The War Begins

Leaving Their Homeland?

Ji Ning suppressed the unwillingness churning in his heart. He truly was unwilling, deeply so. But as he looked at the other clansmen around him, including his father, Ji Liuzhen, Granny Shadow, and the others, all of whom remained silent, he knew the truth. As long as the Ji Clan could continue to propagate, to thrive and prosper, then leaving their homeland was a price they could bear.

“If Snowdragon Mountain brings forth a single vassal token,” Ji Jiuhuo said in a low, heavy voice, “the Ji Clan will immediately offer up the vassal token of Ten Thousand Swords City!”

“A vassal token?”

In the distance, Dong Zifa and the other four glanced at each other, sending secret voice transmissions to discuss.

“Senior apprentice-brother Zifa, what should we do?” a green-haired woman transmitted. “Offer one of our vassal tokens?”

“Offer one?” Dong Zifa looked at the green-haired woman. “Junior apprentice-sister He Xing, will you offer up yours?”

The green-haired woman immediately fell silent.

These violet-level Zifu Disciples who had left the sect to establish branches in various territories were all those with limited potential, already considered outer members of the sect. The Grand Xia cities they had occupied in the Yan Mountains were their very foundation! They were also the foundation for their tribes, with deeply entrenched power structures. How could they possibly abandon them?

Who would hand over a vassal token?

This Yuanstone vein belonged to the Snowdragon Mountain Sect. Why should I sacrifice? Why should my tribe sacrifice? Every single Grand Xia city was governed by two or three Zifu Disciples; all of them had to agree to relinquish the token! But who would be willing to abandon a foundation they had painstakingly built over so long?

“If we aren’t willing to give up, do you think those senior and junior apprentice-brothers in other territories will be willing to offer up one of their Grand Xia cities?” Dong Zifa shook his head. “Our Snowdragon Mountain has many branches. Those fellow disciples in other branches won’t concern themselves with our affairs. Why would they be so kind as to abandon one of their cities?”

“Our Ju Clan certainly can’t. I won’t agree to it, and my uncle back in the clan wouldn’t either,” the burly man said urgently. “Stop considering it. I don’t believe the Ji Clan would actually dare to resist.”

“Right,” the green-haired man nodded. “Let’s just apply direct pressure on the Ji Clan! If they resist, their entire clan will be wiped out. If they submit, they can continue to live and breathe! I believe the Ji Clan will know what choice to make.”

“Yes. This isn’t the first time we’ve done this,” the burly man Ju Sanlian agreed.

“Let’s do it this way, then,” the grey-robed man Mu Si also concurred.

Dong Zifa looked at his four junior apprentice-brothers and sisters. Although there were other fellow disciples from the Yan Mountain branch who hadn’t come—it was impossible for everyone to show up just for a fluctuation in natural energy—the five of them represented all the internal factions of the Yan Mountain branch present.

“Alright.” Dong Zifa nodded. “We’ll do it this way. As Junior Apprentice-Brother Ju San said, this isn’t the first time we’ve handled things like this.”

Snowdragon Mountain had a vast number of branches.

With so many branches, how could they occupy so many Grand Xia cities? By force?

That would be foolish.

They relied on a combination of the executioner’s blade and intimidation. In truth, most tribes, in the end, would have to grind their teeth and swallow their pride, voluntarily handing over their vassal token and obediently leaving. Of course, fights and skirmishes would occasionally occur, but nothing in this world was absolute. Dong Zifa and his group were confident that their own strength was overwhelmingly superior to the Ji Clan’s.

...

The Ji Clan’s side was waiting.

Although their hearts ached and they were filled with unwillingness, everyone, including Ji Ning, had already prepared themselves for the fate of leaving their homeland. As long as the Ji Clan could continue to thrive and prosper, it would all be worth it. The entire group of Ji Clan cultivators waited for the Snowdragon Mountain side’s reply.

“Hmph.” Dong Zifa let out a light snort. “Ji Jiuhuo.”

All the Ji Clan members fixed their eyes on this Dong Zifa. Ji Jiuhuo hastily spoke, “This is already the Ji Clan’s final bottom line.”

“A bottom line?” Dong Zifa sneered. “A bottom line is meant to be broken! Ji Jiuhuo, you want to exchange the vassal token of Ten Thousand Swords City for another? What a dream. Now, I will give you two paths. The first path: you defy my Snowdragon Mountain, and the Ji Clan will await extermination. The second path: you hand over the vassal token of Ten Thousand Swords City, and my Snowdragon Mountain will permit your Ji Clan to continue living on this very land. Once the Yuanstone vein has been fully excavated, the vassal token of Ten Thousand Swords City will be returned to you. This is my, Dong Zifa’s, solemn promise!”

The expressions of everyone in the Ji Clan changed dramatically.

What?

A promise?

A damn promise! What was the value of an empty, insubstantial promise? He wanted the entire Ji Clan to hand over their vassal token based on his word alone?

“Dong Zifa!” Ji Jiuhuo was both panicked and furious.

“Shut up!” Dong Zifa roared sharply, his eyes as cold as a frozen lake as he stared at Ji Jiuhuo. “You only have one choice: to continue living, or to face the extermination of your clan! It all depends on what you decide in this single moment! If you choose extermination... well, my Eight Trigrams Blood Dragon Formation hasn’t tasted real blood in a very long time.”

The other four Zifu Disciples beside him also flashed fierce, murderous auras. They had been trained in a proper sect and had learned powerful techniques. Their methods were generally far superior to those of local cultivators. If it really came to a fight... back in their lair, there were another three Zifu Disciples. In total, that was a full eight Zifu Disciples!

“Make your choice!” Dong Zifa said coldly.

On the Ji Clan’s side, some clan members were trembling with rage.

“Chieftain!” one of them howled.

“Aaaagh!” Ji Jiuhuo threw his head back and let out a long howl of anguish. “I, Ji Jiuhuo, have failed our ancestors!”

Ji Ning clenched his teeth, his entire body trembling slightly.

In the distance, Dong Zifa and the others wore cold smiles as they watched the scene. Choosing to abandon the clan’s ancestral home was indeed a betrayal of their predecessors. But did these local savages dare to resist? Resistance meant death!

“GO TO HELL!” Ji Jiuhuo suddenly flung out six black spherical objects. They streaked through the air like six bolts of light, flying directly towards Dong Zifa and his group.

“It’s a Thunderfire Bead!”

The five Zifu Disciples, including Dong Zifa, were all shocked. Coming from a proper sect, they recognized it instantly. These were the most common yet sinister Thunderfire Beads, charged with the violent forces of lightning and fire, and incredibly unstable. Once infused with Yuan power to detonate them, they would explode instantly with devastating force. If six Thunderfire Beads were to detonate at such close range, even a Zifu Disciple could be killed.

“These local tribes really do have some treasures, being able to produce six Thunderfire Beads at once,” Dong Zifa thought as he frantically dodged, the thought flashing through his mind.

The five Zifu Disciples of Snowdragon Mountain rapidly scattered in all directions.

Boom~~~

A violent force of thunder and fire exploded outwards with a deafening roar. Dazzling bolts of lightning and arcing snakes of electricity shot out in all directions, while flames engulfed the surrounding earth. The ground shook and the mountains trembled. The power was truly astonishing.

“Now!” Ji Jiuhuo’s eyes were filled with madness as he hurled the six Thunderfire Beads.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh~~~

Suddenly, the vast wilderness and forests all around were covered by an endless, thick miasma and fog. The fog appeared from nowhere, swallowing everything. Even Ji Ning, with his enhanced vision, could only see three zhang in front of him.

“Not good.” Dong Zifa, who had just finished dodging and was feeling a hint of pride and contempt, saw the apparition of the miasma and his expression changed drastically. “A maze formation!”

“That cunning old bastard! He didn’t throw those six Thunderfire Beads to kill us, but to force the five of us to separate from each other as we dodged!” Dong Zifa’s face was ashen as he looked at the fog around him. His own vision was limited to a mere two zhang. Because of the Thunderfire Beads, they had each dodged as far away from each other as possible.

Every single one of his junior apprentice-brothers and sisters was now at least several tens of zhang away from him. As long as the distance between them exceeded five or six zhang, the person controlling this maze formation could manipulate the space within it to push them further and further apart.

“This Ji Jiuhuo is trying to completely isolate the five of us!” Dong Zifa was both angry and alarmed.

“Senior apprentice-brother!” a voice called out from the distance. “It’s a maze formation! We’ve been separated! That old bastard Ji Jiuhuo is trying to divide and conquer! They’re definitely going to team up two or three of their Zifu Disciples to take on just one of us! They’ll pick us off one by one!”

Although he could hear voices, within the maze formation, directions were twisted and impossible to pinpoint.

“Junior Apprentice-Brother Ju San! Junior Apprentice-Brother Mu Si! Junior Apprentice-Brother He Fang! Junior Apprentice-Sister He Xing! Are you all together?” Dong Zifa yelled desperately.

“My brother and I are together,” a female voice answered.

“I’m alone.”

“Alone over here too.”

The other two voices chilled Dong Zifa’s heart. He understood now. The two He siblings were together, but he himself, Ju San, and Mu Si were all completely isolated. Even if the He siblings joined forces, once the Ji Clan cornered them, they would be in grave danger.

“I’ve really been set up by that old bastard this time,” Dong Zifa fumed, panic and rage warring within him. “But how did he set up a formation in advance?”

...

While the five Zifu Disciples of Snowdragon Mountain were isolated within the maze formation, their hearts filled with panic, the Ji Clan’s side was a mixture of excitement and astonishment.

“Chieftain, how could you just suddenly attack like that?”

“And this… this formation… what’s going on?”

All the clan members were stunned.

Ji Jiuhuo swept his gaze across them and growled, “The Ji Clan is not made of weak bone! They’ve already ridden us, pissed on our faces, and can we still hold back? It’s better to leave this place with our heads held low, skulking away, than to fight a glorious battle! In fact, fighting gives us a chance to live!”

“Listen to my orders.” Ji Jiuhuo gave his commands directly.

All the clan members listened.

“Ji Beifeng, you will return and take Ji Mo and the others. Split into three groups and ride the flying beasts to leave the Yan Mountains in secret,” Ji Jiuhuo ordered. “You will be the bloodline the Ji Clan preserves to continue its legacy.”

“Understood.”

“Ji Dongze, you will immediately head to Yanshan City. Report to the Grand Xia Dynasty that a Yuanstone vein has been discovered within the Ji Clan’s territory. This task is yours. Remember, send multiple teams. You must ensure that at least one team reaches Yanshan City.”

“Understood.”

Ji Jiuhuo’s gaze swept over the remaining people. “Everyone else who is not a Zifu Disciple will return to Ten Thousand Swords City. Leave this place to us. All of you, go now.”

All of the Ji Clan members dropped to their knees with a thud, kowtowing to Ji Jiuhuo, Ji Yichuan, Ji Liuzhen, Ji Ning, and the others. Without saying a word, they rose and quickly departed.

“Now, it’s just us.” Ji Jiuhuo’s gaze swept over the remaining few. “Those five arrogant Zifu Disciples of Snowdragon Mountain have been separated by the formation. All we need to do is pick them off one by one, and we can wipe them all out!”

“Ji Ning.” Ji Jiuhuo looked at Ji Ning. “You are the hope of the Ji Clan, you are our future. If things truly take a turn for the worse, use the Ten-Thousand-Mile Trace-Away Talisman and escape immediately! As long as you live, the Ji Clan will never be destroyed!”

“Yes.” Ji Ning clenched his jaw and replied.

“Prepare to start the slaughter.” Ji Jiuhuo let out a booming laugh. “It’s been so many years since I’ve been this wild! I feel younger already! I’m as excited as I was on my wedding night!”