15: Second Life: First Steps on the Immortal Path (XIV)

The announcement of the Old Ancestor's fall from the heavens was like a final verdict, completely shattering the last glimmer of hope in Wu Ba's heart.

Watching his clansmen fall in swaths like harvested straw, he was instantly consumed by boundless despair and remorse.

If he hadn't coveted the Xu Family's Foundation Establishment Method, how could the Wu Family have fallen into such an irredeemable state!

"Xu Yuan! Xu Longpeng! Sun Hao! May you all die miserable deaths! Even if I die, I'll drag you down with me!!"

Wu Ba let out a hoarse, twisted roar full of regret. Inside his mangled body, an extremely unstable and abnormally violent surge of energy suddenly began to coalesce!

He frantically squeezed the remaining strength in his Dantian and the last trickles of Spiritual Qi in his Meridians, attempting to ignite and detonate them instantly!

Xu Longpeng and Sun Hao's expressions changed drastically as they clearly felt that rapidly rising wave of energy filled with destructive intent!

"Stop him!"

Sun Hao shouted urgently, instinctively wanting to retreat to avoid the brunt of the blast.

"Thinking of self-destructing? You won't get the chance!"

Cold light burst from Xu Yuan's eyes. Instead of retreating, he lunged forward!

The longsword in his hand, stained with Wu Ba's blood, surged with True Essence and emitted a sharp hum!

It pierced straight toward Wu Ba's Dantian.

After all, Wu Ba was not a Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had condensed a Dao Foundation and formed a self-sustaining cycle of True Essence; he was merely a Late Qi Condensation Stage Cultivator, and a heavily injured one with greatly diminished cultivation at that.

To self-destruct, he needed time to forcibly gather and ignite that already scattered and chaotic Spiritual Qi. He couldn't complete it in a single thought like a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

And this gave Xu Yuan the opportunity to interrupt Wu Ba's self-destruction!

Puchi—!

The Sharp Weapon entered the body once more, precisely stabbing into the core point of the energy convergence!

"Argh!!!"

Wu Ba let out an even more shrill and painful wail, his eyes filled with extreme indignation and madness!

He felt the Spiritual Qi he had just forcibly raised and was about to ignite pop like a punctured bladder, instantly dissipating and running wild, backfiring upon himself!

That destructive energy, instead of exploding outward, rampaged through his body, further tearing apart his Meridians and internal organs!

The self-destruction was forcibly interrupted!

And it brought even more severe backlash damage!

Wu Ba violently spat out several more mouthfuls of blood mixed with organ fragments. His body twitched violently, and the light in his eyes quickly faded as his gathered strength and life force receded like the tide.

Xu Yuan expressionlessly pulled out the short sword and flicked off the blood droplets.

His movements were calm to the point of being cold-blooded, as if he had merely done something trivial.

Watching his son cleanly eliminate the hidden danger, a flicker of approval flashed in Xu Longpeng's eyes.

Sun Hao also breathed a sigh of relief, though his gaze toward Xu Yuan now held a hint of scrutiny and an undetectable trace of wariness.

This youth was so young, yet his methods were so ruthless and decisive; he was certainly no ordinary person... and Wu Ba's death completely crushed the last spark of resistance in the Wu Family remnants.

Having lost unified command and Battle Intent, the remaining Wu Family forces were quickly divided, surrounded, and annihilated.

Most people gave up resistance in despair, kneeling and begging for mercy, but the Xu and Sun Family disciples, who had seen red from the killing, did not stop completely; many still fell in pools of blood.

Only a tiny few of the most loyal death-sworn guards protected a few core Wu Family members, attempting to break through, but under the prepared, iron-wall-like encirclement, they only managed to vainly splash a few blossoms of blood before being quickly submerged.

The battle gradually subsided.

The originally festive and luxurious Xu Manor had now been reduced to a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Broken walls, scorched wood, and shattered tiles lay everywhere. Blood soaked the carpets and gathered into streams, and the air was thick with a nauseatingly heavy stench of gore.

Xu Longpeng and Sun Hao stood amidst the remains, looking at the tragic scene before them with the smiles of victors.

With today's battle, the Wu Family was completely wiped out!

Xu Longpeng, Xu Yuan, and several core Elders of the Xu Family stood in the messy courtyard, surrounded by Xu Family disciples vigilantly guarding the Wu Family captives who knelt on the ground with ashen faces.

Sun Hao stood on the other side with a group of Sun Family experts. Although the two sides appeared to have fought side-by-side, the atmosphere became subtle and tense.

After a brief silence, Sun Hao spoke first, trying to maintain a smile of pleasant cooperation, though a faint, hard-to-detect glint flickered deep in his eyes.

"Brother Longpeng, this cooperation was a grand victory! Truly worth celebrating! Now that the Wu Family is gone, according to our previous agreement, those two Spirit Stone Veins in the west of the city and the three Market Streets belong to my Sun Family. As for the rest..."

He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the kneeling Wu Family captives—especially those with decent cultivation—and toward the direction of the Wu Family storehouse. His meaning was self-evident; he clearly wanted more.

Sun Hao calculated in his heart: the Xu Family Ancestor had already self-destructed and fallen, and while his own family's Ancestor had not descended, he must still be around. Currently, the Sun Family possessed the only Foundation Establishment Cultivator, so they should naturally hold absolute dominance. The spoils of war should be decided by the Sun Family!

Sun Hao even entertained the thought of turning hostile on the spot and swallowing the Xu Family as well!

Xu Longpeng was an old hand; how could he not see through Sun Hao's little scheme?

He sneered inwardly but remained calm on the surface, even showing a trace of fatigue and grief. "Brother Sun Hao is absolutely right; the agreement naturally stands. The veins and markets belong to the Sun Family as of today. As for these captives and the Wu Family storehouse..."

Just as Sun Hao thought Xu Longpeng was about to compromise and prepared to apply further pressure—

A Sun Family manager, his face pale, rushed to Sun Hao's side and urgently whispered something in his ear.

The smile on Sun Hao's face froze instantly, and his pupils suddenly contracted!

The news he received was: their own Ancestor was heavily injured and had entered secluded meditation!

Sun Hao snapped his gaze toward the Xu Family group.

He saw that although Xu Longpeng wore a look of sorrow, his eyes were steady and sharp, and his aura was condensed. Xu Yuan was expressionlessly wiping his short sword, his gaze cold as ice. Elders like Xu Longfei and Xu Longsheng, though wounded, still possessed fierce auras, and their disciples were quickly taking control of the situation. It was clear their combat strength remained relatively intact.

In an instant, Sun Hao hesitated.

Now, the Sun Family's greatest reliance was gone!

Was it worth it to rashly turn against the Xu Family?

Recalling the ruthlessness and combat power the Xu Family had just displayed, Sun Hao made his decision immediately. He forced a smile back onto his face and changed his tune:

"...As for these captives and the storehouse, we shall follow the previous distribution; everything is at Brother Longpeng's disposal!"

"Brother Sun Hao is too kind. In that case, I shall accept respectfully."

Xu Longpeng saw through Sun Hao's shifting expressions perfectly. He knew the Sun Family Ancestor's situation must not be good either, but he didn't expose it, merely speaking plainly.

Xu Longpeng paused, his gaze turning toward the kneeling Wu Family captives. There was no pity in his eyes, only cold killing intent.

To pull up weeds, one must remove the roots; he understood this truth better than anyone!

Moreover, these Wu Family remnants would surely be filled with hatred. Leaving them alive would only be a disaster!

"As for these surrendered Wu soldiers..." Xu Longpeng's voice suddenly became bone-chillingly cold, "Leave none alive. Execute them all!"

"Yes!"

The Xu Family disciples roared in response, their blades and swords raised in an instant.