Chapter 113: Chapter 113: Reuniting with Tang Zhixian
The Tang family is a Foundation Establishment Clan, with currently over 120 cultivators and a population nearing ten thousand.
The Tang family has been passed down for over 360 years, its founder being the Foundation Establishment Cultivator Tang Zhishu, who was the great-grandfather of Tang Zhixian, and has long since passed away.
The current patriarch of the Tang family is Tang Peiyu, who broke through to the Foundation Establishment Stage three years ago, reinstating the Tang family’s status as a Foundation Establishment Clan.
This time, the Tang family has sent more than twenty cultivators.
Leading them is the Eighth-Layer Qi Cultivation Tang Jianmu, an elder with a seemingly cold demeanor.
Among them, there is someone quite familiar to the disciples of the Cyan Mountain Sect.
Tang Zhixian.
"Cyan Mountain Sect..."
When reuniting with fellow cultivators, Tang Zhixian saw Lu Zhiwei and the others, and his expression clearly froze.
He didn’t expect that, in his impression, the Cyan Mountain Sect, which was struggling to survive, actually had the leisure to send people to combat the locust disaster, minding such matters.
He couldn’t tell if Lu Yuanshan had a large heart or if he truly wished to contribute slightly to clearing out the locusts.
"Master, look at the Tang family group, is that young man in the White Jade Robe Tang Zhixian?"
As Tang Zhixian was sizing up Lu Zhiwei and the others, Zhang Nianchuan, sharp-eyed, quickly spotted Tang Zhixian and softly said to Lu Zhiwei, who was sitting cross-legged beside him.
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhiwei followed Zhang Nianchuan’s gaze and indeed, who else could it be but Tang Zhixian?
Seeing Lu Zhiwei side-eyeing over, with a cool demeanor, Tang Zhixian recalled the scene at the voting assembly where he voluntarily withdrew from the Cyan Mountain Sect, which couldn’t help but make his expression momentarily stiffen.
Feeling a twinge of guilt, he quickly turned his head away, not daring to meet eyes.
"Hmph, he didn’t even greet us when he saw us, seems he truly treats us as outsiders."
Song Minghui also spotted Tang Zhixian and pouted.
She thought if Lu Changfeng were here, upon seeing Tang Zhixian, he would definitely go up and mock him, throwing a few sarcastic remarks.
Ever since Tang Zhixian left the Cyan Mountain Sect, she often heard Lu Changfeng grumbling, secretly cursing Tang Zhixian as ungrateful and disloyal.
One can imagine how bad Tang Zhixian’s impression became in Lu Changfeng’s mind.
Seeing Tang Zhixian turn his head away, showing no sign of greeting, Lu Zhiwei’s expression remained cool.
She continued to recuperate, paying no further attention.
Only Zhang Nianchuan, Song Minghui, and a few others whispered among themselves, not bothering to go up and make futile exchanges.
As for Tang Jianmu himself, having seen much of human interactions, he was not too concerned about the past between the Tang family and Cyan Mountain Sect.
After the Cyan Mountain Sect declined, the old matters of leaving the sect to form their own branch were, to him, things of the past and not worth mentioning.
Handling interpersonal relationships more smoothly, he took the initiative to greet Lu Zhiwei courteously.
After all, with so many people present, and with Shenxiao Palace and Heaven-Facing Sect watching, it was necessary to exchange formal greetings with the Cyan Mountain Sect, to not let others think the Tang family lacked manners.
In response to Tang Jianmu’s proactive greeting, Lu Zhiwei did not speak, only nodding slightly as a response.
Then, at dusk, everyone faced a new wave of locust swarms.
The number of this locust swarm reached over 140,000, with the leading Locust King possessing a strength of Sixth-Layer Qi Cultivation.
Drawing on prior clearance experience, everyone used fire magic to slaughter the locusts on a large scale.
This group attack proved very practical.
The swarm’s strength was not strong, and the strongest wave to come, led by a Locust King reaching the Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation.
This Locust King, upon appearance, was jointly killed by Lu Zhiwei and Sun Jinxiu with little effort.
In an effort to restore some reputation in Lushan County, the next day, even the Hengyue Sect actively participated in this locust disaster combat, sending out many disciples to contribute significantly.
The Hengyue Sect was led by Elder Wei Yuan.
Since the Hengyue Sect’s reputation fell sharply in Lushan County, Wei Yuan was specifically sent by the sect to lead disciples in assisting the populace in combating the locust disaster.
This action might help restore some reputation, earning any bit of goodwill is something.
Moreover, Hengyue Sect calculated well.
Within the Hengyue Sect, there were only two Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and for safety reasons, neither was dispatched, both stayed to guard the sect.
After all, the Hengyue Sect had no protection from the Sect Establishment Order.
Thus, the choice of leader had to be a Qi Cultivation Stage Elder.
Conveniently, Wei Yuan was an excellent choice.
Additionally, restoring some reputation for Hengyue Sect was one matter, removing the locust disaster to protect their own spirit fields was equally important.
Cultivation clans and local sects in Lushan County understood the principle of interdependence, hence they wouldn’t allow the locust disaster to spread unchecked, harming themselves in the end.
It must be said that in the matter of clearing the locust disaster, Hengyue Sect did a commendable job this time, leaving little to criticize.
Arriving in Zhurong County, Wei Yuan saw Lu Zhiwei and the Cyan Mountain Sect cultivators; despite feeling an impulse to eliminate Lu Zhiwei and her group here,
the presence of Shenxiao Palace and Heaven-Facing Sect meant that causing infighting at this time would not only severely hinder the locust disaster clearance progress but would also be another blow to Hengyue Sect’s reputation.
Wei Yuan was no fool, understanding what should and shouldn’t be done at this time, so he could only cooperatively assist others in clearing the locusts.
Amidst the watchful eyes, attempting petty tricks wasn’t easy.
Wei Yuan merely let out a low hum towards Lu Zhiwei as a form of greeting and did not talk to her again in the following days.
Occasionally for collaboration, he would discuss defensive strategies with leaders like Zhu Taiyuan, Sun Jinxiu, and how to allocate personnel to confront the next wave of swarms.
With the joint efforts of four sects and six cultivation clans, after five to six days of clearing, stationed in Zhurong County, the locust disaster was nearly eliminated.
Only the last group remained, with about 90,000 locusts, led by a Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation Locust King, which changed its eating route, bypassing Zhurong County and heading towards nearby counties.
This last swarm’s route change was unexpected by everyone.
Upon learning that this locust swarm bypassed Zhurong County and began causing trouble in Heze County, Lu Zhiwei and the others immediately rushed towards Heze County.
Heze County, located to the east of Zhurong County, is already at the eastern border of Lushan County. In terms of population and economic development, it’s no less than Zhurong County.
Upon entering Heze County, the first priority was to chase towards the direction of the swarm.
Since the swarm settled in the farmlands for feeding after reaching Heze County, it wouldn’t leave for a short period.
By the time everyone set foot in the farmlands, the scene in the farmlands could already be described as desolate and bleak.
Tens of thousands of locusts swirled over the fields like a thick cloud, each the size of a fist, their mouths opening and closing as they frantically devoured the crops in the fields.
Visibly, an acre of farmland was quickly devoured by the swarms, with not even the rice stalks or scattered leaves spared.
All that remained was the wet soil, blackened mud, a complete picture of barrenness and devastation.
A Locust King, its size already surpassing that of a person, its body an intertwining yellow and black, occasionally appeared within the swarm, voraciously consuming the crops.
"Among this swarm, that Demon Locust is much larger than any encountered before, seemingly at least at the Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation, if not stronger."
Sun Jinxiu’s gaze was fixed on that Locust King.
"After days of continuous feeding, this Demon Locust already shows signs of advancing. If not swiftly slain, it may soon reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, which would be troublesome by then."
"Lu Daoist, I must again ask your help to quickly slay it together!"