Ding family members defending themselves in panic. His voice was melodious yet mixed with a sigh.
"The predicament the old Li family faced back then was far more difficult than this. But fortunately, they survived it all."
As he spoke, down below, as the fighting cultivators charged, single red leaves danced wildly on their bodies amidst the torrents formed by spiritual power.