Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

Beast Spirit Immortal City, council chamber.

Divine Crow Immortal sat at the head, eyes closed and silent.

"It's been three years, and to this day, no Spirit Stones or Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures have been escorted here to worship the Immortal City. After deducting what the ancestors need for daily Cultivation, we have next to nothing left, with our Cultivation stagnating..."

Hei Chengwu, along with more than a dozen Direct Lineage Golden Pill Monks, were speaking softly about something.

Surrounding them, dozens of Direct Lineage Foundation-building cultivators sat upright and tense, occasionally agitated, curiously observing the clan's grand and solemn council chamber. It was their first time being in such a solemn place, where the rights of the Hei Clan were determined, having in the past only been able to await the results.

Now, they had the opportunity to participate in the decision-making.

"Depending on the Immortal City's reserves of Spirit Stones and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, we can still last a few more years. If the number of Golden Pill Monks doesn't increase, it should barely be enough..."

"No, that's not acceptable. Sitting back and consuming our resources until they're gone, cornered in a part of the prairie, this is the path to disaster!"

"What disaster? With the ancestor here, we are as stable as Mount Tai."

The numerous Golden Pill Monks argued incessantly, each pulling in different directions, none willing to truly break the silence.

"My uncles, why cower and deceive yourselves and others!"

After a while, a somewhat younger Direct Lineage Golden Pill Monk stood up, annoyed: "Calling the foreign-named Golden Pill Monks to the Immortal City and imposing Spirit Soul Restrictions on them, temporarily recognizing their status, this strategy has already proved unfeasible over the years. Only a few foreign-named Golden Pill Monks have come for an audience, and they were all old and frail, unfit for significant use."

"Now, we have no choice but to, for the time being, fully recognize the status of the foreign-named Golden Pill Monks from all places, in exchange for their loyalty and service."

"Taxation, a split of thirty to seventy."

"With the ancestor's power, these Golden Pill Monks will surely submit. Even if some are defiant, a command with a mere token, with the many Golden Pill Monks obeying orders, could make their clan break and die without lifting a finger."

Naturally, there were also significant risks.

Across the vast Black Snow Prairie, Golden Pill Monks would no longer face the fate of being hunted by Nascent Soul Monks at any time and could freely reproduce, training their own disciples and progeny. In a few hundred years, the number of Golden Pill Monks would surely surge.

With such a buildup in numbers, Elites would emerge, and it's quite possible that a Nascent Soul Immortal of great fortune would be born.

If that happened, with the Iron Family of Rule Mountain weakened and unable to swiftly quell any newly-born Nascent Soul Immortals, the Hei Clan would immediately plunge into the calamity of annihilation.

If such a thing really occurred,

then the monk who proposed this decision would be a sinner for all eternity!

"Impossible!"

"The ancestral laws must not be changed!"

Immediately, a seasoned Golden Pill Monk opposed: "How can these low and vulgar external cultivators own Hei Clan's land? They must accept our clan's Spirit Soul Restrictions, with absolutely no room for compromise or concession!"

"Chengwu, you are too young, and too presumptuous..."

"Loose cultivators who do not understand hierarchy, etiquette, how can we easily accept them..."

Many Golden Pill Monks spoke out in turn to stop him but they seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Seeing this, Divine Crow Immortal felt a thread of irritated murderous intent rise in his heart.

"Let it be so!"

"Now, there is no other way. Depending solely on the power of our Direct Lineage, we can no longer control the Black Snow Prairie. We can only settle accounts afterward."

Golden Pill Peak monk Hei Chengwu shouted at the Golden Pill Monks who spoke out, firmly saying, "If the ancestors blame us, if the Iron Family pursues the matter, the consequences will be borne solely by both of us!"

"Uncle Cheng, I..."

The young Direct Lineage Golden Pill Monk's eyelids twitched.

Just a few years ago, the Iron Family executed a large number of Collateral Lineage Golden Pill Monks over matters of ceremony. He had only the best interests of the clan in mind when he spoke up but couldn't bear such a heavy blame.

"You may all withdraw."

Hei Chengwu no longer paid attention to the crowd and simply waved his hand.

"...Yes!"

The many Direct Lineage Golden Pill Monks exchanged glances. After taking a look at Divine Crow Immortal, who still appeared to be resting with his eyes closed and indifferent, they immediately felt a chill in their hearts and bowed out.

For a moment, the council chamber fell silent.

Hei Chengwu, no longer having the stern demeanor he displayed before the cultivators, stood with his hands bound, apprehensively looking at the Nascent Soul Immortal above him—his own father.

Although father and son, he dared not act spoiled or arrogant.

Moreover, a few years ago, he had defied stern warnings and contacted Rule Mountain's Iron Family on his own, calling them forth to officiate with a promise of ten thousand years.

While successful in the end, it had also greatly weakened the Hei Clan's power, leaving the future uncertain and chaotic.

A deathly silence ensued.

Waiting for a long time, Hei Chengwu's heart turned cold, his body began to tremble, and he kept recalling who within the clan could take over his position, lest his ancestor lose patience once again.

"Chengwu, you, you've done well."

Divine Crow Immortal spoke slowly.

"Not a bad tactic, to have had your confidants stay in Rule Mountain a hundred years ago, even severing their memories, such that I couldn't perceive the faintest bit and could not stop you in time."

"Father, I have erred..."

Hei Chengwu felt cold sweat trickle down his forehead as he knelt on the ground with a plop.

"Erred in what? You've done nothing wrong."

The Divine Crow Immortal's expression was calm, "Back when I was the clan leader, I, too, was as calculating as you are now, secretly eliminating any brother or sister that could threaten my position, by any means necessary. Only through this did I receive the clan's devoted cultivation and the Nascent Soul inheritance, which brought me to where I am today."

"Now, you have indeed succeeded."

"The collateral lineage has perished, their loyalty and integrity dissipated, and they've committed slaughter akin to a massacre against my direct lineage, creating a blood feud that cannot easily be mended."

"In the direct lineage, you are the only Golden Pill Peak cultivator left, indeed there is no one else who could replace you."

"Father, this child isn't responsible for this. If it were truly me, let me be punished by heaven and earth, never to transcend in eternity!"

Hei Chengwu dared not be arrogant, swearing a solemn oath.

"All of the clan's accumulated Nascent Soul Opportunities will be given to you." The Divine Crow Immortal, indifferent, spoke plainly, "Tell me, how confident are you?"

"The child does not dare to indulge in unfounded hopes..."

"Oh?"

The Divine Crow Immortal's expression turned stern, a terrifying and ghastly killing intent emerged as his patience neared its limit with the other's continued pretense and posturing.

"Fifteen percent!"

"Father, fifteen percent!"

Hei Chengwu's body trembled, "If the Soul Cleansing Liquid and Black Crow Shedding and the like were all in my possession, I would have a fifteen percent chance. I dare not deceive you in the slightest, Father."

"Fifteen percent? Merely fifteen percent."

"You are truly useless."

The Divine Crow Immortal was taken aback for a moment, then sighed softly, "These Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures naturally have a twelve to thirteen percent chance of enhancing one's power, but your ability truly does not match these gifts."

"Like a pearl in the hands of a beggar, the two should never have crossed paths."

"Useless, truly useless."

Hei Chengwu trembled as he knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a word of contention.

"You have concealed your emotions very well, only revealing the tiniest hint of them."

The Divine Crow Immortal asked, his tone light.

"I remember you've always been one to hold grudges. Are you now harboring a bone-deep hatred, wishing to crush my bones and scatter my ashes after my death?"

"This child does not dare..."

Hei Chengwu continually knocked his head on the ground, his forehead splitting open, blood flowing freely and staining a large area of the floor.

"It's of no consequence."

"When I was clan leader, I too disliked that old immortal who loomed over me."

The Divine Crow Immortal remained expressionless as he sighed, "You have indeed succeeded. I have a little over a century of life left, and looking at the Golden Pills of the direct lineage, only you are fit for the role. The rest, those dozen or so Golden Pill monks, whether in terms of cultivation base, talent, or wisdom, are all mediocre, not even a match for you."

"Once you ascend to Nascent Soul, it won't matter if you crush my bones and scatter my ashes. I have slaughtered countless lives in my lifetime, with many perishing at my hands, doomed to never transcend. I take this matter lightly."

"I won't kill you, but do you know what the consequence will be if you fail to ascend to Nascent Soul?"

he asked.

"Certain death without a doubt!"

Hei Chengwu no longer hid his incompetence, "It's not just me; the entire Hei Clan's direct lineage will face a calamity of extinction. We can only rely on the Formation Method of the Beast Spirit Immortal City for defense. With luck, we might struggle for another century, waiting for the Spirit Stones to deplete. With bad luck, if attacked by a Nascent Soul Immortal, a catastrophic disaster that could wipe out the clan will occur."

"You are very smart."

The Divine Crow Immortal, disinterestedly, tossed a token onto the ground, "Go on, take the items from the family treasury that you've been coveting all these years. I hope you'll get your wish and one day crush my bones and scatter my ashes."

Countless feelings of helplessness surfaced in his heart.

Why, with such intelligence, couldn't your talent and wisdom be greater?

"Father, your son will take his leave..."

Hei Chengwu, trembling, took the token, his eyes finally revealing an uncontrollable glint of ecstasy.

Roar!

Roar! Roar!

Suddenly, a dragon's roar resounded, shaking heaven and earth; the multiple layers of Formation Methods in the council hall were unable to stop it, causing tables, chairs, and teacups to tremble ceaselessly.

Layers of gold light filled the space between heaven and earth.

Among the clouds, a Golden Dragon, infinitely majestic and towering, soared across heaven and earth, descending towards the ground as Dragon Qi rose.

"Royal Court Dragon Qi of the Hei Clan?"

Hei Chengwu, holding the token, stood still, doubting whether his ears were ringing and his eyes seeing correctly.

"The Hei family's Dragon Qi is being stolen."

"Lowly cultivator, a humble ant..."

The Divine Crow Immortal slowly rose to his feet, his eyes filled with an overwhelming intent to kill, "The rats from the sewer, instead of hiding as they should, dare to emerge and covet the Dragon Qi of our Hei Clan ancestors, disturbing the peace of the ancestors."

"You all deserve to die!"

Boom!

The Divine Crow Immortal spread his sky-blocking wings, shattered the great hall, and broke through the space flying into the distance.