Chapter 442 - 309: The Zhe Family’s Ancestor

Chapter 442: Chapter 309: The Zhe Family’s Ancestor

"If we declare war on the Zhe Family, we’ll hold the moral high ground. But if you establish a sect, it’s the same as exposing all our forces to the light of day. Besides, establishing a sect involves recruiting disciples. All the great families and sects have their own territories, and they do recruit talented disciples from the Mortal World. That will inevitably lead to conflict and friction. Also, among the disciples, who can guarantee there won’t be spies? You can spend a thousand days catching a thief, but not a thousand days defending against one. Ling Xiao, you must think this through!" the High Priest said to Ling Xiao with utmost sincerity.

Ling Xiao was very moved by High Priest Su Xue’s heartfelt words. He gently flicked the dew from a tall blade of grass beside him and said with a light laugh, "When it comes down to it, what you’re worried about is really just one thing, isn’t it? Our strength only goes up to the level of a Tier Six Sword Emperor. If that undying old monster from the Zhe Family, the one at the Sword Venerable Realm, is truly roused to action, we’ll be completely helpless, right?"

Su Xue nodded. To be honest, this was what she had been worried about all along. She had originally pinned her hopes on the Sea Domain Song Family, but now it seemed Ling Xiao had no intention of betting on them at all!

"Isn’t that the case? What have I missed?" Su Xue’s eyes looked exceptionally clear in the morning light. To have gone from a weak woman with a destroyed Dantian and no power whatsoever to the spiritual leader of several thousand Beast Race People in the Penzes Swamp, Su Xue’s intelligence was more often than not overshadowed by her pure and beautiful appearance!

Ling Xiao smiled and said, "You surely remember the methods I used to deal with that Tier Two Sword Emperor from the Zhe Family on the island, don’t you?"

Su Xue was startled for a moment, then said, "Of course I remember. That cauldron that can grow and shrink? And... and those countless Cold Iron Treasure Swords? Yes, those things were so incredible. I’ve never seen or even heard of such methods of attack before!"

Ling Xiao wasn’t one to show off. Hearing this, he just smiled and said, "Then over the past few days, you’ve surely heard many things about me. Back when I was still very weak, inside the old Lord’s Mansion, two members of the Sword Sect and one Sword Emperor perished there..."

Su Xue’s eyes gradually brightened. It wasn’t that she hadn’t heard these stories, but deep down, she didn’t believe them. She had never witnessed, let alone heard of, the power of an Array. She simply couldn’t imagine that using a number of Magic Beast Crystal Cores, arranging them in a certain pattern, and adding a few small objects could trap a Sword Emperor Realm powerhouse. How utterly fanciful! It sounded like a joke!

Su Xue was more inclined to believe that Ling Xiao definitely had a powerful expert backing him from the shadows! That was beyond question! But after hearing Ling Xiao say this himself, coupled with the miraculous things she had witnessed with her own eyes, Su Xue couldn’t help but feel confused.

’Could it be that everything Ye Zi said was true?’

"What did I say that was true? Mom, you don’t believe me?"

Ye Zi, dressed in practical martial attire, walked over from a distance. She had also woken up early but had been in her own courtyard performing breathing exercises and cultivating. Her state of mind had been relatively stable, but ever since seeing her mother, Ye Zi, who was already in the Heartbeat Stage, would often experience small disturbances. While it wasn’t so bad as to cause a cultivation deviation, it was certainly hindering the improvement of her strength.

Therefore, for the past few days, Ye Zi had been doing her best to cultivate the Great Freedom Heart Scripture that Ling Xiao had given her. She felt that this strange scripture calmed her heart a little more each time she recited it. Recently, she had become able to completely control her state of mind.

She had come over looking for her mother and had heard her say that from a distance, so Ye Zi had smiled and casually responded.

Su Xue, however, grew anxious and tried to explain, "Ye Zi, don’t misunderstand, Mom didn’t..."

Ye Wen Ni, however, just smiled and waved her hand dismissively as she walked over. "Mom, don’t be so sensitive. I’m not angry, I was just joking with you."

With Ye Zi’s interruption, High Priest Su Xue naturally couldn’t press Ling Xiao for more details. She felt a slight twinge of regret but also understood that when Ling Xiao talked about establishing a sect, he wasn’t just making a casual remark.

After a moment’s thought, she smiled and said, "Ling Xiao, as long as you treat Ye Zi well in the future, I will support you in whatever you do!"

...

In Zichuan, the stronghold of the Zhe Family, a massive council hall was filled to capacity. The circular, tiered chamber held at least a hundred people!

At the very center was a long, oval table where a dozen or so people were seated. In the seat of honor sat an old man with white hair but a youthful face. It was impossible to guess his age, for his face was as tender as a baby’s skin! Fair and rosy, his complexion was likely smoother and more delicate than even a sixteen-year-old maiden’s.

The old man was of medium build, neither fat nor thin. His eyes were not large, but they were incredibly sharp, seeming to flash with brilliant light. On closer inspection, however, they appeared perfectly calm. His salt-and-pepper hair was somewhat curly. At this moment, his expression was extremely grave.

He was staring at another old man, one who looked far more ancient than himself. His gaze was so intense that the other man bowed his head deeply, his entire body trembling. Not a single sound could be heard from the hundred-plus people in the council hall. The oppressive atmosphere was suffocating, and it felt as if everyone could hear their own frantic heartbeat!

This was especially true for those seated on the periphery; none of them dared to even breathe loudly, their faces drained of all color.

The old man in the lead was none other than the Zhe Family’s Sword Venerable Realm powerhouse, Zhe Wanqian!

In his youth, Zhe Wanqian had tempered himself in the Mortal World, challenging countless formidable powerhouses from other great families and sects. Just as his name, Wanqian, suggested, his strength was forged by defeating thousands upon thousands of experts, built one step at a time to reach his current standing!

The Zhe Family currently had two powerhouses at the Sword Venerable Realm!

The other one had only broken through to the Sword Venerable Realm in the last few years and was still in closed-door cultivation.

Ordinarily, Zhe Wanqian couldn’t be bothered with the family’s affairs! The Patriarch of this hidden family, Zhe Shiwei, was from his great-grandson’s generation. To someone like Zhe Wanqian, the fall of one or two Sword Emperors from the family wouldn’t have moved him in the slightest. A person who had cultivated to his realm had long since seen through the illusions of the mortal coil. The only thing that could still stir his heart was the prospect of increasing his own power!

Zhe Wanqian had been in closed-door cultivation for many years and had now reached the level of a Tier Two Sword Venerable! His greatest wish was to step into the Holy Sanctuary in his lifetime, and he had always been striving toward this goal.

He wouldn’t have been so concerned if he hadn’t learned that the family had lost three Sword Emperors in one go, with two more injured and another two still missing.

And now... a junior of the family, a descendant at the Tier Four Sword Emperor Realm, had not only been killed, but had his limbs hacked off and his torso put on public display atop the city walls!

This was an unprecedented humiliation! And the other party had done it knowing full well the man was from the Zhe Family!

And the one responsible for all this wasn’t from any of the hidden families or sects, but some brat from the Mortal World who, just two years ago, had been completely insignificant!

In this single incident, the Zhe Family had lost all face.

Zhe Wanqian stared coldly at his great-grandson. His state of mind was actually quite stable, but he still couldn’t suppress his towering rage. "Why is no one speaking? Speak up! Aren’t you all usually so very capable? Annihilating an entire family twenty years ago... Haha, Zhe Shiwei, you did a fine job! To think you actually hid this from me, your ancestor... for almost twenty years! If this incident hadn’t been too big to conceal, were you planning to keep me in the dark forever?"

The ancient-looking man under Zhe Wanqian’s glare was the head Patriarch of the Zhe Family, Zhe Shiwei, a powerhouse with the strength of a Tier Five Sword Emperor. At this moment, he didn’t even dare to breathe. He stammered, "Great Ancestor, we were only afraid of disturbing your tranquil cultivation. Besides, that matter back then... I’m sure... I’m sure that if you had been in charge, Great Ancestor, you would have done the same. If you cut the grass but don’t pull the roots, the trouble will be endless!" Zhe Shiwei said, emboldening himself.

Zhe Wanqian gave a dry, cold laugh. "I have no objection to you wiping out the Su Family. But you actually went and killed several thousand ordinary people from the Mortal World? Weren’t you afraid of karmic retribution? Hmph. ’If you don’t pull up the weeds by the roots, the trouble will be endless’? A fine principle for you lot to understand! In that case, you tell me: what do you call this right now?"

Zhe Shiwei’s face flushed crimson. He had been the Patriarch for many years, and with the Great Ancestor never involving himself in affairs, he had long since developed an air of lofty dignity and authority. Today, being dressed down like a child by his ancestor, he had lost all face. And yet, he didn’t have the courage to retort, despite what he was screaming in his heart. ’After that incident, the Zhe Family’s powerhouses sprouted like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. We now have over thirty experts at the Sword Emperor Realm! Even though we lost five this year, there are at least ten more who are expected to break through from the Sword Sect realm and become Sword Emperors. After all these years, the Zhe Family has basically mastered the contents of that ancient scripture.’

Zhe Shiwei didn’t believe his Great Ancestor was as ignorant as he claimed. Furthermore, Zhe Shiwei’s own grandfather—the one currently in closed-door cultivation, the Zhe Family’s second Sword Venerable—was the very person who had led the charge to annihilate that family back then!

However, no matter how disgruntled he felt, he wouldn’t dare to argue. He only said in a low voice, "Great Ancestor, this matter is entirely my—your grandson’s—responsibility. My miscalculation of Ling Xiao’s strength led to today’s outcome. But that Ling Xiao has gone too far! Even if he is on good terms with the Sea Domain Song Family, I am prepared to risk it all. I will pour all our resources into annihilating Penzes City until not even a chicken or dog remains!" As he spoke, he glanced at the assembled crowd; he needed them to echo his sentiment.

Zhe Shixun, the City Lord of Seven-colored City, who was seated at the lowest-ranking seat, stood up and said, "That’s right! That kid thinks he’s so clever, gathering all his family members in his fiefdom! He’s just saved us the trouble of hunting them down! Great Ancestor, I propose we dispatch twenty Sword Emperors and slaughter that little bastard’s city until not even a chicken or dog remains! Even the commoners must be buried along with them!" Zhe Wanqian squinted at this audacious great-grandson, who showed no fear even before him, and chuckled darkly. "Hehe, good. Very good! Send twenty? No, send forty! You’ve got more backbone than that little whelp Zhe Shiwei! I hear your grandson died at that brat’s hands? Hmm, anyone who kills a descendant of my Zhe Family cannot be forgiven! This time, you will lead the party! The Zhe Family will dispatch twenty Sword Emperor Powerhouses and another twenty High-tier Sword Sect disciples! Go and slaughter them... until not a chicken or dog remains!"