Chapter Fifteen
Xuanyuan Qingfeng led a group of retainers up the mountain, trudging forward one step at a time. Their faces were ashen, and with every step came the soft scrape of their soles against the mountain path.
When the family head, Xuanyuan Guoqi, heard they had returned, his heart gave a sudden lurch.
Once he learned that Wang Ritain had not only slaughtered several of the Xuanyuan Family's experts but also killed Xuanyuan Jingxuan, whom the Old Ancestor valued greatly, his face instantly turned deathly pale. His lips trembled, and it took him a long while to force out, "This... this is utterly lawless! That wretch, Wang Ritain, has openly slapped the Xuanyuan Family in the face!"
As he spoke, he clenched both hands into fists, his knuckles turning white with the force. The veins on his forehead bulged; he was clearly beside himself with rage. He knew that the Old Ancestor, Xuanyuan Dapan, was capricious at the best of times. After Wang Ritain's brazen actions, the Old Ancestor was sure to fly into a thunderous rage, and as family head, he would likely be held responsible too.
"Qingfeng, go to the Great Snow Plain at once and tell the Old Ancestor everything, exactly as it happened. Don't leave out a single word!"
Xuanyuan Guoqi looked at Xuanyuan Qingfeng, his eyes full of worry and urgency. His tone left no room for argument.
Xuanyuan Qingfeng shuddered, a flicker of fear crossing her eyes. She knew all too well how terrifying the Old Ancestor, Xuanyuan Dapan, could be. Going to him with such dreadful news was no different from walking into a fire pit. But she could not disobey the family head's order. She took a deep breath, forced down her panic, and led the retainers toward the Great Snow Plain, trudging onward with difficulty.
On the Great Snow Plain, the bitter wind howled like knives, whipping everyone's clothes into a fierce flurry. Xuanyuan Dapan sat atop a boulder like a statue, eyes closed, a mysterious and powerful aura radiating from him. His white hair, as snowy as the mountain around him, fluttered in the wind. At first glance, he looked like an immortal who had withdrawn from the mortal world. Yet the faint killing intent that now emanated from him sent a chill down everyone's spine.
"Qingfeng, what has you so agitated?" Xuanyuan Dapan slowly opened his eyes. His gaze shot toward Xuanyuan Qingfeng like two icy blades, and his low, powerful voice echoed through the valley.
Xuanyuan Qingfeng hurried forward and bowed respectfully. Her voice trembled as she said, "Old Ancestor, something terrible has happened. That villain, Wang Ritain, killed Lord Xuanyuan Jingxuan, along with Wang Shengwu and the others..."
"What?" Xuanyuan Dapan sprang to his feet. His once-calm expression changed in an instant, and fury blazed in his eyes. The aura of a Great Celestial Phenomenon expert surged skyward, and a terrifying pressure swept out in every direction like a raging tide. Everyone felt as if an invisible mountain had crashed down on them. Their legs gave way, and they collapsed to the ground, unable to move or even dare to breathe.
The clouds overhead were thrown into chaos by that overwhelming aura. The already gloomy sky darkened further, as if the end of the world were nigh. Against the backdrop of that fearsome power, Xuanyuan Dapan's figure seemed even taller and more imposing, like a demon god emerging from the depths of hell.
Only after a long while did Xuanyuan Dapan slowly withdraw his aura. His expression gradually returned to normal, but the cold killing intent in his eyes remained undiminished. "Tell me in detail. What exactly happened?" he asked, turning to the trembling retainer beside him.
The retainer swallowed hard, trying to steady himself before recounting everything Wang Ritain had done, from beginning to end. He described in painstaking detail the ruthless way Wang Ritain had killed Xuanyuan Jingxuan and the terrifying strength he had displayed while fighting Wang Shengwu and the others, afraid to leave out even the smallest detail.
Xuanyuan Dapan listened in silence, his expression growing darker by the moment. When he heard that Wang Ritain had even threatened to take his life, a trace of disbelief flashed in his eyes. Then his anger surged anew. "Well, well, Wang Ritain! Since when has the Xuanyuan Family allowed some lowly retainer to bully us like this? He even dares to try to kill me? Keep dreaming!" Xuanyuan Dapan roared, his voice brimming with authority and fury.
"Please calm down, Old Ancestor. Wang Ritain is nothing but a clown. He's no threat," Xuanyuan Qingfeng said cautiously, trying to soothe Xuanyuan Dapan's anger.
"A clown? He killed Jingxuan and grievously wounded Wang Shengwu and the others. How is that like any ordinary clown?" Xuanyuan Dapan snorted, his eyes full of disdain. "I haven't left the mountain in ages. Today, I'll go down myself and kill that ignorant brat!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xuanyuan Dapan flashed away, shooting skyward like a bolt of lightning. In an instant, he streaked across the heavens and vanished from sight. Everyone stared in shock and awe in the direction he had gone. They knew a storm of bloodshed was about to sweep through the martial world.
The news spread quickly through the Xuanyuan Family, causing an uproar. "The Old Ancestor is going down the mountain in person? Just who is this Wang Ritain? How did he manage to enrage the Old Ancestor so much?"
"I heard Wang Ritain is terrifyingly strong. Even Xuanyuan Jingxuan, who was in the Finger Profound Realm, died by his hand."
"That's right. With the Old Ancestor stepping in personally, Wang Ritain is surely doomed."
The family's disciples gathered in groups, discussing the news, their faces full of shock and curiosity. They could hardly believe that a nobody of a retainer had caused such a commotion.
In less than half a day, news that Xuanyuan Dapan, the Xuanyuan Family's Old Ancestor, had descended the mountain spread as if it had grown wings throughout the martial world, reaching neighboring kingdoms as well. A Great Celestial Phenomenon expert had appeared in the world; it was an earth-shaking event. The martial world erupted with chatter.
"Xuanyuan Dapan has descended the mountain? He's a Great Celestial Phenomenon expert! What could have brought him down?"
"I heard it was because of a young man named Wang Ritain. He killed people from the Xuanyuan Family and even threatened to kill Xuanyuan Dapan."
"What? Just what is Wang Ritain capable of, to make Xuanyuan Dapan come out of seclusion himself?"
Everyone was curious about Wang Ritain, and they eagerly awaited the coming confrontation. They all wanted to know just how capable he was, and whether he could escape Xuanyuan Dapan unscathed.
The martial artists who had witnessed Wang Ritain's slaughter firsthand were also deeply unsettled by the news. "Wang Ritain, oh, Wang Ritain. You've stirred up a storm indeed. Now that Xuanyuan Dapan has come down the mountain himself, how will you face him?" An old man sighed, his face full of worry.
The younger generation of experts was stunned by the tales of Wang Ritain. "He killed an expert in the Finger Profound Realm while only at the Half-step Grandmaster level? Wang Ritain is a monster!"
"Exactly. With strength like that, he's among the very best of his generation. It's just a shame he's up against Xuanyuan Dapan."
"Xuanyuan Dapan is a top-tier figure, only half a step away from becoming a Land Immortal. No matter how strong Wang Ritain is, there's no way he can survive against him."
The younger generation of experts were amazed by Wang Ritain's strength, but they were certain he would ultimately die at Xuanyuan Dapan's hands. In their eyes, Xuanyuan Dapan's strength was like a towering mountain that no one could cross, an immovable force.
Far away, in the study at Huishan, Xuanyuan Jingcheng heard that Xuanyuan Dapan had personally set out. His expression grew complicated. Seated at his desk, he unconsciously stopped his brush, deep worry showing in his eyes. "Wang Ritain, oh, Wang Ritain. Your little escapade has thrown the entire Xuanyuan Family into turmoil," he murmured.
Xuanyuan Jingcheng actually felt some goodwill toward Wang Ritain. He knew the Xuanyuan Family was rotten to the core, and Wang Ritain's arrival had given him a glimmer of hope for change. But now that Xuanyuan Dapan had descended the mountain himself, Wang Ritain's situation was precarious. "I'm too weak to stop the Old Ancestor. With him leaving the mountain this time, a storm of bloodshed is sure to follow." Xuanyuan Jingcheng let out a long sigh, a trace of helplessness in his eyes.
Xuanyuan Jingcheng knew that what Xuanyuan Dapan was planning to do soon would make the entire martial world tremble. He had to prepare for every eventuality. Even if it meant mutual destruction, he would have to solve this problem. He raised his head and looked out the window. The sky was still gloomy, as if foretelling the storm to come. Xuanyuan Jingcheng shook his head, looked away, and bent over his book again. He knew that amid these troubled times, he had to find a way out—a way to save both the Xuanyuan Family and himself.
Meanwhile, Huang Longshi, who knew the events of centuries past and future, sat in a quiet room, staring at the chessboard before him, his brow furrowed into a deep crease. He held a chess piece in his hand but still hadn't placed it. His skill at divination was unrivaled in the land; to him, the past and future seemed to hold no secrets. Yet now he had run into a problem: Wang Ritain's fate. He had tried to divine it countless times, but he still couldn't see Wang Ritain's future. This left him filled with unease and doubt. "Wang Ritain, just who are you? Why can't I divine your fate?" Huang Longshi murmured, bewilderment in his eyes.
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