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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

nIt had not been long since Lu Xuan’s annihilation of the Soul-snatcher Sect, and the commotion he’d caused had just begun to subside.

nThen, yet another piece of news exploded among the cultivators and shocked the entire world of cultivators like a stun grenade.

nThe Holy Dragon Corporation, which had been lying low in the dark like a great crocodile waiting to strike, finally made their move, extending their influence into the Min Province.

nHowever, the operation turned out to be a total loss, and they lost more than just a National Guardian.

nA direct descendant of the Song Clan, Song Shijie, was crippled as well. Everyone knew that while Song Shijie had not been in the country until a short while ago, he was nonetheless a very important figure to the Song Clan.

nOtherwise, he would not have been tasked to lead the charge to subdue Min Province altogether as soon as he returned.

nIt was a deliberate effort to mold Song Shijie into someone who could stand on his own.

nThere were many who were even able to see that it was only a matter of time before Song Shijie made a breakthrough and became a National Guardian. Although National Guardians were not the strongest to be found in the world at present, they were nonetheless near the very top, so much so that young National Guardians were considered invincible.

nHowever, this esteemed figure of the clan had just been crippled outright. One could only imagine how furious the Song Clan would be.

nIn a short time, the news spread throughout the entire world of cultivators.

nThe Holy Dragon Corporation was a hidden force in Huaxia, yet its influence spread throughout the world. There was no doubt that the corporation was tantamount to a real dragon.

nLu Xuan had indeed performed stunningly as well. He was a local behemoth like no other. His powers, which many thought were of Deity level, would have made anyone take him seriously.

nThe very reason he was only thought to be of Deity level was that Qiu Zhen, whom he’d killed just a while ago, had only been approaching the level of Deity, instead of having truly been one.

nVideo footage had been taken of that battle. While the footage was blurry and taken from afar, they were nonetheless enough to enable many to make their own speculations.

nAs such, many came to have doubts of Lu Xuan’s true abilities, so much so that some thought him to be a pseudo-Deity instead.

nBut then again, even if he was only half a Deity instead of a full Deity, Lu Xuan’s powers were still frightening enough in themselves.

nNo one could just let the whole thing slide, and such a clash had no doubt caused many to see Lu Xuan in a different light.

nThis became especially true after seeing how Lu Xuan spoke in that banquet. Many would have seen the action as a deliberate provocation of Song Lingfeng of the Song Clan.

n“Song Lingfeng is no doubt one of the best out there, unlike Qiu Zhen, who is only a half-baked Deity. Just what gave Mr. Lu all that confidence, eh?”

n“The way I see it, daring to challenge Song Lingfeng, Mr. Lu has probably gone insane.”

n“Money talks, after all. I heard that Mr. Lu is the head of the Min Province Alliance, so apparently, he has to protect his own interests, and that means taking all of the province for his own.”

nMany speculated in secret. In their eyes, Lu Xuan definitely had his reasons for throwing his weight around the way he had.

nAll that had happened made many cultivators think that yet another battle between Deities was imminent.

nThe inner circle of the Song Clan held a meeting amongst themselves.

nIn Han City, in E Province, all the higher-ups of the Song Clan were seen heading back to their ancestral place one after another.

nA direct descendant of the Song Clan, Song Shijie, had been crippled by the enemy, and that incident was taken very seriously throughout the entire Song Clan.

nAll members of the upper echelon present wore severe expressions. Strictly speaking, Song Shijie’s combat prowess was not the greatest, but no one would have expected anyone out there to be bold enough to cripple Song Shijie.

nThat was because there were few in the world who did not bother humbling themselves to either the Song Clan or the Holy Dragon Corporation. The years the corporation spent fighting all over the place, in more ways than one, had cemented their fearsome reputation, with a great many who had stood against them now dead.

nYet here was this one man, who was most probably a Deity, emerged seemingly out of nowhere. One could imagine just how heavily this weighed on all who were present in that meeting.

nA stern, unyielding-looking middle-aged man, sitting in the seat of the chairman, expressed his anger. He shouted, “Someone, just goddamn someone, tell me who this Mr. Lu is! Who the hell is he? Why did he dare to cripple my son!?”

nThere was no doubt that the shouting man was Song Shijie’s father, as well as the Patriarch of the current generation, Song Maoxun.

nEvery single one of the members of the upper echelon remained silent when they saw the Patriarch shouting away. All of them knew just how terrifying the Patriarch was. He had taken out a great many rivals the hard way throughout the years in order to get to where he was, after all.

nBefore long, someone delivered information regarding Lu Xuan to Song Maoxun. As he read, his eyes became bloodshot.

n“That b*tch*! She dared to set my son up!” Song Maoxun said, referring to Luo Ying.

nSong Maoxun now knew why his son, seemingly out of nowhere, had dared to look for trouble with someone like Lu Xuan. Although Song Shijie was boisterous and pompous, he was not one to do something so rash.

nSong Maoxun would not have ‘persuaded’ the members of the clan to arrange for his conquest of Min Province otherwise.

nHe was doing so to nurture his son into becoming his heir.

nIt was only at that very moment that he learned that someone instigated his son’s actions.

n“That b*tch is just as despicable as that Lu Xuan!” Song Maoxun said as he gritted his teeth.

n“Sir, despite all that, it’s not the time to take on the Luo Clan right now. Our relations with the Taichu Group would collapse if we were to do so.” An elder of the clan immediately came up and tried to persuade Song Maoxun against it.

nThe current era was the golden era of the cultivators. Corporations, sects, and clans alike were busy fighting over territory. All of them had an unspoken consensus not to start an all-out war among them, because they still had that monster—the Special Task Force—to deal with.

nAll parties carved out their own territories and profit in secret. No one wanted to fight out in the open in such crucial moments, for fear of letting someone else gaining the upper hand.

n“I can put the case with that b*tch aside for now, but Lu Xuan has to die!” Song Maoxun continued through gritted teeth, “I’ll make sure his death is as horrible as it gets.”

nHowever, yet another elder stepped in. “From what we’ve been able to gather, I’m afraid Lu Xuan is already at Deity level. With the exception of the Great Ancestor, you, sir, would be the only one about to achieve such a level out of all of us.”

n“I’d request the Great Ancestor’s emergence, then,” Song Maoxun said coldly. He then continued, seeing some reluctant faces among the crowd. “Although the Great Ancestor is at a key moment for making a breakthrough, if we, the Song Clan, sit around and do nothing despite knowing that Shijie had been crippled, what will the others think of us?”

n“This is more than revenge for Shijie. This is also for the good of the Song Clan!” Song Maoxun said. “I will make him pay. I’m absolutely going to make him suffer!”

n“Appeal to the Great Ancestor and request his emergence right away. I’m going to shock the world with that Lu Xuan’s head and show them all what happens to anyone who crosses the Song Clan!”

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