Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation-Chapter 72 - 68: The Battlefront Collapses

Never lifting a finger without a reward was Elder Tianyang’s guiding principle.

As long as his own interests were guaranteed, he couldn’t care less about the survival of the Wu Family.

However, the Wu Family, as they were now, likely had no more chips to offer to get him to help.

Wu Canglang understood this as well. The consequence of losing the war would be the family’s financial ruin. Creditors would come knocking, and they might not even be able to hold on to their foundation on Longhuan Island.

Of course, if the Ling Family pressed their advantage in the future and launched a major offensive against Longhuan Island, it was entirely possible the Wu Family’s history would come to an end.

After a painful deliberation, he gritted his teeth and sent a message via Divine Thought:

"If Fellow Daoist Tianyang is willing to help the Wu Family one more time, then from now on, the Wu Family will follow your lead and become your most loyal vassal."

Things having come to this, Wu Canglang could no longer afford to worry about the consequences. He directly packaged up his family’s entire future and sold it to Elder Tianyang.

Elder Tianyang chuckled. "This is no small matter for the Wu Family. I’m afraid you can’t make this decision alone, can you? Have you asked for the opinions of those Foundation Establishment Elders?"

Wu Canglang nodded. "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist. I will immediately convene a family elder council to confirm this matter!"

Elder Tianyang frowned and calculated for a moment before reluctantly yielding. "Fine. As long as the Wu Family becomes my complete vassal, I can consider helping you one more time."

Although it was only a Foundation Establishment Level power and was quite far from Hanyue Gate, it was still somewhat useful to have in hand.

Moreover, after the Ling Family was destroyed, the foundation on Zenxin Island would likewise not fall into the hands of outsiders. It would all become his, Elder Tianyang’s, property.

Yet at this very moment, an eerie voice spoke:

"Unfortunately, your Wu Family will have no chance to turn the tables. Even Hanyue Gate can’t save you!"

"..."

Elder Tianyang’s expression changed drastically. Lights flickered all over his body as seven or eight defensive measures all activated at once.

Before Wu Canglang could react, the camp’s Protective Array was violently torn apart by an immense force. Immediately after, hundreds of bolts of Thunderous Fire Rain poured down.

"Enemy attack!"

A Foundation Establishment Elder roared, summoning his Spiritual Artifact Shield and narrowly blocking a thunderbolt hurtling toward him.

A disdainful sneer echoed as a hazy, indistinct figure quietly appeared. The longsword in its hand unleashed thousands of strands of Water-like Sword Qi, and an illusory, dream-like light descended.

Before the Foundation Establishment Elder’s horrified eyes, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of his Spiritual Artifact Shield, which then shattered into pieces.

The few defensive measures he had hastily activated also failed to block the opponent’s storm-like assault. A breath later, the Foundation Establishment Elder’s head flew high into the air, and blood splattered across the ground.

Immediately after, a newly promoted Foundation Establishment Cultivator nearby also failed to withstand the mysterious person’s attack. Within two or three exchanges, his head was taken.

"So it was you?!"

Wu Canglang finally reacted, roaring in shock and anger.

’Wasn’t it said that this Female Patriarch had been in Cultivation in Seclusion and hadn’t come out? How did she suddenly appear?’

The ambusher was none other than the Ling Family’s Patriarch, Ling Qiyue, who had been missing for a long time.

More than a year had passed, and the aura on her body... was shockingly at the Golden Core Realm!

In the distance, Elder Tianyang’s expression changed several times. Finally, a crimson radiance the size of a bushel basket erupted from his body, enveloping him as he vanished from the spot.

He had actually fled!

He had to run. In front of a true Golden Core Master, a Pseudo Core was a joke, not to mention his was a watered-down version.

"Fairy Ling, wait! We can talk this out..."

Wu Canglang shouted in despair.

’If I had known that Ling Qiyue had already advanced to the Golden Core Realm, why would our Wu Family have even bothered struggling? We should have just surrendered.’

"There’s nothing left to say. Time for you to go!"

Ling Qiyue said coldly as a blazing Sword Aura swept down, sealing off all of Wu Canglang’s escape routes.

The Wu Family Patriarch gritted his teeth and sacrificed two High Grade Spiritual Artifacts. At the cost of their direct destruction, he managed to secure a sliver of a chance for survival.

A trump-card Third Grade Talisman on his body was activated. In an instant, a silvery glow filled the sky, wrapping around his body as he fled at extreme speed, disappearing over the horizon.

Ling Qiyue’s delicate brows knitted slightly. She didn’t bother to give chase, instead turning her attention to the remaining Foundation Establishment Cultivators on the field.

At that moment, from within the Ling Family’s Protective Array, Ling Tianhe led seven Foundation Establishment Elders in a timely charge. They were followed by swarms of Late stage Qi Cultivators, immediately creating an overwhelming advantage against the Wu Family’s side.

For a moment, brilliant lightning flashed repeatedly. Scorching flames and freezing storms ravaged the battlefield in alternation. All kinds of Spiritual and Magical Artifacts soared across the field, and Talismans with different effects were activated one after another.

Without their Patriarch to command them, the Wu Family’s cultivators were left leaderless. In the blink of an eye, they fell into a complete disadvantage, and the dying screams of cultivators periodically echoed across the battlefield.

A short while later, seeing that the situation was hopeless, some Wu Family cultivators began to desert, which naturally led to a total collapse of their battle lines.

"...What a pity. I can’t go out and kill a few myself."

In the core hub of the Grand Array, Ling Changqing watched the scene on the Magical Projection Light Mirror and said with some regret.

Beside him, Tang Qiu Yao shot him a look and chided playfully:

"You’re just a little Qi Cultivation 7th Layer cultivator. What are you trying to get involved for? If you want to go to the battlefield, wait until you’ve successfully reached Foundation Establishment!"

In truth, Ling Changqing’s importance was no less than that of three to five Foundation Establishment Cultivators, perhaps even greater.

The Ling Family currently had more than enough combat power. Whether Ling Changqing joined the fight or not wouldn’t affect the overall situation, so Tang Qiu Yao naturally wouldn’t let him put himself in danger.

Before long, the slaughter outside finally came to a close.

The majority of the Wu Family’s cultivators were either dead or injured. Many were taken captive, and only a precious few managed to escape.

"Alright, let’s go out and welcome the Patriarch."

Tang Qiu Yao smiled faintly and left the underground hall, arm in arm with Ling Changqing.

「A quarter of an hour later.」

In the Council Hall, in front of the many Foundation Establishment Elders, the aura on Ling Qiyue’s body slowly receded until it fell out of the Golden Core Realm, finally stabilizing at the Foundation Establishment Peak level.

"Patriarch, you’re..."

Ling Yulu looked bewildered. She had never seen Ling Qiyue possess such a method.

"It’s just a special trump card that can temporarily raise one’s Cultivation Realm. The cost is a bit exaggerated."

Ling Qiyue explained nonchalantly.

Ling Changqing: "???"

’Does this senior sister mean that she still hasn’t broken through to the Golden Core Master Realm, but only borrowed external power to temporarily possess the strength of the Golden Core Level?’

’But what kind of special technique could possibly have such an incredible effect?’

He instinctively felt that Ling Qiyue was hiding something, but this wasn’t the right occasion to ask too many questions.

Tang Qiu Yao’s eyes glittered as she subtly changed the subject: 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Patriarch, now that the Wu Family has been defeated, how should we handle the subsequent matters?"

The Wu Family’s elite forces were wiped out in one battle. They would no longer have the strength to resist the Ling Family’s counterattack, and the same went for their few vassal powers.

Ling Qiyue smiled. "What else can we do? This is a rare opportunity. Of course, we should seize it to annex their foundation on Longhuan Island. From now on, the Ling Family’s territory will be even larger!"

"The Patriarch is wise!"

The Elders were all beaming with joy and voiced their agreement one after another.

Longhuan Island and its surrounding vassal islands had a total area quite a bit larger than Zenxin Island.

And that wasn’t even including the territories of those few vassal powers. This time, all of it could become the spoils of war for the Ling Family.

A vaster territory, more abundant resources, a larger population—these were indispensable conditions for a power to grow and strengthen.

Especially without the great threat of the Wu Family, the Ling Family’s development speed would surely increase even further in the future.