Rise of the Wang Clan: Starting with a Portable Farm

Chapter 177: The Might of the Talisman Treasure

After a mere two hours of respite, the cultivators of Maple Leaf Market returned to the front lines, launching yet another assault on the Grand Formation.

Cultivators did not fear the dark; the flashes from the attacks lit the night almost like daylight.

The loss of a Foundation Establishment expert in the previous round had taught Maple Leaf Market a painful lesson. They abandoned their strategy of attacking from all four cardinal directions. Instead, they reorganized into three distinct assault teams, each bolstered by five or six Foundation Establishment experts and over two hundred Qi Refining disciples.

They intended to repeat their old trick—using an Array Breaking Talisman to tear open a breach.

As soon as the gap opened, cultivators from the other two teams split off to reinforce the breakthrough point. In the blink of an eye, eight Foundation Establishment experts surged into the perimeter of the Grand Formation.

The Wang and Li families had also prepared.

Wang Hao had gathered all their Foundation Establishment cultivators and left the other sides undefended. Even if the enemy broke the array, defeating this one assault group would leave the others too weak to destroy them.

The moment the Grand Formation shuddered violently and the breach appeared, Wang Hao sat cross-legged on the ground. With a calm expression, he retrieved the Talisman Treasure engraved with a small golden sword.

Wang Longyou used the Five Elements Enemy-Trapping Array to hold back the other Maple Leaf cultivators while the defenders guarded Wang Hao.

Now at mid-stage Foundation Establishment, Wang Hao had much more spiritual energy than when he first activated the Talisman Treasure.

He poured his spiritual power into the parchment. In an instant, a blindingly brilliant golden longsword shot out from the talisman, locking onto its target with terrifying precision: Ji Shuguang.

Ji Shuguang had only just entered the array.

The golden sword flew so fast that its sound rang across the sky, startling those who had rushed inside.

Ji Shuguang, a man of broad horizons and deep experience, recognized the aura immediately. His face twisted in horror.

“Not good! It’s a Talisman Treasure! Retreat!”

He screamed the warning and didn’t wait for a reply, immediately channeling his escape light to flee back the way he came.

The other Foundation Establishment cultivators fled as fast as they could, unwilling to face the Talisman Treasure.

But how could a strike at the Golden Core level be so easily evaded?

Ji Shuguang summoned an artifact to defend himself, but the sword shattered it before it could fully expand.

Ji Shuguang had no time for a second move.

The golden sword pierced Ji Shuguang. His body blackened and his eyes went blank; he was dead.

The sword retained its power.

Under Wang Hao’s relentless control, the weapon swerved and locked onto Ye Jingshan.

Wang Hao had fought Ye Jingshan and knew that if he remained alive, the Maple Leaf forces might not retreat easily.

Ye Jingshan used every means he had but could not withstand the sword.

In his final moments, his desperate eyes were filled with confusion and bitterness.

Why? Why does Wang Hao have so many treasures?

It was one thing to have more Spirit Weapons. But Puppets? Spirit Beasts? And now a Talisman Treasure? If Ye Jingshan had known the Wang family possessed such a deep foundation, he would never have come to court his own death.

The sword killed him.

After claiming two lives, the golden radiance of the sword dimmed significantly. It could not last much longer. Wang Hao gritted his teeth and directed the fading blade toward the nearest Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Cui family.

This man had slaughtered several Wang clan members during the day. It was time for retribution.

The Cui cultivator’s strength was far inferior to Ji Shuguang or Ye Jingshan. Even though the golden sword’s power was nearly spent, he could not escape its judgment.

With a final flash, the sword pierced him, claiming a third life.

Its energy finally exhausted, the golden projection dissipated into motes of light in the night sky. Simultaneously, the parchment talisman in Wang Hao’s hand let out a soft pfft and ignited, burning to ash in his palm.

In a matter of seconds, the invaders had lost two late-stage and one mid-stage Foundation Establishment expert. The remaining five intruders were now hopelessly outmatched.

Although Wang Hao had drained most of his True Essence to power the Talisman Treasure and could barely fight, his arsenal was far from empty. His Spirit Beasts and Puppets were fresh, ready to coordinate with Wang Longyou and the others to slaughter the survivors.

“Don’t panic! The Wang family’s Talisman Treasure is spent!”

Xu Minglang, the only remaining late-stage Foundation Establishment expert on the field, stepped forward to stem the rout. His voice boomed over the chaos. “Stabilize your positions! Support from our fellow Daoists is coming!”

Hearing Xu Minglang’s shout, the panic in the enemy ranks subsided slightly. They saw that Wang Hao’s hands were indeed empty. A collective sigh of relief washed over them. It wasn’t that they were cowards; they simply had no way to counter a Golden Core-level attack. To charge into certain death was not bravery, but stupidity.

With the Talisman Treasure gone, the survivors regained their nerve and ordered their Qi Refining clan members to form battle arrays.

Li Derong didn’t give them a moment to breathe. She locked onto an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from Maple Leaf Market.

Over the years, she had followed Wang Hao on countless hunts for demonic beasts. Her combat instincts were razor-sharp, and her natural talent was formidable. Though only at the third layer of Foundation Establishment, she had no fear of mid-stage opponents.

She thrust her sword forward, forcing her target into a hasty defense.

But this was war, not a duel. There was no honor here.

At Wang Hao’s thought, Yaya and the Phantom Moon Butterfly attacked Li Derong’s opponent as well.

The enemy cultivator had barely steadied himself. His formation wasn’t set, his position was exposed, and suddenly he was beset on all sides. How could he possibly defend?

The cultivator fell into an illusion.

Li Derong cut off his head with her flying sword.

This rapid succession of deaths stunned the remaining Maple Leaf Market cultivators. They had ascended the mountain expecting to slaughter the defenders, but before they could even warm up, half their leadership lay dead.

The balance of power had violently shifted. The Wang family now fielded ten Foundation Establishment experts and over a hundred Qi Refining disciples. The attackers were reduced to four experts and two hundred disciples.

The other two groups needed time to reach them. Could the four hold until then?

Li Derong and the others engaged their opponents. Wang Hao recovered spiritual energy while directing his beasts and puppets to attack when an opening appeared. The Qi Refining defenders used the array against their counterparts.

Shouts of killing and screams of agony filled the night.

After a quarter-hour, the Five Elements Enemy-Trapping Array collapsed. Another enemy group arrived, but it was too late.

On the field, only Xu Minglang and a handful of shell-shocked Qi Refining disciples remained standing. Every survivor was wounded, their spiritual power exhausted, their morale shattered. They were like lamps with no oil left to burn.

Including Xu Minglang, Maple Leaf Market had twelve Foundation Establishment cultivators left. The Wang and Li families had ten, plus several second-rank spirit beasts and two puppets, leaving little difference in high-level combat strength.

Maple Leaf Market still had more than twice as many Qi Refining cultivators, and the defenders no longer had the array to rely on. Winning would nevertheless cost the attackers dearly.

Half of them would likely die here. Was it worth it?

The remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators looked at one another. Seven of their number had fallen in a short time, nearly forty percent of their original force.

Xu Minglang retreated rapidly into the center of his formation. He swallowed a healing pill to suppress his internal injuries and gritted his teeth.

“Withdraw,” Xu Minglang said. “Elder Ji is dead. Must we destroy our families here?”

The question silenced the group. They had come for profit, for resources. How had it turned into a meat grinder?

Wang Hao rode Yaya out before the two forces. The Child-Mother Green Light Sword glowed in his hand as he stared at the Maple Leaf cultivators.

“If you want to fight, then fight!” Wang Hao’s voice rang out, cold and unyielding. “My Wang family will accompany you to the bitter end! But if you Fellow Daoists wish to retreat… I will not stop you.”

The Maple Leaf cultivators looked embarrassed.

A satisfactory victory now seemed unlikely. The Lei, Zhao, and Cheng families remained nearby; pressing on could end badly for Maple Leaf Market.