Chapter 819: Wang Changsheng Couple Exiting Seclusion

At Cloud Sea Sect, in Cloud Sea Hall, three men and one woman were sipping tea and chatting. The one with the highest cultivation was a burly man in a yellow robe with an honest face, at the eighth layer of Core Formation.

This was Lu Gang, a descendant of the barbarian tribe, who practiced body cultivation techniques and had established a formidable reputation in the South Sea Immortal Cultivation World. Of course, the people of Cloud Sea Sect didn't know he was Lu Gang, and he wasn't showing his true appearance. The South Sea Immortal Cultivation World was rich in cultivation resources, and there were countless ways to alter one's appearance. Like a cunning rabbit with three burrows, Lu Gang had long prepared backup plans, possessing several alternate identities. He had taken advantage of a conflict between the demon race and the Eight Directions Commerce Alliance to seize items from the Alliance. However, he was severely wounded by an Alliance elder; had he not been a body cultivator, he would have died. It took him nearly ten years of recovery for his injuries to heal completely.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, your injuries have healed. Can you now help us eliminate our enemies? We will certainly offer a generous reward once it's done." a plump, beautiful middle-aged woman said sincerely.

"Madam Liu, Fellow Daoist Song, how many Core Formation cultivators do your enemies have? And what are their cultivation levels?" a young woman in a green dress, in her early thirties, shifted her gaze and asked. This was Ye Xuan, Lu Gang's cultivation partner, at the fourth layer of Core Formation.

"As far as we know, there are at least three Core Formation cultivators. Two of them are below the sixth layer of Core Formation, and the other only formed his core five years ago, so he's at most at the second layer. We've bribed two insiders, so with an inside-outside attack, we can certainly succeed through a surprise assault." The middle-aged woman's tone was full of confidence. She planned to deploy all their forces to destroy the Wang family. With four Core Formation cultivators—two at the fourth layer, one at the sixth, and one at the eighth—if they couldn't kill three cultivators below the sixth layer, she might as well bash her head against tofu and die.

"With insiders, that sounds feasible. Are you sure their cultivation levels are below the sixth layer of Core Formation?" Lu Gang asked with some suspicion.

"They should be. To ensure absolute success, we've prepared a fourth-tier attack talisman, the Taiyi Demon-Slaying Talisman. Even a fourth-tier demonic beast wouldn't dare to take this talisman head-on. With the four of us working together, plus the Taiyi Demon-Slaying Talisman, it can be said to be foolproof." Lu Gang pondered for a moment, then nodded and agreed: "Very well. For old times' sake, we will help Madam Liu eliminate the Wang family, as repayment for your kindness in sheltering us."

"Then many thanks, Fellow Daoist Lu. Without further ado, let's depart immediately!"

Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit. To annihilate the Wang family, the Cloud Sea Sect deployed all its forces. One cannot tolerate a rival close by. The Wang family of Silver Snake Island was not only the Cloud Sea Sect's neighbor but also a formidable rival. The Wang family had been developing quite well in recent years. If the Cloud Sea Sect allowed them to grow unchecked, the Wang family, once powerful, would also destroy the Cloud Sea Sect. It was a matter of striking first, lest they suffer later.

***

On Silver Snake Island, in a secret chamber, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan had their hands clasped together. They sat cross-legged on meditation cushions, eyes slightly closed, with countless blue musical notes floating around their bodies. The notes flickered continuously, emitting profound immortal sounds. Wang Changsheng's muscles bulged, and muffled crackling sounds emanated from within his body. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan's auras were identical. In their dantian areas, two egg-sized blue inner cores rotated rapidly. Wisps of spiritual energy poured into their bodies, slowly gathering towards their dantians, finally merging into their Golden Cores. A Lapis Lazuli Tide Moonstone was embedded in the stone wall above their heads, attracting a large amount of water spiritual energy, which slowly flowed into their bodies.

After a while, all the water spiritual energy in the stone chamber entered Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan's bodies. The blue musical notes around them spun rapidly, finally transforming into specks of spiritual light and vanishing. They opened their eyes, and a hint of joy appeared simultaneously in their gazes. After nearly a decade in seclusion, aided by pills, Wang Changsheng had advanced to the seventh layer of Core Formation, and Wang Ruyan to the sixth layer. Furthermore, they had cultivated three great secret arts. Having mastered the joint secret art, their magical power and spiritual sense could temporarily merge, enhancing their offense and defense. Wang Changsheng could clearly perceive Wang Ruyan's inner thoughts, and vice versa. They had cultivated the Art of Harmonious Hearts using Concentric Worms, allowing their minds to be connected, knowing each other's thoughts for better coordination.

"My dear, we have finally succeeded in our cultivation," Wang Changsheng said with a joyful smile.

Wang Ruyan nodded with a smile and said: "My dear, perhaps we can even attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul stage together!" Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan were only one layer apart, so this possibility was indeed real.

"Qiu Hong, have Qing Qi and the others emerged from seclusion yet?" Wang Changsheng took out a communication plate to contact Wang Qiu Hong.

"Grandfather, Tenth Aunt has already advanced to the Core Formation stage. Fourth Uncle and Twelfth Uncle haven't come out of seclusion yet. Grandfather, something major has happened! Green Lotus Mountain Villa, Peach Mountain in the Demon Control Kingdom, and Sea Cucumber Island have been attacked one after another. Nearly a thousand clansmen have been killed or injured, and all valuables and scriptures have been plundered," Wang Qiu Hong spoke with a sorrowful tone.

Hearing this, Wang Changsheng was first stunned. He and Wang Ruyan exchanged a glance, both dumbfounded, their expressions turning very grim. Their clan was wiped out after just one period of seclusion?

"What happened? Come to my residence immediately and explain everything in detail."

"Yes, Grandfather."

Soon after, Wang Qiu Hong arrived at Wang Changsheng's residence and reported in detail on the attacks on the family's strongholds, as well as the situation of the various branch lineages. According to Wang Qingling's orders, the surviving clansmen had dispersed into more than twenty groups, funded by Silver Snake Island, to develop in the South Sea, Eastern Barren Lands, and Central Plains. Among those who remained in the Eastern Barren Lands, some had gone into hiding, some joined immortal cultivation sects, and others joined commerce alliances or other forces.

Wang Changsheng's gaze darkened. His first reaction was that the enemy was the Nine Nether Sect. The enemy was clearly targeting the Wang family, and the Nine Nether Sect had both the motive and the capability. Their domineering style of doing things also fit their typical behavior. Wang Changsheng broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, he had the foresight to disperse the clansmen; otherwise, the enemy would have wiped them out completely. Of course, there were still risks involved. Firstly, some clansmen on Silver Snake Island had returned to the Eastern Barren Lands, though not in large numbers or frequently. This posed a risk of exposure for Silver Snake Island. Fortunately, the enemy didn't conduct soul-searching on every clan member, which was how Silver Snake Island narrowly escaped. Wang Changsheng clearly understood that the most crucial factor was that the Wang family did not possess Ye Lin, nor the "Nine Nether Heaven-Illusionary Treasure Tome." Otherwise, the enemy wouldn't have been so careless.

Like a cunning rabbit with three burrows, after this incident, Wang Qingling had reallocated some manpower to establish another Wang family in a different sea area, with fewer than five individuals knowing its location, to prevent the entire clan from being wiped out by the enemy.

With three family strongholds attacked, nearly a thousand clansmen killed or injured, and their vitality severely damaged, Wang Changsheng considered whether to spread the "Nine Nether Heaven-Illusionary Treasure Tome" far and wide. He reconsidered repeatedly and then dismissed the idea. If he were to spread the "Nine Nether Heaven-Illusionary Treasure Tome," wouldn't that be like "protesting too much"? The high-ranking members of the Nine Nether Sect could deduce that the Wang family was indeed hiding Ye Lin, and in that case, the Nine Nether Sect would certainly go to great lengths to destroy the Wang family. For a millennium-old grand sect, completely wiping out a force was not particularly difficult.

Wang Changsheng could only forcibly suppress the grief in his heart for now. It wouldn't be too late to seek revenge on the Nine Nether Sect once he managed to advance to the Nascent Soul stage. To be honest, if Wang Changsheng weren't a descendant of the Sea Suppressing Sect and hadn't acquired some of the sect's remaining treasures, reaching the Nascent Soul stage would indeed be quite challenging for him.

"If this vengeance goes unfulfilled, I, Wang Ruyan, swear I am no human," Wang Ruyan said coldly. Wang Qingzhi had died in the calamity. Fortunately, Wang Qingqing had narrowly escaped the disaster.