Chapter 19: Divide

Leave their homeland?

Ji Ning suppressed his inner unwillingness. Unwilling, truly unwilling. But looking at the other clansmen around him, including his father, Ji Liuzhen, Granny Ying, and others, all were silent. As long as the Ji clan could continue to thrive and prosper, leaving their homeland was something they could endure!

"As long as the Snowdragon Mountain takes out a vassal token," Ji Jiuhuo said in a low voice, "our Ji clan will immediately offer up the vassal token of Ten Thousand Swords City!"

"Vassal token?"

In the distance, Dong Ziyi and the other four exchanged glances, communicating silently through divine sense.

"Senior apprentice-brother Ziyi, what do we do?" the green-haired woman transmitted. "Produce a vassal token?"

"Produce?" Dong Ziyi looked at the green-haired woman. "Junior apprentice-sister Hexing, will you produce one?"

The green-haired woman immediately shut her mouth.

These Zifu cultivators who had left the sect to invade various regions and establish branches were all of limited potential, already considered outer members of the sect. The Xia cities they had occupied in the Swallow Mountain were their foundation! They were also the foundation for some of their tribes, with entrenched power. How could they possibly abandon them?

To produce a vassal token?

Who would produce it?

This elemental ore vein was for the Snowdragon Mountain sect. Why should I sacrifice? Why should my tribe sacrifice? Every Xia city had two or three Zifu cultivators, and all had to agree to give up the vassal token! But who would be willing to abandon a foundation built over so long?

"If we are unwilling to abandon, would fellow disciples from other places be willing to give up a Xia city?" Dong Ziyi shook his head. "Our Snowdragon Mountain has many branches. Those fellow disciples from other branches won't care about us. Why would they kindly give up a Xia city?"

"Anyway, our Ju clan won't agree. I won't agree, and my uncle in the clan won't agree either," the burly man said urgently. "Don't think about it anymore. I don't believe the Ji clan dares to resist."

"Mm."

The green-haired man nodded. "Just threaten the Ji clan directly! Resist and face extermination! Submit and they can survive! I believe the Ji clan will know what to choose."

"Right, this isn't the first time such a thing has happened," the burly man Ju Sanlian agreed.

"Let's do it this way," the gray-robed man Mu Si also approved.

Dong Ziyi glanced at his four junior apprentice-brothers and sisters. Although there were other fellow disciples from the Swallow Mountain branch who hadn't come—after all, not everyone would come for a single fluctuation in heaven and earth's vital energy—the five who had come represented all the internal factions of the Swallow Mountain branch.

"Alright," Dong Ziyi nodded. "Let's do it this way. As Junior Apprentice-Brother Ju San said, this isn't the first time such a thing has happened."

Snowdragon Mountain had many branches.

With so many branches, how could they occupy so many Xia cities? By force?

That would be foolish.

It was entirely a combination of the butcher's knife and intimidation. In reality, most tribes could only grit their teeth and swallow their pride, voluntarily handing over the vassal token and obediently leaving. Of course, occasionally some fighting occurred, but nothing was absolute. Dong Ziyi and the others were confident that their strength was definitely superior to the Ji clan's.

...

The Ji clan side was waiting.

Though pained and unwilling.

Ji Ning and everyone else were prepared to leave their homeland. As long as the Ji clan could continue to thrive, everything was worth it. The Ji clan members were all waiting for Snowdragon Mountain's response.

"Mm." Dong Ziyi snorted lightly. "Ji Jiuhuo."

Everyone from the Ji clan looked at Dong Ziyi. Ji Jiuhuo quickly said, "This is already our Ji clan's final bottom line."

"Bottom line?" Dong Ziyi sneered. "Bottom lines are meant to be broken! Ji Jiuhuo, you want to exchange the vassal token of Ten Thousand Swords City for another vassal token? Dream on. Now I give you two paths. The first: defy our Snowdragon Mountain, and your Ji clan will face extermination. The second: hand over the vassal token of Ten Thousand Swords City, and our Snowdragon Mountain will allow your Ji clan to continue living on this land. After the elemental ore vein is fully mined, the vassal token of Ten Thousand Swords City will be returned to you. This is my, Dong Ziyi's, promise!"

Everyone from the Ji clan changed color.

What?

A promise?

A dogshit promise! What was a promise worth? Empty words to make the entire Ji clan hand over the vassal token?

"Dong Ziyi," Ji Jiuhuo said, both anxious and angry.

"Shut up," Dong Ziyi barked, his eyes cold and piercing as he stared at Ji Jiuhuo. "You only have a choice: continue living or face extermination! It's all in your, Ji Jiuhuo's, hands! If you choose extermination... my Eight Trigrams Blood Dragon Formation hasn't seen real blood in a long time."

The other four Zifu cultivators beside him also flashed fierce glints. They were sect-trained, having learned some powerful techniques, and generally were much stronger than the natives. If it came to a fight... back at their lair, there were three other Zifu cultivators, making a total of eight Zifu cultivators!

"Choose!" Dong Ziyi said coldly.

On the Ji clan side, some clansmen were trembling with anger.

"Chieftain!" some clansmen howled.

"Ahhh!" Ji Jiuhuo threw back his head and howled. "I, Ji Jiuhuo, am ashamed before our Ji clan ancestors!"

Ji Ning gritted his teeth, his body trembling slightly.

In the distance, Dong Ziyi and the others watched with cold smiles. Choosing to abandon the clan's foundation was indeed shameful before the ancestors, but would these natives dare to resist? Resistance meant death!

"Go to hell!" Ji Jiuhuo suddenly threw out six black pellets, which shot like six streaks of light directly in front of Dong Ziyi and the other four.

"Thunderfire Pearls!"

Dong Ziyi and the four Zifu cultivators were greatly startled. Being sect-trained, they immediately recognized the most common and insidious Thunderfire Pearls, which contained thunder and fire energy and were extremely violent. Once detonated by elemental energy... they would explode instantly with terrifying power. Six Thunderfire Pearls exploding at close range could even kill a Zifu cultivator.

"These native tribes do have some treasures, able to produce six Thunderfire Pearls at once," Dong Ziyi thought as he dodged rapidly.

The five Snowdragon Mountain Zifu cultivators quickly scattered in all directions.

Boom~~~

A violent thunderfire force exploded, blinding lightning serpents spreading in all directions, flames scorching the surrounding earth, shaking the ground. The power was indeed astonishing.

"Go!" Ji Jiuhuo, who had just thrown the six Thunderfire Pearls, had madness in his eyes.

Whoosh whoosh~~~~

Suddenly, the vast wilderness and forest were shrouded in endless miasma, everywhere filled with it. Even Ji Ning could only see three zhang with his naked eye.

"Not good." Dong Ziyi, who had just dodged with a hint of pride and disdain, saw the miasma appear out of nowhere and his expression changed. "It's a maze formation!"

"That cunning old man threw the six Thunderfire Pearls not to kill us, but to make us scatter and increase the distance between us when we dodged," Dong Ziyi thought, his face pale as he looked at the surrounding miasma. With his naked eye, he could only see two zhang. Earlier, when faced with the Thunderfire Pearls, they had all dodged as far as possible.

Those junior apprentice-brothers and sisters were at least dozens of zhang away from him. As long as the distance between them exceeded five or six zhang, within this maze formation, the formation controller could influence them, making the distance between them grow.

"This Ji Jiuhuo wants to completely separate the five of us," Dong Ziyi thought, both angry and furious.

"Senior apprentice-brother!" a voice came from afar. "It's a maze formation. We've been separated. That old thief Ji Jiuhuo wants to pick us off one by one! They'll definitely have several Zifu cultivators join forces to deal with one of us, taking us out one by one!"

Though they could hear the voices, within the maze formation, directions were distorted and impossible to discern.

"Junior Apprentice-Brother Ju San, Junior Apprentice-Brother Mu Si, Junior Apprentice-Brother He Fang, Junior Apprentice-Sister He Xing. Are you all together?" Dong Ziyi called urgently.

"My brother and I are together," a female voice answered.

"I'm alone."

"I'm alone too."

The other two voices chilled Dong Ziyi's heart. He understood that the He Fang siblings were together, but he, Dong Ziyi, Ju San, and Mu Si were all completely separated. Even if the He Fang siblings joined forces... once attacked by the Ji clan, they would be in great danger.

"This time, I've really been outwitted by that old man," Dong Ziyi thought, both angry and anxious. "But how did he set up the formation in advance?"

...

While the five Snowdragon Mountain Zifu cultivators were separated and trapped in the maze formation, panicked, the Ji clan side was both excited and stunned.

"Chieftain, why did you suddenly strike?"

"And this, this, this formation—what's going on?"

The clansmen were all somewhat bewildered.

Ji Jiuhuo swept his gaze over the people around him and growled, "Our Ji clan is not spineless. They've bullied us to our faces, poured filth on us—can we still endure? Better to leave in a cowardly manner than to fight a glorious battle. Our Ji clan still has a chance to survive."

"Listen to my orders," Ji Jiuhuo commanded directly.

Every clansman obeyed.

"Beifeng, you go back and take Ji Mo and the others, ride flying beasts, and leave Swallow Mountain in three separate groups quietly," Ji Jiuhuo said. "These are the bloodlines our Ji clan must pass on."

"Yes."

"Ji Dongze, you immediately go to Swallow Mountain City. Report to the Grand Xia Dynasty that there is an elemental ore vein on our Ji clan's territory. This matter is in your hands. Remember, dispatch several teams. Ensure that at least one team reaches Swallow Mountain City."

"Yes."

Ji Jiuhuo's gaze swept over them. "Everyone else who is not a Zifu cultivator, return to Ten Thousand Swords City. Leave this place to us. Go now."

The group of Ji clan clansmen all knelt down with a thud, looking at Ji Jiuhuo, Ji Yichuan, Ji Liuzhen, Ji Ning, and the others. Then, without another word, they quickly departed.

"Now it's just us left," Ji Jiuhuo said, his gaze sweeping over the few people around him. "Those five arrogant Snowdragon Mountain Zifu cultivators have been separated by the grand formation. We just need to pick them off one by one and eliminate them all!"

"Ji Ning," Ji Jiuhuo looked at Ji Ning. "You are the hope of our Ji clan, and also its future. If things really go wrong, use the Ten Thousand Mile Evasion Talisman to escape immediately! As long as you live, our Ji clan will not be extinguished!"

"Yes," Ji Ning gritted his teeth and replied.

"Prepare to kill," Ji Jiuhuo laughed heartily. "It's been many years since I've been this crazy. I feel like I've suddenly become young again, as expectant as on my wedding night!"