Power Struggle!

Before the Cold Wind had subsided, Shi Yin had already merged into the vast snowstorm; in the blink of an eye, he was gone with the wind and snow, but after this parting, who knows if there will ever be a chance to meet again in this life.

On the cliff, Shi Pan stood alone for three whole days.

The confusion and grief in his eyes were gradually swept away by the howling thunder and wind of Divine Firmament Plain during the long silence.

Shi Mo died, on the road of Dao Contention, becoming a handful of yellow earth in the Boundless Lake of the old land.

Shi Yin left, heading north to take over the Snow Bear lineage, to fight for that heaven-reaching and earth-shattering fortuitous opportunity of Spirit Transformation, and even to seek a higher position.

The ancestor has been in seclusion, cultivating in seclusion. He possesses a great medicine from the Spirit Race. If he does not emerge from seclusion, all will be well; but if he does, he will surely shake the Beast Realm and reach the Four-Foundation Perfection.

The matriarch of the Shan Li and her eldest son, Shi Xiao, took away the clan's elite forces and now reside in the Lixiong Plain Li Bear Plains Lightning Plain of the Dao Realm, managing the clan's territory and acquiring resources.

They also need to be stationed there every day to deal with friction from the remaining forces in the Dao Realm.

The second young master, Shi Lei, oversees all external affairs of the Thunder Vein at the Giant Bear Ancestral Court and Lightning Mountain Sacred Mountain, engaging in intrigue and power struggles with various royal families and vassals.

They also had to compete with other major factions within the clan for clan interests.

The vast Divine Firmament Plain, a fertile ancestral land spanning sixty million li, is home to over thirty Nascent Soul Bear Kings and millions of Dao of Lightning subjects...

In the end, the burden truly fell on the shoulders of this old bear, who had stopped at the Nascent Soul Early Stage and Dao Path was completely destroyed, and he was expected to carry this enormous race forward.

"My ancestor didn't take me in back then to be a doorman, a mourning ghost."

Shi Pan put on a brand new, dark yellow, heavy-scaled armor.

The originally hunched and heavy back straightened abruptly with a cracking sound from the joints, like an unshakable brown Shan Yue.

"Send word to Divine Firmament Plain."

Shi Pan's voice, transmitted instantly through the specially made sound-transmitting bone talisman at his waist, reached various towns, demon caves, and tributaries across the plains.

"Within three days, all Nascent Soul Cultivator of my Lightning Bear Line, regardless of their branch or sect, and regardless of which territory they guard, shall return to Divine Firmament Peak for discussion."

"Those who arrive late will have their cave abode stripped and be demoted to the front lines!"

At the foot of Divine Firmament Peak Profound Lightning Grand Hall.

This grand hall was hollowed out from the entire lightning-struck iron mountain. Thirty-six thick copper pillars, each as thick as a person's embrace, hang from the roof, drawing in lightning from the heavens day and night to the ground, forming a defensive barrier for the entire hall.

The atmosphere inside the main hall was far from harmonious at this moment.

On both sides of the vast hall, there were thirty-seven chairs made of black iron; on each chair sat a figure with a powerful and fierce aura.

Thirty-seven Nascent Soul Nascent Soul!

This level of strength is already formidable; even within the Nine Realms, they would be considered a standard Spirit Transformation race, possessing considerable power.

This is the terrifying benefit that the trend of annexation in the Dao Realm has brought to the Giant Bear Clan.

War breeds slaughter, and a large amount of resources are poured into it. In just three hundred years, it has swallowed up the surrounding mixed-blood tribes and the scattered Spirit Vein of the Lightning Bear Line.

The number of Nascent Soul experts has skyrocketed from just a few to more than thirty, a several-fold increase!

However, the surge in quantity did not bring about absolute refinement, but rather uncontrollable cracks.

On the left side of the main hall sat the older generation of Nascent Soul, led by Lei Ya and Lei Li.

They were subdued by Shi Jian by force hundreds of years ago. They cultivated the [Frenzied Thunder Azure Profound Lightning] and [Life-Extinguishing Lightning] techniques from the [Raging Thunder] path. Most of them were stuck in the Nascent Soul Middle Stage. They had a high opinion of themselves and considered themselves "meritorious elders".

To the right of the main hall are the newly risen elites from the surrounding small tribes that were annexed or who rose from the Rogue Cultivator over the past century.

Some cultivated the [Profound Lightning] path, while others obtained half of the [Primal Lightning] fragment fortuitous opportunity chance, and none of them were willing to concede to the others.

"Brother Lei Ya, I heard that your Frenzied Thunder Line seized three associated amethyst mines in Falling Lightning Canyon last month?"

On the right, at the head of the group, a lean bear king, his body crackling with dark green electricity, spoke in a sarcastic tone.

It was Xuan Leimin, who had cultivated the [Life-Extinguishing Lightning] Immortal Foundation Xuanlei Min.

Years ago, he provoked Shi Jian in the ancestral temple square. Although he was taught a lesson, even now, having cultivated to the Nascent Soul Late Stage, his temper remains arrogant.

"Our ancestors had long ago decreed that newly acquired mineral resources should be allocated uniformly."

"Your Frenzied Thunder Line, relying on your numbers and power, have seized all the most lucrative territories for yourselves. Your behavior is rather disgraceful!"

Lei Ya didn't even lift his eyelids. His body was as large as Xiaoshan, and his voice was as deep as Lei Ming: "Brother Xuan, the mines are meant for the capable."

"My three thousand thunder soldiers have been clearing out the Earthly Sha beasts day and night on the front lines of the canyon. Hundreds of my people have died just to stabilize the situation. So what if we capture a few mines?"

"If it had been handed over to your bunch of spineless cowards who only know how to absorb Spiritual Qi, that mine would have been devoured by the earth's Sha Qi long ago!"

"Fart!"

To the right rear, a young Nascent Soul, his body entirely gray and Crimson Firmament Lightning, slammed his hand on the table, causing the black iron chair to clang loudly.

"That's the common property of the entire clan!"

"If there were no clan rules to restrain us, and you occupied one place today while I stole another tomorrow, what would this Divine Firmament Plain become? A den of bandits?!"

"Young man, who are you banging on the table with?"

"While I was on the front lines, tearing apart the Spirit Race 'Dao Weapon, you were probably still rolling around in some muddy swamp!"

Lei Li suddenly stood up, with violent Azure Profound Lightning leaping around him, and the pressure of Nascent Soul Middle Stage pressed down on his right side without any concealment.

Several newly promoted Nascent Soul on the right side were equally determined, their Demon Essence surging, and their chilling killing intent crisscrossing the hall.

The electric sparks on the lightning rod sensed the turbulent energy within the hall and crackled and popped.

Striving for power, seizing profits, and carving out territory.

When Shi Jian was alive, his thunder spear forced all living beings to bow their heads, and no one dared to show the slightest dissent.

When Shan Li was alive, the Treasured Earth was fertile and abundant, nourishing all things. The logistics were meticulously managed, and any complaints from any side could only be kept to themselves.

Now that both Venerable Ones are gone, these unruly Dao of Lightning Bear Kings have completely revealed their wild nature.

Just as tensions were rising within the hall, threatening to escalate into a bloody infighting.

Thump!

A muffled, deafening roar suddenly erupted from the palace gate.

The floor of the entire magnificent hall trembled violently three times!

The pungent smell of blood, along with a thick, heavy, Shan Yue aura, swept in like a tidal wave, instantly suppressing the surging thunderous power within the hall!

The cultivators were startled and turned to look at each other.

From the high, wide shadow of the palace gate, a burly figure, over two zhang tall, strode in.

Shi Pan was clad in a set of dark yellow heavy armor, and dragged a broadsword backwards in his hand; the tip of the sword drew a series of sparks on the ground, leaving a white mark several inches deep.

Although Shi Pan's cultivation level was not high, the fierce light shooting from his eyes made many Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivators present feel a slight chill.

"Stop making noise!"

Shi Pan stopped below the steps of the main seat. Instead of sitting on the Thunder Throne that represented the Shi Jian Ancestor, he stood with his sword drawn and slammed it heavily in front of the bronze cauldron in the center of the hall.

When--!

The long, resonant clang of metal shook the dust from the ceiling of the main hall, causing it to fall in clumps.

Shi Pan surveyed the entire scene, his gaze like a blade slicing across the faces of Lei Ya, Xuanlei Min, Lei Li, and the other troublemakers:

"Well, you've all gotten quite capable, haven't you?!"

"Grabbing mineral veins, dividing up territory, what's wrong with that, want to bang the table?"

"Should I clear a space for you thirty-seven Nascent Soul elders so you can have a bloody battle to the death in front of a million people from the Divine Firmament Plain?!"

A moment of silence fell over the hall.

Lei Ya frowned, then slightly reduced the amount of lightning, but his tone remained calm:

"Commander Shi Pan, this is due to the uneven distribution of resources within the clan, Non-Self deliberately caused trouble; the eldest son and mistress are far away in the Dao Realm, the second son is stationed in Lightning Mountain, and the patriarch is in seclusion."

"We are discussing the charter for the sake of the stability of our community."

The implication is quite clear.

You, Shi Pan, are nothing more than a cripple in the Nascent Soul Early Stage of the Nascent Soul realm. You only became the leader of this clan because of the kindness of our ancestor.

Now everyone's cultivation level is above yours, and new talents are emerging one after another. What right do you have to shout and yell here?

Xuanlei Min chuckled softly, leaning back in his chair and casually turning the bone ring.

"Commander Shi, we have all shed blood for our clan."

"When it comes to the mines, whoever captures them gets the lion's share; that's the rule of the jungle. If the commander can't come up with a fairer plan, a few harsh words alone probably won't be enough to quell everyone's ambitions."

As soon as he finished speaking, several newly promoted Nascent Soul on the right began to quietly echo his words.