Several breaths passed.
Seeing Wei Tu's figure vanish without any follow-up, Mei Longgui and Mei Zongdian both let out a long sigh of relief. They were thankful that Wei Tu had shown mercy and hadn't wiped them out entirely.
"Let's inform the clan first. Say we've both had an epiphany and are going into seclusion to break through…"
Now that he'd calmed down, Mei Zongdian began discussing with Mei Longgui how to handle the aftermath of their cultivation being crippled.
Without them—the only Foundation Establishment cultivators—the Han Ye branch of the Mei family had fallen from a Foundation Establishment family to merely a Qi Refinement-level immortal clan. They no longer had the strength to hold onto the spiritual land of Han Ye Valley.
Nor did they qualify to remain a vassal clan of the Heshan Ni family.
So the longer they could hide this bad news, the better. They needed time—enough for a new Foundation Establishment ancestor to emerge from the Mei family.
But—
Just as the two were discussing plans, a Mei clan elder outside the hall suddenly knocked anxiously on the door.
"What is it?" Mei Zongdian kept his composure and asked in a calm voice.
Their cultivation being crippled wasn't just a disaster for the clan. It also meant their position within the family was now shaky.
Resources in the Mei clan were limited. Without Foundation Establishment status, neither of them—or their descendants—would receive priority access again.
"Ancestor, the Patriarch of the Pu family is here. He says he wishes to discuss Dao with you… and also… he says your cultivation has already been crippled…"
The Mei clan elder's voice trembled, hesitant and stammering.
Decades ago, the Yunxi Pu family and the Han Ye Mei family had already had bad blood over a spiritual mine. Their feud was deep.
Now, the Pu family patriarch dared come knocking on their door—and even declared that Mei Zongdian and Mei Longgui's cultivation was gone. Clearly, this wasn't an empty bluff.
Otherwise, even if the Pu family had guts, they wouldn't dare provoke them so blatantly.
"What?! The Pu patriarch knows we've lost our cultivation?" Mei Longgui couldn't hold back anymore and cried out in alarm.
Their Mei family had just lost its strongest cultivators.
If the Yunxi Pu family declared war now, the Mei clan would be crushed. Everyone would see through their real situation.
"It's Wei Tu. He never meant to let us go!"
Mei Zongdian's face turned dark.
Just moments ago, he had dared to think Wei Tu had shown mercy by sparing their lives.
Who would've thought—Wei Tu had just chosen a more vicious method. He was using the Yunxi Pu family as a knife to slowly gut them and the rest of the Mei clan.
That was far more terrifying than simply killing them on the spot.
Wei Tu wanted them to watch everything they had built crumble, destroyed piece by piece by rival clans.
Just like what Wei Tu said when he crippled their cultivation:
'In the past, I gave you the chance to reach Foundation Establishment. Today, I take it back.'
"What a ruthless man. A heartless son!" Mei Zongdian was furious, heart aching more than if he had simply died.
"Tell them the Ancestor has no time to meet them."
He suppressed his rage and barked toward the door.
But before the words even finished—
A long laugh echoed from the distance.
"Zongdian, Longgui—how can you be so rude today? This doesn't seem like you!"
A gray-haired old man stepped casually into the Mei clan's grand hall with a cheerful smile.
It was none other than Pu Da—the Pu family patriarch the Mei elder had just mentioned.
"Pu Da, what are you trying to pull?"
Mei Longgui roared in anger.
At this point, Pu Da's intent was clear. He was openly provoking the Mei clan.
If Mei Longgui were still in Foundation Establishment, he would've already flown into a rage and launched a duel.
But now, with his cultivation crippled, he wasn't even a match for an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"Two useless trash still trying to act tough in front of me?"
Pu Da sneered. With a hum, his law-imbued body erupted with yellow light. He raised his palm and slammed it down, shattering the stone doors of the Mei clan's main hall.
"Bold move!" Mei Zongdian pulled out a magical weapon, prepared to fight Pu Da to the death.
But as soon as he raised his hand, Pu Da surged forward like a savage beast, instantly closing the distance and charging straight at him.
Boom! Boom!
With the crushing power of Foundation Establishment magic, Pu Da shattered Mei Zongdian's rushed defense shield. A heavy punch slammed into his chest.
With a choking sound, Mei Zongdian vomited blood and was flung against the wall.
"A mere Qi Refinement ninth-layer—pathetic!"
Pu Da mocked him mercilessly.
He stepped forward again, crippling all four of Mei Zongdian's limbs and severing the tendons in his arms and legs.
At the same time, he erased the last trace of spiritual power from Mei Zongdian's body.
It all happened in a flash.
Even though Mei Longgui and the other Mei elders reacted and tried to attack, Pu Da had already completed his assault before they could intervene.
A moment later, Mei Longgui suffered the same fate—his cultivation destroyed and body slammed into the wall on the other side of the hall.
"Congratulations, Patriarch. You've eradicated the Han Ye Mei clan in one stroke and brought glory to the Pu family!"
"With the fall of the Mei clan, our Yunxi Pu family will surely rise!"
A dozen late-stage Qi Refinement Pu clan cultivators rushed in, each grabbing a Mei clan member. Their faces gleamed with excitement.
The rest of the Mei clan members were herded like livestock and forced to kneel on the ground.
"Which ones are the descendants of these two wastes?"
Pu Da turned and smiled toward the kneeling Mei cultivators.
None of them dared look up—shivering in fear.
"…It's them." A few timid Mei clan members stepped forward and pointed out the descendants.
"Kill them—in front of these two pieces of trash."
Pu Da's face turned cold as he spoke.
The next moment—
Outside the clan hall, blood flowed like a river. It stood in stark contrast to the thriving scene from just an hour ago.
"True Person Wei, I was wrong, I was wrong!"
"I shouldn't have gone after Huang Fang and Huang Chengfu. Please spare the Mei family, please spare us!"
Mei Zongdian and Mei Longgui looked at the massacre before them, filled with regret. But their tongues were severed, and their cultivation crippled. They couldn't even speak a full sentence, only producing muffled sobs.
Only one elder of the Mei family still had breath left. He trembled as he said, "Pu Da… if the Ni family finds out you've slaughtered the Mei clan… they'll surely punish you and seek justice for us."
"Ni family?"
A flicker of dread crossed Pu Da's eyes, but his aura didn't waver. He stepped forward and slapped the Mei elder across the face, sneering, "Zheng Kingdom has long since changed dynasties. The demonic path rules now. The strong dominate the weak—that's the demonic way!"
Hearing this, the last glimmer of hope in the Mei clan completely died.
The Mei and Pu families had long been sworn enemies.
Now that the Pu family had the strength to destroy them, even the Heshan Ni family wouldn't have grounds to interfere.
But—
The situation suddenly shifted.
Just as Pu Da was butchering the Mei cultivators, a group of white-clothed cultivators with striking features suddenly flew down from Yunhe Mountain, landing over Han Ye Valley.
"Ni family cultivators?" Pu Da was startled, shock written across his face.
He hadn't expected the Ni family to actually show up for a mere Han Ye Mei clan.
"Pu family, colluding with the righteous path—death to all!"
The leading white-robed woman said coldly. As soon as the words left her lips, the cultivators behind her sprang into action, attacking the Pu family cultivators without hesitation.
In an instant—
Han Ye Valley was soaked in blood.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the previously arrogant Yunxi Pu clan was nearly wiped out.
Then, the white-robed group began soul-searching Mei Zongdian, Mei Longgui, and Pu Da.
"Fourth Miss…"
"It really was Wei Tu who came."
The soul-searchers whispered to the white-robed woman floating midair, whose forehead bore a delicate peony mark.
"Send a talisman message to Big Sister immediately." Her eyes lit up with joy as she gave the order.
The "Big Sister" she spoke of was none other than Ni Shihuang, the famed Golden Core cultivator of the Heavenly Maiden Sect, known throughout the demonic path.
Once the message was sent, the white-robed cultivators flew off, returning to Yunhe Mountain.
Only a group of terrified Mei clan mortals and a field of corpses from both the Mei and Pu families remained.
…
Several days later—
News of the destruction of both the Han Ye Mei clan and the Yunxi Pu clan reached Huang Fang in Cuiping Valley.
Sharp as ever, she immediately realized this was her cousin-grandfather Wei Tu's doing.
'He still has a soft heart. He didn't exterminate the Mei family completely. He just used a clever plan to eliminate the problematic ones.'
Huang Fang thought to herself.
Outsiders wouldn't see the deeper layers here. But someone like her, already prepared, could easily tell—those so-called Ni family reinforcements were just part of Wei Tu's scheme.
They were meant to leave some Mei survivors. Not everyone was meant to die.
The Yunxi Pu clan was the blade. And with it, they had already slaughtered the white-eyed wolves among the Mei clan's core bloodline.
What was left were insignificant cultivators and ordinary mortals.
As for the Pu clan, they might seem like victims, but back in Cuiping Valley, Huang Fang had already heard plenty of stories about their vile deeds.
Their downfall wasn't undeserved.
"Brother… now you can rest in peace. Cousin-grandfather has avenged you."
Huang Fang set down the talisman and took out a spirit tablet from her storage pouch, weeping as she spoke.
…
At the same time—
Far away at the former site of Mirror Water Pavilion, Ni Shihuang also received news from her younger sister Ni Yuwen about Wei Tu's reappearance in Zheng Kingdom.
"Too late."
Ni Shihuang shook her head.
With Wei Tu's cunning and the speed of a Golden Core cultivator, by the time she could return to Yunhe Mountain, he'd already be long gone.
In a place as vast and crowded as Zheng Kingdom, where could she even start looking for him?
Even for someone like her, a Golden Core cultivator—one of the most powerful in the Heavenly Maiden Sect—without a spiritual mark, tracking Wei Tu was close to impossible.
"But why did Wei Tu come to Zheng Kingdom from Kang Kingdom?"
Ni Shihuang thought, 'If I want to find him, I should first figure out why he came.'
Her gaze shifted toward the Great Void Realm.
According to intelligence, that was where Elder Bai Zhi had disappeared. It was also a secret realm Wei Tu had visited before.