Thus, all 127 Yin Clan members of the Nameless Generation who were qualified to enter the ancestral temple were powerful experts. The sinister aura radiating from each of them was incredibly dense. Their chilling evil energy mingled with their bloodlust, sharp as sword edges and intimidating enough to make Yin Xuege feel as though his entire body were being cut by knives. He could not help frowning.
After them came the Yin Clan members of the Extreme Generation.
The elders of the Heaven Generation spent most of their time sleeping inside their coffins.
The elders of the Earth Generation formed the Yin Clan's highest governing body, the Council of Elders. They adjudicated major disputes within the Lineage, controlled its direction of development, and handled the Lineage's diplomatic relations with the other great Blood Demon clans and aristocratic houses.
Needless to say, the Nameless Generation members were at an age when their strength was rising rapidly. They secluded themselves to cultivate painstakingly and basically paid no attention to the Lineage's affairs.
As for the Yin Clan members of the Extreme Generation, people such as Yin Jihuang and Yin Jiwu, they managed the Lineage's actual authority. All the various halls handling its affairs were under their control. For the Extreme Generation members, entering the ancestral temple to participate in the Lineage's ancestor-worship ceremony held an even more extraordinary significance. It represented their influence within the Lineage, as well as the opinions the elders and senior elders held of them!
"Yin Jihuang!"
As Yin Xuege expected, the first person to enter the ancestral temple was Yin Jihuang, the first member of the Yin Clan's Extreme Generation.
"Yin Jishuo!"
He was the seventh member of the Yin Clan's Extreme Generation and the master of the Yin Clan's Merit Hall. He was responsible for recording the achievements earned by clan members and issuing Merit Jade Slips or various rewards.
"Yin Jixuan!"
He was the eleventh member of the Yin Clan's Extreme Generation and the master of the Yin Clan's Internal Affairs Hall. He was responsible for every internal affair of the Yin Clan, managing countless Blood Servants and Blood Slaves. Even the Yin Clan's internal guard force was in his hands. Other matters, such as expanding and repairing the Yin Clan City-State, were also his sole responsibility.
One after another, the Yin Clan members of the Extreme Generation entered the ancestral temple, but Yin Xuege never heard Yin Jiwu's name!
In the end, exactly thirty-six members of the Extreme Generation entered the Yin Clan's ancestral temple! They were masters of one hall, chief stewards, or commanders of one of the Yin Clan's armies. Yet among them were neither Yin Jiwu, master of the Blood War Hall, nor Yin Jiliao, master of the External Affairs Hall!
"All of you will wait here. After the ancestor-worship ceremony, the Yin Clan's annual Martial Arts Grand Tournament will begin at once! Talking during the ceremony is strictly forbidden. Anyone who disobeys will be severely punished!" Yin Tianmie's grim, murderous warning rang out from beyond the ancestral temple. Then, amid the deep tolling of bells and drums, Yin Tianmie's long howl soared into the sky. "The Yin Clan's ancestor-worship ceremony officially begins! Close the ancestral temple gates and bring in the three sacrificial offerings!"
Yin Xuege turned his head and happened to see Yin Tianmie stride into the ancestral temple with a strange smile on his face. The pitch-black gates of the ancestral temple slammed shut behind him. Three hundred and sixty Yin Clan Warriors clad in blood-colored armor slowly moved behind the gates and firmly guarded the entrance.
Without Yin Jiwu—sure enough, he was not there!
Without Yin Jixuan—he was not there either!
Yin Xuege smiled knowingly. Was this also the Yin Clan elders' explanation to me? He exhaled heavily, as though he were expelling all the resentment he had accumulated over the years in a single breath. He turned back and followed Yin Tianjue and the other senior elders of his own clan, who were dancing and kneeling in worship ahead of him, taking one step at a time as he bowed and paid his respects to the countless gods, ghosts, and ancestors of his clan.
A mountain of incense, candles, and paper offerings was lit inside a huge three-legged bronze cauldron. The flames surged into the sky, and countless ashes and scraps of burning paper were carried aloft by the heat before drifting into the heavens with the wind. The bells and drums continued without end, while chanting arose from every direction. Yin Tianjue and the other senior elders of the Lineage each tossed a prayer they had personally written into the cauldron to be burned, thereby comforting the ancestors of the Lineage and praying for their protection.
While Yin Xuege busied himself inside the ancestral temple in high spirits, Yin Jiwu's fair, handsome face outside on the plaza had already turned ashen!
Ever since taking charge of the Blood War Hall, he had never once missed the annual ancestor-worship ceremony in all these decades! He was a direct son of the Yin Clan, held a lofty position, and controlled all of the Yin Clan's external armed forces. He was an indispensable member of the Yin Clan's true inner circle of power.
Yet today, he had suffered an utter humiliation. He had actually been mercilessly driven out of the ancestor-worship procession! He was even worse off than that lucky little brat, Yin Xuege! Countless clan members on the plaza were secretly sizing up Yin Jiwu. Their varied gazes came whistling toward him like countless flying knives, stabbing his face until it burned and piercing his pride until it was as full of holes as a fragile balloon!
He even began to hallucinate, seemingly hearing the quiet snickering of certain clan members who had always been at odds with him.
Although he knew that no one would dare make the slightest sound during the ancestor-worship ceremony inside the ancestral temple, he still felt that he had truly heard laughter.
Scalding blood rushed straight to his head. Although the Blood Demon Clan could, in a sense, be considered cold-blooded creatures and rarely lost control of their emotions, Yin Jiwu's vision was turning black in waves. His heart pounded violently, his blood pressure rose rapidly, and the furious rage in his chest had already transformed into a towering inferno. He had to find a target to vent it on.
Yin Xuejiao stood behind Yin Jiwu. He trembled as he stared at his father's blue-gray face, his heart in turmoil and his mind a chaotic mess. His father had actually been excluded from the ancestor-worship procession. What did that mean?
Had his father already lost the trust of the Lineage's elders and was about to lose the authority in his hands? Without that authority, how could Yin Xuejiao obtain additional cultivation resources? How could he possibly maintain his previous speed of cultivation? Was his future, his entire destiny, not about to be ruined?
Suddenly, Yin Jiwu grabbed Yin Xuejiao by the shoulder. His powerful fingers squeezed until his shoulder blade cracked loudly.
Amid the agony, Yin Xuejiao did not dare cry out. He heard his father's voice transmitted as faintly as an ant's whisper: "In the Martial Arts Grand Tournament later, you may only win—you must not lose! You must seize first place in the clan's Juvenile competition! If you fail, you will no longer be my son! Your younger brother will take your place! His mother will take your mother's place!"
Every hair on Yin Xuejiao's body stood on end. The pain in his shoulder made him draw a sharp breath. He raised his head, glared fiercely at his father, and then nodded forcefully.
More than an hour later, the Yin Clan's ancestor-worship ceremony ended.
All the Yin Clan members who had participated in the ceremony filed out of the ancestral temple. The bell tower to the east and the drum tower to the west rang out at the same time. Yin Tianmie slowly walked before the crowd, then swung his arm forcefully.
A burst of flowing light flashed across the plaza before the ancestral temple, and the many Yin Clan members dispersed in all directions.
Amid a low rumble, a metal arena measuring two hundred meters in length and width and standing ten meters tall slowly rose from underground.
Yin Tianmie's voice rang across the entire venue. "Enough nonsense. We'll follow the rules of previous years! The Yin Clan's Martial Arts Grand Tournament begins now!"
Before you continue