Duan Yuanshan was stunned by the news. He stared at Qin Yu and said, "So what you're saying is, you don't actually have a complete Xuanwu Seven-Segment Formation?"
A trace of disappointment flickered across his face. After all, without that legendary formation, no one in the Dao Source Realm would dare breach the demonic qi blockade — unless they had a death wish.
"I do have one, but it's not quite the same as the original," Qin Yu said with a smile.
"What do you mean?" Duan Yuanshan asked.
Qin Yu explained, "An ancestor of my Qin family was a remarkable talent in his own right. Although he only learned one-seventh of the formation, he frequently drilled and practiced with his fellow sect disciples, so he gained a rough understanding of the other parts as well. After the Xuanwu Sect was destroyed, our ancestor fled to the Southern Region and spent the rest of his life using his own abilities and the formation knowledge he possessed to reconstruct the Xuanwu Seven-Segment Formation. However, our ancestor himself admitted that with his capabilities, the reconstructed formation was nothing more than a crude imitation, utterly incomparable to the original."
"Your ancestor... what level of cultivation did he reach?" Duan Yuanshan asked.
"Emperor Sovereign, Second Level!" Qin Yu said proudly.
Duan Yuanshan drew in a sharp breath.
The Emperor Sovereign Second Level was an exceptional realm — even within a great sect like the Xuanwu Sect, cultivators at that level were among the elite few, and could have held important positions such as stewards or deacons.
Yet even with such powerful cultivation, his ancestor had been unable to fully restore the original Xuanwu Seven-Segment Formation. That spoke volumes about just how profound and powerful this formation truly was.
"The formation may not match the original, but I think it should be sufficient to handle the situation we're facing. Besides, it's relatively easy to learn. If we set other factors aside and focus purely on defense, it's more than enough."
Duan Yuanshan took a deep breath upon hearing this. "If we're really going to do this, we should inform Brother Qin first."
After all, Qin Chaoyang was the one managing the Qin family's affairs. If they were going to deploy the Xuanwu Seven-Segment Formation, they needed his approval. This formation was arguably the Qin family's greatest treasure.
Who would willingly reveal such a formation to the public unless absolutely necessary?
"Don't worry, Uncle Duan. I've already sent word to the Old Ancestor, and he'll be here shortly!" Qin Yu said.
As she spoke, she seemed to sense something and turned her head to the side, smiling. "Here he comes now."
In the distance, Qin Chaoyang flew toward them with a solemn expression. He landed before Yang Kai and Duan Yuanshan and offered a slight cupped-fist salute.
Duan Yuanshan wasted no time on pleasantries. He went straight to the point: "Brother Qin, I won't go into the full details. I'm sure Yu'er has already briefed you on everything. We need to deploy your Qin family's Xuanwu Seven-Segment Formation. What are your thoughts?"
"This concerns the safety of Maple Forest City. Naturally, my Qin family cannot stand aside. I agree to this," Qin Chaoyang said in a deep voice.
"Huh?" Duan Yuanshan was taken aback, his face full of surprise. He hadn't expected Qin Chaoyang to agree so readily — rendering all his carefully prepared persuasion completely useless.
He had dealt with Qin Chaoyang on numerous occasions. He knew the man was neither petty nor scheming, but he wasn't exactly easy to talk to either — especially when it came to the Qin family's greatest treasure.
He had assumed Qin Chaoyang would at least try to negotiate.
After a moment's thought, Duan Yuanshan smiled bitterly. "Brother Qin, go ahead and state your conditions. If they're reasonable, I'll agree to them all."
Qin Chaoyang chuckled. "City Lord Duan, why so formal? We all make our living in Maple Forest City. When Maple Forest City faces peril, my Qin family naturally has an inescapable duty to step up—"
"If you keep blathering, you'll get nothing at all."
"Well, since the City Lord is so insistent, I suppose I'll reluctantly make a few requests," Qin Chaoyang said, putting on a long-suffering look — as though he were being forced into something against his will. Duan Yuanshan watched this performance and had to restrain himself from punching the smile off the man's face.
"After this crisis is over, I want to take over all of the Jiang family's properties!" Qin Chaoyang's expression turned serious as he spoke in a grave tone.
Duan Yuanshan's eyes narrowed sharply. "Brother Qin, aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew?"
In Maple Forest City, aside from the City Lord's Manor — which symbolized the highest authority and prestige — the Jiang family held the most power among all the clans. They were the largest and strongest family.
Now the Jiang family had brought disaster upon themselves. Their top-tier fighters had been completely wiped out, all of them transformed into demons. Their properties and resources had naturally become ownerless.
With Maple Forest City currently besieged by demonic qi and demonic creatures, the other family heads and ancestors hadn't yet turned their thoughts toward fighting over the Jiang family's remnants — they were united in resisting the demonic tribulation. But once this was all over, they would almost certainly turn on each other in a bloody scramble.
Such a vast inheritance — whoever claimed it could dramatically expand their power in a short time.
There were no permanent enemies or friends in this world, only permanent interests!
As for the Jiang family's leftover properties, the City Lord's Manor had its own eye on them as well.