The moment Shandu's Mountain Protection Array was breached, the Camel Ray Birds circling in the sky, carrying group after group of cultivators, charged straight in.
Instantly, a barrage of Thunder Fire Talismans detonated, and several of the beast-mounts were blasted out of the sky in the blink of an eye.
But these casualties couldn't overcome the cultivators' lust for wealth. They swarmed into the Swen Family's various treasure troves, beginning a merciless pillage.
Places like the Scripture Pavilion, the Medicinal Herb Garden, and the Storage Room were naturally taken over by the main Wei Family line, but the leftovers were more than enough for the other cultivators to feast on.
Fang Qingyuan hung back. Only after he saw the main force had completely charged in did he pilot his Camel Ray Bird inside, completely ignoring the shouts of a Wei Family cultivator to his side.
By the time Fang Qingyuan arrived, the slaughter and plunder had truly begun.
Watching the slaughter below, Fang Qingyuan's heart pounded in his chest. 'The path of cultivation is so long,' he thought. 'Why would they gamble their lives for a bit of wealth?'
Just then, She Xi Yu approached Fang Qingyuan to discuss a plan.
"Fellow Daoist Fang, what do you say we check out the back mountain?"
Fang Qingyuan readily agreed. 'The back mountain is much safer than the front,' he thought. 'That's where the cultivators' residences are. With the Swen Family cultivators fighting for their lives at the front, isn't it the perfect time for us to raid their homes?'
Thus, Fang Qingyuan piloted Yinbao, bypassing the battlefields at the front and carving an arc toward the back mountain.
When he arrived, Fang Qingyuan discovered that his group wasn't the only one with this idea. Two other Camel Ray Birds were already plundering the area.
Looking from a distance, Fang Qingyuan recognized the Masters of these two beast-mounts. One of them was Wang Lu, a man with a pale, beardless face and rather effeminate features.
Wang Lu's Camel Ray Bird was much larger than Yinbao, and naturally, it carried more cultivators. At a glance, there were at least thirty people standing on its back.
The other Camel Ray Bird also had a large group of about twenty-some cultivators.
In comparison, his own Camel Ray Bird had the fewest cultivators. Including the man from the Wei Family, there were fewer than twenty people.
The successive arrival of the three Camel Ray Birds in the back mountain placed an immense psychological burden on the Swen Family cultivators below.
Several cultivators, riding their flying swords, shot up from their hiding places below and fled in a desperate panic.
However, they had only been flying for a few moments before they were struck down by spells and Talismans launched from the Camel Ray Birds.
Two of them were killed by She Family disciples, who flew down, snatched the dead cultivators' storage pouches, and returned to hand them directly to She Xi Yu.
She Xi Yu took the two storage pouches and, without even looking at them, stuffed one into the hands of the Wei Family cultivator and the other into Fang Qingyuan's.
Seeing this, the Wei Family cultivator's expression changed dramatically. He had been angry that She Xi Yu was unwilling to join the first wave of the attack, but now that he had profited, he naturally let the matter go.
Fang Qingyuan, however, was a bit confused as he accepted the storage pouch. 'I didn't even do anything, and I still get a share?'
Seeming to notice Fang Qingyuan's confusion, She Xi Yu smiled.
"We will have to rely on Fellow Daoist Fang's help later. Besides, from now on, we'll all be one family."
'One family? Is the She Family joining our Beast Taming Sect?'
'Oh, no, that's not right. It must be that the Beast Taming Sect has absorbed the She Family.'
Fang Qingyuan's thoughts raced. 'Since the Wei Family has taken Shandu, they'll surely relocate their entire clan. As for the vassal families that followed them, some will come along, and some won't.'
'It seems the She Family doesn't want to follow the Wei Family to struggle in White Mountain. They've chosen to stay in the Southern Border, which means they'll have to rely on the Beast Taming Sect in the future. And as a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, I might even be a disciple of their new Sect Leader, for all I know.'
At this thought, Fang Qingyuan broke into a smile. He casually tucked the blood-stained storage pouch into his robes and said with a laugh:
"Of course, of course. It's only right."
Having reaped his first reward, Fang Qingyuan piloted his Camel Ray Bird and began to advance, following the groups ahead.
The three Camel Ray Birds provided cover for one another, systematically shrinking the territory of the Swen Family cultivators in the back mountain. As the birds advanced, any hiding Swen Family cultivators were discovered by the Foundation Establishment Divine Sense of those on board, and their reward was a rain of Talismans and Magical Artifacts from above.
Fires from the fighting began to spread. Below, it wasn't just cultivators who were dying; the mortals living in the back mountain were also perishing in droves.
Normally, cultivators were forbidden from slaughtering mortals without cause, under penalty of punishment from the Great Zhou Academy. However, this was a war of annihilation. As long as things didn't go too far, the Great Zhou Academy generally wouldn't interfere.
The three beast-mounts advanced smoothly into the deepest part of the back mountain. Though some Swen Family cultivators tried to resist, they couldn't withstand the combined might of the cultivators on the three mounts.
Furthermore, the five remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Swen Family were all at the front, fighting the Wei Family's main force. The ones sent to face them now were merely Qi Cultivation cultivators. Unorganized, they were no match at all.
They pushed forward like this for an hour, and Fang Qingyuan had already stuffed four storage pouches into his robes.
Every time She Xi Yu made a gain, he would give a portion of it to Fang Qingyuan, a gesture that Fang Qingyuan found very agreeable.
The Wei Family cultivator had taken just as much, if not more. Besides what the She Family gave him, he had also taken action himself. His robes were now bulging, a testament to how much he had plundered.
On the backs of the Camel Ray Birds, everyone was beaming with joy. Below, waves of mournful cries created a stark contrast.
Ahead, another Swen Family cultivator flew out on his sword, attacking Wang Lu's Camel Ray Bird. Seeing the fierce light of his blade, Fang Qingyuan knew the man had come with the resolve to die.
'Just another lost soul, and a cheap gain for Wang Lu's group,' Fang Qingyuan thought dismissively. He turned his head, wanting to discuss with She Xi Yu whether they should retreat soon.
They had looted more than enough, and Fang Qingyuan had wanted to pull back for a while. But since the She Family and the Wei Family liaison hadn't had their fill yet, he couldn't very well leave.
However, in the next instant, Fang Qingyuan felt the Spiritual Pressure of a Foundation Establishment expert wash over him, followed by an astonishing Sword Intent.
'That man is a Foundation Establishment Cultivator?'
Fang Qingyuan was horrified by the Sword Intent. He whipped his head around, only to see the Swen Family cultivator's Magic Sword expand dramatically as he slashed down at Wang Lu's Camel Ray Bird.
With a mournful shriek, the unsuspecting Camel Ray Bird was struck by the deliberate attack. The massive sword cleaved through it, instantly splitting it in two.
A rain of blood fell from the sky. As the Camel Ray Bird's mutilated corpse plummeted to the ground, the cultivators on its back faced a life-and-death crisis.
Seizing the opportunity, the Swen Family's Foundation Establishment cultivator reaped the lives of several cultivators in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this, She Xi Yu's eyes narrowed, and he shouted urgently:
"A Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator! This is bad! The Swen Family had another Foundation Establishment expert in hiding! We can't fight him head-on! Fall back and call for reinforcements!"
Hearing this, Fang Qingyuan immediately began to pilot Yinbao to retreat, but the Wei Family cultivator suddenly shouted:
"No! Hold your ground and engage! That must be the Swen Family's hidden prodigy, Swentai! We thought he had gone overseas to find a Core Formation Land, but he's here! We can't let him escape, or he'll be a source of endless trouble in the future!"