Chapter 450 - 313: 4 Quarters Stir, Elites from 8 Directions Converge (Part 2)

Chapter 450: Chapter 313: 4 Quarters Stir, Elites from 8 Directions Converge (Part 2)

The great Ling Family reunion led to the merging of three different military factions. Ling Tianxiao’s trusted subordinates, all of them skilled and incredibly prideful, were initially dissatisfied with their treatment in the Lightning Legion and would occasionally stir up trouble.

That was just how soldiers were; strength was what they valued most. If you weren’t as strong as the next man, you couldn’t even walk with your head held high. They weren’t like politicians, who would smile at you like a dear brother to your face while unhesitatingly stabbing you in the back.

However, even after acknowledging the Lightning Legion’s power, these soldiers still didn’t believe that the Third Young Master had what it took to resist the hidden clans and sects!

There was much that these soldiers didn’t know. For instance, the "human stick" that had been displayed on the city walls was actually a Middle-Tier Sword Emperor Powerhouse! Or that among the beautiful women they often saw, the strongest had already reached the Sword Emperor Realm! And even the old butler of Lingxiao Mansion, Uncle Fu, that perpetually cheerful old man, possessed the power of a Third-rank Demon Sword Master...

Penzes New City was filled with towering structures, most of which belonged to the city’s wealthy merchants. A strange phenomenon existed in Ling Xiao’s territory: the merchants held their heads higher than the noble lords!

This was completely different from anywhere else in the Empire. The aristocracy had been in place for countless years. Throughout history, no matter the era or who was in power, the nobility had always possessed immense authority!

Even to this day, there were still places where noble lords possessed the right of first night over the young women in their domains!

But here in Penzes New City, while things weren’t at the point of true equality, incidents of the strong oppressing the weak were few and far between.

The formidable soldiers of the Lightning Legion were no mere decoration.

Yet, the nobles were unwilling to leave. The commercial atmosphere in Penzes was simply too vibrant, and doing business here was far more profitable than anywhere else! Therefore, even with their authority suppressed, the nobles willingly remained.

At this moment, the upper-story restaurants and inns controlled by the great clans and nobility were all occupied by mysterious newcomers.

In a luxurious suite on the top floor of a building more than a dozen stories high—the one closest to the Inner City—stood several people of varying ages.

The eldest had a white beard and white hair, his features kind and benevolent, giving him a very compassionate air. The youngest was a man in his twenties, handsome and charismatic, with sharp eyes and brows that slanted like swords. His figure was tall and slender, and he was dressed in magnificent clothes, exuding a noble aura. One glance was enough to know he was no ordinary person.

A few middle-aged men stood behind the two, all of them silent, their gazes fixed intently on the Inner City.

The young man, seemingly unable to contain his curiosity, cleared his throat and asked, "Grandfather, what are your thoughts? Why did those two from the Zhe Family suddenly vanish?"

The old man gave a faint smile and shook his head. "I do not know."

After the old man spoke, the young man and the other middle-aged men all wore expressions of disbelief. The young man said with a laugh, "Surely you’re joking, Grandfather? Is there anything in this world you don’t know?"

The old man gave his grandson a look that was both chiding and affectionate. He enjoyed the young man’s flattery, but he knew in his heart, ’I am but a frog in a well, seeing only a patch of sky the size of my palm. The continent is so vast, and there is still so much I do not understand!’

Of course, while he had always appeared this humble, deep down, he held a sliver of pride. He came from a super-clan, after all, and had reached the realm of a Tier Six Sword Venerable! Moreover... the old man’s strength had already reached the Peak Realm of the sixth tier! He even had a premonition that in less than a hundred years, the Holy Sanctuary Gate would open for him.

Therefore, for a Martial Artist of his realm, there was hardly anything left in the Mortal World that could be considered worthy of his attention.

The old man was well-read, with a deep understanding of ancient texts, and was particularly fond of the Divination Skill passed down from the Ancient Era. He cherished this art, even though countless people dismissed it as the trickery of charlatans.

A few days ago, on a sudden whim, he had performed a casual divination and discovered that a momentous event was about to occur to the southeast, on the shores of the great sea!

He even had the hazy feeling that a peerlessly brilliant Martial Artist would appear there.

For an old man with one foot already through the Holy Sanctuary Gate to consider someone a peerlessly brilliant Martial Artist... just what kind of person could that be?

This old man’s clan was immensely powerful! Yet, it was isolated from the rest of society, almost never interacting with the Mortal World or other clans and sects. In fact, many clans and sects were completely unaware of their existence.

The old man was Gongsun Huang.

The young man beside him was named Gongsun Sword. At twenty-five years of age, he already possessed the power of a Tier Six Sword Sect! Such strength was more than enough to make him a source of pride among his peers.

But Gongsun Sword never thought much of his own achievements; instead, he idolized his grandfather, Gongsun Huang. If anyone dared to speak ill of his grandfather in the slightest, the typically cheerful and smiling Gongsun Sword would instantly turn hostile. Not even his own father was exempt!

The Gongsun Clan was not widely known, but their power was absolutely transcendent. The only ones who knew of their existence were a few other super-clans and sects, along with a handful of ancient, first-rate clans who were vaguely aware of them. This was because from time immemorial, the Gongsun Clan would participate whenever rare treasures were unearthed on the continent. However, since no such treasures had been discovered for several hundred years, the Gongsun Clan had continued to exist in quiet obscurity.