294: Forty years east of the river, forty years west of the river!

"This method is feasible!" Ji Ruge affirmed. "One only needs to use Natal Soul Blood as a catalyst to seal the curse runes into the pill and set a trigger Restriction."

"When the pill dissolves, the curse power will circulate through the body along with the medicinal power, quietly penetrating the Divine Soul. The effect is more subtle and long-lasting; even a Golden Core Cultivator would find it difficult to detect anything unusual."

"Then let us begin!" Lu Ming nodded.

Ji Ruge immediately took the command. With a wave of his hand, the jade box that had been snatched by the Black-Robed Old Man flew into his palm.

The lid opened, revealing a treasure pill the size of a longan with flowing golden patterns.

Ji Ruge condensed a drop of soul blood, then used his finger as a brush to draw a complex and mysterious dark-gold rune in the air, which he then tapped onto the surface of the Golden Core, silently merging it within.

The golden patterns on the surface of the Golden Core Pill brightened slightly before returning to their original state, showing no signs of anything unusual.

"The curse is complete. When Murong Jingyang consumes the pill to break through his Realm, the curse seal will be deeply planted!" Having finished this, Ji Ruge returned the jade box to Lu Ming.

"Good!"

Lu Ming took the jade box and handed it to Murong Feiyu, instructing, "Return to the Family as usual and assist Murong Jingyang in his Core Formation."

He then patted his shoulder. "Don't carry too much of a burden; your father is no good man!"

Though Murong Feiyu was confused, he respectfully accepted the jade box. "I obey your Excellency's decree! Your subordinate will not fail your trust!"

Lu Ming did not let them leave immediately. Instead, he sized up the group, his brow slightly furrowed.

"With that old dog's temperament, if so many people return unscathed, it will surely arouse suspicion."

Thinking of this, he pointed his finger, and a sharp blast of Qi shot out.

Thud! Thud!

In an instant, among the Murong Family Cultivators, the three with the lowest cultivation and lightest injuries didn't even have time to react before they were blown into clouds of blood mist on the spot!

Hot blood and shredded flesh splattered onto Murong Feiyu and the others, the crimson scene looking absolutely shocking.

Lu Ming still felt it wasn't enough. His gaze fell on Murong Feiyu, and he made a grasping motion from a distance.

Crack!

Murong Feiyu's left arm was severed at the shoulder, blood gushing out!

His face instantly turned as pale as paper, yet he gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound, the fanatical loyalty in his eyes not wavering in the slightest.

As for the rest, Lu Ming gave them each 'special care,' leaving them all spitting blood with withered auras.

Only then did Lu Ming stop with satisfaction. Looking at the group of blood-soaked, heavily injured Cultivators, he nodded.

"This way, it looks like you've experienced a tragic battle to the death and narrowly escaped. Go!"

"Yes!"

Murong Feiyu covered his severed arm with his right hand and bowed deeply to Lu Ming. He then led the few heavily injured clansmen toward the depths of the Black Sha Marsh, quickly disappearing into the mountain forest shrouded by the setting sun.

Lu Ming stood alone above the valley, looking toward the northern region where Evil Qi faintly lingered, a playful arc slowly curling at the corner of his mouth.

"The cause of the past is the fruit of today. Murong Jingyang, you never expected this!"

"Forty years east of the river, forty years west. I have crossed domains to collect this wicked debt!"

"Go ahead and form your core. On the day you prove your Dao, it will be the day your Murong Family conquers the Blessed Lands for me."

His figure gradually faded and disappeared from the scene, leaving only a whisper drifting in the wind.

"A pig raised for forty years... plump and sturdy, just right for slaughter."

...Black Sha Marsh.

This place was located in the southeast of the Northern Border, shrouded in mist year-round.

Although the Spiritual Qi here was exceptionally dense, it was mixed with colorful Poisonous Miasma and grey-black Evil Qi.

The miasma corroded bone and the Evil Qi attacked the heart. If an ordinary Qi Refining Cultivator wandered in by mistake, they would turn into withered bones within a hundred breaths.

Even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator would find it hard to last a day if they didn't know the proper methods or safe paths!

However, although this was a dangerous land, it also served as a natural barrier, blocking the prying eyes of external forces.

Furthermore, this was a place where spiritual opportunities gathered, giving rise to three third-grade High Grade Spiritual Veins.

However, they had been divided by three local Golden Core families: the Liu Family, the Hu Family, and the Teng Family.

Each occupied a third-grade Spiritual Vein, forming a tripartite balance of power within the Black Sha Marsh.

At the intersection of these three powers lay a mountainous area called 'Poison Marsh Ridge,' which concealed a peak second-grade Spiritual Vein, currently occupied by the Murong Family.

Murong Family, Ancestral Hall.

The ancestral hall was deep and dark, with candle flames flickering.

In the main hall, Murong Jingyang sat in the primary seat, a large sandalwood chair.

He appeared to be about fifty years old, with a lean and elegant face and eyes as deep as pools. However, at this moment, there was a deep knot of frustration between his brows, and his fingers unconsciously tapped the armrest of the wooden chair.

Standing below to his right was a woman. She was in her early twenties, with a figure as graceful as a willow, wearing a moon-white waist-cinching long dress.

This woman was named Murong Tingxue, the youngest daughter of Murong Jingyang.

At this moment, her delicate brows were also tightly knit, her pretty face flushed with excitement and anger. Her bright eyes were fixed on her father, filled with worry and indignation.

"Father, the Liu Family has increased the tribute resource quota again! This time they actually want us to hand over ninety-five percent of our annual output! This is practically draining the marrow from our Murong Family's bones; they aren't leaving us any way to survive!"

Although Murong Tingxue's voice was low, every word carried a chill.

Hearing this, Murong Jingyang slowly raised his eyes, his gaze falling on Murong Tingxue's face.

After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly: "They likely heard some rumors and know I am close to breaking through to the Golden Core. This increase in the quota, while called a routine adjustment, is actually mostly a test."

"If we comply, we are admitting we are weak and easily bullied, and we will be suppressed forever. But if we do not, it suggests we have something to hide. What follows would likely be the calamity of clan extermination."

His tone was calm, but every word carried the weight of a thousand jin.

This seemed like a choice, but in reality, there was no way out.

Give, and the Family resources would dry up, with no chance of ever rising again, becoming the lowest of the Liu Family's vassals.

But if they didn't give, it would provide the Liu Family with an excuse to act.

In truth, in the Black Sha Marsh, the Law of the jungle was the only rule.

The strong acting against the weak required no honorable reason at all.

The Liu Family's Golden Core True Person had not yet flattened Poison Marsh Ridge only because they were wary of the other two families.

This was also thanks to the local power structure—a tripartite balance where everyone kept each other in check, and no one dared to easily deploy Golden Core combat power for fear of the other two families taking advantage of the opening.

However, if a Golden Core did not step out, given Murong Jingyang's Great Perfection Foundation Establishment Realm, the Liu Family might not be able to easily take down the Murong Family without paying a price.

The reason the Murong Family had survived in the cracks between the three families until now was not because of Murong Jingyang's cultivation, but because of his clever maneuvering between the Hu and Teng families over the years.

This was his method of using momentum to maintain balance. On the surface, the Murong Family was subordinate to the Liu Family, but secretly, they maintained ties with the other two, playing both sides to secure these years of stability.