The Liu family.
The elder of the Liu family sat calmly in the main hall, a tea set placed beside him, and a maid was carefully pouring him tea.
Suddenly, a shadow in the corner stirred, and a dark guard appeared, whispering a few words into the Liu family patriarch's ear.
"Are you sure there are only two?" the Liu family patriarch asked coldly.
"Reporting to the patriarch, as far as we can tell, only two have been acting suspiciously, trying to get close to the backyard to pass messages to Young Master Liu," the dark guard replied respectfully.
"Notify the Ancestral Elders and apprehend these two traitors. After killing them, throw them out of this world and remove them from the cycle of reincarnation," the Liu family patriarch said coldly.
This world's cycle of reincarnation was not perfect; there was a significant loophole. As long as a target died and was expelled from this world during that cycle, they would be excluded from the next cycle.
Of course, the Liu family patriarch could not possibly know such confidential information. Or perhaps, among the entire Liu family, only Young Master Liu knew.
The Liu family patriarch's current knowledge of this intelligence was thanks to someone—the Principal. The Principal had told him these things alone, and it was from then on that the Liu family patriarch began to harbor the idea of dealing with Young Master Liu.
He wanted to use this cycle to eliminate all unstable factors and turn this world into his absolute domain!
"Yes, Patriarch." The dark guard acknowledged, and his figure vanished.
"It's time to see Young Master Liu." The Liu family patriarch sneered, glanced at the sky outside, stood up, and walked towards the backyard.
About ten minutes later, the Liu family patriarch arrived at Young Master Liu's residence in the backyard. Young Master Liu was still painting at the stone table in the backyard, and his paintings were as terrible as ever.
"What is it?" Young Master Liu asked without stopping his brushstrokes.
"It concerns the Demon Extermination Division," the Liu family patriarch said flatly. "They have regrouped and are preparing to attack the Liu family ancestral home again. The one leading them is Young Master Fang, whom you met before."
"Can't you handle such a trivial matter yourself? Why bother me?" Young Master Liu said dismissively.
"The Demon Extermination Division is a trivial matter, but I heard... someone in our Liu family is planning to assist them," the Liu family patriarch said sarcastically, his eyes gazing at Young Master Liu with a half-smile. "May I ask if you know who it is?"
Upon hearing this, Young Master Liu stopped his brushstrokes, looked up, and stared coldly at the Liu family patriarch.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you know what I mean?" the Liu family patriarch sneered.
Young Master Liu stared at the Liu family patriarch. "It seems you already know. I didn't expect your dark guards to be so deeply embedded, with all my movements under your control."
"If you don't want others to know, then don't do it!" the Liu family patriarch said smugly.
"Then what do you want?" Seeing this, Young Master Liu sat back on the stone stool and asked openly. His status in the Liu family was the highest, and he did not believe the Liu family patriarch would dare to lay a hand on him!
But today, he was utterly mistaken.
"What do I want?" the Liu family patriarch sneered. "Naturally, to eliminate traitors!"
With that, he raised his hands and clapped twice. Dark guards appeared from different positions, quickly surrounding Young Master Liu. The surrounding space also shifted rapidly, transporting them to a completely dark, vast expanse.
"You dare!" Seeing the change in his surroundings, Young Master Liu's expression darkened, and he shouted, "Aren't you afraid of the Painter's retribution?"
"Retribution? Hahaha." The Liu family patriarch laughed disdainfully. "That old man abandoned us in this world for a thousand years and has never shown himself. Does he have the right to blame me?"
"You... how dare you be so disrespectful!" Young Master Liu was furious.
"Enough nonsense, you die today!" The Liu family patriarch's body transformed rapidly, turning into a terrifying monster over twenty meters tall. Its form resembled a crab, but with an elongated neck and head, and a back covered in hideous, screaming human faces.
The figures of the other dark guards also began to change, transforming into massive, humanoid slime-like monsters with rows of fangs and gaping mouths, constantly emitting shrill screams.
Seeing this, Young Master Liu knew that a victor must be decided today. His eyes instantly turned red, and feathers broke through his clothes, extending outwards. In a flash, a colossal monster bird nearly thirty meters in size appeared. He then tried to soar into the sky, only to find he couldn't fly at all!
"Anti-flight?" Young Master Liu exclaimed in shock. "You've brought me to the forbidden area!"
In the Liu family, only forbidden areas possessed anti-flight capabilities. This dark space was actually in a forbidden area! The Liu family patriarch was truly audacious. The Painter had explicitly warned that no one was allowed to enter here!
"I'm not afraid of the Painter, so why should I care if this is a forbidden area?" the Liu family patriarch sneered.
"Kill!" The numerous dark guards surged forward, with the Liu family patriarch close behind.
With his flying ability gone, Young Master Liu's strength was greatly diminished. He clumsily dodged the dark guards' attacks, but it was futile.
These dark guards clung to Young Master Liu like parasitic maggots, biting and tearing at him, causing him to cry out in pain as he thrashed about, unable to dislodge them!
The Liu family patriarch seized the opportunity to attack, leaping and pinning Young Master Liu down. He then spat flames, burning Young Master Liu, who screamed in agony.
Young Master Liu struggled continuously, desperately heading in one direction, stumbling as he fled. The Liu family patriarch and the dark guards remained attached to him, ceaselessly attacking.
Without the ability to fly, Young Master Liu's innate abilities were useless against them, posing no threat whatsoever!
...
In two other locations within the Liu family, battles were also raging. The Liu family's Ancestral Elders were besieging two branch family leaders. The fierce battle alerted the entire Liu family, yet not a single direct descendant from any branch dared to step forward to intervene.
Meanwhile, Fang Ming and his group, still outside the city, were unaware that the Liu family had undergone such a drastic upheaval and were still discussing their attack plan.
"Brother Gu, let's split into two groups. You lead the Xuan and Huang teams to enter the city first and cause disruption to draw the Liu family's attention. I'll lead the other two teams of elites directly to the Liu family ancestral home. After contacting our contacts, we'll strike at the heart of the enemy, what do you say?" Fang Ming proposed his plan.
Gu Cheng listened and considered it briefly. It was indeed the best plan currently. The two weaker teams only needed to serve as distractions, while the stronger teams would be used to attack the main base—putting the best steel to the sharpest use!
"No problem, I'll follow Brother Fang's arrangements," Gu Cheng nodded.
Afterward, the two meticulously reviewed the details of the plan.
"There's no time to delay. We'll depart now. You take your men into the city first, and I'll find an opportunity to sneak in," Fang Ming said.
"Alright." Gu Cheng made a gesture and then said to the members of the Demon Extermination Division, "Xuan and Huang teams, follow me into the city. Our mission is to cause as much disruption as possible and divert the Liu family's attention, creating an opportunity for Brother Fang's Heaven and Earth teams to approach the Liu family. However, remember not to harm any innocent civilians."
"Yes!"
"Brother Fang, we're leaving now." Gu Cheng gave Fang Ming a significant look and then led the Xuan and Huang teams away.
"Be careful, Brother Gu!"
"Be careful, Commander!"
Gu Cheng gave a thumbs-up, and a group of people quickly disappeared from their sight.
Fang Ming watched the direction they departed and sighed. Those two weaker teams were acting as bait, and the risk was predictable. He wondered how many members of the Demon Extermination Division would survive this battle.
Time ticked by, and Fang Ming and his group waited under an ancient tree.
"Boom!" A deafening sound exploded in the ears of the Demon Extermination Division members.
"Brother Fang, the Commander has sent the signal," a member of the Heaven team reminded him.
"Then we depart now!"
Fang Ming led the group towards the city. As they got closer, they finally saw the situation within the city. Thick smoke billowed from various places, and screams of terror and agony were incessant.
"Where is your secret passage? Take me there," Fang Ming asked the members of the Demon Extermination Division behind him.
"Follow me." A person stepped forward and led the way towards the city walls. The group followed closely.
This member of the Demon Extermination Division arrived at the base of a section of the city wall and tapped a specific area. Soon, he found the mechanism and pressed a spot. A man-sized opening appeared in the city wall.
"Let's go." The group cautiously entered.
At this moment, within the city, two teams of a thousand men from the Liu family had already engaged with Gu Cheng's Demon Extermination Division forces. However, the disparity in numbers and strength was immense. As soon as the Demon Extermination Division members encountered the opposing forces, they were routed.
"Disperse and retreat! Our objective is not to fight, only to tie them down!" Gu Cheng commanded.
Dozens of Demon Extermination Division members scattered and fled. They were familiar with the city's countless alleys and lanes, moving with the agility of loaches. The Liu family's forces, despite their best efforts, only managed to capture five or six unfortunate individuals. The others, within the city, used their mystical arts to cause widespread destruction.
"Issue a city lockdown immediately! After the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, anyone found on the streets will be killed without exception!"
The Liu family, pushed to their limits, resorted to extreme measures. With the lockdown order issued, the entire city instantly descended into chaos, becoming even more frenzied. Within the time it took for an incense stick to burn, some people couldn't even make it home!
Fang Ming's team of the Demon Extermination Division took the opportunity to quickly approach the Liu family ancestral home, while Gu Cheng's forces became even more audacious in their destruction, disrupting the Liu family's attention.
Soon, the time for one incense stick to burn passed, and the entire city became deserted. Everyone hid in their homes, trembling with fear, wondering what had happened to warrant the Liu family issuing a lockdown.
The members of the Demon Extermination Division naturally could not hide. If they did, Fang Ming's team would face greatly increased risk of exposure. Therefore, they had no choice but to bravely continue their destructive activities to attract the Liu family's attention.
However, in the current situation, the destruction caused by the Demon Extermination Division members was like lighting a lamp in the dark. The Liu family's main forces quickly surrounded the areas where the incidents were occurring, leaving the Demon Extermination Division members with no way to escape.
In an alley, two members of the Huang team were cornered from both front and back. The Liu family soldiers were like a group of cold-blooded machines, their eyes fixed on the two individuals with icy stares.
"Are you scared?" one asked the other.
"Haha, if I were scared, I wouldn't have joined the Demon Extermination Division!" the other laughed heartily.
"Good! Today, let us fight these monsters one more time! Killing one is breaking even, killing two is a great profit!"
"Kill!"
The two, one in front and the other behind, raised their weapons and charged. The Liu family members watched their struggles indifferently before raising their long sabers.
"Leave none alive," the Liu family leader commanded coldly.
A few breaths later, the Liu family members departed, leaving behind only the two dead Demon Extermination Division members with eyes wide open in disbelief.