Chapter 37 Destroyed Five Mid-Grade Families

The eastern part of Maple City was dominated by the territories of two great families, the Sun Family and the Yu Family. This area was densely packed with high-grade, mid-grade, and low-grade families, resembling an ant nest in its complexity.

In a secluded corner of the suburban area, there were five mid-grade families: Ji, Xiong, Yin, Jin, and Zhu Families, along with several low-grade families. These families were situated quite a distance from the city's core, about a half-hour away.

At this moment, three figures dressed in black robes and black masks appeared at the front gate of the Ji Family. Their presence went unnoticed, thanks to the concealment array they employed.

Shangguan Yi, leading Xia Zu and Xia Fu, entered the Ji Family compound undetected. The Ji Family elders were either resting or cultivating, and the Patriarch was busy with family matters.

Upon entering the family grounds, Shangguan Yi instructed Xia Zu and Xia Fu to search for the treasury vault. Both nodded and left instantly to carry out their task.

After they departed, Shangguan Yi didn't waste any time. His Divine Sense swept through the Ji Family estate, causing all the Ji Family Cultivators to stand up in alarm, shaking with unease. However, Shangguan Yi had already identified his target.

Activating the Polar Star Flame Technique, he arrived at the central area of the Ji Family within seconds.

A false Core Formation Cultivator who had been cultivating in the depths of the Ji Family compound opened his eyes, his expression grim.

"How could a Core Formation Cultivator appear in my family?!" he muttered in disbelief. Despite his confusion, he knew he couldn’t afford to offend such a powerful figure. Taking a deep breath, he left his hidden room and moved towards the source of the powerful presence, where Shangguan Yi stood.

Shangguan Yi waited calmly for the Ji Family Ancestors to appear. In just ten seconds, two figures materialized before him: one was a false Core Formation Cultivator, and the other a level 9 Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

"Senior, it is an honor to have you visit our Ji Family," the false Core Formation Cultivator called out respectfully from a distance.

Shangguan Yi looked at them but didn’t respond. Instead, he activated his cultivation technique, Everlasting Firmament Flame, and his combat technique, One Blink. In two swift blinks, two wisps of white flame and two wisps of red flame shot towards the two ancestors.

The ancestors were caught off guard. They hadn’t expected the Core Formation senior to attack so suddenly. Before they could react, the flames were already burning them. Their instinct was to use their essence to extinguish the flames, but that was exactly what Shangguan Yi wanted. The more they condensed their essence, the faster the white flame consumed their essence and life force.

"How? How is this possible?" The two dignified Ji Family ancestors, who had cultivated for hundreds of years, died just like that.

A wisp of white flame flew into Shangguan Yi, who kept it before disappearing from the scene.

He reappeared not too far away and took out the white flame. Shangguan Yi began absorbing it right there.

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A while later, the Ji Family Cultivators arrived at the scene, but they found nothing.

“Strange! I clearly felt the aura of a Core Formation Cultivator here. Why did it suddenly disappear?” one of the elders spoke.

“Is it possible a fight happened here just a moment ago?” another elder added.

“Not good! The ancestors are in danger!” The Ji Family Patriarch seemed to realize something and rushed towards the deeper parts of the family compound.

The elders followed immediately, but after searching for a long while, they found nothing. One by one, they left with grave expressions.

“Hm? First Elder, what is on your body?” The Patriarch noticed a small flame on the First Elder.

“What is it? Arghh!!” The First Elder was about to check it, but his expression turned ugly as the flame began burning him.

Not only him, but one by one, the elders also began to burn, the flames seemingly appearing from nowhere.

“Enemy attack! Retreat!” The elders scattered in panic, turning the scene into chaos.

Shangguan Yi observed them patiently. In just ten seconds, all of them had turned to ash.

After confirming their deaths, Shangguan Yi went to gather with Xia Zu and Xia Fu. Both of them had already found the treasury vault but couldn’t break the protection array in a short time. When Shangguan Yi arrived, he used his key array to open it.

Entering the treasury vault, they took everything before heading to their next target, the Xiong Family.

Upon arriving at the Xiong Family, Shangguan Yi employed the same strategy. He instructed Xia Zu and Xia Fu to search for the treasury vault while he went to confront a false Core Formation Cultivator.

The false Core Formation Cultivator was a man with a sturdy body. Unlike the Ji Family Ancestor, he attacked Shangguan Yi immediately upon seeing him.

With a glance, Shangguan Yi knew that this man was crazy for a fight, but one opponent was not enough to shake Shangguan Yi. With two blinks, the man was turned to ash in just 15 seconds.

However, the fight still dragged on for some time, attracting the attention of the Xiong Family Cultivators, who arrived and saw the scene. Shangguan Yi didn’t hesitate to eliminate them all.

After doing this, he absorbed the white flame before gathering with Xia Zu and Xia Fu. Collecting all the treasures, they left for the Yin Family.

This time, at the Yin Family, Shangguan Yi changed his strategy. He had Xia Zu and Xia Fu follow him in the dark, ready to take action when necessary.

Shangguan Yi arrived quickly at the core area of the Yin Family, where he was greeted by two female false Core Formation Cultivators and another two level 10 Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

The fight erupted immediately. Despite the Yin Family Ancestors' good teamwork, they were helpless against Shangguan Yi’s techniques. He was able to attack and retreat simultaneously, and the four Yin Family Ancestors were burned to ash before they could get close to him.

During the fight, many Yin Family Cultivators arrived, forcing Xia Zu and Xia Fu to reveal themselves to hold them back. Once Shangguan Yi dealt with the four ancestors, the rest were just toothless tigers.

The commotion caused chaos in the Yin Family, with many mortals fleeing in every direction.

Shangguan Yi then instructed Xia Zu and Xia Fu to search for the treasury vault, while he absorbed the two wisps of white flame. Twenty minutes later, he regrouped with them, collected the treasures, and left for the Jin Family. To his surprise, the Yin Family's treasury contained a Void Stone, a crucial item for building a Teleportation Array.

The Jin Family, located ten miles from the Yin Family, did not present much of the strength. Shangguan Yi employed the same strategy, engaging with the four Jin Family ancestors while Xia Zu and Xia Fu held back the rest of the cultivators. As with the Yin Family, the mortals fled in panic as their elders perished one by one. After an hour, Shangguan Yi left for the Zhu Family.

The Zhu Family had the strongest foundation among them, boasting three false Core Formation Cultivators, three level 10 Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and another 80 cultivators.

Shangguan Yi retreated his Divine Sense and instructed Xia Zu and Xia Fu, “Retreat first.”

Surprised but obedient, Xia Zu and Xia Fu left Shangguan Yi and moved to the outside of the Zhu Family compound.

As they reached the perimeter, Zhu Family cultivators began emerging from their rooms, including the six ancestors.

“The enemy is a Core Formation Cultivator. Everyone prepare!” shouted a Zhu Family ancestor.

However, before his words had fully registered, two small golden flames flew toward the Zhu Family. The dense aura of core essence made their hair stand on end, signaling the most dangerous feeling they had ever experienced.

The Zhu Family ancestors had no time to warn anyone. They used their best techniques to try and escape the impending doom.

Boom! Boom!

Like the sound of thunder, half of the Zhu Family compound was engulfed in flames. Buildings, people, trees, and grass turned to nothingness, leaving only barren land.

"Go!" Shangguan Yi commanded, charging forward and locking his Divine Sense on the three false Core Formation Cultivators.

Already injured by the explosion, the three Core Formation Cultivators were easily dispatched by Shangguan Yi. He kept the three wisps of white flame.

Turning his attention to Xia Zu and Xia Fu, who were still fighting, Shangguan Yi did not intervene. Instead, he began searching for the treasury vault.

Quickly locating it, he entered, collected all the treasures, and regrouped with Xia Zu and Xia Fu. Seeing that they had already dealt with the remaining Zhu Family cultivators, he led them back, as their essence was nearly exhausted.