Chapter 289

Chapter 289: Ambush

Since the Lin Family and the Lu Family started their war, the disciples of the Lin Family had been steadily depleted, especially now that they were deeply mired in the conflict and couldn’t extract themselves.

At times like this, replenishing combat strength could only mean recruiting forces from their subordinate factions and those loose cultivators.

But these people weren’t part of the Lin Family; seeing that the Lin Family’s decline was inevitable, they would definitely choose betrayal without hesitation.

Upon realizing the spiritual mine had become isolated with no hope of rescue, these three loose cultivators conceived the idea of defecting to the Lu Family.

If not for Zhou Chang An’s sufficient vigilance, those Lu Family cultivators would likely have infiltrated the spiritual mine silently under the trio’s betrayal, catching the defenders completely off guard.

By then, it would have been too late.

Now, the three suddenly launched their attack. All at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement cultivation and fighting together, they managed to pin down Zhou Chang An, preventing him from crushing the communication talisman.

"We want to live, so your Lin Family must die!"

One of the men had a face twisted fiercely. His sword techniques were fierce, solely focused on killing his opponent quickly to avoid raising an alarm.

Simultaneously, the Lu Family cultivators who had already infiltrated the spiritual mine revealed themselves, seeking to kill Zhou Chang An.

This way, their main force could enter the place undetected.

Seven figures attacked at once, their dazzling spiritual light flashing in the night. Zhou Chang An was steadily forced back, finding no chance to shatter the communication talisman.

His face was filled with anger as he looked at the seven bearing down on him and the possibility of even more Lu Family cultivators appearing.

He knew if his brothers and sisters weren’t alerted, they would all be ambushed.

In this situation, Zhou Chang An hesitated no more. Spiritual light flashed from his right hand, and a top-quality talisman appeared in his grasp.

This crimson talisman showed sparks of flame—a hidden trump card given to this eldest son by Zhou Luo.

His current cultivation at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement allowed him to activate it, but doing so would severely damage his mental strength afterward.

But now, he had to act.

Without using this top-quality talisman, the events of tonight would never be known.

Realizing this, he hardened his heart. He poured in spiritual energy and hurled the talisman towards the figures charging at him.

The moment the crimson talisman appeared, the seven had already begun to move. But by the time its overwhelming power unfurled, it was too late to block.

They realized they could only flee.

So they retreated without hesitation.

But the talisman had already been activated. It erupted in the night sky with blinding radiance. Flames sprayed out; endless fire surged forth. A terrifying wave of scorching heat roared towards the group, illuminating the entire night sky.

Boom—

The attack caused a tremendous upheaval in the silent night. The ground trembled violently, mountains shook, startling countless cultivators awake.

Xu Changsheng, Zhou Chang Le and the others all roused, seeing the sky filled with flames in the distance. They rushed towards that spot at full speed.

Meanwhile, under the assault of the top-quality talisman, the seven couldn’t evade or escape at all. They had already been burned by the endless flames into blackened, charred corpses.

Zhou Chang An was drenched in sweat, his mental strength depleted.

"Well, well. To think you still had such a card up your sleeve!"

At this moment, a mocking voice rang out from the darkness.

Zhou Chang An stood holding his sword, gazing at the man not far away as if confronting a formidable foe.

The man in black robes was middle-aged, looking at him with disdain while radiating terrifying pressure.

Eighth level of Qi Refinement!

Zhou Chang An’s face paled with horror.

This foe was beyond his capability, but retreating meant no one could delay the enemy’s advance. He had to stall them.

Besides, he still possessed other means.

So without hesitation, he launched his assault in fury.

Meanwhile, Zhou Chang Le and Xu Changsheng were rushing toward this location.

Releasing their mental strength, they immediately noticed the breach in the spiritual mine’s protective formation.

"Damn it! Are all the patrols dead?" bellowed Zhou Chang Le.

Ignoring the blazing eruption, he charged straight toward the gap in the formation.

Only by sealing this breach could they halt the advance of the Lu Family’s main forces.

Following close behind, both Xu Changsheng and Zhou Shiling adopted the same approach.

"Uncle Xu, that’s top-quality symbol energy—it might be Chang An!" Zhou Shiling’s anxious voice rang through the air.

"Already dispatched reinforcements there," Xu Changsheng nodded gravely. "Sealing the gap takes priority."

If the formation failed, the entire spiritual mine would fall into the Lu Family’s grasp.

Under night’s cloak, countless silhouettes shot from all directions—converging on the source of chaos.

Battle cries and spell clashes erupted in relentless waves.

Peace had been banished from this night.

…

Facing an eighth-level Qi Refinement opponent, Zhou Chang An stood unwavering, using treasures inherited from his father to block the foe.

The man furrowed his brow, astonished that someone merely at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement proved so troublesome.

"Elder Brother!"

Just then, Zhou Luo’s other children arrived together.

Sensing peril, they’d raced to lend support.

Scanning the assembled siblings, Zhou Chang An saw neither Chang Le nor Shiling. Dread gripped his heart.

"Fall back! None can withstand this foe!" he roared.

"Running?" The man sneered as golden light flared in his palm.

What materialized was no ordinary symbol. This golden token pulsed with apocalyptic power—surpassing even top-quality symbols.

Treasure!

Terror convulsed through the group.

The Lu Family had breached the spiritual mine, deploying even this rarest of artifacts.

When Zhou Luo still guarded the mine, this treasure had battled against Elder Si of the Lin Family, Lin Tianfang. Its appearance in this adept’s hand spelled annihilation.

"Brother, flee!" came a mental warning.

Others tensed for retreat.

Zhou Chang An’s jaw tightened, eyes blazing with resolve.

"Find Chang Le and them! I’ll hold him off."

Without someone drawing its fury, the treasure could obliterate them instantly.

As eldest son, this burden was his to bear.

"Brother, that’s a treasure!" someone stammered in disbelief.

The might of such treasure dwarfed even top-quality symbols.

"Don’t worry. Father entrusted me with one last gambit."

With that, Zhou Chang An produced a potion and swallowed it.

Instantly, torrential spiritual energy erupted from his body—his cultivation level rocketing upward.

Within a breath, it soared to ninth level of Qi Refinement.

This Explosive Spirit Potion had come from Zhou Luo himself.

After acquiring two pills long ago, he had entrusted one to his eldest son.

Knowing his firstborn’s nature—one who’d willingly shield siblings even unto death—he prepared accordingly.

Now, that foresight manifested.

Powered by the potion, Zhou Chang An became an unstoppable force.

"Go! Now!"

His earth-shaking command sent the others scrambling back.

"Flee? Where?"

The treasure glowed ready in his enemy’s hand—until Zhou Chang An exploded from the ground with thunderous speed.

"Your opponent is ME."