Chapter 667: Chapter 666: Advancing into Divine Border (First Part)
The Head of the Qiu Family remained silent.
The room was filled with the scent of musk, an atmosphere that should have been elegant, but unexpectedly laden with heaviness and coldness.
"Brother Qiu, speak up,"
The Head of the He Family slammed the table.
The tripartite attack on the Qin Family had severely damaged Qin’s strength, but their own forces had also suffered significant losses. Nearly a hundred years of accumulation came close to being destroyed overnight.
Especially in the beginning, the Qin Family had targeted the He Family, adding fresh grievances to old. The Head of the He Family would have loved nothing more than to obliterate the Qin Family immediately.
"I have a plan, but it’s a bit risky. You might want to hear it before making a decision."
The Head of the Qiu Family lowered his voice, saying, "The strength of the Qin Family lies in two things. One, their elder who can hold his own against three opponents. Two, the strong backbone of the family, with numerous experts in the Divine Barrier Realm. Hence, if we can solve these two issues, destroying the Qin Family will not be difficult."
The Head of the Xue Family said, "We all understand what you’re saying, Brother Qiu, but the question is, how do we resolve these issues?"
In the vast Yuanling, there were countless factions. However, the true top-tier powers were their four major families. Other factions would find it hard to get involved.
As for seeking assistance from factions from other domains, what could you offer as a bargaining chip?
Honestly, the Martial World saw the rise and fall of factions every day. Especially in the vast Tian State, factions of different domains seldom interacted, even less so about mutual support.
"Have you all forgotten? In the relics we excavated last time, besides the Tianxuan Battle Array, there was also an unknown set of Devil Path martial arts. I believe those of the Devil Path would be very interested."
The Head of the Qiu Family made an unexpected comment.
"You don’t intend to invite masters of the Devil Path, do you? That’s a taboo!"
Hearing this, the Head of the He Family frowned deeply, and even the expression on the Head of the Xue Family’s face changed.
The Righteous Path has its own rules. When it comes to feuds among the four major families, no one interferes. But if they ally with the Devil Path, they would be pitted against the entire Righteous Path of Yuanling. They would be in for a worse fate than being obliterated by the Qin Family.
The Head of the Qiu Family chuckled, "Dead men tell no tales. Isn’t everything sorted if we kill all the witnesses?"
"People from the Devil Path are notorious for their treachery. What if they stab us in the back?"
The Head of the He Family was still worried.
In particular, to deal with the Qin Family, the Devil Path masters they would have to invite would certainly be extraordinary. They would not be able to control them and could potentially bring disaster upon themselves.
As soon as he voiced this concern, the Head of the He Family unexpectedly found the Head of the Qiu Family grinning chillingly. Even the Head of the Xue Family felt it.
"Rest assured, they definitely won’t. I might as well share a secret with you two gentlemen. The grandfather of mine was a disciple of an elder of the Hell Gate."
"What?!"
Both the Head of the Xue Family and the Head of the He Family were shaken and tried to distance themselves from the Head of the Qiu Family. However, in the midst of this, they both felt their heads grow dizzy and their bodies weaken.
"In order to prevent you both from doing anything drastic, I had to put a little poison in the musk. I hope you will forgive me."
The Head of the Qiu Family smiled and took a leisurely sip of tea.
"Brother Qiu, let’s talk it out. We won’t reveal your secret."
With a pale face, the Head of the Xue Family managed a laugh, afraid that the other party might decide to kill them.
"I won’t kill you."
The Head of the Qiu Family glanced at them both, saying, "For years, my Qiu Family has been enduring hardships and developing our resources, all to pave the way for the Hell Gate’s infiltration. Now the time has come, and we still need both of you."
In fact, with the strength of the Hell Gate, they could easily eradicate the major families of Yuanling. But they could not.
The relationship between the Righteous Path and the Devil Path has always been delicate. How can they openly take over the Yuanling Martial World? Wouldn’t the Righteous Path retaliate?
Everything must be done slowly and subtly.
The last attack on the Qin Family was without the help of the Hell Gate masters, precisely because they wanted to wear down the power of both, the Qin Family and the Xue and He Families, for easier manipulation.
After all, the Hell Gate Elder in charge of Yuanling Martial World, his master, was not powerful enough to disregard everything.
Fortunately, all preparations were now complete. He believed it wouldn’t be long before the Yuanling Martial World was under control.
With this thought, the Head of the Qiu Family laughed triumphantly. Not bothering to explain any further, he said, "The two of you can choose to join me and rule over Yuanling together, strived to create a magnificent Martial World, or you can die and be reborn as humans. Make your choice."
...
At the Qin Family, a piece of good news quietly spread.
Qin Xiangyu, who was declared by the Ancestor as beyond medical help, likely to be disabled for life, had started walking again.
"Is this true, Sister Xiangyu has recovered?"
"I saw it with my own eyes, how could it be false?"
"The heavens are truly watching! But I’m really curious, how did Sister Xiangyu recover?"
"Hehe, it’s really something. The one who cured her is actually someone we all know, but you’d never guess it if I told you. It’s the Kirin, the Kirin cured her!"
At the Qin residence, the whispers of the younger generation could be heard everywhere.
Apart from the excitement and joy over Qin Xiangyu’s recovery, more people were curious about the Kirin from the legend and ran towards Qin Xiangyu’s small courtyard.
Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain.
Because both Qin Xiangyu and the Kirin were present in the main hall, an area where the Qin family received esteemed guests.
"Young Master Shi, there are no words to express my gratitude. I really don’t know how to thank you!"
Inside the hall, standing from the top to the sides, were a group of people who projected an imposing presence, strong enough to instill fear in ordinary people. They were the higher-ranking members of the Qin family.
Particularly at the top position, sat an elderly man with white beard reaching his chest – the most powerful warrior of the Qin Family, the ancestor at the peak of the Divine Barrier Realm. He gazed at Shi Xiaole, his face filled with gratitude.
"Ancestor, you are too kind. Miss Qin and I are just friends, it was my duty to help."
Shi Xiaole said.
"To you, it may just be a duty of friendship. But to our Qin family, it means a future. Young Hero Shi, the Qin family will forever remember you."
Next to the Qin family Ancestor, a middle-aged man laughed. He was the father of Qin Xiangyu and the current head of the Qin family, Qin Xianghe.
No one could be happier about Qin Xiangyu’s recovery than Qin Xianghe. Consequently, his fondness for Shi Xiaole had also reached a maximum score, and he found Shi Xiaole more impressive the more he looked.
One by one, others also stepped forward to express their gratitude to Shi Xiaole, and Shi Xiaole responded to each one.
"Young Master Shi, with your talent, you might soon break into the Divine Barrier Realm, right?"
As the hall quieted down slightly, the Qin family Ancestor suddenly spoke.
His words once again drew everyone’s attention towards Shi Xiaole, their faces filled with awe and admiration.
According to statistics, the average age of martial arts practitioners entering the Divine Barrier Realm is around 150 years old.
Those who could breakthrough before the age of 100 were the cream of the crop. Those who could breakthrough before the age of 60 were the prodigies among those in the Divine Barrier Realm.
There were only a few who could accomplish this before the age of 50 in several hundreds of years.
Those who had broken through before the age of 40 were exceptionally rare. Less than 20 people have accomplished this in the several thousand years of history of the martial world.
As for those who could breakthrough before the age of 30, there were only five individuals in total, which included the Martial Emperor and four formidable talents.
Shi Xiaole was only 27 this year, with 3 years till he turns 30. Given his current progress, the possibility of him breaking into the Divine Barrier Realm before 30 was quite considerable, a thought that evoked envy in others.
Upon hearing the question from the Qin family Ancestor, Shi Xiaole just laughed.
If he said that he was planning to break through after resting for two more days, it would seem as though he was showing off. If he said he wanted to wait, it would seem falsely modest, so he simply didn’t answer.
Thinking that Shi Xiaole was implicitly confirming, the Qin family Ancestor said: "Breaking through to the Divine Barrier Realm must not be rushed. It requires steady progress. Young Master Shi, the Qin family has several dozen methods for breaking through. We can provide you some for reference. In addition, if you wish to use a training chamber, the Qin family has already prepared one for you."
Whether it was for Shi Xiaole’s great favor to Qin Xiangyu or his own worth, the Qin family was genuinely treating him with consideration.
In a worldly way of speaking, if they could befriend Shi Xiaole due to this, a few dozen breakthrough methods would be worth it. If he continued to grow successfully, he might eventually become a towering tree that the Qin family could rely on.
"Then I thank the Ancestor."
Shi Xiaole didn’t decline.
On one hand, though he had perfected the breakthrough method, browsing through a few more wouldn’t hurt. On the other hand, accepting today would indeed be better than refusing. Shi Xiaole also liked having more friends.
"Hahaha, then I am eagerly awaiting the day when you transform from a chrysalis into a butterfly."
The Qin family Ancestor burst into hearty laughter.
No matter how talented Shi Xiaole was, it would still be impossible for him to breakthrough within one or two years. This meant that he might stay at Qin family for one or two years, a golden opportunity to foster a deeper relationship.
"Brother Shi, I’ve heard rumours that you recently killed a Terrestrial Immortal. Is it true or false?"
Leaving the hall and walking along the pavilion, Qin Xiangyu asked with a smile.
Her father and the others had obviously heard the news too but presumably feared that the rumor might be incorrect and embarrass Shi Xiaole, so they tactfully refrained from asking.
"Hmm, you could say it’s true."
After Qin Xiangyu acknowledged, then exclaimed in astonishment, and stood there frozen.
That day.
Shi Xiaole entered the independent secret chamber prepared for him by the Qin family. After reading through the dozens of breakthrough methods and letting them sink into his mind, he began to dismiss all distractions and focus on his breakthrough.
