Chapter 135 – Fire Peashooter
"Lu Rong, you're getting on in years and starting to lose your mind, aren't you?" Fang Jiaoyan couldn't help but laugh at Lu Rong's attempted coup.
The man's strength was inferior to hers, and the majority of the clan now supported her. What was Lu Rong planning to rely on for this so-called coup? That laughable claim that ancestral lands couldn't be leased out?
Right now, the entire clan was reaping several times the profits thanks to leasing the ancestral lands. Did Lu Rong really expect people to give up tangible benefits just to support him? That was impossible.
"Elder Lu, please go back and rest. You've done enough for the clan—it's time for you to enjoy your twilight years in peace." Fang Jiaoyan's words made it clear she was stripping Lu Rong of all authority, effectively sending him into retirement.
After all, since he had gone so far as to force her hand, Fang Jiaoyan couldn't continue turning a blind eye. If it weren't for Lu Rong being the senior-most elder in the clan, his actions would've been enough to warrant execution.
"Heh, little girl, I've actually found a path for you to enjoy your twilight years instead," Lu Rong chuckled softly—then, several powerful auras burst into the area.
"Xu Guangquan!"
Fang Jiaoyan's expression changed drastically. The intruders had entered without a sound, and her gaze immediately snapped to Lu Rong—it was obvious someone had disabled the clan's defensive formation from within.
"This is the Lu Clan! Outsiders are not welcome here!" Fang Jiaoyan stared coldly at Xu Guangquan. Her tone was stern, but her confidence clearly wavered. Xu Guangquan was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, while she was only at the mid-stage—there was a vast gulf between their strength.
"Outsiders? Not for long—we'll all be family soon enough," Xu Guangquan said with a lewd grin. "Once you, little beauty, become my wife, I'll make sure you live a life of comfort and luxury."
"Patriarch Xu, mind your words!"
Seeing Xu Guangquan openly flirt with their matriarch, a few Lu clansmen couldn't help but speak out.
But before the man could finish his sentence, a fierce gust of wind slammed into him, sending him flying through the air. His body was torn apart mid-flight.
"Annoying," Xu Guangquan muttered coldly as he withdrew his hand.
He hadn't come to the Lu Clan for negotiation—he came to kill. If it weren't for Fang Jiaoyan's title as a supplier to an immortal city, Xu Guangquan wouldn't have bothered signing any agreement with Lu Rong. He'd have simply brought his men and wiped out the clan.
Now, invited by Lu Rong, he was here to "clean house" and pave the way for his eventual takeover of the Lu Clan's spirit fields.
The primary obstacle to that plan was Fang Jiaoyan's faction. Fang Jiaoyan herself was a pawn in the alliance between the two families, so she couldn't be harmed—for now. Besides, Xu Guangquan was very much attracted to her beauty. But as for the rest of the Lu Clan? He had no reason to show mercy.
"Xu Guangquan!"
Fang Jiaoyan shouted in fury. She hadn't expected the man to kill someone so brazenly, and right in the heart of the Lu Clan's territory. She wasn't the only one—after the initial shock wore off, the rest of the Lu Clan members were seething with anger.
But that fury quickly turned to terror.
Xu Guangquan and the powerful Xu family cultivators he had brought didn't waste words. They acted. Anyone who showed the slightest hint of displeasure or anger was slaughtered on the spot.
With such a massive disparity in strength, it was a one-sided massacre.
Lu Rong stood silently, watching his clansmen die one by one. His heart was eerily calm. He had foreseen this the moment he signed the agreement.
But so what? Once the dissenters were gone, he could officially become the Lu Clan's new patriarch. Then, with the clan's resources, he could finally aim to reach the peak of Foundation Establishment.
If he succeeded, the Lu Clan would return to its former glory. And if he took one more step and entered the Golden Core stage, the clan would reach an unprecedented height. At that point, today's bloodshed would be nothing more than a minor blemish.
"Elder… save me!"
Just as Lu Rong was fantasizing about the future, a desperate cry snapped him back to reality—one of his trusted followers had been gravely wounded by Xu Guangquan.
"Patriarch Xu, he's one of ours!"
Lu Rong quickly shouted. He didn't care if the former patriarch's faction died, but losing his own people would cripple his future control of the clan.
"What did you say?"
Xu Guangquan casually crushed the man's skull, then spoke slowly and deliberately.
He had no intention of letting anyone with decent strength live. This was his one chance to weaken the Lu Clan. The more powerful members he eliminated, the easier it would be for the Xu Clan to take control.
"You… you—"
Lu Rong pointed at Xu Guangquan, but was momentarily speechless. The situation had spiraled beyond his control.
It was as if he had let a pack of starving wolves into his home—now all he could do was watch helplessly as they rampaged.
"To the spirit fields!"
Fang Jiaoyan's gaze was filled with anguish as she looked at the fallen clan elites, but she forced herself to push aside the pain. Right now, her only option was to lead the remaining elites to safety. Only then would the Lu Clan have a chance of survival.
If all the clan's elites perished, there would be no future for the Lu Clan.
But escaping wasn't an option under these circumstances. Their only hope lay with the spiritual plant master residing at the mountain-top spirit fields.
Though his cultivation was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, masters of his craft couldn't be judged by realm alone. Even the Xu Clan wouldn't dare offend such a figure lightly.
Xu Guangquan noticed Fang Jiaoyan leading a group toward the mountain peak but didn't stop her. With the contract signed by Lu Rong, taking over the Lu Clan was a foregone conclusion.
The true obstacle to acquiring the Tier-2 top-grade spirit fields was the spiritual plant master currently leasing them.
"Let's go meet this spiritual plant master."
After eliminating all Lu Clan members at or above mid-Foundation Establishment, Xu Guangquan led his people toward the peak. If the spiritual plant master was sensible and willingly gave up the lease, Xu Guangquan would show him some respect. But if he refused to budge, he wouldn't hesitate to act ruthlessly.
He'd already looked into it—this spiritual plant master didn't belong to any major sect, nor did he seem to have powerful backers. Otherwise, why would he be renting someone else's fields?
Since the master lacked any obvious background, Xu Guangquan wasn't worried. Still, unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to antagonize a specialist.
After all, such professionals often had hidden connections unknown to outsiders.
"Hmm?"
In the spirit field, Gu Mo frowned slightly. Then, his powerful pseudo-Core Formation divine sense swept out and instantly detected Fang Jiaoyan rushing toward him with several Lu Clan members in tow.
"Mother, what's going on?"
Outside the protective array, Lu Lingmei heard the commotion and stepped out of the cabin. Seeing her mother's distressed face, she couldn't help but ask.
"Master Hu, I beg you—please save the Lu Clan!" Fang Jiaoyan dropped to her knees outside the spirit field, her voice filled with sorrow.
The others with her quickly followed suit—this was their last hope.
"Come in."
Gu Mo's voice rang out. A gap appeared in the formation. The contract he'd signed with Fang Jiaoyan included a clause about protecting the Lu Clan.
Though he didn't know what had provoked an external Core Formation cultivator, this level of crisis was still within his ability to handle.
His divine sense had already detected the approaching group—composed almost entirely of Foundation Establishment cultivators, including one peak Foundation expert and an external Core Formation cultivator.
The former was clearly Xu Guangquan. The latter must be the reinforcements he'd brought specifically to deal with Gu Mo. That man hadn't acted earlier simply because the Lu Clan wasn't worth his effort.
"Hm?"
On the way up the mountain, the Core Formation cultivator suddenly halted and looked toward the summit. Just now, he had sensed an incredibly powerful divine sense sweep over them.
"Senior Sha, what is it?" Xu Guangquan asked, puzzled. As a Foundation cultivator, he hadn't detected anything unusual.
"You're sure this spiritual plant master you leased to doesn't have any backing?" Sha Wen asked with a grave expression. That brief divine sense pressure had even made him feel uneasy.
"Absolutely sure. I investigated thoroughly—this master appeared out of nowhere. He doesn't seem to be affiliated with any major power. He probably came from another region," Xu Guangquan said with full confidence.
But judging from Sha Wen's reaction, Xu Guangquan had a sinking feeling that things might not go as smoothly as planned. Still, they'd already come this far—there was no turning back.
"Hmm."
Sha Wen nodded, agreeing with Xu Guangquan's words. After all, he had accepted their benefits, so naturally he had to get the job done. Although the powerful divine sense that flashed by earlier was concerning, Sha Wen still had some confidence in his own strength. Even if he were to face a False Core cultivator, he was confident he could escape unscathed.
"So stubborn, are they?"
Sensing that the group continued to advance, Gu Mo furrowed his brow. He hadn't concealed his divine sense earlier, precisely to pressure them into retreating on their own.
It wasn't necessary to escalate. Gu Mo wasn't particularly keen on making a move—if the spirit fields were damaged in the fight, he would be the one suffering the loss.
"We greet Master Hu!"
At that moment, Fang Jiaoyan and the others, who had entered the grand formation, were guided by the illusion array to Gu Mo's location. When he let them in earlier, Gu Mo had used the illusion array to conceal the plants in the spirit fields.
"Tell me what happened."
Gu Mo gestured for them to rise and explain the situation.
"Yes, Master."
Fighting back her grief, Fang Jiaoyan recounted everything that had happened.
"This is truly…"
After listening to Fang Jiaoyan's account, Gu Mo shook his head. Who would've thought that the Lu family's devastating misfortune was caused by a traitor from within?
"Master, please save the Lu family. I'm willing to do anything to repay your kindness—even if it means becoming your servant."
After telling him about her family's plight, Fang Jiaoyan once again bowed deeply before Gu Mo.
This was the Lu family's only hope for salvation.
"Don't worry. I'll step in."
Gu Mo waved his hand. The Xu family was clearly targeting this top-grade Tier 2 spirit field. Unless Gu Mo voluntarily gave it up, a clash was inevitable.
But Gu Mo had no intention of withdrawing before he obtained a Tier 3 spirit field. He still had many plants to upgrade. There was no way he'd give up this prime cultivation ground now.
Hearing Gu Mo's personal assurance, the turmoil in Fang Jiaoyan's heart finally began to settle.
"Xu Guangquan greets the Master!"
While they spoke, Xu Guangquan arrived just outside the spirit field's formation at the mountaintop. Facing a Spiritual Plant Master, he chose the polite approach first.
"What is it?"
Gu Mo's voice came from within the grand formation. In truth, he was a bit curious. The Xu family had gone to great lengths for this Tier 2 top-grade spirit field—even turning a Lu family elder against his own kin and inviting an External Core cultivator to assist them. The cost seemed far too high.
What exactly made this piece of land worth so much to them?
"Master, I've already reached a new agreement with the Lu family. I'd like to request the termination of your current lease with them. Naturally, any losses you incur will be compensated in full by the Xu family."
If the other party complied and canceled the lease, that would be ideal. But if he insisted on staying, Xu Guangquan wouldn't show mercy.
"And what are you supposed to be, thinking you can bargain with me?"
Gu Mo's voice was utterly devoid of emotion, accompanied by a wave of divine sense pressure at the False Core level. In an instant, Xu Guangquan's face turned pale.
He hadn't expected that this Spiritual Plant Master would actually be a False Core cultivator. A chill of terror swept through him. As someone at peak Foundation Establishment, he stood no chance against a False Core—he'd be dead for sure.
"Hmph, putting on airs!"
Sha Wen snorted coldly. That divine sense was indeed at the False Core level, but in the moment it was released, Sha Wen detected a trace of Foundation Establishment aura. He concluded that this so-called Master was merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator using some kind of rare treasure to mimic the pressure of a False Core.
A treasure that could let a Foundation Establishment cultivator unleash False Core-level divine sense? The thought alone made Sha Wen's heart race.
"Break that formation!"
Sha Wen's words made Xu Guangquan feel humiliated. At once, he gave the order to storm the formation and drag out this so-called Master.
But just then, a fireball shot out from the spirit field formation, flying straight toward Sha Wen.
"Hm?"
The appearance of the fireball gave Sha Wen pause. A low-level spell like that shouldn't be able to threaten an External Core cultivator like him...
"Something's wrong!"
As the fireball approached, Sha Wen sensed the terrifying energy within it. He immediately summoned a defensive magic artifact.
Boom!
The fireball struck the artifact head-on. In the next instant, it was blasted away, and Sha Wen was sent flying, blood spraying from his mouth from the residual force.
"Not bad."
Inside the spirit field formation, Gu Mo nodded in satisfaction. The joint attack from the top-grade Tier 2 Peashooter and the top-grade Tier 2 Torchwood had produced impressive power.
An attack strong enough to threaten even False Core or early Golden Core cultivators—how could an External Core user hope to withstand it? If not for the protective artifact taking the brunt of it, Sha Wen might not have escaped with just a mouthful of blood.
"What?!"
Seeing his strongest backup coughing blood and flying backward, Xu Guangquan froze mid-charge, his face overtaken by fear.
If the opponent could injure an External Core cultivator so easily, then killing a mere peak Foundation Establishment cultivator like him would be effortless.
(Show your support and read more chapters on my Patreon: p@treon.com/psychopet. Thank you for your support!)