Chapter 93

Leaving one's hometown?

Ji Ning forced himself to suppress the unwillingness in his heart, unwilling, truly unwilling. But looking at the other clan members, including his father, Ji Liuzhen, Grandma Ying, and others, they were all silent. As long as it could ensure the Ji clan continued to thrive and prosper, leaving their hometown was also something they could endure!

"As long as the Snow Dragon Mountain presents a vassal token," Ji Jiu Huo said in a low voice, "the Ji clan will immediately present the vassal token of the Ten Thousand Sword City with both hands!"

"Vassal token?"

In the distance, the five people, including Dong Ziqi, looked at each other and quietly discussed.

"Senior Brother Ziqi, what should we do?" the green-haired woman transmitted her voice, "Should we present a vassal token?"

"Present?" Dong Ziqi looked at the green-haired woman, "Junior Sister Heming, can you present it?"

The green-haired woman immediately fell silent.

They, the Zifu cultivators who had left the sect to establish branches in various places, had little potential and were already considered peripheral members of the sect. The Daxia city they occupied in Yanshan was also their foundation! It was also the foundation of some tribes, with deep-rooted power, how could they give it up?

To present a vassal token?

Who would present it?

This essence stone vein belongs to the Snow Dragon Mountain sect, why should I make the sacrifice? Why should my tribe make the sacrifice? Each Daxia city has two or three Zifu cultivators, and they all need to agree to give up the vassal token! But who would be willing to give up a foundation they have cultivated for so long?

"We are unwilling to give up, do you think the other senior and junior brothers in other places would be willing to give up a Daxia city?" Dong Ziqi shook his head, "The Snow Dragon Mountain has many branches, and the fellow disciples in those branches won't care about us. Why would they kindly give up a Daxia city?"

"Anyway, the Ju clan is impossible, I disagree, and my uncle in the clan won't agree either," the burly man said urgently, "Don't even consider it, I don't believe the Ji clan would really dare to resist."

"Hmm."

The green-haired man nodded, "Directly threaten the Ji clan! Resistance means the extermination of the clan! Obedience means survival! I believe the Ji clan will know how to choose."

"Right, this isn't the first or second time," the burly man, Ju San, nodded.

"Let's do it this way," the gray-clothed man, Mu Si, also agreed.

Dong Ziqi glanced at the four junior brothers and sisters. Although there were other fellow disciples in the Yanshan branch who hadn't come, it was impossible for everyone to come just for this fluctuation of heaven and earth essence. However, the five people who came already represented all the internal factions of the Yanshan branch.

"Alright," Dong Ziqi nodded, "Let's do it this way, as Junior Brother Ju San said, this isn't the first or second time."

The Snow Dragon Mountain has many branches.

With so many branches, how could they occupy so many Daxia cities? By force?

That would be foolish.

It's a combination of slaughter and intimidation. In reality, the vast majority of tribes can only grit their teeth and swallow their pride, voluntarily hand over the vassal token, and leave obediently. Of course, occasional battles do occur, but nothing is absolute, and Dong Ziqi and the others were confident that their strength was absolutely superior to the Ji clan.

...

The Ji clan was waiting.

Although they were heartbroken and unwilling,

Ji Ning and everyone else were prepared to leave their hometown, as long as it ensured the Ji clan could continue to thrive, everything was worth it. The Ji clan was waiting for the Snow Dragon Mountain's response.

"Hmm," Dong Ziqi hummed, "Ji Jiu Huo."

Everyone from the Ji clan looked at Dong Ziqi, and Ji Jiu Huo said, "This is the last line for the Ji clan."

"Last line?" Dong Ziqi sneered, "The last line is meant to be broken! Ji Jiu Huo, do you want to exchange the vassal token of the Ten Thousand Sword City for other vassal tokens? You're dreaming. Now I give you two choices, the first is to defy the Snow Dragon Mountain, and your Ji clan will face extermination. The second is to hand over the vassal token of the Ten Thousand Sword City, and the Snow Dragon Mountain will allow your Ji clan to continue to survive on this land. After the essence stone vein is mined, the vassal token of the Ten Thousand Sword City will be returned to you. This is my promise!"

Everyone from the Ji clan's faces changed.

What?

Promise?

What kind of promise! A promise means nothing. Are you asking the entire Ji clan to hand over the vassal token just for a promise?

"Dong Ziqi," Ji Jiu Huo was both anxious and angry.

"Shut up," Dong Ziqi shouted, his eyes coldly staring at Ji Jiu Huo, "You only have a choice, to continue living or to be exterminated! It's all up to you, Ji Jiu Huo! If you choose extermination... my Eight Trigram Blood Dragon Array hasn't truly seen blood in a long time."

The other four Zifu cultivators beside him also had fierce glints in their eyes. They were from the sect and had learned some powerful techniques, generally much stronger than the natives. If a real fight broke out... there were three more Zifu cultivators in their stronghold, making a total of eight Zifu cultivators!

"Choose!" Dong Ziqi said coldly.

Some of the Ji clan members were trembling with anger.

"Clan leader!" some clan members howled.

"Ahhh!" Ji Jiu Huo raised his head and howled, "I, Ji Jiu Huo, am ashamed of the ancestors of the Ji clan!"

Ji Ning gritted his teeth, his body trembling slightly.

And in the distance, Dong Ziqi and the others watched with a cold smile. Choosing to abandon the clan's foundation was indeed shameful to the ancestors, but would these natives dare to resist? Resistance means death!

"Die!" Ji Jiu Huo suddenly threw out six small black balls, which turned into six streaks of light and flew directly to the five people in front of Dong Ziqi.

"They are Thunderfire Pearls!"

The five Zifu cultivators, including Dong Ziqi, were greatly alarmed. They were from the sect and immediately recognized these as the most common and vicious Thunderfire Pearls, containing the power of lightning and fire, extremely violent. Once the essence energy was triggered... they would immediately explode, with astonishing power. If six Thunderfire Pearls exploded at close range, even Zifu cultivators might die.

"These native tribes really have some treasures, to be able to produce six Thunderfire Pearls at once," Dong Ziqi thought as he dodged rapidly.

The five Zifu cultivators from the Snow Dragon Mountain quickly scattered in all directions.

Boom~~~

The intense lightning and fire power exploded, with dazzling lightning snakes spreading in all directions, and flames burning the surrounding land, causing the earth to shake. The power was indeed astonishing.

"Qi!" Ji Jiu Huo, who had just thrown the six Thunderfire Pearls, had a crazed look in his eyes.

Swish swish~~~

Suddenly, the vast wilderness and mountains were enveloped by endless fog, with fog everywhere, and even Ji Ning could only see three zhang away with his naked eyes.

"Bad," Dong Ziqi, who had just dodged and was still somewhat smug and disdainful, saw the fog and his face changed, "It's a maze array!"

"That cunning old man threw the six Thunderfire Pearls not to kill us, but to make us five spread out while dodging," Dong Ziqi's face changed drastically, looking at the fog, his eyes could only see two zhang away. Because of the Thunderfire Pearls, they all tried to dodge as far as possible.

Each of his junior brothers and sisters was at least dozens of zhang away from him. As long as the distance between them exceeded five or six zhang, in this maze array, they would be influenced to move further apart.

"This Ji Jiu Huo is trying to completely separate us five," Dong Ziqi was both angry and furious.

"Senior Brother!" A voice came from a distance, "It's a maze array, we've been separated, that old scoundrel Ji Jiu Huo is trying to defeat us one by one! They will definitely have several Zifu cultivators work together to deal with each of us, one by one!"

Although he could hear the voice, in the maze array, the direction changed, making it impossible to identify.

"Junior Brother Jusan, Junior Brother Musi, Junior Brother Hemang, Junior Sister Heming, are you all together?" Dong Ziqi called out urgently.

"I'm with my brother," a female voice replied.

"I'm alone."

"I'm also alone."

The other two voices made Dong Ziqi's heart cold. He understood that the Hemang siblings were together, but he, Dong Ziqi, Jusan, and Musi were completely separated. Even if the Hemang siblings worked together... once they were surrounded by the Ji clan, it would be very dangerous.

"This time, we really fell into that old man's hands," Dong Ziqi was both angry and furious, "But how did he set up the array in advance?"

...

When the five Zifu cultivators from the Snow Dragon Mountain were separated and trapped in the maze array, the Ji clan was both excited and shocked.

"Clan leader, why did you suddenly make a move?"

"And this, this, this, this array, what is it?"

The clan members were all a bit dazed.

Ji Jiu Huo scanned the surrounding people and roared, "The Ji clan is not a pushover, they are bullying us, pouring filth on our faces, can we still endure it? Rather than leaving in humiliation, we might as well fight a great battle, and the Ji clan still has a chance to survive."

"Follow my orders," Ji Jiu Huo commanded directly.

Each clan member obeyed.

"Beifeng, go back and take Ji Mo and the others to immediately ride the flying birds, and leave Yanshan in three different routes," Ji Jiu Huo said, "This is the bloodline that the Ji clan needs to pass on."

"Yes."

"Ji Dongze, immediately go to Yanshan City. Report to the Daxia Dynasty that there is an essence stone vein in the Ji clan's territory. This matter is entrusted to you, remember to arrange several groups of people. Ensure that at least one group reaches Yanshan City."

"Yes."

Ji Jiu Huo's gaze swept over the crowd, "Others, all non-Zifu cultivators return to the Ten Thousand Sword City. This place is left to us. Go."

The Ji clan members all knelt down, looking at Ji Jiu Huo, Ji Yichuan, Ji Liuzhen, Ji Ning, and others, and then left without saying much.

"Only a few of us are left here," Ji Jiu Huo's gaze swept over the few people around him, "The five arrogant Zifu cultivators from the Snow Dragon Mountain have been separated by the great array, we only need to defeat them one by one, and we can eliminate them all