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Chapter 322: The Attack on the Larson Family’s Mansion
Fifteen minutes ago, while the tension in Larson City was still high, a group of cultivators gathered in a private residential building near the Larson family mansion. There were dozens of them, all dressed in black robes, their gazes directed toward a woman who stood at the forefront.
Carol, standing under the weight of their determined gazes, finally spoke.
"My friends, my brothers and sisters in arms, today is the day the Larson family pays for what they did to ours!" she shouted, her voice ringing out to ignite the spirits of her followers.
"For many years, we have endured the humiliation and slander to our family’s name. Because of them, we cannot even use our family name. We cannot take pride in the name of Duclan, which was once our home and honor," Carol declared, her voice filled with emotion.
"So remember this day, my friends—the day that marks the beginning of a new dawn for our family. After today, the noble family of Larson will be no more. Their era will end, and our family will rise again!"
"Uwoo!" All the men and women shouted in unison, their excitement surging like a tidal wave. This was the moment they had waited for—the moment they would set foot in the Larson family’s mansion and shatter their arrogance.
"Alright, let’s get started. Let’s give those Larsons a surprise they’ll never forget," Carol said as she covered her beautiful face with a white mask. All the members of the Duclan family followed suit, donning identical masks before stepping out of the building.
Outside, they gathered in a quiet alley, a place rarely frequented by passersby. From there, they moved toward the Larson family mansion, about a kilometer away.
When they reached the bustling main road, filled with people going about their day, they split into smaller groups to avoid drawing attention to themselves.
Although a few people noticed their large group, Carol didn’t mind. After today, the news of their actions would cause an uproar, and everyone would know about the event they were about to unleash.
The members of the Duclan family approached the mansion with careful coordination, ensuring they didn’t attract attention. Once the mansion came into view from various angles, they stopped. This was the moment they had been waiting for.
At this moment, there was no longer a congregation of cultivators in front of the mansion. The Larson family had forced them all to retreat. They just forced them to retreat because they understood that if they began slaughtering those protesting at their gates, it would spark chaos.
Such an action would draw the wrath of countless cultivators from across the grand duchy. The bold and daring cultivators would begin attacking, seeing the Larson family as tyrants who needed to be overthrown.
Added to the matter of the devils, the Larson family might even attract nearby noble families looking to take advantage of the situation.
Carol gazed toward the mansion, her expression calm and unreadable, before turning to the man beside her.
"I’ll begin," she said, retrieving a talisman from her storage ring.
The moment she broke the talisman—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Arrgh!"
Explosions reverberated across the outer walls and parts of the mansion, including the gardens and guard posts. Screams of agony echoed from the mansion’s grounds, spreading panic like wildfire.
Nearby passersby were stunned by the sudden blasts, their attention instantly drawn to the aftermath of the explosions.
Before they could wonder what had happened, they saw dozens of people rushing toward the mansion with blinding speed. The number reached into the hundreds—far greater than the group that had gathered with Carol earlier. All were cloaked in black robes, their identities hidden.
The explosion had destroyed the high wall and damaged some of the defensive formations.
"What the hell is going on?!"
"The explosion! Someone’s using explosive powder!"
"Someone’s attacking us!"
The guards of the Larson family, still in shock, watched in disbelief as countless black-robed, masked figures charged toward them. They scrambled to defend themselves.
The Duclan family, already prepared for this moment, launched a coordinated assault on the mansion. The marquess-level cultivators swiftly engaged the guards, using effective techniques that killed them instantly.
This operation required speed and precision. They were deep in enemy territory and had to capitalize on the element of surprise, striking quickly before the high-ranking Larson cultivators at the duke stage and above, could react.
In this operation, the Duclan family had a total of 68 members, with only one person at the grand duke stage—the highest stage among them. The rest were mostly at the earl stage, meaning they were both outnumbered and outclassed by the mighty Larson family, which boasted thousands of cultivators, including two at the emperor stage.
To close the gaps, Carol enlisted the help of mercenaries from the Mercenary Guild at a high price. High-ranking cultivators weren’t cheap and didn’t always accept certain tasks. Invading a powerful noble family, especially one like the Larsons, was typically not the kind of mission they’d take on.
However, with Aldrian pulling some strings behind the scenes, mercenaries from the guild were eager to take on the task of attacking the grand duchy. His name and face were already well-known among the higher-ups in the mercenary guild, making it easier for him to get these people to move.
In the end, Carol successfully gathered 3 at the king stage, 5 at the grand duke stage, 7 at the duke stage, and hundreds of cultivators ranging from baron to marquess stage from mercenary guild. All of this, of course, was paid for with the resources Aldrian provided for the operation. Although the numbers still fell short compared to the vast forces of the Larson family, this strength helped close the gap between them. 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝔬𝔪
The sounds of battle and chaos erupted within the mansion complex as hundreds of attackers began to rampage. They slaughtered or held back any guards trying to block the main force, which consisted of cultivators above the duke stage, as they advanced deeper into the mansion. Their objective was clear: to capture Grand Duke Larson.
The path to the main mansion had already been cleared by the explosions. Every defensive and trap formation had collapsed as the foundation points of the formations detonated. Thanks to Ghulani, who had planted explosive powder at each key position, the attackers encountered no obstacles until they reached the main door of the mansion.
Once they arrived, they found tens of Larson family cultivators waiting for them in front of the door. Judging by their discipline and swift reaction time, it was clear that these cultivators were the elite of the Larson family. The king stage mercenaries then began their work, targeting the king-stage cultivators among the Larson guards standing in their way.
"Attack! Don’t let them pass this line!" shouted the king-stage cultivator from the Larson family. The combined attacks of various elements destroyed the area surrounding the main mansion.
"Young miss, go ahead. We’ll handle them here," one of the elders of the Duclan family said to Carol through a voice transmission. Carol nodded, and without hesitation, dashed toward the main gate.
However, one of the king-stage cultivators from the Larson family attempted to block her from entering, launching an earth-element attack at her. The earth trembled as a giant wall began to rise in front of her and the main door.
But then, the wall was slashed and split in two, collapsing to the ground. The slash also destroyed the main door and the interior beyond it. A high king-stage mercenary, wielding his sword, effortlessly cut down the earth-element technique.
"Go! I’ll take care of him," he said, then dashed toward the king-stage cultivator from the Larson family. As if by tacit agreement, they both flew into the sky, engaging in a fierce battle above the mansion.
The clash drew the attention of all the king-stage cultivators from the Larson family. With seven king-stage cultivators positioned around the mansion, some of them had not yet been engaged in combat, so they quickly decided to intervene.
However, before they could offer help, they suddenly sensed danger. Out of nowhere, an attack with shadow and lightning elements struck them. The king-stage cultivators’ instincts kicked in as they blocked the attack, catching a glimpse of shadows before they vanished. Given the strength of the shadow, they knew the assault had been dangerous.
"Assassins! And with those lightning and shadow elements, there’s no doubt these assassins are from the Thunderous Shadow Pavilion!" one of the commanders of the Larson family thought.
With their stealth techniques and cultivation at the king stage, the assassins posed a threat to any king-stage cultivator here, prompting them to prioritize locating the assassins before offering help.
Meanwhile, with the combined efforts of the Duclan family, mercenaries from the guild, and the assassins from the Thunderous Shadow Pavilion, they managed to hold off most of the Larson family’s cultivators, preventing them from interfering with Carol’s group, which was now inside the mansion. Carol was accompanied by only one king-stage mercenary from the guild and one marquess-stage cultivator, who served as her guardian.
As they drew closer to the grand duke’s room, they encountered another king-stage cultivator stationed within the mansion. The king-stage mercenary immediately clashed with the Larson family cultivator, causing destruction in that part of the mansion.
With the king-stage mercenary holding off the Larson family cultivator, Carol was left to continue on, accompanied only by the marquess-stage man by her side. The situation quickly turned grim. On their way, they encountered several cultivators at the marquess stage, and to make matters worse, some grand duke and duke-stage cultivators followed closely behind them.
