Rise of the Wang Clan: Starting with a Portable Farm

Chapter 166: Ambushing the Si Family

Li Yaozu’s eyes lit up. “The Sis left little on their mountain. They must have taken the valuables with them. Should we capture them?”

Wang Longyou considered it. “We only defeated one Gu family force, and one Foundation Establishment cultivator escaped. We’ll still face considerable pressure later. For our families’ sake, I agree with Fellow Daoist Li.”

“Then let’s fight. We leave as soon as it’s over.” Wang Hao summoned his flying sword.

As the yellow boat passed over the hill, spells of many colors shot toward it.

Startled, Si Zhijie used a hand seal to speed up the boat, but several spells struck its stern and killed a few Qi Refining clansmen.

Damaged, the boat wobbled and fell from the sky.

Si Zhijie summoned a flying sword beneath his feet to steady himself and pulled several nearby clansmen toward him.

The other Foundation Establishment cultivator, Si Zhiheng, saved two more. Even so, the surprise attack killed or injured more than half the Si party, some in the blast and others in the fall.

Wang Yanzhi was still too badly hurt to fight, and Wang Hao had not fully recovered. Wang Longyou and Li Yaozu took on Si Zhijie, who was at the seventh Foundation Establishment layer; Wang Hao and Li Derong faced Si Zhiheng at the third.

The Si party had only two Foundation Establishment and seven Qi Refining cultivators left. Wang Hao’s side had seventeen people, including four Foundation Establishment cultivators able to fight. They had also struck first.

Before the Sis could steady themselves, another attack came.

They could withstand first-grade artifacts, but a hit from a second-grade spiritual weapon might kill or cripple them.

Si Zhijie brought out a white jade ruyi. It cast a shield of light around his people.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The shield grew thin under the first round of attacks but held.

Si Zhijie landed quickly. His Qi Refining clansmen could not fly on swords, and keeping them aloft would drain too much of his spiritual power. They could not withstand another volley that way.

Wang Hao and the others emerged.

Si Zhijie was shaken to find Green Bull Market cultivators lying in wait. They had simply happened to cross paths with Wang Hao’s group.

Li Yaozu threw a crackling talisman into the sky.

It was an upper-tier second-grade Thunder Strike Talisman. Against a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, he held nothing back.

Thunder rumbled as a dark cloud several hundred zhang across gathered overhead, lightning building within it.

Crack!

A bolt struck toward Si Zhijie.

Wang Longyou formed fire lotuses and sent them after him. Wang Hao and the others attacked with their artifacts and spells too.

Seeing that none of the attackers was above the sixth Foundation Establishment layer, Si Zhijie steadied himself. He strengthened the jade ruyi’s shield and brought out a black bell-shaped artifact to cover his people as well.

Boom!

Their spells broke the ruyi’s shield, but the black bell held. It gave dull rings under the impacts without moving.

Wang Hao’s group kept attacking.

The cloud above continued to gather lightning.

At last, a crack appeared in the bell.

Si Zhijie recalled the damaged artifact with regret. Several Qi Refining Sis turned pale and tried to flee.

They would have had a better chance beside Si Zhijie than running from four Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Wang Hao tapped his spirit-beast bag and released Yaya.

Yaya cried out and sent bolts of lightning at the fleeing cultivators.

In the last battle, Wang Hao had been so confident that he had not released even his spirit beast. After he was injured, he could not use any of his treasures or hidden means. He would not give this enemy the same chance.

The lightning left the fleeing Sis as charred corpses, their screams barely audible beneath the thunder.

The remaining Qi Refining cultivators no longer dared flee.

“A middle-tier second-grade spirit beast too?” Despair entered Si Zhijie’s eyes. “Zhiheng, take the others and go. I’ll hold them back. I won’t let the Si family end with me.”

Si Zhijie knew they might all die if they kept fighting. He had moved some clansmen to safety earlier, but all the promising young members here could be lost. The survivors might then become wandering cultivators or be swallowed by another family.

He had used schemes to gain power and ruled harshly, but he wanted the Si family to survive.

He threw a green sphere at his feet.

Green poisonous mist spread and hid them from view.

“Poison! Stay back!”

Unable to see the Sis, Wang Hao’s group fired into the mist without much effect.

Li Derong frowned and took out a Gale Talisman. “Protect yourselves. I’ll clear the poison.”

It was lower-tier second-grade, but well suited to dispersing the mist.

The talisman summoned a tornado several dozen zhang high. It swept up sand, stones, and the poison mist, carrying them into the sky.

“Go! The Si family depends on you now!”

As the mist blew away, Si Zhijie urged them to hurry.

None of the attackers was stronger than he was individually, but together they could wear him down.

“Clan Head, you can’t hold them alone,” Si Zhiheng said. “I’ll stay. They won’t let a Foundation Establishment cultivator like me escape anyway.”

Si Zhijie knew their chances were slim. He handed one storage bag each to three Qi Refining clansmen.

“Whoever escapes will be the next clan head. Go!”

The three bowed solemnly and fled toward the part of the poisonous mist that had not yet dispersed.

At its edge, each used a flight-escape talisman and sped away.

Si Zhijie and Si Zhiheng exchanged a glance, brought out their artifacts, and attacked Wang Hao’s group.

Wang Hao smiled. “A little late to leave, isn’t it?”

He summoned Xiaobai.

“Yaya, take Xiaobai after those three. Be careful not to damage their storage bags.”

Even a second-grade flight-escape talisman could carry them only a few hundred li. They would not easily outrun Yaya, a middle-tier second-grade spirit beast.

Yaya cried in acknowledgment and carried Xiaobai after them.