Long Haotian and his entourage were positioned beneath the imposing plaque of the Xuanyuan Clan, which still radiated a dazzling brilliance, though now imbued with an aura of decline.

The Xuanyuan Clan traced its origins back to the ancient Xuanyuan lineage, said to be direct descendants of the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan.

Throughout China's five millennia of civilization, the Xuanyuan Clan had persisted, albeit intermittently due to various circumstances, giving rise to several distinct branches.

There was the Ji-surnamed Xuanyuan Clan, the Gongsun Xuanyuan Clan, the Ren-surnamed Xuanyuan Clan, and the Qi-surnamed lineage, among others.

Each of these houses claimed the mantle of true Xuanyuan legitimacy, proclaiming themselves the most orthodox successors of the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan.

After two millennia of strife and conflict, coupled with the turmoil of wars, these various Xuanyuan branches largely vanished. Then, during the Warring States period, the Long-surnamed Xuanyuan Clan rose to prominence, adopting the surname Long and declaring themselves the sole legitimate inheritors of the Xuanyuan legacy, capable of using the compound surname Xuanyuan, making them the only true orthodox line in the world.

This became the current Xuanyuan Clan—the Long family. In time, the Long family's enduring prosperity cemented them as the true and only Xuanyuan Clan.

Strictly speaking, the genuine Xuanyuan lineage extended from the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan, but after numerous ruptures, it was only when the Long family shouldered the responsibility of upholding the orthodox tradition that the clan truly began to develop into the foremost aristocratic house.

Such was the background of the Xuanyuan Clan. Sadly, even a millennial noble house could not guarantee eternal splendor.

The Grand Elder and Second Elder of the Long family were present, standing near Long Haotian, their expressions now marked with displeasure.

The group before them was clearly there to capitalize on their current vulnerability, yet they were still expected to greet them with smiles. This situation was uncomfortable for anyone, let alone the Long family, long accustomed to commanding prestige.

"Brother Long, it has been many years; your demeanor remains unchanged. What I envy most is your air of ease!"

Opposite Long Haotian stood a man of similar age, who greeted him with clasped fists and a smile.

The man was Li Wenhe, the current Patriarch of the Shu Mountain Li Family. This first contingent belonged to the Li Family. As they were geographically closest to the Long Family and received the news earliest, their prompt arrival was unsurprising.

"Haha, Brother Li, you always know how to speak!"

Long Haotian let out a booming laugh, then gestured welcomingly, announcing loudly, "Distinguished guests have traveled far; please, come inside and rest for a moment. I will immediately have servants prepare wine and food to properly host you all!"

As Long Haotian spoke, his eyes swept over every member of the Li contingent opposite him.

He could guess in his gut why the Li Family had come. Dealing with this pretense was bitter for Long Haotian.

Unfortunately, he had no choice. He couldn't simply drive them away the moment they arrived; that would be the Long Family forfeiting the moral high ground, leaving them with no recourse if the Li Family used that as a pretext for a full assault.

He observed them, searching for anyone noteworthy.

Someone noteworthy, of course, meant an existence at the Great Perfection level. He wanted to know if the Li Family's Guardian had accompanied them.

Whether the Guardian was present made all the difference. If no Guardian was present, even with another Li Family arriving, the Long Family could manage the situation and ensure they left without gaining much.

But with a Guardian, things were entirely different. The Long Family would be forced into a passive stance, and it would confirm that the Li Family's visit was indeed aimed at seizing the wealth the Long Family had accumulated over the years.

After surveying the crowd, Long Haotian felt a slight disappointment. He hadn't met many of these people, and with his current strength, he couldn't discern if a Guardian was concealed among them.

"Brother Long’s kindness is appreciated, but with so many of us, it would be inconvenient to impose by entering. I see many empty structures outside; we can rest our feet here for a while!"

Li Wenhe shook his head with a smile, and without waiting for Long Haotian's reply, he began leading his people back.

Long Haotian’s expression froze, his face coloring with embarrassment, and his eyes burned with suppressed rage.

The Second Elder actually took a fierce step forward; if the Grand Elder beside him hadn't restrained him, the Second Elder would likely have moved to draw weapons.

These people were indeed ill-intentioned.

Their refusal to enter was not entirely unexpected, as the existence of the Long Family's protective grand formation was hardly a secret; many high-ranking members of other families were aware of it.

However, the Long Family’s grand formation did not protect the entire Long Family plains, only the residential palace complex itself.

The Long Family formation served both defensive and entrapment purposes. Since the visitors' motives were impure, they naturally dared not enter carelessly. This time differed from the last; the previous visit was merely to suppress the Long Family and quell the prestige of being the foremost clan—it was not a matter of life and death, so they dared to openly reside inside, knowing they wouldn't truly escalate to bloodshed.

This time, their goal was to covet the family's treasures. To enter now would be tantamount to walking into a trap; if the formation was activated internally, it would be far more potent than attacking from the outside.

"Insolent!"

Watching the Li Family retreat and occupy the vacant houses in the distance, the eyes of many Long Family members turned blood red.

The Li Family bypassing their main gate and settling openly on the Long Family plains, right before their eyes, was a profound insult to the entire Long Clan.

If they allowed this insult to stand, it would be a mark of shame upon the Long Family.

"Patriarch, Grand Elder, a gentleman may die, but his honor must not be tarnished!"

A Long Family member leaped out, shouting loudly, while others around him clenched their fists tight.

"Return!"

Long Haotian roared back. He had no idea if the visiting party included a Great Perfection expert, and attacking now would leave them with no chance of victory.

Furthermore, fighting outside meant the Long Family lost its greatest advantage—their defensive array—and they would easily invite public condemnation.

No matter the circumstances, those who traveled far were guests, even if they were hostile guests. If the host struck the first blow against a guest, it would easily garner sympathy for the visitor, especially when so many other clans and sects were already eyeing the Long Family with avarice.

As Long Haotian and the others turned back, Long Feng emerged. Long Feng quickly grasped the situation.

A great aristocratic family had indeed arrived, and it was the Li Family first—Zhang Yang had been correct.

After inquiring about the details, Long Feng immediately returned to inform Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang was there to help him, to help the entire Long Family; the enemies of the Long Family were now Zhang Yang's enemies, and Long Feng felt both the necessity and the obligation to provide him with all information.

"The Li Family people!"

Zhang Yang nodded slightly after hearing what Long Feng brought back. He wasn't surprised that it was the Shu Mountain Li Family. Only a few great clans and sects possessed Great Perfection experts; it made little difference which one arrived first. The Li Family was closer, so they arrived first.

"You mentioned just now that they settled outside?"

Zhang Yang suddenly asked again. The Li Family’s arrival, coupled with their refusal to enter, hinted at something strange.

"Zhang Yang, you may not know, but when our ancestors established this plain, they hired an expert to lay down a profound Mystical Formation—this is the Long Family's protective array!"

Long Feng gently shook his head, offering this information without hesitation. He felt it necessary to let Zhang Yang understand the advantages they possessed.

"This formation was arranged by a master of the true School of Mystical Gates and Heavenly Stems. If we hadn't shown him great kindness, we couldn't have persuaded him to deploy such a formation. It is said that man was an expert approaching the Great Perfection level. His meticulously crafted Mystical Formation is powerful enough to trap a Great Perfection expert!"

"Can it trap a Great Perfection expert?"

Zhang Yang countered, clearly aware of the immense power of a Great Perfection existence. A formation capable of trapping one was truly rare.

"Yes, our ancestors tested it in the past and confirmed it could indeed trap a Great Perfection expert, perhaps even holding them for many years, but it is difficult to kill one outright!"

Long Feng nodded again. Zhang Yang accepted his words. The Long Family did possess a formidable array, which he had sensed before, but he hadn't expected it to be powerful enough to contain a Great Perfection master.

However, confining them without killing them made it difficult to utilize fully. If the family's Guardian was trapped within, it meant the lineage's protection was severed. If they couldn't escape alive, the Guardian served no purpose.

This explained why the Li Family members preferred to stay outside rather than enter. They were clearly wary of the Long Family's grand formation. If the foremost clan lacked formidable capabilities, how could they have survived until now?

"Zhang Yang, rest assured, this formation only guards against external threats!"

Lest Zhang Yang misunderstand, Long Feng added another clarification. This was not just their personal affair, and the array was not under Long Feng's personal control.

Based on yesterday's interactions, Long Feng vaguely sensed that some people in the family still hadn't learned their lesson and harbored hostility toward Zhang Yang. This troubled him greatly, yet he felt powerless to change it.

"I understand. Of course, I believe you!"

Zhang Yang flashed a grin. He was actually quite intrigued by this formation. Previously, in the Savage Mountain range, he had managed to decipher fifty percent of the introductory text on the School of Mystical Gates and Heavenly Stems.

Even at fifty percent mastery, it was considerable; he could already construct genuine formations of that school. Moreover, possessing Great Perfection strength allowed him to manipulate the energies of Heaven and Earth. Aided by these energies, his formations would be even more potent; true Mystical Gates formations inherently required celestial energy.

Of course, his interest didn't mean he wanted to test it; he certainly didn't want to be trapped by it.

At this moment, Zhang Yang hesitated slightly. If Zhang Pinglu arrived, should he advise him to stay outside as well, rather than enter the core area? After all, his contingent was not fully aligned with the Long Family; they were only helping Long Feng and the faction of the Long Family loyal to him.

It also dawned on Zhang Yang why Zhang Pinglu hadn't even stepped inside the Long Family gate last time, choosing instead to stay in the outer residences. Zhang Pinglu likely had reservations about this formation even then, leading him to pause at the threshold, as the Zhang Family was small, and he was their only Great Perfection expert at the time.

Second update. My condition isn't great today; this chapter took a long time to write.