“They must have anticipated this. That’s the only reason they sent us to attack Black Wind Mountain and Clear Dew Peak while they took the easy wins. They never had good intentions!” Wang Yanzhi spat the words out, his voice thick with resentment. The death of his kinsman still weighed heavily on his heart, a wound that refused to close.

Wang Longyou shook his head, his expression pragmatic. “Who could have predicted such a chaotic situation? Even if they had intelligence, there was no obligation for them to share it. We may be allies in name, but in the Green Bull Market, we are competitors first.”

Li Yaozu nodded in agreement. “Indeed. The three leading families have always been a tight-knit clique, keeping outsiders like us at arm’s length. Fortunately, our combined strength in Foundation Establishment cultivators is no longer inferior to theirs! Little Friend Wang, what else did Lei Liheng say? Surely he didn’t contact us just to boast?”

“Fellow Daoist Lei demands we head directly to the Si Family’s territory. He wants us to wipe them out immediately, before the other factions in Maple Leaf Market can react.” Wang Hao handed a shimmering communication talisman to Li Yaozu.

Li Yaozu scanned the message, and his face darkened instantly. “This Lei Liheng… he pushes us too far! He orders us to attack a minor resource point—Wind Dew Valley—while his forces storm the Si Family’s main headquarters! It is blatant; they have no intention of sharing the family legacy or the core heritage with us.”

While Clear Dew Peak and Black Wind Mountain held considerable resources, they lacked a Scripture Pavilion. The core teachings, secret arts, and history of a clan were its true value. The Wang and Li families had only scavenged scraps of the Si Family’s legacy from the fallen Gu cultivators—essentially nothing of long-term worth.

“Hmph. Does Lei Liheng truly think himself the Alliance Leader? Barking orders at us like servants?” Wang Yanzhi’s indignation flared again.

Wang Longyou, however, frowned with genuine concern. “We suffered significant losses in the last assault. If we encounter a ‘hard stubble’—a truly tough opponent—at the Si Family, we might not be able to handle it.”

It seemed Lei Liheng’s scheme was twofold: monopolize the legacies of the Gu and Si families, and simultaneously whittle down the strength of the Wang and Li clans. With six Foundation Establishment cultivators on their side, and Lei Liheng himself being a late-stage powerhouse, they held the upper hand in raw power.

Wang Hao offered a faint, cold smile. “Uncle Ancestor, have you not heard the old saying? ‘A general in the field is not bound by orders from the sovereign.’ Lei Liheng may wish to play the Alliance Leader, but he holds no true authority over us. Out here, we decide how the battle is fought.”

Wang Longyou’s eyes lit up with approval. He nodded slowly. Regardless of Lei Liheng’s commands, the Wang Family would agree verbally, but act according to their own survival instincts.

Wang Yanzhi finally understood. “So… we just put on a show? Fight half-heartedly?”

“Not entirely. The resources are real, and we shouldn’t walk away empty-handed,” Li Yaozu said in a low, conspiratorial voice. “But we absolutely must not fight head-on or risk our lives like we did yesterday.”

Decision made, the group consolidated their formation and advanced toward the Si Family’s territory.

Compared to the formidable Gu Family, the Si Family was weaker. They possessed two Spirit Mountains, but neither was Second-Grade High-Grade. They held only one Second-Grade Mid-Grade peak and one Second-Grade Low-Grade valley.

The target assigned to Wang Hao and his allies was the latter: Wind Dew Valley.

Upon arriving at the perimeter, Wang Hao issued his instructions. “We do not get bogged down. If we can breach the formation quickly, we loot and leave. If we meet stubborn resistance, we retreat immediately.”

Li Derong and Li Yaozu agreed, peeling off to flank the valley from the opposite side.

Staring at the white mist shrouding Wind Dew Valley, Wang Hao narrowed his eyes and gave a low shout. “Attack!”

Although his injuries were not fully healed, his True Essence flowed smoothly enough for combat.

He raised both hands, condensing his spiritual power into blooming Red Lotus Fires, and hurled them violently at the valley’s defenses. Around him, the Wang clansmen unleashed a barrage of spells and artifacts.

Boom!

A tremendous roar shook the earth. The white mist was blasted apart, revealing the orange glow of the defensive barrier beneath.

“Hm? The formation’s resistance is weak,” Wang Longyou noted, suspicion coloring his tone. “Could the Si Family’s main forces have fled to the front lines?”

Wang Hao paused, slightly taken aback, before shrugging. “All the better. It saves us the effort.”

Wang Longyou nodded and resumed his bombardment of the barrier.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the protective mist dissipated entirely, exposing a lush, verdant valley hidden within.

Wang Hao immediately expanded his Divine Consciousness, sweeping every inch of the canyon. He sensed no fluctuations of spiritual energy, nor the presence of any cultivators.

“It seems the Si Family received word of the invasion and evacuated. Even if they sent reinforcements to the front, they wouldn’t leave their home completely unguarded unless they had abandoned it.”

The Li Family cultivators flew over to rejoin them. “What is our move now?”

“We arrived quickly,” Wang Longyou analyzed. “Even if the Si Family evacuated, they couldn’t have taken everything. We’ll scour the area for whatever was left behind, then withdraw. The factions from Maple Leaf Market will react soon; we should regroup with Lei Liheng’s main force before things get complicated.”

“Let’s split up to search,” Wang Hao directed. “But stay alert. An empty city is the perfect place for an ambush.”

Everyone nodded. Breaking into small teams led by Foundation Establishment experts, they took two or three Qi Refining juniors each and flew toward different targets.

The Si Family would have prioritized portable wealth like Spirit Stones and warehouse stockpiles, but they couldn’t pack up the land itself. Wang Hao flew toward a grove of Yin Purple Pines. These were Second-Grade spirit trees, excellent for refining Magical Artifacts or crafting puppet bodies. However, a quick glance told him these were less than a century old—not yet true Second-Grade material.

Still, it was better than nothing. Wang Hao summoned his Child-Mother Green Light Sword and slashed fiercely at the base of a pine.

Crack!

The sturdy trunk snapped, and the tree crashed to the ground.

“Process these quickly,” Wang Hao ordered, already moving to the next target.

Two Qi Refining clansmen hurriedly produced their Magical Artifacts, stripping the branches and cutting the timber into segments to fit into their Storage Bags.

Half an hour later, Wang Hao had felled over thirty Yin Purple Pines. The haul was only worth three or four thousand Spirit Stones, but it ensured the trip wasn’t a total loss.

“Elder, we found a Spirit Medicine Garden!” a clansman called out, his voice trembling with excitement.

“Did you enter?” Wang Hao asked sharply.

“No, Elder. We followed your instructions and reported immediately.”

Wang Hao nodded, pleased. The clan members had learned caution from the bloody lessons of the previous battles. He led them through the air, hovering above the garden. From this vantage point, everything looked peaceful. But a resource point this critical wouldn’t be surrendered by the Si Family without a parting gift. They had likely left a ‘surprise’.

Wang Hao retrieved several ape puppets from his storage bag and set them down at the garden’s edge.

Under his mental command, four wooden apes lumbered into the garden from different directions. They walked the paths, stomping and scanning. Nothing happened.

Wang Hao remained skeptical. He manipulated one ape to reach out and harvest a spirit plant.

The moment the wooden fingers brushed against a fifty-year-old Spirit Accumulation Grass, a deafening boom erupted.

Roar!

The ground split open, and a geyser of crimson flame shot upward, instantly swallowing the puppet.

Within moments, the puppet was reduced to ash. These were merely First-Grade Puppet Beasts made of spirit wood; they stood no chance against such intense alchemical fire.

The clansmen watching from the perimeter broke out in a cold sweat. Had they been greedy and rushed in, that pile of ash would be them.

Wang Hao sneered. “Just as I thought.”

He commanded the remaining puppets to trigger the traps intentionally. Four more explosions rocked the garden before silence returned.

Satisfied the worst was over, Wang Hao took out six more Puppet Beasts and handed them to the juniors.

“Use the puppets to scout the path ahead of you—step by step. Only when the path is clear do you harvest. Do not use the puppets to pick the herbs; they lack the finesse, and you’ll ruin the roots. Do you understand?”

“Understood, Elder!”

The three clansmen took the puppets, briefly familiarizing themselves with the controls. They entered the garden cautiously, using the wooden beasts as shields while they performed the delicate work of harvesting the Spirit Accumulation Grass.

By the time the Spirit Medicine Garden was stripped bare, the Li Family and Wang Longyou had finished scavenging the rest of the valley.

Li Derong and his group returned with satisfied expressions. The teams exchanged brief nods, wasting no words, and immediately took to the skies, fleeing the scene before any new enemies could arrive.