"Capture him!"

At Zhao Wu's command, the Guard Army immediately rushed forward and subdued Luo Lie.

The Luo Family members inside the formation saw their clan leader captured and instantly lost the courage to resist, laying down their weapons and surrendering.

Only a few who practiced demonic cultivation techniques attempted to break out, only to be slain on the spot by the Guard Army.

...

Meanwhile.

In the Xu Family Territory, the scene was quite different.

Xu Kun stood inside the council hall, exuding a faint zombie qi — he practiced the demonic cultivation technique "Profound Yin Celestial Corpse Technique."

Though it could enhance his cultivation, it also made his aura chilly and cold.

At this moment, he looked at the Guard Army surrounding the hall with a face full of grief: "What can be done?"

Beside him stood two demonic Foundation Establishment Early-stage cultivators with blue-faced fangs, who were liaisons sent by the Demon Sect.

Both were also panicking at the moment, hurriedly advising:

"Fellow Daoist Xu, as long as there's life, there's hope! Quickly lead your clan to break through the encirclement. Our sect has a hidden base in the Western Border Miasma Forest where you can temporarily avoid trouble!"

Xu Kun was silent for a moment, and suddenly a determined look flashed in his eyes:

"It seems this is the only way."

He nodded slowly, then suddenly bit his tongue and sprayed blood, summoning the Tier Two High Grade Spiritual Artifact "Lesser Yang Essence Wheel."

The Essence Wheel carried a scorching spirit light, like a blazing sun, smashing towards the two demon cultivators.

"You!"

Caught off guard, one of the demon cultivators was immediately blasted apart by the Essence Wheel, splattering blood all over the hall.

The other one reacted slightly faster but also had an arm severed by the Essence Wheel, screaming in pain and trying to flee.

Xu Kun, with a cold gaze, manipulated the Essence Wheel to fly again, decapitating that demon cultivator.

He carried the two heads of the demon cultivators to a few clan elders and spoke with a slightly hoarse voice:

"It is all my fault for being too greedy, colluding with demon cultivators, foolishly attempting to use demonic cultivation techniques to break through to the Golden Core Great Dao, implicating the entire family."

"After my death, blame everything on me, claim that I was bewitched by demon cultivators and practiced forbidden techniques in secret."

Xu Kun placed the heads on the table and took out a jade scroll from his sleeve:

"Find all the clan members who practiced demonic cultivation techniques, abolish their cultivation, and expel them from the family records."

"Take my head and this jade scroll to the Li Clan of Qingxuan to seek aid."

"You can offer the Tier Two Top Grade Spirit Vein in the Western Border to the Li Clan and ask them to plead with the sect for clemency, preserving the Xu Clan's heritage."

After speaking, without waiting for the elders to react, he suddenly controlled the Lesser Yang Essence Wheel to slice toward his own neck.

The head rolled to the ground, the eyes still wide open, seemingly gazing at the future of the Xu Family.

In the council hall, the clan elders looked at Xu Kun's body with faces full of grief, yet knowing this was the only path to survival for now.

They held back their tears and began following Xu Kun's instructions, clearing out the clan members who practiced demonic cultivation techniques, preparing to seek aid from the Li Clan.

...

Within the stationed residence.

Dragon Void Daoist was scanning a jade scroll with his divine sense, the "Profound Yin Condensation Pill Technique," the very demonic secret technique offered by the Xu Clan.

He looked disdainful:

"Another technique to seize the Pill, riddled with flaws, truly a demon technique."

Dragon Void Daoist casually tossed it to Chen Sheng.

Chen Sheng scanned it with his divine sense, noting the various requirements, and his heart stirred.

Zhao Wu was standing in front of Dragon Void Daoist, reporting the progress of the siege:

"Venerable, Luo Lie has been captured, and Xu Kun committed suicide, offering the heads of two demon cultivators, requesting the sect's forgiveness."

Dragon Void Daoist gently nodded, a trace of approval flashing in his eyes:

"Well done, you must eradicate the roots when cutting weeds. Luo Lie must be severely interrogated to uncover if he has any other demon cultivator accomplices."

"As for the Xu Family, considering their initiative to purge internally, they can be dealt with leniently."

Zhao Wu responded:

"Understood."

...

A hundred miles west of Fenghua Immortal City, in a valley named Cyan Willow Valley, resided an inconspicuous small family — the Liu Clan.

The spiritual qi in the valley was sparse, just enough for Qi Cultivators to practice, and the Liu Clan comprised only over thirty members, with their strongest being the clan leader, Liu Shan, at Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer.

They usually lived by planting low-tier spirit grain and gathering herbs.

That evening, Liu Shan stood respectfully outside the hall in the clan territory, bowing to a plump elderly man dressed in a black robe.

The elder's face was round but exuded a sinister aura, with a cultivation level at Foundation Establishment Perfection, and he had a black token hanging at his waist, a symbol of his connection to a demonic hideout.

Liu Shan bowed his head, his voice tinged with flattery:

"Senior, these are this month's 'Blood Marrow Grass,' totaling fifty jin, all dried as per your request."

The plump elder was named Elder Mo, a leader of demon cultivators lurking around Fenghua Immortal City, and the Liu Clan was one of his secretive "Blood Source Bases."

——In his ambition to break through to Foundation Establishment, Liu Shan had been tempted by Elder Mo's demonic Foundation Stealing Technique.

He not only regularly provided the spirit grass needed for cultivating the demon technique but also secretly kidnapped loose cultivators from the market for Elder Mo to refine Blood Pills.

Elder Mo, however, did not take the spirit grass; instead, he raised his hand to touch the token at his waist, which was emitting faint black qi, a warning signal that a hideout had been destroyed.

His usually squinting eyes suddenly widened, and a chill of murderous intent flickered in his gaze, though his tone remained calm:

"Clan Leader Liu, are you aware that the 'Black Stone Stronghold' on the eastern side was raided by the Immortal City Guard Army today?"

Liu Shan panicked, hurriedly replying:

"Senior... Senior, I did not know! The affairs of Black Stone Stronghold have nothing to do with us in Cyan Willow Valley. We have always followed your instructions without any mistake!"

"No mistakes?"

Elder Mo suddenly laughed, a piercing and grating sound:

"Two of my trusted aides died at the Xu Family Territory today, and the Immortal City has begun a thorough investigation of demon hideouts."

"Do you think this little Cyan Willow Valley can remain hidden for much longer?"

Liu Shan's face turned deathly pale, and he fell to his knees with a thud:

"Spare me, Senior! I am loyal to you, begging you to take us with you! As long as we can survive, I am willing to serve you loyally!"

Elder Mo looked at his terrified appearance, his eyes filled with even more murderous intent. He had always sought not "loyalty," but rather "pawns" that wouldn't jeopardize his secrets.

Now, with the hideout exposed, the Liu Clan not only had lost their value but could also become a lead for Fenghua Immortal City's investigations—keeping them would only cause more trouble.

"Loyalty?"

Elder Mo slowly raised his hand. His fat palm appeared to move slowly, yet it carried an irresistible suction force, instantly grabbing Liu Shan's head.

Liu Shan didn't even have the chance to scream before feeling his vital essence being drawn out like a tide, his vision gradually blurring until he completely lost consciousness.

Elder Mo let go, and Liu Shan's body instantly shriveled like dehydrated wood, casually tossed and colliding with a pillar in the hall, making a dull thud.

"What a waste, two hideouts developed with difficulty, exposed so quickly!"

He snorted coldly, his voice full of impatience:

"This place cannot be stayed in for long, retreat!"

As Elder Mo's words fell, with a wave of his hand, seven or eight black phantoms flew out from his sleeve, flitting ghost-like through the clan territory.

Wherever the phantoms passed, shrill screams echoed, as Liu Clan's people, whether old or young, had their essence blood drained, falling to the ground as dried corpses.

Blood stained the stone slabs red, the rich scent of blood mingling with the black qi, casting a sinister aura over the entire Cyan Willow Valley.

In the time it took to burn an incense stick, the once lively Liu Clan territory had become a desolate ruin.

Elder Mo stood amid the corpse pile, inhaling deeply as if savoring the bloody aroma.

He raised his hand, summoning two ghostly pale, hollow-eyed Ghost Child puppets he had refined from spirit children, incredibly strong and capable of concealing their presence.

The Ghost Child puppets carried a small black sedan chair in front of Elder Mo seamlessly.

Elder Mo bent over and entered the sedan chair, and as the curtain fell, his voice came from inside:

"Go, to the Western Border Miasma Forest, to rendezvous with the Venerable."

The Ghost Child puppets carried the sedan smoothly, heading out of the valley, soon disappearing into the twilight.

...

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