Chapter Thirty-Two: Night Raid, The Liu Estate

With the Frost-Condensing Sword and the Profound Water Shield in his possession, Lin Fan felt much more at ease. He turned his gaze toward his storage pouch and, with a light flick of his fingertip, a talisman pulsing with spiritual light leaped into his palm. Upon the surface of the talisman, primitive patterns shimmered with a faint earthy-yellow glow, exuding a sense of profound weight and mystery.

This was an Earth-Escaping Talisman, a miraculous charm that allowed one to merge with the earth in times of crisis. Once activated and applied to the body, it would enable the user to slip into the soil as effortlessly as a fish diving into the deep sea, vanishing without a trace. It was a treasure for fleeing—a true life-saving artifact. However, it was a one-time-use item; once consumed, it would crumble into ash. Lin Fan carefully tucked the talisman away.

Just then, a streak of spiritual light raced across the horizon with startling speed. As the light faded, a delicate, palm-sized paper crane drifted down gracefully. Lin Fan raised his hand, and as if endowed with a spirit of its own, the crane landed steadily in his palm.

"Husband, we depart in an hour. Please gather at the small plaza in the center of the Su estate!" The familiar voice of Su Xingyue resonated from the crane.

Hearing this, Lin Fan circled his small courtyard once more, his eyes scanning every corner as if bidding a final farewell. He gathered the few items he might need into his storage pouch. After this departure, he feared it would be difficult to ever return. With everything in order, he set off toward the plaza.

Upon arrival, he found two or three dozen people already gathered. Each possessed a restrained aura, clearly indicating substantial cultivation. They were all at the fifth level of Qi Refining or higher, with several having reached the seventh level. Lin Fan immediately spotted the six handmaidens from his courtyard among them. Once the lowest-ranking cultivators in the Su family, their status had been humble, yet in just three months, their cultivation had surged, and they had become elite disciples of the Su family—a transformation that truly commanded respect.

At the forefront of the group stood three graceful figures: the Su family mother and her two daughters. Today, all three wore black fitted combat gear. The tight fabric outlined their curvaceous figures to perfection, their sultry lines enough to make one’s pulse race. They were a breathtaking sight to behold. Yet, there was not a hint of a smile on their faces; their expressions were solemn, and a heavy tension gathered between their brows, stifling the air. A murderous aura permeated the atmosphere.

As they saw Lin Fan strolling toward them, the cold, icy expression on Su Xingyue's face melted away like snow, replaced by a captivating smile. Lin Fan did not intentionally conceal his cultivation, and his early-stage Foundation Establishment aura was as clear as a mirror. The eyes of the Su disciples converged on him, their faces filled with astonishment. Some gaped in shock, others stared wide-eyed, their reactions varied. Su Yun, Su Fei, and the other handmaidens who were close to Lin Fan were beaming, as excited as sparrows hopping on a branch.

"It's the Young Master! The Young Master is a Foundation Establishment expert!"
"With the Young Master's help, the Liu family is finished!"
"The Young Master has such heaven-defying methods; I knew he wasn't simple. So, he has already reached the Foundation Establishment stage."

Su Xingyue hurried over, affectionately taking Lin Fan’s hand and pressing a glowing talisman into his palm. It shimmered with golden light, like the brightest star in the night sky, clearly an extraordinary item. Though Lin Fan’s knowledge of the cultivation world was still shallow, the golden brilliance of the talisman suggested it was a Vajra Talisman. This was a prized possession; in a crisis, one could stick it to the body to form an impenetrable protective shield, keeping one safe from blades, projectiles, water, and fire. Lin Fan pondered to himself that this was a great treasure for survival that could save his life at a critical moment.

"Hehe, you are so kind, sister," Lin Fan said with a grin. He knew Su Xingyue gave him this only because she feared he might lose his life—regardless of whether she truly cared for him, if anything happened to Lin Fan, who would they find to help them break through their bottlenecks?

"Since everyone is here, let us depart!" Su Yun said in a deep voice. Her tone was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.

Linjiang City was vast, no smaller than a second-tier city on Earth. The streets were a labyrinth of activity, packed with shops and bustling with pedestrians—a picture of prosperity. The Su family group followed Lin Fan and Su Xingyue, marching in a grand procession as they left the estate, heading straight for the Liu family. Everyone in the Su family wore a grave expression. Su Yun, Su Fei, and the other handmaidens stayed close behind Lin Fan, their eyes filled with a mix of tension and excitement. After all, this was their first time participating in a battle on such a scale.

In the cultivation world of the Chu Kingdom, there was a saying of "Three Sects, Two Schools, and Seven Families." The three sects—Hehuan, Blood Demon, and Qingyun—and the two schools—Hidden Moon and Profound Shadow—were roughly equal in strength, each guarded by Nascent Soul stage monsters and possessing deep foundations. The seven families were relatively powerful cultivation clans, each with Gold Core experts at their helm, acting as overlords in their respective territories. The Liu family was a subsidiary of the Blood Demon Sect.

Cultivation resources near Linjiang City were scarce. Originally, only the Su family resided there, but later the Liu family arrived. The two small clans had been locked in a struggle for decades, and the grudge between them ran deep. A year ago, the head of the Liu family suddenly broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage. With their power surging, their ambitions expanded, and they began to encroach upon the Su family's territory. Su Mei had gone into seclusion, and Su Xingyue, desperate to break through her own bottleneck, had begun practicing dual-cultivation techniques.

The journey was silent as they hurried through the bustling streets. Soon, a massive estate appeared before Lin Fan. It occupied a vast area, surrounded by towering walls. The crimson-lacquered gates were shut tight, and two stone lions stood guard, their eyes glaring with an imposing air. It seemed the Liu family had received word, as a large group was already waiting in front of the estate, fully prepared.

Leading them was a middle-aged man with a thick beard and a face full of flesh. He was burly and muscular, his eyes flickering with a vicious light. His thick lips were pressed together tightly, giving him a cruel and brutal appearance. His cultivation was not weak—he was at the early Foundation Establishment stage. He must be the head of the Liu family, Liu Yansong.

Liu Yansong’s gaze was like a torch, roaming over Su Mei with an expression that suggested he wanted to devour her whole. A sinister curve tugged at the corner of his mouth as he spoke, his voice dripping with flippancy and playfulness: "Heh... Su Mei, it’s been a long time. Not only have you stepped into the Foundation Establishment stage, but your figure has become even more enticing. How about this? Why doesn't your Su family just merge into our Liu family? I promise I will 'take special care' of you, ensuring you spend every night in song and pleasure, to the point of ecstasy..."