Chapter 107: Chapter 107: The Two Families are Shaken
"The Wang and Zhou families really have deep roots and vast resources. Their treasures are simply endless."
Holding the Blood Burst Pill and carrying the Ghostly Evil Sword, Ye Batian couldn’t help but remark.
"The Wang and Zhou families are certainly decisive. We only just struck their businesses a few days ago, yet they sent experts this quickly. If you hadn’t broken through to the Third Layer of Earth Martial Artist, Grandpa, they would have succeeded this time," Ye Xuan said, his gaze cold. "But since they’ve made their move, we have no reason to show them any mercy."
"Oh? Xuan’Er, what do you have in mind?"
"I’m sure they’ve already reported what happened with our Ye family back to the Wang and Zhou families. Grandpa, if you were the Patriarch of the Wang or Zhou family, what would you do?" Ye Xuan asked suddenly.
"Me?" Ye Batian thought for a moment. "If it were me, having already made a move, I would see it through to the end. There’d be no turning back. Especially with so many of my clan’s experts dead, I would definitely take matters into my own hands and nip this threat in the bud."
"Exactly," Ye Xuan sneered. "Knowing the dispositions of the Wang and Zhou families, they will feel an immense sense of crisis when they learn you’ve broken through to the Third Layer of Earth Martial Artist, Grandpa. Our Ye family’s rise is now undeniable. If we solidify our position with a Third Layer Earth Martial Artist, we’ll be incredibly difficult to defeat. Therefore, they will certainly make a move against you. Only by killing you can they prevent the Ye family from truly becoming a top-tier family. And what we must do is simply wait for the prey to walk into our trap."
"If what you say is true, that’s certainly possible. However, the Patriarchs of the Wang and Zhou families are both Third Layer Earth Martial Artists. They’re on a completely different level than Wang Xuan. If those two attack, I fear the Ye family will be in grave danger." A deep-seated worry flashed in Ye Batian’s eyes.
It wasn’t that he feared the Wang and Zhou families. The reality was that, as two of the three great families, they had stood firm in Blue Moon City for centuries and had far too many trump cards. Wang Xuan alone possessed treasures like the Explosive Profound Pill and a soul weapon. Who knew what other marvels Wang Hai and Zhou Tong possessed?
Ye Batian knew he would have a difficult time resisting if the two of them joined forces.
"Grandpa, rest assured. If they dare to come, I’ll make sure none of them return." A cold, sharp light flashed in Ye Xuan’s eyes.
"What’s your plan?" Ye Batian’s eyes lit up. By now, his faith in Ye Xuan was absolute.
"You’ll find out soon enough." Ye Xuan smiled faintly, deliberately being mysterious. "We don’t need to return to Cyan Mountain Town. Let’s head straight to Blue Moon City. What’s more, we’ll do it with great fanfare, ensuring they know exactly where we are."
"But what if the two families attack Cyan Mountain Town..."
Ye Xuan smiled faintly. "Grandpa, the Wang and Zhou families are in a precarious position now. They’ve lost half of their experts. They’ll be hesitant to make a rash move. Their target will absolutely be you; I doubt they’ll dare attack the rest of our Ye family."
The three of them quickly stripped Wang Xuan and the others of their possessions before setting off for Blue Moon City.
At that moment, in a secret chamber of the Wang family’s estate in Blue Moon City, nearly a dozen experts were gathered, each one exuding a terrifying aura.
The Patriarch of the Wang family sat at one end of a long table, and at the other sat Zhou Tong, Patriarch of the Zhou family.
These nine were all the remaining Earth Martial Artist experts from both families.
"Brother Zhou, I presume you’ve heard the news from Cyan Mountain Town," Wang Hai said icily.
The stoic Zhou Tong nodded. "I never expected Ye Batian of the Ye family to break through to the Third Layer of Earth Martial Artist at such a critical moment," he said coldly. "From now on, I fear the Ye family’s rise will be unstoppable."
They all knew the reason the Wang, Zhou, and Chen families were the three great families of Blue Moon City wasn’t the scale of their industries or the extent of their wealth. It was because they each possessed a Third Layer Earth Martial Artist.
A Third Layer Earth Martial Artist was the true foundation of a great family. Any family that possessed such an expert could join their ranks.
Initially, when the Ye family’s Pills first appeared, the Wang and Zhou families had felt a sense of urgency, but it was a crisis that only threatened their business interests.
After all, the Ye family had no Third Layer Earth Martial Artist of their own. They relied entirely on the Alchemist Association.
The Alchemist Association was, after all, just an organization. No matter how good Hua Luoxuan’s relationship with the Ye family was, he would eventually step down as president. Changes in leadership were only natural.
Once they lost their backer, the Ye family would be like a hastily constructed tower, ready to collapse at any moment.
It was like a wealthy family without the strength to protect itself. No matter how much riches they accumulated, they were just a plump piece of meat, waiting to be devoured.
But now, the Ye family had unexpectedly produced a Third Layer Earth Martial Artist.
This news immediately put both families on high alert.
If the previous alliance between the Ye family and the Alchemist Association had only been a threat to their businesses, the powerfully resurgent Ye family now had the qualifications to challenge their very position. What was now under threat was the foundation the two families had built in Blue Moon City over centuries.
Wang Hai and Zhou Tong knew: the Ye family had to be annihilated.
Otherwise, in ten, or perhaps several decades, the constantly rising Ye family would eventually destroy them.
"Patriarch, why don’t we mobilize at once and uproot the Ye family?" an elder suggested.
"That’s right. Ye Batian is the strongest of the Ye family. Once we eliminate him, the rest are nothing to worry about."
"We cannot be complacent. The Ye family has more than just Ye Batian. Ye Zhanxiong and Ye Zhantang are also First Layer Earth Martial Artists. And that Ye Xuan... he’s incredibly uncanny. We must not underestimate them."
The group erupted in discussion.
"Patriarch Wang Hai, you’ve gathered us all here. I assume you already have a plan in mind?" Zhou Tong said calmly.
Wang Hai nodded. "Brother Zhou, this is a matter of life and death for both our families. In the past, we’ve had our share of business conflicts, but now we face a common enemy. I hope you can set aside our past grievances so we can face this threat together."
"Brother Wang, if I hadn’t already put our grievances aside, I wouldn’t have come here in person."
"Good." A vicious glint flashed in Wang Hai’s eyes. "The situation is delicate. The Ye family won’t take this attack lying down, and they’ll be on guard from now on. Therefore, we must act swiftly."
"However, we can’t act blindly. We must have a solid plan before we move. When we strike, it must be a single, decisive blow, with no room for error."
"Given the time, Wang Xuan and his men should be returning soon. Brother Zhou, you send men to Cyan Mountain Town to track Ye Batian and his group. I’ll send men to rendezvous with Wang Xuan. As soon as we have confirmation, we strike. When that time comes, Brother Zhou, I’ll need you to move with me."
"With our combined strength, there’s no chance of failure in killing Ye Batian. Once he is dead, we will move on to the Ye family’s medicinal fields. We must ensure they can never recover from this."
Wang Hai’s expression was savage, his eyes glinting with a sinister light.
"Good, it’s settled!" Zhou Tong rose to his feet, the corners of his mouth twisting into a cold sneer.
The Wang and Zhou families quickly dispatched teams, following the route from Wang Xuan’s last message to rendezvous with his group.
At the same time, another team was sent to monitor the Ye family.
But before the surveillance team had even left the city, unexpected news reached both families.
Ye Batian, Ye Zhanyun, and Ye Xuan had returned to Blue Moon City.
Wang Hai and the others were stunned by the news, and a sudden sense of foreboding washed over them.
According to Wang Xuan’s message, only Ye Batian was supposed to be at the Ye residence. ’When did Ye Zhanyun and Ye Xuan get back?’
Amid their anxious waiting, both families were suddenly struck by terrible news.
The rendezvous party had found the bodies of Wang Xuan and his three companions in a mountain hollow hundreds of miles from Blue Moon City. They had been torn to shreds by Demon Beasts. The sight was horrific; not even their heads could be found.
If not for their clothes and personal effects, the team would never have been able to identify them.
"This is impossible!"
When the news arrived, Wang Hai was filled with shock and fury.
He couldn’t believe it was true. Even the initial confirmation of their deaths hadn’t shocked him this deeply.
"Investigate! Get to the bottom of this!" Wang Hai roared, slamming his cup onto the table.
Wang Xuan was the second-strongest expert of the Wang family’s second generation, second only to himself. His power was terrifying, and he carried numerous treasures. It should have been impossible for him to be killed, even when facing a Third Layer Earth Martial Artist. He should have been able to escape, injured at worst.
What’s more, he was with Zhou Bing of the Zhou family, who was similarly laden with treasures and possessed the strength to contend with a Third Layer Earth Martial Artist.
Yet these two, along with two First Layer Earth Martial Artist elders, were all found dead not far from Blue Moon City. Correlating this with the time Ye Batian’s group entered the city, Wang Hai was certain their deaths were heavily connected to the Ye family.
’But how could Ye Batian, who just broke through to the Third Layer of Earth Martial Artist, possibly kill Wang Xuan’s group?’
’If he was that strong, he would never have let Wang Xuan escape from him before.’
’There has to be something more to this.’
Until they figured it out, the Wang and Zhou families would remain hesitant to move against Ye Batian.
The intelligence networks of the Wang and Zhou families whirred to life, and reports began flooding in from all corners.
"Patriarch, according to our intelligence, Ye Zhanyun of the Ye family, who was once a cripple, suddenly had his strength fully restored a few days ago. He has also broken through to the Second Layer of Earth Martial Artist."
"Reporting to the Patriarch: during the Blood Saber Stronghold’s attack on the Ye family, their second-in-command, Blood Fang, seems to have died at Ye Xuan’s hands. Before his death, he was afflicted by a poisonous smoke that greatly diminished his strength."
"Reporting to the Patriarch: The Ye family’s members have all experienced a recent surge in strength. Our intelligence suggests they are practicing some kind of powerful Cultivation Technique."
The reports floated in one after another like snowflakes, and a clear picture began to form in Wang Hai’s mind.
’It seems the Ye family must have had some sort of fortuitous encounter and obtained a powerful Cultivation Technique. A Third Layer Earth Martial Artist and a Second Layer Earth Martial Artist... if you add poison and sneak attacks to the mix, killing Wang Xuan’s group... isn’t impossible after all.’
Wang Hai gritted his teeth, the sound a harsh GRIND. He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned deathly white.
