"Isn't this just making things more difficult for ourselves?"
Wu Tao asked curiously.
...
The young man with hollow eyes replied, "Because the Yang family is a family with over a thousand years of heritage, and the Yang Family Fortress also has a clan protection formation..."
"If we don't seize this opportunity when everything is in chaos, and mix into the Yang Family Fortress to stir up trouble, we'll never be able to destroy the Yang family..."
"So many cultivators gathered together, while seemingly powerful, are actually a loose collection of individuals, each with their own agenda..."
"If something were to happen to the Yang family?"
"I'm afraid these guests who came to celebrate the birthday, if they saw an opportunity, their ruthlessness might even surpass ours."
"Therefore, we believe this is the best time."
...
Hearing this, Wu Tao finally understood everything.
Finally, Wu Tao asked another question.
"What kind of flaw did we, the two of us, reveal that made you decide to poison us?"
The young man wore a strange expression upon hearing this.
...
"To be honest, the two of you didn't actually reveal any flaws?"
"But do we cultivators need a reason to kill?"
Wu Tao listened in silence, saying nothing.
Indeed, do cultivators need a reason to kill?
...
"What is your true identity?"
After a long pause, Wu Tao asked again.
...
Upon hearing this, the young man replied, "My true identity is Zheng Qiulin, a collateral disciple of the Zheng family, a third-tier family from the Five Poisons County, a neighboring prefecture."
"In order to cultivate the family's inherited technique, the 'Flying Snake Crimson Poison Art,' which requires various potent toxic resources, I joined the Ten Branches Bandit Group at the leader's invitation."
"I refuse to be a dog to the direct descendants of the Zheng family, and I refuse to remain at the Foundation Establishment stage for my entire life. I want to change my fate..."
"The Flying Snake Crimson Poison Art I cultivate is merely a 'simplified version' of the Zheng family's fundamental technique, the Five Poisons Earth Emperor Art."
"These old fossils of the Zheng family are too biased. They don't care about us collateral disciples at all..."
...
As he spoke, a hint of hatred appeared on Zheng Qiulin's face.
The Zheng family's Five Poisons Earth Emperor Art is indeed a profound technique.
It is a technique that integrates poison arts,蠱 arts, and soul arts.
...
The five poisons manipulated by cultivators who practice the Five Poisons Earth Emperor Art, such as centipedes, venomous snakes, scorpions, geckos, and toads, possess the characteristic of quasi-incarnation, allowing a wisp of the soul to be attached, making it a wondrous technique.
Upon reaching great mastery, practitioners can command hundreds and thousands of five-poison avatars, and correspondingly, there is also a combined attack formation.
...
The ancestors of the Zheng family, relying on this technique, had even left a rather terrifying legend in this cultivation world.
The simplified version, the Flying Snake Crimson Poison Art, which Zheng Qiulin cultivates, naturally does not possess such marvelous abilities, but it still has its merits.
...
To be honest, the internal structure of prestigious families and renowned sects in the Purple Province cultivation world is also strange.
Even though they are disciples of the same family, flowing with the same blood, there is a distinction between collateral and direct lineage.
Among the direct lineage, there are further divisions of the eldest son, second son, and ordinary direct disciples.
These distinctions often represent vastly different levels of status and resources.
...
"The feuds of noble families!"
Wu Tao sighed, and in the next second, he struck Zheng Qiulin's forehead with a palm, sending him to his demise.
Zhang Heng, witnessing this, his pupils suddenly shrank, and his posture became even more subservient.
On the other side.
Wu Tao began to search Zheng Qiulin's body, collecting various poisons, spirit stones, and magic artifacts from his storage bag into his own.
...
Inside the Yang Family Fortress, it was bustling with activity, with cultivators coming and going. The Yang family, as the hosts, was also enthusiastically entertaining them.
However, the Yang family had to simultaneously maintain vigilance, patrol, and receive guests while hosting the centennial banquet, keeping them extremely busy.
"Now we've arrived... but how should we get in?"
Zhang Heng gazed at the plaque above the Yang Family Fortress gate and pondered.
Although the Yang family was a minor, unrecognized noble family, not just anyone could enter.
If a distinguished guest arrived, they would naturally be announced, and the Yang family's high-ranking members would come out to greet them.
Even ordinary guests would require an invitation to enter the Yang Family Fortress.
"Old Master Qi Yu of Qi Family Town arrives!"
The disciples at the gate announced loudly...
"Old Master Qi Yu, if my father knew that his hundredth birthday had the personal attendance of an old friend like you, he would be overjoyed..."
A middle-aged man with a dignified appearance greeted them enthusiastically.
This middle-aged man was the eldest son of the Yang family patriarch, named Yang Yong, and possessed cultivation at the late stage of Foundation Establishment.
On the other side!
Patriarch Qi Yu was unremarkable, with white hair, but his cultivation was at the peak of the late stage of Foundation Establishment, only one step away from the Core Formation stage!
He, accompanied by two juniors at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, presented a dignified and imposing figure as they walked in through the main entrance with great fanfare.
"I am Xue Tielong, the Right County Lieutenant of Tianshui County. These are my two sons..."
Another Foundation Establishment cultivator in official attire was warmly welcomed into the Yang family by a smiling Yang family disciple.
At the same time, through the side gates on both sides, many people with invitations entered one after another.
"Even entering through the side gate requires an invitation..."
Zhang Heng was at a loss, sighing in frustration.
Originally, with his status, entering the Yang Family Fortress should have been a simple matter, but he did not wish to enter ostentatiously.
Doing so would make him a living target, let alone investigating anything.
If anything were to happen, he would likely be the first to die.
Because even if his cultivation was the lowest, he was, on the surface, the highest official in Tianshui County, the foremost figure in the official hierarchy!
Perhaps... he could disguise himself as a minor official from the county. No, that wouldn't do. As a newcomer, it wouldn't be easy to impersonate a minor official.
Moreover, there were other officials present in the Yang Family Fortress, making any flaws too obvious.
Zhang Heng carefully considered the pros and cons.
The entrance of the Yang Family Fortress was bustling with people, orderly and well-managed, and with the protection of a formation, it was impossible for him to sneak in silently on his own.
Just as Zhang Heng was racking his brains, unable to come up with a solution...
Wu Tao, holding an invitation, pulled the somewhat bewildered Zhang Heng and swaggered into the Yang Family Fortress.
Wu Tao was able to obtain the invitation because Zheng Qiulin had already prepared one for entry into the Yang Family Fortress.
He never expected that it would ultimately benefit Wu Tao, who had a habit of killing and looting.
Wu Tao and Zhang Heng had just entered the banquet hall of the Yang Family Fortress and had not yet taken their seats when someone reported, "Patriarch, Old Master You has arrived, but... but..."
The protagonist of this banquet, Old Master Yang Ye, frowned upon hearing this and said, "Oh? Why not invite them in? Does Brother You wish to give me a surprise?"
...
"What is Old Man You playing at, on such a joyous occasion?"
Someone in the banquet hall remarked.
The junior who reported trembled and replied, "Reporting to the Patriarch, you'll know when you see it yourself!"
Yang Ye stroked his white beard, stood up with some doubt, and strode outwards.
To his surprise, he encountered the current patriarch of the You family, You Changjing, being carried on a stretcher by four people.
The four Qi Condensation stage disciples of the You family who carried You Changjing into the Yang Family Fortress banquet hall looked quite disheveled.
Upon seeing Yang Ye approaching, their eyes suddenly shone with intense brilliance, as if they had seen a savior.
"Four young ones..."
Just as Yang Ye was about to cup his fists and say something, his gaze inadvertently fell upon You Changjing on the stretcher.
...
The next second, Yang Ye's expression became extremely grim.
On the stretcher was a creature that was neither fully human nor fully monstrous.
It was called a monstrous creature because its entire body was covered in swollen, multicolored poisonous spots...
The tendons in its limbs had been severed, and more importantly, it was already a lifeless corpse.
The four You family disciples knelt on the ground, weeping, and said, "Old Patriarch Yang Ye, the You family has been annihilated! Except for us brothers, everyone else was killed by the Ten Branches Bandit Group. Please avenge our You family..."
Xue Tielong, the Right County Lieutenant, seeing this, said with pity, "This... what kind of vicious methods are these? The perpetrator is insane, truly inhuman!"
...
"To annihilate an entire clan and then present the few survivors as a birthday gift to the Yang family, how arrogant!"
Yang Ye's eyes widened, and his astonishing spiritual energy spread throughout the hall!
"Hahahahaha!"
"We, the Ten Branches Bandit Group, have sent our birthday gift. Are you satisfied, Old Master Yang?"
A dense ghostly aura suddenly appeared around them, and two sharp voices, like those of vengeful spirits, rang out one after another!
The Ghostly Brothers of the Ten Branches Bandit Group suddenly appeared before everyone.
"You are courting death!"
Yang Ye roared, forming hand seals as if about to unleash a powerful technique!
Just at this moment, the corpse of You Changjing, who was at close proximity, suddenly twitched. Its chest rose, and a ball of blood light rapidly condensed into a human figure.
Another member of the Ten Branches Bandit Group, Xue Xing, threw more than a dozen blood-colored spheres towards Yang Ye!
Yang Ye snorted coldly, instantly casting the Lotus Blossom technique, sending large quantities of crimson petals flying forward.
"Old Patriarch Yang, please be careful!"
Several other Foundation Establishment cultivators who saw the peculiarity of the situation exclaimed.
...
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