Clan Cultivation: Starting from Beast Taming

Whether they will act according to the alliance pact when a real crisis occurs.

No one knows until the very end.

Zhou Family was able to fully comply with the alliance pact this time by sending their family's only Purple Mansion Phase Cultivator to rescue the Mu Family in a timely manner.

This attitude was beyond question and fault.

With this precedent, when other families thought of seeking external support during these insecure times, the Zhou Family naturally came to mind first.

So, almost the day after the Mu Family's crisis, the Sun Family of Golden Maple Ridge, who were the closest to the Zhou Family, sent their Clan Leader, Sun Zhongping, personally to visit Zhou Mingde and brought a generous gift.

It must be known that in the past, because the Sun Family had Purple Mansion Cultivators in the Green Lotus Temple, they have always considered themselves second-in-command in the Five Great Cultivating Families Alliance, acknowledging only the Wang Family as slightly superior.

Yet, when Sun Zhongping came to visit Zhou Mingde, his demeanor was very humble, even uttering words that implied future respect towards the Zhou Family.

It was obvious he was thoroughly frightened by what happened to the Mu Family!

No wonder, in terms of relationships with the Green Lotus Temple, the Sun Family was no worse off than the Mu Family, if not somewhat better.

If the Mu Family was destroyed this time, who could say that the Sun Family wouldn't be next?

If it was indeed their turn next, without a Purple Mansion Cultivator in residence, how could the Sun Family fare any better than the Mu Family?

If that time truly came, when they couldn't rely on the Green Lotus Temple, the only hope would be the Zhou Family, located just over three hundred miles away.

At such a distance, it wouldn't take Zhou Mingde even an hour to arrive.

And facing the active overtures from the Sun Family, Zhou Mingde, of course, gladly accepted and righteously stated that since their families were related by marriage, it was only right to help and support each other.

Although he didn't make any promises, his attitude had communicated his stance.

Sun Zhongping also knew that expecting any guarantees was unrealistic — Zhou Mingde couldn't possibly make any.

So, to be able to receive a somewhat positive response was enough to somewhat assuage his own emotions and those of the Sun Family members.

He left the Zhou Family satisfied.

Afterward, like Sun Zhongping, many other Family Cultivators from different cultivating families visited. Even the He Family from Qingzhu Mountain, a thousand miles away, sent a Foundation Establishment Elder to visit.

Everything was as Zhou Chun had envisioned when he heard about the Dragon Transformation Sect invading Jingguo Country.

The destruction wrought by foreign powers against local forces, for the Zhou Family, was more beneficial than harmful, making it more convenient for them to gather public support and fame, as well as to expand the family's influence.

As long as the Zhou Family could avoid being destroyed, they could become one of the winners in this war where it was uncertain if there were any winners at all.

"Which family should be the next target?"

"The Zhou Family of Jiufeng Ridge? That won't do. We don't have enough people to deal with a family that has a Purple Mansion Cultivator. We'll have to let them off for now!"

"How about the Chen Family of Shuangfeng Ridge? No, no, that's too risky. It's too close to Hongya Marketplace — less than five hundred miles away. It doesn't even take the stinking Taoists of the Green Lotus Temple two hours to get there. It's a bit too perilous!"

Inside the temporary Individual Cultivator Camp where they were hiding, the Black Dragon Protector of the Dragon Transformation Sect looked at a map with various cultivating families marked on it, his eyes revealing indecision.

The success with the Mu Family hadn't made him headstrong.

He was fully aware that without reinforcements behind enemy lines, he absolutely couldn't afford to make mistakes, or else it would be very easy to lose his life.

But he also knew that, with the fall of the Mu Family, the Green Lotus Temple's search for their whereabouts would intensify significantly.

This Individual Cultivator Camp, where they took shelter and received supplies, could be exposed at any moment.

If this place were exposed, without a base for shelter and supplies, they would naturally lose their ability to cause trouble outside.

After all, they couldn't always rely on elixirs like Rejuvenation Pills to restore their Mana.

Therefore, they had to make the most of the time before being exposed to expand their achievements as much as possible, causing greater panic in Lanzhou.

So, after examining the map for a long time, his gaze finally settled firmly on a particular spot.

"Let's go with this one, even though they're not that closely tied to the Green Lotus Temple, their coffers are plenty full. Taking them down will ensure I've got my extra earnings for this trip!"

He slammed his fist onto the map with force, quickly making up his mind.

Two days later, the Yu Family, which had inherited its lineage for over six hundred years in Lanzhou, was attacked by the Dragon Transformation Sect. The Yu Family's five Foundation Establishment Cultivators, along with three supporting Foundation Establishment Cultivators from two other cultivating families, all perished at the hands of the Dragon Transformation Sect.

In this battle alone, the Yu Family lost over one hundred and twenty cultivators on the spot, and more than seventy were crippled in their cultivation, reduced to invalids.

Known for their talisman-making skills and possession of several secret Talismans, the Yu Family's accumulated wealth over the years was also completely plundered by the members of the Dragon Transformation Sect!

After this news spread, the impact on the cultivation world of Lanzhou was several times greater than that on the Mu Family.

After all, not only was the Yu Family's legacy long-standing, but the strength they displayed in this battle was also several times greater than that of the Mu Family.

Yet, they still met their demise at the hands of a mere detachment of the Dragon Transformation Sect!

This outcome has all the cultivating families without a Purple Mansion Phase Cultivator sitting in residence terrified like startled birds, in constant anxiety.

If it weren't for their reluctance to abandon the sect gates to which their families had clung for years, it's likely that some would have indeed picked up and fled Lanzhou!

At the same time, immense pressure also fell upon Taoist Mingxia and several other Purple Mansion Cultivators of the Green Lotus Temple.

Because while the cultivating families were reluctant to flee Lanzhou, they were by no means going to sit idly by.

One of the unanimous actions they took was to mobilize all their clan members in the Green Lotus Temple to petition the Sect, articulating the seriousness of the situation and indirectly pressuring Taoist Mingxia and the others.

The Green Lotus Temple isn't owned by any one person and consists of many factions.

The cultivating families of Lanzhou, Yunzhou, and other states are deeply entangled with certain factions, and usually offer many benefits to them.

Now, facing a life or death crisis, these families naturally sought help from those high-ranking Green Lotus Temple Cultivators to whom they'd been providing offerings for a long time.

There is an old saying, 'One who takes from another must do their bidding.' Since these high-ranking Cultivators had accepted offerings in the past, they were certainly expected to lend a hand now.

Therefore, Taoist Mingxia and the others, who had been sent by the Sect to oversee Lanzhou, naturally became the targets of this pressure.

"The Temple Master has already sent a communication over, saying we absolutely can't have a third family fall victim, or it would be negligence on our part!"

"Taoist Sister Mingxia, what do you think we should do now?"

In Hongya Marketplace, the male Cultivator who had accompanied Taoist Mingxia to the Mu Family at Biyun Mountain was now sitting across from her in a quiet room, looking worry-stricken as he relayed the latest message from the Sect.

Both of them had visited the Yu Family's mountain gate, and it was truly a sight too ghastly to witness.

But they really couldn't be blamed!

The Yu Family's mountain gate was over a thousand miles away from Hongya Marketplace, and even at their speed, it would take nearly two hours to reach.

Unlike the Mu Family, the Yu Family didn't send up smoke signals but rather used Communication Talismans to pass along their cry for help.

By the time they received the message about the Yu Family being attacked, more than an hour had already passed.

How were they to arrive in time to help?

However, this reasoning was clearly not sufficient to satisfy the Sect, as those in power care only for the results, not the process.

The outcome was that they had failed in their duties.

Now, faced with her fellow Sect Brother's question, Taoist Mingxia remained silent for a long while before finally raising her head and saying, "According to the survivors from the Yu Family, that Black Dragon Protector of the Dragon Transformation Sect was also injured by a Talisman Treasure from the Yu Family's Clan Leader, and many of the sect members also sustained injuries."

After speaking, she looked at him and asked, "Taoist Brother Mingjian, if they didn't leave Lanzhou directly, where do you think they would be hiding to heal their wounds now?"

Upon hearing her words, Taoist Mingjian's expression froze, then he looked at her with excitement and exclaimed, "Taoist Sister Mingxia, do you have a plan in mind?"

"Indeed, I have thought of a plan, but we will need to find quite a few people to assist us!"

Taoist Mingxia nodded slightly, then whispered her plan.