---A couple of minutes earlier---
Fang Mo An, Elder in charge of the Outer Estate and the Public Section, was calmly drinking a freshly brewed tea. Made with special herbs, he felt a refreshing energy wash through his meridians. At the peak of the Spirit Severing Realm, there were only a few external treasures that could still affect his cultivation.
It was thanks to his position as the manager of most external affairs that he was able to benefit from such rare and precious gifts. It was an important but quiet post within the Fang Clan. Despite being only a member of the outer branches, he was able to rise to this point thanks to his martial and political talent.
However, today this post was doomed to not be quiet at all. Fortunately, he had already lowered his cup of tea when he heard a tremendous noise from outside. He was just questioning what it was when he received the sound transmission of his direct subordinate, the guard captain of the Secular Dragons.
“Sir, you have to come quickly, a challenger has broken through the barrier!” he transmitted, the hurry and panic plainly audible in his voice. His heart dropped half a hand. The barrier that could hold against the self-detonation of a Dao Seeking cultivator was broken?
No, had he told this lie once too often? to think he started to believe it himself. In the past, the outer barrier may have been truly able to do that, even withstand the attacks of an immortal. The truth was that this was no longer the case.
100 years ago, when he was given charge of the outer management, he had ...tweaked the barrier a little. It was very costly to constantly maintain such a strong barrier; who could blame him? This was why he had changed it to an array that could maintain and repair itself. It was an effort to modernize! It definitely had nothing to do with the additional defense funds he embezzled...
Of course, it was a little weaker, but it was still able to keep someone at the early stages of Dao Seeking at bay. That should have been more than enough. He simply allowed the public to keep believing in the lie. What madman would attack the Great Fang Clan, anyway?
“Sir?” it came through sound transmission. Right, this wasn't the time for a guilty conscience. Someone had broken through, meaning they had at least the strength of someone in the Dao Seeking realm.
“Give me the details,” he answered the guard captain, while he simultaneously began contacting various elders in the middle stages of the Dao Seeking realm, or those of equal strength. All the while processing the information of the captain.
An unknown challenger had appeared, spouting some nonsense about being the avenger of Urth. Of course, they ignored it. How many fools were there using big words to make a name for themselves? Why would they be responding?
Especially in this case. A response may have equaled admitting it in the court of public opinion. They had spent a lot of time erasing this business from the conscience of the XiGuang Province to the point that commoners even doubted the scenes of the tournament they saw with their own eyes.
While Fang Mo An left his office and rushed toward the defensive array that separated the Outer Estate and the Inner Estate, he was getting life updates from the guard captain.
-She is not attacking, but still challenging the clan,~ he informed, relaying the situation.
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-Don't engage her at any cost. Nobody in the outer section is able to face that kind of expert.~ he relayed. He realized his warning came too late when the captain answered with a hollow voice.
- I'm sorry, Sir. The Tiger Brothers...I couldn't stop them...~ he transmitted, his voice trailing off. Fang Mo An felt a little sting. The Tiger brothers were a promising trio of outer disciples he had been raising. They even had prospects to join the Inner Estate.
-What happened?~ he asked resignedly.
- They were crippled in a single swing of her spear.~ he said and fell silent. Fang mo An kept contacting him, but the guard captain would answer for several seconds; had something happened to him?
- I'm sorry, Sir. Fang Liang...~ the captain finally answered, but his voice was like that of a wizened old man that lost all hope. The elder almost halted for a moment. Fang Liang was a promising youth, but most of all, he was the nephew of an external elder of the Inner Estate.
Finally, he transmitted this information directly to Su Li, who had been one of the powerhouses comparable to the middle stages of the Dao Seeking Realm that had refused to help defend the Outer Estate just now.
Fang Mo An could feel the power of the elder explode as he rushed out of the inner estate. His steps slowed. He was sure Su Li would take care of the intruder. There was no need to rush. It was best to arrive once everything was over.
He heard the tremendous impact of two forces colliding. That had to have been Su Li Meteor Fist. This probably meant the fight was over, he thought, satisfied. However, when he arrived at the wall of the secondary barrier, his brain could not make sense of the scene that was shown to him.
His eyes were playing tricks on him. Su Li, a man who could kill Dao Seeking Experts while still being in the Soul Severing realm, had been reduced to little more than a head, arm, and legs...He was just in time to witness the mangled corpse collapse on the ground with a wet splat of blood.
It was also the first time he saw the figure of the challenger. A woman clad in glistening silver armor of foreign design. On her head was a full plume of ethereal feathers swaying with her every move. His heart stopped seeing her valiant figure striking down Su Li with ease. Then he remembered what just happened.
Just how were things hurdling out of control so quickly?! It started with the death of a nameless Bootlicker, but in not even the time it took a joss stick to burn, the intruder had broken through the barrier, killed an external elder, slew the Tiger Trio, killed one of the promising youths of the collateral lines, and even Su Li, who had strength comparable to a Dao Seeking Expert.
“Sound the alarms,” he bellowed, calling for the mobilization of the warriors of the Fang Clan. he also contacted all the elders and external elders of the Inner Estate once again. This time, it was no longer a situation they could ignore!
He was in the middle of rapidly sending a thought transmission when the situation outside escalated even further. As if drawn into reality by a heavenly brush, armies of warriors in similar armor rushed into the Outer Estate, razing everything to the ground.
They didn't loot, they didn't take prisoners, nor did they attack those who escaped. Their only objective seemed to be to destroy everything the clan had built over centuries. This was even more unforgivable, as a great part of the Outer Estate was part of his personal assets!
“Engage! Quickly, defend the estate!” he commanded the warriors that had assembled behind the secondary barrier. He didn't wait for a higher-up or an elder to arrive, but sent in their warrior to stop these raiders from destroying his precious assets.
Following his words, hundreds of warriors threw themselves into battle, finally bringing the rampage to a halt. They were the warriors of the Inner Estate. Handpicked talents close to or in the early stages of the Nascent Soul Realm.
Now, they just had to hold out until the elder came and then- His thoughts stopped when the figure in silver suddenly joined the battlefield. Inadvertently, the armored side seemed to regain its momentum, as if it had grown stronger from one moment to another!
-Take off the restrictions! Use your techniques at will!~ he ordered with a bleeding heart. With his order just now, he allowed the warriors not only to take off the training weights, but also to use techniques that could potentially level the Outer Estate.
No matter how much he invested out there, if he dared to sacrifice their prized warriors like this, his time in the Fang Clan would be over.
