The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

"Master Fenglin, the two spiritual-root cultivators from Yun Cang Yun family have arrived at the camp gates."

A burly middle-aged man wearing black armor and carrying a blade at his waist entered, lifting the curtain of the tent.

This man was Xiao Shan, the county captain of Lanlin County, tasked with leading a thousand elite soldiers to assist Sun Fenglin in the search and capture of the Gu Master Cult followers hiding in the Chuyun Mountains.

"Let's go welcome them," Sun Fenglin said, standing up. With his two brothers and Xiao Shan accompanying him, he made his way to the camp entrance.

In the distance, a column of troops slowly approached along the road, led by Chang Yuan.

The procession halted outside the camp gates, where Chang Yuan dismounted and strode forward to greet Xiao Shan with a respectful bow.

"Captain Xiao, it's been a long time."

"Haha, Captain Chang, it's good to see you again!" Xiao Shan replied, clasping his hands in return.

"These three are the spiritual-root cultivators of the Lanlin Sun family. They'll be joining us in our mission to locate and capture the Gu Master Cultists," Xiao Shan said, introducing Sun Fenglin and his brothers after a brief exchange of pleasantries.

"Chang Yuan greets Master Fenglin," Chang Yuan said, bowing politely.

"Where are Brother Yantian and Sister Yanshuang?" Sun Fenglin asked, returning the gesture.

"They're in the carriage. I'll bring the two young masters over to meet you," Chang Yuan replied before heading toward the carriage, which was surrounded by the thousand-strong escort.

A moment later, Yun Yanshuang and Yun Yantian emerged from the carriage and approached the camp.

"Brother Fenglin, it's been a while!" Yun Yantian called out with a warm smile.

"Brother Yantian," Sun Fenglin replied, nodding. "Come, let's head to the command tent and discuss how to proceed from here."

Once inside the command tent, the group sat down to discuss their plans.

"The Chuyun Mountains cover a vast area," Yun Yantian began. "Even with Captain Xiao and Captain Chang leading two thousand soldiers, locating the Gu Master Cultists hiding in the mountains won't be an easy task.

"Do you have a specific plan, Brother Fenglin?"

"We don't have much of a strategy," Sun Fenglin admitted after a moment's thought. "Before you arrived, Captain Xiao and I discussed sending the soldiers into the mountains to search. Meanwhile, we'd remain here at the base to provide support.

"If the soldiers discover the cultists' hideout, they'll signal us, and we'll join them to capture the Gu Master Cultists together."

"That approach may not work," Yun Yantian said thoughtfully. "If the cultists are hiding deep in the mountains, even with a signal, it will take time for us to reach the location.

"In that case, the cultists may notice the disturbance and escape before we can act. Captain Xiao and Captain Chang might struggle to detain them."

"What do you suggest, then?" Sun Fenglin asked with a smile.

"Actually…" Yun Yantian began, only to be interrupted by Sun Fengli, who stood abruptly from his seat.

"Fengli, what are you doing?" Sun Fenglin asked, frowning at his brother's behavior.

"I think we should split up," Sun Fengli said, ignoring his brother's displeasure. He turned to Yun Yantian, his expression playful yet challenging.

"Splitting up would leave us vulnerable to being picked off one by one," Yun Yantian replied evenly.

"Oh, don't give me that nonsense about being picked off. Your Yun Cang Yun family has a thousand soldiers, and so does our Lanlin Sun family.

"Whoever finds and captures the Gu Master Cultists first gets the credit."

"Otherwise, if we all work together to take down the cultists, there's bound to be disputes over who deserves the recognition. Don't you agree, Brother Yantian?" Sun Fengli said, grinning.

"Fengli, that's enough!" Sun Fenglin snapped, his tone darkening.

"Brother Fenglin, I'm only speaking the truth. How is that disrespectful?" Sun Fengli retorted before turning back to Yun Yantian. "Of course, if Brother Yantian disagrees, we can settle this another way.

"If you can defeat me, I'll follow your lead without question."

His eyes gleamed with amusement as he looked at Yun Yantian, clearly eager to test the strength of the Yun family's cultivators.

In both the secular and cultivation worlds, strength was king. Sun Fengli wanted to see for himself if the two spiritual-root cultivators from Yun Cang Yun truly lived up to their reputation.

Why should the Sun family's cultivators follow Yun Yantian's plan unless he could prove his strength?

"Sun Fengli, don't take this too far!" Sun Fenglin warned, gripping the armrests of his chair tightly to suppress the urge to discipline his brother on the spot.

Despite his earlier warnings, Sun Fengli had clearly disregarded him completely.

"Brother Fenglin, it's fine," Yun Yantian said with a faint smile.

"My apologies, Brother Yantian. My younger brother has a brash mouth and speaks without thinking. Please don't take offense," Sun Fenglin said quickly, hoping to ease any tension.

Little did he know, Yun Yantian didn't even consider Sun Fengli worth his attention.

To him, Sun Fengli was no different from a barking stray dog—one that might unknowingly offend someone important in the cultivation world and not even realize how it had brought about its own demise.

"No need to apologize; I didn't take it to heart," Yun Yantian said lightly.

"Did you hear that, Brother Fenglin? He didn't take it to heart," Sun Fengli chimed in smugly, a cocky grin spreading across his face.

"Brother Yantian is magnanimous and doesn't hold grudges," Sun Fenglin replied, his tone turning sharp as he shot his brother a warning glance.

"Since he's magnanimous, he should at least listen to what I have to say, right? Brother Yantian, how about a sparring match? Let me see what you're made of," Sun Fengli said, his grin widening.

"Sure," Yun Yantian replied, still smiling.

"Ha! Excellent! Brother Yantian, you'd better be careful!" Sun Fengli laughed loudly, immediately activating the spiritual energy within his body as he prepared to make his move.

But before he could even lift a finger, a terrifying pressure crashed down on him like a tidal wave.

The immense spiritual force pinned him to the ground, his body trembling under the weight of it. Veins bulged on his forehead as he struggled, but he couldn't move an inch.

The sheer force stunned everyone in the tent.

Sun Fenglin, Sun Fengxuan, Chang Yuan, and Xiao Shan all watched in disbelief, their faces reflecting the same astonishment. None of them had anticipated that Yun Yantian's mere presence could utterly suppress Sun Fengli without lifting a hand.

"This… this can't be happening!"

Sun Fengli's face was pale with shock and fear as he lay pressed to the ground.

He had doubted the strength of the newly established Yun Cang Yun family, convinced they couldn't produce cultivators of any real caliber.

But this brief exchange had shattered his assumptions. He now realized the vast gap between himself and Yun Yantian—a gulf far larger than he could have imagined.

"Brother Yantian, please have mercy and don't harm my brother," Sun Fenglin said, rising from his seat and bowing respectfully to Yun Yantian. Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire

"Release," Yun Yantian commanded, his voice low.

The oppressive aura vanished in an instant.@@novelbin@@

Sun Fengli let out a long, relieved breath as he pushed himself up. His back was drenched in cold sweat, and his body felt weak.

"Thank you, Brother Yantian," Sun Fenglin said gratefully.

"No need to thank me," Yun Yantian replied calmly.

"Sun Fengli, thank Brother Yantian and apologize for your behavior," Sun Fenglin ordered sternly.

"Brother Yantian, you are indeed formidable. I am completely convinced of your strength. I will honor my word—whatever you decide, I will follow without complaint," Sun Fengli said, bowing deeply to Yun Yantian.

Though a trace of resentment lingered in his heart, Sun Fengli understood the overwhelming disparity between their abilities. For now, he could only swallow his pride and plan to work harder to surpass Yun Yantian someday.

"Brother Fenglin," Yun Yantian said, turning his attention back to Sun Fenglin. "My sister, Shuang'er, has a method to locate the Gu Master Cultists.

"But before we proceed, could you bring in the corpse you discovered earlier?"

"You mean Shuang'er has a way to track them? I didn't expect this!" Sun Fenglin exclaimed, equal parts surprised and delighted.

Without delay, Sun Fenglin gave the order, and the restrained corpse—still intact and unburned—was carried into the command tent.

Yun Yanshuang rose from her seat and approached the corpse, which lay bound tightly to a stretcher.

She removed a talisman-like coin tied to her waist and placed it gently on the corpse's forehead.

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