Chapter 300: Chapter 272: War of Extermination

Hearing the call, Chen Che came down the mountain. He saw Meng Qianxun and Chen Yin in the field, both gazing toward the front of Thunder Accumulation Mountain. When they saw Chen Che, they both nodded slightly in greeting.

Rong Zhongxuan, who had heard the commotion, immediately came forward.

"Valley Master, look! The weak point is over there!"

With his hands clasped behind him, Chen Che narrowed his eyes and looked over.

He saw the vast violet barrier in mid-air, which now looked like a shattered mirror riddled with cracks. Under the constant bombardment, the fissures multiplied, forming a dense web. Chen Che knew this was because the Array could no longer withstand the external force.

Below the mountain, the rows of Bed Crossbows quickly swiveled to aim. Instantly, the sky filled with a deafening roar of continuous explosions.

"They found the weak point!"

"Smash their turtle shell! Let’s see how long they can hold out! Break the Grand Array and charge straight up Thunder Accumulation Mountain!"

"Kill!"

The Cultivators were ecstatic. Amid the shouts, they quickly loaded crossbow arrows.

"Concentrate fire!"

"Don’t give them a chance to maintain the Array!"

Meng Changtu shouted in a deep voice.

With the two old ancestors holding the rear, he, the Patriarch, naturally had to stand on the front line.

Of course.

This kind of rough work didn’t require Foundation Establishment Cultivators to get their hands dirty; each clan had plenty of Qi Refining Cultivators. Before the assault on the mountain even began, the three clans had promised their people that whoever found the Grand Array’s weak point would be allowed to attempt Foundation Establishment.

The first person to breach the Array would be granted the same opportunity.

Brave men will always emerge when the reward is great. The Qi Refining Cultivators of the three clans had worked day and night without rest to finally locate the Array’s node.

"Not planning to leave them an escape route?"

Chen Che glanced around and saw that all the Foundation Establishment Cultivators had rushed over. They had come from all directions, from the sky and on the ground, surrounding Thunder Accumulation Mountain so tightly that nothing could get through. This made him raise an eyebrow slightly.

This wasn’t just about charging up Thunder Accumulation Mountain; this was the prelude to annihilating a clan.

"Some things are best not done at all, but if you do them, you do them thoroughly."

Hearing this, Chen Yin glanced back and offered an explanation to Chen Che. "Even if we wipe out Thunder Accumulation Mountain, the Lu, Yuan, Gu, and Wu clans will remain. Each one is a tough nut to crack. Are we really going to spend eight or ten years conquering Shuzhou?"

Although Cultivators have long lifespans.

But no one wanted to squander their lives on such matters. Besides, no one could be certain if the enemy had other tricks up their sleeve. In many cases, it was best to be swift and decisive.

Chen Che smiled.

He was naturally of the same mind. After all, this battlefield tied up nearly thirty percent of Jinyun Valley’s personnel. The longer it dragged on, the less it was worth it.

"Only by taking down Thunder Accumulation Mountain cleanly and decisively can we make the remaining four clans obediently withdraw from Shuzhou."

Meng Qianxun clearly agreed with Chen Yin’s choice.

...

「Thunder Accumulation Mountain. Jin Family Main Hall.」

The moment the weak point in the Formless Tribulation Thunder Array was discovered, the upper echelon of the Jin Family had already gathered.

By now, the colossal booms of the explosions could penetrate the Grand Array. Each blast seemed to ring right next to their ears, even causing the tea before them to ripple. Yet inside the hall, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Following the deaths of Jin Chaoheng and Jin Yangtong, Grand Elder Jin Yanghua was the most prestigious person left in the clan. But now, his face was ashen as he said, "We originally estimated it would hold for at least three years. I never thought it would only last four days. Heaven itself must want to destroy the Jin Clan’s thousand-year foundation!"

The expressions on everyone’s faces turned grim.

A Tier Three Array, powered by Spirit Stones, should have had no problem holding for several years.

Although their ancestor and Patriarch were dead, Thunder Accumulation Mountain still stood, and their foundations remained. They could still seek outside help, but that would take time to arrange. Who would have thought that the Formless Tribulation Thunder Array would show signs of collapse after only four days?

Because of this.

Even factions willing to act as peacemakers would have to reconsider whether it was worth speaking up for the Jin Family.

"What if our clan willingly withdraws from Shuzhou and swears never to set foot here again? Would they spare our lives then?"

A hoarse voice suddenly asked from within the hall.

As the voice faded, many people looked up, their eyes full of expectation as they gazed at Jin Yanghua.

Jin Yanghua gave a bitter laugh, shook his head slightly, and said:

"They aren’t even feigning to leave an escape route. This makes it clear they intend to wash Thunder Accumulation Mountain in blood as the price for our ancestor joining the Five Races to besiege them. Once an arrow is loosed, it cannot be recalled. You and I should both understand that this is simply the price of failure."

Hearing this, the crowd couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.

Regret?

No, they only regretted failing.

"What about the branch outside?"

After a moment of silence, Jin Yanghua asked.

A voice immediately responded from below, "A message was sent out the day the ancestor fell. They should have received it by now and started making preparations."

A great clan with a thousand-year history like this would have long since spread its branches far and wide.

Beyond Thunder Accumulation Mountain, the Jin Family had a collateral branch hidden in the shadows. Once the main clan was exterminated, this hidden branch would take its place, becoming the main line. They would change their names to evade their enemies’ pursuit, ensuring the continuation of their lineage.

Only after their enemies were gone would they revert to their original surname.

"Good!"

Jin Yanghua’s eyes flickered, and he spoke with heartfelt relief, "In that case, once this matter is over..."

...

"The Array is about to break!"

Outside the mountain, the shouts grew louder and louder.

With his hands behind his back, Chen Che stared intently at the Grand Array. Just as expected, the array was not only covered in cracks, but they were also spreading out in all directions. The thunderclouds shrouding the peak of Thunder Accumulation Mountain were also on the verge of dissipating.

The oppressive feeling overhead began to fade.

’Why has the Jin Family gone quiet? What are they planning? Are they preparing to fight their way out, or are they planning to defend Thunder Accumulation Mountain to the death?’

Chen Che pondered, his eyes narrowed.

Before, many figures could be seen at the foot of the mountain, but now there wasn’t a single trace of them. They were clearly planning something.

"The current helmsman of the Jin Family is Jin Yanghua. Whoever can take his head will be rewarded with fifty thousand Spirit Stones and one Tier Two High Grade Magical Artifact."

Chen Yin stood there, his voice spreading quietly around Thunder Accumulation Mountain:

"Furthermore, for every Jin Family Elder killed, the reward is twenty thousand Spirit Stones and a Tier Two Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact! For any other Foundation Establishment Cultivator, eight thousand Spirit Stones. Killing a Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivator will earn you one thousand; a Middle Stage one, five hundred..."

As soon as his voice fell, a commotion erupted among the crowd outside the mountain.

For the lower-level Cultivators, such a bounty was a heaven-sent opportunity. Even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, if lucky enough to slay an Elder, would not lack Cultivation resources for years to come.

Not only would they not lack for themselves, but they could also support the rise of their family.

Chen Che swept his gaze over them.

He noticed that even the vassal families of Jinyun Valley showed excitement on their faces, clearly tempted by the offer.

Some longed not only for profit, but also for fame. In a grand event like this war between two provinces, leaving one’s mark was enough to be sung about by future generations for a hundred years. There were even many rootless Qi Refining Loose Cultivators present; if they could achieve military merit here and be favored by the powerful, they could ascend to the heavens in a single step.

Although Chen Che looked down on such things, he wouldn’t stop others from seeking their fortune.

"CRACK!"

Suddenly, a crisp cracking sound exploded between heaven and earth.

"The Array broke?"

Chen Che’s spirits jolted. He looked up and saw that the massive barrier had finally given way.

Before the shocked eyes of countless people, the vast, violet barrier of the Formless Tribulation Thunder Array, like a piece of porcelain covered in cracks, shattered with irresistible force amidst a deafening noise. It then disintegrated into specks of light that scattered outwards.

Then, volley after volley of crossbow arrows tore through the air, unimpeded.

...

...

"The Grand Array has broken after all!"

Jin Yanghua glanced at the shattered Grand Array and the Tribulation Thunder clouds beginning to disperse overhead. Without the Array’s protection, the crossbow arrows could fly straight in, now smashing into Thunder Accumulation Mountain without any hindrance.

In just a few moments, half the mountaintop had been plowed over. Countless old mansions were razed to the ground in an instant.

The deafening sounds were incessant.

Facing a giant cauldron inscribed with "A Thousand-Year Noble Family, An Everlasting Legacy," Jin Yanghua’s expression was incomparably calm, as if everything happening outside had nothing to do with him.

He raised a wine bowl above his head. Behind him, the clan elders, high-ranking members, and even ordinary clansmen all followed his example.

"BANG!"

Just then, a heavy crossbow bolt pierced through the giant cauldron in an instant.

The immense momentum sent the cauldron scraping across the ground, kicking up a trail of brilliant sparks. The screech of metal on stone was enough to make one’s Qi and Blood churn and eardrums ache. But Jin Yanghua didn’t flinch, instead shouting in a deep, loud voice:

"Drink this execution wine! From here on, whether we live or die with Thunder Accumulation Mountain or manage to carve out a bloody path—we can only leave it to fate!"

His voice drowned out the storm of weapons from outside the mountain:

"If we can pray for heaven’s mercy, we shall meet again one day!"

With that said.

He drained the wine in one gulp and smashed the bowl on the ground with a CLANG.

Behind him, hundreds, even thousands, of his clansmen smashed their wine bowls in unison.

"Kill!"

...

"They’re coming out!"

Thunder Accumulation Mountain fell silent for a moment, but then a roar of battle cries erupted. Countless figures shot out from the mountain, scattering in all directions like a goddess scattering flowers.

In addition to the Cultivators, one Spiritual Boat after another rose into the air.

"Fight your way out!"

"Don’t let them escape!"

The hundreds of Bed Crossbows swiveled toward the Spiritual Boats without a moment’s hesitation. Though these Spiritual Boats were expensive and equipped with their own Defensive Arrays, how could they withstand hundreds of crossbow arrows, each equivalent to a full-power strike from a Foundation Establishment Cultivator?

In an instant, several Spiritual Boats were riddled like sieves. Amidst the sound of unstoppable destruction, the boats crashed to the ground, leaving no survivors among the Cultivators aboard.

’They’re trying to carve a bloody path out!’

Chen Che looked up at the commotion in the sky.

The whistling wind, the screams of misery, the clash of weapons—it all blended into a single cacophony...

In just an instant.

The Cultivators who had intended to charge out of Thunder Accumulation Mountain in one go were abruptly intercepted in mid-air. Some of the Major Cultivators, unable to wait, had already attacked, even rushing forward to meet them.

"Grandson-in-law."

"Tributor Chen."

Just as he was thinking, he heard Meng Qianxun and Chen Yin suddenly call out. When he looked over in confusion, he saw them both raise a hand and say:

"Let’s go up the mountain together!"

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