Chapter 99: Various Parties

All of this was brought to the clan by the girl in front of them. If what she said was true, and a protective Talisman Array could be set up around their clan, then the clan’s strength would increase significantly, almost rising by a whole level. Even if Huayang Sect wanted to help Canglang City and Nanlin City, it was unlikely they would send their high-level experts.

“No, I want to set up two Talisman Arrays,” Xu Ziyan said slowly. “Before the tenth of next month, I can’t produce that many top Third Grade Talismans. So I can only use top Third Grade Talismans to set up a relatively small array, to be used as a last resort for the clan’s desperate fight. As for the entire Clan Protection Grand Formation for the whole clan, I can only use First-grade Talismans. Though its power will be much weaker than a Third Grade Talisman Array, once the Grand Array is formed, I believe cultivators below the Foundation Building Stage won’t be able to withstand it.

This way, only those at or above Foundation Building Stage could break into the array and enter the clan grounds. How many Foundation Building Stage cultivators are there in the ordinary world? And I will set up another Talisman Array formed from top Third Grade Talismans around this Council Hall. Probably not even a Tenth Layer Foundation Building Stage cultivator could break it. Even if they eventually broke it with great effort, they would waste a lot of True Essence. By that time, Eldest Uncle could use that top Fifth Grade Talisman to strike them. Our Xu Clan might still have a chance to win!”

“Good! Hahaha…” Xu Haoran slapped the table and stood up, laughing excitedly. He looked at Xu Ziyan with appreciation and gratitude, saying with full confidence,

“Yan’er, it won’t come to that desperate last step you mentioned. As long as we show them that Third Grade Talisman Array, I guarantee they won’t dare attack our Xu Clan again. You know, only sects have Sect Protection Grand Arrays. Now that they see our Xu Clan has a Clan Protection Grand Formation, how could they not believe that Taixuan Sect is strongly supporting us? Even if Huayang Sect finds out, they wouldn’t act recklessly, since this is Taixuan Sect’s territory after all!”

“Mm,” Xu Ziyan nodded. “In that case, the clan needs to give me all its stored First-grade Talismans. If that’s not enough, have all the Talisman Masters in the clan work overnight to produce more. That way, I can free up time to make the Third Grade Talismans and manage to set up both arrays before the tenth of next month.”

“Good!” Xu Haoran’s face was full of excitement. He turned to the third brother, Xu Haolang, and said, “Third Brother, how many First-grade Talismans does the clan have now?”

“Eldest Brother,” Xu Haolang stood up from his seat, looking proud. “The clan has many First-grade Talismans, roughly over two hundred thousand. After all, our clan has always had Talisman Masters, and over the years, we’ve accumulated quite a lot.”

“Mm!” Xu Haoran nodded with satisfaction, then turned to look at Xu Ziyan again.

“Yan’er, how many talismans are needed to set up a Clan Protection Grand Formation?”

“Eighteen thousand is enough! But, Eldest Uncle, you must remember. Once this Talisman Array is activated, it can only last for nine days and nights. After that time, it will automatically vanish.” Xu Ziyan said softly, while being shocked by the Xu Clan’s deep reserves as a great clan.

“Then… once it’s activated, can it be turned off?”

“No, it can naturally be turned off. I meant the total time cannot exceed nine days and nights.”

“Oh, that’s good then!” Xu Haoran felt relieved again. Suddenly, he looked at Xu Ziyan and asked, “Is there no way to extend the Talisman Array’s duration?”

“There is!” Xu Ziyan nodded firmly.

“What method?” Xu Haoran’s spirits lifted.

“Spirit Stones! With Spirit Stones, we can replenish the Spiritual Energy lost by the talismans!”

“Spirit Stones! The clan does have some, but they are all Low-grade Spirit Stones, only about forty or fifty pieces. These have been accumulated generation after generation, for use by the clan’s higher-ups when breaking through major bottlenecks.”

“Then forget it. Eldest Uncle, please give me the eighteen thousand talismans today. Then order the clan disciples not to go out tonight. I will set up this First-grade Talisman Array tonight.”

“Good! Third Brother, go now and get eighteen thousand talismans for Yan’er.”

Xu Haolang left in a hurry and soon returned, handing a Storage Pouch to Xu Ziyan. Xu Ziyan used her Spiritual Power to look inside, then transferred the eighteen thousand First-grade Talismans into her own Storage Pouch. She returned the empty Storage Pouch to Xu Haolang.

Night.

※※※

A figure flew continuously through the air…

Night.

The entire Xu Family Clan was completely silent. All disciples were ordered to stay in their rooms. Only the clan’s higher-ups guarded the perimeter, suddenly attacking and eliminating all the hidden sentinels placed by other forces around the clan without hesitation.

Of course, after discussing with the clan’s higher-ups, Xu Ziyan considered that there might still be some hidden sentinels the clan hadn’t fully identified. So, the clan made a Taixuan Sect uniform for Xu Ziyan, modeled after Taixuan Sect’s robes. Since it was night, even if any hidden sentinels saw her, they wouldn’t see clearly and would surely think a Taixuan Sect disciple had arrived at the Xu Family Clan. Then, when the clan showed a bit of the Talisman Array’s power on the tenth of next month, the Zhou Family from Canglang City and the Yang Family from Nanlin City would definitely believe that people from Taixuan Sect had come to the Xu Clan.

A figure wearing Taixuan Sect attire moved swiftly around the Xu Family Clan, frequently using Spell Hand Seals to drive talismans into the ground. Each time a spell was cast, a light flashed where the talisman disappeared. The light flashed extremely fast, vanishing into the earth in less than a breath.

But in the night, the continuous flashing lights still attracted the attention of many forces. However, this was the Xu Family Ancestral Land after all, so those forces didn’t dare openly approach the Xu Clan to investigate. But distant spying was unavoidable.

Zhongdu City’s City Lord Li Wanpeng, Xiao Family Head Xiao Rugui, and Wu Family Head Wu Meng all stood on their own rooftops, gazing intently toward the Xu Clan’s direction. Many other forces hid in the darkness, watching everything happening at the Xu Family Ancestral Land.

“What is the Xu Clan doing?”

“Could it be that a treasure is about to appear?”

“No, that can’t be right. When a treasure appears, the glow doesn’t keep changing locations. Besides, the flashing light isn’t very powerful; it doesn’t look like a treasure emerging!”

“Could it be that the Xu Clan is making some big move? I heard they are allying with the Han Family from Juque City on the tenth of next month. Are they making preparations?”

“Mm, they must be up to something big.”

“It seems there’s a figure moving around constantly. Those flashing lights appear wherever that figure goes. Is that figure producing the light?”

“Hmm? It seems to be wearing Taixuan Sect attire! Is that real?”

“What is a Taixuan Sect person doing at the Xu Clan in the middle of the night?”

“Huh? The Xu Family Head and the higher-ups are all out! What exactly is happening at the Xu Clan?”

Xu Ziyan’s figure swiftly moved around the clan. During the day, she had already surveyed the terrain and memorized the placement points for the eighteen thousand talismans. Now, she was just following her pre-planned points, continuously driving talismans into the ground.

A bright moon hung high in the night sky. Xu Ziyan’s figure left trailing shadows in the dark. Her hands continuously formed complex Hand Seals, and the talismans floating around her were constantly sent into the earth. Even though Xu Ziyan was at the First Layer of Foundation Building Stage and had a Water Spirit Body with abundant True Essence, handling eighteen thousand talismans made her sweat profusely, soaking her clothes.

After a full hour, Xu Ziyan finally stopped. Her figure landed in front of the Council Hall entrance. Her face was pale, clearly showing she had overexerted her True Essence. She took out two Energy Augmentation Pills, swallowed them, then sat cross-legged on the steps in front of the door, closing her eyes for Meditative Rest.

Figures flickered as Xu Haoran and others emerged from the darkness, lightly landing around Xu Ziyan. Seeing Xu Ziyan’s pale face, they glanced at each other, then uniformly turned around, forming a circle around Xu Ziyan to silently protect her during her meditation. This was something that had never happened in the Xu Clan’s history—the Clan Leader with a group of clan elders protecting a disciple at the First Level of Qi Refining Stage during cultivation. If other clan disciples found out, their eyes would pop out in shock!

Seeing that no more lights flashed at the Xu Family Ancestral Land and the constantly moving figure had disappeared, those who had been spying from afar also vanished, full of questions. Two figures flew out from the Xiao and Wu families, arriving instantly above the City Lord’s Manor.

In Li Wanpeng’s study at the City Lord’s Manor, Li Wanpeng, Xiao Rugui, and Wu Meng sat around a table.

The three looked at each other, and for a while, the atmosphere in the study was very tense. Finally, Li Wanpeng spoke in a low voice:

“What do you think those lights at the Xu Clan tonight were about?”

Xiao Rugui and Wu Meng both shook their heads, their eyes filled with confusion. Frowning tightly, Xiao Rugui said somewhat irritably:

“What exactly is the Xu Clan up to? Seeing that old fox Xu Haoran himself came out to stand guard, something big must have happened at the Xu Clan!”

“Could it be that the Xu Clan’s Family Patriarch made a breakthrough?” Wu Meng’s face showed a trace of fear.

“Are you confused?” Li Wanpeng said displeased. “Whoever heard of someone running all over the mountains while breaking through!”

“Right, that figure today seemed to be wearing Taixuan Sect clothes,” Xiao Rugui said thoughtfully.

Li Wanpeng shook his head firmly. “Not sure, it just looked a bit like it from afar!”

“Then, do you think… if that person really was from Taixuan Sect, should we still carry out our original plan?” Wu Meng’s expression was very grim. Seeing that the plan they had prepared for years was finally coming to fruition, coinciding with this generation of the Xu Clan lacking outstanding figures, their own clan’s prosperity was within sight. Yet now, this dream faced the danger of Annihilation. So, both Wu Meng and Xiao Rugui looked at Li Wanpeng…