"Wei Xinghe, your two-week deadline has passed. What have you decided? Will you surrender, or will you hold onto that treasure and let your entire Wei family perish?"
The sound was like rolling thunder, with a powerful aura. It was clear that only a true top-level martial arts expert could produce it.
The expressions of the Wei family patriarch and the chief steward changed.
Wei Xinghe is the name of the head of the Wei family.
The head of the Wei family took a breath and said loudly, "Enough with the nonsense. If you are truly confident, then come and try to seize my Wei family's assets. We'll see if you have the ability!"
The Wei family patriarch's response was equally powerful, no weaker than the person outside.
He was also an incredibly powerful martial arts expert.
"Hehe, Wei Xinghe, you really are stubborn. Aren't you afraid that we will wipe out your Wei family and leave no one alive?" the voice continued.
“Since you are so confident, why not come in and give it a try!” the Wei family patriarch said without backing down.
The voice paused for a moment, seemingly surprised that Wei Xinghe's attitude remained so firm even now.
At this moment, the entire scene was silent, and no one dared to participate in the conversation between the two top martial arts experts.
After a while, the voice continued, "Wei Xinghe, you're just delusional that your Wei family's ancestor is still alive."
To tell you the truth, your Wei family's ancestor was struck in the heart meridian by that master's innate sword energy, so there's no way he can survive. If you know what's good for you, surrender and hand over the treasure. That way, your Wei family might have a way out.
Otherwise, be careful, or the Wei family line may end!
However, the head of the Wei family remained unmoved.
He said calmly, "One word: are you going to fight or not? If you're not going to fight, then shut up! You lowly rat, hiding your head and tail, not even daring to show your true form, yet you think you can make the Wei family surrender with just a few words?"
The voice paused, surprised that Wei Xinghe was so unyielding and unafraid of any threats.
Hearing the contempt in the other party's tone, he felt angry and really wanted to fight Wei Xinghe without any regard for the consequences.
As a grandmaster-level martial artist with perfected internal organs, how could he be without a temper?
However, remembering what that person had said, he suppressed his anger.
He then sneered, "Wei Xinghe, just keep putting on a brave face. The only reason you're so defiant is because you've sent your wife and children out of the city and have no worries about them. But do you really think they can escape to the prefecture smoothly?"
Upon hearing this, the head of the Wei family could no longer maintain his composure.
His expression changed drastically, and he shouted angrily, "You are a grandmaster-level martial artist, a person of great renown, yet you make things difficult for women and children. Don't you think that's beneath your dignity?"
"Hahaha..." The voice laughed arrogantly, "Didn't you just call me a coward? Now you've become a big shot? Wei Xinghe, guess what? Will we see the heads of your wife and children displayed at the gate of your Wei mansion by this time tomorrow?"
After saying that, the voice gradually faded and then fell silent.
"Wait a minute!" the Wei family patriarch said urgently.
But the voice stopped, and it was unclear whether the person no longer wanted to talk to him or had already left.
Only the head of the Wei family remained, shouting in vain.
"Master, what should we do now?" The head steward beside him looked anxious and puzzled. "The tunnels in the mansion are dug very deep and the exits are very well hidden. How could they have discovered them?"
"There are only two reasons. First, there is an inside accomplice in the manor, and An'er and the others' whereabouts have been leaked."
The head of the Wei family took a breath, forcibly calmed his mind, and pondered.
"That's impossible! I personally arranged for the departure of the Madam and the Young Master. The guards protecting them are the most loyal guards in the manor, and they would never betray the Wei family!" the head steward said firmly.
"That leaves only one other reason."
The head of the Wei family showed a complex emotion on his face.
"We all underestimated the abilities of those at the Innate Realm. We thought we could keep it a secret from them by using the underground passage, but we never imagined that our plan might not have escaped their notice from the very beginning."
The chief steward remained silent.
If that's the case, then they really have no way to deal with it.
The Innate Realm has always been mysterious and unpredictable, and its methods are even more miraculous, far beyond what ordinary people can imagine.
Even they themselves were not entirely clear about the abilities of beings at the Innate Realm.
Our ancestors never showed these things to them.
"What about the lady and the young master? Have they really fallen into their hands?" the head steward asked.
"It shouldn't be yet. Otherwise, that person would have already used An'er and the others to threaten us. Right now, they've only said a few harsh words. It's obvious that they've only noticed An'er and the others' whereabouts, but haven't caught them yet."
The head of the Wei family was no ordinary person. Although he had been distracted by the mysterious man's words, he quickly calmed down and noticed something amiss.
"Then, sir, should this old servant go and support the madam and the others?" the head steward hurriedly asked.
"No, the manor can't do without you. The Silver Moon Battle Formation needs you to lead it to unleash its full power. If you leave, the fighting strength will be reduced by at least half." The Wei family head said decisively. "Perhaps, that's why that person deliberately told us about An'er and the others. They wanted to lure you away!"
"But Madam and the others..."
"It's all up to fate!" the Wei family patriarch sighed. "As members of the Wei family, we should be prepared to sacrifice ourselves for the family at any time. If they really can't escape, then it's fate."
The chief steward remained silent.
He didn't really understand why the master insisted on holding onto this ancestral home, preferring to fight to the death rather than retreat.
But as a member of the Wei family, all his martial arts skills and glory were given to him by the Wei family. Since the patriarch had given the order, he would naturally obey it to the death.
"Master, perhaps the situation is not so bad. Pang Zhan, the guard who escorted Madam and the others, is also an Inner Strength Realm expert. With his leadership, together with the Silver Moon Guards, they can form the Silver Moon Battle Formation. Even if they encounter an Inner Strength Realm expert, they can hold them off."
The capital has decreed that those at the Innate Realm are forbidden from attacking those below it. If the Innate Realm expert on the other side doesn't intervene, perhaps the lady and the others still have a chance to escape.
After a long silence, the head steward spoke up to comfort him.
"That's all we can hope for now," sighed the head of the Wei family.
But he also knew that this hope was probably very slim.
Although the Silver Moon Battle Formation is powerful, the opposing side is also numerous and has many strong fighters.
The mysterious figure he had just spoken with was someone Pang Zhan and his group were not capable of handling.
Now he could only pray that the people chasing An'er and the others were not at least at the Great Perfection of the Inner Strength level; otherwise, he really couldn't imagine what choices he would have to make.
The Wei family patriarch endured a agonizing night of waiting.
The next day, at the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief when he found nothing unusual outside the mansion.
Knowing that the other party probably hasn't captured An'er and the others yet.
Otherwise, given the arrogance of that mysterious expert yesterday, how could he have let go of such an opportunity to show off his power?
Another day passed, and there was still no movement outside the mansion. The Wei family patriarch was now mostly relieved.
Knowing that his wife and children had probably really escaped.
Even the chief steward breathed a sigh of relief.
The lady had been very kind to him, and now that he knew she and the young master were safe, his anxiety finally subsided.
The powerful figures in the county have been keeping a close eye on the Wei family's movements these past two days.
The conversation between the Wei family patriarch and that mysterious expert a couple of days ago resounded throughout the entire city.
Everyone knew that someone was hunting down Madam Wei and her young master.
Everyone is speculating whether they will wake up early in the next couple of days to find the figures or corpses of Madam Wei and her young master.
Unexpectedly, two days passed without any movement.
Even the mysterious expert from that day has not reappeared.
Could it be that Madam Wei and her young master actually escaped?
Everyone couldn't help but have this thought.
"Zhi Rui, tell me, did Madam Wei and her young master manage to escape, or have they already been captured?"
In the county magistrate's residence, a handsome middle-aged man with phoenix eyes sat at a chess table, twirling a chess piece in his hand, and asked the person sitting opposite him.
"If you, as the head of a county, don't know, how could I possibly know?"
Opposite the middle-aged man with phoenix eyes, a man dressed in plain clothes spoke calmly.
"You're being too modest. Everyone knows that your Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's intelligence is unparalleled. Nothing in the world can escape your notice. Compared to that, what is my humble position as a county magistrate?"
The middle-aged man with phoenix eyes placed a chess piece somewhere on the chessboard and smiled.
"Although my Heavenly Secrets Pavilion has a lot of information, it never interferes in the struggles between families and sects, so you don't need to ask me for information."
The man in plain clothes remained calm and made a move as well.
"If you're not going to interfere, then why are you here now?"
The middle-aged man with phoenix eyes looked slightly indifferent. He stopped playing chess, looked at the man in plain clothes, and asked.
"Don't worry, my purpose in coming here has nothing to do with you, and I have no interest in your affairs."
The man in plain clothes remained expressionless.
"Oh, so what is your purpose in coming here?"
Upon hearing the other party's words, the middle-aged man with phoenix eyes felt a slight sense of relief, and his smile returned to his face.
He knew that the person in front of him never liked to lie, so if he said it had nothing to do with him, then it must have nothing to do with him.
"I'm here to confirm one thing," the man in plain clothes said.
“The Holy Mountain once had a prohibition: martial artists of the world who are above the Innate Realm shall not attack those below the Innate Realm without cause, nor shall they fight in crowded places, causing unnecessary killings.”
"I came here to see if anyone dares to defy this ban."
The middle-aged man's expression turned serious in Danfeng's eyes.
The prohibition mentioned by the man in plain clothes was unknown to the world.
Only the truly powerful and influential families, and those large sects that remain hidden from the world, know about this ban.
But this does not mean that the ban is insignificant.
On the contrary, everyone who knows about this ban knows just how terrifying the forces that made it possible are.
That is a mysterious place that all powers in the world need to respect.
"So, this turmoil in the county town was really instigated by a certain Xiantian Realm expert?"
The middle-aged man with phoenix eyes asked tentatively.
"Yan Canghai, you don't need to play dumb here," the man in plain clothes said calmly. "There's no need to pretend not to know something so obvious and insult our intelligence."
"Hehe, I'm just unsure. After all, the traces of beings at the Innate Realm are beyond the comprehension of us mere Acquired Realm cultivators."
The middle-aged man in Danfeng eyes wasn't angry; instead, he became curious.
"Zhi Rui, tell me, who exactly wants to kill the patriarch of the Wei family? And what treasures are hidden in the Wei mansion that would make a dignified Xiantian realm cultivator lower himself to bully a junior?"
"Aren't you afraid people will hear you slandering them here?" The man in plain clothes glanced at him.
The middle-aged man in the phoenix-shaped eyes stiffened for a moment, then relaxed again.
Feigning nonchalance, he said, "With you here, what do I have to fear? Do you think that dignified innate being would stoop to the level of a nobody like me?"
He said it lightly, but he didn't dare to ask any further questions.
"You should really change your curious nature. If you hadn't been so curious back then, you wouldn't have been demoted to this remote place and become a minor county magistrate."
The man in plain clothes picked up a chess piece again and placed it on the chessboard.
"Hehe." The middle-aged man with phoenix eyes chuckled awkwardly, not daring to speak again.
If it weren't for the help of his friend, he might not even be able to become the county magistrate he is today.
However, his friend's words put his mind at ease.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't under a lot of pressure these days.
Suddenly, so many martial artists poured into the city, some of whom were even stronger than him.
If these people were to actually start a war in the city, it's impossible to know how many civilian casualties would result.
At that point, as the county magistrate, he would be unable to escape his responsibilities.
Whether our friends can stop this great battle is another matter.
But at least we can testify for him that it's not that he's inactive, but that he's truly powerless to do anything.
The schemes of someone at the Innate Realm are far beyond the reach of someone as lowly as the Inner Organ Realm.
The two played chess in silence for a while.
Suddenly, the middle-aged man with phoenix eyes couldn't help but ask, "Zhi Rui, then tell me one more thing, is the Wei family's innate realm ancestor really dead?"
The man in plain clothes looked up and stared at him quietly.
Although his gaze was not particularly piercing, a chill ran through the middle-aged man in his phoenix eyes.
He quickly waved his hand and said, "I won't ask anymore, I really won't ask anymore!"
The man in plain clothes stared at him for a while, which made the middle-aged man with phoenix eyes tremble with fear.
Then he suddenly spoke up: "There is something I can tell you."
"What is it?" the middle-aged man with phoenix eyes asked hurriedly.
"The lady and young master of the Wei family have not been caught yet."
