The Patriarch of the Qian Family was a Mid Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
If he had taken the Human Life Pill and extended his life without a decline in Blood Qi or Spiritual Power, he would likely be the strongest Foundation Building Cultivator in Tongxian City.
Moreover, he was certainly an Evil Cultivator, practicing strange but powerful Evil Path Skills.
Therefore, the plan to eliminate the Patriarch of the Qian Family had to be both meticulous and prudent.
The following evening, the Taoist Soldiers feigned departure from Tongxian City, breaking camp.
At the middle of the night, they covertly returned, stayed overnight at Big Black Mountain, and at the break of dawn, they dressed as Monster Hunters, disguised themselves to enter the city, and stealthily hid in the houses surrounding the Qian Family’s home.
The hiding spot was provided by the An Family.
Mo Hua rose early too, found a secluded house, climbed onto the roof, and watched the Qian Family’s movements with his Divine Sense.
His Cultivation was modest; he wasn’t needed to strike at the Patriarch of the Qian Family.
And with such perilous matters, he couldn’t show himself either.
All he could do was to sketch the Formation Method Map of the Qian Family estate, aiding Leader Yang and the others in their ambush.
For now, his only option was to watch from afar.
Luckily, his Divine Sense was strong, his perception range wide, so even from a distance, he could roughly grasp the progression of events.
The first step of the plan was to enter the Qian Family and probe the details concerning the Patriarch of the Qian Family.
The morning sunlight shone on the Blue Stone Street.
The street was empty, scarcely any foot traffic in sight.
Elder Yu notified all the Loose Cultivators in advance, telling everyone to stay indoors today.
He himself, however, had arrived early at the grand entrance of the Qian Family, knocking on the door while loudly cursing.
Elder Yu’s curses were unsavory.
For many years, this had been a common occurrence for Elder Yu.
Before long, there was a stir inside the Qian Family, and a Qian Family Elder came out to argue with Elder Yu.
The argument persisted, with Elder Yu stubbornly refusing to leave, casually lying about a Monster Hunter’s death and blaming it on the Qian Family.
The Qian Family Elder thought it was true.
After all, such deeds weren’t uncommon for the Qian Family, so initially, there was no suspicion that Elder Yu was lying.
But the Qian Family would certainly not admit to it and instead accused Elder Yu of slandering them.
Elder Yu indeed was slandering them, while continuing to curse even more vehemently, clamoring ceaselessly that he would report the matter to the Taoist Court and seek justice.
The Qian Family Elder, provoked to irritation, said, "Fine, then ask the Court Leader to come and we’ll discuss the matter clearly!"
The Qian Family went to summon the old Court Leader.
The old Court Leader arrived leisurely, intentionally showing difficulty in the situation, urging both sides to value peace and not start more trouble.
Elder Yu, face flushed, argued with the old Court Leader:
"The dead one isn’t from the Taoist Court, that’s why the Court Leader is indifferent."
The old Court Leader became angry and said, "What do you want then?"
Elder Yu said, "I want that old tortoise Qian Hong to give me an explanation; if he isn’t in charge, there’s an even older tortoise in the Qian Family, I must have them give me an answer for this affair!"
Given the circumstances, Qian Hong had no choice but to show himself.
Afterward, Elder Yu and the old Court Leader went inside the Qian Family residence.
The Qian Family had Formations that blocked detailed spying, so Mo Hua could not see clearly.
However, if the plan proceeded smoothly, Elder Yu would escalate the situation, the old Court Leader would fan the flames, until it escalated to a point where the Patriarch of the Qian Family had to show himself, allowing them a successful encounter.
Then at that moment, Elder Yu would suddenly attack, catching him off guard, and they would be able to test the Patriarch of the Qian Family’s skills, thus knowing whether he was concealing his abilities or harboring secrets that must not be disclosed.
This task could only be carried out by Foundation Building Cultivators.
Leader Yang couldn’t do it; as the leader of the Taoist Soldiers, his presence at the Qian Family would raise suspicion.
Old Master An wouldn’t be suitable either, as he had a feud with the Qian Family, and they would not allow him entry.
After much consideration, only Elder Yu was deemed appropriate.
Although he was at odds with the Qian Family, he also frequented the Qian Family, entangling them in disputes and bargaining without alarming them or raising any undue precautions.
A tall and thin elder from the Qian Family shouted loudly, "We cannot let them harm the ancestor!"
A group of Qian Family disciples raised their swords, their eyes brimming with fighting spirit.
Court Leader Zhou gave them a cold look, "The Taoist Court has issued an edict, the Qian Family patriarch practiced Evil Skills, colluded with Evil Cultivators; his crimes are unforgivable, and by law, he must be executed!"
"Any Qian Family disciple who interferes will be killed without mercy!"
"If the Qian Family knew and still aided the tyrant, then the whole family will be executed!"
Court Leader Zhou spoke with an authoritative and ice-cold tone.
The Qian Family disciples grew fearful and hesitant.
Seeing this, the Qian Family elder cursed angrily,
"The Taoist Court is not our Qian Family’s Taoist Court, but the ancestor is our Qian Family’s ancestor. Can’t you see which is more important? We must ensure the ancestor’s safety at all costs!"
Before he could finish, another elder quickly said,
"Shut up! Do you want our entire Qian Family to be executed?"
"Qian Zhongli, are you abandoning the ancestor?"
Qian Zhongli said, "The ancestor is indeed our Qian Family’s ancestor, but the Qian Family is not just the ancestor’s alone. Do you wish to doom so many cultivators of our Qian Family?"
"You spineless coward!"
"You foolishly loyal idiot!"
...
The two Qian Family elders were slinging insults at each other non-stop.
Some Qian Family disciples became frightened and secretly abandoned their swords. With time, more and more disciples discarded their weapons.
In the blink of an eye, most of the Qian Family disciples were unarmed.
Some Qian Family disciples who intended to fight also abandoned their intentions.
Elder Yu sneered, "Qian Old Dog, you’ve been abandoned by everyone."
The Patriarch of the Qian Family shook his head and sighed, "Indeed, I did not misjudge. When disaster strikes, even one’s closest kin cannot be relied upon."
Elder Yu, with one arm severed, pointed his sword at the Patriarch of the Qian Family with his remaining arm, "A person like you does not deserve kin."
"I have one question that I haven’t figured out until now..."
The seemingly cornered Patriarch of the Qian Family did not panic but showed confusion instead.
"Black Mountain Stronghold has been secretive in its actions, whether it was murder or plunder. For over two hundred years, it has never been discovered. Those who knew about Black Mountain Stronghold either joined or were dead."
"I also hid it very well. Apart from a scarce few, no one knew of my relationship with Black Mountain Stronghold, nor did anyone know I built this stronghold, raising so many Evil Cultivators, and even less so, what I used these Evil Cultivators for..."
"But why is it that all of a sudden, Black Mountain Stronghold has been discovered?"
"Why did the Taoist Soldiers arrive so fast?"
"I don’t even know how the news got leaked."
"The only thing I know is that someone tampered with the formation array within the stronghold."
"But who has the ability to tamper with Black Mountain Stronghold’s formation map right under the noses of my four Mid Foundation Establishment Householders and hundreds of Evil Cultivators?"
"Who is it that unraveled the mystery and discovered my secret?"
"Who let my two-hundred-year effort in building Black Mountain Stronghold come to naught in an instant!"
The Patriarch of the Qian Family looked around, his blood-colored eyes shining intensely:
"I want to meet the person responsible for this!"
The aura around the Patriarch of the Qian Family surged.
Mo Hua, who was hiding at a distance secretly watching the drama, was stunned upon hearing this.
The person the Patriarch of the Qian Family was talking about... seemed to be himself?
Startled, Mo Hua instantly shrank back.
He had no wish to meet the Qian Family patriarch—best to be forever apart; if the patriarch died and he lived, then they would never meet...
Mo Hua thought to himself silently, but then doubt crept in.
No, that’s not right!
How could the Patriarch of the Qian Family fail to guess it was him?