Protect Our Patriarch

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As the voice faded, the Red-Scaled Horned Python appeared before everyone.

Goodness, it was a good twelve to sixteen meters long, with its thickest part likely as round as a wooden bucket. Its massive head was fierce and bony, crowned with a long red horn.

The scales covering its body were all a fiery red, like blazing flames. The temperature around it was extremely high, scorching the wild grass to a crisp black, creating a winding snake trail.

A third-tier fierce beast!

For the declining Wang's Clan, it was a formidable enemy, and mishandling it could cost lives.

However, as the Wang's Clan grew stronger, a third-tier fierce beast no longer posed a great threat. The Wang's Clan expanded their territory outward with each annual autumn and winter hunt.

The young members of the Wang's Clan, unless occupied with other tasks, would accompany their elders on these hunts every year and were no strangers to third-tier fierce beasts.

Moreover, their daily spiritual food often included the meat of third-tier fierce beasts.

Thus, while they took third-tier fierce beasts seriously, they did not fear them as if facing a natural predator.

"Shoot the arrows." As Wang Shouming gave the order, he drew a powerful bow and released a sharp arrow, which glowed red with fire elemental Xuanqi and trailed a long flame.

The other Wang's Clan disciples and family guards fired in unison.

"Zing, zing, zing!" The arrows tore through the air, emitting a piercing screech.

The Wang's Clan spared no effort in training their disciples. Even Wang Shouzhe, the Clan Leader, practiced archery diligently, so how could the younger generation dare to slack off?

Clan disciples differed from academy students; they emphasized teamwork and group combat, not just individual fighting and brute courage. In team battles, especially during hunts, patrols, and defense, the advantage of the bow and arrow was extremely clear.

Basalt cultivators possessed strength far beyond ordinary people. By the fifth or sixth layer of Qi Refining, their bows reached the level of five-stone bows, and with Xuanqi attached to their arrows, they could even penetrate small rocks.

Wang Shouming, Wang Zongyao, and Wang Hu, among others, wielded eight-stone bows made with millennium ironwood cores and third-tier fierce beast sinew strings, powerful enough to easily pierce through iron armor.

This was why the "shotgun" developed under Wang Shouzhe's orders was only issued to non-Basalt warriors in the clan. It was simply because Basalt cultivators of slightly higher rank could unleash far greater power with a strong bow than with a "shotgun."

Therefore, even a third-tier fierce beast with its thick hide and Xuanqi protection was by no means invulnerable to swords and spears!

After enduring a barrage of arrows...

The Red-Scaled Horned Python, in pain and anger, let out a furious hiss.

"Bang!"

Its tail slammed fiercely against a shield wall formed by three family guards, the massive impact forcing them to stagger back several steps, blood spilling from the corners of their mouths.

The shields, lined with ironwood and covered with third-tier fierce beast hide, were also dented from the blow.

But the family guards still held their defensive stance firmly, their eyes showing not fear, but unwavering resolve.

They were the first batch of family guards raised by the Wang's Clan from childhood, selected from civilians, tenant farmers, and collateral descendants of the Wang's Clan in Ping'an Town.

They were generally in their twenties, with cultivation levels around the fifth or sixth layer of Qi Refining. The treatment and resources provided by the Wang's Clan from a young age had surpassed those of most direct descendants of ninth-rank noble families.

Due to the uncertain dangers of the "Clearing the Mist" mission, influenced by the Clan Leader's conservative style, Wang Shouming's preparations for this trip were very thorough, spending a considerable amount of merit points to hire a whole team of family guards.

Apart from the strongest, Wang Hu, the rest were at least at the fifth layer of Qi Refining, showing the formidable overall strength.

Just the first exchange, and the third-tier Red-Scaled Horned Python had already suffered a significant loss.

However, the battle was far from over.

Wang Shouming and others immediately took out some seeds and threw them around the Red-Scaled Horned Python. These seeds were "Witch No. 29" from the Witch series developed by Wang Shouzhe.

The evolution of the Witch series from generation to generation also represented Wang Shouzhe's never-ending process of research and development. The younger members of the clan were very fond of the Witch series, willing to exchange a lot of family merit points for them.

Its strongest effect was control! Once the enemy was controlled, it was like a fish on a chopping board, ready to be slaughtered.

The seeds of the Witch series contained a portion of Wang Shouzhe's Xuanqi. Once activated, they would grow wildly, like the long hair of a witch, entangling and binding the enemy.

Although the Red-Scaled Horned Python was a "noble" third-tier fierce beast, it was not known for its strength. With the "Witch's Long Hair" continuously entangling it, its mobility was hindered.

The Wang's Clan members and family guards kept retreating, shielded by three family guards with shields. The overall formation was simple but effective. It was a straightforward formation gradually developed by the Wang's Clan during their autumn and winter hunts in the wilderness.

Fierce beasts might be formidable, but the intelligence of third and fourth-tier beasts was limited. Only at the fifth tier would their intelligence undergo a qualitative change, and at the seventh tier, they would be able to speak human language and possess extraordinary wisdom.

"Hiss, hiss~"

The Red-Scaled Horned Python, both frightened and furious, spat out a ball of red poison flame, its trump card. In the wild, when fighting other fierce beasts, it often burned its opponents to the point of peeling skin and bursting flesh, the poisonous fire attacking the heart.

Unfortunately, it encountered humans.

The Wang's Clan members and family guards were well-versed in dealing with common fierce beasts. Under the protection of their hide-covered shields, the poisonous flames were completely blocked. At the same time, an even more ferocious barrage of arrows rained down on it.

"Puff, puff, puff!"

Arrow after arrow, imbued with Xuanqi, pierced deeply into the body of the Red-Scaled Horned Python.

After several rounds...

The Red-Scaled Horned Python's injuries worsened, and it instinctively felt fear, turning its head to flee. It was fast, and in just a few breaths, it had darted into the rugged rocks and disappeared.

"Chase it, don't let it get away," Wang Shouming said excitedly. If he went hunting with the elders, the family contribution points he would get were very low.

But for the younger generation, including himself, sharing the value of a third-tier fierce beast worth thousands of Top Gold was already a considerable gain.

Therefore, everyone, including the family guards, was very excited.

They tracked it down, but the terrain became increasingly hot and rugged, and the traces on the ground grew scarcer.

But no one gave up, even if it meant searching for days to flush it out. The Red-Scaled Horned Python couldn't just vanish without a reason; it most likely fled back to its lair, which had to be nearby.

After searching for several hours...

"Auntie Jiu, look at this."

Suddenly, Wang Lianlian discovered a trace of blood mixed with mucus in a crevice and quickly called Wang Luqing over to inspect it.

The Red-Scaled Horned Python was seriously injured. Although it instinctively covered some of its tracks, it couldn't completely hide its presence.

"Indeed, it's the blood of a third-tier Red-Scaled Horned Python."

After Wang Luqing confirmed it, she quickly called over Wang Shouming, Wang Zongyao, and a group of family guards.

The bloodstain was found in a crevice, which was in a peculiar position, seeming to lead downward at an angle, blocked by a slanted rock overhead. The Red-Scaled Horned Python could squeeze through, but it would be difficult for humans.

Of course, it wasn't impossible, just that they would have to crawl.

"Goodness~ No wonder we couldn't find its trace before; it found a good place to hide. Who could find it here?" Wang Shouming marveled for a moment, then turned to Wang Luqing, "Sister, send your earth puppet in to explore, will you?"

"Okay."

Wang Luqing nodded, took out the "Earth Spirit Pearl" she had picked up, and once again condensed a mini earth puppet, directing it to crawl into the crevice.

Seeing her silent for a while, Wang Zongming couldn't help but urge, "Sister, what's the situation below?"

"Brother, there's a cavern below." Wang Luqing came back to her senses, her expression carrying a hint of surprise, "Not far from here is a Flame Cave, and the traces of the third-tier Red-Scaled Horned Python lead down along the lava channel."

"A lava cavern?"

Hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.

They had previously deduced that this was a geothermal terrain, but finding the exact location of the geothermal heat was not easy.

The terrain of the Liuping Mountain Range was quite complex, with various poisonous pools and ice caves, and geothermal heat had been discovered in two places. Geothermal sites, though not as valuable as fire elemental spirit veins, could be quite useful if located properly. For example, higher-level alchemy and forging were best done with geothermal heat, which could reach temperatures higher than ordinary alchemy furnaces.

Moreover, in an undeveloped geothermal environment, there might also be some heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Discovering good items meant a large amount of family contribution.

Although everyone was excited...

The Wang's Clan's unique caution was fully demonstrated, and everyone restrained their excitement. After prying open the crevice, they sent a small earth puppet ahead to carefully scout the path.

They adjusted their team formation according to the cave's terrain, preferring to move slowly rather than take any risks. Of course, they weren't born this way; they were scolded into it by their elders time and time again.

It took half a day...

Before the group explored about three hundred meters down, the surroundings grew increasingly hot, and in some cracks in the rocks, they could faintly see the scorching magma. Fortunately, they were all Basalt cultivators, with heat resistance far beyond ordinary people, and they could withstand such intense heat.

Suddenly, after prying open a narrow crevice, the surroundings brightened up.

They entered a spacious area.

Several "lava streams" converged towards the center, forming a "magma pond," with the magma gently bubbling, making a bubbling sound.

The long-sought Red-Scaled Horned Python was coiled in a corner, its color almost blending with the surrounding environment. Upon seeing the people, it was both shocked and angry, raising its head and hissing, warning them to back off.

Logically, this Red-Scaled Horned Python, worth thousands of Top Gold, would attract everyone's attention.

But Wang Shouming and the others only glanced at the Red-Scaled Horned Python before turning their attention elsewhere. The reason was simple: fire elemental spiritual light was pulsating continuously by the "magma pond."

Precious fire elemental spiritual herbs grew like weeds, dazzling and breathtaking.

One thought floated through everyone's minds: "We're rich!"

Not only was there geothermal heat here, but there was also a natural fire elemental spirit vein, and the spirit vein was growing many spiritual herbs.

"Brother, this open space in the lava cave and the 'magma pond' seem to be man-made." Wang Luqing, who was more detail-oriented, looked around and said, "Everyone, look, the cliffs here clearly show signs of excavation. Those lava streams have also been diverted here."

"Based on the structure of the spirit vein, the magma pond is clearly a spirit node."

Everyone looked closely and saw that it was indeed the case. Although the signs of excavation might have been blurred due to the passage of time, careful observation still revealed human intervention.

Before the Wang's Clan developed a corner of Ping'an, this area was definitely part of the wilderness. Who could have developed a fire elemental spirit vein here and gathered it into a spirit node?

"Could it be that we're about to uncover an ancient relic?" Wang Zongyao said excitedly, "That would really be striking it rich."

This land could be traced back to the God Martial Royal Dynasty.

Everyone was unaware of what preceded the God Martial Royal Dynasty, but they knew that since its fall, it had been a hundred thousand years. During these hundred thousand years, countless events had occurred.

The Great Qian had only been founded for seven or eight thousand years, experiencing only two generations of emperors.

Although human civilization had suffered losses, the spark of life had never been extinguished.

"Let's not talk about that for now." Wang Shouming also tried to suppress his excitement and said, "Let's deal with the Red-Scaled Horned Python first, then we can search slowly. I've been coveting its fire elemental gallbladder for a long time."

He practiced the "Crimson Dragon True Scripture," and the fire elemental essence of the Red-Scaled Horned Python was very beneficial to his cultivation. Originally thinking it was just a peak second-tier Red-Scaled Horned Python, now that it turned out to be a third-tier, it couldn't be better.

Afterward...

The Wang's Clan members cautiously surrounded and subdued the injured Red-Scaled Horned Python. The process wasn't particularly thrilling, and the tactics were extremely conservative. But it was precisely because of this conservatism that they gradually wore down the injured and increasingly ferocious Red-Scaled Horned Python.

Among them, only one family guard was burned on the arm by the red poison flame, suffering burns and fire poison. They had brought ointments for treating fire poison and healing pills before coming, so it wasn't a big problem.

Apart from that, it was a complete victory.

Then, under Wang Shouming's command, those who needed healing were treated, those who needed to butcher the spoils did so. The rest carefully scavenged the fire elemental spiritual herbs while searching the lava cave bit by bit, not overlooking any suspicious spots.

This was the difference between humans and fierce beasts; the Red-Scaled Horned Python occupied this place, merely using it as a comfortable lair rich in fire elemental spiritual energy. Humans, on the other hand, would explore every suspicious place bit by bit.

"There's a mechanism here." Wang Zongyao found something that seemed to be a mechanism.

But no one was foolish enough to activate it directly; what if it triggered a crisis?

Everyone first transported the spoils out of the lava cave bit by bit, called over the Panjiao pack goats and family guards, and set up camp outside. With the Red-Scaled Horned Python, they didn't have to worry about food shortages; they just needed to find a water source.

At the same time, two family guards were sent back to report the matter to the clan.

Thus, another seven or eight days passed.

A mature and steady man with a face like a crown jade and two small mustaches arrived first. The young members of the Wang's Clan all went up to greet him: "Greetings to Fifth Brother/Fifth Uncle."

This person was Wang Shouyong, the fifth of the Wang's Clan's Shou generation. He had grown from a young lad to a handsome young man, and now at thirty-seven or thirty-eight, he was a mature and steady man, witnessing and experiencing the Wang's Clan's rise from poverty and decline to its current glory.

With the substantial support of the clan's resources, Wang Shouyong had entered the Lingtai Realm several years ago. Although his bloodline was not extraordinary, he had reached the middle stage of the second layer.

If placed in an academy, he could compete for a core disciple position.

This was the true foundation of the Wang's Clan today, not just the dazzlingly powerful geniuses and great geniuses on the surface.

But every core member of the clan worked diligently for the development and contribution of the clan. If Wang Luqiu and the others were the pioneers and spearheads of the clan, then Wang Shouyong and the others were the foundation stones of the clan.

"You've done well," Wang Shouyong said with a stern face but also showed a hint of appreciation, "Encountering a suspected ancient relic, you didn't act rashly but held your ground and waited for clan support. When Fourth Brother returns, I will report truthfully and give you additional rewards."