Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

Chapter 358: Chapter 272: Patriarch Qin

"Hey, have you all heard? On an island about a hundred miles away, a Tier Nine Magical Beast has actually appeared! Heavens, a Tier Nine Magical Beast... can you imagine how powerful it is? If we could get even a single drop of its blood, our strength would probably increase by leaps and bounds, wouldn’t it?"

A man in his thirties, with a somewhat flippant demeanor and a hint of arrogance in his eyes, spoke up. Though he was from a minor family, he possessed the strength of a Tier Six Demon Swordsman! Frankly, many disciples from the great families couldn’t even compare to him. Reaching such a level at his age was certainly something to be proud of.

"You’re telling me! A Tier Nine Magical Beast! Heh, if we small sects and minor families could just get a piece of the action, we’d be set for life. Who knows, we might even be able to squeeze into the ranks of the third-tier families!" another man in his twenties exclaimed boisterously.

His outburst drew the attention of many people nearby. Those from third-tier families and above, in particular, shot the young man mocking glances, but he remained completely oblivious and continued his loud tirade.

"But... a Tier Nine Magical Beast... just how powerful would it be?" A troubled look appeared on the young man’s face before he continued, "You can laugh if you want, but the strongest creature my family has ever hunted was a Tier Seven Magical Beast! Hah, and we even lost a Sword Sect expert doing it! But that was over a hundred years ago!"

As the young man said this, he showed no trace of shame. In fact, his face was filled with pride.

Even many of those who had just been mocking him couldn’t help but reveal looks of respect. The reason was simple: the power of a Tier Seven Magical Beast was widely considered to surpass even that of a Sword Emperor powerhouse.

If the young man wasn’t bluffing, then being able to hunt a Tier Seven Magical Beast proved his family had at least one High-Tier Sword Emperor among their ranks!

In truth, many minor families and sects did have high-tier experts. It was just that they had so few members that their number of experts was naturally low, preventing their overall strength from ranking among the top.

But members of third-tier or higher families and sects would always subconsciously look down on those from minor sects. It was really just a matter of habit, because when it came to resources of any kind, the gap between minor families and those of the third tier and above was indeed vast.

The people at his table began to praise the young man’s impressive ancestor. To think he could even hunt a Tier Seven Magical Beast! Someone asked him, "Brother, that ancestor of yours who hunted the Tier Seven Magical Beast—he’s still around, right? What tier of Sword Emperor would he be now?"

The young man didn’t answer, simply offering a confident smile in return.

Ling Xiao and Song Mingyue kept their heads low, listening as nearly everyone in the tavern discussed the new developments of the grand gathering. The topic of electing an Alliance Leader and Elders was mostly discussed by members of the great families and sects, as they were the ones most concerned with such matters. Moreover, this proposal had clearly just been made, as no family or sect had been notified beforehand.

’If the old Emperor of the Lanyue Empire were still alive, he’d be grinning from ear to ear at this news. The old Emperor was the very definition of being too clever by half. He spent his entire life scheming, not even sparing his own sons. In the end, he forced the Crown Prince to rebel, leading to fratricide, patricide, and matricide... But he can rest easy in his grave now. His final, deathbed plot to dismantle the great families and sects was actually being put into motion!’

The members of the minor sects and families at the surrounding tables, however, were focused more on the giant Tier Nine python Magical Beast.

It was clear that the larger the family or sect, the more cautious they were in these matters.

... ... ... ... ... ...

「Meanwhile」

In the room of Qin Zhaoran, Patriarch of the Qin Family, he and his son, Qin Feng, sat facing each other. Qin Feng’s calm demeanor from the ship was gone, replaced by a savage scowl on his handsome face.

"Father, that Ling Xiao... I will not let him leave our Qin Family Island alive!" Qin Feng said through clenched teeth. "And I won’t let Song Mingyue go either. I’m begging you, Father, you have to help me. I must marry her! And then... I’ll make her spend the rest of her life in regret and terror!"

Qin Zhaoran, however, just smiled faintly. "My son, there’s no need to rush. The Sea Domain Song Family has gone too far, and our Qin Family is no pushover to be toyed with. However, this matter requires careful planning. If word gets out, the Qin Family will lose face. In a little while, I’m sure a troublemaker like that boy won’t be able to resist going to watch the excitement of the Magical Beast hunt. We’ll just find an opportunity to kill him then. As for the Song family’s daughter... heh heh, let’s have her stay with the Qin Family. She’s our family’s daughter-in-law, after all. If that Song Yi wants her back, he can come to our Qin Family in person! And he’d better have a good explanation for why his Song Family dared to insult us so!"

Qin Feng sneered. "That punk? How could I let him have an easy death? I couldn’t bear to kill him without torturing him for at least a year or two! Even better, on the night I marry Miss Song, I’ll make Song Mingyue watch with her own eyes as I kill her... lover right in front of her!"

Qin Zhaoran nodded. "Exactly. With a mindset like that, my son, I no longer have to worry about your future. A true man must seek vengeance with such passion! As for that Song family girl, she should indeed live forever in regret and fear!" As he spoke, a strange, chilling smile spread across his face. The "fear" he mentioned was completely different from the one his son, Qin Feng, had in mind.

No doubt, when the time came, even his son Qin Feng would be in for a huge shock.

Qin Feng then suddenly asked, "Father, there’s something I’ve never understood and wanted to ask. That Tier Nine Magical Beast... does it have some kind of deal with our Qin Family? Why else would it never attack us? And why did you suddenly release the news calling for everyone to hunt it? A Tier Nine Magical Beast isn’t that easy to kill, is it? Forget about all these visitors—even if our family’s three Old Ancestors went themselves, they might not be able to kill it."

Qin Zhaoran chuckled darkly. "I was wondering when you’d finally ask! Feng, you know, you’ve been a genius since you were a child. I’ve never had to worry about you. But there’s one downside: your personality is too reserved! You never take the initiative to ask questions or speak your mind. What you did just now—that was good! That Ling Xiao deserves to die! The entire Sea Domain Song Family deserves to die! How dare they insult our Qin Family! Hmph. That Tier Nine Magical Beast... is our Qin Family’s Guardian Divine Beast!"

"What?" A stunned expression appeared on Qin Feng’s face as he stared at his father. Looking at the refined, middle-aged man before him and the smile in his eyes, Qin Feng shook his head. "Father, you must be joking. That Tier Nine Magical Beast is immensely powerful. How could it possibly be our Qin Family’s Guardian Divine Beast?"

Qin Zhaoran smiled faintly. "If a Magical Beast wants to grow stronger and continue its cultivation, it also requires a great deal of resources. And those resources are precisely what our Qin Family can provide! So, it’s not so strange that it would agree to become our family’s Guardian Divine Beast. As for sending all those people to their deaths... heh heh, those people *are* part of the resources!"

Hearing this, Qin Feng couldn’t help but gasp, staring at his father in disbelief. "But in that case, won’t we offend a huge number of families and sects? This... this is insane, isn’t it? Besides, most of the people who came here are the future hope of their families. Father, this plan of yours is... a little... a little..."

"A little too vicious?" Qin Zhaoran finished his son’s sentence with a cold laugh, his eyes flashing with an evil light. "Not vicious at all! Hunting the Magical Beast is voluntary. The Qin Family is merely requesting their help; we aren’t forcing anyone to go. If they go and get eaten by the beast, what does that have to do with us? Should our family be held responsible? Besides, without eliminating the future hopes of all these families and sects, how else is our Qin Family... supposed to become a super-family!"

Qin Feng stared, dumbfounded, at his father’s bold declaration. He had never imagined that his normally low-key, refined, and debonair father harbored such immense ambition.

"In that case, was that whole business with the Alliance Leader and the Elder Council your idea as well?" Qin Feng had only heard about this after he returned, and couldn’t help but ask.

"No, that was proposed by the Western Li Family. Hmph. For over a thousand years, the Western Li Family has been backing the Lanyue Empire from the shadows. With countless resources in their hands, their ambition has swelled accordingly. They’ve always been very low-key. When the Lanyue Empire was founded, the Li Family was probably a second-tier family. By now, I imagine they must be close to first-tier, if not there already. Since they proposed it, I just went with the flow and agreed. Heh, the Li Family sent several Sword Emperor powerhouses this time. They must have been coveting the Alliance Leader position for a long time, eh? But with this news, combined with the Tier Nine Magical Beast, I believe it won’t be long before many of those old monsters who haven’t shown their faces in centuries decide to come out for some fresh air."

Qin Feng said in astonishment, "So that was your true intention, Father!"

Qin Zhaoran snorted and let out a few cold laughs, very satisfied with how quickly his son had caught on.

’Even if people are scared off by the Tier Nine Magical Beast and decide not to look for trouble,’ he thought, ’I’m sure plenty of them will be interested in becoming the Alliance Leader of all the families and sects!’

’It’s just like the Emperor of the Mortal World. In the eyes of ordinary people, it’s a position of supreme authority!’

’And when the time comes, as long as they’re here on Qin Family Island, even if they don’t go to watch the beast hunt, I have plenty of ways to make the Magical Beast pay *them* a visit...’

It was only then that Qin Feng had a sudden realization. Behind his father’s refined and scholarly face lay so many secrets. He was simply... unfathomable.

... ... ... ... ... ...

After Ling Xiao and Song Mingyue finished dinner and left the tavern, they saw that ominous clouds were rolling across the sky. The dark masses hung low, and a cool wind began to blow.

"Looks like a big storm is coming," Ling Xiao said softly.

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