Watching Zhang Tong, who behaved so disgracefully, like a beast, simply to save his life, Wu Tao's brow furrowed. His right fist clenched, gathering immense power, his muscles bulging as if exploding. Just as he was about to kill Zhang Tong and end the life of this timid and cowardly wretch.
At this very moment, Zhang Tong, the last remaining cultivator of the Zhang family, suddenly knelt down and kowtowed several times to Wu Tao. Amidst his wailing and screams, he revealed a secret, temporarily saving his pathetic life.
"Ancient Sword Cultivation Legacy!"
"Hm?"
Wu Tao's clenched fist paused, stopping less than an inch from Zhang Tong's forehead. The powerful gust of wind blew away his disheveled black hair, scattering it across his face.
Zhang Tong, with his hair disheveled, tears and snot streaming down his face, looked utterly pathetic, a far cry from a groom exuding pride. Wu Tao's eyes flashed. Looking at Zhang Tong, who writhed like an insect beneath his feet, he asked coldly, "Ancient Sword Cultivation Legacy, you're not lying to me?"
Zhang Tong, trembling on the ground, stammered, "How would I dare lie to you, sir!"
Wu Tao sighed. This kid was truly a good-for-nothing, so useless and deathly afraid, nothing like his grandfather or father. His grandfather and father, regardless of their character or morals, were at least known for their bravery, decisiveness, and fearlessness in the face of death. It was a pity that unlike a tiger father, a wolf father, and a dog son, each generation seemed worse, producing such a creature. He wondered if his ancestors, wherever they lay, would be so angered by this that they'd crawl back from the grave.
Composing himself, Zhang Tong's face began to show traces of obsequiousness, like a loyal servant or a faithful dog.
Wu Tao pondered for a long time, his face flickering with excitement and disbelief, his brow furrowed, his eyes fixed on Zhang Tong, who knelt on the ground. Zhang Tong, trembling on the ground, harbored a hidden glint of hatred in his eyes. Then, seeing Wu Tao's cold gaze, Zhang Tong quickly bowed again and repeatedly explained, "My lord, I wouldn't dare deceive anyone but you. What I said is absolutely true."
"Decades ago, the reason my grandfather established his family and clan here, besides the abundant presence of Qing Gang iron ore, was primarily because he accidentally discovered an extremely hidden ancient sword cultivation cave mansion in a valley here."
After a pause, Zhang Tong continued, "I know you, sir, are a disciple of a top sect and do not lack in cultivation methods or resources, but this is an ancient sword cultivation legacy. The contents within are immeasurable."
Wu Tao let out a cold laugh and questioned, "Oh, an un-opened ancient sword cultivation legacy."
"Since your grandfather discovered it decades ago, why didn't he immediately open and explore it, especially when he had decades to prepare?" Looking at Zhang Tong, who buried his head even lower, Wu Tao pressed on, "And I wiped out your entire Zhang family, and now you tell me about such a great opportunity."
"Do you really think I, Wu Tao, am a fool, or do you have ill intentions, wanting to lure me there and then kill me with formations and mechanisms?" As Wu Tao spoke, his expression suddenly changed, his gaze as cold as ice, fixing directly on Zhang Tong's face. A sense of danger, like a mouse seeing a cat, or a snake seeing a hawk, suddenly enveloped Zhang Tong's heart. His precious life was now in Wu Tao's hands. If Wu Tao suddenly decided to kill him, he feared his life would end here today.
Zhang Tong knelt on the ground, kowtowing like pounding garlic, and explained with utmost urgency, "No, no, no, sir, please listen to my explanation. Even if you gave me a hundred, no, a thousand times the courage, I would never harbor any ill intentions towards you!"
Seeing Zhang Tong, who had been thoroughly intimidated, now subdued, Wu Tao spoke again, "Alright, then explain it to me."
"If there's any falsehood, hmph, I'll make you wish you were dead, tear your body into pieces, and grind your bones to dust!"
Zhang Tong fell silent for a moment, then began to narrate the events of decades ago. "When my grandfather first discovered that ancient sword cultivation cave mansion decades ago, his first thought was immense excitement, believing he had stumbled upon a great destiny and would become a lucky man. Just as he was about to retrieve the ancient sword cultivation legacy, he found that the cave mansion was protected by an ancient formation, a formation set by an ancient divine being. Fortunately, this ancient formation did not possess the ability to attack autonomously, allowing my grandfather to survive unharmed."
"Later, my grandfather established his ancestral home and clan here. For the next few decades, our Zhang family, with the strength of the entire clan, was never able to break through this ancient formation."
"Today, for the sake of my own life, I have decided to offer that ancient sword cultivation cave mansion to you, sir."
"I only hope that you, sir, will spare my dog-like life. That would be more than enough for me."
As he finished speaking, Zhang Tong himself felt disgusted. For the future patriarch of the Zhang family to utter such fawning words was truly difficult for him. However, Zhang Tong was not worried that Wu Tao would see through him, because while his words were nine parts truth, he had lied on one crucial point, and he doubted Wu Tao could expose him so quickly. Zhang Tong's goal was merely to lure Wu Tao into the ancient sword cultivation cave mansion, and what happened after that, well!
But no one was a fool. Wu Tao's mind raced. He grabbed Zhang Tong by the neck with his left hand, lifting him into the air with one hand. Zhang Tong's face turned red, his legs trembled uncontrollably, and he struggled desperately.
Seeing this, Wu Tao let out a cruel smile and then swung his right fist forward. With a "crack," Zhang Tong's two front teeth were knocked out by Wu Tao. Blood slowly trickled down the corners of Zhang Tong's mouth.
With a "bang," the tortured Zhang Tong was then, in the next second, thrown onto the ground like a rag by Wu Tao. Zhang Tong lay prone on the ground. The fear of death made him forget to wipe his mouth, and he merely nodded and bowed, looking at Wu Tao with even more subservient behavior than before.
"The family matters were all decided by my grandfather and father. I knew nothing..." When mentioning his grandfather and father, Zhang Tong paused slightly, then gritted his teeth, a fierce look flashing in his eyes, and continued, "The betrayal of the Tai Yi Immortal Sect was done by those despicable scoundrels. Damn them, it had nothing to do with me!"
"I beg you, sir, to show mercy and spare my lowly life..." His words had not finished, and his head was still bowing, when he suddenly felt his body lighten. Thinking Wu Tao was about to strike again, he was about to shout, but suddenly felt himself land on his backside. He saw corpses scattered everywhere, a river of blood flowing, for he had been thrown out of the wedding hall and into the outside.
Zhang Tong stumbled, and in horror, looked back to see that the door, which had been tightly shut, had somehow opened. A domineering figure stepped out, holding several blood-stained heads, vaguely recognizable as his grandfather, father, and other closest relatives...
Wu Tao stood at a vantage point, looking down at Zhang Tong, a cold, half-smile on his face, and said, "Lead the way, quickly!"
"Yes, yes, I'll lead the way immediately!" Seeing that his life was temporarily spared, Zhang Tong breathed a sigh of relief and quickly led the way, skirting around the corpses of his relatives and kin scattered not far away, heading towards the depths of the Zhang family ancestral residence. As he walked, Zhang Tong's mind raced, and a cold glint flickered in the depths of his eyes, as if he had thought of something.
Seeing this, Wu Tao shook his head slightly. This cowardly and incompetent fellow, wanting to hide his thoughts beneath his nose, was underestimating him far too much. Wu Tao fell silent for a moment, then spoke again, warningly, "Zhang Tong, if you have the guts, feel free to play any tricks you like, and see if you can fool my eyes."
"I dare not, I dare not!" Hearing this, Zhang Tong was startled and repeatedly said so, while also instinctively angling his body as he led the way, scared to the point of slowing his pace. He was afraid that if he walked too fast and the killing star behind him couldn't keep up, he might become suspicious, suspecting some scheme, and ultimately ruin his plan.
Winding east and west, turning left and right, led by Zhang Tong, the two arrived before a pond about sixty feet in size in the backyard of the ancestral residence. The location of this pond was designed to gather wind and water, incorporating the principles of the I Ching and Bagua, and Daoist mysteries. The arrangement of the ancestral residence was also described as dense and intricate, a simple, small formation. Wu Tao's brow furrowed tighter and tighter. The reason he had been able to so easily destroy the entire Zhang family today was, apart from the Zhang family's extremely weak overall strength, primarily because this "vast" immortal cultivation family actually lacked even a defensive and warning formation. They were so easily wiped out by him alone. But now, in the backyard of this ancestral residence, there was a simple sealing formation, which made Wu Tao's heart become more cautious.
"Sir, it's here," Zhang Tong said, turning back and bowing.
"Hm?" Wu Tao took a look and couldn't help but admire the oddity of the Zhang family. They had used a large amount of immortal cultivation resources to set up a formation to conceal this ancient sword cultivation cave mansion. As a result, they didn't even have enough resources to set up their own clan protection formation, and were so easily wiped out by him alone.
This concealment formation was well-executed. It was only upon reaching this spot that Wu Tao faintly sensed a trace of a weak fluctuation. This fluctuation was not yet clear, emanating intermittently from beneath the pond, but he couldn't pinpoint its exact location. Without Zhang Tong's guidance, it would have been impossible for him to find this place.
(New book being updated, requesting collections, recommendation votes, shares, and more. Thank you, friends. Your support is my motivation!)