Family Showdown!

"Open!"

With Wang Teng's command, the black cloth was yanked away.

The entire venue fell into deathly stillness.

There in the crate lay a withered old pine bonsai, more than half dead, with only a few yellow leaves trembling on the verge of falling.

Around the withered pine's roots coiled several black vines like venomous snakes.

They exuded a nauseating aura of decay.

"This is..."

"Ghost-faced Withered Pine?!"

Someone recognized the thing and sucked in a sharp breath.

This plant grew in places of extreme yin, most effective at suppressing vitality. Placing it in a home was an omen of great calamity, signifying the end of one's bloodline and the decline of the family.

To send such a thing to a Full Moon Banquet—this wasn't a gift at all. It was a deliberate act to grind the Zhang Family's face into the dirt and, on top of that, disgust the Zhang Family Old Ancestor to death.

"Wang Teng! You're asking for it!"

The Zhang Family's young disciples could no longer hold back.

One by one, they drew their artifacts and prepared to charge forward.

"Hold!"

A hoarse, feeble voice came from deep within the hall.

Zhang Tianzheng, supported by two maidservants, staggered out shakily.

His complexion was even worse than the day he emerged from seclusion—his lips purple, every step requiring three heavy gasps, as if he might collapse at any moment.

"Old Ancestor!"

The clan members were filled with grief and fury.

Zhang Tianzheng waved his hand, signaling everyone to stand down.

His gaze fell on the Ghost-faced Withered Pine, and he suddenly broke into a violent cough.

He even coughed up a trace of black blood.

"Good... a fine gift..."

Zhang Tianzheng smiled weakly. "The Wang Family Head has put in great thought—this is a reminder that time spares no one, not even this old man."

Seeing the Zhang Family Old Ancestor in such a state, on the verge of the grave, the wariness in Wang Teng's eyes instantly dissipated by more than half.

It was replaced by an even more brazen contempt.

So this was the so-called Nascent Soul Old Ancestor?

It seemed the rumors were true—this Old Ghost really was at the end of his rope!

"Greetings, Senior Zhang!"

Wang Teng let out a cold smile, his gaze skipping past the Old Ancestor and landing directly on Zhang Chen, his eyes full of provocation and disdain.

"Actually, besides this pine bonsai, I have a few more words to say."

Wang Teng clasped his hands behind his back, sweeping his gaze across the crowd, and raised his voice a few notches: "As everyone knows, in the Cultivation World, the strong rule. The Zhang Family now has the old, the young, and as for the middle generation..."

He pointed at Zhang Chen and clicked his tongue twice. "Young Master Zhang did marry a beautiful wife, but unfortunately, she's a well-known waste. And your wife is also a sickly cripple with all her meridians severed."

"A pair of waste and cripple giving birth to a child—even if the baby shows some Spiritual Energy now, it'll likely be hard-pressed to shoulder any real responsibility in the future."

"So I propose!"

Wang Teng finally revealed his fangs, speaking loudly: "To prevent the waste of Spiritual Vein resources in the East Mountain Islands, the Zhang Family should voluntarily hand over the Grade 2 High-grade Spirit Ore near Green Snail Island to a more capable family for management!"

"This is for everyone's good, and also to accumulate some virtue for the Zhang Family—lest that withered pine's omen really comes true!"

Boom—!

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire venue erupted.

This was outright robbery!

And done in front of everyone, aiming to sever the Zhang Family's very foundation!

"Bullshit!"

"Wang Teng, I'll fight you to the death!"

The hot-blooded men of the Zhang Family had eyes blazing red, Spiritual Energy surging, on the verge of losing control.

But Wang Teng was completely unafraid, watching coldly.

He was itching for the Zhang Family to strike first.

That would give his Wang Family the perfect excuse.

Just as the situation was about to explode—

A clear, cold voice like a spring rang out.

Suddenly, it rang out across the square.

"Who said my Zhang family has no one?!"

That voice instantly suppressed the clamor of the entire venue.

Everyone subconsciously turned their heads toward the main hall's entrance.

They saw the great doors slowly open.

A graceful figure, carrying two swaddled infants, walked out unhurriedly into the midday sun.

It was Lin Qingxue.

Today, she had changed into a flowing, shimmering ice-blue magic robe.

This was no ordinary garment—it was part of the dowry the Lin Family had given her back then. She had been unable to wear it before due to her lost cultivation, but now that it adorned her, spiritual light rippled across its surface, making her resemble the Guanghan Fairy descending from the Ninth Heaven.

With every step she took, a thin layer of frost formed on the ground beneath her feet.

The pressure of a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator radiated from her without any restraint.

It even carried a biting, extreme-cold aura sharper than that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, sweeping through the entire venue in an instant.

"Th-this is Lin Qingxue?!"

"Wasn't she supposed to have severed meridians and become a cripple?!"

"That aura... Foundation Establishment Early Stage peak?! No, it's even stronger than an average Foundation Establishment Middle Stage!"

The guests who had come to watch the spectacle were now staring with eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

Jaws dropped to the floor.

The arrogance on Wang Teng's face froze instantly.

How is this possible?!

Wasn't she just a sickly woman kept alive by medicine? How did she suddenly become a Great Cultivator of the Foundation Establishment Realm?

And with such vigorous blood energy and pure spiritual power, where was any sign of injury?

Lin Qingxue ignored the shocked gazes around her.

She walked straight to a spot ten paces in front of Wang Teng and stopped.

She cast a cold glance at the Ghost-faced Withered Pine, then casually waved her hand.

Crack!

A sword qi of ice-blue materialized out of thin air.

In an instant, it shattered the withered pine and its pot into fine dust.