A Plan

Three minutes later, all the information on the Canglang Sword Sect and the Dragon River Gang had been delivered to Qin Lian.

Aside from Wu Li, the Canglang Sword Sect had five known True Qi Realm practitioners. Moreover, Grand Elder Ning Chuan and Sect Leader Wu Meng were both Fifth Grade experts who had attained Hunyuan Wulou.

The Dragon River Gang had only one Fifth Grade expert, its leader Long Ao, but it had as many as eight True Qi Realm experts, along with hundreds of graded fighters.

After reading the information, Qin Lian frowned.

So many!

The Canglang Sword Sect and the Dragon River Gang had far too many people!

He had assumed that, since these forces were a cut below the Qin Family, they might only have several hundred people each.

But now that he added them up...

Their gang members and outer disciples numbered well over three thousand!

Three times as many as the Qin Family!

I can't kill them all. There's no way I can kill them all!

"How are there so many?"

Qin Lian's expression grew somewhat grave.

But soon...

He forcibly reined in his emotions.

Things had come to this; further words were useless.

It was not a matter of the Qin Family wanting to spare Canglang and Dragon River. Canglang and Dragon River were leaving the Qin Family no way to survive.

He took a deep breath. "Summon every graded fighter in the family."

Qin An froze briefly.

Then he quickly realized something, his pupils contracting. "Family Head, are you planning to strike first?"

He hurriedly asked, "But your injuries..."

"My injuries aren't the point. The point is that we have nowhere left to retreat."

Qin Lian spoke.

His words weighed heavily on everyone in the Qin Family.

Indeed!

The Canglang Sword Sect and the Dragon River Gang clearly intended to attack the Qin Family. Even if the Qin Family wanted to retreat, could they?

The family head had spent the past few days practicing his swordsmanship and martial arts without sleep or rest. He had probably already steeled himself to fight the two forces to the bitter end, even with his injuries.

If even the family head was prepared to do that, they...

"We'll gather everyone at once."

"Mm."

Qin Lian acknowledged him.

Then he added, "Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. Once the elites are assembled, head for the Canglang Sword Sect at top speed. Crush one side first, before they can join forces."

After all, the Dragon River Gang's experts seemed inferior to the Canglang Sword Sect's, but its three thousand gang members...

Ensuring that not a single one remained would be far too difficult.

So he could only start with the less numerous Canglang Sword Sect.

"Understood!"

Qin An nodded firmly.

He, too, understood how dire this battle would be.

Human strength has its limits. I'm not some immortal cultivator who can destroy a sect or overthrow a nation single-handedly. I need a way... to ensure that even any fish that slip through the net won't... won't dare pose a threat again or take revenge...

Qin Lian's thoughts raced.

Gradually...

A plan took shape.

He wrote down a set of instructions and summoned Qin Lingzhi. "Once the family members have assembled, give this letter to Qin An."

"Yes, Family Head."

Qin Lingzhi's expression was tense as well, her eyes filled with indescribable anxiety and worry.

Seeing this, Qin Lian smiled and reassured her. "All right, don't be nervous... I'll resolve the Qin Family's crisis."

"Mm."

Qin Lingzhi's pretty little face was utterly earnest. "I believe that with you here as our sea-calming pillar, Family Head, our Qin Family will never fall."

Qin Lian nodded and headed up the mountain to make his preparations.

Two hours later, the Qin Family's experts had assembled at the foot of Dragon Abyss Mountain.

Because Qin Lian had ordered that no word be allowed to leak, they had not notified the family's Attendants.

The Qin Family's core members, together with those graded martial artists whose fortunes were tied to the family, sharing its prosperity and losses, actually numbered fewer than a hundred.

And most were Eighth or Ninth Grade martial artists.

Aside from Qin An, the only Sixth Grade True Qi Realm practitioner was the newly added Qin Daozhi.

That alone showed how shallow the Qin Family's foundations were.

Rising from a powerful county household to the pinnacle of Taibai in ten years had, in the end, been too much like tugging on seedlings to make them grow.

Qin An swept his gaze over the many Qin Family fighters, solemn and ready to depart, and tightened his grip on his weapon.

Before long, Qin Ping, who had been sent to fetch the family head, came over.

But only Qin Lingzhi accompanied him. Qin Lian was nowhere to be seen.

Puzzled, he was about to speak when Qin Lingzhi handed him the letter Qin Lian had prepared. "Elder, the family head told me to give you this letter once you had finished assembling."

"Hmm?"

Qin An took the letter and opened it. His expression immediately shifted several times.

"No! The family head... he intends to shoulder this crushing burden alone!"

"What?"

"What's going on?"

"What did the family head say?"

Noticing something amiss, Qin Lie, Qin Ping, Qin Daozhi, and the others quickly gathered around.

Written plainly on the paper was a brief message.

"Speed is paramount in war. I'll go on ahead. Lead everyone after me to clean up what remains. To crush the Canglang Sword Sect and the Dragon River Gang, I alone am enough."

The words seemed filled with a resolve to go forth and never return, to face certain death.

This situation...

"The family head intends to do what he did when he faced Blood Demon Zuo Qiudao over a month ago-to resolve a crisis that threatens our Qin Family with annihilation, all by himself!"

"The family head's grave injuries haven't even healed. This time, he'll surely have to use a forbidden technique again... We're... too useless!"

"Why must it come to this... What would it matter if we retreated to Qingliu County? As long as the family head is still here, our Qin Family can rise again!"

Grief filled the elders' faces.

"When cutting weeds, you must tear out the roots. If we retreat, will the Canglang Sword Sect, the Dragon River Gang, the Xie Lineage, the Li Family, and the other forces simply stop pursuing us? This battle must be fought!"

Qin An made his decision at once. "Prepare the horses! Head for the Canglang Sword Sect at top speed and support the family head!"

"Yes!"

Amid a chorus of responses, the Qin Family members, who had initially been unwilling to beat the grass and startle the snake, abandoned all caution and rode out one after another.

Nearly a hundred riders, all at least graded fighters, swept forth in a mighty procession, heading straight for the Canglang Sword Sect sixty li away!

Such a commotion naturally could not be concealed, and it instantly alerted everyone at the foot of Dragon Abyss Mountain.

For a time, countless carrier pigeons took wing, flying toward Taibai Commandery City and the major forces in the surrounding area.

What happened in the Qin Family did not affect Qin Lian himself.

During the two hours the Qin Family had spent assembling, he had already arrived outside the Canglang Sword Sect.

The Canglang Sword Sect stood on Canglang Mountain, in the west of Mount Tai Prefecture.

The mountain was roughly the same size as Dragon Abyss Mountain, twenty to thirty li in circumference.

Its buildings, however, were more densely packed than the Qin Family's.

Ultimately, I'm a modern man who received a sound education in core socialist values, kind and honest. Slaughtering all three thousand people from both factions to tear out the roots and eliminate future trouble forever isn't something I can bring myself to do, nor is it something I can accomplish.

Qin Lian was acting to protect himself and to repay "Qin Lian's" karmic debts. Naturally, he would not become some murderous fiend.

Every grievance had its source, and every debt its debtor.

He only needed to kill as many of their graded experts as possible.

But since he did not intend to slaughter all three thousand people, yet still wanted to eliminate future trouble forever and leave the people of the Canglang Sword Sect and the Dragon River Gang without the courage to take revenge against him or the Qin Family...

There was only one way.

Crush them like rotten wood!

The Qin Family had been propped up by "Qin Lian's" reputation alone.

Alone with his sword, he would use unparalleled might to crush and kill every graded expert in both forces as though smashing rotten wood, making their ordinary members feel a gulf they could never cross in their entire lives and a despair that would keep them from ever harboring thoughts of revenge again!

That was his plan.

And now...

Qin Lian's Divine Intent was clear.

His True Qi circulated.

His voice thundered.

"Wu Meng and Ning Chuan of the Canglang Sword Sect, where are you? 'Qin Lian' of the Qin Family has come to pay your sect a visit."

He strode up the steps. "Summon everyone you have to stop me at once! Otherwise, after today, the Canglang Sword Sect will cease to exist!"