Song Xiuwen wasn’t really that weak. His rank-fourteen origin power could be considered the average since most of the core members of the clan were at this level, on paper at least. He had been rank-fourteen for twenty years. According to the Song clan’s viewpoint, this could be considered an “experienced” person.
Normally, Song Xiuwen would boast that he could escape from anyone below the divine champion rank and even exchange a blow or two against one. As for experts at the same rank, he claimed that he had defeated quite a few and that his record was flawless. After all, there were too few opportunities for a Song clan elder to take action. Whatever fights that came up were fought by hired hands.
Boasting on a regular basis slowly gave Song Xiuwen more confidence as he started to believe himself. The other elders were more or less at the same cultivation-rank as he was. Since Song Xiuwen felt himself peerless, the others naturally thought, “I’m not inferior to you in any aspect. If you’re peerless in the same realm, I can probably defeat most of my opponents as well.”
In their little world of imaginations, the Song clan’s fighting power was at the top of all the major clans. They were just a bit inferior to the Zhang clan—and that was because of Zhang Boqian.
They believed that the Zhao and Bai clans were also discrepant in their generational fighting force, with the old people nearing the end of their lives and the young still brats. They felt that the Song clan’s core prime-age lineup was still a bit superior as the clan had never lacked accomplishments. There were more than just a few examples of people accumulating merits to countship. The frequency of their transports, supplies, and frontline sentries being ambushed in battle was the same as any other clan; those who criticized the Song had to be narrow-minded people.
Qianye’s slap woke everyone up from their little dream. Some of the older members were still confused about how he had slapped Song Xiuwen flying. One had to remember that the latter was rank-fourteen!
The elder assembly fell into silence as everyone was dumbstruck.
Qianye flexed his fingers and said, “Which elder wants to teach me a lesson? Stand out and speak! Do you think I can’t see you just because you’re hiding in the crowd?”
An elder standing at one of the corners walked out. He was tall, well-built, and possessed bones like steel. He said in a deep voice, “No matter how powerful you are, you can’t be unbeatable. The Song clan is not a place for you to act so atrociously.”
Song Zining sighed. “Ninth Uncle, are you going to stand with them as well?”
Blushing, Song Tu let out a dry cough. “Lil’ Seven, we’ll talk about that later. You shouldn’t have brought an outsider to the elder assembly. As the weaponry hall elder, I cannot sit by and watch this go on.”
Song Zining’s expression turned cold. “Later? Like when the Song clan has completely collapsed? Ninth Uncle, I’ve always respected you for your courage and righteousness. I would have never imagined something like this.”
Song Tu smiled wryly after a while. “The clan has its laws. No matter what, our Highland Song clan’s elder assembly won’t allow an outsider to insult us. How can I ignore my responsibilities and sit by?”
With Song Tu taking the initiative, many of the elders were emboldened. Some of them immediately stood out and said, “He’s right! Even you, Lil’ Seven, are no longer a member of the clan anymore, let alone Qianye. We did you a favor by letting you into the courtyard, how dare you stir up trouble?”
Song Zining ignored everyone else. He merely stared at Song Tu and said, “Ninth Uncle, what do you say?”
Song Tu’s brows knitted together. “What do you want me to do?”
“Look at what the clan lord is doing.”
Song Tu’s right palm clenched into a fist as he nodded. “Very well. I’m feeling a bit under the weather today, so I won’t be attending the assembly any longer.”
With that, he actually left without looking back.
“Humph! Useless thing! Since he’s afraid of dealing with this matter, let this old man try you out. Let me see what ability you have under that fame of yours.”
A tall elder walked out from the crowd, the original grand elder of the Song clan, Song Zhongcheng. Qianye still remembered how this person had, despite his position, attacked him back at the clan examination. If Song Tu and Duchess An hadn’t helped him back then, Qianye would’ve suffered grievous injuries.
Now, the two of them were standing face-to-face under present circumstances.
Qianye glanced at Song Zining. “What do I do?”
Song Zining’s eyes were cold. “What else? Your slap woke me up. I’ve been overly cautious with how I deal with these people. We don’t really need to care about too much when we’re already in a corner.”
Qianye smiled brilliantly. “Understood, can I beat him to death?”
Song Zining rolled his eyes. “Don’t actually kill him!”
Nodding, Qianye started cracking his knuckles.
The exchange between the two silenced everyone—it was as though the entire hall was populated by clay sculptures. Song Zhongcheng was absolutely furious. “I wish to see how two little brats like you can beat me to death!”
He was one of the top experts of the Song clan and just shy of crossing the divine champion threshold. He simply refused to believe he would lose to a little brat.
Song Zining replied, “You probably haven’t fought an outsider in ages, right?”
Song Zhongcheng said with a gloomy expression, “So what?”
With a nod, Song Zining turned toward the other elders. “I’m assuming it’s the same for all of you. You hide away to cultivate, counting your little ranks and feeling yourself quite powerful. In truth, what Qianye said is not wrong at all. Compared to those killing on the battlefield, everyone here is just trash.”
The elders were all livid, but a laughing Qianye attacked before anyone could act out.
He took a step forward, shaking the entire hall when his foot struck the ground. A punch then flew toward Song Zhongcheng’s chest.
The punch was neither heavy nor fast, but it was vibrating constantly and seemed rather profound. Song Zhongcheng spoke harshly, but he didn’t really dare to be careless against the famous Qianye. He channeled every ounce of origin power he possessed and crossed his arms to stop the punch.
There was a strange smile on Qianye’s face as the arm and fist came into contact. With a sudden roar, eight claps of thunder echoed throughout his body. His vampire bloodline reinforced the eight layers of Excavator as an unstoppable deluge of power rushed into Song Zhongcheng’s body.
In mere moments, all the bones in Song Zhongcheng’s arms were shattered, and the man was flung backward like a cannonball. He punched a large hole in the wall and shot through three more before landing in the courtyard.
Only at this point did he spray out a mouthful of blood.
The elders were stunned. Song Zining, however, was flustered. “Oh my! You opened up a hole! I thought it was fine to block the door, now what do we do?”
Many of the elders felt dizzy. This seventh young master was planning to corner them and beat them up. It seemed he had evil intentions.
Qianye chuckled. “I’ll take charge of this side, you keep blocking the door.”
His limbs weren’t idle as he spoke. He took a step to the side and slapped a dozen or so elders with a semi-circular shield that had appeared out of nowhere.
Half of the elders were sent flying with a muffled bang, while the others staggered back, coughing up blood.
Qianye turned around and performed a sweeping kick. A crescent-shaped wave of origin power sent several elders flying. Fortunately, the attack was blunt and no one was cut in half.
He then ran about, ramming people with his shoulders and elbows, each blow backed by the simple, blunt force of Excavator. The elders felt as though they were trapped in a ringing ancient bell and struck with a sledgehammer. Soon, everyone had lost their footing as Qianye’s kicks and punches felled them by the dozens.
At the height of his excitement, countless red threads emerged around Qianye in a flash of sanguine light.
“Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing!?” Song Zining’s voice grew louder and louder.
Qianye retracted the bloody threads and said in embarrassment, “I got too excited. It’s instinct, instincts I say! Hahahaha!”
“Instincts my ass!” Song Zining pointed at Qianye and roared, “What do I do if you get too carried away?”
Only then did Qianye discover that the elders were rolling about on the ground like bottle gourds. “It’s fine, it’s fine, most of them are probably pretending. We can try stabbing them to see who’s playing possum, and then beat them up again.”
Song Zining snorted. “Too much trouble. Let it be since you’ve beaten everyone up, I’ll take charge of breaking down the building.”
With that, he stomped a few times, causing the entire hall to shake with increasing vigor. In the blink of an eye, the structure collapsed with a loud rumble, burying all the elders in the rubble.
Qianye and Song Zining were the first to rush out. Some elders eventually removed the debris pressing down on them and made their way out. Others started digging through the rubble to help their friends squeeze out.
At this point, there was no way things could be settled with just words. Many of the elders threw caution to the wind, roaring, “This insolent little thief! You’re really asking for the supreme elder to take care of you. Where’s Elder Lu? Why isn’t he here?”
A nearby elder said in an awkward hush, “Elder Lu is an external surname. So… we didn’t really invite him to our… negotiations. You understand.”
“Oh…” The elder cleared his throat. “Men, someone’s planning to assassinate the elders! Capture the assassins!”
His voice was full of character and backed with deep origin power, spreading through the courtyard in the blink of an eye. Many of the guests who were still here rushed over, numbering even more than the Song clan’s guards.
Those who could live in the courtyard were guests of considerable status. The staff had been reminded time and again to remember their appearance and treat them with respect. Hence, no one dared to stop them as they rushed over.
These knowledgeable guests immediately recognized Qianye and were left stupefied. Those who didn’t know him asked around to confirm their guesses. They were enlightened after a round of whispers and began sizing him up like they would a rare treasure.
A rash person said, “What nerve…”
A close friend nearby pulled him back. “Careful, you can’t touch him!”
The first man was shocked. “Why?”
The second person replied with an aggrieved expression, “You might not have seen him in action, but have you never heard of his accomplishments? Who under the divine champion rank can even hope to touch him? You’ll be lucky if you get out of the fight alive! Besides, I heard he’s related to many powerful characters. Sigh, you’re usually quite smart. How come you’re as dumb as those Song clan elders now?”
The first person replied, “Thanks for the reminder! I don’t know what came over me. Perhaps it’s because I increased my cultivation too fast and my realm is unstable? But rest assured, as dumb as I am, I’m not dumb to that degree.”
“Okay, let’s stop talking and watch the show!”
They took their positions and stretched their necks, ready to watch the show. None of them felt that this was inappropriate considering their status as lineal descendants of a high-ranking aristocratic family.
