Chapter 452 - 313: The 4 Directions in Turmoil, Elites from the 8 Converge

Chapter 452: Chapter 313: The 4 Directions in Turmoil, Elites from the 8 Converge

"Why? I can trade our family’s sword techniques for it!" Gongsun Sword said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The middle-aged men beside him couldn’t help but look away, afraid Gongsun Huang would scold them for the smirks they were trying to hide.

The muscles on Gongsun Huang’s old face twitched violently. "If he agrees," he finally said, "then a trade would be acceptable."

This time, it was the middle-aged men’s turn to be shocked. As descendants of Gongsun Huang, they knew better than anyone: the clan’s sword techniques were never to be taught to outsiders.

And now the old man had actually agreed!

Gongsun Huang was over five hundred and eighty years old. He had only entered the Sword Venerable Realm in his three hundreds, after which he married and had children. His son, Gongsun Tian, was a bit more of a prodigy, marrying and having a child at two hundred and sixty. Today, Gongsun Tian had also reached the realm of a Tier Two Sword Venerable. Although the Gongsun Clan’s direct line of descent was small, each member was exceptionally powerful, a testament to the might of their sword techniques and Cultivation Techniques.

’And now, for some common kid from the Mortal World, the clan’s techniques can be taught to an outsider?’

’It’s truly baffling! Does that young Marquis really possess so much potential that even the old man thinks so highly of him?’

They couldn’t help but recall Gongsun Huang’s masterful Divination Skill. With that in mind, they slowly began to accept this reality.

At the same time, the other inns and taverns throughout Penzes were filled to the brim with members of various hidden families and sects.

Even the East Sea Qin Family, the Zhao Family, the Yu Family of Yan-Zhao, the Jingwu Family Lie Family, and a host of other clans—regardless of whether they had ties to Ling Xiao—had all sent people here.

There was only one reason: Ling Xiao’s outrageous behavior.

He had killed a Sword Emperor powerhouse, hacked off his limbs, and displayed the mutilated torso on the city wall like a trophy.

Forget a first-rate family; even the Lie Family, a so-called "super-family," wouldn’t dare do such a thing. It wasn’t a matter of courage, but of having far too much to consider.

Even super-families had their weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Their Sword Venerable powerhouses were almost always in seclusion and would never emerge unless the clan faced a major crisis.

Therefore, to so brazenly insult a first-rate family—brutally killing one of their experts and displaying the body for public desecration—would undoubtedly provoke their frenzied retaliation.

It was a pyrrhic victory at best—killing a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of your own. No one in their right mind would do such a thing.

’That Ling Xiao is insane!’ That was what countless people thought.

The three Lie Family siblings hadn’t come, but their family had sent others for an important reason: Lie Feng had vanished without a trace after parting ways with Lie Yang. After some investigation, Lie Yang received a piece of news that left him utterly horrified.

Lie Feng was dead.

He had died right at the entrance to the Lord’s Mansion in old Penzes city.

But how he died and who killed him remained a mystery. Few people witnessed the fight that day, and those who were present were all Ling Xiao’s most trusted subordinates. These people were as elusive as ghosts, making it impossible for the Lie Family to get near them.

Lie Yang was nearly scared senseless by the news. While Lie Feng was his guard, he was also a key Martial Artist being cultivated by the Lie Family—a Tier Five Sword Emperor! ’Dead, just like that? The punishment I’m about to face will surely be severe!’

So, before the news could spread, Lie Yang dispatched several more subordinates. Their mission wasn’t to assassinate Ling Xiao, but to investigate how, exactly, Lie Feng had died.

However, before those two from the Lie Family could even begin their investigation, the incident with the Zhe Family erupted. ’Well, this is convenient,’ they thought. ’No need to investigate for now. Let’s just watch the show!’

Countless others from various families and sects had also gathered in Penzes City, each with their own agenda.

Qing Yu of the Qinghui Family stood in a room high above the city, also gazing toward the Inner City. She bit her lip, her expression distant as she murmured, "What kind of person are you? How could you do something so outrageous? Do you have a death wish?"

As night fell, many of the experts staying in the city appeared on rooftops, having sensed a number of powerful, undisguised auras approaching from a distance.

There were eight of them, and it was as if their minds were linked. The killing intent they generated together permeated the sky over Penzes New City. This blatant, arrogant killing intent angered many of the experts present.

Gongsun Sword stood atop a high tower, coldly watching the eight figures streaking toward them like lightning. "How arrogant!" he said coldly. "Are they warning us not to make a move?"

Gongsun Huang sat in a rocking chair. The seaside night breeze was cool and carried the unique briny scent of the ocean. It wasn’t harsh, but rather quite pleasant.

Gongsun Huang said calmly, "Why pay them any mind? Besides, you’re no match for them. This is a grudge between two families. As long as they don’t provoke us, we will not interfere."

"What if they start slaughtering innocents?" Gongsun Sword asked indignantly.

"Someone will naturally deal with them," Gongsun Huang added. "Those are the rules."

"I don’t care about any rules! If they harm the innocent, I’ll step in! I’ll fight them even if I can’t win! I won’t be able to live with myself otherwise!" Gongsun Sword declared loudly, looking at his grandfather.

As Gongsun Sword spoke, Gongsun Huang gave a casual wave of his hand, forming a protective barrier between himself and his grandson. It wasn’t to defend against an attack, but to keep his grandson’s words from spreading and causing unnecessary trouble.

Gongsun Huang’s eyelids drooped slightly. "We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it," he said.

Gongsun Sword’s gaze wavered. He began to worry for the young man he had never met, the one his grandfather held in such high esteem.

’So many experts have come... can he really handle them all by himself?’

In the slums on the west side of the New City, the High Priest looked up at the sky, her eyes suddenly flashing with incomparable hatred. Her lips trembled, and beside her, Ye Zi assumed her mother was worried about Ling Xiao.

"Mother, don’t worry," she said comfortingly. "Even if Ling Xiao can’t kill them all, he’ll definitely be able to escape!"

Two streams of tears slid down the High Priest’s cheeks. She remained silent. She desperately wanted to charge out, consequences be damned, but she knew that a single move would expose everyone else. They had eight Sword Emperor Realm experts on their side. Her own group—Quefeng, Shangguan Yutong, Thirteen, Fourteen, Tiger, and herself—numbered only six. And apart from Quefeng, the rest were all just Low-Tier Sword Emperors. They were no match for the wily old veterans of the Zhe Family.

’Ling Xiao... you have to help me!’ Su Xue’s hands were clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.

The Zhe Family had dispatched a Sword Venerable and nine Sword Emperor powerhouses for this fight, a force that far exceeded the expectations of every family and sect member who had come to watch the spectacle. Almost no one believed that this rising star from the Mortal World could withstand such a powerful assault.

Penzes was in peril. Ling Xiao was in peril.

That was what everyone thought.

Upon hearing this news, even Ling Xiao’s family and female companions couldn’t hide the worried looks on their faces.