Chapter 210: Chapter 190: News of the Le Family, a Decision to Exterminate

While the two Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Le Family were in their secret chamber plotting how to recapture Lin Qingshan and Mu Wan’Er, Lu Zhao had pieced together the gist of the situation from Lin Qingshan’s account.

He couldn’t help but feel a touch of emotion. ’The little girl who used to call me Uncle Lu is a mother now.’ Time had flown by. Wang Hui’s image remained clear in his memory, yet it was now tinged with the traces of the years.

However, as Lin Qingshan delved deeper into his description, especially regarding the Le Family’s bizarre practice of capturing Wanderers and extracting their Essence Blood, Lu Zhao’s brow furrowed ever tighter. Lin Qingshan and Mu Qingquan had limited knowledge of Demon Dao Techniques and had subconsciously attributed the Le Family’s actions to the cultivation of some Demon Skill that required vast quantities of Essence Blood from living people. But Lu Zhao was different.

He possessed a Demon Dao inheritance like the *Blood Shadow Corpse Refining Skill*, so his understanding of Demon Dao methods far surpassed that of Lin Qingshan and Mu Qingquan. He knew full well that true High-Tier Demonic Cultivators, while vicious and bloodthirsty, tended to prioritize the "quality" of Essence Blood over pure "quantity."

The Essence Blood of Low-Tier Independent Cultivators contained impure and diluted Spiritual Power. To a High-Tier Demon Cultivator, it was likely even less effective than the blood of some powerful Tier One Demon Beasts. Only when refining special Demonic Spiritual Artifacts like the Ten Thousand Souls Banner or the Night Parade of Hundred Demons, which required massive amounts of Life Souls and resentful energy, would one slaughter Low-Tier Cultivators on such a scale.

But according to Lin Qingshan’s description, the Le Family seemed more focused on "extracting Essence Blood" than on collecting Life Souls. This made the situation even more peculiar. If they truly needed Essence Blood to cultivate a Demon Skill, the quality of blood from Low-Tier Independent Cultivators was truly poor, far less efficient and convenient than hunting Demon Beasts of the same tier.

After all, with the exception of Body Cultivators, the physical bodies and the life essence contained within the Essence Blood of ordinary cultivators were generally far weaker than those of a Demon Beast of the same tier.

’The Le Family... it’s as if they’re using the Essence Blood of these cultivators to refine something specific. And whatever it is, it seems it can only be made with a cultivator’s Essence Blood?’ A glint flashed in Lu Zhao’s eyes as he pondered this. The moment this thought occurred to him, his curiosity about the Le Family’s anomalous behavior overshadowed his initial anger and his impulse to rush to the rescue.

’A miscalculation...’ A pang of regret shot through Lu Zhao. If he had known, he never would have let those two Le Family Elders go! They were clearly in on it, perhaps even the ones carrying it out. It was just that the situation had been unclear, and he hadn’t wanted to rashly make a mortal enemy of a Foundation Establishment Clan, so he had shown mercy. But now, it seemed he had let a crucial lead slip through his fingers.

’But... it might not be too late to go after them.’ Lu Zhao’s eyes turned cold as killing intent began to stir within him.

At this thought, he turned his gaze to the worried Lin Qingshan and asked, "Lin Qingshan, how much do you know about the Le Family’s strength? How many Foundation Establishment Cultivators do they have? Do they possess any famous Magical Artifacts? And what kind of family Array do they have?"

Lin Qingshan was taken aback. From Lu Zhao’s calm tone, he sensed the grim, murderous intent of a gathering storm. His heart trembled as he realized this senior was likely moved to thunderous fury, and might even... He dared not dwell on the thought. He quickly composed himself, carefully recalling the details and choosing his words.

"Senior, my knowledge of the Le Family is limited," he began. "From what I’ve heard, the Le Family has two known Foundation Establishment Cultivators. One is the current Patriarch, Le Zhongshan, and the other is his eldest son, Le Mingcheng. As for their specific Cultivation and strength..."

Lin Qingshan gave a bitter smile, a hint of helplessness and self-deprecation in his voice. "When I was with the Le Family, my status was too low to have access to such core secrets. However, I did hear some rumors. Before Le Mingcheng reached Foundation Establishment, the Le Family was apparently always suppressed by the neighboring Wu Family. And the Wu Family... I overheard some of the Le Family members mention in idle chat that they seem to only have a single Elder Ancestor at Early-stage Foundation Establishment."

He paused before continuing, "As for famous Magical Artifacts, I truly don’t know... but the Le Family doesn’t seem to be known for them. I’ve never heard any rumors of them possessing any particularly powerful artifacts."

"Their Clan Protection Array, though... I once heard a branch-family member in charge of the Array’s maintenance boast about it. It’s called the Hundred Waters Array. The man was quite smug at the time, saying the Array was impressively powerful and had once successfully withstood a full-on assault from a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Even though it’s only a Tier Two Lower Grade Array, he said it was considered top-of-the-line for its class."

After hearing Lin Qingshan’s account, Lu Zhao had a rough picture of the Le Family’s strength: a typical Foundation Establishment Clan with shallow roots, possessing two Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Extrapolating from the Wu Family’s situation, the Cultivation of both Le Zhongshan and Le Mingcheng was likely only at the Early-stage Foundation Establishment, and their strength was probably average for their tier. Their only real asset was that Tier Two Lower Grade Clan Protection Array—the Hundred Waters Array—which could reportedly withstand an attack from a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

At this moment, Lu Zhao’s mind began to race. Saving Wang Hui and her husband was a certainty, but how? Should he sneak into the Le Family estate and rescue them in secret? Or should he try to negotiate a deal with the Le Family? Or perhaps...

A cold glint flashed in Lu Zhao’s eyes as a thought, like a poisonous vine bursting from the soil, grew uncontrollably: ’Just wipe out the Le Family!’

This seemingly crazy idea was not a momentary impulse. It was the "rational" conclusion Lu Zhao had reached after calmly comparing the strength of both sides!

His true combat prowess was now nearly on par with a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. In a one-on-one fight against either of the Le Family’s Early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, he was absolutely confident he could slay them! Even if he faced both at once, as long as the battle didn’t take place within their Tier Two Lower Grade Hundred Waters Array, he was confident he could emerge victorious—even heavily wound or kill one of them. The worst-case scenario was that the other would escape.

What ultimately solidified his resolve was the memory that surfaced in his mind: a young Wang Hui calling him "Uncle Lu," and the way Wang Yun had looked after and defended him as a newcomer in their Demon Hunting Squad all those years ago.

This long-buried bond of friendship, upon learning that Wang Hui and her husband were imprisoned with their fates unknown, had transformed into a heavy sense of responsibility and a surging rage.

’He who hesitates is lost!’ Lu Zhao thought with a low growl, his killing intent now firmly set!

Now that he had decided to make a move, Lu Zhao began to plot.

The main question was how to annihilate the Le Family quickly and make a clean getaway before the other nearby Foundation Establishment powers—or even Xuan Yang Immortal City—could react. This would require precise calculation and lightning-fast execution.

However, after pondering for an hour, a key problem still troubled Lu Zhao: after successfully killing one of the Le Family’s Foundation Establishment Cultivators, how could he lure the other one out? How could he prevent the remaining cultivator from holing up inside the Hundred Waters Array?

Once his opponent hunkered down within the Grand Array, it would be difficult for Lu Zhao to break through in a short amount of time, even with his strength approaching the Late-stage Foundation Establishment. After all, a Tier Two Lower Grade Array personally overseen by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator—one capable of resisting a Mid-stage Cultivator’s assault—formed a defensive system that was no easy feat to overcome. The battle would devolve into a stalemate, inviting unforeseen complications.

’Wait...’ Lu Zhao’s furrowed brow suddenly relaxed, a flicker of realization and self-mockery in his eyes. ’I’ve been stuck in a rut. Why do I have to "lure" the other one out? Why can’t I be the one to "go in"?’

A bold yet ingenious plan instantly took shape in his mind:

First, use lightning-fast methods to ambush and kill one of the Le Family’s Foundation Establishment Cultivators on the outskirts of their territory, far from the clan estate. The battle must be swift and decisive, leaving no one alive to prevent word from leaking out.

Second, and this was the most crucial part: immediately perform a Soul Search on the slain Foundation Establishment Cultivator. This would be to acquire their memories, especially key information about the Le Family’s internal affairs, Array controls, and the other Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s daily habits, cultivation depth, and practiced Cultivation Technique.

Third, use the profound abilities of the *Breath Concealment and Shapeshifting Skill*, combined with the memories obtained from the Soul Search, to perfectly disguise himself as the Le Family cultivator he had just killed, matching both appearance and aura!

Fourth, under the identity of "one of their own," he would swagger back to the Le Family estate and use his position to get close to the other Foundation Establishment Cultivator. He would then launch a fatal sneak attack when they least expected it, aiming for a one-hit kill or, at the very least, to wound them so severely they lost the ability to fight back.

As long as the sneak attack was successful, the Le Family would lose the key individual needed to operate the Hundred Waters Array. At that point, even if the family’s Qi Cultivators tried to control the Array, its power would be drastically reduced.

In Lu Zhao’s eyes, a Tier Two Array without a Foundation Establishment Cultivator at the helm was nothing to worry about!

’This plan will work!’ A brilliant light flared in Lu Zhao’s eyes, and any remaining hesitation vanished. He could almost see the fall of the Le Family and the hope of rescuing Wang Hui and her husband. All that was left was to wait for the right moment and refine the details of his plan.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the killing intent and impatience in his heart. His gaze grew as deep and still as a dark pool. A war of annihilation allowed no room for error; every detail had to be meticulously planned. The Le Family... this was a chess game he was determined to win.

Having made his decision, Lu Zhao delayed no further. With a flick of his sleeve, a gentle wave of Magical Power enveloped Lin Qingshan and Mu Wan’Er. His body then transformed into a faint, barely perceptible streak of watery light, and he silently departed.

However, Lu Zhao did not travel far. Instead, he found a secluded mountain hollow far from the main road, surrounded by dense, ancient trees. The Spiritual Qi here was thin and the place was deserted, making it an ideal spot to hide temporarily.

With a mere thought, a palm-sized, jet-black Array Disc covered in complex turtle-shell patterns flew out of his Storage Bag. It was the Array Disc for the Black Water Profound Turtle Formation, which he had obtained from the Xu Family, an array that possessed impressive Defense Power.

Magical Power flowed from his fingertips. The Array Disc flashed with Spirit Light, and with a low hum, a layer of faint black light like an overturned Turtle Shell instantly enveloped an area several yards wide. The light swirled, thick and heavy, sealing off the auras within from any external Divine Sense probes and providing considerable Defense.

Lu Zhao tossed Lin Qingshan a Token, then said to him and Mu Wan’Er:

"Fellow Daoist Lin, this is the Array Control Token." Lu Zhao’s voice was calm, betraying no emotion. "I have set up a Defensive Array here. It will keep you safe for the time being. You and Wan’Er are to wait here. After I rescue Little Hui and Mu Qingquan, I will take you all back to Chen Country."

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