Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

Immortal Guichi's Iron Ruler was like a mountain, not giving Hei Louxi even a moment to delay, crashing down in an instant, making the area where she stood crash into a fine powder with a thunderous roar.

The ground caved in more than ten zhang deep, the earth as hard as iron.

A few raven feathers drifted and took a long time to touch the ground.

"Not dead... imperfect."

Jiang Ding was somewhat disappointed.

A single black feather, carrying a body badly mangled, with many places where flesh and bones turned into a mess of blood and flesh, the delicate-looking woman escaped towards the distance, and in several flashes, she disappeared from sight.

"What is this? The Feather of the Divine Raven?"

Immortal Guichi's complexion changed dramatically.

This seemed to be the top-tier bloodline talent of the Beast Dao Hei Clan, and some beneficial mutation had occurred, enabling a member from the Collateral Lineage to have such talent.

If she hadn't lacked proper nurturing, perhaps he wouldn't have been able to successfully ambush her.

Just as he was about to pursue, upon looking around at the basically intact Collateral Lineage Golden Pill cultivators, and others like Hei Tianlan, who had suffered heavy casualties, he sighed slightly to himself.

"Immortal Guichi, sir!"

Hei Tianlan bowed respectfully, "My Direct Lineage has served Rule Mountain's Iron Family for six thousand two hundred and seventy-two years; here and now, some from the Collateral Lineage have committed insubordination, defying human ethics, violating the laws of our ancestors."

"According to the covenant of Rule Mountain, I implore you to restore order from chaos."

His every move carried an ancient and primitive aura, like the dances of ancient tribal sacrifices, and the rituals of tribal alliances from the distant past.

"Guichi, as agreed."

Immortal Guichi temporarily put aside his murderous intent and bowed in return.

In doing so, he affirmed that despite the dire circumstances, the Iron Family of Rule Mountain was still doing its utmost to uphold the rules, not letting down the devotion of numerous clan Direct Lineages over thousands of years.

"Escape!"

"Lord Tianlan, we too are the Hei Clan's sine and cosine, temporarily blinded..."

The remaining Collateral Lineage Golden Pill cultivators panicked, some immediately burning Essence Blood to flee, some begged earnestly, others realizing that escape was hopeless initiated an early attack; their responses varied.

"Those who defy the heavenly rules, die."

Immortal Guichi's smile was gentle, as if he was, on behalf of Rule Mountain's Iron Family, presiding over the wedding ceremony of a Direct Lineage Golden Pill monk, joyous and heartwarming.

He tossed the Iron Ruler.

Countless shadows of the Iron Ruler split and dissolved, striking in all directions; each shadow as heavy as a mountain, forcing the fleeing Hei Clan Collateral Lineage Golden Pill cultivators to turn back to defend, or else they would risk being killed on the spot.

"Kill!"

Hei Tianlan was overjoyed, unleashing a black sword and slaying several trapped Golden Pill cultivators.

"Kill! Kill!"

The other Direct Lineage Golden Pill monks were also greatly encouraged, using Treasures and Magic in an Army Formation to bombard, causing the leaderless Collateral Lineage Golden Pill cultivators to suffer heavy losses, their shattered bodies and Life Treasures continuously falling, blood flooding the ground.

Jiang Ding silently appreciated this scene.

Influenced by Xu's Transmutation God, he believed that families,

were calamities.

Whether the Collateral or the Direct Lineage, they were all calamities for the people of the world, thieves of the great Dao of the Immortal Path.

There was no difference.

They all sought to monopolize the Immortal Path for their family, forever shutting off the development of the Immortal Path.

His appreciation for a beautiful woman, his desire to possess her, was natural human emotion.

But it didn't mean he had to act on it.

Before her beautiful countenance, there were stances to consider.

If their stances were opposed, naturally, it would be better for them all to die.

It wasn't much later that the skirmish here came to an end, with corpses everywhere, limbs, entrails, and pieces of Treasures scattered about, with the occasional radioactive crater.

In their final moments, the Collateral Lineage Golden Pill cultivators displayed astonishing courage, with frequent self-detonations of Golden Pills or even Treasures.

The outcome was also pleasing.

The direct lineage Golden Pill monks once again suffered casualties but managed to escape with half their numbers intact, avoiding total annihilation.

The hyena-like loose cultivator Golden Pills, sensing that the tide was turning, immediately fled far away.

"We have won!"

"We have won!"

Hei Tianlan and others cried tears of joy amidst a battlefield littered with corpses.

"The ancestral legacy has been preserved, not lost to the traitors, sparing our ancestors from shame!"

"Blessings of our ancestors!"

Better to cede to outsiders than to domestic slaves!

For them, having the family taken over by a collateral lineage was a fate far more terrifying than the complete obliteration of the Hei Clan!

Hei Tianlan finally saw clearly.

To the Hei Clan, disputes with loose cultivators and the Great Sun Sect were merely about interests; concessions could possibly lead to peaceful coexistence, but with these collateral lines, they shared blood feuds!

Every direct lineage cultivator possessed at least a twinling root, and occasionally someone would emerge with a Sky Spiritual Root.

Where did they come from?

They were from the young children and infants with Spiritual Roots among the same ancestors' collateral lineages, massively sacrificed into the Blood Pool for refinement and plunder!

After today's battle, the collateral lines would no longer have the strength to rebel!

Even if the Patriarch Nascent Soul did not approve, he could only begrudgingly accept the outcome.

Because the Hei Clan's domain needed Golden Pills to guard it, and having just the Patriarch Nascent Soul was insufficient. He couldn't possibly kill all the direct lineage Golden Pills; otherwise, there would be no one left to serve him.

"Congratulations, Brother Tianlan," said Immortal Guichi with a light sigh.

It wasn't for the death of the collateral traitors, but rather a lamentation for the decline of the Hei Clan's direct lineage's backbone, the continuous withering of the elite of the Northern Plains clans, yet it was inevitable.

"Congratulations to you as well," responded Hei Tianlan with a cupped fist salute, when suddenly, he froze, looking down at the silver sword tip protruding from his chest.

A single silver Flying Sword was not the end.

After one sword, came the second, the third, the fourth... up to thirty-eight Flying Swords, each appearing one by one at the chests of the remaining Hei Clan direct lineage Golden Pill monks, appearing so naturally as if these Flying Swords had always grown there.

The signs of life and Divine Souls rapidly withered.

"Who is it?"

"Who dares to cause chaos before my eyes?"

Immortal Guichi was outraged, his Divine Sense sweeping out as his Iron Ruler Treasure fragmented into countless ruler shadows, striking in all directions, kicking up dust and creating countless holes, but he found nothing.

"Save..."

The smile on Hei Tianlan's face had not yet faded, a pleading look appeared in his eyes as he tried to speak but fell silently to the ground.

Around him, one by one, the Golden Pill monks fell like dead things, one after another, until the ground was piled high with their bodies, silent and still.

"Who is it?"

The furiously enraged Immortal Guichi felt a chill in his heart, his back involuntarily shivering.

Despite having lived for hundreds of years, having gone through the internal struggles between righteousness and evil within the Northern Plains families, the bloody battles against the Great Sun Sect, and even his travels across the East Sea, he had never witnessed such a bizarre scene!

Immortal Guichi dared not stay angry any longer. He put away his Iron Ruler Treasure, concealed his form, and frantically fled into the distance.

Then his body suddenly became ice-cold and rigid.

An unknown silver Flying Sword had already pierced deep into his chest, and he had only become aware of it now.

He plunged headfirst to the ground, his Divine Soul shattered.

"...Who is it..."

With his dying breath, he vaguely saw a young man of ordinary appearance revealing himself, surrounded by a barely discernible moonlight shimmering like water. He stood on the battlefield, not sparing a glance at the surrounding corpses, quietly contemplating the Formation Method of the Library, lost in thought.