Vol. 1 - Ch. 275 - The Three-Day Deadline

In the grand hall of the Shi Clan in Yong’an City, the Clan Leader and several elders were deep in discussion about the next phase of their strategy.

At that moment, a clansman entered to report, his expression carrying a trace of hesitation.

“Clan Leader, Elder Chengyu and the others…”

Seeing the man's demeanor, Shi Chenghong felt a faint sense of foreboding, yet he maintained a calm tone:

“Why are you dawdling? What about Elder Chengyu and the others? Speak!"

Overwhelmed by the Clan Leader’s authority, the clansman finally delivered the news: “Clan Leader, the family totem just issued a warning. It seems that Elders Chengyu and Chenghou have fallen!”

Upon hearing this, Shi Chenghong’s face darkened like iron. A totem's warning could never be mistaken. Fury surged instantly, and he roared,

“Did I not instruct the two of them to act with the utmost caution?”

The nearby elders also wore grim expressions. The clan had carefully laid out its strategy, preparing to strike at the Chen Clan. Yet, unexpectedly, the Chen Clan had dared to take the initiative. Even worse, the Shi Clan had lost two late-stage Innate Realm elders. Such a loss was utterly intolerable!

Even in its current state, the clan found it difficult to accept such a loss.

"Clan Leader, I say we should stop waiting for news from Yunmeng City. Why don't we lead our clansmen and avenge Elder Chengyu right now?"

"Clan Leader! If we do not annihilate the Chen Clan, our people will never be appeased.”

"Clan Leader, the Chen Clan is far too arrogant. The family cannot endure this any longer!"

Several elders spoke out, one after another, urging action.

Yet, Shi Chenghong quickly regained his composure and shook his head firmly.

“Wait three more days. If, after three days, we still have not received word from Yunmeng City, then the clan shall set out!"

Hearing this decision, the elders no longer pressed him further.

Meanwhile, Shi Chenghong was already weighing his thoughts.

The clan had suffered grievous losses at the hands of the Chen Clan. Though rage burned within him, they had already endured this long—there was no need to rush recklessly now.

If Yunmeng City does not send word within three days and the Chen Clan shows no reaction, it will be clear that the Zhou Clan’s affairs do not concern the small Chen Clan. At that time, the Shi Clan could act as they wish.

In three days, even if the Chen Clan wanted to flee, where could they escape to?

Shi Chenghong took a deep breath before issuing his command:

"Have the clansmen prepare. In three days, we will march against the Chen Clan!"

Meanwhile...

"Clan Leader, it has been done. The two corpses have been dealt with, though they carried nothing of value."

"Mm."

Chen Xingzhen nodded in response.

Eliminating the Shi Clan’s two late-stage Innate Realm experts was a pivotal victory for the Chen Clan.

Had those two returned to their family, the pressure on the Chen Clan in the days ahead would have been far greater. Now, however, the threat has been removed, and this strike will also serve to rally the morale of their clansmen, achieving two goals at once.

"Clan Leader, these should be their soul remnants."

Chen Tianyu produced the locust leaf.

Chen Xingzhen glanced at it before speaking.

"The clansmen are still observing martial techniques during the day. Tonight, take it to the Divine Tree.”

"Understood!"

"Also, strengthen the defenses these next few days. I have a feeling the great clan war is not far off.”

"I understand."

Chen Tianyu nodded gravely.

"Tianjing, how are the preparations for the sacrifices to the Divine Tree coming along?"

"Clan Leader, in the past two days, our clansmen have captured and offered all the vicious beasts within twenty li of Chaotic Burial Mountain. However, if we want to capture more, we'll need to expand the range."

Chen Xingzhen frowned slightly at this report. After a moment of thought, he spoke decisively.

"Have the clansmen use the clan's secret passage to capture more beasts for sacrifice."

When he heard that, Chen Tianjing's eyes brightened—he had completely forgotten that the family had a secret passage.

This time, the family was going all out. It was unlikely they could escape through the secret passageway again. After all, the Divine Tree still grew in the ancestral hall. Abandoning the tree was out of the question.

This meant that the family's secret passage would probably be useless. If it could play even a small role, that would be excellent.

"I'll go take care of it right away!" 

"Mm go quickly and come back quickly!" 

Night fell. The clan members who had studied battle-tech patterns during the day had dispersed to their rooms, where they used blood rice to temper their bodies and refine their qi and blood.

In the ancestral hall, many departed clan members gathered around the family's Divine Tree. They drew in the Yin Qi seeping from the tree's trunk to strengthen themselves.

Each clan member who grew stronger now meant one more point of victory for the family later on.

Each clan member quietly strived for the sake of defending the family.

Chen Tianyu hurried into the ancestral hall and took out the black locust leaf from that day.

Before he could offer a prayer, the leaf slowly floated up into the air.

After a moment, two bewildered-looking soul forms appeared quickly in the ancestral hall.

They were Shi Chengyu and Shi Chenghou. Their souls were solid enough, but noticeably weaker than Zhou Huai’an’s and roughly on par with Chen Changming’s.

Above them, Ji Yang’s gaze lingered on the two souls, but he did not rush to perform the rite of transcendence.

Performing the rite could restore a soul’s memories of its former life but would also give the two of them an independent consciousness.

He had his people bring the two souls back to draw on their soul power and Yin Qi and to glean information about the Shi family.

After a brief moment of thought, an idea formed in Ji Yang’s mind.

The transcendence technique uses Ji Yang’s soul power to perform the rite. The soul power he injects naturally disperses once he unleashes the technique. Could he achieve the desired result if he controls it midway? One try will tell whether it will be successful or not; there’s nothing to lose anyway.

Ji Yang places his consciousness into Shi Chengyu and slowly begins performing the transcendence technique, initiating the rite.

As his Soul Qi disperses, Shi Chengyu’s blank expression gradually shows a reaction.

Seeing his eyes grow clearer, Ji Yang deliberately halts the technique.

However, once the technique stops, the clarity in Shi Chengyu’s eyes quickly fades again, and he does not seem to have regained consciousness.

Could it be that too little Soul Qi was injected? A flicker of doubt crosses Ji Yang’s eyes, but he quickly begins the technique again and stops it abruptly.

This time, Shi Chengyu’s gaze is alert rather than dazed, and there is a hint of puzzlement in his eyes.

When Shi Chengyu saw the massive locust tree and Chen Tianyu below it, he quickly realized where he was. A flicker of shock crossed his eyes as he recalled the words Chen Tianyu had spoken before dying.

So that's what he meant?

Nearby, Chen Changming, who had already received the Divine Tree's instructions, waited at the side. Seeing Shi Chengyu regain consciousness, Chen Changming asked, "What is your name?"

Shi Chengyu turned to look at Chen Changming, his brow knitting involuntarily. The man before him bore a few resemblances to Chen Xingzhen.

But no matter who stood before him, he was still an enemy. Even in death, he would not yield.

Facing Chen Changming’s question, Shi Chengyu sneered and began to answer.

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