Chapter 265: People Fear Fame Like Pigs Fear Fatness

Yue State, Green Pine Valley.

Green Pine Valley was a market established by the Qingxuan Sect of Yue State. Situated at a crucial transportation hub, it was a bustling center of trade.

In a secret chamber, Wang Changsheng sat cross-legged on a green meditation mat, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. Before him, a dark, shimmering command flag floated. A lifelike flood dragon was carved into its flagpole, exuding a palpable spiritual aura.

Wang Changsheng's eyes gleamed with joy. After slaying the black flood dragon, he and Wang Ruyan had come to Green Pine Valley, rented a courtyard, and had been living there for over half a year.

During this time, he had crafted the Black Flood Dragon Banner, his soul-bound artifact, using the skin of the third-tier black flood dragon and Cold Flame Bamboo as primary materials, supplemented by dozens of second-tier ingredients.

Naturally, the essence of the black flood dragon was not integrated into the banner; he had temporarily sealed it away.

The corpse of an entire third-tier flood dragon was a treasure in itself.

Wang Changsheng gestured with one hand towards the Black Flood Dragon Banner, which spun once and flew back into his grasp.

He examined the Black Flood Dragon Banner meticulously, appearing to be utterly captivated by it.

Just then, a communication talisman flew in.

Wang Changsheng frowned slightly. Wang Ruyan knew he was refining his soul-bound artifact and wouldn't disturb him unless something truly important had occurred. Could it be that the Yang family had come looking for them?

Since renting the courtyard, he and Wang Ruyan had kept a low profile, so it was unlikely the Yang family would have found them.

He crushed the communication talisman, and Wang Ruyan's urgent voice immediately rang out: "This is bad, husband! The demonic sects have started fighting the righteous sects, and many states like Wei, Chu, and Han have joined the war."

Hearing this, Wang Changsheng's heart pounded. He opened his mouth, and the Black Flood Dragon Banner transformed into a streak of black light, vanishing into it.

He quickly opened the secret chamber door and stepped out.

Wang Ruyan was standing outside, her face etched with anxiety.

"My dear, is the news true?"

Wang Ruyan nodded gravely. "Many people at the tea house are talking about it, so it should be true. They said the fighting started over a year ago, and we don't know what the situation is now. Oh, by the way, husband, have you finished refining your soul-bound artifact?"

"Yes, it's done. My dear, are you feeling better? We need to hurry back as soon as possible. I hope the family is safe."

Wang Changsheng wished he could return to Wei State tomorrow. The war had been ongoing for over a year, and he had only just received the news. By the time he reached Wei State, he wondered if there would even be a Wei State left.

"That's wonderful! I'm fine now; after half a year of recovery, I've completely healed. Let's head back immediately!"

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan packed their belongings and hastily departed Green Pine Valley.

Wang Changsheng had not yet been able to refine a high-grade flying artifact. Such artifacts were difficult to craft, extremely valuable, and not sold on the market. They could only rely on the Blue Lotus Boat for their journey.

Lu Kun, a disciple of the Hundred Ghosts Sect, was seventy-two years old and at the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment.

Initially, the Five Sects of Qin State caught Chu State by surprise, seizing nearly half of its territory in less than six months. However, the Five Sects of Wei State swiftly sent reinforcements. With the four sects of Chu State, the three sects of Medicine King Valley, and the five sects of Wei State—a total of twelve sects—united under the joint leadership of Li Haifeng of Huangsheng Palace and Li Lianyue of Sword Palace, they successfully halted the offensive of the Qin State's Five Sects, leading to a stalemate.

With five sects facing twelve, and a long-distance attack, the Qin State's Five Sects naturally didn't want a protracted war. Song Wuya dispatched a group of disciples to infiltrate enemy lines and cause disruption, complementing the front-line operations.

Lu Kun was the leader of one such team, commanding nine Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Wang Changsheng was not only an unregistered disciple of Guang Dongren, the sect leader of the Hundred Spirits Sect, but also Wang Huashan's grandson-in-law. If the Wang family were destroyed, it would undoubtedly severely undermine the morale of cultivators in Wei and Chu states.

Lu Kun's target was Wang Family Fort.

He had already sent scouts to inquire. The Wang family publicly had at least four Foundation Establishment cultivators, and even if the Hundred Spirits Sect had dispatched disciples to guard it, the total number of Foundation Establishment cultivators should not exceed ten.

After nightfall, Wang Family Fort remained brightly lit. A faint yellow light barrier enveloped the entire fort, and several family members patrolled the city walls.

Lu Kun, leading nine Foundation Establishment cultivators, surrounded Wang Family Fort.

"Once the formation is broken, show no quarter. We must act swiftly. The Wang family sells first-tier puppet beasts, so they likely possess second-tier ones. Everyone, be careful when the fighting starts."

"Understood."

"Attack!"

As Lu Kun finished speaking, he conjured a dark, shimmering orb, directing it towards Wang Family Fort. The other nine either activated self-destructing artifacts, unleashed second-tier spirit talismans, or brandished their own artifacts.

A massive roar of explosions erupted, shattering the silence of the night.

Under the combined assault of over a dozen powerful self-destructing artifacts, second-tier talismans, and dozens of other artifacts, the faint yellow light barrier quickly shattered. The family members on the city walls perished under the onslaught of the artifacts.

Soon after, alarms blared throughout Wang Family Fort.

Lu Kun and the other ten cultivators soared into the air on their artifacts, controlling them to attack the Wang family members.

To their surprise, not a single Wang family member was visible on the fort's streets.

A flash of yellow light appeared, and within Wang Family Fort, five yellow light barriers, each over ten zhang in size, successively emerged, covering three distinct areas.

Wang Changyue stood within one of the yellow light barriers, holding a yellow formation plate in her hand, her face filled with grim determination.

After consuming a Foundation Establishment Pill, she had successfully advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage, now at the first layer. Wang Changhao had also successfully established his foundation.

The Hundred Spirits Sect had long anticipated this. If the Wang family were annihilated, it would reflect poorly on the Hundred Spirits Sect's prestige. For this reason, Guang Dongren had dispatched four Foundation Establishment cultivators to guard Wang Family Fort.

After the demonic sects' offensive was stalled, Wang Mingzhong, fearing that they might target Wang Family Fort, had relocated most of the family members to Qingyue Market, leaving only a portion behind.

"Hmph, as expected, someone has come to target our Wang family. This time, the same thing won't happen again."

Wang Qingshan walked over, his gaze incredibly firm, holding a yellow formation flag in his hand.

He was only at the ninth layer of Qi Refining. Originally, Wang Changfeng had instructed him to retreat with Wang Changhao to Qingyue Market, but Wang Qingshan had insisted on staying to share the family's burdens.

As a formation master, Wang Changyue naturally had to stay.

Wang Family Fort now had seven Foundation Establishment cultivators. The Five Elements Demon Isolation Array was a lower-grade second-tier formation. This particular formation was unique; though only lower-grade second-tier, its defensive capabilities were no weaker than a mid-grade second-tier formation. To break it, all five yellow light barriers had to be shattered simultaneously.

"Qingshan, when the fighting starts later, you are not to charge out of the formation. Just diligently infuse spiritual power into the formation flag."

Wang Changyue looked at Wang Qingshan, advising him with a touch of worry.

Wang Qingshan agreed. He was not a reckless person; it would be foolish to ignore the formation and charge out to directly confront the enemy. However, if necessary, he would not flinch.

Protecting his home was his responsibility and duty.

"As expected, something is happening. Attack!"

Under Wang Mingzhong's command, dozens of flying puppet beasts emerged from each of the five yellow light barriers, totaling over a hundred puppet beasts. A startling ten of these were second-tier puppet beasts.