Chapter 280: Chapter 266: 3 Fingers
The Jiang Family was not far from the Mei Family. In less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Zhaang Ye and Wei Jiushu arrived outside the Jiang Mansion.
As Zhaang Ye arrived, a ruddy-faced elder happened to be walking out from inside the Jiang Mansion. The two came face to face, and both of their gazes hardened slightly.
When the red-faced elder saw Zhaang Ye, he froze for a moment before a look of delight spread across his face. "Boy, it’s you! Let’s see you try to run this time!"
As he spoke, one of his hands suddenly shot out to grab Zhaang Ye.
Zhaang Ye had long since recognized this red-faced elder as the same one he had encountered in the dense forest. Back then, Zhaang Ye had killed two Mei Family experts and one Jiang Family expert. Just as he was leaving on the Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon, this elder had arrived.
Unable to catch up to Zhaang Ye, the man had attacked him with a tree branch. Fortunately, Zhaang Ye’s Saber Technique was formidable, and he had managed to block the branch.
This red-faced elder’s Cultivation was approaching the late stage of the Martial Arts Eighth Layer. His grasp encompassed an area several dozen feet wide; a typical Martial Arts Seventh-Layer expert would have been caught without even being able to dodge.
A few months ago, Zhaang Ye would not have even been able to escape this attack with his life. Fortunately, his strength now was more than ten times greater than it had been. Seeing the elder reach for him, Zhaang Ye laughed heartily and threw a punch.
PFFT!
Zhaang Ye’s punch relied purely on physical strength. As he threw it, the air before him instantly shattered. The fist had barely left his side when a sharp blast of air erupted forth with astonishing force.
The red-faced elder sneered and reached straight for Zhaang Ye’s fist. He had reached the Martial Arts Eighth Layer Middle Stage a long time ago, and after a period of secluded cultivation, his Cultivation had now reached the late stage. With the power of a late-stage Martial Arts Eighth Layer expert, he absolutely refused to believe Zhaang Ye could possibly contend with him.
BAM!
Zhaang Ye’s fist collided with the red-faced elder’s hand. The elder felt a tyrannical, overbearing power slam straight into him. Even with his late-stage Martial Arts Eighth Layer Cultivation, he found it incredibly difficult to withstand this force. The bones in his entire arm creaked, and he couldn’t help but take a step back.
"Huh?" The red-faced elder stared at Zhaang Ye in astonishment. "Boy, to think you possess such tyrannical Body Refining strength! But no matter how powerful your Body Refining Techniques are, you are still no match for me!"
As he spoke, he took a step forward, preparing to strike again.
Just then, Wei Jiushu, who was standing behind Zhaang Ye, let out a cold snort. His Spiritual Power merged with his aura and pressed down abruptly on the red-faced elder.
Wei Jiushu’s Cultivation had already reached the Martial Arts Ninth Layer. He kept his Essence Qi completely contained, making him seem like an ordinary old man as he stood behind Zhaang Ye. But now, as his aura erupted, he seemed to grow taller, like a great mountain suddenly appearing, shaking one’s very soul.
The aura of a Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Expert was truly no small matter. Although the red-faced elder’s Cultivation had reached the late stage of the Martial Arts Eighth Layer, he still found it difficult to endure Wei Jiushu’s presence. He was forced back over twenty feet, the ruddy color draining from his face to leave it deathly pale.
The red-faced elder stared at Wei Jiushu, aghast. "Who are you?"
Wei Jiushu’s face was grim as he said menacingly, "You don’t need to ask who I am. You only need to know that this is Zhaang Ye, the eighth disciple under the Fourth Hall Master of the Wei Kingdom True Hall. Boy, you knew he was a True Hall Disciple, yet you still dared to attack him. You have some nerve! Your Jiang Family has some nerve!"
Wei Jiushu looked to be only in his fifties, while the red-faced elder appeared to be well over sixty. For a man in his fifties to call a man in his sixties "boy" was something even Zhaang Ye found a bit comical.
If anyone else had called the red-faced elder "boy," he would have slapped them to death long ago. But Wei Jiushu was a great expert of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer. No matter how displeased the red-faced elder was, he didn’t dare show it. Besides, Zhaang Ye and Wei Jiushu were clearly here looking for trouble...
’That brat Zhaang Ye brought a Ninth-Layer Expert with him. He’s definitely here to cause trouble for our Jiang Family. Could this Ninth-Layer Expert be from the True Hall?’ Upon hearing Wei Jiushu’s introduction, the red-faced elder’s heart sank.
The True Hall’s fearsome reputation was built on bones and blood. Since its founding, the True Hall had been a lofty legend. Any power that dared to violate its dignity was mercilessly annihilated. Over thousands of years, countless powers and families had vanished from the Barbaric Land for offending the True Hall.
’I don’t know what the Patriarch and those Supreme Elders were thinking a few months ago, issuing an order to hunt down Zhaang Ye! Now look. They failed to kill him, and he’s shown up at our door to cause trouble...’ Although the red-faced elder had his own reliances, the thought of the Wei Kingdom True Hall’s ferocious might still made him uneasy.
BOOM!
Just as the red-faced elder was reeling in shock, Wei Jiushu suddenly took a step forward and thrust his palm out. When a Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Expert acted, the display of power was extraordinary. With that single palm thrust from Wei Jiushu, the main gates of the Jiang Mansion exploded with a deafening roar, both doors sent flying by his powerful True Force.
"You..." Although the red-faced elder knew the True Hall was always domineering, he never expected Wei Jiushu to act so brutally. Without another word, he had blasted the Jiang Family’s gates off their hinges.
"’You’ what!" Wei Jiushu’s glare and chilling killing intent left the red-faced elder speechless. After shooting the elder a look, Wei Jiushu barked, "Boy, lead the way! I want to see the person in charge of your Jiang Family’s operations in Python City!"
The authority of a Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Expert was truly immense. Before Wei Jiushu, the red-faced elder was as helpless as an infant. Faced with Wei Jiushu’s brutish and domineering behavior, he didn’t dare say another word and obediently led the two into the Jiang Mansion.
Witnessing Wei Jiushu’s display of power gave Zhaang Ye a new understanding of the saying, "the strong are revered." He thought to himself, ’Absolute power crushes everything! The Wei Kingdom True Hall possesses tyrannical strength, and Wei Jiushu has the Cultivation of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer; no wonder he acts so brutally domineering! Although there aren’t many Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Experts in the Wei Kingdom, there are still several dozen. I must quickly comprehend Spiritual Power so I can speak to them as an equal!’
Zhaang Ye and Wei Jiushu followed the red-faced elder into the Jiang Mansion. They had only walked a few hundred feet when a cold voice rang out, "You two ’friends’ have some nerve! Daring to destroy the gates of our Jiang Mansion—are you tired of living?"
With the voice, an elder with a long beard and a long robe suddenly appeared. His gaze was like lightning, and his aura was as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea. He was, unexpectedly, a great expert of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer.
Seeing this long-bearded elder, the red-faced elder secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He bowed respectfully to the long-bearded elder and said, "Supreme Elder."
The long-bearded elder didn’t even glance at the red-faced one. His gaze, sharp as a sword, fell upon Wei Jiushu and Zhaang Ye. After sensing the aura on Wei Jiushu, a grave expression appeared in the long-bearded elder’s eyes. He spoke slowly, "You had best give me an explanation. Otherwise, you won’t be walking out of the Jiang Mansion’s gates today."
"Oh?" Wei Jiushu sneered. "Your Jiang Family certainly is impressive! Not only do you dare to hunt down a True Disciple of our True Hall, but you also dare to threaten a Foreign Affairs Elder of the True Hall! You’d better give me an explanation, or your Jiang Mansion will disappear from Python City today!"
Wei Jiushu’s words were brimming with killing intent. Not only was the red-faced elder terrified, but even the long-bearded elder’s expression flickered. He stared at Wei Jiushu and said in a low voice, "And who might you be?"
Wei Jiushu flipped his hand over, revealing a Jade Token. He said proudly, "I am Wei Jiushu, a Foreign Affairs Elder of the Wei Kingdom True Hall, currently in charge of the Wei Kingdom True Hall’s assets in Python City."
After saying this, Wei Jiushu pointed at Zhaang Ye. "And this is Zhaang Ye, the eighth disciple under the Fourth Hall Master of the Wei Kingdom True Hall. I’m sure your Jiang Family knows why we’ve come knocking."
The long-bearded elder was a Supreme Elder of the Jiang Family, able to participate in all of the family’s decisions. When he heard Wei Jiushu mention Zhaang Ye’s name, he instantly understood that the two of them were here to make trouble.
’Those useless fools. A few months ago, Zhaang Ye clearly only had the Cultivation of the Martial Arts Fifth Layer, yet they still couldn’t kill him! Now he’s come to our door, and even with the Jiang Family’s backing, we’re going to suffer a huge loss...’ The long-bearded elder’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he was seething with anger.
The Jiang Family had dared to hunt down Zhaang Ye, despite knowing he was a True Hall Disciple, for two main reasons. The first was Zhaang Ye’s weakness. His apparent strength was only at the Martial Arts Fifth Layer, and the Jiang Family Elders were all certain they could kill him secretly, without leaving a single trace of evidence.
The second reason was that the Jiang Family had a powerful parent clan behind them. This parent clan’s strength was no less than that of the Wei Kingdom True Hall. With such a backer, even if the matter was exposed, they wouldn’t be annihilated by the Wei Kingdom True Hall.
It was for these two reasons that the Elder Council had agreed to kill Zhaang Ye. But they never expected that although Zhaang Ye’s Cultivation was low, his combat prowess was exceptionally formidable. He had killed three of the Jiang Family’s Stewards in one go and then escaped on a Five-Colored Long-Tailed Pigeon. No matter how much power the Jiang Family wielded, they were left helpless.
The long-bearded elder said slowly, "What do you want?"
The Jiang Family of Wei Kingdom was a clan with a legacy stretching back thousands of years; they had their own ways of handling things. After failing to kill Zhaang Ye, they knew the people from the True Hall would come knocking sooner or later. Therefore, the long-bearded elder didn’t bother with pleasantries and directly asked for their terms.
Wei Jiushu nodded at Zhaang Ye, indicating that he, as the aggrieved party, should state his terms.
Under everyone’s gaze, Zhaang Ye held up three fingers. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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