Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

Atop the high towers of the ancestors of the Hei Clan,

two Immortals of Nascent Soul quietly watched the Golden Pill Monks below die and self-destruct, showing no regard for their own lives.

Somehow, despite their apparent weakness, a faint chill arose in the hearts of the two.

"Ha ha!"

"Look at these people,"

Divine Crow Immortal pointed at Hei Louxi and the other collateral lineage Golden Pills who were fleeing, and suddenly laughed, "Do you think if they successfully escape, they will make eradicating the Iron Family their life's goal?"

"Will they curse me, this old Patriarch, as a dog's mongrel, wishing they could eat my flesh and sleep in my skin?"

"Ha ha ha, and that's not all, the Iron Family will definitely create countless Hei Louxis, countless Golden Pill Monks willing to self-destruct in the future."

"Just thinking about it makes me full of joy and contentment, Rule Axe, my old friend."

Divine Crow Immortal laughed heartily: "I think, even if the entire Northern Plains could surrender, and even the Liudao Sect might be accepted, but as for you, my old friend, as for the Iron Family, if there is a chance in the future, it is destined to be annihilated by the numerous collateral lineage Nascent Soul Monks born from the Northern Plains, leaving no chicken or dog alive."

"Come, let's drink up this cup."

"Ha ha!"

A thread of Nascent Soul's pressure, along with the Formation Method of the Hei Clan, spread out ripples, enveloping Rule Axe True Monarch.

Clearly, he was not as unconcerned as he seemed about being forced to kill off the remaining Golden Pills of the Hei Clan, debilitating his own strength and completely failing in the reformation.

"Thank you for your congratulations."

"Divine Crow, my old friend, this is precisely what my Iron Family hopes for."

Rule Axe True Monarch spoke calmly: "For the past ten thousand years, there have been countless times like this. They have never accomplished anything, and today is no different."

"You have hatred for me now, thinking that I have derailed the chance for the rise of Hei Clan's reformation."

"But still, Hei Clan will continue to worship the Iron Family and remain a staunch ally of the Iron Family."

"Because, the Iron Family killed collateral lineage Golden Pills and did so hand in hand with Hei Clan's direct lineage cultivators like Hei Chengwu, without inflicting the slightest harm on your direct descendants."

"The offspring of some concubines and maids, you don't care about them that much."

"Because I, the Iron Family, am protecting the interests of your direct lineage, sacrificing myself without a second thought, forgetting about life and death. It is a philosophy, as well as an unquestionable reality!"

"Even if you forget about these, your direct descendants will not!"

The laughter of Divine Crow Immortal ceased, and he fell silent.

…

The events that took place in Beast Spirit Immortal City quickly passed through the channels of the Wei Family and reached Jiang Ding.

"Not bad, not bad, ruthless enough."

Jiang Ding praised, "Worthy of being a True Monarch of Diabolism, renouncing all familial ties, it's truly frightening, I'm uneasy and on edge, like there's a thorn in my back."

"Patriarch,"

Wei Qingqing's face still bore traces of shock as she spoke softly, "Most of the collateral lineage Golden Pills of the Hei Clan are dead, Hei Louxi's whereabouts are unknown, and once again the great power of Beast Spirit Immortal City has fallen into the hands of Hei Chengwu and other direct lineage Golden Pills; they are few in number, only a dozen or so Golden Pill Cultivators, hardly enough to control the vast Black Snow Prairie."

"Because of this, Hei Chengwu and other direct lineage Golden Pills placated us vassal families, not holding us accountable for previously siding with the collateral lineage."

"Moreover, Hei Chengwu subtly indicated a willingness to accept more Loose Cultivators."

"Oh? Prefer to outsiders over family slaves?"

Jiang Ding smiled.

If Hei Louxi and the other collateral lineage Golden Pills heard this, they would truly be infuriated to death.

"They have no choice."

"They could still claim to maintain control before, but now, a mere dozen Golden Pill Cultivators cannot possibly rule over the vast Black Snow Prairie; they must delegate powers."

Wei Qingqing spoke softly, "It's just that I've heard they plan to summon outsider Golden Pills to Beast Spirit Immortal City, setting up bans to forbid paths for those above Golden Pill rank, and only then recognizing the overlordship over a prairie and Spiritual Vein if they agree to hand over ninety percent of the taxes each year."

"Such pettiness, there won't be many Golden Pill Monks willing to comply."

Jiang Ding shook his head and scoffed, "In the future their terms will likely be reduced, unless Beast Spirit Immortal City can tolerate more than ninety percent of the prairie without any taxation, allowing Loose Cultivators to rule themselves, without recognizing their substantial status."

Just like Horse Hoof Mountain,

if not for the withdrawal of Tushan's maiden group, it would now be under their rule.

There are many such places on the Black Snow Prairie.

Power cannot exist in a vacuum.

If the Hei Clan has no one to Guard a Third-tier Spiritual Vein, there will surely be Golden Pill or Foundation-building Cultivators willing to take on the task, even with the risk of being suppressed to death by Nascent Soul Monks every few decades.

These family cultivators truly have no courage to compete equally with others, only thinking of monopolizing.

Wei Qingqing respectfully bowed and then withdrew.

Jiang Ding closed his eyes.

The disturbances of the outside world are just to glance at.

What he needed to do was just to confirm that Divine Crow Immortal was away, with no other disturbances, then capture him and kill him.

Jiang Ding felt a premonition, the day would not be far off.

The situation in the Northern Plains, the internal reforms and conservativism of the righteous and demonic alliance, various conflicts and chaos, would not allow Divine Crow Immortal to remain secluded forever, and he would surely make a move.

With eyes closed in meditation, a year quietly passed by.

"… Elder …"

"… Elder, Tushan Elder …"

Jiang Ding remained motionless, maintaining a state close to shutdown, when suddenly, from some unknown place, a series of faint calls echoed, retaining a fixed frequency. These intermittent calls persisted for several days, until at last they were perceived by him.

"A wisp of Sword Intent?"

Jiang Ding opened his eyes, a flash of confusion passing through them.

This call was emanating from a strand of Sword Intent of Destruction, reaching out to him.

"I remember now, the second brother from Blood Cloud, Blood Hand Demon Li Tu who bore it—I didn't kill him back then."

Jiang Ding pondered for a moment, then realized abruptly, "What does he want from me? Could it be that he finds life devoid of interest and wishes to end it all ahead of time?"

He was puzzled.

...

In a dark and gloomy cave.

Droplets of water ticked down from the stalactites, splashing and creating ripples, their crisp echo spreading out into the surroundings.

Blood Cloud, the third commander from Iron Family's Iron Bone Vajra, along with the fourth commander Black Lance Hei Loucheng and several others, surrounded the central figure, Blood Hand Demon Li Tu. Their hearts filled with trepidation, yet they could not look away, constantly watching for any abnormal behavior from him.

"Second brother, has Tushan senior responded yet?"

Blood Cloud asked anxiously.

Towards a peer of the same realm, he still harbored slight defiance, harboring delusions of surpassing him.

But towards a Patriarch Nascent Soul, and particularly one who was notably sly, devoid of the demeanor of an elder, he had no thoughts of making an enemy of him.

Fortunately, the other party was not from the Righteous-Demon Alliance, so there was no special enmity towards them.

As for the likes of Copper Drum and the other deceased...

They were the ones who provoked the elder first, challenging a clone of a Patriarch Nascent Soul—how they even came up with such an idea was beyond understanding, a death wish.

To not seek revenge for them was only natural, and no one considered it wrong. It wouldn't affect their reputation either.

"No, big brother."

Blood Hand Demon Li Tu swallowed and said with a morose expression, "I have been actively feeding my soul energy to that wisp of Sword Intent—it's growing. In just a few years at most, it will erode my Divine Soul!"

"Senior, I've been doing good deeds recently. I saved a city's mortals and killed a Demon Cultivator. I've also disciplined my subordinates not to bully the weak. I've reformed from my wicked ways..."

Li Tu frantically recalled every recent action he took in his mind, all were genuine and virtuous deeds, entirely in line with the principles previously demonstrated by the other party.

"Senior…"

Suddenly, Li Tu's eyes showed intense struggle.

A moment later, he gritted his teeth and voluntarily relinquished control of his five senses, including his eyes and nose.

His eyes closed, then snapped open.

His gaze had changed—sharp, cold, faintly carrying hints of destruction, exuding an indifferent air reminiscent of the Elimination Method.

"What is it?"

Li Tu swept his gaze around and spoke indifferently.

"We pay our respects, Tushan senior!"

Blood Cloud and the others were jolted awake, and without waiting for any command, they instinctively bowed deeply like they would at the Luoxu Clan, everything happening naturally.

Jiang Ding remained silent, observing the cultivators before him.

"Tushan senior, we are planning to muster troops, gather Dragon Qi, and participate in the King's Court war,"

Blood Cloud said without delaying, respectfully, "I wonder if you might be interested in joining? If you could dispatch one or two disciples, we would immediately recognize them as our leaders and fully support them in seizing the Northern Plains King's Court. After entering the Court's Blessed Land, we will comply with your rules."

The surrounding Blood Riders all bowed their heads, expressing no objections.

They gathered not for domination, not to proclaim themselves as kings.

Their sole purpose was the pursuit of the Dao!

If they could be supported by a Nascent Soul Monk, the probability of success would be significantly higher, thus they had no objections.

Moreover, this Patriarch Nascent Soul before them was one of the rare kinds who didn't like oppressing the weak, upheld rules, and kept his promises—an esteemed elder indeed.

If they succeeded, it would be nothing short of a fortuitous opportunity.

"No."

Jiang Ding shook his head slightly.

The struggle for the King's Court and the Dragon Qi was less than a game to him, uninteresting.

"In that case, we've troubled you, senior. Please forgive us,"

Blood Cloud and the others expressed their disappointment, bowing once more without lingering.

"You all have great ambitions,"

Jiang Ding reflected for a moment before offering words of encouragement, "The families of the Northern Plains lack virtue, making this the time for us Loose Cultivators to stand up. Although the path is difficult, it is not without a chance of attaining a Nascent Soul.

The future Northern Plains will belong to the multitude of clans, not confined to just a few."

"Fellow Daoists, take care."

Without waiting for a response, Jiang Ding withdrew his attention from the situation.

Blood Hand Demon Li Tu's eyes suddenly widened, returning to their usual appearance.

"Thank you, senior!"

Blood Cloud and the others exchanged glances, took a deep breath, and with no further hesitation, bowed once again.