Chapter 250: The Thought of Wangbai

The market town of Mystic Forest County was engulfed in a crimson blaze. Flames danced on the rooftops, emitting the scent of burning wood. Blood flowed and dripped across the ground, and corpses lay scattered and piled at the street corners. Fei Wangbai stood silently amidst it all, his hands clasped behind his back.

One of the guest elders he had brought with him had died, and their body had already been taken care of. Fei Wangbai felt no sadness. Having breached Mystic Forest County's market town, he had plundered so many spiritual treasures and artifacts that they couldn't even fit in his storage bags. Fei Wangbai's heart swelled with such joy he almost laughed aloud, as his Fei family had clearly gained the most from the conflict between the Li and Yu families.

Fei Wangbai scuffed his boot twice on the ground, his heart brimming with boundless pride and satisfaction. Even the bright red blood seemed festive to him. After taking two steps along the path, he saw a middle-aged man standing in mid-air, meticulously stacking the corpses one by one to prevent them from being consumed by the fire.

"Brother Jiang..." Fei Wangbai called out. Jiang Heqian's voice was low as he slowly replied:

"They are relatives, after all. Don't let the fire consume them. The Yu family will send people to bury them."

Fei Wangbai remained silent. Jiang Heqian, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, had finished these minor tasks in just a dozen breaths. Fei Wangbai cupped his hands and said:

"Brother Heqian, you have contributed greatly this time. Let us divide the wealth gained from this market town between us."

Jiang Heqian's mind was still consumed by the gentle taps Yu Xiaoo had given his wrist before his death. The old man's hand had been astonishingly hot, so hot it had made Jiang Heqian's limbs numb and his soul feel disembodied. He was in no mood for anything now. Perhaps the recent slaughter had greatly expended the resentment he had accumulated over many years, for the fierce, malicious look in his eyes had softened, and he said gently:

"Brother Wangbai, I am truly not in the mood for this. My only thought in this life was to exact revenge. Please take these things back and distribute them among your clan members; Heqian has no need for them."

"How can that be?" Although Fei Wangbai understood the great value of these items, he was shrewd and insightful. He was also thinking of recruiting Jiang Heqian, who was now alone, to join the Fei family as a guest elder, as Jiang Heqian's cultivation method was extremely profound and his combat power was undoubtedly top-tier.

So he insisted on giving Jiang Heqian a share. Jiang Heqian, unable to refuse, could only cup his hands and say:

"We can discuss this another day, another day. Brother, please dispose of these items and convert their value into spirit stones for me."

Fei Wangbai nodded, his robes gently swaying in the north wind, and replied:

"Now that this matter is concluded, we should still depart quickly. If Yu Yufeng returns, it would truly ruin everything."

Seeing Jiang Heqian nod, Fei Wangbai suddenly remembered Li Tongya and mused to himself:

"Li Tongya is still holding Yu Xiaogui back. I wonder what the situation is there. Does he need us to come to his aid...?"

As Fei Wangbai thought this, a flash of insight suddenly struck him, and a nakedly wicked thought arose. He silently pondered:

"The Yu family has suffered such a great loss; they will likely decline for decades, if not a century. And the Li family has Li Chijing and Li Tongya. Looking at it from another angle, the Li family is far too powerful... Perhaps I should just leave now and let Li Tongya suffer a bit on Mount Huazhong, to balance the strength of the two families..."

This thought spun madly in Fei Wangbai's mind, as if he were possessed. His blood surged through his veins. Li Tongya's steady, solemn face and Li Qinghong's heroic, bright face vaguely passed through his mind. Ultimately, Fei Wangbai gritted his teeth and muttered to himself:

"The Yu family still has Yu Yufeng, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, overseeing them. One person could suppress three families. Ultimately, I still need to ally with Li Tongya. If, for such a trivial gain, I create discord with the Li family and Yu Yufeng then defeats us one by one, it would truly not be worth it. Furthermore, the Li family is on the south bank and my family is on the north bank. With Moon-Gazing Lake between us, we can never directly border each other. This makes us natural geopolitical allies; neither family will harbor ill intentions towards the other..."

Fei Wangbai let out a long breath. He reined in the wicked impulses stirring in his heart, and a carefree and handsome smile reappeared on his face. He cupped his hands towards Jiang Heqian and said:

"Li Tongya is still struggling to hold on in the south, and I still need to go to his aid. Daoist friend, please head to your cave dwelling first. Once this matter is concluded, I will come to thank you."

Jiang Heqian had no desire to stay, his heart already filled with restless anxiety. Hearing this, he felt as if he had received a great pardon. He cupped his hands, exchanged a few pleasantries, and quickly departed on the wind. Fei Wangbai sent his guest elders home, while he himself flew towards the Li family's direction.

"Clang!" Li Tongya dodged the Foundation Establishment artifact, Jade Mist Mountain. He drew his sword and turned, his expression calm. Before him, Yu Xiaogui gasped deeply, gazing at Li Tongya in disbelief, his heart greatly shaken. He thought to himself:

"Vast Sea is actually so troublesome?! This is truly astonishing!"

He had continuously pressured and fought Li Tongya for a full two hours, from dawn until the golden crow shone brightly in the sky. Earlier, some Li family members had looked up fearfully, silently worrying for Li Tongya, but now they were all busy with their own tasks, simply ignoring the two Foundation Establishment cultivators in the air. This thoroughly infuriated Yu Xiaogui.

Li Tongya lightly deflected the incoming Jade Mist Mountain. Seeing Yu Xiaogui finally stop and feeling his spiritual power rapidly recovering, his expression became a little strange, and he chuckled:

"Brother Xiaogui, do you wish to continue?"

Li Tongya looked at Yu Xiaogui's grim expression and silently added in his mind:

"If you don't continue, the four-tenths of spiritual power I've just expended will recover instantly."

Yu Xiaogui glared at him intensely. Then, looking at the Li family members below, he belatedly realized with a shock: he had been away from home for over two full hours, yet not a single Yu family member had come. A slight panic stirred in his heart.

"Fei Wangbai... you truly colluded and conspired against us!"

Yu Xiaogui narrowed his eyes. He knew it was likely the Fei family's doing. Fortunately, the Jade Court Garrison's grand formation was very reliable; at most, Fei Wangbai would only be able to block the Yu family members in the county. Even with his early Foundation Establishment helper, it would be impossible to breach it within two hours. He then relaxed, flicked his sleeve, and said coldly:

"Daoist friend, you certainly have remarkable methods."

Li Tongya simply cupped his hands and said nothing. Beside them, Wu Shaoyun had been enduring for two agonizing hours, hesitantly watching the two. Finally, he saw a streak of light flash across the horizon. A dashing middle-aged man in brocade robes descended, cupped his hands, and said:

"Wangbai greets Daoist friend!"

Li Tongya returned the gesture. Fei Wangbai looked at the appearance of both parties and chuckled:

"Hearing that the Yu family was bullying the weak, I hurried over to assist. Now it seems, Brother Tongya is still too formidable."

Fei Wangbai's words were no longer just a superficial show of respect for the Yu family, as he usually maintained; instead, he had completely sided with the Li family. After all, Jiang Heqian had killed too many people in the Yu family's market town, leaving no room for diplomacy between the Fei and Yu families. Fei Wangbai also couldn't be bothered to continue sparring with him.

Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaogui's heart immediately sank, and a sense of ominous foreboding arose within him. He immediately shouted:

"Fei Wangbai! What despicable thing have you done?"

Fei Wangbai feigned surprise, turning his head with a touch of astonishment. He replied:

"Brother Xiaogui, why do you say such a thing?"