The paths through the rockeries and stone forest were winding and convoluted. Though intended for scenery and relaxation, the gardens of a Cultivation Family still incorporated elements of an Array. It wasn't lethal, but it was common to get lost and end up walking in circles if you took a wrong turn.
Bai Zichen and his companion reached the vicinity of Hanxiu Peak without issue. They didn't rush out immediately, only revealing themselves after confirming that the main peak was secure and seeing other clan members hastily running toward it.
If the Tribulation Cultivators had decided to "catch the king to catch the bandits" and charged straight for Hanxiu Peak, then they would have been walking right into a trap.
Hanxiu Peak had clearly received news and was on high alert. The guards subjected everyone to a thorough inspection before allowing them entry. The Protection Array had been activated, and a four-colored Spirit Light flickered, enveloping the entire mountain peak.
Only then did Bai Zichen finally let out a sigh of relief. Drenched in sweat and completely spent, he collapsed into a sitting position.
The effects of the Divine Movement Talisman had worn off, and he felt utterly drained, a deep, weary ache radiating from the marrow of his bones.
"Mother! My mother is still at Clear Wind Cliff! I have to go to Clear Wind Cliff!" Chubby cried out as he fell. It was as if he had just snapped back to reality, and with bloodshot eyes, he scrambled to charge back outside.
"If you want to die, go ahead. I'll only stop you this once. But you'd better think it through: are you going to let Aunt Song's sacrifice be for nothing, or are you going to cultivate diligently and avenge her in the future?"
Bai Zichen stuck out his foot, tripping Chubby, and spoke to him coldly before ignoring him to sit and meditate. 'A Qi Refining First Layer's Magical Power is better than nothing,' he thought. 'At least I can run faster than a mortal.'
After being rebuked, Chubby stopped his frantic struggles. He sat slumped on the ground, sobbing silently.
Gradually, more and more clan members gathered on Hanxiu Peak. Some had come after hearing the news, while others, like Bai Zichen, had narrowly escaped the pursuit of Tribulation Cultivators. Their numbers soon exceeded seventy, accompanied by three or four hundred mortals.
The main peak had its own mortal servants, and many more who served clan members on other peaks had also fled to Hanxiu Peak.
Another group of clan members came scrambling over in a panic. They were just a hundred zhang from Hanxiu Peak, and expressions of joy at their escape had just begun to surface when a black light swept out from behind them. It scythed through the group like a weed cutter, felling them all. They lay on the ground, wailing in agony.
"How dare you! To kill my Bai Clan members!"
With a furious roar, a stream of green Sword Light shot out and entangled with the black light. But after only a few exchanges, it was forced into retreat, withdrawing back into the Array in a sorry state.
Bai Shoushun stumbled back several steps and spat out a mouthful of blood, staining his beard red. His face was ashen, and it took a long moment for any color to return.
"Grand Elder, are you alright?"
"I won't die!"
The Grand Elder pushed away two clan members who tried to support him. He took out a Jade Bottle, tipped out a snow-white Elixir, and swallowed it. "Tell Second Elder to fully activate the Array's Four Symbols! Don't be stingy with the Spirit Stones! Bring out that hidden case of Mid-Grade Spirit Stones from the treasury!"
"Fourth Elder, you take some men and guard the intersections! And have someone bring out all the Talismans we have in stock! Also, the Iron Wood Crossbows in the armory! Equip the mortal disciples with them! If this Array is breached, I'll make those Demon Pups from the Ghost Spirit Sect pay a price in blood!"
The Grand Elder issued one command after another, already prepared for the worst.
Today's situation was the most perilous the Bai Family had faced in the several hundred years since its founding. The clan's top experts were away, and the rest were now trapped on Hanxiu Peak.
Besides, their opponents weren't ordinary Tribulation Cultivators. They were clearly from the Ghost Spirit Sect, a Demon Path Major Sect from the next county over, on par with the Qingfeng Sect in terms of power.
For some reason, the Ghost Spirit Sect had risked triggering a war between the two Sects, sending its disciples to secretly infiltrate the Black Mountain Range and launch a thunderous offensive.
The Grand Elder knew that the humble Bai Family wasn't worth a dedicated attack from the Ghost Spirit Sect. He was certain that other Cultivation Families were also under assault. The elites of the entire Black Mountain Range had been lured away by the temptation of Five Mountains True Man's Cave Mansion, leaving their clans at their most vulnerable.
'But if you wanted to attack Black Mountain County, you should have gone for the Qingfeng Sect first! What's the point of wiping out us Cultivation Families!' The Grand Elder wondered as he healed his injuries, unable to make sense of it.
He could only attribute it to the nature of a Demon Path Sect—their actions were perverse and unrestrained, often driven by whim. It wasn't out of the question for them to annihilate a few Cultivation Families simply to bolster their infamous reputation.
As for the person who had just fought him—the one who had heavily injured him in just three moves, even while he was backed by the Grand Array and its endless supply of Magical Power—there was only one possibility: a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
It was worth noting that while the Grand Elder had no hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, his Cultivation was at Qi Refining Perfection. With his profound Magical Power and the aid of his Flying Sword, he could take down an ordinary Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator in a single exchange.
By now, all the masked, black-robed cultivators had revealed themselves—a group of over thirty in total.
In terms of numbers, they were far fewer than the Bai Clan members, but their average Cultivation was far superior. More importantly, the number of impossibly powerful enemies the Grand Elder could spot at a glance—the ones he knew he couldn't handle—had now become two.
"Two Foundation Establishment Cultivators... The Ghost Spirit Sect really thinks highly of my Bai Family."
The Grand Elder felt a bitter taste in his mouth, but it quickly transformed into steely resolve. He dispatched the clan members around him one by one with orders, then rested his longsword across his lap.
"The Bai Family's legacy will absolutely not end with my generation!"
Bai Zichen was grouped into a squad with the mortal clan members. An Iron Wood Crossbow was shoved into his hands, its body inscribed with a small Acceleration Array. Crates full of Refined Steel Crossbow Arrows were piled beside him, with loose arrows scattered on the ground as if they were free. A Piercing Rune was engraved on each arrowhead.
When used by multiple people in coordinated, staggered volleys, these specially-made Iron Wood Crossbows and crossbow arrows posed a significant threat even to Mid-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators.
Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators, however, had little to fear from them. With their higher Cultivation and abundant Magical Power, they could block the crossbow arrows with a casual wave of the hand. Moreover, they were almost always equipped with a Defensive Magical Artifact. No matter how much they were enhanced, the crossbow arrows were still mortal weapons without a grade; no quantity of them could break through a Defensive Magical Artifact.
Bai Zichen stood on a high platform, looking out at the thick smoke rising in the distance. He was surrounded by a group of trembling mortal clan members—even with training, it was hard to erase the bone-deep fear they felt when facing cultivators.
The cultivator clan members weren't much better off. Many of the Bai Clan members with no Combat experience were scared out of their wits, their feet shuffling further and further back.
Their seemingly safe and prosperous clan land was like a soap bubble, popped with a single poke from these Tribulation Cultivators.
He thought of the famous major cultivation clans recorded in the county annals. They often rose and fell over hundreds of years, their legacies severed and their bloodlines extinguished. Perhaps they had faced scenes just like this one.
The group of Tribulation Cultivators gathered together, driving one Array Banner after another into the ground. Then, they quickly dispersed into a strange formation. In an instant, the sky over Hanxiu Peak darkened.
"Why is it suddenly so cold!"
A flower farmer standing next to Bai Zichen shivered. As the sky darkened, the temperature of the air dropped significantly.
Waves of horrifying wails drifted up, accompanied by flickering specks of phosphorescent fire. From the locations below Hanxiu Peak where the Tribulation Cultivators had planted their Array Banners, hideous ghostly heads began to appear, charging toward the Mountain Protection Array.
The wails of a hundred demons, layers of phosphorescent flames, and a ghastly, tragic green light—for a moment, it was as if they had been plunged into the Netherworld.
"This is bad! It's the Night Parade of Hundred Demons!" The Grand Elder's expression changed; he had clearly recognized the enemy's technique. "Second Elder, shift the Four Symbols! Raise the Vermilion Bird!"