Chapter 359: Lin Xiao Seeks Help

Mount Suanma is located at the border between the Wei and Chu states, stretching for over a hundred miles. It is said that a great general once led his army through this area, tethered his horses, and rested here, thus giving the mountain its name.

Mount Suanma has thin spiritual energy, sparse trees, and is rarely visited by people.

A golden light shot out from deep within Mount Suanma, flying directly towards the distant horizon.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" A series of sharp whooshing sounds pierced the air as several streaks of green light shot up from the ground, striking the golden light like lightning.

One of the green lights hit the golden light, which let out a shriek and momentarily stalled.

The golden light was revealed to be a dazzling golden shield, inside which stood a man and a woman. The man was Lin Xiao, and the woman was his wife, Liu Meng.

Liu Meng had a bleeding wound on her left shoulder, and her face was pale.

Lin Xiao quickly pulled out a green talisman, slapped it onto Liu Meng's wound, and with a flash of green light, the bleeding stopped.

"Damn it, this is actually a stronghold of some cultivation family," Lin Xiao cursed. He then quickly cast a spell, and the golden shield accelerated.

Lin Xiao was a rogue cultivator with no fixed assets. His only skills were hunting demonic beasts and killing people. He and his wife had poor luck while hunting demonic beasts, encountering two second-tier beasts. Although they narrowly escaped, Lin Xiao was severely injured and took over two years to recover, depleting all their savings.

To accumulate enough spirit stones to help his wife establish her foundation early, he entertained wicked thoughts. Coincidentally, he stumbled upon several Qi Refinement cultivators who were spending lavishly.

They followed the cultivators all the way to Mount Suanma. Just as they made their move, two Foundation Establishment cultivators suddenly appeared.

Lin Xiao never imagined that two Foundation Establishment cultivators would be cultivating in seclusion on Mount Suanma. Without time to think, he fled with his wife. However, his wife was injured by an arrow shot by their pursuers.

A blue light flew out from Mount Suanma, pursuing Lin Xiao and his wife, moving much faster than Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao glanced at the pursuers behind him, his brows furrowed in concern.

He had no flying magic tools, only one offensive magic tool. If they fought, they certainly wouldn't be able to defeat their opponents.

"Husband, I'll stop them. You must go quickly. If we delay any longer, neither of us will escape," Liu Meng urged, gritting her teeth.

"No, wife, your cultivation is too low, and you're injured. I'll hold them off; you escape quickly," Lin Xiao refused.

Lin Xiao shook his head, refusing. When he was severely injured, his wife had stayed by his side, tending to him without complaint. To heal him, Liu Meng had used all their possessions to buy healing pills. How could he bear to let his wife cover their retreat while he escaped alone?

"Brother Xiao, being your wife has been the happiest thing in my life. Don't force me. Go quickly. I don't want you to die before me. If you survive, don't avenge me. Just bring Yu'er back to your side; even though she doesn't have a spiritual root, she is still our child after all."

Lin Xiao's face showed hesitation. Before he could react, Liu Meng conjured a leaf-shaped spiritual tool, jumped onto it, and turned to rush towards their pursuers.

Lin Xiao's eyes instantly reddened. He knew Liu Meng's action meant certain death. He no longer hesitated, cast a spell, and the golden shield accelerated.

Seeing Liu Meng rushing towards them, the two Foundation Establishment cultivators immediately unleashed their magic tools, striking at her.

Liu Meng glanced at the retreating Lin Xiao, a faint smile on her face. She then took out two red orbs and threw them at the two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Boom!" Two enormous explosions echoed as the red orbs burst, transforming into raging flames that engulfed the two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

With a shriek, Liu Meng was also struck down by two flying swords, her body falling from high in the sky.

Soon, the flames dissipated, and the two Foundation Establishment cultivators continued their pursuit of Lin Xiao.

Wang Family Fort, Training Ground.

Wang Yaolong sat on the high platform, observing the clan members' contests, with Wang Changping seated beside him.

Dozens of clan members, young and old, male and female, had gathered at the training ground.

At this time, Wang Changsheng had been in seclusion for seven years, and it was precisely the year of the grand decennial competition.

On the ten martial arts arenas, clan members were competing on each one.

Wang Qingqing and Wang Qingzhi both participated in the competition. Both had cultivated to the ninth level of Qi Refinement and were nearing thirty years old.

Wang Qingzhi, lacking combat experience, was defeated in the second round. Wang Qingqing, however, advanced through three rounds consecutively, relying on her first-tier high-grade puppet beast.

Wang Qingjun's performance was the most striking. Proficient in fire-attributed spells, he passed three rounds in a row, with all the puppet beasts he fought against being completely destroyed.

Just then, Wang Changtai hurried to Wang Yaolong's side and whispered a few words.

"Mingzhan, Changyi, you two will preside over the competition. I have an urgent matter to attend to, so I'll be leaving first."

With that, Wang Yaolong quickly departed.

Wang Mingzhan and Wang Changyi exchanged bewildered glances, unsure what major event could have caused Wang Yaolong to be so flustered.

Not long after, Wang Yaolong arrived at the reception hall, where Lin Xiao had already been waiting for a long time.

Lin Xiao's left arm hung limply, his body covered in blood, and his face was pale.

"Senior Lin, I am Wang Yaolong, the head of the Wang family. My son Changtai mentioned that you discovered a hidden treasure?"

Lin Xiao took a deep breath and recounted the entire incident.

Although he escaped with his life, his left arm had been severed. His pursuers chased him all the way to Qinglian Market City, only stopping because they were wary of the Wang family.

To avenge his wife, he had no choice but to seek help from the Wang family.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, strictly speaking, Mount Suanma falls within Ning Province's territory. If there's any hidden treasure on Mount Suanma, it rightfully belongs to your Wang family. They are seizing what is yours, and my wife also died by their hands. If your Wang family decides to deal with them, I am willing to lead the charge."

By the end of his speech, Lin Xiao's face was filled with grief and indignation.

After listening to Lin Xiao's account, Wang Yaolong fell into deep thought.

According to Lin Xiao, two Foundation Establishment cultivators pursued him. Given that Mount Suanma has thin spiritual energy, how could two such cultivators be hiding there?

Mount Suanma is located at the border of the two states, meaning it could arguably belong to either Wei or Chu.

If a cultivation sect had occupied the area, Lin Xiao would not have been able to escape. It was more likely a cultivation family. Mount Suanma must contain some kind of cultivation resource; otherwise, the other party wouldn't have killed Lin Xiao and his wife to silence them. Of course, there was another possibility: Lin Xiao was coerced and set up a trap for the Wang family.

If the Wang family sent a large number of masters to Mount Suanma, Wang Family Fort would be left vulnerable. If they sent too few, they might fall into an ambush.

"Senior Lin, you've been through a lot. How about this: you go and rest for now. We will discuss this internally and contact you if needed. Changtai, please escort Senior Lin to rest."

Lin Xiao nodded and left with Wang Changtai.

Wang Yaolong sent someone to summon Wang Changping and recounted the entire incident to him.

Wang Changping was already at the third level of Foundation Establishment. His return to Wang Family Fort this time was to ask Wang Qingqi for help in refining second-tier pills.

The Hundred Spirit Sect had a second-tier alchemist with extensive experience. If Wang Changping gathered the necessary materials, he would send them back to the clan for Wang Qingqi to refine pills. If the refinement failed, the family would compensate Wang Changping with spirit stones. If successful, Wang Changping would pay Wang Qingqi a fee.

The Wang family consistently encouraged this practice. Wang Changping needed low-grade second-tier pills, which Wang Qingqi could refine, though with a low success rate initially. As Wang Qingqi refined more pills, his alchemy skills improved, and his success rate increased, leading to Wang Changping returning home more frequently.

"Ninth Brother and Ninth Sister are in seclusion for cultivation. If they emerge, things would be much easier. Changyue and Qingqi are at the second level of Foundation Establishment, but they lack combat experience. Eighteenth Brother is at Hongye Ridge, and a round trip would take over a month. As for Eighth Brother, he is stationed at Qingyue Market City, and a round trip would take several months. By myself, I might not be able to contend with them."