The Li family elder grinned, quickening his pace until he was once again distant, leaving Zhang Yang and the Hu Yan family elder far behind. His departure was intended to give the two Long family elders space to confer.

"Third brother, what do you think?" Once the Li family elder was gone, Long Gao asked Long Jiang.

A cold light flashed in Long Jiang's eyes as he shook his head slightly. "That shameless old man has his sights set on the Cold Spring Sword in Zhang Yang's hand; he wants to drag us brothers into this mess!"

None of the older generation were fools; they understood perfectly well what the Li family elder was scheming. The Cold Spring Sword, a top-tier divine weapon from the Godly Arms Ranking—not only was the Li family elder coveting it, but they too felt intense desire. However, Zhang Yang was not alone; even with few in the Zhang family, they couldn't afford to be careless. If this matter was handled poorly, the Long family would never know peace again.

"But Zhang Yang's potential is too vast. He isn't one of our Long family, after all. Right now, he only has a personal connection with Long Feng; who knows what the future holds!"

Long Gao nodded slightly, a hint of worry returning to his face. Zhang Yang’s potential was so immense it frightened them. At twenty, reaching the late third layer—a person like this was destined to break through to the fourth layer. A fourth-layer expert so young was almost unimaginable at their age; it could even be said that his cultivation level was destined to surpass theirs.

A man whose cultivation surpassed theirs but who did not belong to their clan—even with personal ties, future relations wouldn't be entirely harmonious. After all, Zhang Yang's primary consideration would be his own Zhang family. Once the interests of the Zhang and Long families clashed, that personal relationship would effectively vanish. It was precisely this uncertainty that caused them hesitation and led to their earlier inaction regarding Hu Yan Peng's actions.

"Second brother, this Zhang Yang cannot remain, but we cannot act ourselves. Don't forget Big Brother's instructions!" Long Jiang stated. Mentioning their eldest brother caused Long Gao's spirit to sharpen instantly. He nodded silently toward Long Jiang and then said, "The shameless Li family elder wants Zhang Yang’s Cold Spring Sword? Let him make the move. We simply won't interfere. If he teams up with the second Hu Yan elder, can they not handle a junior in the third layer? Both of them could slit his throat!"

Long Gao nodded. "You speak correctly, but don't forget they have the spirit beast, the Heavenly Steed. Its speed is too great; those two won't be able to catch it. Once the Hu Yan second elder's Blood Man technique wears off, the shameless Li family elder won't stand a chance against one man and three beasts!"

"It matters not. We cannot act overtly, but we can work in the shadows. We just need to block the escape routes for the spirit beast. Preventing it from fleeing haphazardly is enough!" Long Jiang smiled and shook his head. It was inconvenient, and they were unwilling to strike directly, but obstructing paths and making minor moves was acceptable. If any Zhang family members came seeking retribution later, they could wash their hands of the matter entirely. They hadn't laid a finger on him; it was the Li and Hu Yan families acting shamelessly, two elders ganging up on a junior.

"It is settled then!"

Long Gao nodded in agreement. The two of them hurried forward. Long Hao Tian and the others were trailing far behind. Once the Wind Chaser started running, these third-layer disciples couldn't possibly keep up.

"Hiss, hiss~"

The Wind Chaser let out another cry, looking back at the blood-red Hu Yan family elder chasing them, its vocalization growing louder. The Hu Yan family elder’s face was entirely crimson, his eyes bloodshot; it was impossible to tell his emotion, but the trembling of his hands indicated his mood was certainly not pleasant. His Blood Man technique had at most another half hour left. In half an hour, he would be dragged to death by this one man and three beasts.

"Brother Li, Zhang Yang is a guest we invited. This matter is inconvenient for us, but what you choose to do is irrelevant to us," the two Long family elders caught up to the Li family elder, and Long Gao said with a smile.

The Li family elder frowned slightly, but Long Jiang chimed in, "Our Long family’s plains are filled with crops that cannot be ruined in vain. We will not permit any further trampling of our labor results; no person or spirit beast is allowed to run wild in our fields!"

Long Jiang's words seemed entirely unrelated to the day's events, yet upon hearing them, the Li family elder's eyes brightened, and he chuckled. The Long family was indeed wary of Zhang Yang. His objective had been achieved. The Long family wouldn't strike directly, but they would restrict Zhang Yang's movement. Most of this plain was planted with crops; once these areas were restricted, the operational space for the Heavenly Steed would be greatly reduced. This way, if he and the Hu Yan second elder joined forces, they could definitely halt the one man and three beasts. Once they were stalled, their combined strength would surely secure victory. Then, he could maneuver a bit, allowing the Hu Yan second elder to slay Zhang Yang, and he would simply take the Cold Spring Sword. Even if the Zhang family sought revenge later, they would approach the Hu Yan and Long families first, leaving the Li family in the safest position. If the three great families united, even the Zhang family would have to reconsider seeking vengeance, perhaps even moving first to find Zhang Yun An and thoroughly annihilate the Zhang family.

Realizing this, the Li family elder suddenly accelerated his pace. Long Gao and Long Jiang exchanged glances and followed suit. While they couldn't strike directly, they could certainly work together to block the Wind Chaser’s escape route. Their justification—the crops—was laughably flimsy, but it was a reason nonetheless.

"Shameless brat!" The Hu Yan family elder roared again, this time his voice filled with tragic desperation. He seemed to have already anticipated his grim end. A wave of regret washed over him—regret for getting entangled with the Li family to trouble the Long family, regret for sending Hu Yan Peng to fight Zhang Yang earlier. He never expected such a seemingly insignificant person to be so powerful, capable of causing him to die with regret.

"Brother Hu Yan, I will lend you a hand!" The Li family elder's voice suddenly echoed near his ear. The Hu Yan family elder paused briefly, then an expression of wild ecstasy crossed his face. He recognized that voice instantly. If the Li family elder helped him, they would effectively have two fourth-layer experts. Two fourth-layer experts cornering one late third-layer youth—victory was assured.

"Rest assured, the two Brother Longs will help us restrict the Heavenly Steed's speed. I'll keep the two beasts occupied, and you can finish Zhang Yang off completely!" The Li family elder's voice sounded again. The Hu Yan family elder’s body trembled once more, this time not from anger, but from excited tremors—a beacon of hope after despair. If these three fourth-layer experts attacked together, even the Heavenly Steed’s speed wouldn't matter. They could block from several directions; this plain was small enough that their speed would allow them to intercept.

"However, I have one condition: after Zhang Yang dies, if he has any spirit medicines, I take thirty percent, and his Cold Spring Sword belongs to me," the Li family elder transmitted via voice command. The Hu Yan family elder paused for a moment, a fresh surge of anger rising within him. Robbing someone in distress—he knew the Li family elder wouldn't have good intentions. The Zhang family’s greatest treasures were their spirit medicines and that Cold Spring Sword, one of the Ten Great Divine Weapons, an absolute priceless treasure. The best things were all claimed by the Li family elder; this man was truly greedy.

"Agreed. But the essence blood of these three spirit beasts belongs entirely to me. I will skin and tendon them!" After a moment of consideration, the Hu Yan family elder grit his teeth and consented. He had no other choice; his Blood Man technique wouldn't last much longer. If he refused, he would gain nothing and might even face danger. If he agreed, not only would he save himself and get revenge, but he would also gain something.

"No problem!" The Li family elder readily agreed. His main objective was the Cold Spring Sword; once he had that, everything else was negotiable. As for the three spirit beasts, they certainly had to be killed. Spirit beasts bound by a master were terrifyingly dangerous. If they escaped, those who participated in surrounding their master would face relentless retaliation in the future, and spirit beast revenge was far harder to guard against. Moreover, their lifespans were longer; the family might never know peace for hundreds of years.

"Shameless brat, come and pay with your life!" Having received the Li family elder’s promise, the Hu Yan family elder’s spirit immediately rallied. The two Long family elders also seemed to have held a private consultation with the Li family elder and reached some kind of accord.

The three elders separated, increasing their speed, slowly forming a crescent-shaped encirclement. The Wind Chaser, which had been running, suddenly stopped, warily surveying its surroundings. The spirit beast’s innate keen senses allowed it to detect that something was wrong first. Zhang Yang, riding the Wind Chaser, frowned deeply, understanding his steed’s feeling through the information relayed by Shadowless and Lightning.

Four shadows suddenly materialized from four directions. Zhang Yang’s expression changed drastically, tinged with horror. The other three elders had actually allied with the Hu Yan family elder—this was something he had absolutely not anticipated. A wry smile touched Zhang Yang’s lips. He had truly pushed things too far this time, overplayed his hand, forcing even the Long family to intend to deal with him. Once the Long family became involved, his fate today would be bleak. He wasn't arrogant enough to believe he and his three beasts could defeat four peak experts of the fourth layer. Furthermore, this was the Long family plain; there was only one way out. Once the exit was blocked, he would be a turtle in a jar.

The Wind Chaser remained still. The four distant points quickly resolved into four figures. Zhang Yang gripped the Cold Spring Sword tighter. Even if the opponents were four layer masters, Zhang Yang felt no fear at this moment. What if they were fourth layer masters? Their previous performances had already proven that they possessed the foundation to contend with fourth-layer experts. Even if they couldn't defeat all four, they could cripple one or two. These shameless men abandoning status to team up against him would have to pay a price.

The four figures were slightly startled when they saw Zhang Yang hadn't fled. The Hu Yan and Li family elders even showed delight. The two Long family members hesitated after reaching a certain position, refraining from advancing further. Their goal was to control the Heavenly Steed's range of activity, preventing it from fleeing haphazardly; they didn't plan to intervene directly. The Hu Yan and Li family elders rushed toward Zhang Yang, who was astride the white horse, like two gusts of wind from opposite directions.

The numerous third-layer disciples, running from a distance, were stunned by this sight. None had expected that four elders would collude to deal with a junior in the third layer, with two elders attacking simultaneously. Before they could react, the Li family elder suddenly flew backward forcefully. In the spot he had occupied, an unremarkable, white-haired old man had appeared at some unknown point. This old man stared, and as the Li family elder was thrown back, he softly uttered:

"A bunch of shameless bastards. Did you really think my Zhang family was easy to bully? Anyone who dares move again, and I will bathe this Long family plain in blood today!"

His simple words struck everyone’s hearts like heavy blows. Aside from the flying Li family elder, the Hu Yan family elder and the two Long family elders felt their spirits tremble. The two Long family elders instinctively took a step back.