Chapter 21 - 20: Attack

Chapter 21: Chapter 20: Attack

It was the season of Grain Rain once again.

The Golden Crow descended in the west. The evening glow melted the lake’s surface into crushed gold, and as the dying sun plunged behind the western mountains, it splashed the sky with Chiyan. The floating mist on the water was gilded with golden edges, rippling into thousands of Talisman-like patterns.

A White Egret swept past, its wingtips shattering the reflected drifting clouds, startling the dormant stars beneath the water into a flickering dance.

SQUAWK SQUAWK—

Hearing the White Egret’s call, Chen Jianghe stepped out of the cabin.

The White Egret landed on the bow, a small message tube hanging from its slender leg. It squawked wildly at Chen Jianghe, as if reminding him to pay up with two fish. The Large Cyan Fish had only been raised for over three months and were still quite small. It was perfectly reasonable for the White Egret to demand two of them.

Chen Jianghe’s gaze narrowed. With a sharp flick of his wrist, two Silver Threads formed by his Magical Power pierced the lake’s surface. A moment later, they pulled out two scrawny Large Cyan Fish. Retrieving the letter, he returned to the cabin.

"More deaths?!" he exclaimed.

This was a letter from Gao Peiyao, detailing the aftermath of the Yun Family’s Flying Ship journey to the Linyun Mine. The eldest master of the Yun Family had indeed been killed by the Bai Family.

The Bai Family didn’t even try to hide it. They admitted to the deed directly and even declared war on the Yun Family. A battle broke out the very day the Yun Family’s Flying Ship arrived at the Linyun Mine. With three Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Elders escorting the Yun Family’s Flying Ship, they didn’t suffer a loss in this clash. Instead, they gained a considerable advantage. They severely injured one of the Bai Family Elders and looted hundreds of Spirit Stones, reaping a bountiful harvest.

As for the Yun Family suffering more casualties among their Direct Descendants, it didn’t happen at the Linyun Mine, but rather en route to the Qinghe Marketplace.

"A group of seven Direct Descendants and over ten collateral disciples of the Yun Family were all killed. Was it really the work of the Lann Family?" Chen Jianghe wondered.

Gao Peiyao mentioned in the letter that the person who slaughtered the Yun Family’s group heading to the Qinghe Marketplace was that Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator from the Lann Family. During his recent trips to the port Marketplace to buy daily necessities, he had also heard some news about the Lann Family. The Lann Family had scammed and murdered over a hundred Fishermen and Farmers, including one Senior Fisherman and Farmer, plundering over eight hundred Spirit Stones in the process.

Afterward, the Yun Family didn’t just sit idly by. First, they dispatched two Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Elders to lead a team to intercept and kill the Lann Family along their escape route. Then, they issued a Foundation Establishment Immortal Race’s bounty warrant against the Lann Family.

Out of over thirty members of the Lann Family, only two managed to escape. One of them was that Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivator who was scheming to reach Foundation Establishment.

"Among the murdered Direct Descendants, only one was at the Seventh-Layer Qi Refining. The rest were merely at the Mid-Stage Qi Refining. It seems it really could be the work of that Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivator from the Lann Family," he deduced.

In the past, the Lann Family naturally wouldn’t dare offend the Yun Family. Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators were always extremely respectful toward Foundation Establishment Immortal Races because a Foundation Establishment Ancestor was simply too powerful—far beyond what a Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator could contend with.

But now, with only two survivors left from the thirty-plus members of the Lann Family, what did a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivator have left to fear? If he couldn’t defeat the Foundation Establishment Ancestor, couldn’t he at least slaughter the Yun Family’s Mid-Stage Qi Refining disciples? Furthermore, the Yun Family’s Foundation Establishment Ancestor could do nothing against this Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivator from the Lann Family. The Celestial South Domain was incredibly vast. He could simply strike once and then hide; there would be nowhere to even begin searching for him.

Coupled with the fact that the Yun Family’s Foundation Establishment Ancestor was injured and approaching the end of his lifespan, he would be even less likely to strike rashly. If his Magical Power was overly depleted and he died suddenly, it would deal a devastating blow to the Yun Family.

As long as the Yun Family’s Foundation Establishment Ancestor drew breath, he served as a deterrent against the ravenous wolves coveting their territory from the outside. Even the Bai Family of Qiyun Mountain didn’t dare launch a full-scale invasion on Jingyue Lake. If the dying Foundation Establishment Ancestor managed to take one of theirs down with him, the Bai Family would suffer a catastrophic loss. Therefore, against the remnants of the Lann Family, they could only remain cautiously on guard.

"A thief has a thousand days to strike, but you can’t stand guard for a thousand days. The Yun Family’s best course of action right now is to forbid their low-Cultivation Direct Descendants from leaving Huxing Island," he reasoned.

The Yun Family’s current predicament was like a massive ship sailing across the ocean. Although it was highly stable, there was still the possibility of capsizing. Overtly, they faced the Bai Family of Qiyun Mountain; covertly, they had to deal with the sneak attacks from the remnants of the Lann Family.

RUMBLE!!!

A deafening roar shattered the crushed gold on the lake’s surface and violently rocked the fishing boat. Chen Jianghe gripped the oars tightly, Magical Power surging from his knuckles to stabilize the vessel. He looked toward Port No.2. A crimson streak of Escape Light tore through the sky, and the faintly visible bluestone archway exploded violently. A flood of Jiao-shaped fire instantly engulfed the Marketplace.

The oppressive aura of a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivator made the lake water boil. Amidst sudden flashes of Golden Light, he saw dozens of Cultivators having their chests pierced by Profound Iron Chains before being hurled into the lake, dyeing the water red.

"Someone is launching a sneak attack on the Jingyue Lake port!" he realized.

Chen Jianghe rowed his fishing boat, steering it as far away from the port as possible within his own aquaculture waters. His 512 Waters were very far from Port No.1 but quite close to Port No.2—only about four or five miles away.

Fire Dragons wreaked havoc at Port No.2. Charred splinters of wood mixed with Blood Pearls pattered into the water, and the scent of roasted meat drifted through the air.

SPLASH.

Chen Jianghe jumped directly into the lake and dove toward the bottom. He didn’t want to watch this kind of spectacle for a second longer.

"Is it the Bai Family? Or the remnants of the Lann Family?" he wondered.

Little Black sensed Chen Jianghe’s aura and swam over happily, letting out soft whines at him. It began to swim in circles around his hair, which was undulating with the current. Because he had entered the water in such a rush, he had forgotten to cast the Water Avoidance Curse.

Promptly casting the Water Avoidance Curse, Chen Jianghe grabbed onto some aquatic plants and stood steadily on the lakebed. After a while, from the bottom of the lake, he saw streaks of light flashing past the surface and disappearing. These were likely the Yun Family’s Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators passing by utilizing Sword Control. He didn’t leave the lakebed immediately; instead, he chose to remain hidden. The 512 Waters were simply too close to Port No.2. However, from the bottom of the lake, he couldn’t see what was happening outside.

Five days later.

With the Magical Power in his Dantian nearly depleted and his stomach aching with hunger, Chen Jianghe finally floated up cautiously from the lakebed. Poking his head out, he carefully surveyed his surroundings.

The bloody water had long since been diluted completely. There was no more commotion coming from Port No.2, though billowing thick smoke could still be seen.

"It must be that Late-Stage Qi Refining remnant from the Lann Family. He knew the Steward of the Outer Waters is stationed at Port No.1, so he attacked Port No.2 instead," he thought. If it had been the Bai Family, they wouldn’t have acted alone. At the very least, they would have sent three to five Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators to destroy the entire port instantly.

Chen Jianghe returned to the cabin, wrote three letters, and then whistled at the bow to summon a White Egret. He tasked the White Egret with delivering the letters to Zhou Miaoyun, Gao Peiyao, and Yu Daniu.

The contents of all three letters were identical, so delivering them together was no issue. It even saved him four underdeveloped Large Cyan Fish, though it did earn him what looked like a contemptuous glare from the White Egret.

When Port No.2 was ambushed, he had fled to the bottom of the lake, so he wasn’t very clear on the situation. Did the Yun Family’s Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators manage to keep the attacker at Port No.2 from escaping later on? Or did they manage to slay the invading enemy? Chen Jianghe didn’t know. To grasp the situation, his only option was to ask his three allies.

Yu Daniu and Gao Peiyao’s waters flanked his on either side, and they too would have had a faint view of the events at Port No.2. What if their curiosity was strong enough that, unafraid of being caught in the crossfire, they had stayed on the lake’s surface to watch?