[Year 905]
[Your family's foundation is profound, and your clansmen are growing increasingly powerful. Your family has begun to take action against Min Tiange.]
"The Peerless Hall's influence is massive."
In the family hall of Merit City, Li Yunbing had emerged from his bamboo forest.
The clansmen gathered around the table, watching Li Yunbing point at the map. Everyone wore a solemn expression.
Li Yunbing said, "In the Western Frontier, if Tianqi's assessment is correct, the number of people affected beneath the Blood Moon is unknown. Besides our people, there is also the Wu Tribe."
"Next is within the borders of the Imperial Dynasty."
The map was marked with numerous circles.
"With sixty thousand years of accumulation, Min Tiange has used Dao Seeds to secretly manipulate an unknown number of people.
Among those we are familiar with are Holy Monk Yidian, Uncle Rain, the former sect master of the Eternal Immortal Sect He Hao, Zhen Wu of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, and the Fox Saint..."
Outside the main hall.
Stood the Nirvana Sage Elder, who had grown into a young man over the years.
However, his body was covered in inscriptions—the talisman seals the Azure Cloud Li Clan had placed upon him. At this moment, his expression was just as solemn as everyone else's.
Aside from the fact that being reborn in the Azure Cloud Prefecture felt like the sky had fallen on him, when Li Tianqi brought the secrets of the Western Frontier back to the Azure Cloud Prefecture, he couldn't even sleep.
All the experts of their Divine Bird Totem were in the Western Frontier.
There was also Huan Gui and Taotie from the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems; the two of them were still in the Azure Cloud Prefecture, driven by nothing more than vengeance for the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
Even their True God had died at the hands of Min Tiange.
"Whether it was the Holy Monk, Uncle Rain, or the Fox Saint, they all fell into his hands after being severely injured," Li Yaozu said with a dark expression.
"Severe injuries make one his target; making a move when someone is at their weakest is the optimal moment. Perhaps his methods are related to whether the target is weak."
"Correct."
Li Yunbing nodded slightly, pointing at Grandhaven City on the map.
"Through his divine abilities, the Old Ancestor has kept an eye on Li Chuyuan and the Fox Saint. We possess the most fundamental advantage: intelligence."
"The four thousand people in Grandhaven City, under the leadership of the Fox Saint, might just be a microcosm of the entire Peerless Hall. Through them, we can find a flaw."
Li Changsheng said in a deep voice, "The people of the Peerless Hall are different from those of the Grand Tower."
Everyone looked at Li Changsheng.
Li Changsheng continued,
"Those in the Grand Tower were forced to accept the Dao Seeds against their will.
But the Peerless Hall... What the Old Ancestor saw is that the vast majority of people in the Peerless Hall have some sort of transaction with it.
The Dao Seed merely acts as their identity, akin to a blood oath."
"Just like Uncle Rain; even if he wasn't loyal to Min Tiange, he was already a part of the Peerless Hall."
Li Changsheng rubbed his temples.
"I don't know if I'm overthinking it, but over the years, on the bodies of the Peerless Hall members we've captured in Azure Cloud Prefecture, my Human Emperor's Eye has perceived an ancient aura through the Dao Seeds.
The Human Emperor's Eye of Authority feels an extreme disgust toward this aura."
"Dao Seeds, apart from manipulating the human heart, also seem capable of stimulating a certain kind of desire within it."
"Desire?" Li Yunbing narrowed his eyes slightly.
Changsheng's Human Emperor's Eye had always been extraordinary.
Now that Changsheng had returned to the Qi Condensation realm, it wouldn't be long before he broke through to a new realm, making his Human Emperor's Eye even more terrifying.
"A subtle desire that perhaps even the person themselves cannot detect," Li Changsheng said solemnly.
"Maybe I am overthinking it, but back when I was in the Azure Cloud Prefecture, I could sense that Holy Monk Yidian's sole thought was to kill Min Tiange.
And the resentment in the cup left behind by Uncle Rain hasn't faded even after tens of thousands of years."
"There are also the people of the Grand Tower."
Nearby, seeing her brother's gaze, Li Changyao waved her hand.
In the projected image, Consort Ji was farming, thoroughly enjoying such a tranquil life.
"The people of the Grand Tower might be 'failed products' under the Dao Seeds. They are content with peace, or they harbor resentment like Holy Monk Yidian."
"Obsession," Li Zhiheng chimed in. His Heavenly Dao Divine Heart controlled fear and illusions, giving him an understanding of obsession.
The family members fell silent.
When a person possesses an obsession, they become fearless for the sake of it.
"There's no telling how many such people exist," Li Dalong let out a long breath. "Yunbing, what should we do now? We will listen to you."
"Yes, Grandfather!"
The corners of Li Yunbing's mouth curled up imperceptibly before returning to a solemn state.
"Do you remember how Uncle Rain and the various cultivators launched a silent, surprise attack? That is the best method: the enemy is in the open, and we are in the dark. We execute decapitation strikes on all fronts."
"But we don't know exactly who belongs to the Peerless Hall. Besides those we are familiar with and are certain have not been planted with Dao Seeds, we can't trust anyone," Li Yunlin frowned deeply.
"There is also the Western Frontier; that is the truly terrifying place. And the hidden locations of the Peerless Hall—we can't find them. This massive force..."
As his words fell, everyone's expression shifted in shock.
Outside Merit City, a severely wounded cultivator was desperately flying toward their location.
"Save... save me!"
Inside the city walls, Huang Xiujin quickly intercepted the cultivator and brought him into Merit City.
Under the soothing, stabilizing efforts of the family members, the gasping man finally managed to recount what had happened.
The clansmen stared at the bloodied armor he wore, and at the unmistakable token of a Deston Prefecture soldier resting in his hand. Their expressions grew grave.
"In the end, we were still too late."
Li Dalong and the rest of the clansmen slowly walked out of the main hall.
High in the cloudy sky, Sword Venerable Drizzle was still silently dispensing rain over the land.
The clansmen slowly reached out their hands to catch the falling drops. It felt as though the heavens themselves were weeping.