Because Dongcang Commandery is so barren, the only cultivation sect in the entire region is the second-rate Ghost-God Sect.
The sect master of the Ghost-God Sect is Yinyang Gale, whose cultivation has reached the early Soul-Split Realm.
He has two sons: the elder is Drake Gale, and the younger is Tiger Gale.
Drake Gale is quite talented—he has cultivated the sect's Ghost-God Canon to the seventh layer and reached the early Out-of-Body Realm. Tiger Gale, on the other hand, is much worse; he's only managed to train the Ghost-God Canon to the fourth layer and has barely stepped into the Golden Core stage.
Drake Gale has become Yinyang Gale's capable assistant in running sect affairs, while his younger brother Tiger Gale is a wastrel who dislikes his father's scolding and often travels around with two pretty personal maids.
He calls it "traveling," but in reality, he's just avoiding his father.
Fortunately, since all of Dongcang Commandery is Ghost-God Sect territory, no one dares cause trouble for the young sect master.
Today, Tiger Gale brought his two pretty maids to the vicinity of the Qilian Mountains, accompanied by two Nascent Soul bodyguards.
"Young sect master, look!"
Suddenly, the carriage driver—one of his guards—cried out in shock, stopping the spirit-beast carriage.
A Chen clan early Soul-Split expert shot into the sky, hovering in midair as his aura exploded outward. He shouted in a deep voice, "This area is now a forbidden zone. Without permission, no one may enter. Otherwise, you die!"
The strongest of the rogue cultivators who'd rushed over were only late Golden Core, so under the pressure of a Soul-Split expert's aura, they were forced to retreat again and again.
"That's way too overbearing! Why won't you let us in?"
A young rogue cultivator still couldn't hold back his indignation and shouted.
"Courting death!"
At these words, the Chen Soul-Split expert's eyes flashed with killing intent. He raised his hand and pointed a finger—the young rogue cultivator instantly collapsed to the ground, a thumb-sized bloody hole appearing in the center of his forehead.
Seeing this, the rest of the rogue cultivators showed horror and outrage, but none dared say another word. They all quickly retreated, putting distance between themselves and the Chen Soul-Split expert.
Seeing that his warning had worked, the Chen Soul-Split expert let a cold, disdainful smile slip across his face. A bunch of lowly rogue cultivators thinking they could touch an Immortal Estate—clearly, they'd gotten tired of living.
Just then, a luxurious spirit-beast carriage sped over—it was Tiger Gale.
The driver saw the Chen Soul-Split expert floating in midair and his face changed. He hurriedly stopped the carriage.
"Is Old Liang here yet?"
Tiger Gale's voice came from inside the carriage.
"Young master, there's a powerful expert blocking the way into the mountains," the guard replied.
"How dare they! The entire Dongcang Commandery belongs to my Ghost-God Sect, and I'm the young master! Who's so blind as to block my way?"
Cursing, Tiger Gale stormed out of the carriage and locked eyes with the Chen Soul-Split expert.
He'd started out cocky, but as soon as he felt the man's icy glare, his heart skipped a beat. "Who are you? Why are you blocking my way into the mountains?"
The Chen Soul-Split expert's face darkened. "So you're the Ghost-God Sect's young master? Here's some advice: this isn't a place for you. Leave now!"
Tiger Gale had been a little wary, but hearing that, he completely lost it. Threatened on his own turf? No way he could swallow that. He exploded, "Screw you! Who do you think you are? All of Dongcang Commandery is ours! You'd better let me through right now, or I'll make you regret it!"
"Crap!"
His two guards' faces changed instantly when they heard that.
The Chen Soul-Split expert's face went cold and he pointed a finger.
Pfft!
A pale blue finger force shot through the air, heading straight for Tiger Gale.
"Young master, watch out!"
Both guards shouted and tried to intercept the attack, but with only Nascent Soul cultivation, there was no way they could block a Soul-Split expert's strike.
"Ah!"
A scream was abruptly cut off. Tiger Gale, standing on the carriage, suddenly toppled over. The two guards caught him, only to find a bloody hole in his forehead and his life force rapidly fading.
"Young master!"
The two guards were horrified. As his personal guards, they'd be doomed if they returned without him. They glared at the Chen Soul-Split expert with venomous hatred.
The next moment, they both activated their treasures and hurled them toward the Chen Soul-Split expert.
"Firefly light dares to compete with the brilliance of the moon!"
The Chen Soul-Split expert sneered, flicking his finger several times. The guards' treasures were sent flying, and the finger force punched through their bodies, exploding inside and shattering their Nascent Souls.
Seeing this, the rogue cultivators turned ashen. The Ghost-God Sect was the strongest power in Dongcang Commandery, yet this man had killed its young master without blinking. If they dared get any closer, they'd end up dead too. Some turned and fled immediately.
Others, hoping for a lucky break, retreated several kilometers away to quietly wait and see if there'd be a chance to fish in troubled waters.
At the valley entrance.
The three Fusion ancestors had already given up on a full assault. Just one test strike had caused such a commotion—if they kept attacking, the Immortal classics inside might really self-destruct, leaving them with nothing to show for it. They wouldn't even have a place to cry.
After some discussion, they decided to send someone to invite top formation masters from the Heaven-Array Sect, while staying on site themselves to see if they could find another way to break the formation.
"What just happened?" Tiger Gale, annoyed at being interrupted while flirting with his two personal maids, barked out a complaint, stepped out of the spirit-beast carriage, and followed his guard's gaze. He saw a golden light-screen in the sky, covered with hundreds of ancient characters, and his jaw dropped wide open.
"What does it say up there?" Tiger Gale, who was totally uneducated, couldn't read the ancient script.
"Young master, that's an extremely profound cultivation general outline. The gist is..." The knowledgeable guard quickly paraphrased the several hundred words for him.
Tiger Gale might not be much of a scholar, but as the Ghost-God Sect's young master, he still had some sense. Even if he couldn't grasp the general outline right away, he could tell it was seriously impressive.
Immediately, joy flashed across his face. This was probably the emergence of some mighty expert's estate or inheritance.
He'd heard plenty of stories about rogue cultivators soaring to greatness after stumbling on legacies left behind by predecessors, and those places usually had cultivation manuals, high-grade pills, and treasures.
Thinking about that, he got even more excited. Could this be the stroke of luck he'd been waiting for? If he could claim this inheritance, maybe he'd shoot straight to the top, surpass Drake Gale, and finally stop everyone from calling him a loser!
Pumped up, Tiger Gale immediately ordered his guards to head toward the light-screen.
Meanwhile, plenty of rogue cultivators spotted the glowing screen in the sky and raced toward the Qilian Mountains. Many realized that whenever a legacy emerged, a brutal bloodbath was sure to follow, so they quickly pulled out message talismans to summon friends and family nearby.
So by the time the elite members of the Chen, Jin, and Ning families had just finished sealing off the area, the fastest rogue cultivators had already arrived.