364: Chapter 358 Chen Zhiwen's worries disappeared

Late at night.

The lights in the Wan Family's main hall remained unextinguished.

Various intelligence Jade Slips lay upon a massive red sandalwood table, emitting a faint, eerie glow.

Wan Leixiong sat in the seat of honor, his gaze falling upon the young man seated below him.

Wan Xuanyi.

The standout of the Wan Family's younger generation and the designated heir in his heart.

Just now, Wan Xuanyi's analysis had been incisive and profound.

He had not only pointed out the Xia Family's potential duplicity but also proposed strategies to guard against it,

making even an old monster like him, who had lived for hundreds of years, feel impressed.

"Xuanyi, you are quite right."

Wan Leixiong nodded slightly, an undisguised look of admiration appearing in his clouded old eyes.

He extended a withered finger and tapped gently on the tabletop.

A rhythmic "thud-thud" sounded.

"For decades, the Xia Family has appeared submissive on the surface, but in reality, they've been holding their breath."

"Ever since they were suppressed by us in that war, though their backbones were bent, the poisonous thorns in their hearts remain."

"If given the chance, their desire to destroy our Wan Family and take our place is by no means nonsense."

"One must always be guarded, especially at such a critical juncture of right and wrong."

Hearing this, Wan Xuanyi did not show a proud expression.

Instead, he lowered his head even more respectfully.

His manner was humble, yet he did not lose his strength of character.

"Old Ancestor praises me too much."

"Xuanyi simply feels that even a lion uses its full strength when hunting a rabbit."

"Furthermore, what we are facing..."

"...is not just the young lion of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect that hasn't fully grown, but also the hungry wolf of the Xia Family hiding by our side."

"It's just..."

He paused, his brow furrowing slightly as if troubled.

"Old Ghost Xia is, after all, a Nascent Soul Cultivator with a deep mind."

"Confirming whether he is truly cooperating with us wholeheartedly will likely not be so easy."

"If the probe is too light, we won't see anything."

"If the probe is too heavy, it might instead force him to rebel."

Wan Leixiong snorted coldly.

A sharp light flashed in his eyes like lightning in the dark night.

A domineering and peerless Aura instantly filled the entire hall.

"Hmph."

"What's not easy about it?"

"In the Face of absolute strength, all schemes and intrigues are a joke."

"In two days, I will personally go to Gujiao Island."

Gujiao Island was precisely the Xia Family's headquarters.

Wan Leixiong stood up and stood with his hands behind his back.

He looked at the Map of Ten Thousand Miles of Sea hanging on the wall.

His tone was bone-chillingly cold.

"I will demand to perform a Soul Search on him in front of everyone."

Soul Search!

This was an extremely humiliating and dangerous move.

For high-level Cultivators, the Divine Soul was the most private and fragile place.

Once Soul Searched, not only would all secrets be revealed, but it could even damage one's Dao foundation.

"Soul Search?"

Wan Xuanyi was slightly startled, then a flash of realization crossed his eyes.

"Old Ancestor's meaning is..."

"Correct."

Wan Leixiong turned around, his lips curling into a cruel arc.

"If he has nothing to hide, then for the sake of the big picture and to clear his suspicion,"

"although he will feel humiliated, he will ultimately endure it,"

"or seek a compromise."

"But if he has a ghost in his heart and has truly colluded with outsiders to harm us..."

"Then, faced with a Soul Search, he will surely resist with all his might, or even turn hostile on the spot."

"When that time comes, I'll destroy his Xia Family before the Ten Thousand Swords Sect even does anything!"

This was the logic of the strong.

Simple, crude, yet extremely effective.

Standing to the side, Wan Xingyan's eyes were bloodshot and his Face was distorted.

Since his son Wan Xingwang's death, he had been in a state of madness.

Hearing the Old Ancestor's domineering declaration, the hatred in his heart could no longer be suppressed.

"Old Ancestor!"

Wan Xingyan suddenly knelt on the ground.

His voice was hoarse, like the roar of a wild beast.

"After breaking the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, that Chen Zhiwen must be cut into a thousand pieces!"

"Not only that, I want everyone in the Ten Thousand Swords Sect,"

"everyone who breathes, to be ground to dust and scattered!"

"I want to use their flesh and blood to sacrifice to my son Xingwang's soul in heaven!"

"I want to pull out their Divine Souls and turn them into sky lanterns, burning them for a full seven-times-seven, forty-nine days!"

His Face was contorted.

Spittle flew everywhere.

Where was there even a hint of the grace expected of a core member of a prestigious Family?

He looked exactly like an evil Cultivator who had suffered Qi Deviation.

"Shut up!"

An angry shout rang out like a clap of thunder.

Wan Leixiong suddenly waved his sleeve.

An invisible wave of air directly knocked Wan Xingyan to the ground,

sending him rolling several times before he stopped.

"Look at what you've become!"

Wan Leixiong pointed at Wan Xingyan, his finger trembling slightly.

His eyes were full of the fire of disappointment.

"All you talk about is killing, and at every turn, you want to extract souls and refine spirits."

"Are you an evil Cultivator?!"

"This is the Wan Family! We are a prestigious and righteous Sect!"

"We are doing this for revenge, to establish our might, not to become those monsters who only know slaughter!"

"With this mindset, if you go to the battlefield, you won't just fail to get revenge; you'll harm everyone!"

Wan Xingyan lay on the ground, his whole body in pain.

But this blow finally woke him up a little.

He looked at the furious Old Ancestor in terror, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.

He hurriedly scrambled up and knelt properly again.

He kowtowed repeatedly.

"Old Ancestor, please calm your anger!"

"This grandson knows his mistake!"

"I was merely blinded by hatred for a moment; please punish me, Old Ancestor!"

Wan Leixiong took a deep breath to calm his emotions.

Looking at this worthless Junior, a flash of disappointment crossed his eyes.

But he was his own Bloodline, after all.

"Get up."

"During this time, stay home and reflect well, quietly reciting the Heart-Clearing Incantation."

"If I hear such mad talk again, you won't need to go to the front lines."

"You'll go directly to the back mountain to contemplate your errors for fifty years!"

"Yes! Yes!"

Wan Xingyan felt as if he had been granted a great amnesty and scrambled to the side.

He did not dare to say another word.

Having dealt with this interlude,

Wan Leixiong's gaze returned to Wan Xuanyi.

It became much softer.

He pulled out a purple token from his robe.

The token was cast entirely from purple gold and carved with a majestic mountain, emitting an ancient and weathered Aura.

The Purple Mountain Token.

The symbol of the Wan Family head's power; seeing the token was like seeing the head himself.

"Xuanyi."

Wan Leixiong handed the token over.

"Take this."

Wan Xuanyi took it with both hands; feeling the heavy weight of the token, his heart skipped a beat.

"Old Ancestor, this is..."

"Go to the Sect treasury with this token."

Wan Leixiong's voice was low and powerful,

as if he were giving final instructions.

"Collect enough resources for you to Cultivate to the Late Core Formation Stage."

"Even if you have to empty half the treasury, do not hesitate."

"Then, go to the clan school and select two Qi Refining Stage Juniors with High Grade Spiritual Roots."

"They must have resilient Heart-Nature and clean backgrounds."

"Tomorrow morning, take them and set out immediately."

"To where?"

Wan Xuanyi asked subconsciously.

He had a vague premonition in his heart.

"To the Shuangcheng Sea Region."

Wan Leixiong turned his back to the group.

His voice carried a hint of indescribable fatigue and determination.

"Remember."

"Unless the situation here is completely clear, unless the Ten Thousand Swords Sect is destroyed and the Xia Family submits,"

"no matter what happens,"

"even if you hear news of my fall,"

"you are not allowed to return to the clan without permission!"

These words were like a heavy hammer, smashing hard against Wan Xuanyi's heart.

His hand shook, nearly dropping the token.

His eyes instantly turned red.

"Old Ancestor!"

"Are you... are you entrusting me with the future?"

"Our Wan Family is at its Peak, how could..."

"Shut up!"

Wan Leixiong interrupted him.

He did not look back.

He simply waved his hand.

"Go."

"Take them and withdraw."

"This is an order."

Wan Xuanyi gripped the Purple Mountain Token tightly.

His knuckles turned white.

He took a deep look at that aged back.

Finally, he gritted his teeth.

He knelt on both knees and kowtowed three times heavily.

"Xuanyi... obeys!"

With that,

he rose and led the terrified Juniors out of the hall.

As the hall doors slowly closed,

only Wan Leixiong and Wan Shun remained inside.

The lights flickered,

casting their long, long shadows.

"Big Brother."

Wan Shun had remained silent until now, but he finally couldn't help himself.

He frowned, a look of confusion on his Face.

"Are you... being too cautious?"

"Against a mere Ten Thousand Swords Sect, even with that unclear Liu Shengli,"

"is it really necessary to make such arrangements?"

"To actually send away Xuanyi and our most talented seeds."

"This is practically like preparing a way out."

"It seems a bit like inflating others' morale while diminishing our own."

Wan Leixiong slowly turned around.

He walked to his chair and sat down.

He picked up a teacup and took a sip of the long-cooled tea.

The bitter taste spread through his mouth,

clearing his head slightly.

"Second Brother."

"You only see the surface."

"The Ten Thousand Swords Sect rose too fast, too strangely."

"That Chen Zhiwen was a nobody six months ago, and suddenly he's formed his Nascent Soul."

"Moreover, he can produce so many top-tier Magical Artifacts and might even have a fourth-tier Formation."

"I won't believe for a second that there isn't an expert guiding him or that he hasn't obtained some Heaven-Defying Legacy."

Wan Leixiong set down the teacup.

His gaze was deep.

"We aren't afraid of enemies in the open."

"What we fear are those invisible trump cards."

"If... and I mean if."

"There really is some behemoth behind the Ten Thousand Swords Sect."

"Or if they've set up some suicidal killing Formation."

"If we go all out and lose, it will be a total annihilation."

"Sending Xuanyi away is to leave a spark for the Wan Family."

"It's also..."

He sighed.

"...to train him."

"Flowers in a greenhouse cannot grow into towering trees."

"Letting him venture into a chaotic place like the Shuangcheng Sea Region will be good for him."

Wan Shun listened and remained silent for a long time.

He finally had to admit that his elder brother indeed thought further ahead than he did.

"Since Big Brother has made a decision, we will proceed according to plan."

He nodded.

Then, as if remembering something, he took a secret letter from his sleeve.

He handed it to Wan Leixiong.

"By the way, Big Brother."

"There's news from the Artifact Refining Alliance."

"That Liu Shengli is quite sensible."

"He said that to prove his innocence, he is willing to provide ten top-tier third-tier Magic Treasures at half price."

"To support our campaign against the Ten Thousand Swords Sect."

"And..."

Wan Shun's expression became a bit strange.

"He also proactively proposed that if we don't believe him, we can perform a Soul Search on him."

"To prove that he has nothing to do with Xia Yu's death and has not colluded with the Ten Thousand Swords Sect."

Wan Leixiong took the secret letter and glanced at it.

He let out a cold laugh.

"Half-price Magic Treasures? Proactive Soul Search?"

"This Liu Shengli has truly utilized the shrewdness of a merchant to its fullest."

"He's hedging his bets on both sides, trying to protect himself."

"Proposing a Soul Search is a strategic retreat to advance."

"He's calculated that at this critical moment, we won't want to make more powerful enemies and certainly won't actually move against him."

Wan Leixiong tossed the secret letter onto the table.

After a moment of contemplation, he instructed:

"Since he's so sensible, we'll give him some Face."

"Send him a message."

"The Soul Search is unnecessary; our Wan Family believes he is innocent."

"Have him bring those ten Magic Treasures and wait at Qianye Island."

"When the army sets out, let him accompany us."

"Let him see with his own eyes how the Ten Thousand Swords Sect is destroyed,"

"to cut off any of those little ideas he might have."

Wan Shun nodded.

"Good, I'll go arrange it now."

"However..."

He hesitated.

"Big Brother, Liu Shengli is after all an Early Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator. Although he only recently broke through, he cannot be underestimated."

"If he pulls something behind our backs..."

"Don't worry."

Wan Leixiong waved his hand.

His eyes reflected absolute confidence.

"I know."

"You mustn't look down on him either."

"A person who can make the Artifact Refining Alliance so big is definitely no pushover."

"But as long as the Wan Family's momentum remains, he can only be an obedient dog."

"As for the other matter..."

Wan Leixiong's expression suddenly turned somewhat sour.

He seemed to have thought of something extremely frustrating.

"That Jiuyin is truly a piece of trash!"

Wan Shun was also taken aback, then he gave a bitter smile.

"Big Brother is referring to him losing to Senior White Tiger while competing for that fourth-tier monster core?"

"Hmph!"

Wan Leixiong slapped the table hard.

"It's not just that he lost."

"It was simply humiliating!"

"That fourth-tier monster core was vital to my Cultivation."

"If I could have gotten it, I might have been able to,"

"try to charge for the Peak of the Late Nascent Soul Stage."

"And the result?"

"That idiot was actually swatted away by White Tiger in just a few claws."

"He truly is rotten wood that cannot be carved!"

Wan Shun shook his head helplessly.

"Senior White Tiger is a long-established powerhouse with unfathomable strength."

"Although Jiuyin is also a Demon King, his foundation is after all a bit lacking."

"It's normal for him to lose."

"It's just a pity about that monster core..."

The hall fell into silence once more.

After a while,

Wan Shun looked at Wan Leixiong's shifting expression and asked cautiously:

"Big Brother."

"That 'trump card' you mentioned to Old Ghost Xia,"

"the one you said needs a month to prepare."

"Is it real or fake?"

"If it's fake and just to stall for time, what will we use to fight in a month?"

"If it's real..."

Wan Shun lowered his voice, his eyes flashing with an inquisitive light.

"Could it be that you intend to use those two items specified in the ancestral teachings?"

"Those are foundations that must never be used unless the clan is facing extinction!"

Hearing this, Wan Leixiong looked at this brother who had followed him for hundreds of years.

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly,

revealing a mysterious smile.

"Use the ancestral artifacts?"

"Hehe, why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken?"

"Those two items are reserved for the truly giant entities."

"Dealing with a mere Ten Thousand Swords Sect doesn't warrant them."

"Then..."

Wan Shun was even more confused.

"Then who is it?"

Wan Leixiong did not answer directly.

Instead, he took a dark green Jade Slip from his sleeve and gently rubbed it.

His eyes held a hint of anticipation, but also a hint of awe.

"Do you remember..."

"...three hundred years ago, that madman who appeared briefly in the Shuangcheng Sea Region,"

"and almost unified the entire Loose Cultivator world?"

Wan Shun thought for a moment.

His Face suddenly changed drastically.

"You mean..."

"The one who failed to charge into Soul Transformation..."

"Fellow Daoist Mu?!"

"Correct."

Wan Leixiong nodded.

A sharp light burst from his eyes.

"Everyone thought he was dead."

"After all, the Soul Transformation Heavenly Tribulation is a life-and-death struggle."

"But he survived."

"Although he was heavily injured, his cultivation fell, and he even had to hide his name,"

"lingering on in the deep mountains and old forests."

"But for these hundreds of years, he has been healing."

"A few days ago, I received a message from him."

"His injuries have gradually healed."

"While he hasn't returned to his Peak state,"

"he is by no means comparable to an ordinary Late Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator."

"Half-Step Deity Transformation!"

As soon as these four words came out,

Wan Shun felt like his breathing was about to stop.

Half-Step Deity Transformation!

That was an existence capable of sweeping across the entire sea region!

"I used a ten-thousand-year Spirit Medicine to trade for his promise to strike once."

A smile of guaranteed victory appeared on Wan Leixiong's Face.

"In a month."

"He will arrive on time."

"When that time comes,"

"even if the Ten Thousand Swords Sect really has some shocking trump card,"

"before this Fellow Daoist Mu, they will be nothing but clay chickens and pottery dogs, unable to withstand a single blow!"

"Hahaha!"

Wan Shun also couldn't help but laugh loudly.

The last trace of worry in his heart completely vanished.

"Good!"

"With Fellow Daoist Mu taking action, this is a sure win!"

"The Ten Thousand Swords Sect will surely be destroyed!"

Laughter echoed in the hall,

as if they could already see the day the Ten Thousand Swords Sect was annihilated.

...

At this time,

in Ten Thousand Swords Sect City.

The night was as cool as water.

A thin figure was sitting cross-legged atop the highest tower of the city wall.

It was indeed Chen Zhiwen.

His Face was somewhat pale, and his forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat.

During these three days,

he had not slept or rested.

He had exhausted nearly half of his magic power.

Finally, he had completely finished setting up the Extreme Intent Heavenly Thunder Formation.