Chapter 119. Xu family [2]
A few moments later, the doors to the ancestral hall opened once again.
An old man dressed in plain gray robes walked inside at an unhurried pace.
Despite the chaos outside, his expression remained as calm and composed as ever.
He stopped several steps before Xu Qingyue and bowed respectfully.
"Young Miss. The escape route has been secured."
The moment those words were spoken, every elder’s expression changed.
An escape route?
The Young Miss had never intended to seek Qin Xishu’s help, she had already been preparing for a way to run away!
One elder immediately threw himself onto the ground.
"Young Miss!"
"Please take me with you!"
Another elder hurriedly followed.
"We’ve served the Xu Family for decades!"
"We don’t want to die here!"
One after another, the remaining elders also knelt.
"Young Miss, please!"
"Take us with you!"
"We’ll protect you even if it costs our lives!"
Xu Qingyue quietly looked at the desperate faces before her.
Then she slowly shook her head.
"No."
The single word instantly extinguished the hope in their eyes.
She reached into her sleeve and produced an ancient bronze key before placing it on the table beside the ancestral tablets.
"This is the key to the clan treasury."
Her voice remained as calm as ever.
"Take whatever you can carry and then lead the disciples through the escape route."
She slowly turned toward the trembling barrier outside.
"I’ll maintain the formation until the last person has left."
Silence filled the hall as they realised the young miss didn’t intend to leave.
Then, one elder suddenly lunged toward the bronze key.
The others reacted just as quickly.
"The treasury!"
"Move!"
"Don’t block the way!"
Whatever sorrow or loyalty they had displayed only moments earlier vanished without a trace.
They shoved one another aside before rushing out of the ancestral hall at full speed.
Within only a few breaths, the hall became completely empty.
Xu Qingyue quietly watched them leave.
There was no disappointment on her face.
Nor was there anger, it was simply what she had expected.
After a long silence, she finally looked toward the old man who still stood where he had been, neither chasing after the elders nor uttering a single unnecessary word.
A faint smile appeared on her pale face.
"...Thank you."
The old man bowed slightly.
"You are too kind, Young Miss."
Xu Qingyue lowered her gaze.
"I’ll have to trouble you with one final matter. Please tell the disciples that an escape route has been prepared and lead everyone out safely."
The old man bowed once more.
"Very well."
His tone remained as calm and respectful as before.
"Please do not overburden yourself, Young Miss."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Reinforcements should be on their way."
Xu Qingyue blinked in surprise.
"Reinforcements?"
Before she could ask who he was referring to, the young man had already disappeared from the ancestral hall.
Xu Qingyue stood there for several moments before lowering her head as she understood what he meant.
A bitter smile gradually appeared on her lips.
"...So that was your way of comforting me."
The words had simply been spoken so she would not lose hope.
"...Thank you, Uncle."
A tear silently rolled down her cheek.
She gently wiped it away before turning and walking toward the center of the clan’s grand formation.
There, countless formation lines intertwined beneath her feet, converging into a single point.
It was the eye of the Xu family defensive formation.
Most formations possessed three methods of operation.
The first relied on spirit stones.
As long as enough spirit stones were placed at the designated nodes, the formation would continuously draw upon their spiritual energy to maintain itself.
The second method required cultivators to directly supply the formation with their own spiritual qi.
When the spirit stones were exhausted, they could temporarily replace them by standing at the various formation nodes.
However, the burden placed upon the cultivators was immense, making it impossible to sustain for long.
The third method, was to become the eye of the formation itself.
Rather than supplying ordinary spiritual qi, the cultivator would continuously burn the true qi within their dantian to maintain the formation at its strongest state.
The power of the formation would increase dramatically, so too would the price.
If maintained for too long, the dantian could collapse under the strain.
Even if the cultivator survived, they would become a cripple for the rest of their life.
Xu Qingyue quietly stepped into the center of the formation.
Without the slightest hesitation, she sat down in a lotus position.
Then, she slowly closed her eyes.
Outside the protective barrier, Peng Tianyuan and Hao Zhenshan continued directing wave after wave of attacks without the slightest intention of stopping.
Another barrage of spiritual techniques crashed against the barrier and the transparent shield rippled violently before suddenly releasing a brilliant burst of light.
The cracks that had been spreading across its surface began repairing themselves at a visible speed.
Peng Tianyuan narrowed his eyes.
"Did it just became stronger? Am I seeing things?"
Hao Zhenshan also noticed the change.
"You aren’t seeing things, I noticed it too."
Only moments earlier, the barrier had clearly been weakening.
Now, instead of collapsing, it had suddenly become far more stable than before.
Just then, another unexpected scene unfolded.
The Xu Family disciples who had been taking turns maintaining the formation began retreating one after another.
Groups of cultivators quietly disappeared from the walls, no longer pouring their spiritual qi into the barrier.
Peng Tianyuan frowned deeply.
"They’re withdrawing?"
Hao Zhenshan stared at the city walls in silence.
"That doesn’t make sense. If they’re abandoning the formation, then why is it becoming stronger?"
"The formation eye," Peng Tianyuan said slowly.
Hao Zhenshan’s expression immediately darkened.
"Whoever entered the formation eye has no intention of surviving. It seems the Xu Family still has people worthy of respect."
Peng Tianyuan nodded in agreement.
"Unfortunately..."
Hao Zhenshan’s gaze gradually turned cold.
"We can’t allow them to escape."
He turned toward one of the elders standing behind him.
"Bring out that."
The elder’s pupils contracted slightly before he lowered his head.
"...Understood."
Peng Tianyuan glanced sideways at Hao Zhenshan.
"We’re really using it?"
Hao Zhenshan answered without hesitation.
"We’ve already come this far. If we let even a fraction of the Xu Family escape, they’ll become a problem in the future."
Peng Tianyuan remained silent for a brief moment before nodding.
"...Alright. we’ll use that."
The order was quickly relayed through both armies.
A few moments later, dozens of cultivators slowly pushed an enormous object toward the front of the battlefield.