Level 4 Foundation Establishment is already considered Mid Foundation Establishment.
Under normal circumstances, a Level 4 Foundation Establishment Cultivator would find it effortless to defeat a Level 1 Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Yet, He Xin happened to be facing Meng Bai.
Meng Bai watched as He Xin charged toward him, completely unflustered. Even though he was only at Level 1 Foundation Establishment, his mana was pure and profound, surpassing He Xin’s in quality.
When their palms met in a clash of mana, He Xin’s expression shifted. His right hand trembled imperceptibly, while Meng Bai remained as calm as ever.
Meng Bai gave a faint smile. "It seems that is all you are capable of."
With a dark expression, He Xin spat out, "Fine, Meng Bai, you forced my hand."
He Xin pulled out a red medicinal pill and shoved it into his mouth. He knew there was no turning back today; Meng Bai’s strength had exceeded his expectations. It was do or die now.
Once the pill was ingested, He Xin’s aura became violent and erratic, but his cultivation realm surged to Level 7 Foundation Establishment. Though Level 7 Foundation Establishment barely qualified as Late Foundation Establishment, his combat power was now several times greater than that of a mid-stage cultivator.
Unperturbed, Meng Bai drew his sword.
"Mountain and Sea Sword Intent!"
With a single strike, mountains and seas manifested. The sword energy surged like a tidal wave; even a Late Foundation Establishment Cultivator like He Xin could not withstand it.
In his final moment of consciousness, He Xin felt a sliver of regret. Perhaps the He family should never have offended a monster like Meng Bai.
By the time the battle between Meng Bai and He Xin concluded, the other three major cultivation families in the area had already vanished without a trace.
Meng Bai said slowly, "With He Xin dead, the He family has no Foundation Establishment Cultivators left. Once I report this to the sect today, the He family will be finished."
Meng Bai then looked toward Qingya Town. "Now, how much did the Zhao, Qian, and Sun families involve themselves in this?"
Returning to his cave dwelling, Meng Bai used the spirit pigeon secret technique to report the incident to the Taixu Sect. Under the rule of the Taixu Sect, outer sect disciples held significant status. Assassinating an outer sect disciple without a trace might be one thing, but once discovered, the assassin would surely be hunted down by the Taixu Sect, and their entire family would be implicated.
Taixu Sect, Outer Sect Enforcement Hall.
Xiao An was on duty that day. As an outer sect elder, he naturally did not need to handle everything himself. At that moment, he was resting comfortably on a grand armchair, leisurely sipping spirit tea.
An outer sect disciple from the Enforcement Hall came to report, "Elder, Meng Bai, the garrison at Qingya Town, reports that the He family’s Foundation Establishment Cultivator incited a beast riot in the Qingya Mountains to create an opportunity to assassinate him."
Upon hearing this, Xiao An shot up from his chair, a glint of murderous intent in his eyes. "How bold! It has been a long time since anyone dared to assassinate a disciple of our Taixu Sect under our own jurisdiction. This He family must be punished severely."
"What is the strength of this He family?" Xiao An asked.
The disciple replied, "They are merely an average Foundation Establishment family, and there are no He family disciples currently in the sect. The assassin is He Xin of the He family; the sect archives list him as a Level 3 Foundation Establishment Cultivator."
Because He Xin had deliberately concealed his progress, the Taixu Sect remained unaware that he had reached Level 4 Foundation Establishment.
Xiao An asked again, "What is Meng Bai’s current cultivation level?"
Xiao An had a slight impression of Meng Bai; a year ago, during the outer sect promotion assessment he oversaw, the youth had remained calm and collected under his pressure.
"Reporting to the Elder, he has already advanced to Level 1 Foundation Establishment."
Xiao An smiled slightly. "Not bad. To be able to withstand an assassination attempt by a Level 3 Foundation Establishment Cultivator while only at Level 1, Meng Bai must have a solid foundation."
The disciple was about to mention that Meng Bai had actually killed He Xin, but before he could speak, a sharp look flashed in Xiao An’s eyes. "Pass on my order: strip all cultivators of the He family of their cultivation and drive them out of the Taixu Sect’s territory. A mere Foundation Establishment family dares to challenge the majesty of our Taixu Sect?"
"Yes!" the disciple responded. He swallowed the words he had intended to say, thinking it mattered little regardless.
Having their cultivation stripped, being reduced to mortals, and being exiled was no different than the total destruction of the He family. Wails of despair filled the air as the large clan scattered and collapsed.
In Qingya Town, Meng Bai had returned to his cave dwelling to cultivate in peace. With the assassination reported to the sect, he had resumed his daily routine. As for the He family, he left it to the sect to deal with; as a major cultivation sect, the Taixu Sect had strict laws, and Meng Bai was certain the He family’s fate would be grim.
As Meng Bai settled into his training, the patriarchs of the Zhao, Qian, and Sun families began to grow restless. Their disciples had reported that Meng Bai was still alive, while He Xin had vanished.
The three patriarchs gathered.
The Qian family patriarch said with a sorrowful face, "Brother Zhao, what should we do? Meng Bai is alive, but He Zhenren has disappeared. If Meng Bai comes to hold us accountable, how will we answer?"
The Sun family patriarch chimed in with a bitter laugh, "Exactly. Our three families are merely Qi Condensation clans. If we offend a Foundation Establishment garrison, our days ahead will be difficult."
At the time, the Zhao family patriarch had taken the lead, and He Xin had approached the Qian and Sun families, planning the incident together. He Xin had generously offered each family a Foundation Establishment Pill upon success, but who could have imagined it would end like this?
The Zhao family patriarch looked equally distressed, though a fierce look soon flashed across his face. "For now, the three of us must keep our mouths shut and claim total ignorance regarding He Zhenren’s situation. Meng Bai has no concrete evidence; as a garrison official, no matter how overbearing he is, he cannot directly attack us without cause. Besides, our three families stand together; what can he really do to us?"
The Sun and Qian patriarchs exchanged glances and said, "Fine, we shall do that. In two years, this garrison term will end, and he will be gone."
A day later, Meng Bai received the notice from the sect and smiled. "The He family is finished. I had intended to deal with them after my garrison term ended, but they walked right into the trap themselves."
He then looked toward the Zhao, Qian, and Sun families in Qingya Town with a cold sneer. "No one has been sent to offer an explanation? You want to try and muddle through? There is no such thing as an easy way out in this world."
There was no clear evidence linking the three families to the incident, and even if Meng Bai reported them, the sect had no way to punish them. The Taixu Sect, as a righteous cultivation sect, required evidence. Therefore, Meng Bai intended to handle the matter himself.
One month later, Meng Bai closed off the roads leading into the Qingya Mountains, citing the recent restlessness of the beasts in the mountain range and warning that any human entering could trigger a riot; any cultivator or mortal caught would be severely punished.
Though the excuse was flimsy, Meng Bai had the authority to do so. For the mortals, the impact was minimal, but for the three major cultivation families of Qingya Town, the consequences were devastating. While the Qingya Mountains were home to beasts, the depths of the range held Tier 1 spiritual herbs, which were the primary source of income for the three families.
Once the mountain paths were sealed, the cultivation resources for the three families would be severed. To prevent the families from entering, Meng Bai specifically requested that the sect send Taixu Sect servants to guard the entrances. Given the beast riot from a month prior, the sect gladly agreed.
At that moment, the Zhao, Qian, and Sun families were gathered together once more, filled with helplessness.