Tianlan Domain, the Lan Family.
The successive shattering of over a dozen Gold Core cultivators' life tablets sent a huge shockwave through the Lan Family, forcing them to urgently convene a family meeting.
"All of our Lan Family's Gold Core stage cultivators are dead, including Lan Rong!"
The Lan Family Patriarch's face was grim: "The plan to assassinate the Town Demon Division's Director has failed. Not only has our Lan Family lost all of its Gold Core cultivators, but we're also likely to face retribution from Taiping City!"
"I said long ago that we shouldn't have listened to the nonsense of the Xuantian Holy Land from the start!"
"Look at you all, what good have you done?"
Seeing the Patriarch rambling on, his emotions growing more agitated.
An Elder at the side said with an awkward expression: "Patriarch, please calm down. Didn't the Xuantian Holy Land promise to protect the Lan Family? Although this plan failed, Taiping City can't bypass the giant mountain that is the Xuantian Holy Land."
"Xuantian Holy Land? Do you think Zhang Cheng's words are credible? Can he really represent the Xuantian Holy Land?"
The Lan Family Patriarch said sharply: "If the plan had succeeded, Zhang Cheng might have really protected us, but now that the plan has failed and all the Lan Family cultivators have been wiped out, Zhang Cheng will just pretend nothing happened!"
"I said from the beginning that we couldn't trust Zhang Cheng. You were all bewitched, and for the sake of a few places to enter the Xuantian Holy Land, you insisted on agreeing to the plan to assassinate the Town Demon Division's Director through a vote of the Family Elders."
"Now look what's happened. All of the Lan Family's Gold Core cultivators have been killed in action, leaving only us old fogeys. A gap has appeared within the family, what will become of the Lan Family in the future?"
Whenever he thought of this, Lan Guozhen felt extremely angry.
Lan Mian's death did indeed bring a significant impact to the Lan Family, and he also wanted to find the murderer to avenge Lan Mian.
However, after learning from Zhang Cheng that the murderer might be Chen Changsheng from Taiping City, Lan Guozhen quickly calmed down. He didn't impulsively launch an attack on Taiping City. He believed that Lan Mian was a disciple of the Xuantian Holy Land, and the Xuantian Holy Land should be involved in the matter of revenge.
As a result, Zhang Cheng asked the Lan Family to assassinate the Town Demon Division's Director.
Lan Guozhen naturally disagreed with this matter, believing that the Xuantian Holy Land was sending the Lan Family to their deaths.
Zhang Cheng vowed that the Xuantian Holy Land would protect the Lan Family, and then used the lure of providing places for Xuantian Holy Land disciples, successfully bewitching the Elders of the Lan Family.
"Once our disciples enter the Xuantian Holy Land, I believe it won't be long before we can fill the gap in the family, and even give birth to clansmen with even stronger cultivation."
"That's right!"
"Patriarch doesn't need to worry too much. Although Taiping City is powerful, it's still not stronger than the Xuantian Holy Land."
"Taiping City killed our family's genius disciple, and now they've killed so many Gold Core cultivators of our Lan Family. We haven't even settled the score with them yet, how dare they come and cause us trouble?"
"…"
The Elders spoke one after another, gradually calming Lan Guozhen's anger.
Getting angry now won't solve the problem. We must find a way to deal with Taiping City's retribution. The best way is still to rely on the Xuantian Holy Land.
Seek the protection of the Xuantian Holy Land before Taiping City's revenge arrives!
Just as the Lan Family and others were discussing the plan, a vast aura of cultivation swept over. Lan Guozhen and the others frowned and walked out of the main hall.
"Ma Danqing? What are you doing at my Lan Family?"
Lan Guozhen recognized the identity of the person who came at a glance and asked in a loud voice.
Their Lan Family had little contact with the Ma Family, so there was no question of grievances.
However, the fact that the other party had come with such imposing momentum at this juncture was clearly not a good thing.
Especially since more than a dozen different auras emerged one after another behind Ma Danqing, originating from more than a dozen sects and factions. This appeal clearly exceeded the Ma Family's ability.
"Sorry, Lan Family Patriarch, we are acting under orders, please Lan Family prepare to die!"
Ma Danqing, dressed in a light blue Daoist robe, stood in the air, like a refined scholar who had mastered immortal arts, holding a white-haired paintbrush and stepping on black and white auspicious clouds.
The tip of the brush gently touched the void, automatically forming traces of ink.
The brush rotated and outlined, and a five-clawed black dragon suddenly flew out, rushing towards the Lan Family to kill.
This was the unique Danqing Dao technique of the Ma Family, depicting the world with a paintbrush and containing the world with a scroll.
A magical brush can depict all things in the world.
The sudden attack caused the Lan Guozhen and others' expressions to change drastically. They immediately erupted with true energy and used Dao techniques. They reacted quickly, but they were suppressed by more than a dozen true energies at the same time.
The cultivators from more than a dozen sects and factions behind Ma Danqing attacked at the same time, surrounding the entire Lan Family and ruthlessly launching a massacre.
The roar of Dao techniques resounded through the sky, and the fierce fighting stirred up a bloody miasma.
The Lan Family cultivators fell one after another with expressions of grief and despair.
In just a short period of time, the light of Dao techniques filled the sky and earth, and the entire Lan Family territory was reduced to wasteland.
The Ma Family led more than a dozen ancient immortal Dao lineage sects to jointly encircle and suppress a Lan Family that had lost its foundation, which can be said to be easy.
Lan Guozhen roared angrily, using the Life Burning Secret Technique with all his strength, and broke a bloody path out of the crowd, quickly fleeing towards the Xuantian Holy Land.
"Why bother, wouldn't it be better to obediently accept death?"
Ma Danqing's voice sounded from all directions, like the voice of the Heavenly Dao, and like a thunderclap.
Lan Guozhen's face was full of unwillingness and fear, and he angrily said: "Why? Where has our Lan Family offended you, why do you have to do this?"
"You should know very well in your heart who you have offended. Could it be that you didn't even investigate the other party's identity and background before taking action?"
"Is it Taiping City?! When did your Ma Family become the dogs of Taiping City? What benefits did they give you to make so many forces work for them?"
He had actually guessed everything in his heart. The only force that could mobilize so many sects and factions to jointly encircle and suppress the Lan Family was the ancient immortal Dao lineage!
Lan Guozhen desperately fled, rushing towards the Xuantian Holy Land, traversing thousands of mountains and rivers.
However, the road ahead became extremely unfamiliar, and Ma Danqing's voice rang out in his ears again, like a rolling thunder, with extraordinary power.
"What you have offended is not only Taiping City, nor is it just the ancient immortal Dao lineage, but the power standing at the top of the cultivation world. You wouldn't understand even if I told you."
Ma Danqing sighed and shook his head, drawing the last stroke on the scroll with the magical brush in his hand.
A dazzling white light flashed by, and a world appeared in the scroll, as well as Lan Guozhen who was panicking and fleeing!
From the moment Lan Guozhen broke out, he had fallen into Ma Danqing's scroll.
No matter how desperately he fled and struggled, before he realized that he was already a person in the painting, all his actions were in vain.
"The winner is king, and the loser is villain. This is the fate of cultivators. Once you go down the wrong path, you will be doomed."
"This old man doesn't like to abuse the souls of the dead, so I'll send you to reincarnation."
Ma Danqing raised his brush and dropped it, drawing a stroke towards Lan Guozhen in the painting, like a sharp arrow piercing his heart.
Lan Guozhen's body and soul were turned into ashes under this arrow, dissipating in the scroll and between heaven and earth…
