Yu Ninghu, looking somewhat fatigued, returned to his cave dwelling. In recent days, not only did he have to pacify the clan members who relocated to Xiao Jing Mountain, but he also had to stabilize the clan members outside, truly exhausting both mind and body. Moreover, whenever he sat down to cultivate, the death of his family’s elder would always emerge in his mind; thinking of the state of his family’s spiritual land, he felt that he had let down his ancestors. He knew that if this continued for a long time, his mental state would inevitably be affected, and he might even succumb to the invasion of a Heart Demon. But even being aware of that, he couldn’t let go. This Xiao Jing Mountain was only a first-grade middle-grade Spirit Vein with sparse Spiritual Energy, hardly sufficient for his cultivation. If he cultivated daily, absorbing Spiritual Energy, it would severely impact the cultivation of the clan’s younger generation. And he and his family were to be trapped here for ten years! In these ten years, his path of cultivation would be all but destroyed! If this continued, how could his family possibly hope for revenge! Moreover, he was well aware that these ten years were merely Lu Changsheng’s delaying tactic. The reason the other party did not kill him or act against his family was just to save face. It was to allow his kin, who were outside, to smoothly take over the family’s businesses. Once the other party stabilized the situation and was free to act, they might very well move against his family. And even though he was conscious of all these issues, there was nothing he could do. A second-rank Spiritual Contract, an oath bound by a Heart Demon, while it might not lead to death, the backlash could cause one to fall from Foundation Establishment back to Qi Refinement. What’s more, Lu Changsheng made the Ji Family a vassal; some of them continue to stay here, keeping an eye on his family. Any abnormality from his family would immediately be reported to Bi Lake Mountain. Enjoy exclusive adventures from freewebnovel.com "Damn it!" Thinking of these matters, Yu Ninghu once again couldn’t help feeling restless. "Hmm?" Just as he walked into the cave dwelling, Yu Ninghu saw the twisted shadows on the ground and suddenly sensed something was wrong. The next moment. "Swoosh!" A black shadow appeared, instantly reaching in front of Yu Ninghu. The speed was incredibly fast, and within the confined cave dwelling, Yu Ninghu had no chance to avoid it; he could only circulate his mana and hastily form a protective mana shield. "Bang!!!" The black shadow shattered Yu Ninghu’s mana shield with a strike to the chest, causing his body to fold, coughing up fresh blood, and his whole body felt numb. "Pfft!" At the same time, several pitch-black chains appeared, piercing and binding Yu Ninghu’s limbs. "Who are you?" Yu Ninghu looked at the middle-aged man in a black brocade robe in front of him, pupils shrinking, bound and unable to move, and asked. "Heh heh." The man in the black robe revealed a ferocious smile and stuffed a grey-black meatball into his mouth. "Ah—" Yu Ninghu immediately screamed out, feeling a force corroding his flesh. "Capture Soul!" The black-robed man grabbed Yu Ninghu’s head, his dark eyes glinting with a crimson luster. Looking at Yu Ninghu, whose facial complexion was turning cyanotic and eyes were dull, he said, "Tell me about Lu Changsheng, and about what happened at Bi Lake Mountain that day." "Lu Changsheng is from Qing Zhu Mountain..." Upon hearing the name of Lu Changsheng, Yu Ninghu showed a hint of agitation. Then, without any emotion, he started recounting everything about Lu Changsheng, and the situation at Bi Lake Mountain that day. "You’re saying, this Lu Changsheng, aside from Talismans, has no particularities in terms of cultivation strength?" The man in the black robe stroked his chin as he listened. "Correct. On that day, Lu Changsheng breaking the Formation showed nothing out of the ordinary." "It was entirely because our family’s Formation Token was obtained by Lu Changsheng, allowing that Array Master to use it to break the Formation and shake our family’s Mountain Protection Array." "Otherwise, with Lu Changsheng’s four individuals at Foundation Establishment, it would have been impossible to easily disturb our clan’s Great Formation." Yu Ninghu’s expression was blank as he said this. "And what about this Array Master called Ling Zixiao? What’s her level of cultivation strength like?" The man in the black robe, with a dark face and somber eyes, continued to inquire. "That woman should also be at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, but I suspect that she is injured." "One, her complexion doesn’t look too good." "Also, after breaking the Formation and entering Bi Lake Mountain, she has been shutting herself away and didn’t come out." "After she did come out, her complexion seemed even worse." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶 Yu Ninghu spoke out. "Hmm." The man in the black robe nodded upon hearing this. "It seems just as the rumors say, this Lu Changsheng has encountered a great opportunity, obtaining a top-tier Talisman Path inheritance and numerous heavenly treasures and Foundation Establishment Elixirs." "However, this art of Talisman Formation really is difficult to deal with. Unless it’s a one-shot kill, no one knows how many Talismans he still has in hand." The man in the black robe muttered to himself, his eyes dark and lusterless. He then turned to Yu Ninghu and said, "I remember that new families have to go to Qingyun Sect to register and file records, don’t they?" "Qingyun Sect does have such a regulation." "Within their jurisdiction, all Cultivation families that are established must go to Qingyun Sect to register and file records promptly, and give tribute every year." Yu Ninghu spoke without expression, enunciating each word. "As long as we wait for this Lu Changsheng to go to Qingyun Sect, I can take the opportunity to sneak into Bi Lake Mountain and capture Ling Zixiao." "By then, I would be able to peer into Lu Changsheng’s opportunities and secrets through her and take the opportunity to capture Lu Changsheng." The man in the black robe’s dark eyes glinted crimson, and he sneered. "Wake up!" Afterward, he looked at Yu Ninghu and snapped his fingers. "This....." Yu Ninghu, with a blank expression, came back to his senses and his eyes immediately filled with an expression of terror. Although he had been in a dazed, unconscious state just a moment ago, he retained a rough memory of it. He hadn’t expected to have just escaped the wolf’s den to enter the tiger’s mouth. The man before him was clearly a Demon Cultivator. Because of the commotion caused by Lu Changsheng, he had set his sights on Lu Changsheng’s fortune. He wanted to use his family to usurp Lu Changsheng’s opportunity. While he would certainly be willing to do this, fearing that if he colluded with a Demon Cultivator, the Qingyun Sect might issue a warrant for his family’s extermination. "You have my corpse seed inside you, so don’t even think about breaking free."