Second Brother Has Your Back—Everyone... Stand Up!!

Only Xiao Chen remained in the empty room. With his head bowed, crystal-clear tears fell pattering down against his blood-soaked robes. Looking at the fresh blood covering him, Xiao Chen raised a hand, surprisingly absorbing every drop into his robes! A frantic hatred flickered in the depths of his eyes, only to be suppressed with ruthless resolve. In a voice only he could hear, he growled under his breath, "Abyss Demons! Sha!!" "No matter... who you are... no matter where you are... I will hunt you down!" Not a single sound escaped the sealed room, and Meng Jiangchu remained on guard outside the barrier the entire time. After an unknown amount of time, the door opened. Clad in blood-red robes, Xiao Chen slowly walked out. His expression was completely tranquil, and even his hair had been combed neatly. Only a massive scar remained over his chest. He had deliberately kept this scar; he would never forget this day. His eyes red and swollen, Xiao Chen turned to Meng Jiangchu beside him and said softly, "Uncle Meng, I intend to convene a clan meeting. I must ask you to excuse yourself." Meng Jiangchu froze slightly. He had thought that with the Xiao clan reduced to such a state, Xiao Chen would surely ask him to stay and help oversee the situation. He had not expected Xiao Chen to make such a request at a time like this. Meng Jiangchu hesitated for a moment, then retrieved a golden jade pendant from his robes and shoved it firmly into Xiao Chen's hand. "If anything happens, crush it!" Xiao Chen nodded silently. Once the man departed, he was just about to close the domain boundary when he noticed a blond man in white robes approaching, a sword slung at his hip with one hand resting on it. Ye Feng grumbled irritably, "Planning to face all those ill-intentioned bastards by yourself?" Xiao Chen kept his head down and murmured softly, "This is clan business..." Ye Feng kicked him in the rear and rolled his eyes. "What's this 'your family, my family' crap? My brother's business is my business! If some clan elder jumps out right now to seize power, could you actually bring yourself to kill them?" At those words, Xiao Chen pursed his lips and remained silent. He didn't want the foundation his father had left behind to fall apart either. Yet there was little left in this clan that he held dear. He had even thought that if someone wanted to seize power, he would simply let them take it. At worst, he could take his mother away from the Xiao clan and settle down in the Great Xia Sword Sect. Ye Feng slung an arm around his shoulder and said in a low voice, "Don't worry. Your second brother has your back." Xiao Chen took a deep breath. Snapping his head up, his voice—infused with primal energy—suddenly rolled across a hundred li! "All members of the Xiao clan, assemble at the Deliberation Hall!" Immediately, all the Xiao clan disciples looked up toward the heavens. There, the blood-robed figure stood proud and aloof above the void. His stern, resolute expression sent a shiver through many disciples' hearts; it felt as though they were seeing the former patriarch in him. Xiao Chen then led Ye Feng toward the Xiao clan's grand hall. Along the way, Ye Feng trailed half a step behind him, behaving just like a loyal subordinate. And on the way, Ye Feng voiced the doubt lingering in his heart... "Fourth Brother... I remember you mentioning before that your clan had six Body Integration Realm ancestors..." Hearing this, a desolate look came over Xiao Chen's face, accompanied by a tinge of bitterness. "That was back during our clan's greatest glory. Some of those Body Integration ancestors perished beneath the heavenly tribulation, some failed to outlast their lifespans, and others were forced into death seclusion, still unable to comprehend the breakthrough. Since none of them broke out of seclusion this time... I'm afraid..." Xiao Chen did not continue. Yet Ye Feng knew that if there were still ancestors left in the clan, today's tragedy would never have unfolded. In all likelihood... the Xiao clan had fallen into decline long ago. Before long, the two arrived at the Xiao clan's Deliberation Hall. The hall had not yet been fully repaired. Many disciples were still outside tending to the wounded, having no time at all to worry about these shattered buildings. When the two reached the hall's entrance, quite a few white-haired old men and women were already seated inside. All of them carried an air of seniority and prestige, their expressions solemn. However, Ye Feng noticed that many had evasive gazes, or glints of sharp calculation flickering in their eyes as they looked at Xiao Chen with strange expressions. There was no telling what was running through their minds. The hall's doors had long since been shattered. The moment the two appeared, they drew everyone's eyes. At once, the atmosphere in the hall grew somewhat eerie. Everyone stared in complete silence. Seeing everyone sitting placidly in their chairs, a cold glint suddenly flashed in Ye Feng's eyes. Yet just as Xiao Chen took a step across the threshold and was about to plant his foot down, he suddenly felt solid ground beneath him, stepping onto the void before his foot could touch the floor. Xiao Chen was somewhat puzzled as to why Ye Feng did this. Standing behind him, Ye Feng was swathed in surging ghostly qi, an eerie crimson glow radiating from his right eye. Squinting into narrow slits, his eyes swept over everyone in the hall. A terrifying pressure permeated the air, causing the space within the hall to warp slightly. Immediately after, a curtain of pitch-black flames abruptly surged around the perimeter of the hundred-zhang hall! Enclosed by the flames, it became like an inverted box, shrouding the entire hall from above. Frightful flames crept into the hall from outside, causing many people's faces to pale in alarm. Everyone swept by Ye Feng's gaze felt their hair stand on end, cold sweat pouring down their backs. Suddenly! From behind Xiao Chen, Ye Feng spoke in a voice both chilling and calm. "Stand up." His voice was not loud, but it was clear enough for everyone to hear. Even so, not a single person stood up! A few elders closest to the entrance could barely withstand Ye Feng's pressure, their faces turning deathly pale as they looked toward the elder seated nearest the head seat. The elder seated just below the head seat to the right had snow-white hair and a white beard. He wore dark gold python robes and bore an aura that was not weak—he was also a Void Refining Realm cultivator, though his aura was unsteady, placing him merely in the early stage. He had a hooked nose, triangular eyes, gaunt cheeks, and thin lips. On his left thumb was a white jade archer's ring, and in his hand he idly rolled two purple spheres. The elder acted as if he hadn't heard Ye Feng's words or noticed the gazes on him. Leisurely ensconced in his chair, he turned his back, picked up a teacup, and took a sip. "Pah... what garbage..." The corner of Ye Feng's mouth twitched. Xiao Chen sent him a voice transmission: "Maybe... let it go. That's my grandfather's elder brother. I have to call him Great-Uncle." Boom! As violent primal energy surged, two streaks of sword light cleaved straight through the Xiao clan's hall, splitting it into three! The terrifying sword lights skimmed past the toes of those seated on either side. The mountain peak was torn open, and the hall's crossbeams came crashing down along with shattered tiles in a thunderous clatter. The ground was cleaved apart, and between the two sword lights lay a path leading straight to the head seat that symbolized the clan's supreme authority. This scene terrified everyone. Many instantly pulled their feet back against the legs of their chairs, staring toward the entrance in sheer horror. Without even bothering with voice transmission, Ye Feng spoke directly to Xiao Chen right before all the Xiao clan elders. "I don't give a damn if he's your great-uncle or your own grandfather. In today's Xiao clan, only you, Xiao Chen, can be patriarch. In this clan, what you say goes!" He then turned toward the hall and roared violently, "Every! Last! One of you... STAND UP!!"