Rise of the Wang Clan: Starting with a Portable Farm

Chapter 175: Repelling the Enemy

Despite his words, Ye Jingshan was wary of Wang Hao. Although in late Foundation Establishment, he had only one high-grade spirit weapon, one mid-grade defensive spirit weapon, and a low-grade offensive flying sword.

The three weapons Wang Hao had used so far were all high-grade spirit weapons, rare wealth for a family cultivator.

Ye Jingshan needed his heavy pavilion-shaped high-grade weapon to hold off Wang Hao’s Heaven-Dazzling Bowl, leaving only his low-grade sword to attack.

Against Wang Hao’s Child-Mother Green Light Sword, Ye’s blade was woefully outmatched. Thus, despite Ye Jingshan’s superior Qi reserves, Wang Hao’s high-tier arsenal allowed him to hold the line with frustrating ease.

Wang Hao had not yet used his Chaos Earth Seal or Silver Shadow Needles, both high-grade spirit weapons. The threat of the White Hair Divine Needle also forced Ye Jingshan to stay alert.

This split attention made Ye Jingshan appear frantic, a stark contrast to Wang Hao, who fought with an unruffled, almost serene composure.

Realizing that a contest of artifacts would lead to a stalemate, Ye Jingshan shifted tactics. Spells. Every stage of cultivation unlocked new, more potent arts. With his deep reservoir of Qi, he was confident he could crush Wang Hao in a direct contest of sorcery.

He slashed his hand through the air. The temperature plummeted instantly as a crystalline ice lotus bloomed before him, radiating a bone-chilling cold. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it screaming toward Wang Hao.

Wang Hao knew he had plenty of talismans. He could draw second-rank, low-grade ones himself and had acquired others from the Li family and over the years.

However, Wang Hao decided to hold his trump cards. He countered with a simple fire lotus spell.

True fire met the ice lotus in a violent explosion. Wang Hao’s lower cultivation and water’s advantage over fire put him at a slight disadvantage, but the remaining force of the ice lotus could no longer threaten him.

Ye Jingshan saw the effectiveness of his art and doubled down. He launched ice lotus after ice lotus, determined to freeze Wang Hao into a statue.

To the side, the He family cultivator was shifting restlessly, looking for an opening to deliver a cheap shot.

Wang Hao sent his two puppets against the injured early-stage Foundation Establishment He cultivator. Together they were enough to contain him.

Simultaneously, Wang Hao slapped a Falling Rock Talisman into the air. Boulders rained down on Ye Jingshan, forcing the older man to break his casting rhythm to defend himself.

The stalemate held. Wang Hao had the advantage; he still had his spirit beasts in reserve.

A Maple Leaf Foundation Establishment cultivator flew up on his sword. The Five Elements Enemy-Trapping Array’s weakness had been discovered.

He saw Li Derong and the Qi Refining Wang cultivators operating the array outside.

With one sword strike he killed two Wang cultivators carrying flags.

Li Derong ordered the others to shift the formation and hide, then drew her sword to intercept him.

Ye Jingshan looked up. “Fellow Daoist Cui, help me kill this man!”

Li Derong could not stop repairing the main array.

Wang Hao ordered Yaya and Xiaobai to restrain Cui.

He had kept those two spirit beasts back to guard against the other trapped Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Cui was a Mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator at the Sixth Layer—a formidable opponent.

At their first exchange, Cui knocked Xiaobai aside. His sturdy body spared him serious injury.

Wang Hao ordered Xiaobai to attack from a distance rather than fight close. After decades together, he did not want the beast killed through one careless exchange.

When Xiaobai struggled, Yaya beat her wings and fired two bolts of lightning.

Yaya’s attacks had reached the potency of a Second-Rank Mid-Grade beast. Even for a Sixth Layer cultivator, lightning was not something to be ignored. Cui was forced to abandon his chase and deflect the bolts.

With Xiaobai and Yaya working together, they could hold Cui for the moment. Wang Hao relaxed a little.

The last Foundation Establishment cultivator still in the array could be held by the other Qi Refining clan members, with Li Derong nearby.

Wang Hao turned his full attention back to Ye Jingshan. He tried twice to signal the Phantom Moon Butterfly to use its hallucinogenic light, but Ye Jingshan had been warned by the He cultivator and dodged preemptively.

Time passed as the main array was gradually repaired. Ye Jingshan and his companions grew anxious.

When they saw they could not break it, they began killing Wang Qi Refining cultivators to weaken the next defense.

The Five Elements Enemy-Trapping Array gave its operators no extra protection. Any careless Wang cultivator could be caught by the enemy Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The mobile reserve then arrived. Its additional Foundation Establishment cultivator restored the stalemate.

Wang Hao saw dead and wounded clan members, but seized the moment when Ye Jingshan attacked one of them.

He launched the White Hair Divine Needle.

“Hmph. I was ready for that.” Ye Jingshan turned, and a small shield blocked the White Hair Divine Needle.

Wang Hao’s lips curled into a cold smirk. “Is that so?”

Wang Hao abruptly redirected his entire offensive arsenal—not at Ye Jingshan, but at the wounded He family cultivator. The man was barely holding off the puppets; he had zero capacity to withstand a full-power strike from Wang Hao.

“Senior Ye! Save me!” the He cultivator shrieked.

“You dare, you rat!” Ye Jingshan roared. He surged forward, attempting to intercept.

Spiritual light flashed at Wang Hao’s feet. His body split into three images, and one image sent five Silver Shadow Needles toward Ye Jingshan.

It was the same choice the He cultivator had faced earlier: save his ally or save himself.

Ye Jingshan stopped to strengthen his defense, though he still managed to repel the Heaven-Dazzling Bowl and Green Light Sword.

The He cultivator had to deal with the White Hair Divine Needle and Phantom Moon Butterfly himself.

The He cultivator smiled bitterly. Retribution.

Ye Jingshan had done his best, or at least enough to avoid blame. If he wanted to live, he had to rely on himself.

He spat blood, and his aura rose by one level. He dodged the butterfly’s illusion and blocked the needle with his shield.

He staggered on landing, pale-faced. The secret technique had clearly cost him dearly.

Li Derong poured spiritual energy into the array node. With a rumble, the breach began to close.

“Withdraw!” Ye Jingshan ordered. He took the He cultivator with him and fled outside the array.

The Maple Leaf cultivators on the other three sides stopped attacking and withdrew downhill.

Wang Family Ridge finally quieted.

They had stopped attacking, but still surrounded the mountain. With only one Foundation Establishment cultivator lost, they remained stronger than the defenders and would likely strike again once their spiritual energy recovered.

Wang Hao and Wang Yanzhao felt no joy at repelling the first assault. Their faces were full of worry.