Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: The Attack
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The season of the grain rains had come again.
The golden crow sank in the west, the evening glow melting the lake's surface into shattered gold. The setting sun plunged behind the western mountains, splashing the sky with crimson flames. A thin mist floating on the water was gilded at its edges, rippling with the waves into a thousand talisman-like patterns.
A white egret skimmed past, its wingtips shattering the reflection of the drifting clouds, startling the dormant stars beneath the surface into flickering faintly.
Squawk squawk—
Hearing the egret's cry, Chen Jianghe walked out of the cabin.
The egret landed on the prow, a message tube tied to its slender leg. It squawked noisily at Chen Jianghe, as if reminding him to give it two fish.
The great bluefish had only been raised for a little over three months and were still small, so it was reasonable for the egret to demand two.
Chen Jianghe's gaze focused. With a sharp flick of his hand, two silver threads of mana shot into the lake, and a moment later, two lean great bluefish were pulled out.
After taking the letter, he returned to the cabin.
“Someone died again?!”
It was a letter from Gao Peiyao, detailing the aftermath of the Yun Clan's flying vessel journey to the Linyun Mines.
The Yun Clan's eldest master had indeed been killed by the White Clan.
The White Clan didn't hide it, admitting to it directly. They even declared war on the Yun Clan, and a battle broke out on the very day the Yun Clan's flying vessel arrived at the Linyun Mines.
Three elders at the ninth layer of Qi Refining had accompanied the Yun Clan's flying vessel. In this clash, they hadn't suffered a loss; in fact, they had come out with a significant advantage.
They severely injured a White Clan elder and seized several hundred spirit stones, a bountiful harvest.
As for the new casualties among the Yun Clan's direct disciples, they didn't occur at the Linyun Mines, but on the way to Qinghe Market City.
“A group of seven direct disciples and more than ten branch disciples of the Yun Clan were all killed. Was it really the Lan Clan's doing?”
Gao Peiyao's letter stated that the one who had slaughtered the Yun Clan party heading to Qinghe Market City was that late-stage Qi Refining cultivator from the Lan Clan.
During his recent trips to the port market to buy daily necessities, he had also heard some news about the Lan Clan.
The Lan Clan had swindled over a hundred Fishery Farmers, including one senior Fishery Farmer, and had obtained more than eight hundred spirit stones.
Afterward, the Yun Clan did not remain idle.
First, they dispatched two elders at the ninth layer of Qi Refining to lead a team and intercept the Lan Clan on their escape route.
Then, they issued a Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan wanted order for the Lan Clan.
Of the thirty-odd members of the Lan Clan, only two escaped. One of them was the great cultivator at the ninth layer of Qi Refining who was planning for Foundation Establishment.
“Among the direct disciples who were killed, only one was at the seventh layer of Qi Refining; the others were only in the middle stages. It truly seems possible that it was the work of that great cultivator at the ninth layer of Qi Refining from the Lan Clan.”
In the past, the Lan Clan naturally wouldn't have dared to offend the Yun Clan.
Even late-stage Qi Refining cultivators were always respectful toward Foundation Establishment Immortal Clans, because a Foundation Establishment Ancestor was far too powerful for a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator to contend with.
But with only two members of the Lan Clan's thirty-odd members left, what did a great cultivator at the ninth layer of Qi Refining have to fear?
He couldn't fight a Foundation Establishment Ancestor, but could he not kill mid-stage Qi Refining disciples of the Yun Clan?
Moreover, the Yun Clan's Foundation Establishment Ancestor could do nothing about this great cultivator from the Lan Clan. The Tiannan region was vast; he could strike once and then go into hiding, and you'd have nowhere to look for him.
Furthermore, the Yun Clan's Foundation Establishment Ancestor was injured and nearing the end of his lifespan, making him even less likely to act rashly.
If he were to overexert his mana and die suddenly, it would be a devastating blow to the Yun Clan.
As long as the Yun Clan's Foundation Establishment Ancestor remained alive, he served as a deterrent to the wolves and jackals eyeing them from the outside.
The White Clan of Qiyun Mountain also wouldn't dare launch a full-scale assault on Mirror Moon Lake.
If they were to trade one of their own for a dying Foundation Establishment Ancestor, the White Clan would suffer a terrible loss.
Therefore, they could only be wary of the Lan Clan remnants.
“A thief can strike at any time, but you can’t be on guard forever. The Yun Clan's best option right now is to keep their direct disciples with lower cultivation from leaving the central island.”
The Yun Clan's current situation was like a great ship sailing on the open sea; though it was very stable, there was still a chance it could capsize.
Out in the open, they faced the White Clan of Qiyun Mountain, and in the shadows, they had the remnants of the Lan Clan launching sneak attacks.
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion sent a shockwave across the lake, scattering the shattered gold on the water's surface. The fishing boat rocked violently. Chen Jianghe gripped the oars, mana flowing from his knuckles to steady the vessel.
He looked toward Port Number Two. A streak of crimson light tore across the sky. The barely visible greenstone archway exploded, and a flood-dragon-shaped wave of fire instantly engulfed the market.
The pressure from a great cultivator at the ninth layer of Qi Refining made the lake water boil. In a flash of golden light, he saw dozens of cultivators pierced through the chest by black iron chains and flung into the lake, staining a large patch of it red.
“Someone is attacking the Mirror Moon Lake port!”
Chen Jianghe rowed the fishing boat, trying his best to move toward a part of his cultivation waters that was farther from the port.
His Five-One-Two cultivation waters were far from Port Number One, but very close to Port Number Two, only about four or five li away.
The fire dragon raged at Port Number Two. Charred wood chips mixed with beads of blood rained down into the water, and the scent of roasted flesh drifted through the air.
Splash.
Chen Jianghe dove straight into the lake and swam toward the bottom. He had no desire to watch such a spectacle for even a moment longer.
“Is it the White Clan? Or the remnants of the Lan Clan?”
Xiao Hei sensed Chen Jianghe's presence and swam over cheerfully, making 'woo woo' sounds at him.
It circled around his hair, which swayed with the current.
He had jumped in so hastily that he had forgotten to cast a water-repelling spell.
He quickly cast a water-repelling spell, then grabbed onto some seaweed and stood firmly on the lakebed.
After a while, he saw streaks of light flash across the lake's surface from below. It was likely the Yun Clan's late-stage Qi Refining cultivators flying past on their swords.
He didn't leave the lakebed immediately, choosing instead to remain hidden.
The Five-One-Two waters were too close to Port Number Two.
However, he couldn't see what was happening outside from the bottom of the lake.
Five days later.
With the mana in his dantian nearly depleted and his stomach aching with hunger, Chen Jianghe cautiously surfaced from the lakebed.
He poked his head out of the water and cautiously scanned his surroundings.
The blood in the water had long since been diluted and washed away.
All was quiet at Port Number Two, but he could see thick smoke billowing up.
“It must have been that late-stage Qi Refining remnant from the Lan Clan. He knew the Deacon of the outer waters was stationed at Port Number One, so he attacked Port Number Two.”
If it were the White Clan, it wouldn't have been a solo operation. At least three to five late-stage Qi Refining cultivators would have come to instantly destroy the entire port.
Chen Jianghe returned to his cabin, wrote three letters, then went to the prow and whistled, summoning an egret.
He had the egret deliver them to Zhou Miaoyun, Gao Peiyao, and Yu Daniu.
The contents of the three letters were identical.
So, sending them all at once was fine, and it even saved him four undersized great bluefish, though it earned him what seemed to be a disdainful look from the egret.
When Port Number Two was attacked, he had escaped to the bottom of the lake and didn't have a clear understanding of the situation.
Did the Yun Clan's late-stage Qi Refining cultivators manage to stop the person who attacked Port Number Two?
Or, to put it another way, did they kill the invading enemy?
Chen Jianghe didn't know.
He needed to understand the situation, so his only option was to ask his three allies.
Yu Daniu and Gao Peiyao's waters were on either side of his, and they could also vaguely see what was happening at Port Number Two.
What if their curiosity got the better of them, and unafraid of being caught in the crossfire, they had stayed on the surface to watch?