Chapter 316: Surrounded by Mountains

"Brother!" Fei Tongxiao bent down, gripping his elder brother's hand tightly. "Three hundred years ago, our Fei family ancestor was killed while traveling, putting our family in grave danger. It was then that a successor from an immortal estate fiercely battled and forcibly suppressed the Jiang family, causing all other families to withdraw for a century. Over a hundred years ago, when our family's talent dwindled, five families similarly divided the Jiang family, allowing us to recover. Each of these events proves how our ancestors tirelessly struggled to elevate our family to its current esteemed position! How can we so easily speak of surrender?"

Fei Tongxiao gritted his teeth, tears welling in his eyes. He said deeply, "We haven't reached rock bottom yet; we absolutely cannot give up! Brother, have you forgotten...?"

"Go, find the Li family." Fei Tongyu finally straightened up, composing himself, but then felt a sudden, violent tremor. Fortunately, as a peak Fetal Breath realm cultivator, he managed to brace himself, though his expression was grim. "What's happening?!"

Fei Tongxiao was aghast and about to speak when the ancestral hall's main door was violently slammed open. A middle-aged cultivator in white robes entered, declaring gravely, "The Yu family has surrounded Hanyun Peak!" "What?!"

Fei Tongyu froze, his expression dramatically shifting. He urgently said, "Notify the Li family... no... I'm afraid it's too late."

The white-robed middle-aged man, with a gentle face and a cultivation level of Qi Refining Sixth Layer, was Fei Wangbai's only surviving brother. A hint of grief still lingered in his expression as he softly said, "The Yu family has completely encircled Hanyun Peak; not even an insect can escape!"

Fei Tongyu and Fei Tongxiao exchanged glances. Fei Tongxiao exhaled deeply, calming his unease, and said gravely, "The Yu family's siege is enormous; the Li family will surely be aware. Our Cloud-Gathering Southern Sky Formation is a top-tier grand array; the Yu family absolutely cannot breach it quickly! If the Li family truly intends to rescue us, we won't reach a desperate situation."

Fei Tongyu, however, stared at his brother and whispered, "But what if they have no intention of helping us?"

"Boom!" A colossal jade mountain slammed into the Cloud-Gathering Southern Sky Formation on Hanyun Peak, triggering another violent tremor. Fei Tongyu steadied himself, a wild look in his eyes, and hissed, "Yu Mugao is no ordinary man; if he dares to attack our family, he has certainly prepared a way to tie down the Li family, and even Li Tongya! It's probably too late now!" Tears streamed from his eyes as he lamented, "The lake is swarming with predators. Ever since my grandfather's death... our family's fate has been sealed. This isn't the situation of a hundred or three hundred years ago. We are caught between a rock and a hard place, truly between a rock and a hard place!"

"It seems Fei Wangbai is truly dead." Yu Mugao observed the Cloud-Gathering Southern Sky Formation, its light flowing over Hanyun Peak. He waited for a full incense stick's time, but Fei Wangbai's figure never appeared. Beside him, Yu Xiaogui, the Yu family ancestor, had a complex expression and whispered, "How can this be?!"

Even before Yu Mugao took charge of the family, Yu Xiaogui and Fei Wangbai had been rivals for decades, with neither consistently dominating the other. Yu Xiaogui had always found him troublesome and felt powerless against him, only managing to gain a slight advantage by relying on the family's overall strength.

For such a formidable figure to die so abruptly made Yu Xiaogui feel a sense of unreality. Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, he gazed down at Hanyun Peak and murmured, "To be offered up so easily, it makes one suspect a trap."

"Hmph!" Yu Mugao scoffed, having anticipated this. He replied, "When Chi Zhiyan came to Moon Lake for recruitment back then, it was hinted that Fei Wangbai had obstructed the path of a certain sect genius or a Purple Mansion cultivator! His fate was simply unfortunate; his sudden death was inevitable."

Yu Xiaogui felt a slight shock and a wave of empathy upon hearing this. He whispered, "To reach Foundation Establishment is to overcome countless hardships, a feat achieved by one in ten thousand. To then discover one has cultivated the wrong method, or forged a flawed immortal foundation, only leads to becoming 'blood food' or death. But Fei Wangbai was cultivating perfectly fine on the lake; how could he have obstructed anyone's path?"

"Who knows," Yu Mugao slowly shook his head, a hint of bleakness in his voice. "Such matters of destiny and divine abilities are intertwined; one cannot truly understand them until reaching the Purple Mansion realm. Like sparrows lacking the vision of a swan, all these families are stumbling blindly, unwittingly serving others."

The Cloud-Gathering Southern Sky Formation was an ancient array, powerful enough to withstand Foundation Establishment cultivators. Yu Xiaogui and his group surrounded Hanyun Peak. As they watched the shimmering white formation beneath their feet, various magical techniques rained down, exploding upon the array.

"The Cloud-Gathering Southern Sky Formation truly is a grand array of the Foundation Establishment level," Yu Mugao praised. He watched as the flames and ice, conjured by the Yu family cultivators' spells, vanished without a trace upon the grand array. "It's even superior to our family's Jade Court Garrison Array from back then. No wonder the Fei family, possessing such an array, has been able to dominate the northern shore year after year."

Yu Xiaogui struck the shimmering white array with both palms, but the Cloud-Gathering Southern Sky Formation remained completely still. He let out a cold hmph, then flicked his sleeve, from which a small jade mountain flew out.

"Jade Smoke Mountain!" This cherished family treasure of the Yu family grew with the wind, instantly becoming human-height. Immortal cranes and ancient trees on its surface appeared vividly lifelike as it slammed down onto the Fei family's grand array, producing a series of muffled thuds: "Thump, thump, thump..."

However, the Cloud-Gathering Southern Sky Formation merely brightened slightly, its intricate array patterns glowing even more intensely. No matter how the Jade Smoke Mountain impacted it, the array remained completely unmoving.

"By my command!" Yu Xiaogui nodded slightly, forming hand seals. His Foundation Establishment cultivation surged, and his immortal foundation circulated within him. The Jade Smoke Mountain in the air immediately began to spin rapidly, growing larger and larger until it was the size of a small hilltop. The immortal cranes on it became even more lifelike, raising their heads and crying out, while the ancient trees extended their powerful branches, and the clouds drifted, as if truly about to descend.

"Hup!" Yu Xiaogui's face flushed slightly. The Jade Smoke Mountain in the air instantly plummeted, crashing onto the Cloud-Gathering Southern Sky Formation on Hanyun Peak. It unleashed a thunderous roar, causing the Fei family members within the array to blanch with fear, while the Yu family members outside cheered loudly.

"Boom..." The Cloud-Gathering Southern Sky Formation finally showed a change. Its thick light shield flickered for a moment, like ripples spreading across a pond, but then quickly settled back down.

"A good array," Yu Xiaogui breathed out a long sigh. The Cloud-Gathering Southern Sky Formation was renowned; he had not intended to forcibly break it, merely to test its defenses.

Then, with a gentle lift of his hand, the Jade Smoke Mountain immediately shrank as if deflating. After spinning a few times in the air, it returned to fist-size and obediently flew back into his sleeve.

"No rush," Yu Mugao murmured, then selected over a dozen individuals from among the guest elders and Yu family cultivators. They descended towards the foot of the mountain to cast spells affecting the earth veins. He then explained, "While the Cloud-Gathering Southern Sky Formation is formidable, its energy consumption is immense, like a whale devouring water. We only need to disrupt the earth veins and launch continuous attacks to accelerate the Fei family's depletion. If we maintain this siege for a period, the Fei family will be completely drained within half a month."

"I only fear that delays will bring unforeseen changes..." Yu Xiaogui's expression turned somewhat gloomy. He watched the busy Yu family members below. The north wind on the lake grew stronger, and the rolling sea of clouds receded, leaving the sky clear for miles. He absently raised his head, looking at the white speck in the distant sky.