Reinforcements

"Where are the people of the Xiao family?!" Li Yuanjiao and the rest of the Li family halted far in the distance before the formation that blotted out the sky and sun. Still a good dozen li from Guanyun Peak, the entire group stopped, hovering in midair with grim expressions. Demonic mist swirled around the entirety of Guanyun Peak, cracks ran across the great formation, and the manifestations of four or five immortal foundations flickered in the sky above—with Foundation Establishment cultivators besieging the peak, how could any of them dare approach? "The Xiao family... I'm afraid something has gone wrong in more than one place!" Li Qinghong's bright eyes were filled with urgency. The Duruo Spear was strapped across her back, while she held a gray spear of the Qi Refinement grade in her hands. Staring at the formation with eyes tinged with violet, she whispered, "It takes barely the burn of an incense stick to fly here from Xianyou Peak. If the Xiao family's Foundation Establishment cultivators intended to come, they would have arrived even faster than we did from Mount Lijing! Someone must have tied them down!" Silence fell over the group. The Xiao family remained the Li family's primary backer, and none of them wished to witness such a disaster—to say nothing of the fact that their own kin had yet to make it out of the market... "Husband!" As Li Yuanjiao and the others waited with burning anxiety, a woman rode the wind toward them from behind. Elegant in appearance, her face was fraught with panic. It was Xiao Guiluan, who had hurried after them upon hearing that her clan was under attack. "Luan'er." Li Yuanjiao pulled her into his embrace, halting her forward momentum, and said firmly, "There is no telling how many demonic cultivators lie ahead. Do not go any further!" Though Xiao Guiluan had an awful relationship with her heartless father, she still harbored affection for the Xiao family that had raised her. Watching the market besieged, with her uncle Xiao Ruyu quite possibly trapped inside, she was frantic with worry. In a low voice, she said, "The ancestor must have been pinned down by someone! Xianyou Peak and Yushan must have come under attack as well, leaving them unable to save the Guanyun Peak Market... Senior Xiao Ruyu has looked after our family's shop so many times, and now he is trapped inside too!" Li Yuanjiao was just as anxious, yet he could not show it. He could only comfort his wife gently, saying in a soothing tone, "Xiao Ruyu is a cultivator at the peak of Qi Refinement from the Xiao family; he is bound to have life-saving trumps up his sleeve... Do not worry, do not worry." As they spoke in hushed voices, a muffled boom detonated across the horizon. Rumble! The world flared blinding white. The Foundation Establishment formation the Xiao family had taken such pains to construct had held for nearly half an hour, but now it finally shattered like glass, dissipating into the heavens and earth alongside a resounding thunderclap. Surging forward atop demonic clouds, the swarm of demonic cultivators poured inside, looting and slaughtering throughout the market. Battle erupted everywhere. Knowing that all was lost, the Xiao family cultivators gathered on Guanyun Peak rushed down the mountain, fleeing for their lives in every direction. Unfortunately, Guanyun Peak had become the primary target of the siege, and there was no telling how many would manage to escape. "Go!" Seeing that the demonic cultivators had entered the market, the group exchanged glances and began closing the distance. After flying several li, an enraged roar shattered the air: "Chen Taojing of the Xiao family is here! Cease your insolence!" White light flared atop Guanyun Peak, and two pale-red flood dragons materialized out of thin air. Baring their claws and fangs, they took on multiple foes at once, entangling four plumes of black qi with astonishing might. Chen Taojing had likely taken some medicinal pill or unleashed a secret technique, cutting an imposing figure. Though oddly colored, the dragons were lifelike and remarkably powerful. The moment his voice fell, the Jiaopanying sword at Li Yuanjiao's waist began buzzing and trembling, as if it were about to burst forth through the void at any second. Startled, he pressed down on it and muttered in shock and suspicion, "I have heard my uncle mention this Chen Taojing; he is clearly a saber cultivator... Why would Jiaopanying react like this?" While he was still pondering, a seductive voice rang out: "Chen Taojing of the Xiao family? Hahahahaha..." As though having heard the most ridiculous joke, the demonic cultivator giggled uncontrollably before continuing in a delicate, fragile tone, "Back then, this humble woman only heard that the Xiao family was a dog kept by the Chen clan of Lingyu Gate. Who would have thought that after a mere hundred years, the wheel of fortune would turn, and it is now the Chen clan's turn to be a dog for the Xiao family!" Midair, Chen Taojing paused, seemingly trying to identify her, then sneered, "And here I wondered where such a massive demonic disaster came from. Turns out it's things that crawled out of the pagoda!" "Shut your mouth!" Shamed into fury, the woman let out shrill shrieks. The plumes of black qi in the sky grew visibly frantic, tightening their cordon around Chen Taojing and muffling his words within the dark mist. Seeing that the Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators in the sky were tied down and unable to act, Li Yuanjiao knew this was the optimal moment to rescue their people. Looking back at the group, he whispered, "Guest Elder An and I have the highest cultivation. The rest of you wait here, while Guest Elder An and I move closer to investigate." An Zheyan stepped forward. Seeing this, Li Qinghong pursed her lips, understanding Li Yuanjiao's intentions. Drawing the Duruo Spear from her back and gripping it firmly, she said softly, "Brother! My lightning arts are most effective against demons and fiends, and they will be of great use against demonic cultivators. Why not stay here to watch over everyone, and let me go with Guest Elder An instead?" Her words carried reason, giving Li Yuanjiao pause. Knowing that he and Li Qinghong could not both risk their lives at the same time, he reluctantly nodded and said in a heavy voice, "Fine! If the situation is beyond saving, do not throw your own life away." Both acknowledged the command and rode the wind toward Guanyun Peak Market. Anxious to reach them, Li Qinghong sped forward, pulling An Zheyan along at a much faster pace, and within moments they arrived outside the market. Only when they landed in the woods outside the perimeter did they see ground drenched in blood, blazing fires raging within, and billows of demonic smoke churning upward. An Zheyan managed to keep his composure, though a chill still crept down his spine as he thought to himself, *With her by my side, so long as we don't run into a Foundation Establishment cultivator, we will surely be able to retreat unscathed...* After all, Li Qinghong had sparred with every cultivator in the Li family, high and low. Those in the early stage of Qi Refinement could not last a single bout against her, and only those in the mid-to-late stages could put up a fight. Even An Zheyan himself could only hold out for a few hundred exchanges before inevitably being swept off his feet by her spear. At present, only Li Yuanjiao and Chen Donghe, who was away from the family, possessed the strength to suppress her. In an all-out clash, the victor remained uncertain—not to mention that the weapon in her hand was the Foundation Establishment magical artifact, the Duruo Spear... While An Zheyan was breathing a sigh of relief, Li Qinghong leveled her spear, her complexion slightly pale. With the market reduced to this state, her uncle Li Xuanxuan and clan uncle Li Qiuyang were both in mortal peril, to say nothing of her younger brother, Li Yuanyun, who was a mere mortal. Yet hope always lingered. Clinging to that shred of wishful thinking, she retrieved a jade pendant from her storage bag. Carried by the direct lineage of the Li family and a few key confidants, these pendants could sense one another's positions, though only within a short range of one or two li. "Oh?" Probing with her spiritual sense, she found two jade pendants moving side by side, steadily flying toward the outside of the market. Delight immediately washed over her face, and she said brightly, "Clan Uncle Qiuyang and Uncle Xuanxuan have met up! They are not far away!" An Zheyan nodded repeatedly and offered a few words of congratulations. As he followed Li Qinghong down on the wind, he grumbled inwardly, *I just hope Li Xuanxuan and Li Qiuyang didn't die by the same person's hand and have their pendants taken... If this young auntie flies into a rage... heaven will literally split with lightning, leaving not a scrap of bone behind...*