Chapter 166: Chapter 156: Reverse-Slaying a Foundation Establishment

A moment later, Lu Zhao’s figure appeared two hundred zhang outside the range of the Zheng Family’s Mountain Protection Array.

The moment he materialized, a wave of intense dizziness and bone-deep weakness washed over him—the price for burning his Essence Blood to cast the Blood Shadow Escape. His face was ashen, cold sweat dripped from his temples, and he swayed on his feet.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lu Zhao fought against the crushing weight on his body and quickly fished a Jade Bottle out of his Storage Bag. The stopper popped open, releasing a medicinal fragrance thick with the scent of blood. Without even looking, he tilted his head back and swallowed the longan-sized, blood-red Pill within—a Red Blood Pill.

The Pill melted the instant it touched his throat, and a scorching, tyrannical wave of Medicinal Power erupted within him. Like molten lava pouring into a dry riverbed, this energy violently surged through his limbs and bones, forcibly suppressing his roiling Qi and Blood and slowly beginning to restore his depleted Essence Blood. For now, the suffocating weakness was finally held at bay.

He didn’t dare delay for a moment. After a quick sweep with his Divine Sense confirmed no one was following, he immediately took out another object. The Cyan Feather Crane Puppet appeared before him. Lu Zhao vaulted onto the crane’s back and formed a hand seal. The Puppet Core activated instantly. The Cyan Feather Crane let out a clear, piercing cry, and with a powerful flap of its wings that kicked up a gale, it transformed into a streak of cyan-gray light, speeding away from the Zheng Family’s Spirit Mountain.

The wind howled past his ears as mountains and rivers receded rapidly below. Lying low on the crane’s back, Lu Zhao did his best to circulate the Little Spirit Rain Technique, supplementing the Red Blood Pill’s Medicinal Power to speed up his recovery while keeping a wary eye behind him. Only after flying nearly thirty li and confirming he had shaken off any possible pursuit by Divine Sense did he finally allow himself a small sigh of relief.

Ahead, the silhouette of the Zheng Family Marketplace emerged in the twilight. Lu Zhao’s eyes narrowed. He guided the Cyan Feather Crane to a lower altitude, swooping over a less-crowded area on the city’s periphery. The very instant the Crane Puppet was about to leave the marketplace’s edge, he flicked his wrist. A prepared Jade Scroll shot from his hand, thrown with practiced precision toward the most conspicuous announcement stone at the entrance below.

The Jade Scroll landed on the stone slab with a faint CLINK, rolled a few times, and stopped in a spot where it would be easily noticed by Cultivators entering and leaving. Having accomplished this, Lu Zhao didn’t even look back. The Crane Puppet’s speed increased by another thirty percent as it dove headfirst into the distant clouds, vanishing completely from the Zheng Family’s sphere of influence.

「Meanwhile, at the Zheng Family’s Spirit Mountain, near a weak point in the northwestern Mountain Protection Array.」

The Zheng Family Ancestor stood near a wrecked stone stele. Before him, a residual aura—chilling, violent, and terrifyingly more potent than anything from the Qi Cultivation realm—spoke volumes of the brief, intense battle that had just taken place.

And alongside that aura, an all-too-familiar fluctuation of Magical Power lingered in the air—it was the aura of his great-grandson, Zheng Fan! He was the one in whom the Ancestor had placed his highest hopes, whom he saw as the family’s Foundation Establishment Seed, and perhaps the only person who could prop up the Zheng Family after his own death.

But now, that aura was like a kite with a severed string, merely a remnant left behind. Its owner... was gone without a trace!

"Fan’er..." The Zheng Family Ancestor’s cloudy old eyes stared intently at the lingering aura, his withered fingers trembling. An indescribable rage, like a volcano dormant for ten thousand years, suddenly erupted from within his ancient yet still formidable frame!

"ZHENG QUAN!!!" A roar, filled with boundless fury and terrifying Spiritual Pressure, exploded over the entire Zheng Family Spirit Mountain like a thunderclap from the heavens. The shockwave rolled out, rattling the tiles of nearby halls. Every Zheng Family disciple who heard it felt their Heart Spirit tremble, their faces draining of color in terror.

In less than half a quarter hour, all of the Zheng Family’s upper echelons, including several Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer Elders, had rushed to the scene, their faces ashen and their steps frantic.

The man at their head was none other than Zheng Quan, who was in charge of the Zheng Family Law Enforcement Team and responsible for all security within and without the clan. He appeared to be in his forties with a resolute face, but now, his forehead was slick with cold sweat. His complexion was deathly pale, his eyes filled with a mixture of terror and confusion.

"Eld... Elder Ancestor..." Zheng Quan dropped to his knees with a thud, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "Y-You summoned me?"

"Summoned you?!" The Zheng Family Ancestor spun around. His eyes, normally cloudy, now shot out a sharp light, blazing with endless fury as they fixed on Zheng Quan. The terrifying pressure of the Foundation Establishment Stage crashed down without reservation, pressing on Zheng Quan so hard he could barely breathe. His back was instantly drenched in cold sweat.

"The enemy snuck right under the nose of our Grand Array! Fan’er is gone! And you’re asking me why I summoned you?!" The Zheng Family Ancestor’s voice was like ice scraping against bone, each word dripping with chilling killing intent. "What kind of Law Enforcement Elder are you?! Is the family’s Mountain Protection Array just for show?! Are all the patrolling disciples blind?!"

Hearing this, Zheng Quan felt a cold chill shoot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head. His mind went BLANK, as if he’d been struck by a sledgehammer. ’The enemy reached the Grand Array? Zheng Fan is missing?’ Each word was like a bolt from the blue, rattling his Spiritual Soul. His vision swam, and he nearly fainted on the spot. Having led the Law Enforcement Team for years, he knew exactly what Zheng Fan meant to the family and to the Elder Ancestor! This was an absolute, sky-falling disaster!

"Elder Ancestor, quell your anger!" Just as the atmosphere became suffocating, a calm, elderly voice spoke out. An old man who appeared to be in his seventies or eighties, with a gaunt face and a steady aura, stepped forward from the crowd. This was Zheng Tai, the only Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer Cultivator in the Zheng family aside from Zheng Fan himself. He bowed deeply to the furious Elder Ancestor and said gravely, "Elder Ancestor, what’s done is done. Punishing Zheng Quan now will not help matters. Fan’er’s safety is the most urgent priority! We must investigate immediately, find the culprit, and devise a way to rescue Fan’er!"

Zheng Tai’s words were like a bucket of cold water, somewhat dousing the Zheng Family Ancestor’s violent rage. His chest heaved. He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging killing intent. His cloudy old eyes swept over the crowd, who were all scared into silence, before finally landing on Zheng Quan. His voice was hoarse and icy, like a wind from the Nine Netherworld. "Investigate! I want you to investigate! Leave no stone unturned! If anything happens to Fan’er... Hmph!"

That cold snort sent a shiver through Zheng Quan. Like a death row inmate granted a last-minute reprieve, he scrambled to his feet and cried out hoarsely, "Yes! Elder Ancestor! This disciple will go at once! I will get to the bottom of this!" Without another word or even a proper bow, he stumbled out of the courtyard and began mobilizing all available forces for a frantic investigation.

「Three days later.」

The Zheng Family Spirit Mountain. A heavily guarded secret chamber.

The Zheng Family Ancestor sat on the main seat, his expression as dark as a thundercloud. Below him, Zheng Tai, Zheng Quan, and several other Core Elders stood silently on either side. The atmosphere was so thick it felt solid.

Zheng Quan clutched a Jade Scroll that had been recovered from the marketplace’s announcement stone. His face was still pale, but his eyes now held a mix of relief at having survived the Ancestor’s initial wrath and an even deeper anxiety. He took a deep breath and began to report, his voice dry.

"Reporting to the Elder Ancestor and all Elders, after three days of thorough investigation and piecing together various clues, the situation... is now mostly clear."

"Several days ago, the culprit first abducted disciple Zheng Tian, who was on a mission outside the Marketplace. After hearing the news, the Fourth Brother went to his rescue, but... he was tragically killed. Not even his bones were left." Zheng Quan’s voice was heavy with grief.

"Then, using some unknown method, the culprit... actually disguised himself as the Fourth Brother. Wielding one of the family’s Elder Identity Tokens, he deceived the outer patrols and the Array Restrictions, and snuck into the family grounds!"

At these words, the temperature in the secret chamber seemed to drop several degrees. Disbelief and horror appeared on everyone’s faces. ’Infiltrating by faking an identity? That’s beyond belief!’

Zheng Quan continued, "After sneaking in, the culprit used the Fourth Brother’s identity to message Fan’er, luring him... to the weak point in the northwestern Array. Afterward... the battle that you sensed occurred, Elder Ancestor. The culprit deployed... a terrifyingly powerful Zombie, suspected to be Tier Two! Fan’er... was likely abducted by it!"

He paused, then raised the Jade Scroll with a heavy hand. "This Jade Scroll was left intentionally at the Marketplace entrance after the culprit escaped. Inside... there is only a short message: ’One month from now. The peak of Luming Mountain. Old Ghost Zheng comes alone. Be late, and Zheng Fan dies.’"

"Luming Mountain?" Zheng Tai’s brow furrowed. "That’s over two hundred li from here, a desolate, rarely-traveled mountain range on the border between our Zheng Family’s territory and the Huang Family’s..."

"The Huang Family? Or the Lin Family?" one Elder blurted out, his face a mask of suspicion and rage. "How dare they collude with a Demon Cultivator, deploy a Tier Two Zombie, and abduct our Zheng Family’s Scion! Aren’t they afraid the Bixia Sect will find out and bring annihilation upon their entire clan?!"

A cold light glinted in the Zheng Family Ancestor’s eyes. His withered fingers tapped unconsciously on the armrest of his chair, producing a dull TAP... TAP...

He slowly shook his head, his voice hoarse. "It’s not them. The Huang and Lin Families lack the courage, and they have no reason to take such a monumental risk. Besides... the aura of a Tier Two Zombie cannot be faked. A Demon Dao Treasure of that caliber is not something they could easily control or command. If it really were them, the moment concrete proof emerged that they were colluding with Demon Cultivators and hiding a Zombie, the Bixia Sect’s thunderous wrath would annihilate them in an instant."

The hesitation and doubt in his eyes faded away, replaced by an almost fanatical resolve and the pride of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. "No matter who it is or what they’re plotting... since they called me out by name, then I will go and meet them myself!"

"Elder Ancestor, you can’t!" Zheng Tai paled, stepping forward at once to protest. "This culprit has been plotting for a long time. With a Tier Two Zombie at their disposal, the peak of Luming Mountain is surely a deadly trap! You are the pillar that supports the entire Zheng Family; you cannot walk into danger yourself!"

"Yes, Elder Ancestor! The culprit has malicious intentions; this must be a plot against you!" The other Elders also fell to their knees, their voices filled with desperation. "If anything were to happen to you, the Zheng Family would immediately collapse!"

"Not go?" The Zheng Family Ancestor shot to his feet. The pressure of the Foundation Establishment Stage exploded outward, pressing down so hard on the others that they could barely lift their heads. His gaze was like lightning as it swept over his kneeling descendants, his voice cold and desolate. "If I don’t go, then what about Fan’er? Is there anyone among you who can reach Foundation Establishment? After I die, is there anyone who can hold up the Zheng Family name and keep our ancestral home from being carved up by others?"

He scanned the room, and everyone his gaze fell upon lowered their heads in shame. The Zheng Family was suffering from a gap in talent between the old and new generations. Besides Zheng Fan, there truly wasn’t a single other prospect with any hope of reaching Foundation Establishment.

"Without Fan’er, does this family even have a future? And how many more years can these old bones of mine last?" The Zheng Family Ancestor’s voice was tinged with exhaustion, but held an even greater measure of unshakeable resolve. "When the time comes, without a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to watch over us, won’t the Zheng Family just be lambs waiting for the slaughter, destined to follow in the footsteps of all those other clans that have vanished?!"

He took a deep breath, and a terrifying light exploded from his cloudy old eyes. A majestic aura, the hallmark of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, surged forth, seeming to threaten to blow the roof right off the secret chamber.

"They want to kill me? Hmph! Let’s see if they have what it takes!"

The secret chamber fell into a dead silence. Zheng Tai and the others opened their mouths, but no words of protest would come. They understood. The Elder Ancestor’s mind was made up. For the sake of Zheng Fan, for the sake of the Zheng Family’s sliver of a future, he had to walk into the lion’s den.

「Meanwhile, hundreds of li away.」 Deep inside a hidden mountain cave, the light barrier of the Black Water Profound Turtle Formation flowed silently, sealing off all auras from the outside world. Within the array, Lu Zhao sat cross-legged. His face was still pale, but his aura was much more stable than it had been three days prior.

He took another Red Blood Pill, feeling its Medicinal Power spread through his body to nourish his parched Essence Blood. He slowly closed his eyes and began to circulate his Cultivation Technique with all his might, recovering from the immense toll of his dangerous mission. The appointment at Luming Mountain was twenty-seven days away. He needed time to return to his peak condition to face the Zheng Family Ancestor—a sworn, life-or-death enemy.

A storm was brewing on the peak of Luming Mountain.

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