Chapter 238: Dividing Forces


    In the face of Liu Family''s vignt and defensive attitude, everyone in the vicinity was dissatisfied. Meng Zhang, in particr, sneered, "A bunch of cowards who fear the sand monsters like tigers and can''t even protect their own people. They treat reinforcements as if they were thieves."


    Meng Zhang''s voice, infused with true qi, carried far, and even the cultivators on the nearby flying boats could hear it. Everyone nodded in agreement, and some hot-headed cultivators couldn''t help but burst into curses.


    Daoist Guang Hui furrowed his brow; he also disapproved of Liu Family''s actions but didn''t want to escte the conflict at this moment. He gathered the representatives of several sects together and announced his n.


    ording to Daoist Guang Hui''s n, the cultivator army would split into two groups and act independently. The cultivator teams from Forest Spring Watch and Shi Family would head to the Green Bamboo Mountain territory to trace the whereabouts of the sand monster group. Meanwhile, Taiyi Sect, Qiaoshou Sect, Golden de Sect, and Forest Mountain School would stay in Liu Family''s territory to search for the sand monster nests.


    The sand monster group first appeared in Liu Family''s territory, and ording to their habits, their nests were most likely nearby. However, Liu Family''s territory covered hundreds of miles, and considering the surrounding areas, the area was evenrger. Moreover, the sand monster nests were buried deep underground, making it a time-consuming task to find them.


    Daoist Guang Hong from Forest Spring Watch would stay behind to coordinate and oversee the actions of the four sects'' cultivators. He quickly gathered the main personnel from the four sects and, with a casual stroke, delineated a rough search area for each sect.


    Using Liu Family''s main gate as the center, the surrounding areas were evenly divided into four sections, with each sect responsible for searching their designated area. Daoist Guang Hong remained in the middle to provide support.


    If any sect discovered the location of a sand monster nest, the other three sects would immediately rush to provide assistance, aiming to destroy the nest as quickly as possible.


    After the announcement, the cultivators from the four sects immediately sprang into action.


    Meng Zhang led the cultivators from Taiyi Sect and began a careful search within their assigned area. They lowered their flying boats and many elite disciples jumped off, using their abilities to carefully search underground.


    Meng Zhang and Deep EarthSpirit General, both Foundation Building cultivators, had better methods for underground exploration. Especially Deep EarthSpirit General, he had a unique affinity with the earth and could naturally sense various conditions underground. His searching efficiency alone surpassed thebined efforts of Meng Zhang and the other Refining Qi cultivators.


    Searching for the sand monster nests underground was destined to be a time-consuming task. As time passed slowly, the search proceeded methodically.


    Daoist Guang Hong always used secret methods to maintain contact with Forest Spring Watch''s disciples. The joint forces of Forest Spring Watch and Shi Family, after entering the Green Bamboo Mountain territory, also faced difficulties in searching for the sand monster group.


    After Zhao Jiudou informed Green Bamboo Mountain, just like Liu Family, they closed their gates and activated the mountain protection great formation, not allowing any cultivators to leave the gate even half a step. The cultivators from Forest Spring Watch and Shi Family were left to roam freely within the Green Bamboo Mountain territory, tirelessly searching for the whereabouts of the sand monsters.From sunrise to sunset, from sunset to sunrise, two days had passed, and both sides'' teams had gained nothing.


    In a concealed cave within the Liu Family''s rear mountain, an old man with white hair and wrinkled face sat cross-legged on a jade bed, quietly listening to the report of a kneeling cultivator below.


    This old man was named Liu Dajin, an elder of the Liu Family, and also the father of Liu Fengbo, who had died at the hands of Meng Zhang. In the Liu Family, cultivators of the bloodline, afterpleting Refining Qi cultivation, could enter the family''s secret ice cave. There, they could utilize the family''s secret techniques to absorb the umted cold qi within the ice cave and attempt to break through to the Foundation Building stage.


    Although this method of advancing to the Foundation Building stage did not require auxiliary pills like Foundation Building Pills, it carried high risks. If the attempt failed, the consequences could range from the body bing stiff and immobile, turning into a living corpse, to losing one''s life, with the soul returning to the afterlife. Even if one sessfully achieved Foundation Building, there were still many potential problems.


    Foundation Building cultivators needed to regrly expel the umted cold qi from their bodies, requiring a significant amount of time and energy. The higher their cultivation base, the faster the cold qi umted, and the more time and energy were spent in purging it.


    Early-stage Foundation Building cultivators had to spend nearly half their lifespan in seclusion to expel the cold qi. Mid-stage Foundation Building cultivators required more than two-thirds of their lifespan. As forte-stage Foundation Building cultivators, they had to sit on specially crafted warm jade beds throughout the year to suppress the excess cold qi with the bed''s power. Whenever they left for some time, they couldn''t dy outside for too long. They needed to hurry back to the Liu Family promptly to utilize the warm jade bed''s power to control the cold qi. Otherwise, they might end up freezing to death.


    Due to these drawbacks of their own Foundation Building cultivators, Liu Family appeared weak externally and was constantly suppressed by Twin Sess Valley. Currently, besides Liu Dajin, who was ate-stage Foundation Building cultivator, there was only the early-stage Foundation Building family head, Liu Dahai, left in the Liu Family. The substantial losses of Refining Qi cultivators had not been promptly replenished.


    At this moment, Liu Family was at its most vulnerable state. Several sects'' coalition forces entered the Liu Family''s territory, and although the Liu Family kept their mountain gates tightly shut, they still secretly dispatched cultivators to monitor the movements of these sects. The sects had noticed the Liu Family''s actions but couldn''t be bothered to confront them directly.


    The cultivator kneeling in front of Liu Dajin was initially his disciple, who was sent out to monitor the movements of those sects. The sects'' objective was to search for the nest of sand monsters and not specifically target the Liu Family. So, they behaved openly without deliberately concealing their actions.


    Having received the report from his disciple after he had reported to Family Head Liu Dahai, he hurried to the rear mountain to inform Liu Dajin. "Master, it''s said that Taiyi Sect''s Meng Zhang frequently separates from the main group and searches alone in a specific area."


    "Yes, Master. Meng Zhang, as the Sect Master, often acts separately from other sect members and disciples," the disciple confirmed.


    Listening to the report, Liu Dajin nodded with satisfaction and dismissed the disciple, instructing him not to leak this information. Once the disciple left, Liu Dajin''s expression changed. His face was filled with pain and unwillingness.


    "Fengbo, you died so unjustly. You achieved Foundation Building at such a young age, and you were the hope of the next generation of Liu Family, but you died at the hands of that scoundrel."


    "I cannot rest peacefully until this debt is repaid."


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