Public opinion changed as fast as the tides and in only half a day, news had spread throughout War City and the Central Capital. Everyone was talking about it and all those who had been holding great expectations for Yang Kai underwent a great change in attitude.
Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen, who were forced to leave, had also become the protagonists of the peoples’ discussions. The Young Lady and Young Lord were abandoning Yang Kai precisely because they had seen through his evil nature yet were helpless to stop him from within.
If not for this, it would have been impossible for them to betray Yang Kai.
When such news was released, the whole city went into an uproar, feeling indignant for Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen and abhorrent towards Yang Kai’s tyranny.
Yang Wei’s compound.
Ever since Yang Kai broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, there had been no movement from Yang Wei. All the cultivators who had come to support him were ignoring outside events and cultivating diligently, not caring at all about the Inheritance War. The Eldest Young Lord, Yang Wei, no longer had any confidence in winning, so what waves could his allies make?
What was most important now was for them to improve their strength because once the Inheritance War ended, they would have to leave War City and would lose this advantageous cultivation environment.
Inside the quiet mansion, a rush of footsteps suddenly broke the silence. The sound of these steps was hurried and was obviously heading towards Yang Wei’s room. Quickly arriving, the young man didn’t even knock on the door before shoving it open and frantically shouting, “Eldest Young Lord, Eldest Young Lord!”
Yang Wei, who was meditating, slowly blinked and turned to look at Meng Shan Yi whose expression was a mix of surprise and excitement. The former raising his sword-like eyebrows quickly said, “Shan Qi, how many times have you told not to get so flustered at every little thing.”
Saying so, Yang Wei slowly shook his head with a helpless expression.
“Eldest Young Lord, this time, things are different.” Meng Shan Yi cheeks flushed bright red, seemingly having encountered some kind of great fortune, but if one looked carefully, they would also notice some anxiety and hesitation on his face.
“What happened?” Yang Wei had been in secluded retreat these days, studying a number of old texts, and had no idea about the chaotic situation brewing outside.
Meng Shan Yi collected himself and replied, “Yang Kai is about to be eliminated.”
Yang Wei’s brow suddenly furrowed and seriously asked, “Where did you hear such gossip?”
“It’s not gossip.” Meng Shan Yi shook his head, his expression becoming solemn as he reported the recent changes that had occurred in War City.
As Yang Wei listened, his expression became strange.
Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen leaving Yang Kai was something far outside his expectations.
Such rapid changes in public opinion in War City were obviously due to someone fanning the flames behind the scenes. As for who the masterminds behind this propaganda campaign were, there was no need to guess. Besides the Eight Great Families, no one had the ability to influence the masses so quickly.
Yang Wei had not expected that his Heaven defying Ninth Brother had actually captured the attention of the Eight Great Families.
Vaguely, he felt like something was out of place though…
Even if his Ninth Brother had the potential to become a Demon Lord, considering his identity as a direct descendant of the Eight Great Families, it was impossible for them to make such a public fuss about him as it would only serve to tarnish their dignity. What deeper meaning was there to their actions?
Moreover, the first wave of propaganda seemed like it was designed to discredit Ninth Brother and force him into a passive situation, allowing others to take up the mantle of righteousness, if this was really the case…
Considering the development of the situation, Yang Wei suddenly thought of a possibility and couldn’t help looking awkward.
“Eldest Young Lord, there is one more thing I must report to you.” Meng Shan Yi frowned and said hesitantly.
“What?”
“My Meng Family sent a letter, ordering me to cooperate with Second Young Lord… to defeat Yang Kai.” Meng Shan Yi managed to cough out these words though his extremely bitter face.
“The Meng Family?” Yang Wei brows furrowed, “And my Yang Family?”
“The messenger said… not to worry, the Yang Family will not intervene in this matter.”
Meng Shan Yi had also been in retreat when this letter arrived, but after swiftly inspecting the situation inside War City and understanding the current climate, he had rushed over to Yang Wei.
“Cooperate with Second Brother… haha.” Yang Wei suddenly laughed, “Even if the two of us gather together all of our forces, I’m afraid we’re still not worthy to be Ninth Brother’s opponents, what other arrangements are in place?”
Meng Shan Yi wore a forced smile, “Eldest Young Lord doesn’t need to feign ignorance… The messenger who came said not to worry about anything; all we need to do is make an appearance and take a public stand, as for everything else, those from Second Young Master’s mansion will handle it…”
Yang Wei went silent, a strange light flashing across his eyes.
“Eldest Young Lord…” Meng Shan Yi grit his teeth, “Although this message came from my Meng Family, it seems like your Yang Family has also acquiesced.”
Yang Wei nodded gently. If there is no acquiescence from the Yang Family, how would the Meng Family dare to do this? They didn’t have such courage.
“Second Young Lord has lost all fighting spirit these days, and the staff in his mansion has shrunk dramatically. He is simply not an opponent to the Little Lord.” Meng Shan Yi said sullenly, “But from the sounds of it, Second Young Lord is now certain he can eat up Yang Kai’s house… How could he suddenly have such great confidence?”
“Reinforcements, reinforcements from the Eight Great Families!” Yang Wei confidently answered.
Meng Shan Yi couldn’t help feeling shocked. Yang Wei had instantly guessed what he was thinking. Suddenly wearing a sullen expression the former asked, “Eldest Young Lord… does this mean that they have already designated Second Young Lord as the next Patriarch of the Yang Family?”
Reinforcements weren’t being sent to the Eldest Young Lord, but instead to Yang Zhao, this was enough to infer many things.
The Yang Family obviously hoped that Yang Zhao could inherit the Patriarch position and had thus sent reinforcements to him in order to defeat Yang Kai and win the Inheritance War.
Yang Wei had a smile on his face and nodded lightly, “Even without mentioning Ninth Brother’s situation, according to the current state of affairs, the Yang Family really should hope so.”
“Eldest Young Lord, aren’t you frustrated by their decision?” Meng Shan Yi immediately felt indignant.
The Inheritance War had carried on for almost a year now, and if it were to reach a natural conclusion, the winner would definitely be Yang Kai while Yang Zhao would undoubtedly be the next one eliminated. Yet now, how could a youth who had become depressed over a mere minor setback be suitable to inherit the Yang Family?
Simply comparing their mental fortitudes, Yang Wei was undoubtedly more suitable for this position.
But even though such things were obvious, why had the reinforcements been sent to Yang Zhao?
Hearing the ire in Meng Shan Yi’s voice, Yang Wei simply grinned and shook his head, “Why should I be frustrated? Actually, if I’m to be honest, I don’t really want to be the next Yang Family Patriarch. I’m fairly certain Ninth Brother also feels the same.”
“How can that…” Meng Shan Yi was dumbstruck, Yang Kai’s performance throughout the Inheritance War could only be described as vowing to achieve victory no matter what.
“Ninth Brother and I both want to ascend to the peak of the Martial Dao. Those who take the pursuit of the martial peak as their goal will not care for transient things like becoming the Patriarch of the Yang Family. Although such a position seems important and lofty, in the grand scheme of things, it is not but a trivial matter. More importantly, once one mounts such a position, how would they have time to focus on their own cultivation? As far as I know, the biggest reason Ninth Brother is even bothering to participate in the Inheritance War is to clear the name of his Sect, High Heaven Pavilion. He seems to have reached an agreement with the Patriarch that so long as he wins, High Heaven Pavilion’s title of an Evil Sect will be removed and its reputation will be restored.”
“Just for that?” Meng Shan Yi was flabbergasted, completely unable to understand what he was hearing. Were there really people in this world who didn’t care for such honour and privilege?
“Just for that.” Yang Wei nodded, “This time, I participated in the Inheritance War because of the family’s rules and also to hone myself. As for becoming the next Patriarch, it’s not too important for me.”
Meng Shan Yi was silent.
“From this point on, the wisest decision for the family is to support Second Brother. Although Second Brother’s mentality isn’t as firm, compared to myself and Ninth Brother, he is no doubt more suitable to become Patriarch.” Yang Wei said frankly without the slightest of cares.
“Are you disappointed? Do you feel like all the efforts you’ve put in so far to assist me have not been rewarded?” Yang Wei suddenly asked the silent Meng Shan Yi.
Not hesitating for an instant, Meng Shan Yi shook his head gently, “Hearing the true ambitions of Eldest Young Lord is this Shan Yi’s honour. Since the Eldest Young Lord doesn’t want to become the Yang Family Patriarch, all I need to do is change my outlook slightly.”
Saying so, he asked, “Are we going to cooperate with Second Young Lord?”
Yang Wei smiled calmly, “Since the Meng Family has sent a letter, it means the Eight Great Families have already joined forces with the Yang Family’s acceptance. Am I even able to refuse? If all they need is a show of face, you going is enough. From now on, the conflict that takes place has nothing to do with the Inheritance War.”
It could be said that from the moment Yang Kai broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, the Inheritance War had ended.
What happened next was just the Eight Great Families carrying out some secret manoeuvres under the guise of the Inheritance War.
“I understand.” Meng Shan Yi nodded slightly, turned around and left, preparing to visit Yang Zhao’s mansion.
After Meng Shan Yi left, Yang Wei’s expression became pensive, but after thinking for a long time, he still couldn’t understand why it was that Ninth Brother had suddenly become such a priority target.
In his heart he felt slightly disgruntled.
At the same time, inside Yang Zhao’s house.
Group after group of masters quickly gathered, these people had never before appeared in the Inheritance War, but today, as if they had meticulously planned it out, they had all arrived here.
The cultivators from Yang Zhao’s original allies all stared at these newcomers in somewhat of a daze.
They found that many of these people were Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage masters, while Seventh and Eighth Stage cultivators abounded.
There were a total of seven new groups, each with the same powerhouse lineup.
Those with slightly discerning eyes soon realized where these seven groups hailed from.
Obviously these groups belonged to the Central Capital Eight Great Families. Apart from Yang Family who hadn’t sent any personnel, the other seven families had all arrived.
Among the seven groups of people, one young man and one young woman looked at each other with depressed and guilty expressions on their faces.
After a while, the young man slowly walked over to the woman and nodded solemnly.
The two found a secluded corner, and stared out at the gathering of masters with helpless expressions.
These two were none other than Huo Xing Chen and Qiu Yi Meng.
This morning, the two of them had left War City, only to return the very same evening.
In the span of less than a day, the two of them were forced to change from Yang Kai’s allies to Yang Zhao’s, their identities changing so rapidly it was laughable.
“What conditions did your father promise you?” Huo Xing Chen turned to look at Qiu Yi Meng and asked flatly.
“In the future, this Young Lady will inherit the Qiu Family!” Qiu Yi Meng replied with a sigh.
“Congratulations. Isn’t this what you always dreamed of?” Huo Xing Chen smiled.
“Yes.” Qiu Yi Meng brushed her hair back behind her ear, not the slightest bit of happiness apparent in her eyes, “What about you?”
“My old man said, if I don’t come, he’ll drive me out of the Huo Family and banish me for life. That old fart was serious, I couldn’t refuse.” Huo Xing Chen couldn’t help smiling wryly.
“It seems like we both compromised.”
“Seems like it.”
The two stared at each other for a moment before suddenly wearing disdainful expressions and simultaneously muttering, “I really despise you!”
The Qiu Family group was headed by Qiu Yi Meng while the Huo Family masters were led by Huo Xing Chen.
Those from the Kang Family followed Kang Zhan and the group from the Gao Family had Gao Rang Feng as their leader.
Even the Central Capital’s First Young Lord, Liu Qing Yao, had arrived, bringing with him a group of Liu Family masters, though he chose to stand silently in the corner and not communicate with anyone.
Looking at this spectacular gathering, Huo Xing Chen couldn’t help spitting disdainfully, “Ridiculous.”
“Truly ridiculous.” Qiu Yi Meng gently nodded, “Seven of the Eight Great Families are targeting Yang Kai, yet they still insist on sending a member of the younger generation to serve as a leader. Obviously, they want to use the stage of the Yang Family Inheritance War to deceive the eyes of the world.”
Huo Xing Chen simply shrugged his shoulders, “There’s nothing that can be done, those who know the inside story know that this action is solely to deal with Yang Kai, those who don’t simply believe the Inheritance War isn’t over yet. If they were suddenly to declare the Yang Family Inheritance War over and that Yang Kai had been eliminated for no apparent reason, no one would be able to accept it.”
Just as the Eldest Brother, Yang Wei, clearly understood the situation, Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen also saw things for what they really were.
What happened next had nothing to do with the Inheritance War; instead, it would be more accurate to say that the Inheritance War stage was being used by the seven families to put on a show.
The secret conversation between Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen was not missed by the other Central Capital Young Lords.
Kang Zhan and Gao Rang Feng hesitated for a long time before walking over to Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen together.
Huo Xing Chen turned his eyes to the two approaching Young Lords and asked with a light smile, “Brother Kang, how is your injury recovering?”
“Brother Huo need not worry, my injury is no longer a problem, Little Lord had a sense of proportion and didn’t deal any lasting damage.” Kang Zhan said lightly and indifferently, not displaying any resentment towards Yang Kai.
“That’s good, that’s good. Hahaha.” Huo Xing Chen said with a false smile.
Seeing his attempt to shoo them away, Gao Rang Feng and Kang Zhan were also very helpless, the former saying, “Brother Huo, although we formerly opposed the Little Lord, that was only because the situation forced us to be his opponents. In truth, both of us very much admire the Little Lord’s methods and strength, if possible, we wanted to make friends with him.”
“Really?” Huo Xing Chen wore a surprised expression, “I’m quite surprised, I never knew Brother Gao and Brother Kang were such magnanimous people. Yang Kai treated both of you so ruthlessly yet you still want to make friends with him, hahaha, are those your true intentions?”
“Brother Huo, if you are still wary of us, then I and Brother Kang really have nothing we can say.” Gao Rang Feng said seriously.
Huo Xing Chen stared at the two of them for a moment before gradually restraining his false smile and replacing it with a solemn expression.
“What do you want to say?” Qiu Yi Meng, who had been silently observing situation, suddenly took the initiative to ask.
Gao Rang Feng frowned and asked in a low voice, “Brother Kang and I are very confused. Why do our seven families seem so determined to deal with the Little Lord? Why is the Yang Family not saying anything about this matter? The two of you were formerly Yang Kai’s allies, so we thought you might know more about the situation than us.”
“En.” Kang Zhan nodded, “I really can’t understand what is going on here. I was still at home recovering from my injuries when my father suddenly ordered me to come here; even when I asked him why, he didn’t tell me anything. Young Lady Qiu and Brother Huo, if you know something and are able to tell us, we would very much appreciate it, if you don’t, or can’t, then just pretend we never asked.”
Huo Xing Chen went silent and turned his eyes towards Qiu Yi Meng.
Although he had been together with Yang Kai for just as long as Qiu Yi Meng, he would normally not be involved in any of the decisions made inside Yang Kai’s mansion and had only spoken to Yang Kai once in a while. On the other hand, Qiu Yi Meng often spoke with Yang Kai both in public and private and was involved in both planning and executing almost every operation that occurred, so she obviously was better informed than he was.
In fact, the questions asked by Gao Rang Feng and Kang Zhan were questions he too had.
Facing these three pairs of expectant eyes, Qiu Yi Meng could only shake her head slightly, “I don’t know anything, you’re asking the wrong person.”
Immediately, Gao Rang Feng and Kang Zhan wore disappointed expressions.
“However, although I haven’t been told anything specific, I can roughly guess what is happening.” Qiu Yi Meng suddenly added.
“Oh? Please enlighten us, Young Lady Qiu.” Kang Zhan and Gao Rang Feng shined.
“Yang Kai being targeted like this, one possibility is that he has done something that has violated the Eight Great Families’ bottom line!” Qiu Yi Meng said indifferently, without any emotion, “For example, the information that is currently being circulated among the common people.”
Cultivating a Demonic Secret Art, sharing the same Sect as the Demon Lord, providing shelter to Demons and Devil’s Path disciples, showing symptoms of Devil’s Practices…
All of these matters could be big or small depending on one’s perspective. Now that someone wanted them to be a big deal, they were a big deal.
“We also know about all of that; those were the reasons our families gave us when they sent us here as reinforcements. But… even if all of that is true, both of us still felt like things aren’t that simple.” Gao Rang Feng frowned, obviously not accepting these justifications at face value.
“Is there some other reason?” Kang Zhan hurriedly asked.
“If it is not because of this, then the only explanation is Yang Kai has something all seven of our families want,” Qiu Yi Meng sneered. After she finished speaking, a light flashed across her beautiful eyes and her brow deeply furrowed as she sunk into contemplation.
These few words suddenly dispelled all of these youth’s doubts.
When one was prosperous, benefits mattered the most. When the world was chaotic, benefits still mattered the most.
If this was the case, then this situation was understandable.
Looking at Qiu Yi Meng’s shifting expression, the Young Lords all realized she probably knew what it was their families were after, but since she didn’t explain, Kang Zhan and Gao Rang Feng knew not to ask any further.
However, the Eight Great Families’ actions this time gave all of them a feeling like they were pawns being manipulated.
Since they wanted to deal with Yang Kai, given the heritage and strength of the Eight Great Families, they could have just acted in a straightforward manner, but instead they had decided to put on this farce by borrowing the Inheritance War’s stage.
The several young people gathered here suddenly felt both disgruntled and depressed.
As the four of them had been speaking, Liu Qing Yao had kept his eyes closed and seemed to not be paying any attention to them, but no matter who it was, they could sense a thin threat of Divine Sense observing them. Apparently Liu Qing Yao was also interested in their discussion.
The four of them also didn’t feel any need to guard against him.
At the same time, deeper inside the mansion.
Inside Yang Zhao’s room, the Second Young Lord, sat motionless on his bed.
After just ten days of time, the always loft and arrogant Yang Zhao had transformed into a withered and sullen individual, dark rings around his bloodshot eyes giving him a particular fierce look.
Ye Xin Rou paced back and forth slowly in front of Yang Zhao, detailing the current situation to him.
Gradually, Yang Zhao’s seemingly dull face took on some colour as his red eyes narrowed slightly.
“Second Young Lord, reinforcements from the seven families have all arrived. Each of them sending at least twenty Immortal Ascension Boundary masters at the Sixth Stage or higher, there is even a large number of Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters. The seven families meaning is clear, they hope you can lead these people to defeat Yang Kai as quickly as possible and win the Inheritance War.”
“Why did the seven families suddenly send so many people to participate in the Inheritance War?” Yang Zhao muttered.
Since he hadn’t spoken in quite some time, Yang Zhao’s voice had become a bit hoarse and it had a sickly tone to it, like he was on the verge of death.
Ye Xin Rou smiled gracefully and replied, “Didn’t I just tell you about it? Yang Kai is a dangerous person who is very likely to become a second Demon Lord. The Yang Family cannot allow such a man to become its next Patriarch. The seven families and the Yang Family have occupied the Central Capital for centuries and are life and death allies; naturally they are also concerned about this issue as well. Now they have taken the initiative to gather in your house and are only waiting for you to issue the order. Second Young Lord, the Yang Family’s Patriarch position is yours for the taking.”
“Is it really just for such reasons?” Yang Zhao’s gaze became cold as he stared at the lithe young woman in front of him.
“What other reasons could there be?” Ye Xin Rou gawked.
Suddenly wearing a look of impatience on her face, she walked over and hugged Yang Zhao’s arm like a spoiled child and said, “Second Young Lord, don’t think too much about it, quickly fix yourself up and meet with everyone. Letting these people wait too long will do you no good.”
“I’m not going.” Yang Zhao said with a disheartened look, apparently not the least bit excited by this shocking news, quickly brushing away Ye Xin Rou’s entanglement.
Ye Xin Rou shook her head slowly, she hadn’t expected Yang Zhao to be happy about all of this but she still couldn’t help wondering, “Second Young Lord, what’s wrong?”
Yang Zhao simply shook his head, “The Inheritance War is a battle between my Yang Family’s direct descendants, a battle of wits, a battle of connections, a battle of charm. I’ve already lost, and since I’ve lost, why should I bother with it anymore.”
“How is that so? There are still so many people gathered in your house and with the addition of so many powerful masters willing to assist you. Now is the perfect time to stage a comeback.” Ye Xin Rou tried to console.
“People from seven of the Great Families… heh heh,” Yang Zhao sneered, “If I use them to defeat Ninth Brother, even if I sit in the Patriarch’s position, I’ll never feel deserving of it!”
“Second Young Lord, what are you saying?” Ye Xin Rou continued to prod, “Relying on just the allies gathered in your house, there is no way to defeat Yang Kai, but now that such a good opportunity has appeared in front of you, how can you not act? How can you not seize this chance?”
After a short pause, Ye Xin Rou laughed and said, “Could it be that Second Young Lord fears being criticised by the world? Second Young Lord, achieving your objective is what is most important, as for history, history is written by the victors, once you sit in the position of Yang Family Patriarch, who would dare to criticize you?”
Yang Zhao however remained unemotional and uninterested.
Ye Xin Rou suddenly lost patience and coldly shouted, “Second Young Lord, I hope you can put the overall situation first, the Yang Family has already acquiesced to this matter. If you don’t act, it would be akin to rebelling against your family. Humph, the noble Yang Family Second Young Lord only able to act like a whipped dog, simply laughable!”
Yang Zhao suddenly raised his head and stared towards Ye Xin Rou with his bloodshot eyes. Seeing this look, Ye Xin Rou immediately panicked but before she could react a cold hand was already around her neck and her vision became blurry. After quickly regaining her senses, Ye Xin Rou discovered she had been thrown onto the bed by Yang Zhao.
The faces of the two were almost stuck together, and Ye Xin Rou could clearly feel the hot breath from Yang Zhao’s nostrils; however, this heat was not a result of lust but instead because of rage.
The big hand around her neck was like an iron hoop, preventing her from even struggling.
Ye Xin Rou suddenly became frightened; only at this moment remember that she was not Yang Zhao’s opponent at all.
“Second Young Lord, what do you want to do…” Ye Xin Rou wore a pained expression as she bit her red lips, staring weakly towards Yang Zhao.
“I, Yang Zhao, am insidious and cunning, but I will not stoop so low as to use such disgraceful methods to defeat Ninth Brother! In this Inheritance War, I used my all in order to fight Ninth Brother yet still lost. As such, I have no complaints! Cheap slut, you’re not qualified to judge me! If you dare to say something like that again, I don’t mind making you the first Young Lady to die from a super force in the Inheritance War… What Ninth Brother dares to do, I dare to do as well! I, Yang Zhao, dare to be even more ruthlessness than him!”
Yang Zhao’s cold, hoarse voice was like the call of a demon from the depths of hell; causing Ye Xin Rou’s beautiful face to fill with fear and regret.
Staring into Yang Zhao’s eyes, Ye Xin Rou was truly frightened.
She could see that Yang Zhao wasn’t putting up a front to try to intimidate her, if she really uttered another word and angered him; she would most likely die here.
“Your Xin Rou was wrong, she wouldn’t dare…” Ye Xin Rou immediately backed down, as a woman, she didn’t feel the slightest bit ashamed.
Yang Zhao coldly snorted before releasing her.
After getting up from the bed, Yang Zhao muttered, “Those people gathered in my house are just here to borrow my name. Even if I disagree, they can still borrow Big Brother’s name. Since the Yang Family has tacitly consented to this, it is true I can’t resist! However, if they want to drag me out and use me as a figurehead to deal with Ninth Brother, they’re dreaming! Get out, from now on, you are in charge of all matters inside this house!”
Ye Xin Rou, who was still recovering from her earlier panic, couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath and tremble, “Second Young Lord, you mean…”
“You don’t need to suspect anything, from this moment forward this house is yours, the masters from the seven families and all my allies are also yours to command. Aren’t you a woman who pursues authority? If we didn’t have that in common, we would never have become allies in the first place. Now’s your chance to obtain what you want, what are you hesitating for?”
Ye Xin Rou didn’t care about the mockery in Yang Zhao’s words, only excitement could be seen in her eyes. Only after she took a deep breath to collect herself did she ask, “But… how should I explain this to the people in the house?”
“Do you need to explain anything? I’ve already agreed to let them borrow my name, as for any kind of justification, just say whatever you want.”
Ye Xin Rou’s smile blossomed like a great flower as she nodded, “After suffering a setback, Second Young Lord not only wasn’t disheartened, but instead emerged even stronger from this tribulation and has taken advantage of this momentum to break through. As such, he is currently in secluded cultivation!”
“Good.” Yang Zhao snickered, “I guess I should thank you for finding an excuse that takes my face into consideration.”
“We’re not strangers, no need to act polite.” Ye Xin Rou narrowed her eyes towards Yang Zhao, “After this, perhaps Xin Rou will really have to commit herself to Second Young Lord. I only hope that when Second Young Lord sits upon the Yang Family Patriarch’s position he will remember to take care of my Ye Family.”
Yang Zhao just sneered dismissively, “You should worry about surviving the conflict with Ninth Brother first.”
Ye Xin Rou’s pretty face cramped as a trace of fear flashed across her eyes, but she soon recovered and confidently said, “With the forces gathered here, what chance does Yang Kai have to resist?”
Yang Zhao simply closed his eyes and stopped talking.
“Then Xin Ruo will take her leave.” Ye Xin Rou bowed before turning around and exiting.
After she left Yang Zhao’s private house, she paused and stared up at the sky.
In the dark night, a full moon hung high in the sky sending out soft light.
Ye Xin Rou couldn’t contain her joy as she smiled happily; shooting a glance back at Yang Zhao’s house, a trace of disdain crept into her expression.
She hadn’t expected Yang Zhao to make such a decision, but since he had already transferred command to her, she could really cut loose and do things as she wished.
Her face filled with excitement. She let out a wicked laughter that quickly reverberated throughout the mansion, sending a cold chill down the spines of those who heard it.
A short time later, the leaders of the seven great forces in Yang Zhao’s mansion gathered in the main hall.
Ye Xin Rou sat at the head of the table.
Nearby, Liu Family’s Liu Qing Yao, Kang Family’s Kang Zhan, Gao Family’s Gao Rang Feng, Qiu Family’s Qiu Yi Meng, Huo Family’s Huo Xing Chen, and Meng Family’s Meng Shan Yi all stared at her curiously.
Ye Xin Rou on the other hand wore a light and casual expression without the slightest unease on her face.
Sweeping her alluring eyes around the table, Ye Xin Rou spoke first, “Brother Meng, Eldest Young Lord didn’t come?”
When he heard himself called out by the current Ye Xin Rou, Meng Shan Yi couldn’t help trembling slightly, but still quickly responded, “Eldest Young Lord said that he felt he would soon break through and must enter retreat. For this time’s action, Eldest Young Lord has authorized this Meng to command his forces.”
Ye Xin Rou was slightly surprised but soon wore a winning smile, “Such a coincidence, Second Young Lord also felt he would soon break through and has entered secluded retreat. I’m afraid he won’t be able to exit for some time. The Yang Family’s Young Lords are really dragons among men. Two brothers simultaneously breaking through, it really makes one admire their aptitude.”
Listening to her saying these words, everyone present couldn’t help showing awkward expressions.
Huo Xing Chen quickly changed the subject, “Junior Sister Ye, if Second Young Lord isn’t coming, who will be responsible for this seven-family coalition, it wouldn’t be you, right?”
“That’s right,” Ye Xin Rou responded lightly, flashing a charming smile as she changed her posture slightly, “This operation will be directed by me.”
Huo Xing Chen let out a half chuckle half sneer.
“Before entering retreat, Second Young Lord declared that all of the mansion’s matters would be taken over by me and all those gathered here are to follow my orders!” Ye Xin Rou’s expression became cold as she stated firmly.
Once again, the other six youths in the room wore cramped faces.
“Elder Brothers, Elder Sister, are you questioning Junior Sister’s abilities?” Ye Xin Rou took in the expressions of everyone around her and asked with a temperate smile.
“Of course not.” Kang Zhan shook his head, “It’s just that Second Young Lord not coming forward personally and instead sending Young Lady Ye in his stead seems somewhat improper; after all, the orders given to all of us gathered here from our respective families were to assist Second Young Lord.”
“Is Brother Kang skeptical about whether Second Young Lord truly authorised me to take command?” Ye Xin Rou giggled, “I’m afraid I don’t have such guts. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Second Young Lord, he is currently cultivating in his private residence.”
Kang Zhan’s brow furrowed. Although he was uncomfortable with this situation, it wasn’t convenient for him to say anything more.
Since Ye Xin Rou dared to say these words, her current authority must really have been approved by Yang Zhao.
Huo Xing Chen inserted himself suddenly, “Second Young Lord being unavailable is unfortunate, but since that is the case, there’s no reason to dwell on it; however, I’m doubtful whether Junior Sister Ye really has enough prestige to serve as his replacement.”
“Oh? Since Young Lord Huo is saying so… Does that mean Young Master Huo has someone in mind to serve as this movement’s leader?”
As Ye Xin Ruo said these words, her eyes glanced over towards Qiu Yi Meng who throughout this entire conversation had remained indifferent and expressionless.
Not only did Ye Xin Rou look at her, most of the youths gathered at this table instinctively turned their gazes towards Qiu Yi Meng.
Compared with Ye Xin Rou, Qiu Yi Meng was undoubtedly more suitable to lead Yang Zhao’s forces. She had this ability.
However, Qiu Yi Meng was forced to leave Yang Kai’s mansion this morning so her suddenly being in command of Yang Zhao’s allies was somewhat inappropriate.
Even if she was willing to assume the leadership role here, the masters from the seven families wouldn’t allow it and would likely not obey her orders.
“What does Elder Sister Qiu think?” Ye Xin Rou’s narrowed her eyes slightly as she stared at Qiu Yi Meng.
With everyone’s attention now focused on her, Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t remain silent any longer, faintly replying, “I believe Junior Sister Ye has enough ability to serve as leader.”
“Since Elder Sister Qiu has said so, Junior Sister will not shirk her responsibilities.” Ye Xin Rou smiled proudly.
Huo Xing Chen let out a sigh. He could understand why Qiu Yi Meng didn’t try to assume command, but even so, he found it difficult to suppress the frustration in his chest.
Ye Xin Ro’s current appearance really made her seem like a treacherous snake.
There was no doubt she was a great beauty with both a refined and seductive charm, but Huo Xing Chen couldn’t bring himself to like her.
This was probably the first time the Central Capital Wolf, Huo Xing Chen, found himself despising a beautiful woman.
“Enough about this topic,” Ye Xin Rou said definitively. Having established her authority over Yang Zhao’s forces, she steered the conversation back to the main issue, “All of you have received orders from your respective families and have gathered here for one purpose: To defeat that arrogant Yang Kai. If we fail, I think each of you knows the consequences very well. Although our current strength is indeed above that of Yang Kai’s forces and we are fully prepared for a head on conflict, is this really the best option? How to defeat the forces in Yang Kai’s mansion while suffering the fewest losses, everyone please share your views. Junior Sister is still young and inexperienced and would appreciate advice from all of you.”
Fluttering her lashes, Ye Xin Rou glanced around the table and waited quietly.
From the start of the meeting till now, Liu Qing Yao’s eyes had remained closed, showing no indication of expressing any opinion. On the other hand, Kang Zhan and Gao Rang Feng put their heads together and whispered about something, their expressions both solemn, seemingly in the midst of a serious discussion.
The Huo Family Young Lord sat back in his chair and stared up at the sky, as if he was watching a parade of beautiful women flying through the moonlight.
Qiu Yi Meng remained indifferent with a tinge of sadness occasionally flickering past her eyes.
Meng Shan Yi scratched his head and sighed helplessly.
Among the six youths, each of them had different expressions, but none of them took the initiative to speak.
After waiting for quite some time, Ye Xin Rou smiled and said, “It looks like no one has any ideas. If so, why not listen to Junior Sister’s proposal?”
Saying so, before anyone could react, Ye Xing Ruo continued, “Although there are now forces from our seven families gathered in this mansion and the number of masters is great, giving us an overwhelming advantage in both strength and number, the power gathered in Yang Kai mansion can’t be ignored. First off, there is that Evil Sect Master, Ling Tai Xu, who is an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator; however, since this is still the Inheritance War, he is unlikely to get involved. As for the Blood Warriors serving Yang Kai, thanks to the previous declaration from the Yang Family, only two of them can fight. Besides them, there is that Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary Demon… These people are the biggest threats to us.”
“If we rush to attack, there is a high probability that our forces will suffer some unnecessary losses. The people gathered around Yang Kai can’t be taken lightly. They can often make some unexpected moves, I think Young Lord Huo and Elder Sister Qiu understand this point better than us.”
Huo Xing Chen chuckled, “Don’t ask me, I don’t know anything. In his house, I didn’t do anything other than trying to pick up girls. There were so many beautiful women in his house after all…”
Ye Xin Rou’s smile didn’t break at all, “Brother Huo is too modest, who doesn’t know that your strength has greatly increased. Even Brother Gao isn’t your opponent anymore.”
Gao Rang Feng’s face immediately went black, silently cursing out Ye Xin Rou as a cheap slut who targeted other people’s weaknesses. On the day Yang Kai launched his night raid on Yang Kang, Gao Rang Feng had been swiftly defeated by Huo Xing Chen, which the former regarded as a lifelong humiliation. These days, he had redoubled his efforts in the hopes that one day he could win back his face.
With Ye Xin Rou mentioning this right now, Gao Rang Feng suddenly felt like his stomach was full of grievances and muttered in a neither rude nor polite voice, “Young Lady Ye, please focus on the topic at hand.”
Ye Xin Rou flashed a faint smile and nodded apologetically, “Please don’t mind, Brother Gao. Junior Sister simply spoke thoughtlessly and had no intention of disparaging you.”
Gao Rang Feng’s expression only became bitterer at this non-apology.
Ignoring him, Ye Xin Rou continued, “Considering this situation, I think we should use a surprise attack force in order to catch Yang Kai off guard.”
The seven Young Lords and Young Ladies were gathered with Ye Xin Rou sitting at the head of the table; she spoke with authority and was clearly organized, providing accurate analysis of their current predicament and causing all of the others to raise their evaluations of her.
This young woman wasn’t just a pretty face who knew how to sweet talk others like some of them had thought.
When she sat in a position of authority, she was able to quickly adjust her mentality and speak in a manner consistent with her identity.
After stating her idea, the other six couldn’t help staring at her curiously.
“Surprise attack force?” Gao Rang Feng parroted, “What kind of surprise attack force?”
Ye Xin Rou answered with a smile, “A surprise that the Little Lord couldn’t possibly anticipate!”
Gao Rang Feng’s brow furrowed, Ye Xin Rou keeping them guessing made him feel slightly disgruntled, “Explain what you mean specifically.”
Ye Xin Rou giggled and turned her gaze towards Qiu Yi Meng, sweetly saying, “Elder Sister Qiu is no doubt the biggest surprise-attack force when it comes to the Little Lord.”
Hearing this, Qiu Yi Meng immediately glared towards Ye Xin Rou.
Huo Xing Chen also narrowed his eyes and snorted.
The other Young Lords wore awkward expressions as all of them instantly understood what Ye Xin Rou was thinking.
“Elder Sister Qiu has been working with the Little Lord since the start of the Inheritance War and was akin to his right arm, I’m afraid no one is clearer about the situation inside his house that she is. Also, Elder Sister Qiu only left Yang Kai’s mansion this morning. No matter how sharp the Little Lord is, do you think he would be able to anticipate that after less than a day of time she would become his enemy and bring people to attack him?”
“Ye Xin Rou, you better carefully consider what you’re talking about.” Huo Xing Chen stared at her with a sullen expression as a cold light flashed across his eyes.
In response, Ye Xin Rou simply snorted, “Young Lord Huo, what do you mean by this? What I am saying, of course I am clear about. Rather, your attitude… Are you perhaps dissatisfied with my plan?”
Huo Xing Chen brushed off her pointed words with a sneer.
“Don’t forget, right now I am representing Second Young Lord! Refusing to accept my orders is akin to refusing Second Young Lord’s commands. If this is how you plan on acting, I have the right to ask you to leave this house. A single mouse dropping can ruin a pot of porridge. Second Young Lord’s mansion can’t afford to keep any bad seeds around.” Ye Xin Rou said viciously as she wore a sneer on her face.
Huo Xing Chen’s expression twitched and wanted nothing more than to immediately stand up and leave, but remembering the threat his father had made to him before he left, he somehow managed to press down the anger in his heart.
His mouth moved constantly but no sound emerged from it, seemingly silently cursing.
Ye Xin Rou once again smiled warmly and continued, “Actually, Junior Sister came up with this proposal after considering many things. What I’ve mentioned is just one of them.”
“What other considerations?” Gao Rang Feng asked. He suddenly discovered that over the course of the Inheritance War, Ye Xin Rou had experienced a terrifying amount of growth. Before now, she wasn’t as insightful or manipulative, nor were her thoughts so sharp and decisive.
Probably after staying with the Second Young Lord for a long time, she had gradually been influenced by his personality.
“From the previous incident when the Little Lord killed Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu, it is apparent Yang Kai places great importance on his friends. Elder Sister Qiu is also his friend. Given the Little Lord’s personality, he shouldn’t be able to treat Elder Sister Qiu ruthlessly, and I want to take advantage of this point.”
“He is indeed such a man.” Kang Zhan nodded lightly, thinking that Ye Xin Rou’s analysis was reasonable.
Last time, simply because Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu, those two idiots, injured a disciple from High Heaven Pavilion, they were chased down by Yang Kai for over three thousand kilometers and even after they sought refuge in Yang Zhao’s mansion they didn’t escape from death.
Qiu Yi Meng and Yang Kai had been together for so long, sharing both joy and sorrow. Qiu Yi Meng had also made many great contributions to Yang Kai’s campaign during the Inheritance War; it wouldn’t be strange for him to not want to fight with her.
“As such, if Elder Sister Qiu is the one to go, it might be possible to defeat the Little Lord without any further bloodshed.” Ye Xin Rou looked at Qiu Yi Meng with a smile and asked, “Elder Sister Qiu, what do you think?” “
Qiu Yi Meng’s expression was desolate as she turned her eyes away and stared off into the distance and said in a flat tone, “Your thoughts are too simple. While it’s true Yang Kai cares about friendship, he is also a very selfish person! If a conflict erupts between us, he will undoubtedly not hesitate to maintain his own interests.”
Ye Xin Rou wore a surprised look, “Elder Sister Qiu really understands the Little Lord, but I still believe this plan has a good chance of success. How can you know it won’t succeed unless you try?”
Saying so, her eyes flashed a ruthless light. Obviously, until Qiu Yi Meng agreed she would not give up.
“Fine.” Qiu Yi Meng suddenly smiled, “Since Junior Sister Ye is so certain, Elder Sister will listen to you once and see if I can defeat Yang Kai by myself.”
“Elder Sister is really a confident woman; Junior Sister is filled with respect.”
“Many thanks. Junior Sister’s care in this matter, Elder Sister will certainly remember.” Qiu Yi Meng smiled brilliantly.
Ye Xin Rou also smiled back at her, “There’s no need for such politeness between us sister. A few days ago, Junior Sister received much from Elder Sister, hehehe… Elder Sister’s care, Junior Sister will not forget for the rest of her life.”
The hall’s temperature suddenly dropped as the atmosphere became tense.
Gao Rang Feng, Kang Zhan and all the others couldn’t help lowering their heads and trembling.
None of them knew what these two young women were talking about, but it was obvious something happened between them recently that forged a deep grudge.
A few days ago, Ye Xin Rou had snuck into Yang Kai’s house to seduce him, but as a result, Yang Kai had stripped her naked and abandoned her inside a secluded room. At the time, Qiu Yi Meng was present, but instead of helping her, she had posted guards at her door and trapped her inside.
Ye Xin Rou was imprisoned for three days in the state she was born in.
It wasn’t until three days later that Qiu Yi Meng finally sent a maid to her with a change of clothes…
How could Ye Xin Rou forget this shameful insult? Now that she had assumed command of the seven-family force, the first thing she sought to do was find a way to embarrass Qiu Yi Meng. This was a blatant case of mixing public and private affairs, but her excuses and methods were actually quite brilliant, not giving Qiu Yi Meng any legitimate reason to refuse, allowing the former to lead her around by the nose.
“Then I will entrust Elder Sister with leading our efforts and wish her a swift victory.”
“Elder Sister will take advantage of Junior Sister’s auspicious words.”
“It’s best to act swiftly, let’s set off now.” Ye Xin Rou said.
“Now?” The Young Lords couldn’t help asking in surprise, none of them having expected Ye Xin Rou to act so urgently.
“If we strike tonight while the Little Lord is still unprepared perhaps we can achieve twice the results with half the effort.” Ye Xin Rou smiled coldly.
“Good, Elder Sister will set out immediately.” Qiu Yi Meng laughed before standing up and walking out.
“Qiu Yi Meng…” Huo Xing Chen stood up and shouted, but Qiu Yi Meng didn’t even glance back. As she walked away, all he could so was slowly shake his head.
After Qiu Yi Meng left, Huo Xing Chen turned around and glared coldly at Ye Xin Rou, callously saying, “Little tramp, if something unexpected happens to Qiu Yi Meng, this Young Master swears he will sell you to the cheapest, filthiest brothel so that any beggar off the street can taste your beauty and make sure that in less than three months you’ll become a pile of meat so rotten even the wild dogs will refuse to come near you!”
A cold light flashed past Ye Xin Rou’s eyes but surprisingly she didn’t get angry, instead just giggling charmingly, “Aren’t Young Lord Huo’s worries superfluous? How could Elder Sister Qiu suffer anything unexpected? Do you really think Little Lord will attack her? If he does, he’ll just be confirming he has fallen to the Devil’s Practices, unable to recognize his friends or family.”
After a short pause, she followed up, “But since Young Lord Huo is so worried, let’s follow her and observe, just in case.”
Kang Zhan and Gao Rang Feng both nodded their heads and felt that Ye Xin Rou’s decision was correct.
None of them believed Qiu Yi Meng would really defeat Yang Kai. Even if he placed a heavy emphasis on sentiment, he wasn’t a fool, how could he just give up without a fight?
But if all of them were to set out, even if Yang Kai fought back, they could immediately provide assistance.
The conversation over, all of them stood up and walked out.
The moon floated high in the star-studded night sky, bathing all of War City in its silvery glow.
Inside Yang Kai’s compound, all the remaining cultivators had calmed down from the impact of Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen leaving.
The advantage they held in terms of strength and manpower was still enormous, so even without Qiu Yi Meng and Huo Xing Chen, all of Yang Kai’s allies felt he would inevitably win the Inheritance War.
The only thing that worried them somewhat was what Yang Kai had said earlier that day about possibly becoming enemies off the Eight Great Families.
After all, many of them were members of the younger generation, who among them wanted to openly oppose the Eight Great Families? That was not an issue for them, but also one for the Sects and families they represented.
In the middle of the night, the house was eerily quiet.
Yang Kai, who was sitting in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp light quickly flashing across them.
Hurriedly getting up, he quickly walked outside.
As soon as he opened his door, a burst or rustling clothes reached his ear and in the next moment, Ying Jiu, Old Demon, and Tang Yu Xian appeared in front of him.
“Little Lord…” Tang Yu Xian called out.
“I know,” Yang Kai’s expression became serious, “Call everyone.”
Tang Yu Xian quickly released her Divine Sense across the entire mansion. Feeling this burst of Spiritual Energy and recognizing what it meant, all the forces inside the house quickly assembled.
“Hmph!” A light snort came from nearby and a vague figure slowly emerged out of thin air, revealing the light blue haired Shui Ling.
Ying Jiu narrowed his eyes slightly. Even until now, he still had a sense of dread when it came to this mysteriously appearing and disappearing young lady.
So young, yet already an Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage master and possessing a special constitution; if it was one on one, Ying Jiu estimated she was not his opponent, but if she wanted to escape from him, even if he activated his Mad Tyrant Blood Skill, he had no confidence in forcing her to remain.
“It seems like Qiu Yi Meng is the one coming.” Shui Ling sighed faintly, “It’s a pity, I quite liked her. Yang Kai, how could you and her have reached this point?”
“I don’t know, don’t ask me.” Yang Kai spat in annoyance.
With Shui Ling having realized the identity of the approaching people, how could Yang Kai not have noticed?
What’s more, the one leading this group was actually Qiu Yi Meng, who had only left this morning!
Accompanying her were more than twenty masters each of them at or above the Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage. Besides Qiu Yi Meng whose aura was quiet, everyone else was giving off a clear murderous intent, apparently not holding any favourable intentions towards the people inside Yang Kai’s mansion.
Yang Kai didn’t think Qiu Yi Meng was behind this action. After being together with her for so long, Yang Kai knew her better than that. What kind of personality she had, Yang Kai understood best, but her leading people towards his mansion was also an indisputable fact.
“Let’s go out and have a look.” Yang Kai coldly snorted, taking the lead and walking out.
Ying Jiu, Tang Yu Xian, and Old Demon quickly followed after him.
A moment later, a small number of people had gathered outside the main entrance and more cultivators from inside the house were continuously rushing out, organizing themselves in an orderly fashion as they assembled together with Yang Kai.
All of these people didn’t know what was going on. When they got outside the house and their eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight, they sight they saw left them all dumbstruck.
Not far from the mansion stood a solitary Qiu Yi Meng.
Ten meters behind her there were more than twenty Immortal Ascension Boundary masters belonging to the Qiu Family lined up, each of them giving off a frightening aura.
After a moment of stunned silence, Luo Xiao Man shouted in surprise, “Elder Sister Qiu!”
After calling out, she rushed out of the crowd and ran towards Qiu Yi Meng. As she ran her pair of enormous jade peaks swayed with vigour.
Among all of those present, she and Qiu Yi Meng had the closest relationship. One was sensible and capable, the other innocent and cute, their opposite personalities actually complimented each other extremely well and Qiu Yi Meng had always been very good to her; after experiencing so many ups and downs together, the two were as close as blood-related sisters.
When Qiu Yi Meng left this morning, Luo Xiao Man had cried for a long time and until now her eyes were still red and puffy with a spiritless expression adorning her face.
Seeing Qiu Yi Meng suddenly return, Luo Xiao Man was, without a doubt, the happier than anyone and she made no attempt to hide her joy, it was like a lost child had finally found her way home and was now eagerly rushing over.
A touch of sadness flashed across Qiu Yi Meng’s face for an instant before indifference replaced it.
When the distance between them shrank to less than twenty meters, Qiu Yi Meng gently lifted her hand.
A ray of light shot out from her palm and struck the ground right in front of Luo Xiao Man’s feet.
Dust flew up.
Luo Xiao Man immediately came to a halt and stared towards Qiu Yi Meng in front of her.
“Don’t come any closer, otherwise don’t blame my subordinates for not showing any mercy.” Qiu Yi Meng looked at Luo Xiao Man coldly and said in a frigid tone, like she was speaking to a total stranger.
“Elder Sister Qiu…” Luo Xiao Man whispered through her quivering lips, her eyes filled with confusion, unable to understand what was going on.
Qiu Yi Meng hadn’t actually struck her, but just now, if she had been running slightly faster or if Qiu Yi Meng had aimed slightly further, Luo Xiao Man’s legs would have been crippled.
Feeling the cold and desolate aura emanating from Qiu Yi Meng, Luo Xiao Man’s heart was filled with tremendous pain and her eyes began to water, opening her mouth to speak but unable to utter any words, subconsciously she even felt a trace of fear.
In this moment of confusion, a big hand lightly held her shoulder. Turning around to see who it was, the image of Yang Kai shaking his head slowly entered her view
“Go back.” Yang Kai whispered, gently tossing her back towards the others without waiting for her to respond.
After Luo Xiao Man landed, she suddenly discovered that the atmosphere was strange.
Outside the mansion, Yang Kai and Qiu Yi Meng faced each other. Identical to what happened this morning when the Qiu Family’s First Young Lady left, nothing was said, nothing needed to be said.
But anyone could see that this meeting was completely different from the one this morning, the situation was completely different.
“Were you forced?” Yang Kai stared straight into Qiu Yi Meng’s eyes and asked.
“No.” Qiu Yi Meng shook her head slightly.
“No?” Yang Kai smiled mockingly, “Since you weren’t forced, why did you bring these people here? Don’t tell me they’re here to hire themselves to me?”
“Why I’m here, you already know in your heart. Why bother asking such pointless questions?” Qiu Yi Meng shot back, her expression still ice cold.
“If you don’t explain, how would I know?”
“Aren’t you the same? You never explain anything to me, why should I explain anything to you?” Qiu Yi Meng retorted.
Yang Kai casually shrugged his shoulders. What she said wasn’t untrue.
“First Young Lady, there’s no need to speak any nonsense with him.” Suddenly, a low voice came from behind Qiu Yi Meng.
As these words were said, one of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters with a thick imposing manner stepped forward and stood behind Qiu Yi Meng.
“You are?” Yang Kai’s brow furrowed.
“Qiu Family Fallen Leaves Hall, Hall Master, Chen Xuan!” The man coldly snorted, slightly raising his head and arrogantly declaring, “First Young Lady wanted to be considerate of your past friendship and say a few words to you, but it should be enough already.”
Yang Kai’s expression didn’t change as he lightly nodded, “Greetings, Hall Master Chen’s name is really thunderous. Junior has long heard of you.”
The Qiu Family’s Fallen Leaves Hall was equivalent to the Yang Family’s Blood Warrior Hall. Similar institutions existed in all the Eight Great Families, places where extremely strong and extremely loyal masters who dedicated their lives to their respective families were cultivated.
Because of differences in family heritage, reputation, and training methods, among these institutions, the Blood Warrior Hall had become the most famous; on top of that, the Blood Warriors were truly a step above the warriors trained by the other seven families in terms of combat prowess.
In particular, the forbidden Mad Tyrant Blood Skill which was unique to the Blood Warrior Hall alone was enough to make the Blood Warrior Hall stand above any other similar institution.
The Qiu Family’s Fallen Leaves Hall as one such institution only had true masters serving within its ranks. Once they went into action, they would attack as swiftly as the autumn wind, overwhelming their enemies with irresistible force, not allowing their enemies any time to catch their breath.
Because of their modus operandi, the masters from the Fallen Leaves Hall were generally impatient and despised wasting time.
Qiu Yi Meng and Yang Kai exchanging thinly veiled words for so long had obviously annoyed them, resulting in Hall Master Chen Xuan stepping forward to expedite matters.
Chen Xuan snorted and turned a blind eye to Yang Kai’s compliment, sneering as he said, “Since you’re finished with your discussion First Young Lady, please step back.” Turning his eyes to Yang Kai again, he coldly declared, “Little brat, death is here for you. Although you are a Young Lord of the Yang Family, but since you cultivate a Demonic Secret Art, collude with Demons, and are attempting to subvert the Eight Great Families. Today will be your demise.”
Chen Xuan and the masters of the Fallen Leaves Hall had always operated in and around the Central Capital and as such didn’t know much about Yang Kai or the forces supporting him. Although they had also been paying attention to the progress of the Inheritance War, everything they knew they had heard from others. About how powerful Yang Kai and the masters inside his house were, Chen Xuan always felt it was too exaggerated and that most of it was hearsay and rumours.
As a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, how could he put a measly Immortal Ascension Boundary Second Stage cultivator in his eyes, especially considering how young the latter was.
Not only did Chen Xuan think so, most of the masters sent by the seven families had similar thoughts. In their view, seven great families joining forces and deploying so much manpower was making a fuss over a trivial matter.
So when Qiu Yi Meng brought them out along to seek trouble with Yang Kai tonight, Chen Xuan and the other Fallen Leaves Hall masters were very excited and thought that they could easily smash through Yang Kai’s compound’s defences.
Even Ling Tai Xu, who was still inside the mansion, wasn’t placed in their eyes.
Although Ling Tai Xu was an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master, with his reputation as the Sect Master of an Evil Sect and the master of the Demon Lord, if he dared to take action, the eight Grand Elders residing in the Seal Temple would certainly not sit idly by.
Listening to Chen Xuan’s self-righteous declaration, Yang Kai’s eyes flashed a cold light, “Bold words!”
“Hall Master Chen, wait a little longer.” Qiu Yi Meng suddenly interrupted. “I still have a few words to say to Yang Kai.”
Chen Xuan coldly snorted, but it wasn’t a good idea for him to not give Qiu Yi Meng face in such a public setting. When they had been deployed for this operation, Qiu Shou Cheng had passed down orders that although this conflict was to take place on the Inheritance War’s stage and was ostensibly the responsibility of the Eight Great Families Young Lords and Young Ladies. However, this was simply the public propaganda. In actuality, Chen Xuan would hold decision-making power on the battlefield.
This is to say, to some extent; Qiu Yi Meng had to obey Chen Xuan’s orders for the time being.
However, if she just wanted to say a few words, he could tolerate it.
Yang Kai glanced at him coldly before turning to Qiu Yi Meng and muttering, “Why?”
“Because my father said, as long as I can defeat and capture you, I can inherit the Qiu Family. You should know how much I longed for this day to come, and although we used to get along very well, but compared to my achieving my lifelong endeavour, what do you count for?”
“Heh heh,” Yang Kai couldn’t help grinning, “Forget about me, can you even convince yourself with such a lame excuse?”
“Lame excuse? What I’m saying is the truth. Today, I am here to defeat you. Yang Kai, out of respect for all that I’ve done for you, obediently surrender without a fight, if you insist on resisting, no one will benefit. Moreover, I know I am definitely not your opponent.”
“Okay.” Yang Kai smiled and nodded.
Behind the two, Chen Xuan couldn’t help gawking, but he quickly focused his eyes on Yang Kai’s movements to guard against him trying to swindle them.
The people behind Yang Kai also had awkward expressions.
None of them had anticipated that in less than a day, Qiu Yi Meng would switch sides and lead a group of masters to find trouble with Yang Kai. When she had spoken just now, there was no hesitation in her voice, and the cold indifference she was exuding now made many of those who former looked up to her feel an immense sense of indignation, but out of respect for their past friendships, no one could bring themselves to accuse her.
If it was anyone else in Qiu Yi Meng’s placIe right now, none of them would be willing to forgive her and would likely have already cursed out her eighteen generations of ancestors.
Even so, no one had a friendly expression on their face, Luo Xiao Man had even broken down into tears as she stared at Qiu Yi Meng incredulously.
“Are you saying that seriously?” Qiu Yi Meng was stunned.
“Why not? If you can capture me, you can become heir to the Qiu Family, right?” Yang Kai smiled lightly, “You’ve indeed paid a great deal for me, now I am simply returning the favour, what’s wrong with that?”
The look on Qiu Yi Meng fluctuated as a strange light flashed across her beautiful eyes, seemingly feeling touched somewhere deep in her soul by these words; she even felt the impulse to shed tears.
“First Young Lady…” Chen Xuan saw Qiu Yi Meng’s reaction and felt her determination to fight begin to waver so he quickly called out to her.
If they really could take Yang Kai without a fight, it would be the same as making a huge contribution to the Qiu Family. Qiu Shou Cheng had told him that once they captured Yang Kai, he was to be sent back to the Central Capital Qiu Family at all costs!
Qiu Yi Meng turned a deaf ear to Chen Xuan as a look of hesitation continued to linger on her face for a moment before she suddenly grit his teeth and shouted, “Do you think such these words can soften my heart and weaken my resolve? You bastard, how despicable can you be!?”
Yang Kai’s serious face cracked into a big grin as he sent a half teasing half apologetic look to the young woman in front of him.
“That really was your plan.” Qiu Yi Meng spat in annoyance. Just now she really had been moved by his honeyed words, only causing her to hate herself even more, “No matter what you say, since I’ve come this far already, I won’t go back empty hanempty-handed
g so, she lifted her hand and summoned a long dagger. This weapon gave off a silvery light and was obviously a high grade artifact.
True Qi fiercely erupted and a thick killing intent surged upwards.
Many people cried out in shock, no one had thought such a change would happen so quickly, even Ying Jiu didn’t have time to react.
The eyes of Chen Xuan and Fallen Leaves Hall masters also flashed brilliantly as they held their breaths in anticipation.
Facing Qiu Yi Meng’s approaching dagger, Yang Kai maintained his calm grin, not showing the slightest tension as he stared at the brilliantly glowing blade, he didn’t even condense his True Qi, as if he really had no intention of resisting.
Qiu Yi Meng’s beautiful face was filled with determination and the speed at which she struck only accelerated.
But in the next instant, Yang Kai’s complexion rapidly changed, his eyes filling with shock as he grabbed towards Qiu Yi Meng’s hand as fast as he could.
*Pu…*
A dull thud resounded and blood splashed out.
Screams rang out and the masters behind the two entangled figures shot forward.
The eyes of Chen Xuan and the other Fallen Leaves Hall masters all wore fanatical expressions as they stared at the dumbstruck Yang Kai, grinning fiercely as they approached.
Ying Jiu, Tang Yu Xian, and Old Demon also pushed their True Qi rapidly and crossed over the heads of Yang Kai and Qiu Yi Meng to intercept Chen Xuan and the Qiu Family masters.
The battle had instantly erupted; those below the Immortal Ascension Boundary were unable to interfere. Even those younger generation leaders who had already broken through the Immortal Ascension Boundary were too afraid to approach and could only use their Martial Skills and artifacts to strike from a distance.
Brilliant flashes of light blossomed and waves of True Qi rampaged about.
Amidst the chaos, Luo Xiao Man stumbled over to Yang Kai and Qiu Yi Meng but after seeing the situation, she couldn’t help trembling violently as she covered her mouth to stifle her screams.
Qiu Yi Meng had fallen limply into Yang Kai’s arms, her face pale and bloodless as she silently smiled towards the man embracing her. Inserted into her lower abdomen was the very same dagger artifact she had taken out just now.
Yang Kai on the other hand was completely unscathed.
“What the hell are you doing?” Yang Kai angered snapped.
“I couldn’t do anything…” Qiu Yi Meng smiled faintly, “I could only think of this way and let myself escape temporarily.”
Just now, Qiu Yi Meng stopped her attack halfway through and instead turned the dagger on herself. Yang Kai saw this and immediately tried to stop her.
However, Qiu Yi Meng’s previous expression was too convincing and Yang Kai was also deceived by her for a moment, thinking that she really was going to attack him.
When he realized he had been tricked, it was already too late to stop her.
Blood flowed from Qiu Yi Meng’s lower abdomen and soon her clothes were stained dark red, giving her a strange ephemeral beauty.
“Don’t talk.” Yang Kai wrinkled his brow but didn’t panic, Qiu Yi Meng’s injury wasn’t in a fatal position nor did the dagger penetrate too deep, with the help of the Myriad Drug Milk, in only a day or two she would fully recover without even a scar.
“I have something I want to ask you.” Qiu Yi Meng panted for breath as she stubbornly stared at Yang Kai.
“If you have something to say, just spit it out.” Yang Kai coldly snorted, he was quite discontent with Qiu Yi Meng right now.
Qiu Yi Meng went silent for a moment before staring at Yang Kai, her eyes filled with a look of expectation as she whispered, “If I really had attacked you, would you have resisted?”
“What do you think?” Yang Kai stared back at her.
“I don’t know, I never could tell what you’re thinking.”
“I’m not an idiot, how could I just stand there and let you stab me!”
“Sure enough…” Qiu Yi Meng laughed bitterly, “You’ve always been a selfish person, but if you weren’t, you wouldn’t be you.”
Yang Kai suddenly wore a fierce grin, “If you really had tried to attack me, then today your life would have been over.”
“What would you do to me? Kill me?”
“Nothing so dramatic, I’d just strip off all your clothes, and then… heh, spank your little butt red!”
Qiu Yi Meng’s pale cheeks suddenly blushed furiously. No one had ever spoken such shameful words to her and she was at a loss about how to respond, in her mind she couldn’t help imagining a scene where she laid across Yang Kai’s lap naked and was repeatedly smacked.
[Shameful!]
“Stop it. Both of you!” Luo Xiao Man stood helplessly to one side and pitifully called out, “Quickly tend to her injuries.”
“She won’t die.” Yang Kai said in an intentionally aloof face before tightly holding Qiu Yi Meng and standing up. Glancing over at the chaotic battlefield, a cold light flashed through the depths of his eyes before he turned around and hurried into the house.
Luo Xiao Man chased after him quickly.
A short time later, the three arrived at Su Yan’s room.
Pushing open the door, the trio was hit by a blast of cold air.
Su Yan was sitting on the ice crystal bed, seemingly cultivating, but in fact her mind wasn’t here at all. The commotion outside Yang Kai’s house and the ensuing battle had naturally drawn her attention, but because of her identity as a High Heaven Pavilion disciple, it wasn’t convenient for her to come forward to join the fray and could only wait here quietly.
“What happened? How did she receive such an injury?” Su Yan saw Qiu Yi Meng’s condition and quickly inquired.
“This silly girl did it to herself.” Yang Kai said while laying Qiu Yi Meng down on the ice bed, the profound chill quickly enveloping her and causing her to shiver.
However, thanks to this influx of cold Qi, her wound stopped bleeding and her pain was also numbed.
“I’ll leave her to you.” Yang Kai snorted, turned around and left.
The location of Qiu Yi Meng’s injury was too sensitive, if she had been wounded anywhere else, Yang Kai would handle it himself, but since it was on her lower abdomen, he could only hand her treatment over to Su Yan.
Su Yan also had some Myriad Drug Milk on her and would know what to do.
The sound of battle outside continued to grow and very soon it seemed as if half the night sky was illuminated by explosions of light.
When Yang Kai returned to the outside of the house, he suddenly found that the battle had reached a fever pitch with both forces’ strength comparable to each other.
The enemy force consisted of twenty Qiu Family Fallen Leaves Hall masters at or above the Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage.
On his own side there were three Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, Ying Jiu, Tang Yu Xian, and Old Demon, each of whom was currently displaying phenomenal strength
Shui Ling was also taking advantage of her special constitution to harass the enemy and disrupt their concentration.
There were also many other Immortal Ascension Boundary masters from Yang Kai’s allies participating in the battle one way or another. In terms of quantity, Yang Kai undoubtedly held a big advantage, but each master from the Fallen Leaves Hall couldn’t be underestimated, so even if they were heavily outnumbered, the fight was still relatively even.
The battle quickly became a difficult struggle.
Since the beginning of the Inheritance War, Yang Kai and his allies had never encountered such a situation, every battle they fought had always been a lopsided route.
Chen Xuan and the other Qiu Family masters were even more shocked though. They had arrived here tonight full of confidence, but when the battle really began, they discovered that the rumors weren’t exaggerations at all and had even underestimated the combat power of the cultivators in Yang Kai’s house.
The Fallen Leaves Hall had deployed almost all of its manpower for this operation yet now they had no way to defeat the forces of a single Yang Family Young Lord.
Chen Xuan couldn’t help feeling a great sense of shame but quickly steadied himself and began to fight back seriously.
Yang Kai watched for a moment but didn’t go personally enter the fray, instead turning his eyes towards a spot in the distance.
From the direction he was staring, he felt the auras of many strong masters.
The strength of each of these people was no worse than that of the masters from the Fallen Leaves Hall, but they numbered several times as many!
Without a doubt these people were the masters from the other six families.
Just as Yang Kai suspected, three kilometers away on the third floor of a large building, the six super family’s Young Lords and Young Ladies, headed by Ye Xin Rou, had gathered and were observing the battle.
Although it was night time, the moon was full so everything that had taken place in front of Yang Kai’s mansion had been seen by them.
Qiu Yi Meng suddenly attacking, Yang Kai taking action in response, they had witnessed everything.
But the final result surprised all of them!
The one who fell in a pool of their own blood was actually Qiu Yi Meng.
Ye Xin Rou’s beautiful face flashed a gloating expression before she coldly snorted, “Yang Kai really has lost his humanity, he’ll even viciously attack someone who supported him for so long and who he had such a good relationship with like Qiu Yi Meng.”
Kang Zhan and the other Young Lords silently nodded, although they were discontent with Ye Xin Rou’s arrogant attitude, they still agreed with her current rhetoric.
They were too far from the battle and hadn’t seen any of the intrigue which played out, all they were able to determine was that Qiu Yi Meng had been stabbed by Yang Kai.
Since entering Yang Kai’s mansion more than ten months ago, Qiu Yi Meng had served as his right arm, managing all of the matters inside his house even down the deployment of his allied forces, she had put in a tremendous amount of work and effort, but in the end, Yang Kai hadn’t even hesitated to attack her.
No matter who saw this, wouldn’t they be disappointed?
With such an example, how could anyone think Yang Kai still had any sense of morality? It was obvious that he cared nothing for his allies and all that mattered to him was his own interests.
Only Huo Xing Chen wore a different expression, a subtle sneer adorning his face. Although he hadn’t seen exactly what happened just now, he wholeheartedly disagreed with Ye Xin Rou’s assessment.
“It seems like my plan has failed.” Ye Xin Rou said, however there was not look of disappointment on her face, instead there was even a hint of joy. She apparently very much enjoyed watching Qiu Yi Meng’s bitter experience, but she quickly wore a calm, indifferent expression, “If only I had known things would turn out like this I wouldn’t have sent Elder Sister Qiu in to face such danger alone. *Ha…* it seems I overestimated Yang Kai’s humanity, he can no longer be saved. He is a true demon who no longer recognizes friends or family.”
“What should we do now?” Gao Rang Feng asked pointedly, Qiu Yi Meng’s so called surprise attack force hadn’t played any role at all which made him suddenly suspect if Ye Xin Rou knew things would turn out this was and had deliberately set the former up to fail. Thinking so, a thick sense of detest began to well up in his heart.
“Let’s observe the situation for a while longer,” Ye Xin Rou said without the slightest sense of tension, her expression calm and light. Oh! The fight is starting to get fiercer.”
“Shouldn’t we send reinforcements?” Kang Zhan frowned, “If we stand by and do nothing I’m afraid the Qiu Family will complain later.”
“Let them fight for a while longer.” Ye Xin Rou faintly smiled, “Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian have already activated their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill, I don’t think anyone from any of your families wants to face them in their current state, right? After a while, the effects of the Mad Tyrant Blood Skill will disappear, that will be the best time for us to intervene.”
The looks on each of the Young Lord’s faces became awkward but none of them opened their mouths to refute.
No one wanted to lose one of their families’ masters when there was another option available.
After this brief conversation, everyone fell silent and waited patiently.
As time passed, the fighting only became more and more fierce and people were constantly injured or killed.
Yang Kai’s allies and the Fallen Leaves Hall both suffered losses.
Although the powerhouses from the Fallen Leaves Hall held nothing back and fully displayed their great strength, it wasn’t enough to ensure their safety in this kind of melee.
This was especially true when Yang Kai finally joined the battle, the moment he entered the fray the delicate balance was broken. After unleashing an eruption of evil energy from inside his Unyielding Golden Skeleton, the Immortal Ascension Boundary Second Stage Yang Kai was actually able to fight evenly with a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary masters.
Also, now that Yang Kai had opened his Knowledge Sea, he could display the full might of his Soul Skills and Soul type artifact. Using these two methods he was able to catch people off guard by launching swift, unexpected attacks, often able to kill people in a single strike!
The Fallen Leaves Hall immediately began suffering heavy losses and the situation quickly became dire. Suddenly facing immense pressure, Chen Xuan couldn’t stand it anymore and shouted loudly, “Young Lady Ye!”
He was calling for reinforcements.
If the others didn’t immediately support them, Chen Xuan would have to order his people to retreat, if they kept fighting, the entire Fallen Leaves Hall would likely fall here.
The cultivation and methods the people in Yang Kai’s house were completely beyond his expectations.
These Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators not only had extremely pure True Qi but each of them was equipped with high-grade artifacts.
Weren’t all of these Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators from ordinary first-class families? Why did each of them appear to be wealthier than him? Chen Xuan couldn’t help silently complaining.
The Fallen Leaves Hall was one of the Qiu Family’s most important halls because of their strength and loyalty to the family. The number and grade of artifacts they possessed was not small and could even be said to be the best the Qiu Family had to offer, but compared to Yang Kai’s Immortal Ascension allies, they were nothing short of shabby pieces.
On top of that, the pills that these people took in battle were also quite unusual. Chen Xuan and the Fallen Leaves Hall masters were already panting for breath, their True Qi quickly depleting, but their opponents were still as mighty as dragons and fierce as tigers, unscrupulously spending their True Qi as if they were worried they couldn’t use it all.
What kind of True Qi supplementing pills had such potency?
Although it was a well-known fact that Yang Kai has two unbelievable forces supporting him, Medicine King’s Valley and Treasure Instrument Sect, Chen Xuan only now realized just how much of an impact these auxiliary supports could provide.
When she heard Chen Xuan call her name, Ye Xin Rou, who had intended to drag things out a while longer, couldn’t sit still.
The Qiu Family’s Fallen Leaves Hall had already lost a lot of people, all of which she had clearly seen, causing her to coldly snort, “A group of wastes.”
After making no attempt to hide her disdain, she wore an unwilling expression and shouted, “Let’s go.”
It was almost as if she was being forced to do something against her will.
Seeing her appearance and the current state of the Fallen Leaves Hall, Gao Rang Feng and Kang Zhan couldn’t help feeling a sense of revulsion.
The distance separating them wasn’t great so they arrived very quickly.
Ye Xin Rou’s voice spread throughout War City as she shouted, “Yang Kai, as long as you continue to associate with demons, you will sooner or later fall to the Devil’s Practices. Don’t let your pride cloud your judgement. Surrender the Evil Sect disciples you are sheltering in your house and repent for your crimes! Do so, and out of consideration for the many longs years of friendship between the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families, we will not embarrass you any further, if you insist on being stubborn and continue to resist, you will only implicate the innocent around you in your sins.”
From amidst the fierce battle, Yang Kai suddenly leapt up and hovered mid-air, fixing his gaze on the approaching group of cultivators, his expression indifferent.
With their respective Young Lords or Young Ladies at their head, groups of masters from six super-families that were in no way weaker than those from the Fallen Leaves Hall rapidly closed in.
Everyone who looked up and saw Yang Kai either wore solemn or bitter expression, except for Ye Xin Rou who had a self-satisfied look upon her face. Huo Xing Chen even quietly sneered, “Junior Sister Ye’s eloquence is quite good.”
Such an excuse, portraying Yang Kai as evil while casting their side as righteous and merciful, Huo Xing Chen felt even he wasn’t capable of spinning such a compelling narrative.
It seemed like Ye Xin Rou had carefully and painstakingly planned out how to force Yang Kai into a passive situation.
“Young Lady Ye,” After a moment of silence, Yang Kai suddenly grinned, “It has only been a few days since we last met, and I’m glad to see you in such high spirits. Where might my Second Brother be?”
Ye Xin Rou’s eyes flashed a trace of hatred. The last time they had met, she had tried to seduce Yang Kai only to be scorned as a pair of worn out shoes. Naturally, she still bore a grudge against him, but although her heart was filled with resentment, she didn’t show any trace of it on her face as she gently smiled, “Second Young Lord is currently in secluded retreat. All of his house’s matters are currently being managed by me.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, a light smile adorning his face, “I always felt that my Second Brother wasn’t so shameless and despicable. So, it turns out that it was someone else directing this action. No wonder, no wonder.”
Ye Xin Rou’s expression dimmed slightly as she silently cursed.
However, Yang Kai just laughed before suddenly wearing a strange expression and saying in a regretful tone, “Young Lady Ye, for how I treated you a few days ago, I really must apologize. After thinking about it later, I realized I was mistaken. Since you delivered yourself to my door, I should not have refused you. Baring your beautiful and delicate body before me without hiding a single thing, I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. I don’t know what foolishness possessed me to give up such a wonderful opportunity. I sincerely regret it!” As he shouted loudly, Yang Kai slapped his thigh as if he was truly aggrieved.
Listening to his words, Kang Zhan, Gao Rang Feng, and many others all suddenly made weird faces and turned to stare at Ye Xin Rou awkwardly.
None of them knew when Ye Xin Rou attempted to seduce Yang Kai, and judging from the current situation, it seemed like she had gone with high spirits but returned disappointed…
This… was really letting a Heaven sent gift slip.
The Little Lord had such formidable will! Every man present couldn’t help admiring him a little, imagining that if Ye Xin Rou were to seduce them… they would not have been able to resist.
“I’ve reconsidered now.” Yang Kai said seriously, “Young Lady Ye, let us find a secluded place and I will do my best to meet your expectations. I am quite confident in both my skill and stamina, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.”
Ye Xin Rou’s expression was completely sullen and the rage she felt caused her to tremble faintly. She had never expected Yang Kai to be so shameless, not hesitating to openly publicise these kinds of private matters.
Wanting to refute him directly but lacking confidence in her believability, she couldn’t help angrily retorting, “Yang Kai, don’t spout nonsense! Wanting to use such vulgar words to smear my name, how could I, Ye Xin Rou be such a woman?”
Hearing this argument, Gao Rang Feng, Kang Zhan, and everyone else awkwardly turned their heads away, their expressions still somewhat unconvinced.
Huo Xing Chen even whistled obnoxiously.
“You don’t believe me?” Ye Xin Rou glared at these people, her pretty face now a bright shade of red.
However, no one bothered responding.
“Hmph, whether you believe me or not doesn’t matter. In any case, nothing ever happened between this bastard and me.” Ye Xin Rou huffed angrily, seemingly completely annoyed.
“Obviously. Young Lord Kai just said he shut you out, how could anything have happened between you two?” Huo Xing Chen cynically muttered.
Ye Xin Rou took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, forcing down the anger in her heart before turning an ice cold stare towards Yang Kai, her mouth curving into a malicious grin as she nodded lightly, “Yang Kai, this time I’m not here to trade meaningless words with you but to bring you back to the Central Capital and force you to repent for your wicked deeds, this is also the meaning of the Eight Great Families!”
Declaring so, she pointed right at him and shouted, “Capture Yang Kai, anyone who dares to resist, kill without mercy!”
She had been thoroughly enraged by Yang Kai’s little stunt and didn’t plan on arguing with him any longer.
Immediately, the six groups of masters behind her shot forward, bringing with them a terrifying momentum.
“Since when was I defenceless?” Yang Kai roared, “Tu Feng!”
Seven figures suddenly flew out from the house, headed by Tu Feng, it was the remaining seven Blood Warriors.
Counting the previous Ying Jiu and Tang Yu Xian, the nine Blood Warriors who resided in Yang Kai’s mansion had all been deployed.
“Mad Tyrant Blood Skill!” Seven voices simultaneously boomed and a torrent of True Qi and Blood Force erupted, causing everyone’s eyes to shrink and all of War City to tremble, as if in the next moment the entire city would be crushed under the pressure.
Ye Xin Rou’s face suddenly filled with indignation as she shouted, “Yang Kai, have you forgotten? This is the Inheritance War, and the Yang Family has forbid these seven people from intervening! If you dare let them fight, you will be violating your agreement with your family!”
“This is no longer the Inheritance War,” Yang Kai sneered, “You know this better than me!”
Old Demon, who was currently fighting with the Fallen Leaves Hall masters, also let out a wicked laugh and shouted, “Since when did Little Lord care about this nonsense Inheritance War? Patriarch of the Yang Family, what crap is that? All of you slandering him so maliciously, if there weren’t things here he still worried about, he would have already left long ago!”
“What are you trying to say?” A master from the Fallen Leaves Hall, who was fighting Old Demon, saw him suddenly shout this monologue and couldn’t help asking.
Old Demon grinned maliciously towards this man and declared, “I’m saying, you’re already dead!”
These words seemed to contain a strange and profound power that caused a sense of death to infiltrate the mind of this master, the next moment, his movements stopping and his eyes glossing over, his face suddenly becoming pale as he muttered, “I… I’m dead… already dead…”
“Idiot.” Old Demon coldly snorted, rapidly thrusting his hand out and inserting it into the dazed master’s chest and pulling out his still beating heart.
Fresh blood splashed out from the new hole in the man’s chest
Old Demon’s face became more and more terrifying as he glanced around to find the most heavily populated enemy position, “Blood Sea Seals the Heavens!”
A crimson light shot out from behind him, filling the air with a gloomy aura, the ground instantly transforming into a bubbling swamp of blood that impeded the movements of all those unlucky enough to be caught in it.
Ye Xin Rou’s expression became fearful along with Gao Rang Feng, Kang Zhan, Meng Shan Yi’s, even Liu Qing Yao’s always stoic expression became incomparably grave.
Old Demon’s cruel methods were far beyond what any of them could accept. Before now, none of them had ever even heard of a man who could cultivate such evil Martial Skills and Secret Arts.
Smelling the rich, bloody aura, Ye Xin Rou couldn’t help but vomit.
Old Demon’s powerful technique had instantly pulled a dozen Immortal Ascension Boundary masters into this bloody sea and sealed them, none of them able to escape.
“How is this possible?!” After watching the battle for a while, Gao Rang Feng couldn’t help shouting.
He discovered that the seven super-family coalition force comprised of more than a hundred Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth Stage and above masters, were actually unable to quickly defeat the cultivators from Yang Kai’s mansion.
Despite the fact that they held an absolute numerical advantage in terms of Immortal Ascension masters compared to Yang Kai, their opponent was still able to put up a strong resistance.
Observing carefully, Gao Rang Feng suddenly understood, “Yang Kai’s subordinate Blood Warriors… Since when did all of them reach the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage?”
This sentence shook others awake as well, many of them glancing around and discovering that this was really the case.
Nine Blood Warriors, Nine Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage masters…
When Yang Kai broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, four of them were only at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage, yet after only a dozen or so days, all of them had broken through.
An Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage Blood Warrior, after activating their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill, could exchange a few moves with an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master. Although the masters from the seven families were also not ordinary powerhouses, how could any of them be opponents of these nine Blood Warriors in a one on one fight? Even if a number of them collaborated they wouldn’t necessarily be able to defeat their enemy.
It could be said that the biggest reason Yang Kai’s forces could last until now was solely because of these nine Blood Warriors.
“Their other Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master hasn’t appeared yet!” Liu Qing Yao suddenly reminded, causing everyone’s heart to tighten once more.
That was right, what about the master named Meng Wu Ya? The battle had already gone on for some time now yet he hadn’t appeared. Why didn’t he take action? Did he disdain to intervene, or was he currently not here?
“Delay will lead to more problems in the future.” Kang Zhan muttered as his brow furrowed. Since the beginning of this operation he had always felt restless. Perhaps Yang Kai had left a psychological shadow on him last time when he had injured him, but whatever the reason, Kang Zhan now had a deep wariness of Yang Kai engraved in his heart.
Gao Rang Feng nodded lightly in agreement. During the months of the Inheritance War, Gao Rang Feng had accompanied Yang Zhao several times against Yang Kai, yet every time, no matter how the unfavourable the odds were, Yang Kai always managed to carve out a path to victory, shocking everyone in the process.
This time everyone was confident they could defeat Yang Kai, but who knows what would happen if things continued to drag on?
After all, miracles were almost commonplace when it came to Yang Kai.
“I’m going to help!” Huo Xing Chen said as his eyes flashed a strange light, not waiting for Xin Rou to respond before dashing off.
Ye Xin Rou was momentarily stunned but soon coldly snorted and didn’t make any attempt to stop him.
“I’m going to challenge the Little Lord!” Liu Qing Yao also stepped out.
This time, Ye Xin Rou couldn’t stand it anymore and quickly tried to object, “Young Lord Liu, please wait. You’re not his…”
However, before she could finish her sentence, Ye Xin Rou swallowed back down the words she was about to say because Liu Qing Yao directed an ice cold glare towards her. Although she was nominally the head of this seven-family coalition and she could arbitrarily overrule Gao Rang Feng or Kang Zhan, she still had an instinctive fear towards Liu Qing Yao.
This was a result of living many years in the shadow of the Central Capital’s First Young Lord.
Ye Xin Rou wanted to say that Liu Qing Yao was not Yang Kai’s opponent, but naturally these words would anger him.
“At Po Jing Lake, I once said, when the Little Lord broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, I would fight with him again. That time has come; whoever dares to stop me, don’t blame me for being impolite.” Liu Qing Yao said calmly.
Ye Xin Rou somehow squeezed out a smile and said softly, “Then Young Lord Liu must be careful. I wish you a swift victory that will dampen Yang Kai’s prestige.”
Down below, Huo Xing Chen had already rushed to the outskirts of the battle while smiling and greeting the various young leaders outside Yang Kai’s mansion.
All of them glared angrily at him in response!
None of them understood why the situation had developed into this, and seeing Huo Xing Chen’s Huo Family also participate in the attack on Yang Kai’s house tonight naturally fueled their anger.
Huo Xing Chen wore a carefree expression, seemingly paying no attention to the death stares he was receiving and instead turned towards Dong Qing Han, “Fatty, get over here, this Young Master has long since felt unpleasant associating with you. As fat as a pig yet strutting around pretending to be an elegant gentleman, how could you possible compare to this Young Master’s elegant demeanor?”
“What did you just say?” Dong Qing Han’s eyes dimmed as he stared at Huo Xing Chen coldly.
“Didn’t you clearly hear what I just said? Or has all that fat plugged up your ears?” Huo Xing Chen scoffed as he shook his head back and forth disdainfully.
Dong Qing Han let out a frigid laugh as his slightly rotund face trembled, stepping forward slowly while cupping his fist.
“Good, good,” Huo Xing Chen laughed, “A trivial first-class family’s Young Lord daring to join forces with that evil creature Yang Kai, just watch how this Young Master smacks you silly today!”
Saying so, he swept his eyes over all the other young leaders and arrogantly said, “All of you fools, if you don’t want to die, abandon Yang Kai as soon as possible and run as far as you can run!”
The faces of all of these youths were incomparably ugly by now.
“If you feel unwilling and refuse to accept this Young Master’s kind warning, come up and fight a few rounds, this Young Master will neither run nor hide.” Huo Xing Chen sneered.
Han Xiao Qi stared at him coldly, her brow furrowed slightly before she suddenly wore a dazzling smile and shouted, “Let’s teach this arrogant Young Master that the young leaders from first-class forces are not to be looked down upon.”
The next moment, a dozen youths all rushed Huo Xing Chen and began pummeling him.
Within a few short breaths, Huo Xing Chen, like the dead pig, was grabbed by Dong Qing Han and thrown into Yang Kai’s mansion, the latter calling out to several True Element youths and ruthlessly saying, “Strip off his clothes and lock him in one of the storage rooms for a few nights! Bastard, how dare he call me fat?”
Gao Rang Feng and Kang Zhan, who saw this whole exchange, both wore awkward expressions as a thick sense of incongruency arose in their hearts.
“Young Lord Huo has been captured, what should we do?” Meng Shan Yi suddenly said with a wry smile.
“Clumsy tricks!” Ye Xin Rou coldly snorted before disregarding this matter. Huo Xing Chen wasn’t of any consequence, all that matters was that the Huo Family’s masters continued to fight.
Just as Huo Xing Chen was being captured, Liu Qing Yao also arrived in front of Yang Kai.
“Last time at Po Jing Lake I failed to fully enjoy our fight. Today, I have deliberately come to ask Little Lord for advice. I hope Little Lord will not refuse.” Liu Qing Yao wore an indifferent expression as he looking towards Yang Kai and lightly said.
Yang Kai nodded slightly, “Brother Liu, forgive me, I’m a little busy right now. Let’s make this quick.”
Liu Qing Yao nodded and nothing more needed to be said. The next moment, his aura and True Qi violently surging forth.
Step by step, Liu Qing Yao trod forward, and each time he did so, it was like a gong was rung that resounded throughout the Heavens and Earth.
Liu Family’s Nine Resonant Steps!
During their confrontation at Po Jing Lake, Liu Qing Yao had used this technique against Yang Kai. This was one of the Liu Family’s core inheritances, a Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank Martial Skill, and the most powerful attack Liu Qing Yao could muster.
However, this time was quite different the last; back then, because of the massive gap in cultivation, Liu Qing Yao had held back as he wanted to compete in terms of skill rather than raw power.
Now though, Liu Qing Yao went all out so the momentum he gave off was much stronger than when he had used this Martial Skill at Po Jing Lake.
*Dong…* With each step Liu Qing Yao took, a shockwave of sound burst inside everyone’s ears, making several of those with weaker cultivations tremble unconsciously.
*Dong dong dong…*
Liu Qing Yao’s figure seemed to grow larger and more majestic with each step he took.
By the time he had trod the ninth step, Liu Qing Yao had become a giant in everyone’s eyes.
His head had reached the Heavens while his feet covered the Earth, he was like a towering titan who held up the sky itself.
Trod nine steps, shatter the Heavens! This was the Liu Family’s Nine Resonant Steps.
As his foot came down for the ninth and final step, Liu Qing Yao’s momentum had nearly reached that of a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master.
An unimaginably huge foot crashed slowly towards Yang Kai, not giving him any chance of escape.
Everyone suddenly sunk into a kind of illusion, as if this foot was crashing towards them and as soon as it fell they would be reduced to dust.
The cultivators with slightly lower strength couldn’t help turning pale as they trembled with fright.
But facing this terrifying blow, Yang Kai simply lifted his fist and punched out.
This seemingly unremarkable straight punch however was filled with a terrifying destructive force.
When this tiny fist impacted the giant foot, it was as if the entire night sky flashed.
Liu Qing Yao’s momentum deflated and his huge figure suddenly staggered backwards.
*Hong…* An earth shattering sound resounded as the giant fell to the ground and disappeared in a burst of light. Standing mid-air, Liu Qing Yao suddenly coughed out a mouthful a blood and held his chest, his eyes staring blankly towards Yang Kai, a hint of awe and fear flashing across their depths.
“Thank you for your instruction!” Yang Kai inspired gently.
“Fierce!” Liu Qing Yao sincerely admired, “This Liu has lost. Many thanks, Little Lord, for showing mercy!”
The last time when the two had fought above Po Jing Lake, Yang Kai had to use his Mysterious Grade Martial Skill, Star Mark, in order to force a draw.
But this time, he had only used a simple punch to break the Liu Family’s core Martial Skill.
The difference in strength between the two young men was apparent at a glance.
“Young Lord Liu is too polite.” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“Although I lost, but this action is not something I have any ability to influence. My apologies Little Lord, the most I can do this time is remove myself from this conflict.” Saying so, Liu Qing Yao turned around and quickly disappeared into the night sky.
“Young Lord, Young Lord!” The Liu Family’s masters all saw Liu Qing Yao’s sudden departure and couldn’t help calling out in surprise.
However, they received no response.
Ye Xin Rou’s expression became extremely irritable!
Within less than an hour, two Young Lords and the only other Young Lady from the seven-family coalition had been eliminated.
Qiu Yi Meng leaving the stage was caused by her own hand, it could even be said that Ye Xin Rou had deliberately set her up to fail.
Huo Xing Chen being captured was something she didn’t stop or even care about. Although he was physical here, his spirit had never left Yang Kai’s house. Him remaining didn’t contribute anything to their forces and on the contrary was a negative influence, so it was better for him to exit early.
However, Liu Qing Yao actually going so far as to personally withdraw was not something Ye Xin Rou could easily accept.
Liu Qing Yao still held the title of the Central Capital’s First Young Lord, his words and actions had a big influence on many things, especially when it came to public opinion.
Liu Qing Yao still had a great deal of prestige in the eyes of the world.
With this turn of events, Ye Xin Rou would obviously feel annoyed.
Now, there were only three Young Lords remaining beside her.
Kang Zhan, Gao Rang Feng, and Meng Shan Yi, whether these three held the same convictions as her was something she couldn’t verify with certainty. Kang Zhan and Gao Rang Feng she, was relatively confidant in, but Meng Shan Yi’s thoughts were harder to understand.
“Senior Brothers aren’t considering withdrawing, right?” Ye Xin Rou asked subtly, deciding to stamp out problems before they arose.
“Junior Sister Ye need not worry.” Kang Zhan shook his head slowly, “This time’s action is the collective meaning of the Eight Great Families. How could we carelessly retreat? Doing so would be too irresponsible.”
Gao Rang Feng also nodded in agreement. Although in his heart he rather sympathized with Yang Kai’s current situation, in the end, he was not familiar with the latter nor did he share any deep friendship with him, so he did not have much issue with following his family’s instructions.
Hearing their stances, Ye Xin Rou looked a little embarrassed and nodded slightly, “Junior Sister is relieved then. Such a grand event, Junior Sister does not have confidence to manage alone and must ask several Senior Brothers for their continued assistance.”
In the current situation, she had no choice but to lower her stance unlike the domineering performance she put on back at Yang Zhao’s mansion.
Qiu Yi Meng, Huo Xing Chen, and Liu Qing Yao’s successive departures had affected the mentality of some their respective families’ masters. Without the Young Lords or Young Lady of their family here to serve as leader, many of them began to feel like they were simply working for the benefit of others, causing them to focus more on protecting themselves rather than defeating their opponent.
This was especially true of the Qiu Family’s Fallen Leaves Hall; they had acted as tonight vanguard and as a result, suffered the greatest losses. How could they be willing to sacrifice any more for a prize they ultimately wouldn’t obtain? Since reinforcements from the other six families had arrived, the remaining Qiu Family masters had all but stopped engaging Yang Kai’s forces.
All of these masters were quite shrewd; none of them was willing to suffer for the sake of an outsider.
The seven-family coalition seemed looked like a monolithic iron slab, but in actual fact they were all secretly calculating against each other, creating a somewhat laughable scene.
The furious battle raged on.
The losses of the seven-family coalition forces became more and more devastating as time passed, with the nine Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage Blood Warriors using their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill becoming the biggest obstacle to defeating Yang Kai.
After repeated attempts and many bloody battles, it was still impossible to repel these nine.
The nine Blood Warriors split into groups of two and each pair was able to pin down a whole group of enemy masters while Ying Jiu alone stood guard beside Yang Kai, clearing out enemies who got too close to him.
The looks on Ye Xin Rou and Gao Rang Feng’s faces continuously darkened.
The Blood Warriors had been using their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill for too long now, according to the information they had, the Yang Family Blood Warrior’s forbidden technique could only be activated for around half an hour.
But half an hour had long since passed yet the nine Blood Warriors didn’t show any sign of Blood Force exhaustion. Instead, they were all brimming with vitality.
Only now did all of those present realize that there was a good reason why the Yang Family stood at the top of the Eight Great Families for so many years.
Even though the other Great Families had all sent out their own elite in a united front, they had no way to defeat these nine Blood Warriors. Obviously, this made them both frustrated and anxious.
Amidst the chaotic battle, Yang Kai was constantly monitoring the surrounding situation.
Although the nine Blood Warriors were fierce and Old Demon’s strength was even more astonishing, his other Immortal Ascension Boundary allies were gradually suffering losses and if their numbers reduced too far it could greatly affect the trend of the battle.
Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya not appearing, Yang Kai could understand, because once either of them took action the situation would be beyond repair.
Inside War City, they weren’t the only top level masters.
In the current situation, Yang Kai even more disapproved of the two of them moving. Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya’s biggest contribution right now was to act as deterrents.
Not to mention, this war hadn’t ended yet, and no one knew what the final outcome would be.
A white figure suddenly soared out of Yang Kai’s house. Sensing this familiar aura’s appearance, Yang Kai quickly fell back to meet up with her.
Turning his head, Su Yan had already rushed over to his side.
“Qiu Yi Meng isn’t in any danger, she’s just resting now.” Su Yan reported softly.
Yang Kai nodded.
“I’ll assist you.”
“Good!”
Su Yan hadn’t originally intended to participate in this battle, but since the enemy force was both larger and more powerful than they had anticipated, she felt she had no choice but to come forward. Yang Kai had already stated that this was no longer the Inheritance War, so how could she still stand idly by? After treating Qiu Yi Meng’s wound, she had immediately set out.
Along with her, the four Elders from High Heaven Pavilion also appeared. Each of these old men had not weak strength, and after joining the fray they quickly created an advantageous trend around them.
The Mysterious Grade Mid-Rank ice mirror artifact was summoned into Su Yan’s hand and a profound chill instantly spread out around her. As she poured her True Qi into it, the snow-capped mountain within the mirror began emitting a silvery glow, pulsing an ice cold aura.
A flash of light blossomed and a huge barrier suddenly appeared, enveloping a large number of masters from the seven-family coalition.
Kang Zhan’s eyes shrank as he shuddered and shouted, “It’s that artifact!”
Ten days ago, the four Immortal Ascension Boundary Fifth Stage masters from the Kang and Qiu Families were trapped by this artifact and quickly turned into ice sculptures, seeing this scene once again appear in front of him, Kang Zhan couldn’t help panicking.
“What’s so special about this artifact?” Ye Xin Rou hurriedly asked.
Kang Zhan quickly collected himself and in a dignified voice explained all he knew.
Listening to his description, Ye Xin Rou’s pretty face also paled while nearby, Gao Rang Feng and Meng Shan Yi wore equally dim expressions.
Such a powerful artifact, who could withstand it?
Moments after Kang Zhan finished explaining the specifics of the ice mirror, the barrier in front of them suddenly shattered and two figures flew out. Everyone turned their eyes towards this pair and, as expected, saw Yang Kai and Su Yan.
As for the masters from the seven families who had been trapped inside the barrier a moment ago, all of them had turned into ice sculptures, standing there silently in various strange poses, whether they were dead or alive was uncertain.
From beginning to end, the battle inside the ice barrier had only lasted as long as it would take to drink half a cup of tea.
But this was only the beginning, Su Yan, who had just frozen a dozen or so Immortal Ascension masters once again poured her True Qi into the mirror and to the utter horror of Ye Xin Rou and her allies, another ice barrier formed.
This time, another dozen plus people were shrouded within it.
“Impossible!” Ye Xin Rou screamed, “This kind of artifact must require a massive amount of True Qi to activate it! Even if she is an Immortal Ascension Boundary master, she can’t possibly use it twice in such quick succession!”
By Su Yan’s own skill and strength, she really couldn’t use this artifact repeatedly. If she were to really do this, she would no doubt exhaust her True Qi prematurely, so even if she managed to trap her enemies inside the barrier, she would have no way to defeat them and would instead become vulnerable to their counterattack.
However, right now Yang Kai was beside her and the two of them had cultivated the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art.
With the pair’s True Qi constantly circulating between them, Su Yan could bear this kind of seemingly excessive consumption.
A burst of uneasiness rose inside Ye Xin Rou’s heart.
Armed with this Mysterious Grade artifact, Yang Kai and Su Yan alone could take care of a dozen opponents at once. If this repeated a few times, would anyone be left in her army?
Just as she considered this frightening possibility, the barrier lifted for the second time, and more than a dozen newly formed ice sculptures appeared.
*Hua…*
When the familiar flash of light blossomed once more, all the masters from the seven family coalition scattered desperately trying to avoid being trapped inside this certain death barrier.
Ye Xin Rou’s face finally became fearful, her expression incomparably ugly as she wracked her brain trying to find a way to overturn the current predicament; unfortunately, nothing came to mind.
This was the first time she deeply felt her own incompetence and weakness. She couldn’t help thinking to herself that if Second Young Lord was here, with his intelligence and methods, then maybe he could find a way to combat this strategy.
Although Yang Kai and Su Yan’s strategy was shamelessly monotonous, it was incredibly effective, almost forcing the seven family coalition into a corner.
“Enough!” An angry roar suddenly resounded through the air, containing endless majesty and inspiring fear in all those who heard it, causing the entire battlefield to instantly stagnate.
High up in the night sky, a terrifying aura appeared and as everyone turned their eyes towards it, they discovered a massive palm image crashing towards the ground.
This palm strike slowly flew towards the barrier that Su Yan’s artifact had just created.
*Peng…*
When this strike hit atop the barrier, a tremendous rumble erupted, causing everyone in the surroundings to stumble.
With a loud bang, the seemingly sturdy ice barrier shattered into pieces like an ordinary mirror, revealing all the people inside it.
Both Yang Kai and Su Yan coughed simultaneously, their faces suddenly turning slightly pale.
The ice mirror artifact was essentially shared between both of them, originally refined by Yang Kai but now used by Su Yan, so once the barrier it created was forcibly smashed, both of them had suffered a certain amount of backlash.
The masters who had been trapped inside the barrier saw this scene and quickly realized they had been saved from a desperate situation, a look of joy flashing across their faces as they swiftly fled.
None of them wanted to be turned into frozen ice sculptures.
Witnessing all of this, Ye Xin Rou couldn’t help wearing an exuberant expression while all the other Young Lords let out a sigh of relief and turned their attention to the sky above.
On the other end of their gazes stood eight figures, obviously they were the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Grand Elders who had been sitting in the Seal Temple. The eyes of these eight old men however were all staring at Su Yan and Yang Kai, their faces filled with surprise, shock, and even some dread.
Yang Kai raised his head and stared coldly at these eight old men.
The eight Grand Elders appearing here was expected by Yang Kai and his allies.
One of the eight old men slowly took back his raised hand; obviously he was the one who had sent out the previous earth shaking palm.
Yang Kai shifted his eyes to this individual and narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling that this old man was the one who seemed to have a particularly bad attitude towards him before.
“Grand Ancestor!” Ye Xin Rou extremely happy shouted.
The man nodded lightly.
Gao Rang Feng, Kang Zhan, Meng Shan Yi, and everyone else from the seven-family coalition all quickly cupped their fists and politely greeted.
After a lapse of ten days, these eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters had reappeared, their purpose self-evident, causing many down below to feel both relieved and embarrassed.
If their seven family coalition had been able to defeat Yang Kai, then it would not have been necessary for these eight Grand Elders to appear. Perhaps these eight old men realized that with the remaining strength of the seven family forces they had no way to take Yang Kai’s mansion and had thus chosen to act.
This was the mainly the results of Ye Xin Rou’s miscalculations and improper deployment, otherwise this situation would not have occurred.
“Yang Family brat,” An Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Grand Elder with a square face looked at Yang Kai maliciously, “Last time we didn’t dispose of you on the spot only because you were a child of the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families. But instead of using this opportunity to repent for your sins, you instead became more unruly and have even now wantonly slaughtered the loyal masters of our Eight Great Families! Do you want to rebel!?”
Yang Kai took a deep breath and calmed the turbulent blood flow in his chest before coldly replying, “With a sword laid across my neck, should I let my head be chopped off or try to fight back? If Senior was in my place, how would you respond?”
“If you hadn’t committed any crime, how could my Eight Great Families act against you like this? How could your Yang Family not care about you? Making such foolish mistakes yet still so thick-headed!”
“I don’t believe I’ve done anything wrong.” Yang Kai replied flatly, “If you’re worried about me becoming a person like the Demon Lord, then I will forfeit this Inheritance War and no long compete for the position of Yang Family Patriarch, so you can rest at ease.”
“The Eight Great Families cannot forgive a black sheep like you, your very existence is a stain on the Yang Family and the Eight Great Families’ honour.” The square faced man shouted.
“In the end, all you want is for me to submit.” Yang Kai smiled coldly, “I apologize, I’m a stubborn person who refuses to eat hard food. If you had come to discuss things with me, we could have reached some kind of agreement, but since you insist on using force to coerce me, then I can only resist and ensure no one gains anything!”
“Impudence!” The square faced old man coldly shouted, “You’re not qualified to discuss anything with us, no matter who tries, today, no one can save you!”
“Elder Brother, at your age, do you not think it inappropriate to argue so with a Junior?” A light voice suddenly called out while two figures flew out from Yang Kai’s house.
Obviously, it was Meng Wu Ya and Ling Tai Xu.
Meng Wu Ya smiled indifferently, “The matters of the younger generation, must we intervene?”
“Meng Wu Ya!” The square faced old man stared deeply at Treasurer Meng, his expression unchanged, seemingly having anticipated that he and Ling Tai Xu would appear, “I don’t know what secrets you are hiding, but you alone are still not qualified to block my Eight Great Families’ actions.”
Last time, when Yang Kai was breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, these eight Grand Elders had made an appearance, but at the time they hadn’t acted ruthlessly because the situation was still within their ability to accept. Firstly, Yang Kai hadn’t grown beyond their control, so there was no need to immediately execute him, and secondly, they didn’t want to fight with Meng Wu Ya and Ling Tai Xu who were supporting him without it being absolutely necessary.
Meng Wu Ya went without saying, his whole existence was surrounded in mystery. None of them could see through him. As for Ling Tai Xu, regardless of anything else, he was a genuine Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master, and fighting such a powerhouse was no joke.
“I’m not qualified? Heh heh.” Meng Wu Ya grinned, his expression completely tranquil, “Don’t say me, even that guy down below, one-on-one, none of you are his match.”
As he said so, he casually pointed towards Old Demon.
In response, Old Demon grinned fiercely.
“Him?” The square faced old man thought otherwise but still showed a look of surprise on his face, slowly shaking his head, “What does he count for?”
From his words, a thick contempt and disdain was apparent.
Not only was his expression so, but the other Eight Great Families’ Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters were also so, all of them secretly thinking that Meng Wu Ya no longer had all of his faculties; actually saying such nonsense.
Between Old Demon, Meng Wu Ya, and Ling Tai Xu, the one they were most wary of was Ling Tai Xu; after all, this man had reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, and his cultivation equal to their own. Not to mention, he was able to cultivate a monster like the current Demon Lord!
After Ling Tai Xu, the second person they had concerns about was Meng Wu Ya. Although he was only a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary master, none of them could fully understand him. To an enemy they couldn’t completely understand, naturally they had some suspicion and fear.
As for Old Demon… Although he too was a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary like Meng Wu Ya, none of them really placed him in their eyes.
Such a cultivator, any of them could casually kill. Previously, when Yang Li Ting used a palm to explode his Blood Demon Puppet, Old Demon hadn’t dared to revolt; from this alone they concluded Old Demon was not their match.
Hearing the mockery in the square faced man’s words, Meng Wu Ya couldn’t help but laugh, “Old Devil Lord, these people seem to be looking down on you, aren’t you going to speak up?”
“If they want to look down on me, they’re free to do so. Why should I bother saying anything?” Old Demon smiled devilishly, not showing the slightest shame or embarrassment, as if he didn’t care one bit what these eight old men thought of him.
“Can you really stand it?” Meng Wu Ya stared at Old Demon with a sly smile, “Considering your cruel personality, shouldn’t you be itching to give this group of short-sighted children a harsh lesson?”
“You’re right. All of them are short-sighted brats, but why should this old master lower himself to their level?” Old Demon scoffed, arguing back and forth with Meng Wu Ya while ignoring the eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Grand Elders like they were air.
Everyone’s mood was quite awkward.
Listening to these two quibble, it seemed like this old Devil Lord really he was the Senior and these Above Immortal Ascension Boundary old men were the inexperienced Juniors, not worthy of his attention.
Did he really have such skill? Such qualifications?
Just as everyone was puzzling over this idea, Old Demon’s face suddenly became solemn as he calmly declared, “Although this Old Master doesn’t want to lower himself to the level of these kids, but if I continue to let them act arrogantly without responding, they’ll really start thinking this Old Master can be casually bullied. This technique is quite laborious to use so this Old Master was hoping he wouldn’t have to display it.”
Saying so, the rolling True Qi within Old Demon’s body suddenly became completely still.
“Demon Specter Saint Technique!” A great roar that seemed to resound throughout the Heavens and Earth left Old Demon’s mouth and at the same time, the surrounding World Energy whipped up into a violent storm.
At the same time, everyone felt like all the blood in their bodies was being violently drawn to Old Demon, seemingly wanting to burst from their bodies and fly towards him.
The lower strength cultivators present instantly had pained expressions and under this strange suction their skin became bright red and blood began leaking from their seven orifices, making all of them appear particularly miserable.
Even the ones who had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary had to furiously circulate their Secret Arts in order to barely stand firm.
Everyone present had a dignified expression, none of them knew what method Old Demon had used to achieve such an effect.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Bright red beams of light suddenly appeared from all directions and rushed into Old Demon’s body.
These beams were composed entirely of blood from the scattered fallen cultivators. Whether it was the masters from the seven family coalition, or the allies who supported Yang Kai, as long as they had died, all the blood from their corpses would be drained within a few breaths.
Even the blood that had seeped into ground was drawn out under this huge suction.
As Old Demon’s body absorbed all of this blood, he was suddenly dyed entirely red, like a boiled crab.
Suddenly, from within his body, a heart-pounding surge of Blood Force that was many times more intense than when the Yang Family Blood Warrior’s activated their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill erupted!
Once all the ownerless blood within a thousand meters was completely exhausted, the suction force suddenly disappeared.
Everyone below the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage had shed blood during this process, including those from Yang Kai’s house.
However, none of these people’s lives were in any danger, Old Demon had still been quite measured and didn’t cause any of them to die for no reason.
At this moment, an earth-shaking energy fluctuation began radiating from Old Demon.
A pressure field centered around him also quickly spread outwards.
The aura he emitted intensified rapidly, soon breaking through the limits of the Immortal Ascension Boundary and continuing to climb at an incredible speed…
The Eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Grand Elder’s eyes all trembled violently as they witnessed this scene, a deep feeling of terror gripping their souls.
After a moment, the energy fluctuation slowly subsided and Old Demon let out a long breath, a ferocious glint flashed across his eyes as he flexed his fists and showed a satisfied expression on his face.
The Eight Above Immortal Ascension Boundary Grand Elders quickly released their Divine Senses to probe Old Demon and were suddenly dumbstruck.
Above Immortal Ascension Boundary!
Right now, Old Demon was a genuine Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator.
After regaining their composure, a series of incredible questions flashed across each of these eight old men’s thoughts; what kind of Martial Skill was this Demon Specter Saint Technique and what grade was it? Why could a cultivator at the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary break through to the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary in such a short time?
Even the ultimate technique of the Yang Family Blood Warrior Hall, the Mad Tyrant Blood Skill, couldn’t produce such an effect.
Tu Feng and the other Blood Warriors using their Mad Tyrant Blood Skill could exchange a few moves with an Above Immortal Ascension Boundary master, but there was still a great disparity between them and the genuine article.
However, after using this Demon Specter Saint Technique, Old Demon had really reached their level!
In an instant, the breathing of these eight old men became rapid and their eyes practically turned red.
If they could obtain this Heaven defying method, just how much would the strength of their family increase?
Each of the Eight Great Families only had a few Above Immortal Ascension Boundary masters, but all of them had many at the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary. Even if the effects of this technique were short-lived, in a key moment, it could play a critical role.
“Is this old master now qualified to exchange moves with you?” Old Demon snickered towards the eight old men, each of whom wore an awkward expression and didn’t respond.
As for the square faced master who had just ridiculed Old Demon, his face was even uglier than the rest.
With both of them now at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, what right did he have mouth off to Old Demon?
“Demon Specter Saint Technique, not too bad of a technique.” Meng Wu Ya nodded gently, “That and the Blood Demon Puppet you refined serve as complementary skills right?”
Old Demon chuckled wryly, “Don’t expose all my secrets please.”
Meng Wu Ya’s insight was truly impressive; with only a single glance he had noticed the subtle connection between Old Demon’s Demon Specter Saint Technique and his Blood Demon Puppet.
The Demon Specter Saint Technique required a great deal of fresh blood to perform, the higher the cultivation of the people the blood came from, the greater Old Demon could enhance himself.
However, this condition in itself was quite problematic; after all, it was impossible for Old Demon to produce such a large amount of blood in an instant.
But by using the Blood Demon Puppet, this problem was eliminated. In fact, the Blood Demon Puppet’s primary purpose was as a blood storage, its combat ability was actually just a secondary benefit.
When necessary, Old Demon could sacrifice his Blood Demon Puppet to use all of its absorbed blood to display the Demon Specter Saint Technique.
“You actually have such an ability?” Yang Kai also looked at Old Demon with surprise, even though he knew that both Old Demon and Meng Wu Ya were extraordinary, and had secretly speculated about their heritage, Yang Kai discovered now that he had still underestimated them.
“Forgive me, Young Master. Old Servant usually doesn’t use this move so he has never displayed it before.” Old Demon replied.
Yang Kai nodded lightly and didn’t pursue the matter, he didn’t have a habit of snooping into other people’s secrets. After their brief exchange, he and Old Demon turned their eyes towards Meng Wu Ya.
“Old man, it’s your turn. With just this Old Master and Sect Master Ling, I’m afraid it’s still not enough.” Old Demon shouted.
After all, the opposing side had eight people, such a difference in numbers was a bit overwhelming.
Although Old Demon and Ling Tai Xu were a powerful deterrent, now that things had reached this point, they really weren’t enough to force the enemy back.
Meng Wu Ya nodded gently, inhaling a deep breath before simply shouting, “Solve!”
*Kacha…*
From within Meng Wu Ya’s body, a chain-like energy pattern emerged that seemed to be binding him like a vicious snake; then, with an eerie creak, this chain shattered into a myriad of light particles.
An imposing pressure suddenly burst forth and shook the Heavens themselves.
Meng Wu Ya’s expression didn’t change at all, but at this moment, compared with the previous one, the aura he gave off was completely different.
Above Immortal Ascension Boundary!
After shouting a single word, in an instant, Meng Wu Ya became and Above Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator!
The method he had used to accomplish this was completely different from the one Old Demon employed.
Old Demon had used some kind of forbidden technique to absorb a massive amount of blood from the surrounding area in order to raise his strength.
However, Meng Wu Ya seemed to have unlocked some kind of seal inside his body, restoring his original strength.
This implied that Meng Wu Ya had already reached the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, but for some unknown reason had part of his strength locked away.
This discovery once again greatly disturbed the eight Grand Elders.
As they looked over Meng Wu Ya again, the expressions on each of their faces became even more dignified.
The more they interacted with Meng Wu Ya, the less they were able to see through him. Everything about him was far beyond their comprehension.
At this moment, the pressure Meng Wu Ya gave them was the highest, followed by Old Demon, and the previously most powerful Ling Tai Xu had actually become the least imposing.
This kind of lineup and such profound heritage…
This matter had grown far beyond what they had anticipated! The eight old men all wore awkward looks. Originally, they thought that their appearance would be enough to settle things, but now they discovered that they had greatly miscalculated.
Only now did they understand why ten days ago, when Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya appeared to protect Yang Kai as he broke through, did they not show any fear.
If they had really fought that day, never mind Yang Kai, all of War City would likely have been destroyed.
Tonight’s battle had undergone so many unexpected twists and turns that everyone couldn’t help feeling confused and anxious.
Old Demon and Meng Wu Ya both stepping forward and using their own unique Heaven defying methods to instantly reach the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary, such a fantastical display was not something average people could dream of seeing. Many of those present felt that even if they were to die tonight, it would be worth it, and secretly began to look forward to how this situation would develop from here.