157: Chapter 157 The Mysterious Shen Family

The night was as dark as ink. Deep within Tianshi City, at the Shi Family ancestral grounds.

Inside a dim grand hall, candlelight flickered, casting swaying shadows of the runes that covered the walls.

Deep in the hall, a white-haired old man sat cross-legged on a prayer mat. His face was lean, his eyes were slightly closed, and a faint halo of spiritual power enveloped his body.

Void Piercing Realm, Ninth Stage Peak.

He was only a single step away from the Primal Chaos Realm.

This was the Shi Family's Old Ancestor—Ancestor Shi Kai.

Seated before him was a grey-robed old man whose aura was as deep as an abyss; he was a powerful expert at the Fifth Stage of the Primal Chaos Realm!

Tiangang Sect Elder, Zhou Yanchang.

What many did not know was that Ancestor Shi Kai had once cultivated within the Tiangang Sect.

Later, seeing no hope of a Breakthrough, he returned to the Shi Family.

Because of Ancestor Shi Kai, the Shi Family maintained a close relationship with the Tiangang Sect.

This was the reason Zhou Yanchang had come straight to Ancestor Shi Kai.

“What?!”

Ancestor Shi Kai listened intently for a moment, his pupils shrinking abruptly, his face filled with disbelief.

“Senior Brother Sun is dead? And Qian Kun too? Eleven Tiangang Sect Disciples, completely wiped out?!”

Zhou Yanchang’s expression was grim. He picked up a teacup from the table, took a sip, and said slowly, “The news has been confirmed. Senior Brother Sun Zhengyang's life tablet shattered ten days ago.”

Ancestor Shi Kai sucked in a breath of cold air, his body stiffening as his mind fell into chaos.

Senior Brother Sun Zhengyang!

A Second Stage Primal Chaos Realm expert!

Even in the entire Southern Region, he was a renowned figure!

Then there was Qian Kun, a Second Stage Void Piercing Realm Elder, plus ten Dharma Image Realm Disciples—

A team of this caliber would be able to put up a fight even against a Middle Stage Primal Chaos Realm expert!

How could they have been completely wiped out?

“Elder Zhou, who on earth did this?” Ancestor Shi Kai’s voice was trembling.

Zhou Yanchang shook his head. “I don't know. That’s why I came to find you.”

He set down the teacup, his gaze fixing on Ancestor Shi Kai’s face as he spoke each word deliberately: “You have operated in Tianshi City for many years and are well-informed. Has anything unusual happened in Guangnan City recently?”

Ancestor Shi Kai’s brow furrowed as his mind raced.

Guangnan City.

The Shen Family, Wang Family, Zhao Family, Chen Family, and Li Family—

The five great families had legacies spanning thousands of years, yet they had always remained unremarkable, ranking in the middle of the Southern Region's thirty-six main cities.

But recently—

“There are a few matters,” Ancestor Shi Kai pondered for a moment before speaking slowly. “The Wang Family was exterminated. The Zhao Family and Chen Family disappeared overnight a few days ago, and even their estates were burned to the ground.”

“Disappeared?” Zhou Yanchang raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Ancestor Shi Kai nodded. “No living souls seen, no corpses found. Hundreds of people from both families simply vanished into thin air.”

A sharp glint flashed in Zhou Yanchang’s eyes. “Who did it?”

“The rumors outside say the Tiangang Sect did it,” Ancestor Shi Kai said, looking at Zhou Yanchang. “They say Elder Sun Zhengyang suffered a loss in the Secret Realm and suspected the Zhao and Chen families of plotting in the shadows, so he sent people to exterminate them.”

“Bullshit!” Zhou Yanchang snorted coldly, his face turning ashen. “Sun Zhengyang is dead. He himself is dead, so how could he send people to exterminate a Family?”

Ancestor Shi Kai looked stunned.

That’s true.

If Sun Zhengyang was dead, how could he have ordered an extermination?

Then who exactly wiped out the Zhao and Chen families?

“Is there any other news?” Zhou Yanchang pressed.

Ancestor Shi Kai paused, a thought suddenly flashing through his mind. “The Li Family.”

“The Li Family?” Zhou Yanchang frowned.

Ancestor Shi Kai nodded. “This Li Family is one of the five great families of Guangnan City. However, because of the successive incidents involving the other families there, the Li Family left Tiannan City. There are members of the Li Family currently in Tianshi City; perhaps they know something.”

Zhou Yanchang said in a deep voice, “Good, then bring those Li Family people here to be questioned.”

Ancestor Shi Kai raised his hand, and a streak of spiritual power surged from his palm, sinking into the formation runes in the corner of the hall.

A moment later, the hall doors were pushed open from the outside. A grey-robed Disciple walked in quickly and bowed. “Old Ancestor, the people have been brought.”

“Bring them in.”

The grey-robed Disciple acknowledged and turned to walk out of the hall.

Before long, two middle-aged men in tattered clothes and with terrified expressions were escorted in.

They were indeed members of the Li Family.

Ancestor Shi Kai’s gaze swept over the two. The pressure of a Ninth Stage Peak Void Piercing Realm expert bore down on them like a massive mountain.

*Thud! Thud!*

Their legs gave way, and they fell directly to their knees. Their faces were pale, and their entire bodies were shaking.

“Old... Old Ancestor Shi...” one of the middle-aged men stammered, his voice trembling. “My Li Family has no grievances with the Shi Family. Why has the Old Ancestor...”

“Shut up,” Ancestor Shi Kai said calmly. His tone was flat, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.

The middle-aged man shuddered and quickly lowered his head, not daring to make another sound.

Ancestor Shi Kai stood up, walked over to the two with his hands behind his back, and looked down at them.

“I will ask you a few questions. Answer well, and I will let you go. Answer poorly—”

He paused, a flash of coldness in his eyes.

“—and you won't need to leave at all.”

The two Li Family members nodded repeatedly, cold sweat pouring down their foreheads like rain.

“Regarding the extermination of the Zhao and Chen families in Guangnan City, how much do you know?” Zhou Yanchang set down his teacup, his gaze like a knife as it landed on the two men.

Their faces turned deathly pale, and their trembling grew even more violent.

“My... my Li Family moved our entire clan away from Guangnan City precisely because of this...” the older one said with a shaking voice. “The Zhao and Chen families were gone in a single night. No living souls, no corpses, and even their estates were burned to white ash.”

“The rumors outside say the Tiangang Sect did it, but... but my Li Family felt something wasn't right...”

“What wasn't right?” Zhou Yanchang pressed.

The Li Family man swallowed hard and braced himself to speak. “Before the incidents with the Zhao and Chen families, the experts of those two families had a conflict with the Shen Family. Later, they entered the Heavenly Sword Sect Ruins along with Shen Yuanshan and Shen Yuanhe. But after going in, Zhao Hongfu and Chen Boyuan never came out again; only Shen Yuanshan and Shen Yuanhe emerged alive.”

“Then, right after that, the Zhao and Chen families met their end.”

“My Li Family felt... felt that this matter was inextricably linked to the Shen Family. Fearing we would be next, we moved the entire clan away from Guangnan City.”

As soon as these words were spoken, a brief silence fell over the hall.

Ancestor Shi Kai and Zhou Yanchang exchanged a glance, both seeing the doubt in each other's eyes.

The Shen Family.

“The Shen Family of Guangnan City? That Shen Family with an eight-thousand-year Legacy that has always been unremarkable?”

Zhou Yanchang asked coldly, “What else do you know? That Shen Family isn't much stronger than your families, right? How could they possibly exterminate two great families without a sound?”

“No! The Shen Family is definitely stronger than the rest of our four families.” The Li Family man showed a look of terror. “The Shen Family has definitely hidden their strength. Not long ago, the Shen Family Elders Shen Yuanshan and Shen Yuanhe were only in the Dharma Image Realm, but when the ruins appeared later, they displayed cultivation at the Void Piercing Realm!”

“Also...” the other man added, “Some time ago, when the Great Emperors Secret Realm appeared, it attracted many experts, including people from the Seven Great Sects. When the Secret Realm closed, an Elder of the Tiangang Sect tried to intimidate the Shen Family, but he was stopped by a mysterious expert. That mysterious expert even slapped the Tiangang Sect Elder away in front of everyone.”

“Hmm? What did you say?” Zhou Yanchang’s face instantly darkened. Someone had slapped a Tiangang Sect Elder in public?

To think such a thing had happened!

“Who was the one who did it?”

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